#alpha sniper goes crazy

[deviationmaniac]

Some Omegaverse AU Sniper and Spy with Mick who includes my friends headcanons for appearance. Man is a feral dog type who will tear off your arm. Christian Brutal Sniper coded is the best kind

[livesincerely]

always yours, always mine

Also on Ao3. Rated E.

Disclaimer, this is another A/B/O fic, which I know isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so feel free to skip over this one if that’s not something you’re into <3

00000

“Okay,” Davey says after the third time one of the boys flinches away from him: Albert, this time, who lets out a panicked yelp and all but tucks and rolls, head over ass, in his attempt to keep Davey from touching him. Given that Davey had only gone to clap a friendly hand on his shoulder while they line up to get their papes, this seems like a drastic overreaction. “What aren’t you all telling me.”

They actually have the gall to look surprised—as though they’ve been anything even approaching subtle in the not-quite fifteen minutes that have passed since Davey arrived in the square—and their guilty, hang-dog expressions might’ve been comical if he wasn’t so annoyed.

“Well?” Davey says, arching an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over each of them in turn. “What is it?”

Race snatches Albert’s cap off his head and thwaps him with it. “Nice goin’ Albie, you done gave it away!”

“What was I s’pposed’ta do?” Albert says, disgruntled, rubbing his forehead. “Jus’ stand there?”

“No, but you were s’pposed’ta handle it discrete like, dumbass—”

“Oh, sure, ‘cause it’s just that easy—”

“None of you would know discrete if it socked you in the jaw,” Davey cuts in, his hands making their way to his hips as he stares down at them. “Now, what’s going on?”

There’s a long silence as the boys all glance at each other, shifting guiltily, but none of them willing to be the first to break.

Finally, Racetrack sighs. “This was a stupid idea anyway,” he mutters. He rolls his shoulders back and looks Davey straight on, opens his mouth to speak—

Henry elbows him in the side, hissing, “Race! Don’t tell him!”

“Albert already ruined it, we might as well come clean—”

“I didn’t ruin it!” Albert cries.

“You kinda did,” Finch says with a shrug. “You were really obvious, Al.”

"What was I s’pposed to do!”

“I say we just tell him,” Buttons chimes in over Albert’s protests. “Davey’s gonna figure it out eventually—”

“—and he’s gonna be more upset the longer we keep it from him.” Specs adds. Buttons points at him as if to say, yeah, see?

“You just don’t want Davey to be mad at’cha,” Romeo says, accusatory. 

“Do you want Davey to be mad at’cha?”

“....No.”

“I’m gonna tell him,” Race announces to the group at large.

Multiple voices interject all at once, shouts of disagreement and words of encouragement all jumbled together.

“Race, you can’t,”  Crutchie says with a shake of his head, his quieter tones just barely heard beneath the others’ bickering. “Yesterday was bad enough and you heard what Jack said! He doesn’t want to say anything—“

“Yeah, well maybe if Jack wasn’t such a moron, it wouldn’t’ve gotten so bad in the first place—”

“So, this is about Jack, then?” Davey asks, loudly, and the silence that falls is so sudden and absolute that it almost seems to echo.

The boys all look at each other, apprehensive. Then Racetrack blurts, “Jack’s in rut!”

“Jack’s… what?”  Davey says, startled, because out of all the possibilities he’d suspected, this wasn’t anywhere on the list. “I thought he was sick?”

“He didn’t want us to tell you,” Crutchie admits, apologetic. “He didn’t want’cha to know.”

“Jack’s in rut and he wasn’t going to tell me?” Davey says, confused and a little hurt. “But… why?”

“Because he’s an idiot?” Race offers, rolling his eyes. “He wasn’t exactly forthcoming with any typa explanation but he’s probably freaking out about some stupid alpha thing—”

“Hey,” Mush protests weakly. Sniper just shrugs as if to say fair enough. 

“—and he’s been all keyed up since Tuesday, stinking like frenzy and frustration—and not the fun kind,” Racer continues, wrinkling his nose at the memory. “Plus, he can smell you on all’a us when we get back to the Lodging House every evening; he nearly tore Buttons’ arm outta its socket yesterday when he caught your scent on his sleeve, just from wantin’ it so bad.” 

“He didn’t hurt me,” Buttons assures him when Davey looks his way, alarmed. “Nothing like that—you know Jack would never. But he’s driving himself crazy stayin’ away from ya, and havin’ your scent around without you there with it is only makin’ things harder on him.”

“But, why doesn’t he just…” Davey asks, trying to think of a delicate way to say fuck it out, even as something in his chest bares its teeth and snarls at the thought of Jack even considering a rut partner. 

“You’re kiddin’, right?” Race says flatly, thoroughly unimpressed. “Please tell me you’re kiddin’, because I can only deal with one of you bein’ stupid at a time and Jack’s already called dibs on this week.”

“So, what, he’s trying to just wait it out when he knows that I would—“ 

Davey stops himself, flushing. It’s no secret, how he and Jack have been circling each other—teetering on the brink of becoming  more,  just waiting for something to finally give—but he’s reluctant to talk about it too openly, the possibility of him and Jack still feeling oh so fragile where it’s tucked away in the deepest corner of his heart.

Because he’d thought that they were on the same page, thought that there was an unspoken understanding between them that one day, eventually… But if Jack didn’t want him to know about his rut, hadn’t asked Davey to keep him company through his cycle… Davey chews at his lower lip, stomach twisting up in knots.

“Didn’t I just tell you not to be stupid?” Racetrack asks—frowning, but with no real heat to his words—and Davey realizes that his scent has taken on a sour, anxious note as his thoughts spiralled. “You can’t possibly think that he’d want anyone but you riding this out with him.”

“Except, he doesn’t want me there,” Davey points out. “You just said that he didn’t want me to know—”

“Yeah, but not ‘cause he don’t want you,” Racetrack assures him, as though this is plainly obvious. “‘Cause he really, definitely does: he’s puttin’ up with the rest of us ‘cause he loves us and ‘cause he don’t gotta choice since we all live together, but he wants  you.  I think he wants you so bad that it scares him.”

Davey tilts his head, running his tongue over his teeth as he considers Race’s words. But it’s not even a choice that needs contemplating, really, not when it’s Jack.

“I’ll go over and check on him,” Davey decides, a little voice in his head whispering yeshelpprotectfixsoothe. “See if I can convince him to let me help him.”

The boys all sag as one—it’s clear that they hadn’t wanted to go directly against Jack’s orders but are relieved that Davey’s going to step in.

“Thank fuck,” Elmer mutters. “I can’t take anymore of his goddamn pacing.”

“Felt like I was havin’ sympathy pains, watching him prowl around,” Mush agrees, rubbing a hand over his chest like he can feel an ache there. “Don’t know how he’s managed to hold out so long—I can’t imagine tryin’ to get through a cycle without Blink now that we’re together—”

“I’ll handle it,” Davey says, determined, the feeling in his chest crystalizing into something solid and certain and unshakable. 

“We’ll let your folks know where you are,” Crutchie tells him, clapping Davey on the shoulder. “Just go an’ take care of him—god knows he ain’t gonna take care of himself.”

“And don’t let him run you off,” Race advises. “You know how he gets.”

“I’ll handle it,” Davey repeats firmly.

00000

Davey smells Jack before he sees him: the air is heavy with his cedar and summertime scent, undercut with the smoky sweetness of his rut, so potent that Davey almost goes dizzy with it.

“Jack?” he calls out, announcing himself out of politeness rather than any real need—he’s positive that Jack smelt him the moment he arrived. “Jackie?”

The hair on the back of Davey’s neck stands on end, his heart skipping a beat in his chest, and Davey turns just as Jack steps out of a side hallway, his face shadowed with tension.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Jack rumbles, watching Davey with dark, dark eyes. He’s only wearing a pair of thin sleep pants, his skin dewy with a sheen of sweat, and even from where he stands, Davey can feel the heat rolling off of him in waves.

“Oh?” Davey says, arching an eyebrow. “Because I’m pretty sure this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

“Which one of ‘em squealed?” Jack asks with a growl of frustration, raking a hand through his hair. “No, don’t tell me, it was Racer, wasn’t it?”

“Why didn’t you tell me your rut was coming up?” Davey asks, getting right to the point. 

“I didn’t wanna put’cha in that position,” Jack says evasively, gaze falling to the floor.

“And what position would that be?” Davey questions, crossing his arms over his chest.

It takes Jack several seconds to answer. “Didn’t want’cha to feel… obligated or nothin’. Like you hafta be here, like you hafta help me with this, jus’ ‘cause we’re...”

“I don’t understand,” Davey says, watching him carefully, a spark of realization starting to dawn. “How is this any different than you helping me through my heat last month?”

Jack’s spine stiffens, tension thrumming through him like a live wire, but he lets it go just as quickly as it arrived. 

“Come on, Davey,” Jack says, voice heavy, his mouth pressed in a thin, unhappy line across his face. “You know what I mean. You know why it’s different.”

“Sweet, stubborn, overprotective alpha,” Davey murmurs with a sad sigh, shaking his head. “Jackie, you’re not going to lose control and go wild just because you’re in rut, it doesn’t actually work like that—”

“Are you sure?” Jack says darkly. “Are you absolutely positive? ‘Cause I’m feelin’ pretty fuckin’ outta control, here, Dave. Feels like I might bust outta my skin any second, my instincts are goin’ goddamn nuts, I can barely sleep, can barely keep my fuckin’ head on straight, and there’s this hollow, empty spot between my lungs that aches every time I breathe, and I can’t— I can’t—”

“Jack,” Davey says, low and soothing. “You have to stop fighting your instincts. I know you think you’re protecting me by holding yourself back, but I promise that there’s nothing to worry about. Let me help you, darling. Please?”

Jack wavers—not like he’s convinced, not like he’s found any sort of faith in himself, but like he no longer has the strength to keep arguing—and that more than anything has the alarm bells going off in the back of Davey’s mind.

“Jack,” Davey beckons, soft but firm. “Jackie, love, come here.”

Jack takes a stumbling, hesitant step forward. Davey meets him halfway and draws him into a tight embrace, one arm wrapped securely around Jack’s middle, the other guiding Jack’s head to rest against the curve of his throat. 

Jack’s hands settle cautiously against the small of his back, his nose tucked right against Davey’s scent gland. He takes in a single, shaky breath, then crumples like a puppet that’s had its strings cut, that salty, bitter note of distressed alpha finally fading from his scent.

“Dave,” Jack whines, snuffling desperately at his neck. “Davey.”

“I know, Jackie,” Davey murmurs, hugging him even tighter. “I’m here, I’ve got you.”

They stand like that for several minutes, just holding each other—Davey pressing gentle kisses to the top of Jack’s head while Jack clings to him, relaxing more and more with every inhale. 

“Can you look at me for a second, love?” Davey asks, craning back as much as he can without letting go. Jack grumbles but obediently tilts his head back—now that they’re closer, Davey can see that his eyes are glassy with fever, his skin flushed beneath his tan. “When’s the last time you ate something? Or had anything to drink?”

“I dunno,” Jack says, shrugging. “A while, I guess. H’ven’t been keepin’ track.”

“Let’s get some food and water into you, okay?” Davey says. “You’ll feel better once you’ve eaten.”

Davey leads Jack along the hallway and down a set of stairs into the basement, following the traces of Jack’s scent in the air to find wherever he’s been hunkered down for his rut. 

He quickly discovers what must be the Lodging House’s cycle room. It’s cold, cramped, and uncomfortable, not a hint of carpet or wood or  anything  to cover the wall-to-ceiling concrete that encloses the space, and Davey’s heart aches at the thought of Jack waiting out his cycle here, alone, for these last couple days.

He takes stock of the room: there's a wooden bed frame with a lumpy mattress pushed up against one of the walls, covered in a plastic mattress protector and made up with a cheap set of sheets that are stale with sweat, and a single threadbare blanket to go with it—no pillows. There’s a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter sitting on a table in the corner, a mostly full pitcher of water and a glass next to it, and there’s a stack of towels and linens tucked underneath the table with a wash basin.

“Think you can eat something?” Davey asks.

Jack shrugs again but doesn’t answer. Davey decides to interpret this as a  yes. 

“Sit down for me, darling,” he says, making quick work of fixing Jack a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of water. 

Jack hovers close for a second, then finds a spot right on the floor, leaning with his back against the far wall. 

“Go ahead and eat this for me,” Davey instructs, handing over the food. Jack accepts it from him by route, but makes no move to actually take a bite. “Jackie, please. You need to eat something.”

“‘M not hungry,” he mutters.

“I know you aren’t, but that’s just the rut talking,” Davey says, running a hand gently along his arm. “You’ll feel differently once you’ve got some food in your stomach.”

Though he’s clearly not thrilled about it, Jack manages to choke down half of his sandwich and two glasses of water. Once that’s taken care of, Davey starts stripping the dirty sheets off the bed, piling them into the corner to be washed later, then remakes it with a fresh set.

“Do you want to try laying down for a while?” Davey asks as he finishes, smoothing away a wrinkle near one of the mattress corners. “You said you haven’t been sleeping well—”

“I think you need to leave,” Jack interrupts, the words coming out in a low, gravelly rasp. 

Davey goes very, very still, a sudden flare of heat prickling low in his stomach. 

He slowly turns around. Jack rises to his feet with all the grace and power of a jungle cat, his eyes shaded dark with hunger and his scent burning like a wildfire, staring at Davey like he might devour him whole, the air between them growing heated as the next wave of his rut kicks in. 

Davey barely resists a whimper, his own scent spiking sugar-sweet in response as desire pulses through him. He wants to rub himself all along Jack’s front, until that smoky-spicy-cedar scent is imprinted into his skin. Wants to lick the taste of it right out of Jack’s mouth.

“David,” Jack growls. His eyes are scorching. “You gotta go, sweetheart. You gotta leave right now.”

Davey swallows around a suddenly dry throat, his tongue feeling heavy in his mouth, but his voice is remarkably steady when he says, “What if I don’t want to leave?”

Now it’s Jack’s turn to stiffen. “Davey,” he says sharply. “I know you’re tryin’ to help, but trust me, this ain’t like your heats. You don’t wanna be here for this.”

“You haven’t actually asked me if I want to be here for this,” Davey points out, taking a single step forward. Jack’s hands ball into fists at his sides. “You’ve just assumed that I don’t.”

“Because you don’t understand how—” Jack’s jaw snaps shut as he cuts himself off, expression tight.

“Answer me this then,” Davey says when Jack doesn’t continue, stepping closer and closer until they’re standing toe to toe, chest to chest. Jack’s nostrils flare, the muscles in his arms tensing and flexing, and that mouth watering scent spikes even stronger. “Do you want me, Jackie?”

“Of course I want’cha,” Jack groans, and one of those big, hot hands finally curls around Davey’s waist—not pulling him any closer, really, but like Jack just can’t help himself. “What kinda question is that? This ain’t about not wantin’ ya.”

“Then why is it so hard for you to believe that I want you too?” Davey asks. “That I want you like this? That I want everything you’re willing to give me?”

“You don’t know what you’re askin’ for,” Jack insists, stubborn. Davey would admire his dedication if it wasn’t so exasperating. “I’m— I can’t control myself as well when I’m in rut, I get rough, possessive—”

Davey rolls his eyes. 

“You’re my alpha, Jackie,” he says dryly. “Possessive kind of comes with the territory.”

Jack’s eyes go wide. Two seconds later, Davey realizes what he’s said: this is the first time either of them have openly acknowledged what they are to each other, and voicing it aloud, saying it so plainly… something in Davey’s chest thrums with energy, with  connection.

“You... “ Jack’s throat works for a moment. “You think of yourself as mine?”

“Jackie, I’ve always been yours,” Davey says, cupping his hands around Jack’s face, so true and so tender that he aches with it. “And, I think you’ve always been mine.”

Jack pulls one of Davey’s hands away from his face and curls his own around it, pressing a kiss to Davey’s knuckles, then to his palm, and then to the inside of his wrist, his gaze growing more heated with each one. 

“Mine,” Jack growls, a hint of teeth scraping against Davey’s pulse as he pulls away. “You’re mine.”

“Yours,” Davey breathes. “All yours.”

Jack’s eyes flash red, then he’s drawing Davey in for a hard, demanding kiss, pressing a thigh between the hot space between Davey’s legs. Davey gasps at the first brush of Jack’s lips against his neck, the slide of Jack’s hands shifting down to palm at his ass, his fingers digging into the swell of Jack’s biceps for purchase. 

“Take these off,” Jack growls, yanking Davey’s shirt out from where it’s tucked into his pants. “Take them off before I tear them off you.”

Davey fumbles for the buttons on his shirt, liquid heat pooling low in his stomach. Jack’s hands trail greedily at every bit of his skin as he uncovers it, thoroughly distracting and too good to ignore, and after several minutes of scrabbling, interspersed with long, frenzied kisses, they eventually manage to get their clothes off. 

“Bed, cielito,” Jack says. “We need to— Bed.”

Davey hums in acknowledgment but doesn’t move, his face buried against Jack’s shoulder, biting at the skin there until it bruises.

“Dave,” Jack tries again.

“I’m busy,” Davey mumbles, mouthing at the sharp line of Jack’s collarbones.

“And I’m about two seconds away from pushing you down and fucking you right through the floor,” Jack says, voice laden with promise. “So get on the goddamn bed.”

“I really don’t see what the issue is,” Davey teases, still not moving an inch. “The floor is closer, isn’t it?”

Jack snarls, curling a hand around Davey’s nape and pulling him back up into another frenzied kiss.

“Mouthy— little— smartass—“ he pants, his teeth dragging along the tendon in Davey’s throat. “I’m gonna eat you out ‘til you cry.”

He wraps his hands under Davey’s thighs and hoists him up and back. Davey lands on the mattress with a soft bounce, barely given any time to situate himself before Jack is on top of him, pinning him down with rough hands and spreading him wide before following through with his threat, tongue lapping at Davey’s entrance in broad, greedy strokes.

“Ah,”  Davey gasps, fingers tight in Jack’s hair, scrabbling for some kind of anchor as Jack licks him open.

Jack lets out a low rumble of approval that vibrates right against where he’s most sensitive, his body growing even wetter, even slicker at the sound and feel of it. Jack swirls his tongue around his opening, making Davey’s toes curl against Jack’s sides, then presses in—Davey cries out, a harsh, desperate sound that tears out of him as he grinds up into the sensation.

“Jack,” he gasps, mindless, hips jerking uselessly in Jack’s unrelenting hold, body pulled taut and stretched loose at the same time, pleasure coiling in his belly. “Jack, I’m— I can’t—”

One particularly filthy swipe of Jack’s tongue has Davey’s breath hitching in his chest, head thrown back as the feelings swell and crest, and it only takes one more teasing flick before Davey’s coming with a broken moan.

“Jack,” he croaks when his lungs reinflate. “Holy shit.”

Jack’s mouth and chin are shiny with slick, his pupils blown wide and shaded with satisfaction. 

“Told you,” he says smugly. 

Davey tugs him down into another messy kiss, needing to lick that handsome smirk off his face. Then he rears up and flips them over so that he’s the one on top now, kneeling over Jack with his legs straddling Jack’s lap.

“My turn,” Davey murmurs, reaching down and taking Jack’s length—thick and hard and wet at the tip—in hand, lining it up at his entrance.

Then he takes a breath, leans back, and sinks down onto it in one slow, smooth downstroke. 

“Mmn,” Davey sighs, his eyes slipping shut as his body adjusts to the stinging stretch of finally being filled. He’s thrumming with tension, with heat, his thighs quivering where they’re spread wide around Jack’s hips, hands splayed against Jack’s chest for leverage, and it feels so good he could almost choke on the pleasure of it. 

Jack’s hands flex jerkily against Davey’s sides, then go wonderfully, bruisingly tight, thumbs pressing hard against the divots of his hips.

“Fuck, Davey,” he groans, staring up at Davey with dark eyes tinged with red, lovely and wanting. “You’re gorgeous, sweetheart. So fucking gorgeous and absolutely perfect for me.”

“For you,” Davey agrees, grinding down in a tight, deliberate circle, ass flush against the cradle of Jack pelvis, and Jack’s scent burns even brighter, smoky and sweet. “And you’re all mine, aren’t you darling?”

“Always,” Jack promises.

Davey rises up then drops back down, carefully at first but quickly finding his rhythm, rocking his hips in a  steady back and forth motion that sends liquid fire sparking up his spine. Every slip and drag of Jack’s dick inside of him feels like being shaken apart and pieced back together all at once, aching desire coursing through him with every slap of skin against skin.

“Davey,” Jack pants, his hips bucking up to meet Davey’s own as he rolls down again, and Davey moans through the bursts of bliss that explode behind his eyelids. “Oh, fuck, that’s good.”

“Jack,” Davey gasps, leaning forward to tuck his nose against Jack’s neck, nipping at his pulse point as he grinds down in his lap, the scent of summer and cedar and mate, mate, mate anchoring him even as he goes a little scent drunk on how  right  it all is. “Jackie, I— oh, yes, just like that.”

Jack pulls him down into the next thrust, hard and fast, and Davey cries out, twisting his hip as he sinks into it. 

“Perfect,” Jack grunts, those hot, rough hands squeezing tight. “God, Davey, you look absolutely incredible. So fucking pretty, sweetheart, feel so good riding my cock.”

Davey works his hips that much faster at the praise, so much so that the bed starts rocking underneath them, the squeaky creak of the wooden frame echoing through the room in time with his own heaving breaths. He’s so wet now that he can hear Jack fucking him, hears the slick, dirty squelch of Jack’s knot pressing a little deeper inside of him every time they clash together, driving closer and closer to completion.

“Harder,” Davey pleads, his thighs burning from the effort of keeping up his pace but still needing more. “Jack, please—fuck, alpha, please—harder.”

Jack snarls—a low, rumbling, dangerously sexy sound—and his eyes bleed red, his scent washing over Davey like blazing fire. He leverages his legs up, bending them at the knee with his feet flat against the mattress, and when he thrusts up into Davey on the next roll of his hips, it feels so impossibly good that Davey’s mouth falls open around a broken, guttural little keen.

“O-oh,” Davey says, the word catching in his throat, barely able to think with how completely and utterly Jack is destroying him, his knot starting to thicken and swell against his rim as their bodies meet again and again. Davey arches his back, planting a hand against one of Jack’s bent knees for balance, chasing blindly after his pleasure, and Jack makes a noise like he’s going out of his damn mind, a possessive growl tearing its way out of his throat. “Oh fuck.”

“Say it again,” Jack orders, eyes on fire.

It falls out of Davey’s mouth, desperate and true: “Alpha, alpha, my alpha—”

“My omega,” Jack says, his voice low and gritty, rut and desire clouding his gaze. “Mine.”

They’re both teetering on the edge. Jack’s knot is catching on every thrust, fucking him open in torturous, delicious increments, and Davey wants, wants,  wants.

“Jack,” Davey’s head hangs heavy between his shoulders, his lower lip caught between his teeth as he pants and sighs. “Jackie, yes, give it to me, give it to me, please, yes—”

Jack’s hands slide lower, clench harder, and Davey has one second to delight in how much he loves the feel of those big hands curled around him before the world spins and he lands flat on his back again with Jack braced above him, his eyes wild and vivid red. He grabs the backs of Davey’s thighs and pushes his knees up towards his ears, hardly faltering at all before he’s driving back inside again, fast and hard and so, so deep, and Davey’s boiling, blistering from the feeling of Jack, always Jack, pulsing inside of him, etched right into the seams of his heart.

“Mine,” Jack growls again, nipping viciously at the base of Davey’s throat, tongue swirling over his scent gland like he’s already trying to taste his claim. Davey tilts his head back with a needy whine, unable to do anything except offer himself up to him, freely and wholly. “Mate. Mine.”

“Jack,” Davey whimpers. “Jack, I— I’m—”

“You’re going to come for me,” Jack orders, pistoning his hips even harder, and the new angle means that he’s tagging that sweet spot inside on every other thrust, fierce and relentless. 

“Yes,” Davey moans, sparks flying at the edges of his vision. “Yes, I’m— Don’t stop, don’t stop, please don’t—”

Jack presses him down, snaps his hips forward, sharp, and his knot finally catches, swells, and locks inside of him. Heat thrums, then surges through him, white hot, at the searing stretch of it and Davey comes so hard he goes lightheaded, body rippling and writhing through wave after wave of pleasure. Jack manages a couple more filthy grinds of his hips before he’s tumbling over the edge right after him, capturing Davey’s mouth in a breathless, bruising kiss as his orgasm rocks through them both.

When he feels like he can move his limbs again, Davey lets his legs slip down to wrap around Jack’s waist, looping his arms loosely around Jack’s neck. He turns his face towards Jack’s temple and inhales, smiling softly when he catches the smoky, spicy, cooling-embers scent of a sated, happily exhausted alpha.

“How are you feeling, darling?” Davey murmurs, brushing Jack’s sweaty hair off his forehead with a gentle touch. “Alright?”

Jack mouths something unintelligible against his collarbone, a solid, grounding weight sprawled bonelessly on top of him. Davey cups his hand around the nape of Jack’s neck, then strokes soothingly down his back, his mind a wash of hazy contentment. 

“‘M good,” Jack grunts. “I’m… fuck, Dave.”

Davey huffs out a laugh, then presses a kiss to the high point of Jack’s cheek. “Fuck,” he echoes hoarsely, still recovering from his high.

“You?” Jack asks, nuzzling clumsily at the column of Davey’s throat. “Feelin’ okay?”

“Better than,” Davey decides, his body aching deliciously around the hot, hard knot pressed inside of him, stomach sticky with with own release, his thighs wet with slick and come, neck littered with marks, the air thick with their combined scents, spring and citrus and cedar and sweet  melded perfectly together, and he feels totally, entirely, completely— “Feel claimed.”

Jack’s body twitches, his knot throbbing as he spills another burst of pleasure deep inside of him. Davey hums, pleased, some base omega instinct purring with satisfaction at how wonderfully full he is.

“Jesus, sweetheart,” Jack eventually gets out, voice rough and raspy and  wrecked.  “You can’t just— Have mercy on your poor alpha.”

“My alpha,” Davey agrees. “All mine.”

[tflatte]

read max brooks’ devolution the other day, which was A Thing to do right before bed. i liked it though!

it’s a horror novel in similar style to world war z, where some of it is interviews with various peoples, and most of it is the journal of one of the people living in a microcommunity designed and built by tech guys(six word horror story) to be eco-friendly and self-sustaining, except it’s on the slopes of mt rainier and when it erupts, even though they’re out of immediate danger, they’re cut off from things like drone grocery supplies and the internet they need to call for help. which might have worked out okay, except the eruption drove a troop of bigfoots from their usual home. the subtitle of the book is “a firsthand account of the rainier sasquatch massacre” so you can guess how that goes for everyone

spoilers and thoughts under the cut

i was kind of leery about it after i read the free sample off kindle, so it’s been a solid few weeks between reading that and reading the rest of the book, but eventually i decided i can finish it fast enough for a refund if it sucks. the sample was basically the intro to all the characters and, since i was interpreting it as a slasher intro, i will admit i was primed to hate everyone. you have the conflict-avoidant protagonist kate and her useless husband dan, tony the tech guy who designed the place and his “guru” wife yvette, a vegan foodie couple bobbi and vincent, a philosopher, reinhardt, a lesbian psychologist couple, carmen and effie, and their adopted daughter palomino who escaped the rohingya genocide, and mostar, an older woman who’s a sculptor working in a 3D printer. the only people i didn’t hate in the first chapter were palomino, who i was sad about presumably being in the massacre, and mostar, who people were jerks to

tony and yvette were…exactly what that description makes you think they were like. kate went all crushy over tech guy right away and wrote about guru in that annoying “ohhh she’s so BEAUTIFUL and NICE i haaaate her” way. foodie couple…eh. boring and annoying. i don’t even remember their intro. they turn out to be Those kinds of vegans that think animals are all sweet innocent harmless creatures. philosopher was pretentious. there was some hinting that carmen was emotionally abusive, but that never went anywhere? i don’t know if we’re expected to assume that the life-or-death situation improves their relationship like it does for kate and dan. also they gave their daughter a “placeholder” name so she could change it in the future if she wanted. which is fine as a concept but it felt weird that there’s never any mention that she probably had a name before? she’s mostly nonverbal throughout the book so it’s possible that she was never able to tell anyone her original name though. also the placeholder is “palomino” because of how her only possession when she was adopted was a book about horses.

anyway, i was disappointed that the free sample didn’t even mention any ~weird noises in the woods~ but once the volcano erupted things started moving faster. mostar immediately starts prepping for the long haul of being cut off and everyone is like “oh she’s ~crazy~ of course we’ll be reconnected and back to normal super soon” but she is the only person with a brain. tony is like “oh it’s fine we have water and power and heat and yes the volcano erupted but we’re fine and yes we can’t contact the outside world and the satellite radio is saying things are bad but they’re totally not don’t even worry about it” and yvette is alternately spouting bullshit crystal-healing slogans about ~connection~ and ~healing~ and playing social mind games to maintain control. like it feels as if they could’ve turned things into a cult if it wasn’t for getting cut off from supplies. they absolutely feel like people who could have manipulated their ~micro-eco-community~ into total obedience given enough time. they’re already isolated enough to make it work even before the eruption

everyone else in this story is SO FUCKING STUPID about wildlife. like carmen and effie are encouraging pal to hand-feed a random deer apples when they are cut off from getting any food from outside. a literal fucking mountain lion nearly eats pal and mostar chases it off with a homemade spear and yvette starts screaming at her about “it was just scared! how could you hurt it! you provoked it!” despite knowing it was bigfoots breaking into the compost bins, mostar tells everyone that it was a bear so they’ll actually listen but bobbi gets So Offended when she asks if anyone has bear spray and they decide to spread the compost in the fucking woods for the “bears” to eat! no brains! not one! they actually say that bears aren’t aggressive! they are when they’re fucking hungry because a fucking volcano exploded and drove all the food away! then kate and dan get bigfoot footage and prove to everyone that that’s what’s around and they’re like “no this is good most apes are herbivores! maybe they’re friendly! no we’ve never heard any of the seven million cautionary tales about not treating any wildlife, particularly apes, like harmless pets!”

if you hadn’t guessed, the most prevalent theme in this book is “nature is not nice” with a side order of “being too dependent on tech will fuck you over when that tech fails.”

mostar is the best character in the book tbh. she lived in a warzone that she never names but references a lot of things she learned there. including the sniper trick the bigfoots try. as mentioned, she is the only one to have a brain when the plot starts and drags everyone else kicking and screaming into growing one too. except tony and yvette. like a third of the way into the book they go and hole up in their house and proceed to have complete mental breakdowns, then get eaten. as you do. but they’re still terrible so it’s still satisfying. although it’s hinted that part of tony’s might be that he saw or even got chased by a bigfoot. but since he was trying to abandon everyone and save his own ass, it’s not like you work up much sympathy for him

the bigfoots are led by a scarred matriarch ruling what seems to be at least mostly her own family group, which was a touch i liked and made her being dubbed the “alpha” much more tolerable. also the fact that it’s not like kate is the kind of person who’d know more than the most mainstream nature stuff. also the bigfoots appear to be either human-level intelligent or close to it. on top of hurting one human to try to lure the others into a rescue, there’s a moment where one seems to be holding pal hostage(it doesn’t work. effie literally rips the bigfoot’s throat out with her teeth), and it’s speculated that alpha destroying kate’s garden and leaving a pile of dung in the middle might be spite. a very human motivation. kate seems pretty convinced that they’re capable of reason. so that made it a little weird towards the end when “zoo fees” are mentioned in the context of bigfoots. like i appreciated that it wasn’t going to be the standard government coverup angle. the book speculated that the government is planning to reveal the proof when the disaster relief is handled and attract a bunch of tourism based on bigfoots. admittedly primates aren’t especially one of my areas of interest but the way the bigfoots act strikes me as at least smart enough to cause a lot of debate on whether it’s ethical to keep them in captivity, even if they aren’t fully as intelligent as humans.

speaking of the lure, i think that was the most effectively scary part. besides the conceptual horror of them being smart enough to do that(and, you know, the idea of suffering through it), there’s a short but really effective passage that leads you to the slow realization of what alpha is waving at the humans and, therefore, exactly what happened to vincent. terrifying

i also really enjoyed the narrative foils of kate and alpha. maybe that’s not the right word for it but whatever that mirroring they have going on is. how alpha seems to recognize kate as the protagonist/the biggest threat/the enemy alpha. alpha destroying the garden in spite rather than taking the opportunity to kill kate after the burn. kate leading the desecration of alpha’s mate’s body to begin the real fight, alpha killing dan, kate killing alpha. it’s good.

even though she dies for it effie literally ripping juno’s throat out with her teeth to save pal is so fucking cool

i was very glad pal survived, at least potentially. i’m naturally biased in favor of the humans, but i liked the part of the ending where kate’s brother theorizes that maybe nobody’s found her and pal because they decided to hunt down the surviving bigfoots and may even still be out there, tracking the survivors to find other troops and living off bigfoot meat. fuck ‘em up.

[louisapennyfeather2021]

Screw it, I made a Newsies/ Teen Wolf because I don't care, Teen Wolf is my all time favorite supernatural tv series and I stand by this.

Key: ☠️= dead, 🌻= alive, 💀= eventually dies, 🌹= dies and comes back to life

So here's my dumpster fire of an AU idea:

Jack Kelly as Scott McCall/True Alpha Werewolf(makes some questionable decisions to help his friends while also doing what's right. Was turned by Oscar)🌹

Racetrack Higgins as Stiles Stilinski/Human/Nogitsune(ADHD, unreasonably intelligent, spaz who is sometimes questioned because of his slight paranoia. Jack's foster brother)🌻

Sarah Jacobs as Allison Argent/Hunter(has a relationship with Jack for a little while until l the werewolf/hunter thing becomes and issue and they eventually breakup)☠️

Davey Jacobs as Chris Argent/Hunter turned Ally(except Davey and Sarah are still siblings instead of father and daughter and Davey eventually ends up with Jack)🌻

Albert DaSilva as Lydia Martin/Banshee(1, I did this because of the red hair and 2, Race and Albert's friendship works perfectly. Kind of a snob, dates Hotshot for a while before Hotshot moves. Extremely intelligent, plays dumb. Realistic.)🌻

Spot Conlon as Derek Hale/Beta to Alpha to Beta Werewolf/Shifting Wolf(they are literally the same person, fight me. Lost his family in a house fire set by Morris Delancey [trust me], helps Jack learn to be a werewolf)🌹

Medda Larkin as Melissa McCall(Badass mom who loves her children but also keeps him in check while almost dying? Yes)🌻

Bryan Denton as Dr. Alan Deaton/Druid(Jack's boss and mentor. Hides his knowledge about the supernatural until he's almost killed numerous times. Acts as a guide for Jack and his friends)

Hannah Veldheer as Coach Finstock/Human(economics teacher, lacrosse coach, cross country coach. Definitely has favorites when it comes to her players, although she does develop into a fair coach who cares about her team. Has a like/dislike attitude specifically towards Race, although it's because Race goes out of his way to prank her. Not completely stable mentally, she probably shouldn't be a teacher, but she also knows the school can't fire her because of budget and such)🌻

Smalls Hunt as Cora Hale/Beta Werewolf(since she's usually Spot's younger sister in most fics. She shows up after years of Spot thinking she died in the house fire)🌻

Oscar Delancey as Peter Hale/Alpha to Beta Werewolf(but he's a psychotic cousin because Peter was actually in a psych ward and fits the description of Psychotic, I promise he's not just called that because he's done a few bad things)🌹(many times)

Warden Snyder as Gerard Argent/Hunter(crazy, obsessive father to the Argent Twins who they have a restraining order against? Yes)💀

Morris Delancey as Kate Argent/Hunter/Were-Jaguar(Davey and Sarah's older brother. Has a brief relationship with Spot, sets fire to the Hale House to kill the werewolves. Gets turned after everyone thinks he died)🌹

Katherine Plumber as Isaac Lahey/Beta Werewolf (Jack's friend, was considered an enemy at one point when she was in Spot's pack, has a brief relationship with Sarah before something, um, happens[I'm sorry], travels to France with Davey briefly before returning to help Jack)🌻

Crutchie Morris as Liam Dunbar/Beta Werewolf (Jack takes him under his wing when Medda takes Crutchie in, accidentally turns him to a werewolf, has I.E.D[Intermittent explosive disorder, meaning when he's angry he's irrational], but he gets it under control with Jack's help)🌻

Sniper Wong as Vernon Boyd/Beta Werewolf (in Spot's pack before she's kidnapped by the Alpha Pack, best friends with Katherine, Smalls, Spot, and Buttons, enemy to friends with Jack just like Katherine)☠️

Buttons Davenport as Erica Reyes/Beta Werewolf(hardcore enemy to friend with Jack, very brief fling with Spot, had epilepsy before Spot turned him, tries to run away with Sniper to escape hunters but is kidnapped by the Alpha Pack)☠️

Jojo de la Guerra as Malia Tate/Were-coyote(was a coyote for years after watching his adoptive family die in a car accident he thinks he caused, becomes friends with Race while in an insane asylum, has a very brief sling with Race, finds out he's Oscar's younger biological brother, one of Jack's best friends)🌻

Ike Guzman as Ethan Steiner/Alpha to Beta Werewolf(Part of the Alpha Pack until he loses his alpha status, wants to be in Jack's pack, tries to prove himself, rational compared to his brother, runs away to England after something happens to his brother, dates Boots before leaving)🌻

Mike Guzman as Aiden Steiner/Alpha to Beta Werewolf(Part of the Alpha Pack until he loses his alpha status, also wants to be in Jack's pack, tries to prove himself irrationally, really likes Albert although Albert shuts him down after some of the things he's done, eventually becomes friends with Albert, redeems himself in the end)☠️

Hotshot Ferreri as Jackson Whittemore/Kanima/Beta Werewolf/Werewolf-Kanima Chimera(dates Albert for the longest time, egotistical, forces Spot to give him The Bite to change him, becomes the Kanima[deadly lizard thing that kills who he's told to], is eventually redeemed and becomes a werewolf, leaves for England after not being able to handle the chaos of his hometown, returns eventually while dating Ike)🌹

Boots Lowe as Danny Mahealani/Human(the chill guy that doesn't know anything about the supernatural until Hotshot tells him, pretend like he doesn't know, is literally the most chill guy you'll ever meet)🌻

Mush Meyers as Jordan Parrish/HellHound(sheriff's deputy, doesn't know about the supernatural until Jack tells him, doesn't like what he is for the longest time, helps save the day Countless times)🌹

Kid Blink as Sheriff Stilinski/Human(Is Race's biological older brother[Race knew Blink couldn't support both of them and he's okay with it, they still act like brothers], doesn't know about the supernatural for so long, chaotic af when it comes to Race, eventually dates Mush)🌻

Finch Cortes as Theo Raeken/Chimera/Beta Werewolf(friend to enemy to frenemy, tries to kill Jack many times, thinks he's doing what's right, sparks rift between Jack and Race because of Race's skepticism of Finch, creates Chimeras to make his own pack, eventually dates Crutchie)🌹🌹🌹🌹(it happens a few times)

Snitch Caspary as Hayden Romero/Chimera(briefly dates Crutchie, apart of Finch's "Pack", frenemy to friend with Crutchie after some childish fighting when they were younger)🌹

Specs Samuels as Mason Hewitt/Human/Beast Host(Crutchie's best friend and support system/ his partner in crime. Sort of like how Race is Jack's partner in crime.)🌹

Romeo Richardson as Corey Bryant/Chimera(foe to friend, dates Specs even when he's considered a foe to Jack and Liam. He can turn invisible on command and can also turn others invisible. He gets kidnapped and nearly dies when creatures known as Ghost Riders attack)🌹

Skittery Goorjian as Brett Talbot/Werewolf(Crutchie's friend to foe to friend. They fight a lot, but eventually find neutral grounds. Becomes a major Ally to Jack.)💀

And I almost forgot the most important character...

Snaps Walcott(Chaz Walcott's Brooklyn alter ego) as Greenburg aka the mysterious character that Coach Hannah always picks on no matter what even though she secretly thinks of them as one of her many Lacrosse children. Never actually seen on screen, only ever mentioned, could be a girl or a guy, the source of most of Coach Hannah's issues, secretly the best character ever.

I'm pretty sure I've missed a couple of characters, bit this literally covers Season 1 to Season 6. I low-key want to write a fic, but at the same time this is so freaking confusing.

Anyway, I hope anyone who loves Newsies or Teen Wolf or Both enjoys although it's confusing! Message me or send me and Ask if you have any questions!!!(make sure you specify that your questions or suggestions are for this AU please)

[epicstuckyficrecs]

Best of 2018 Stucky Fic Rec!

Another year gone! How the time goes by! :P 

This year has been a huge year for me personally and for this blog - I went back into my archive to check, and I’ve gained more than five thousand followers this year, which is crazy to me!!! :O Thank you guys so much! I’m glad that you enjoy this blog!

This is the search I used to compile this post 

(all fics are in no particular order)

Under a read more because this post has gotten ridiculously long!

(Updated 09/2020)

Personal favorite fics of 2018 (completed)

despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained) by praximeter (Zimario) (71K)

“They really didn’t want the mask to come off.” Hill thumbed through the scans, and pulled out a film that she then handed over to Sam, face mostly expressionless but for the flat line of her pursed lips.

Sam accepted the film and held it up to the light, angling so both he and Steve could see it, squinting at the outline of the Winter Soldier’s skull, and the blips of unnatural white that showed up, God, in his brain, not to mention about half his teeth, plus the mask, with its thin protrusions—

“Those are pins,” Steve realized. He looked over at Hill. “The mask—it’s nailed to his face.”

Hill’s face was as unmoved as ever. “Like I said. They really didn’t want it coming off.”

~ ~ ~

If They Haven't Learned Your Name by silentwalrus (237K)

Steve gets out of the hospital in two days, but just barely. “I’m fine,” he tells Sam, Nurse Eunjung and the phalanx of doctors assigned to make sure Captain America didn’t bleed out and die and get bad PR all over their nice clean hospital. “I have an advanced healing factor. It’s fine. See? I’m standing.”

“That is not standing,” Sam tells him.

“You’re bending the IV stand,” Nurse Eunjung adds pointedly. “Let go and sit down, they don’t grow on trees.”

aka Steve and Bucky's Global Honeymoon Revenge World Tour.

~ ~ ~

Ain't No Rest for the Wicked by Kellyscams (305K)

Steve's just moved back to Brooklyn after spending ten years in California trying to make a life for himself as an artist right after high school. Having escaped to the other side of the country following the sudden death of his mother, Steve feels guilty about abruptly leaving all his friends for so long, unfulfilled, scared and nervous about started college at his age, and unbelievably lonely. So when he meets Bucky Barnes, a young sex-worker, at a bar the night before his first day of classes, temptations might be too high to resist.

One night paying for sex with the most sinfully gorgeous guy is nothing to brag to the papers about, huh?

S'not like he'll ever see him again anyway...

...Right?

~ ~ ~

Scents and Sensibility: The Working Assassin's Guide to Supersoldier Seduction by galwednesday, silentwalrus, skellerbvvt  (93K)

Captain America wakes up from the ice in 2013. The Winter Soldier wakes up in 2009, or rather defects from HYDRA, for a value of defect that’s closer to decimate. He ends up working for SHIELD. In April 2014, he’s assigned to Captain America’s mission as a sniper. Steve’s just trying to get some kind of life together. Bucky is too, or at least he was until tall, blond and Captain shows up and starts just - being there, all the time. It’s terrible. It’s the worst. He has to do something about it.

~ ~ ~

Heat Forged by cleo4u2, xantissa (159K)

Steve and Bucky have bonded, fallen further in love, and are learning to live together in Avengers Tower. Everything is wonderful, until it isn’t any more. Once again they have to overcome all obstacles set before them to keep their family intact

Part 2 of Heat Wave (Sequel to Heat Stroke: not a stand alone fic.)

~ ~ ~

This is how it starts by rinnya (35K)

Steve Rogers and The Winter Soldier meet for the first time in 2014 during the canon divergence events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

It starts like this: this is how they fall in love.

~ ~ ~

My Bucky by cleo4u2, xantissa (12K)

Bucky finds a feral Alpha in the woods. Rather, the Alpha finds him. Bucky is sure it’s the end of his life as an independant Omega. It turns out to be the beginning of the strangest romance Bucky’s ever known.

~ ~ ~

Fill Your Heart Without Trying by Kellyscams (38K)

Steve Rogers is a caster with one very big problem. He's accidentally turned himself into a puppy.

~ ~ ~

(Series) Something Wild Calls You Home by superheroresin (279K)

Bucky’s barbed tongue slips out between two dry, pink lips and tastes the salty familiarity on Steve’s fingertips. The memory is distant, like a dream, and his left ear flicks as he lifts his head with renewed energy. “If it isn’t the Star Spangled Man With a Plan,” he croaks out, grinning wide enough to show his fangs. In which Captain Steve Rogers becomes the new keeper of the disabled hunting cat who once saved his life, and learns that the price of freedom is higher for some more than others.

Part 2 of Something Wild Calls You Home

~ ~ ~

The Firing Line by thepinupchemist (37K)

When Steve's dad is diagnosed with cancer, Steve returns to his childhood home to support his mom -- a small town called Gold Cliff, Colorado. Ten years before, he left Gold Cliff behind him, left his no-longer-best-friend Bucky Barnes behind him, with the intention of never seeing him ever again. But Bucky Barnes crash-lands back into his life nonetheless, long-haired and one-armed and haunted, keeping secrets from day one.

Filled with self-loathing and millennial angst, they agree to a mutually beneficial sexual relationship to blow off steam.

Steve should have known better than to think he could ever put Bucky Barnes behind him.

~ ~ ~

(Series) Honey Honey by justanotherStonyfan (15K)

The kid is maybe, oh, twenty years younger than him? Clean-shaven, and looking out of the corner of his eye at Steve in the same way Steve feels he must be looking at the kid – i.e., like he wants to do any number of unmentionable things to him.

Because boy does Steve ever want to do unspeakable things to this kid.

Part 1 of Honey Honey (236K+)

~ ~ ~

Throw Me (A Helping Hand) by Quarra, RemingtonFae (69K)

Or, where Loki is an absolute troll for the Powers of Mostly-Sometimes-Good, Bucky is having the worst century ever, and everything still manages to turn out mostly okay.

~ ~ ~

The Necrofloranomicon by leveragehunters (Monkeygreen) (47K)

Bucky didn't want much. Just to keep his head down, to sell his scavenged flowers in peace, and to stay off Shield's radar. His life would have been a lot easier if his flowers weren't dead and if being a necromancer wasn't illegal, but easy or not, he was getting by. Steve didn't want much, either. He was happy working for Shield, he had good friends, and overall his life was going just about the way he wanted it. Problem was, being happy with your life was generally an invitation for fate to throw a spanner in the works—and in Steve's specific case, it was going to be a spanner named Bucky.

(A love story about flowers, trust, and magic and the choices we make about doing what's right.)

~~~

Personal favorite WIPs of 2018

Astronomy In Reverse by pansley (Post-WS, Bucky & Peter | 98K, 14/? | Teen)

Fan the Flame by Avaaricious (Shrunkyclunks, Veteran Bucky | 253K, 26/? | Mature)

There Is No Shortage of Blood by alby_mangroves, Dira Sudis (dsudis) (Post-WS, WS Recovery | 234K, 54/58 | Explicit)

Whip Crack by Quarra (Tentacles | 94K, 11/? | Explicit)

ain't really quaint by quietnight, silentwalrus (canon divergent, Post-WS? | 35K, 3/4 | Mature)

the sound of rain on tin by luninosity (MCU & RPF crossover | 17K, 3/4 | Teen)

a rupture, a rapture by newsbypostcard (Post-IW | 71K, 12/30 | Explicit)

~ ~ ~

Other ESFR-approved fics

Under the Bridges of Fame by alby_mangroves, notlucy (Shrunkyclunks | 90K | Explicit)

Through The Woods by alby_mangroves, VenusMonstrosa (Werewolf Bucky | 64K | Explicit)

M is for Murder by rohkeutta (Post-WS | 4K | Mature)

Life of the Party by AggressiveWhenStartled (Shrunkyclunks | 21K | Explicit)

Steve Rogers. Cheerfully Slutty. by relenafanel (Modern AU, friends with benefits | 20K | Explicit)

(series) couples therapy by silentwalrus (Post-WS?, PWP, BDSM | 19K | Explicit) 

#TweetMeDaddy by StarSpangled (Senforza) (Shrunkyclunks | 4K | Teen)

Hey, Asshole! A New York City Love story by bunnymaccool (Shrunkyclunks | 14K | Teen)

Sugar Baby Love by roe87 ( Shrunkyclunks, ABO | 117K | Explicit)

The Voyager by notlucy (Shrunkyclunks, Post-Avengers | 76K | Explicit)

The Roommate by layersofart (layersofsilence), Niitza (Shrunkyclunks, Veteran Bucky | 28K | Teen)

Relationship Goals: Have a Relationship by cleo4u2, xantissa (Shrunkyclunks, wrong number | 21K | Explicit)

Just Dropkick The Shame by rohkeutta (Shrunkyclunks | 8K | Explicit)

A Midsummer Knight's Dream by cobaltmoony, GoldBlooded (ABO Fantasy AU | 29K | Explicit)

Sunshine's Gifts by Quarra, wearing_tearing (Fae Bucky, Cap Steve | 52K | Explicit)

In Hydra, Vine Do You by Quarra (Tentacles | 27K | Explicit)

Sorry, Not Sorry by DrowningByDegrees-Art (DrowningByDegrees), SoftObsidian74, The_She_Devil (Shrunkyclunks, Veteran Bucky | 51K | Explicit)

Burnin' For You by GoldBlooded (Modern AU, Firefighter!Steve, Policeman!Bucky |15K | Explicit)

The Department of Special Collections by alby_mangroves, Speranza (OC POV, Post-WS | 4,8K | Teen)

Demonique by BetteNoire (WeAreWolves) (Tentacles, TFA | 39K | Explicit)

Uncertainty of the Law by mambo (Modern AU, Lawyer!Bucky, Artist!Steve | 26K | Mature)

A Marriage of Ice and Fire by alby_mangroves, Mystrana (GOT AU | 75K | Explicit)

Full Metal Sasquatch by newsbypostcard (canon-divergent, Bucky!Cap | 20K | Mature) 

Lessons in Normality by relenafanel (Shunkyclunks, Honeypot | 38K | Explicit)

Luck of the Irish Stroll by GoldBlooded (Modern AU | 8K | Explicit)

Alpha Services by roe87 (ABO AU | 18K | Mature)

A Memory Like a Haunting by cobaltmoony, DarkCaustic (Time Travel | 28K | Explicit) 

Ready to Comply by exclamation (Post-WS | 66K | Explicit)

where the leaves fall not by dudewhereismypie, obsessivereader (Canon-divergent, Elf!Bucky | 23K | Explicit)

The Grace of the Fire and the Flames by chicklette, cobaltmoony (ABO Fantasy AU | 31K | Explicit)

Dragging Me Down by cleo4u2, cobaltmoony, xantissa (Post-WS | 93K | Explicit)

Salt & Sugar by GoldBlooded, stfustucky (iwillpaintasongforlou) (Modern AU, Chef!Steve&Bucky | 19K | Explicit)

However Much You Feed A Wolf, It Always Looks To The Forest by bloodbuzzedohio (Post-WS | 19K | Explicit)

some say it makes the world go round by mambo (Modern AU , Professor!Steve, Writer!Bucky | 23K | Teen)

We Could be Heroes (Me and You) by alby_mangroves, Chiyume (Shrinkyclinks, Post-WS, Sex worker!Steve | 90K | Explicit)

Roll Out the Red Carpet by Lorien, Quarra, talkplaylove-art (talkplaylove) (Modern AU, Actor!Steve, WS!Bucky | 29K | Explicit)

under a golden january sun by newsbypostcard (Post-BP | 17K | Mature)

First Impressions Aren't Everything by charlesdk (Modern AU | 14K | Teen)

Hearts Like Ours by FindingFrancis, wearing_tearing (Shrunkyclunks, Soulmates AU | 100K | Explicit)

hearts aflame by wearing_tearing (ABO AU | 7K | Explicit)

So, You've Adopted a Fruit by Nejinee (Post-WS | 17K | Explicit)

Endless War by Nonymos (Post-IW | 27K | Mature)

The New Guy by Venusdoom3 (Modern Office AU | 12K | Explicit)

(a silent prayer) Like Dreamers Do by chicklette (Shrunkyclunks Soulmate AU | 12K | Mature)

From Hydra with Love by insomnia1999 (James Bond AU | 21K | Mature)

A Hard Case of You by Chiyume (Modern AU, Lawyer!Bucky, Mechanic!Steve | 21K | Explicit)

It grew on me by Bear_shark, esaael (Shrunkyclunks, Barber!Bucky | 48K | Explicit)

Thank You For Calling by MarleyMortis, The_She_Devil (Shrunkyclunks | 42K | Explicit)

When Life is Not Coming Up Roses Look to the Weeds (and Find the Hidden Beauty) (Part 3 of Above the Rain and Roses Universe) by Kellyscams (Dom/Sub AU | 21K | Explicit)

How to Pet a Cactus by ColorCoated, TrishArgh (Post-WS | 17K | General)

In My Cold Arms by alby_mangroves, coldwinterrose (Eris13), maichan (Canon-divergent, post-Avengers, not WS compliant | 35K | Explicit)

La Belle et la Bête by lecroixss, maichan, sianimations (Beauty and the Beast AU | 66K | Explicit)

Freshwater Memories by superheroresin (Magical Realism | 50K | Explicit)

a line that goes all the way by napricot (post-BP | 45K | Explicit)

And The Horse You Rode In On by BetteNoire (WeAreWolves) (Hate to Love, Soulmate AU | 14K | Explicit)

Home of the Brave by MonocerosRex (Post-WS, Kid fic | 35K | Teen)

Grapes and Grenadine by Marcella-ella (MarcellaBianca), MarcellaBianca (Modern AU, Enemies to Lovers | 16K | Mature)

So I Took a Faithful Leap by odetteandodile (Post-TFA, canon divergent | 19K | Teen)

I'm not where I'm supposed to be, (I hope that you're missing me) by Squeaky (Soulmate AU | 17K | Teen)

Art Thief, Heart Thief by odetteandodile (Modern AU, FBI agent!Steve | 58K | Mature)

Tentacle Things I Like About You! by LadyAngelique, Mystrana (Tentacles, 17K | Explicit)

The Hunt (Part 1 of You Are Responsible For What You Tame) by BlueSimplicity (Post-WS | 18K | Teen)

Save a Horse, Ride a Captain by galwednesday (Shrunkyclunks | 2,7K | Teen)

Consumer Affairs by galwednesday (OC POV | 1K | Teen)

How to Meet Cute by boopboop (Modern Soulmate AU | 1,7K | Teen)

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[foxsdomains-blog]

Monarchs and Drinking

"'I'and 'B', you both are going through entry point Bravo i.e. the fucking air vents, and are following Rooks directions with support from her. Your job is to get to the central command point and insert this phone which will allow Rook into the entire mainframe. Ryan and I are going to provide a distraction at entry point Alpha, i.e. the courtyard, pulling hopefully all the guards to us. Nines, you get the boring job, you are providing sniper support for Ryan and I and where possible 'I' and 'B'. And Rook, you are doing what you can with what remote access you can get into their mainframe until 'I' and 'B' are able to get you into the central command point, at which point you are to shut down their power, support, and weapons system. After that, 'I' and 'B' are to get to the courtyard and meet up with Ryan and I, and Nines, as soon as the power goes out you get the Silver Angel and pick us up at the courtyard, mowing down anyone who dares to stand in your way. Once we are in, and the door is closed Ryan, we simply fly away, using tracking missiles to shoot down anyone who tries to stop us. Rook, your job is to download every bit of information you can. Remember, we are doing it for this information. Sound simple enough? Great, cause I'm not changing the plan," Jeremy, the leader of the Fallen Angels, says.

"God this is going to be boring," Nines says, grabbing the sniper rifle placed next to him by Jeremy.

"You get the safe job. Jeremy and I are in the courtyard," Ryan counters, cocking his gun before climbing into the double rotor helicopter, the FC-112, aptly named Silver Angel.

"Least you get to fly Nines. 'B' and 'I' need to climb through vents, around crevices, and all sorts of shit. While trying not to get killed. Don't you start complaining," 'I' said, slightly laughing at Nines.

"Calm down you lot. This will be easy. See, 'B' isn't complaining," Jeremy says, his voice seemingly raised above everyone else's.

"This is our job, nothing to complain about."

"You just aren't complaining because you get to be with 'I' the entire time," Clair said from her chair behind the rest.

"Not complaining about that either," 'B' chimed in without hesitation.

"Lets load up people, we don't have all day. Well, we kinda do, but saying we don't sounds cooler," Jeremy jumps next to Ryan in Silver Angel.

"Yeah yeah," Nines said, climbing in the pilot seat of the Silver Angel.

"See you all when you get back!" Clair shouts over the sound of the Silver Angel starting up. I and B wave her off as the SIlverAngel flies away.

"Sometimes, flying this thing makes me seem cool. Other times, not so much," Nines says over the comms system.

"Why would flying this not make you seem cool?" 'I' asks, the comms system not doing anything to mask the question in his voice.

"Dunno 'I', dunno. Just, a feeling I get. Like somethings about to happen. But I don't know what."

"If that means what I think it means, we're in trouble. Big trouble," Jeremy finishes the quote.

"Good song that one. Wasn't expecting you to get that quote in so easily," Ryan praises.

"You're talking about the kid who used to fit in SovietWomble quotes every chance he got, with no hesitation. Of course he can quote a song easily," 'I' sighs lightly. Nines simple chuckles over the comms.

"Can we not be flying 2 feet off the ocean surface please?"

"See...?"

"I really like dolphins I wanna see one!"

"Nines! Come on man." Nines laughs even louder over the comms.

"Hey, remember that feeling? Well, we got police helo's scouting us. Not surprised, pretty sure they have never seen a FC aircraft. Especially not a silver one. Trying to divert their attention now," Nines said, turning his attention onto the helicopters.

"Gonna divert course, lead them away before looping back. At this point, not planning to shoot them down."

"The guns are on the front though?"

"Exactly."

"This is police chief James, you are flying an unregistered vehicle in restricted airspace. Land and let's have a little chat!" The police chiefs voice sounds through the outside comms system.

"Police chief James. This is Nines of the Fallen Angels. If you do not divert course away, I will be forced to shoot you down. This is not a threat but a promise. Don't make me shoot you down," Nines replies. Maybe it's because of the 'promise' or maybe it's because of Nines declaring his allegiance to the infamous Fallen Angels, but the police helicopter diverts course, flying back to the what the occupants of the SilverAngel assume is the police station in town.

"Attention all pasangers, we are approaching our destination. Engaging stealth mode and moving for landing within the designated clearing. Get ready to dismount with all gear as soon as we land. Thank you for flying air SilverAngel," Nines reports in a joking way. As soon as the SilverAngel lands, 6 armed 'terrorists' climb out.

"That was a boring flight Nines. I expected better of you," 'I' said, laughing lightly.

"Well I'm sorry the police were on our ass and I had to get them to leave us alone," Nines replies.

"Alright people, don't mean to break up your laughs, but we need to move. I would prefer to get this done during the day so we can drink tonight. Sound good?"

"We got any jaeger?" Nines asks.

"Two whole bottles for ya Nines. We also got Rum and coke for when you want something a bit less. We got tequila, red cordial, vodka, and a bunch of other shit. Let's just say we are all good for alcohol," Ryan replies, checking over his ammo.

"How long do we expect this whole thing to last? Hopefully not long right? I wanna play some pc," Nines asks, as the last whirl of the double rotors die down.

"What do you even still play? Overwatch has been dead for years," 'I' asks.

"Well, CS;GO for one, and my MMO's. So ha," Nines rebutted.

"Still can't snipe in CS," 'I' snickers.

"Quiet you. I can now. You haven't even seen me recently so how would you know?"

"1v1 me," 'I' declares.

"After I save your ass today, sure," Nines jokes back.

"Alright, I'm going to set up. See you all soon. Hope you don't see me," Nines says before jogging off through the forest.

"Well, let's split up into our groups and move forward," Jeremy's voice cuts through the silence created after Nines' departure.

3 hours later

"Nines! Where is the fucking extraction!?" Jeremy shouts over the hail of bullets.

"Well, you see, they were alerted to our presence and are now SURROUNDING THE FUCKING HELICOPTER!"

"Well hurry up and clear them out! We need our extraction!" 'I' screams between firing his own gun.

"How long is this going to last J!? I'm running low on ammo here!" Ryan complains, vaulting over his cover before slamming a guard into a wall, picking his gun up and opening fire on anything in his sight.

"Jesus, Ryan! Are you crazy!?"

"Yeah! I thought you knew this already 'I'!"

Suddenly, the dying screams of countless guards is drowned out by a loud propeller sound.

"That you Nines!?" 'I' question's hopefully.

"That isn't him. The Silver Angel is silent! Everyone duck and cover!" Jeremy screams his order, and without any hesitation every Fallen Angel on the ground spreads out, trying to find any cover from the enemy helicopter.

"Rook, are you able to shut it down!?" Jeremy calls over comms, with the vain hope that even though the helicopter is old, enough systems are able to be hacked into by Rook.

"It's too old a model. I can't get into it at all," Rook replies, her voice calm but worried.

"HEY BASTARD! GET FUCKED!" A new voice screams over loud speakers as the Silver Angel appears behind the enemy helicopter, two of the four winged missiles flying towards it. A loud explosion rocks the courtyard as the helicopter crashes down, nearly flattening many guards.

"Took you a bit Nines!" Jeremy calls, relief flooding his voice.

"Hehe, yeah sorry about that. Hey hey hey, I wouldn't recommend shooting me because your gun goes pew pew, but my fucking gun, well, we all know what happens here!" Without any hesitiation, Nines spins the high caliber chaingun on the ground, mowing down all remaining guards before landing the Silver Angel in the courtyard next to the now destroyed enemy helicopter.

"Jesus Nines. You sure did take your time getting here," Ryan says as he climbs in the back.

"Like I said, there were guards around her. I had to take them out before I could get here," Nines replies.

"And manage to fit another SovietWomble quote in. Again," 'I' sighs as he and 'B' climb inside.

"Yeah yeah. Let's go back and drink!" Nines cheers as he and the other deployed Fallen Angels fly back to the safehouse...

At least they thought so.

"Nines, the radar tells me you have enemies on your rear. May want to take them out before returning," Rook's calm voice sounds thought Nines' headset.

"Thanks Rook. Will do," Nines replies calmly, looping the Silver Angel around to face the enemy helos.

"Let's kick her into reverse. Now, if you would be so kind to look through the front window, or out any side doors, you will see, I believe that's six? Yeah, six enemy helicopters all coming towards us, most likely with the intent to kill us. Let's change that shall we?" Nines chuckles.

"Excuse me sir! You are flying in restricted airspace! Leave or I'll shoot! Or, even better, just try me fuckers!" Without any other warning, Nines flips a switch and fires the last two tracking missiles, destroying two enemies.

"Two down, four to go." Nines spins he chaingun up again, the bullets ripping through another of the helicopters, leaving only three.

"Hey guys mind helping out? You know, shoot THE FUCKERS!"

...

"Who knew that we would be chased?" Jeremy asks as he climbs out of the Silver Angel.

"I knew. I knew they would," Nines replies, lying face down on a floor.

"Sure you did, Nines," 'I' scoffs, throwing his gun aside.

"Oh, you're all back. How did it go?" Clair asks, rounding a corner.

"Well, we got the information, and we all survived. So that's two plus'," Ryan answered.

"I take it something happened then?"

"Well..." Ryan started.

"Oh don't you start Rye. I told you they were surrounding this bird, what was I supposed to do? All I had was a sniper rifle and they had fully auto rifles and armour. It's not like I could just go up and start punching them. I would get gunned down instantly!" Nines defends himself.

"So Nines didn't extract you on time? Leave it to him to let you all down," Clair sighs in fake disappointment.

"Shut it you," Nines says, not looking up from the ground.

"Alright you lot, let's drink our sorrows away. Clair, Ryan, go get all our booze," Jeremy orders, stripping off his Kevlar chest piece.

"On it. And Nines, get up off the floor. You are depressing me," Clair scoffs as she walks away.

"Oh up yours!" Nines climbs up off the ground, moving over to a couch.

"Let's not drink in here. Let's move to the TV room," Jeremy says, helping Nines off the couch.

As they enter the room dubbed the 'TV room', Clair and Ryan bring in two carts full of alcohol.

"Your jaeger Nines," Ryan passes over a full bottle of Jaeger with a shot glass.

"My thanks good sir," he acknowledges. As the rest of the alcohol is passed around, Rook enters the room.

"Oh, hey Rook. How'd the download go?" Jeremy asks, pouring her a glass. She takes it, dropping a USB in his hand.

"Got it all in there. Don't need to worry about The Monarchs for a while now," she replies, taking a sip of whiskey.

"Let's all play a game, shall we?" Ryan breaks the non-existent silence.

"What game?" 'I' asks.

"Hmm, 'never have I ever'?" Clair suggests.

"Oh god, this is going to end badly. Let me guess, shot every time you lose a point?" Clair nods.

"Alright, everyone set up five shots of whatever you please. Tequila would be the best bet, so we can all get a drunk as possible." Nines sighs as he pours five shots of Jaeger, taking a sip from a Rum&Coke that was next to him.

"Wait, when did you get that Nines?"

"Rook gave it to me," he replies.

"Oh, did she now?" Clair grins knowingly at Rook, who is sitting on the floor, legs crossed, across from Nines.

"'B' and I are going to sit out. We are tired, and are probably just going to go to bed now. Goodnight you lot," 'I' says, handing his drink to Ryan before walking off to a closed room, 'B' following him. Everyone says their goodnights and waves them off.

"Alright, let's start! Never have I ever given oral!" Clair shouts softly.

"Clair!" Jeremy scolds. She responds by knowingly grinning at him. He holds her gaze for a second before taking a shot.

"Ha, knew I'd get you on the first turn," she laughs, taking a shot herself.

"Alright, my turn. Never have I ever tried to seduce someone," Nines said, not looking up from his shots.

"Oh fuck you Nines! It's my job!" Clair shouts, forgetting about the sleeping pair in the other room.

"Hey, you bagged on Jeremy at the beginning, I reckon I'm gonna try to get you out first go," Nines said, taking a sip from his drink.

"Alright... Ah! Never have I ever NOT ridden in the Silver Angel," Ryan laughs as he finishes his sentence.

"Oh for fucks sake!" Clair curses loudly again, downing her third shot in a row.

"Seriously though, that bird, best investment ever," Ryan says.

"What investment, you stole the bloody thing!" Clair slurs.

"Well, stealing it was a challenge. Then we had to go buy paint and paint her. So I consider painting and stealing the investment," Ryan explains.

"Anyway, moving on. Um, hm... Never have I ever... fuck it. Kissed a girl," Jeremy says, giving up on something creative.

"Come the fuck on!" Clair explodes, taking her fourth shot.

"Hey, at least more of us drank at that one," Nines said.

"Only one to go. Come on Rook, bring it home," Jeremy says, giving her a pat on the back.

"Never have I ever been shot," she says calmly. Clair sits still for a minute before,

"Yeah! That's my girl! Finally I'm safe!" she cheers loudly as Ryan, Jeremy and Nines each take a shot.

"Hmm, now... I'm gonna target... Nines. Never have I ever ranted about an anime." Nines sighs as he takes his third shot.

"Umm... never have I ever... been in love with a girl," Nines shrugged.

"Ha! Fuck you Nines! Only kissed one, never been in love with one!" She cheers again.

"Fuck," Nines mutters as he takes a shot.

"Alright, I'm tired, so I'm going to go to bed after this one. Never have I ever cut myself while cooking.

"FUCK YOU!" Clair erupts, taking her fifth and final shot, alongside Nines.

"Wait, Nines, you too?" Jeremy asks.

"Yeah, I used to cook a lot and when you cook lots you are bound to cut yourself."

"So, who won? Nines or Clair?" Rook asks.

"Well, all in favour of voting Clair, say Aye," Ryan says, raising his hand alongside Jeremy.

"Well, sorry Clair, you lose and Nines wins. Sorry," Jeremy says, shrugging.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. So you are going to bed Ryan, what about you three?" Clair asks.

"Well, I'm going to stay up, watch some movies if anyone wants to join me," Nines replies, scanning over who is left as Ryan waves goodbye and walks out.

"I'll join," Rook says.

"I'm not tied either," Clair says, already taking her place on the couch.

"Well I'll let you three be. I'll head off to bed. Night," Jeremy says, walking off.

"Well, what movie should we watch?" Nines asks.

"Hmm, well let's look shall we?" Clair says, pulling Rook and Nines down onto the couch with her as they start looking through the movie selections.

"Let's let Rook decide what movie to watch, she is the least drunk, so we should watch something she will enjoy the most," Nines suggests, offering the remote to Rook. Hesitantly she takes it, flipping through the large selection of movies the Fallen Angels have on hand.

As the night goes on, the only light left on in the base is that of the TV, and the sound of movies playing reverberates through the base. As the three watch movies, and the other four sleep, one can only imagine, or dread, what other dangerous missions the Fallen Angels will get tomorrow.

[wakandan-flowerz]

Just As Bad V

A/N: Here is another part. Hope y’all like it. Feedback is welcome as always. Reader is Black as always. 

Masterlist for previous parts and other fics

Warnings: Cursing, violence, death, angst

“Where did they find us from?” You asked Erik as he put ketchup on his fries.

“He heard about us from someone we did a job for. This looks like a big one though. Involves a team but, we’d get a big pay check. We’d have to go into hiding for a while right after.” Erik said, pushing his glasses up.

“We’ve never had to work in a team before. It’s always been you and me.” You said trying to mix your salad together.

“I was trained by the SEALS, Princess. Working in teams is basically how we’re taught. You can follow my lead and we’ll be fine.” Erik said.

“Are you sure we can trust others?” you said.

“No, we can’t. From what intel I could grab, these are guys who may have worked together before. That’s why we’ll stick to ourselves, watch out for each other and get the job done. From the looks of it, these are guys that could burn us if something goes wrong. We stick to their plan, play it safe and once the check clears we disappear and make sure they know not to come looking for us in the future.” Erik said. “Let me lead on this one.”

Erik looked up to see your stoic face. It may have been a sunny day, but your attitude had been gloomy since Erik brought up a new assignment. It seemed like a simple retrieval but, the stakes were a little too high for this job. If job went sideways, you’d be paying with your life. Erik never saw you get like this before a mission. “C’mon, baby girl. You can trust me, can’t you?”

“You know I trust you, we wouldn’t have got this far if I didn’t. But it’s not you that I’m scared about.” You said, sighing.

“Big bad Y/N scared of a high risk mission. We don’t back down from fights baby. We’ve being doing this for too long. Don’t bitch out on me, now.” Erik said taking your hand.

“I don’t bitch out.” You said, your lips going into a frown. “But, something about this doesn’t seem right.”

There was a feeling deep in your gut that told you something about this didn’t feel right. You never did jobs in teams. It was either solo or you and Erik. Erik could see the perplexed look on your face. He motioned for you to lean into him. You obliged as he caressed your cheek and gave you a soft kiss. He pulled away and pressed his forehead to yours.

“I got us, okay. Just trust me and we gon be alright.” Erik said. “After this, we’ll take that trip to Spain you always wanted to go on. A spot overlooking the water, we’ll sit on the beach, pig out a little, lay in bed, smoke a little, fuck on the balcony.”

You chuckled. “Sure, Stevens.”

Erik smacked his lips and pulled away. “You’re going to call me Erik, baby girl. You’ll break and say it.”

“It’ll be a cold day in hell.” You said going back to your salad.

You sat on the CH-47 Chinook helicopter next to Erik. You were zoned out to keep from making eye contact with the other six members of the team as they chatted with each other. Erik was right when he said they were team members. You listened to them, gloat and reminisce about previous missions and funny times out in the fields. Of course, you were the only woman so that caused a little bit of tension.

Erik sat next to you sizing everyone up. His demeanor was letting everyone know that he wasn’t to be fucked with. His energy amplified yours as you could tell something was off with some of the people on the helicopter. They seemed to exclude you and Erik and true you were here to make money, not friends. But, it was the sheer fact they had side eyed the both of you once you walked into the rendezvous point that made you uneasy. You kept your assault rifle close in your lap. You glanced over at Erik who was just as stoic. You made a mental note to trust him just as you had been doing. This didn’t change anything. At the end of it, it was going to be you and him. Drop some bodies, complete the mission and get your payment, you told yourself. Same story, different day.

Erik cracked his neck, staring at Hernandez who was staring you up and down. “Stop staring at her or we gon lose a man before this mission starts.”

“Easy Stevens.” Garrett said. “No one said it was bring your girlfriend to work day.”

“We’re a team effort, dumbass. We were both asked to come.” You said with a snarl in your voice. Erik gave a smile flashing the gold caps. He loved when you got hostile during a mission.

“You don’t want to piss her off. I’m crazy but, she’ll slit your throat after making you say sorry.” Erik said. “Me? I’ll just kill you.”

“It’d would be two against s. You like those odds?” Nguyen asked Erik. Erik leaned forward but you put your hand on Erik’s chest to calm him down. You shook your head, letting him know that it wasn’t worth it.

“First drop. 2 minutes.” The pilot said.

You stood up and walked to the back helicopter. Erik set up your line before he set up his own. “Oh, so cute.” One of the men, Harris, said in a mocking manner.

Erik shot him a glare as he fastened the lock on his belt. “Coms up.” You said clicking the bottom on your ear piece.

“You and me. Okay, Princess?” Erik said.

“You and me, Stevens.” You said. Erik chuckled and shook his head.

“Coming up on drop zone A.” the pilot said into your ear. Erik took the safety off his rifle and looked to you. You gave him a nod as the door opened. The wind furiously rushed against you but, you stood strong. You grabbed onto the rope and launched yourself back. Erik followed behind you. Your boots made contact with the sand. You unhooked the line and checked the perimeter. Erik landed on the side of you and held his wrist up to his mouth. “Alpha is on the ground.”

You put the scope on your rifle as you got down on one knee. “Four on the roof this side. Eight on the ground by the garage door.” You said.

“Beta, what are you seeing?” Erik asked.

“Five patrolling the roof. Two in the tower. Six on the ground.” Woodard said in the com.

“Take out the ones on the roof, I got the ground level.” Erik said. You put the long range silencer and extender on the rifle and put your eye into the scope.

“Taking the shot.” You said before pulling the trigger. You watched one guard drop and dispatched the other as he started to panic. Erik took shots at the men on the ground, not missing and letting them drop lifeless. Both of you picking each one off as they caught wind of what was going on. “Clear on our side.” You said.

“Beta?” Erik asked.

One shot rang out and an alarm started blaring from the facility. “Beta, what happened?” you asked.

“Harris is down. Snipers on the tower spotted him.” Woodard said.

“Charlie moving in for ground assault.” Garrett said.

“10 minutes before heli circles back for us.” Hernandez said.

“Alpha is moving in.” Erik said. You and Erik made it to the door, picking up a key card for one of the dead guards to get inside. You crouched, hugging the corner. You could hear the gunfire on the other side of the facility.

“Beta and Charlie engaged on the east side. We’ve got men coming out.” Garrett said.

“Alpha is inside. Looking to secure cargo.” You said.

“Hey!” a man yelled. Erik stood up and fired a round at him.

“Looks like we’re going to have to entertain, Princess.” Erik said.

You nodded as you tossed a grenade over a set of crates. “Grenade!” The loud boom went off with the sound of men screaming. “Cover me.” You told Erik.

You rounded the corner, getting in front of Erik while he shot at the men coming from the upper floors. “I’m not seeing our cargo.” Erik said.

“Clear the men out, Alpha! We’ll retrieve the package once the smoke clears.” Garrett said.

A guard crept up behind you and grabbed you by your vest. Your rifle was forced out of your hand. You pulled the knife from the man’s side and sliced at his wrist. You pulled him forward, kicking him in his nose and then forcing the blade into his eye. You took it out and spun on your back, cutting through another man’s boots to cut his Achilles’ tendons, making him drop. Erik covered in front you, delivering precise headshots. You slit the man’s throat and rolled off him, launching the blade at the electric box at the front of the room.

The room gained a red lighting as the emergency lights came on. The alarm cut off but, there was still shouting from the men. “We’ve got more coming!” Erik warned you. You lunged for your gun but, heard two objects drop with clangs next to you. You heard the ticking and looked up to Erik.

“Flashbang!”

Before you or Erik could react, a loud pop went off. You saw nothing but white as you felt yourself hit one of the metal crates. Your ears rang painfully and all your heard were muffled screams. You rolled on your side, gasping. Erik struggled trying to get up. He blinked with his vision still blurring. He got to his feet, pulling the pistol from his side. “Y/N” he croaked. He could barely hear his own voice. Erik was able to make the image of someone coming towards him. Erik lazily lifted his gun but, he felt a sharp, sudden pain from in his thigh. He dropped to the ground but, kept his arm up. Erik looked up, blinking trying to will his vision back to being centered. Before the guard could get the upper hand, he shot them and watched them fall back.

“Alpha, come in. What’s going on?” Garrett asked. Erik hissed at the sound making his headache worse. “Do you have eyes on the cargo? Stevens? Y/L/N?”

You coughed up blood from your busted lip as you crawled away from the site of the concussive grenades. The room seemed to spin as you laid helpless on the ground. Another loud boom went off, making you cover your ears and let out a sob from the pain, head pounding and the ringing in your ears intensifying. Another concussive grenade going off next to you, making a wood crate bust and send debris at you. “Stev-“ you whimpered. You choked as you felt a pain in your back.

“Y/N! Where are you?” Erik called. He looked around dizzily as he struggled with his vision. Erik kept his finger on the trigger and planned on shooting anything that got too close to him.

“Alpha? Status!” Hernandez said.

“Do you have eyes on the cargo?” Garrett asked. “We’re trying to get to you. Tell us what’s going on.”

You struggled to balance yourself on your hands and knees. You looked up to see a guard aiming right for your head. A bullet went through his throat as he collapsed in front of you. “I got you, Y/L/N.” Watts, another team member said. You felt yourself being lifted up and supported by him. “I got Y/L/N. Does anyone have eyes on Stevens? Ah!” You heard two shots and felt an excruciating pain in your right shoulder, causing you to let out a scream. The bullet going in right were your vest strap ended. You dropped to the ground with Watts and felt wet. Your vision cleared enough to see Watts missing his head.

“Y/N!” Erik yelled after he was able to make out your blood curdling cry.

“Stevens, we gotta go. We’re aborting!” Garrett said rushing in. “Shit, you’re wounded.”

“Where’s Y/N?” Erik grumbled, shaking his head and ears still ringing.

“Forget her. We gotta go!” Hernandez said through the com.

“Fuck you! Where is she?” Erik said, groggily and struggling to balance himself.

“Stevens, they put in a call for backup. We will be outnumbered in two minutes. We evac now!” Garrett said. He grabbed onto to Erik who was still off his balance and dazed.

“No!” he yelled as he was too weak to fight the man as he dragged him to the exit. “I’m not leaving her! You have to find her!”

“Stevens, stop fighting. We gotta go!” Garrett said.

“You’re leaving her!” Erik yelled. “We can’t leave Y/N! Y/N!”

You picked up the hand gun from Watts’ body and fired a round at the man. You were too late as he was able to fire a shot, the bullet grazing your thigh. You screamed and sobbed. You started crawling back to the direction where you last saw Erik, your vision clear enough to make out your path. You saw Garrett struggling with Erik go past the aisle.

“No, Erik.” You croaked. You felt limb as you tried to will your muscles to keep coming.

“Y/N…” Erik croaked.

“Erik, don’t leave me.” You whimpered, fighting unconsciousness.

The helicopter hovered overhead. Garrett pushed Erik into the entrance and laid cover fire for Hernandez to get on with the rest of the team. They laid Erik down and putting a backpack under his head, studying the blood coming from his ears and assessing his condition. You laid, still with the last of your tears falling from your eyes. “Erik.” You whispered, your sobs gurgled by blood. You let out a gasp as you felt yourself being turned over by a guard. You choked on air and your own cries as you felt your doom staring you in the face. All those lives you took and all the dirty deeds you’ve done had finally caught up with you. And the worst part was the man you put your trust in, the man you started to love, had left you behind.

tags: @xahnah @texasbama @soldierandawar @babygirlofwakanda @randomwordprompts @theultimateblacknerdwithglasses @bartierbakarimobisson

[anneapocalypse]

Line of Sight

Red vs. Blue. Carolina and Wash, gen. 2000 words. Rated M. Also on AO3.

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON 15 THROUGH EPISODE 10.

Written for the RvB Angst War. Prompted by @tuckerfuckingdidit​:

agent illinois is actually camped out in a sniper’s nest when wash and carolina find his place. he knows he’s being hunted, and he intends to strike first.

Warnings: Violence and injury, hostage situation, implied/referenced minor character death, implied background relationship. See the endnotes on AO3 if you need to know specifics. 

The shot comes out of nowhere.

Carolina feels a sickening sense of deja vu, adrenaline kicking in like it hasn’t since Chorus. In an instant the beach becomes a battlefield, every wall and tree and scrub brush becoming cover for the sniper who’s just dropped Wash in the sand beside her.

They just walked out in plain view, didn’t sweep the area, didn’t establish a perimeter, she was so stupid—

A choked sound comes from Wash’s throat, over the radio, harsh in her ears.

She has her sidearm drawn, scanning frantically for hostiles as she drops to one knee, ready to spring up at the first sight of her enemy but she has to help Wash—

Straight through the breastplate. Hell. Must’ve been armor-piercing. Wash doesn’t have an overshield wouldn’t have had it up if he did—

she’s so stupid.

There’s the perch. Should’ve seen it from a mile away. An old lifeguard stand, most of the paint worn off revealing gray-weathered wood, and someone crouched at the top with her in their sights—

The shooter is marked as friendly on her HUD. Not unknown, friendly. And the color—

Carolina swallows down the sick panic in her throat and opens the old TEAMCOM channel.

“Friendlies! Cease fire, repeat, cease fire. This is Agent Carolina of the former Project Freelancer, my partner is Agent Washington, stand down.”

The voice that comes over TEAMCOM is familiar.

“I know who the fuck you are. Toss your weapons out of reach. His too. Keep your hands where I can see them.”

“You shot Wash—”

“I said drop your fucking weapons!”

“Okay, okay.” Carolina hucks her pistol into the sand, wincing. Rifle too. Wash’s rifle is on his back. She grabs his sidearm off his hip instead, throws that, reaches for the biofoam slot.

“His rifle too.”

“I can’t get to it without moving him, and I have to treat the gunshot wound or he'll bleed out. Let me do that, and then you shoot me if you want to.”

There’s no reply, which Carolina takes as an affirmative.

She yanks the canister out of its slot and pops the emergency release on his breastplate. The undersuit is soaked with blood around the entry wound, and it’s gotta be a lot worse around back. Red is seeping quickly through the sand underneath him and from the vitals warnings flashing on her HUD, she knows he’s losing blood fast.

Carolina jams the nozzle unceremoniously into the wound and sprays and Wash screams, twitching in agony as the foam fills up the cavity. It’ll burn real bad for the first minute, then go numb. You learn to appreciate the pain response, tells you your buddy’s still with you, but that doesn’t make it any easier to hear.

“Hang in there, Wash,” she says quietly over their private channel. “I’m gonna get us out of here.”

“S’okay, boss,” Wash wheezes back, and fuck, the relief that comes over her at hearing him say words nearly collapses her in the sand beside him. “A’ready got my straw.”

“That’s the spirit,” she says, trying not to choke up.

With the wound closed and the blood loss stanched, at least for now, she pulls Wash’s battle rifle out from under him, tosses it in the pile with the rest of the weapons. Wonders if she can gamble on old Illinois having forgotten about their standard-issue combat knives.

“I said all your weapons!”

Probably not.

Carolina sighs, chucks her M11 and Wash’s into the pile. “Anything else?”

“Now I want you to stand up and step away from the weapons. Go stand by the shack over there and—”

“I’m not leaving him.”

“I can start shooting again anytime, Agent.”

“You have the high ground,” Carolina snaps. “If you wanted us both dead, you could’ve killed me already. You want to know why we’re here. I want to know what has you shooting ex-Freelancers on sight. You can take our weapons. You can restrain me. You can interrogate me. I don’t care. But I am not leaving Wash behind.”

There’s a long silence, in which Carolina can hear only the crashing of the waves, the pounding of her own heart, and the rasp of Wash’s breath.

“Okay,” the sniper says. “I’m coming down. But if you so much as move, I swear to god, the next one goes between your eyes.”

“Got it,” Carolina says.

She flips quickly to the shared Red and Blue TEAMCOM. “Captain Tucker, come in Captain Tucker, this is Carolina, please respond.”

Nothing but static returns.

She knows this one. Not well. One of York’s drinking buddies from back in the day. York stayed friendly with a lot of people on the lower squads after the rankings started. Wash and Connie too. She didn’t. Wasn’t interested in people who weren’t on her level. Illinois wasn’t the competitive type, York pretended not to be. Figures they got along.

“Can you walk?” she mutters to Wash over their private COM.

“Maybe,” Wash wheezes. Coughs once, and it’s enough to make terror coil in her stomach. “Not far.”

Illinois is striding toward them across the sand, rifle holstered now, pistol drawn. He keeps it trained on them, kneels by the pile of weapons, grabs Carolina’s pistol and ejects the magazine, taking it. His pistol arm is steady, but Carolina notices his other hand is shaking. He stares at them for a long moment. Carolina stares back, waiting.

She’s startled when Illinois lowers the weapon, comes around the other side of Wash, and shoves an arm under his shoulders. “Help me get him inside. Hurry. It’s not safe out here.”

“Tucker, come in,” Carolina hisses again over TEAMCOM. “Sarge, anyone, if you are within range, please respond.”

Nothing. They’re on their own.

The shack is small but surprisingly clean, sparsely furnished with a hammock slung from the rafters, and a colorful woven rug spread on the floor. Nothing would reveal this rustic beach getaway for the hideout of a former special operative, save for the two footlockers shoved in the corners on opposite ends of the hammock. Repainted. No names on them that Carolina can see.

“Illinois,” she begins.

He shakes his head sharply. “Don’t use those names. They could be listening.”

“We’re on an encrypted channel.”

“It doesn’t matter. Don’t you understand? It doesn’t matter, they can find you anywhere—”

“Okay,” Carolina says quickly. “Okay. Just tell me—what should I call you?”

Illinois sighs, and his shoulders sag a little. “Just Samir is fine.”

Carolina takes a deep breath. “Okay. Samir. Wash—David—he needs medical attention. The biofoam can only stabilize him temporarily, you know that.”

Samir sighs, moving restlessly from one foot to the other. “I know. I’m sorry. If you’re for real, I’m—I’m sorry.”

“Samir,” Carolina says carefully. Wash’s respiration is labored. His blood pressure is lower than normal, but stable for the moment. He’s alive, but whatever she says next, it has to be with the goal of getting them out of what looks a whole lot like a hostage situation, and getting him medical attention.

Never was good at negotiation. She thinks of Sharkface, gunned down in the streets of Armonia.

Not the time, Carolina. Lock that down.

“Samir,” she says. “Who did you think we were?”

Samir’s fingers are fidgety on his pistol. “You. Not you. I don’t know. Bad either way. You were supposed to be dead. You show up on the news years later with a bunch of sim troopers. You—” he gestures at Wash with the pistol hand, his trigger discipline a lot less rigorous than Carolina would prefer, “were Recovery.”

Wash manages a weak facsimile of a chuckle. “Been a long time since I was called that.”

“Well, I was too. I know what that means.”

“What are you talking about?” Carolina says, trying to keep the impatience out of her voice.

But Wash groans softly.

“I didn’t kill them, Samir.”

“Wash, what—”

“Your squad, I didn’t… I didn’t kill them.”

“His squad…” Carolina says, baffled.

“Beta squad. We were all reassigned to Recovery after the Alpha mutiny, and…” Illinois laughs bitterly. “Wash knows.”

Wash gives a weak nod. “Most of them them were the on the first response team at Valhalla.”

Carolina takes a minute to process that. “So they’re…”

“Dead,” Wash says hoarsely. His BP is actually still dropping, Carolina notes with dismay—very slowly, but it’s still dropping. “I recovered their bodies.” He swallows, coughs again. “I didn’t kill them, Samir. I swear. Others, yes, but not them. It was the Meta.”

Samir lets out a long breath. “Okay.”

“Why would you think Wash—”

Samir laughs harshly. “I was Recovery, remember? Level Zero, full recovery of the incident, all that happy horseshit. Li and I just wanted to get away from all that. Start a new life. That’s why we ran. Why we came here.”

“Li.”

Samir hesitates, then kneels. Draws two letters in the sand. RI. Rhode Island. Rho.

“We came out here together.” Samir’s voice chokes up, and he tenses all at once, looking from one of them to other. Swinging in the wind, Carolina thinks. Panicked and lost. Alone.

She knows the feeling intimately.

“You thought we were coming for you,” Carolina says in a low voice.

“I didn’t know,” Samir says heavily. “I couldn’t be sure. I don’t know you anymore. You’re wild cards, both of you. Alpha Squad. Recovery. Dead, then alive. I didn’t know.”

“What,” Carolina says slow, deliberately, “happened, to Li?”

Samir’s shoulders sag. His arms drop to his sides. Finger off the trigger. Good.

“I went for one of my walks around the island, and when I came back, he was gone. His armor was gone. He’d suited up, taken the boat. I found it drifting… It doesn’t make sense, we never wore our armor anymore... and he went alone. Like something lured him out there. I know it sounds crazy, I…” He sags back against the wall, slides to the floor, head in one hand, the pistol still gripped in the other, his voice breaking. “I looked everywhere for him. Everywhere. He’s just gone. And now they’ll be coming for me, too. Maybe it is you. Maybe you’re just saying all this to get me to let my guard down, and then you take me, too.” He shudders, makes a sound like a sob. “At least tell me if Li’s dead, okay? That’s all I want to know. Just tell me if he’s dead.”

Carolina has been slowly, slowly, moving her hand across the floor.

She’s close enough to grab that pistol. It would take nothing, a fraction of a second. Get the jump on him, regain control.

She takes a deep breath, reaches out and touches his shoulder, gently.

“We didn’t take Li. We didn’t come to take you. But you’re right, someone did. Someone is hunting us. You’re not crazy.”

Illinois looks up.

“We came to warn you,” Carolina says quietly. “See if you knew anything. I’m sorry we were too late for Li, Samir. I’m so sorry.”

He doesn’t say anything, just keeps looking at her.

“Samir, Wash needs a medic. He will die, if we don’t get him help. I know you don’t want that. I know you don’t want anyone else to die.”

The pause is agonizing. Wash’s breath is so loud in her ears.

“I can get up to the radio tower and call for help,” Samir says, finally.

I can go, Carolina doesn’t say. I can get there faster. That would mean leaving Wash behind with Illinois. She believes his story, but she cannot trust that he won’t panic again.

She cannot let Wash out of her sight. Starting to regret letting any of them out of her sight, but she won’t make that mistake now.

“Okay,” she says. “We’ll stay right here. And Samir… I’m really sorry.”

“Yeah,” Samir says heavily, getting to his feet. “Me too.” He holsters his pistol. “I never did get your name.”

Carolina swallows. “MJ. Friends call me MJ.”

“MJ. Thanks.” Samir nods. “I’ll be back soon. It’s twenty minutes to the tower, fifteen back ‘cause it’s downhill. If I’m not…” He pauses in the doorway, looks over his shoulder at both of them in turn. “If I don’t make it back, you should run. I mean it.”

Carolina doesn’t answer that. Instead she finds Wash’s hand, gives it a squeeze. He returns it, weakly, but still there.

“Hurry back,” she says, and watches Illinois go.

[thebravohubelite]

Free for All - Episode 12: Compromised (Part Three: The First Shots Fired)

EPISODE TWELVE

COMPROMISED

CUT TO:

INTERIOR: FB ECHO TACTICAL OPERATIONS CENTER

From the view screen, something has suddenly happened out of nowhere. The unknown guest has suddenly pulled out a plasma firearm on “Greedo”.

MIKE SEVEN JULIET:

Was that supposed to happen, sir?

Three-Niner Bravo gets advising on the comms, perhaps to all the units present in the operation.

MIKE SEVEN JULIET:

Buyer just got his goods.

Now he wants to shoot the supplier?

“CHAOS”:

This guy is crazy.

CUT BACK TO:

EXTERIOR: “THE DEAL” – NIGHT

GERAK has pulled out a weapon as well. An SA-14 particle-beam handgun. Both of their goons turn their weapons on each other. Especially from the vehicles they’re in. Plasma weapons on full charge.

A Mexican standoff, with Martians.

GERAK:

What is the meaning of this, thur Ordun?!

ORDUN:

You have produced results in supplying weapons for the cause.

But you have a target on your back.

Something I cannot risk in this crusade of ours.

GERAK:

So you decide to betray me?

ORDUN smiles. A devilish smile, as he clutches his weapon tight. With full intent to kill Gerak.

ORDUN:

Betray you?

SNIPER SCOPE POV:

“BLAKE”:

(Voice-over over radio)

All units, this is Reaper Alpha.

Hold your fire.

I say again; hold your fire.

“PUMA”:

(Voice-over over radio)

Copy, Reaper Alpha.

“VIPER”:

(Voice-over over radio)

Maintaining eyes on.

CUT TO:

INTERIOR: FB ECHO TACTICAL OPERATIONS CENTER

Tension’s rising. As the Ops Center picks up something from their consoles.

THREE-SEVEN BRAVO:

Sir, I’m picking up something big.

“CHAOS”:

Report.

THREE-SEVEN BRAVO:

That large haze, sir?

It’s back.

All eyes to Three-Seven Bravo’s console. The unknown traffic’s returned.

THREE-NINER BRAVO:

Sir?

I’ve got something from our friends.

Urgent message.

“CHAOS”:

What is it?

She reads in to the message received. 

THREE-NINER BRAVO:

“Secret arms… installation…

Attacked… recently…”

Chaos himself, is silent at the news. Everyone’s expression says it all.

THREE-NINER BRAVO:

(Continued)

“No quarter…

All units…

Red Dawn rising…”

Without hesitation, CHAOS gives the word.

“CHAOS”:

Call all our recon teams now.

And tell Warbird, and Nur One-Three to find that haze.

CUT BACK TO:

ORDUN:

(Voice-over)

Don’t make me laugh, Gerak.

I’m not going to betray you. 

EXTERIOR: “THE DEAL” – NIGHT

Gerak doesn’t understand. Neither do his followers.

ORDUN:

For you’ve already been betrayed by your own.

But he does now.

Ordun orders one of his guys to turn the turret on Gerak’s crew. 

FWOOSH! PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW! – The SA-75 “Phaser MG” fires violently. The others, belonging to Ordun’s faction, follow as well. A firing line lighting up with pure plasma beams, mowing down Gerak’s followers, to the last Martian.

As the last one falls down, Gerak looks around him. He’s the only one left. He’s shivering in fear, as ORDUN “comforts” him. Pointing out to the several corpses of Gerak’s crew. 

ORDUN:

Your own followers were playing you from the start.

He goes over to one body, you can’t even describe him anymore, thanks to the plasma burns. The sight of him makes Gerak sick. 

ORDUN:

(Continued)

When paid right, they’ll work for anyone.

Especially, for our enemies.

Ordun looks through his bloodied robes. He finds something. A beeping tracker, with Federation markings.

ORDUN:

He was a spy.

We were never alone here, bakta.

CUT TO:

SNIPER SCOPE POV:

Gaz keeps his crosshairs on the new target. As he scans this guy, ordering his other guys to loot the bodies. All in front of a distraught “Greedo”. 

“BLAKE”:

(Voice-over over radio)

Roger, Three-Niner Bravo.

Maintaining visual.

“GAZ”:

(Voice-over over radio)

All snipers, keep eyes on.

Nobody fire.

He is now nicknamed by the rest of the snipers as “Crazy Old Martian”.

MIKE SEVEN JULIET:

(Voice-over over radio)

Sniper teams, this is Mike Seven Juliet.

Be advised.

The Mar---

FWOOSH! – A violent wave of blue light engulfs the area of Sulcii Gordi. It doesn’t kill, but it leaves with a staggering effect.

CUT TO:

EXTERIOR: OVERWATCH AREA, TOP OF A RIDGE – NIGHT

Gaz, keeps his eye off the sniper scope. Something went wrong.

“GAZ”:

Oh, fuck.

What happened?

“BLAKE”:

(Keys in to radio)

Any callsigns, come in.

Three-Niner Bravo?

Chaos?

Mike Seven Juliet?

Echo Base?

The attempt to contact base is cut short, as Nur One-Three suddenly de-cloaks. The enemies on the ground open fire on the ship. 

BOOM! – As the ship crashes, Reaper team can do nothing but watch, as it plummets to the ground.

The hostiles then mount up to prepare an assault on the crash site. The vehicles now moving out. Gaz gets back on his sniper rifle, with intent to aim at “Greedo”.

“BLAKE”:

I hope you know what you’re about to do.

“GAZ”:

Trust me, mate.

FWOOSH! BOOM! – Suddenly, there are shots that come out of nowhere. The Martians below respond with their small arms.

GAZ with his finger on the trigger…

“GAZ”:

(Continued)

I got this.

BAM! – Gaz fires off a round of the M43A1. We see the bullet fly, as it hits the other target in the arm. Making him fall. He cycles another round, with intent to shoot “Greedo”. Before he could though, “Greedo” grabs the other target, and moves him to cover.

“BLAKE”:

(Keys in to radio)

Anyone in the A.O.

This is Reaper Alpha.

Break.

We are compromised.

Repeat, we are compromised.

GRAPHIC: THE AREA OF OPERATION

The dust storm grows stronger. The unit is deprived of communications from their command. Their recon air support gone down, crashed. With no clue of their survival. Radio contact with other close units is gone as well. As the winds howl, Reaper team have no choice.

They are compromised, they must handle this alone.

-END OF EPISODE TWELVE, PART THREE.-

[vehlika-pelican]

warning for long post! i always get my best ideas at night when im on mobile and cant do a read-more. sorry. blacklist "vehl's headcannons" to stop seeing my stuff. no rvb season 15 spoilers i dont think. me3 is like 5 years old now so im not tagging it as spoilers for any of the games. OKAY, RVB X MASS EFFECT TRILOGY CROSSOVER ( mostly ME 1 because its been two hours since i started writing this post now and oh shit) #TuckerFightsARobotArmy is gonna be the tag for this and the inevitable sequel posts at first i thought, with default Femshep being a badass red-head that would make our local badass red-head Carolina the obvious choice for the role but it occurred to me that she would make a better Miranda Lawson than Commander Shepard. The Director is The Illussive Man (Tim). Aside from the daddy issues, Miranda is a big supporter of Tim's until she finally sees his dark side and resigns during the end of ME 2 just like Carolina was a staunch believer in the Director until she had to face the music. The Freelancers are involved in Project Phoenix and ultimately its every man for himself when the Director starts indoctrinating/reaperfying troops. She gets assigned to the Normandy SR-2 just before the agents make their escape and she's left out of the loop and feeling betrayed. She carries that well into hunting the Collectors and her loyalty mission involves maybe saving York and getting answers. Carolina goes into hiding just like Miranda during ME3, trying to take down her former employer and his organization on her own until she needs help. Thats where our best dudes come in. but then if she's taking the place of Miranda, who could be Shepard? let's start with the Reds. Sarge is too...Sarge. Maybe he could take Admiral Hackett's place as Admiral Colonel Sarge because obviously (everyone knows he's crazy but going from enlisted man to fleet admiral makes him a legend, and he really earned a name for himself during the First Contact War. that name was legally changed to Colonel.) Grif would be Joker, so our esteemed pilot/vehicle operator who's all back-talk and bitching. Simmons is where it gets tricky. Simmons could be an engineer, possibly a quarian, who got prosthetic limbs from when he temporarily served with Sarge on a joint human-quarian deployment and became enamored with the freedom to experiment in the Alliance opposed to the strict policies in the Migrant Fleet and sought to return to his service by trying to kiss ass. but i also like him as EDI because of the proximity to Grif and how they would develop that friendship leading up to Joker's Mission when Grif unshackles Simmons to save the Normandy in ME 2. i also kind of like krogan!Grif, and you know the two of them would have the greatest time messing with the Alliance's engineers during the retrofits. then when Simmons gets a body in ME3 he tries to get a faux-skin to look human but there's a problem and its missing in places on the left side and Grif decides to tell people he's just got some prosthetics from an accident. all shiny and chrome on the fury road. Donut is Kelly Chambers. trained in psychology but rarely clinical, loving all the species, somehow spreading a space-dog STD around the ship, a bit too naive if pretty gung-ho about the mission but give him a belt of lift grenades and hot damn we're in business. Lopez is the AI who robbed the bank? embezelled money? (ME 1) and threatened to detonate a nuclear bomb inside a shopping center but actually managed to buy and download himself into a ship and set sail for sweet robot freedom in the Persius Veil. he was caught by Sarge and officially "destroyed" when he's really locked in a Rampart mech with AI shackles that force him to aid Sarge in his crazy science endeavors. he refuses to speak anything other than spanish out of spite even when he genuinely needs assistance. now the Blues. Washington will have been with Cerberus until about the beginning of ME3 which is when Tim starts indoctrinating troops and members of Project Phoenix take their chances so thats too late to start trying to save the galaxy from the Reaper threat. Caboose takes the place of David (i might be getting the name wrong), an autistic savant who can communicate with a race of alien AI (the quarian-made geth) and is unwillingly mentally linked to the geth for an unknown period of time by his own brother (one of his sisters then? my poor boy imsorry). This would cause the neural trauma/scarring resulting in Caboose being... more Caboose. but he isn't found until sometime in ME2 by Shepard and co. Freckles is the mad AI who goes rogue on Luna (not EDI or part of Simmons in this au) but ends up being befriended by Caboose. he inhabits an Atlas/Titan mech and together they're unstoppable. Tex is an attempt to recreate Allison as an AI inside a cloned body made by the Director during the early stages of his madness. now she's taking Ashley's place as a trigger happy space racist, a double agent inside the Alliance and on Tucker's squad. Church almost dates her but something...feels off...and instead spends his time fighting with her because it feels...familiar? like when he used to argue with his mom when she was alive. huh. Kaikaina and Grif petitioned to serve together so she's on the squad as an infilitrator of all things. she and Wrex commiserate over the story of how she stole a krogan warlord's biotic hammer and she tramatizes Grif by flirting with his 800-pound ass. (not that it goes anywhere. Wrex thinks humans are too squishy.) which leaves...Tucker. because who else. Commander Shepard took the responsibility of proving the existence and defeating the Reapers only because they happened to be at Eden Prime when the prothean beacon was to be recovered. it could have been anyone caught in the beacon- Ashley or Kaidan or any other marine- and that person would have tried to do the same. Tucker in RVB isnt so much chosen to be the savior of an alien race (Doc said he was but that was more Junior) as he gets caught in a bunch of shit that went down in ways he was not expecting when he interacted with an ancient alien artifact thank you very much. so he's on the Normandy SR-1 because he's an N7-in-training or outright failed to get past N1 (which is still impressive because he was considered and thats not easy criteria to meet. let my man be a badass space marine. just a little bit. badass-in-training. HE'LL GET THERE.) but is noticed for his potential and is to be evaluated by turian!/salarian!Felix for Spectre candidacy. the first human Spectre. he's a biotic, i can't decide between adept and vanguard. Tucker and Grif are Totally On To the mission's importance because "spectre's(Felix) dont come along for shake-down runs" in their new experiental human-turian ship and they arrive at Eden Prime mid-attack. Tucker and his squad try to clear a path to the beacon while Felix scouts ahead. but then they find his body and eyewitnesses say it was someone he knew by name that shot him once he let his guard down and his back was turned. "Locus" they say. supposedly leading the assault with an army of heretic-geth and a massive ship emitting a terrible sound. they fight to the beacon, disable bombs along the way, and find it just as Locus's ship departs. as the squad's engineer is scanning it, Tucker notices they're starting to levitate and rushes in to grab them and throw them aside only to get caught himself. he gets the prothean vision-warning about the Reapers and maybe a special prothean omni-blade and its on. he has to prove to the Citadel Council that their Spectre Locus is a traitor and that the Reapers are real but visions? galactic extinction cycles? oh you humans are so full of it. you've been part of the galactic community for 30 years and now you're here with a conspiracy theory at best? i cant believe we thought you could work for us. blah. Tucker marches off but meets Church who's been trying to take Locus down from within the system to no avail. Alpha!Church is the Director's son but Allison got custody after the divorce and now he's a grouchy C-Sec cop getting nowhere real quick. Tucker invites him along and he's a shitty sniper but actually pretty decent with the Mako's cannon considering it handles like a drunk krogan who can do a flip it you drive off the cliff edge fast enough (what are mass effect booster jets for?). they track down a krogan mercenary (Wrex is probably still Wrex. because who could hope to live up to him?) and fight through a strip club and kill Fist and rescue a quarian (Palomo? make that Jensen) with evidence proving Locus is guilty. then they save Dr. Emily Grey and help her keep her small clinic in the wards from being shut down and she gives them sweet discounts and all the free medigel they can shove into their pockets. they rescue asari!Doc from inside a prothean ruin (got lost on a yoga retreat and panicked when geth started attacking...i guess he could be an archeologist but maybe they drag Grey along for the ride instead...) but he's developed a split personality due to how long he's been alone in there and its kinda murderous but coupled with biotics its pretty useful. (and yes, asari are mono-gendered and are all "female" but ME: Andromeda confirmed that some asari use masculine pronouns/identify as "male" and there's no way that wasn't a thing in ME 1 canon so Doc is he/him). on Virmire, he almost shoots Tex AND Wrex on the beach- put down your shotguns you fucking lunatics i will biotically throw you into the ocean! he helped Wrex get his family armor so Tucker manages to talk him down but man Tex could you chill its been months already. he has to leave Tex behind though to protect the bomb while he and Wrex save Kaikaina and Kirahee and fight Locus. they evacuate and the bomb detonates and atleast it was instantaneous. she wouldn't have felt herself be vaporized, it was quick and we stopped Locus from getting an army of krogan. Church is devastated and knowing that Tucker leaving Tex behind was a conscious choice splinters their friendship. but. Tucker has to finish this. its bullshit and why us. why'd it have to be us on this ship in this life shewasmyfriendtoo- but its a race against the clock to the lost relay and Ilos and theres no time to have a real talk. its complete bullshit. they get to Ilos but Locus is ahead of them and they have to fight so many geth and find a 50,000 year old message which only Tucker can understand but fuck this we're being left in Locus' dust openthisstupid templedoor*swish* oh shit this things a fucking key "guess we didnt have to fight all them robots" he said stepping over the mountain of slain robots because fuck my life. Wrex how'd you live so long life fucking sucks. "i've been drunk for a lot of it" great. yup. can the Mako go any faster. and then they meet Vigil but dont record it because they're still idiots who forget/dont mind the details until Simmons shows up in the sequel you morons but hey remember THAT CHASE WE WERE IN LETSGO and they drive the Mako into a relay and if Tucker made sure to crash into a geth colossus no one says anything- and they fly out into the Presidium Commons like if the Mako had wings but itfuckingdoesnt and why are there even jets on this tank. Locus and Sovereign beat them to the Citadel and the arms are closed but Hal-9000 over there is just chillin' on the Citadel Tower like he's shishing the kebab himself. then gravity goes off and they fight sideways all the way up the tower and those turrets sure are being turrets you know and not differentiating between us and the assholes ahead of us. but they finally make it and stop Locus short of the apocalypse. Tucker goes all renegade Locus was just afraid, the Reapers put his life in persepective and we are all so small and insignificant, "is servitude not preferable to extinction?" you're just a puppet, they're using you because you're weak, because you let them, do yourself a favor-! but Locus claims its too late and they fight and kill him. but he rises anyway. the fight the first and only Possessed Marauder- Sovereign controlig Locus' corpse through implants. he was mostly implants. and once its ash ashashashes Tex didnt even get to be ashes its unfa- and Sarge is over the comm, open the Citadel's arms son so the Alliance can save the day and Tucker has a choice. save the Council and sacrifice thousands of soldiers. or kill the Reaper and worry about new leadership later. its Tex again. worse. i need to think, theres no time, you know what this thing can do you saw in the vision i believe you so what do we do. make the call. and Tucker needs the Council's support...but the Reaper needs to be killed...but saving the Council will cost too much...but the Reaper could still call the others from dark space...they'll trust me... will the new ones? will the Alliance? Anyone? no. but someone will definitely be alive. kill Sovereign. the Council dies. the Destiny Ascention is destroyed. the Alliance suffers minimal loses. humanity fills the vacuum of power. humanity is no longer trusted. they blame him. he does too. have any of his choices been good enough? right? much of the crew goes their own way. Church goes back to C-Sec. maybe he'll call. Wrex returns to Tuchanka, faith in his people restored. Doc joins Grey at her small clinic. Jensen returns to the Migrant Fleet with geth data. and Tucker and the rest are... disgraced. no one says but they dont have to. every breath is a reminder of his failures and what he did. so much potential in him once, they say. he could have been great. instead he did this. and they fight geth. chase geth. fight more. they head to Alchera. more geth, they said. it isnt. the ship is blown apart. Kaikaina shoves anyone who cant walk into the escape pods. The XO is killed almost immediately. Grif won't leave. Tucker, please, Dex! Get Dex! she yells as she's dragged into an escape pod by a Yeoman and he storms over because he wont lose anyone else but the hull is gone and you can't run in mag boots. Grif is fighting for Normandy. Tucker can hear him asking for just a little more just enough to- to- but Tucker's having none of it and pulls and heaves and forces his idiot pilot into the pod. of all the times Grif chose to be the opposite of lazy. a streak of yellow catches his eye and its coming this way and he pushes off and hits the launch button but the engines blow and he hits something as he is set adrift. he's losing air. fuck, its- its behind him. he panics and scrambles for the puncture but his arms are geting heavier and he's already wheezing short little breaths shortlittlefailures youfailedyoukilledthem youkilledher. the sun in the distance is bright. he can feel his body tilt toward the planet, sees the sunlight cresting over the horizon. his vision goes dark around the edges. but the sun is bright and he doesnt notice he isnt afraid and he falls *maniacal laughter* someone should have stopped me. i think its super out of character but this is a rambling monster and not meant to go super in-depth or anything. god help me.

[illumynare]

Red vs Blue fic: Gift of the Magi (4/12)

Summary: Wash has already gone through too much, been broken too often. So when they get captured by Hargrove together, Tucker figures he has one job: until the cavalry shows up, keep Wash alive and (relatively) sane. No matter the cost.

Unfortunately, Wash is just as determined to protect him.

Parings: None. Warnings: Canon-typical language, aftermath of canonical character death, psychological torture, hallucinations, hallucinated child harm, mentions of torture and suicide, fake-out character death.

Notes: Also available on AO3!

The guards come to get Tucker out of his cell, and he doesn't fight them. He never fights them. He agreed to this, and he knows what happens if he stops playing nice.

But he knows what's waiting for him in the lab, and he feels sick as they march him down the hallway. He's tired of watching his friends die. He's tired of his friends killing him. He wants to know why the fuck the others haven't come to get them yet. It's got to have been at least three days by now.

Sure, he could understand the Reds fucking around and wasting time. Simmons would need to make a spreadsheet, and Sarge would want to build a robot. Grif would just say "meh" and find another bag of cheetos. But Carolina? Being an actual badass is her entire job.

Not to mention that Tucker and Wash are supposed to be heroes of Chorus now. Rescuing them should be Kimball's priority number one.

Hargrove can't be hidden that well.

(He doesn't want to think about the last simulation, where the mercs managed to activate the Purge. It didn't touch Tucker because of the sword, so he spent hours wandering around finding body after body after body— But Tucker knows they destroyed that temple. And if Hargrove had managed to kill everyone somehow, he would have already gloated about it.)

Tucker hears voices, and suddenly he realizes that they're not taking him to the lab, they're taking him to—

—the mess hall?

It must be lunch or dinner, because it's pretty full. They don't take him to the food line, though, they take him straight to a table . . . where Wash is waiting for him.

Helmet off. Two food trays sitting in front of him.

Wash.

"What the fuck," says Tucker.

"Hargrove didn't want us meeting anywhere private," says Wash, and he's—he's not being shot or tortured or drowned, and he's not trying to kill Tucker, he's just sitting at the table looking tired and stressed like after a really bad session with the new recruits.

Tucker sits down with a thump. Everything feels vaguely unreal. He thought he was heading into another simulation, and here he is having lunch with Wash. Or dinner. Or breakfast, what the fuck ever.

"Private Tucker, status report."

"Oh my God, give that a rest," Tucker says without thinking, and then he realizes that Wash is looking at him with actual concern.

Shit.

He grabs a spoon and shovels a big mound of pudding into his mouth to give himself time to think.

He can't let Wash know what's happening. Wash will blame himself, and then try to take Tucker's place, and the whole reason Tucker got into this mess was to avoid a matinee showing of Wash 2: Now With More Crazy. 

"Well," he says, "there's this really hot scientist who can't get enough of me, if you know what I mean."

Wash goes still. "What do you mean?"

"Fuck you, I could totally be banging her!" Tucker snaps, and relaxes when he sees Wash roll his eyes.

"But you're not."

". . . But she just wants a lot of blood samples. Because of the whole alien baby thing." Tucker scoops up another mound of pudding and goes on the offensive. "What's up with you? I thought you made some kind of deal."

"I, uh. Hargrove has me . . . training his soldiers." Wash's voice cracks slightly, the way it does when he's uncomfortable, and all Tucker can feel is relief. Because awkward Wash isn't crazy Wash. Because he's obviously feeling guilty that he's cooperating with the enemy at all, but making Charon mercenaries do squats isn't going to hurt anyone, and more importantly, it's not going to hurt Wash.

Tucker managed to protect him, and he feels fiercely, desperately proud.

He fucking did that.

"So you're finally training soldiers you can actually work to death? It's like all your dreams come true." 

Wash mutters something under his breath.

"What?"

"Just . . . eat your dinner."

Okay, so it's dinner time. That's nice to know. 

There's something rubbery on his plate that looks vaguely like chicken. Tucker prods at it with his fork, and then gives it a bite.  

Synthetic protein. Bleh.

He feels a little curl of unease in his gut, and he's not sure why, because things are great. Wash is fine, and he doesn't suspect a thing, and Tucker isn't going to be strapped into that machine for another hour at least.

And then, as he swallows down synthetic protein, he realizes: he's waiting for it all to go wrong.

He's waiting for this to be another simulation. One where the pudding is poisoned, or there are snipers in the mess hall, or Wash just casually reaches over and stabs a knife between the tendons in his hand—

"This is part of being a soldier, Private," Wash says patiently. "I need to train you to resist interrogation,"  and fuck it hurts but Tucker doesn't want to fail again so he holds still while Wash shoves another knife in and it hurts it hurts and Church is screaming TUCKER IT'S NOT REAL—

"Tucker?"

Tucker almost chokes on his food and he's pretty sure his heart literally misses a beat. But he manages to swallow, and then he instantly starts babbling the first thing that comes into his head.

"Yeah, do you think the Army of Chorus gives out medals for surviving enemy captivity? Or chicks. I would take chicks instead of a medal. I asked Kimball about that after the Staff of Charon but she just said some shit about not abusing my rank."

Wash rolls his eyes. "Never mind," he says, and Tucker's heartbeat starts to slow down again.

As long as Wash is annoyed, it's okay, because that means he isn't suspicious.

It's going to be okay.

Tucker has got this.

When the guards take Tucker away again, the first thing Wash does is sigh in relief.

Because Tucker's all right. He's obviously tense, more worried than he wants to let on, but he's all right.

And he still doesn't know. 

Wash honestly wasn't sure that he'd be able to keep the secret. 

Tucker was there in those first days after Sidewinder, when Wash suddenly had no goals, no revenge to carry out, no prison to escape, and his mind started to tear itself apart because pain was the only thing that felt familiar anymore. Tucker was also there after the crash on Chorus, when Wash's brain kept stuttering between the Hand of Merope and the Mother of Invention and simulated crashes that Alpha saw. 

And somewhere along the line, Tucker decided that he was responsible for Wash's sanity. There are times Wash still doesn't understand why, any more than he understands why Caboose insisted that they keep him and call him Church—

he choked on the name in those first weeks, he told Caboose to shut up again and again until Tucker shoved him against the wall and shouted you shut the fuck up, but Caboose kept calling him Church, Church, we're best friends, aren't we, Church? until Wash said yes because he had used up all his defiance on the Director and prison and the Meta, and he was willing to let these people remake him into whatever they wanted, but all they did was sing him happy birthday, and wake him from his nightmares, and call him Church until the name stopped hurting and for the first time in years he felt like he was truly Wash

—the point is, Tucker has gotten far too good at telling when something is wrong. Wash was terrified that he'd take one look and simply know about the cold, foreign weight squatting at the back of his skull. That maybe he'd guess what Wash has started thinking about failsafes and self-destructs—that even if they're rescued, maybe there's no getting the Mark IV out and this time Wash is finally fucked up beyond repair. 

But he didn't. He didn't guess, and he's not hurt. Wash has never, ever been so glad to hear Tucker ramble about his chances of banging somebody inappropriate.

If Wash can just keep Tucker safe, then it will all be worth it. Even if he doesn't come back from this, it will still be worth it.

The thought gives him strength over the next couple days, as he waits for Hargrove to send him on his next mission. He's a little frightened by how easily he starts hoping for the mission, and not their friends—but keeping Hargrove happy is all Wash can do right now.

He can't afford any mistakes.

So he practices with the Mark IV again and again, flips the safety off again and again, lets it spin him through maneuvers and fire his guns and throw his knives. He can do this. He has to do this.

And then finally Hargrove sends him out.

It's the same instructions as last time: infiltrate, and download information from a computer. But this time it's a military base, not far from the ruins of Armonia. Wash was there just a few weeks ago, which means he knows something about where the guards are going to be.

He also knows how unlikely it is that he'll be able to get in and out without hurting anyone or getting caught.

He can't get caught. Hargrove made that very clear: he fails, and Tucker pays the price.

Wash doesn't want to hurt anyone. The soldiers on Chorus trust him, less than the Reds and Blues do but more than anyone should. He doesn't want to go back to being that cold-blooded soldier who would shoot anyone to get what he wanted.

He will, if that's the only way to keep his team alive. Wash isn't proud of that, but it's a fact.

This is also a fact: he will try as hard as he can to find another way.

Several flash-bang grenades and two fire alarms later, Wash thinks he may be able to pull this off. The base is halfway evacuated, and he's at the computer, watching the information download. If his luck just holds a few more minutes, he can get out the way he came and get back to the Pelican, another mission complete.

He thinks briefly of trying to use the computer to send a message. But he's willing to bet that the Mark IV is recording everything he sees. Wash was able to get away with dropping the knife—he was careful not to look at what he was doing—but if he sends an email, Hargrove will probably find out. And there will be consequences.

Wash just has to go back, and trust in their friends to find them.

"Hello," says Caboose, from right behind him.

Time slows down.

It's like the moment that Epsilon tried to kill himself in Wash's head. In those last seconds, their brains meshed, thoughts aligned, and Wash experienced time at the speed of a dying AI, lightspeed compared to human thought but an agonizing crawl for Epsilon as subroutines returned ERROR, ERROR, END OF FILE. Wash listened to his own heartbeat and heard each weary thud minutes apart, and the two of them wished together that it would all stop.

It's like that now.

Thud, he understands that Caboose is there with him, that there are probably more soldiers nearby, that this is a trap and he might be saved—but Tucker's not here, and they'll kill him if Wash doesn't come back—

Thud, and he's turning, and he know he needs to stop this, stop himself, but there's no time. There's no time and he's not the one raising his pistol, it's the Mark IV moving him and it says, Target acquired.

He doesn't hear his next heartbeat.

Because the gun fires.

The gun fires and Wash can almost see the path the bullet takes through the air, with the same remorseless clarity that Alpha saw every one of his mistakes. He sees and he sees and he can do nothing, and it's like his nightmares about shooting Donut, knowing what's about to happen and not able to stop it—

Why did you do that? What's wrong with you?

Then there's blood spattered around the hole in the visor of Caboose's helmet, and Caboose is falling backward as the Mark IV drones, Target eliminated.

I was just following orders.

[shotgunsandstars]

Pro Human ‘cheat sheet’

This is everything I need to know about my characters and like... basic information about them like age, if their parents are alive, where they might live, what they use as a weapon and other trivia things that help build their character. Characters that have POVs tend to have longer bits. It also acted as my quick list of every single significant named character in the story lols.

Altair

33 yrs old

Alpha-One

4 kids, 3 biological, 1 adopted

Has maxed EVs

Biological parents had perfect resonance

Had perfect resonance with Adha in society

Both parents are dead

Speaks all major languages+French

Can use 2 EVs in a pinch but is mostly immobile while doing so

Bonded with Desmond

Malik

33 yrs old

Senior Support

2 kids, 2 biological

Previously joined with Jessabelle, a Foxtrot-4 he had high resonance with before she was killed on the field

Full tech EVs

Both parents are dead

Speaks Arabic and German

Rauf

35 yrs old

Assassin First Class

Master Instructor

Teaches 9th level

4 kids, 3 adopted, 1 biological

Both parents are dead

Speaks Korean and Arabic

Resonates with a lot of people in the fortress and it makes him uncomfortable

Before he met Altair he was an ace because people made him feel bad for his diverse resonance

Shaun

24 yrs old

Support

3 EVs, Classic, cyber sight, zoom

1 kid

Mother alive, works as a distant cell in Europe

Rebecca’s partner/boyfriend/joined with

Blacklisted from joining again because of Liz’s weakness

Bit of a weaker immune system

Rebecca

24 yrs old

Red Queen

First Class Assassin

Full tech EVs+ 3 more

Both parents alive, run the Bureau in Los Angelos

Basically controls everything in the fortress

Knows everything about everyone because she can’t help it

Master of the Core

Incredibly intelligent

In an almost constant state of having 3-4 EVs activated at once in the Core

Munahid

29 yrs old

Second in command of Alpha

1 kid, adopted

Son named Si’u

Alpha-Six

Middle eastern parents

Both parents dead

Lives on floor 46

Book of Mormon verses cut into chest and face

Speaks German

Doesn’t understand children, at all

Has trouble telling Sarah and Sally apart

Uses a scimitar

Has longer hair to have bedhead

Kanwai

26 yrs old

Doesn’t like robots

Agressive and impatient

Took ballet during her pilgrimage

Super bisexual

Has sex with Chris in her spare time and has some slight, budding, feelings for him but knows he sleeps around so doesn’t think much on them

Practices a variance of martial arts with roots in caporira to get around a weak upper body because of her terminal illness that makes arm movement exhausting

Top of her year

Actually went to college in society to achieve higher learning above what standard field agents have

Has a neurological disease that affects her ability to move that will eventually kill her when she’s older

Chris

24 yrs old

Demo man

Kid sister Lisa who he LOVES.

Both parents alive, mother works in the Vancouver bureau, doesn’t get along well with his father

Used to be member of Charlie

Hates Charlie-One, Heather with a passion

Sleeps with a grenade under his pillow

Man whore pansexual who will sleep with anyone and flirts with anyone. Mainly because he’s afraid of being hurt.

Super loyal to Altair

Very phsyically strong and large

Demiromantic.

Acts detatched with bed mates but actually has a pretty bad crush on Kanwai

Mira

23 yrs old

Worships Altair

Hypersexual asexual

Not a great fighter

Super nosy busy body

Bffs with Rebecca tbh

Thinks of Alpha as their numbers not names

Can hear the ‘song’ of electronics

Ehan

29 yrs old

American mother, middle eastern father

Father still alive, runs the Gainesville bureau

Collects butterflies

Smokes cigarettes (super weird)

Lives on floor 46

Book of Mormon verses cut into chest and face

Sniper (super weird)

Very physically strong as well as tall and broad shouldered

Works out like a crazy person

Has an upsetting crush on his best friend Munahid

Doesn’t show a lot of emotion

Very quiet

Not very good at EVs but extraordinarily patient which makes up for it

Can speak Chinese

Often labeled the ‘dumb meat heat’ by people who don’t know him because he’s strong and quiet

Bit of a nihilist

WAS a semi practicing Muslim

Jari

25 yrs old

Uses a xiphos sword

Dreams in echos

Resonates with Diyari

Sarah

23 yrs old

Resonates with a Core Programmer named Micheal Hart/Hawk

Acrobatic fighting

More passionate of the twins and goes on gut instinct

Haytham

20 yrs old

Has the start of Book of Mormon verses cut into his chest

Uses a short sword

Haytham only recently joined Alpha, like within the last few months before the start of the story

Alpha still picks on him sometimes because he’s ‘new’

Sally

23 yrs old

Owns a cat named Helios, a short haired golden tabby tom

Acrobatic fighting

Gets upset when people bring up that her sister resonates with a man

The ‘smarter’ of the twins. More reasonable and clearer thinking

Diyari

23 yrs old

Hazel eyes

Knows how to pick locks, hot wire a car

Is a very good thief

Good slight of hand

Resonates with Jari

Curly hair

Collects historic medical photos

Right arm and left foot are prostetic

Ziio

21 yrs old

Native American roots but is Hispanic

Can use 4 EVs at once if needed

Primarily uses enhanced smell to track

Ezio

19 yrs old

Walked across the Yukon as part of his pilgrimage

Currently lives in Vancouver, California

Socially stupid outside of the fortress

Gets claustraphobic inside normal buildings with small windows

Faiz

Heather

Terry

Desmond

Lucy

Clay

Leila

Daniel

Hannah

Maelin

28 yrs old

Bo calls her his ‘tiger’

Partnered with Bo

Only surviving member of old Kappa squad

Bo

Jun

Haytham Kenway

Leonardo

36 yrs old

Darim

Sef

Liz

Rebecca and Shaun’s daughter

2 yrs old

Weak immune system

Cain

Last name Barrows

Father was Australian Assassin who escaped during his pilgrimage

Natural birth of people with perfect resonance

Lives in Australia

Bonded with Daniel

Tiamat

Rho

Jacob

33 yrs old

Basically Malik’s #1 bff outside of work friends

Identical twin with his sister Evie

trans ftm

REALLY loves teasing Malik about Altair

definitely cheats at cards and literally everything else

In Charlie squad

Evie

33 yrs old

100% done with her brother at all times for any and all reasons

gives people a mad stink eye when they ask how Jacob can be her twin when all twins are identical and thus the ‘same gender’

[charactersadvocatechimata]

Law of Life: Redheads are Absolute 5

Howard missed Maria, which wasn’t anything new but the feeling always intensified around Anthony. Anthony who had his Mother’s eyes and her love for music that Howard never understood. Even when his child argued that music was just math, he didn’t understand it. Then again, he didn’t understand Anthony much either. For every robot that the young Omega created that spoke of Anthony inheriting Howard’s genius, for everyone, there were several more instances that said how very much he was Maria’s child. In the end, high intelligence is the only thing the two Omegas have in common. His Alpha would know what to say, but Howard didn’t. He feared that the Omega was too soft to be the child of Howard Stark and Howard, stupidly, let that fear consume him. What could he ever say that would reach his child?

Staring at the strange Alpha squatting in front of Anthony’s room was another moment where he asked himself: What was the right thing to say or do in this situation? Should he ignore the man? Or call security? No that might anger Anthony if he knew the strange hobo, better to ask some questions.

“Good evening.”

“It’s morning.” The man rasps. Whoops. That sometimes happened but Jarvis never made too much noise about it as long as he remembered to eat.

(There is a read more cut, beware.)

“Well, good morning then.” The weirdo nods. “So have we met before? Because your name escapes me.”

“No. Winter Wolf.”

“You know words are a free resource. You can even say an entire sentence without the government getting wise.”

“Yup.” Okay. This is awkward.

“Do you work for me?”

“Nope.”

“Do you work for Anthony?”

“Nope.”

“Why are you camping outside his room then?”

The hobo lifts his head a little bit higher giving Howard a better look at his face. His eyes are sharp, but there is something about that face that’s familiar. Too familiar. “He needs to be guarded.” True. Anthony got kidnapped (I’m an adult Howard, it’s abducted.) all the time for numerous reason but continuously refused to let Howard hire a bodyguard.

“Why would you do that if you don’t work for either of us?”

“He’s special.” Huh.

“You want money?” He shakes his head no. “Fame?” Another shake. “SI information?” Shake-shake. “SHIELD information?” Shake. Howard kneels in front of the Alpha with his palm up. “Now shake.” The man shakes his hand like a dog. “Other paw.” Hobo shakes his other hand. Yeah, nothing unusual about this one. “I’ll trust you for now.” Winter Wolf nods.

Pegs better be up, Howard needs her to look into this guy for him.

@@@

“Pegs, tell me you found something on the guy?”

“No. Nothing. Are you sure you got the description right?”

“Yes, Carter. Dark hair, gray eyes, about six feet, in his late twenties and carries more hidden weapons than one of your SHIELD goons. He is a player, no way there isn’t something about the Alpha.”

“Howard, what about the name?”

“I told you it’s an alias.”

“Yeah, why don’t we pretend that for a moment I am a better spy than you and you give me the damn name?” Why are Alphas such a touchy lot? It’s not like Howard implied she was incompetent or something.

“Fine. Winter Wolf. Sounds like a D&D character name.”

“Winter?” Why did she say it like that? That does not sound like a positive way to say someone's name. Leave it to Anthony to bring home a serial killer. “Like the Winter Soldier?”

The clink of the fridge opening pulls Howard away from the phone, why the fuck did the only secure phone have to be in the kitchen is beyond him, to stare at the man in question. Huh. Maybe Maria had a point about the devil and popping up like a creeper. “Hold on Pegs, I’ll ask him.”

“No. Howard, wait.”

“So Winter?” A head pops from the fridge.

“You wouldn’t happen to be called Winter Soldier.”

“My designation.” Winter returns to the fridge and begins pulling out certain items and setting them on the counter.

“Pegs.”

“Howard?”

“He said that Winter Soldier is indeed his spy name.” He pulls the phone from his ear. Peggy sure knew some creative curses. Howard hopes she taught a few to Anthony.

“The Winter Soldier is a fucking ghost with several impossible kills under his belt. We have one picture of him, but his face is completely covered with a muzzle mask and goggles. He is such a bloody unknown we don’t even know who he works for.”

Howard glances back at the ghost. Winter had gotten everything he needed from the fridge and was now rummaging around in the cupboards for pots or pans. “Jarvis will be pissed if he finds you messing with his cooking stuff.”

“Permission.”

“Ah. Proceed.”

“Howard?!” Ah, right. He forgot.

“Hey, who was your previous handler?”

“Alexander Pierce.” He doesn’t even pull his eyes from whatever he is trying to accomplish.

“He says Pierce was his last handler.”

“Pierce? My Pierce?”

“Did you mean Pierce of SHIELD?” He gets a nod. “Yup, he confirmed. SHIELD’s Pierce.” Carter finds that very upsetting and once more Howard can’t have the phone near his ear. “What are you even doing?”

“Engineer food and snacks.” Huh.

“For Anthony?”

“Yes, the zone.” Good, the boy never seems to eat enough. Howard can get caught up in work, sure, but he has no idea how Anthony can concentrate for days while forgetting about the basics. Like food. Howard’s stomach is always interrupting work marathons.

“Howard!” Whoops, he forgot again.

“Yes, Pegs.”

“Don’t Pegs me. What are you going to do about the Winter Soldier?”

“Leave him be. He hasn’t done anything.”

“Howard!”

“Come now, Carter. You have a mole to worry about.” He hangs up the phone.

@@@

Something tugs at his concentration. He ignores it. Something smashes outside his office. He ignores it. An even louder crash reverberates through the walls. Can’t ignore that. Howard pushes himself from the desk and head to open the door. He opens it and finds a gun shoved into his face. But it disappears and is replaced by Winter huffing and appearing a little wild around the eyes. His face sure looks familiar.

“Hey, Winter?” The soldier glances towards the genius then punches some masked person. “Have you ever tried to kill me?”

He kicks another black mask in the chest sending him flying into a wall. A picture frame falls. Jarvis is not going to be happy about this. “No.” Okay, so he didn’t know the man from some failed assassination attempt. But he did know him. The more he watched the man punch one guy and stab another, the more familiar he felt to Howard. Maria would remember, she had a mind for faces which Howard didn’t. People were mostly annoying.

“Have we had sex?” The Alpha stumbles and Howard laughs. He gets a glare from the assassin for his troubles.

“No. Wouldn’t sleep with’cha if ya were the last Omega ever. I’ve got standards.” The disgusted face is hilarious, better yet, it’s the first expression Howard’s gotten from the man. However, the accent seriously niggled at Howard’s brain, but it’s not something he’s heard in a long time.

“Rude. True but rude.” The Alpha shrugs and another goon takes that moment to tackle the Alpha. Winter doesn’t budge an inch and just throws the guy right off himself. “You’re not killing anyone?”

“Tony said no death.” Interesting.

“No sex for me in the future. But what about Anthony?” Winter’s eyes shift to Howard then quickly shift away.

“Not sex.”

“Oh?”

“Mate.” He blushes. Howard didn’t think a ghost could blush. Shit. This is a lot more serious than a curious Alpha sniffing around his child.

“Uh, huh. And what does Anthony say to that?”

“Courting.” The last masked fiend goes down, and Howard steps back inside his office.

@@@

“Aren’t you supposed to be stalking my child, not me?”

“Tony is worried. Aunt said the recent death threats are serious.”

Howard rolls his eyes, he is a powerful Omega with looks and brains. He gets a lot of death threats and most are sent by cowardly Alphas. Hardly something to worry about, not when there is business to be done and money to be made. “Carter always says that. It’s nothing new.”

“He has already lost his mother.” Ugh, Winter certainly doesn’t pull the punches.

“Fine. But I am going to complain bitterly and vehemently.”

“You’re on stage with a camera crew. People are going to think you’re talking to yourself.”

“Eh, I’ve been thought worse things than crazy. I roll with crazy. Or I used to when I was younger.” Howard hears a snort behind his right shoulder, but when he peers back, there is nothing but air.

“You sure played the crazy man with the military brass.”The shadows chuckle. Howard keeps his press smile, but really he'd like to jump backstage and shake the assassin. The only one still alive that would remember that shit is Carter.

“Yeah, I’m all respectable now.”

“Another mission, another mask.”

“Yeah.” And Winter said it completely monotone too. So creepy, as Anthony would say.

Nothing more is said from the shadows, and Howard finds himself bored by the current proceedings. Charity was never his thing, it was Maria's. She was the one who cultivated a giant charity network, remembered everyone’s name and families too. But Howard couldn’t let it die. It be like if she died all over again.

The next moment shatters the boredom. Howard hadn’t seen the bullet, or heard the gun blast, or sensed any threat nearby. It was sneaky, and the nearby people weren’t even panicking just gaping at the strange genius whose chair magically scooted backstage. However, there had been an attack there was a bullet hole at Howard’s feet.

“It’s a sniper stay low.”

“You got it.” He expects the soldier to rush after the guy before he gets another shot or escort Howard away like the SHIELD guys do. But nope. Instead, the Alpha pulls out a large sniper rifle, a model that Howard has never seen before, laying low to the ground while the gun is pointed towards the sky. “I’ve never seen a gun like that. Did Anthony make it for you?” Winter doesn’t reply, and if there weren't the whole life in danger thing, he’d think the soldier was ignoring him. “No matter how fancy the gun, some shots are impossible, and there is only one man who can pull that shot off. And surprise, he’s dead.” Again nothing. Ass.

Winter takes a breath teasing the trigger and exhales while taking the shot. It’s super quiet, and no one else seemed to notice a gun just went off. “The target is dead.” He swings up to his feet, pulling the gun with him, and stepping silently away from the stage. When the SHIELD agents finally arrive to investigate, they find a John Doe with a sniper rifle on one of the opposing buildings, dead with a bullet in the brain.

No one can make that shot. No one alive, anyway.

@@@

“Hey, Carter. Do you ever wonder what happened to Barnes?”

“He’s dead. Steve said he fell from the train. You know this Stark.”

“Yeah, but maybe he could secretly fly. That Magnus fellow is always flying and shouting about the superiority of exploding ice people. It'd make sense if Steve wore wings because Bucky could fly.” His head is softly thumping against the kitchen door, and it hurts. It’s hard wood, of course, it hurts, and Howard want’s it to hurt. But he also wants the door to decide not to hurt him or something. Maybe, he’ll pad it like a crazy house door. He needs something soft with Maria gone.

“You're thinking of Magneto, not Magnus.”

“Sure, sure. What about the flying? Or maybe he was frozen like Steve?”

“Howard. Their dead, they’re all dead.”

“Steve isn’t dead. He’s lost but not dead!”

“Howard!”

“Sorry. Sorry.”

“Are you drunk? Do I need to come over again?” Howard laughs because otherwise, he’ll cry. He never cries, lost the right a long time ago. But, fuck, does he want a drink.

“I would love nothing more than some whiskey to numb everything. But I haven’t had a drink since Maria’s funeral. No more water of life for me.”

“I know losing Maria has been hard-” He laughs again, harder and louder, a little afraid he will wake up Jarvis. If anyone deserves a good night sleep, it's Jarvis.

“No, Tony came home.”

“For the funeral, I know I saw him.”

“Yes, after Jarvis cleaned him up.”

“What are you saying?”

“His boyfriend, the one I introduced him to for monetary reasons, was abusing him.”

“I bloody well said that something was right about that Tiberius fellow. I told you Stark.”

“I know. But I didn’t care. Not till Maria was dead and Tony came home a sobbing mess.”

“What happened with you, Howard?”

“I got old and bitter and jealous of a four-year-old.”

Her sigh sounds strange on the phone “Howard, why did you really call me?”

“I failed you and Steve. Ana and Jarvis. Maria. I’m scared I utterly failed Tony, and it’s too late to change anything. And I’m projecting that fear onto Barnes because I failed him too.”

“Tony is young, there is still time.” He thumps his head against the door again. “How did you fail Barnes? You weren’t there.”

“Come on Pegs. All the money I spent looking for Steve, I couldn’t drop a dime or two to fund a search for Barnes body. Especially since we both know what he meant to Steve.”

“He fell into the Alps. There is no rational reason to justify a search for a body that will probably never be found.”

“Yeah, so what. Rogers flew that damn plane into the North Pole.”

“And you are the only one dumb enough to be searching for the man.”

“He is alive.”

“Yes, you’ve said.” Another sigh. She always seems so tired lately. Maybe they’re both just getting old.

“What if Barnes survived too?”

“Steve had the serum.” Another tired sigh and now he starting to feel bad calling her so late. But she’s really his only friend. “Howard it’s late. SLEEP.” She hung up on him. Carter has been in this country too long, she’s starting to act like an American.

“Feeling guilty?” A voice. Suddenly. From the shadows. From the goddamn shadows. Who would even? Dark is for sleeping.

“Winter. No. No on your entire existence.” The Alpha is close, leaning on a nearby wall all relaxed, and without shoes. He always wears boots when Howard see him.

“My entire existence, huh?”

“Yes.” The soldier huffs a small laugh, it's small, but it counts as an emotion. A real emotion. “You’re acting like a real person.” And his hair is pushed up with a pink hairband. “Why aren’t you hiding your face? Isn’t that like a requirement for you assassin types?”

“Not at home.”

“Oh, you think of the Manor as home. That’s good. Really good.”

“You should go to sleep Stark,” Winter smirks, and for the first time Howard can see it, see him. Not a feeling or a theory but the actual man.

“Sure, I’ll get right on that.”

“And Stark.”

“Yes?”

“There’s no reason to feel guilty. You had no reason to believe I was alive. But hurt Tony or the pups, and you won't live long enough to feel anything.”

“What? Pups?” He Circles around the kitchen but the man disappeared once more into the shadows. “Bucky?” Howard whispers.

“Bucky’s dead Stark.” Comes from the shadows. His heart is thudding loud in his chest, and the shadows no longer look empty. Sleep. He’d been told to sleep. He could do that. Sleep. Sleep was good.

@@@

“Stew’s good.”

“Uh, huh.”

“New project going well?”

“Uh, huh.”

“Met your new boyfriend.”

“Uh, huh.”

“Did you know he was Bucky Barnes?”

“Uh, hu- What?!”

“Yeah, took me awhile to see it. But it’s definitely Barnes.”

“What? He? That asshole!”

“You should go easy on my old friend.”

“You know what? Fuck that Alpha. I don’t care who is was or will be. He’s the idiot who's all stupid and sincere about starting a fucking life together. Like I could ever pull that shit off. Fuck him.”

“Not at the dinner table.”

“And you’re fine with some random Alpha just cause he used to be Rogers’ BFF?”

“No. I’m fine with him because only a strange Alpha could keep up with your level of craziness.”

“I am not crazy. Probably! Jury is still out. I’m barely twenty.”

“Of course, son. Jarvis approves of him too.” Tony blinks.

“Oh. Okay.”

They spend some time eating before Howard speaks again. “When do I get to meet my grandbabies?”

“Who told you?” Anthony shrieks.

“Barnes.”

“I said- Ugh.” Anthony slumps into his chair and thumps his head against the table. “Fine. We’ll schedule a play date, but you work around their schedule. Understood.”

“Okay.”

“Natasha likes Ballet, mixed martial arts, and knives. Clint likes archery, video games, and gardening.”

“Okay.”

“You will learn Russian and ASL too.”

“Got it.” Maybe Carter was right, and he hadn’t screwed everything up. Makes sense, she was one smart woman.  

First||Prev||Next

[journeyinthetardis]

Synopsis: The Doctor and Ace travel to an Earth Colony on Terra Alpha, having heard that bad things are happening there. It doesn't take them long to be surrounded by women dressed in garish pink outfits, known as the Happiness Patrol. Apparently, on this colony, unhappiness is forbidden under penalty of death. The colour blue is forbidden as well, as it is a melancholy colour, and the TARDIS ends up being painted pink.

To figure out what's going on, the Doctor decides to get himself and Ace arrested on purpose. When they are, they are not even taken to a prison, but rather a 'waiting room'. After all, prisons are dreary and cause unhappiness. They are guarded by a woman named Susan Q, who seems unsatisfied with the way things are. When Ace is taken away to see if she is Happiness Patrol material, Susan Q secretly joins their side.

They both escape and split up, with the Doctor running across a man named Earl Sigma. He was a visitor to the planet who ended up stranded, and now plays the Blues on his harmonica as a way to stir up rebellion against the Happiness Patrol. They sneak down to a secret place called the Kandy Kitchen. There, they find that rebels are drowned in fondant, and special sweets are created to keep the population happy. This kitchen is run by the Kandy Man, a robot created almost entirely out of candy and sugary sweets.

The Doctor and Earl are captured by the Kandy Man and nearly killed, but they manage to escape by sticking the Kandy Man's feet to the ground. They escape into the pipes below the colony, used to transport the deadly fondant. There, they find the original inhabitants of the planet, who were forced underground by the arrival of the humans from Earth. They too want to overthrow the Happiness Patrol and its leader, Helen A.

The Doctor then returns to the surface and comes across a group of citizens forming a peaceful protest, and shows his support. He disarms the snipers that had been set up to deal with the demonstration, and then goes to meet Helen A herself. She seems quite adamant in her ways and will not be swayed. She has a pet creature named Fifi, whom she secretly releases into the pipes to kill the inhabitants hiding down there.

With the seeds of rebellion planted, the Doctor goes to find Ace. She, along with Susan Q, are apparently scheduled for a show in the forum. If they do not entertain the crowd, they will be killed. To interrupt this, the Doctor and Earl coerce the rebellious peoples into the forum, but he has them all laugh and sing. Since the Happiness Patrol would never punish happiness, the rebels are allowed to live and do what they want. Still laughing, they begin to attack the factories.

The four then flee through the pipes to chase after Helen A, using a cave-in to kill Fifi along the way after it threatens them. The Kandy Man is destroyed as well. As it seems like the rebellion will be successful, Helen A is planning to escape and take her ideals elsewhere. However, her escape shuttle has been stolen. The perpetrator turns out to be her husband, who has grown tired of her and is fleeing along with the leader of the rebellion.

Left behind, Helen A continues to be defiant, until she sees the dead body of Fifi. This is enough to finally make her be unhappy, as she cries over the loss of her pet. The rebellion is now complete, and the Happiness Patrol is disbanded. Susan Q and her associates promise to work, along with Earl, to make the colony a much better place. The Doctor and Ace then depart, though they first repaint the TARDIS blue.

Thoughts: What the hell did we just watch?

This was...I don't even know what to say. This was pretty awful. It was ludicrous and nonsensical, hard to follow, hard to hear at times, and even just plain boring. This was the most ridiculous story that we have ever seen the Doctor tackle, and that's saying something.

Even so, there were times were nothing much was happening, and other times where it seemed like scenes had gone missing. It was really hard to follow and just not enjoyable to watch. With an idea like happiness being forbidden, there could have been a whole lot more of an engaging story. There seemed to be plenty of unhappy people, despite this apparent rule, and only serious unhappiness seemed to be dealt with. Just a big missed opportunity.

And let us not forget the Kandy Man, without a doubt the most ridiculous thing ever seen in the history of the show ever. A robot made out of candy? That sounds like something you would see on Teletubbies or something. For such an unbelievably crazy thing that he was, he had very little impact on the story. He did stuff, threatened to do stuff, and then didn't get to do stuff. It made him simultaneously overly ridiculous and very boring.

What a mess.