#also i know i said in battle for the superhuman speed one but i’ll count having it in general if your f/o doesn’t battle!

[princehatterene]

[proship dni]

[myherowritings]

Into Your Arms

Overview: You’re prone to tripping and Todoroki is prone to being there to catch you. Or, in which you’re a bit of a klutz and, for a reason he can’t explain, Todoroki wants to make sure you never get hurt.

Pairing: Todoroki Shouto x Female!Reader

Word Count: 2,670

Warning(s): None! Just fluff overload.

Author’s Note: This is for all my fellow clumsy folks. (Join the club!) :P Hope you enjoy!

Over the course of the school year, Todoroki had progressively grown accustomed to your clumsiness.

The first time he noticed you was on the first day of class during Aizawa’s Quirk Apprehension Test. Like most of your other classmates, you flew through the series of physical tests with graceful ease, demonstrating impressive control over your quirk. During your battle against Jiro and Kaminari, Todoroki begrudgingly had to admit your tactful skills were something to take note of as well.

Which is why it was only natural for him to wonder how someone so talented on the field could trip over a flat surface the moment they entered a room.

He considered it a skill in and of itself.

Within the first few weeks of class, Todoroki developed a sort of sixth sense whenever he was around you.

He noticed the way you put all your focus on the person you were talking to even while walking in crowded area, never realizing you were less than an inch away from crashing the side of your hip onto the corner of a desk. (Todoroki found himself moving the desk out of your path seconds before you could hit it, despite the fact that he had to make his way from the opposite side the room in superhuman speeds. You never seemed to notice. The rest of the class did.)

He also observed the way your eyes widened a fraction and your arms flailed out as you felt yourself about to trip. (In those moments, it took all of his willpower not to use his quirk to freeze you in place before you could fall. The one time he did, Tokoyami thought Todoroki almost hurt you and proceeded to threaten Shouto in your honor.)

One day, you and Todoroki arrived at U.A. around the same time--both uncharacteristically later than the rest of your classmates--and proceeded to walk to homeroom together.

“Morning, Todoroki-kun!”

“Good morning.”

“You’re running late today, too, huh?” you asked, matching his step as the two of you paced down the hallway. “Busy morning?”

Todoroki thought of the argument with his father that went on for longer than usual. “You could say that.”

You nodded. “At least we’ll still be earlier than Aizawa-sensei.”

The conversation carried on as you moved to the topic of breakfast foods--you talked so fervently about the arbitrary topic even Todoroki found it hard not to share your interest.

By the time the two of you walked into class, you were still in a heated debate about natto (he thought it was something every breakfast should consist of and you decided he must’ve been deprived of some good tamagoyaki) when Todoroki felt you beginning to walk wayward into Aoyama’s desk.

He didn’t want you to bump into it, but kicking the desk backwards with Aoyama seated on it didn’t seem like an action he’d think you’d approve of.

So instead, he maneuvered you aside-- One hand resting on your hip, pulling you towards him and away from the desk, and the other gently on your shoulder, steering your path straight. Todoroki made sure to not let himself linger, but it was too late. The rest of the class noticed and all conversation stopped to stare at you two.

“Careful,” he said, his face skillfully passive.

You blinked in stunned silence. “T-Thanks! I guess I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking.”

“It’s okay.”

He wanted to say something else, but he didn’t have the words.

Instead, you both headed to your respective seats as Todoroki tried to ignore Kirishima’s so-called whispering as he walked down the row.

“Pst, Todoroki! You and Y/L/N, huh?”

And while he was able to ignore Kirishima’s antics, Todoroki wasn’t able to ignore the small, yet embarrassed, smile that made its way to your face.

He couldn’t help but smile back.

- - - - -

After the events of these past few months with villains at every turn of the page, you were happy that an exam has been the only thing keeping you and your classmates up at night lately.

It was a late Sunday night and you were at Midoriya’s dormitory with a group of friends, studying for your mathematics exam the next day. Tsuyu and Iida brought a handful of snacks to share with the group, but even they weren’t enough to keep your brain from going off topic every few minutes.

“So, we use the Law of Sines when we know two angles and one side of a triangle, or when it’s SSA?” you said as you tapped your pencil against your notebook, staring down at your notes.

“Precisely,” replied Iida with a nod.

He’d been patiently helping you with the same concept for the past twenty minutes, but you just now began to understand it.

“And SSS and SAS is for Cosine Rule?”

“Correct again!” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and beamed. “Great, now that everyone understands those rules, shall we move forward to trigonometric identities?”

This earned a groan from you and Uraraka.

“Wait,” you cried as you rose from the floor. “My brain isn't awake enough for this-- I’m going to make myself a cup of coffee first. Does anyone else want one?”

“I’m good, thank you!” said Midoriya.

“Coffee? It’s almost midnight,” Iida exclaimed, a bewildered look on his face.

“But we’re only halfway done with the material! I need to stay awake.”

You returned his stern look with one of your own. He sighed. “Fine. I suppose we could use a study break while you get your dose of caffeine.”

Smiling, you sent him a thumbs up before heading to the door. As you reached the handle, you paused.

“Todoroki-chan, do you want coffee? Or maybe tea?” you asked, looking down as he sat cross-legged on the mat.

He glanced up, with a tilt of his head. “Thank you, but I’m okay. Would you like me to accompany you, though?”

You laughed but shook your head. “It’s only one floor down; I should be fine.”

“The last time you said that, you had to go to Recovery Girl for a rolled ankle.”

“I’ll be careful this time!” you promised, letting the door shut behind you before he could get out another word.

It was sweet of Todoroki to be worried for you, but you were perfectly capable of making coffee by yourself--no matter how accident prone you may be.

After waiting for the coffee to brew (all the while thinking of how convenient making udon and miso would be if you had Bakugou or Todoroki’s quirk), you grabbed your mug from the communal kitchen space and poured. When you dumped the contents out of the coffeemaker, you placed your mug at the edge of the counter and grabbed the cream and sugar.

You needed at least one and a half spoonfuls of sugar in order for your coffee to be palatable.

But while you were humming to yourself, things took a quick turn for the worst.

As you were reaching for the creamer behind your coffee, you felt your elbow brush against the handle of your mug. You held your breath. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. With eyes wide, you attempted to catch it before it hit the ground.

The good news, you caught it before the mug shattered.

The bad news, all its steaming hot contents poured onto the hand you caught it with.

“Shit!” you yelped, dropping the mug in shock as you cradled your right hand against your chest.

Swearing under your breath, you ran over to the sink and held your pink-tinged hand under cold water to soothe the burn. You wanted to stay under the faucet forever, but you knew your friends were waiting for you to continue studying.

Sighing, you cleaned up your mess and quickly headed up to Midoriya’s room, coffee-less and with a discomforting burning sensation in your right hand.

When you entered the room, Tsuyu was the first to remark, followed by Todoroki.

“Did you forget your coffee?”

“What happened to your hand?”

You blinked. How did he notice so quickly?

“I didn’t forget my coffee, no,” you told Tsuyu with a nervous chuckle. “I finished making it, actually. But then it fell off the counter and I burned myself trying to catch it.”

Tsuyu’s eyes widened but you quickly amended your statement, shaking your head as sat back down next to Todoroki.

“I’m fine, though!” you said, holding out your pinky in her direction. “It’s just a little burn; it’ll probably be gone by tomorrow.”

Satisfied with, but still skeptical of, your answer, Tsuyu nodded and proceeded to ask Uraraka how to do a certain question.

“Can I see it?”

You jumped. His voice was so quiet you barely heard him.

Turning to Todoroki, you offered him your hand with your reddened palm face down. “It hardly hurts, I swear. You don’t need to--”

He enveloped your right hand between the two of his and brought it to his close to his chest.

You flushed. The conversation in the room stopped. Todoroki kept his gaze on you.

“Wh-What are you--!?” You broke off with a startled breath when you felt a soothing chill followed by a comforting heat. “Oh.”

The careful balance of hot and cold on your slightly burned hand felt so relaxing your eyes fluttered shut, hardly registering the looks of bewilderment from Midoriya, Iida, Tsuyu, Aoyama, and Uraraka. Minutes passed and Todoroki still held you hand, only releasing after a long, cool exhale.

You swallowed.

“Does your hand feel better?” he asked.

Nodding fervently, you tried not to think about how you wished he hadn’t let go. “Much.”

“I’m glad.” Without warning, Todoroki stood up from beside you and you felt the absence of his warmth. “Now, wait here.”

As he left Midoriya’s room, you glanced at the others with the same confused look on your faces.

“What was that about?” Izuku wondered with a scratch of his head.

“I don’t know, but it sure was adorable!” said Uraraka, squishing her face between her palms.

Iida stared at the door then back down at his textbook. “But where did Todoroki-kun go? Hopefully he doesn’t take too long; we still have a whole chapter to cover.”

Aoyama sighed, resting his arms behind his neck as he leaned against Midoriya’s bed frame. “Don’t be oblivious, mes amis. He’s getting Mademoiselle Y/L/N her beverage, of course.”

Before you could deny that outrageous claim, Todoroki walked into the room with a mug in hand.

You gaped. Aoyama sent you a smug wink.

Todoroki sat back down beside you before offering the drink. With your non-burned hand, you graciously held the mug. It was lukewarm to the touch and aromatic to the smell.

“For me?”

He nodded. “Two pumps of cream and one and a half teaspoons of sugar, right?”

You blinked. He knew how you took your coffee? “Right.”

“I wasn’t sure if you drank dark or light roast,” said Todoroki, looking down at the wooden floor. “My apologies. But I made sure to cool it down to about 120 degrees so it can’t scald you.”

You heard the pounding of your heart from your ears as your stomach filled with butterflies. What was this feeling? You shook your head.

“Thank you, Todoroki-chan,” you said, touched. “It’s perfect.”

“But you haven’t even tried it--”

Uraraka flicked Iida on the back of the head before he could continue.

“Hey! I mean-- You’re right. It is perfect.”

Laughing at your friends antics, you turned to Todoroki with a smile. He had a content look on his face as he witnessed their interaction before glancing at you. You took a sip of the drink and peered at him from the top of the rim. The contrast of the sweet and the bitter, earthy taste filled your tastebuds, causing you to sigh.

“Tastes better than the ones I make for myself!” you pouted, wondering how he was able to make a perfect cup when he never drank coffee himself. “You’re just the perfect guy, aren’t you?”

A flush made its way to Todoroki’s ears, but you paid it no mind, instead grabbing your pencil with your right hand.

“Ouch,” you hissed, retracting your pencil and glaring down at the angry pale marks on your still reddened palm. Maybe you should get an ice pack and some painkillers.

“Y/N? Are you hurt?” said Todoroki, a frown clouding his face.

You shook your head. “Just my hand from earlier.”

“Is it still hurting?” He gently took your right hand in his left, worried lines between his eyebrows. “Here-- Let me help.”

Before you could say anything, he laced his icy fingers between yours and sent a mild chill to his palm, instantly soothing the pestering burn from the earlier scald. This time, even after a few moments had passed, Todoroki didn’t let go.

Instead, he kept your hand in his for the remainder of the night, the occasional brush of his thumb sending shivers up your spine--and not from the cold.

Needless to say, neither of you could focus much on studying.

- - - - -

Tonight was the night of the school dance and, much to no one’s surprise, you were running late.

When you arrived, the dance was in full swing, with all the classes mingling together to celebrate the end of a school year. But in a sea of obscurity, a certain duochromatic student caught your eye from across the room.

As if Todoroki could sense your presence, his gaze found yours in an instant, raising a hand in greeting with a subtle smile.

Wow.

That was all you could think as you walked over to him, eyes never leaving his face.

He looked stunning.

So stunning, in fact, that you hardly noticed anything else. Including a wayward balloon that made its way to the side of the dance floor you were walking along.

You also didn’t notice that your heel caught on said balloon until it was too late.

With a small yelp, you felt yourself slip backward as the rubber rolled off your shoe, arms flying out in an attempt to grasp at the table next to you only to miss by a fraction of an inch.

Shit.

Closing your eyes shut, you braced yourself into a position that would soften the impact of the fall that never came. Instead, all you heard was a soft woosh of rustling clothes and an intake of breath as two muscular arms wrapped around you.

A beat passed.

You opened your eyes.

“Careful.” His voice was deep next to your ear.

“Shoucchan,” you said, a little out of breath. “Hi.”

You heard the amusement in his voice. “Hi.”

Todoroki helped you upright onto your feet, but kept his hands lingering on either sides of your waist. Spinning around to face him, you touched his cheek with a smile.

“How do you always do that?”

He raised a brow.

“How do you manage to cross the room and stop me from falling in such a short amount of time?” you wondered with a hint of awe. “Do you have another quirk no one knows about?”

Todoroki exhaled a laugh as he tugged on a strand of your hair. “Baka. No. I just learned to be on high alert when I’m with you. Especially when you’re in heels.”

You stuck your tongue out at him, but couldn’t deny anything.

“Maybe that’ll be part of your tagline in a few years,” you teased. “Pro Hero Shouto: Saving the world from villains, and saving his girlfriend from her own clumsiness.”

Todoroki froze slightly before relaxing, the corners of his lips tilting upward. “Girlfriend.” You quirked a brow at him but he shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing that.”

“Good. Because I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of being that.”

Pressing a chaste kiss on your forehead, Todoroki hummed. “Good. Then you have nothing to worry about.

[agent-styles]

repeating days | prologue (pt 2)

summary: after stealing quite an important device from s.h.i.e.l.d., cap and his team track you down. however, this isn’t the first time you and cap have gone head to head on a rooftop.

prompt: “Baby, I’m a pro at letting go.”

warning(s): a v mild thriller with some fluff

word count: 1,859

a/n: this is both an entry for @cevansgirl​’s writing challenge and the second part of the prologue for my og fic “repeating days.” buuut, you can totally read this as a one shot. if you are interested in the multi-part fic, get ready! there’s lots more to come of this story over the next month <3

You heard your cell phone vibrating between the seat and the console, as it fell between the cracks again. You groaned as you dug your hand into the tight spot between the two objects, wiggling your fingers around until you felt the cold metal. “YES,” you cheered to yourself as you pinched your phone between your index and middle finger before pulling it up and into your lap.

With your eyes still on the road, you slide your thumb across the screen and placed the phone to your ear, “What? This couldn’t have waited until I got home?”

“No, y/n, it couldn’t have. They’re on your tail. You need to ditch the car,” you felt your heart rate spike as your best friend told you the worst possible news. “Y/n, NOW!”

You cut a corner into an alley that you’ve probably had a scuffle or two in and slammed on the breaks. You grabbed your bag out of the passenger seat and ran.

You heard the thundering footsteps of the team gaining speed on you, so you tapped the button on the side of the watch. Your suit burst out of the watch and you ran right into it. The suit clinged to your body like a lost lover.

You smirked to yourself and double tapped the piece in your right ear. “Hope, talk to me. Where should I go?”

You could hear her clanging on keys, trying to find you an out. “Up,” she blurted out.

You huffed as you jumped and grabbed a railing to the nearest staircase, “I can do that.”

“Y/n, you need to find a way to either hide the device or we’re screwed.”

You rolled your eyes at her comment. Hope always believed you were way out of time when you still had plenty of time to twiddle your thumbs. You did tighten your hand around the bag’s strap on your right shoulder though.

This device is one that S.H.I.E.L.D. took for granted. It had the ability to wipe the existence of any superhero activity from the minds’ of civilians without their consent. Surely this device started with good intentions in mind, but it got into the wrong hands once. You weren’t going to let that happen again.

“Hope, calm down,” you said as you watched the team scramble at your feet. “When are you sending the car?”

Hope sighed, “It’s on the way. About 5 minutes out.”

“I can hold my own until then,” you told her, both to reassure your friend but also for yourself.

“I know you can,” Hope said but you could still see her worrisome eyes in the back of your head. She continued, “but sometimes you let him get under your skin.”

You threw your long brown hair over your shoulder, in an attempt to brush off Hope’s comment. “Not tonight, Hope. Not with this.”

That’s when your heard footsteps on your level, coming closer to you. “Talk soon,” you whispered to your best friend before muting the comms.

You slid the backpack across the rooftop, so it is secure in the corner furthest from your most familiar contender. Then, you made eye contact with him.

“Long time, no see, Cap.”

The cowl hid his face in shadows as he moved closer to you. Your skin-tight black suit helped you cling to the other shadows on the top of that roof.

“Black Owl, hand over the device and it won’t have to come to this,” he said, gesturing between the two of you. The same old routine felt a bit comforting for you. No matter what, he’d always find you on some rooftop in this giant city and you’d have the same talk about how he thought you were making a grave mistake. Sometimes the civil conversation would turn into you throwing and landing a punch or two, because Cap always seemed to underestimate you. And that's why you’d always get away. You have always had the unique ability of residing in Captain America’s blindspot.

You placed your hands on your hips, brought a finger to your chin, and said, “Hm, see I would, Cap, but I can hear that your team is a block away.” You looked him up and down, “And you don’t see to be calling them back for reinforcements.”

Cap nodded and dropped his shield to the ground, “I don’t want to do this again, okay? I know there is a part of you that thinks you’re doing this for a noble reason, but S.H.I.E.L.D. is too. They’re the good guys.”

You scoffed, “Do you really expect me to believe that? After everything that’s happened, you really expect me to believe that organization isn’t run by complete morons?”

Cap took another step towards you, as he could tell your guard was coming down.

“I won’t let them have that device, Cap. No one should have it. That’s why I’m going to carefully destroy it.”

“I can’t let you do that,” Cap muttered under his breath just a few feet away from you.

You looked up at him through your mask, “And what are you going to do to stop me, soldier?” In a second, Cap had your left arm pinned behind you, but in that same time, you swung his left leg out from under him. You landed on top of him with his right arm twisted behind his back.

You leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “You may be older and stronger, but you’ll never beat me.”

You leaned back and looked over New York City. “These people need someone who doesn’t abandon them, and I refuse to be that person. You’ve already filled that role so well, Cap.”

You hopped up off of him when you heard Hope’s car turn a corner two blocks away. In no time, Captain America is back on his feet, fists raised. “Come on then,” Cap ordered. His voice was sure, the most sure it had been that entire night.

His body did seem tired as he staggered toward you earlier, but you didn’t think anything of it. A superhero like him was always running towards a fight. You just so happened to be the last one on a very long list that day, but that didn’t mean you were going to give up the fight easily.

That fight was nearly identical to all of your others with each other. There were never any salacious hits or anything  like that. It felt almost like a choreographed dance. You anticipated his next move, just as he did yours. However, that time something did change.

You didn’t even notice until you had secured the backpack on your shoulder once again. It wasn’t until you stood on the ledge waiting for the car that was a turn away that you noticed you had knocked the cowl off of his face.

It was no secret that Steve Rogers was Captain America. In all honesty, it was one of the most widely known facts. However, you always liked to distance the persona of Captain America from that of Steve Rogers, and now you couldn’t do that any longer.

You peeped over the edge of the building and watched as the sun roof of the black SUV opened, awaiting your arrival. Cap grabbed his cowl and started darting towards you from across the top of the building. “You can’t do this,” he roared.

You shrugged your shoulders and dropped the back over the ledge, “Baby, I’m a pro at letting go.” You heard the bag plop into the car and turned to follow it, “I’ll see you around, Rogers.”

You lept off the building, leaving the super soldier with a wink.

Once you landed in the SUV and made your way into the front seat, Hope had already driven five blocks away. The two of you had gotten quite good at these fast getaways.

She glanced over at you, but both of her hands stayed braced on the steering wheel. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, looking at the window. “We got the device; everything is good.”

She didn’t press you any further because she could tell that your mind was elsewhere. It was in the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters during your visit a few months ago. Your day job of a journalist gave you special entry into a meeting with Natasha Romanoff.

Through your years of reporting about the ups and downs of superheroes and their interaction with the world, you had struck quite a bond with Natasha. She was always honest with you and never gave you talking points. She knew the citizens of New York City deserve to know the whole truth from someone involved, and you were happy to help her tell that narrative.

This meeting was just another follow-up piece about the Avengers battle in New York. It gave the people hope to read about how heroes like Natasha were determined to not let anything like the Atari happen again.

You knocked twice on her door and heard her raspy voice on the other side, “Come on in, y/n.”

You pushed the door open to see the back of a very strong individual. He had to have been. His shoulders were as wide as the door frame, and his arms were as big as your head. He turned to acknowledge you as you got closer to Nat’s desk. That’s when it all clicked.

His blue eyes found yours, and a smile formed on his lips. You tighten your grip on your notebook, because the pressure reminded you that this superhuman man stood in front of you.

“You’re… you are Ca-” you stuttered.

The man stuck his hand out, and you placed your hand in his. Your tiny hand got lost in his and you didn’t even mind. “I’m Steve,” he said with a wider smile. “Call me Steve.”

Natasha introduces you, “This is y/n y/l/n.” A group of butterflies flitted around your stomach for the briefest of seconds when Steve smiled upon hearing your name.

You nodded, unable to form a coherent sentence that wouldn’t embarrass you, as he kept your hand in his a little longer than was necessary. The two of you only broke eye contact when Natasha cleared her throat.

“Are we going to get this piece going, y/n?”

She sat back in her seat with a crooked grin. Her eyes glinted as they darted between you and Steve.

“Sure, yeah!” You sat your notebook down before turning to Steve. You didn’t want to make him think he had to leave. Hell, your editor would have killed for a quote from Captain America.

But before you could make the suggestion, Steve raised his hands and bowed out, “That’s my cue. I’ll check in with you later, Nat.”

Natasha nodded while she put her feet on her desk, kicking her even further back in her chair. Steve turned and made his way to the exit. You didn’t let your gaze follow up, so you faced your friend.

Natasha looked up at your through her eyelashes and nodded in the hero’s direction. You turned to meet Steve’s gaze one last time.

“I’ll see you around, y/l/n.”

[anangelicday-mrwolf]

Wolfsbane : Noblesse Fanfic (post-ending)

(previous chapter)

Chapter 37 – Yuigi’s Mystery

“Sir, we have a situation!”

Sangin and Yeonsu bolted into the room, their motion so forceful that they might as well have demolished the door.

“We just had an explosion in sector 32.”

“Sector 32? That must be...”

“That’s where we have a facility that belongs to the ex-chairman.”

Of all the places.

Taesik, the director of KSA, minced a biteful of his lips, grasping his desk tightly by its either sides.

“Do we know the cause?”

“We dispatched the agents who happened to be nearby. They testified that the topmost structure of the building – which is in the ex-chairman’s possession – was utterly destroyed. Luckily we have zero casualty so far, due to the time and location of the explosion. Not to mention it was built in an area not dense in transient or residential populations.”

“...That is good to hear.”

“I am terribly sorry to say this, but it is too soon to call off the alarm. We have yet to find the one to blame.”

“...Did you notify them?”

“Yes, sir. Mr. Takio said he’s on his way right now.”

“Very well. You two look into the exact number of casualty and magnitude of damage. We must get ready for the aftermaths, including the media broadcast.”

Sangin and Yeonsu nodded in understanding.

They remained silent, but they knew what used to stand at the scene of trouble. They also knew who was lodging there.

Which was why they mentally mumbled in synchronization: Did she finally do it?

*****

Yuigi was running.

She had been stranger to a chase for such a long time.

However, unlike her previous experiences, she was the one on the run.

“Where do you think you’re going? I just put up a fight and gave you an invitation – don’t you turn down the party!”

The man croaked behind her, sounding much more like a toad with his voice raised.

Currently, Yuigi was luring him.

She could not say for sure if she could muster even one-sixteenth of her original power, but she remembered how she could make a colossal building crumble to the very bottom with a mere punch, as if breaking a toothpick.

She knew herself too well; she could not dare engage in a brawl where the safehouse once maintained itself.

‘There’s no reason for me to reserve myself a lecture from those three, given that I can make it back alive.’

She ultimately reached the area where 6th, 7th, and 8th Elders were lost, still under KSA’s management – a thoroughly vacant space, impeccable for a clash-slash-clamor.

‘No, it won’t be a clash. Clash applies to a case in which the involved parties engage in a mutual combat. What I’ll soon get to encounter here would be a one-sided beating.’

Yuigi directed her eyes, slightly hazy with bitterness, towards her choker, somehow feeling heavier than usual.

“Like I said, you have no idea how elated I am, Yuigi! For at last I have found a chance!”

The modified human smirked, making it so very blatant that he was in ecstasy.

‘Duh, of course I have no idea. I was too busy trying to recover my well-bombarded eardrums.’

That was when Yuigi got curious of what he had said to her upon entrance.

She was aware of the fact that bad guys who talk a lot have so much to offer.

Though verbal manipulation is far from her usual style of battle, Yuigi warmed up her lips in preparation.

“Oh, so that’s what you jabbered about when you crashed through the door? Thanks for filling me in.”

That moment the man’s face was crumpled in displeasure.

“I happened to be busy in thoughts. Damn, speaking of which, I didn’t even get to enjoy my late-night snack. I’ve been waiting to savor it since last night; I wonder if I can get it later. Then again, since the entire building is gone, I should start cleaning the mess. And figure out who to send the bills to pay for the loss.”

Yuigi peeked at him, making herself appear as unconcerned as possible.

Just as she had wished, his face was plastered with doubt concerning his own hearing capability, soon to be marred with question regarding her words.

“That was the prelude of my glorious history of spotlight. You were supposed to be my witness for the moment...! And you didn’t hear anything I spoke?”

“Nope. To me, getting a treat as scheduled is more important than that stupid speech of yours.”

“Why, you...! Stick this to your head – the codename’s Kornel. The new hope and star of the surviving Union! And as I get my revenge for my dear friend Mark, I...”

Kornel flinched and held his tongue, in the course of his frenzied monologue of screech and spit.

And he smiled as if telling Yuigi that it was a nice try.

“You were planning to pry out info from me. Sorry, but I’m not falling for it. I’m not that hopeless.”

Well, you just spilled the codename of your closest comrade. That counts as a lethal mistake in my point of view.

Yuigi did not dispense her opinion, for Kornel did have a point: she could no longer collect intelligence from him.

And she had neither the plan nor time to give it another try. Kornel flexed his fingers and closed the distance between them.

“Since you were keeping yourself hidden in such a place, I assume your skills have turned unworthy of flaunting. It’s a shame that I can’t pummel you while you are in best condition and fully furnished, but I hope you’d understand. When will I ever get to beat a Cerberus? Oh, and allow me to thank you in advance – thank you for serving as my stepping stone to the higher ground!”

With a pregnant thud, Kornel flung himself forward.

Instinctively Yuigi’s senses were whetted to the extremity, and she fixed her eyes upon his fists and correspondingly maneuvered herself in the air.

Kornel launched the kickoff of their game with light punches, their pressure and power nevertheless not even close to the definition of kickoff, and darted towards the red-haired woman. As she ducked and turned in evasion, she could run a self-diagnosis.

‘Reflexes. Speed. Rate of reaction. They’re not so different from what they used to be. My powers may have been only partially retrieved since I was freed from Crombel’s lab, now chained by this choker. But this isn’t so bad; I can handle this, I think.’

And Yuigi got to pay for speaking too soon.

“So this is piece of cake for you, huh? You do live up to the name of the Cerberus.”

So here goes the real deal.

Yuigi had a feeling that was what Kornel’s grin was implying.

Swoosh!

Pow!

“Urgh!”

Kornel’s body faded as Yuigi kept her gaze on him, and right after an impact equivalent to that of a tank’s missile bored through her side.

Despite the painful delusion that half of her form was shattered into dust, Yuigi lifted her body to find out what just occurred to her.

Thus she came to behold Kornel lifting his enormous fist, about to powder her for good.

Bam!

Yuigi gave a kick to her legs at full force, to be gravely astonished by how Kornel had already caught up to her.

‘He looks like a toad, but how come he’s so fast?!’

As far as she was concerned, he was just a bit slower than Takio, based on her memories from the day he exhibited his nimbleness with a glass of water when she first opened her eyes in the safehouse.

Therefore, she had no choice but to altogether pledge herself to dodging.

She was not completely cornered, to her gratitude.

‘No energy manipulation or body transformation. Looks like he’s the type that deals with physical melee based on superhuman speed and strength.’

The moment her analysis met its end, out of habit she attempted to counterattack.

As she had commonly done so, Yuigi concentrated the energy within to eject it in the shape of a beam.

Just then, an unexpected pain yanked her neck, rendering her whole body numb.

It was thanks to the choker, molded by Tao and assigned by Takio.

Simultaneously, she could feel the energy that sparked across her palm withdrawing itself, like fire dumped with water.

Kornel did not hesitate to throw himself towards her, and after a series of despair and helplessness came a thought: Should I just give up?

Yuigi did not even wipe the blood off her throat, a mark left by the slash of wind that very nearly beheaded her. She was captured by the idea that even if she makes it out of here, she still has no life.

‘And I don’t want to stay as a nuisance to him.’

Takio may have thought she was blind to the fact, but she knew.

She knew that M-21, as much as he tried to make it invisible, was not happy at all with her presence.

Although Lunark’s visit set a guideline for her future behaviors, she knew that Takio was on a rather away-from-good terms with his teammates for her sake.

And just then she could see no reason why she should keep on with her current status, void of a purpose but surely a hindrance to her savior.

‘Let’s just give up.’

Her body stopped struggling, as if it were waiting for her statement.

She could feel all of her cells drained of vitality, as if her biological clock has been broken.

Meanwhile, Kornel did not halt his attack; he was right onto her face, which was a sign for Yuigi that this was it.

However, the air enveloping her heaved with a swoosh, and Kornel’s movement went past her.

No, she went past it.

‘What the...?’

She was ready to die. She did not mean to move whatsoever.

Nonetheless, her body scrambled as Kornel lunged towards her once again.

And her body began to move on its own.

‘What the heck...? What is going on?!’

She could not control any of her appendages.

It was as if her mind was cut off from her flesh, trapped in a shell in humanoid configuration.

On the other hand, her steps and actions had turned much more precise.

Apparently Kornel realized the change; his face was muddled with confusion.

But not long after, he snickered, seemingly onto something in his mind.

“A puppet within the Union, and a puppet outside, I see.”

What are you talking about?

Yuigi’s words were mute, her voice box incompliant.

“In the past, I could pick up a couple things about you by pure chance. Including what Yuri did to your body via Crombell’s order, when you were made his test subject. And what you had gone through when you found yourself at the Union for very first time.”

Yuigi did not like the way he was bickering.

For some reason, she felt like he knew something that could devastate her entire world once she learns.

What are you trying to say?

What is it that you know?

Tell me. Say it now.

No, don’t. Don’t say it.

Please let me stay ignorant.

A myriad of thoughts summoned within her soundless lightning, vortex, and squall.

“Did you know that you’ve been serving your archenemy?”

Kornel’s declaration turned Yuigi’s inner lightning into thunderstorm.

“How very pitiful. You haven’t realized who gave you your misfortune.”

Her vortex within transformed into a tornado.

“You’ve considered Union your everything, haven’t you? Well, guess what? It’s the Union that took everything from you.”

Her squall recast itself as a hurricane.

And the said hurricane struck her from head to toe, igniting every nerve of her physique.

What is that...

“...Supposed to mean?!!”

The phrase that was to be left as a thought erupted through her lips.

She could feel control back in her grip; Kornel stiffened upon her shift.

He soon repositioned himself to continue his assault, but he had to hold onto the idea.

“Miss Raciela!!”

Bang! Bang!

With a sheer cry, bullets unusually amplified in power directly landed on where Kornel was locating himself.

Kornel hurriedly took steps back, as Takio secured himself before him.

The Union agent winced upon recognizing him.

A purple-haired gunner. A gray-haired werewolf shifter. And an electric whipper with locks of white hair. In whatever circumstances, don’t you ever face off against them. Or so help me......

‘Damn it,’ muttered Kornel in his head, as he composed himself and gritted his teeth.

“Looks like fortune favors you. But don’t you think this is the end of it. Now that I know you are here, you have just provided us with an additional weapon. You’d better mark my words!”

Contrary to his you-can’t-do-anything-about-us stance, Kornel did not waste a second in running for his life.

Takio kept his gun poised and ready to fire until Kornel was made perfectly scarce, to finally turn to Yuigi, who remained immobile until then.

Her reply to his question of her safety was nothing like what he was anticipating.

“Tao.”

“...Sorry?”

“The guy who used to be in DA-5 with you. The one who is still on your team. I need to talk to him.”

(next chapter)

Yes, Kornel belonged to the assassin team under Crombell’s ownership, along with Mark. The fact that he was Mark’s closest friend is my creation for this fic, so I hope there would be no confusion on this matter!

Now this fic is slowly reaching its highlight chapters. I’ll do my best to bring a good finale for my series! :D

[garretschuelke]

Godan: Omega Wolf Blues, part 2

(As featured on Tuesday Serial. Read part one here)

A week later, on the streets of downtown Chicago, a thief snatched a woman's purse and ran down the street, crossing the intersection as the light turned green.

“Come on, now's your chance,” a figure on a nearby rooftop said.

The other figure shook her head.

“Go for it!”

The other figure shook her head again.

“I'll be right back, then.”

The thief looked behind him and slowed down. He breathed easily, and opened the purse.

Godan landed in front of him. “Okay, hand it over,” he said, holding out his hand.

The thief, cringing, dropped the purse and bolted across the street, making cars stop and blare their horns at him.

Callisto, wearing a domino mask, landed in front of the thief and held her hand up. “STOP!”

The thief screamed, fell to the ground, and scrambled away. Callisto remained still as she watched him run into a trash can.

��Oh, so that's how we're doing this, huh?” Godan yelled, twirling the purse around. “I confront the evildoers, and you come in for the jump scare?”

Callisto jumped over the traffic and landed in front of Godan. “Sorry, I'm still really nervous.”

Godan held out the purse. “Here's a simple job: go give the purse back to the woman.”

Callisto nodded and took hold of the purse, turning around just as the woman was coming towards them. She looked back over at Godan, who was smiling. She ran over, gave the woman her purse, and talked with her.

There ya go, girl , Godan thought as the woman hugged Callisto. Callisto bid the woman farewell, and jumped into the air. Godan followed her onto a nearby roof.

“I'm sorry that I keep messing up!” Callisto said as she took off her mask.

“Hey, don't worry about it. You've only been at this for a few days.”

“But I just don't get why I'm so scared.”

Godan put his hands up. “Been there—I still get plenty scared. It's nothing to be ashamed of.”

“It's not that I'm ashamed, I think—”

“If you think you're scared now, just wait until we come across a bad guy who actually has powers!”

Callisto froze. “What?!” Shit, shouldn't have said that, Godan thought. “We'll talk about it later!” He pointed his thumb behind him. “Come on, we still got to meet up with my friend.”

Callisto shook her head, visibly nervous.

“Who totally ISN'T anyone that's superhuman!”

Callisto stared at him. “You sure?”

“Absolutely!” Godan ran towards the ledge. “Let's roll!”

Callisto put her mask back on and followed. She caught up to Godan, and they continued making their was across the rooftops.

“Hey!” Callisto yelled. “There's something I forgot to ask!”

“Yes?” Godan replied.

“Weren't you nervous when you first started?”

“I already said I was scared when I first started.”

“You didn't really elaborate though.”

Godan hummed as he thought about it. “Yeah, kinda. I was more about robbing gangbangers than saving the day at first, but yeah, I got nervous at times.”

“YOU WHAT?!” Callisto, distracted by Godan's admission, hit her toes against a ledge, and fell off the building. Godan heard her scream, turned around, sped past Callisto, and caught her.

“You okay?” Godan asked.

“I thought you were supposed to be a hero?” Callisto asked.

“Uh...” Godan let her down. “I am, though.”

“Then why were you robbing people?”

Godan sighed. “That was a long time ago—I rarely do it anymore.”

“But why did you do it to begin with?”

Godan cringed. “I'll tell you all about it later, all right?” But we gotta get going. Can you still run?”

Callisto wiggled her toes. “They kinda hurt.” She pressed her foot to the ground. “I'm good.”

“Cool, lets go!”

They hopped back onto the roof and continued running. Callisto wondered what Godan was like before they met—thinking about what he meant when he said he “rarely” engaged in thievery anyone. Godan caught her staring at him. He asked her if she was all right. Callisto snapped back to reality, and said she was.

Godan caught a familiar scent. He looked ahead, and saw the rooftop they were to meet at.

“Over there!” Godan said, pointing to the building and speeding up. Callisto nodded and followed.

On a nearby building, a figure grabbed onto a gargoyle, climbed onto it, and hid in the shadows, observing Godan and Callisto land and looking around.

“YO!” Godan yelled. “WE'RE HERE!”

“Who are you talking to?” Callisto asked.

Godan crossed his arms. “I can smell your scent—stop hiding!”

“I'm not hiding!” Nang Tu said, coming out from behind the entrance. “I was finishing this game!” She put away her phone.

Callisto screamed, and tried to run away. Godan grabbed her by the arm.

“LET ME GO!” Callisto yelled, trying to pull her arm away.

Godan pulled her towards him. “Hey, it's all good,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulder, “calm the fuck down!”

“This probably wasn't one of your brightest ideas,” Nang said. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement from a nearby building.

“Maybe, but this had to happen eventually, especially if she wants to be my sidekick.” Callisto tried again to get away. Godan turned around and grabbed her by the arms with both hands. “STOP!”

“I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN!” Callisto yelled, tears trickling from beneath her mask.

“This all began as a misunderstanding,” Godan relaxed his grip as he Callisto stopped struggling, “and Nang is a good friend of mine—”

“VERY good friend, you mean,” Nang interrupted.

Godan rolled his eyes. “I wouldn't have brought you here if she was as dangerous as you think she is.”

“HER FRIENDS BEAT ME AND PUT ME IN A CAGE!” Callisto yelled, pointing at Nang.

Nang glared. “That's because you wouldn't stop trying to take a bite out of them!”

“Way to help out your case, babe,” Godan muttered. He let go of Callisto and looked her directly in the eyes. “You can't be my partner if you two aren't on good terms—I'm not putting up with this drama.” Godan glared at Nang. “Do it.”

Nang glared back, and sighed.

“Be sincere.”

Nang sighed harder. “I am!” Nang crossed her arms and looked at Callisto. “I'm sorry for the way you were treated while you were in our captivity. I should have handled the situation better.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Nang saw the figure that was observing them from the shadows move. She flexed her hands.

That's probably the best I'm gonna get out of her, Godan thought. “So, what do you think?” Godan asked Callisto.

Callisto had taken off her mask, and was wiping her eyes. Godan smiled at her. Despite being filled with fear, Callisto felt her heart begin to slow down.

“Yes,” she nodded, sniffling. “I'll try to trust her.”

Godan patted her on the back. “It'll be all right—let's give it time.”

“Allow me to prove my trustworthiness right now,” Nang said. She suddenly aimed her arm towards the nearby building and shot a web out of her palm, entangling the figure that was spying on them. She yanked the figure off the gargoyle. They slammed onto the roof, and Nang pressed the tip of hear spear against their neck.

“Shit!” Godan said, getting into a battle stance.

On another nearby rooftop, a bestial figure landed and crouched down, watching the events unfold.

“WHO ARE YOU?!” Nang yelled.

“LET ME GO, YOU BITCH!” the figure yelled, thrashing about as they tried to free themselves from the webbing. “Gareth knows me!”

Nang, Godan, and Callisto froze, watching as the figure struggle.

“If you know Godan's real name...” Nang pulled back her spear and looked at Godan. “You know them?”

Godan relaxed his stance. “I can't tell who they are through your webbing.”

“Just how many people know your real identity?”

Godan began to think about it, counting with his fingers.

“GET THIS SHIT OFF OF ME!” the figure yelled.

Nang put away her spear, bent down, and used her nails to cut away the webbing. The figure began to struggle again. Nang told them to hold still, and cut away the rest of the webbing that covered their body.

A beautiful woman with gray, bob-style hair, emerged. She glared at Nang, growled, and swiped her claws at her. Nang grabbed her by the wrist.

“DON'T,” Nang said, pushing her towards Godan and Callisto.

Godan's eyes widened.

Callisto gasped, putting her hands to her mouth.

“Dia?” Callisto asked.

“Hey, sis,” Dia, Callisto's sister, and Lycaon's other daughter, smiled at her. “Long time, huh?”

Callisto ran towards her. Dia opened her arms, and the sisters embraced.

“I thought...Gareth said,” Callisto swallowed, trying to control her sobbing. “Gareth said you died.”

“He thought I died,” Dia held Callisto at arms length and looked her over. “He also could have thought of a better costume for you than just that mask—I can't believe you're wearing the same toga! Did you shave your fur off?”

Nang walked over to Godan. “So, how do you know her? She's related to Callisto?”

Godan stared at Dia, bearing a look of astonishment and sadness.

“Hello” Nang said, waving her hand in front of his face.

Callisto hugged Dia again. As Dia patted her on the back, she locked eyes with Godan. This is going to be really bad, she thought, her heart racing.

“I'm so sorry,” Callisto sobbed. “I never should have told Gareth about you!”

“Hey, we'll talk later, but it's all right.” Dia detached herself from Callisto. “There's something more important I have to do now.”

Dia walked towards Godan. Nang crossed her arms, and looked back at Godan, who she noticed, while bearing the same shocked look, was breathing heavier.

“Hey, Gareth,” Dia said, stopping in front of him. She put her hands behind her back and stood there. “How have you been?”

Godan blinked, and continued staring.

“Okay, just what the hell is going on between you two?!” Nang said, snapping her fingers in front of Godan's face. “Answer me, Gray Wolf!”

Dia pushed Nang's hand away, and clasped onto Godan's hands, bring them up to her chest.

“I'll just say it,” Dia squeezed Godan's hands. “Gare, I'm so sorry for what I did to you, okay?”

Godan came to his senses. He looked at Dis's hands clasping his, then at Dia.

“Everyone's apologizing tonight,” Nang said, glaring at Dia.

“I was so fucking stupid—I never should have messed with your mind!”

Anger swelled within Godan. He clenched his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows.

“I've just felt so bad since then,” Dia pushed herself closer to Godan until they were so close that he could feel her breath upon his face. “I don't know what to think of myself.”

What the fuck, Nang thought.

Godan tore his hands away. Dia stumbled. Godan wound back and, with a yell, punched Dia in the face, sending her flying across the rooftop. Callisto screamed, and got in front of Dia, catching her. They both slammed into the ledge, nearly going over.

“GARETH!” Nang screamed. “STOP!”

Callisto recovered. Dia was slumped into her chest, moaning in pain. She heard a roar, and saw Godan flying at them, claws extended, filled with rage.

Callisto closed her eyes, and held Dia tightly.

The Gray Wolf was suddenly entangled in Nang's web. She yanked him back to her, and put him into a headlock.

“CALM THE FUCK DOWN!” Nang yelled, tightening her grip.

“NO!” Godan screamed. “SHE HAS TO PAY!”

“You fucking idiot—Callisto's right there!” Nang readjusted her stance and grip. “Don't make me summon Agor!”

Dia sat up, holding her bruised, swelling face. She locked eyes with Godan again, seeing the rage within them.

Godan roared, and broke free from the webbing. Nang immediately picked him up, body slammed him, and webbed him up using both her hands, leaving only his head and neck free.

“LET ME GO!” Godan yelled, trying to break free, “FUCKING BITCH!”

Nag grabbed Godan by his mask tassels, lifted his head up, and punched him. “I'm getting really fucking tired of being called that tonight!” She looked him directly in the eyes. “Tell me what happened between you two.”

“Dia?” Callisto said, grasping her sisters free hand.

Dia rubbed her cheek. “I deserved that,” Dia turned her head and spat blood.

“What happened between you and Gareth?”

“Dammit,” Dia muttered.

The feral figure listened to Dia's story, since he was closest to them. He shook his head.

“So, instead of killing the pseudo-werewolf who was building up her own evil empire,” Nang let go of Godan's mask tassels, allowing his head to drop, “you slept with that her instead?”

Godan lifted his head, glaring at Nang. “She took control of my fucking mind!” he growled, his claws finally piercing through the webbing.

“I call bullshit!” Nang poked him on the forehead with her claw. “You've fought off mind control before—I was there.”

Godan grunted, breaking free of the webbing. “Yeah, well I couldn't beat it this time!” Godan stood up, pulling off the webbing. “You don't think I feel shitty about that?!”

“It obviously angers you.”

Godan threw the webbing at her. “You'd be pissed too if everything you felt turned out to be a fucking lie!”

“Felt?” Nang tossed the torn webbing to the side. “Seriously?”

Godan got in her face. “Yeah.”

Nang glared. “I thought you said Haruki was the only person you ever really fell in love with.”

“Fuck you,” Godan growled, “I don't have to put up with your jealousy issues.”

Nang slapped Godan so hard that he stumbled over to the ledge, turning his back.

At that moment, the figure pounced from the shadows and appeared in front of Dia and Callisto. Before they could react, he slammed their heads together, knocking them out.

“Still want to run your big mouth at me?” Nang asked.

In a flash, the beast appeared behind Nang, and knocked her out with a blow to the back of her head.

“I'm getting really fucking sick of being treated like I'm the bad guy here,” Godan muttered, getting up.

He was met with the fierce, growling face of a werewolf with reddish fur, wearing a Chicago police officer's uniform. The werewolf grabbed Godan by the neck, picked him up over his head, and, with a howl, choke slammed him into the alley below. Godan smashed into some trash cans.

HIM, Godan thought, immediately standing up. The werewolf landed in front of him.

“You picked the wrong night to fuck with me, pig!” Godan said, flexing his claws.

“You should have never come back, punk!” Officer Brett Hannigan said, pouncing towards the Gray Wolf.

Godan sidestepped, and slashed Hannigan's shoulder. Hannigan growled, and swiped his own claws at Godan, who barely dodged it.

The cop rushed the Gray Wolf, and their battle truly began. They slashed at each other, their claws tearing at the flesh on their arms and upper bodies. Occasionally, a claw slashed at the other's face. Sometimes, their claws would clash against each other, creating a sickening scratching sound that only they could hear.

They locked hands, and, in that moment, their eyes locked. Time seemed to freeze for both of them.

All they saw was their mutual, burning hatred for each other.

After breaking off, and getting into another clash, they both jumped backwards. Godan took a deep breath, wiped his face with the back of his hand—unknowingly streaking his own blood across his cheeks and mouth—and prepared for the next assault. Hannigan shook his head, snorted, and rushed towards the Gray Wolf.

An energy beam shot downwards, hitting Hannigan in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall at the end of the alley.

“Stand down, Hannigan.” A gray android landed in front of Godan. It bore white stripes on it's body, and wore a jean jacket. “Don't make me finally do what I've been dreaming about all this time,” he said, raising his open palm towards the officer.

“Holy shit, White Streak,” Godan said, joining his side, “where have you been?”

“I didn't know you were back in town, brother,” White Streak replied. “You got blood all over your face.”

“I've called you three times since I got back—all I get is voicemail.”

“Oh, I changed my number shortly after you left.” White Streak stood silent for a second. “Whoops, I should have texted you after I got it.”

Godan rolled his eyes. “Goddamn, dude.”

Fully enraged, Hannigan roared, and charged at the duo, teeth bared.

“Thanks, Brett,” White Streak said, powering up another energy blast. Godan got into a battle stance. Hannigan leapt at them. White Streak blasted the officer, sending him once again into the the wall at the end of the alley, knocking him out. “You just made this assignment vastly easier.”

“What are you talking about?” Godan asked.

“Remember back when you first encountered Hannigan, and I said that the FBI was now investigating him?”

Godan snapped his fingers. “Oh, yeah! How's that been going?”

“Swimmingly” A metal tentacle emerged from White Streaks back and wrapped itself around Hannigan. “We're actually finished now—we've got all sorts of evidence on the 'army' that Hannigan wants to create, as well as other crimes that he and his fellow scumbags within the CPD have committed.” He lifted Hannigan up in front of them. “The only problem is that Red Seal wouldn't let me bust him, despite the dirt we have.”

Godan smirked. “The poorest FBI agent in Chicago.”

“Aren't I? But after what went down just now, I have a pretty damn good excuse to take him in.” White Streak looked the Gray Wolf over again. “We're still looking for more superhumans to join our ranks if you're interested.”

Godan glared. “Oh, fuck no! Are you kidding me?!”

“Kinda—just thought I would ask again.” White Streak pointed upwards. “Let's see how the others are doing.”

Godan sighed. He took White Streaks hand, and they flew back up to the roof. Nang, Dia, and Callisto were all up and about, but still recovering from getting knocked out.

“Agent Tu,” White Streak said as they landed, “are you all right?”

Nang rubbed the back of her head. “He's lucky that he knocked me out.”

“ 'Agent Tu' ?” Godan looked at Nang, then back at White Streak. “She's part of the FBI?”

“Yep,” White Streak nodded, “she joined up shortly after you left.”

“Seriously?!” Godan looked back at Nang. “You think your gang would approve of this?”

“They're not gonna find out,” Nang replied.

“That's what he thought back in the day,” Godan pointed his thumb at White Streak.

“Okay, guys, enough arguing tonight.” White Streak then noticed Dia and Callisto. “And just who are those two?”

“That's Gareth's new sidekick,” Nang pointed at Callisto, “and her sister, who apparently just returned from the dead.” She pointed at Dia.

“Is that so?”

“Oh, and Gar was fucking the dead one for a while.”

Godan glared at her. “Cunt.”

White Streak broke the tentacle that tied up Hannigan off of himself, reverted to his normal form, and walked up to them. “Ladies, how's it going tonight?”

Dia growled. “You can't guess?”

He laughed, and put his hand out. “Daniel Sanders, I work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” They each shook his hand. “Can I ask you two some questions?”

Above the  Chicago skyline, Upton streamed and recorded the activity on the rooftop as Mysta watched from her lab.

“Oh my,” she said, crossing her legs. “so many super powered specimens have popped up since the Gray Wolf came back.”

Mysta spun her chair around at the row of pods against the wall. She concentrated particularly on one pod, which was inhabited by a subject whose claws could clearly be seen across the room despite the murky fluid it was submerged in.

“Perhaps I need to up my production schedule,” Mysta mused.

Back on the rooftop, Sanders talked excitedly with Dia and Callisto. Godan sulked, trying to ignore it all. Nang stood beside him, in part to make sure he did not try to attack Dia again.

“Really?” Sanders said. “Now that's some useful information.”

“Glad you like it,” Dia replied, smiling through her wounds.

“You know, if you two are up to it, we could—”

The sound of metal hitting the ground filled the area. Everyone looked to where it came from, and saw White Streak's metal tentacle torn apart, and Hannigan gone.

“SHIT!” Sanders ran to the ledge. Godan and Nang joined him in scanning the area. The werewolf cop had vanished.

“I'll track him down,” Godan said, about to jump off.

Sanders put his arm out in front of him. “Just forget it—something more important has come up.”

Godan stepped down. “You're shitting me—what about your investigation?”

“Like I said, it's all wrapped up—I could bust him at anytime. A new development in another investigation I'm apart of has surfaced.”

“Oh, come on! How many investigations are you a part of right now?”

Sanders ignored Godan, turning back to Dia and Callisto. “Ladies, I'd like to talk more in depth with what you've been telling me. May I buy you dinner?”

Dia grinned. “I'd love that—as long as it's not pizza. I've had enough deep dish this past week.”

“We'll go somewhere fancy.” Sanders turned back around. “Nang, Gareth, you two interested in joining us?”

Godan smashed his fist into the ledge, shattering the brick. He began walking to the other side of the roof.

“Hey, what the fuck, man?” Sanders asked.

Godan whipped his head around. “I'M NOT GOING TO DINNER WITH MY RAPIST! FUCK OFF!”

Godan hopped onto another rooftop, and began running away into the night. Callisto called out to him, and looked around, unsure of what to do.

“Go with him, sis,” Dia said, “I'll be around.”

Callisto nodded, put on her mask, and gave chase.

“What was that all about?” Sanders asked.

“I'll tell you over dinner,” Dia put her arm around Sanders waist, “at the most expensive restaurant in Chicago.”

Sanders transformed back into White Streak. “I know a place you'll like that I can actually afford.” He looked at Nang. “You hungry?”

Nang glared at Dia, who returned the look. “No, I just want to head home and hit the sack.”

White Streak nodded. “I'll be in touch, then.” He held out his arms. “Hop on, Miss Dia.”

Dia jumped into White Streak's arms. “If you're gonna use titles, then call me Miss Patrick.”

“Got it,” He activated  his foot thrusters. “Good night, Agent Tu.”

Nang watched them fly away. She took a deep breath, and sighed.

Looks like I might have some more apologizing to do, she thought.

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

Juggernaut Index, No. 26: Colts fans, fantasy owners still waiting on Andrew Luck

Hey, look who’s finally doing things with footballs. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

The Indianapolis Colts will go as far this season as quarterback Andrew Luck can carry them, and it’s not yet clear that he’s capable of carrying them anywhere at all. Two weeks ago, Luck made a couple dozen short throws with footballs that weren’t quite official NFL-size and, understandably, the Colts community was pretty pumped…

IT’S HAPPENING OMG OMG pic.twitter.com/VyCR6llLRW

— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) June 12, 2018

Woo. Plan the parade route, Indy.

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As everyone knows, Luck missed the entire 2017 season following January labrum surgery. Colts news coverage over the past year-and-a-half has been a carnival ride of bogus pronouncements, wishcasting, skepticism, setbacks and wild speculation. It is, without question, a very good sign that Luck is throwing again. A great sign. Excellent news. The expectation is for Luck to develop something close to a regular season throwing routine that he can carry into camp:

“Big picture, my goal was to be able to throw as much as I need to, like on a game week,” Luck said. “A Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at practice and then Sunday, let it loose, no count, nothing. You’ve got to go and let it go. So that’s what I’m preparing for, that’s why right now I throw Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Fridays to mimic a three-day sort of practice week and then a Friday as a Sunday as a game week.”

Sounds like a solid plan. It also sounds as if Luck is beginning to feel legitimately closer to the pre-surgery version of himself. When asked if he expects to play the opener this season, he told reporters, “I’ll be playing. I believe it in my bones.”

Fantasy owners obviously can’t treat him as a sure thing, especially at a time when the quarterback position is as deep as it’s ever been. Luck’s FF Calculator average draft position seems aggressive (104.1, QB12) considering the quality and reliability of the players selected in his range. Drafting him at any price means that you will almost certainly need to roster a second playable QB. That’s not the greatest use of limited bench spots. But let’s also remember that Luck, at his absolute best, was a 4700-yard, 40-TD passer. He threw for 4240 yards and 31 scores in a year in which he played with the labrum tear. There’s little question that a healthy Luck would rank as a top-six fantasy quarterback.

If you’re still trying to talk yourself into Luck, please note that new head coach Frank Reich is fresh off a Super Bowl win as OC for the Eagles. Reich was essential in Carson Wentz’s development, plus he’s the guy who prepped Nick Foles to star in the postseason. These are good bullet points for a coaching resume.

Head coach Frank Reich was the most important offseason addition in Indy. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

We don’t have to make any final decisions on Luck’s draft value today, so let’s please keep an open mind. The recent news has been encouraging. At the very least, we shouldn’t run away from him quite the way we did last summer. His line should improve following the draft day addition of mauling guard Quenton Nelson.

The Colts’ offense was a start-to-finish mess without Luck last season, ranking dead-last in yards per play and 30th in passing. If he can’t get back to full health, none of this team’s skill players are particularly interesting for fantasy purposes.

Indy’s receiving corps is T.Y. Hilton and, um … some other dudes

T.Y. Hilton led the NFL in receiving yardage two seasons ago with Luck at the controls of the offense, catching 91 balls for 1448 yards. Last year, with Jacoby Brissett running the show (and rarely looking downfield), Hilton slipped to just 966 yards on 57 receptions. He was painfully boom-or-bust, delivering three games with 150 or more yards and a whopping eight games with 30 or fewer. Hilton is a dynamic player in his prime, 28 years old, and his chemistry with Luck is well established. He’s also a member of the best-shape-of-his-life club, which can’t hurt. If Luck gets right, Hilton will as well. His recent ADP reflects the fantasy community’s optimistic outlook on his quarterback (33.4, WR14). Hilton has never seen more than 16 red-zone targets in any season, so don’t expect a double-digit TD total.

Not surprisingly, T.Y. Hilton’s numbers took a huge nosedive without Luck. (Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini)

The battle for second and third-receiver duties is wide open behind Hilton — which is to say, there are no particularly intriguing candidates. Indianapolis signed the competent-if-not-spectacular Ryan Grant to a one-year deal back in March. Grant established new career highs in receptions (45), yards (573) and TDs (4) for Washington last season, but never topped 85 yards in any game. Front office fave Chester Rogers is entering his third pro season with a relatively unobstructed path to snaps and targets. Health has been an issue for him, but he’s flashed field-flipping ability a time or two — notably in a 104-yard performance against Pittsburgh last year. Rogers could be a decent what-if flier in the final rounds of deep drafts, depending on Luck’s status.

Fifth-round rookie Daurice Fountain (Northern Iowa) and sixth-rounder Deon Cain (Clemson) are in the mix as well. Both receivers have size enough to function as red-zone threats. Fountain had a superhuman pro day, posting a 42.5-inch vertical and 11-foot-2 broad jump. Cain has generated low-level buzz during the offseason, though he never actually delivered a huge season at the collegiate level. He has good speed for his size (4.43, 210), but ordinary leaping ability (33.5-inch vert). If you’d like to take a shot with one of these guys in dynasty, I’d lean Fountain. But, again, Cain is the guy who seemed to impress onlookers during OTAs.

Absurdly, tight end Jack Doyle led the Colts in receptions last year (and finished second overall at his position), hauling in 80 passes for 690 yards and four touchdowns. He was a short-range catch-and-fall receiver, ranking behind nearly all tight ends in average target distance (5.3) and yards per reception (8.6) according to Player Profiler. We can expect Indy’s offense to be far less predictable/numbing under Reich and new OC Nick Sirianni, so Doyle’s numbers should take a hit.

This team added Eric Ebron via free agency, and wow are the coaches excited about him…

“[Ebron] is really smart,” Reich said. “I knew that because we did our homework before he got here. We knew he was a smart player. But he’s like really a highly intelligent football player. And that’s really good because you want to use a guy with the versatility that he has and move him around and call all kinds of things with him. That helps. And he’s an explosive athlete.”

Detroit fans probably would have been willing to help Ebron pack his bags this spring, having seen enough drops and disappearances during his four seasons with the Lions. But it’s not unusual to see a tight end make a production leap on his second contract, so we need to keep Ebron’s name on the cheat sheet. He’s reportedly lining up everywhere in Indy’s offense. I’d prefer him to Doyle, which isn’t saying much.

Frank Gore is gone, replaced by a committee

Reich’s committee backfield in Philly was a massive success, so it should come as no surprise that he’s preparing to go RBBC with the Colts. It’s happening. No back on this team’s depth chart is obviously deserving of a featured role, so there should be little controversy regarding this potential three or four-man rotation. Marlon Mack gets a share, Robert Turbin gets a share and Ole Miss rookie Jordan Wilkins gets a share. Mack will be drafted ahead of the others (ADP 70.6, RB32), but strictly as a flex. Wilkins looks the part of an NFL back and he produced a solid year in the SEC, but he wasn’t much of a yards-after-contact runner. Pass protection is a concern as well.

Rookie running back Nyheim Hines could get interesting for PPR purposes. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The most interesting chess piece in this backfield might just be rookie Nyheim Hines, a fourth-round pick from NC State. He’s already lined up everywhere for the Colts, and it’s only June. Hines is a gifted returner, too. He’s a fun-size back (5-foot-8) who won’t make a living between the tackles, but he offers excellent speed (4.38) and receiving ability. Hines caught 89 passes over three collegiate seasons, and he ran for 1113 yards and 12 scores on 193 carries last year (5.6 YPC). He’s a name to know in PPR formats.

Of course none of these guys will be terribly exciting unless Luck is the NFL’s comeback player of the year. He’s the franchise cornerstone, the key to everything else. Let’s hope Luck can return to form, because his ceiling in a healthy season is the No. 1 player at our game’s highest scoring position.

2017 Offensive Stats & Ranks

Points per game – 16.4 (30th in NFL) Pass YPG – 180.8 (30) Rush YPG – 103.8 (22) Yards per play – 4.6 (32) Plays per game – 62.1 (23)

Previous Juggernaut Index entries: 32) Buffalo, 31) Miami, 30) NY Jets, 29) Baltimore, 28) Oakland, 27) Cleveland, 26) Indianapolis

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