#erik: (chuckles) you're in danger

[bitofthisandthat]

@rvndrkhlme asked: an 'i'm in love with someone else, but you're here' kiss. { Emma }

KISS ME .. an assortment of kissing prompts

Sometimes being a powerful telepath sucked all the fun of her existence. Nothing surprised Emma anymore, and it took great control on her part to shut the world up and keep it at bay. Everyone was so transparent, even when they thought they weren't, their minds clear as crystal.

Perhaps that's why the metamorph managed to get one up on her this time--'Mystique's' mind was always moving and changing like mercury, so if she moved JUST quickly enough at just the right moment, she could trap the powerful psychic in a lucky instant.

Red lips pressed to silver, as blue fingers grasped gently at her throat while the other steadied on the wall behind them. Emma's clear eyes widened in protest at first--her personal space completely infringed upon! A swarm of desire and intent poured into the kiss, feeding into Emma's third eye, as she eased into the kiss, taking advantage of the free reading she was about to get into the other mutant's mind. She lazily inhaled the other woman's breath, siphoning her want into her own, letting Raven's tongue delve deeper against hers, playing into the desires. Nimble, pale fingers imitated what she saw--fingers tracing the back of her neckline playfully, while others gripped at the back of cherry-red hair with a possessive yank.

The kiss broke with a sudden chuckle.

"My...How interesting..." She purred, not letting go of red tresses JUST yet. Her grip lessened as she leaned against the wall, taking a casual stance, not showing a single sign of intimidation.

"I wonder how I am going to describe that little foray into madness to Erik...won't that get a rise?" She pauses with a slight knowing glint to her eye, "Or Agatha..no no no....That'd be too vulgar..." Her voice lowers, treading into dangerous territory, as many memories and desires passed through all at once into that kiss.

"No. I'd hate to be rude. I just don't think I am cold enough for your tastes...perhaps if I sported a handsome set of golden horns?"

She sighed out in false rejection. "What's a lady to do, being cast out as...what is it? Fourth fiddle? Tsk, tsk, tsk."

[dick-helmet-magneto]

15

Erik being touched starved at it fucking shows.

[The pun was intentional]

15.) “Wow you’re pathetic! Cumming over a few fingers!” I think it's safe to say this is rated E or M or however ratings work.

Erik liked to think that he was strong, dangerous, and in control at all times. But the second Charles wrapped a hand around his throat and pushed up against the door of their hotel room moments after they closed it, he was a goner.

Lips pressed against his rather violently, teeth hitting together, blood mixing in the kiss that Erik was far from complaining about. Teeth sank into his bottom lip and Erik whimpered, fucking whimpered.

The next thing he knew, a hand was working on his belt, pulling it from the loops, then working on the button, zip. A hand fumbled its way into his pants and briefs, wrapping around him. His hips moved, thrusting up into Charles's closed hand, a soft moan escaped him, especially as the hand tightened around his throat.

Charles's mouth moves from his down to his jaw and then neck, leaving a trail of kisses and gentle bites. Erik drops his head back against the door to give him more room as his hips continue to move unconsciously into Charles's stationary hand. It was embarrassing how close he already was but there was little he could do about it. He was already too far gone to stop.

As though he knew, and probably did, Charles's hand tightened slightly, thumb swiping over the head of Erik's cock causing him to moan Charles's name, his hips stuttering as he came in his pants.

He felt a chuckle against his neck as Charles pulled back to look at Erik, "Wow you're pathetic, cumming over my fist, in your pants no less." Somehow, in a way that only Charles could manage, the words sounded almost fond. That didn't stop his face from heating up though, or his dick from twitching in Charles's grasp, something the man obviously picked up on.

"Don't worry, darling, I'm not finished with you yet."

[undertakerslxt]

Hello could you write angst 5 with undertaker,the first time i see your blog so i wanted to request

I absolutely love this request - and thank you for being my first ask! <3

-

title; 'til death do us part

warnings; the usual for kuro! implications that the undertaker turned the reader into a vampire. implied death of the reader. angst sprinkled with romantic tension :)

summary; when the undertaker comes knocking with a deal you can't refuse, it's only a matter of time before you realize why.

song inspo; hollywood forever cemetery

word count; 2.1k

note; for the purpose of this story, his real name will be adrian crevan. if and when yana releases his real name, i'll make an effort to come back and change it here.

Even in death, you put on a show.

Those were the last words he'd spoken to you for years. Centuries, it felt like. You had been a fool to trust a man like him, you knew. No, a being like him. A god of death, one who played with Fate like it was nothing but another amusing game to him. He had driven you down a dark path, one filled with pain and death and blood -

You loved him for it.

You hated him for it.

Your name being spoken made you raise your head, your glowing irises locking onto the speaker a few feet away. Like the shinigami you encountered on occasion, you bore double-ringed irises, though yours glowed imperial red on the outer ring and a fiery scarlet on the inner ring.

"Are you alright?"

You blinked at the man in front of you, studying him. He was your subordinate -- most other vampires were now. Having been an immortal almost as long as that damned shinigami, you were incredibly powerful.

"I'm fine, Erik. Thank you." You waved your hand dismissively, then returned your chin to where it had rested in your palm. Your legs were thrown over the edge of your chair, and to all the world, you looked bored out of your mind. Far from it, truly.

"You can come out now," you called when the other vampire had vanished from the room. A low chuckle echoed, and the shadows seemed to release a figure in all black, his white hair spilling over his shoulders. For once, he didn't wear his hat.

"Sharp as ever, I see, my dear," he hummed out, that infuriating grin playing over his lips. You found you still hated it.

"And you're still as bold as ever," you countered, rolling your shoulders back to release the tension in them. You stretched like a cat, looking away from him.

If he wanted to harm you, he wouldn't have let you sense his presence.

"Tell me, my dear Crevan, what brings you to my humble abode?" You questioned, running sharp sangria-painted nails through your hair. "You haven't taken an interest in me for, oh... five hundred years? Six? I've begun to lose count of the years."

"Well, dearie," he giggled, tapping his long black nails against his teeth, "I have a deal I'm quite positive you'll love."

"That isn't very godly of you." You mocked his title with a shit-eating grin. "Or ethical. Is that why you left that little association of yours?"

His grin sharpened into something dangerous, and you relished the thrill it sent through your dead body. "My, my. You're a bold little thing today."

"I could say the same - oh, I did. You should know better than anyone that deals with vampires tend to go. . . sideways." Unlike demons, or even shinigami, when it came to humans, vampires had no code to follow. You could kill as you pleased unlike reapers, and even if 'contracts' were formed, there was nothing to prevent you from attacking anyway. You thrived on blood and life forces, not souls.

He had wandered closer to you, his long robe gone for once as well. You had to say, you preferred seeing his tight-fitted robe and those knee-length boots. He made quite the sight. . .

Ugh. What were you thinking?

He spread his hands with another giggle, one that sounded malicious, and you raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh my, I'd love to see what you'll try on me," he remarked, raising his head just enough for you to catch a flash of those phosphorescent irises. "If I recall correctly, my blood sent you into a tizzy last time."

You scoffed. He wasn't wrong and you hated that. "What's this deal you're offering?"

"Eager, aren't we?"

"An immortal mortician comes to a vampire of his own volition asking for a deal? Well, color me intrigued."

You weren't just any vampire, though, and he knew it. You both did. You watched as he sauntered up the stairs, teeth flashing in the lowlit lanterns. "I've been. . . shall we say, looking into a certain sort of reversal of death. Humans have worked fine, but why not take it further?" His eyes were fully visible now, and glowed brighter as he leaned over you, his hair creating a sort of shroud. "You have plenty of minions, don't you?"

You remained still.

". . . And you'd like to experiment on them?"

It wasn't the thought of other vampires being turned into the Undertaker's little science project that bothered you. It was the fact that he had come to you when he could have easily overwhelmed a few vampires.

There was a reason other supernatural beings stayed far away from the man currently grinning at you. Even other reapers avoided him, and yet you couldn't help but be drawn to his danger. His insanity.

"Why should I bother helping? Go get your own." You shrugged as best you could in your position.

"Now, now, you haven't even heard what I'm willing to offer." He ran a sharp nail over your bottom lip, a move you didn't object to.

"I don't take laughter as payment."

He laughed. "No, you'd much prefer something else, I wager. Something like my blood, perhaps?"

That got your attention, if he hadn't have already captivated it. Shinigami blood was dangerous - and powerful. Offering it wasn't something even he would take lightly. "You must desperately want more subjects," you murmured.

"And if you cared about them, you would have already told me to get the hell out," he countered.

He had a point.

You smirked up at the god of death above you, fangs bared. "Then I believe we have a deal, Undertaker."

"Excellent, though if you try to renege, you know exactly what will happen," he hummed at you. You did know, and you didn't want a repeat of that kind of showdown. "Shall we seal the deal?"

"You know my name, Crevan. Use it."

If there was one thing that could control a vampire, it was their human name. It was a closely guarded secret, one you had only shared with the Undertaker. It was a mistake and a blessing that you had.

He leaned down further, lips grazing your ear. You felt the familiar jolt run through you as your human name was spoken just before your vampire name, and then it was done.

You were once again bound to Adrian Crevan.

Dozens of vampires. Dozens sent to "guard" the Undertaker and every single one of them never made it back from their assignment. It was a cover so no one rebelled against you - they knew it was dangerous, and they volunteered for it. You warned them they probably wouldn't come back.

Every vampire taken left marks on his skin. Some nights, he came to you, extending an arm or - if he felt generous - even exposing his neck. Some nights, you came to collect, appearing with a deadly quietness in his bedroom, or his lab, and he'd only smile wickedly at you before gesturing you forward. It was a never-ending dance of death, one you both reveled in. You gave him an edge over death with subjects who were already, technically, dead and he granted you the power that ran in his blood.

You grew stronger with every visit, and he even helped you to hone the power that he gave.

And then, all too suddenly, the dance came to an abrupt end.

Minor vampires had become boring to him, and when there were no more nobles, no more knights, you could send, he wanted you. He came to you in the dark of the night, your name on his lips and your body forced to obey. The strength of the wielder of your name determined how much they controlled you, and he was indeed the most powerful shinigami in existence.

And many shinigami were equal to, if not stronger, than vampires.

You refused to move when he stopped using it, but cried out as something in you began burning. It was strong enough that the pain drove you to your knees, and you clawed at your own skin, trying to get rid of the pain. "What - what did you do to me?" You snarled, gripping the side of your bed to stand.

He watched you with a sickeningly twisted smile. It was one he gave to his victims, his subjects, and they didn’t escape him. They never did. “Dearie me, did I forget to mention? Vampires cannot drink blood from reapers stronger than them and survive. Dead or not, you are still in a human body, and human bodies can’t contain that sort of power.”

Surprise stilled your anger.

He let out a laugh, extending one hand to you. “Come now, doll, don’t be so shocked. You knew I would betray you.”

You were an utter fool.

“Take my hand, doll. It will go much easier if you don’t resist. I’ll even do you the favor of making it relatively painless.” He wiggled his fingers at you. “Take my hand.”

“No.” You spat, and you slapped it away. He thought to make a fool of you? You lunged for him, pain clouding your head. Your efforts only seemed to amuse him and he sidestepped. One hand closed around your wrist, and he whirled you so your back was pressed to his chest, and he draped one arm around your waist.

"Every day, you remind me of why I love you," he murmured into your ear, forcing you to sway with him.

"This is how you show love? Creatures like you don't love," you scoffed. His grip was unbreakable, you realized.

"That's where you're wrong." He kissed the back of your head, sending a shiver down your spine. "We don't fall in love often, you see, but every once in a while. . . someone like you comes along and you fascinate me. Draw me in."

"So you kill those you love?"

He. . . loved you. The thought terrified you, because if you were open to it, that meant you had to admit you loved him too. You had, for over half a millennia. And he had something planned bad for you.

"Because love gets in the way, doll," he explained softly. "And if I love you, then you're a weak spot for me. I simply can't have that. But don't worry that pretty little head of yours - I have something much grander planned for you than a simple experiment."

He twirled you, and you snapped your head back, the impact making him stumble for just a second. A second was all you needed to dart forward, and you turned back to face him.

There was a metallic flavor in your mouth from how hard you'd bit your tongue to keep from insulting him.

"Come with me, doll."

"As if." You stiffened. "I will never willingly go with a monster like you. Whatever you're doing to my people - it ends today. Now. No more deal, no more you."

His expression became cold. His smile remained. "Would you like to repeat that, doll?"

"I said, deal's off, Crevan."

"You're forcing my hand."

You raised your head defiantly. "Do it, then," you taunted. "You know how." If he loved you, wouldn't he let you go? "Say my name."

Silence.

"Say. My. Name."

Your name fell from his lips again, human and vampire forever linked, and his blood burned within you. The deal remained, and he held the power. Whatever he planned, it scared you. When he offered his hand again, you were forced to obey, despite every effort not to. And when he whisked you away to his mortuary, you could only watch as he prepared your second death.

You couldn't help but laugh in those moments, tossing your head back. "A simple knife? Come on, I believe I deserve better than that. Make it dramatic. Beautiful."

Your heart twisted in your chest. You loved him, and he was going to kill you. He could prattle on about plans and grandeur, but at the end of the day, the man had made you into what you were today. And he would end you. A beautiful sort of tragedy, wasn't it? He seemed to think so too, and he gave you a sweet kiss.

His lips felt cold.

Your mouth tasted bitter from the weight of his lies.

And as he shifted closer to you, pain blooming in your chest, he smiled at you. It was full of sadness, and he caressed your cheek gently. It was a fitting end for a once-actress turned queen of vampires, he supposed. Your life had been grand and theatrical, and now so was your death.

"Even in death," he whispered, "you put on a show."

[randomshyperson]

WANDA MAXIMOFF/READER - LAND OF THIEVES - #CHAPTERTEN

Summary: When you were a child, you swore that no matter how high the reward in your head, she could always count on you. Life as an outlaw in the west is not easy, but you believe that train robberies are still easier than asking a pretty girl to dance. Land of Thieves, also know as your love story with Wanda Maximoff in the Wild West.

AO3> Land of Thieves

Warnings:  18+, explicit language, explicit violence, slow burn, childhood friends to lovers, cursing, blood. Chapters Warning: Smut is here kids.

Words: More than 50k

You wake up with Wanda entwined with you. You can get used to it, but you prefer it in a bed. At the moment, your back hurts a lot, because you two have fallen asleep on the grass, after talking all night long on the lakeshore.

Then you stretch out slightly and start stroking Wanda's hair tenderly, and she gradually wakes up.

- Good morning, love. - She mumbles huskily against your neck. You smile as you greet her back.

- We have to get up. - You tell her and let out a chuckle when Wanda grumbled unhappily.

Wanda squirmed against you, and then lifted her head with a slightly worried expression.

- Damn, you must be sore all over. - She says. - Sorry for sleeping on you.

You smile, disagreeing.

- No problem, darling. - You tell her. - I like it when you're on top of me.

Wanda smiles mischievously at your flirting, but then turns away to sit and look around. She notices that the other camp members are waking up. You sit up, and lean against the tree behind you.

- Do you think anyone will notice if we just stay in bed today? - Wanda asks humorously, adjusting her fallen suspenders and fastening them around her shoulders.

- I think your brother would have us out of bed in less than twenty minutes. - You joke, making her laugh.

She then stands up, and reaches out her hand to help you. You accept, and stand in front of her, but before she leaves, you lift one of your hands to her neck and kiss her hard.

Wanda stumbles back slightly in surprise, and then responds, her tongue asking for passage next. You sigh as you accept, and lift your other hand to her waist, as your tongues touch together.

You keep the kiss slow, and then part. You and Wanda smile with slightly swollen lips.

- Now let's get to work. - You tell her with a wink and steal another kiss before walking towards the camp.

//-//

Wanda needs to get back to Rhodes with Natasha first thing in the morning. You give her a quick good luck kiss before she leaves. And then you go to Bucky's tent.

- Hey, Buck. - You greet him as he enters. He is getting dressed and you try not to stare at the spot where his arm used to be.

- Good morning, Y/N. - He answers without turning around, looking for a shirt in his closet. - How are you?

- All right. - You answer. - I came to ask you to come with me to the reservation.

Bucky raises his eyebrow in surprise when he turns around.

- What are you going to do there?

- I would like to tell them what we are going to do. - You explain. - They should know what the government is trying to do.

- Oh, I get it. - said Bucky, buttoning up a white shirt. - I would like to go yes. Thanks for inviting me.

You smile, and give Bucky a slight nod before leaving the tent.

Steve stops on the way to the campfire. He looks tired and upset, but you can't tell why.

- Hey Y/N. - He calls out to you as he walks towards you. - Can we talk for a minute?

You nod and follow him toward the edge of the lake, a little away from everyone else.

- Are you okay? - you ask as you two stop walking. He looks down at the ground.

- I will be. - He says with a sad smile, and you frown. - Me and Bucky, we... Well, it wasn't working anymore.

- Oh, Steve... I'm sorry. - You say feeling quickly upset. You raise your hand to his forearm, and he shakes it with a smile.

- It's okay, child. - He says. - These things happen. But I didn't come to talk about it.

- But you know you can talk to me about it if you want to, okay?

Steve nods, and lets go of your hand. You smile, and put your hands in your pockets.

- I have been talking to Wanda and Nat about the moonshine scam. - He tells you. - Natasha told me what they knew about the wagon, and I ended up finding a brew that they missed. - You raise your eyebrow slightly in curiosity but don't interrupt. - We attack tomorrow afternoon.

- What? - You exclaim in surprise, but Steve smiles.

- The wagons go directly to the place of negotiation, and in order not to attract attention, the guards follow behind. - He begins to explain. - The mansion is considerably easier to enter.

- But I thought the gold was in the moonshine deposits. - You reply with confusion.

- Yes, we all do. - He said. - And then Natasha told me that she followed Mrs. Braithwaite around the house, and she has a secret room in the Mansion. We have to get in there.

- Why are the girls still monitoring the wagons in the mansion?

- Future business. - Steve says, shrugging his shoulders slightly. - Liquor businesses are lucrative, it's always good to know where they stand. We are thieves after all.

You blink incredulously, slightly annoyed.

- So Wanda and Natasha are risking themselves for nothing?

- What? Of course not. - Steve denies it and then gestures. - We couldn't have gotten this information without them.

- But after we got it, you still sent them back! - you exclaim angrily.

- Hey, calm down, will you? They're big girls and they know what they're doing. - He says. - They can take care of themselves.

- You are unbelievable. - You grumble angrily before walking away.

Steve calls you a few times, but you are furious and just keep going towards the horses. And Bucky is already waiting for you.

- Wow, everything okay there? - he asks as he watches you walk angrily, and aggressively get on your horse.

- I'm going to Braithwaite Manor. - You grumble, but then Bucky runs up to you and grabs your arm.

- Hey, girl, breathe. What happened?

- Steve is making them take risks for nothing. - You retort, trying to loosen your grip. - Wanda is in danger and I'm going to get her out of that place.

Bucky sighs and then looks at you seriously.

- Look, I know this is bad. - He says. - But you can't show up there and blow both their cover. It will put them in more danger.

- But...

- I know you're worried. - He interrupts with a tender look. - But you have to trust that they will be safe while they are inside. We can't just shoot our way in.

Bucky lets go of your arm and you feel your whole body tense up, feeling extremely nervous. And then you sigh, focusing on your breathing to control yourself.

- I need to distract myself from this. - You say after a moment. - Can we go to the reservation now?

- Of course, Y/N. - He says and then turns, heading towards his horse.

//-//

Buck is one of the quietest people you'll ever meet, but he goes out of his way to keep you distracted all the way to the Wakanda Indian Reservation in New Elizabeth. He sings a little, tells stories, and even makes jokes about his childhood, and you are immensely grateful to him.

You finally arrive in New Elizabeth in the afternoon. And at the entrance to the small town, the two of you begin to receive several curious and angry looks. You dismount from your horse together with Bucky and you lead them by the reins.

You are very surprised to find Carol on one of the benches outside.

- Hello, strangers. - She greeted you with a nod and a smile. There was a man and two women standing next to her.

- What are you doing here? - you asked after you and Bucky tied your horses and approached her.

- My investigation brought me here. - She said and then pointed to the people next to her. - This is T'Challa. - She introduced the man who gave you a brief nod. - This is Okoye. - The first woman did not smile. - And this is Shuri. - The second woman smiled at both of you and nodded.

- Sorry for the intrusion. - Bucky said. - And thank you for having us in your home.

You look a bit flustered, but nod in agreement with Bucky's words. The Wakanda' didn't seem to mind.

- Please, welcome. - T'Challa says politely. You noticed the leader's necklace he carried around his neck. - Help yourselves to some water and food.

You and Bucky smiled at the hospitality, and as Bucky sat down next to Carol and poured himself some water, you turned to the blonde.

- Are you going to tell me what you found out? - you asked, and she smiled.

- Of course, young lady. - She said. - Sit down.

You sat on the bench in front of Carol, and Okoye and Shuri waved quickly in farewell and left toward the other hollows of the reserve, while T'Challa sat on the third bench in the circle, looking at you, Carol and Bucky.

- It has come to my attention what you wish to do to help my people. - T'Challa began in a calm but serious tone. - And Carol Danvers also told me that the warrior Killmonger came to you.

- Yes, but he died before he could explain anything to me. - You say.

- Forgive me, but Killmonger would tell you only lies.

You frowned in surprise, and T'Challa straightened his posture before continuing.

- Tell me, did Erik ever tell you how he knew about the carriage? - He asked.

- He told me he refused the heist. And then he found out where it came from. - You answered, and T'Challa smiled, nodding in disagreement.

- Erik was an American soldier. - He tells, surprising you and Bucky. Carol continues eating quietly, and you imagine that she has already heard the story. - He was trying to help our people by destroying government operations from the inside, as a double agent.

- That is suicide. - Bucky commented.

- And it really caused his death. - Said T'Challa with a serious expression. - The man who killed him in Saint Denis was his captain. They discovered his treachery. - T'Challa ignored your shocked expressions and continued to tell. - Mister Killmonger refused to guard that carriage when he found out where the money was going. But he followed the soldiers anyway, to find out who was going to be the group to be paid. - T'Challa explained. - And then, he saw you stealing the carriage.

You exchanged a look with Carol, who just gave you a wry smile.

- How did he know who I was? - you asked.

- He. - T'Challa replied as he nodded slightly to Bucky. - He knew who were the children in protection of the white wolf.

- Are your people still watching me? - Bucky asked, looking surprised. - Even after all this time?

- Once Wakanda, always Wakanda. - T'Challa said with a smile. Bucky looked away, seeming impressed.

- He told me he came to me because of my family. - You said after a moment, without looking at T'Challa, feeling embarrassed.

- That's true. - he answered. - Killmonger would not trust anyone to help him other than Wakanda people. And Bucky would not accept his request, so he turned to you.

You nod, understanding the story.

- Mr. T'Challa, I would like to explain the plan about the land purchase. - You say, but the man just raises his hand slightly.

- There is no need, Carol told me everything. - He says seriously. - And my people are grateful for your concern, but I really don't see how a piece of paper changes anything.

- The land would be yours. - You say.

- The land is ours. - He says, and you bite the inside of your cheek, uncomfortably. That's not what you meant, and you really had no intention of offending the Wakanda people. But T'Challa doesn't appear upset. - We have papers, Miss Y/L/N. Many peace agreements have been made between our people and the American government. And they have all been broken.

You let out a sad sigh, knowing that he was right. But you refuse to lose hope.

- This is different. - You secure T'Challa. - The land would legally belong to you. They couldn't take you away from here.

- Oh, they won't. - T'Challa retorts with a slight wry smile. - Wakanda's not going anywhere. This land is ours, and we will die here.

- I will buy the land, T'Challa. - You tell him seriously. - Even if is only to give you the legal right to shoot everyone who trespasses here.

T'Challa laughs lightly, shaking his head. You look away from him to the fire in front of you.

- Don't worry so much about the safety of Wakanda. - He said after a moment, and then nodded slightly to the side, and you looked in the direction he showed you. Several meters away there were a number of people training with bows and spears in the open field, and you noticed that they also carried pistols at their waists. - The panthers are our protectors. We will be all right, with or without a piece of paper.

You watch one of the Wakanda people deliver a swift blow against his opponent, knocking him to the ground in the blink of an eye. It is impressive, but you know that bullets still move faster. Then you sigh knowing that T'Challa was ordering you not to get involved.

- I would very much like to help, T'Challa. But only if I have your blessing.

- I do not command your will, child. - He replies seriously, but his eyes are gentle. - I say again that you have our gratitude, but we don't want your pity.

You swallow the lump in your throat, looking away, and feeling ashamed. That's not why you were helping them, you thought they were like your people. But T'Challa has just made it clear that they are not.

- I'm sorry, T'Challa. I didn't mean it to look like I was doing that. - You say it. And T'Challa's eyes are kind when he touches your shoulder.

- Walk with me, please.

You are slightly surprised, but you stand up. And you and T'Challa begin to walk slowly around the camp.

- I am sorry for implying that you were not part of these people. - He says after a long moment. You feel your heart race, and you turn your head to him quickly. T'Challa has a smile on his lips, but does not look at you. The two of you continue walking.

- How do you know...

- I knew your great-grandmother. - He says. - She was an exceptionally brave woman. - You nod, not knowing what to say. You didn't know anyone in your family except your parents. - Tell me, child. What do you know about your parents?

You shrug, looking straight ahead.

- Nothing, really. - You tell. - I was very young when they left.

- You know that the New Austin area is protected by the panthers, right? - T'Challa asks, and you nod. - The Wakanda in that region must have answers to your questions.

- I don't have any questions. - You reply with a slight playfulness in your voice. - My parents were good people, from difficult origins. And then they died and I found a new family. There is nothing to clarify.

T'Challa smiles, and does not disagree. You walk together for a few more moments in silence, until you reach the edge of a cliff.

- I would like to tell you that you will always be welcome in our home, outlaw. - T'Challa says with a fond smile. You nod with a smile as you hold out your hand for him to shake.

- Oh, we don't do that here. - He says amused. - The Wakanda people give hugs.

You laugh as he approaches, and you exchange a quick hug.

When you walk back to Carol and Bucky, they are already saddling their horses. The two women from before are standing next to them, and exchange polite glances with you.

The younger one, Shuri, strokes your horse.

- Remember that you are welcome in our home. - Said T'Challa before the three of you rode off the reservation.

Just before you reach the Lemonye area, a few hours since you left the Reserve, you speak again:

- I need to go to Saint Denis to let Tony know about the plan. - You tell them, and give a slight nod before changing course.

//-//

It is evening when you arrive in Saint Denis, and it is particularly hot, so the town is noisy and crowded, with many people in the streets and saloons.

You ride quietly up to Stark's mansion, and frown when you find the property completely empty, all the lights off.

Riding toward the largest saloon in town, you breathe a sigh of relief when you find Tony. But you soon become irritated when you notice his current state.

- Stark. - you call out when you catch up with him at the bar. He is without his jacket, his white shirt with many buttons open, and a harlot on each side as he flips a bottle of vodka.

Tony lets out an exclamation of happiness when he sees you, jumping up for a hug.

- My friend! - he shouts as he lets go. - She came to see me, everybody!

Most of the people in the bar are falling-down drunk, but they celebrate with Stark, and then they drink again. You push Stark out of the embrace, and look at him seriously.

- What's the matter with you? I told you I didn't want to see you like this anymore.

Tony makes a fake hurt face, and then laughs.

- Y/N! It's a celebration! - he shouts.

- Oh, and what are you celebrating?

- I bought the land! - He shouts, and the crowd celebrates. You frown, and pull him by the arm.

- Tony calm down! - You tell her. - What are you talking about?

Tony blinks in confusion, but then smiles and lowers his voice as if he is telling a secret.

- Don't tell Y/N, I want to surprise her. - He says. - I bought the land from the reservation. - He tells you with a chuckle and you look at him in surprise.

- Wha-what?

- Shush. - he asks. - It's a secret. Now, let's celebrate!

And then he raises his arms, and shouts excitedly as he walks towards the center of the saloon. The pianist begins to play a lively tune, and Tony joins the crowd of dancing people.

You lean against the counter in confusion.

- What can I get for you, miss? - Tom, the barman, asks you as soon as he notices you are there.

You turn around with a mixed expression of curiosity and seriousness.

- Do you have any idea why he is celebrating? - you ask him.

- Oh, I don't. - He answers, and then points to the side. - But maybe the men who came with him know.

You look over to where he is showing you, and notice two well-dressed men sitting at one of the far tables. Each of them is holding a glass of whiskey, while two bottles are on the table.

You thank Tom with a nod and walk toward the men.

- Excuse me, gentlemen. - You say, attracting their attention. You both look slightly drunk. - Can you tell me what this celebration is about?

- Of course! - exclaims one of them happily, while the other lets out a giggle. - We just closed the deal with Mr. Stark!

You frown in confusion, but the man doesn't even seem to notice.

- We are celebrating this deal! - he says. And then you notice the briefcases, and the style of clothing. These are government salesmen.

- Sorry, but, I heard that Tony Stark was broke. - You say. - How did he buy the land?

The two men let out accomplice giggles.

- Oh, dear, you know how impulsive young people are. - he remarks. - Stark sold everything in his name. The vast majority of the money was used to pay off debts. But he secured the purchase of the land in New Elizabeth. - He tells us with a smile. - I imagine that he wanted to start his own legacy again.

- Yes, yes. Like his grandfather did. - agreed the other friend, sounding more like they were talking to each other than to you.

- Or else he will kick the savages out and buy a ranch! - retorted the man with a laugh. You held back from punching him in the face.

- I guess the little bit of money that's left will be used to pay tonight's bill! - scoffed the other man, and they both started to laugh, then went back to drinking and completely ignored your presence.

You turned toward Tony again, in disbelief that he had done all this.

And then you watched as he leaned over slightly with his hands on his stomach, only to have him vomit on a well-dressed gentleman the next second.

The man pushed Tony, who was too drunk to do anything and ended up falling to the ground. You rushed to catch up with them and grabbed the stranger's hand as soon as he raised his fist to hit Tony.

- Back off! - you warned as you pushed the man's arm against him. He looked startled, and stepped back. You turned to Tony, helping him up. - You're a mess, buddy.

Tony laughs, not really understanding what you said. You asked him to find his own coat before you took him out of the saloon. It was difficult to help him get on your horse, but eventually you succeeded. The challenge would be to keep him from falling off along the way to the camp.

//-//

You let Tony lie in your bed when you dragged him into the camp. Everyone was surprised that you brought someone completely drunk, and you were still angry with Steve, so you just nodded saying that you would tell him about it tomorrow.

And then you removed Tony's boots and jacket, and he fell asleep the moment he lay down. You frowned as you noticed a set of papers in his inside jacket pocket, and even though you didn't want to pry, you grabbed the item.

Letting out a surprised exclamation, you ran to Bucky's tent.

- What is it? - he asked as he opened the tent.

- Stark is completely insane, that's what! - you said, handing Bucky the papers.

He frowned, but his expression changed to absolute shock when he read the contents.

- He bought the land?

You just laughed, and hugged Bucky. You did it. The reservation was safe. When you let go, he read the papers again, still surprised.

- I'll take it to them. - He says in the next second. - They must have it as soon as possible.

And then Bucky ran into the tent and began to put on his boots.

- Do you want me to go with you? - you ask.

- No! - he says excitedly. - You have a job tomorrow. Don't worry, you'll have time for that later.

You let out a happy laugh, and thank Bucky again. And then you go back to Stark to see if he was okay.

You realize that you stink of booze from having to carry him around, so you sort out your bath items. You also prepare a movable mattress to place in the campfire area, since your bed was occupied.

You throw the items you have sorted on the ground at the edge of the large lake where the camp is. You are in a further area to bathe.

And when you get into the water, you hear footsteps in the woods behind you, and Wanda appears next.

- Hey. - You exclaim excitedly when you see her, and are immediately relieved to know that she is safe.

- Hello. - She replies with a smile as she sits down on the edge of the lake in front of you.

- Have you just arrived? - you ask before splashing some water on your face.

- Yes. - Wanda says with a tired sigh. - Natasha passed out on her bed. I wanted to say goodnight and Potts told me you had gone to take a shower.

You grumble in agreement, and Wanda looks around curiously.

- Why did you bring a mattress here? - She asks, noticing the object a few centimeters away from where she was sitting.

- Stark is in my bed. - You say, and smile at Wanda's confused expression. - It's a long story, but he's drunk and passed out in there.

- Okay. - Wanda laughs lightly. She lets out a sigh after a moment and then stands up, beginning to undress. You bite your lip at the image, but say nothing. You look away when she is completely naked.

She enters the water next, walking slowly towards you. She lets out a small giggle when she complains that it is a bit cold.

- By the way, Steve has just said that the job is going to be done tomorrow. - Wanda comments when she catches up with you. She frowns slightly. - I don't quite understand what has changed.

You let out an irritated sigh as you remember the conversation with Steve. And then you tell her what Steve was doing, and Wanda has a slightly incredulous expression on her face.

- I can't believe I'm exhausted for nothing. - She says and then smiles. - Natasha will be furious. - She comments and you shrug, reaching up to pull Wanda's hair from her neck and down her back. - So does Pietro.

- I was furious. - You say with a light humor in your voice, your gaze lowering to Wanda's collarbone. She lets out a chuckle.

- Really? - she teased with a smile. You just smirked. - Why? Are you worried about me?

You swallow dryly as you notice the mischievous expression on Wanda's face. Her chin is raised in defiance, and you lick your lips before speaking in earnest.

- Of course I was, Wanda. - You say as you bring your bodies closer together. It's delightful to watch Wanda lose her confident posture as you grow closer together. - I didn't want anything to happen to you. - You whisper against her lips, closing your eyes as your foreheads meet. - But I should have known you'd be okay. - You remark, dragging your face so that your mouth is at the level of Wanda's ear. - You're so brave, and strong. - You whisper in her ear as your hands go up to her waist. - Such a good girl.

Wanda lets out a sigh, and her hands go up your arms.

- Are you tired, love? - You ask her gently, but don't wait for her to answer. - Let me make you feel better.

You move your mouth down her neck, pressing wet kisses against her skin. Wanda's hands clasp your arms.

You move your mouth down her neck, pressing wet kisses against her skin. Wanda's hands squeeze your arms. You suck on a sensitive spot on her neck, and she presses your bodies together as she pulls you by your arms, and then you both let out a moan.

You pull your face away from her neck to bring your mouths together again, and then you kiss her. Wanda pushes your tongues together, as you move your hands down to her ass, and squeeze the flesh pulling her to you. The touch surprises Wanda, and she breaks the kiss with a long moan, and you take advantage of this to move your mouth down again.

Reaching up to the height of her breasts, you lower your kisses to her left nipple. Wanda raises one hand to your hair, holding you in place as you suck on the tip of her breast. She moans breathlessly, closing her eyes, and you delight in the sounds she makes.

And then you want to kiss her again, and you lift your face to the height of her mouth, bringing your lips together in a passionate, heated kiss, as your hand slides down. You scratch Wanda's belly with your fingernails, and she shivers at your touch.

You try to keep the same amount of attention on Wanda's tongue and your hand, but you are on the verge of combusting.

Your fingers move down to Wanda's intimacy, and touch her shallowly. Wanda lets out a breathless moan against your mouth, and you feel her whole body trembling. And then you begin to caress her pussy, delighting in the sensation of having her in your fingers, and Wanda is wet and hot, and her eyes roll in her sockets as you penetrate her with one finger, making her moan heavily as she lifts her hands to your shoulders and squeezes to keep herself upright.

You want to tell her she's hot as hell making those sounds as you touch her, but Wanda slides her tongue into your mouth with sensuality, and makes you lose any sense of reality.

You then change the pace of the penetrations, slowing them down as much as possible to prolong the sensation, and this makes Wanda whimper. She tries to throw her hips against you to increase the speed, but you hold her by the waist against you. You sigh as you feel her throbbing. And then you withdraw your finger, and then insert a second. You hold Wanda against you until she gets used to the sensation, and she breaks the kiss to bite your shoulder, preventing herself from screaming, although a hoarse moan escapes her throat.

- Love, is that good? - You ask tenderly against her ear, without moving your fingers. Wanda lets out a sigh against your shoulder, and then nods. You smile. - Use your words, love. - You ask, moving your fingers slowly. Wanda groans. And then you stop. - Wanda?

- Fuck. - She whispers breathlessly. - Yes, babe. That's really good.

Then you sink your fingers inside her, and Wanda moans deeply against your ear, clinging to you for stability. You move in and out of her with slowness and precision, and Wanda whimpers against your ear.

And then she is shaking, and you feel her pussy tighten against your fingers. Wanda buries her head in your shoulder, and her legs are unsteady, so you use your free hand to hold her still as your fingers move in and out of her. You kiss her shoulders gently, and when her body starts to spasm between moans, you increase the speed.

Wanda cums in your fingers a minute later, a long, drawn-out moan escaping her lips. The lake water washes her flavor from your hands, and you long to touch her again.

Wanda is breathing shallowly against your neck, and you let your hands wander down her back as she calms herself. But it doesn't take long before she pulls away only to kiss you on the mouth.

When she breaks away, her eyes are dark, and she just smiles at you, interlacing her hands and pulling you lightly off to the side. You walk toward the mattress you have brought, and she signals for you to sit down. When you do, she sits on your lap, kissing you and making you moan.

You let your hands wrap around Wanda's waist, as your tongues wrestle together. But then Wanda is pressing down, seeking more friction and you are barely able to breathe, and you moan breathlessly against her mouth, making her smile against your lips.

Wanda pushes you gently to the floor, without stopping kissing you. And in that position you can feel her hot, wet pussy against yours, making your eyes roll into their orbits. You let out a shaky sigh, and Wanda separates your mouths.

- That's good, isn't it? - She whispers against your ear, slowly rubbing herself against you. - Do you like it when I'm on top of you?

You let out a long moan, feeling Wanda move against you. And then you squeeze her waist, forcing her against your hips, and she buries her face in your neck. Wanda trembles slightly on top of you, but continues to rub her pussy against yours, and as you both let out long, moaning sobs. You move your hands down to her ass, squeezing and increasing the speed as you begin to thrust your hips against her, and Wanda bites her skin to stop herself from screaming.

The tightness below your stomach gets worse, and you are finding it hard to control the spasms in your body, but you keep going because it feels so fucking good. Wanda keeps calling your name between breathless moans, and you increase the speed.

And then you cum together a moment later, a long moan escaping from your mouths as Wanda falls against you. You move your trembling hands up her back gently, caressing her, and Wanda smiles against the skin of your neck. It doesn't take long for you to fall asleep.

[paradox-psyc-hoe-sis]

X-men preference - how they flirt with you!

Charles x reader, Erik x reader, Hank x reader, Logan x reader, Kurt x reader

Word count: 1.4k

A/N: yo yo yo, this is my first x-men related fic but I've been so engrossed with the fandom recently that I'll definitely be writing more :D (also the reader is a teacher at the mansion) - Honey

CHARLES

• Charles was very discreet with the way he flirted with you, wanting to get to know you more.

• He'd spend more time with you between classes, asking you about your abilities, talking to you about your life before you came to the academy, etc.

• Before you two were really close, he treated you in a strictly friendly manner. As you both grew closer, his feelings manifested into physical actions.

• Small hugs, kissing you on the cheek, instinctively clutching your hand at the sense of danger, and even you letting him into your mind.

• Obviously, it was pretty clear there was a thing between you.

• After a few months, you realised you liked him, too.

• You were both in the courtyard one evening, Charles talking about recruiting some new students.

• The way the purple sky reflected on his glassy eyes, his stubble-littered jaw, soft lips curved at the edges as he spoke.

• As he was halfway through a sentence, you impulsively leaned in and placed your your lips onto his.

• It took him a second to realise what was happening, but once he caught on he firmly kissed back, closing any remaining space between you.

• After a while, you both leaned back, a smile lingering between you both.

• "I really like you, Charles."

• A small chuckle escaped his lips as he cupped your cheek.

• "I didn't have to read your mind to figure that one out, y/n."

ERIK

• Erik was NOT subtle with the way he flirted.

• Eying you up and down with a smirk, staring at your behind when you weren't looking, wrapping an arm around your waist whenever you were near.

• He was just naturally affectionate, which you certainly didn't mind.

• He'd randomly bring you flowers in the middle of the day, because "they were on sale and just reminded me of you."

• And when others were off on a mission, he'd insist on cooking you dinner.

• The way you really knew that he liked you was that he'd sometimes open up to you about his emotions.

• The only person he's talked to in the past about his feelings was Charles, but it always ended in arguments.

• But often he'd wake up in the middle of the night and go downstairs to see you, also downstairs & wide awake, drinking hot cocoa.

• It became a weekly tradition for the both of you to have a cup of cocoa on a Sunday night, usually around midnight.

• When you were both downstairs, he'd talk to you about his childhood and his mental health. You were always there for him, listening to every word.

• So one sunday night you were creeping down the stairs, waiting to find Erik in the kitchen with 2 mugs of hot chocolate.

• However, instead of preparing your hot drinks, he was stood next to the record player. "Care for a dance?"

• Slow music played as you swayed across the floor.

• That night, he told you that he loved you. And, of course, you said it back :)

HANK

• As soon as you and Hank met, everyone knew he had a crush on you.

• Whenever you talk to him, touch him in any way, or even flash him a smile he'll automatically blush and get all flustered.

• "Hey Hank, I really like your sweater!"

• "Uh..m-my sweater? I uh...I don't...um, thank you."

• Once he became more comfortable around you, he started to flirt a lot more.

• Teasing little jokes and compliments were thrown back and forth a lot between you both, as well as longing glances when the other isn't looking.

• He loved to have you in the lab with him, and you were completely happy supporting him & listening to him drone on about his discoveries.

• He had been working on a serum for months, when one day he finally cracked it.

• He was working at his desk in the lab, you directly opposite reading a book, when he suddenly erupted.

• "YES!!! I'VE DONE IT!"

• You saw the small vile he was holding and automatically knew what he was talking about.

• You ran over to him and instinctively gave him a hug, him gripping you just as tight.

• However, you also absentmindedly went in for a kiss.

• It was small and light, and you pulled back straight away.

• "I...I'm sorry, I shouldn't ha-"

• He cut you off by pressing a firmer kiss to your lips, his hands gripping your waist with delight.

LOGAN

• We all know that Logan can be a stupid bitch when it comes to emotions.

• So when he realised he had feelings for you, he immediately distanced himself.

• He rarely showed up to meals, seldom participated in group activities, and avoided you at all costs.

• The only time you saw him was between classes, making your way to your next group of students and seeing him lurking in the corridors.

• His sudden withdrawal came so randomly to you & the other x-men, though.

• He'd often help you grade papers, drive you to the local convenience store for grocery shopping, and even help you cook meals for the staff.

• But all that stopped once he figured out his feelings for you.

• And frankly, you were sICK of it.

• One night, you got back late from visiting a family member. It must have been 11pm by the time you arrived back at the mansion, and the only thought that played on your mind during the drive home was Logan.

• Once you got in and put your bag down, you went straight to Logan's room. Trying to keep your cool, you knocked three times on his door.

• No reply.

• "I know you're in there, Logan. Let me in!"

• No reply.

• So, you let yourself in. And there he was, sat on his bed, flipping through a book, not at all surprised that you'd let yourself in.

• Once he saw you stood in the doorway, brows furrowed, he stood up and walked towards you.

• "Everything okay?" He grumbled, scratching the back of his neck.

• "No, Logan. Everything isn't okay. Why are you ignoring me?"

• You closed the door behind you, walking closer to him.

• Without a second of hesitation, he strode towards you, pushing you up against the wall.

• He waited a second before cupping your cheek and kissing you, teeth grazing your lips.

• Let's just say...you didn't get much sleep that night ;)

KURT

• Kurt was similar to Hank when it came to expressing emotions, yet he was certainly more romantic.

• Yes, he could get easily flustered around you, but he always found a way to turn it into a romantic situation.

• He'd write you small poems on sticky notes and leave them in your room, buy your favourite chocolate and put it under your pillow, and even pick you flowers from the gardens to surprise you on a bad day.

• It was obvious to everyone - including you - that he had a crush on you. And sure, you liked him too, but you wanted him to confess his feelings.

• When I tell you this boy was whipped; he was WHIPPED.

• Spill some water? He'll he there to clean it up. Break a glass? He's already scooped up the pieces and put them in the bin. Trouble grading papers? He's right behind you with the marking scheme to keep you on track.

• Although you'd tell him so many times that you can do it by yourself, he was eager to treat you like the princess that you were.

• It was the evening of your birthday when he confessed his feelings.

• The x-men had thrown you a party, and when the festivities were over, he stayed to help you clean up.

• "Y'know, I never managed to give you your birthday present."

• He told you to close your eyes and stick out your hand. Once you did, you felt him take your hand, and suddenly you felt a cool breeze against your arms.

• You opened your eyes in awe at your surroundings; you and Kurt were on top of the Eiffel tower, gazing down at the French city behind you.

• "Holy shit, Kurt - this is s-"

• He cut you off, placing his lips on yours. He didn't add too much pressure, waiting for you to respond, but loosened up when you lifted a hand up to cup his cheek.

• Your lil blueberry just wants everything for his queen <3

[kokaizhu]

Spare p. 1

Walking the bustling streets of.... Some town was, nice. The way everyone interacted with one another. Children playing here and there. It's just what a happy town should be.

But, that'd probably change soon. Wouldn't it?

A young woman, about mid-twenties, with soft, flowing (H/l) (H/c) hair and a body most women would kill for if they'd have the chance. This woman's name was, (L/N) (Y/i). (Y/n). Shes the most kindest woman anyone could ever meet and owns a flower shop.

One day, while organizing some tulips and roses, from the corner of her eye she spotted a young child in the window. He had fairly short, curly blonde hair and wore some sunglasses with a button up shirt and some plaid pants. He seemed to be staring.

Turning completely toward him, (Y/n) flashed her prize winning smile that everyone seemed to love and waved. The boy seemed shocked and walked away with the smallest, barely visible blush. Leaving the (H/c)-ette confused. So with a small shrug she went back to work.

Days passed and no sign of that little boy.

Packing up a basket full of bouqets, ready for delivery, (Y/n) set out with the usual jump in her step(Not w/out locking her shop first). As she went from house to house and a couple of other businesses she came across an alleyway. An alleyway with mischievous snickers of children.

With curiosity the young woman made her way into the semi-dark alley, coming upon a group of children that were huddled.

"You think you're better, Huh?"

(Y/n) brows furrowed as she quietly creeped closer.

"You came to the wrong town to be all high and mighty, pipsqueak."

She then frowned.

"We'll teach you a lesson."

As the kids were about to continue on their assault, (Y/n) heard enough.

"What do you kids think you're doing?" she spoke with a loud, clear voice, startling the children as they quickly turned around.

Most of the children there were familiar.

"Ah!? (Y/n)-san?! Why're you here it's dangerous!" a boy with short shaggy midnight blue hair, Erik, squeaked in surprise with his emeralds wide.

"I could be asking you the same. What is going on here?"

"N-nothing ma'am."a brunette spoke. All the children seemed to scoot closer toward eachother to block the woman's view behind them.

(Y/n) deadpanned at them before closing her shining (E/C) irises with a deep breath. "Children, you can't fool me-"

She seen something, no, someone stand up behind the group--the blonde little boy-- Causing all the others to turn around, their faces paled. They looked back at (Y/n) who had a disappointed and saddened look in her face.

"All of you get home. Now." she commands, gently pushing them to the side and kneeling in front of the little boy and placing her basket of almost gone bouquets down.

The group of children looked at each other then towards to two before they dispersed out of the alleyway and quickly home.

"Are you alright?" (Y/n) gently placed a hand on his cheek as she examined him.

He stayed quiet, fighting off a blush as best he can. She was so close.

She smiled sadly, seeing bruises form and tears in his well-dressed clothes and some cuts/scratches on his warm-toned skin. "It's okay, you can speak I won't hurt you....."

Another silence.

She sighed, how about I take you back with me and get you patched up, ne? " and without waiting for a response she picked up her basket and then boy the boy in bridal style. Slightly squishing the side of his face into her breast as she carried him back to her shop.

He should complain but, he didn't want to ruin this heavenly moment.

Along the way, (Y/n) talked about things and asked him some questions, which he only nodded and shook his head to. Moments later, they finally arrived. She gently set him down so she could unlock the door.

But, behind her back the poor boy simply pouted at the loss of heavenly, softness.

"Here you go. You can make your way upstairs and make yourself at home. I'll put some stuff away and then get to you with a first aid." she held the door open for him with a smile.

He quickly straightened his face and nodded, doing as she said. Making his way through, he took in the natural, sweet scent. Just like (Y/n)'s scent. He enjoyed the calm atmosphere and felt at peace, for getting all of his revenging goals and the troublesome but loving family. Everything.

He reached the upstairs and everything is so neatly organized and placed. He spotted a nice, plump looking couch and went to take his seat, waiting patiently. Wonder if the others are wondering he he is.

No sooner, the beautiful angel came with first aid in hand and took a seat beside him. She wore that same smile when she first smiled at him in the window. "It might sting, only a little." she warned as she opened the box, taking out peroxide and a little tissue-thing, pouring the disinfectant liquid on it. She leaned in close as she dabbed some of it on the boys cheeks. His breath hitched but manned up. He had a closeup view down the top of her dress, barely any room to be shown down into there.

"You know, I wonder.... Are you mute, little one?"

His eyes snapped up towards her face, she was currently cleansing and patching other small injuries. ".......... No."

She looked up surprised then pouted. "Then how come you didn't speak before?"

He simply shrugged.

"Very well....~ "

"Doflamingo. "

"Very well, Doflamingo.. That's a little long, I'll call you either mingo or Doffy." she chuckled.

"Only my family can call me Doffy."

"Huh?" she finished up patching his injuries. "Ah, sorry, sorry. Then I guess mingo."

He looked away.

"No?"

Silence.

"alright then, Do-fla-min-go~"she simply giggled and booped his little nose, placing the aid kit to the side.

Doflamingo blushed, barely visible and stood.

[dreamingofmilk]

Just The Two Of Us Chapter 3

Synopsis: You meet up with Erik to get an explanation.

Word count: 1,447

Warnings: none

Izzie paced back and forth in her dorm room. Ignoring Leona as she just walked into the living room. Lee watched her with amusement, a small smile on her face. Lee sat back on the couch and started eating her popcorn.

“What’s got your panties in a bunch?” Lee asked, her head turning to watch Izzie continuously go back and forth.

“I’m supposed to be meeting someone today.” Izzie stopped to glance at Leona. Then she started up her walking again.

“At what time?” Leona asks, offering Izzie some popcorn. Izzie shakes her head and keeps walking.

“7.”

“That’s in like 5 minutes… shouldn’t you be getting ready.” Leona quirks a brow at Iysha. Iysha shrugs and sits next to her.

“It’s Erik,” Izzie mumbled.

“Erik who?” Lee watched Izzie as she picked up her phone and watched the time tick by. “Erik who Iz?” Lee asked again.

“The Erik. The same guy I was in love with freshman year after he left to join the army before I met Bucky and fell head over heels for a guy with a metal arm.” Izzie yelled frustrated.

“I thought he was dead. Didn’t you get some letter saying he dropped off the grid and was presumed dead.” Lee was now completely intrigued.

“I did! But he’s not and now he wants to meet and explain what happened.” Izzie put her head in her hands and shook slightly.

“So?” Lee shrugged. Go meet him. I don’t see what the big deal is. Wasn’t he like your best friend? What’s wrong with catching up?” Lee reasoned with Izzie.

“The big deal is that I was in love with my best friend. The even bigger deal is that I might still be in love with him.” Izzie responded, her heart hurt as she thought of Bucky and how he might feel hearing those words come out of her mouth.

“Oh,” Lee says.

“Yeah big fucking OH.” Izzie stands up to start pacing again. “Don’t get me wrong I love Bucky. I’m in love with Bucky at 100%. He is who I want to spend the rest of my life with. But seeing Erik yesterday made me realize that I might love him too. I… I..” Izzie faded off looking at her phone again.

“I say you go see him. Tell him how you feel and that you have a boyfriend now. Tell him that you want to still have him in your life as a friend and go from there. You're making assumptions right now and you don’t know how anything will go. You won’t know until you talk to him. If anything you deserve an explanation.” 

Izzie nodded her head in agreeance. “You’re right I do deserve an explanation.” Izzie grabbed her coat from the hook and her keys and wallet. “I’ll let you know what happens.” Izzie all but ran out of the dorm room.

**********

Izzie makes it to the cafe at 7:45 pm her heart pounding from the race there and the anticipation of seeing him again. Butterflies erupted in her stomach as they always did when she saw his face, Bucky’s too.

Erik’s sad face and frown contorted into a big smile when he saw Izzie. He stood up as she made her way toward him. He opened his arms for a hug, Izzie frowned and shook her head.

“I just came for the explanation Erik. Nothing more nothing less.” Izzie sits down quietly in front of where Erik was just sitting.

“Okay. That’s okay. I’m just happy you came. I was getting a bit worried.” Erik chuckled and shyly glanced up at Izzie. His nervousness was new to her. Erik always used to be the most confident guy around, especially whenever Izzie was with him.

“Yeah okay Erik, I’m here now. Can you just explain why you had your commanding officers send me a letter saying that you were dead when you’re clearly not?”

“Okay.” Erik cocks his head. “Well for one… It wasn’t my commanding officers that sent that letter. As far as they know I am actually dead. It was my cousin… T’Challa. You remember him?”

Izzie nods, confusion etched on her face. “I thought… I mean… Did you find him? You were able to get to Wakanda?”

Erik nodded a small content smile on his face.

“I was able to locate my family. It took some fighting and a few family squabbles but we hashed everything out and made it work in the end. I am now Prince Njdaka Udaku advisor to King T’Challa Udaku, and occasional lab rat for Princess Shuri Udaku.” He grimaced at the last one.  

She smiled softly, “That’s great, Erik. I’m glad you found a solution you’re happy with.” Izzie was genuinely happy for him too. She knew how heavy his family history weighed on him, so she was happy to hear that he managed to find a way to fix it. That certainly didn’t fix the issues he caused between the two of them though.

"That doesn't answer my question though. Why did you make me think you were dead?"

Erik sighed, "I joined a black ops organization to get Intel on Wakanda. I wanted to get revenge for Pops."

She nodded, hesitating slightly before she spoke again, "What kind of revenge? Why would you have to join black ops?"

Erik looked into her eyes, his expression full of the same sadness from before. "I was going to kill T'challa. His dad killed Pops, so I planned on returning the favor."

Izzie shook her head, "Erik, no. That wouldn't have solved anything. That wouldn't take the pain away."

He nodded. "Yeah. I learned that the hard way. I almost killed my cousin, twice, to punish him for a crime his father committed. It took me a long time to see it, but T'challa is nothing like his father."

He paused for a bit before continuing. "To answer your question T'Challa helped me fake my death so I wouldn't be punished for treason. I abandoned the military after all."

Izzie frowned, "And you couldn't trust me not to tell anyone?" She couldn't hide the hurt in her voice. "I would have never betrayed you like that!"

Erik raised his hands, palms exposed. "I know, Butter, believe me. I argued with T'challa and Shuri for weeks about it. I didn't want to lie to you. But they said that the military would check into everyone connected to me and I couldn't put you in danger like that. If they found out that you knew anything about my whereabouts they would have taken you, or worse. You don’t know the kind of shit that I got wrapped into with them. The shit that I know about them. I couldn't take that chance."

Izzie nodded reluctantly. "I understand. I wish you would have trusted me though. You have no idea what I went through when I found out you died. I was a wreck for months Erik!" She could feel the tears burning behind her eyes. Those were the darkest times of her life. She almost didn't make it through. And all of it was a lie.

Erik reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "Butter, I'm so sorry I hurt you. I swear to you I only did it to protect you. I know you're angry with me, and I understand, but I love you and I will do whatever I need to do to fix it. Just give me a chance and I will make it my life's work to make you happy."

Izzie shook her head, "It's not that simple Erik." His eyes widened as she spoke, desperation and resolve clear in his expression.

"What's the problem Izzie? I love you, and I know you love me too. Together forever, that's what we said."

The tears in her eyes fell over. "I thought you were dead Erik! Dead! I have a boyfriend, I love him. We can't pick up where we left off."

"A boyfriend huh?" Erik sat back calmly in his seat. 

Izzie nodded. "Yes. Like I said I came here for an explanation and closure. Nothing more, nothing less."

She moved to stand up and Erik gently grabbed her hand.

"That's fine, Butter, I'll win you back. We're meant to be, and I'll do whatever you need to make you see it again."

Izzie wrenched her hand away and gathered her things. Erik sat still, but there was a smirk forming on his face. The same smirk that sent butterflies to her stomach, that still made her weak in the knees. 

"Have fun with your distraction, Butter. I'll be right here when you're ready."

Taglist:

@aislinnsilver @wawakanda-btch @chaneajoyyy @marvelmaree

[supersizemeplz]

You Sure?

Erik Stevens x Black PlusSized Reader

Another #supersizedfic short. For the lovely @unholyxcumbucket. Light SMUT. Hope you like it boo. Enjoy!

The sounds of the morning podcast played from the speaker. All their voices soothing though the volume was a bit low for the sake of just being background noise. The running water of the bathroom sink shut off as Erik wiped his face. He looked in the mirror at his appearance before leaving the spacious bathroom. Taking his usual morning spot at the edge of the bed to watch you dress.

You stood at the full length mirror that doubled as the closet door. Rubbing in lotion while only in your underwear. Erik appreciated the beauty you held, right down to that amazing personality. He sat back on his elbows as admired your backside. You bent over ass in the air and legs shoulder width apart as you moisturized your legs and backside.

"You like tempting a nigga, huh?" He smirked, trailing his gaze along your body for the twentieth time. Etching the details of your body into memory. "..knowing that I can't really get a taste like I want to. Like I won't bend you over that vanity and put in work."

You chuckled, looking at him in the reflection of the mirror. His legs wide as he sat back relaxed, half naked and only in his underwear. Bulge calling to you. "I could say the same about you.." Turning to him, you smirked. "Walking around in those briefs like I won't snatch yo soul before I gotta leave. Keep playing wit yo fine ass.."

His own words used against him.

He chuckled at the last line, knowing just how capable you were of having him whimpering your name. That mouth of yours was smart as hell, but just as dangerous when it came to using it. Sitting up from his relaxed position, he brushed a hand over his awakening length. "You need to let me snatch yours. Ion mind getting my beard wet.." He confessed, looking at the softness of your thighs. Your underwear was hugging your ass and he'd gotten himself worked up.

You grinned, taking slow steps towards him as you strutted. Swaying your hips with your steps. "I'm starting to believe you're addicted.." You stood before him, reaching a hand out to massage his beard. He growled at the soothing feeling of your nails against his skin. Tilting his face up, you leaned forward to capture his lips.

He hummed in the kiss, cursing when your lips left his to trail kisses down his neck. You gave his skin wet kisses, very aware of his dick stiffening from the contact. "Shit, I am.." He breathed out, as you focused on his sweet spot. Kissing and sucking to create a love mark. When his fingers touched your bare thighs, you stopped your teasing.

Licking your lips, you stepped back with deep breath. Controlling yourself. "Oh my damn." You fanned yourself, looking away from him. "Lemme get ready for work before I be throwing it back on you.." You chuckled, watching as he tucked his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Hold on, hold on. C'mere, thickems.." He caught your hand, pulling you back to him. You wore a small smile as he smirked. His hands rubbed the sides of your thighs. Up and down in a slow yet sensual pace. "Have I ever told you how fuckin beautiful you are?" His dark orbs held your gaze as he spoke.

"Yes. You have.." You grinned, looking down at him as he pressed kisses against your soft stomach. Then your thighs. "..but I wouldn't mind hearing it again." Those full lips of yours spread into a teasing smile. He chuckled, looking up at you. Palming your backside as he told you how beautiful you looked.

He rubbed over the back of your thighs and your butt, smacking occasionally as he teased you. "Can you do me a favor, baby girl?" You hummed, awaiting the favor. Ready to do anything he asked and more. "You wanna sit on this dick? Let me fill up this pussy?" You hand slipped into his underwear as he spoke, freeing him with ease because of his lack of clothes. "You'n even gotta ride, I just wanna feel you hugging me."

"You just want me to sit?" You raised an eyebrow, stroking him slowly. A firm grip as you twisted inward with each upward stroke. He growled, confirming what he wanted before asking 'can you do that for daddy?'. You smiled, licking your lips as you released him. "I can do that for you, daddy."

Stepping back once again, you shimmer out of your panties. Dropping them to the soft rug beneath your bare feet. Erik chuckled as you mimicked a little sexy dance, swaying your hips slowly as you moved your shoulders. His smirk was glued on as your straddled him, him asking 'tell me you love me'.

You grinned at his cuteness. "I love you, N'Jadaka." He hummed, mumbling 'you betta, fine ass' before he reciprocated the term of endearment. You bent forward, holding his erect thickness in place. Meeting his gaze, you rocked your hips over his tip to stimulate your clit and lubricate him.

"Take it slow for me.." He mumbled as you eased onto his lubricated tip. His hands found your hips as you slowly sank onto him, feeling the slow stretch of fullness. "Fuckk. There you go, baby.." Your warmth engulfed him and he welcomed the hug you gave. His fingertips brushed up along your side when you bottomed out.

Your head had fallen back, bottom lip trapped between your teeth as you both became one. The brightness of your nails contrasted against his brown skin, and he took your left hand into his right. Pressing a kiss to that extravagant engagement ring that adorned your third finger. "Eyes on me, baby.." You hummed softly as you obeyed. Giving him a lustful look as you did so.

His hands were on your round backside once again, massaging the fluffiness. You did one slow rise and fall of your hips. Watching as he licked his lips. "You feel so good.." Draping your arms over his shoulders, you loosely hugged his neck. Your lips ghosted his ear as you spoke softly, nails grazing her nape of his neck.

He shuddered beneath you as you ran the flat of your tongue up the side of his neck. Your lips ending the trail with a kiss.  "You sure we don't have enough time to play a little?"

_____________

Taglist: @sisterwifeudaku @kumkaniudaku @elaindeereads @wawakanda-btch @theunsweetenedtruth @hold-me-like-a-heart-beat @unholyxcumbucket @purple-apricots @marvelpotterlove @chaneajoyyy @disneysdarlingdiva @wakanda-inspired @justanotherloveaffair @cmonkillmonger @princesskillmonger @theblulife @airis-paris14 @fonville-designs @liviy00 @cosmicmelaninflower @whoramilaje @yaachtynoboat711 @yofavcocoa @teheeboo @alexundefined @kaykay0829 @terrablaze514 @iwrite4poc @truglori @muse-of-mbaku @killmongerdispussy @jozigrrl @thedelightfulone @bugngiz @fiercedeception @tinyelfperson @ashleychristina73 @ikeea-world @softnani @tashawar @callme-slime @a1bunni @desireatatyana @amethystbutterflie @chefjessypooh @slimmiyagi @ljstraightnochaser @yoyolovesbucky

[goddessofthundathighs]

V. DINNER DATE

“Why didn't you tell me you had the tongue of an anteater? It seems like something you would've brought up once or twice since we've been in such close quarters,” O'Shea inquired as the two women strolled down Rodeo Drive. As promised, after they finished lunch Skylar took her shopping to search for a gown for the conference as well as to reward Shea for behaving so well during her little experiment. Sky’s response wasn’t immediate. She simply chuckled before removing the Prada shades from her face and using them as a makeshift headband to tame her natural curls.

“One, you never asked, and two, I’m a lesbian and an expert in female anatomy. Not knowing how to eat pussy is a disservice to myself as well as to my profession.”

“Touché,” O’Shea replied. There wasn’t much she could say after such an explanation. With that, the ladies continued their trip, spending an obscene amount of money, but Sky felt like they both deserved it. After spending several hours in Chanel, Gucci, and Christian Louboutin, the pair had dinner and then retired to their respective living quarters.

Conference Day

O’Shea sat behind the desk, iMac open to her emails, sketchbook open to her latest design, and her iPhone blasting her Créme de la Pénis playlist. The sensualness of the sexually charged lyrics helped fuel her creativity when it came to new design concepts. Just as she was finding her groove, the music stopped, interrupted by an incoming FaceTime call.

“Yes Dr. Stevens?”

“Good afternoon, Ms. Powell, you look beautiful today.” Her heart fluttered at his compliment, but she wouldn’t dare let him know that. It the short time that they had known one another, he had unlocked almost all of her sexual kinks and they had yet to have sex. O’Shea was perplexed yet intrigued and therefore continued in the sweet torture.

“Why thank you, Dr. Stevens. What do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?”

“Are you alone?”

“Skylar is in her office in the back of the store.”

“Are there any customers in the store?”

“Not right now.”

“Perfect. Grab a pair of headphones, I wanna try something.” Shea looked at the screen in confusion, but complied anyway.

“What are you wearing?”

“Well you can see my burgundy turtleneck, but I’m also wearing a leather pleated mini skirt, some fishnets and my black platform Doc Martens.”

“Mmm, that’s quite the visual, Ms. Powell. Think you can be a good girl for Daddy and play around for a bit?” The sexy voice was back and had O’Shea creating a puddle in her seat.

“That face is telling me yes, but I prefer verbal consent.”

“Yes Daddy.”

“Good girl, spread them legs for me.” As if she were in a trance, O’Shea spread her thighs and trailed her hand down to her pearl.”

“She wet?”

“Aquafina.” He smiled, revealing a new set of top and bottom grills, with the canines stretched like vampire fangs, with a dangerous glimmer in his eye.

“Should I be afraid?”

“Only if you wanna be, babygirl. But has Daddy ever given you a reason to be afraid?”

“Well it was that one time—”

“Girl shut yo ass up and pull that thong to the side.” She couldn’t help but laugh at his tone and his impatience.

“So how far does a nigga need to go with you to bring Bennie out the cage?”

“Why on Earth would you wanna meet her?”

“Well she’s clearly the one that runs the show. I just wanna see if she bout what she be talking bout,” his Oakland twang making an appearance ever so slightly.

“Be careful what you wish for, Stevens. Bennie doesn’t go back in the cage so easily when she’s summoned.”

“You let Daddy deal with that, Ms. Powell. Now like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, take two fingers.. stick them into that pretty mouth..get them wet.. and rub that clit nice and slow.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then that’ll be you all pent up and pissed off until tonight.”

“Touché,” she agrees. With that, her middle and ring fingers found her slickness, rubbing slow circles over her throbbing clit. She stared at the camera, biting her lip as his deep voice rumbled in her ear. Slow then fast then slow again she worked herself closer and closer to her release.

“You almost there, Princess?”

“Yes Daddy,” she whimpered, eying the front door as well as the door to the back office to ensure that no one caught her in her lewd act. This was the furthest she'd gotten with just her fingers in months. It had to be the combination of the movements and his voice.

“Good girl, now stop.”

“What?!” she screeched, as she was seconds from an orgasm.

“I just wanted you to get that pussy ready for Daddy. I’ll see you later on tonight.” With that, he ended to call, leaving her horny and pissed off in her seat. Her forgotten playlist was now a tease of what could've been.

“Skylar Moreau Greene!” she growled as she marched to the tiny woman’s office.

“I didn’t do it,” Sky answered, puzzled as to why O’Shea was disclosing her government name to the world.

“That blockhead friend of yours is about to come up missing!”

“What happened this time? You were just playing with ya pussy on FaceTime for him.”

“How did you—“

“Surveillance cameras, my precious.” Shit.

“Ok whatever. Anyway that nigga keeps getting me worked up and then leaving me hanging! I’m sick of it.”

“I thought you liked being edged?”

“I do when my release is the endgame. I haven’t cum in days! And no, I don’t want you to eat my pussy again even though that shit was IMMACULATE!” Skylar giggled at the admission. She’d been talking about it since the day it happened.

“O’Shea, sweetheart, I’m about to tell you something real. Erik isn’t like any other guy you’ll ever meet. His willpower and patience are unmatched, especially when he has a point to prove. The only way you’re gonna get what you want from him is by following his rules.”

“But this shit is dumb,” O’Shea pouted.

“Is it really dumb or are you just a spoiled little bitch?”

“Hey, hey! Lower your voice, ma’am. I’m in a vulnerable state and those are very triggering words.”

“I know princess,” Skylar teased, causing O’Shea to pout and stomp her way out of the office.

“I’m going to get my hair done!”

“Have fun!”

O’Shea left the salon two hours later with a large butterfly braid cascading down the left side of her face. Per Shea’s request, the stylist adorned the braid with gold charms and cording while the in-house makeup artist beat her face to the gods. They decided to go with soft glam on the face and lips, while adding gold glitter and false lashes for a bold pop. Once home, she freshened up and stepped into her dress. O’Shea stared in awe of herself in the custom ball gown Skylar had designed for Erik’s conference.

“My best friend is a flashy nigga, so his date has to match his fly.”

It was an Egyptian style white gown with gold accents and a cascading draped train. She completed the look with golden open toe high shaft stiletto gladiator sandals.

“If this doesn’t get me any dick, I’m fighting somebody,” O’Shea said as she admired herself.

Erik arrived promptly at 7:00. He stood clad in a black velvet suit with filigree detailing, black and gold Louboutin loafers, and his signature gold-rimmed glasses. His dreads were neatly braided to the back of his head and in his hands was a box of black and gold designer roses adorned with sparkling stones like the ones O’Shea had seen on Instagram. The man looked good enough to eat and though the sight before her had her essence pooling in her panties, Erik was still met with O’Shea’s attitude.

“I see someone’s still salty from earlier,” he taunted, noticing her cold demeanor.

“Whatever. Let’s just get this shit over with,” Shea fussed.

The ride to the banquet was quiet, too quiet for Erik’s liking, but he wasn’t giving in to O’Shea’s bratty antics. She needed to learn that she wasn’t the one in control of this situation and that she'd get the attention she craved whenever he chose to give it, but until then, he was content in torturing her every chance he got. He ran the tips of his fingers up the split in her dress, smirking to himself as her body inadvertently reacted to him. He watched the goosebumps spread across her skin as his fingers traveled further up her thigh and almost full out cackled at her pouting because he put both hands back on the wheel. He was sure he’d break her tonight.

O’Shea was awestruck once they finally entered the grand ballroom. The walls of the ballroom were ivory white with gold trimmings with four giant chandeliers lining the middle. Each table was decorated with black table cloths and accented with red napkins and red roses.

“Dr. Udaku, nice to see you again,” a colonizer spoke shaking Erik’s hand.

“Nice to see you as well, David. How’s Margaret?” Erik asked, not really caring about the state of the man’s wife but more so to move the conversation along. While the pair conversed about meaningless bullshit, O’Shea slipped away to grab a drink from one of the cocktail waitresses and admire the scenery. Erik caught up with her just as she'd downed her third glass, wrapping a protective arm around her waist.

“Tsk. You shouldn’t wander off like that, Princess. You'll get Daddy all worried.”

“Then Daddy should pay better attention to me,” she retorted. “And I thought your last name was Stevens. Who the hell is Udaku?”

“Mind your business,” was all he said before pulling her chair out at their assigned table. She pouted and fidgeted the entire time, making her displeasure for being there no secret to anyone paying attention. After about the fifth obnoxious yawn, Erik leaned over to whisper in her ear.

“Don’t forget you're a guest. Don't think that I won’t handle your tiny ass because we’re in public,” he threatened.

“Not worried.”

“Didn’t say you had to be.”

“Ugh, niggas make you cum once and wanna talk slick,” she spat.

“Once? That lil stunt in my office had you cumming way more than just once.”

“Nigga I’m talking tangible cum, physical orgasms.. and Shy has you beat in that department. Compared to her, your head game is mediocre.”

“Mediocre?!” he whisper yelled, causing a few heads to turn their way.

“I said what I said,” O’Shea answered, taking another sip from her champagne. He didn't respond and they sat in silence listening to the speaker.

After enough time had passed post spat, the pair began engaging in comfortable conversation with the other couples at the table. For a second, O’Shea had forgotten all about the dormant beast that sat to her left until his right hand found her bare left thigh again, squeezing the flesh roughly. O’Shea bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from moaning aloud, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by Dr. Nigga as he continued his sweet torture. He kept kneading and squeezing her thigh, causing her to clench her thighs together. She was unable to contain the squeal that left her lips as Erik smacked her outer thigh, causing her to spread her legs.

“Are you alright, O’Shea?” David asked, genuinely concerned by her sudden outburst.

“Y-Yes, I’m fine,” she stuttered out. Erik’s face remained neutral as his hand continued its quest upward into her panties where he found her throbbing clit. His thick fingers massaged slow circles, causing her wetness to pool once again. O’Shea tried desperately to close her legs, but it was useless. With his free hand, Erik took a sip of his water before leaning casually over to whisper in her ear.

“Try to close them again and I’ll bend you over this table,” he threatened with another smack to her outer thigh. O’Shea whimpered softly as she looked up at him and then down to her lap where she could see his fingers working their magic on her sensitive nub, her dress pooled in her lap. After the speaker made a small joke, the room laughed politely and Erik smiled at O'Shea sweetly before leaning back down to her.

“Is Princess gonna listen to Daddy?”

She closed her eyes and nodded, too far gone in the pleasure. Eyes still trained forward as the guest of honor spoke, Erik moved her panties to the side and slid two of his fingers into her, making ‘come hither’ motions against her g-spot.

“Oh fuck,” O’Shea moaned as silently as she could manage before putting a fist to her lips, biting down on her knuckles. David's attention was drawn again and he looked from O'Shea who seemed to be in great discomfort to Erik.

“Erik,” he whispered aggressively. Erik's face was of someone completely uninterested in what was going on and David pointed subtly at O'Shea, “Help her,” he implored shamed by Erik's lack of attention to her condition as he was hailed to be a capable and sought after doctor.

“Do you want my help,” he innocently blinked at O'Shea who was breathing heavily with her hand at her mouth so not to cause anymore attention.

“O'Shea?” He watched her face in faux concern as if he wasn't the source of her unraveling. “I think you might need some more attention,” he smirked as David finally turned away satisfied with Erik's involvement.

Erik’s deep chuckle was back at her ear as he pushed his digits as far into her as they would go, causing her essence to gush down his knuckles. O’Shea couldn’t take it. The forbiddenness of what they were doing had her wetter than she had been in a while and her orgasm was building fast. She leaned her head on his shoulder, whimpering so that only he could hear.

“Erik please..”

“So sweet now,” he murmured teasingly. “Please what, Princess?” She had begun rocking her hips to match his rhythm and aid in her completion.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum,” she whimpered as his fingers increased in speed, repeatedly stroking her gspot.

“Cum for Daddy, babygirl,” he purred, using his thumb to simultaneously massage her clit. She dug her nails deep into the rich material covering his thigh, biting her lip hard to mask her moan as her orgasm overtook her. David looked over to the pair, noting the sated look on Shea’s face.

“Are you sure you’re alright, O’Shea? You look flustered.”

“N-No sir. I’m totally fine.”

“She just needs some water,” Erik interjected. “Drink some water,” he directed O'Shea and she picked up her glass taking a sip and nodding. “She tends to get flustered in crowds. We're trying out a harmless little therapy tonight,” Erik lied as he pulled his hand from between her thighs, discreetly slipping his fingers into his mouth as David and another woman at the table listened with interest of the therapeutic method. The sight alone had O’Shea clenching.

“Isn’t that right?” he asked as he licked the last of her essence from his middle finger.

“Right,” she answered, taking a sip from the glass of water he slid in front of her since she'd finished her own.

“Ahem, if you all will excuse me, I’ll be right back,” Erik announced smoothly standing from the table and leaving the banquet room towards the hall of restrooms. O’Shea took a few more sips from the water glass as she tried to regulate her breathing. Meanwhile, David engaged her more in conversation mentioning relaxation techniques which worked to calm her nerves further. That was until her cell phone dinged in her clutch. She pulled it out to see one unread text message from Erik.

Bring yo ass here..

She bit her lip lustfully, as she slipped her phone back into her bag.

“Please excuse me, David. I need to get some fresh air.” With a confident stride, O’Shea, or should I say Bennie, made the short journey to the bathrooms where Dr. Nigga was waiting, leaning casually against the sink. His eyes traveled up and down her body hungrily as she stood before him.

“You gon’ take that shit off willingly or is a nigga gon’ have to rip it?”

“Nigga you will do no such thing,” she spat, planting her feet on the floor in front of him.

“Bet.” The harsh sound of ripped fabric filled the bathroom as Erik grabbed the split in her dress and tugged until the dress lay in two pieces on the floor.

“Bitch that was a $3,000 dress!” she fumed, his hand clamping tightly around her throat in response.

“What you just call me?”

“Bit—”

“Choose your words wisely, Princess,” he threatened as his fingers gripping the mound between her thighs once more, finding her throbbing core.

“That was an expensive dress Daddy,” she whimpered as she slowly starting grinding against his hand.

“You acting like Daddy can’t buy you another one, Lil’ Mama. I gave you simple instructions and you didn’t follow them so I handled it my way. Now look at you, grinding and clenching around my fingers like you deserve for me to let your bratty ass cum again.” He removed his hand from her center, sucking her juices off of his fingers. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, biting her lip as he stared down at her.

“What’s the matter, Lil’ Mama? You mad? You tired of me edging you even though you asked for this shit? Talk to Daddy.”

“I just wanna cum, Daddy. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll be good, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Oh you begging now? That’s cute. This must be the little girl in you. What was her name, Buttercup?” Her face heated. She knew he knew about all of her submissive personalities, but she didn’t expect him to bring out her Little Girl so quickly.

“Yeah, that’s my lil’ baby right there. You know, Bennie really hurt Daddy’s feelings earlier. She told me my head game was mediocre. You don’t think that, do you baby?” he asked as he stroked her cheek.

“I think I need to experience it again, Daddy. I don’t really remember.” He smirked before lifting her in his arms and placing her legs on her shoulders. He stepped closer to the wall so she’d be able to lean her body back and began feasting from her. His thick tongue snaked its way into her entrance, thrusting back and for the way his dick wanted to.

“Eyes on Daddy, Lil’ Mama,” he purred as he flicked his tongue against her clit before sucking it gently. He spelled both of their names against her clit, effectively drawing 3 more orgasms from her before settling her back on her feet.

“Daddy’s baby feel better?” She smiled goofily, nodding her agreement. “Rate Daddy's tongue on a scale of mediocre to exceptional.”

“Phenomenal,” she grinned. He collected the ruined dress from the floor and deposited it in the trash before draping his coat around her shoulders. She was thankful that he was so big, his large coat masking the fact that she was completely naked underneath. Erik went back to the table to say his goodbyes, blaming their sudden departure on O’Shea having sensory overload, being tired, and suffering a wardrobe malfunction.

“Oh, it was great to see you again, Erik. Good to meet you as well O'Shea. Take care of her,” David said innocently, waving his goodbye.

“I will,” Erik nodded curtly turning to lead O'Shea to the exit with his lips to her ear whispering all the while.

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[wonderlandmind4]

Delicate Stages Chp 50

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x OFC Ana Rios

Summary: Bucky Barnes agrees to participate in Deprogramming Sessions. What he gets is not anything like he expected.

Warnings: Language. Blood. Aftermath. Hospitals. Trauma. Some fluff, some angst. I’m sorry.

Words: 8k+ @justreadingfics @nerdyandproud9

A scorching hot sensation pulls Bucky back from the darkness of his mind. His eyes snap open. An excruciating amount of pain ignites his left side, so horrible, he dazedly wonders if it's truly happening. He grits his teeth, slowly turning his head to peer at his left arm.

A flash of bright crimson against pure white snow stabs through his mind as he stares at nothing. His entire arm is gone; just a broken, shredded stump of what remains. The frays glow orange and red, radiating through every nerve, down to his bones. He wants to rip it off, wants to claw away the rest of his shoulder but he can't. It's stuck, burning and attached to his body. His chest hurts. His stomach churns dangerously. A thought abruptly occurs to him.

Ana. Where is Ana?

Once Bucky swallows the bile rising up his throat, he slowly shifts from his back to his right side. He squints, a brilliant light stands next to him, in the form of Ana. Gold light. Bright. Powerful. Glowing. She’s glowing. Every inch of her skin emits golden bluish rays. It burns brighter in her hands, a solid beam of energy shooting from her palms. 

Heated air surrounds them, sizzles and crackles, snapping vigorously. Bucky blinks away his blurry vision, inhales slowly through his nose, exhales through his mouth. He tries to regain his senses, other than feeling agony radiating from his shoulder.

Through the bars of the railing from the platform, he spots the place where Erik Woods once stood, encased in the same light coming from Ana. Woods is now on the ground, motionless, appears lifeless. With an abrupt realization, Bucky knows what is happening. Ana is draining Erik's life force from his body; she doesn’t seem to realizes what she’s doing. Her body is stiff, her muscles rigid, her face set with in goal in mind. Her eyes glitter gold. There’s no end in sight.

The illuminating glow is fading away from the bottom of her ankles, slowly crawling up her legs. Bucky immediately guesses what the diminishing light entails, and he can’t - it can’t be- he can’t lose Ana. He can’t allow her to finish killing Woods- draining his life- and he can’t allow her to do it by accidentally killing herself. Bucky reaches out, his arm shaking violently from his own trauma. 

The closest part of her he can touch is her calf, his fingers gently grazing over her jeans. He can’t hold his arm up anymore, though it was enough to cease all power, the light cut off. Ana sways for a split second before she crumples to the ground like a puppet cut from strings.

Terror seizes Bucky’s heart. Ana’s skin is stark white, her eyes closed. She isn’t moving. Doesn’t even looks like she’s breathing. Two thick streams of blood escape from her nose, running down her face, the side of her cheek. No. No, no no no, this can’t be happening. She can’t be-

With one more ounce of strength, ignoring every single inch of him on fire, Bucky lifts his hand. His fingers caress her pale lips, trembling against her split lip. Ana cracks her eyes open, just two narrow slits, staring nearly lifeless at him.

"Stay with me.” He pleads desperately as his voice breaks.

Her eyes fall shut.

No. No! This can’t be real. This can’t be happening. The brightest thing in his dark world, the love of his life, can not be taken away from him. His hand is slowly being covered in her blood as he continues to trace her face, trying to wipe away the blood. Her skin is ice cold. He moves his fingers to her neck, dark bruises in the shape of fingers mar her delicate skin. Bucky doesn't feel a pulse. He doesn’t hear her heartbeat.

He doesn't realize he is screaming until something heavy grips his shoulder.

"Barnes! Bucky! Let me take her! I have to take her!"

Suddenly Ana is being lifted into red metallic arms before it takes off. Bucky follows the jets with his watery eyes, finally putting it together. Iron Man is flying Ana up to the jet. It's enough motivation to push himself up, just as someone else lands next to him. He doesn't pay any attention to them, just attempts to stand on unsteady feet, ignoring the waves of nausea crashing over him. It's not from physical pain.

"Shit, man. Let's get you up there."

The familiar voice makes Bucky finally look at the person. Sam holds his arm out, raising his eyebrows expectantly. Bucky relents gratefully, tightly grabs onto Sam's forearm. Then they're shooting up into the air, it only taking several seconds to reach the jet. Once inside, Bucky stumbles to where Agent Hill points at. He ignores every warning, every person trying to hold him back as he makes his way to the medical table where Ana lays.

Two medical personal surround her, quickly working to help. Bucky barely makes it to Ana's side, his fingers brushing over her cold knuckles, before his world goes black once more.

***

Silence stretches on for days. 

The days are long, the nights longer. Tension fills the muted air, heavy, cold. Hovers over the floor, between spaces, attaches to the ceiling, lingers in windows like droplets of despair. On the final day of absolute silence, it begins to break. The wind weaves between the trees of the forest; it isn't the only sound that shatters the quiet. The dry leaves on the ground rustle. The second hand in a clock ticks. The nervous tapping spells out a rhythm. The soft thud of a rubber sole against tile. The soft beeps of a machine echo hauntingly through a room. The shuffle of movement in the distance. A hiss of fabric. A faint inhale. A low exhale.

Something begins to feel heavy, weighed down. Something begins to itch; sticky, crawling sensations. Something akin to ice begins to settle. Something like the rush of waves begin to gain clarity. Something begins to feel soft, repeated slow movements. Something flutters against a surface.

Lashes stick together. Eyes slowly open. Bright light nearly burns the retinas. A reflexive wince. A dry lump is swallowed. Stiff fingers twitch against cotton. Dull aches throb from different places. A deep inhale causes bones to protest. Pain erupts from a lower source, muscles spasm trying to accommodate injury. A tongue appears to wet dry lips.

Ana fully opens her eyes. She stares at lights that are too bright on the ceiling. Her eyes shift around what she can see of her surroundings. It isn't much, she doesn't think she can move her body yet. Everything hurts. Everything aches. A deep exhaustion is laced within her bone marrow and Ana thinks maybe she could just close her eyes and sleep forever. She doesn't, because she's utterly confused.

The last thing she can remember, when she racks through her muddled brain, is a being shielded by something. Something that protected her from a direct hit of...what? A direct hit of what? Who stopped whatever it was? Who protected her by putting their own life in harms way? Was it their own life they risked, or did Ana make that up in her mind? She can't recall.

She allows her eyes to flutter shut again, attempting to recall what had happened. She remembers light. Bright, bluish gold light. She sees a flash of sliver, gleaming as it thrust in front of her. She sees a chaotic whirl of colors. She sees the black of the ground her face was pressed to. She sees someone stagger as they try to right themselves. She sees what the flash of silver was, suddenly gone, seared with glowing embers. She sees agony on a stunned face. She sees Bucky fall to the ground.

Bucky. It was all Bucky.

A sharp gasp of air coincides with her eyes opening. She forces herself to look to her right, the space is empty. She slowly turns her head to the left. There, with his head pillowed on his arm, is Bucky. There's a slight furrow to his brow, as if he is deciphering whether he heard her gasp or not. He picks his head up a little, eyelids blinking slowly like he just woke up. It takes a moment, but clarity brightens his blue eyes.

"Oh my god." He breathes, relief sagging his body. "Ana."

He has dark bags under his eyes. His skin looks pale, clammy. His red lips are raw and bitten, trembling just slightly. His hair is messy, strands sticking out oddly. It's as if he kept pulling at the roots from stress. He looks every bit of beautiful as Ana always thought he did.

"Hi…Snowflake." Ana murmurs, voice raspy, her lips twitching with a smile.

Bucky chuckles wetly through his nose. "Hi, doll face."

He dips down to press a gentle kiss to her left shoulder. She hadn't noticed her arm is in a sling. When she looks back up from the sling, Bucky has his face pressed into the bed. Ana wants to move her hands, but her left is currently confined and when she picks up her right hand, something tugs at her skin. She doesn't have to look to know it's an IV needle. She ignores it, because Bucky is shaking. She startles with realization; his arm is missing.

"I'm so happy you're awake." He mutters into the bed. His voice is raw yet thick with tears.

Screw it. Ana moves her hand across her body to gently run her fingers through his hair. When he peaks up at her, his eyes are wet and bloodshot, several tears escaping. Ana’s heart clenches.

"Bucky."

He shakes his head, taking hold of her hand, minding the IV. "I honestly thought...I couldn't bring myself to believe...you're awake." He presses his trembling lips against her knuckles.

"I'm alright." She promises gently. "I'm right here."

"I almost lost you." He whispers, his voice cracking on the last word. His fingers tremble in her hand.

Ana gently squeezes his hand before she moves hers up to wipe away another tear that's falling down his scruffy cheek. "What about you? Your arm-"

"Don't worry about me, Ana." Bucky picks his head up, a small disbelieving smile on his lips. "How are you feeling?"

 She inhales slowly. "Sore. Exhausted." Her throat is so dry and itchy.

"Are you in a lot of pain, love? The nurse was just in here, but I can call her again."

The concern etched on his face makes Ana want to lie to him. Or at least half lie. She's in a whole bunch of pain now that she's fully aware. She's still trying to ignore the sharp stinging pain in her knee, doesn't even want to move her leg because she's afraid she might scream. It hurts to breath, a dull pounding isolated to a spot on her stomach. Her left shoulder aches, and she knows enough that she had been shot; twice.

"It's tolerable." She evades.

Bucky stares at her for a beat, then he leans over to hit the call button. Ana fixates on the little black sleeve cap covering the stump of his left shoulder. If she asks about it, she knows he'll lie just as well. However, Ana saw it. She saw the excruciating pain Bucky was in before he passed out.

"What happened, Bucky?" Ana asks instead. She's still a little fuzzy on the details.

Bucky shifts his chair closer, leans over to softly kiss her temple. "What do you remember?"

"You jumped in front of me. You idiot." She sighs fondly.

"I will be an idiot everyday if it meant protecting you."

"And sappy." Her heart swells as she says it.

"Because I love you." He leans over again, this time pressing his lips tenderly against hers. It makes her heart flutter and for a moment she forgets any pain. "So much, Ana."

An onslaught of emotions abruptly crashes over her. Ana doesn't know if it's the drugs or the look in Bucky's incredible blue eyes, but she begins to cry. It starts off with one tear after the other, slipping from the corners of her eyes, sliding down her temples. Bucky frowns, eyebrows knitting together with concern. He lifts his fingers, keeping his touch delicate as he brushes her bruised skin. He wipes away the tears with his thumb, and the tender, loving touch rips a sob from her throat.

"Annie," He breathes, his tone absolutely heart wrenching.

It breaks her. Ana sobs. Every inch of her body hurts. Her stomach and shoulder throb from bullet wounds, one of which she can't even remember. It feels like hot needles are stabbing into her knee, something wrapped tight around it. Her lip and cheek ache, her neck feels tender. 

Her throat is parched, either from lack of liquid or the hand crushing against her windpipe twice. She has no idea how long she has been lying in this bed, but she does realize how close she was to losing her own life. To losing Bucky.

Bucky makes soothing, hushing sounds, pressing his forehead against her temple. She attempts to calm her breathing because every heaving sob shakes her body, and pulls at the hole in her stomach. Her mind is jumbled with fragmented imagines, ones she can't piece together quiet yet, but the last thing she clearly remembers is Bucky. Just inches of his metal arm remained, glowing bright orange and red, the smell of singed metal filling her nose. It was terrifying, watching him drop to the floor and not moving, not getting up.

She may have just scolded him for protecting her, but in reality, he saved her life, and it cost him his arm, and nearly his own life. Bucky has been protecting her from the moment he came into her life. Ana couldn't even protect him from Hydra, she couldn’t protect him against the trigger words. They almost dragged him back, all because they were after her.

"Ana, baby. It's okay. You're okay." Bucky coos softly, still wiping at her tears. "You're with me, you're safe now. I swear it.”

She shakes her head. "I-I'm so s-sorry."

"Hey now, pretty, none of that. None of this was your fault. Shhh, it's okay, sweetheart."

The door opens during that moment, a nurse calmly entering the room. Ana tries to regain control over herself, her cries reaching a level of hyperventilation.

"Breathe, Annie, breathe. I've got you, you're safe." Bucky coaches, his voice incredibly soft. “I have you, my love. You’re safe with me. Just breathe.”

Following his soothing voice, his instructions, Ana starts to copy his own breathing patterns. She begins noting the details of his face, like she hasn't already memorized every little inch. From the little freckle on his forehead, to his dark stormy blue eyes, streaked with red lines. His lips are a dark pink, slightly cracked from being chewed on. His beard has grown a tad thicker, though the warmth of his skin is lacking, worn; he looks every bit of his true age. His brown hair falls by the corners of his eyes, hiding the spot where the crinkles appear when he smiles. He's not smiling now. Ana wishes to sear Bucky’s face into her memory forever.

Something begins to trickle into her veins, and she briefly thinks it's Erik Woods injecting her once more. In a surge of panic, she looks over at the nurse, just finishing up twisting the IV caps back on. The monitor next to her picks up speed in time with her racing heart, the beeping growing frantic. The nurse smiles gently at her, lightly tapping the plastic bag.

"It's just morphine." She kindly informs. Her eyes then shift to Bucky. "I just upped her dose, it should work a little faster this round."

Ana turns to Bucky, who is already gazing at her.

"You're in a lot of pain, baby?" He questions, probably already knows the answer.

She's too tired to lie, so she dips her head a fraction. She wants to stay awake though, doesn't want to miss another second sleeping. She mumbles this much to Bucky, his thumb never ceasing swiping over her cheek.

"I'll be right here when you wake up, Ana. I promise." He whispers, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

Her eyes flutter, the drug beginning to take over her system. Ana swallows, attempting to lift her hand but it’s too heavy. She's still so confused. She doesn't know what happened after Bucky protected her, she doesn't know how she got to this strange hospital. She doesn't know if anyone else is alright, or if someone has captured Woods.

All she knows is that Bucky is next to her, seemingly healthy and uninjured despite his missing arm. He's sitting right next to her, touching her, whispering sweet words of love, smiling and kissing her softly. The last thing Ana sees before her heavy lids close, is Bucky's blue eyes, shinning with relief.

***

The next time Ana wakes up, she hears Bucky's low drawl, rough and crackling like he hasn't touched water in days. He's speaking to someone, so Ana opens her eyes, turning her head towards his voice. Her heart swells, tears blur her vision and she's just so frustrated because she's been in a hospital before, healing from life threatening cuts. She's been in pain before, but for some reason, this time feels different.

"Pep." Ana exhales.

Pepper whirls around, immediately pulling up a chair to sit next to the bed. "Oh, Buggy!”

God, Pepper sounds like she hasn't stopped crying. Her eyes are swollen, just like Bucky's were, and her usual kept hair, is frizzy, out of place from her low ponytail. She gently grabs her right hand, squeezing her fingers.

"I'll give you two sometime." Bucky offers, grabbing his jacket and swinging it over his shoulder to cover his left side.

"No, stay." Ana pleads, attempting to sit up. At least, she thinks she tries. Pepper places her hand on her uninjured shoulder.

"Hey, hey, sweetheart," Bucky gently reprimands. He moves closer to place a kiss on her hair. "I'll be right back, promise. Don't move too much, you'll tear your stitches. I'm just going to find some coffee that doesn't taste like shit."

His comment makes her chuckle, but the movement of her stomach hurts. Pain stabs through her body, so Ana just opts to smile. She nods as he trails his fingers down her jaw. He kisses her head once more, then exits the room, softly closing the door behind him.

"You know," Pepper starts, her voice soft and fond. "That man is completely gone for you."

"It's mutual." Ana says, wincing as she shifts. Something is cool on the back of her hand and when she looks, a shiny diamond gleams back at her. "Pepper...is that a ring?"

She smiles shyly, then shakes her head. "I'll tell you about that later. How are you feeling? I mean, I know you aren't feeling good at all, and what happened sucks. I was worried sick, I-"

Her cousin cuts herself off, but Ana wouldn't mind her rambling on. She just wants to hear her comforting voice. The voice of one of the few family members she has left, and one of the only members she's close to. Pepper is crying, and Ana quickly figures there's going to be a lot of tears shed, if they haven't been already.

"I'm sorry." She apologizes to Pepper. "I don't know how this happened. I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, honey, don't blame yourself." Pepper begins rubbing soothing strokes up and down her arm.

"Tell me please, Pep. When did he ask you?"

"A week and a half ago."

"A week and-" Ana shakes her head, ridding the rest of the fogginess from the drugs away. She must've heard wrong. "What?"

Pepper's eyes shift to the screen displaying her vitals, then back to Ana. "You've been here for ten days, Ana."

Ana breathes in slowly through her nose, trying to process that information. Ten days. She's been lying unconscious in a hospital for ten days. "What happened?"

"I tried calling you the moment after Tony asked. You didn't answer. I called three times, that's when Tony got an alert from FRIDAY, said you and Bucky were taken."

Before Pepper can continue, there's a soft knock on the door as it opens. Tony's face pops through the small gap, checking before he comes in. He's wearing a Black Sabbath shirt that is wrinkled in certain spots, and worn out jeans. Judging by their appearances, no one looks like they've slept well, if at all.

"If you could refrain from that ever happening again, I'd appreciate it." Tony quips, pulling another chair around to sit in.

"I'll try to schedule my next kidnapping around your convince." She banters back, smiling and ignoring the ache in her lip. "Want to fill in the rest for me?"

Tony gently pats her forearm, then he gives her a rundown of what happened. He informs her after she activated FRIDAY, the AI sent a signal to the bracelet that embedded the mini tracker into her wrist. FRIDAY then sent a distress call out to Tony and the rest of the team. Steve had arrived first, finding Max Cullbury and Jared Sharp. Apparently, Agent Sharp figured out something was wrong when Max wasn't in the Lab. Both men were the first to get there trying to stop it. All according to Agent Cullbury. Agent Sharp was shot, and remains in critical condition.

Ana doesn't know how to process that last part, conflicted is one word that comes to mind. Her brother's ex boyfriend, who has hated her and blamed her for years, tried coming to -not only hers but Bucky's- rescue and was shot in the process. She has to sit up at this point, so Pepper carefully presses the button that raises the top half of the bed. With the help of Tony, Ana slowly and carefully adjusts herself, minding the gunshot wound in her stomach, and keeping her right leg as steady as she can.

Tony continues to recap the events several days ago. Nick Fury had called for every single person working within the facility to be interrogated and screened once again. They apprehended anyone who seem even remotely suspicious, which ended up being eleven other people. Wanda had offered her services in retaliation of her anger and fear for her friends, she had no qualms about tapping into Hydra agents minds. Security protocol has changed as well, and Tony lets a tiny bit of his own guilt slip in there.

"Tony." Ana stops him before he can continue. Her own guilt and Bucky's is enough to fill the Atlantic ocean, she doesn't need anyone else feeling the same way. "Your defense bracelet is what saved us in the end. If it weren't for that, for the tracker, we might still be there."

Tony clears his throat as Pepper lays a comforting hand on his arm. "Right. Good on it then."

He doesn't fool Ana. She notices the bags under his eyes, spots the tick he does with his mouth when he has been incredibly worried about someone. He doesn't make eye contact with her for the next 30 seconds, focusing on picking a thread from the blanket laid over her.

"Sorry about your knee, by the way. I should've-"

"Seriously, Stark. Stop it. You wouldn’t have guessed that would happen ."

Finally, Tony meets her gaze. "Erik Woods is in critical condition."

Ana swallows thickly, her knee throbbing, abruptly aware of every single bullet hole, cut and bruise on her body. She grips the blanket, bundling the fabric in her fists. . 

"He's in a high security facility being watch around the clock with armed guards. He is no longer a threat." Then, Tony smirks. "Rogers and Wilson had to stop Barnes from tracking him down and ripping out his throat. Or, I'm sorry, that's my phrase. I believe his was “rip every single bone from his body for hurting my girl”. I almost allowed him to do it."

Ana's heart skips a beat at my girl, and she has to bite her lip to keep from reacting. Until she winces at the still healing cut on her lip. Both Pepper and Tony roll their eyes are her reaction, but deep down, she can't figure out if she's glad Bucky was stopped, or if she's disappointed. It raises her next question.

"Why is Woods in critical condition?" She inquires knowingly.

Tony takes a few moments to answer, placing his hand over Pepper's. "Because you are incredibly powerful. And for same reason you were." He informs gravely. "After Barnes went down, you drained Woods' energy. He shot you in retaliation, but it didn't stop you, Ana. You kept going, until Bucky somehow stopped you. It drained your own in return. I thought-"

He clears his throat, shifting in his seat. "I flew you to the jet. You weren't breathing by the time I got up there. It was only for a few moments. Luckily the team of medics we brought with us were able to get you breathing...started your heart again."

"You were in the ICU for nine days, Ana. In a coma for three of those." Pepper whispers, a single tear falling from her left eye.

Ana just blinks at them. She didn’t know her heart had stopped beating. "Fuck."

They both nod. Tony reaches out and hooks his index finger over Ana's pinkie. "Thought you were gone there for a moment, kid."

She doesn't even react to his nickname. She can barely react at all. It's so much to take in. She nearly killed Erik Woods by draining his life energy and in return...almost killed herself? Jared and Max came to their rescue and couldn't stop it and now Jared in the one fighting for his life. Bucky's arm was blasted off because he protected Ana, jumped in front of her risking his own damn life for hers. She nearly died protecting Bucky. She did die; if only for a minute or two. Pepper pulls her out of her reeling thoughts.

"Bucky was going insane," She tells her. "I lied to the staff, said that he's your fiancé and gave him my family pass. He hasn't left your side until now."

Ana is indescribably speechless. From remembering Bucky being triggered, to watching him sacrifice himself, to her waking up in the hospital. She's suddenly so, so tired, her eyelids growing heavy. She will swear it's the drugs and her own exhaustion, and not the fact that all information may has led her to passing out. She doesn't fight it off, just lets it come and take over her body, being pulled into unconsciousness yet again.

When Ana wakes up the third time, she's surrounded by people, but her eyes frantically seek out Bucky. He's there, standing back and in the far corner. A light chatter is fills the room, voices reserved until Ana shifts, alerting everyone that she's awake. She lifts her hand, accidentally ripping someone else's grip from hers, and reaches towards Bucky.

He grins softly, because he has probably been watching her the entire time, and pushes himself off the wall. The person holding her hand before, Wanda, she finally acknowledges, scoots back to make room for him to sit on the bed. When he does, Ana places her hand on his jaw and Bucky turns his head to kiss her palm. It makes her heart flutter.

"You look exhausted." She tells him softly, stroking her thumb over his scruffy cheek.

"I'm fine, baby." He reassures her, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Do you need anything? Water? The nurse? Are you hungry? You must be hungry. I smuggled in a jar of Nutella. I would've brought pizza but I'm not sure-"

"Bucky, darling." Ana coos, tugging his face closer. "I love you." She presses a chaste kiss to his lips.

"I love you." He breathes against her mouth.

When they break apart, she finds Bucky's right hand, interlocking their fingers together, then surveys the room. Steve is sitting next to her bed, smiling down at his hands. Natasha is stands behind him, arms crossed and a slight look of concern on her face. Clint is next to her, resting his arm on her shoulder. He smirks and nods, then goes back to chatting with Sam, who looks even more concerned before giving his attention back to Clint.

Wanda appears as if she hasn't slept for days, and she might even give Bucky a run for his record. She's holding a paper cup of something that doesn't smell like coffee, she lifts it with a shaky hand. Ana is abruptly overwhelmed with everyone surrounding her, and she is grateful for the friends she has. Extremely grateful for the man holding her hand, lifting her knuckles to his lips.

***

They keep Ana in the hospital for another two days, double checking her wounds and vitals. The doctor just wants to make sure she feels comfortable enough to go home, and gives her instructions on what to do if she feels off in anyway. Her stitches are clean, no sign of infection, and her arm only had to stay in the sling for another three days. He does tell her that she can't lift, or workout or do anything strenuous for eight weeks, and to keep to the strict diet until her abdomen heals.

They also discuss the option of another knee surgery. Since the doctors had to perform one to remove the Stark rods, and that alone will leave Ana in a wheelchair until her shoulder is healed enough to use crutches. She has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming in anger. She's just so fucking mad this happened, and on several occasions, wishes death upon Woods.

When Ana finally goes home, she snuggles up to Bucky the best she can, in the less painful way she can. She sleeps, and sleeps, and sleeps, until Bucky has to wake her up a few times. The first time is so she can take her medications. The second is so she can eat, even if she isn't that hungry. The third is to make sure she's doing okay.

"Bucky, babe, please let me sleep, for the love of everything holy." She grumbles petulant, pressing her face into his neck.

"Just making sure you're real, Annie." He whispers, voice breaking.

Ana opens her eyes. She understands it, she does. Because sometimes she'll wake up on her own, has to make sure Bucky is breathing, alive and next to her. She often thinks about how both of their worst nightmares had come true, or nearly came true. To make sure they're both real and in front of each other, they press their palms over each other’s hearts.

Bucky will tap his thumb twice against her collarbone, then he'll press his face into the joint of her jaw. He'll inhale, says she smells a little like the hospital still and can't wait for her to smell like flowers in the rain again. He'll drag his nose behind her ear and tells her-

"Can't wait for you to smell like me, too."

Then he'll press the lightest kiss against her pulse racing in her neck. He'll trail his hand down her body, dipping over her curves, tracing his fingers over tattoos and the scars on her back, then her wrist. Finally, he says-

"Doll face."

Ana will grab a strand of his long hair and tug, harshly so she can see his fake expression of pain. It's one her ways of knowing he's just as real. She'll trace his strong jawline, feeling the texture of his soft facial hair beneath her fingertips. She traces over his pouty red lips, down his neck, also kissing his pulse point, and places her hand over the stump of metal. Then she'll kiss the middle of his chest, feeling his heart pickup.

"Winter Flurry."

He rarely leaves her side, though she has no problem with that. Even when the others filter in and out of her room, Bucky stays by her side, unless he goes to get them food or drinks or to the bathroom. Ana finds out just how worried and scared everyone was when she begins to sense their energies again. It isn't bad, just something she can feel, like a faint breeze along her skin. It's when they leave at the end of the night, that Bucky confesses something.

"You know," He begins, the pads of his fingers gently scratching her scalp. "I honestly thought I lost you, that he took you from me. I was so fucking terrified, Ana. I didn't know what to do with myself."

"I thought I lost you too." She admits, gripping his shirt. "When he shot your arm off, I was so scared. Bucky, I thought...I thought he hit your chest, because you just..." She doesn't finish.

They remain silent, just holding onto each other, hurt, broken and bruised, but alive and together.

***

The soft moments only last a week. Something has been weighing on Bucky's mind, she can tell.

After six days, Ana feels like she can use her arm again, so she pretends to kick the wheelchair away as she sits on the bed of the medical ward. Janice is checking her vitals, after she cried in relief. Tony is there, currently fitting a highly advanced orthotic piece to her leg. The specially designed knee brace begin at her mid thigh, straps over and under her knee, and ends around her calf.

"You're sure you don't want another surgery?" He questions, making last second adjustments to the lateral and medial stabilizers.

"I'm sure. Knee surgery in intensive, and I've had enough fill of pain for one month, thank you." Ana lifts her eyes from Tony's working hands. She spots Bucky with his jacket on, talking with Sharon and Steve, both of whom are holding hands. "Is there anything you can do for his arm?"

"I offered." Tony answers her, leaning back. "He refused every offer.”

She gets it, she understands. Bucky doesn't want anything to do with a robotic arm. He doesn't have to say it, but Ana understands.

Bucky voices his thoughts after that.

*

"Bucky. No. Please, don't do this." Physical pain isn't enough. Bucky has to go and voice his idea of what he wants to do. It's breaking Ana's heart.

"I'm so sorry, love." Bucky coos sorrowfully, "but I can't risk Hydra finding you. I can't allow something like that to ever happen to you again, and if they get wind of what Erik Woods was trying to do...they'll use us against each other and I can’t. I can't risk that, Ana."

"But you came out of it." She sniffs miserably, tears falling from her eyes. Deep down, Ana knows he's right.

Bucky wipes her tears away, but his own betray him. "I'm guessing they have another chair. If there's even the slightest possibility it can be used, and I'm still triggered, they will send me after you. When Woods tried, it was barely on before you stopped it, but I was still confused. You called out to me before he finished the phrase, Annie, and it helped. Everything that you have done helped me find my way back to you. Unfortunately it didn't stop me from attacking, from trying to follow those commands."

"You protected me, you broke out of it and you shot him. Not me."

"It's too risky."

Ana scoots away from him to the furthest corner of her bed, accidently disturbing Ezra. He just blinks in annoyance, then moves closer to Bucky, because that fickle cat would take his side on this.

"Are you angry?" Bucky asks her, his tone suddenly controlled.

"Yes. No." She sighs, falling backwards. Which tends to be a mistake and jars her gun wounds. "Ow."

Bucky leans over her face, his expression torn.

"I want to be mad, I really would love to just yell and get angry-"

"The doctor told you no strenuous activities, that includes throwing things at me. As much as I love it."

Ana tugs his hair. "You know that meant no sex as well, right?"

"Would you really have sex with me right now, as angry as you are, even though you're trying you hardest to hide it?"

She narrows her eyes at him because he knows her so well. "Where are you thinking of going?"

He smiles dejectedly. "You know I won't be able to tell you, darling."

*

They continue to bicker about it for another day, until Steve backs up his best friend. He makes Ana see and understand the logic behind it. Tells her it's all for her safety and Bucky's mental stability because he nearly tore Erik Woods apart. She very nearly voices that she wouldn't have minded that, and Ana herself had fleeting dark thoughts of killing Hydra agents as well. She ends up finally relenting with Bucky's plan. It doesn't mean she's happy about it.

"Steve." Ana speaks airily. "You see that bowl of plums over there?"

"Goddamnit." Bucky mutters.

"Yes." Steve smirks, already getting up from the couch and heading towards the kitchen.

"Please throw at least five of them at him, would you. It's an important part of my healing process."

To his credit, Bucky doesn't even block the fruit as it pelts him all in the chest. He just sighs exasperatingly, grabs one of the plums and bites into it. Then he offers the fruit to Ana.

“I love you but that doesn’t mean I’m not pissed as hell,” She reminds him.

Bucky’s answer is wrapping his arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head. Ana still melts into to him.

***

“You’re absolutely sure about this?”

“I told you, I just don't think I can trust my own mind yet. It almost worked. I could’ve hurt her. I could’ve killed her.”

Ana scoffs, rolling her eyes. She probably isn’t meant to hear either of them as she leans against Sam's car, but she does, and she’s fed up, angry, and upset. She tried to keep her anger over the plan at bay, but she can't because it's real and it's happening right now. She is extremely upset, because she's still in a little pain, and her knee throbs in the brace, and her heart is about to shatter. She pushes herself off the car and limps right over to Steve and Bucky.

“But you didn’t!” She reminds Bucky fiercely. “In fact, Woods almost killed me himself.”

“That doesn’t make it better.” Bucky counters, reaching for her hand. "What if I shot you instead?"

Ana pulls it back quickly. “This is fucking bullshit!"

“I’ll give you two some time.” Steve flinches, then hurries away towards the small car.

“Annie-“

“No. No. Don’t. I-“

Bucky cups her jaw, bring her forward and kisses her. He keeps his lips firm, moving against hers and Ana feels her anger melt away, along with her spine. She kisses him back, tangling her fingers in his hair, and resting her other hand on the metal base of the stump. She pulls back to press her forehead against his.

“I’m so sorry I failed you.” She murmurs, tears burning her eyes. That's her confession, the true reason she's upset. “I failed you.”

“Hey,” Bucky leans back, trying to make eye contact, she doesn’t look. “Ana, you didn’t- look at me, darling. You did not fail me. Not at all."

She shakes her head, a single tear betraying her and falling down her cheek. “It didn’t work. Deprogramming, it didn't-”

“Yes, yes it did. Everything you have done, worked. I was only able to save you because you helped me take control of my mind. I was only able to fight through it because of you.”

“Not completely, isn't that the problem here? That’s where-“

“You did not fail me. Please, please don’t blame yourself for this. I'm doing this for security. I have to take every precaution."

Ana pulls him back down by his neck, kissing him twice. “How long?” She whimpers against his mouth.

“I’m not sure,” Bucky frowns when he pulls back. “Until I can find a way to fix everything inside my head. I was still somewhat triggered. I can’t take any more chances with hurting you, and any enemy of ours will know we’re each other’s weaknesses and strength. I can’t risk someone else using that against you again.”

He kisses her forehead. “Promise me something, Ana. Don’t wait for me.”

“No.” Ana refuses firmly. “I will wait for you and there’s nothing you can do about it. There’s no one else I want. Idiot.”

He chuckles despite himself. “I had to try.”

She scoffs, tugging his hair. Ana rests her head on his chest, fighting back the urge to sob. Bucky hugs her tightly with his arm, and even though he only has one at the moment, it’s the strongest hug she’s ever had. There’s a short honk to their side, signaling they have to get going soon. Bucky lifts his arm, but Ana doesn’t see what he does; more than likely he flicked them off. She pulls back when he gazes at her. She brushes his hair back, tracing her fingers along his jaw. She taps her index finger on his lips.

“Come back to me.” She quietly requests.

His eyes soften, crinkling at the corners with a private grin. “Don’t blame yourself.”

“I’ll make you a deal.” Ana bargains.

“Over the Nutella?”

She pokes his dimpled chin. “You come back to me, and I promise I won’t blame myself.”

“That sounds like a good deal.”

Bucky leans down to kiss her again, deep and slow, keeping his hand firmly against her cheek. Ana allows him to kiss her like that, as if it’s just the two of them, even though Steve and Sam are probably witnessing this. Her heart pounds painfully in her chest and when she places her hand against Bucky’s, his heart beat matches.

“I love you,” He murmurs against her lips, brushing their noses together. “Very much. Don’t ever forget that.”

“You don’t forget how much I love you either.” Ana whispers. “And I do. Love you.”

“I have to go now.” Bucky tells her, frowning with wet eyes. A tear escapes his left eye.

Ana wipes it away. “I know.”

She meets him halfway for their last kiss, this one filled with love, a little bit of pain, but with a sense of hope. His energy wraps around her one last time, a rueful comfort and goodbye all at once. His tongue slides against hers and Ana is going to miss the way his tongue curls in her mouth and makes her knees weak. They kiss like that for several moments before it slows down, turning into short, but sweet pecks. Bucky kisses her once, twice and on the third kiss, he pulls away, nearly taking Ana with him.

She watches as Bucky heads toward the waiting car and opens the door. He looks back at her and smirks, though it’s not up to par of his usual one. He leans into the car then back out, suddenly tossing something to her. It flips through the air before Ana catches it with both hands. It’s a small jar of Nutella, causing her to laugh, ending with her lips trembling.

Bucky waves his hand, giving her one last smile, then gets into the car. The door closes, and just like that, Steve is pulling away, driving Bucky right out of her life. Ana follows, taking one, two, three, four, steps and breaking into a slight jog, ignoring the pain in her knee, stopping once the car is far enough away and out of sight. She tries to swallow the sob caught in her throat, pulling herself together as she walks back towards Sam in the other car.

He doesn’t say anything once she gets seated and buckled. Ana stares down at the small jar of hazelnut chocolate spread, tears filling her eyes. It’s going to be a long, painful road of waiting, and she doesn’t remember how she was living before Bucky came into her life. A few tears escape, landing on her hands.

“I’m turning the music up on this road trip, I hope you don’t mind.” Sam informs, and the music growing louder by the second.

Ana smiles because she knows exactly what he’s doing. She nods and looks out the window as he starts driving, a sob finally escaping her mouth. She cries hard for a few minutes, just watching the scenery go by with blurred vision. Sam reaches out once, offering a comforting squeeze to her arm. Finally, after several songs play, Ana wipes her tears away for now. Then, she decides to change the music. 

“We’re listening to something else.” She tells Sam, then switches out the CD from Earth, Wind, and Fire to Queen.

“Did you just-“ Sam begins indignantly, glancing over at her.

“Pay attention, Wilson. You’re driving.” Ana only knows he allows her to change the music because her focus is on him now, instead of the broken heart in her chest.

She knows this is what Bucky wanted, she understands all the logic behind it. The capture and events had plagued Bucky's mind every night and even though she slept next to him, he couldn't seem to do the same; Ana felt it eating away at him. She knows Bucky wants to heal completely and fully, and he refuses to take anymore of Ana's own energy, despite how powerful she had proven herself to be. 

Ana understands. All she wants is the absolute best for Bucky, and if finding an alternative option is the way to erase the triggers completely, then so be it. She will wait from him to come back to her, however long it takes.

***

"Stevie, please. I need this." Bucky is now begging. It took nearly two hours but he finally broke.

"Fine." Steve gives in, gripping the steering wheel so hard it dents a little. "But only because of what he did to the both of you. I was fucking terrified and pissed as hell Buck, I hope you know that."

"I know, pal. I know." Bucky says solemnly. "Then you understand."

"I do."

Steve pulls up to a heavily secured building. They both get out, getting checked and scanned, and handed IDs. It's really only because of Steve that they're even allowed to enter the building. Two guards lead the way, down hallways, into elevators, and finally to the floor and room they want. Steve nods at the guards and they leave, then he sets his hard gaze on Bucky.

"You got two minutes before they come back and I come get you." He tells him.

Bucky nods curtly, then he presses the key card he was given earlier to the lock pad on the door. He pushes it open, quickly closing it behind him. The sight of Erik Woods lying on a bed, hooked up to wires and a machine will never be satisfying enough. 

Bucky walks over to the bed, the sound of soft beeping and echoes of the oxygen machine fill the small room. Bucky leans over, anger boiling in his blood, staring at the man that nearly killed Ana. Recognition flickers in his green eyes.

"You took her." Bucky snarls lowly, unadulterated hate coloring his tone. "You touched her. You broke her. You made her bleed. You almost took my girl from me. For that, I am going to make you suffer."

His eyes flick towards the machines, and he sees a little switch for the life support pump. Revenge is nearly there, sitting deliciously sweet on his tongue. He reaches over, hooking his finger over the little lever. He looks back down at Erik Woods, fear gleam in his eyes.

"This is me, Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, The Winter Soldier, turning off your oxygen."

He flicks the switch down. The machine begins to beep, gets louder and faster. Erik's chest stops rising and falling. Then Bucky waits another two seconds before speaking.

"Are you in pain? Does it hurt horribly? Good." He hisses menacingly. "I want you to feel every inch of it. I want you to suffer. I want you to struggle, to feel the air leaving your lungs, feel it burning as your face turns red. That's what you did to her. That's what you put her through. This is what you deserve for Hydra harming her family. This is what you deserve for touching her.”

It would be so easy for Bucky to just walk away and let him be. To let Woods leave this world in agony, gasping for his last few breaths of air. Bucky grits his teeth, swallowing every vengeful thought.

"This is Ana." Bucky continues quietly. "Turning it back on." He switches the support back on. 

He leans over again, making sure he can see him. Erik's eyes are responsive. 

"Killing you is too easy. What's worse, is having you watch all your hard work come undone. You failed, Woods. That's worse than your death. Ana is alive. I'm alive. You failed, and you get to live knowing that fact for the next few weeks of your life. Because you will die in your failure.”

Then, Bucky leaves. He walks right out and away from the room. The man lying in pain, lying broken in the bed, no longer matters. What does matter, is finding a way to fix everything inside him, to rid the brainwashing wired in him. As much as it shatters his heart to do so, as much as it hurts him, he's doing it all for Ana. He will find some way to fix this.

Bucky will come back to his girl.

*******************************************************Previous   Epilogue

[hearteyes-for-killmonger]

Into the Depths

Persephone's abduction, but in my story it's a little different. Kiani and Erik are both a little different.

Part 3: Abduction

Kiani had delivered the cryptic message as requested without looking into it. She trusted Meron and she trusted Ms. Smith. There was no reason to question their interaction. The oddness was in the new restriction placed on her. She was intelligent enough to notice that Ms. Smith was trying to keep her in the house. Her normal routine was to go out to commune with the flowers, it was where she felt most herself and at ease. It had never been an issue until today.

"Ms. Smith, is there a reason you're trying to force me to stay indoors?" She marched right up to the older woman, placing her hand on hers. "I'm more than aware of your tendency to keep secrets from me. Is it a bad one? Are we in danger? Do we need to call mom back. I should call her," she turned to find the phone.

"NO," the older woman grabbed her hand tightly holding her in place before relaxing her grip and taking a breath. "No... That won't be necessary. We are perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong. No, no," she smiled oddly before exhaling again. "You can go play outside. Off you go, just stay close to the house. No wandering off today, hm?"

Kiani nodded, halfway through the door already. She leaped out into the sunshine taking a deep inhale of the warm fragrant air. To her left she spotted a trail of wilted greenery. The blooms had fallen and turned brown, nearly black. It was very curious. She'd only seen that happen when she was upset. She didn't recall feeling exceptionally bad recently and the longer she stared at the wilted trail, the more confused she became. The incident at the store returned to mind and suddenly it made sense.. why everyone was being so weird.

She followed the trail, not even bothering to heal the flowers on the way. She was on a mission to follow the trail and find the nice man she'd met in the store yesterday. If he was the cause for alarm, well then, she'd just have to straighten things out to put everyone at ease! The further she walked, the further the trail seemed to stretch on and on. Ms. Smith's words rang in her head telling her she'd already gone way further than she was supposed to. Turning around, she gasped, her hand flying to her heart. It skipped a beat and she skidded back almost falling over from the shock. Erik's eyes widened and he looked behind him and left to right realizing he was the one who'd scared her. The invisibility had worn off at some point during the walk and he hadn't noticed.

"Wow," she labored, still holding her heart, "Guess I found you."

Erik staggered back. "I'm so sorry," he threw his hands up, "I didn't mean to scare you. I guess, my social skills could use a little work.."

"Where did you come from," Kiani wondered aloud, looking around. It was like he appeared from thin air. He bit his lower lip watching her look about. She looked like a goddess with flowers arranged artfully in her thick mass of kinky hair. He'd followed her silently, enjoying her presence until she'd stopped so abruptly.

"You're not much for words, are you mister," she smiled grabbing his hand and pulling him back toward the house.

"Wait," he found his voice quickly enough to cause her to pause. He knew if she got him to the house it would be a wrap and he may never get to see her again. He couldn't allow it. "I wanted to ask you something. It's a big something, but I could really use your help. If you'll help me."

Kiani's eyes were warm and full of caring concern. She was completely invested in his words and he hadn't even introduced or explained himself or what he wanted yet. She was extremely kind, and a bit naive, but it was endearing. She waited patiently for him to speak, her hand still protectively wrapped around his. He found himself speaking even more gently to her. "I was wondering if you'd go with me to visit my parents graves. Just once.... You see.. I haven't been there in a while and it's because whenever I go, my presence alone kills all of the flowers and the plants. So all of the other families lose their flowers too. It's not fair for them, so I stay away. But in the flower shop, I saw what you could do. Maybe if you went with me... their flowers wouldn't die and I could take my parents flowers to them myself. Please?"

The request weighed on Kiani's heart. She couldn't imagine not being able to visit her mother if she died. It hurt to think of. Her eyes began to well with tears and she let them flow freely. "Oh... nono," Erik panicked, not knowing whether it was okay to touch her to console her, "Don't cry.. please, don't cry." He ended up holding her in a tight embrace and just stroking her shoulder. "Don't cry, shh shh," he comforted in a hush tone. She was very sensitive and it surprised him the degree.

"I just couldn't imagine dealing with that," she sighed wiping her eyes. Pulling away, she grabbed both of his hands and looked him firmly in the eye. She was very sensitive, but also very strong. He was learning her the longer he was blessed to be around her. He didn't want her to let go. "I will go with you," she asserted, "Uh.... what's your name," she sang with a squint.

"Erik. Erik Stevens."

"Erik Stevens," she grinned. "You should smile, you're very beautiful!"

His head jolted and his eyes widened. "Whoa," he chuckled, his face heating. He blew out an unsteady breath. She'd blindsided him with that comment and was still staring into his soul with those angelic and expressive eyes. "Ugh... thank you," he smiled, his brows waving uncertainly. He didn't know how else to respond. He couldn't be cocky with her. She was beyond that somehow. Beyond the superficial showiness that impressed many others.

"We need to tell Ms. Smith," Kiani perked, pulling him again in the direction of the house.

"Way-wait," Erik stopped her again, "Can I ask how old you are?"

"Twenty-four! Why?"

He looked her up and down. She wore a white frilly Easter dress that looked like it belonged on a bigass doll baby. What did they do to this girl, he wondered.

"Kiani.. haven't you ever wondered what freedom felt like? You know, without reporting your whereabouts constantly? Did you know that beyond this property, literally everywhere else... twenty-four year olds are adults who can make their own decisions without consulting anyone else. You don't need permission to leave. You could just... go."

Kiani blinked, considering his words. She'd always wanted to leave the property and deep inside she knew Ms. Smith would never allow it. None of the adults would allow it. If she was ever going to go, now was the time and she couldn't tell them. She just had to leave and when she came back, then she could share with them stories of everything she saw beyond the property. Suddenly, she was very excited for the adventure.

"Yeah?" Erik lowered his chin to regard her carefully, noticing her change in demeanor. She grinned at the gesture. "You're really cute. Yeah! Let's go," she paused. "It'll be much quicker if we take my cart. I'll show you where it is."

On the ride to the store, Erik looked around enjoying the sight of the laid out fields of rich green grass and wildflowers. The freshness of the air was cleansing and he was able to relax. Kiani stopped twice on the way to get out and gather large handfuls of handpicked flowers like a little flower girl or a meadow fairy. It made him smile to watch her in her element. When they finally reached the store, Erik directed Kiani to park the cart out of the way of the camera. He then swept her off of her feet bridal style using his invisibility to shield them both as he carried her to the passenger side of his car. As soon as he let her go, she reappeared and he jumped behind the wheel. They were off!

On the way to the cemetery, Kiani was intrigued with the sights through the window. Erik had to explain a lot of things as her tour guide, but he didn't mind. He was honored to do it. The further he drove, the less things began to look like Little House on the Prairie. There were concrete jungles, buildings galore, drive thrus, highways and sidewalks and lots of people. "You're not in Kansas anymore," he joked wondering if she'd get the reference. She smiled.

When the car parked, Kiani waited to follow Erik's lead, but he didn't move. He rested his forehead on the wheel taking slow and deep breaths. Maybe it was the nervousness. She thought back to his hesitance to touch the rose in the store. She'd noticed it then too. He needed a push.

"It'll be okay," she encouraged rubbing his back. It was an act that somehow felt more intimate than she'd expected. To him, her touch was electric causing the fine hairs on his skin to rise. His eyes darted to her knees. They were pressed together and he wondered a few lewd things that he wasn't bold enough to ask. He didn't want to ruin her innocence, not so soon. She was so sweet and unpolluted by the bullshit of the world. Pulling himself together, he decided to listen to her words and let them wash over him. They became a mantra that he repeated silently in his head. "Um.. These are for the graves," she said separating the large handpicked bouquet into two, "Do you mind if... I put one down?"

"Not at all. I know my parents would love that in fact, thank you."

She followed him into the graveyard trailing closely behind. Like he said, the grass, the flowers, and even the trees began to dry and wither. "Keep going," she encouraged as she stopped to dole out tender loving care to each of the plots he'd passed. One by one, each offering of flowers revived with her touch. She hugged the tall grey tree and immediately, it birthed new leaves. She'd never done that, it surprised her that it worked. When she reached Erik, he was crouched with his wilted bouquet staring at the headstones. She crouched next to him, gently touching the petals. Together, they watched as the colorful blooms returned to life in his hands. His smile was as it was in the shop, a slow comforting pure expression of joy as he placed the bouquet on his father's grave. Kiani followed up with the second bouquet on his mother's grave. "It's nice to meet you both," she sang in a gentle melody. "You've raised a kind boy and he's a wonderful friend to me."

"You know they died before I got this gloomy... 'ability'," he blurted. "They knew about the invisibility, but they didn't get to know about the other one. It's probably better for them that way."

"What is your other power?"

"Honestly, I'm scared to tell you. I don't want your opinion of me to change."

She paused looking for the right words. "...I think your parents loved you very much and they'd accept you as you are."

"Will you?" The question was posed casually, but behind his stoic expression, he begged for her acceptance. He needed it.

"Yes, Erik." She placed her hand on his. "I'm your friend now and I will accept you however you are."

Erik leaned forward and kissed both headstones before standing to his feet and helping her to hers. He held her chin gently between his thumb and index as if she were made of glass.

"If you can promise that you won't run away or be afraid of me... I'll tell you everything about myself. Promise me." His eyes were pleading and it was a look she couldn't deny. He was already her friend. No matter what he told her, she'd try her best to understand it. She raised her hand.

"I, Kiani, promise you, Erik, that I won't run away."

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