#fd: Marvel

[saiilorstars]

ch.20: Allies

Steve Rogers x OFC fic • squeeze your eyes for a Bucky Barnes x (2nd) OFC

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Story Masterlist • Seren’s Masterlist• Chloe’s Masterlist​​

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"So you're leaving again?" Liana said, her expression disappointed and more than that, sad. Beside her, Brooks was more or less in a similar state.

Seren sat across them at the kitchen table, feeling quite guilty with her parents' reactions. This time, however, she was determined to make her departure very differently than the first time she left home. She had talked about it with Steve for a long while before deciding that it was what she truly wanted. Now here she was breaking the news to her parents who clearly got very used to having her home again.

"I am leaving, yes," she nodded then reached for each of their hands across the table, "But not the way I did the first time. When I was 18, I just got up and left in such a hurry to finally be who I thought I needed to be. This is different, I promise. Our friend, Tony Stark, he's got an idea for us and I like it. I like the idea of forming my own team with people that I can completely trust. Steve would be right by my side and together we would lead this new team."

"But to fight again? How many times have you almost lost your life doing this kind of work?" Liana said, glancing at her husband for some support. "Tell her she's crazy, Brooks."

Brooks gave a tilt of his head as he considered his words. It was not uncommon to be placed under the same stare. He'd been outnumbered his whole life.

"Brooks," Liana's voice gained a hard edge at his lack of input.

"Seren," Brooks cleared his throat as he set his sights on his daughter, the latter reading herself to hear what she thought would be another disappointed line, "If you're serious about making it different this time then I trust that you'll call us more often—"

"What!?" Liana exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"—and, most of all, visit us more often," Brooks said with a soft smile on his face. "Please."

Seren's face lit up at his acceptance and immediately promised that she would call and visit. She got up and hurried around the table to hug her father and kiss his cheek. "I won't disappoint you again, I promise!"

"Hey," Brooks grabbed her arm as she intended on backing away, "None of that. You have never disappointed us, Seren. Don't ever think that, not even for a second."

Seren's eyes flickered over to Liana who had yet to properly react. "Mom…"

"No, you've never disappointed us," Liana said, letting out an exasperated sigh, "But would it really kill you to stay here with us?"

"Liana…" Brooks gave her a deadpanning glance, "Would you have stayed with your mother?"

"Well, no—"

"And I definitely wouldn't have stayed with my parents, not if I had the world at my fingertips," Brooks said, reaching out for Liana's hand, "I did, by the way…and I got it." Liana rolled her eyes but a smile was trying to break across her face. "Now it's only right that Seren goes out to do the same." He looked up at their daughter and pointed a warning finger at her. "But I'm gonna hold you to your promise, young lady. Call, visit…just make it different, alright? And we'll make an effort too to not be the way we used to be."

"I will, I totally will," Seren said and grabbed her seat again. "You have no idea what this time here has meant to me. I don't think I've ever enjoyed my home so much."

"We have too," Liana said earnestly. "And that's why I'm afraid of you leaving. You'll get swept up in your work again and…you'll forget about us again."

"That won't happen," Seren said sternly. "Because my work is just that — work. It's taken me a while to understand that but I swear that I am finally working on it. My family is more important, my friends, me. I don't want to be the Seren who only cared about work and the world. I want my future to be different — I want my future to be good for me. Even if that makes me sound selfish."

"None of that," Brooks shook his head. "It's not selfish to want things for yourself. I'm glad to hear that you're finally thinking about things beyond work. We can see that you've changed and I'm happy to know that you'll keep changing for the better. We just want you to be happy, Seren."

"I want to be happy too, dad," Seren said with a heavy heart. Looking back at her life, she could have enjoyed her time more but it had always been about SHIELD and keeping herself on the downlow. So much time wasted.

~ 0 ~

Chloe became accustomed to the fact that Bucky didn't really sleep. When she woke in the mornings, he was already wide awake. She took it as a win that he hadn't left her again but she was concerned with his poor sleeping habits. It was no surprise that sleeping wouldn't come easy to him but she figured he would at least give it an honest try at some point if only not to go completely insane from insomnia.

"You can't keep looking over your shoulder in the night, you know," she said after planting a pear on the coffee table for him. He had also yet to feel comfortable enough to go through the kitchen himself. She had no doubt his tolerance for going without food was exceptional but she wanted him to understand that wasn't necessary anymore. "You want something to drink?"

Bucky kept a good distance from her for many reasons, but above all he did it for her safety. She was doing more than enough for him by letting him stay in a warm place. He sat on the couch, eyes shifting from the pear to Chloe who was waiting for him to take the fruit. "No thanks…"

Chloe shook her head at him. "You do realize that I don't bite, right? I think we both know you'd kick my ass. Though give me a few years with these new powers of mine and maybe I'll give you a challenge." She waited for him to respond, at the very least to tell her the logical side of her plan was still a laugh but his face remained stoic. It was truly hard to picture him as the best friend Steve would always talk about. This wasn't him, this was a ghost. The irony.

"I've tried to remember more that can be useful to you," Bucky said, changing the topic strategically. He had no desire to talk about fights nor who would win between them. He wasn't at all desiring to think about hurting her or anyone else for that matter. Not anymore.

"You're not stressing about it, are you?" she lifted an eyebrow at him. At that moment, she seemed older, like a teacher setting limits for her students.

He was not her student. "I'm just doing what you asked," he said. "And I did remember some things…"

"Yeah, like what?" Chloe humored him in hopes of keeping the conversation alive. She learned very quickly that his memories were fragile — more than that they were damaged. Countless years of torture and memory wipes left him very vulnerable and she didn't want to pressure him to remember some thing that might be physically impossible for him.

"About the fail-safes — you were right. I know what mine were, and if I'm remembering correctly, I know what yours might be too."

"Really?"

Chloe's interest had been piqued and so she immediately came to sit on the edge of the coffee table. She didn't want to breach his spatial boundaries, at least not yet. "Well, what do you think they are?"

"Hydra was keen on working with subjects, volunteers, to experiment on them...like me. There, um, there were other soldiers like me...kind of like me. I helped assess whether or not they were ready by, uh…"

"Fighting them?" Chloe presumed. Bucky nodded. "And you think these people could be like me?"

"Not those people but, uh, the other volunteers…there were so many…" Bucky shook his head, eyes filled with remorse, "I didn't meet all of them but the ones that I did…"

"Whatever you did wasn't you," Chloe said sternly, knowing where his thoughts were heading. "It wasn't your fault."

Bucky's eyes connected with hers in a snap. "And what about you and your friend with the short hair? You feel guilty?"

Chloe didn't expect that kind of response and it showed. She swallowed hard and looked away.

"It's not that easy, is it?" Bucky said, letting out a low sigh. "Because at the end of the day, you still did it."

"…well at least neither of us volunteered," Chloe mumbled and looked at him and managed to smile just a tiny bit. "That's what separates us from them. We weren't stupid."

Bucky managed the same little smile. That was one way to put it.

"Do you know anything specific about the volunteers?" Chloe asked a moment later. "I've, um, I've been sort of seeing things…the Hivemind keeps showing me some stuff and I get the feeling that one of these volunteers is meant to be my fail safe."

"I've seen too many to count," Bucky said, "Some of them — a lot of them — die before I get a chance to look at them twice."

"Okay, well how about recent volunteers? Anyone stand out lately?"

"There were a few successful experiments, but I don't know what base they would be in right now. There are bases everywhere and with the fall of SHIELD, I imagine that a strategy they'll put into place is feeding you the weakest bases. Give them time to build up whatever new plan they have because if you think for a second that HYDRA is actually gone, you're sadly mistaken."

Chloe fell silent. She wouldn't be dumb enough to think that they completely extinguished HYDRA from the face of the Earth. Of course there had to be some other links to cut. It just made her stomach churn with fear. "Would you…would you happen to know anything about a scepter? A-a really big stick—"

"I know what it is," Bucky cut her off, "I've seen it."

"The scepter plays with your mind — they did it to Seren and our friend Clint. I can't imagine what they must have been doing with it all this time."

"Experiments," Bucky said knowingly. "They'll use anything they can."

"Did they ever use it on you…?"

Bucky shook his head silently, and Chloe exhaled with relief. Bucky couldn't help the look on his face when she did that. It'd been much too long since someone showed concern for him. The whole thing was a novelty.

"We need to get that scepter back," Chloe decided. She had no doubt that HYDRA was using the scepter for experimentation and if used right, the consequences would be dire.

"That's a suicide mission," Bucky said, shaking his head.

"What? So the alternative is to let them keep it? Let them do whatever they want with it?"

"If we go anywhere near HYDRA, we're dead — worse, we'll be captured," Bucky said. "I have no intention of falling into their hands again."

Chloe couldn't blame him for his stance, but she couldn't let the scepter remain with HYDRA either. She had to talk to Tony again, maybe find Thor and get him to help them find the damn thing since it once belonged to an Asgardian.

"Please eat." She picked up the pear off the table and held it out to Bucky. "I promise I will bring something good for lunch but I really want you to eat something. My friends are like you with increased appetites so I know that you're hungry. Please?"

Bucky stared at her for a long moment. Her eyes were just as kind as the day HYDRA brought her to him. Even now that she wasn't being forced to help him, she was still doing it. "Why?" He blurted, leaving her confused.

"Why what?" she tilted her head at him.

"Why…why are you helping? You don't owe me anything."

Chloe half smiled at him, though still evidently confused. "Is it so hard to believe that I would want to help you?" Her already little smile finished disappearing when he looked away from her. "Sorry, that was…that was stupid…" Of course he wouldn't believe that someone would want to help him after spending decades with an organization torturing him. "Look," she sighed lightly, "I can't imagine the horrors you must have gone through and even imagining them wouldn't do justice to the real things. I get it. Your faith in humanity is shattered and you really have no reason to believe that anyone would want to help you but I swear to you that you can trust me. You can trust me because…because at this moment I myself am broken in many ways. I don't know what I'm doing nor what I'm going to do. We are two broken pieces that maybe, with each other's help, might just get repaired somehow…someway."

She held the pear out to him again. "Please eat. I have to go do more exams with Stark then I'm going to do a few errands on my own. I'll be gone for a while. Tell me you'll still be here when I get back?" She didn't want to be demanding but the desire for him to stay was still etched across her face.

Bucky saw himself as a potential danger to her while she saw him as an ally. One day, if things went like she wanted them to, they could even become actual friends. "It's not safe, Chloe," he said. "I don't...I don't know why you want me here so bad."

"I just told you — I want you to build some trust in at least one person," Chloe said, "Even if it's just me."

The way she regarded herself like she was nothing is perhaps what pushed Bucky to reach for the fruit in her hand. She didn't know it but he already respected her. She was taken by HYDRA, made to lose her friends, and she was still standing.

"I'll stay," he nodded.

~0~

"Vocal patterns seem within normal range for you," Tony said while Chloe sat perfectly still in a chair with electrodes attached to her head. "Dr. Cho's tests pretty much cover everything."

"Tony, I swear it's wrong," Chloe said. "Before, the Animinds would just tell me the facts in my head but now they're taking over my voice. Remember, it's me against like 10 thousand of these things." Her body suddenly shifted and the next time her voice spoke it was not in her usual pattern. "10.2 billion Animinds currently exist."

Tony looked up from the computer with wide eyes. That had been detected and marked on the screen.

Chloe shook her head with a growl. "See!?"

"That was pretty cool, though," Tony said, his lips quirking into a smile. Chloe didn't think so. "They use your speech to get their point across and that's it."

"No, that's not 'it'!" Chloe made a show of yanking the electrodes off her head even when some of them yanked strands of her hair in the process. "They have no boundaries, Tony! They're supposed to be amicable but all they do is give me nonsense information and now they even make me say it out loud!"

"Ever consider it's a two way street?" Tony asked her suddenly.

She paused with the last electrode to meet his gaze. "What?"

"This whole thing, they're getting into your head now so that means, technically speaking, you have the ability to do the same."

Before the idea could thoroughly sink in, Chloe found herself speaking without actually wanting to. "The Animinds can speak to each other through the Hivemind. With enough practice, the power can expand into telepathy territory."

Tony cocked his head to the side. He wouldn't even try to hide his fascination. This was technically the first alien race he met that wasn't interested in invading their world. "Animinds?" He asked.

Chloe's eyes flashed blue. "The human is afraid of us. We only mean to help."

"Aha…" Tony took a few steps back to be able to peek at the computer screen. Even with one electrode to her head, the computer was able to monitor everything. "And while I have you here, why don't you explain how to help this new relationship between you two blossom?"

"She needs to open her mind more, seek answers that she needs through the Hivemind. It is now entirely accessible to her. She knows this, but she refuses to follow through."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that sounds like Chloe."

"She also needs to be at peace with herself. The Hivemind is partly empathic. We feel each other's emotions and she's in conflict all the time."

"Yeah, got that. Anything else you want to tell me that I already know?"

"Family is everything." The blue light on Chloe's eyes faded shortly afterwards. She drew in a breath, admittedly something easier than the previous times the Animinds had taken her over.

"Winters?" Tony presumed. She nodded and silently ripped the last electrode off her head. "Were you in pain?"

She shook her head. "No," she whispered. She pulled herself off the chair with a sigh. "I can hear everything," she said. "Before this, when they would give me all this information I couldn't be here and in the hive mind at the same time. Now everything's different. It's like I'm here and I'm also there and I can hear everything, see and sense everything and it's overwhelming…" Her voice shook towards the end as tears filled her eyes.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Tony was quick to leave everything as it was to calm her down. "Got it, we'll work on it just like we're working on everything."

"Can we really, though?" Chloe sniffed. "Because every day there seems to be something new and it's drowning me."

"I don't think that's what the Animinds want from you…"

"No, but maybe it's what Hydra wanted," Chloe said. "When I had both pieces of the Hivemind inside me, I couldn't control anything. The Animinds were angry. They were twisted. I did things that I would never do."

"Maybe that's because that second piece was altered."

"What?"

"Walk with me." Tony motioned her to follow him through the door. The exams were done for that day.

Chloe silently walked with him towards the elevator. On the way, she noted the various rooms already done with construction. She knew that various more floors were done as well. He'd been working a lot more on the tower lately and he'd yet to tell her why.

As far she knew, the floor they were on now was dedicated solely to the labs. Medbays, exam rooms, and old fashioned workshops were all located here.

She was led into one of the more private workshops and if she was right, it was his own. She stopped three steps into the room when she saw the damn Hivemind tech piece held in the air by a few machines. Just being near it made her feel the jabs of a headache.

"Do you feel something?" Tony asked her. She was casting a wary look at the piece with her eyebrows knitting and unknitting together.

"Yeah, the whispers, they're…they're telling me to connect with it…and do the procedure, basically."

"Come here for a sec," Tony made the nod for the table. "Just for a minute," he promised when she hesitated. She ultimately came to his side but begged him to be quick about it. "This piece had some work done from Hydra. I'm assuming they were trying to mess with the connection of the Hivemind."

"Why?" Chloe asked.

"Well, I'm no evil genius, nor an evil organization, but I want to assume that they didn't really want you to be one with the Hivemind. The Animinds could've stopped and interfered with Hydra's plans. They wanted you under HYDRA's control but they were way in over their heads with this one. They got their wires crossed, literally. They damaged parts of it. That's why you reacted so badly to it."

"Could it really be?" Chloe shuddered at the memories of herself on the Helicarrier...fighting Seren...hurting her…

"Definitely. It was a rushed job, Chloe. It's a miracle you didn't die on the table."

"Oh, thanks, Tony," Chloe rolled her eyes. "So…so theoretically speaking, if you and Helen had enough time—"

"Mm, we do have enough time," Tony reminded her but she went on like he hadn't.

"—would you be able to fix it so it wouldn't hurt me? It wouldn't turn me into a puppet?" Chloe did not mean to imagine Bucky at that moment. That wasn't what he deserved.

"Absolutely," Tony said without a second thought. "I told you my ideas. We could scrap the device and modify it to your needs."

"And it wouldn't go on…" Chloe raised her right hand still in gauze.

Tony shook his head. "No. It'd be absorbed like the first one, just like it was meant to be."

"Great, because that one didn't hurt the first time…"

"Helen and I would try our best to accommodate that."

"I know," sighed Chloe. "Of course I know that. I know you guys are trying. It's just hard."

"Yeah." Tony watched her sympathetically. Chloe wouldn't know it then but Tony held a great respect for her. When she'd first woken up from the hospital and had to work through the fact of what she'd done for Hydra, Tony genuinely thought that Chloe would snap. It was one thing to run and hide but this had been entirely different. She'd done things that she never would have done. She hurt Seren, a woman who was like her sister, and would've definitely tried to kill her if she'd gotten a chance.

But Chloe did no such thing. She pushed through. It was a slow process but she was doing it and that was the point. It was admirable for someone who had lost everything.

"Hey Chloe, why don't you go home?" Tony asked her. "Maybe order some dinner in? I'd offer to take you out but I don't know—"

"No, I'm good, thanks," Chloe said quickly. "I'll...I'll see you later."

The last thing she heard Tony say was to think about things. Of course she was going to be thinking about things. She was actually afraid her mind wouldn't stop thinking about things.

"Animinds?" She decided to call on a whim. Before, when she wanted to access what she was able to from the Hivemind, she would just try to go in. Maybe now she could actually call upon them instead. It would make it a lot easier to do things if she didn't have to physically stop to communicate with them. "Animinds?"

"What do you need?" She actually relaxed when she heard their response.

She was walking down the street, careful to keep her gaze straight ahead and not act like she was talking to an alien hive mind in her head. She didn't need the strange looks from people. "If I connect on every level with you, will it end all this pain?"

"You know pain is always going to be there."

Chloe inwardly sighed. "You know what I mean. If I connect with the Hivemind, will this stop hurting? Will I have full control?"

"You'll always have to train, Chloe. But yes, being connected would give you far better control over our shared abilities."

"What about the clairvoyance?"

"You can work on that, change the aspects of it. It all comes down to that, Chloe. Work. Train. You cannot expect things to get better if you don't work for them."

Chloe stopped at the street light. She had suspected this would be the answer and it wasn't from the clairvoyance. It was sheer common sense that she didn't want to face.

~ 0 ~

Seren stood in her room in front of her old desk gazing through her things. It was amazing that after so many years of moving out, her old high school things were still there. Her mother was a neat freak and kept everything organized, including things in her bedroom. She never threw things away, though, and Seren was grateful for it. As hard as her life had been growing up, she still couldn't bear to throw some things away.

She heard the door opening behind her and a few steps leading to her. Soon, strong arms wrapped around her from behind.

Steve pressed a kiss on her temple. "How'd it go?" he murmured.

"Well…they're not screaming…" Seren said, "But they're not exactly thrilled either."

"Their only daughter is leaving them, I can't blame them…"

"I promised them things were going to be different. I'm not leaving them behind this time…I'm not running away…" Seren had not only made the promise to her parents but to herself as well. She didn't want things to go back to the way they used to be when SHIELD was around. And that was one of the things she had told Tony when they spoke. This new team would be the best version of the Avengers Initiative, what SHIELD was supposed to have helped build.

"If you want to stay longer, Seren…" Steve began when her silence drew for too long.

"I'm good," Seren said, nodding to herself. "You were right to tell me to come here. It really helped me gain a new perspective." She put a hand on one of his arms and gave him an affectionate rub. "I got to be me and…you don't get it, I don't think I've ever been me in my whole life. I got along with my parents, I even talked to one of my old friends…" She had healed in ways she never expected and it was wonderful. "Thank you, Steve."

"I just got you to come. You did the actual work, sweetheart," Steve said, gently swaying them side to side. "I'm glad it helped you. I also talked to Stark earlier and made some clear points. You're in charge. End of story."

Seren smirked. "Ha, and how'd he take that? He is way smarter than both of us combined, so…"

"That he is but he has no idea how to lead a team. Not exactly a people person, if you've noticed…"

They both laughed.

"I mean it, Seren. I know how much the Avengers Initiative meant to you. If we do this, if we form a new team, you're in charge."

Seren hummed while she considered it. "Well, I mean, I will need some kind of co-captain…know anyone looking to fill the position?"

Steve lowered his lips to her cheek. "I might know someone who's interested…" She felt his smirk against her cheek and giggled. "And he's got a great resume, by the way."

"I'm looking for someone with experience…"

"He's got 70+."

"Ooh, but how is he on the looks? I mean, if I'm gonna be working with him closely all the time, I want to be looking at something nice…" Steve laughed lightly behind her. Seren turned around and faced him with a wide smirk on her face, her hands resting on his arms. "But looking at you right now, I think you pass with flying colors…"

Steve rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, I do?"

Seren nodded. "Mhm, you're hired."

"Yeah?"

"Absolutely. Congratulations." Seren brought her arms around Steve's neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

They wasted no time and deepened their kiss. Steve picked Seren up and sat her on the desk. He held her face and tilted her head up, parting her lips to slip his tongue through. Seren moaned with delight and raked her fingers through his hair, using the momentum to tug him closer to her. She loved the taste of him, his scent, his touch — everything about him enveloped her. She could easily rip the buttons off his shirt but Steve would never go for it, not right here.

Panting for air, the two pressed their foreheads together while they gathered themselves up.

"I really hope you don't do this with all your other employees…" Steve said, earning a shove on the chest.

"Shut up!" Seren laughed. She then reached for him and grabbed him back by the collar of his shirt. "You are very lucky I like you, mister."

"I was about to say the same," Steve hummed, gazing at her fondly.

"But you know the truth is that I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me, right?" She fixed the collars of his shirt she messed up. "I don't know where I would be without you."

Steve passed a few fingers through her short hair. "…I was about to say the same thing…"

Seren smiled from ear to ear. "This team of ours…anyone you have in mind? Besides Stark, of course."

"Well, obviously we're gonna have to drag Natasha out from wherever she went," Steve said, tilting his head. "I'd ask Sam but I'm not sure he'd be interested in committing 24/7. He does have other side jobs."

"I was thinking about Clint," Seren said. "I'm sure he's looking for a new job anyways and let's face it, he never misses a shot." Steve chuckled, agreeing. "I was also thinking about Chloe…" Things fell quiet for a moment between them. Seren understood what she was getting herself into. "I know it's gonna be hard…"

"I — that's one way to put it," Steve said, and sighed. "I just don't want you feeling guilty about things that weren't your fault. You've done so much healing lately and as much as I love Chloe, I can't bear seeing you so distraught over her."

"She's like my sister, Steve," Seren said, "I can't leave her on her own."

"I am not saying you have to," Steve clarified, raising one hand in front of him. "I don't want to either. I just think…" He struggled to find the right words that wouldn't upset Seren. He touched her cheeks, cupping her face so gently. "You have earned your happiness, Seren. I don't want to see anyone take it from you. No one."

"That's not going to happen," Seren whispered. She placed her hands over his on her cheeks, taking them down to her lap where she held onto them tightly. "I want to try talking to her, Steve. I need to start somewhere and I promise you that I will prepare myself for the hard battle before me. I don't expect Chloe to talk to me on day one. That'd be nice but very unrealistic. But I'll be okay, I promise."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. I want to do this. I want to build a team that I can trust and I can't imagine it without Chloe."

"Well…" Steve let out a deep breath, "You're in charge so…yes, ma'am."

Seren laughed softly and gave him a peck on the lips. "Highly obedient. Already love your work. But does that make me the Captain now?"

"I wouldn't mind sharing the title," Steve swayed his head, "Actually, there's no one else that could hold the title but you."

"Aw, now you're just kissing up," Seren bopped him on the nose. "I like it. I love this new idea. I can't believe Stark is the reason the Avengers are going to continue."

"Let's not get it twisted here. Stark thought of the idea but you, Seren, will bring it to life. There's no one else who's earned that right."

Seren smiled. "It's only been my dream since forever…since Fury and Atria told me about the Initiative." She looked around her suddenly and reached for a specific book on the wall shelf behind her. Steve was surprised when she opened it and pulled out a folded piece of paper that was definitely not part of the book. "I hid things when I was younger and my parents were really interested in keeping my SHIELD stuff." Seren unfolded the paper that turned out to be a photograph. "That's her," she pointed at the blonde woman in the picture standing next to Atria and Fury somewhere in a field. "The person who really started all this, Carol Danvers."

Steve took the picture into his hands to better look at it. The woman was young and with blonde hair. She radiated confidence with that smirk on her face.

"I've always wanted to honor her with this Initiative," Seren said, gazing at the picture from her spot, "Wanted to make it the best damn team in case she ever returned."

"You obviously did it justice," Steve said, folding the photograph. "No one else but you could've done it better."

"Okay, seriously, there's no need to kiss up," Seren said, taking the picture from him and setting down on the desk. "Now then, I still need to finish packing — again." She tugged him back to her. "We leave in a few days after all…"

Steve nodded. "We should get to that."

Seren didn't let him get away and laughed at his confused face when she grabbed his face. "You are seriously so clueless, lovey." She pressed a kiss on the corner of his lips, then another on his lips.

~0~

Bucky kept his word to himself that wasn't going to raid anything of Chloe's. Perhaps the Winter Soldier would have an obligation to know his associate but that wasn't who he was anymore. He was trying not to be that man anymore. Chloe Winters was not an associate. She was...well, they could start as allies. They were allies.

But this ally was young and slightly spontaneous. Even he, with his troubled mind, could see that Chloe was fractured in some parts. The parts he could see like her inability to control the Hivemind were obvious things in need of work. Other parts, though, the ones she didn't necessarily show weren't that much of a secret either.

Bucky had taken to roaming the apartment when Chloe wasn't there. He didn't open drawers or go snooping through her things. Whatever was out in the open is what he examined. And there wasn't a lot to see.

He wasn't sure how long Chloe had been living in the apartment before he found her but he was sure that by this point she should have more personal things lying around. Pictures of herself, for starters, but there was none of that. He had gone through the living room at least a dozen times and there wasn't a single picture of her. There was nothing in the hallways, not even one of those store bought paintings. There was nothing personal which meant she wasn't attached to anything. She wasn't letting herself get attached to anything. And Bucky knew exactly what that meant because he was going to do the same thing for, what he feared, would be a long time. Chloe wouldn't personalize anything in her apartment because of the fear that one day she may have to take off.

Chloe, who proclaimed herself to be a woman with a plan, was still afraid that Hydra would come for her.

Some part inside Bucky warned him that he couldn't leave her on her own if he felt like what he thought about her was right. If he was truly done being the Winter Soldier, he had to act like he wasn't him. Allies looked out for each other; they had each other's backs.

Bucky heard the front door unlocking. He got up from the floor just as Chloe walked in with several bags hanging around her wrists. Soon as she saw him, she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do you...do you sit on the floor when I'm not around?" She made a face. "Why?"

He so clearly didn't want to answer. "What do you have?" he made a nod towards the bags.

Chloe smiled lightly. She locked the door behind her then moved into the living room. She placed the bags on the coffee table then brought her hands together. "Okay, so, I thought since you're going to be here for a while...you should probably have some things of your own. I did a little shopping."

"What? No, I didn't ask—"

"I know you didn't ask me to," Chloe gently cut him off, turning her head to meet his gaze, "I wanted to do this. You deserve that. Don't worry, I only paid with cash. I'm not sure if Tony's tracking my credit card bills." He probably would since it was his credit card bills. She started opening the closest bag to her. "And I did have two older brothers so I know exactly how to shop for men."

"Had?" Bucky repeated. He watched the subtle pause of Chloe's movements.

She soon continued on like he hadn't asked her a thing. "I'm pretty sure these will fit you." She had pulled out black long sleeve shirt. To her credit, it did seem like his size. "I bought all long sleeves." She wouldn't go into detail about that. Neither needed it. "There's also razors, shaving cream, all the basic things everybody needs."

Bucky couldn't ignore an odd feeling in his chest as Chloe went on. She wasn't typically animated about anything after coming back from one of her exams with Stark—who could blame her?—but apparently today was different. If it had to do with him, he could maybe feel like he was helping her in some way.

He didn't even protest when Chloe sent him to take a long shower and go through everything she'd bought with her.

~ 0 ~

"This is wild," Kenna laughed nervously as she gazed at the big training room. She couldn't believe it had been in Seren's basement the whole time. "You actually hid this from me?" Seren most definitely did not expect Kenna to whack her on the chest. "I should be offended! Is that an actual target?" She eyed the circular set of targets set across them. "Like the ones on t.v.? Can you blow one up?"

"I knew this was a bad idea," Seren said and crossed her arms with a huff.

Beside her, Kenna laughed again. "Oh, you bet your ass it was! This is insane! I can't believe you actually have a real training room under your house!"

"It's the basement, technically."

Kenna snorted. "No the hell it's not! Nobody has a training room in their basement, just you!"

"Well if you don't calm down, I'm gonna take you out of here," Seren muttered.

"Hey, you're the one who invited me, remember?" Kenna wandered over to the targets to touch. "You're leaving tomorrow and all."

"Yeah, and I thought you might just want to keep seeing the truth about us," Seren said, awkwardly standing in the middle of the training room. "I just didn't think you'd get overly excited about a training room."

"It's just something I don't see every day," shrugged Kenna, turning away from the targets. "Plus, you owe me for waiting this long to tell me the truth."

Seren let out a heavy sigh and gave up. "Whatever!"

Kenna strode back to Seren and thanked her for showing her another part of herself. "But you know this really doesn't change what I think about you, right?"

Seren smiled and nodded. "I know, and I really can't say how grateful I am for that. It does mean a lot. You want to get something to drink now?"

"Aha! Does your mom still make that peach lemonade? I loved that!"

The two women headed back upstairs where Seren confirmed that Liana did indeed still make their favorite drink. When Seren was younger, Liana was so excited that she had made a friend in Kenna and started inventing new recipes for them to try when Kenna was over at the house.

Fifteen minutes later, the two were sitting on the front porch of the house, clinking their lemonade glasses together. The sun was about to set and they wanted to enjoy the air out before it got too cold.

"God, this is still so good!" Kenna laughed after taking a large drink from her glass. She then suffered a mild case of brain freeze. Seren laughed at her. "Don't laugh you jerk!"

"I have to soak up all these moments before I get back to work," Seren said playfully, "And I will remember this fondly, of course."

"Jerk," Kenna spat and took another drink from her glass. "So," she said afterwards, "you're really gonna put a new team together?"

"That's the hope," Seren said, lowering her glass for a moment. "Nothing's set in stone and truthfully, the people I have in mind for this team are kind of all over the place."

"I'm sure you're going to get them together. You're Stardust, you can do anything."

Seren snorted. "Not really."

"You can literally make stars — you'll be fine!"

"It doesn't work like that, but sure," Seren said with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Can I see you make the stars?"

"What?" Seren chuckled when she side-glanced Kenna.

"C'mon, you've shown me everything in your house that had to do with the real you so I think it's only fair that you show me these powers of yours. Pretty please?" Kenna feigned the world's most dramatic pout.

"It's not that big of a deal, Kenna…" Seren said, trying her best not to laugh at her.

"Says the girl who can make stars. Please?"

"Fine!" Seren put her lemonade glass on the porch beside her and turned to face Kenna. The latter did the same with her glass and paid close attention to Seren. She turned her palms over and suddenly a few orange wisps of energy started flowing from her skin.

Kenna watched with awe as the wisps formed into small balls of fire — stars. "It's like fairy dust…" she whispered.

Seren smiled softly. Kenna had a very different view of her powers. Most people labeled her powers as volatile, and they were absolutely correct about it. It's why she was always cautious with them and trying to keep them down low. There was only one other person who saw her powers like Kenna…

"You are literally so cool," Kenna said breathlessly and looked up at Seren. "I can't believe you kept this side of you a secret for so long…"

Seren closed her hands and made the stars disappear. "It's not always pretty, Kenna. Star matter is dangerous and explosive."

"Like supernova explosive?" Kenna gasped. "Wait, can you do that? Can you make a supernova?"

Seren doubted that Kenna would ever see the gravity of her powers, but she didn't hold it against Kenna. It was different when you just looked at them. It was hard to understand what it was to always feel the ghost of the energy under your fingertips and skin. But Kenna was too excited for her to say anything.

"I haven't," Seren responded in the end, "But maybe one day…if I get really mad…"

Kenna chuckled. "That'd be so funny! For us, not for the people on the receiving end!" Seren had to agree with that. "Thank you for showing me," Kenna said, taking one of Seren's hands. "I know it looks like I'm not taking it seriously but I promise you that I really appreciate it. I know that I'm not strong like you and obviously not powerful but if there's ever anything I can help you out with, you can always count on me."

A bright smile bloomed across Seren's face at Kenna's words. "You are more than strong, Kenna. Powers don't define that, trust me. Some of the best people I know have no abilities and God help the people who cross them."

"I know, but…you know…these days it seems like everyone has super powers," Kenna said, shrugging lightly. "It's hard feeling special."

"But you are," Seren pointed to her. "And don't you dare think otherwise. Believe me, if it wasn't for my own insecurities, I would have loved to have been your best friend."

"Well, it's never too late," Kenna said, "I mean, I know the position is already taken buuut…"

Seren chuckled with her. "Nothing wrong with having a lot of close friends and I am definitely okay with another one!"

"Toast to that!" Kenna grabbed her lemonade glass, same as Seren, and clinked glasses together.

The front door opened and Steve came out to check up on them. "You two know it's getting chilly out here, right?"

"And one of us doesn't actually get cold," Kenna said, throwing nods over at Seren, "So trust me, we'll be okay."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, alright."

"Are you guys done packing?" Kenna asked curiously. "Or am I interrupting that?"

"We're done," Seren said, raising her glass up to Steve for a sip. He walked over and took the glass from her. "Now it's just saying goodbyes and all."

"Do you guys even have a place already?"

"Not exactly," Steve said after a quick drink. The lemonade was really good. "But our friend seems to be taking care of it."

"And that's what worries us, really," Seren said, Steve nodding beside her. "We never know what Tony's up to until we see it…"

"Beats living out of a hotel so I say just go with it," Kenna said.

"You're welcome to stop by anytime," Seren promised her. "We can introduce you to our other friends."

"But sorry in advance," Steve said when he thought about the woman meeting Tony Stark.

Kenna laughed. "They can't be that bad!"

"They're not," Seren said, "But they can be a bit intense. Still, I know you'd get along with them great." She would really love to introduce Kenna to Chloe because was absolutely sure that their personalities would sync up so nicely.

"Well, I'm game for anytime," Kenna said, raising her glass for another toast. She laughed when Seren and Steve made to toast with the same glass.

[wordspin-shares]

CHARACTER PROFILE — MORGAN HUNT aka PACE | MARVEL

I've been having fandom nostalgia lately and decided to revisit one of my old OCs. A slight revamp gave Morgan new powers and codename, but the rest of the essentials remain much the same. I doubt I will revise and share her story, but I wanted to share this.

[dancingsunflowers-ocs]

𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙊𝘾 ✸ 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴

Victoria was born into an extremely rich family. She was the oldest of three girls. Her mother, came from a previously wealthy family and was determined to marry a man whose family has had riches for generations as well. They had three beautiful girls all for show as neither of them knew how to express real love, not having been raised in particularly nice homes. So, Victoria, basically raised her sisters. They knew nothing other than each other, showing each other what real love was.

When her youngest sister Esme was eighteen, she contracted a deadly sickness. This made Victoria go crazy, searching for a way to cure her incurable disease. On the brink of her twenty fifth birthday, she stumbled across a man who claimed he could help cure supposed incurable sicknesses and diseases. Desperate, Victoria asked for his help. He told her that since Esme didn't come to him directly, he could only give Victoria the ability to help her sister. Without hesitation, she accepted his request. He brought her into a lab where she laid down on a cold, metal table for him to continue with the procedure. He injected her with a deep gold liquid in multiple spots on her body. Afterwards, he said that she would be able to help cure her sister within a week.

Having returned home, she promised Esme and her other sister that she would cure her. With no information on what she was supposed to do, Victoria wasn't sure if she would be able to help Esme so she went searching for that man again. Instead, all she found was a note that explained to her what he did to her. When the time came to help Esme, all backfired. Nothing happened to Esme and she passed a few days after Victoria tried to help.

Horrified, Victoria ran away from their home. She didn't know if she was the reason Esme died or not. A few days after she left home, a group found her. This group was called Special Threat Assessment for Known Extranormalities, also known as S.T.A.K.E. They took her in, interrogated her, and then decided they wanted her to become part of their team. They helped refine her powers as they thought it to be useful, taught her many, many kinds of martial arts, and how to use various kinds of weapons.

Over a few years, she had become a valuable member of S.T.A.K.E and then Nick Fury heard about her. Intrigued, he invited her to be a part of 'a group of remarkable people'. Victoria couldn't turn down the offer and that was how she became a part of the Avengers.

G͏E͏N͏E͏R͏A͏L͏ I͏N͏F͏O͏R͏M͏A͏T͏I͏O͏N͏:

F͏u͏l͏l͏ N͏a͏m͏e͏: Victoria Rose Brooks

A͏l͏i͏a͏s͏: Agent Brooks [Formerly] Vindecător [Currently - Romanian for 'Healer']

S͏e͏r͏i͏e͏s͏: Gold Rush

L͏o͏v͏e͏ i͏n͏t͏e͏r͏e͏s͏t͏: Steve Rogers

A͏g͏e͏: 30

S͏e͏x͏u͏a͏l͏i͏t͏y͏: Omnisexual

P͏r͏o͏n͏o͏u͏n͏s͏: She/her (later she/they)

O͏c͏c͏u͏p͏a͏t͏i͏o͏n͏: Member of the Avengers, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. 

F͏a͏m͏i͏l͏y͏: Warrick Brooks (father) Pandora Brooks (mother) Astrid Brooks (younger sister) Esme Brooks (younger sister - deceased)

A͏P͏P͏E͏A͏R͏A͏N͏C͏E͏:

E͏t͏h͏n͏i͏c͏i͏t͏y͏: W͏h͏i͏t͏e͏

N͏a͏t͏i͏o͏n͏a͏l͏i͏t͏y͏: American

S͏p͏e͏c͏i͏e͏s͏: H͏u͏m͏a͏n͏

F͏a͏c͏e͏c͏l͏a͏i͏m͏: Olivia Cooke

H͏a͏i͏r͏ C͏o͏l͏o͏u͏r͏: Dark Brown

E͏y͏e͏ C͏o͏l͏o͏u͏r͏: Brown

P͏E͏R͏S͏O͏N͏A͏L͏I͏T͏Y͏:

Q͏u͏a͏l͏i͏t͏i͏e͏s͏: Brave. Flirty. Smart. Cocky. Emotional. Sarcastic. Selfless. Gentle. Compassionate. Fierce. Loving. Sensitive. Kind. Tough.

M͏o͏r͏a͏l͏ A͏l͏i͏g͏n͏m͏e͏n͏t͏: Neutral good

M͏y͏e͏r͏s͏ B͏r͏i͏g͏g͏s͏ T͏y͏p͏e͏: ISTJ

H͏o͏g͏w͏a͏r͏t͏s͏ H͏o͏u͏s͏e͏: Gryffindor

L͏I͏K͏E͏S͏:

↳ yoga and meditation

↳ alcohol (especially vodka)

↳ vegan food

↳ boxing and martial arts

↳ dogs

↳ ice cream is her guilty pleasure

D͏I͏S͏L͏I͏K͏E͏S͏:

↳ talking about her past

↳ her younger sister's death

↳ innocents in peril

↳ being mind-controlled

✨ Taglist: @eddysocs @megandaisy9 @ginger-grimm @arrthurpendragon @misshiraethsworld @faerieroyal @daughter-of-melpomene ✨

[eddysocs]

Always Have (Agatha Harkness x OC)

Summary: Agatha can tell Rebecca is getting ready to bolt. She can’t let that happen, not when they haven’t had their chance in this lifetime.

Word Count: 487

Warnings: Angst

A/N: It gets fluffy at the end, I promise.

Everywhere she went in Westview, there was Agnes. It was getting weird. Way too often to be coincidental. She was scared to confront her. Perhaps it was best to pack her things and leave Westview. She’d thought it impossible once, but something felt different now somehow. So that’s what she did. She went home, packed a bag —essentials mostly— and made to leave, but as she reached the edge of town, her whole world went black.

She woke up in a dimly lit room, sitting in a chair, tied in, in fact. Naturally, she started to panic. "Shh, shh," a voice hushed from the darkness. The woman soon stepped into the light.

"Agnes," she realized aloud. Her heart started to race. She’d been right to try and get out, and this was the proof.

"No. No, no, no! Why don’t you ever remember?" She sounded exasperated. Mad, but not at her, more like at the universe. "It’s Agatha, dear. Always Agatha."

"I don’t understand," Rebecca replied. Had that always been her name and she’d just been hearing it wrong? She could have sworn that wasn’t the case.

"You never do, no matter how many times I’ve loved you." She stepped closer, just enough to reach out and touch her temple. She could never restore her memories of the lives she’d lived before, only the feeling of what they were. "You’re always doomed to forget." With a wave of her hand, she undid the bindings that held her. She’d never meant to hurt or frighten, only stop Rebecca from leaving her once more.

"Wait," Rebecca called after Agatha. Agatha stopped, waited. "You love me?" The words are soft spoken, almost as if Rebecca feared to believe they might be true.

Agatha turned back to her. "I always have," she confirmed.

"I don’t remember," Rebecca admits. Agatha bows her head. This was usually how it went. "But," Agatha looked back up. "I want to," Rebecca finished. This was new territory. It had always ended with Rebecca telling her she was crazy and running from her when she revealed her powers. "When you touched me, it felt…familiar. Safe."

Agatha couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It had to be Wanda's influence, the potency of her magic. Rebecca got up from the chair and walked over to Agatha. It had been ages since they’d been this close. Rebecca looked up into her eyes and regarded her curiously. Agatha held her breath. She should do something, say something. She couldn’t miss this opportunity. It might be the only one in this life of Rebecca's.

Agatha surged forward, knocking Rebecca back a step as she kissed her. She put her arm around her to steady them both, and that’s when she felt Rebecca kiss her back. A tear rolled down Agatha's cheek, and she finally brought herself to pull away, resting her forehead against Rebecca's. "Agatha, I remember. I remember it all."

Forever Tag: @arrthurpendragon, @baubeautyandthegeek, @foxesandmagic, @carmens-garden, @bossyladies, @getawaycardotmp3, @misshiraethsworld, @kmc1989, @curious-kittens-ocs

Rebecca Wildes: @adrianas-ocs-and-such, @dollvi3e

[sunlitscribe]

Alexsandra Outfit + The Avengers (when they’re on the helicarrier)

as much as she loves black, this is her least favorite outfit bc there’s no color

[arrthurpendragon]

The Hero Dies in This One

[ironverseocs]

Headcanons for a Plot Bunny -> Samantha "Sam" Lang

Cassie's older sister by four years

While Cassie is all about radical/“here and now” change, Sam is all about getting into the system and playing the long game. She sees that as a more lasting/substantial kind of change

Part of her mindset described above is because she's an older sibling; she always had to be the responsible one and has to be that one now. She likes building strong foundations brick by brick for a system to rest upon safely and without fear. // That leads to the other part of why she's more into slow, substantial, reliable change; she views Scott's criminal background through the lens of abadonment almost, as if when he went out to do something drastic and sudden (albeit good) through disorderly means, he forgot about their family/left them behind. She does not want to leave family behind, it's the most important thing to her.

GOAL: to build unshakeable foundations brick by brick until, voila, there is the result at the end – the result being anything from the changes she sees need to be made in society to her future, solid and sturdy.

Sam does have the same call to action as Cassie in Quantumania: to provide better things for the homeless post blip and hating the way peaceful protests are treated, etc.

Fun fact: once she turned 21, she’s bailed Cassie out of her first lockup, then proceeded to give her a stern/big sisterly lecture while driving back about not being reckless (but also she was a little bit proud of/impressed by Cassie's motivation, and it leaked out into her tone towards the end)

–

Dunno if I'm going to write out her story in full, as I don't have a plotline yet, but it's fun to just create lil plot bunnies and see where they go. Maybe she'll go the superhero route, maybe not. We shall see. Hope you enjoyed reading! (And if you get any thoughts about what her story could include, I'm always accepting of feedback! and always down to chat in dm!)

–

Forever taglist: @arrthurpendragon @foxesandmagic @shrinkthisviolet @ochub @ocappreciationtag | want to be added? send me an ask or dm!

[bravelittleflower]

Oc Bingo Creator for @nixdragon

A chance of thunder + Hamilton

[bardic-tales]

OC CREATOR BINGO 2023

Created for @malice1329

Abigail Barnes

I hope you like this.

[petrichorocs]

Lennox Slater + her friendship with Peter Parker + the ending of No Way Home

a little life / champagne problems / x / us against you

[ocappreciation]

ocappreciation + 2022 oc gift exchange ☃

↳ to: @dolce-elegy → from: @morgan-stardusts-god

[saiilorstars]

Ch.18: Where the Past Meets the Present

Steve Rogers x OFC fic • squeeze your eyes for a Bucky Barnes x (2nd) OFC

taglist: @ocappreciationtag​​​​​​​​​​​​ @arrthurpendragon​​​​​​​​​​​ @anotherunreadblog​​​​​​​​​​​ @maaaaarveeeeel​​​​​​​​​​​ @stareyedplanet​​​​​​​​​​​ @gloryekaterina​​​ @averyhotchner​​​ @foxesandmagic​​​​​​​​​​​​ @lenonizi @kmc1989 @caplanbuckybarnes​​​​​​​​​​​​

Story Masterlist • Seren’s Masterlist• Chloe’s Masterlist​​

Also available on Fanfic ○ Ao3 ○ Wattpad

If you’d like to be a part of this OC’s work/edits, let me know!

Steve had watched Seren be jittery all morning. It was so unlike her to be so silent and yet at the same time it was so like her to be that anxious about what people would think about her. She was nerve-wrecked about meeting Kenna Vidal, her only childhood friend. Seren's parents secretly told Steve that morning it was a miracle he had convinced her to go through with such a thing in the first place.

They had a light breakfast — or rather she had a light breakfast as she wasn't that hungry. Steve drove them into town, following Seren's directions to the old ice cream parlor. Kenna was supposed to meet her there soon. As soon as Seren stepped into the parlor, she got flashes of her high school self having strawberry ice cream with Kenna. She remembered the times where she actually felt like a normal high school girl having girl talks and giggling with each other about the dumbest things.

"Seren?" Steve gave her a gentle nudge, breaking her out of her moment. "Are you alright? She looked up at him, her cheeks flushed. "Kind of got distracted there…"

Seren nodded at him. "Yeah, I…I was just remembering…"

"Good memories?"

Seren nodded again. "Yeah." She looked at the parlor and saw a few young teenagers at the counter and tables. "This used to be the place for hang outs. Guess it still is."

"Kind of like a 50s place, or so I've read," Steve said, earning a chuckle from her. "So, are you ready?"

Seren let out a shaky breath as her answer. Steve reassured her that everything would be fine. Kenna had agreed to meet with her, after all. Things couldn't be that bad if Kenna was coming.

"Okay, should I — should we order something ahead?" Seren glanced at the menu then at the entrance doors. "Or…or should we wait? I don't…I actually don't know what to do here."

"Why don't we find a table?" Steve suggested. She agreed quickly and grabbed his hand, very tightly. He led them to the first open table they found.

It was only a few minutes later that Seren spotted Kenna coming in through the entrance doors. "Oh my goodness, there she is…" Seren shook her hands nervously, "Oh God…"

"Breathe," Steve reminded her when he thought he saw some blue on her face.

"What if this was a mistake?" She turned to him suddenly. "Oh my God, this was a mistake. We have to go—"

Steve leaned over and gave her a kiss on the lips, shutting down her nerves for a moment. "Like I said before...breathe," he said afterwards. "You'll be fine. Everything will be fine. You need this, okay? You have an opportunity that not everyone has — repairing the past."

"You're right…" And yet Seren still didn't sound very convinced. She looked out at the same time that Kenna spotted their table. "God, she still looks the same from school…"

Steve chuckled; she had sounded a bit jealous of the fact for some reason. "You look very pretty too," he assured her. That was the first time Seren chuckled since they left the house.

"But unlike Kenna with her gracious dark hair, I cut all of mine off," she pointed out. "And dyed it."

"You could always let it grow out," Steve offered, though he suspected that she hadn't exactly listened to him.

"Hi…" Kenna wore a kind smile on her face when she approached the couple. Her dark eyes flickered between the two, as if making sure she had come to the right table.

"Kenna, hey…" Seren cleared her throat, "It's — thank you for coming."

Kenna nodded. "I was surprised with the call. We haven't exactly spoken to each other since graduation…"

"Yeah…um…been busy…" Seren felt like an absolute idiot. She needed a break, a small little break before she self-combusted on the spot. "You know what? I'm gonna order some ice cream. Would you like one?"

"Uh, yeah, raspberry and vanilla would be nice…?" Kenna barely finished her words when Seren was off towards the counter. "Uuh…did I do something?" She was left to ask Steve, confused.

"No," Steve sighed, blaming himself for not seeing this coming. On some level, it was kind of funny because Seren had never been this nervous about something, not even when they were on missions. "She's just nervous."

"About what?" Kenna seemed truly puzzled over the answer, leaving Steve to wonder just how much Kenna knew of the truth already.

"I…you know…I think Seren is the only one who should really say anything," he said, clearing his throat. "I'm Steve, by the way." He reached his hand out to shake with her.

"Right, yeah!" Kenna chuckled and greeted him. "Duh! Who doesn't know you, right?"

All Steve could do was awkwardly nod. He was never good with these kinds of things. "Does this mean…I mean…do you know about Seren?"

"Know about her?" Kenna raised a brow, still smiling brightly. "You mean that—"

But she was interrupted by the voice of a man calling her name out. Steve looked over Kenna at a tall man who'd just come into the place and seemed to be missing the whole 'prudent' thing as he continuously called out to Kenna.

"Oh God…" Kenna ducked her head and covered her forehead with her hand.

"You know that guy?" Steve asked. Said man was scouring the place for Kenna.

"Unfortunately," she sighed. "That's Blake. Very insistent Blake."

"Won't take 'no' for an answer?"

"Very. God, this is so embarrassing…"

Steve crossed gazes with Seren who'd finished up her order. Her eyebrows knitted together. Steve had an easy time making a nod at her and Blake for Seren to understand. Kenna didn't want to see that man. Even before that, Seren had noticed Kenna's slumped shoulders and lowered head. Just like Kenna knew her, Seren knew her.

"Hi there," she walked up to Blake. "Do you need something?"

"Nothing," the man responded gruffly, "Don't want to order anything."

"Oh, I don't work here," Seren said, "But I am Kenna's friend...you're looking for her, aren't you?" Blake didn't necessarily answer her but it was clear as day what he wanted. "I thought so. I can tell that you're making her uncomfortable even from over here.""

"Oh, really?" Blake finally looked at her, smirking when he noticed her small stature. "And who are you?"

"Kenna's friend. Who the hell are you?"

"Blake Wyatt. Kenna's being a little hardheaded. Doesn't know when to take a compliment."

"Mm, and I bet you've given her lots of them?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah, the least she can do is smile. But I'll accept a date too."

"Except I get the feeling she doesn't want to go on a date with you." Seren raised her head, leveling Blake's glare.

From their spot, Kenna was freaking out at the exchange. "Seren doesn't know Blake! He can get violent when he's mad."

"He's definitely getting mad now…" Steve said, picking up on the heavy annoyance on Blake's face.

Because Seren had just repeated to him that Kenna didn't want any date with him. "You need to leave now."

Blake snorted. "Right. Get the hell out of my way." When he grabbed Seren's arm, Kenna gasped.

"You should help her!" she urged Steve. However, Steve remained still. It was shocking and confusing for Kenna. "Hello! He's going to hurt her!"

"I've seen this before," Steve said, his mind flashing back to the first time he and Seren had lunch together. Some smart alec man did the same thing and grabbed Seren's wrist. "And honestly, I think I'll be a little bit more concerned with Blake's wellbeing."

Kenna didn't understand at all. "What do you mean?"

Before Steve could answer her, Seren grabbed Blake's wrist and twisted his entire arm to an awkward angle, eliciting a sharp scream from him.

"You crazy bitch!" He looked up at her with the angriest of glares, yet she remained unfazed.

"Not the first time I hear that," she said. For the first time that day, she no longer cared about the unwanted attention she had. "The thing is, Blake, I'm a lot stronger than I look. I'm happy to let go but first, you'll need to agree that you're going to leave Kenna alone."

"You're crazy!"

"Established. Now let me hear the words!"

"No!"

Seren shrugged and pushed his wrist even more, causing another scream from him. "Say. It." Her command was hard and loud.

"Fine! Whatever! She's not worth it!" Blake groaned when Seren finally let him go. He brought his arm close to his chest, rubbing the aches on his bones.

"Thank you," Seren said, then cracked a smile at him. "Is this smile okay for you?"

Blake cursed under his breath as he left the shop altogether. Seren's smile dropped the moment he was gone. She apologized to the customers around her and hurriedly returned to the table. "They'll bring us the order in a bit," she informed Kenna and Steve.

"Oh my goodness, thank you and I'm so sorry!" Kenna exclaimed, giving Seren a hug before Steve could even touch her. "You didn't have to do that, I mean you shouldn't have had to…"

"It's okay, it's fine," Seren promised her. She urged Kenna to sit back down.

Steve then took Seren by the waist and looked her over. "He didn't hurt you, right? I would've come but it seemed like you had it under control…"

Seren was smiling smugly. "I totally did, thanks for the faith. I'm good, I promise."

Steve believed her and pressed a kiss on her temple. "Well, since you are so good, I think I'll leave you two to talk, alright?"

Seren looked down at Kenna, suddenly nervous again. "I-I mean…"

"You'll be fine," Steve promised her. "And if anything, I'll be close by. Promise."

Seren ultimately nodded at him. She accepted the deal and stole a kiss from him for extra confidence. Steve said goodbye to Kenna and left the two at the table. Seren slowly took the empty chair and sat down across Kenna.

"Sorry about that guy," she said first, prompting Kenna to apologize for the whole thing again. "How do you even know him, anyways?"

Kenna sighed. "I'm working as a therapist in Hudson now and he was my patient."

"Well, safe to say that he won't be bothering you anymore."

"Well, thanks for that, really." Kenna offered Seren a kind smile. "I'm really glad you called. It's been such a long time. Truthfully, I thought I annoyed you to your last straw."

"God no, you…you did not!" Seren exclaimed. "It was all my fault. It's always been my fault, Kenna. I, um, I reached out to you because…well…because Steve encouraged me to do it. I don't know if you've watched the news lately, or um, been on the internet…"

Kenna's smile was knowing by this point. "Uh, yeah, I've totally seen everything. The Avengers — SHIELD going down? — and all the dirty secrets out in the public. That was bold of you guys."

"It was something alright," Seren mumbled. "So then…I guess you have to know by now what…what I actually am…the truth about me?"

Kenna raised an eyebrow at Seren. "There were many, Seren."

"Yeah," she sighed.

"But…" Kenna leaned forward on the table, "if you're talking about the fact that you are an alien, then yes…I did see that."

Seren started playing with her fingers on the table, almost pulling at the skin out of sheer nerves. "And…and what do you think about that…?"

"What do I think?" Kenna snorted. "What do you mean?"

"C'mon Kenna, it's a big deal to some people. And trust me, a lot of people have made it very clear that they don't want aliens on Earth."

"But you were born here," Kenna said matter-of-factly, "You are from here. And even if you weren't, who cares? Thor's not from here either and we all love him."

"It's different, I guess," Seren said. "Thor didn't grow up here having to pretend that half of him wasn't real. I had to do that. I had to hide who I was out of fear and that included you…and sometimes, I was mean about it…to you." She lowered her head, ashamed of the fact. "And I'm sorry about that, Kenna. You definitely did not deserve that. You were always so nice to me and, honestly, you were my only friend growing up. Where I should have been more grateful that you wanted to be my friend, I ended up being rude. I'm sorry."

"Seren, hold up," Kenna raised her hands to stop the conversation, "What are you talking about? You weren't mean to me."

"I never invited you to places and I always shot down your ideas to do things. You didn't even go to prom because of me!"

"I didn't want to go to prom because I just didn't want to!" Kenna chuckled. "Plus, you were my only friend too. I wasn't very popular back then, remember?"

"And you got stuck with me which definitely didn't help you at all."

"Okay, maybe you could have been more open about this secret of yours but I completely understand why you weren't. We were teenagers — our brains were even stupider then. You were scared. I can't be angry about that."

"You should be," Seren said, "You should hate me."

"And you should stop expecting that from people," Kenna said flatly. "You think you deserve to be punished for the way you acted but the fact is that you were just a kid back then. If my hormones were all over the place back then, I can imagine how yours were!"

Seren laughed softly. "I'm not sure about that but I was a mess, yes. I didn't know what I was doing half the time and the other half I spent being afraid of losing control of my powers."

"I'm glad you called," Kenna reiterated. "I was so sad when we lost touch after high school. You really were my only friend around here. College was kind of lonely."

"I didn't really go to college — I went straight into SHIELD," Seren admitted.

"To become an agent…because you were an agent for SHIELD," chuckled Kenna. "That is so cool! Even cooler that you were an Avenger too! Can't believe you thought that you would scare me off with all this stuff!"

"Trust me, it's not as glamorous as you think it was," Seren said. "I had these powers that could literally kill someone and as a 16 year old, that's a lot of weight to carry."

"Still would've been cool to know. I could've helped you train or something!"

Seren laughed at the idea. "With my luck, I would've hurt you!"

"And I would've been fine!"

Seren smiled at Kenna. The tightness in her chest had lessened without her noticing. She felt like she was back in the ice cream parlor gossiping like teenagers.

~ 0 ~

Most of the tests Tony conducted ran like blurs. Chloe did not protest to any of them, making the tests run smoother and quicker. Now that Tony knew the Hivemind was definitely willing to establish a peaceful link with Chloe, it was a little easier to know which exams to run and which to leave behind. The measuring for danger exam was the first one to go. Most of the tests now involved the second chip and a lot of their information was also coming directly from the Animinds themselves. They had established an open line of communication with Chloe and true to her promise, she was telling Tony everything that she learned.

The Animinds were a clairvoyant species, as far as they both knew, and they were more than willing to allow Chloe the same gift. She, however, made it clear that she did not want it. It was where the source of the problems were at the moment. Tony had stuck Chloe in a specially designed room to elicit those clairvoyant gifts or, at the very least, to push them away. It was the one room where Chloe found true refuge. She hadn't gone home for several days just to feel the peacefulness.

You need to go home. Something wait—

Chloe scrunched her face, turning her head away. From the other side of the room, Tony watched the woman shift on the ground. The yoga position she'd taken didn't seem to be doing much for her. He stepped back to the computers currently taking readings of Chloe's brain.

Things were spiking…

The Animinds must have been trying to contact her. He only wished he could hear what they were telling her.

Gohomegohomgohomegohome-

Chloe growled and ripped off the pads from her temples.

"Hey now!" Tony called, frowning as he watched his very expensive wires be thrown to the ground. "If you don't like 'em, just say something."

Chloe shot him a glare through the window. She pulled herself up from the ground and rubbed her temples.

"What are they saying?"

"They want me to go home," she muttered. "And they're being very loud about it." She thought that the overwhelming loudness would end now that she was on actual speaking terms with the Animinds. It was actually the first time they were yelling at her since then.

"Maybe they're onto something," Tony said, his speakerphone voice cutting off when she came out of the room. He turned to meet her. "You've been here for days and you haven't rested."

"Because I wanted you to run those exams. With that new piece, you can figure out how to turn off the clairvoyance stuff and help me, I don't know, do something about the whole thing."

Tony leveled the young woman a hard look. "Chloe, you know that I can't pull the first piece out of you. It's...it's been absorbed."

Chloe swallowed hard. She nodded at him. "I know. But this second piece hasn't been fully introduced—"

"And you're already suffering without it." Tony's eyes fell over her hand that'd once briefly housed the second piece.

While the gauze had come off and the injury itself had healed, there were still a few scars on her palm from Seren's burn marks and the imprint of the tech piece itself. Chloe wasn't proud of it and she really didn't like looking at it much. She clamped that hand against her side, preferring to keep it away from people's eyes. "What do you think we should do?"

"Truthfully?" Tony asked before going any further. He had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what he had to say. Still, she gave him a nod. He exhaled. "You need that piece in your system, its powers are the missing link for the first piece that's been absorbed."

Horror flashed across Chloe's face. "You want to stick that thing back inside of me?"

Tony motioned her to follow him to the screens meant to monitor inside her room. "Helen and I have run extensive tests on you. Plus, we've been able to attain the exams S.H.I.E.L.D. had on you before." He pulled up said reports for her to see. "The first tech piece that you took in was completely absorbed. This happened in a matter of days. It explains why your powers were spontaneous back then. The metal — the actual metal piece — was drained out of your system within a week. I see no reason why this second piece wouldn't follow the same pattern."

"But to have another piece inside of me…" Chloe brought her arms over her chest in a tight hug. Flashes of the first attempt to stick that piece on her still produced the same raw fear she had in those moments. She shuddered.

Tony could guess where her thoughts had gone. He stretched a hand to her arm, gripping it lightly. "It wouldn't be like that anymore," he promised. "Helen and I would come up with the safest procedure. There would be no pain."

"I don't know," Chloe chewed on her bottom lip. "What would happen after that procedure? The powers…"

"I imagine they will finally connect and start a stabilization process…"

Chloe met his look with incredulity. "You imagine?"

Tony sighed, pulling his hand from her arm. "I've never done this before, Winters. This is aliens we are talking about! There's no one else like you—"

"Believe me, I know," she snapped. "Which is why I'm not too eager to give this thing the little of my humanity I have left."

"You're human, Chloe, nothing could ever change that."

"Am I?" she challenged. "Because I heard rumors of what HYDRA was doing to humans. They were changing them, trying to anyway. Whatever they were supposed to do with these 2 pieces, whoever they were supposed to be for...they could've been just like me."

"Even then, what does it matter? The only thing that should matter is your health and right now, the way I see it, doing this procedure is the only way to keep your health."

"What if I don't do it?" Chloe still had to ask, ignoring the way he sighed so heavily. "What if I leave things the way they are?"

"You know what would happen," Tony said flatly. They already had this conversation. "The spontaneous moments would get more spontaneous. Your connection with the Animinds would never be stable and that could cause problems in the long run. Chloe, I really think this is the only step we can take."

Chloe threw her head back with eyes shut. She scrunched her face, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I...I need some time to think about it."

"Yeah, do it. Helen's not due until the end of the week. But by then, you'll need to tell us what you want to do."

"Okay," Chloe decided to end things right where they were. She straightened up, for once in those two days showing how tired she actually was. "I'm going to go home and...sleep on it."

"Yeah, that'll be a good idea,' Tony nodded. "In the meantime, I will keep on studying that piece." He had many kinks to work out before he could think about placing it back inside her. He wanted to be absolutely sure that he could do the procedure without harming her. But it was as he said, he had never dealt with a situation like this. Aliens were something he never had to consider up until two years ago. It changed a lot of his perspective of the world.

~ 0 ~

The closer Chloe got to her apartment, the louder the Animinds were. She had to swallow down yells of anger in the street. Why the hell were they being so loud again?

You need to be prepared! Say what you've been wanting to say.

Chloe came up to her apartment door and wondered if banging her head against it would be enough to shut them up.

'You would have a bruise in no less than a few hours,' the Animinds were helpful, at least they thought they were.

Chloe grumbled. "I really hate you all right now." She pulled her keys out of her bag and unlocked the door. "And now I'm talking to myself like a crazy person…"

Do not feel threatened; you are not in danger.

"What?" Chloe slammed her door shut. "What 'danger' are you talking about?" She switched the light on and screamed for dear life when she saw Bucky Barnes standing across from her. "What the fu—!?" Her hand flung to her chest. How he stayed completely still with her dramatics, she had no idea.

"You're not harmed," he said, eyes still searching her body for any sign of injury. He did notice that her previously injured hand was now free of the gauze.

Chloe slowly moved that hand behind her back when she saw where his gaze was. "I'm...not," she said slowly, head turning slightly at him. "Why would you think—hold on, why are you back? You left!"

"I had to—"

"No," she pointed at him, her tone surprisingly sharp enough to make him blink out of surprise, "You didn't have to! That was really stupid—"

You're overwhelming. She froze with her mouth half open. The Animinds hadn't spoken to her this time. This was all her. The thoughts that had kept her awake when she realized Bucky had left. She told herself, reprimanded herself, for being too much. He came back, for whatever reason he came back so she had to be different this time.

"Why'd you leave?" she asked, surprising Bucky again, though this time for how quickly she had changed her tone. "You didn't tell me and you just…you left."

"I realized I still had the tracker in me," Bucky said, lowering his head. "I had to get it out."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you."

"I came back because you might have the tracker as well."

Chloe froze. "Excuse me?"

"It's standard procedure for all HYDRA assets. You were only under for a few hours but, still…"

Chloe patted her cheek like said tracker would be right there for some reason. "I don't think I've been put with any kind of tracker. My friend, Tony, he's been running all kinds of tests on me and if there had been in a tracker in me, he would've found one by now. You really could have told me about that…I would have helped, you know."

Bucky wasn't particularly looking at her; he hadn't been at all. "I considered the best strategy with the least amount of risk and I took it."

"Alright, well, I don't have a tracker on me…thanks for thinking of me." Chloe dropped her things on the couch. "But why'd you come back just to tell me that? We would've figured it out eventually."

He shifted on his feet. "Gratitude," he said.

"Gratitude?" Chloe raised a brow at him. "Why? I didn't exactly save your life."

"No," he agreed. Truth be told, whenever he thought about her, he thought of the first time she spoke directly to him at the vault.

"I, um...I have an ability that, um, well...it's known to ease the mind. I won't look through any of your memories. I only want to help calm you down. I just need to touch your temples." She gestured to her own temples with her glowing blue hands. "May I?"

She had asked him for permission. It was stupid, meaningless, but he couldn't shake the moment out of his head. Seventy years of being a prisoner had him taking in all types of violations and tortures. They were all usually done by older men with only one goal in mind: to win. Everything done to him was done to win a stupid war that was not his. But when Chloe showed up, things were distinctively different. She was far younger, she had a light that hadn't been distorted by HYDRA. She still had her humanity, something he lost ages ago. She was the first person he thought coherently about after decades of fuzziness and blankness. The very first thought he had in years and it was about his sympathy for HYDRA's next victim.

Hydra had already started its mission to change her but she fought back. He couldn't remember his early days with them but he was sure that he had done the same. He had tried to fight, thinking that he would somehow win. Once upon a time, he might have been like her. He could do for her what no one had been able to do for him.

Chloe took another step towards him. The Animinds had gone quiet ever since she stepped inside. All this time, they'd been talking about him. Would it have killed them to be more specific?

"I want to help you," she said. "Please, let me help you."

"Hydra will come for you," Bucky said. "The best thing you can do is run."

"I can't," Chloe half-smiled at him. "I can't just…run…I've been doing that for years now and trust me, it gets so tiring."

"You won't be safe for long here. HYDRA will be hunting you down, just like I'm sure they already are with me."

"For what?" Chloe couldn't understand why on Earth this organization would want her so much. "What could I possibly do for them?"

Bucky raised a finger at her, noticing the subtle way her body flinched. He wouldn't react to it. People usually tended to do it and just because she was different didn't mean that she had yet to trust him. He himself didn't trust her all the way either. "It's your head," he finally said, finger gesturing to her head. "Your mind. They worked hard to keep you in their eyes and if you think they'll leave you alone now, you're mistaken."

Chloe cocked her head to one side, eyes staring at him until he was the one to shift. "I have questions," she suddenly said. "And I think you're the one who can answer them for me."

"I don't have time to answer questions here," he said dismissively. "Time is a luxury neither of us have. You want to stay? Fine. I did what I had to." He started moving around her for the door. His entire body froze when her hand clapped over his flesh arm. By no means did she have the strength to stop him but her touch was more than enough to buy her a few minutes. He looked back at her, stunned, yet she was more determined than ever.

"You broke into my apartment twice. You owe me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"I may be going into surgery for this stupid Hivemind and I have questions that I need answered. You want to leave? Fine, but not before you do me the favor of answering a couple things."

"I don't know everything," he said. Chloe smiled at his unsaid agreement. She pulled her hand off him and with her went a nice warmth too. Bucky pulled his arm back to his side, turning back for her completely. "I'm a weapon. I don't have any information."

"You're not a weapon," Chloe said simply. She made a nod for him to follow her. He had no idea why he did it but he followed. "Hydra had to be working on thousands of different projects before S.H.I.E.L.D. went down and I doubt that they've stopped. If anything, they'll have sped up the ones that they could. I'm curious to know which project belonged to me."

"What?" Bucky followed her into the kitchen. She went for the fridge and rummaged for something. Bucky heard the clanking of glass and watched as she pulled out a bottle of orange juice.

"I'm sure that Hydra had to have, how do you say, scrambled to adjust their plans for the Hivemind once I absorbed the first piece. And since they couldn't get me for years, they must have started other projects similar to what was supposed to be with Hivemind." Chloe set the bottle of orange juice on the table with another clank, a purposely loud one too. She smirked at his dumbfounded stare. "I've thought about this for many years. I know what I'm talking about."

"Even if that were true, what would you gain from knowing about them?"

"I can prepare for what's coming! I would rather know who my enemies are before they come to kill me! I think the Hive Mind is already trying to show me that too. I've been seeing these flashes of, like, powers, I think?"

"You wouldn't have to figure that stuff out if you just got up and left!"

Red flourished over Chloe's face as she snapped back loudly, "I am not going anywhere! I have ran for years and I refuse to do it again. I am asking for your help please."

Bucky would silently commend the young woman for her courage, or perhaps a different type of stubbornness. Either way, it was remarkable given her situation. "What do you want to know?" He finally asked her.

A ghost of a smile marked Chloe's lips. "Projects that had to do with me for starters. Were you ever assigned to any of them?"

Bucky didn't have to think very much on that one. "Just a couple times to observe."

"Just to observe?"

He nodded. "I don't understand why but yeah. I would watch and then report back."

"Kind of creepy," Chloe said, turning away from him to go through the cabinets and get glasses. "But I'll forgive you because you were brainwashed. When was this, though?"

That was a little more fuzzy. Bucky couldn't remember exact dates but he did know that she'd been younger. "You were...in France. Another in, um, Sweden."

"I couldn't have been more than 19, then," Chloe said. "I've only been to Sweden once. I don't get why they just ordered you to watch?"

'You were unprepared,' the Animinds startled her.

Bucky noticed the way her body flinched midway back to the table. She was frozen in her spot for some reason.

'Young and explosive. You could never hold onto the Hivemind in that state.'

"Huh," Chloe soon came back to the present. She met Bucky's odd stare and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, the Animinds sort of talk to me without being asked."

"Animinds?" He repeated, face scrunching for a second. She chuckled. It was so casual—the first casual laugh he heard in decades, and from a woman.

"Sorry," she apologized. Bucky had no choice but to blink. "The species of the Hivemind are called the Animinds. They've recently disclosed that. It's why I wasn't in the apartment. I've been with Stark for the past few days."

"So you weren't in danger," Bucky realized. He'd come back to the apartment so easily that he never considered the idea of Chloe not being in there. The last time he was around, she didn't really look like the outgoing type. Her not being in the apartment for days irked him. Had Hydra made good on their assets? Had a remaining agent come for her already? Or had she already run off? He wasn't able to come up with any answer.

She smiled softly. "No, I wasn't in any danger. Thanks for caring but I can take care of myself."

"You won't say that when there's at least a dozen of Hydra agents coming for you."

"Let them try," she said with an air of smugness that, for some reason, stirred something in Bucky. She slid him a glass of orange juice. "Thanks for not raiding my fridge, by the way, but you're more than welcome to get anything you want during your stay."

"I'm not staying," he reiterated.

"Hmm, I don't know, could be your best strategy."

"Why do you want me to stay so badly?" he asked curiously.

Chloe shrugged. "I told you, it's the best strategy you have. Distance does you no good if you're outnumbered. Stick around for a few days and you'll see why I'm right. Plus, you can use the days to remember more things for my answers."

"And what were those again?"

"Well, you told me about your missions regarding me and I just know that Hydra would be doing something else while they waited for me to 'be ready'."

"Why?"

Chloe pulled a chair out and plonked down, soon motioning Bucky to do the same. Reluctantly, he did. She picked up her glass of juice and took a sip. "The way I see it, they have fail-safes for their weapons. Their fail safe for you was the memory wipes. The cryogenic stasis, the...machines." She wanted to be extra cautious when delving into this topic for his sake. "They knew how to control you. Did they ever get around to me?"

Bucky considered the idea and realized that it wasn't that far-fetched. Hydra never conducted a project if they weren't capable of containing it. While Chloe wasn't in their clutches, they were positive that one day she would be and so they would have to work to have the environment ready for her. With that idea, they would have to consider potential fail-safes in case she turned erratic.

"Do you remember anything of the sort?" Chloe's question was soft and patient. It was a lot to ask for and she knew it. Anything he said to her would be deeply appreciated.

Flashes of things came to his mind. What they were, he wasn't sure but it was something. "I wasn't...I wasn't everywhere…" He brought a hand to his forehead in a rather harsh way. Chloe flinched when she heard the light smack of it. "My primary base was in Siberia. But there were others in charge of...different projects."

"What kind?" asked Chloe.

"A lot," was all Bucky could say with certainty. "Various different goals needed to be met so a lot of new projects had to cover them."

"Anything related to what I am?" She tapped the side of her head. "Mind control? Hiveminds? Technology needed to go inside the bodies?"

Bucly's face scrunched much too hard for her liking. He was truly making an effort to remember. "I don't...I can't…"

Chloe was sorrowful for him. "Hey, don't think anymore," she said softly.

He stopped to look at her. Isn't this what she wanted?

"It is but not if it's going to hurt you," she said like she'd read his mind. She half-smiled at him afterwards. "I don't always depend on the Hivemind to use my common sense."

"But you want to know, you need to know," Bucky said, watching her slowly stand up from her chair.

"Yeah, but there's no rush. You want dinner?"

"What?" He stared blankly at her, prompting her to ask him if even knew what 'dinner' was anymore.

"Stay with me for the night and maybe tomorrow you can think some more," she said kindly. "You like pasta?" She went for the cabinets to find what she would need for the dish.

"I don't…" He was getting a headache and he wasn't sure if it was because of her or of his thinking.

Chloe laughed softly at him. He stiffened at it again. "How's about we let your taste buds tell you whether or not you like it instead of trying to remember? Might be better sometimes."

The offer was much too kind and he, forgetting what kindness felt like, found himself nodding at her like a child.

~ 0 ~

"So what exactly are you going to do now that SHIELD is all gone?" Kenna made the question without knowing just how big of a subject it had been for Seren.

Evening had fallen and now they were walking the street with no real direction except to keep the conversation going.

"I still don't know," Seren said much too easily and when Kenna gave her a sharp look, she wasn't sure what to do. "What?"

Kenna snorted. "Seren, please! I know you — you still make the same faces! Remember when you told me you so did not have a crush on Will? You're making the same face right now."

"What? Am not!"

"Are too!"

Seren crossed her arms and huffed like a child. "What do you want me to say?"

Kenna laughed. "Whatever you've been thinking about clearly!"

"I haven't!"

Kenna shook her head. "You're still literally the same, it's hilarious. Clearly, you've been putting some thought into the ideas so let me hear 'em!"

"Alright, maybe I have been thinking…" Seren sighed, annoyed. "It's the whole reason I'm even in Hudson in the first place. SHIELD has been my entire life and now that it's gone — now that I know the truth about it — I've been feeling pretty lost. I can't picture myself working in an office or, I don't know, just…I can't do it."

"Mhm, so what can you do?" Kenna nudged her on the side, encouraging her to be honest.

Seren playfully rolled her eyes. It truly felt like they were teenagers again. The idea was stupid and yet it brought so much joy to her heart. "Honestly?"

"Please!"

"I want to keep fighting. I know that SHIELD's destruction didn't end everything bad out there. I know for sure that HYDRA has to have more bases out there. I know there's gotta be people who still need help and I want to be the person to help them."

"Decent answer," Kenna said with a nod. "So how do you go about that? Do you like become a freelancing Avenger or something?"

It was then Seren's turn to laugh. "I have no idea. But I guess admitting that I'm no longer that confused is a huge step from where I started."

"See?" Kenna smiled dramatically sweetly. "You do need me!"

Seren chuckled again and soon shared the same laugh with Kenna. "Great, so you can be the one to tell my parents that I am once again leaving Hudson."

"Oh, no way!" Kenna shook her head. "That's all on you, girl." She patted Seren's shoulder. "But I'll be happy to visit you in the city…if you'd like, of course."

Seren's expression softened and she nodded. "Absolutely," she said honestly. "I'm sorry for—"

"No more apologizing," Kenna pointed at her. "You need to move on, Seren. If I can, so can you. It's all good, trust me. I'm just happy that you found your way back here. Back home. Even if it's just for a moment."

"Me too," Seren admitted. It was the first time she said it out loud. Coming home had always been more of a chore for her, even seeing her parents because it always led to arguments about SHIELD and her grandmother. Now she actually felt like she would miss Hudson when she eventually left.

"So do you have a place in the city?" Kenna asked. "Because you said you were out in London for 2 years, right?"

"Yeah, so technically that and with SHIELD's bye-bye thing…I'm sort of out of a home," Seren shrugged. "Me and Steve are going to look for something, hopefully in Manhattan. We, uh, want to be close to one of our other friends there."

"Okay, fancy," Kenna snickered. "So you and Steve — it's pretty serious, then? Moving in and stuff?"

"Guess so, yeah," Seren said, her face flushed with warmth. "I mean…we've only technically been together for a few weeks now…"

"What?" Kenna laughed. "And you already brought him to meet your parents? And he showed up?"

"What can I say? It's all felt pretty natural so far…" Seren said, "And, honestly, things started way before a few weeks ago."

"Well, if you say it feels natural then don't even question it," Kenna said. "He seems very nice and, I'm gonna be real, he's hot. Don't blow it, girl!"

Seren laughed again, and louder. "I missed you, Kenna."

Kenna shrugged smugly. "We were always a good pair. You were the shy one, I was the bold one."

"You did use to push me into several new situations," Seren agreed.

"And I am happy to continue that whenever I deem it necessary," Kenna forewarned her.

The two giggled together and that was how Steve found them at the corner of the street. He liked the sight.

"Hey!" Seren beamed when she saw him. She rushed up to him and gave him a quick hug and kiss. "Where've you been, stranger?"

"Oh, you know, exploring," Steve said, "Hudson's got some good places here. How are you two? Are we…okay?"

Kenna snorted. "Definitely. She hasn't changed much, honestly. Thanks for pushing her while I've been gone but I am here to retake my position."

Steve seemed confused but so long as Seren seemed happy — she was giggling again — so be it, "Uh, sure, I guess."

"I'll call you tomorrow," Kenna said to Seren. "Maybe we can meet in the city or something once you've got your place set, yeah?"

Seren didn't think twice. "Yeah! We could go out and make a day and — let's do it!"

"Oh, do you know what? Do you know who else lives in Manhattan? Will does! Remember him?"

"Really? He does?" Seren blinked with a pleasant surprise.

"Yeah, I ran into him a couple days ago at the library. He's visiting his folks too."

"Wow, and I haven't seen him…"

"Please, don't look so sad over the fact," Steve mumbled, bringing Seren's attention up to him. She giggled. He remembered the name perfectly.

Kenna also seemed to have caught her slip and very quickly bid them goodnight and left them.

"So, are we going to call up Will next?" Steve said bitterly.

Seren leaned up on her toes and kissed him. When she seemed to be pulling back, she changed her mind and pressed another kiss on his lips, then another one. "Thank you for pushing me to do this today…"

Jealousy forgotten for the moment, Steve gazed at her fondly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "I'm glad it all worked out."

"It did, and…and something else worked out too…" she said, then proceeded to tell him what she had confessed to Kenna about her ideas of the future. "Going back into the fight…what do you think?" She tested her hands on his chest. "Is it crazy?"

"Maybe to others but to me…it seems we're sort of in sync about it," Steve said, "I think it's time I told you what Tony's proposition was all about."

Seren nodded at him. He lowered his head and gently kissed her.

[itsdafuckhause]

jamie hangin' with o'hara by eggconcept

[dancingsunflowers-ocs]

So I saw your Pinterest board about your new Marvel OC… 👀

Please tell me anything and everything about Clio!! I’m super curious!! 🖤

Whilst she’s still in the plot bunny stages, I’m very excited to tell you about her, my darling Dolly!!! 💙

I would like to thank.. the lovely @luucypevensie for helping me come up with the idea for her.. 💛

Clio is the daughter of the sea goddess Amphitrite (who’s FC is Brandy), and her powers are water multiplication.. 💦 I haven’t thought of many ideas for her, as of yet, but I’m sure Grace will help me through them, but I know for a start that she attends Midtown School of Science and Technology with Peter, MJ, Ned, etc, and is very much involved with The Avengers.

Her whole aesthetic is basically mermaid/beach vibes, and she’s a huge fan of teen films from the 1980’s and the TV shows ‘Outer Banks’ and ‘Gossip Girl’. She also admires Greek history too.

I like the idea that her and Peter’s relationship trope is enemies/co-workers to friends to lovers, and eventually in the future, they have a daughter (played by Jaz Sinclair) who’s a beautifully, shy, asexual nerd..

Thank you SO much for your interest @faerieroyal/@daughter-of-melpomene!! 💕

[eddysocs]

Feeling Flushed — Bruce Banner x OC

Summary: Naomi and Bruce are out getting lunch when Naomi gets it in mind to tease him a little. Just when she’s getting him all worked up, in walks a few of the Avengers.

Word Count: 480

Warnings: Fondling, foreplay, semi public groping

Bruce always gets anxious when he waits. The Avengers are notorious for being late when it’s not a world ending emergency. Naturally, these two things do not go together very well. However, Naomi —the calming force in Bruce's life— was now there to help ease these downtimes they had before the rest of the team would show. Only they didn’t always have the same idea of how to do that.

It had started out innocent enough. Naomi's hand had rested on his thigh in a present and reassuring manner. It gave him something to focus on, that and her light and distracting conversation. But somewhere in it all, the conversation turned to less mundane topics, and her hand began to move up his thigh.

Hidden below the booth, Naomi began to rub him through his pants, hoping to dispel his nervous tension, but it had only served to make Bruce squirm. Naomi rested her chin on Bruce's shoulder and whispered, "Do you want me to stop?"

Part of him was dying to say yes because doing this out in public was not something he’d ever imagined being into, but Naomi continued to rub as she waited for him to answer, and the sensation was just too good to resist. "N-no. Please don’t stop," he choked out.

So Naomi continued. Several minutes later and she could see it was getting more difficult for Bruce to keep a straight face. She considered stopping on her own but—

Before she could finish her thought, the cafe's bell rung and in walked Tony followed by Natasha and Clint. Both Naomi and Bruce noticed their arrival at the same time. Knowing they were about to be caught in the act, Bruce's cheeks flushed.

"Is that a blush I see," Tony asked, lowering his sunglasses and examining his friend's face. Then he took a moment to look him and Naomi over, piecing two and two together when noticed the placement of her arm as it disappeared below the table. Tony was no fool. He knew what they’d been up to. "I’m begging you two to get a room," he said, shaking his head with mock disapproval, though a knowing smile lingered on his face.

Bruce didn’t know how to reply, wasn’t even sure if he could, actually, if it came down to it. Luckily, Naomi had it all under control. "Let me take you home and worship you like you deserve," she whispered. There was a chance that Tony had overheard, but she didn’t care.

Bruce nodded in reply, and the two of them slid out of the booth and headed for the door. "You guys have got this, right," Naomi asked, calling back to the three remaining Avengers.

"Um, yeah, I guess," Natasha answered, trying to figure out the reason for their abrupt departure.

"Don’t ask," Tony told her, as the door closed behind them.

Forever Tag: @baubeautyandthegeek, @kmc1989, @curious-kittens-ocs, @fanficanatic-tw, @kissykissymouth, @gcthvile

Naomi Day: @adrianas-ocs-and-such, @dollvi3e

[that-demigirl]

H?

This is one I haven’t introduced yet but now is better than never

Full Name

Hekate

Nicknames, If Any

T

Hogwarts House

One of my few Gryffindor OCs

Gender

Cisgender Female

Sexuality

Bisexual and Polyamorous

A Song I Associate With Them

Young God by Halsey

3 Important Relationships

Druig and Makkari - Her partners. They have a love that has lasted centuries

Sersi - Closest confidant. These two have always been super close and Hekate goes to her whenever she has an issue

Ikaris - Brother turned Enemy. When Ikaris turned against their family it hurt Hekate more than anything she’s lived through

2 Fears

Her family falling apart

Not being strong enough to protect her family

1 Element of their backstory

Hekate used to be a close advisor to Ajak and would often have plans ran through her before they were executed