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noshitbarnes · 1 year

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Better Now?: Chapter 1

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OFC

Summary: Sophia was 18 when Hydra kidnapped her, gave her abilities, and made her their new secret weapon. Now, flash-forward 9 years later and she’s living with the Avengers, trying to live with everything she did, and trust those she now calls teammates.

Warnings: angst, language

Word Count: 3,124

better now? prologue

PRESENT DAY

It’s been three month since Clint and Phil convinced Sophia to come back to the states with them and she thought it would be more— spacious. Despite not living the life she thought she would be, Sophia was truly grateful to be rescued and out of the hands of Hydra.

About once or twice a week Clint would stop by and spend some time with Sophia. When he first came to visit, it was shocking, since Sophia didn’t expect to ever see him again, but he explained that he needed to check in and make sure that she was getting better, despite her living situation. With each visit, he always brought her something, whether it be a book, a bracelet that he thought she’d like, or another sketch pad, it was always something. Clint even convinced Fury to let Sophia to have a TV, telling him that she needed to know what was going on in the world now if she was ever going to feel normal again. In reality, Clint just wanted Sophia to know what Netflix was, so that she could binge watch the same shows as him. After everything Sophia had been through, it was nice to have someone take a positive interest in her, have someone care.

Over time, Sophia had also become quite close with Dr. Banner. Bruce was one of the many scientists and doctors that she had seen over her time at SHIELD, but he was the one that she liked the most. He never pressed her if she didn’t want to answer a question, unlike all the other people she saw throughout the day; most of the time the pair would just talk about the news, Sophia’s favorite things, just small talk mostly. Eventually, Bruce was the only one who would come in to see how she was doing, which Sophia was completely fine with, he made her feel more normal. After spending most of her time with him, he ended up talking a lot more about himself, which Sophia appreciated. Bruce talked to her about each of the Avengers, hoping to convince her that they weren’t all bad, not that Sophia thought they were bad people, it’s just Hydra didn’t exactly tell the happiest of stories about them.

**********

“So, Sophia, how are you doing today,” Bruce softly smiles as he walks into the room, “still feeling alright?”

“Sure,” Sophia rolls her eyes and stands up from the bed, “if you call living in the hellhole ‘alright.’ How are you sir?”

Bruce lightly chuckles, “I’m doin’ good,” he smiles from behind the protective energy field, as he touches the panel in front of him, “how would you like to get out of here?” he looks back up and gestures to the surrounding room, “I’m not saying you can go home, but you could leave here.”

Sophia raised an eyebrow and walks closer to the man, “Why? Do I need to be kept in a smaller cell or something?”

He shakes his head, “No, no, nothing like that. You’ve been doing quite well here, and I know that you don’t mean any harm to us,” he begins to fidget with his hands and looks at the floor, “have you thought about joining the Avengers?”

Sophia had thought about joining the Avengers, if she was being honest, it would be the greatest thing that’s ever happened to her to become a superhero and redeem herself that way. She just didn’t think she was worthy to be apart of such an amazing group of heroes, she’s done such terrible things, how could she just turn her back to that and join a superhero group?

Sophia rolls her eyes at Bruce’s words and crosses her arms, “I have no interest in joining your boyband, Dr. Banner.”

Ignoring her sarcasm, Bruce counters, “I thought you wanted to redeem yourself?” he tilts his head sideways and looks her over, “how do you expect to do that from in here?”

She purses her lips and thinks for a moment, “I haven’t gotten all the kinks figured out yet, but I would like the chance to go back home.”

“And do what exactly,” he raises an eyebrow, “not to sound harsh, but you know your family’s gone, so what’s left for you there? Why not start over here?”

Bruce did make a good point, there wasn’t anything or anyone left at home since Hydra had murdered her family almost eight years ago. Still though, Sophia didn’t want to be an Avenger right now, it just seemed way too big, she wanted to start small, like rescue dogs or do volunteer work.

Sophia sighs heavily, “I just don’t think becoming an Avenger is what my future holds right now, sir.”

“Why not?”

Sophia raises an eyebrow at the unfamiliar voice and peaks her head around Bruce, only to find another man standing behind him in the dark corner. What scared her though was that you never even heard him enter, so she had no idea how long he had even been standing there. The man notices you looking at him suspiciously, chuckles to himself, and walks into the light. He was slightly taller than Bruce, but more well-built. His black hair was spiked up and he had a nicely trimmed goatee. The black suit he was wearing was clearly expensive, she could tell that because it fit his form perfectly, he had a matching blue tie, and dark framed glasses. Sophia couldn’t help but think to herself that the man looked oddly familiar, but she just couldn’t place him.

The man raises an eyebrow and speaks again, “Why wouldn’t you want to be one of us?”

Sophia looks him up and down once more and tilts her head curiously, “I’m sorry, but do I know you?”

“I’m sorry,” Bruce shakes his head and chuckles lightly, “Sophia, this is Tony Stark. Tony, this is Sophia Dreyer.”

At the mention of Tony’s name, Sophia immediately tenses up, purely out of reflex, “Iron man?” Tony and Bruce both laugh at her recollection and Sophia feels her cheeks grow warm from embarrassment.

Tony looks the woman up and down, “Sometimes. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from quiet a few people. Thought I’d come down here to see what all the fuss was about,” he winks and smiles.

“Um, thanks” Sophia looks to the ground, her normal confidence completely gone.

“Anyway,” Tony looks over the file that he has in his hands, “you have some impressive abilities,” he puts it down on a nearby table and Sophia glances toward it. It had her picture on it with the name “Frost” on the front, her codename during Hydra.

Sophia looks back to Tony, “I suppose. I would’ve rather had gotten them a different way.”

“Understandable,” Tony agrees, “how about you put them to good use then? Save some people, put that brain of yours to work too. Banner here says you’re a smart one and Barton seems to agree.”

“I’m still gonna pass”

Tony sighs and shakes his head, “A girl like you with so much talent should want to do more, so why not?”

Sophia runs a hand through her long white hair and starts to pace her cell, “It’s not that I don’t want to help people. It’s just, I’m a girl from Dresden, I’m not meant for something that big!”

“So,” Bruce tilts his head to the side, “you think since you’re from a small town, you can’t help people?”

“Dresden isn’t small…” she says quietly.

Tony rolls his eyes, “Then what is it?”

“I’m scared ok!” Sophia confesses as she stares at the floor, “I was used as a weapon for some crazy Nazis’ for eight years. I’ve killed so many people, men, women, even a few kids. I once killed a fucking horse. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been trying to come to terms with everything I’ve done and trying my best to forgive myself. Some days I make progress, I smile more, talk a little, and I start to feel better; but others, I fall right back into my pit of goddamn despair, telling myself that I deserve to die.” Sophia continues to ramble while pacing the whole time, “On top of all that shit, I don’t even trust myself to start doing the right thing, at least not yet anyway; I just can’t trust my own stupid fucked up judgment,” she pauses as tears start to make their way down her cheeks, “plus, my entire family is dead; Mom, Dad, sister, they even killed my fucking cat! I honestly just don’t have a reason to be a hero, like it’s a fairytale, so what’s the fucking point?” Sophia finally looks back to the two men, and finds them thoroughly listening with somber faces, “I have no friends, no family, no one loves me, no one even likes me. The people at this damn place don’t even trust me enough to put the fucking barrier down. So yeah, I’m scared. It’s not even about dying. I’ve thought about how to kill myself for almost nine years, but I’ve never had the fucking guts to act on it, which I guess is good. All I’m scared of now is to live,” she pauses and looks to them once more, “if I continue living, who do I even live for?”

After Sophia stopped, there is a brief silence, then Tony hits a button on the panel and the energy shield comes down, startling everyone. He takes big steps to reach Sophia and pulls her into his arms and holds her tight, “You continue living for you,” Sophia hadn’t had loving human contact in years and froze, unsure of what to do, but eventually melted into him, nuzzling into his chest and more tears feel down her cheeks, “this is your life, darling. If you come with us, we’ll be your family,” he held her for a few more moments, rubbing circles on her back to try and ease her pain as best he could. Eventually her let her go and held her at arm’s reach, “Don’t go thinking that family is only blood. I’ll take care of you, ok?”

Sophia smiles weakly at Tony, maybe they were right. She wasn’t exactly close and loving with her parents, but she still missed them. However, Sophia missed her sister the most, she meant the world to her, and they were so close. Never getting to say goodbye or getting one last, “I love you” from her was heartbreaking and it will always be a regret, but that doesn’t mean Sophia should stop living, none of them would want that for her.

Looking back and forth between the two men, Sophia takes a deep calming breath. Both have been through a lot, yet here they were, willing to help some batshit crazy woman get her life back on track. Sophia sniffles a bit and wipes the remaining tears from her eyes, “What if everyone doesn’t feel the same way?’

“Tony is the most difficult one to get along with and he just gave you a hug,” Bruce chuckles cause Tony to roll his eyes, “they’re gonna love you.”

**********

When Sophia first got to the Avengers Compound, it was extremely overwhelming. Between all the jets and voices overhead, she was starting to get a horrid migraine, it was just a lot all at once. Once inside, Tony introduces Sophia to the team and everyone was very welcoming and pleasant, which was a relief. Each of them shook her hand, gave you a pat on the shoulder, or in Wanda’s case a hug.

“I’m so glad you’re finally here, kid,” Clint puts his hand on your shoulder, squeezing it gently, which made you smile, “you’re gonna love it!”

Sophia chuckles, “Well, it is better than the cell I was in.”

Steve comes up and extends his hand, which Sophia shakes, “It’s nice to have you on board.”

“Um, thanks,” letting go of his hand, “I’m still not sure what my part is in all of this, but here I am.”

“So, what all can you do?” Sam asks excitedly and then looks around at all the glares from his teammates, “Oh come on! I know I’m not the only one who’s wondering.”

“Still man,” Rhodes rolls his eyes, “she just got here.”

Sam glares from beside him, “I was just curious!”

Sophia chuckles at their banter and shrugs, “It’s okay, there’s no use in dancing around the subject. I’m sure Tony’s told you guys already anyway,” they all turn to face her, “I can manipulate ice, water, frost, basically anything cold,” she continues, “since working with Bruce, I’ve learned a few things about myself. If I’m calm enough, I can create a snowstorm.”

“That is so awesome,” Sam grins, which made Sophia tilt her head in confusion. She’s never had anyone tell her that what she could do was cool, she’s always considered herself a freak.

**********

After more small talk with the team, Tony decides that he would give Sophia a tour of the compound. Sophia knew it was a large place, she’d seen pictures and heard stories, but she didn’t realize how extensive it really was until she started walking through it all. The place had a huge gym, for combat training and for those who just wanted to lift weights. On the other side of the gym there was a sauna, unsure of what it was for at first, but Tony explained its purpose. There was also a bunch of different conference rooms, hangar where they kept the Quinjets, basketball court, bowling alley, swimming pool on the roof, and each Avenger had their own room. Tony also showed Sophia his lab that was in the basement, he made sure she understood that she was welcome whenever since he spent 99% of his time there anyway. The last stop was the R&D lab, which is where the pair ran in to Dr. Banner.

“So, I see you’re showing our new trainee around Tony,” Bruce smirks without looking up from what he was working on.

“I didn’t expect to find you here, sir,” Sophia raises an eyebrow and sat on a stool across from him, “why are you here?” she eyes the piece of machinery he was working on but didn’t recognize any of it.

“I help out occasionally with new research, new tech, things like that,” he looks up, “now that you’re here, I’ll be around more.”

Sophia raises an eyebrow, “To monitor my homicidal tendencies?”

He scoffs, “To help you,” he continues, “you’re not a guinea pig here, Sophia, I’m not going to do any experiments on you. All I’m doing is making sure you’re comfortable in your own skin and that you feel safe here,” he shrugs, “so if you think there’s something I can do to help, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“That’s a lot coming from you Banner,” Tony pats his back, “but I guess you would know all about that.”

Bruce looks at Tony and shakes his head, “Don’t turn this on me. If I can help her be happy, then that’s all that matters.”

“I wouldn’t say that I’m unhappy,” you interject, “I just, I need some time to get use to all of this. It’s all so new,” you look around the room trying to take everything in, “most of this tech I’ve never even seen before and those jets back at the hangar are so advanced! I never flew anything like that when I was with Hydra,” you purse your lips, “it’s just gonna take me some time to get use to everything.”

“Of course,” Tony smiles and walks to where she’s sitting, “I can show you where your room is if you want.”

Sophia smiles big, “That would be great!”

**********

“So, this one is yours,” Tony opens the door and gestures into the room, “Wanda is across the hall and Barton is next door.”

Sophia walks inside and smiles, “Tony, I-I don’t know what to say,” small tears start to form at the corners of her eyes, “um, thank you.”

“No problem, hun, you’re home now, so make yourself comfortable,” he smiles and gives her a small hug, “if you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know. Even to just, I dunno, talk or something,” Sophia nods and thanks him again as he closes the door behind him.

Sophia looks around the room and tears start to slowly fall from her eyes. She wasn’t sad, these were tears of joy. She hasn’t had a normal bedroom in nine years, and it was a gorgeous room too. The walls were painted a soft white, with a grey accent wall behind the king-sized bed, and the floors were a dark brown wood. The bed was on the wall that was farthest from the door underneath a pair of skylights, the sheets were a dark grey with a bunch of accent pillows on it, there was even a fluffy grey rug underneath it that matched the paint on the walls. There was a large dresser on one side of the room with a wood desk next to it and in front of the large window.

There were various pictures along each wall, mostly scenery shots or watercolor paintings, but there was one picture that cause Sophia’s attention, it was a small frame on the desk. Slowly walking over to it, she picks it up, and smiles big, it was a picture that Sophia hadn’t seen in years, it was the one at her older sister’s 18th birthday party. It had always been one of her favorite pictures, both girls were wrapped in a big hug, cheek to cheek, and looking at the camera with huge smiles on their faces. Kylie always had the most gorgeous smile, it's what drew people to her, Sophia’s had always been more awkward. Staring at the picture, she had no idea where it came from since she never had the chance to return home, but it didn’t even matter, she was just glad to have it.

Setting the picture down, Sophia walks over to the bed and sits down on the edge, it was a lot comfier than it looked. Humming to herself happily, she lays down for a minute or two with her legs dangling off the edge, she then sits back up and crawls to the head of the bed deciding to get underneath the covers and take a nap. Even though it was two in the afternoon, Sophia felt exhausted, she needed to sleep, today was a long day, and she needed to take a break for a while.

#bucky #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x ofc #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes #fanfiction #fanfic #marvel #mcu #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #marvel comics #avengers #avengers fanfiction #sebastian stan

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leverage-ot3 · 3 months

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@providing-leverage tagged my main blog @clearskiesandmistyeyes but I'm most active on here so I'm doing it here

3 ships: leverage ot3, stoncy OR steddie (boycott stranger things tho), and idk I have so many. I recently watched the anime skip and loafer and the het ship mitsumi x sousuke has rights. they are just. too cute.

First ever ship: probably percabeth or peeta x katniss (thg was my first real fandom). what. what is their ship name??? I've seen the peeniss memes but I don't believe it

edit: it's everlark. im just dumb

Last song: everywhere everything by noah kahan

Last film: badland hunters on netflix. it was alright, maze runner blatant reference i see you. came for ma dong-seok, stayed for ma dong-seok AND the found family dynamic

Currently Reading: too many tabs open on ao3. technically the last physical book I read was a sapphic graphic novel called the girl from the sea by molly ostertag and maarta laiho. SO sweet but warning the ending is bittersweet and left me yearning

Currently Consuming: trying to bleach the knowledge of the last three episodes of last twilight from my mind. SPOILERS but bffrrn tell me you did NOT give this man his sight back after 11 eps of his progressive blindness arc AND make it so that mhok pitied him the whole time. tell me how you get it that wrong. i'm in shambles rn @legendaryrooftopscene has been my buddy in grief with me

Currently craving: a new fucking job dear god, everyone pls send me good vibes that the place I'm going to apply to will hire me even though I'm underqualified, I need the benefits and to get out of this hellhole

tagging: @digitaldiscipline @all-things-breathing @legendaryrooftopscene @leverageclips @vampirewalterskinner and whoever else I'm forgetting to tag, or whoever else wants to join in on the fun!!!

#ask games #ask me stuff #about me #jackie talks #mine #providing-leverage #mutuals #leverage: let's go steal a queue

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mrsfrecklesmarauders · 10 months

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This is based on a scene from the Netflix series Spinning Out, since Kat, Serena and their mother remind me of Sirius, Regulus and Walburga.

*********

"Maybe you should just leave everything there..." James said with a concerned voice "We can buy new stuff"

Sirius shook his head. There were some valuable things in there. Things that were irreplaceable. Like the collection of records he had received from Alphard. His books, his drawings, his pictures. Some other stuff.

God... Ok... Sirius hadn't told James that maybe the real reason he wanted to go back to that house was to see Reggie. He had been worried for the past three weeks, having terrible nightmares of Orion doing to him the same stuff he did to Sirius. He couldn't stop imagining Reggie all alone and scared. Like he used to be when he was a kid. Sirius had to see him. He had to ask Reggie if he wanted to come with him. Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe Sirius could convince him. Maybe Sirius could rescue him from that hellhole.

So they told Effie and Monty they were having a nice drive to celebrate James' new driver's license. But in reality, Sirius dragged him here.

"I'll be quick, Prongsie. I promise" Sirius said, trying to keep his voice steady. Keeping the bad memories from that night out of his mind. That was the last time he had been at Grimmauld Place.

"You can wait outside if you want" Sirius added.

James shook his head, then he smiled comfortably.

"I'll come with you"

Sirius smiled back. He couldn't do this without James by his side.

The guards were very stupid to let them inside the property. Perhaps Sirius' parents hadn't forbid him the entrance. Or perhaps they were expecting him to come back. Maybe it was all a trap.

James parked the car just outside the mansion. Both boys looked at each other and nodded encouraging each other to move. They got out of the car, and walked to the door quickly.

Sirius knocked before he hesitated. But once he did so, he started shaking.

"Orion is probably not here" Sirius said nervously "Let's hope she isn't as well"

James nodded with a comforting smile.

Sirius hoped Reggie was the only one home. Sirius really hoped Reggie was at home. Sirius wanted to see him.

Unfortunately, it wasn't Reggie who opened the door. Not even one of the maids. It was Walburga herself.

Sirius took a few paces back. So as James.

Walburga looked furious, but also very tired. She wasn’t wearing any makeup or elegant clothes. She was actually in jeans and a sweater which made her look younger and weird. She had bags under her eyes. And she had a cup of wine between her fingers, like always.

She took a nasty glance at Sirius and then at James. Then she smiled evily.

"Look who is back from the death"

Sirius remembered the last words she said to him. 'Nobody is going to love you. You are nothing but a burden. Who is going to stand your temperament?' But he tried not to act scared or intimidated.

"I am here to get my stuff" Sirius announced as confidently as he could and pushed his way through the door.

"Hi Mrs. Black" James added nervously before following Sirius inside.

Sirius realized it was the first time James actually visited his house (ex house). When Sirius had visited his so many times he had always been welcome. He even lived there now.

Walburga didn't try to stop them. She just followed them with her gaze. And as Sirius and James climbed the stairs, Walburga followed them too.

Everything was the same as it always was. But at the same time, it felt so wrong being there. Sirius felt like an intruder.

Sirius was walking through the second floor corridor, when Regulus came out of his room. Sirius stopped on his tracks. Reggie!

His brother looked skinnier, paler, sadder. Could that be possible? It hadn't been so long since...

Sirius remembered Regulus' expression as he left that night. Tears on his eyes, scared, sad but also angry. Very very angry. Sirius hadn't been able to shake that image out of his head.

"You're back" Regulus said.

His voice sounded different now. He wasn't angry. There was hope in his voice. Hope. It broke Sirius' heart. Sirius felt an inexplicable urge to close the gap between them and hug his little brother. God, he had missed him so much.

"Sirius won't be here long" Sirius heard Walburga's voice behind him. Regulus' eyes turned to her with fear "I bet his new mommy and daddy would be expecting him for dinner..." she turned to James "Isn't that right, Mr. Potter?"

James didn't dare to say anything.

"Go back to your room, baby" Walburga said to Regulus "And close the door"

Sirius wanted to beg Regulus not to leave. But he didn't dare. Besides, Regulus' expression changed with Walburga's words. He became angry. He gave a nasty look at James. Then a nasty look at Sirius before getting back inside his room.

"Fucking hell, Walburga" Sirius snapped furiously.

At least Regulus was alright. At least Sirius saw him again. Now all he wanted to do was pick up his things and leave.

He got inside his own older room, followed by James. He was surprised to see everything had been moved or stored away in boxes. That hit Sirius in the guts. Sirius had ran away before, but when he was back, everything was always the same. But not this time. It meant one thing. It was over. It was really over. Sirius wasn't welcome anymore this time.

"Here" James passed him a bag he found on the floor.

Sirius tried to avoid the knot on his throat as he started putting in the bag everything he could. James helped as well.

Walburga was watching them from the door, arms crossed. Then she rolled her eyes and buffed.

"What do you think you are doing, Sirius?"

"I am moving out with James... So I am talking my stuff"

What Sirius didn't know was that Regulus had popped out his head out of his room to hear their conversation.

"Your stuff?" Walburga snorted "It's not your stuff unless you pay for it. And you didn't. They are my stuff. And you're not taking my stuff out of my house!"

Sirius was willing to ignore her. He just wanted to be out. He felt like he couldn't breathe in there. But Walburga walked towards them, he pushed James away and ripped the bag out of Sirius' hands.

"Are you fucking serious right now, mother?"

She squeezed the bag between her arms like a kid.

"You're acting like a child!"

"Who is the child here, sweetheart?"

Sirius and Walburga stared into each other's eyes defeintly, like they always did. They fought and fought until they tasted blood. They both had the same temper. They both wanted to win.

But out of the sudden, James sighed.

"Come on, Walburga..." he said "Why do you always have to be such a fucking bitch?"

Sirius was surprised to hear those words coming out from his best friend's mouth. He would've laughed if he wasn't so scared and stressed.

James was surprised of himself too because the minute he said that, he started blinking hard and he went bright red.

Walburga was taken aback as well. She blinked in surprised and ducked her head to the side.

Then she frowned furiously.

"Why did you just say to me?" she asked.

James was still frozen, so Sirius decided to act quickly. He grabbed the bag out of his mother's hands who gave in easily, still processing James' words. He took James' arm and dragged him out of there.

Regulus retrieved back to his room.

"Sorry, Mrs. Black" James finally said as they were climbing down the stairs. Walburga behind them "I always wanted to call you that... This might be my only chance"

Sirius and James got out of the house and Sirius inhaled the summer air outside. He had been holding his breath. But there were not quite out there yet. They needed to climb to the car and drive away from the property. Fast. Now.

Walburga was still behind them.

"Come on, Sirius. You don't even know how to wipe your butt. How are you going to survive on your own?" she said as Sirius put the bag in the back seat "Are you going to depend all your life on The Potters? Let me tell you, they are not going to last long"

Sirius saw James frowning as he got into the driver's seat.

"Fuck you!"

"You're not going to last very long without all the luxury from this house" Walburga added "You're a spoiled brat. And the Potters are not going to stand you!" she shouted "With your changing moods and tantrums..."

"I don't care!"

He didn't want to waste his breath explaining to her how The Potters had been everything she hadn't. How they were so amazing with Sirius. How he felt comfortable with them. How they felt like home and he wished they could be his real parents. They would never leave him, or get tired of him. Right?

'But what if they do?' A voice said inside his head 'Walburga knows you longer. She is your mother and she knows how insufferable you actually are. How you ruin things. How explosive you are. The Potters hadn't met that side of you'

Sirius shook that voice away.

"As long as I don’t have to live with you anymore!" Sirius added.

Walburga looked at him.

"Fine!" she said as Sirius got into the car, next to James "Fine, do what you want"

Sirius didn't know if he should feel relieved. He was about to close the door when she added.

"Just know you won't be back in Regulus' life as long as I have anything to do with it"

Sirius froze at those words. No! Reggie! Did this mean he won't be able to see his brother again?

Walburga walked back inside the house with a wicked smile.

Sirius took a look at the mansion in front of him.

Regulus was in there. Regulus was still in there.

"Come on, Pads!" James said, getting Sirius back to reality "Let's get out of here before your father gets home. He gives me the creeps"

Sirius closed the door in defeat and James started the engine, when Sirius saw Regulus himself getting out of one of the first floor windows.

"Wait!" he said.

Regulus was carrying a bag. Why was he carrying a bag? Did this meant he wanted to come with him?

"Hang on!" Sirius told James as he stepped out of the car.

"What are you doing, Reg?" Sirius asked as he approached him.

Regulus took a quick look at James' car before answering.

"You cannot leave without Rufus"

Sirius gasped when he saw the little teddy in Regulus' hands. Rufus was Regulus' teddy bear when he was a kid. He used to go everywhere with it. One night, when Reggie couldn't sleep, because of his nightmares, Sirius had told him that Rufus was magical. Like an amulet, he said. That every time he held him, he won't have nightmares. Regulus believed it. So everytime, Sirius woke up with nightmares or couldn't sleep, Reggie would lend him Rufus.

"We can share him" little Reggie had said "I don't want you to have nightmares as well"

Sirius tried not to tear up as he grabbed the teddy from Regulus' hands.

"But he is yours" Sirius whispered.

"I bet you are going to need him more than me"

Sirius smiled but Regulus didn't. He sounded angry.

"Plus, I am a grown up now"

Sirius hugged the teddy between his arms as Regulus grabbed the bag from the floor.

"Your precious records" Regulus put the bag on Sirius' arms "Mother wanted to throw them away but I rescued them, in case you came back" he looked down now. Like those words hurt him "You're welcome"

Sirius didn't know what to say.

"Now go" Regulus added.

"Come with me" Sirius' voice broke. He was begging and pleading with his words, with his eyes.

Regulus looked up at him.

"We can live with James now and then get a flat of our own..." Sirius continued, he felt his eyes were full of tears "Come with me... Please Reg"

"No" Regulus answered. Just like that.

Sirius frowned and shook his head. He didn't understand. Why couldn't Regulus come with him?

"Reg..."

"You took your decision and I took mine" Regulus interrupted "I want to stay"

"But..."

The car's honk made Sirius jump.

"Pads! Let's go!" James shouted.

Regulus was looking at him with disgust.

"You don't want your new brother waiting, Sirius"

Regulus spoke with the same venom as Walburga had spoken minutes ago. Sirius realized how much Regulus resembled her. The same sarcastic tone. The same frown. The same way she twisted her mouth. He even had his arms crossed. Just like her.

"Reg..." Sirius tried "Can I see you at school?"

Regulus took his time to answer.

"Goodbye, Sirius" he finally spat before returning back to the window.

Sirius had lost his chance. His heart felt small. His body felt cold. He wiped the single tear that felt down his cheek.

"Sirius!" James called now more gently.

Sirius walked back to the car like a zombie. He got in without saying a word. And James didn't insist. He drove away.

The whole drive back Sirius was silent. James didn't insist on talking. He turned on the radio instead. The further they were from Grimmauld Place, the more Sirius felt he could breathe. But he also felt so small. So vulnerable. He held Rufus between his arms as if the teddy was his brother himself. He couldn't believe Reggie didn't come with him. Was there anything more he could've done? Some more convincing? Perhaps just dragging him against his will until he understood?

Sirius looked out of the window when he felt he couldn't take it no more. And tears rolled down his eyes. He didn't want James to see him cry.

Regulus was all Sirius thought about. He didn't know if Regulus hate him or not. He didn't know if he would be able to see him again. He didn't know what Walburga would do to stop him. All Sirius knew was that he wanted his brother back. This was so fucking unfair. Why didn't he come with him? Why did he choose them? After everything....

When they got back to the Potter's property, Sirius felt more safe. But he wished his brother was here. So he hugged the teddy tighter. Regulus was right. Sirius would need Rufus more.

James turned off the engine and looked at Sirius with concern. Unsure of what to do. Sirius didn't want to worry him. He had done enough.

"I can't believe you called my mother a bitch"

Sirius smiled. James too.

Sirius and James began laughing at that, breaking any tension.

"I can't believe it either!" James giggled now more relaxed "It felt so great"

"I bet" Sirius smirked "She is actually a bitch"

They laughed a bit more. Then James smiled at him.

"Hungry?"

"Starving!"

James nodded.

"Let's eat some of mum's pastries before dinner"

James rubbed Sirius' hair before getting out of the car. Surely after, Sirius got out too.

He was back home.

#marauders #maraudersera #muggleau #marauders muggle au #sirius black #james potter #regulus black #walburga black #spinning out #the black brothers

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hitemwiththeoop · 1 year

Text

see, i think this all summarizes as the toxicity of the fandom pushing the creativity of the authors.

it's no secret that the TLOK backlash was loud & insane and it's still is. you'll still find people trashtalking the show and talking about how better ATLA was compared to it. i feel like this has marked the creative decisions taken by bryke lately, especially when it comes to the azula redemption arc situation.

the movies also have a part in it. i mean, to have a movie especially dedicated to zuko, ATLA's fandom favorite character, says a lot, but not only that. the special focus given to kyoshi in comparison to the other avatars because of the impact she had in the fandom can be easily noticed.

my point? the creators are doing what they can to keep the fanbase pleased and i fear this is going to lead the show to a hellhole

let's begin with:

we all know how much the fandom has wanted an azula redemption arc ever since the original series' finale. we've seen it everywhere: on tumblr, on twitter, on instagram, on fanfics, you name it. it's been so much so that some have argued that the only reason the creators didn't redeem azula was because they didn't like her. aaron ehasz even said that he intended to have her have a redemption "longer and far complicated than zuko's". yet the creators never fully confirmed it, only saying it was possible she could heal in the future.

the comics give us but little hints at azula trying to become better, and in fact, it seems her mental state only worsened in the course of them. many fans have criticized the comics for their writing and characterization of the characters (when it comes to my opinion, azula's was on point).

yet when you think of it, with barely hints of it, you wouldn't see that a redemption arc for azula was ever the original intention. it wasn't ever implied in the first comics nor in TLOK, and in fact it seems it was only recently that it was incorporated. ehasz revelation of wanting to give azula a redemption arc was coincidentally brought up when the series' popularity re-spiked after years of being on the low, as it was made availaible on netflix during the pandemic.

a discussion was brought up about the representation of physicological damage and mental issues through azula's character, and realizing how much her upbringing had molded her way of being, fans began claiming she deserved a redemption arc like zuko did using her age and vulnerability as an argument. this has sparked much debate, but we ought to recognize that prior to these years, this analysis of azula wasn't visibilized the way it has now.

one has to wonder, if the series' fame hadn't resurged, would've the creators felt compelled to make a redemption arc for azula?

i've mixed feelings about this comic. it came out during the time the kyoshi's novels began becoming popular, and it feels like it was made as a move to give the fans what they'd been wanting: seeing more of kyoshi in official media. putting aside how wild it is that avatar kyoshi somehow appeared in front of suki (she could've been imagining for all we know), it does seem strange that we didn't get any more about her before in the prior comics when the chance had been given. instead, we saw a bit of roku and yangchen in the promise and the rift trilogies (and nothing of kuruk, smh).

that and that kyoshi's too going to get her own movie feels a little odd to me. she's really become the breakout character, and though i'm glad she's receiving the attention she deserves, i feel it takes away the importance other characters have in the plot and that i wish were explored also. true, we've got the dawn of yangchen now, yet i know it's not going to get nearly as much recognition as the kyoshi novels.

then, there's the new earth kingdom avatar series.

given the show's newfound popularity is no wonder avatar studios has decided to launch new media, yet, why develop another show when there's already so much to explore about the two series? it feels it's because they think no one will want to see more about korra because of all the backlash it received. it has only been recently that TLOK has found more acceptance among the fans (and more comics have been coming out because of it). yes, there's an upcoming movie about her, but the fact that it's been placed after the adult gaang movie and zuko's, one thinks it'll be the most delayed.

i'm all for avatar getting new media out and exploring the universe we didn't have a chance to see all of in the original series, but im afraid that launching all this stuff to please the fans will end up being detrimental. the games, the comics, the movies... theyre getting out all this new content as fast as they can as if theyre trying to take advantage of the popularity they've regained before it goes out, and to avoid it doing so, theyre trying to do what the fans want them to. that of course implies many things in the plot will be made so that its liked by the fans and no independent thought goes into them. that limits the creative capacity of the writers and all of those who will work at avatar studios.

honestly i REALLY hope this doesnt end badly thats all.

#azula in the spirit temple #azula redemption arc #avatar the last airbender #avatar the legend of korra #avatar the rise of kyoshi #avatar the shadow of kyoshi #aang #korra #avatar studios

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