#oc: amber cali

[pickledpascal]

Killer Queen

Chapter One: Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy

Warnings: Slurs, blood and gore, violence, soldier boy is like barely in this because it's the first chappie and i wanted to flesh out amber more as a character

Word Count: 3.1k

Killer Queen Masterlist

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It was peacetime. Or, at least, that's what most people thought it was. Supe's collateral damage was at an all-time low, partly due to the Department of Superhuman Affairs and Congresswoman Nueman and Hughie. 

Amber could not believe Hughie was working with the government and was technically Butcher's boss now. She had known the Boys for a while, helping them out on a few missions because she had a personal vendetta against Vought. Nothing too horrible, she was just naturally an anti-capitalist because of her parents. Vought had way too much power for any one company to hold. 

Especially since they had Homelander. Whoever came up with that name? Amber thought it was a bit funny. Homelander. She had a feeling he'd crumble if they'd ever met but he didn't get outside much.

There was a knock at her front door. Amber glanced up from her TV and set the remote down, answering it. "Well, hello." She leaned against the door frame.

None other than Billy Butcher stood in front of her. "Hello to you too, love." He hadn't changed in the time they hadn't seen each other. Still had that shit-eating grin on his face.

"Need something?" Amber left Butcher at the open doorway and sat back on her couch.

Butcher stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Where's the kid?" He glanced around the house, seeing no sign of Ryan. 

Amber and her roommate, Eden, were more than fit to take care of Ryan. Eden was a Supe and… well, Butcher didn't know exactly what Amber was but he knew for sure Compound V was not flowing through her veins. 

"Eden took him out." Amber could see Butcher take in a breath to start berating her about the dangers of Ryan being seen in public. "Don't worry, Butch. Eden's careful. They're probably at some random park where she knows there ain't any cameras nearby." She thought for a moment, pursing her lips. "Unless you count game cameras but, y'know."

Butcher shook his head and waved her off. "Yeah, I know. Look, mate, that's not why I'm here anyway." 

"Okay," Amber said carefully, crossing her legs on the couch. "Wanna explain?" 

"There's this weapon. Something that took down Soldier Boy. And me and the Boys have a means of finding it." Butcher explained. His hand twitched slightly at his side. Amber waited for the catch. "But, it's at a Russian base." And there it is. "And while we could get in there ourselves, would be nice having someone watch our backs." 

Amber sighed, brushing a hand through her hair. She could tell he wanted to use it on Homelander. For Ryan. For Becca. His perfect revenge. And, to be honest, Amber couldn't blame him. 

"What do you need me to do?" 

Getting to the Russian base sucked. She had to wear a janitor's jumpsuit and it itched in all the wrong places. She had to adjust the fabric on her crotch a few times. Amber leaned against their truck while Kimiko talked with her.

Your hair looks pretty, Kimiko signed with a smile. Amber's hair was thrown into a ponytail much like hers but, from the last time Kimiko had seen her, some pieces of deep blue framed her face.

Amber smiled softly at Kimiko. "Thank you." She talked as she signed before she heard a crackling of electricity. It must've been Butcher fucking up the power box. 

They all made their way inside the main lab area, Frenchie and Kimiko began looking through files while Marvin, Hughie, and Butcher just looked around for anything that could even resemble a weapon. Amber was more interested in the strange pod that stood in the middle of the room. She tried to take a look inside the small sliver of glass but it was way too frozen over for her to see anything. Her curiosity died. 

As Amber started to look through a desk, the alarm went off. The whole room, and possibly the entire building, was drenched in red light. "Shit." She ducked down as she heard the door get slammed open. 

All or nothing, huh? While the Boys had guns and Kimiko had her powers, their ammo was limited and even Kimiko didn't always like using her powers. Plus, they were outnumbered. As always. 

Amber grabbed a nearby man and punched him so hard that his helmet broke, she broke his arm for good measure. He screamed in pain. She stomped on the floor causing the ground to rumble as a perfectly shaped block all of a sudden lifted to send another man flying through the ceiling. Amber punched in the air, a fire emitting from her fist that caught a Russian on fire. She swept at his legs and stomped on his chest, wiping her boot on the ground afterward.

"Oi, cunts!" Butcher lazered someone behind her. Amber stood back, surprised. When did Butcher become a Supe? Either way, she was glad he got that guy for her.

Once the henchmen were all dead, Marvin and Butcher had a little lover's tiff about Compound V. Amber didn't really pay attention. But they hadn't found any Supe-killing weapon yet. Her eyes shifted back to that pod. She could feel the water pumping into it, freezing something inside. At first, she didn't really care but if it was what they were looking for….

"Woah, we don't know what's in that." Hughie reasoned as Amber stepped closer. 

Amber looked at him sharply, "Do you want to come up empty-handed?" Hughie didn't have a response to that. "Didn't think so." She held out her hands in front of the pod, feeling for any way she could open it without completely breaking it.

"I know, she's hot when she's angry." Frenchie whispered behind her, likely because Kimiko said something.

When Amber found no proper way to open it, she put her fingers in the edges of the door and completely pulled it off its hinges. She threw it to the side and stepped back. There was a hiss of steam, too great for her to even see through but it went away over time. Revealing a face. Who was very much alive.

"Soldier Boy." Butcher whispered beside her. He was shocked but it didn't show on his face. It showed on Marvin's face. 

Amber had heard of Soldier Boy before. Of course she had. But, like everyone else, she assumed he died in the '80s. Due to saving our country from nuclear holocaust? She wasn't so sure. But there he was, in the middle of a Russian lab very much alive.

Soldier Boy stumbled out of the chamber, breaking free from whatever bound him to it in the first place. Firstly, Amber noticed his large beard and then that he was completely naked. She looked away, covering her mouth with disgust. Until she noticed rubble was gravitating towards Soldier Boy. And his chest was starting to glow. 

Amber knew she'd be able to withstand whatever blast he made but what about the others? She opted to guard Marvin while Kimiko dove to protect Frenchie. Except Soldier Boy hit her right through a wall, causing a large piece of metal to wedge itself in Kimiko's leg. And she wasn't healing. 

Frenchie ran over to her, Soldier Boy was long forgotten. Who the fuck cared when the love of his life was in danger? Blood was seeping out of her and Kimiko had a hard time staying awake. They were able to get her into the truck, Marvin flashed a light in her eyes to try and keep her eyes open. 

"Hey, you have water right?" Amber asked Butcher, slapping his shoulder as he drove to the nearest safe house they had. 

Butcher nodded, throwing a water bottle in the back. She caught it with ease and broke the seal.

Amber waved her hand and the water flowed out and onto Kimiko's wound. "Frenchie, I'm gonna say three, two, one and I want you to take that out of her, okay?" Frenchie was frantic and Amber couldn't help but feel for him. He nodded, tears drying on his face as he gripped the metal piping. "Three. Two. One."

Frenchie ripped it out and Kimiko's head lulled as Amber got to work healing her as best as possible. She wasn't the best at water-healing but she'd been working on it. 

At the safe house, Frenchie set Kimiko in her own makeshift hospital room with gauze around her thigh. Amber and Marvin sat in the garage, watching some tapes they took from the lab. Tapes of Soldier Boy getting AK-47 rounds down his throat, scalpels to the eye, and all kinds of other shitty stuff. 

Amber pursed her lips. They had done some sort of nuclear testing on an already very powerful Supe. That wasn't good. Well, maybe it was for Butcher. Kimiko was normal now. As normal as she could be. 

"Did you really think this was a good idea?" Aang had a hand on his forehead. 

When did Amber slip into the Spirit Realm? She didn't do it intentionally. But, then of course, there were times Aang or Roku wanted to tell her how disappointed they were in her so they'd drag her into it.

Amber glanced around, her world was paused as Aang's spirit stood in front of her. "Soldier Boy is gonna be our weapon. We just gotta find him." She crossed her arms, staring back at Aang. 

When she was younger, she revered Aang. Avatars weren't taught in schools anymore and there were barely any relics of the time. Benders of any kind were thought to be killed off or simply non-existent anymore. Supes kind of replaced them. Until Amber came along and she had visions of a land that did not look like the one she was brought up in. She was young when she first met Aang, he was similar to a father figure and guided her through the stages of life and taught her how to be strong. 

Except Amber was naturally strong already. As far as she knew, her physical strength exceeded any other Avatar before her. She wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was the Avatar running through her that knew she'd have to be stronger if she was going to exist in a world overrun by Vought. 

"He doesn't seem stable. You need to keep him under control." Aang advised, careful not to make his tone too pointed, or else Amber would happily make her way back into her body. 

"She's not an idiot, Aang." Korra chimed in. As Amber grew older, she realized she had a lot more in common with Korra than Aang. 

He let out a sharp breath. "She's still young. And has a lot to learn." 

Amber was twenty-five, a grown adult with a house. And while Aang was right to an extent, Amber had been fighting for her life nearly every day since she was born. It was hard to keep her bending hidden from Vought but she was careful and so were her parents. Real peace was never in the cards for her. 

Letting out a breath, Aang and Korra disappeared and she was back in real life. She opened her eyes with a hand on her shoulder. Marvin. "You alright? Your tattoos were doing that glowy thing again." 

Amber gave Marvin a polite smile and nodded, rubbing her hand up her arm where a few tattoos were. "I'm good. Had a little convo with my ancestors. Y'know, the usual." She stood up and went to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

She wanted to scream. Amber leaned over the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. Aang had saved the world at twelve. Korra had saved the world multiple times over a year or two and what had Amber done? Nothing. She killed a few Supes, a lot more non-supes, and nothing life-changing happened because of it. She was the Avatar. The savior of the people. And what saving had she done? Kimiko was struggling to stay alive, her parents were dead, and everyone Amber had as a mentor nearly died as well. And they weren't saved by her hands.

Amber took in a shaky breath as she stared at herself. Her emotions were becoming too much. Her eyes started to glow blue. No. She shook her head and took a deep breath. Eden. She willed herself to think about that instead. Eden was still alive. Her only friend that wasn't connected to the Boys. Or, the only friend she had made outside the Boys. Eden had a thing going on with Hughie. And Starlight. Amber didn't question it. 

"Is she gonna have a meltdown?" Hughie asked in a whisper.

Butcher glared at him. "Shut the fuck up." He had a bit of a soft spot for Amber. They both had people they loved taken away from them, not to mention they felt the overwhelming need to do anything it took to get revenge on whoever took it away from them. 

Back in New York, a bunch of shit went sideways. Soldier Boy went nuclear in front of some random building but Marvin made the connection he was likely going to the Legend. 

—--- 

"Do you think this is even gonna work?" Amber crossed her arms. Butcher had just drugged Marvin and set him as gently as possible on the ground. 

Butcher cocked an eyebrow at her. "Doubting me now, love?" He asked with a small laugh. 

Amber heard footsteps on gravel, causing her to look in the direction they came from. Sure enough, Soldier Boy rounded the corner of a beat-up car in his suit. He'd trimmed his beard and hair. He looked a lot better than he did at the Russian base. Amber narrowed his eyes at him, ready to fight in case that's what he wanted.

"You two… you're from the lab." Soldier Boy's eyes studied the two of them. They stayed a little longer than necessary on Amber. She had a feeling as to why but he didn't voice it so neither would she. "Why are you here?"

Amber could ask the same question but she already knew the answer. "We want to come to an agreement. Of sorts." Butcher smiled wickedly. "You can call this…" He waved to the trailer behind him. "A gesture of good faith." 

Soldier Boy narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. They were going to let him kill the Crimson Countess. He stepped closer, making his way inside and they made no move to stop him. But Avery could hear the conversation from outside. 

It was hard not to feel a little bit of sympathy for the man. The Crimson Countess called him Ben. He was captured, experimented on, shot full of nearly any chemical they had in the compound all because of her. But Amber also felt for her as well. Soldier Boy got all the glory and she assumed he had the ego as high as a mountain, knowing him to some extent would be hell. It sucked that Amber was going to be in that hell.

And then the trailer blew up. She thought she was gonna see it coming. She didn't. Amber was flown a good ten feet away and landed on her stomach. "Fuck me…" She groaned as she rolled onto her back. 

Hughie and Annie came running, only to see Amber on the ground and Butcher carrying Marvin. "What happened? Is he hurt?" Annie's eyes were wide at the sight.

"No need to worry about him. Just four or five milligrams of Rohypnol." Butcher shrugged.

Annie's eyes started to glow. "You fucking roofied him?" 

The trailer behind them was in shambles, smoke everywhere but Amber could hear someone coming out from the rubble. Soldier Boy with not even a scratch or hair out of place. Annie's eyes shifted to him, prepared to fight.

Hughie stepped in front of her while Amber did the same. She let them have whatever talk they were gonna have, glancing back at Soldier Boy. He didn't want to fight them. The Countess was the only thing he came for. Amber narrowed his eyes at him. 

She'd heard stories about him from the Legend seeing as he was the only one she knew that had ever met Soldier Boy before. Amber knew that whatever beta Compound V they gave him made him stop aging past forty, that he was a grade A Playboy, and was involved in quite a few cover-ups over the years. Whatever Soldier Boy was pumped full of in those early days of Vought, Amber thought Homelander needed it. She counted quite a few wrinkles on his face that Soldier Boy didn't have. 

Yeah, Amber had to admit the guy was attractive but she'd never say that to his face. While Soldier Boy seemed a little… emotionally stunted at the moment, she had a feeling that'd change and he'd go back to his ways the moment they got out of there. 

And she was right.

Amber nearly had to throw up while Butcher and Hughie tried talking to him. The man had only a robe on and was in the middle of trying to fuck someone. He hadn't even bothered to lock the door. 

"I think it would be a good idea if you stayed with Amber." Butcher suggested. 

Amber had checked out for most of the conversation until that. "Wait, the fuck?" She shook her head. "Butch, I'm not taking care of…" She waved in the general direction of Soldier Boy, still not wanting to look at him. "That." 

Ben wrapped his silk robe around his body and cocked an eyebrow at her. "What are you? Some kind of fag?" He stood from the bed, tilting his head. Hughie's eyes widened while Butcher just looked amused. "You're tall enough to be a tranny so I wouldn't be surprised." 

"Yeah? And I bet you'd just love having my cock in your mouth to shut you up." Amber countered with a glare, finally looking Soldier Boy in the eyes. Butcher let out a loud laugh, turning away from the two of them.

He had nothing to stay in response, staring at her with hard eyes. "You're a feisty one, I'll give you that." Ben tilted his head slightly. 

Butcher turned back and shook his head, motioning with his hand. "Whatever the fuck this is, you're gonna have to get along." He faced Amber, "I don't like it as much as you do, love, but we both know you're the safest person he," Butcher jutted his head in the direction of Soldier Boy. "Can be with." 

Amber's jaw clenched, looking from Butcher to Ben. She had a feeling Eden wouldn't like him living with them but, hopefully, it wouldn't be for too long. "Fine." She stepped closer to Ben, fists at her sides. "You get out of line, you're fucked." 

"I plan on it." Ben smirked.

----

taglist open here !!

[firstaidspray]

Tagged by @confidentandgood to do this fun lil picrew!! Thank you!!

Vampire!Juliette Chrysler (The Lost Boys) // Gehenna (Hellraiser)

Holly Manson (Resident Evil) // Nonia Fonzarelli (Talladega Nights)

Cali Ortega (Resident Evil) // Amber Colt (24)

[bubble-masquerade]

Pt. 2!! of the oc project with my sister @bogwatertrash

Sylvie

Name Meaning: From the forest

Turtle Species: Southern Painted Turtle

Southern Painted turtle Average adult size ranges from 4 to 6 inches with a lifespan of 30 to 40 years 

It is an subspecies of the painted turtle, and is the smallest of the painted turtle sub species 

Semi aquatic and can be found close to swamps, marshes, ponds, lakes, and rivers. 

They also prefer slow moving waters They can also be found basking on partially submerged logs on water bodies

Red middorsal line on carapace

Omnivorous. Various invertebrates, aquatic vegetation

Plants, small animals, such as fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, and some carrion.

Young painted turtles are mainly carnivorous, acquiring a taste for plants later in life

Southern Painted turtles generally enjoy being left alone, whether that means they are in the wild or in a tank at home.

 It is possible to handle a Southern Painted turtle, and the more you do so the more likely your new friend will become used to being held

Because of their size and instincts, Southern Painted turtles tend not to like it when other animals or creatures get too close to their head. 

If you make quick movements near their head, you can expect them to flinch away or even try to bite you

Personality/Other Info 

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Gender: Cisgender Female

Sexuality: Bisexual

Introvert

How she was found: In a bag as a tot in an alley way 

Some Knowledge of basic magic. Craft specialty is Plant magic 

Support swapper 

Has a cute tooth gap 

Prefers to be with her siblings/parental unit, especially when it comes to going out to places where large groups of people will be attending

Terrified of Jurassic park. Got traumatized from the t-rex scene as a tot and hasn’t watched it since

Gets in to chaotic messes with Klee (in which Klee is leading)

Loves quality time with her siblings when they aren’t all together doing something/getting in to trouble. Also enjoys parallel play

A sweetheart and a savage. Head in the clouds and she sometimes gets distracted 

When she hyperfocuses it can be hard to get her attention 

Favorite movie/show genres are dramedy/disaster films. However she cannot stand horror 

She ADORES her plants. From her flowers to her shrubs, and has even grown stuff for Pedro and Caly to work with in the kitchen. Has a terrarium that absolutely nobody is allowed to touch tho. She will cry. Also, expect small houseplants everywhere

Enjoys warm weather and the fall. Doesn't like it when it gets hot 

Wears a stim bracelet on each wrist, beaded and colorful, almost never takes them off 

More of a follower than a leader in the shenanigans with Klee. is the one to say “it was almost a great idea” knowing everything usually goes wrong

Does swear, surprisingly. But its mostly softly under her breath 

Has a habit of taking naps in the greenhouse. So there's now a large beanbag, pillows, and blankets in there 

Is okay with affectionate touches as long as she’s not overwhelmed/over stimulated 

☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️

Klee 

Name Meaning: Clover

Turtle Species: Bog Turtle

Orange/Yellow/Red Spots behind/above ears

Shell- Usually brown, grey, mahogany. Sometimes has Amber/Dark colored lines

Plastron- Usually pale yellow with irregular black blotches

Diurnal and secretive, it spends most of its time buried in mud and – during the winter months – in hibernation.

They are very timid and like to stay hidden

The bog turtle is one of the smallest living turtles.

Personality/Other Info

Pronouns: Any she/he/they 

Gender: Agender

Sexuality: Pansexual 

Ambivert

How they were found: Climbed on the back of a mexi-boys food truck as a tot and made their way to New York. Found kung fu panda style. Scared the shit outta the poor truck driver/worker unfortunately 

Still Learning about the magic system. Craft Specialty is Necromancy

She can be blunt, childish, forgetful, secretive, and pretty impatient at times

Whenever given the chance, will only wear odd socks (One longer than the other / Two different colors). A sock gremlin if you will

Very adventurous and bold. Very active and energetic at times. Unfriendly to certain people they come across

They get pretty careless when it comes to chores and basic at home duties. Baby sibling attitude

Is constantly fidgeting with something. HATES eye contact

Favorite movie genres are horror/thriller. Knows Sylvie doesn’t enjoy those kinds of movies so during family movie nights he doesn’t suggest them. Waits till they know Sylvie is busy to watch them with the others or warns her ahead of time if they want to watch the movies in the living room

Should seriously not be allowed to handle any money

Loves clowns. Don't know why, but they do. Every Halloween they go as a clown. As a tot, it was very cutesy stuff. But the older they get the more unhinged they look 

Loves rainy, foggy weather. Silent Hill vibe type stuff

Collects bones. Cleans them as a hobby and is also getting in to making jewelry out of them 

Sleeps with a plushie still. Needs it to fall asleep

Tries to get away with everything. Hates being grounded

Isn’t really the touchy type. As a tot though you’d find her napping with Sylvie

[marcynomercy]

OC Questionaire

Taking advantage of the fact that I did Caly's questionnaire, I'll do her brother's too.

NAME: Carnifex

NICKNAME: Carn

GENDER: Male.

STAR SIGN: He doesn't know, because he doesn't remember his past before he was 10 like his twin sister.

HEIGHT: 6.2 (188cm)

ORIENTATION: Bisexual, He has slept with both genders and liked.

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: He appears to be a half-elf, but is actually a dhampir.

FAVORITE FRUIT: Liquor Abbies

FAVORITE SEASON: Winter.

FAVORITE FLOWER: He doesn't care for flowers so he doesn't have a favorite.

FAVORITE SCENT: Amber, cedar, a light floral tone thanks to her sister's taste. (he likes it when he smells her perfume so it started to seem like that).

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Coffee, because he likes the bitter taste.

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: 8.

DOGS OR CATS: He has no preference.

DREAM TRIP: No preference for now, he doesn't want to think about it.

​NUMBER OF BLANKETS: Two. Just because he likes to feel comfortable.

RANDOM FACT: He has complete respect for women and detests men who disrespect them (do that in front of him and consider yourself a dead man). He loves reading and spends hours reading whenever he can, he also likes to braid Calamity's hair so he can do different hairstyles, unlike his sister he doesn't have a drive for curiosity at this point he is very focused and objective.

[alias-b]

sins of my youth. 017

Billy Hargrove x OC! Evie Fenny~ Also posted to my AO3

Summary: It was common knowledge that Billy Hargrove hated Hawkins. Hated Cherry Lane. Even loathed the strange girl next door. Evie Fenny wasn’t too fond of the chaotic Cali transfer either. An awful high school tradition sparks a chain of events that changes everything, ultimately bringing two frayed souls together.

A/N: New chapter! Sorry, it's late! Took a while to edit this one. Evie's birthday bash comes with a flood of feelings and heavy smut! Billy struggles with his heart when emotions get too real. xoxo

Ask box & Tag list are both open!! Come and chat with me after! :)

Chapter 17: Heart-Shaped Shadow Box

   Monday was strange. News spread like wildfire. Carol Perkins and Evie Fenny had a civil interaction. See it and be amazed. All’s well in the animal kingdom again.

   Order restored. Clouds opening. Roll on snare drum followed by velvet curtains.

   Even the snow was thawing to wet slush.

   It all happened at Tommy’s dented locker near the English hallway’s corner. Evie stopped. Hit her mark flawlessly. Found the light. Flashed a pleasant smile which earned Carol’s lip twitching in response.

   And the crowd went wild.

   “Tommy and I are sitting with you. At lunch. Might want to warn Steve and Heather to put the claws away. We’ll come bearing gifts even. Well...promises of gifts we'll deliver on later. Not school-friendly.” Carol fished for a pack of mints in Tommy’s pocket. This was clearly not up for debate.

   “Consider it an early promise for your birthday.” Tommy had added with a beam of teeth.

   “Sure. Cool. See you guys.” Evie held a book to her chest and continued to her locker. Switching items around before she went back to meet Billy at his. Spotted the faded leather of his jacket and ducked a little to sneak upon him.

   A feline on the prowl ready to overtake the dominant male lion.

   "Did you know you're the only girl around here who doesn't cover herself in that Love's Baby Soft crap? The grown woman perfume gives you away, chica." Billy spoke without turning. Evie's made an annoyed sound and dropped her shoulders, inches behind him. "Not a complaint. I like the thrill of it."

   Blue eyes peered to see her there and Evie got the urge to stick her tongue out as a child would. Didn't want to tempt Billy though. Or did she?

   "Yeah, yeah." Air blew a curl from her face. One shoulder nestled into the locker next to him. “Feels weird today.”

   “You’re not getting into a fight for once.” He remarked, smacking metal shut to lean back against it while the student body bustled along. Eyes slipped down and Evie pouted, straightening.

   "My eyes are up here, Hargrove." Two fingers rose to gesture at them.

   Little extra work put into her eyeshadow and lipstick today. Little extra time picking out outfits that weren't for Fredrick. Can't go wrong with a loud print that looked like it was out of a creepy hotel's carpet. Or a short skirt with her tights. Evie felt especially positive about her body today.

   She didn't eat anything bad this morning. See. She was getting better. She was stopping because she was in control and could stop this sickness at any time she wanted.

   "Sure. I'll get there." Gorgeous lashes batted to knock the wind out of her, but Evie puffed. Billy's gaze lifted, flicking with amusement because she was too easy to rile up. Too easy to get blushing. "Must feel weird," he'd repeated, "no battle."

   “That could be. Farewell badass reputation. I knew you all of two days.” She sighed for dramatic effect and he actually smiled, head shaking before an arm swept around Evie’s shoulders. Pulled her taut and flush into his fire.

   For once, she didn’t look at anyone else.

   Leaned into Billy and walked along as if she was meant to be there.

   As if they didn’t look funny together.

   That was a beautiful thing this morning. Something that made her feel full and in control.

   “Weirded me out when Mona let me in to collect Max and you three were snoring on the pull-out.”

   “Sweet that you carried Max home.” Evie teased. “What a good big brother you are.”

   “Yeah, just when I warm up, she edges off me.”

   “How’s that?” Evie peered up at his face.

   “Don’t know, she hasn’t been her annoying self. Growing up or whatever. Might be all her friends.” Billy only shrugged. “Snappier at me. Quieter. Guess I deserve it. She stays out of dad's way, but he has an opinion on everything she does.”

   “She’s a teenage girl. We all have our moments. I'm sure it's not easy for either of you.” They turned down another hallway. Billy stiffened so she allowed him to change the subject.

   “I did have good luck on my Saturday quest.” He sounded genuinely triumphant. Lips turned into her curls to mutter. "Small victories."

   Around them, lockers shuffled and smacked about. Chattering students moved to let them pass. Evie Fenny on the arm of his royal highness, Billy Hargrove. King. What a lucky girl she was.

   If they held her echoing heart to their ears, they'd probably hear rich ocean waves. Evie wondered if Billy had reached deep within in, if he'd find twinkling sea glass and opalescent shells

   “Yeah, you were gone the entire day, where’d you go?” Evie had laughed and he stunned her with the flippant reply. 

   “Got your birthday present.”

   Evie came to a halt at the corner. Spinning to see him. Billy batted his lashes again, smirking.

   “What? It is the 27th, right? Wednesday?” He winced like perhaps he’d been wrong.

   “How and where did you get that info? And you remembered it?”

   “I have my ways, Evie.” He bit his lip. Scanned her. “Surprised I got you something?”

   A blush damned her to hell.

   “No, I just… A little.” Evie looked away at the trophy case. Saw them reflected and straightened up. Shuffling back. One hand rubbed at her collar. Illusions faded like dying lights. Too easily.

   "Well, believe it, I'm full of surprises."

   “My mom is doing something small at the salon that she thinks I don’t know about and then I’m going to Heather's. Party on a school night. Her parents are out this week so free reign in the mansion.”

   “I might have heard something about that.” Billy shrugged, peering away so she could take him in.

   Freckles stunning and sparkling crystals for eyes. Endless ocean waves under a balmy sun. Evie wondered for a moment if perhaps he was oblivious to how candidly beautiful he was some days. 

   She inched toward him. Forgot their reflection. Forgot the students with eyes that burned. Saw Billy glanced back and froze. Caught. 

   “You ever think…?” Billy gave this squint to study her there. Thought he saw flecks of gold within her eyes. Sparking at him. Drawing a charge. New stars giving birth he might be able to count if he looked deeper.

   “Yes...?” Evie hushed, just barely edged up on her toes. Billy never finished it. "I do."

   "Do? Do what?" He flushed there. Sounding vaguely drunk. Inch back toward her.

   Two magnets pining from a distance. Drawing ever nearer.

   "Think. Long and hard." It came out a saccharine whisper. “I think too much in fact.”

   He gave this dumb, little chuckle. Unable to grasp his thoughts. Unable to share them.

   “I think about things I can’t control and I get so mad.” Evie scoffed. Thought her eyes watered due to the intensity. “I can’t stop even though there’s very little I can control. It's like time and space. I can't... But, I know that, Billy, and I can't seem to stop.”

   Abrupt, she pushed up to her toes. Captured his lips. Just hard enough to make her point explicit. Hard enough to send him all aflutter. Bursting to pieces from every vein. A might wave crashed into them both. Swept them away. She stayed close enough to finish the thought. Made him drink it down.

   "And I think you're made of that same stardust." Evie swooped around him. Left Billy dizzy as the bell rang. She didn’t look back at him. Only smiled to herself and let curls bounce as she slipped off.

   Billy spun on his heel to see her. Left drunk in a billow of honey amber. A smile overtaking his expression. A warm tint in his freckles.

   He could have blamed her eyes with their hold. Could have blamed her hair and the way the light illuminated it just so. Hell, he could have blamed that damn perfume. The concoction of oils and lotions you'd find listed in an old witch's spell. Although, she was from New Orleans, so perhaps voodoo. He tried to rationalize it. Make it purely sexual. Make it rough and tumble.

   Either way, too much became clear. Evangeline Fenny was beautiful and she was going to ruin him. And Billy was going to let her do it. Any number of heartbeats it would take, he was going to succumb. This sin he'd be begging for again and again. This lovely sin that filled his soul until it burst.

   A red hot ribbon would noose his heart and twist out to Evie's own. They could sink and float and be just fine. The thought of being tethered to something tangible didn't have to feel like a cage and muzzle. It could be freeing too. Sprinkled in their signature stardust that gave it an ethereal filter. An iridescent shimmer.

   Even if it terrified him to the core.

** ** **

   Evie didn’t need to prep Steve and Heather for Carol and Tommy’s impending infiltration of their lunch table. More news in the animal kingdom.

   Princess Heather and Duchess Carol caught whispering at Heather’s locker between second and third.

   Truly fascinating. Pan in close for a better look.

   Evie passed them and could only blink. Almost running into Robin on her way to Yearbook.

   Heather and Carol standing close to each other as if they hadn’t been in a nasty fight the week before. Giggling and hushing tones. Carol traded a bobby pin from her hair for an elastic Heather had tucked into a coin purse shaped like a pair of cherries.

   That was a serious transaction in girl world.

   Carol tugged playfully at Heather's tee, hand poised to her lips to whisper before the other girl was nodding. Evie had a thousand questions but decided not to bother. Red hair swept to flick as Carol turned to go. Following Evie because they were in Yearbook together with Nancy and Jonathan. 

   Usually, they sat across the room in opposite corners. Today, they shared a table.

   “Heard the bio classes moved the dissections this year up to March.” Carol made a face and sorted through science club photos. Seated across from Evie to work on some new pages. 

   “I always skip school those days and do some make-up work later. I’ll take the grade hit.” Evie grimaced.

   “I just partner with Tommy, make him do it, and he’ll get us a solid C plus.” A shrug. Their teacher flicked on some hippy music they liked to pass the time. Lazy class. “Do a bunch of shots after.”

   “Yeah, I can’t even handle being in the room.” Evie stacked some finished sections aside. “How are things between you and Tommy?” 

   Carol peered up briefly between making little notes. Blew a pink bubble and popped it.

   “He’s still my number one slice. I don’t know, I thought he’d get weird about the whole thing. Kinda shocked me.” She mused, shifting pictures about. “I did say he’s gonna marry me one day. Pretty sure. I mean we’re plenty stupid and we fight. But, we’re allowed.”

   “Good, that’s...good.” Evie felt eyes blaring holes. Stared at the page she was reworking.

   “Feels like you got another question in there, Fen.”

   “I don’t know.” Shoulders hitched higher. Evie tucked some curls back and smacked her mauve lips.

   They sat in silence under dim fluorescent lights for a few minutes. Carol paused to apply a fresh layer of gloss in her tiny compact. Flashed the mirror at Evie’s eyes to bug her.

   “Hey.” One hand swatted aimlessly when she was blinded. Carol snickered, slapping the mirror shut.

   “You’re really into him aren’t you?” A head tilt. “Billy.”

   “Things...shifted after the dance. He asked me out. Then, I asked him out. We sorta went out together. Nothing official. I don't know what's a date and what isn't with him. I don’t. As I said, I don’t think he does girlfriends. I don’t think I'd make a very good girlfriend either.”

   “Not with that attitude." A scoff. "Have you asked?”

   “...No.”

   “You’re overcomplicating it because you have major, major trust issues, Evie.” Carol deduced easily. Too easily. Evie sat back. Opened her mouth to protest and shut it. “Billy might have issues too. But, if a guy screws up and spends two months following you around trying to make it right. Not really sleeping around. Obviously it’s crossed his mind. Just quit dragging and ask him. You might like the answer.”

   “I don’t know, sometimes I think it’s supposed to be like a fairy tale. Without all the...ugh.” Evie cringed at herself. Nails tapping the rhythm of a new song she was working on at home.

   “Make the fairy tale happen. Be like Cinder-fucking-ella. Cinder-Evie.” Carol leaned in to roll her eyes. “Evie Fenny wants romance in Hawkins. Some of us can’t even get cable, you know.”

   Evie snorted. Peered up so both of them laughed. Tension fluttered.

   “Just slam him into a wall and ask. Billy will respond to that." A wink before she got sultry. "Lick his balls or something. He’ll probably get the hint. Boys aren't complicated.”

   “Oh, god.” Evie was still giggling silently. Tried to keep it down under the music playing as students went to go develop some photos. Nancy and Jonathan saw the two and couldn’t help whispering. Odd sight. “I kinda have already.”

   “No, shit?” Carol bit her lip. "Evangeline, you absolute harlot."

   “I mean,” Evie blushed, “we’ve done stuff. Just not gone all the way.”

   “Look at you. Ugh, I know he’s good in the sack. I just do. Tommy and I even talked about it cause we’re like that. We hinted inviting him in once at a party and he was too busy mooning over you at that time.” Carol fiddled with a purple gel pen. Played coy. Tongue in cheek. “Tommy’s not bad, we get a lot of practice in though.”

   “Billy...he puts cologne or something...down there. Makes the taste weird.”

   “Uh.” Carol groaned. “You know, I bet Tommy picked up that trick from him cause he started doing it after Billy rolled in. I fucking knew that Cali boy would be a bad influence.” A sly look followed. “Evie Fenny is getting it. And she could be actually getting it if she weren’t a damn coward.”

   "I am." Evie covered her face.

   "Just..." Carol shrugged and tugged one of Evie's hands down by the wrist. Voice low. "Just think about how good it'll be when he's undressing you. Kissing your neck. And those hands. The thing he might whisper in your ear... Look at you blush."

   She released Evie with a light laugh, continuing.

   "Don't make it rocket science. Ask him. Get the orgasm you deserve, Evie. That's my motto."

   “Not terrible... We get heated and during times I’m actually about to tear his clothes off, we keep getting interrupted. It’s like some evil force is against us. I don't know, I still get weird when he touches my body and I'm trying to stop.”   

   Carol only flashed her teeth.

   “Maybe your luck will improve. Burn some more incense.” 

   Evie only hummed in response. They mulled over pages again. Traded images to find the perfect shots.

   “Gonna ask you something, you don’t have to answer because it’s stupid.” Carol’s voice dimmed. Eyes unable to raise for the first time as she tapped her nail. “Do you, like, miss him at all? You know who.”

   Evie blinked at her.

   “That’s not stupid... Ah, sometimes. I don’t think it’s exactly him I miss. Maybe just the good times we did have. Talking. Feeling important and indispensable to someone. The times he held me or gave me things or included me in his life as if I could actually fit. Maybe it was wrong and fake, but he saw something in me and he wanted that to love him back. I’ll bet it did if anything.”

   “Oh.” Was all Carol said, nodding. “Did he put those bruises on you last week? Tommy saw you.”

   “Yeah,” Evie cleared her throat, “and Billy found out. He’d picked up some stuff beforehand. I tried to end it and Fredrick didn’t want to and then he got scared. Tried to scare me which got violent. But, Billy, ah...beat the shit out of him.”

   “I think Tommy would have done the same...if he had a chance. He talked about it. Jumped right into macho man talk when I...when I told him. Looked like he might cry when I told him how long it really went on. He believed me and my own mother didn't.” Carol exhaled a sharper breath.

   "She didn't want to hold the blame," Evie piped up. As if she knew the horrible truth of motherhood and life and what colors should never go together. How some women weren't meant to be mothers and some women weren't meant to be daughters either. "Some mothers...they can't handle the fact that maybe they brought the monsters home. They were blind. Not all of them manifest under our beds, they get put there by people we trust."

   "Miss Mona have bad boy luck?"

   Evie peered aside.

   "You could say that." She paused and had this brief moment of repetition and ferocity. Repeat something. Believe it. Harder each time. "My father though, he loves me. More than anything. He'd be here right now if he could. He would. I made him so happy." This almost manic smile tugged her lips desperately. Carol saw a flash that resonated, but Evie snuffed it. "I bet Tommy is doing what he can to support you, even if he's a little lost about it."

   “These boys. Acting like they can chase all our demons away or something. Scared when we try to do the same for them.”

   “Right. Our demons aren’t remotely tackled, they’re mildly concussed.” Evie agreed. Softer eyes lifting again to meet Carol’s across the way. “I guess trying is what matters most though.”

   They both seemed to accept that gentle sentiment.

** ** ** 

   Mona Fenny was terrible with surprises. Always giddy and singing along to music to drown that out. Bopping against the wheel as she drove Evie into the salon. Parked around back, smiling bright.

   “You go on first, baby. I gotta get some bags out of the truck.”

   “Oh, boy.” Evie pushed out. Mona plucked her from school early that Wednesday. Made her gussy up a little extra. Red sweater dress with a black belt. Gold glitter over her smoked eyes. Red lip to match. Pretty patterned lace tights and boots. Green bomber pulled close, she trudged inside. Through the backroom and out into darkness. 

   Lights flicked to blind her. Spots dancing.

   “Surprise!” A chorus of sing songs. Music picked up. Dolly Parton of course.

   Evie plastered a smile and gawked as if she hadn’t expected it. All the salon ladies. Heather. Susan and Max. Claudia offering a cake decorated with pink and periwinkle buttercream flowers. Candles dancing.

   Evie closed her eyes and made a wish she held close to her heart before blowing them all out in one go. This one would come true.

   “Thank you, ladies.” Evie peered around at the salon decorated in gold streamers.

   “Lets get some cake passed around now. I’m sure these girls have some excitement planned.” Mona clapped her hands and ladies dispersed. “We’ll do gifts and our dinner this weekend. You’re eighteen and you don’t want to spend the night at your mother’s salon.”

   She kissed Evie’s cheek and licked her thumb to wipe the pink print aside.

   “Thank you, mom,” Evie felt something heavy in her gut, “I love you.” Mona was trying so hard to make this nice for her. One day. Then she'd disappear back into her slinky dresses. Into her work. Into those adult parties. Into another man's arms. Away from Evie and whatever glimmer in her daughter's soul was so frightening.

   “I love you. Go sit. We’ll bring the cake over.”

   Evie crossed to Heather.

   “You pack a bag? We’ll take you to school tomorrow.” She bounced in a seat when Evie nodded. “Sure you don’t want to do anything else tonight? We could see a movie.”

   “Nah, a bonfire. Roasting marshmallows. Chinese take out and wine. I just wanna hang out with my friends. Plus, it’s a school night.”

   “Ah, let loose a little. For your birthday.” Heather shrugged as slices of cake were sorted around. Max sat alone in the corner, picking at her piece when Susan left to go to Mona and chat.

   "One sec, Heath," Evie went to Max and sat down. Slow as if she'd scare the younger girl off. “Hey.”

   “Hi. Uh, thanks for having us. My mom keeps telling Mona you guys have made us feel welcome here and all.” She pulled the sleeves of her grey hoodie lower. “She gave Mona some gifts for you to unwrap later. I hope you like them.”

   “Yeah? I'm sure I will. We like you. Can’t wait to open those also.” Evie scanned her. “I had fun, you know, at the sleepover. We should have more.”

   “You don’t think I’m a dumb little girl?” Max peered up. Finally took a bite. Odd to see a growing teenage girl so disinterested in a heavily frosted cake.

   “No, you’re smarter than most of the kids at school.” Evie wondered briefly who could have put that thought in her head and made it stick. Didn’t take long to figure out who. Mad Max was being slowly worn down.

   And she was so small here. So fragile and thin. Evie couldn't help picturing a shadow looming over Max's red hair. The tiny amount of force it'd take to knock her off her feet. Neil in a drunken stupor gunning slowly for the other fresh target in his house.

   “You can come over any time. I have a lot of movies and Blue likes the attention. She's a needy little thing.”

   Max pressed her lips. Gave this small half-smile.

   “Thank you. I'd like to hang out more. I'm only friends with one girl around here and she's being homeschooled until next year."

   “Can I hug you, just as a thank you for being one of the coolest girls I know?”

   Surprise etched.

   “Okay.” Max practically threw herself into Evie’s arms the moment they set the cake aside. Thin fingers bunched up the fabric of Evie’s dress so she cupped the back of Max’s head and held her.

   “It’d be cool to have you as a sister. We could team up on Billy. My skateboard and your roller skates. I saw a pair hung up in your room.”

   “I mean, we could still do that now.” Evie laughed. Tipped Max’s chin up. “You’re gonna be okay.”

   It seemed to resonate. Heather joined them as they ate their fill of cake. Evie unwrapped a couple small gifts. Jewelry and craft supplies. Fabrics she’d wanted and makeup. 

   Heather whisked her away to Loch Nora after some farewells. They practically bounced into the big house. Ordered a ton of food before they got the fancy fire pit out back started so it’d be ready later.

   The doorbell rang.

   “Steve!” Evie perked after answering. Let him squeeze her in a hug. Practically plucked her from the floor which earned a surprised giggle.

   “Got you something, it’s small.” He smiled sheepishly and offered a little box. “You’re a tough girl to buy jewelry for even if you wear a bunch. You know that, Eves?”

   “No, I’ll wear just about anything.” Playing coy, Evie gave an endearing sway.

   “You hardly take the music note necklace off and I’ll never find earrings better than the ones you make.” He swept a hand through gorgeously styled locks. Cracked a pleased grin. "I notice things."

   “Ah. Fair.” Evie poked his chest. Heather waved when she came in from the back. “My dad got me this necklace from one of his trips. Sometimes, I’ll change it or wear something with it.” She touched the gold chain.

   “I found this at a fancy vintage joint,” Steve explained as she opened it. An ornate brooch. Stunning sun and moon. Soft expressions attached with two looping chains. Decorated in shimmering opals.

   Evie stared at it. Had this panicked thought about the one Fredrick gave her. The glittering ladybug.

   The one she swallowed that had not come out yet.

   “Do you like it?” Steve broke into her thoughts. Evie blinked and shook her head to smile.

   “It’s beautiful, thank you. I’ll pin it on my coat now.” Evie kissed his cheek and bounded off. Left Steve there to blush a sweet, dewy pink.

   More doorbells. Clicking incessantly until Steve groaned and opened it. Billy followed by Tommy and Carol coming up the path from another car.

   “Password?” Steve played his bratty self.

   Billy cocked his head and charged in to put Steve in a headlock. Messed his hair up while he got slapped at as Tommy cackled on the way in.

   “Jesus, Holloway, I forgot about your digs here. Bigger than Harrington's place. No offense.” He waltzed by with Carol on his arm. Left Steve and Billy to wrestle.

   “Hey, boys! Not on her birthday.” Heather got between them. "I agreed to this very strange joining of two groups out of love and friendship. We're all cutting the shit now."

   “He started it.” Steve shoved off and reached to ruffle Billy’s curls. Got a hard swat for it. "We're still burying the hatchet." Beating up creepy teachers brings boys together, he figured.

   Evie liked all of them, that was good enough for Heather.

   "Dick." Billy jabbed back.

   Tommy peered back at Steve. Old times. New surroundings. New mindset. The other boy shrugged at him, lighthearted.

   Evie poked her head around the corner. Blinked in surprise.

   “Hey, all… No wonder Heath ordered the entire menu.”

   “We come in peace, Fen.” Carol removed her coat and Tommy presented a couple of bags.

   “Also, we brought the wine and weed. As promised at that first lunch.”

   “I just said to get wine...but, I won’t complain. We can only smoke it outside. The smell will linger and my dad won’t like it.” Heather winked, coming to take the items. “Thank you, guys. We have food coming. Movies. S’mores for the fire pit.”

   “Look who's trying to behave on her eighteenth.” Carol winked. She shared this look with Heather that Evie didn’t notice. Billy stared at her. Watched nervous hands smooth out her dress. “Hargrove, didn’t you bring the lucky lady a gift? Be a gentleman and present it.”

   “Left it in the car.” He cocked his head, signaling for Evie to fall in stride next to him. Without her coat, she clasped her hands behind her back and followed him back outside. Down the stone steps.

   "Still weird?" Tommy came to Steve, hands in his back pockets.

   "Honestly, yeah." He nodded as Carol went after Heather out back. Both of them plotting.

   "Does suck about the princess. We know you liked her and all."

   "Ah, she's happier with Byers. Things happen. Guess it's part of growing up."

   "How about we drink a bunch tonight and start some shit over?" Tommy clapped Steve's arm, earning a cracked smile.

   "I'd like that."

   Outside, Billy and Evie crossed to his Camaro.

   “Glad you guys came. Might be boring, I said nothing too exciting.” She puffed cold air. Billy opened his trunk and fished for something wrapped in newspaper.

   “We...didn’t have fancy wrap so I used the Sunday cartoons. Only part of the paper I can get my dad to let go.” He winced, handing it to her.

   “No, I love the funnies.” Teeth etched at her lip. Evie met his eyes to open it.

   “It’s a little fragile.” He warned. Evie peeled the paper away and blinked a couple times.

   A thin shadow box with a tarnished black frame. Inside pinned was a luna moth. Dainty specimen all glowy in moonlight.

   “Whoa. How-?”

   “I found it in this old antique shop up in the city. Hidden way in the back. They had a bunch of them, different bugs. I don’t know, it made me think of you.” He explained. Too delicate like he might shatter. Evie ran her fingers along the frame. An object of wonder and curiosity. “Kinda strange and pretty...and you’re damn strange and pretty.”

   She gave this breathless snort. Snapped out of it. Looked up at Billy’s eyes with this vulnerable sort of expression crossing.

   “I really love it. Thank you.” Evie took his chin and kissed him. Felt that same sensation whirl that made them both dizzy.

   Billy pushed his forehead into hers. Brushed their noses and dropped aside. Let his head rest on her shoulder. She smelt the blond hair and felt it tickle her neck. One breath hitched.

   “Let’s get back. I’ll put this in my bag so I can hang it up at home.” 

   Evie held it close as they walked along. Not looking at each other or touching. They wouldn’t be able to handle it. She figured this gift is what her heart had always looked like. A deep, dark shadow box with a pretty moth fluttering inside behind glass. Waiting to be seen and admired. Waiting to flit out and feel the wind and sun.

   Going inside, she wondered if Billy had known that. If he placed their stars just so because he knew how they fit together.

   Tension sprang through laughter over take-out boxes. Trading and gorging on food while a horror flick played before them. The Funhouse. Seated on the floor around the coffee table against the sofas and chairs. Odd gathering of souls.

   Tommy was a squirmer. Kept hiding in Carol's shoulder. Steve felt himself looking around. He had his friends back and more. This could be nice again. He hadn't been social since everything fell apart with Nancy. Befriending Heather and Evie was a good start.

   Billy’s leg bumped Evie’s and she gave this blush like someone caught them being obscene. Settled into him for the last half of the movie when they were full and the night rose outside. Billy felt a spark as Evie hid in his chest at a jump scare. Chuckled to himself to play it off.

   Evie Fenny watched horror movies for a living, she just needed a reason to play dumb and get close to him. But, she wasn't gonna admit that. Being tucked under his bicep was too good.

   “Psst, hey.” Evie said in his ear. Billy slid his eyes to see the TV light play on her expression.

   On the expensive screen, a rat-like vampire snarled. Mutated and warped with saliva on his fangs.

   “Hm?”

   “That’s you.” She hitched a squeal when he pinched her side. Pulled in closer by his arm.

   Carol and Heather were still shooting each other looks. Mugs of cheap red wine got passed around. Bloomed cherries in everyone’s cheeks and mouths. 

   They gathered around the fire outside. Roasted marshmallows and lit up joints. Heather’s family had a fancy pit built into the ground and a stone seating circling it. With most of the snow gone, they all bundled up. Carol draped into Tommy as they shared a smoke.

   “Steve, eat this one. I made it special.” Evie flashed a crooked, devious smile. "For you."

   “I don’t trust you.” He laughed, opening his mouth before she stuffed it in. Marshmallow fluff covered his lips until they cackled. Steve pushed a fresh one back at her that melted chocolate over her mouth. Evie giggled and caught Billy staring as she licked her lips. Wanting to lap it up himself. 

   "Did I get it all?" Evie faced him, breaking the moment. Billy reached up with his thumb and swept it under her bottom lip. Saw her tongue shift like it might jet out before he pulled away and licked the pad.

   "Now, you did," he winked.

   At that point, Tommy and Steve caught on to Heather and Carol's little knowing looks. Took some eye-fucking to get there but they made it.

   Heather was pleasantly blazed. Leaning back with her feet up on the stone. Sighing. Evie puffed and passed a smoke back to her. Started to blow out before Billy angled her face at him. Inhaled some of the pot to enjoy it.

   "Tommy, who supplies your shit?" He hummed.

   "Hill Valley, they supply all the locals. Stoner who gave it to me swore it made you fucking time travel, I think he was right."

   "Go back in time and stop this asshole from beating my keg record." Steve snatched the joint next, gesturing to Billy. Only got a rough laugh in response.

   “So, we’re all fucked. But, I have rooms. Lots and lots of guest rooms.” Heather mused. “I’m so rich and popular, guys.”

   “We had no idea.” Carol faked a gasp. “Prissy drunk.”

   “This is so weird.” Evie rubbed her cheek, lulled into Steve so he put the smoke between her lips with two fingers. Let her inhale it before she puffed out. “All of us, I mean. It’s weird. Life sucks and we’re just like...friends now.”

   “It’s like we wasted all that time on stupid shit when we could have been doing this.” Carol decided with red eyes. Everyone nodded in response.

   Evie fell the other way and put her head on Billy’s shoulder. Slowing, they stared at the flickering fire. Smoke rising to purge whatever was here before.

   "We still gonna share a lunch table after this? Acknowledge each other?" It was Steve who spoke up.

   "Nowhere else to go." Billy reached out to take the joint from him and finish it. That was agreed upon too. Wasn't the worst sentiment at this hour.

   They came down from the wine and pot. Simmered. Put the fire out and trailed back into the house. Watched half of another movie before they started to split off.

   Steve passed out on the biggest couch so Evie covered him in a blanket. Stopped Billy and Tommy from drawing on his poor, sweet face. Gave him a kiss on the temple for good measure.

   “Think it’s time. Midnight. Happy Birthday, Evie.” Heather mashed her into a tight hug. They all left Steve to snore and wandered upstairs. Changed and washed up.

   Billy disappeared down the hall to one of the bathrooms. Evie emerged a bit later from Heather's room rubbing her nose.

   “Tommy and Carol can use this room." Heather was in the hallway gesturing. "Steve’s on the couch. Hey, Eve, you want to use the third floor? Sheets are fresh. The birthday girl should get the best and biggest guest room. Right, Carol?”

   "I couldn't agree more, Heather. We left you something special on the bed. It was too big to wrap."

   Snickering followed.

   “Sure...sure…” Evie ruffled her hair out, not listening. "Night."

   “Enjoy your present,” Carol gave this little sing-song. Arms crossing as she watched Evie climb the steps. Waited until she was gone to plant a slick high-five on Heather. “Idiots.”

   “Totally.” Heather went off to bed.

   Evie pushed the door open and jumped a mile at the same time Billy spun, dropping his shirt.

   “Oh, sorry, they said…” It dawned that Evie had just been tricked. “They told you to sleep here?”

   “Yeah, Heather said...oh.” He clicked his tongue and smiled, head shaking because he had to look away. It was all too good.

   Evie pressed the door shut and planted herself against it. Locked it idly. The snap sparked Billy to attention.

   “I’ll be having a little chat with them about this. It's...um...” She scanned him in his jeans. Saw muscles twitching under flesh. Wet her lips.

   “Yeah, I’ll be getting down on my knees to fucking thank her.” He marched over. Kissed Evie hard against the doorway then brought her flush into his frame. Hands trailing down the curve of her back.

   She hitched a gasp and got one arm around his neck. Felt about to turn the lights down. Moonlight spilled in. Full and bright. 

   Billy’s hands were under her shirt. Bunching it up. Palming her bottom. Tracing the lace edge of her underwear to playfully snap it. They stumbled around toward the bed. Evie on her toes pulled him down for more kisses. Felt like no amount would be enough.

   “Not a motel, but I think we can make this work.” Billy got pushed into the plush covers. Sat up to let Evie climb into his lap. They looked at each other. Stilling.

   "Is this okay?" She mumbled and he only nodded.

   Breathing deep until hearts pounded in perfect sync. Evie cupped his face. Opened her lips against his until Billy gave this visceral moan.

   Fingers slipped under the tee again. Squeezed her breasts. Hurried the fabric up so he could taste her skin. Evie shuddered and tipped her head back. Grinding into him. Pulling his hair because he was ruining her already.

   Because Billy Hargrove was about to be her beginning and end.

   Because she was fine with that.

   “Evie...” Billy groaned. Fingers pushing into her flesh. He sucked little flower petals into her chest. Tongued her nipples to hard, rosy buds. Evie felt one hand wander down into her panties. Cried out at the two digits that slipped against her experimentally. "Yeah?"

   “Y-Yes. Like that. You feel so good, Billy.” She attacked his neck. Kissing and nipping until his legs shook. She would ruin him just as well and he'd already tried to make peace with it.

   Billy brought his fingers up to suckle them. Shifted to wet her nipple and lick the arousal off. Two strong hands, turned them to throw her into the mattress. God, his muscles. Evie felt him crawl up her body. Hovering to just look at her with spun gold spilling around his neck and crown. 

   Felt more intimate than anything they’d done. Just looking. Taking a body and soul in.

   Billy started pulling her shirt off. Going for her panties to toss the flimsy fabric aside. No resistance followed. She wanted him to look. Wanted to be seen. Maybe it shouldn't have felt so incredible.

   Eyes watched her surrender there bathed in the moon. Evie rubbed her thighs together. Covered her breasts with her arms. Billy’s chest heaved. Mouth sweeping down to kiss her until the resolve melted. He pinned her wrists playfully and kissed down her neck, stopping to inhale that perfume.

   "You're pretty." Lips nudged her insecurities up and away. "So pretty."

   Billy brushed dark curls from her shoulders and cheeks. Began to peck soft kisses everywhere he could. Mapping her face out. Every so often she found his lips to steal one back. A soft breath grazed her ear.

   “Lemme see you, too.” Evie got a hand free and cupped him boldly. Billy jolted into her palm. Moaned. Beautiful beyond words. He let her push his pants down and stroke him. Gazes melted together and he stopped her only to toss his jeans aside, up on his knees to breathe even.

   Evie pushed up only to marvel at him. Reluctant hands lifted. Smoothing down the hard contour of his chest. The line of those hips. She wanted to map him out as well.

   "You're beautiful." She brushed her mouth against his hip. A true Eros.

   Billy combed his fingers into Evie's hair, tilting her face up so he could curve over for a lengthy kiss. Moaning when she praised him. Wordless with her simple touch. Explored all the exposed honey skin. Counting little freckles. Billy nuzzled his nose into Evie’s, pressed their heads together, and breathed her in. All of her. 

   “Gonna eat you out.” He nipped down her chest, pushing her back into the bed. Evie tensed on instinct but nodded. Wanting it. Saw those lashes flutter before he buried his mouth into her mound. 

   She cried out into her palm. Spine arching so his taut arms wound under soft thighs. Held her hips to adjust. Spread her open for his tongue. Devoured her shamelessly. Pornographically.

   Billy liked to make noise. Like to force it out of her too. He flicked his tongue inside. Lapped up toward her bundle to tease and cradle it. Slight stubble made red swatches on her tender skin.

   What did she like? What made her pray for mercy?

   It left Evie to twist around. Hands grasped for the sheets. She gave him her voice willingly. Gave him every beat and sigh and pulse. Billy made this obscene suckle against her. Crawled up with slick lips so Evie pulled him into her frame. Kissed those pink lips. Licked into his mouth. Tugged at gold locks and ran her hands along his back.

   Billy was nudging between her legs before Evie shifted so they were on their sides. Shocked him with a murmur.

   “I want to be on top first.”

   “What?” He actually laughed lightly. Pecked her mouth. “No, no, sweetheart. I’m on top.”

   “I called it first and I'm the birthday girl.” Evie pouted. Pushing him on his back playfully. Billy came up on his elbows. Brow furrowed.

   “You’re serious. But…” He sounded breathless when her hand smoothed down to stroke him. Persuading. “But, I’m the man. It’s our first time. The man’s supposed to be on top the first time.”

   “Says who? You’re so cute when you say dumb things, Billy.” Evie taunted, kissing his cheek. “There’s no rule. Maybe I wanna be the man...if you really wanna put it that way. You’ll get a turn. Maybe. You might convince me.”

   He smiled when she winked at him. Evie kept up her persuasion. Swung her leg over his hips. Kissed up his neck because she knew it would make him into putty. Billy could only shudder.

   Evie let her weight rest against his frame. Snuffed out every voice that told her she couldn't be desired and sexy. Billy moaned at the feel of her too. All of her. Grasped fleshy hips and ran his hands up sloping curves. Evie pressed into his chest, curls spilled over her shoulders.

   “I might really die if I don't feel you soon.” Billy just marveled up at her. Cupped her breasts until Evie sighed into his touch. A blush spread over her cheeks. She captured his mouth in response.

   Eyes met and she gave this little nod so he followed it. Muscles tensing. 

   “I want to feel you, too.” Evie licked her lips so they adjusted a bit together. She came up and gave him a few slow pumps. "Do you really wanna feel me, Billy?" His shaft pressed flush into her folds. Hips rocked slow. Torturing.

   Looking clouded, he nodded and tried to find some words.

   "Fucking, please. Evie." He tilted his head back. Chest heaving. “You, uh, took your pill?”

   “Like clockwork.” Evie shuddered. "I want this. You."

   Billy looked down and gave her thigh an encouraging squeeze, biting his lip as she positioned him. Starting to sink down. They both cursed aloud. Went tight after a shared quake. Evie mounted him. Let him fill her all the way up with her hands flat against his chest. 

   “That’s it. Fucking perfect.” He was muttering while she whimpered quietly. Massaging her hips so she’d relax. “You don’t have to move yet. Feel so fucking good. Look at me, Evie.” 

   She did. Darkening eyes peeking through a curtain of curls he moved aside.

   “I got you, Angel. I got you.” Billy lifted for a kiss. Bucked slightly inside her so she gave this experimental rock into him. Mouths brushed together and he whispered. “Fuck me.” 

   He begged that. Begged for her. Only her. Evie pressed him back down. Tilted her head aside at the feel of him pulsing. Started to move with some fervor. 

   Fingers squeezed her hips. Left marks guiding her into his thrusts. Both of them sinking fast. 

   “Mm, Billy.” Evie arched there against the moon and stars. Let them fill the room with her voice. She hitched a cry when he gave her ass a playful swat. Urged her to go faster. Billy wiggled and came up a bit. Pulled Evie all the way down and drank her moan into his lips.

   He held her there, biceps flexing when his hands went around her back so he sat up fully. Teeth nipped at her chest and he undulated up inside her. Took some control back.

   "H-Hey..." Evie was slipping fast. Mouth parting while she clung to his shoulders. "I'm the man."

   "It's your birthday," Billy mumbled into her throat. "Little worship is what a pretty girl deserves on her birthday. Don't you think so?"

   Fingers pushed between her spread legs. Worked her until a cry muffled into the crook of his neck. Evie curved into him. Clung. Rode him harder.

   “So good.” Billy managed again. “Pretty, pretty, pretty.” He pulled her hair. Exposed that creamy throat to his mouth once more. Tormented her until Evie’s resolve melted so he could flip them over. Another cry echoed. Hips pushing with force deep into her. She gripped his shoulders, legs curling around his hips. 

   “Billy, please…” Evie mewled under him. “More.” She tucked some blond hair aside sweetly. Both of them slicked and wanting. Connected utterly. 

   Billy was so ample with her body, chasing her fears away with his hot touch and lovely kisses. He hovered over Evie. Pulled out and looked down to where their bodies met. Loved the sight of himself disappearing inside. One hand brought her thigh higher for a better look.

   "Flexible girl. I'll keep that in mind."

   Evie fluttered around him. Reached down and touched their mixed arousal. Played with herself while he watched and started to find his pace. She licked her digits of their slick. Let him have a taste after. Billy laced their fingers and came down to watch her eyes.

   Panting. He really began to pound into her until the bed was rocking with them. A filthy sound of skin slapping together with each thrust joined their gasps. He didn't care if this whole damn neighborhood could hear them.

   “Love the way you squeeze me.” Billy’s thumb was back against her. Tormenting perfect little circles that had her whining. Evie had this out of body moment like she was watching herself writhe on the bed. Billy Hargrove fucking her stupid. Praising her. Touching her. Uttering nasty things about how she was all his now and he could spend forever making her feel so good. “Gonna come inside this sweet, little pussy after I make you quake. You wanna come for me, Evie? That’s my fucking girl.” 

   “Oh, fuck...fuck, I can’t stand you.” She tightened around him. Eyes rolling back. Relishing his touch so he sped up. “I’m right fucking there, Billy, don’t stop. Stay with me. Stay…” She cupped his face. Found those drunken lips.

   “Don’t have to stand, I,” he shuddered, “I got a perfectly good face you’ll be sitting on later.”

   Cheeky little shit.

   Evie actually laughed. Thrilled. Pulled him all the way against her body, arms under his and around his taut back. Billy stopped all the dirty talk to whimper.

   She felt so good. He didn't know it could feel this good.

   “I’m yours, Billy,” Evie decided at last with a flutter of glowing moths escaping the heart-shaped shadow box carved into her chest. Happy. She so wanted to be his. Mouth against the shell of his ear. “All yours.” Her thighs shuddered and he felt her entire body lock. A graceful arch went through it. “I’m c-coming.” Evie managed so he stroked harder. Made her gush around his cock with the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. Kept thrusting to draw it out as she squeezed him too tight. Chanting cries of curses mingling with his name. All sin.

   All his.

   Billy couldn’t even warn her. He held out as long as he could and began to fuck release inside her. Both of them wrapping tighter around each other. Still trying to rock through it like they were lying on a warm beach being caressed by sweet ocean waves. Evie sagged, out of breath as he collapsed against her body. Still rutting like an animal to finish himself. 

   Gasping, Billy came up to pull out. Watched his own release sink out of her. So fucking hot, he couldn't help pushing it back in. Evie tensed. Overstimulated when he pressed dainty kisses to her tummy and chest. 

   Blue eyes came up to meet her brown ones and something broke. Shattered. Flooded out. They both locked in to feel it. Billy looked at her and the sensation consumed him utterly. Betrayed him. He stared and couldn’t look away. Frozen. Ruined. Evie blinked up at him. Spread open and hair splayed. Reached up to caress his jaw with her brow furrowing.

   “Billy, you’re shaking.” She swallowed to catch her breath. Eyes searching him. She tipped his head forward to kiss his warm temple. Lingered with sweet promises. Both of them on fire and slicked in glowy dew. “I got you.”

   He still trembled so hard. Unable to stop. Let Evie bring his head to her collar so she could pepper more kisses into his hair and comfort him. 

   Billy stared out at nothing. Floated in this sort of subspace while Evie brought him back down to touch the Earth. Gentle as she could. They held each other there. Evie still kissing him. Petting him delicately and humming in his ear. Idly, he let his fingers whirl into her curls.

   “Are you alright? Billy?” She tried again. Massaging his shoulders while he listened to her beating heart. Something wet splashed against her neck as he shuddered. Sniffling once.

   “I just…” He came up. Let awareness flit back. Got near silent. I think I’m happy. "I'm fine." The feeling spread a cold under his bones. "You?"

   Billy cupped her head for a lazy kiss. She smiled up at him.

   “I'm okay. Better than okay.” She soothed again. “I got you.” Naked, they wound around each other. Got under the covers and laid twisted together.

   “Evie.” Billy choked on air. Chest sinking. He had to let one truth out. Just one, he owed her that much. And it ached. “Gotta tell you something.”

   “Yeah?” She sunk into his chest. Held. Evie braced like it might hurt her too.

   “You know you're... You're the best thing about this place.” Billy squeezed his eyes shut. Let her hold him tighter in response. Let Evie give up some of her warmth to him because he needed it and she just liked to see him happy and safe.

   “I didn’t know it could feel like that.” She began, fingers making shapes into his chest. Evie opened her heart. Let him admire it. "Billy, I want to be more with you. Like...Like a girlfriend. This sounds silly. You don't have to say anything. I just...I don't want to run from you because you make me happy. I think I might make you happy too. We're... You were right about a lot. The stars and all. Despite everything, I think we were supposed to find each other and it feels good. I want to be yours-"

   Billy tilted Evie's chin up. Hushed the truths with his lips. Nuzzled her so she'd relax back into him. He couldn't reply. The syllables wrapped around his throat and choked him. And Evie trusted him. So, she didn't ask for them. That made it ache more.

   Placing her head upon his chest when they shifted again. Billy went very still. Stared at the ceiling and wiped his eyes as she dozed. Fingers combed into her hair to coax her off to an easier slumber.

   Billy just laid there. Felt numb. Felt too much. Couldn’t look down at Evie nestled into his body. 

   He stayed there two hours. So still. So lost. So found. 

   These sensations that tried to drown him. They were creeping like dark gossamer veils over his eyes. Unable to be near Evie, he eased out from under her. Rubbed his eyes. Felt like she seared his skin down to bone and marrow.

   He knew it was wrong. Knew it might hurt her. Would hurt her.

   She let him into her heart and he was running. Eros fleeing Psyche the moment she held that candle to his being and saw him for what he was. One speck of wax dripping hot upon his flesh. Blinded by that light, he probably didn't see her crying there after him. Selfish boy.

   Billy thought he would be sick. Tremored there. He just couldn't stop it. Couldn't explain it either.

   And he just couldn’t be near her anymore. Fuck.

   But, he promised. He promised her. He wanted to keep it and instead scrambled to dress. Empty eyes still staring at nothing. Billy finally peered back. Scanned Evie comfortable on the bed. He could have gotten back in. Woken her and told her that he wanted to be all hers too.

   “I’m sorry.” He whimpered.

   It hurt. It hurt too much. Billy actually had to rub his chest. Tried to numb. Tried. All this time they spent together and now he just couldn’t be near her. She broke him. Billy felt himself climbing too high. Up toward the stars. Falling to pieces.

   Aimless steps brought him outside. Into the freezing cold. Away from Evie’s touch and amber perfume. Away from this girl who gave him exactly what he wanted and it was just too much. He couldn’t hold it. Didn’t want to see it shatter before him.

   So, Billy got into his Camaro and drove off. Far away as he could to the edge of Lover’s Lake. Up a hill so he could see the quiet city before him. Evie would wake up. Feel the change that he promised he wouldn’t give her. 

   Fuck. 

   “Fuck!” Billy crumbled aloud. One fist pushed into his teeth. Quivering until the tears fell hot. Huge and wet down his flushed cheeks. Unable to stop the flow, Billy dropped his head. Began to sob louder than he ever had in his life.

   Because this would break her in turn. Validate everything horrid she thought about Billy Hargrove. Because he should have stayed in that bed mapping more kisses down her spine. Instead, he convinced himself that they weren't made of the same stardust. They couldn't be.

   Evie's heart-shaped shadow box was hung too far from reach amid untold galaxies and when Billy rose to admire it, his wings melted like Icarus before him because that's what he deserved. That was always what he knew he deserved.

   All he could think about was his mother in that tub. Neil's boot squelching his back and the meaty wack of a belt. It wasn't possible for him to be something that could be tangible and loved. Evie had been right. Stars were placed in a certain order and that couldn't change. He'd been stupid. Hopeful.

   He was the coward. This got too real and he couldn't just let himself have it.

   And what made it heavier was the pure thought of Evie waking alone to confirm her biggest fear.

   "I'm sorry." Billy kept chanting these words that were so often too difficult for him. They wouldn't stop this time. "I'm sorry..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Local boy crushed under the weight of his own emotions. Eeeep, I finally let them do the deed. Someone make them a 'congrats on your sex' cake. Please if you enjoyed leave words below or chat with me in my ask!! Thank you all so much!!

TAGGED:: @80sbxtch @nottherightseason @orxhidshavana   @alagalaska​ @alongcamedolly @kellyk-chan @10blurredsmoke10 @charmed-asylum @unmistakablyunknown @lukespatterson

[obx-snippets]

Chapter 1 ∫ ≈ Rush Hour and New Friends

Summary: Reina finds herself flustered on her first day of work. And the Pogues make quite the first impression on her when she has to take their order.

Warning: light cursing? That’s about it....

Word count: 3.5k

Pairing: JJ Maybank x female!oc

Masterlist

a/n: I probably should have mentioned this in the beginning but this series is a...

SUPER  S L O W   B U R N.  

So enjoy! Feel free to ask to be tagged!

Reina's limbs were growing weak at the speed she was going down the lengthy sidewalk along an empty road. To her dismay, every corner of the island seems to be next to a beach, and the only sound that was able to come at par with the wind muffling her ears was the beating waves. She regretted not bringing her cassette with her; the music would have gone nicely with the Kildare county atmosphere. It might have also helped with her rapid heartbeat, wishing the ocean would just disappear. Nature sprouted from every corner, various people making their way down the opposite sidewalk to shop at different vendors. They seemed relaxed for the most part, but then again, many of them worked for their share, and the mask they wore wasn't fooling Reina. She wore the same one all too often.

Too deep in thought, she nearly missed the sign that read 'the Wreck' and came to a skidding stop, her body slightly jolting forward as she gripped her bike's handlebars. The wind from the ocean brought her hair to blow in her face as she dipped her eyes down to her phone, her GPS reading arrived.

After finding a comfortable place to park her bike, she made her way up a wooden ramp to enter the restaurant's threshold. The closer she got, the slower her pace as she heard a mix of rowdiness coming from inside. It was just her luck that the Wreck was extremely busy and evidently short on staff. Reina heaved around a few people who were waiting in line to be seated. Customers were grumbling among themselves, complaining about how the food had better be the best they've ever tasted if they had to wait that long. It was breakfast hour, and that was when people were the crankiest.

She blew air from her mouth once she made it to the front desk, a few customers muttering how she cut. Smoke from the kitchen just in front of her filled her nostrils, and her eyes brightened with delight. Only two men were hard at work, one with his belly hanging out from his stained white shirt while another tall man with tanned amber skin cutting fruit relentlessly. And with skill.

Reina was enthralled in the dynamic that she hadn't noticed how far she was leaning over the counter to watch everything they were doing. The taller man briefly looked over his shoulder before noticing the ripped paper wedged between her knuckles.

"Hey!" the man called over the spiel going around the crowded restaurant and the clinking of pot being moved about, continuing his cutting on a pineapple. Reina snapped her attention to the man, slightly embarrassed that she had been staring so long. "You Chris and Mina's kid?"

Reina shrugged, "Well technically, stepdaughter but uh--same thing yeah, that's me." she skipped the specifics of it all, not wanting to cause the man's forehead to crease more than it already was. "I uh--I came for the interview..." she looked down at the paper, about to ask about the cooking job when he suddenly advanced toward her.

"You a good cook?" he questioned sternly, almost hopeful. His eyes were desperate, sweat already trickling down his forehead.

"Absolutely," her confident answer came out almost immediately, making the man smile. She would cook all day if it meant not facing the water that was just a few hundred feet away from her. Even over the uproar in the open restaurant, she could still hear the waves taunting her like a dark, menacing laugh.

A toothpick twisting between his lips, he tapped his fingers harshly against the counter, contemplating if he should let a new teenager take part in his kitchen. "Fuck it, get in, kid." he pointed to the other side of the counter for her to enter. He didn't miss the ever-growing smile touching her lips as she hustled around the counter, already pulling her hair into the messiest low bun before washing her hands thoroughly. "Start cracking them eggs and beat 'em'. We got an order waiting at table five."

Reina's whole demeanor changed. She was locked in and moving like a ballerina, careful not to bump into anyone as she veered about to collect seasoning for the eggs. The tall man, which she learned went by the name of Mr. Carrera, watched her intently. All he had to do was tell her the recipe once, and she was already whipping everything up by memory. So much so that she served the waited tables in under an hour. It seemed the frequent customers took notice of the new girl as well; her sweet smile was inviting like she had been doing this her whole life. Reina was known to be more easy-going around adults compared to kids her age. She was the life of the party back in Cali, extremely outgoing and adrenaline-driven. But since the incident, she felt more comfortable being in her own reserved shell.

Mr. Carrera wasn't the only one noticing the girl's natural skill in the kitchen. Kiara Carrera led the way into her father's restaurant, her fellow pogues trailing behind like hungry puppies. Harlow Westwick struggled to keep up as they hadn't waited for her to tie her shoelaces, and she nearly tripped forward before finding her balance again.

"Woof," John B furrowed his brows, sidestepping around a woman as he took in the scene around him, "busy in here today, huh?"

The kids maneuvered their way through the packed dining area, all of their eyes searching for an empty table.

"Hell yeah, it is," Kie responded, her eyebrows stitching together as she caught sight of an unfamiliar raven haired girl in the kitchen.

She knew her dad had set up an interview with someone the other day, but he was never the one to hire and put to work the same day. Her father was very strict about who came in and out of his kitchen and how it was run.

"Found one!" JJ called, running across the floor to get to it before someone else could. He plopped down on a chair, running his ring clad fingers through his blonde locks before placing his red cap backward on his head. Harlow pulled the seat out next to him, flicking his red hat from behind, bringing the boy to quickly catch it before it hit the table.

Kie followed them wordlessly, her eyes still locked on the new cook in the kitchen as curiosity tickled her brain. "Do ya'll know who that is?"

The three boys and Harlow turned to look, all of them shaking their heads in response, a chorus of 'no's' or 'uh huh's' here and there.

Kie pursed her lips, her slender fingers tapping at the wooden chair before she signaled to the guys that she'd be back in a minute and moved towards the kitchen. The girl in question had swiveled around one of the older cooks, trading spots with him as she grabbed a pair of plates off the counter.

"'Scuse me," she smiled with a bow of her head, moving past Kie to put the plates down at one of the tables.

She turned around quickly, wiping a bead of sweat off her forehead with a rag before throwing it back over her shoulder.

"What's your name?" Kie questioned, crossing her arms over her orange halter top.

"Uh, Reina," the girl responded, a little confused by the random girl's straightforward inquiry before hurrying back to the kitchen, not giving Kie a chance to say anything else.

Just as the mystery girl - Reina, disappeared back into the kitchen, her father rounded the corner, giving her a nod to assure that he knew her and her friends were there, and they would get their food as quickly as they could get it out. Kie gave him a small smile in return and went back to her table, not before grabbing a stack of paper cups and a jug of water.

"You find out who the new girl is, Kie?" JJ asked, swiping a fry off an empty table.

"Just that her name's Reina," Kiara shrugged, offering the guys a cup and some water.

John B craned his neck to try and spot the dark-haired girl in the kitchen. "I haven't seen her around before," he pointed out.

"You think she's a kook?" Harlow questions, more so to herself as she noticed the seemingly expensive top.

"Maybe she's new," Pope chimes in his suggestion, his eyes fixated on how quickly she moved about the kitchen like muscle memory.

"Who moves to the Outer Banks?" JJ questioned around a mouthful of fries.

"Ew, gross," Kie muttered as her face scrunched up and finally took a seat next to Pope.

The Pogues chattered amongst themselves as customers were in and out of the restaurant. They were so used to sitting there for hours on end that they hadn't realized a difference in the food until it was displayed in front of them.

JJ was the first to mindlessly get a forkful of food into his mouth, suddenly moaning at the taste, pointing aggressively at his plate,

"This is fucking bomb, dog," he mumbled.

Upon seeing the other boy's reaction to the food, Kiara picked up a few eggs off of her plate and stuffed them into her mouth, "Holy shit," her eyes widened, knowing for a fact that this was not her father's cooking. "this is really good."

"Whoever made these needs to cook everything on the menu," Pope chuckled, diving into his fluffy pancakes lovingly.

Harlow was munching happily on her toast, her light brown hair that had recently been dyed two shades lighter at the tips was pulled back into a ponytail. She didn't bother making any comment, too entranced with the powdered sugar that she gladly licked off her fingers before wiping them off on a napkin.

John B peeped up from his plate, his chewing slowing down when he saw how white powder coated Harlow's pink lips. He rolled his eyes, grabbing a napkin and nearly scaring the girl to death when he wipes her lips with his thumb. "Much obliged, JB," Harlow chimed once he finished.

Reina had just finished washing her hands of the sticky juices of fruit when she noticed the group of kids hadn't been served their drinks. It seemed the Wreck was even short on servers. She huffed to herself, already dreading having to interact with them. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand before grabbing a paper and pencil that sat on the counter to get their drink order.

"Hey, sorry for the delay on the drinks," Reina apologized when she made it to the table. She grew uncomfortable by how all their eyes bore into her own, and she dropped her attention to the notepad in her hand. "what can I start you off with?"

"I'll take a Sprite, please!" Pope exclaimed, instantly taking notice of the group's surprise in his response.

"Okay," Reina responded, quickly writing down his drink order in her notepad, "for you?"

"I'll take a raspberry ice tea," replied JJ, earning groans from the rest of the table, "with four pumps of the syrup, and only fill the glass halfway with ice so I can stir in my sugar-"

"Oh my gooooood!" groaned Harlow, "why are you so weird, JJ?"

JJ makes a face, "How am I weird? She's asking for my order!"

"Yeah, your drink order, not the secret recipe for a heart attack!"

"You know, what?-"

"What?-"

"Well, maybe if you let me finish my sentence-"

It wasn't long before the entire table erupted in a full-blown argument. Reina stood at the end of their table, brows furrowed, mouth parted. What the fuck..

Her eyes glanced around the packed dining room, her fingers twitching around her pencil. The place was still crowded, and the kitchen seemed to be going up in flames.

"I hate to interrupt, but does anybody else want anything to drink?" Reina spoke over the shouts.

The table quieted immediately, seemingly having forgotten about the girl waiting to take their order. The teens passed around embarrassed looks before the girl who'd come up to Reina earlier spoke.

"Pepsi's are fine."

Reina pursed her lips and gave her a nod before shoving her notepad and pen back into her apron and hurrying away from their table.

"Nice going," Kie snapped, throwing a rolled-up napkin at JJ.

                                                •≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈•

As the day carried by, the restaurant's capacity was waning down to only a few customers an hour. Reina hadn't expected the day to be so eventful. Some adults and teens discerned that she was new to the island and welcomed her before paying her a generous tip. Mr. Carrera was already falling in love with the new girl's cooking and didn't bother telling her she got the job; it was already guaranteed. He told her to have the day to herself tomorrow, and she could come work every other day. Reina would prefer to keep herself busy in the kitchen instead of being forced to explore the island, but she obliged nonetheless.

The seven pm sun was warming Reina's skin as she walked alongside her bike. She decided to take her time heading home, hoping her surprisingly laid back step-parents would say it's too late for her to go to the party at the beach. The sound of the waves crashing onto the shore was enough for her jaw to clench, wishing to drown out the sound. For a moment, the wind picked up around her loose hair, and she instinctively let her fingers ghost over the scars on her neck, flashing her back to that night.

•

"Reina, just jump, bro!"

The California moon was set on full display as the stars were barely distinguishable from the colorful, luminescent lights blinding the party at a rich kids' beach house. After Reina's friends informed her of a party being held in the Hamptons, she couldn't refuse. Not when the boy throwing the party was loaded with cash. School was nearly over, and one last party would surely end the year with a bang.

After a few heavy drinks and five shots, Reina found her unbalanced body standing on the highest point of the house's roof. The cold California night air brushed against her skin, but the warmth from her drunken state didn't let goosebumps make an appearance. Her hair was tousled behind her; space buns atop her head, keeping strands from invading her vision. Her black eyeliner was smudged from the excessive wave of laughter that overcame her a couple of hours before, and her chapstick was secured in her back pocket of her shorts in case of a possible make-out session.

"You think I'll make it?" Reina's crazed question was muffled out over the shouting and cheers coaxing her to jump into the vast pool below, and she let one of her bare feet dangle off the edge.

Her brown eyes caught sight of her sweet friend Vanessa, who was acting as a chaperone for the night, glaring up at her through the rims of her blue glasses. "If you're actually asking for a probability, you're insane!" Vanessa yelled.

"C'mon Nessa!" a brunette boy, Dimitri, came tumbling toward the red-headed girl draping his wet arm over her shoulder. His bare upper body smelled of herb and chlorine as his brown hair was swiped back from the pool. "Quit being a killjoy. The jump isn't even that high."

"It's not the jump I'm worried about, ass wipe." Vanessa growled, shoving the boy away from her, "Do you not see how drunk she is? If she even tried to jump, she'll land face-first on the cement."

Even beyond the overpour of music blasting through her ears, Reina heard Vanessa and saw it as a challenge. "Prepare for landing, ladies, and gentlemen!" Reina warned with a playful salute, loud enough for the crowd of teens below to roar out an applaud, making a clear opening for her in the pool.

"Rae, no! Stop!" Vanessa tried lunging for the house, but Dimitri pulled her back by her arm. "I swear to--"

It was too late. Reina opened her arms wide and let gravity take its toll once she leaped from the edge of the roof. She tucked her body into a ball just when she made contact with the water. The music invaded her eardrums, and the white noise muted all the applause from her life-threatening jump.

A wide grin set on full display on her lips brought ease to Vanessa, knowing she wasn't hurt, and she decided to retire into the house, too angry to say another word to her reckless friend. Reina's buns came undone, and her raven hair was dripping down her shoulder as she swiveled around people to exit the pool.

The crisp air made itself known as it nipped on her skin, but it vanished as soon as Dimitri came crashing toward her. Her black bikini top nearly shifted out of place from the boy's abrupt intrusion, but as this was his party, she would let him do whatever. As long as she could find his wallet in the depth of his pool trunks, she was good to go.

Dimitri separated from her and gripped her by the shoulders. "Badass Reina. Fucking hot," he breathed out sporting a smirk, his breath laced with weed.

Reina shrugged innocently, "The roofs not even that high off the ground. It's nothing."

Dimitri rolled his eyes before trailing his hands down her soaked waist and pulled her close enough for his lips to graze over the shell of her ear. "Wanna do a line? I got some of my buddies sellin' here tonight. My treat?"

Reina bit down on her lips, her audacious nature taking root once again. "Bet you can't last more than two lines," she mumbled with natural confidence. Dimitri lifted a brow and nodded leisurely, taking hold of her small hand, lacing it with his own.

"You're on, Bayard."

•

The honking of an obnoxious horn penetrated her thoughts, and Reina whipped her head around to see a VW van slowing down until it made a complete stop.

She was surprised to see the boy from early in the driver's seat with his arm draped out the window. His unruly brown curls sat atop his head, almost looking like a surfer and frat boy at the same time. His sun-kissed skin was radiant under the North Carolina sun, and she realized how handsome the boy really was.

"Hi again," the boy greeted with a casual wave of his hand that was gripping the steering wheel. Reina flashed a tight-lipped smile, nodding in response. She had only realized the girl from earlier on the passenger seat when she poked her head out from over his shoulder.

"Reina yeah?" the girl asked, hopefulness in her tone that she got the name right. Her mocha eyes were squinted from the bright sun behind Reina.

Reia nodded gradually, kicking the metal bar on her bike to let it park. "Yeah..." her tone came out as a question, puzzled that the random girl would make another appearance.

"I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry for how we acted today; you had enough on your plate and didn't need to deal with us acting like children."

Reina could hear commotion from the back seat due to the girl's tone directed to a friend of hers.

Reina's rigid shoulders relaxed at her words, taking a step closer to the beat-up van as she ran her hand down her arm. "Oh, no, it's okay. I've dealt with worse," she replied dismissively.

"Still," the girl shrugged before a small smile appeared on her lips, "By the way, I'm Kiara, we'll be seeing a lot more of each other now that you're working at the Wreck."

"You work there too?" Reina asked.

"My dad owns the place." It suddenly made sense why the teenagers strutted in the restaurant like they owned the place.

Kiara's hand stuck outside of the window, waiting for Reina to shake it. She did so wearily, an awkward chuckle leaving her mouth.

"This is John B," the boy driving the van sent her a nod, "and in the back are, Pope, JJ, and Harlow." a mix of greetings was heard from the back.

Pope? Odd name.

"Hi," Reina replied softly. The interaction seems like a simple one, but a storm was brewing in Reina's head.

"We're throwing a party down at the Boneyard - you know where that is?" John B asked, toying with the bandana around his wrist.  

Reina pondered for a moment, "Is it that party at the beach I heard about?"

"Kegger!" a male voice corrected her from the back seat, earning an eye roll from Kiara.

"Right yeah, that. Shouldn't be hard to find."

"Great!" Kiara beamed, a bright smile on her face, "you should come! It's gonna be fun!"

Reina parted her lips slightly, not expecting the invitation. "You really don't have to invite me--"

"No, no, seriously. If you're the one who cooked that killer food back at the Wreck, a drink is well deserved." John B licked his lips, waiting for her to respond to his attempt.

Reina wanted to decline almost immediately. But Chris' demand came jogging back to memory. "Make friends!"

"Uh, yeah, okay," Reina nodded nonchalantly as if her brain wasn't exploding at the idea of being so close to the water, "sure."  

Her mind wandered the rest of the walk home, thinking up every horrble possibility. When Reina arrived home, she pulled out her cassete from one of her boxes she was yet to unpack and fell on her bed. Her eyes drifted closed, as she tucked the plastic ear buds in her ear and hummed along to work all day

@pogueszn​ @mdlyncline​ @cordeliascrown​ @acvross-the-universe​ @bricksatanakinswindow​

[telesthisia]

【 About the Mun 】█ █ TAG 20 FOLLOWERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER! REPOST, DON’T REBLOG.

𝕀。

NAME: Amber! NICKNAME: Dee! From my twitter username lulladee! tho i don’t go by that on there anymore so ;v;  GENDER: i’m be a girl ZODIAC: libra HEIGHT: 5′5″ maybe 5′6″?? but I think I grew idk i havent’ measured myself since i was hospitalized for Health Reasons and had to stay at the hospital in high school hweohd that was junior year  ROMANTIC/SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bi bby HOGWARTS HOUSE: ravenclaw!! FAVOURITE COLOUR: pastels!! all the cute pastel colors! 

𝕀𝕀。

CURRENT TIME: almost time for bed since i have to wake up at six PM AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: not enough ;v; LUCKY NUMBER: 5!  LAST THING I GOOGLED: I was researching touch starvation for my OC so that!  FAVOURITE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS: my oc... idc how conceited that sounds I’m so proud of her! 2019 is the year we be proud of our ocs!! Her name is Celia, she’s a morally grey anti-villain and she’s been in development for three years now wowzers! I did rp as her before I forgot her password so I think I might remake someday.... so some may know her! I really like her design so weeps, I’ll put it at the end of this meme and talk about her more because lord knows we need to learn about my terrible daughter! NUMBER OF BLANKETS I SLEEP UNDER: Three FAVOURITE SINGER OF A BAND: binch i’m indecisive as hell.. OH JINSOUL FOR SURE!!  DREAM TRIP: domincian republic... and going back to cali i loved it there  DREAM JOB: i don’t have one anymore because i suffer from indecisive libra disease so now it’s just... me, floating here unsure what to do with my future hwekasdkbj

𝕀𝕀𝕀。

WHAT DO YOU POST? : RPs, meme, ask memes, musings, ooc stuff t WHO ARE YOUR MOST ACTIVE FOLLOWERS? : everyone is active but me WHEN DID YOUR BLOG REACH ITS PEAK?: the day it started  WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A TUMBLR?: OH MAN ok so way back in the day, i was into earthbound and i found some ask blogs with certain characters. i saw that some were able to rp rather than drawing answers so i opened up an rp account to interact with them ;v;  DO YOU GET ASKS ON A DAILY BASIS?: nope WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR URL?: because alttp zellie is best known for that power! its how she starts off link’s adventure and all 

HERE’S MY OC HWEOH get ready for some rambles bye 

i made a ref sheet for friends to draw her since they like her apparently hweoh and future commissioners!! So some things about her! Princess Celia de Villanueva is 21 years old, she’s in a contract with a being that’s pretty much satan called The Lich and they will devour her soul once she completes the contract which is destroying a holy kingdom that ruined her kingdom, she does this by leading a revolution through manipulation of the lower class and their social unrest. Destroying this kingdom can mean the end of the world since again, holy. This isn’t done out of vengeance for her family/kingdom or anything despite the pretense leading you to believe that, but out of envy for how prosperous the kingdom is since envy is her main trait. The Lich is manipulating her to do this unknown to her so while she thinks she’s a master manipulator she’s actually easy to manipulate. She’s a tiny ball of angry fluff, she has pastel lavender hair and green eye that glows due to her telekinesis powers. As you can see she shows...... boob in her outfit and wears a short skirt or well short for her times because she’s naturally flirtatious and sleeps around a lot, she lives in 192X in a country where Edwardian fashion and ideals are still a thing so her outfit and behavior is a huge no no so she’s at the risk of getting thrown in jAIL AND THIS CRACKS ME UP BECAUSE SHE HAS HAD SOME FEW CLOSE CALLS 

[advictoriams]

1. Choose an OC.

2. Answer them as that OC.

3. Tag 5 people to do the same.

1. What is your name?

“Hey! I'm Claire. Most folks just call me CJ, but Claire's fine too.”

2. Do you know why are you named that?

“Well, CJ is short for Claire Janelle. My mom and dad really dug the name I guess."

3. Are you single or taken?

"I'm seeing someone.”

4. Have any abilities or powers?

"Consumate professionalism and a whole lotta gumption? But seriously, I know my way around electronics and anything mnechanical, plus I'm pretty handy with a camera, so...”

5. Stop being a Mary Sue.

“Uh, sure buddy, I'll uh just get right on that.”

6. What’s your eye color?

“Like an amber color?.”

7. How about your hair color?

“Turquoise. And I love it!”

8. Have any family members?

“My family didn't make it when the bombs fell."

9. Oh? How about pets?

“Dogmeat's my little buddy.”

10. That’s cool, I guess. Now tell me something you don’t like?

“Eh, we'd be here all day and I'd like to keep this thing as positive as I can.”

11. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do?

“Photography. I've always loved photography. Also. I'm wondering if Travis could use an extra hand over at Diamond City Radio. I've got a ton of pre-war vinyl he can have. Perfect condition too."

12. Have you ever hurt anyone in any way before?

“Comes with being a Brotherhood soldier. I never intentionally try to though.”

13. Ever… killed anyone before?

“Again, it comes with the territory. However, contrary to popular opinion, the Brotherhood Of Steel doesn't kill civilians, humans OR ghouls."

14. What kind of animal are you?

“Oh boy! I don't know! Lemme think about this one okay? "

15. Name your worst habits?

“Smoking, probably. Don't worry. I know how bad it is.”

16. Do you look up to anyone at all?

“My mom before she died, but in this new world around me, gosh. Captain Kells. He's the glue that holds the Prydwen together. I think sometimes Arthur... I mean, Elder Maxson would be kind of lost without him. Danse, obviously. That guy is one tough s.o.b. Wicked sense of humor, and I'm proud to call him the closest thing I have to family here in this new Commonwealth. And Nick. I think I may have adopted him as my grampa.”

17. Are you gay, straight or bisexual?

“I'm actually demisexual. I just don't really feel that kind of attraction, unless y'know, there's an emotional connection.”

18. Do you go to school?

“I did, unfortunately I didn't get to finish my degree in Broadcasting.”

19. Ever want to marry and have kids one day?

“I mean, I guess one day. Sure, but right now I'm just happy exploring what uh, Arthur and I have.”

20. Do you have any fangirls/fanboys?

“Oh gosh, I wouldn't know.”

21. What are you most afraid of?

“Failure, losing those I care about. Oh, and Radscorpions.”

22. What do you usually wear?

"Okay, so when I'm on duty I normally wear this."

"And when I'm in civilian gear, so. Days off, that kind of thing, it's this:"

"Hope that helps."

23. What’s one food that tempts you?

“Slocum's Joe Donuts. Any flavour.”

24. Am I annoying to you?

“Kind of. But, hey, I've got a little downtime before I start work.”

25. Well, it’s still not over!

“Uh... Okay?.”

26. What class are you (low/middle/high)?

“I don't know, I don't really think class is all that relevant these days, honestly. No matter what Ann Codman would have you believe, ”

27. How many friends do you have?

“I mean, I have enough friends, it's about quality, not quantity, and the friends I do have, I love dearly."

28. What are your thoughts on pie?

“Eh, pie's fine.”

29. Favorite drink?

"Okay, so non alcoholic, a good strong coffee or an ice cold Vim. Alcholic, however, a neat Bourbon and Vim. Arthur... I mean... Elder Maxson tried with Nuka Cola, but it just doesn't have the same taste.”

30. What’s your favorite place?

"It was, before the war down on Venice Beach. I mean, I'm a Cali girl at heart, and I kind of wonder how much it's changed in 200 some years.”

31. Are you interested in anyone?

“I am.”

32. That was a stupid question…

“Only a little.”

33. Would you rather swim in a lake or the ocean?

“The ocean if it weren't so irradiated and full of Mirelurks and all kinds of nasty stuff. Could you imagine sharks now? Holy crap!”

34. What’s your type?

"I don't really have a type, I just like who I like.”

35. Any fetishes?

“Uh... That's a little personal.”

36. Camping or outdoors?

“I always take camping supplies, sometimes I go on camping trips up to Maine with Danse, go Gulper hunting, Fog Crawlers sometimes. It's a lot of fun.”

Tagged everyone in this post same applies if folks have more than one.

[pickledpascal]

Killer Queen

Soldier Boy x OC! Amber Cali

Jensen Ackles Masterlist

Taglist open !!

Fic on AO3

Summary: Amber works closely with The Boys and she accompanies them to find Soldier Boy. Butcher suggests he stay with her to keep him away from Vought for a little while.

A/N: ngl i came up with this mostly as a crack fic so canon is mostly thrown out the window, oopsies. also you can blame my friend for half this. amber is trans by the wayyyy!! this is also kind of an avatar: the last airbender/the legend of korra crossover... kind of.

General Warnings: smut, 18+ themes, misogyny, transphobia, slurs (whoopsies), soldier boy is a bottom for once omg, i CANNOT stress this enough please do not read this if you're under 18 you'll be scarred, collars, bells, cum eating/drinking, mentions of abuse, forms of torture, blood, some gore, pavlov what are you doing here ?

ONE. TWO. THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX.

[firstaidspray]

Tagged by @roofgeese to do this picrew!! Thank you!!

Juliette Chrysler (Kieferverse) // Kori Shannon (Kieferverse)

Nonia Fonzarelli (Talladega Nights) // INTRODUCING Amber Colt (24)

Cali Ortega (Resident Evil) // Holly Manson (Resident Evil)

[pickledpascal]

Killer Queen

Chapter Two: Walk This Way

Warnings: barely any plot, smut, oral, could be considered a bit non-con but id say its more consensual non-con, the start of some pavloving, slurs

Word Count: 2.9k

Killer Queen Masterlist

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Taking care of Soldier Boy, and housing him, was not what Amber signed up for when Butcher told her about this imaginary weapon. But Ben was powerful, very powerful. Enough to take away the powers of any Supe within distance of his blast. So Amber complied with Butcher's request. She was careful enough not to drive down any populated areas just in case the street cameras caught a glimpse of him. 

"Man, you live in the middle of fucking nowhere." Ben murmured as he slammed the car door shut and took in the house in front of them. 

It wasn't too far away from the city but far enough that Butcher trusted Ben, and Ryan, wouldn't be found. Ryan especially. The house looked plain on the outside, siding painted white with blue roofing, and had two stories. But there were a few surprises inside. 

Amber bit the inside of her cheek. The urge to slam the guy against her car and show him who the boss was bubbled inside her. She refrained with gritted teeth. "Might be good for you, not fucking randos every chance you get." She led Ben inside, checking to see if Eden was home. If she was, Ryan wasn't too far behind. "Eden! Where ya at?" 

"My room!" She heard her friend call back. 

Amber had Ben stay in the living room as she went to go talk to her friend. Which left him with the only option to look around the house. He observed the living room. A flat screen TV donned a wall while framed posters hung on other walls. They looked like movie posters but Ben didn't know any of them. 

After a few minutes, Ben got bored and ventured into other parts of the house. The kitchen was uninteresting. Partly because he didn't care about cooking. So he scaled the stairs and tried to look through a few rooms. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Most were locked until he came to one at the end of the hall.

"Oh, hello," Ben hummed as he entered. Lights were hung up at the edges of the ceiling, there were quite a few shelves hung up, more posters, a desk, and a large bed that sat in the middle of the room. 

But what piqued his interest the most was the porn magazine that rested at the edge of the bed, it was open but faced down to keep its place at a certain page. Ben lifted it to take a look and blinked, heat on his face. He didn't think shit like that affected him anymore. Nonetheless, it did. On the page was a girl, with a strap-on, fucking a guy whose face was incredibly blissed out. 

Ben nearly dropped the magazine when the door behind him slammed closed. "Whatcha got there?" Amber glared at him. 

"Found it." The man tried to be as nonchalant as possible but it wasn't working, Amber could tell how he felt. 

But Amber could care less about that. She snatched the magazine from his hands and threw it on her desk. "Look, I have a few rules I'm gonna need you to follow." Ben rolled his eyes but stayed silent. "A kid lives here and I don't need you being a dick or saying something you shouldn't." Amber took a breath. She was way too worked up and she knew it. Might be best she kicked Ben out of her room after this and did something with her frustration. "Don't be saying slurs and shit, at least not when he's around." 

"God," Ben sighed, shaking his head. "Y'all are a bunch of pussies these days, huh?" In the last few days, he could tell the world was a lot more sensitive than back in his day.

Amber's jaw clenched. Her chest rose and fell with a deep breath. She tried to remind herself that she needed to calm down. "I can take your shit but I don't want this kid growing up to be like you." She stared him down. They were the same height and Ben was physically bigger than her but Amber knew she would be able to hold her own against him, nuclear powers or not. 

That cut Ben a little deeper than expected. So he returned the fire like he always did. "So he could grow up to be like you? A tranny who probably didn't get enough pussy so he decided to get one for himself, huh?" 

Amber let out a breath through her nose and decided fuck it. She grabbed Ben's jaw harshly, causing him to claw at her shoulder to try and get her off him. She didn't budge. Not an inch. Amber grabbed one of his arms and twisted it behind his back. Ben winced. He hadn't felt that kind of hurt in a while. "You think you're funny? Watch your fucking mouth." She whispered into his ear, "Or maybe," Amber glanced down. Ben had quite the hard-on. "Maybe you need a lesson." 

"Fuck you." Ben growled, his nostrils flaring as his other hand grabbed at Amber's arm. 

Amber twisted his arm a little more, making him take in a sharp breath. "Say it again. Tranny. I fucking dare you." Her breath was hot against Ben's ear and he couldn't help the strained noise that escaped his lips. Her brain lit up with a twisted desire. The man was all macho on the outside but he liked this. Not being in control, letting her take the reins. 

"You didn't even cut off your cock, huh?" Ben could feel Amber's crotch against his back as he struggled. "I bet any guy in their right mind wouldn't like that," He accentuated the word. Partly because he wanted to see what would happen if he did. "Tranny." 

That was it. Amber let go of his jaw and slammed Ben against the wall. His cheek was pushed up against it as he struggled to break free. "You like it." She pushed her knee between his legs. He swallowed, not wanting to admit it. "Be a good boy and do what I say and you might be able to form a coherent thought tomorrow." 

"Fuck off." Ben spat. The only response he could come up with.

Amber clicked her tongue, "That's no way to talk to a girl." She kicked the back of his knee, causing him to lose balance so she pushed him onto her bed. "You were looking at my porn for a few seconds too long for you to be disgusted by it. You liked it. You want that don't you?" She bent over him, flush against his ass as she whispered into Ben's ear. "You're lucky I come with the attachment." 

Ben glared at her from the side of his eyes. "I'm not a fucking bitch. You can't–" Amber took off her shirt and suddenly he was speechless. Her hands were removed but he stayed there. On the bed. By choice. 

"Can't what?" Amber grabbed the back of Ben's head by his hair and pulled. He let out an involuntary whimper. "You like me being in charge. I think I could do whatever I wanted with you and you'd like it." 

Ben swallowed thickly. Somehow, Amber figured him out in the matter of being with him for just a few hours. He had been at the top for years, in all senses of the word. And, well, Amber was one of the only women to ever retaliate against that. And had the strength to match. His body responded to that in ways his brain told him it shouldn't. 

Amber retracted her hands and looked down at Ben with a dark glint in her eyes. "Tell me you don't want me and I won't. But if you do, you're going to be mine. And that means every single time you do something wrong, you're gonna face consequences." 

Ben's eyes narrowed a bit at the mention of punishment. A part of him wanted to know what they could be. "Fine." He huffed, sitting up on the bed. 

"Then get on your knees." Amber ordered as she unzipped her pants. Underneath was a pair of plain blue underwear. Ben complied without a second thought. He didn't know why. Just her voice—the way she sounded, he had to listen to her. "That's better." She ran a hand through Ben's dark hair before she gripped it tightly. "You said a few choice words earlier. Hurtful stuff. Which means you don't get what you want. Only good boy's do." Amber slipped her underwear off and shoved her cock in his mouth. 

Ben let out a noise of surprise and tried to push off her but Amber's grip on his head was like a vice. No budging. Her dick was long enough that it made Ben gag but he couldn't move his head and so he was forced to adjust to the feeling of her in his mouth. It took a while. Tears started to form at the edges of his eyes and saliva dripped from his mouth. Ben couldn't remember the last time he cried. He couldn't remember if he cried at all. His brain felt fuzzy and he wasn't sure why. It scared him. And excited him all at the same time. Ben's hands naturally sat behind his back after a while. Amber hadn't even told him. 

"That's a good boy." Amber used her free hand to brush a few strands of hair that fell into Ben's face. "If I let go, are you gonna be a really good boy and suck me off?" She loosened her grip on his hair. Just enough to let him nod. 

Ben looked up at her and nodded. There was an eagerness in his eyes that wasn't there before. So Amber completely loosened her grip as he swallowed, causing a soft sigh to escape her lips. Ben had no practice in this area, at all, but there was that gnat in the back of his head that seemed to know what to do. With its guidance, he started to move his head. His gag reflex seemed to disappear since Amber's cock hit the back of his throat multiple times. 

He loved it. 

He didn't know why. In his right mind, Ben might've been disgusted with himself. Scratch that. He certainly would have been disgusted. But he wasn't. 

Ben loved the noises Amber made. Small huffs of air or light pants escaped her lips. He also loved the power she had over him. The way she could have easily shoved him onto her bed and had her way with him didn't go unnoticed. Instead, Amber chose this. Similar. But different where it counted. Ben, begrudgingly, knew he would have liked that too. 

"Almost there…" Amber breathed, twirling a finger around a few strands of Ben's hair. "You want a taste, right?" 

Ben simply hummed in response, a little too focused on getting her off that he didn't fully register the question and what it meant. And then he felt something shoot down his throat. He pulled off Amber, coughing. Nothing came up since he already swallowed it but the surprise was enough.

Amber looked down at him, amused as she pulled her underwear back up. She tilted Ben's head back up at her with a finger under his chin. "Stand up, sweetheart." Ben pursed his lips as he slowly stood on wobbly legs. She guided him into her bed with a hand on his waist. 

Like a switch, Ben drew in a deep breath. "I can't believe I fucking did that…" That headspace. He didn't know he was capable of going there. Especially with someone like Amber. And, strangely, he didn't mean her extra parts. 

Amber let out a small laugh as she got redressed. "You know I own you now." She whispered. She could picture Aang's disappointed face. 

Ben swallowed at her tone. He did. God, he did. "I'm not… easy." He sat up a little in the bed, bending his knee. Ben wet his lips as he looked up at her. She was standing at her full height and he felt… small. 

"I don't expect you to be." Amber said honestly with an eyebrow cocked. She imagined it strained Ben to be even a little open with her about his feelings. "Unfortunately, you're a product of your time. It's the 21st century, though, so you don't get a fucking pass if you wanna act all pissy anymore." 

Ben stared up at her, jaw clenching and unclenching. He looked away, a scoff escaping his lips before he could even think about it. 

The bed shifted with the added weight of Amber. "You want something." She studied his face. As much as Soldier Boy wanted to hide his emotions, they showed on his face. They usually came out as anger but Amber was quick to see past that. "You want comfort." She hummed. 

In her mind, Amber was screaming at herself to stop whatever was gonna happen next. She knew she was better than this. Better than all of it. She should've just kicked him out of her room and punched a wall or something. But another part of her wanted to see what Ben would do. Apparently he was pretty good at following orders when he wanted to. 

"Eat shit." Ben huffed, crossing his arms. His defense was back up already.

Amber pursed her lips. Soldier Boy had been put through a lot. Perhaps she needed to be the bigger person and take his words with grace. Sometimes. She lifted a hand to his face and he flinched before he felt just how soft her touch was. 

Amber studied Soldier Boy. His posture was rigid and, judging by his reaction to her touch, he hadn't had a good experience with supposedly comforting touch. Whether that was because of his previous life or the Russians she didn't know. But she could tell he wanted it. Badly. It was those 1940s gender norms that told him he couldn't accept it. 

"Look at me." Amber said. Begrudgingly, Ben complied. "If this… thing is going to work, you're gonna need to tell me how you're feeling. No pushing shit down." She wasn't playing around and he knew it. 

Ben let out a breath through his nose as he nodded. "I'm feeling…" He paused. "Like I want to kiss you." 

That wasn't exactly what Amber meant but she wouldn't exactly complain. "Okay." She leaned forward to press their lips together. Ben's lips were rough against hers but he was on ice for forty years so that might've contributed to it. 

Ben lifted a hand to cup Amber's cheek out of instinct, bringing her close with a hand on her shoulder. Amber's lips were gentle, soft and slotted against his perfectly. He didn't know he could feel like this. It scared him. Amber had him under some sort of spell that he didn't want to get out of. It felt like every single emotion he blocked for the past hundred years he'd been alive suddenly bubbled over. Ben didn't register the tears rolling down his cheeks until Amber had pulled away and wiped at his cheekbone with her thumb. 

"I'm… yours, huh?" He swallowed, feeling a tightness in his throat for the first time. 

Amber hummed. "Yeah. Mine." She whispered.

"I-I could," Ben paused, glancing away from Avery with a sniffle. It was taking all this willpower not to completely break down. "I could get used to that." 

Out of pity, Amber wrapped her arms around Ben and hugged him. Just like that, he cried into her shoulder. His earlier anger had dissipated into pure sadness. The person he thought he loved sold him out and hated him. He didn't know what hurt worse. The fact that the Countess despised him or what the Russians did to him all those years. The Countess didn't even get paid to do it. She wanted to get rid of him. Forever. And for what? She died in the end. 

"Shhh, it's alright." Amber cooed, rocking him slightly. "You're alright. You're safe here." The complete truth. It was why Butcher trusted her enough. The safest place on Earth for anyone to be was near Amber. And sometimes she forgot that. 

Ben shook with sobs, clutching onto Avery like a lifeline. "Don't… don't leave me." Everyone did eventually. They either died or left him. No one ever stayed. He blamed himself for that. Ever since he took Compound V, his life had been a rollercoaster. Ups and downs. Mostly downs. 

Abandonment issues were not on Amber's bingo card. PTSD, for sure. A narcissistic personality disorder, yeah. This? Absolutely not.

"I won't," Amber's mind cursed at herself. She was supposed to house Soldier Boy. Not this. She couldn't help it. She had a knack for thinking she could help people. Apparently, Soldier Boy was no different even if he was a major bitch when they first talked. "I won't." She repeated. 

When Ben's tears stopped flowing, he pressed his face into her neck and sighed. She smelled nice. It lulled him to sleep. Though, his emotional outburst did take a lot of energy out of him too. 

Amber rubbed his back and sighed, opting to lay in bed next to Ben. Hopefully, they'd talk a little more in the morning and he wouldn't revert back to his asshole ways. Though, Amber knew it would take a while for him to get her lessons through his thick head. This was a stepping stone. A small one across a lake of problems. 

-----

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[pickledpascal]

Killer Queen

Chapter Three: Sweet Emotion

Warnings: smut for sure brother, penetrative sex, collars, BDSM elements, slurs, ben likes it rough i guess

Word Count: 3.8k

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Eventually, Eden was able to coax Amber and Soldier Boy out of their room to have something for dinner. Well, she mostly wanted to get Amber to eat, Soldier Boy was… a change, that's for sure. Something about him when Eden was in school or, hell, even when she grew up, she thought he'd be shorter. The boots had to give him an extra inch or two so they lied about his height. But they didn't. Soldier Boy was a six-foot-two all-American man. Eden always thought he'd be five-eight. 

Amber grabbed a few slices of the pizza Eden provided and stuffed a piece in her mouth. On the other hand, Eden kept staring at Soldier Boy. Nervous wasn't the right word, no, more like she was sizing him up. She knew she likely couldn't take him in a fight, even if she was a Supe, but she would probably be able to do something that made him suffer. 

“Who's that?” Ryan said when he came out of his room. He was looking up at Soldier Boy. Butcher was one of the only other men who had ever entered the house.

Soldier Boy glanced down at the kid and narrowed his eyes a bit. Why the hell did he look so much like him? He kept his mouth shut, opting to follow Amber's rules. For now. So he ate. 

Eden answered, “He's gonna be staying with us for a little while, kiddo. He's, uh,” She didn't want to lie. Ryan was a smart kid and he'd likely figure out why he was here in the long run but she also didn't want to say Soldier Boy was going to kill his dad. “He's one of Amber's special friends.” 

“Oh.” Ryan recoiled at the comment. 

Soldier Boy cocked an eyebrow at Amber. “He doesn't know what a f–”

“Shut the hell up.” Amber cut him off, gaze hardening. 

Once dinner was done and Ryan was away from Soldier Boy—Eden immediately decided they couldn't be together for more than fifteen minutes since Ryan would likely learn something he wasn't supposed to at ten. 

“So who the fuck are you?” Soldier Boy turned to Eden, lips pursed into a thin line that showed his dimples. A sign he was discontented. 

Eden looked at him unimpressed. “The smartest person in any room.” She shrugged. She liked to brag as humbly as possible. She wished Amber would do it more or else people wouldn't test her as much as they did. 

Soldier Boy scoffed, “You're a woman.” 

“And you don't know what an OnlyFans is so who's really winning here?” Eden countered with a lop-sided smile.

Soldier Boy tilted his head, glancing at Amber for an answer. She didn't give him one. 

“Do you think if we can get Homelander, Butcher will let us psychologically torture him? We’ll let him kill him afterward. Or, we could all bitch him together.” Eden suggested, an excited glint in her eyes before she glanced back at Soldier Boy. “Sorry your son turned into such a fucking bitch, by the way–”

Soldier Boy’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, what the fuck does she mean?” He'd seen pictures of Homelander, pictures of him were plastered almost everywhere.

Amber glared at Eden. She was glad Ryan wasn't here for this. Especially considering his grandpa had quite the mouth on him. 

She and Eden knew of this after Eden hacked into Vought. Partly for fun, partly for work. They just so happened to come across a file about Homelander and his origins. And how Soldier Boy, by artificial insemination, was his father. Immediately after finding out the information, Eden blamed that on why Homelander was so horrible. Amber didn't know all of the details of Soldier Boy’s life but she didn't think that was the case. The file also included all the American propaganda Homelander was forced to watch as a child. 

A boy who grew up only watching American propaganda was going to fuck him up somehow. 

“You remember when Vougelbaum called you into your lab? It was 1980. Some sort of genetic test,” Recognition dawned in Soldier Boy’s face as he leaned back into the couch he sat on. “He was born in 1981. And part of the reason Payback did what they did. So he could take the spotlight once he was older.” Amber explained softly. She had a feeling it would be jarring for anyone to find out they had a secret child, no matter if they were a fascist piece of shit. 

Soldier Boy’s lips drew back into a snarl as he tried to choke down his emotions. Amber, he was fine with crying in front of, but Eden? Fuck that. He didn't need other people to know he was weak. 

He had a son. A fucking child. And he wasn't there like he wished he would. Anger rose in his chest. Soldier Boy abruptly stood and Amber could feel the air in the room shifting. She didn't have a radiation counter on her but she could tell, if she did, it would be skyrocketing. 

Amber lifted a hand to try and calm Soldier Boy which he slapped away. “Shut the fuck up and don't say you understand. You fucking don't. You don't even have the fucking parts to have a kid, you tranny bitch.” He spat, chest heaving. 

Eden's eyes widened, looking between the two of them. Even most bigot fucks Amber came across, they didn't say it to her face. Amber's stare turned cold. Any sympathy she had for him was flushed down the drain. 

“Yeah, uh… I'm gonna take Ryan downstairs.” Eden excused herself. The basement was soundproof for the most part. And built like a fortress. She was glad she decided to make it out of metal. Sound didn't travel that well through it. 

Soldier Boy let out a sharp breath from his nose as he stared at Amber. There was a small part of him that regretted what he said but he was too prideful to go back on it. A muscle in his jaw tightened while his nose turned into a sneer. 

Amber wasn't intimidated by whatever tactics Soldier Boy was trying to use. “You think you're strong? That you scare me? Not more than an hour ago you were gagging on my dick. Some small part—or, hell, big part—of you is scared you like me,” The air in the room was tense, the radiation rising when she hit a little too close to home. “But another part,” She stepped closer, causing Soldier Boy to step away. “Is excited by that. You're not the most powerful in the room anymore. Maybe that way you'll be a little normal for once.” 

“Fuck you, you don't know shit about me.” Soldier Boy’s shoulders were rigid as he tried to stand his ground. 

Amber cocked a doubtful eyebrow at him, a smirk on her lips. “Uh-huh. I know for the past few seconds, your eyes have been on my dick,” Soldier Boy’s lip quivered with his anger but he made no move to deny it. “What Eden failed to mention is that Ryan is your grandson.”

Blinking, Soldier Boy's shoulders slumped. His jaw unclenched as he drew in a sharp breath. “He's—”

“Homelander’s son. The reason why he's here. Homelander wants to make Ryan like him,” Amber explained softly. Maybe she did have a little bit of sympathy for Ben. A shred. But it could easily be snuffed out and replaced with that white-hot feeling from earlier. “This could be your chance to be a father like you wanted. And, maybe, he could be better. Not like you or him.”

Soldier Boy dropped onto the couch, frame creaking underneath his weight. His whole world was shattered and put back together again in a matter of a few minutes. How could he have failed Homelander so badly? Hell, he would've let him take the spotlight. What kind of father wouldn't? He bit his cheek. Ryan wasn't his and he never would be. Sure, they were related but it was different. He'd know it would be different. 

But Ryan was so young. A whole life ahead of him. Soldier Boy pushed his hands through his hair, tears stung the edges of his eyes. He wanted kids. For selfish reasons. As a big fuck you to his father that he could do better than him. 

“Does he know?” Soldier Boy looked up at Amber, hands falling in his lap.

Amber shook her head. “No. I mean, Ryan knows who his father is. Not that you're his grandpa. And Homelander, as far as I know, doesn't know about you.” She sat next to him. 

“God fucking hell.” Soldier Boy sighed. Why did this feel a hell of a lot more messed up than anything he'd ever done before? He'd be stealing his son’s son away from him. Perhaps for good reason. “You–You’re—” A part of him really wanted to yell at Amber, accuse her of turning him against his own kin, but he had a feeling Homelander committed far worse atrocities than he did. At an even larger scale. 

Soldier Boy ran a hand down his face. “Ryan—he’s a good kid?” He asked after a while. 

“Yeah,” Amber hummed softly. Besides a few times of him slicing open the roof with his laser eyes or hugging Eden a little too tight, it was sunshine and rainbows. Eden was durable enough not to get immediately crushed. “I think he looks a lot more like you than Homelander anyway. Especially with that fucking box-dye. I mean, if you're gonna be the epitome of ‘blonde and blue-eyed,’ at least make sure it looks good before you base your entire personality on it.” 

Soldier Boy let out a small breath. A laugh. Even though he didn't understand half the words that came out of Amber's mouth, he knew the point she was trying to make. Homelander was an artificial fuck. Quite literally. He and Homelander's surrogate never even touched, he just sent his seed to Vougelbaum and never thought about it again. Whoever she was, they would've had a good night if they did it the proper way. Or Soldier Boy would've broken her. 

Amber hooked a finger under Soldier Boy's chin and tilted his head so he looked at her. “You remember that deal we made?” Her eyes flicked from his lips to his eyes. Soldier Boy’s breath hitched. “You called me something bad. Which means…” She intentionally trailed off. 

“Consequences.” Soldier Boy finished for her with dilated pupils. 

Amber winked, “Bingo.” 

After a scramble to get upstairs, Amber's door was locked behind her while she and Soldier Boy were inside her bedroom. He breathed heavily while she appeared calm. Way too calm. It was unsettling. Something about it made Soldier Boy’s pulse hasten. With dread or something else, he wasn't sure he'd want to admit.

“Turn around and strip.” Amber instructed with a smile. 

Soldier Boy wanted to ask why he'd need to turn around but the words were caught in his throat. He complied, taking off his Dodgers jersey and sweatpants along with his boxers. He heard a scraping of a drawer opening and closing. And then a light ding of a bell. He flinched as he felt his neck constricted. Soldier Boy glanced down and caught sight of the small jingle bell on his neck. Connected to a leather collar. 

Avery pressed a kiss to Ben's jaw and hummed as she stood behind him. “On the bed for me, hands and knees.” The way she sounded, it was more of a request. But he knew if he didn't comply, something worse would likely happen. 

Soldier Boy hated the way he so easily followed her order. And he hated it more when Amber pushed his head into the sheets and he liked it. If only his father could see him now. He wondered what he'd say. Probably something worse than what he could come up with. But, then again, that would take a lot more work than what his father wanted to do. 

“Take a deep breath,” Amber advised. Soldier Boy could hear a cap opening and closing. He had an idea as to what it was. “Or don't. You might like it better.” She teased as she pushed her finger inside him without any other warning. 

The muscles in his legs tensed as he moved his head, the bell on his collar ringing as he did. “What the—” Another finger. Soldier Boy was even less prepared than before. “Fuck!” Pain seared inside him. Not overwhelming but a lot more than he thought he'd ever experience in this setting. “What—”

“Shhh,” Amber cooed softly, “Bad boys don't get to speak. Now, I want you to be quiet. Or else something worse might happen.” Soldier Boy couldn't see her face but he could imagine what it looked like. A nice, but unsettling, smile on her face as hooded eyes stared down at him. “Give me a nod that you understand,” She pressed her fingers deeper inside and he had to bite on his bottom lip to keep a noise from escaping him. “C'mon, sweetheart, please?”

Soldier Boy nodded, eyes screwed shut. A satisfied noise left Amber's lips. She curled her slender fingers inside him while his face contorted, trying his best not to let out a strained moan as he gripped the sheets. His whole body tensed when Amber's hand started to move. 

In and out. In and out. In and out. Harder, harder, harder. He wanted to scream. Yell. Maybe kick a door in. He wanted to do something. But this power Amber had over him made him have second thoughts. The way she made him feel. Like he was a teenager again. Powerless. Soldier Boy had lived so long that he forgot what it was like. A life that was mostly filled with drugs, women, and alcohol to ease some sort of pain he didn't want to acknowledge. But Amber fucked it out of him. Somehow. 

So Soldier Boy stayed quiet. Like she asked—no, demanded—him to. And then there was that bell. It rang with each push. He felt like it was too much. The noises, the sensations, the fact that he couldn't let the tension in him release in some way. But it also wasn't enough. He wanted more. Needed more. That gnat inside him was going insane. He needed to feel sore the next morning, needed to be reminded of what happened, needed to follow her rules.

“That’s a good boy,” Soldier Boy could hear pants being unzipped. He drew in a sharp breath. “Only good boys get to be fucked by my cock. Do you think you deserve that?” Amber's voice was smooth and sweet, like honey, but grounded and strong. He couldn't get enough of it. “Use your words.” Her movements stopped so he could form more coherent words. 

“Please.” Soldier Boy panted softly, finally easing some of the tension built in his shoulders and arms. 

Amber tsked. “I can't hear you, sweetheart. Louder,” She thrusted her fingers in suddenly, eliciting a sudden, choked whine from Soldier Boy. And another ring of the bell. “Like that.” 

“God, please! Please! Amber, I-I need you so much.” He whined, pleading with every ounce of want in his body. His knuckles were white as they fisted the sheets. Soldier Boy was painfully aware that he tore them—he was so close—Amber would have half a mind to stop and think of something worse to put him through. “Like—fuck! Like nothing else I've ever needed in my life.” The words jumbled out of him faster than he could think. 

The air stilled. For just a moment. 

He was surprised at himself for admitting such a thing. Was meeting Amber really all it took for his walls to start crumbling? Not completely, but enough. To the point where maybe falling in love again wasn't so hard for him. 

Amber slid a hand up Soldier Boy’s side and let out a hum. “Really?” Her voice was amused. “Get on your back for me, then.” 

Quickly, Soldier Boy turned on the bed. His knees were bent in front of him. He was happy to finally be able to see her face. And appreciate her body. Amber was stripped back down to her underwear. Well, minus her actual underwear. Her bra was still on but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Amber pushed his legs apart and looked down at him. 

The view of Soldier Boy below her made her feel accomplished. Prideful somehow. Amber did always like the idea of a man begging for her. And this man just so happened to be a really powerful one. Yeah, that was gratifying. 

“I want you to promise me something,” Amber began with a light, intentionally, sweet smile as she pushed inside him. Soldier Boy's jaw dropped open. He felt like he was being split down the middle. “Don't say anything like tranny or fag or, hell, even pussy again to me or anyone else. Okay?” Her smile dropped from her lips, eyes glaring down at him. 

The bell on his collar rang frantically as he nodded, eyebrows furrowed with pleasure. 

Amber lifted Soldier Boy’s calf over her shoulder as she leaned over him, admiring the way he looked in the black leather collar as she pushed her pelvis into the flesh of his ass. His chest shook as he took in a sharp breath. 

“Please—please move!” Soldier Boy begged softly, lifting a hand to Amber's neck to gingerly caress underneath the curve of her jaw. He wanted to sob with need. He was way too close to having his fortress be completely and utterly destroyed. And he didn't want to stop it. 

A wicked smile graced Amber's lips. A twinge of desire churned in his stomach. “A little more, sweetheart, I like this.” She admitted as she jerked her hips. 

That goddamned bell chimed again.

Soldier Boy choked on a whimper. “Baby, fuck—I need you to move! Please.” His brain was buzzing louder and louder as time went on but he was still very much conscious and hadn't turned Amber into dust—not that he'd be able to do that in the first place. 

“Hmm. Okay.” Amber relented. Only slightly. 

Her immediate pace was hard and fast and Soldier Boy panted heavily, a whine or whimper at the end of every single noise he made. The bell rang with each movement, swinging softly. He pushed his head back onto the bed as his whole body tensed up. His muscles ached while his mind reeled with delight.

Soldier Boy had never felt anything like this before. Pure ecstasy. Better than the drug. Any drug for that matter. His ass was starting to get sore with each thrust but he couldn't have cared less. The ache made it all the more worth it. Hell, even the sound of her skin pounding into his made his mind whir like an old computer. 

“Your sounds,” Avery panted into his ear. “They’re fucking beautiful.” She attached her lips to Soldier Boy’s jaw, nipping at the skin. She wanted to do this more often. 

And judging by Soldier Boy’s sounds, he'd like that too.

“Ah, fuck!” Soldier Boy’s free hand gripped at Amber's waist, digging his nails into her skin. “Baby–Baby, shit—I can't—I can't—” He sobbed. He couldn't hold on anymore. All the touching and feeling and everything was rising and rising. A part of him was surprised he lasted this long. Especially with the finger-fucking he went through earlier. 

Avery flipped the bell around Soldier Boy’s neck as she sucked a mark above it. A helpless whimper escaped his lips. 

“Be a doll and hold it in,” Avery ground out, giving Soldier Boy a particularly hard thrust. He drew in a sharp breath which morphed into a whine. “You'll do that for me?” 

Soldier Boy whimpered, “Uh-huh.” He was so drunk on feeling that he couldn't stop himself from obeying her. But it got harder and harder with each snap of her hips. “Shit–” He breathed as the muscles in his legs started to twitch. 

“You're almost there,” Compared to the almost carnal way Amber was fucking into him, the way her lips pressed against his skin was soft, gentle, and felt strangely more sensual than everything else. “I can feel it, sweetheart. So am I. Just—” Amber grunted lowly into Soldier Boy’s ear. “Just hold on. A little more.” Her voice was strained.

That's when Soldier Boy had a moment of clarity. Amber was going to cum. Inside him. A shiver of delight ran throughout his body. 

After a few more deep pushes, Amber let out a harbored sigh. The tightness in her stomach broke and Soldier Boy cried out as he felt her paint his insides. Not more than a few seconds later, as Amber slowed her hips, he came as well. Drops of white landed on both of their stomachs. 

Soldier Boy had to resist the urge to actually cry. He had never felt more thoroughly satisfied in his life. 

“Oh, my sweet boy,” Amber cupped his face, tilting it so he would look her in the eyes. “You like this, hm? Me inside you? You'd like it if it was like this all the time, wouldn't you?” She teased softly. 

The man underneath her loved the weight of her inside him. Maybe he secretly wished she would split him in half. He nodded silently, his face red as he felt a bead of sweat run down the back of his neck. Soldier Boy didn't sweat. Not in a long time. 

Amber caressed the side of his face and smiled down at him. “I could arrange that.” She hummed. “But,” She pulled his leg from her shoulder and let it fall. “We have things to do tomorrow.” Her cock slipped from him and he immediately felt empty. 

He pursed his lips, a crease between his eyebrows when he let out a whine from the loss of her touch. He could barely speak after feeling something so intense. Amber went to the bathroom connected to her room to grab a towel and cleaned him up. Soldier Boy’s whole body was sore but his ass was where he felt it the most. 

“C'mon, sweetheart,” Amber sighed, running a hand through his hair which he gladly leaned into. “Don't be like that.” She sighed as she picked up her underwear to put it back on to, at the very least, have something to cover herself in bed. Amber didn't like being naked underneath covers. It just felt wrong. 

After some coaxing, Amber was able to get Soldier Boy to put his boxers back on himself and lay in bed correctly. However, he immediately clung to her like a vice once they were both in her bed. He buried his face into her neck while an arm rested over her stomach. Amber hadn't bothered to take the collar off his neck and Soldier Boy didn't mention it. He liked how it felt. A symbol of her ownership over him. 

That little bell stopped ringing. And so did his head. 

-----

A/N: I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT ON THIS FIC !!! i never thought so many other people would want to read about soldier boy getting dicked down but here we are !!! 🫶

taglist: @aleemendoza2425-blog

taglist open here !!

[pickledpascal]

Killer Queen

Chapter Four: Doin' Time

Warnings: Gore? blood bending is weird asf, non-descript body horror but its there if you squint, slur (from homelander this time oooh)

Word Count: 3.3k

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With Soldier Boy mostly under control, Amber decided it might be best to go over their plan. It was a shaky one at best but it was the only one they had. So Starlight, Butcher, and Hughie were called to the house. Eden made sure Ryan was busy playing a video game while they all gathered in the living room. 

A map of Vought Tower lay in the middle of the circle they made. Eden rubbed at her chin, trying to memorize every weak point and every room. She thought it was a little weird that Homelander had a special penthouse in Vought Tower but it was easier for them to get the jump on them that way. Steal their prized Supe and they might just crumble because of it.

“Is he seriously on board?” Butcher and Amber took a few steps away from everyone else. 

Amber glanced back at Soldier Boy who was strangely quiet considering the last few days. “Yeah. He is. And if he's not, well, I can change his mind.” She smirked. 

Butcher blinked, shock crossing his face before a grin replaced it. “Oh, love, you didn't.” 

Amber nudged Butcher’s elbow. “Makes him a little easier to work with.”

“I must say, I didn't think he'd go for someone quite like you, love,” Butcher admitted as his eyebrows furrowed. His eyes shifted up and down Amber's body. “Although, maybe he hadn't gotten properly dicked down before.” He teased. 

Amber laughed and shook her head. Soldier Boy was slowly growing on her. More so when he actually showed emotion—besides just anger. There was a softer side to him, one he didn't want others, or even himself, to know. For a while, he had convinced everyone that this “ideal” version of himself was real but Amber could see right through him. He was still that kid in the army who just wanted to prove himself to his father. 

“Oh! Amber should totally wear her super suit!” Eden cheered like a light bulb went off in her head. 

Annie looked at Eden strangely then glanced at Amber who sighed at the mention of it. “Amber has a suit? Was she a Supe?” She questioned.

“No, no, no.” Eden waved Annie off. “When I realized Amber was going to do a lot of the heavy lifting—metaphorically and realistically—I made her a suit that is able to withstand… Well, a lot. Considering Amber's powers, I made it heat and cold-resistant and unable to be cut by anything Vought could get their hands on.” She explained as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “Nothing like what you guys have. Hers serves for practicality and for the aesthetic.”

Annie pursed her lips and shrugged. Eden was right. Depending on what kind of missions they were sent on, their super suits got destroyed all the time. In the end, they were always replaced but they didn't last long on high-risk missions. They were meant to look good, factor into their aesthetic—their image.

“Wow, love, you been holding out on us?” Butcher smirked at Amber. 

She rolled her eyes. “Haven't been on a job that calls for it yet. This might just be that.” Amber countered as she crossed her arms. 

Soldier Boy watched the interactions Butcher and Amber had. He wasn't too keen on how comfortable they were with each other. “Why's Amber need a suit anyway? She have any accidents or some shit?” He turned to Eden. 

Eden narrowed her eyes at Soldier Boy, amusement in them. She could tell someone was jealous. “Yeah. Once or twice. Had a flame-on moment and poof her clothes disintegrated and she was naked. Not fun.” She pursed her lips and shrugged. “Maybe for you.” 

Butcher, Annie, Soldier Boy, and Hughie all turned to stare at Amber. “If I tell you what happened, will y'all drop it?” 

“Depends on what it is, love.” Butcher commented, earning a look from Soldier Boy.

Amber sighed as she scratched the back of her head. “I did that when I was younger. Like twelve. I was in school,” Annie looked at her with a smile. She'd never thought about Amber before all this. Sure, Amber was born the chosen one but she had a childhood before the weight of the world was on her shoulders. “Another kid pissed me off. A little too much that I kinda… self-combusted. The kid wasn't hurt but my clothes were ash. Hasn't happened since. Eden was there, that's why she knows.” 

Soldier Boy cocked his head. He hadn't seen Amber use her powers before. At least, not in any way he could perceive besides her strength. Did she have some sort of fire ability? He hadn't encountered that before. Sure, there were the TNT Twins but that wasn't fire, that was explosives. 

It seemed Butcher recognized that look. “Have you not told him yet, love? I mean if I were you, I'd shout it from the rooftops but then that'd also make you a right cunt.” He looked at Amber. 

“I was busy,” Amber coughed, swallowing nervously. “With other stuff.”

“Other stuff.” Hughie repeated, unconvinced. 

Soldier Boy stared at Butcher, confused and weary. He didn't trust the Brit. Then again, he didn't trust a lot of people. 

Butcher waved to Amber and grinned. “Amber here is the Avatar,” Soldier Boy had no recollection of anything Avatar-related. “She can control earth, air, fire, water. Ring any bells?” His eyebrows furrowed. Butcher sighed. “Whatever, all that matters is Amber's on our side. She's bloody powerful. Literally.” He turned his head to look at Amber who shrugged. “You're a bit like Neuman in that way.” 

Amber shook her head and pursed her lips. As the Avatar, for some reason, she was also blessed with being able to use all the subgenres of bending. Well, most. She didn't have combustion bending or else there would be an indent in the middle of her forehead. 

Blood bending, metal bending, lava bending—only used that once—lightning redirection and levitation were subgenres Amber knew how to use. Blood bending was an innate ability, however she learned the others from her former lives. And from other souls in the spirit realm. 

“I remember…” Soldier Boy finally said. Although it was a little fuzzy, his early life, he could remember a time when the Avatar existed. “That… It was a girl. Before you. What happened? Aren't you supposed to reincarnate after the previous one dies? Why are you here now? And not right after the other one…”

Amber sighed. “I'm not sure and my past lives won't exactly tell me.” She looked up at the ceiling, irritation evident in her voice. “All I know is, when Korra died there hadn't been one until me. And there might not be one after me.” 

“I blame Compound V. That shit might have messed up the Avatar cycle somehow. Fucked with nature. I mean, there's no benders anymore either. There's either Supes or non-Supes.” Eden commented as she took a sip of tea. She brewed it a while ago but forgot about it until now. 

Butcher poured some for himself, taking a sip as he sat down at the table. Before meeting Amber, he hadn't thought much about the Avatar or benders at all. To him, they were just legends. Fictional. A bedtime story people told children about. But then he saw her in action. The glow of her tattoos when she meditated, the way fire erupted from her fists, or how she turned water to ice with a simple wave of her hand. It was all so very real. 

“So… Supersuit?” Eden asked once their meeting wrapped up. Homelander was going down. Tonight. 

Amber huffed. “Supersuit.”

Eden pumped her fist in the air. “Yes!” 

—---

Getting into Vought Tower was the easy part. Eden was an excellent hacker when push came to shove. Or if she was just bored. Every employee Amber passed by didn't spare her a second glance. At least the Supersuit came in handy for more than one thing. Practicality, aesthetic, and blending in. They all just thought she was some random Supe walking through the halls of Vought. 

Amber caught an elevator. With no one else in it. She looked up at the camera in the corner.

“Hello. I see you too, mother.” Eden teased through her earpiece. Then there was the light noise of clacking. Her keyboard. 

Soldier Boy's voice came through the earpiece as well. “Are we a hundred percent sure this is gonna work?” His voice was rough, if a little troubled. 

“Amber is fully capable, mate. Not to mention Homelander has a soft spot for girls. Somehow.” Butcher had his own comm. One that Amber could hear clearly. “She just has to turn up the charm, get that cunt off guard and do her… freaky blood thing.”

Amber could imagine Butcher's cadence as he said those words. He'd probably waved his hand with a grin on his face as he looked between Eden and Soldier Boy. She drummed her fingers against her thigh as the elevator stopped at a floor. She smiled at the new addition. Some intern, most likely, they looked like one. She wrinkled her nose a bit. Amber was nervous. She's been in combat situations before but nothing espionage-like. 

Not to mention the suit. Amber had only worn it once. For Eden to make sure it fit properly. And it did fit properly. She had expected it to be uncomfortable since it looked like it was made completely of leather but it wasn't. It was made up of some special textile or cloth Eden made herself—one of the reasons it was fire, ice, and pierce-resistant. 

The suit fit her nicely, showing off her curves even if it covered almost every inch of her body. There were shoulder pads built into the suit with indentations of the four elemental symbols on both, fingerless gloves, and gauntlets that went over her forearms. The zipper in the front started just above her chest but was half zipped to shield a bit of her throat. Most of her suit was indigo except for her gauntlets, a little bit of detailing, and knee-high boots—the gauntlets were silver as were a few loops on her belt while her boots were black with indigo trim and a matching heel.

The elevator stopped on the floor Amber was meant to get off on. She stepped out as Eden guided her to Homelander's penthouse from her earpiece. She stopped just outside the door, pursing her lips. She lowered her zipper a little to show off her cleavage a bit more. Amber knew Homelander had a bit of a… kink. Well, not a bit. And even if Amber couldn't particularly lactate for reasons, he wouldn't know that. 

“We won't be able to see but we'll be able to hear everything that goes on in that room.” Eden said softly. “Don't get into too much trouble.”

Amber chuckled dryly. “You know me. I hate trouble.”

“Exactly why you're perfect for the job.” Butcher commented. 

Compared to everyone else in The Boys, Amber was relatively unknown to Vought. Eden couldn't find a single file on her when she went through their databases. To them, she was just some random citizen. A zero or one in their books. To be fair, Amber wasn't one to show off her powers unless needed. And Eden wiped every single hard drive of every single camera she could find if Amber ever did use her powers in public. 

Amber knocked on the door for it to be opened by her target. Homelander. She could see the appeal. Actually, no. She couldn't. His roots were brown while the rest of his hair was dyed blonde and his face was always cleanly shaved—Amber always liked a beard on men. Perhaps that's part of the reason she found Soldier Boy attractive, despite his prickly personality. 

“And who are you?” Homelander’s eyes were on Amber's breasts for a few seconds before they met her eyes.  

Time to play ditsy, Amber. She faked a frown. “Sorry, I must've knocked on the wrong door. I was supposed to have a meeting with Mr. Edgar.” She rubbed one of her arms, trying her best to act nervous. 

Hook.

“Oh?” Homelander's eyes lit up with interest. “I'm sure he won't mind you being late. Come in. It'd be nice to get to know you. Especially if you're gonna be on the team.” He forced a smile. It made Amber's brain alert with disgust. 

At least it was working. 

Homelander widened the door, letting Amber inside before he closed it behind her. His little apartment looked like hell. Paintings upon paintings of US Presidents in ornate frames or war memorabilia hung up on walls. There was barely any furniture except for a desk and a few loveseats. 

Amber had to resist the urge to cry at how gaudy this all looked. 

Then she heard the lock of the door set in place. Amber was trapped. With Homelander. Except it was more that he was trapped with her. 

“What's your name?” Homelander stepped closer to Amber, an unsettling grin on his face.

“Which one?” She asked.

Line.

He tsked, the grin widening. “Supe one. Wanna know what to call you when I fuck your brains out.” 

Amber swallowed thickly. Which could've been mistaken for fear—another turn-on for Homelander—but it was out of disgust. 

“This cunt has what's getting to him.” Butcher commented under his breath.

“It's,” Amber had to think of something. Quick. “Isorropìa.” Her hand twitched as her eyes narrowed. This whole plan was uncomfortable but unfortunately necessary. 

Amber was the only one who could get Homelander and Soldier Boy was the only one who could kill him. Or unsupeify him. If that was their goal. Amber wasn't too sure. She was powerful enough to kill Homelander as well but Butcher and Eden had other plans, it seemed.

“Isorropìa,” Homelander repeated, feeling the word on his tongue. “Our art department could come up with something better.” He stepped closer into Amber's space, a few inches apart. 

Sinker.

Amber’s fingers twitched slightly as she felt for Homelander's blood. She smirked as she felt the beat of his heart. His pulse. She lifted her hand as if she was controlling a marionette on strings. She watched as his eyes widened with fear. 

He couldn't move. And he couldn't speak. Not of his own volition. Homelander had never felt such physical pain before. He was invisible. Nothing, nothing, could hurt him. At least, not so prolonged. His veins felt like they were on fire. A searing hot pain Homelander had never experienced. Never wanted to experience.

She forced him to turn around. With a twist of her other hand, the door was unlocked and opened. 

“Got him, heading down.” Amber said.

Eden cheered, “Let's go!” 

“Remember our deal, though?” Butcher reminded.

“I get to psychologically torture, you get to kill. Yeah, I know.” Eden sighed. 

Amber and Homelander simply walked outside together. By any bystanders' eyes, they looked normal. As normal as two Supes could be at Vought. 

When Amber found the van Annie, Hughie, and Marvin were stationed at, she had Homelander go in first. Hughie was rightfully scared. 

“Anyone else a bit freaked out by this?” He asked, glancing at Marvin.

Marvin observed Homelander. He looked as if he was a sim. Idle. Waiting for some sort of instruction. “Yeah, no, I get it.”

Amber rotated her hand slightly as Annie drove. She let Homelander speak. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Homelander spat. A juxtaposition from his stiff body. 

Amber smirked at him as she zipped up her suit again. “Your worst nightmare,” She stared at him. “I can take you apart if I really wanted,” She redirected Homelander's blood flow with a movement of her hand, causing him to yell out. “Make you nothing more than the miserable little boy you are.” Her hand formed a fist, completely stopping his blood for a moment.

Hughie and Marvin shared a look as Annie took a look in the rearview mirror, concerned by the screams coming from the back. They were likely deserved. 

“Love, don't kill him yet. Won't be as satisfying.” Butcher said softly. 

Amber huffed and let Homelander go. Not completely, just let his blood flow enough to keep him alive. 

“You bitch!” The blond ground out. 

Amber looked at him, unimpressed. “You can do better than that. I'll make it easy for you,” She leaned closer. “I’m transgender, I like girls, I still have a cock, and… did I mention I'm dating your dad?” Homelander's eyes widened. His dad? He didn't have a dad. He was an experiment. “Well, kinda. Haven't completely figured it out yet but he makes some amazing sounds.” 

Hughie and Marvin shared another look. They didn't know Amber was fucking Soldier Boy. Figuratively and physically. Even Marvin thought Soldier Boy was relatively tame from the last time he saw him. Which was saying something. And it all had to do with Amber. Of course it did. Everyone liked Amber.

“I don't have a dad, you fucking she-male!” Homelander snarled.

Well, almost everyone. 

Amber tilted her head. “She-male? Really?” She rolled her eyes as she sat between Marvin and Hughie. She was a bit disappointed. Homelander was supposed to be scary—she didn't doubt that he was to those powerless against him but she wasn't—he was just some idiot with being American as his main personality. “We're going to go see your dad, actually. See how fucked you are in comparison.”

Homelander swallowed thickly. He wanted to say something more but he wasn't sure what to say. He just stared darkly at Amber for the rest of the drive.

Amber smiled as Hughie opened the door to the van, forcing Homelander to walk outside. They followed him inside as Amber guided his body. 

Eden almost had a heart attack when Homelander was the first thing she saw enter the house. She quickly calmed down after seeing his not so comfortable state and that Amber was right behind him. He was safely locked in Eden’s bunker which was built to specifically be Homelander-proof. Amber wasn't sure how but it was. He could likely still hear through the walls but that power was mostly useless compared to his strength or laser eyes.

“I'm giving you a week,” Butcher told Eden, glancing at Amber. “Then it's my turn.”  

Marvin crossed his arms and stared at Amber. He had a load of questions for her but he wasn’t sure he’d like the answer. All of them were about Soldier Boy. Who was being strangely quiet in the corner of the room. But he didn’t like the way the Supe was staring at Amber in her suit.

Eden chuckled, “You make it sound like you’re gonna fuck.” 

Butcher shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh. “How in the bloody hell do you stand her, love?” He turned to look at Amber. 

“Been friends a while. Not much surprises me anymore.” Amber admitted as she undid the gaunlets on her arms.

Annie looked from Butcher to Eden, “What do you even want to do to him?” She and Eden were close but she had never said anything about the kinds of “torture” she wanted to inflict upon Homelander.

“That’s for me, Amber, and Soldier Boy to know about and for you to keep on speculating.” Eden pecked Annie’s cheek.

Hughie was taken aback. “Wait, why is Soldier Boy included but we’re not?”

“It’s cause you’re a fucking twink.” Soldier Boy commented. Hughie pursed his lips out of distaste.

Amber had to refrain from laughing. “Kind of. But I wouldn’t want to spoil the plan. Not appropriate in polite company.”

“Love, we’re the opposite of polite company.” Butcher grinned. “Your secret’s safe with us.”

-----

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[pickledpascal]

Killer Queen

Chapter Six: all-american bitch

Warnings: gore, violence, ben being ben (old), swearing, 18+ themes.

Word Count: 1.8k

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Walking the halls of Vought felt like a fucking fever dream for Ben. The tower still had the same amount of floors, but it had changed radically. Cleaner floors, screens, and lights were everywhere that it almost made his head hurt. Almost. 

His boots were heavy against the clean, marble floors. He put on a fake smile as he walked past a few employees, well, a lot of employees. If Ben was in his “civilian” clothes, they probably wouldn't have batted an eye, however, he wasn't. He wore his Supe suit—minus the helmet, he always thought the redesign of it looked a little stupid.

Ben simply waltzed right into Stan Edgar's office. He timed his entrance just right, no one else was in the room. That was by design.

“Ah, Soldier Boy.” Edgar sat at his desk, a surprised yet, at the same time, unsurprised look in his eyes. “Or should I say Ben?”

Ben's jaw ticked as he stared at Edgar. Just being in that man's presence was annoying, just like it was back in ‘84. Fuckin’ corporate douchebags. Now, Edgar was Vought, back then he was more of a handler or whatever the fuck. 

“I'm here to… get some of what I deserve.” He said truthfully, eyes narrowed and cold as he stared at Edgar. 

Every single last person involved with Ben's disappearance was dead. Either killed by him or dead due to old age. Everyone except for Mr. Vought himself. 

Edgar chuckled softly. “I'm sure you are.” He glanced off to the side of his desk.

“You think you gonna pop my head open? Fat chance.” Ben chuckled softly. A flash of fear finally showed in Edgar's eyes. It felt good to see that. “Don't worry, she's being taken care of real nice.” He winked, a sinister smile on his face. 

Being with Amber had been a rollercoaster. He nearly envied her abilities. Her resilience. Her need to help him. And she did help him.

 Except, he was the only Supe that could take away a Supe’s powers with a single blast. Rendering him nearly invincible, which went to his head a little. He was a clear threat to Vought and everything it was about. It wasn't about promoting the safety and happiness and prosperity of others, it was about dominating ideals. The company made money simply off of the public thinking it needed Supes.

Ben had known that forever. He was the first Supe after all. 

“Your girlfriend will not survive if you so much as touch a hair on her head.” Edgar stood abruptly. 

Ben cocked an eyebrow at Edgar, impressed that the man thought anyone had a chance against Amber. “What makes you think you could touch her?” He took a step forward, setting his palms on Edgar's desk. “Better yet, what makes you think you'll be stepping outside this room alive to see your daughter again? Hm? After the shit you've done to me? Fuck no.”

In a building nearby, Eden, Amber, and most of the Boys were camped out and listening in on Ben and Edgar’s conversation. After Ben finished his words, Amber cut the sound. 

Butched glanced at her, confused. “What in the Sam-Hell?” 

“Do you want to hear a man getting his guts torn from his body?” Amber countered with a cock of her eyebrow. Hughie cringed at the thought and shook his head. Butcher just shrugged. “That's what I thought.”

Eden sat back in her swivel chair and hummed a little. “I mean, he's definitely getting what he deserves.”

“But what's the plan after this? Killing the CEO won't change much. You didn't really fill us in.” Annie looked at Butcher and Amber. Out of everyone in the Boys, she was the most morally good one, meaning killing someone—as bad as they might be—wasn’t something that pleased her in the slightest.

Eden glanced at Amber, who answered, “Eden will hack everything off of Vought’s servers and hand it over to the proper authorities—namely Grace Mallory.”

“Hey! Douchebags! How the hell am I supposed to use this thing?” Ben's voice filtered back into the room. He glanced over at the decimated heap that was once Stan Edgar. He didn't seem so scary after pounded into a bag of flesh and blood. 

He shook his head, that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was finding the right hole for this… what did Eden call it? Hacking stick? Amber called it something else… USB stick! That's what it was. 

“Look at the edge of the computer screen for a rectangular hole and put it in.” Eden explained.

Amber let out a small laugh, “That sounded horrible.” 

Ben gripped the monitor, jerking it to the side to see the different ports. He jammed the USB into one of them and pursed his lips. Something was definitely happening. “What now?”

“You see that loading bar?” Eden asked. He made a noise of recognition at the blue bar that was slowly filling. “Wait until it's 100% complete, it should only take a few minutes.”

Ben hummed a little as he watched it. Then he realized he had a fuck ton of blood on his hands, some even on his face as he could partly see his reflection in the monitor. He wiped at his face, smearing a little of the blood. Thankfully, he caught a few napkins at the side of the desk and wiped his face and hands quickly. 

Once the bar was full, it completely disappeared. He was still incredibly confused as to how modern technology worked but, if Amber trusted Eden, he would too. “Everything good?” He asked as he grabbed the USB back from its port. 

“More than good, mate.” Butcher answered this time, a smug air to his voice. 

“Now, get the fuck outta there.” Amber ordered before her voice softened, “Please?”

Ben pocketed the USB and left the office, not minding how an assistant or something would probably find Edgar's body. A lot of people who worked at Vought were bad people, maybe they weren't when they first joined, but they would eventually become similar to Edgar. Horrible for the sake of glory and profit. Ben knew he was like that once too. 

Once. 

He could still feel his sins crawling on his back but, god, he was trying. Trying to be good. For Amber. For himself, too. 

———

Weeks have passed since Vought's downfall and subsequently, many more laws have been passed to monitor Supes. They were on their own now, no company trying to cover up any wrongdoing or casualties. It felt… better. And scarier for a lot of Supes who decided to fuck around for so long. Now, they were going to find out what happened when they were so careless. Consequences. Like they deserved. 

Seeing as the Soldier Boy was part of Vought's downfall garnered a lot of attention. A lot of people wanting to know more, asking questions.

Once things started to settle down, that's when Mallory advised to answer questions. But she also wanted Amber to be there too… just to wrangle him in case he said too much. Amber wasn't exactly sure why, Ben had media training all the way back in the fifties, maybe even earlier than that. 

“So, Soldier Boy!” A reporter called out to him. “You represent good-ole American Family values, what do you think of America nowadays?” 

Ben cocked an eyebrow at the question and plastered a smile on his face. “Well, it's certainly different. I mean, I didn't know what GPS was until a few months ago. Or who Cardi B was.” He forced a chuckle. 

“But what do you think about the state of America? The gay trend?” The reporter pried further. 

Ben took a few moments to keep from answering, looking at the reporter with a blank stare. Years ago, he probably would've said some ignorant shit but not today. Especially since he could hear the ringing of a bell in his head. “Well, I think gay people, whether it's a trend or not, should be treated fairly under the law as all people should. Y'know, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and all that shit.” 

“Is that what you really think?” The other man kept trying to get some sort of reaction out of Ben.

So he let him get what he wanted. The bell rang louder. Ben grabbed the voice recorder and spoke into it directly. “My girlfriend has a dick and I like it in my mouth, so yes I believe queer people should be allowed all the fuckin’ freedoms non-queer people do.” His smile was poisonous as he looked at the reporter. He pushed the recorder back into his hands and walked away. 

Half the time, Ben wondered why he even bothered with all this. The media and all the shit it came with, but he did sign up for those Vought trials. And it worked. Worked so well he was practically invincible.

“Do you really like my dick in your mouth?” Amber's arms were crossed, he was leaning against the wall as Ben walked to the back of the building. 

Ben glanced to the side before he pulled Amber close and kissed her deeply. She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist while he buried a hand in her hair, messing it up in his favorite ways. Amber always found a way to take over him, even if it was an action he started. He was slammed against the wall as Amber deepened the kiss more, his breath knocked out of his lungs for a moment. 

He pushed Amber away slightly. He knew what he looked like. Pathetic. With flushed cheeks, pleading eyes, and red lips. “Does that answer your question?” He breathed. 

Amber let out an amused noise and raised an eyebrow at him. “Sure.” She paused, then took a breath, “I'm proud of you for not completely losing your cool there.” She whispered. 

“Yeah, well, that motherfucker deserved worse.” Ben grumbled. 

Amber shrugged and nodded with a light laugh. “Yeah, probably. But it wouldn't look good for you.” She pointed out softly. “Even if it would be satisfying.”

It was weird to think about just how much Ben had changed because of Amber. Emotionally, he was more open, though he was still working on that with people who weren't Amber. He didn't resort to violence as much, although there were some exceptions. Like Edgar. Not to mention, his ideals have changed. He didn't focus so much on himself anymore but started to care about others and the things that meant the world to them too. 

“C'mon, Eden is making spaghetti and meatballs to celebrate.” Amber gave Ben a light smile, lowering a hand to hold his. 

Ben simply nodded and followed her to the car. 

———

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[pickledpascal]

Killer Queen

Chapter Five: get him back!

Warnings: Vague smut, psychological torture, implied death, blood, out of character soldier boy (this isn't new)

Word Count: 3.3k

Killer Queen Masterlist

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The Boys left to leave Eden, Amber, and Soldier Boy to do whatever they were going to do to Homelander. Though, Butcher had quite a few ideas as to what they were.

For Marvin, it was especially hard to just leave Soldier Boy. He wanted to know what made the man tick, how the Russians got him in that ice box, to begin with, and how he might be able to hurt the guy. However, he trusted Amber. Strangely more than he trusted Butcher. She always got a job done how they planned it to get done. Marvin appreciated that about her, especially with how much could go wrong with the line of work they were in. 

So, if anyone could wrangle Soldier Boy, he knew it'd be her. Besides the way he talked to Hughie, Soldier Boy didn't seem too unstable like back in the lab or even since he blew up that building on Main. Whatever Amber did, Marvin had to commend her for it.

Eden hummed softly before she rubbed her hands together. “Well, everything’s ready to properly torture this son of a bitch. Just lemme know so I can leave and take Ryan with me to Annie's place.” She winked. 

Amber gave her a look, causing Eden to quickly nod and find Ryan so they could leave. 

Not only was Amber one of Eden's only friends but she was also akin to a parental figure. She joked about calling Amber her father, which Amber didn't mind but only when Eden said it, so being around when she knew Amber was having sex was not what she wanted. Ever. Eden heard her once and promptly left for a few hours. Since then, they have made a code of sorts.

The code simply being to tell the other if they have plans that might end up with someone in their bed. 

Eden had her moments too. Lately, though, it's just been Annie coming over. Or they'd go out on dates. To small ice cream parlors, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, take a walk around a nearby park, and a lot of other things like that. Small stuff. But it meant a lot to Eden and she knew it did to Annie. So she could do some normal stuff.

“C'mon, sweetheart.” Amber smirked at Ben, lifting a hand to his cheek before it dropped to his hand and pulled him upstairs. 

Obediently, Ben followed and shut her bedroom door behind him. 

The following week was fairly successful if Eden had any say in it. She checked in every so often on Homelander just to make sure her plans were working. Judging by the screams and utter disgust lacing his features, she'd say it was. See, there was one thing Eden wanted to take advantage of that Homelander had. Advanced hearing. Even through the thick metal of the bunker in their basement, Homelander heard nearly everything that happened in the house. Unfortunately for him.

On the first day, Eden revealed Soldier Boy and his relationship with Homelander. How the rough, “unclean,” American man was his father. The opposite of Homelander. He was the clean, perfect, ideal American dream. It was eye-opening. Homelander idolized him when he was a child. No wonder why. That was his father.

Except now that realization stung how he imagined a jellyfish would. Or perhaps if he got eaten by a shark. 

It was maddening.

He could hear everything. Every creak in Amber's bed. Every little noise that left Ben's lips. Every whisper of praise. Every slap of skin against skin. Every breath Amber took. Every tear that left Ben's eyes. Every ring of that goddamn bell. 

Homelander might've been turned on if it wasn't his father getting the living daylights fucked out of him. Even if Amber was bitch, she was still hot. But the thought pained him now. 

He broke by the end of the second day. 

But torture was torture and Eden had him for a week. She wouldn't let him off that easy considering he had done much worse for less. She was lucky Ben and Amber both had stamina that could last for hours, days if they really wanted, so they didn't stop often. Only if they needed food or some sleep.

Eden would give them her leftovers from her dates with Annie when she came home. Usually late when she knew Amber would feel sleep creep into her mind. 

“Some take out from that one Asian place you love.” Eden smiled as she handed it to Amber through the crack of her door. 

Amber had a light sheen of sweat on her chest as she stood with a bra and some sweatpants on. She covered the entire opening so as to not give Eden a glimpse of something she didn't want to see. “Thanks.” She returned the smile. The food was still warm but she could always heat it up herself if she thought it was a little too cold. “Night.” She hummed.

Eden nodded, “Night, love you.” She turned on her heel to tuck Ryan into bed. 

Amber watched her walk off before she closed the door to her room and locked it for good measure. She set the food on her end table and ran a hand through Ben's hair, sitting at the edge of her bed. 

It had been a long day. A long day Ben really liked. Amber too. He was out like a light but Amber knew he'd need something in his system, even if he was a Supe. You couldn't have that much stamina unless you ate like one.

She pressed a kiss to his head and gently nudged him awake. “Sweetheart, you gotta eat something. You haven't had food since this morning.” She whispered into his ear. 

Ben groaned softly, feeling a wonderful ache throughout his entire body. Hairs stuck to his forehead and neck. The room felt dangerously hot. Partly due to Amber herself. He rolled over on the bed to get a better look at Amber, he reached out and pulled her in for a kiss. A far gentler, tame kiss than the previous ones they shared that day. 

Amber smiled against his lips but pulled away. “Food.” She reminded softly. Ben let out a low whine in protest. “Tell ya what, hm? You eat and I'll make it worth your while.” 

Ever since this little “experiment” of theirs started, Ben had been craving Amber. Morning. Night. Day. It didn't matter when. And Amber couldn't find it in herself to deny him. Well, unless someone was home. Ben knew enough not to test her then. 

Ben simply nodded. After an intense day like the ones they've been having, he never felt like speaking. At least, not anything coherent that Amber could even try to begin to decipher. 

Amber smiled softly, pleased. She unwrapped the styrofoam box and opened it. It was a mix of beef, veggies, and rice tossed in a brown sauce that Amber could personally drink straight from the bottle. She grabbed the packaged wooden chopsticks, opened them, broke them apart, and started to feed Ben—she took a few bites for herself as well, seeing as she hadn't eaten much all day either. 

Over time, Ben had pulled Amber into his lap as they ate together. He ran a hand up her back, admiring the dips and curves of her body.

Amber shut the takeout box and chuckled softly as Ben unclipped her bra and nuzzled his face into the crook of her shoulder. “Mmmm.” He breathed in her scent. Even though she was sweaty, she still smelled sweet. He loved it. 

She ran her hand through his hair and pulled his head back slightly. “You're gonna have to be quiet.” She ordered softly. The house was big and the walls were soundproof for normal ears but she didn't want to test it. 

Ben pursed his lips but nodded. He couldn't help but be vocal when it was Amber helping him chase his high. She was just…. Perfect. He laid down on the bed, the bell dinged softly against his neck. 

Amber removed the rest of her bra and kicked off her pants and underwear. She climbed over Ben and kissed his neck. It sucked she couldn't give him hickeys that would last but that's what being a Supe entailed. “I know I told you I need you to be quiet, but I want you to tell me how you're feeling, okay?” She cupped Ben's jaw, tracing his bottom lip with her thumb. 

Communication was something they worked on a lot during their time together. Amber wanted to know Ben's needs and he had to voice them so she didn't push too hard. 

“Okay,” Ben breathed, his voice hoarse and rough. Maybe he needed some water too. “Go… slow.” He suggested. He still felt Amber everywhere. Her hands, her hair, her body. It was amazingly overwhelming. But even Ben got tired of the roughness. Sometimes. 

Amber pressed a kiss to Ben's brow bone. She planned on doing so. She spread Ben's legs enough to get between them after she lifted the covers from his body. She let out a breath and the whole temperature of the room shifted. Instead of the scalding hot it once was, it cooled to something more manageable. Not frigid, but a nice cold that felt good against Ben's warm skin. 

“That… feels good.” Ben let out a breath. After a while, he got used to the way Amber played with the temperature in their room. 

Amber let out a pleased hum in response, slowly pushing inside him. A sigh left Ben's lips. A content one. Like he was meant for this all along. Hell, he wouldn't mind if it was. She set a soft, slow pace as Ben wrapped his arms around her neck and a few noises left his lips. 

His eyes met Amber’s. She caught a flicker of something far different than the lust-filled looks he usually cast in her direction. Something softer. She kissed him, cupping his cheek as he pressed back against her. 

Sure, they've kissed before. But those were usually rough and rushed. This one wasn't. Amber didn't want to think too hard about what it meant. It meant something. Especially for Ben. 

He had opened up in ways he didn't think he could. Or would. For a man who had been alive for over a hundred years and mostly grew up in the forties, somehow every value he had crumbled when he met Amber. Actually, it was fucked out of him. Every bad thing about him was cleansed. It was still hard to open up but it was a little easier when the person he did it with was Amber. 

Now, she knew everything. About his father. About his life growing up. About his life after taking Compound V. About what happened to him in Russia. And she took everything in stride. She didn't flinch when Ben described some of the horrors he had to go through but she did look at him unimpressed when he described a steamy night with Farrah Fawcett. 

“Beautiful.” She whispered against his lips. It was so soft and spoken so affectionately that Ben nearly choked on tears. “Sweetheart,” She brushed his hair away from his face, “It's alright.” 

Ben swallowed thickly and nodded. He'd be alright. With Amber. He came with a light whine. “Fuck, I love you.” He murmured without a second thought. 

Amber didn't bat an eye at the words, pressing a kiss to his jaw. Internally though, she wasn't sure what that meant. She knew they had some sort of… connection given how malleable Ben was for her but love? She didn't expect that. To be fair, she didn't expect any of this. 

“Go to sleep.” She breathed into his ear. 

Ben whined softly, but a few moments later, he was fast asleep. 

Amber watched over him as he slept and tried to soothe him best she could if tension built up in his face and he had a nightmare. All she did was hold him close and rub his temples with a bit of permafrost. That always seemed to do the trick.

———

“Well dearie me, you're practically glowing, love.” Butcher hummed into his tea cup.

Today was the day. That Homelander would die. And perhaps so much more. Without Homelander, Vought was just another big boy company that contributed nothing to society except giving a few narcissistic people a God complex. 

Amber rolled her eyes and sipped on her coffee. At least Butcher came bearing gifts. Coffees for everyone while Amber made him tea. Butcher wasn't picky with his tea but Amber's was his favorite. 

Annie took a bite of her croissant while Hughie looked particularly interested in the fridge. Eden laughed a little at the pair. Well, was it more of a trio now? Because Ben never left Amber's side. Unless she needed to go to the bathroom. Even then, Eden was pretty sure they showered together.

“So what do you plan on doing?” Amber cocked an eyebrow at the Brit. “Make it quick? Or something more painful?” She imagined Butcher would want to try and crush Homelander’s skull or something similar. 

But perhaps he just wanted this over with so hopefully, more people could sleep better at night without having to worry about a certain Supe laser-eyeing them in the ICU or accidentally flying into their house and destroying half of it. 

Butcher pursed his lips then gave Amber his signature smirk. “Why do you wanna know, love? So you can watch?”

Amber looked at Butcher, unimpressed. “I'm not one for violent delights, Butch. Thought you would've noticed that by now.” 

Ben glanced at Amber from staring at the lid of his cup for too long. What did that mean? Amber was fairly rough with him. But violence could mean a lot of things. A lot of different things. 

“Right.” Butcher hummed. 

They all talked for a while more, mainly Amber and Butcher who were teasing each other with anything they could come up with. Ben watched. Even after being locked up in Amber's room for a week, he felt a tang of jealousy like this could all be taken away with one move from Butcher. It felt more heart-wrenching after what he said last night. 

Amber didn't return the words. 

Ben wouldn't make her but it all felt so disappointing. Sickening, even. 

“You okay?” Amber asked softly once they returned to the safety of her cold room. Butcher had made his way to the basement, looking more serious than Amber had ever seen. “I didn't wear you out, did I?” She rubbed his shoulder soothingly.

Ben’s Adam's apple bobbed as he ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to say he was okay, push everything down, and forget that interaction altogether. But Amber told him he couldn't. Not anymore. 

“Not really, no.” He murmured. “You and Butcher, you're… friends, huh?” Ben didn't like to admit things. Especially if he was jealous. Usually, it was women being jealous of his conquest of the week. Not the other way around.

Amber knew where this was going. “Yes. Just friends.” She cupped Ben's face and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “We will only ever be friends. Especially now that I have you.” Her thumb rubbed against the scar underneath his lip. That must've been there before he took Compound V or else it wouldn't have been there. 

Ben didn't feel reassured. Not yet. He looked into Amber's eyes, “Do you like me? Love… me?” 

His eyes were so vulnerable. So pleading. He wanted her to love him. Wanted her to like him. Ben hadn't shown much of his “normal” self since being with Amber. Maybe it was time to change that. They skipped the dating part and dove into sex. Which Ben didn't blame Amber for, he was a pain in the ass but he could be a gentleman sometimes. When he felt the need to be. 

He was nothing but cordial to Princess Diana. 

“I do, I just—” Amber glanced away from Ben, debating on if she should open up. Ben had been doing a lot of it lately and she was glad for it but she hadn't been returning the favor much. “Eden is the only person I say that to. The last person. Before that,” She took a breath. “It was my parents and they… it didn't end well. They're dead. I've known Eden a long time and, even then, I only started saying it recently. But I-I do love you.” She admitted softly, caressing his cheek. “I just might not say it as often as you want to hear it.”

“I could live with that.” Ben leaned forward to kiss the bridge of her nose, hooking a finger under her chin. “Do you wanna go on a date?” 

He thought it was time. Especially after Eden came home and gushed about the dates they went on with Annie. The warm lights in the park, the walks under street lamps with an ice cream cone in their hands, or the way Annie held her hand while they watched a scary movie in the theater. He wanted that with Amber.

He might've been on ice for forty years but the kinds of dates people went on didn't seem to change. Small, cute stuff. However, Ben was used to big, grand shows of love. Well, that's what he did for Crimson Countess anyway. He had a feeling Amber liked small shows of affection rather than big ones.

Amber chuckled. “Sure, sweetheart. We can go on a date.”

———

“It's done.” Butcher hummed. He and Hughie were dirty and bloody but the blood wasn't theirs and the dirt was from hiding a body. “Ryan should be safe and I…” He breathed.

“Have nothing else to do?” Amber said between bites of a sandwich. Ben stood off to the side of her, feeling a lot less jealous of Butcher being in Amber's presence. 

Even through her joking tone, Butcher knew she was serious. He was so overcome with hatred for Homelander and now that he was dead, what else could he do? Sure, he could fuck up some other Supe’s life but the only reason he started this in the first place was because of him. No one else was like Homelander. Whether that meant collateral damage or simply ideals, no one came close.

Amber crossed her arms. “Maybe it's time you try to have a normal life?” She suggested. “Let other people handle asshole Supes.”

“Like Nueman? Absolutely not.” Butcher argued. 

“Like Hughie,” She motioned to the man in question. “Or Annie. Hell, me.” Amber said softly. Like Ben, Butcher was a hard nut to crack but Amber was an expert at cracking them. 

Butcher pursed his lips. “Amber, you—you’re young. You don't need to do what I do.” He wiped his face and glanced at his palm. Dried blood and dirt. Whereas Amber was completely clean, free from blemishes. At least, from those he could see. 

“I am supposed to.” Amber countered, heat radiating off her body in waves. “I am the Avatar. My life is supposed to be dedicated to making sure the world is balanced. That people like Homelander or Stan Edgar do not get what they want.” Ben glanced at Amber, that warmth was getting a little too hot. He rubbed at her shoulder but that didn't stop her. “Aang took out Fire Lord Ozai when he was twelve. He took away his bending. I say it's high time we take away Stan Edgar from his fucking penthouse.” 

Ben stood straighter. Stan Edgar. That name rang a bell. He remembered. He was part of the plan to erase Ben from the Earth. He could get behind this plan.

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Hughie asked the million dollar question after nearly scrubbing his hands raw in the sink. Butcher nodded at Amber, cocking an eyebrow at her. He had the same question on his mind.

Amber stayed silent for a while until she shifted her gaze to Ben. “How about he gets a visit from an old friend?”

------

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[pickledpascal]

might be making my oc a little too op in my soldier boy fic but y'know... he deserves it so