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starr-fall-knight-rise · 4 years

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Humans are Weird, “M-Flu.”

Here is a little fluff for you all bc today I am also posting another chapter.

Sorry about the wait but I decided to take a bit of a hiatus over Thanksgiving, but now I am back :)

It was early December, or so the humans said. Krill had never really understood the human’s need to split up time like that. The Vrul did, of course, keep track of their planet’s revolution around their star but that was simply numerically based rather than starting the count over every month like the humans did.

It had been a bit busier than usual which was rather odd. You would think, on a spaceship, that illnesses would be relatively common due to the closed in area with a bunch of people side by side, and that it would not be affected by the time of year like it was on earth. However, he supposed that allowing the humans leave planetside so close to their sickest season was probably the reason.

Still blew his mind to consider that humans had a time of year where epidemics and pandemics were more common. So common, in fact, that the humans just accepted getting sick as a fact of life, and often continued to go to work and be around other people during that time. Of course, this behavior used to be worse, but even with the widespread use of surgical masks during sickness, things still continued to spread.

He found himself, pleased, once again that he was incapable of catching human illnesses, though he did his best to stay away from plant life on other planets seeing as you never knew what he could catch from other species of plant, to which he was more similar than he was to animals like the humans or the Drev.

He reached upwards and plucked a clipboard from one of the nurses before turning towards the door and scuttling out.. He needed to go speak with the commander about the increased rate of infectivity aboard the ship. He was under the impression it would be best to begin a quarantine on some of the more sick patients. Yes it was true that the average human would not be taken out by the flu, but by his calculations it greatly decreased productivity.

Better to keep humans healthy and lose a few people than it was to allow everyone to only work at half capacity.

He greeted members of the crew as he floated the stairs and onto the bridge stepping through the door and approaching the captain’s chair… a chair which was empty…. That was strange? This was around the time the commander went over ship diagnostics. He did this every morning and despite being a very impulsive man who wasn’t prone to keeping schedule, this was a part of his day he didn’t tend to change.

Krill spun in a wide circle looking around trying to find the man as if he expected to see him hanging from the ceiling, though, now that he thought about it. He totally expected to see something like that.

There was a clatter on the stairs behind him, and he turned to find Sunny stepping into the room.

She looked around in equal confusion to him.

“Good morning.” She said in the traditional human greeting, “Have you seen Adam?”

Krill shook his head, another human gesture, “I was just about to ask you the same thing.” He held up the clipboard he was holding , “I came to speak to him about medical protocol aboard the ship.

Sunny hummed, “Well, I came to him about, this.” SHe turned and pointed downwards just in time for Krill to see three of the spiderlings clambering their way up the steps mewling and growling angrily on their way after Sunny. Krill inflated his helium sack and hovered out of reach of the spiderlings, who honestly scared the hell out of him, especially Glados.

Sunny stuck out a foot trying to hold the aforementioned monster at bay, but all three of them continued to squeal and chirp.

“That’s strange.” Krill began, they never left Adam’s side if they could help it, and Glados didn’t particularly like sunny all that much, so none of this made particular sense. Hal, the smallest of the spiderlings chirped the little vocal folds at the back of it’s throat oscillating and vibrating. It was an ALMOST human sound but as if heard from a distorted speaker.

It was actually kind of freaky.

“Where is Conn, maybe he’d know what’s going on.”

“Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear.” The electronic voice responded from behind them. From the other end of the room, Conn floated forward, his solar ribbons billowing out behind him in long undulating tendrils. Lights on the signing gloves lit up as he made the human language gestures which were then converted into words by way of a speaker, “They are very unhappy…. Worried even.”

Sunny shifted nervously, “What do you mean.”

“I’m not entirely sure. Their language is very rudimentary you see. Their language centers are not completely developed enough for me to read their minds. I can only sense feelings only to a certain degree.” He paused, “It is a smell, a bad smell a dangerous smell.” He tilted his head to the side.

Sunny glanced towards Krill, “Gas leak?”

Conn shook his head, “No….. it seems….. Biological if that makes any sense to you, not that I entirely understand what that means.”

“Latrine backup.” Sunny commented wryly unable to help herself.

Krill glared at her, “very helpful of you, Sunny. Glad to see you humor has evolved to be so refined.”

“Glad to see you even knew that was intended as a joke.”

The Spiderlings squealed again just as the sound of shuffling footsteps, and something dragging across the ground reached their ears.

Thud, thud, thud onto the metal catwalk.

Together, the two of them turned just in time to see the commander haul himself onto the bridge. Or at least, it looked like something that should have been the commander. His face was flushed bright red especially around the cheeks and neck. His eyes were red and puffy with dark circles under them. His hair was matted with sweat. He was wrapped in a large blanket like a cape which dragged on the ground behind him.

He hadn’t changed from his sweatpants.

And he was shivering violently despite both a long sleeve shirt, a hoodie, and the blanket.

He looked like a zombie.

Krill and Sunny watched as he oozed past like some sort of zombie hybrid slug and slumped into the captain’s chair. His sniffled a bit before erupting into a violent coughing fit. The sound was wet and rattling, a clear sign of chest congestion.

Waffles, the dog, followed at his feet with clear concern in her large brown eyes.

The human snuffled again.

He turned to look at them from the depths of his hoodie and blanket cloak, “I think I’m dying.” he said sounding rather resigned to that fact.

Sunny looked nervous and went to step forward, but Kril held her off, “Wait there, and keep the spiderlings away.” he moved forward floating to the human’s head height. Even without his thermal vision he could feel the heat radiating from the human’s body, but still he switched receptors for a proper look.

One hundred and four degrees by the human’s reckoning.

“Sick for sure commander. Sunny head down to the medical bay and order that quarantine protocol. I was going to ask the commander about it, but he hardly seems capable of giving orders at the moment. Have his second take over and then get someone to babysit the spiderlings. Take them to Ramirez and Maverick, they get along well enough.

“Quarantine.” The commander muttered.

“Yes commander, we have alien lifeforms aboard the ship, and no way to know how the illness will affect them. Furthermore we want to make sure no one else catches it.”

“I think I am dying.” The man repeated absently groaning quietly as his shivering grew worse.

“Don’t say that commander, you’re making me nervous. Save the announcements of death till after our tests.”

“Such a Diva.” Sunny commented trying to be funny though she sounded more concerned.

“Go on.” Krill ordered, and she did as told, scooping up the mewling spiderlings and walking from the room. Krill got the commander back to his feet and heard the sniffling coughing humans down the hallway. He was hunched over like some sort of invalid and moved more slowly than Krill, who was arguably the slowest being on the ship.

“Come on, Commander.”

“I don’t think I can make it.” The human sniffled piteously.

“Well you better because no one is going to carry you, now come on.” contrary to the human’s earlier statement, they made it to the medical bay in one peace. By Krill’s orders the rest of the medical team was ready with the protocol all wearing masks, gloves and surgical glasses. Perhaps they saw the entire thing as overkill, but he didn’t want anyone else getting sick.

They sat the human down on one of the medical beds, and Krill proceeded to learn that their Commander was quite pathetic when he was sick. This coming from a human who would run into dangerous situations skipping and singing show tunes now whimpered complaints and begged for medicine.

Halfway through their examination, another human came walking onto the bridge.

Narobi from down in engineering. She stood straight and tall but Krill immediately noticed her elevated body temperature. Her dark skin made the ravaging heat less obvious, but her reddened eyes and the beads of sweat collecting on her forehead was enough. Though comparatively he wouldn't have been able to tell something was wrong otherwise. She was dressed in her engineering jumpsuit, and was rather well put together.

Krill glanced between her and the commander who lay mewling on the bed like an overly vocal puddle.

She smiled wryly, “I see I am not the only one then?” her voice was scratchy and somewhat congested. She was forced to clear her throat at least once the deep rattling in her chest also present.

“Krill walked over to her.”

“Symptoms.”

She took a polite seat on the edge of one of the beds, “Fever, chills, aches, cough, nausea, dizziness..”

Krill glanced over at the commander again, who had his single eye trained on them and had suddenly stopped complaining.

He smiled inwardly,. Narobi was looking at him too with a raised eyebrow, “Good morning commander.”

He sat up slowly stifling a cough, “Good morning, Narobi.” he tried to stifle a shiver.

A wry smile, “Don’t let me interrupt commander. It was a stirring performance, I am close to tears.” Krill wasn’t exactly the best with detecting sarcasm made worse by the fact that her face did not change once while she said that sentence, so he couldn't be entirely sure if she was being facetious or not.

He began to cough again, “I Wasn't acting.” he grumbled defensively looking at her with a serious expression. That didn’t last long however as he was overcome with a violent bout of shivering and a cough eventually leaning back eyes watering form violent outburst one hand on his chest, “Never mind, this is bullshit. Go on just sit there and be a badass, I'll just be over here dying and looking pathetic.”

“Man flu?” She wondered wryly

“You know what,-” Cough, “I will have you know that that is totally a real thing, and I will not be shamed for it.”

Krill turned from his work, “Actually, according to our tests. Both of you have the flu. The same strain probably got it at the same time. We will have to monitor the rest of the crew to make sure it does not spread further than the two of you before determining how dangerous it will be to other species especially the Drev. IN the interest of keeping the rest of the crew healthy for the time being, both of you will be isolated and monitored here.”

“Don’t you think that is going a bit overboard?” Narobi wondered

The commander moaned.

“Actually, I think you humans don’t take illness seriously enough. Just because something is normal, doesn’t mean it's acceptable, and letting people suffer by themselves or allowing them to contaminate other people isn’t acceptable in my hospital.”

There was no arguing with the little doctor as he ordered the humans moved into the clear plastic contamination chamber and ordered to change. Both now wearing light blue scrubs they were ordered into bed, which of course the commander whined that he was still cold and had to be brought a stack of blankets with the great inner eye rolling of Krill, who, had learned from dr Katie, that they were not likely to die from such an illness, so he didn’t have to be THAT worried. Though he was still a little worried, and quickly moved to disguise his concern with a businesslike manner.

When Sunny came to visit that night she was distrubed by what she saw. She had never actually seen a sick human before, which was a wonder considering how long she had been on the ship. The powerful creatures she had come to know as indomitable were curled up in the darkness in isolation. Both of them were shivering between painful coughing fits. Their skin was pale and both were drenched in sweat.

The commander had, over the course of the last few hours slid down from the bed with all the pillows and blankets he had acquired and made some sort of delirious makeshift nest for himself on the floor the pillows being the base and the blankets wrapped around him like a human filled burrito only his mouth and nose being entirely visible. The other human was curled up on her side head resting on one arm.

She sighed quietly.

At her feet the dog whimpered as she looked through the clear plastic drape.

Sunny looked towards Krill with worry, “Are ... are they ok?”

Krill walked to stand next to Sunny, “It looks ugly, but Dr. Katie tells me that thousands of humans get it every year and survive without medical intervention, so they should be ok.”

Sunny glanced towards the containment opening.

“IS it contagious.”

He glanced over at her and then sighed realizing what she planned on doing, “With this strain, only for humans.” With their unspoken agreement made, she stepped forward and unzipped the outer layer whistling for the dog who jumped in after her. She close it off and then opened the door into the other room closing it behind her.

The interior was hot and muggy, and there was a strange smell on the air.

IF sunny knew one thing about humans, it was how social they were. If that was the case, it just seemed wrong to her to leave them suffering alone in the dark. She was about to head towards the commander when the other human curled up and shivering caught her eye. With a call she motioned the dog over patting the bed next to the human. The dog, seeming happy enough to help jumped up next to the human and lay down immediately.

Sunny was pleased at the smile smile she received from, closed-eyes human who reached out a hand and began stroking the dog’s velvety ears. The dog scooted closer curled up against the human’s stomach. The human wrapped an arm around the dog, and maybe it was just Sunny’s imagination, but thought the human’s shivering died somewhat.

Pleased that one of the humans was taken care of, she walked over to where Adam was curled up on the floor shivering and coughing. He sighed in an agonistic sort of way. She grabbed a cup from the side table and filled it with water returning to the human.

She knelt next to him and prodded him through the blankets, “Adam.”

The human shifted sitting up from inside his cocoon.

She had noticed that habit some humans had, especially him. Upset, in pain, sick, they liked to make nests for themselves out of anything comfortable and fluffy in the immediate area. He looked at her with bleary eyes shivering, “Sunny..?” His skin was cold and clammy, and she could see the wet patches from sweat on his chest and stomach. He would be losing water quickly like that.

She handed him the water, “Drink, or Krill is going to get an IV on you instead.” The human grumbled but complied.

He finished the water but was hit with another racking cough that had him doubled over. Sunny sat back in worried confusion. The human sat up snuffling and groaned, “my back.” He muttered, “hurts so bad, but it’s so cold.”

Sunny held out a hand to feel the heat radiating from the human’s skin.

She wasn’t entirely convinced about the cold thing, but took him at his word piling his blankets back on top of him.

She stood and returned to the other human urging a cup of water into her hand before returning to Adam, who had burrowed himself away like some kind of slimy lizard. She took a seat next to him learning against the wall and nodded to Krill who watched her from the outside. He would have been able to come in too, but he was dealing with other patients at the moment.

She leaned back against the wall dozing a bit woken at some point in the darkness as something moved close to her crawling up to rest itself on her legs. She looked down to find the pile of blankets and pillows shifted next to her human pressed up against her. She pulled the blankets back curiously only to find the human looking worse than ever.

His eye had a strange glassy quality, he had stopped shivering but for a subdued tremor. The eye closed and he slumped against the ground half asleep or nearly dead she wouldn't have been able to tell accept for the back and forth movement of his head as he began to dream.

He moaned in pain or fear she still wasn’t sure..

She grabbed the human with her lower arms and adjusted his blankets with the others letting him rest in her lap hoping whatever he was dreaming about would subside before it woke him up. It scared her to watch as the virus ravaged through the human’s body. He thrashed in his sleep disquieted waking up only to fall asleep again in the same cycle. His breathing was raspy and labored. HIs body quaked with the cold one moment, and then he was pushing the blankets away for the extreme heat in the next moment. The coughing was the worst, beginning with full body spasms and ending with the human hunched over in agony at the end the shivering causing the already aching muscles even greater pain worsened by coughing. Sunny tried to help tried to get the two humans as much water as she could.

On the other side of the room, the dog licked the human’s arm in sympathy as she shivered. She had to leave in the morning to get her duties finished decontaminated before leaving, and came back later that evening when the dog was getting up from Adam to move back to the other human.

Sunny looked at Krill for an update.

He shook his head, “They woke up, but they didn’t eat. Been resting pretty uneasily, Commander says he keeps having nightmares. Narobi reports her dreams aren't exactly pleasant either. Dog seems to help, she's been keeping them good company.”

Sunny nodded, “It looks so…. Painful.”

“You have anything like it on your planet?” He wondered.

“Rot lung I guess, but its slower, sort of a lifelong thing…. I suppose you can also get infections caused by wounds, and there are a few others, but nothing like this.”

He nodded, “We can get skin rot pretty easily, but we have dealt with it. The blight is pretty bad and can leave you deformed…. I just can’t believe they find something like this normal.”

“I’m gonna head back in, seems kind of wrong to keep the humans isolated.”

Krill didn’t argue letting her return to check on the far human first. Setting up some more water, stroking the dog’s ears and then returning to Adam. He was asleep as of just then half in and half out of his blankets like he couldn’t decide whether he was warm or cold. She wrapped him back up, and he absently curled up against her in his sleep. His hand rested against the floor leaving a humid mark behind it once she tucked it back in his blankets.

The worst of the symptoms lasted for three days with the humans only getting up to drink some water and go to the bathroom.

By the fourth morning Sunny was sitting in her usual spot as the human shifted and sat up.

He touched a hand to his forehead, and turning to look at him she found the redness gone from his face from the fever that had been raging past two days.

He glanced over at her looking a bit surprised, “Shit…. I thought I dreamed you being here the whole time.”

“No, I determined it was improper to leave humans isolated.”

He coughed lightly and winced, “Sure you did….” He either winked at her or just blinked, with only one eye she had trouble telling, “keeping acting like this and people are going to start thinking you like me.”

She snorted and pushed him over with one hand, “Go back to sleep you big idiot.”

He didn’t sit back up,”Mmmm probably a good idea. I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

“You look like you got hit by a truck.”

He rolled over trying to make himself comfortable, “Rude.”

She leaned her head back against the wall, “What…. Did that feel like? I have never seen anything like it before…. It scared me.”

The human snorted then coughed again, “Depends on what you’re asking about. Your throat hurts like your esophagus is lined in sandpaper, your face hurts because of the pressure in your nose from the swelling and all the gunk in your sinuses. Your entire body just aches made worse by the shivering which makes those muscles hurt more. Then the coughing comes in, and that just adds to the issue and it hurts your throat. Your chest is congested so it's hard to breathe, and it hurts. Generally your head hurts too, and your fever is so high it's just hard to think. When you sleep it isnt well and the dreams are weird as shit. At the worst of it, you're not even sure if you are awake or not….. Short answer is it sucks.”

“I’m sorry….. You humans really got dealt a shit hand…. I never thought it would be so….”

“Easy to take out a human?”

“Yeah…”

“Id say a lot of the stuff we evolved to survive also made our lives shit….. The fever comes to kill off the virus or bacteria or whatever, but it can also cause brain damage if it goes to high, which is kind of a bummer, plus it feels terrible.”

She patted his shoulder in sympathy.

He curled up and sighed, no longer shivering and promptly fell back asleep.

By the fifth day, the humans were sitting up and eating and even walking around a little. Day six they were declared no longer contagious but ordered to wear surgical masks. Still they were left weak achy and commander vir spent much of the time sleeping curled up in another makeshift nest, this time in his own rooms.

The other human approached sunny upon leaving grabbing her by the arm to stop her before, “Thank you, Sunny…. I know you were really there for the commander, but I appreciate you thinking of me.”

Sunny tilted her head in surprise confused that the human would thank her for something so minor, by the time sunny had thought of anything to say, the other human was already gone.

She thought she now understood why ril was always so worried about his humans.

Humans getting sick was actually kind of scary.

She didn’t like it

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chroma-ki · 4 years

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Two Hearts, One Mind

This is a one-shot BakuDeku fic that I wrote and posted on AO3 about a month ago. I posted the link onto my blog a while ago, but wanted to get a copy of it up on here as well to spread the love.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24653701

Summary:

It was almost like they were kids again, curled under a blanket in Izuku’s childhood bedroom - talking of heroes and villains and imagined futures. But they weren’t children anymore. Life had swallowed them whole, crushed them down and spat them back out into mangled versions of themselves that no longer fit together the same.

AKA - A sleep-deprived and anxiety-filled Deku runs into his childhood friend and current rival in the middle of the night. Kacchan wont let him get away so easily.

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In the heavy, dreary silence of night that settled over the Alliance Heights common room, Izuku Midoriya rubbed his face for the hundredth time, fighting against sleep, as he scrawled another note onto the page in front of him.

With the next big exam right around the corner and his work study program keeping him from attending class on a daily basis, Izuku had spent the last three days studying during every free moment. Between his work study, daily courses and his extracurricular training with All Might, the 24 hours in a day felt like not nearly enough.

Free time was a luxury he didn’t get to have. It had been that way since before UA. Since he’d first met All Might, really. At this point, the drive to push forward, to go beyond his limits, was like a constant mantra in his head.

He needed to seize the moment - every moment - if he wanted to reach his goal. No excuse was good enough; no pain great enough. He had too many people counting on him to succeed - to many promises to keep - to himself and to others.

But in times like this, in moments when the pressure built too much, the enormity of his dreams felt like an insurmountable weight upon his shoulders; pressure so intense it threatened to crush him completely.

His brain was a muddled mess, his body sore and aching from a long day of training. Maybe a few hours of sleep would fix it. Maybe if he closed his eyes for just a moment, he would finally get some peace; some relief.

Izuku’s heavy-lidded eyes searched for the clock at the other end of the room, squinting to read the time thanks to his sleep-deprived brain, and couldn’t help but to let out a defeated sigh as it read 4:05am. He’d been studying for five hours; much longer than he’d initially planned.

Another all-nighter . All Might was going to kill him if he kept overdoing it like this.

An unexpected racket sounded from down the hall, startling Izuku into reluctant alertness. It was too early for any of his classmates to be awake, but the thought alone was enough to have him packing up his books and flipping off the common room light, preparing to slip out and back up to his room as quickly as possible.

He was too exhausted to make pleasant conversation; too drained to offer a smile. Running into anyone would only require explanations from him that he didn’t have the energy to give.

As Izuku hastily shoved the last notebook into his backpack, a familiar disarray of blonde hair came into view and Kacchan stumbled his way into the kitchen, his crimson eyes dazed with sleep and a muted yawn on his lips. Izuku froze.

Like prey caught by its predator, he only watched in tense silence as Kacchan blinked - aware of the moment his childhood friend caught on to his presence in the room, even in the darkness of night.

“What the - What the hell are you doing here, Deku?”

Kacchan’s voice was rough, gravelly in his half-awake state, and an annoyed frown played across his lips as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and took in Izuku’s disheveled appearance; the backpack in his hands. His eyes narrowed in what Izuku could only interpret as disdain.

“I-,” Izuku started, and then paused. Nothing he said would satisfy Kacchan anyway. It never did. “I was just leaving.”

Without another word, Izuku zipped his backpack closed and threw it over his shoulder in one swift motion. Making a quick bee-line for the hallway, he kept his eyes on the ground, every inch of his body aware of Kacchan’s presence - until a hard, muscled arm whipped up to block his path.

“As if,” Kacchan growled, the rough grate of his voice like the scratch of sandpaper against Izuku’s already frayed nerves.

It was enough to cause Izuku’s gaze to lift; his eyes meeting ones of deep blood red. His breath caught in his throat. From fear or something else in the charged space between them, he wasn’t sure, but their eyes held nonetheless.

He prepared himself for what could only be a string of insults, a lash at his pride or whatever else Kacchan felt like throwing his way this early in the morning - but none came.

For a moment, they only stared at each other in tense silence. Then, Kacchan lowered his arm and turned toward the kitchen counter without another word; pulling out one glass, then another. Izuku watched with anticipation as Kacchan filled both glasses with water from the tap, taking a deep gulp of his own, and pushing the other towards the edge of the counter; toward Izuku.

A silent offer.

Izuku found himself at an impasse - the desperate desire to escape to the confines of his room and allow himself to rest, if only for five minutes, warring with the magnetic pull of Kacchan’s presence.

Lifting his stiff and aching arm, he reached out a hesitant hand toward the glass, allowing himself a small sip and waited for Kacchan to make a move - to set the pace of this interaction.

“Talk. Now, nerd. What were you doing down here before I caught you?” Kacchan finally asked, his tone acquisitory. “Must have been up to no good, if you thought you could sneak away from me so easily.”

Izuku let out an exasperated sigh. God , was he not in the mood for this.

“I was studying. That’s all,” he spat bluntly, not entirely prepared for the way his voice came out in a clipped, irritated tone - more bravado than he actually felt. “Are you satisfied?”

He was definitely losing his mind.

Kacchan’s eyes widened slightly - but he didn’t snap back. It seemed he was also ill-prepared for sass this early in the morning.

His eyes flashed in the dim light of the room, the corners of his mouth turning down into a scowl, but otherwise Kacchan seemed calm; calculated. A side of the explosive boy that Izuku knew existed, yet rarely saw up close.

“Not in the slightest, nerd,” Kacchan muttered in way of reply before brushing past Izuku and heading for the front door of the dorms. Without another word, he opened it and left it wide as he stepped out onto the front porch of the dorms and into the still, black night.

There was little need to suggest that Izuku should follow. It was implied, as most things were when it came to Kacchan. It was a dance they had performed time and time again. And Kacchan always took the lead.

With a resigned droop of his shoulders, he followed Kacchan outside and stepped into the cool night air, taking in a deep breath that filled his lungs. The crisp chill of the air sang to Izuku’s senses, pulling him back to a state of alertness he hadn’t known in hours.

Until now, he hadn’t realized how much he’d needed a breath of fresh air - or how much his body craved the glass of water that he still held firm in his hand. If he didn’t know any better, he’d assume Kacchan was actually being...considerate. But assuming Kacchan’s intentions when it came to him was something out of the realm of Izuku’s expertise.

Since their second fight at Ground Beta - since all their dirty laundry had been bared to each other in a blur of fists and rage - Izuku knew that there was more to Kacchan that he had yet to uncover. More to the boy he’d spent his entire life chasing. No matter how tired he was, no matter how worn down and beaten, Kacchan’s hold on him was like a vice grip around his heart. As it had always been.

Kacchan sat on the porch step, his back to Izuku, as he gazed out into the empty night. A picture of stoic perfection against the dark sky. Despite the rift that had grown between them over the years, it was a sight Izuku thought he might never tire of.

Without invitation, he slowly made his way forward and lowered himself to the step at Kacchan’s side, his gaze following Kacchan’s as they both stared at nothing; locked in their own heads. The moment felt more private - intimate - now that they were outside. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t make him nervous. After a brief moment to collect himself, he spoke.

“I’m not trying to hide anything from you. Honestly. I really was just studying.”

“Hah,” Kacchan scoffed, his gaze never moving, but his demeanor remained cool; distant. “You lie too easily for someone who claims not to hide anything. Yet you somehow still manage to be shit at it. Why is that?”

Izuku only frowned in confusion, unsure of what to say. Why did Kacchan always assume the worst of him? Claim that he was keeping secrets? It was knowledge that didn’t sit well in his head. Kacchan knew the only big secret Izuku really had. What else was there to tell?

He felt the familiar feeling of frustration rise in his chest.

“You obviously didn’t sleep, if the horrendous bags under your eyes are any indication,” Kacchan continued. “Everyone else managed to study without turning themselves into a pathetic mess. So what’s the deal? If you’ve got something bothering you, just spit it out. Pisses me off that you don’t say what you actually think.”

Izuku took a moment to ponder the boy’s words before answering matter-of-factly.

“I have to do better. It’s as simple as that. I have to try harder than anyone else here if I want to succeed. What does it matter how I get there? I’ll keep going until I have what it takes.”

Kacchan turned to him then, his lips pressed into a thin, frustrated line; his crimson eyes searching for answers in deep pools of green. He opened his mouth and paused, as if warring within himself over what to say, and then spoke.

“Jeez, Deku. You always say stupid crap like that just to piss me off, don’t you?”

“No, I -"

“Listen here, nerd. Stop with the bullshit,” Kacchan snapped, his voice dropping to a vicious, low note. “Why bother making yourself sound so noble, huh? Like you’re somehow so much more driven than the rest of us just because All Might gave you his stupid power.”

The words coming out of his mouth sounded raw - unrestrained - and they cut through Izuku like a searing blade in his vulnerable state.

“All of this - gettting into UA, training to be a hero, getting your stupid provisional license - it’s all been so easy for you. You’ve got All Might giving you everything you could possibly need. But, if you run yourself into the ground worrying over stupid shit, then it will have all been for nothing . We don’t all have our dreams handed to us on a silver fucking platter.”

The explosive boy rarely spoke so much. But when he did it was always what he really thought - what he really felt . Kacchan wasn’t one to beat around the bush. It dove straight under Izuku’s skin, boiled his blood, in a way that he hated.

He was so tired; worn down and running on fumes - and hovering way too close to the edge of sanity to hold back the thoughts raging around in his brain.

“Y- You think this is easy for me? Hah,” Izuku scoffed, the deliriousness making him brave.

Kacchan’s eyes widened slightly but they held Izuku’s firm and true as his fears and anxieties came pouring from his mouth like a bursting dam.

“You’re right. Meeting All Might,becoming his successor, learning from him, it’s more than I ever could have dreamed. He’s had my back since the beginning - and his help is more than I deserve - but it will only get me so far. You don’t think I’m reminded every single day of how lucky I am that he chose me? You think I’m so full of myself that I wouldn’t see the big picture?”

The words were spilling out of him so quickly, he could barely contain himself. The building pressure of having to prove himself, having to turn himself into someone that was worthy of the gift All Might had given him, had already been eating at him for months. He’d done everything... everything he possibly could to reach this point. And now, having to justify it to Kacchan was only evidence that he needed to work harder - that he had more to prove.

“You were born with a quirk. I had to earn mine. And I’ve spent every day since pushing harder and harder to prove that I’m worthy of what he gave me. Me - a useless, quirkless nobody who never deserved a second glance. Not even from you. So no, it hasn’t been fucking easy , Kacchan. Just because you know my secret doesn’t mean you know how I feel.”

When he was finished, Izuku resisted the urge to slap his own hand over his stupid mouth. He’d really gone and done it now - he just knew it.

Kacchan’s body was tense beside him, his explosive hands clenching and unclenching into fists at his sides. Izuku waited, holding his breath in anticipation of the backlash he knew would come. Instead, Kacchan’s mouth turned up into a satisfied smirk.

“Fucking finally.”

Izuku could only gape.

“It’s about damn time, Deku,” He continued, the growl in his voice sending shivers down Izuku’s spine; the rumble of thunder before a storm. “You’ve got my attention. So go ahead. Yell. Rage at me. Give me everything you’ve got. Make me understand.”

“Why?” Izuku asked, unable to keep the question to himself.

“All Might already told me his side of the story after our fight,” Kacchan explained, pushing forward on the palms of his hands so that his face was only inches from Izuku’s. “So tell me yours. Fill in the pieces I’m missing. Let me inside that thick head of yours - and maybe I’ll listen.”

Izuku wasn’t quite sure he was hearing correctly. Maybe he’d fallen asleep on the couch and all of this was some messed up dream concocted by his overloaded brain. But the coil of dreaded anticipation in his stomach felt real. The brush of Kacchan’s breath against his face felt real.

“What do you want to know?” He asked, the words a breathless whisper on his tongue.

“Everything.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that, Kacchan. Ask me, and I will answer honestly.”

Kacchan’s gaze narrowed, but the intensity in them didn’t lessen. Ever since they were children, Kacchan had been a master of intimidation - among many other things. He was used to getting what he wanted. But Izuku had never been good at giving Kacchan what he wanted. Maybe this time could be different. Maybe things could change.

“Let’s start with the day of the sludge villain attack,” Kacchan started, matter-of-factly, finally giving Izuku a reprieve as his demeanor relaxed. “When you ran in to save me.”

Izuku slowly nodded his agreement.

“Why did you do it?”

“Do what?”

Kacchan rolled his eyes, annoyed. “Why did you run in to save me?”

This wasn’t the type of question Izuku had been expecting.

“All Might said that’s when he decided to give you his power. So, tell me. What were you thinking when it happened?”

It took Izuku a moment to formulate an answer. But when he did, he had to turn his eyes away from Kacchan’s intense gaze. His answers were meant to be honest, but that didn’t mean Kacchan would like them.

That was the point of all of this, wasn’t it? The open, honest truth. Nothing more, nothing less.

“I think it was the look on your face,” he answered, his voice coming out small.

He felt more than saw Kacchan shift uncomfortably beside him.

“Explain.”

“I don’t know. When I saw your face - when I knew it was you - my body just moved. It- It looked like you were asking for help. Even if I didn’t have a quirk - even if I was useless - I had to save you. There was no other option.”

“I wasn’t,” Kacchan muttered, but there was no bite in his words. “Asking for your help, I mean...”

“You didn’t have to. It was you.”

The air was pulled taut between them - a worn, frayed line damaged by years of resentment, anger and pride.

Even with his vision trained on the step below his feet, Izuku could feel Kacchan’s eyes on him like a searing brand. It was making his heart race; his stomach flip. This conversation wasn’t like their other talks; talks that had involved a fury of fists and broken screams.

This was new.

It was a few awkward seconds before Kacchan spoke again - actively avoiding Izuku’s comment - but he’d heard it all the same. He was listening.

“Next question. When was the first time you used it? The power, I mean.”

“The day of the entrance exam,” Izuku answered without hesitation.

“You- You what?”

“I used it for the first time the day of the entrance exam. Wrecked by body completely,” Izuku said, a huff of a laugh on his lips. “You would have hated it. I was pathetic.”

“What the hell, Deku?”

“I had ten months to get myself ready for the exam. Ten months of training to prepare my body for this quirk,” He said, lifting his crooked hand as he spoke - allowing a spark of green lighting to course through his fingers. “It was hard, but I finished that training the morning of the exam. It’s not like I really had time to test it out first.”

“So, you’re telling me that you passed the entrance exam - into the highest rated hero course in the country - without ever using your quirk before? Without even testing it out? Don’t you hear how ridiculous that sounds?” Kacchan’s voice was quiet, but wavered on a hysterical edge. “You really are something else, you know that?”

Izuku’s eyes were drawn back to Kacchan like a moth to flame. The boy he’d known all his life was watching him with an expression he’d never seen before. His crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness but - at least for the moment - they were for no one and nothing in the world but Izuku.

Since when had Kacchan started looking at him like that? It made Izuku’s breath catch in his chest.

“I know. But don’t you see? Passing the exam, getting into UA, everything I’ve done since then - none of it was enough. It took me months of training - months of analyzing and study - just to be able to use it without breaking apart entirely. Literally.”

Izuku didn’t bother to hide the solemn look that he knew must be on his face as he gave his thoughts voice.

“I have months to play years of catch-up. I see that every time I look at our classmates. Every time I look at you. What I am now - who I am now - still isn’t enough. That’s what bothers me.”

Kacchan seemed to contemplate his words a moment, but his penchant for insults seemed worn out - along with his pride. This Kacchan was exposed - unguarded and honest.

“Now that I think I can understand. The ‘not feeling like enough’ shit.”

Kacchan’s knuckles were white, skin and bone straining with the pressure in which he clenched them, but after a few moments he let out a disgruntled groan and flopped himself onto his back against the porch. He stared up the ceiling, unseeing, before starting again.

“Ever since my quirk manifested, people have always had their eyes on me. Like they were just watching - waiting to see what I would become. They told me I was special. And I believed them. I- fuck. I’m not good at this, dammit.”

Izuku watched as a pained expression crossed Kacchan’s face.

“I thought their praise meant that I was strong. But I was wrong. It made me blind. I didn’t see that until I got to UA. Until you-” He paused. “It made me question a lot of shit about myself.”

Izuku knew what it cost Kacchan to say such things aloud; the vulnerability it exposed to acknowledge any sign of weakness. But for Kacchan to have thought that he wasn’t enough was… incomprehensible to Izuku.

As quietly as he could, Izuku laid back on the ground next to Kacchan - risking closeness with the boy who’d always been his inspiration. Kacchan didn’t seem inclined to move away, so instead they lay side by side, just allowing themselves to inhabit that same headspace - be on the same page, for once. It was like drawing in a breath of fresh air.

Izuku felt more alive than he had in days.

For a few minutes they stayed in comfortable silence, only the sounds of their breath and the songs of crickets leaking into the night air around them before Izuku picked up the thread of conversation, his voice a whisper of breath between them.

“What’s the next question?”

For a while they went back and forth like that - Kacchan interrogating him with question after unexpected question while Izuku cast aside the filter of his mind and poured out truth after truth. It felt good - more than good. The weight of his anxieties didn’t feel so heavy, as he was sharing them with Kacchan.

At some point, they rolled to face one another and Izuku couldn’t hide his smile against the expressiveness of Kaccchan’s face as they spoke; his striking features mesmerizing as the first changing colors of sunrise danced along the horizon.

But maybe time was ironing out their kinks. Maybe each time they pulled back the curtain, just long enough to truly see each other, they were able to discover where the pieces used to fit. Where they could fit again.

They spoke of numerous adventures - those lived together and those lived apart. They spoke of fighting styles and refined techniques. They spoke of good times and bad, of fights won and lost; they spoke of All Might.

“I don’t have to like it,” Kacchan said, a small smirk on his face. “But I understand what he saw in you - why he picked you.”

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked, leaning his cheek flat against the floor, relishing in the coolness of it against his flushed face.

“I've seen it too. Ever since we were kids. Always pissed me off,” Kacchan said, reaching out a hand and poking Izuku none-too-lightly in the chest. “ That’s one of the reasons why you shouldn’t be worryin’.”

“If you say so, Kacchan.”

“Damn right, I say so,” Kacchan huffed, his crimson eyes drifting closed under the weight of exhaustion. “Don’t let that stupid head of yours get in the way. Stay beside me, Deku. Don’t let yourself fall behind. Keep fighting, and I’ll fight with you.”

“Nothing would make me happier,” Izuku mumbled, a yawn escaping his mouth as he followed Kacchan’s lead and let his eyes fall shut.

Consciousness was fleeting and Izuku felt himself drifting as his relaxed body and mind fought to succumb to its most basic needs. But he didn’t want this moment to end.

In his half-conscious state, he felt something brush his face, pushing the hair from his eyes, but couldn’t bother to open them to see what it was.

“Sleep, nerd. I’ll wake you up when it’s time for class.”

Izuku nodded mutely but reached out blindly, his hand searching for Kacchan’s arm but instead found the solid planes of his chest. That would do.

“Stay.”

Kacchan said nothing in way of reply, but Izuku felt the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath his scarred hand and allowed himself to succumb to the blissful darkness. He drifted off to sleep with the thought in his head that, as long as Kacchan was by his side, everything might just be okay.

When the bright morning sun woke him hours later, Izuku found his hand twisted in the fabric of Kacchan’s white shirt and the explosive boy sleeping like the dead beside him.

#bakudeku #katsudeku #deku #kacchan #bakugo katsuki #midorya izuku #izuku midoriya #mha #mha fanfiction #mha fanfic #my hero academia

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igottheissue · 5 years

Text

This Time Around 4

A strange woman Bucky is sure he knows but can’t fully recognize, picks him up after the fall of SHIELD. She claims to be friends with Steve and that she is here to help him. He can’t help but keep wondering where he knows her from; it’s definitely not through Steve Rogers. Can she help him be the man he wants to be or will the all too familiar struggles of being a super human overcome him?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes X OC Rowan O’Connor Word Count: 4,090 Rating: M Masterlist Chapter 3 Chapter 5

Taglist: @xmarveled @spidey-the-killer-queen

Rowan was on the other side of the car with lightning-fast speed. She caught Bucky around the arm as he fell, barely keeping him from bashing his head on the car mirror. He was unconscious but breathing normally. Checking around the empty parking lot, Rowan sighed and maneuvered Bucky into the back seat of her car.

She grabbed another pair of handcuffs and cuffed his hands in front of him. Buckling herself up a few moments later she peeled out of the visitor’s park and back onto I-80. Heading as fast as she could towards Faith, South Dakota. Bucky’s soft, almost incoherent mumbles about not wanting to hurt them egged her on to keep the pedal mashed to the floorboard.

Bucky felt his body vibrating. That was weird… Keeping still a breath longer he deduced it wasn’t, in fact, his body vibrating. He was lying on his back at an awkward angle in the back of Rowan’s old Camaro, probably still heading toward South Dakota. He moved to rub his hands across his face but found them to be handcuffed.

He yanked his wrists apart a couple times before coming to the conclusion that the cuffs weren’t composed of normal, run of the mill steel that police officers had. He’d have been able to break those easily. Looking ahead into the front seat, Bucky noticed Rowan’s grasp on the black steering wheel was tight, knuckles stark white against her otherwise tan complexion. Her posture was rigid, shoulders impossibly tight. She was waiting for something, but he wasn’t sure what.

Then it clicked. The visitor’s park. Her guiding him through the small patch of woods to the meadow with the day lilies, showing him his left monstrosity of an arm could feel delicate things. His mind flashed forward to those two car-jackers… How the thirst for blood ran through his entire being. Then the old memory of him assassinating those two children slammed into him like a ton of bricks. He couldn’t breathe; the weight of what he did to them, the silent screams from the young girl as her brother’s blood splattered across her tiny, round face filled his vision.

Every minute detail from that night, from what he was wearing, to the temperature and how his surroundings smelled came back to him. He calmed his breath and counted the doors and windows of the car three times over until he was certain that he had evaded another panic attack. Two in as many days wasn’t a great record to hold. Once he was confident his voice wouldn’t shake, he spoke up over the low rumble of the engine.

“Rowan, why am I handcuffed?” It was worded as a question but sounded more like an annoyed statement. If he had tried not to sound like an annoyed jackass he wasn’t sure if he would come off as anything other than freaked out.

He wasn’t sure exactly what happened, but he was pretty positive he’d had his first memory break through his subconscious. Rowan flitted her green eyes to the rearview mirror a couple times before settling them on Bucky’s blue ones for a long moment, to the point Bucky was worried that she hadn’t had her eyes on the road for a while.

“Just a precaution. Give me a minute and I’ll pull over to un-cuff you.” Bucky was sure he could hear the tension ease out of her voice as she finished her statement. He watched as her knuckles turned back to the rich tan that they normally were.

When she pulled over and opened the car’s back door, the tension that had been pinching her shoulders before was gone. He found himself a little shameful that he was the one to cause her such tension. He quickly brushed the ill thoughts away as she reached over him and unlocked the metal handcuffs.

“Sorry Bucky. Didn’t wanna take any chances. I wasn’t sure what would happen when you woke up. That wasn’t bad for your first memory recovery though. You can understand the precaution of the handcuffs? I had Tony make some specially reinforced ones for me… Just in case.” She looked off to her right as she trailed off. She had tried to make Bucky feel a little more normal.

She wasn’t sure if it worked and honestly neither was Bucky but he still appreciated the gesture. Just as he had when she mentioned the whole low blood pressure thing earlier today. Was it still the same day? Bucky suddenly started looking around, wondering what time it was. The sun had long gone down he could tell; there was no trace of lingering golden rays or a colorful skyline. It was pitch black outside.

“We’re at the ranger station. I’m gonna head in… You can take as much time as you need.” Rowan threw a tight lipped smile towards Bucky’s pale expression before she headed inside the log and stone cabin. Bucky watched dazedly at her retreating form; her shoulders were still a tad rigid.

Rowan took deep, calculated breaths as she walked away from Bucky. That was harder than she had anticipated it would be. She could feel her own panic attack coming on as she had dragged Bucky to the car back at the visitor’s station. It had taken her two hours until she got her breathing back under control.

She was pissed at herself for losing control like that. She hadn’t had a panic attack in almost two years. The cold sting of the metal doorknob brought her wandering mind back to her current task. She took a deep breath in again, clearing her mind as she prepared to handle something- or rather someone- else that she hadn’t had to deal with in a while.

Warren was a handsome man. Rather average height for a man at five foot ten, but Rowan never had an issue with the lack of height difference between them; it never came to mind in the bedroom. The super soldier took her time admiring the blonde as he was partially bent over his desk. She didn’t bother verbally alerting him that she was here.

She knew he heard her walk in; not much got past his sharp hearing. She cocked her hip and leaned her elbows on the tall counter, waiting patiently. After a few moments, the broad shouldered man in a green DNR ranger uniform turned around. Rowan let a small smirk grace her lips as she met Warren’s light blue eyes.

“Long time no see O’Connor.”

“I could say the same thing for you Worthington.”

“I’ll be honest, when I got your phone call I wasn’t expecting you to be bringing along another guy.”

“You’re such a cheeky bastard you know that?”

“You love it.” The man was right, Rowan did love it. Once upon a time. But then her own damn feelings got in the way of things. It got too serious, too quickly; for both of them. Years had passed and by now they were both over their feelings, for the most part. Now it was nothing but shameless flirting and occasional sexy time whenever Rowan passed through. And she couldn’t forget the damn good chamomile tea he made for their talks. She shook her thoughts away.

“What happened to your wings.” Warren smiled despite himself. Rowan hadn’t changed in all the years he’d known her. Really bad about feelings. Really good at awkwardly changing the subject. His left hand unconsciously grasped his right, twisting a titanium ring around his ring finger. He toyed with it a breath before he slide it off and laid it on the counter. Rowan grinned widely and walked around the counter.

“That’s more like it.” She gave Warren a quick peck on the cheek and stepped back, admiring his fifteen foot wingspan. He was an odd sight in his own opinion, but over the years- thanks to Rowan’s help- he’d gotten used to his mutation. A gift as Rowan always called it. He eventually had come to see it as that.

But Rowan had seen how much it had negatively affected him during his life. He just wanted a normal life. He couldn’t really have one with fifteen feet of white feathers following him around everywhere. So for Christmas one year, he received a newspaper wrapped box with a ton of packing peanuts inside.

He’d almost just thrown it out when he noticed the ring sitting at the bottom; a post-it note with Rowan’s initials scribbled in her messy handwriting on the front. On the back scrawled in the same chicken scratch it read “Don’t over use it. Be proud of who you are meant to be. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more.”

He hadn’t seen her in almost a year when he’d received the gift, and he wouldn’t see her again for another six months after that. He didn’t know where she’d gotten the charmed ring, or who could even make something like this. She usually had friends in the tech world, he didn’t know she knew anyone in the supernatural clique.

“I can’t believe you missed my wings the most. That’s not even the best part of me.” Rowan laughed as she gently brushed her hand across Warren’s left wing, still unbelieving in how soft it was. Like a cloud.

“Oh come on War, we both know the wings aren’t the best part on you.” She ended her sentence with a wink. The clearing of a throat brought the two former lovers out of their stare down.

“I can go wait back out in the car… If you need me to.” Bucky was shuffling his feet, looking down while his right hand reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, while his left arm hung awkwardly, as if he didn’t know what to do with it. Rowan stepped back from Warren a few steps. The blonde man cleared his throat and moved around the counter, reaching out his right hand towards Bucky. Bucky took it cautiously.

“Nice to meet you Sergeant Barnes.”

“Thanks…” Bucky was thoroughly confused as the two released their firm handshake. Why was this angel man happy to meet him? Did he not know who he was? Was this guy a bad guy; did Bucky know him from his time with Hydra? He didn’t really recognize the face.

“Looks like you got your hands full with Row over here, yeah? Already fleeing the country! Well she always has had an eye for the bad guys.” Warren held an easy grin on his face, though Bucky noticed he had a slighter heavy eyebrow than he did a moment ago.

His eyes flashed quickly to the auburn haired woman behind the counter; she must trust this guy a lot to tell him they were planning on leaving the country. Though from the conversation he walked in on and the looks on their faces the ex-assassin made a correct assumption that there were still at least some feelings left. Bucky started to answer before Rowan beat him to the gate.

“Stop teasing him. I already told you it’s not like that. I’m helpin a couple friends out.” Warren turned towards Rowan slowly and started walking back behind the counter again.

“Right, like you were helping me- a friend- out all those years ago?” The tone was light, but even with Warren’s back facing Bucky, he could tell from Rowan’s melancholy expression that the subject might not be as easy for them to discuss as they were trying to play off in front of him. Rowan blinked and looked at Warren for a breath before turning away from the blonde man and walked back towards Bucky.

“War I didn’t come here for this. I came because I needed you’re help and I trust you. So if you’re not-“

“Don’t be silly Row-boat, of course I’ll help you. I can’t help the teasing, old habits and such.” Rowan turned back to the mutant with a stoic look on her face. Bucky didn’t know the woman very well but he wasn’t stupid; he could tell that she was trying her damnedest to not let her feelings show. Warren shuffled around the slightly messy desk behind the counter before dangling a pair of keys in front of him triumphantly.

“These are for the ranger station. Once you park at the Red Elm visitors station it’s a few hours hike out there. No one should bother you out there. There’s no one scheduled to go camping in that area for the next month. I’ve booked the sites up from you. I’ve also blocked off all the hiking paths to and from that particular station.” Bucky stood silently next to Rowan and Warren as they went over a map; Warren showing the two soldiers where they’d be staying and where he’d blocked everything at.

“You can stay at my place tonight and head out in the morning. I’ll bring you a load of supplies a week from tomorrow, along with more info on your plane to Vancouver.”

“Thank you so much War. It means a lot.” Warren let a tight-lipped smile grace his sharp face as his ocean blue eyes slide over Bucky before gathering up the maps and keys. He dumped them into a small backpack and threw it over his shoulder. After he slipped the titanium ring back on his right ring finger, Rowan and Bucky followed him to the front doors of the station.

After locking up, they made quick work of transferring Rowan and Bucky’s bags into Warren’s truck. Bucky hopped in the spacious back seat while Rowan threw her car keys to Warren. Bucky couldn’t help but let a smirk fall upon his face as he heard Rowan threaten Warren to take care of her baby, lest he wanted to face the wrath of not only herself, but Tony Stark as well.

The drive to Warrens quaint cabin wasn’t too long, but Bucky was still uncomfortable. Rowan and Warren were quiet in the front seat, but Bucky could taste the tension in the air. The trio entered the cabin, greeted by rock music softly playing from the radio sitting on the kitchen counter.

Rowan looked around nostalgically for a moment before setting her bags down. Bucky held onto his small duffel that contained the essential over night items. Warren walked to the right towards a hallway lit by a warm nightlight plugged into the wall.

“Mr. Barnes, you’re room is the last on the left, bathroom’s right across. The hot and cold shower knobs are backwards by the way. Don’t have usually have guests over so I’ve not fixed it yet…” Warren trailed off as Bucky nodded his head in thanks and walked down the hall to his room.

It was small, but cozy. A bookshelf and desk adorned the east facing wall, while a queen sized bed and two side tables shared the wall directly in front of him. The closet and a dresser filled in the west facing wall. The furniture was all red oak, with dark, earthy toned colors decorating the bed and walls. Bucky grabbed his shower things and made his way to the bathroom across the hall.

“Bucky if you need anything, my rooms just on the other side of the living room. I’ll see you tomorrow, oh five hundred, yeah?” Rowan had shed her jacket and shoes. She looked like she had gotten comfortable quick. Bucky appreciated that, at least she could easily adapt to any situation, good if they were going to be hiding out for an indefinite amount of time together.

“Alright. Oh five hundred.” Bucky nodded and shut the bathroom door.

Rowan grabbed her duffel and let her feet carry her down an all too familiar path. After she had thrown her bag haphazardly on the twin bed in the small bedroom, she made her way down to the door at the end of the hallway. How many times she’d been here…

Less than she’d wanted, she’d admit. But never to anyone aloud. She found herself hesitating to turn the door knob, opting on a light knock instead. A breath later, Warren opened the door, his white v neck exposed under his unbuttoned ranger shirt.

“What’s up, love?” Warren backed away from the door way to finish removing his work uniform, turning away as he shed the v neck. He could feel Rowan’s eyes roaming the expanse of his back. Sliding his ring off his finger his breath hitched when he heard his ex-fiancé’s breath intake slightly.

“Oh, you know. Same old, same.” Warren couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped as he turned toward the auburn haired woman. He’d missed the teasing glint in her emerald eyes. It’d been a few months since she’d stopped in, staying only the weekend. They’d caught up on each other’s lives.

Nothing had changed much- Warren fulfilling his wishes of leading a simple, honest life, staying out of trouble when he could- And Rowan doing some side jobs for whatever government flavor caught her attention that month. It was nice catching up, like old times. They hadn’t really left the bedroom those two days.

As much as they didn’t want to admit it, they both missed each other; they both regretted how things had ended. Rowan the most. She’d wanted to marry Warren oh so badly, but she couldn’t bring herself to give up the lifestyle she had. She wasn’t sure she could. Even for the five years they’d been together- living together for the most of it- every few months Rowan would get an itch that she’d have to scratch.

She couldn’t convince Warren to ever come along with her. In the end, she’d called it off; she couldn’t let her past go. It wasn’t fair to him, she’d said. He’d agreed, it really wasn’t, but that didn’t stop them from still loving each other. Rowan had cried that night, the first time Warren had ever seen tears come from her eyes. He’d held her and comforted her, silently cursing the situation, though sometimes loving someone wasn’t enough.

“Come to take advantage of me have you?” Rowan smiled wryly towards the man, reaching up and tracing her calloused hand along his sharp jawline.

“You know me, War. Good at the sex, shit at the feels. Plus, who knows if I’ll make it out of this favor alive? I am harboring the most dangerous man in the world ya know.” She lightly tapped his cheek before she dropped her hand. Warren wanted to disagree with her, but knew it’d be a waste of breath. After all they’d been through, he knew never to get in the way of her latest projects.

“How d’you know I don’t have a girlfriend? It’s been how long since you’ve seen me?” Rowan glanced around his bedroom quickly. Nothing had changed much. Soft blues and greens gave the room a calming effect, and pictures of himself with Rowan and a few other close friends adorned shelves and his nightstand. Rowan felt a pang in her heart. Damned feelings.

“She can join us.”

“Come off it O’Connor. We both know you don’t like sharing.”

“Sharing’s caring Worthington.” Warren rumbled out a deep chuckle and pulled Rowan close to him. Truth was there was no other woman. Sure, throughout the years he’d had a few girlfriends, a couple Rowan had even met before.

But none of them managed to stay long. Eventually he’d try to open up to them about his past and about his… erm… gift. It never ended the best. Either the poor woman would freak out and run, or she’d be too obsessed, to the point of trying to show him off to everyone. He was not thankful for the super-hero era they were living in at the moment.

He was no superhero, and Rowan was the only woman who’d respected his wishes of staying out of the spotlight, even though she disagreed with them. There might be another woman out there somewhere, maybe he’d find her, maybe not. For now he was content where he was.

“You’re ridiculous woman, you know that.”

“Yup.” Rowan leaned forward, not having to reach up much as they were the same height, and pressed her lips against Warren’s. She’d missed this. Missed him. He hummed lightly and kissed her back a bit before pulling away.

“Sorry Warren. I just-“

“I know.” They exchanged small smiles before pulling away a bit.

“How about I make us some tea and we catch up?” Rowan grinned towards the blue-eyed angel and nodded her head softly, following Warren towards the kitchen.

-TTA-

The clap of thunder jolted Rowan out of her sleep. She dared not move for a moment, choosing instead to let her tired eyes rest upon the mess of blonde curls lying upon her lap. Warren and she had stayed up way too late last night. Though her neck had a horrid crick in it and she couldn’t feel her ass from her haphazard sleeping position, she was glad to have caught up last night. Rowan rolled her neck again, relishing in the cracking sounds it made. She gazed over at the cable box clock under the tv. It read five ten am. Shit.

“I didn’t wanna wake you guys.” Rowan barely suppressed a jump when Bucky’s soft, raspy voice slide through the room. He was stood at the counter, a steaming mug of coffee in his right hand. His left hung limply at his side.

“Right. Sorry ‘bout that.” Rowan looked down at her and Warren’s intertwined hands resting on his bare chest. She squeezed it lightly, trying not to scare him awake. He inhaled deeply and gripped her hand back tightly.

“G’mornin Row-boat.” Warren mumbled in a sleep filled haze. He lazily stretched out along the brown leather for a moment before he jolted upright, as if remembering Bucky was there. Right. Official, off-the-books business was supposed to happen… ten minutes ago…

“Sorry… Guess we should have gone with chamomile tea last night. Damn caffeine.” Bucky smiled tightly and sipped his coffee, looking out the window into the cloud filled sky. Warren moved quickly to his room to get dressed, calling out to be ready in ten. Rowan sat on the couch for a minute before she too got up. She was still in her clothes from yesterday, but decided coffee was more appealing than changing at the moment. She padded over to the kitchen and poured a steaming mug of coffee. Bucky just stared at her as she drank it. A mild look of horror on his face.

“What. Do I have bogie or something?” Rowan rubbed her nose self-consciously. Bucky blinked before shaking his head.

“Are you gonna put sugar in there? Or… ya know, creamer? There’s some in the fridge.”

“Gross.” Rowan held a serious look on her face as Bucky’s eyes stayed wide.

“She likes her coffee black, like her soul.” Warren walked into the room, fully clothed and wearing a shit-eating grin on his face.

“You’ll get used to it mate.” Warren poured himself his own coffee while shuffling Rowan out of the way from the fridge, before pouring creamer in his own coffee. Bucky blew a puff of air out of his nose and shook his head, small smile gracing his chapped lips. Both men’s eyes followed Rowan’s sleepy form as she downed the rest of her coffee, not even blinking at the heat or bitterness of the dark liquid. She ignored their looks of slight distaste as she walked lazily back to her room to change.

“Yeah, maybe. If I can stay alive for that long.” Bucky tried to sound easy going with Warren. He wouldn’t say he particularly liked the guy, but he didn’t get any weird vibes from him either. He could see himself getting along with him given the chance.

“Rowan’s the best of the best at this. She’ll take care of you. She’s good at that. Just don’t fall in love and ask her to marry you. She’ll be high-tailin it outta there so quick you won’t know what happened till she’s halfway across the continent.” Warren ended the sentence with a rueful smile. Bucky wasn’t quite sure how to reply to that, so he didn’t.

An annoyed ‘I heard that.’ Was heard faintly from the bedroom as the men shared a soft laugh before Rowan walked out to the living room.

“You lot ready then?” Bucky and Warren nodded sharply before following Rowan out into the storm.

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