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havealotonmymind · 2 months

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Fears

Summary: Drunk after another fresh victory, the party discusses their silliest fears with one another. When Astarion chooses to abstain, Leviathala (OC) grows ever curious as to why.

Rating: T

Category: Astarion/Original Female Character(s), Astarion/Tav, Astarion & Gale & Karlach & Lae'zel & Shadowheart & Tav & Wyll (Friendship)

Additional Tags:

Party Banter, Alcohol, Developing Friendships, Astarion Being Astarion, Developing Relationship, Blood Drinking, Sexual Tension, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Feelings Realization, Asexuality Spectrum

Also available on AO3!

This was partially inspired by that moment in Act 3 when you try to send Astarion up to the circus stage and he gets upset. I just thought it was funny and it led me to wonder what other silly things the main companions might be scared of. Or at least intensely dislike.

Then it devolved (or evolved depending on how you look at it) into Astarion/Lev shenanigans lol. I think of this as a prelude to the first night they spent in the woods ;)

“Needles,” Gale said after taking a long swig of wine. “I don’t like needles. They make me feel, er…Well, squeamish gives the impression of a worm. Uncomfortable, I suppose.”

Wyll couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve faced down an entire goblin army with all manner of blades pointed at you. I’m surprised you’d shy away from the mere prick of a needle.”

Settling by the campfire after dinner had become their party’s unspoken tradition for the past tenday or so. Those first few distant nights had been tough. After all, how could anyone find pleasure in leisure with a mindflayer tadpole swimming around your brain?

When it was clear that they wouldn’t transform into monsters right away, however, that nervous energy died down, instead replaced by the kind of camaraderie brought on by good spirits and fine stories. Tonight, after many cups of wine and ale passed around, their group dared each other to reveal the silliest fears they had.

Gale frowned. “All right, well, what’s your silliest fear then? I’m sure everyone along the Sword Coast would want to know what could possibly terrify the famed Blade of Frontiers.”

“I’m sure there are some people who would like to know. Enemies, mostly, though I suppose I can make an exception for close friends.” Wyll poured himself another glass of ale. “I was raised to always be vigilant. A Duke’s son is susceptible to plenty of kidnapping and assassination attempts, after all. I became quite good at spotting would-be attackers hidden in crowds or up in rafters. Adroit as some of them thought they were, one good arrow to the chest stopped them cold.”

“I hesitate to ask, but how many such attempts have you or your father endured? It sounds awful,” Leviathala piped up. Her navy blue tail swished lazily back and forth in the dirt behind her.

“I’ve dealt with a fair handful before I became the Blade. I imagine my father faced even more so given his travels. He used to tell me stories about roaming gangs of petty bandits he felled while on the Risen Road.”

“He may have embellished those a tad,” Shadowheart said. “Just to make sure he didn’t scare you.”

“Perhaps,” Wyll relented. “But it wasn’t the stories of bandits or monsters that scared me. As a child, I knew that there were always things I couldn’t control. Sometimes, whenever my father went off on some diplomatic trip, I worried that his caravan might overturn and tumble down a steep cliff or a bad storm would tip his ships. Bandits and monsters I believed wholeheartedly he could best, but a spot of bad luck? How could you fight against fate?”

“That’s hardly silly,” Karlach pointed out, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. “I think every kid worries about their parents to some degree. Surely you’ve gotta have something a little sillier than that.”

He shrugged. “Sorry, that’s the best I have as far as silly fears go.”

“Man, your definition of silly needs some work,” Karlach said. “How are we supposed to laugh at that?”

“I thought the point of telling you all this was not to laugh.”

“I meant on the inside. Duh. I can stick to a promise no matter how drunk I get.”

“Well, what silly thing are you afraid of, then?” Wyll asked with an amused smile. Despite his heroic mien, he did have a bit of a mischievous streak to him.

Karlach rolled her shoulders and assumed a faux boxing stance. “Right, rough and tumble kid from the Lower City. You’d think I’d be pretty fearless, right? I thought so, too. Thought there was nothing I couldn’t beat down. Petty bullies, underbelly criminals, hell, even monsters.”

“You are much the same now,” Lae’zel pointed out.

“Yeah, but back then, I was afraid of something pretty silly in hindsight.” Her bravado dimmed just a tad. “I guess it’s kinda like Wyll’s fear, in a way. I was scared of thunderstorms. The really big ones with winds that felt like they could rip the roof right off your house. Thought they would just up and whisk me away from home.”

A far-off look passed over her face. Who knew that would come true in one way or another for her? Leviathala passed her the bottle of red wine they’d all been sharing for the past half hour without a word.

Karlach took a few long sips. “I stopped being scared of that a long time ago, though. I mean, thunder’s just all noise, right? No offense to the weather, but it’s gonna have to try a little harder to take me away from all this now. I really like all of you, you know?”

“Chk!” Lae’zel turned her nose up at the campfire. “I knew the beings on this Plane were weak, but I did not expect them to be this soft-hearted. I expect none of you would last more than a day in crèche K'liir.”

Shadowheart rolled her eyes. “Oh, and are you going to say you fear nothing?”

“A githyanki who would give in to fear is not worthy of serving Vlaakith.”

“What about when you were a child?” Gale asked before the two could break into another petty fight. “Surely even then, you must have had some irrational fear of the dark or monsters.”

At least Lae’zel seemed to ponder the question this time. “Githyanki do not tolerate any expressions of weakness. Like any young gith in training, I wanted to prove myself above fear. But there was one creature on this Plane that I feared beyond all reason. Its body is pure muscle, strong enough to crush its prey if you were unlucky enough to find yourself in its grasp. Even a drop of its venom is said to paralyze you so you could do nothing but watch yourself be eaten. And yet, for all its prowess, it deigns to slither unassumingly along the ground.” Lae’zel scowled as though the description alone was enough to make her sick. “For a creature to crawl so low and to strike so quickly…it disgusts me to this day.”

“Wait, so what were you scared of? Worms?” Karlach asked.

Leviathala snorted. “Snakes, I believe.”

“Funny, considering you look like one,” Shadowheart sniped.

Lae’zel’s eyes flashed with rage. “I suppose you are lucky I choose not to strike you down, then.”

“Do you expect me to thank you for staying your hand, gith?”

“I expect istik to be worms beneath my boot. And my time here has only proven me right.”

“Hang on, we all haven’t shared yet. You might find something worthy of fearing among us yet,” Wyll piped up from over his cup of ale. Ever the mediator. He nodded at Shadowheart. “And you, Shadowheart? Any silly fears we ought to know about?”

Her face fell. “I can’t remember.”

When everyone started to groan, she added, “It’s true! Perhaps there was something long ago I feared that’s just out of reach. Maybe if I faced it again, I would no longer be afraid of it.”

Leviathala threw her a look. Fearing wolves might not be deemed entirely silly, but it was something to tell the group at least. Especially when they were still camping out in the wilds.

Still, it wasn’t her place to tell it. Shadowheart had divulged that information to her in confidence. No need to push the matter if she didn’t trust it to the others quite yet.

“Astarion, are you planning on joining us anytime soon?” Gale called out over his shoulder. No manner of coaxing had successfully drawn him to their fire. Not yet, at least. It was still a courtesy they extended to him regardless.

Once everyone glanced back at his tent, Astarion’s mouth curled into a sneer. “And wantonly reveal my weaknesses just like that? No, thank you.”

“All right, killjoy.” Karlach passed the bottle back to Leviathala. “Go on then, Lev. What about you?”

Leviathala slung the bottle to her lips. “All your fears have been rather sensible so far,” she said. “But you might laugh at mine.”

“Aw, come on, we swore at the start of all this, didn’t we?”

“That we did, but Wyll still laughed at my fear of needles,” Gale said.

Wyll looked affronted. “I wasn’t prepared for it. But I do apologize. It wasn’t fair of me.”

Gale smiled and he bowed his head. “Apology accepted. I appreciate your candor, your grace.”

“All right, no need for grand titles,” Wyll grumbled, brushing him off. He gestured at Leviathala to continue. “Go on. Before anyone else starts calling me Lord or some other ridiculous thing.”

“As you wish, my Lord.” Leviathala made a show of bowing theatrically low and the others snickered.

“Walked into that one…” He knocked back the rest of his ale in a few gulps.

“Leviathala.” Her name rolled slowly over her tongue. “Named after a deadly creature known as the leviathan.”

“A rather fitting name for one as vicious as yourself.” From anyone but Lae’zel, it would have sounded like a sarcastic jab.

Lev tried not to preen at the compliment. “I must have been, oh, four or five when I asked my parents what my name meant. They handed me some monster guide or other. I don’t remember. All I do remember is trying to find the creature I was named after. When I saw it was a many-tentacled sea beast as big as the Gate itself, I think I started crying. I couldn’t help but imagine the leviathan learning of me somehow and hunting me down for stealing its name. I refused to go near any banks of water for weeks. Even now, getting on boats makes me queasy.”

A sharp burst of laughter behind her almost made her jump. Leviathala turned, stunned to find Astarion doubled over with a genuine smile on his face.

“Being afraid of your namesake is such delicious irony,” he said. “I imagine your parents must have been devastated when they found out.”

Karlach frowned at him. “Hey, we all promised not to laugh! Don’t be rude.”

“I promised no such thing. And besides, you can’t fault me for finding that funny.”

“Her parents are gonna be sad to hear that, y’know.”

“No, no, they found it as funny as Astarion did,” Lev said as she waved them off. “Which is why I rarely ever tell people unless you manage to get me drunk.”

Karlach glanced between him and Leviathala for a moment then gave an unsubtle grin. “Hey, Astarion, I have a question for you.”

“If it’s some roundabout way of asking me what ridiculous thing I fear, I’ll have to abstain.”

“Nah, nah, nothing like that.” She gestured at Lev. “You’ve been feeding on Lev’s blood for the past…I don’t know how long before I got here. If you drank her blood now, would you get drunk, too?”

Both Shadowheart and Gale, absolutely blasted off their minds on wine, failed to hide their laughter.

“That’s…a rather interesting question, actually. I suppose we’ll have to see tonight, won’t we?” Astarion flashed them all a toothy smile that showed off his fangs.

“Karlach, I’m not letting him drink my blood right now,” Lev said.

“Aw, come on! I wanna know!” She tipped violently as she made another grab for the bottle Lev still hoarded.

Leviathala kept it out of reach with a smile. “I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink.”

Karlach managed to right herself again. “No, ‘m fine! ‘s all fine. Just a bit…dizzy.”

A quick glance around revealed pretty much everyone was veering on positively drunk. It was harder to tell with Lae’zel’s stoic stance, but even from this distance, Lev could see the flush in her cheeks.

She pushed the cork back over the bottle of wine. “All right, that’s enough for one night. We still have more adventuring to do tomorrow. I’d rather we all not venture forth with hangovers.”

“Aw, come on!” Karlach whined. “I could do with a nightcap.”

“Drink some water, Karlach. I mean it.”

Karlach threw her hands in the air but headed off to her tent regardless. “Gods, okay, mum.”

“Don’t make me ground you, young lady,” Lev teased.

Their little group dispersed off to their own tents, some wobbling more than others. Leviathala’s gaze roamed over their camp, finally settling on Astarion’s tent. He still stood off to the side, eyes locked on yet another novel she picked up from the goblin camp. She recognized the cover: a faded copy of Journey of the Jungle with an equally dusty book ribbon.

Leviathala tried not to smile. Her tent was filling up with tiny stacks of books she’d taken from all the places they’d been. That particular copy of Journey of the Jungle had been at the top of her Finished pile. She had meant to put those all away in the Traveler’s Chest or sell them once she had the chance. Glad to see this book got at least one more use before then.

She drifted to him, trying not to trip over her own feet on the way there.

“I’m not apologizing, you know,” he said without even looking up.

She frowned. “For what?”

“Laughing at you.”

At this, she couldn’t help but scoff. “I’m not that fragile. Laugh away. I’ll find out what your silliest fear is yet. Mark my words.”

“Is that why you’re here?” The question was brusque, but not altogether unwelcoming of her presence.

“I’m not prying it out of you, if that’s what you’re wondering. Where’s the fun in that?”

“Then go bother someone else. You’re in my light.” His eyes flickered up to her. “Unless you’re also wondering about what Karlach asked.”

“I am a bit curious, I won’t lie,” she said. “But I’ll try to drink a lot more water before I sleep tonight. Hopefully flush the alcohol out a bit.”

“My dear, you act as though I’m a lightweight. I can handle myself, don’t you worry.”

Leviathala hid a laugh behind her hand. “I won’t forget when you came back to camp drunk from bear blood. I don’t think the bear was indulging in spirits that night.”

He allowed himself the barest smile in return. “I’ve never had the blood of a creature that large before. It was quite the experience. Though, not as heady a tonic as your delicious blood, darling.”

“Spare me the flattery. I’m not sober enough to appreciate it.”

Astarion’s smile grew just a little wider. “Oh? I seem to recall you telling me to curb the compliments. Who knew you were hiding how you truly felt?”

“It’s not as if you mean most of them, anyway.” This was not a jab, but rather spoken as fact. As blue as the sky and as dark as the night, Astarion was a liar through and through. “But you make me laugh and that’s enough. I think anything concerning my blood is the only honest compliment you’ve given me.”

He smirked. “Hard to lie about the very source of life sustaining me.”

“Surely the animals you feed on are more filling. My blood can’t be more than a sip in comparison to the gallons at your disposal.”

“Are you telling me to stop drinking your blood?” Astarion asked, pouting. “I have grown rather fond of the taste, you know.”

“And how does it taste to you?” Leviathala leaned in just a little closer than she normally would. “I am morbidly curious. Is it sweet? Tart? Do different blood types have different tastes, I wonder?”

He laughed again, a high, breathy sound that made her feel warm. “Gods, you are a chatty drunk.”

“Is that bad?”

That stubbornly still-sober part that navigated her inhibitions and insecurities tutted at her. Yes, of course that’s bad. Stay quiet. Stay vigilant.

The alcohol dulled that nagging voice, and for once, she saw fit to ignore it.

Astarion shut the book and tossed it inside his tent. “Not necessarily. You’re a rather fun person when you aren’t snapping at me or being sickeningly helpful.”

“I consider this nightly ritual of ours a good deed in its own way. What’s a pint of blood when it lets you down our enemies in a single strike?” she said breezily.

“Careful, darling. If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think that was a compliment.”

Lev smiled despite herself. “Then I had better sober up fast. I wouldn’t want the alcohol in my blood to reflect on your performance tomorrow.”

“Oh please. The miniscule amount of alcohol seeped into your blood isn’t going to have any effect on me whatsoever.”

“Care to test that theory?”

After nights of sleeping through his late night feeding, Lev hadn’t noticed any lingering pain or marks left behind. Just a general wooziness that went away as soon as she cast Lesser Restoration on herself. Surely he’d figured out some gentler bloodletting method that wouldn’t hurt as much as that first night.

“What, now?” he asked incredulously. “You wouldn’t rather wait until you were asleep first?”

She plopped onto the plush stool right by his mirror. “If I fell asleep now, I wouldn’t get to see how the alcohol affects you, if at all. Besides, I’m drunk. I don’t know if I’d feel your bite.”

“Really? Been bitten enough to tell the difference?” he teased.

“I trust you not to hurt me.”

At this, Astarion faltered. A bold claim indeed.

Leviathala tilted her head, baring her neck expectantly. “Well, go on then.”

This was neither dare nor command. It was simply one last thing to check off her list for the day, as routine as changing into sleeping clothes or putting seed oil on her spire-like horns before bed.

“Very well. Since you’re so insistent about it, how could I say no?”

His hands fell heavily on her shoulders to secure her in place. He was a lot stronger than she thought. Lev dipped her head, suddenly shy despite her earlier openness.

“You need to look up, darling,” he said with a faint smile like he could guess at her thoughts. “I can’t get a good bite in with your chin tucked in like that.”

Leviathala took a deep breath and offered her neck to him. She fixed her gaze on the campfire, watching as the flames darted this way and that. A shoddy distraction. She could still spot Astarion closing in out of the corner of her eye.

His breath was like a chilly night breeze, welcome in the humidity of the oncoming summer nights. She squeezed her eyes shut the moment that he bit down. The alcohol did little to dull the numbing pain coursing through her. It wasn’t unpleasant, but that didn’t stop her from wincing anyway.

Her nails dug into the wood of the stool, more a reflex than any expression of pain, but she didn’t stop him. For all his playful lies and half-truths, she knew she could trust his restraint.

His slim fingers slid up the back of her neck to tangle in the soft wisps of her hair. Oddly enough, it almost felt…nice. Gentle. Gods, she must have been drunker than she thought.

Leviathala grunted in surprise when he wrapped an arm around her back, tugging her forth. The motion made her arch into him and she tried not to squirm. He hadn’t done this the very first night he bit her. There was a new hunger here.

Her breath caught when his lips trailed after a stray drop of blood. Feather-light and barely there, an unwitting kiss to her collarbone to collect it at last. As Astarion traced his way back slowly, so enticingly slow, up her neck once more, Leviathala had to bite back a gasp. Every nerve was alight, her chest tight, breath quickening to compensate.

And just like that, he broke away with a satisfied sigh. The warmth of it, made only so by her blood, was an odd contrast to his cold, firm hands still set on her trembling shoulders.

His eyes shone brighter, almost glowing even in the dim firelight. “Mm…It does taste different. Sweeter. Although I don’t suppose you’d indulge in spirits every night just to satisfy me.”

Her mind was still a riot of lingering sensations. She could think of nothing witty to say. Or indeed, anything at all after that.

Instead, she dug her nails deeper into the stool, trying to reaffirm that this was real and she was as solid as anything else around her. To say that hadn’t thrilled her would be a lie, but it also overwhelmed her more than she was prepared for.

Leviathala fixated on a dark mark on his pale skin. There, that errant drop along the edge of his lips. The traitorous stray that caused this havoc in her mind.

She swallowed hard and said, “You’ve got some on your mouth still.”

The slow flick of his tongue along his lips gave her pause. This close, it was easy to study every detail of his pretty face. The thick lashes, dark eyes half-lidded and burning into her, sharp, clean jaw…

Leviathala swallowed as her eyes fell once more to those soft, bloody lips. Her blood. She would only have to tilt her head up just so and…

“Gone?” Astarion asked, sounding breathless. Ravenous. He wanted more.

Was that why he hadn’t moved away yet?

Gods, he was making it so hard to think.

“N-No, it’s…Here, I’ll get it.” Leviathala reached out to absently swipe at the corner of his mouth with the corner of her sleeve. She had to scrub the reminder from existence.

Quicker than she could react, he had a firm grip on her wrist. “Don’t touch me.”

A hint of rage and something else flashed in his eyes. Fear, she realized.

So many things clicked into place in that instant. His casual cruelties, why he always opted out of any group activities at camp…

Touch was a very loaded sense. Most times, Leviathala thought she might crave it. For someone to hug her when she was lonely or to physically reach out as a show of support. Whenever anyone did, however, some deep, primordial part of her recoiled. It was so strange to crave something so commonplace and yet loathe its very presence.

She was trying her hardest to get over it. She would hug her friends, her family. Even then, that stiffness never left her. Somewhere inside her, she feared she would never overcome that.

And now she saw that same revulsion echoed in Astarion.

Funny how such a kinship could finally put her unquiet mind at ease.

Her hand went limp immediately. “I’m sorry. I’m—”

“Not thinking. Yes, I know. Clearly.” He let her go with a disgusted sigh.

Lev opened her mouth to apologize again then faltered. It would only anger him more, she was sure.

“You don’t feel anything, then?” she asked instead.

His gaze turned sharp. “What?”

“My blood. The alcohol. Nothing?”

At this, he visibly relaxed. “O-Oh, right. No. Nothing.”

“Shame. It would’ve been funny to see you tipsy again.” Lev leaned back with a sigh. Parts of her felt like they were floating away. Maybe it wasn’t such a good decision to drink herself silly and let a vampire drain her on the very same night.

“And while it is very entertaining to see you tipsy, I was almost finished reading that dreadful novel,” he said as he stooped down to retrieve it. “So do take care to pass out somewhere else for the night.”

Leviathala made a big show of rolling her eyes. “Fine, I’ll get out of your hair. You’re welcome for the blood, by the way.”

“Oh, um…thank you,” he said haltingly. “I do mean that, you know.”

“I do know.” The tension in her shoulders crumbled away at last. Those rare moments he showed some humility were endearing.

As she began to head off to her tent for the night, a sudden thought occurred to her. Perhaps it was stupid to worry over a simple misunderstanding, but she wanted to be clear.

“I won’t touch you without your permission again.”

She said it aloud without turning to look back at him. His silence needled into her spine, twisting as painfully as any dagger would. She clasped her hands behind her back, trying to give an air of casual indifference. Her tail swinging nervously to and fro still gave it all away.

“Funny, I seem to recall you being cursed to put your hands on everything.”

A cracked note of amusement forced itself through. His own strained attempt at brushing the matter over.

She smirked. “I’m being serious. Don’t tease me.”

“If only you weren’t so fun to tease.”

Leviathala chuckled as she absently rubbed at the sore spot on her neck. There wasn’t a spec of blood when she drew it back. Impressive. Maybe vampires had coagulant in their saliva. Or Astarion was just very careful.

It dawned on her that perhaps he had already worked out the cleanest way to feed from her these past few nights. Another part of her wondered how gentle his lips might stray over her entire body should she allow it.

She shook her head. Best not to pick at that loose thread yet.

“Clowns.”

Leviathala froze then glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m sorry?”

He kept his eyes fixed pointedly away. “My silliest fear. I’ve never been very fond of…clowns.”

Even as out of it as she was, she could tell this had taken a great deal of internal debate to admit. It was a surprise he’d even tell her at all.

The growing silence made him shift on his feet. “Don’t tell the others.”

“I won’t. I promise.” The answer was immediate. Instinctive. Astarion’s trust was a fragile thing. She would not tarnish it by spilling a fragment of a secret, no matter how silly it was. She spread her arms out wide. “Although it’s very possible I’ll simply forget it in the morning. Who knows?”

Astarion smiled. “Oh, I count on it. Why else would I admit my darkest secrets to a drunkard?”

“Come now, I don’t drink very often. This is a fluke.”

“What a shame. I rather like this more open side of you. You’re very cheeky without it being grating.”

A warm swell of pride filled her whole being. “I’ll try to be more open when I’m sober then.”

He snorted. “Sure. I’ll look forward to that.”

“Good night, Astarion.”

“Do try not to dream of krakens tonight.”

“Ha ha,” she said sarcastically. “I’ll trust you won’t dream of circuses, then.”

“It’s far too late for that. I’m already traveling with one.”

“Says the main clown.”

Their laughter mingled in the air between them. It helped to bridge the gap like an outstretched hand. A silent offer of true companionship in his sharp-toothed grin.

Lev clasped her hands behind her back, her tail swishing happily behind her. “Good night.”

“Good night, darling.”

She shuffled back with a dopey smile stretched across her face before turning away again.

If she was more sober, she might have dodged the warm thoughts swirling around her mind. As it was, indulging in them now didn’t seem so bad.

There was no denying that Astarion was handsome. Beautiful, a bolder part of her insisted. He made her laugh. He paid attention to what she said, remembered small details she mentioned only in passing. And the way he stared at her…

Well, it was enough for any tipsy heart to hope. To feel safe enough to fall for him.

It was the alcohol and blood loss talking, she was sure. All this would disappear in the morning. Leviathala fell against her bedroll with a content sigh and drifted off almost immediately.

* * *

It was a horrifying thing to open her eyes and realize that every single floaty, drunken thought still rang true in the morning. The moment she met Astarion’s eyes from across the campfire, he smiled knowingly, letting his gaze linger just a little longer than normal.

Did he know? Had he known all along?

Leviathala averted her gaze, face burning and absolutely mortified.

Shit.

#Baldur's Gate 3 #BG3 #Astarion #Astarion x Tav #I Feel Seen (Astarion/Leviathala)#Keep a Blade Close (Astarion)#The Wayward Tactician (Leviathala)#my fanfiction #The Hero and Me (Promotion)

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applejuiceism · 2 months

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applejuiceism talks about her mime ocs that only she cares about cuz theyre trapped in her brain and not talked about like, anywhere else

huge chunks of text warning ... i only go over POP, SNAP PEA, COPYCAT and BIP

POP is the first mime oc i ever made, based around 80s glamrock fashion and general 'glam' motifs. they (they/any) are extremely energetic and outgoing, willing to spark up conversation with anyone, even the most awkward and antisocial people. somebody could silently stare at them, or be clearly uninterested, and they'd still yap away non-stop. this extroverted-ness is a blessing and a curse however, because they tend to not pick up on social cues that indicate the person is uncomfortable; therefore, they have a tendency to overwhelm folks by trying to push them into talking, without meaning to!! their true color is a PASTEL GREEN, which they're ashamed of, and actively hide by pretending their true color is a hot neon pink. the only traces of their true color is in their eyes, tongue and hemolyph. they shut down and their personality takes a 180 when it's pointed out to them; it's a huge topic of insecurity.

SNAP PEA is sort of the second one i ever made? based around cows. he's (he/him) friendly and understanding, willing to be a shoulder to cry on for anyone who needs it. he tends to be a little awkward sometimes, not at all blessed with natural charisma, but he tries his best either way. when you're around him, you're bound to likely enjoy your time—even if theres moments of silence because he doesn't know what to say. unlike most mimes, SNAP PEA is VERY living-oriented. he is basically the biggest advocator for their safety, and he makes that very known. with his dangerously high levels of strength and durability, he easily wipes out any mime who is deemed hostile towards the living. his mime kill-streak is ... pretty high. he doesn't actively seek out mimes to snuff out, but if one happens to cross his path and isn't apart of Light's Cooperative or is otherwise 'safe', they will not be around long. despite all of this, he's still a good guy (objectively), and a great leader when he's allowed to be. also he's HARVEST GOLD.

COPYCAT is sort of unknown lol. i forgot when exactly i made her in order. she's (she/her or any) rude and mean, often spitting out random insults just to give you a taste of her annoyance. it's not very hard to aggravate her, and while she won't physically attack you (she can't, really, her hemolyph is too low for the risk), she will indeed call you a plethora of names and give you the dirtiest looks. ignoring all of this, she's not 24/7 bitchy, and more often than not she's simply snappy. no matter who she's with, she tends to talk their head off; going down rabbit holes of random topics until she's either decided she's had enough, or you're clearly not interested. she, obviously, prefers to be around people who are willing to listen to her. her opinions are very strong as a front, but it's easy to wilt her feelings and make her question herself. she LOVES the living; wishing she was one of them rather than a mime. as a mime herself in general, she is a copycat of one of the living cast, and as a result she has a lot of moral dilemmas surrounding it. but that's a whole can of worms in of itself. she's WINE RED.

BIP is one of the most recent mime ocs i have. he (he/him) is literally the worst guy ever. wish i was joking. he is hated by almost every single one of my ocs, both living and mimes, with the exception of just roughly three (mind you, i have like 10+ ocs in cq). and it's for a good reason—aforementioned, he is awful. he likes to piss people off to a degree of purposefully overstimulating them, and often will make them so upset they want to harm him. which never works. he's physically strong, and sometimes he uses them 'initiating it' to kick someone's shit in for fun. the only mimes who like him are his wife DAME (she/they), his 'friend' PRAIRIE (she/her), and his sister DOROTHY (xe/xem). it's all mostly tolerance, besides his wife, whom loves him as much as he loves her. they're inseparable. anyway; BIP is incredibly hard to be around, and likes making people suffer, so there's no use in trying to talk sense into him. people have tried. he is PASTEL PURPLE.

thanks for coming

#oc #yapping

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daughter-of-melpomene · 3 months

Note

TELL ME ALLLL ABOUT YOUR BG3 OCS!

AHHHHH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING!! Okay, so as I said, I don’t have actual appearances for my babies since I don’t have the game, but I will happy give you some info about them.

I have five OCs currently planned:

Raven Waters (they/them), Wyll ship. Human bard, College of Lore subclass, with an urchin past. Grew up on the streets of Baldur’s Gate after being orphaned at a young age and became a decently well-known entertainer when they got older, performing at festivals and every tavern and inn in the area. Very cunning, sarcastic, and good at reading people, and is very unhappy about being snatched off the street only to have a worm stuck in their brain. Cares about people sort of in the way Astarion does - reluctantly and with no small amount of complaining but very deeply - and even though they don’t think much of Wyll at first because they don’t trust nobility or anyone wealthy, it doesn’t take long for them to become endeared by him. Also becomes absolute besties with Astarion because they literally laugh in his face when he tries to seduce them and once he gets over that they have fun judging people together. (There is also definitely an AU where Raven is dating both Wyll and Astarion, but they’re officially a Wyll ship.)

Amalal Quavein (he/they), Astarion ship. Seldarine drow and cleric of the Light Domain for the goddess Eilistrae with a sage past (he’s a huge bookworm when they can get his hands on some), and has been travelling around Faerun since they were just young, trying to find allies to assist in the Seldarine drows’ fight against Lolth and helping everyone he can along the way, before they get snatched up and taken to the nautiloid ship. He’s a total sweetheart who loves caring for people and fighting against tyrants and darker forces, but they’re also a bit socially stunted from being alone on the road for a lot of his life, which can lead people to think he’s naïve even when they aren’t. Astarion definitely thinks this at first, and thinks seducing Amalal will be easy, but really he’s just one of those people who always chooses kindness and doing the right thing because they want to make the world a better place and that’s the best way he knows how to do it. (They’re also asexual, which is very funny given Astarion’s whole seduction thing because not only is Amalal unfamiliar with seduction as a concept but he genuinely Does Not Feel Sexual Things, so they’re painfully oblivious to Astarion’s attempts the whole time.)

Nifara Reedwood (she/her), Gale ship. Strongheart halfling ranger, of the hunter subclass, with an outlander past who was raised in the wilderness and therefore has a very strong connection with nature. Travels all around Faerun hunting and tracking creatures from other realms, making it her personal mission to keep any kinds of invaders from attacking her realm and harming its nature. Also has a very strong bond with animals and is resistant to poison due to all the she’s spent in Faerun’s swamps. A complete and total badass, but is also kind of socially stunted due to all the time she’s spent alone on the road with only animals and the creatures she hunts. Brutally honest and has a quick temper, but also one that’s quick to calm back down if there’s no need for an actual fight, and although she’s slow to trust people would gladly kill and die for those she cares about and absolutely will not let them talk bad about themselves. (Very nearly smacks Gale for not believing he’s worth more than his magic and service to Mystra and calls him an idiot for it more than once, and then somehow that wanting him to think more of himself turns to catching feelings and she’s just like, “Ah, shit”. It’s fine, though, because Gale comes to love her too.)

Nisa Mournspire (they/she), Halsin ship. Mephistopheles tiefling paladin of the Oath of Devotion subclass, with a folk hero background. Adopted when they were a baby by a human couple, but never felt truly loved by them since she wasn’t their blood child, even if they’d given her their last name. Devoted themself to prayer from an early age as a way to feel some kind of belonging and purpose, and took her Oath and set out from their village to travel around and help people when she was only twenty years old. Gained a bit of a reputation around all of Faerun for their heroics, and eventually came to be known as The Horned Warrior. Taken from Baldur’s Gate by the Mindflayer’s goons when she stopped in for the night, and doesn’t hesitate to recruit Karlach and Lae’zel when they’re all on the beach, seeing defeating the Mindflayer and removing the parasites as yet another mission they’re committing to. Very warm and compassionate, able to make friends almost everywhere she goes, and fears almost nothing if it means helping others. A bit of a hopeless romantic who wants to find true love, but also isn’t against brief flings. Does sleep with Astarion once or twice (but they’re incredibly good about it and makes sure he feels good too, because she can tell he’s not used to that), but definitely takes a liking to Halsin very quickly after meeting him and spends a good amount of time staring at his biceps (which annoys Lae’zel incredibly because that should not be the focus right now).

Ellora Keyvaris (she/her), Karlach ship. High Elf half-elf wizard of the Conjuration School subclass with a noble background. Grew up in a wealthy family that was very devoted to maintaining appearances and always trotted her out to social events, but she was much more interested in magic and the study of it, more than happy to spend her time in her home’s library or at the local magical college learning conjuring spells from the professors she’d paid for private lessons. When she learned her family was planning to betroth her to an elf nobleman, she ran away to Baldur’s Gate, where she intended to live a quiet life and continue studying magic before she was kidnapped and infected with the parasite. Ellora is a very quiet and bookish person, but that doesn’t mean she’s timid; she has a sharp tongue and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself or others and say what she thinks. She struggles to connect to her companions at first, with the exception of Wyll since they were both raised among nobility, but she eventually makes genuine friends out of all of them, which means a lot to her because she’s never really had friends before. (She’s also a hopeless lesbian who falls in love at first sight with Karlach and thus is very sad when she can’t touch her, because she very much wants this large muscled lady to be able to pick her up.)

Anyways, yeah, those are my BG3 babies!! Thanks so much for asking about them, and if you have any more questions about any of them feel free to ask!!

Again tagging some of my other BG3 moots: @hiddenqveendom, @endless-oc-creations, @astarionbae.

#asks about my ocs #oc: raven waters #oc: amalal quavein #oc: nifara reedwood #oc: nisa mournspire #oc: ellora keyvaris #bg3 ocs #bg3 tav #baldur’s gate 3 oc #bg3 oc #baldur’s gate 3 tav

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wiypt-writes · 2 years

Text

Rawhide

Ch 11: Even Secrets Have Secrets

Summary: Hydra finally play their hand…and the rat is finally revealed.

Warnings: Talks of kidnap, forced medical procedure (nothing graphic and I’m keeping this vague so as not to spoil the plot) kidnap situations, violence, bad language.

Pairing: Cowboy Alpha Steve Rogers x Omega Reader

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar the reader and any other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

A/N: the big reveal…let’s see how many of you saw this one coming… 😈 As always, thanks to my beta @spectre-posts

W/C: 5k

Rawhide Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Ch 10

Your mouth felt dry as you stared up at your brother, his features so like those of your father, the man you’d feared all your life.

“What, no hello?” He stepped into the room, arms folded over his chest.

"You son of a bitch.” It was the only thing you could think to say. Bryce merely scoffed.

“Is that anyway to talk about mom?” He tutted.

“You piece of shit. Why go through all this, killing people, if it was just me you wanted?”

At that, Bryce laughed. “It ain’t just you we wanted. You happened to be in the right place, right time. Or wrong place, wrong time, depending on how you look at it.”

"Then let me go. Save yourself a war, and just...."

“Ahh yes, your new alpha.” The word rolled of Bryce’s tongue with disdain. “Expecting him and the rest of those Shield assholes to come rescue you, huh?”

"He'll find me and he won't stop until he does."

Bryce popped a shoulder, “maybe…but they ain’t found this place so far, and by the time they do, it’s gonna be too late.”

You felt your body sweat as a fear filled you. "Wh... What do you mean too late?"

“Well…” Bryce moved further into the room and took a seat on the edge of the small cot you’d awoken on, “it ain’t just the Alpha genome we’ve been playing with. You see, Hydra is all about order. We like things to be uniform, as they should. Keeping Alphas at their right place, top of the chain. And the likes of you, at the bottom.”

You trembled at the nonchalance of his tone, his demeanor. Sinister at best was the only word you could come up with on how he seemed. "I don't.... Playing with?"

“Oh, come on, worm…” he grinned as he spoke that vile childhood nickname he had for you and you swallowed, “you’ve always had brains. Figure it out.”

As you stared at him, you realised you’d been right. They had taken the Omega genome, and more so, the attack on Stark Tower hadn’t simply been to get at you. They’d wanted the research.

“You’re not only gonna use the serum to make Alphas stronger…” you spoke quietly and Bryce clapped his hands together. “You’re gonna make us, Omegas weaker.”

“Bingo.”

"So if I wasn’t your main target, why use me?"

“Because I want you to know your place. The shame you brought to the family when you defied us and left, can’t let that go unpunished.” Bryce looked at you, “it makes the name Langley look weak. And, as Rumlow is gonna take the Alpha serum…what better way to ruin Rogers life even more, huh? Last thing he’s gonna know before he dies is that you’re even more of a nothing than you are now. And you’ll spend the rest of your life being Rumlow’s little play thing. Regardless of whether he can bond you or not.” At that, his eyes flicked to your infinity mark and you swallowed. “I mean, what’s more worthless than an omega who can’t actually fulfill her purpose and be bred?”

"You're sick. A vile, disgusting piece of shit." You couldn't continue as the back of your brother's hand met your cheek.

“Don’t you speak to me like that, bitch. Know your fucking place.” His hand gripped your chin painfully as the tears swam in your eyes.

"You'll never win." You whispered tearfully.

“Shows what you know,” Bryce let go of your face and your hand immediately went to your cheek, “we’ve already got the upper hand. Have for months. Our insider has seen to that. Every move Shield have made we’ve been one step ahead.”

At that you heard a movement. A familiar scent and aura filled your senses and your head snapped towards the door.

“You…” the word was nothing but a whisper as you stared at the blonde alpha in the doorway.

"Oh don't look so surprised, Y/N," Sharon snorted as she stepped forward. "Who else could it have been? Surely not Widow, although she'd have been my first choice in your position. Then again there's the usual suspect in the soldat, reformed, turned and fixed again, a broken pup with nowhere to go." Then she playfully gasped in fake shock, "or what about Peter; young, sweet Pete, nieve and maliable."

You blinked hard, the betrayal piercing you with a stab far sharper than any blade ever could.

“Langley, I suggest you don’t hit her again. The boss isn’t going to be happy if her pretty face is roughed up too much.” Sharon looked at him.

Bryce shrugged, “I take it you’ve come to tell us he’s ready.”

“Yup. Take her down to the lab. He wants to use the Omega serum on her first, make sure it’s safe. If she survives…he’s gonna take the Alpha one.”

Your heart stopped, your blood ran cold. Your flight instinct took hold, "no. No, you can't...." you backed up until you hit the wall, your hands in front of you defensively.

“Oh, I think you’ll find we can,” Bryce stood up, gripping your arm.

You resisted as best you could until two large uniformed men assisted your brother in carrying you out of the room as you went kicking and screaming. A look over your shoulder found Bryce and Sharon walking side-by-side with dark eyes and sinful smirks on their lips.

*****

“There must be something!” Steve slammed his hand down on the desk. “Anything, a clue…we’ve been tracking these fuckers for months…”

"It's come up short every time," Tony shook his head. "Which doesn't make sense."

“What do you mean, short?” Thor frowned.

"I've had FRIDAY look through every bit of Intel we've had on these guys and the only thing that comes up is there's a rat in the nest. But that very rat is unknown."

“No they’re not…” a familiar voice spoke and everyone turned to look at Fury as he walked into the conference room.

“You figured it out?” Thor looked at him as Steve felt his entire body stiffen in anticipation.

And then, Tony gave a scoff, “no he hasn’t.”

“What do you- he just said he knew.” Banner frowned and Tony arched a brow as Steve slowly turned to look at him.

“He hasn’t figured it out,” Tony’s eyes blazed, “because he’s known this whole damned time.”

“Is that true?” Steve looked at Fury who merely responded with a flick of his brow.

Steve saw burning red as he stalked toward his Commander, who stood stoically as he typically did.

“Rogers…” he held a hand up, “just listen to me…”

Steve's right fist connected with the director's chin and sent Fury to the floor. Then the Captain’s large and strong hands gripped the lapels of that black leather coat and hauled Fury up, slamming him into the wall, denting it. "You son of a bitch. The lies! The secrets! All the fucking time!"

“I know who it is because I put them there,” Fury’s voice was loud through the gritting of his teeth as Steve held him pinned into the wall. Steve's expectant glare kept focus on Fury. "Agent Carter was assigned the task of infiltrating Hydra."

Stunned silence fell across the room which was broken by Banner. “Sharon….she’s…she’s been…”

“On the inside for over a year.” Fury looked at him over Steve’s shoulder. “She’s been feeding me information about what Hydra have been planning, when they’re going to strike and where…”

“When they’re- so you let Erskine die, for what? Your own agenda?" Banner growled.

“No, of course not.” Fury shook his head, “and if Rogers let’s me go, I can explain.”

Steve’s grip remained tight, the anger and betrayal coursing through his veins and a large hand settled on his shoulder.

“Captain…” Thor spoke softly.

A harsh breath slipped from Steve's nose and he slammed Fury again into the dry wall before letting him go with a vile glare.

Fury dusted himself down as Steve turned away, running his hand through his hair.

“Start talking, Nick.” Tony looked at Fury.

“After the last war, Shield was almost destroyed. You all know as well as I do we suffered heavy losses. We were outmanned form the start, out gunned…but we won.” Fury shook his head. “I don’t know how, but we did. When the dust settled, I swore that going forward we needed to be smarter, faster…and should Hydra ever start their movement again we would need a different way to get them on the back foot.”

Tony glanced at Banner who was stood stock still. Thor was perched on the desk, arms folded as Steve was pacing the floor, his impatience evident.

“When I got word that they were moving again, mounting campaigns for support…I had to act. So me, Hill and Coulson decided the best way was for stick someone on the inside. And who better than a Carter.”

At that, Steve stopped pacing and a growl flew from his throat, “you used Peggy’s death to convince her own cousin to do this?”

“Not exactly, but Sharon wanted revenge. She was keen, and one of my newest agents. Hydra wouldn’t have bought it if I’d shoved Widow or Hawkeye or Hill in there. And, if I do say so myself, we made the right call. They did buy it. Took a few months and we had to, compromise morally in a few areas so they would but…the ends justified the means.”

“The DC bombing…” Tony groaned, “you knew that was gonna happen and you let it.”

Fury simply looked at him, as Steve turned away, shaking his head, a derisive snort flying from his flared nostrils.

“And Erskine?” Bruce asked, his eyes locked onto Fury’s.

“During the raid on the lab, Sharon was tasked by Rumlow with taking him out. But he’s alive and well. Hidden. We staged the whole thing.”

“But you let them take the serum!” Banner pinched the bridge of his nose, “after everything-“

Fury shook his head. “I told you, we shut that programme down. And I was telling the truth. All Hydra took were synthetic fakes. They’ll stand up to examination but… they’ll do shit. All the research they took, we doctored it, well most of it anyway, had to leave some of the original in there to make it believable.”

“Well this is all very well and good but there’s one thing I don’t understand,” Tony looked at Fury, “why are we still here? I mean you’ve had Sharon on the inside, so I assume you know where their base of ops is- “

At that Steve stiffened, Tony was right. “What’s- we have to go…”

“Already on it.” Fury shook his head, “the moment Y/N was taken I’ve had a team working on extraction. If I’d have simply told you where it was, you’d have gone in there all guns blazing and gotten her and yourselves killed. Coulson and Hill are on it.”

“We wouldn’t need an extraction if you’d have told us all this.” Steve spat, “I would never have left her alone…”

“He didn’t know.” Thor then spoke softly as he studied Fury, “you didn’t know they were going to hit when they did, did you?”

Fury shook his head, “no. Sharon didn’t find out until five minutes before it happened. She had just enough time to make sure she was in the room with Y/N and Miss Potts. As soon as she found out their play, she knew they’d be targeting Y/N too and-“

“How?” Steve frowned, “they didn’t even know Y/N was…” he trailed off as Fury fixed him with a glare and he felt his chest tighten. “Oh my god…she told them. Sharon told them she was here! Didn’t she?!”

"If she hadn't, her cover would have been blown and a year's worth of work would be destroyed. It was the only way." Fury deadpanned. "You know as well as I, Captain, that sometimes sacrifices for the good of a mission are necessary."

At that, Steve lunged towards Fury again, Thor quick to jump up. As the large, blonde alpha struggled to hold Steve back, he glanced at Tony.

“A little help, Stark…”

“Let him go, kick the shit out of him.” Tony waved his hand, “no more than he deserves.”

But as Thor struggled with his Captain, it was Banner who side stepped around the duo and clocked Fury this time. A rage burned in the Omega's eyes as he stood over his commanding officer. "That's for my work, Steve can kill you for y/n."

“Way to go, Brucey…” Tony grinned.

The shock of the mild mannered Doctor punching the head of Shield made Steve stop, his eyes still blazing with anger.

“Where is the base?” He demanded.

“Rogers…”

“I swear to god… you better tell me right now.”

Fury looked at him, then shook his head as he got to his feet, “you won’t beat the extraction team.”

“I don’t care.” Steve snarled, “I wanna go get Y/N.”

“I hate to say this, Captain, but Fury is right.” Thor spoke gently, “if we go in like we are, we risk causing more danger to her and Sharon…”

“They’ll be taking her to a secure location, a secret bunker, well hidden off even Shield’s radar.” Fury looked at Steve, “we can meet them there, and call the rest of the team back.”

"Then do it. I want wheels up in five minutes and it's not up for negotiation."

Fury nodded and swept from the room. Steve watched him go before he sank into one of the chairs at the table, his head in his hands. He felt helpless, distraught, betrayed and most of all scared. Scared that something was going to happen to you, despite the fact Sharon was there with you. He needed the base location, he’d go in single handed if he had to, he-

“Steve…” a voice who had remained quiet all through the exchange spoke jerking him from his thoughts. He looked up, Pepper’s face in his vision swimming through his tears. “Y/N is okay…”

“How do you know that?” He shot back, “you can’t possibly.”

“Yes she can.” Thor spoke. “If anything had happened you’d have felt it. You already know what a Pure Bond feels like when it is broken. I can guarantee a Soul Bond breaking will feel ten times worse. Whilst you can’t feel anything, then…she’s alive.”

His flooded blue orbs matched Thor’s and when he nodded in assurance, the pained Alpha blinked. Two large tears fell to the floor with a splash and he sniffed.

"Captain Rogers..." FRIDAY spoke. "The Quinjet is secure and ready, sir."

"Time to go," Steve stated wetly.

Without another word, he rose and headed to exit the room. He paused in the doorway, and then with a loud, angry growl, he pulled his right fist back and smashed it straight through the ceiling to floor glass pane to the side of the frame.

******

Despite your best attempts, you were no match physically for your captors and you were strapped, kicking and screaming into a chair in the middle of the lab.

You looked around, fearfully, at the three men in white coats and masks who were bustling around, prepping syringes and IVs, and your attention then turned to Bryce and Sharon, who stood by a desk at the side of the room, deep in conversation.

Behind your line of vision, a door opened and closed, causing everyone in the room to stand at attention. And then you heard his voice.

“Omega, you haven’t changed a bit.”

You felt your teeth grit as Rumlow stepped into the middle of the room and your eyesight. “Fuck you.”

“Oh, don’t worry…plenty of time for that.” He chuckled as he stopped in front of you, his eyes taking over your body. He then bent down, and you turned your face away. He ran his nose along your neck, inhaling your scent and you felt the bile rise in your stomach.

“You reek of that Shield scum.” He pulled back, his eyes fixed on your bonding mark.

“I told you,” Sharon spoke, “an Infinity Mark. They have a Soul Bond. Even if you kill Rogers, that ain’t going away.”

Rumblow's thumb traced the mark and you flinched.

"No matter." He snided. “I don’t need to bond her, I’m not interested in breeding with the bitch, just using her.”

You said nothing, merely watched as his face hovered inches from yours.

"It the serum ready?" He wondered, eyes not leaving yours. You could feel the excitement emanating from him, his entire scent was laced with anticipation and the strength of it was making you sick.

“Yes, boss.” One of the scientists spoke, “the tests all stand up.”

Rumlow smirked, "time to fix you and put you where you belong, y/n."

He didn't even blink as you spit right in his face. Instead, his smirk merely widened as he wiped at your saliva as it dropped down his face. Then, he stuck his fingers into his mouth and sucked. “I wonder if all of you tastes this good.”

“You know, no matter what happens to me…if this serum works or kills me, Steve’s gonna find you, and then-“

“Oh, enough fucking around,” Bryce sighed, cutting you off, “she’s boring me now. Get on with it already, we have shit to do.”

"Gimme the needle," Rumlow demanded. "I'm gonna enjoy this."

“Sir…” one of the scientists spoke, “I would highly recommend that you let one of us-“

At that Rumlow spun round and gripped the man by his neck. “I said, give me the needle.”

The man's partner grabbed the needle from the tray and handed it over to Rumlow without comment or query.

Rumlow dropped the scientist from his grip and turned back to you.

“Into the neck, Sir…”

"I know just the spot."

You trembled with fear and disgust, straining against your restraints as you screamed and struggled. Rumlow's left hand gripped your neck, painfully, shutting off your airway and you felt the sharp, pierce of the needle stab you straight in the middle of your bond.

You cried out, a scream curdling enough for the faint of heart. It burned, it hurt.

Rumlow stepped back, as you gasped for air, and felt your body tense, waiting for the rest of the reaction. You didn’t know what was going to happen, but as the pain in your neck subsided…there was nothing.

Whatever it was they’d stuck you with had done nothing. Nothing at all. But they didn’t know that.

And in that moment, that was all you had. A sliver of defiance.

Your eyes flicked around the room, and you saw Sharon. As you opened your mouth to quip some smart ass remark about them being stupid and useless, she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

Your heart skipped a beat. What the hell was happening?

“What’s…why hasn’t it worked?” You turned towards your brother as he spoke, his brow furrowed.

“Yeah, what’s going on?” Rumlow demanded.

As mutters spread across the lab, despite your confusion, you knew that they were expecting something. And if you didn’t give it to them, god knows what they were going to do.

So you faked it.

Suddenly, you let your head fall back as you screamed, thrashed, gripped the arms of the chair. You rolled your eyes back, jerked and twisted. And after ten or so seconds you sagged forward, your chin resting on your chest.

In your moment of fake exhaustion, Rumlow instructed for you to be released. The straps gave way and you let your body fall limply forward to the floor.

“Omega, stand.”

The alpha command was strong, but for some reason, you found it almost easy to ignore. Your training with Natasha paying off. Nevertheless, you rose to your feet, tears in your eyes.

“Please…” you gasped.

“Come here.”

You stumbled towards him, taking care to make it look like you had no choice, which when all was said and done, you didn’t really.

You stopped in front of him, your entire body trembling as he bent, scenting you once more.

“Still smells of him.”

“I told you…”

“Yeah yeah,” he waved Sharon away before he grinned, “doesn’t matter. It’s all irrelevant now anyway.” His hand gripped your chin, his fingers bruisingly tight, “do not fight this, Omega…”

His lips crashed to yours. You gave a whimper, tears flushing down your cheeks as you fought everything you had in you that was telling you to struggle. You remained passive, as his tongue invaded your mouth, soft cries of protest escaping you.

Eventually, he let you go, nosing at your neck again as he gave a little growl of arousal.

“See, the bond means shit, you’re powerless now to do anything but obey.” He whispered and you turned your head away, your chin dropping in submission as your tears fell to the floor. “And much as I would love to take you somewhere and really test that out, I have more pressing things to deal with first…” he stepped back, and turned to the rest of the bystanders. “Take her back to her cell, and prep the Alpha serum.” Rumlow instructed, his smugness at the seeming success of his experiment was clear in his face, voice and aura.

You stumbled again as you were hauled back the way you had been led. You were tossed, unceremoniously onto the cot, and the door shut.

You waited, making sure they were clear, and you had just raised your hand to touch your bond, to communicate with Steve, when you heard a loud explosion from somewhere outside.

*****

Coulson readied his team as the smoke started to clear, "boots ready for extraction."

“Comms on six!” Hill instructed as their troops descended the ramp, “you know the drill, go!”

The gun fire started immediately, but Shield had the upper hand thanks to the element of surprise. As Coulson led his team to their position, Hill headed with hers in the opposite direction, and thirty seconds later they had breached the compound.

Hill glanced at her watch, “be ready…” she spoke and no sooner had she done so, the power shut off, leaving the entire place in darkness.

As the night vision goggles the team were prepped with kicked into play, they swept deeper into the base, yells and the sounds of guns and grenades, smoke bombs and fists connecting filled the air.

From your cell, you had no idea what was going on, bar there was clearly some fighting occurring and your heart surged.

Again, you raised your hand to your neck but you were once more interrupted. Your door flung open and Sharon held out her hand, “time to go.”

“No.”

“Y/N, come on. We don’t have time…”

"I…what’s going on? I don’t-“

“Look, I need to get you out before Rumlow gets here!”

You hesitated, as your eyes quickly jumped from her hand to her face.

“Please, Magpie…”

The use of your nickname caused your brain to fire, bringing you to your senses and you grabbed her hand and she flung you and herself into the hall.

It was pitch black, you were barely able to make out where you were putting your feet but you clung to Sharon’s hand as she led you through the winding corridors. As you rounded the corner, you heard someone yell and Sharon spun, tugging you behind her. She fired off her pistol, the flash illuminating one of the guards behind you and he fell to the floor.

She spun again, pulling you with her and soon you entered a large room which looked like some form of office.

“This way,” she continued to lead you and you headed through god know how many doors and archways before she stopped and spun sharply to her right, gun held up.

“It’s okay, it’s me.”

A torch flashed on and you blinked. You could just make out the face of a dark haired, pretty woman, her aura and smell telling you she was an alpha.

“Hill…” Sharon nodded.

“Coulson’s team have the exit covered.” The woman called Hill stated and then she turned to you. “You ready?”

You nodded frantically and a whispered yes came from your lips.

Sharon turned to you, both hands on your shoulders. “You run, okay…keep going to the jet. Don’t stop no matter what. You hear me? That’s an order.”

A door in front of you flung open, and you blinked at the harsh light of the setting sun before you set off at a sprint. You kept going, heading towards the jet, Sharon and Hill flanking you, firing off their guns as they went.

More and more people joined you, all dressed in identical black tac-ops outfits. The blood pounded in your ears, your breathing deep as you drew on all your physical training to keep going. Eventually, your feet hit the metal ramp of the waiting jet and you tripped up it, two hands grabbing yours as they hauled you in.

“Go!” A loud male voice instructed, and the jet started to rise.

You sat up, watching as the Hydra base began to grow smaller and smaller, before the ramp closed shutting it from view. You let out a sob as the thrusters fired, powering the jet forward.

“Y/N?” A kind voice spoke and you wiped your face, turning to look at the man who it belonged to. “I’m Agent Phil Coulson with Shield. You’re safe now, okay? We’re taking you back to HQ.”

“Where…where’s Steve?”

"I'm told he’ll be at HQ waiting for you. He was only just briefed on your rescue by director Fury."

You gave a little nod and then took the outstretched hand as you were helped to your feet. You turned to look at Sharon, who was slumped against the wall of the jet, her hand pressed to her arm, blood seeping through her fingers.

“Flesh wound.” She shook her head, “EMT will patch me up.”

"Can I get a med-pak for Agent Carter?” Hill called out.

“I don’t…I don’t understand…you…”

“I’ve been undercover for a year. I never meant for this…I’m sorry,” she sighed as an agent approached with a small green box.

Your mind was swimming. You glanced around, trying to make sense of what the fuck had just happened.

“What did they inject me with?” You managed to ask, accepting a bottle of water which was offered to you.

"That's not my department, but what I do know is it was fake." Sharon winced a moment as her wound was cleaned.

“It was a synthetic form of the genome,” Coulson stepped forward, answering you as you slumped into a seat, “mixed with a small dose of glycolic and hydrochloride acid.”

“It burned…”

“Yeah, it needed to replicate some form of reaction.” Coulson gave you an apologetic smile before he then nodded to the cockpit. “Do you want to speak to Cap?”

“I don’t need the radio…” you shivered, as you raised a shaking hand and pressed it to your mark.

*****

“Steve…”

The Captain spun and watched as his best friend walked into the control room. The two embraced quickly and Bucky stepped back.

“Any news?”

“Not yet,” Steve spat, kicking out at a chair and sending it crashing to the floor. One of the Agents who was sat at a computer turned, before he spun back quickly as Bucky shot him a look.

“This is gonna be fine.”

“You don’t know that, Buck. No one does…and it’s driving me insane being here and not…” Steve trailed off, a choked sob brewing in his chest as his back pressed against the wall of the room. “I swear to god if anything happens to her I will kill fury…”

Bucky stayed silent for a moment as Steve slumped to the floor, hands resting on his knees.

“Steve, I…I want to apologise,” Bucky swallowed as he sat next to him, his hand running through his hair.

"For what?"

“I haven’t been…as nice to Y/N or as supportive to you as I could have been. I thought…” he trailed off as Steve looked at him.

“Thought what?”

“The info that Hydra had…I still get blank periods, times when I just black out and…” Bucky shook his head.

“You were worried it was you giving them info.” Steve finished for him, a pang of sympathy lancing across his chest, “oh, Buck…”

“I thought if I distanced myself, then it would help.”

“Yeah well, it wasn’t you. You’re just another person in all of this that Fury has fucked over.”

"If it's any consolation, I know she's going to be alright, Steve. She's your mate, anyone willing to bond with you has to be strong as hell."

“Punk…”

Bucky chuckled lightly as he gently pressed a hand to his best friend's shoulder. He gave it a gentle squeeze in assurance until Steve jolted from him.

“Steve…”

Steve held his hand up, before he shakingly pressed his other to his neck.

Doll?

I'm okay.

Oh…thank god…baby I’ve been so worried. I’m so sorry this happened I…

It’s not your fault…

No, I should have protected you…

Hush… save it, please. I’m okay, I’m fine.

With tears in his eyes, Steve turned to Bucky, “she’s okay, they got her out…”

Bucky nodded. He turned to the agent next to him at a set of computers. "ETA on Coulson?"

"5 clicks, Sergent Barnes."

“Not long, Steve…” he gripped his shoulder.

It might not have been long, but for Steve it felt like an eternity. He constantly kept pressing his neck, just to hear your voice. Eventually, they got word the jet was arriving and Steve hurried outside to the landing bay, watching as the it lowered down through the trees which hid the large base from view.

You hadn't even waited for the platform to meet the tarmac fully before you were taking off from the metal grating. At a sprint, Steve met you.

You flung yourself into his strong arms as he lifted you up, your legs wrapping around his waist. One arm supported you as the other cradled your head against his neck, fingers cupping the back of your head.

The relief at being reunited with your alpha, your soulmate cascaded over you like warm sunshine as he held you close, you sobbing into his skin.

“Oh baby,” he stuttered, “I’m so sorry, if I’d have known what was going on…”

"I'm okay, we're okay." You cried.

A throat being cleared behind Steve brought the two of you from your moment. "If we could carry on with this reunion inside, we'd all be more appreciative." Fury's voice made you shake.

Steve snarled as he set you on your feet and glared at the man behind you. “Fuck off.”

"Steve...." Tony interjected.

“I’m not interested,” Steve spat, “he is the reason she was taken, his lies and secrets. I got nothing to say. As of now, I don’t want anything to do with Shield, or him, I’m done. No more.”

"Steve....." you whispered, "this isn't over."

“I didn’t say that,” he looked at you, his voice slightly softer, “I know it’s far from over. But how can we follow someone who we can’t even trust?” He turned to Fury, pointing at him with the arm that wasn’t firmly wrapped round you. “You know, I knew Shield could be morally grey but this…this is something else. Maybe Hydra isn’t the only division that needs bringing to its knees.”

“What are you suggesting?” Fury asked.

“I’m suggesting that nothing will change until we do.” Steve shook his head. “As long as Shield exists, so will Hydra.”

“Okay, I think maybe you’re…”

“No, he’s right.” Clint stepped forward, “we won the war last time but, well, just look around.”

“ We’re still divided, red states and blue,” Natasha added, “whilst there’s that divide, this is always going to be a threat.”

“Are you suggesting a collaboration?” Hill arched her brow.

“No, I’m suggesting the opposite.” Steve spoke, “Shield, Hydra…it all goes.”

The room fell silent as everyone contemplated his words. He was right, and most people in there would have admitted it had they been honest. But even if they didn’t agree, you knew it wouldn’t matter to Steve. There would be no convincing him otherwise. There never was.

Bucky looked at the two of you and his eyes met Steve’s. He’s best friend raised his chin defiantly, and Bucky gave him a small nod.

“To the end of the line.”

Steve then turned around, each person in the room answering in their own way before he reached Tony.

“Well, my tower’s trashed so…what the hell, a fight to the death gets me out of choosing wall paper for the remodel…” He picked a piece of lint off his sleeve. “This time we bury them for good.”

All eyes then flicked to Fury who took a deep breath, and looked to Hill and then Coulson. When he found no opposition to Steve’s proposal, he turned to the Captain and held his hands up.

“Looks like you’re calling the shots now.”

Steve stood tall, drawing his shoulders back as he took a deep breath. To win the war on Hydra this time, he had to cut off the head and make damned sure two more didn’t grow in its place.

And he knew that the end of Hydra would come from the death of one man and one man alone.

“What’s our play, Cap?” Sam asked.

“I’m gonna kill Rumlow,” his voice was level but laced with a definitive tone that left no room for argument, “and end this once and for all.”

#rawhide #alpha steve rogers x you #alpha steve x omega reader #alpha Steve Rogers #alpha beta omega #cowboy steve rogers #cowboy steve rogers x you #cowboy steve rogers x reader #avengers au #chris evans characters

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tired-reader-writer · 10 months

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I yearn for the WFM AU Lore, it’s wormed it’s way into my brain meats.

I'm gonna assume you mean my AU (it's got a name, finally!) so that's what I'm gonna talk about!

For those of you who haven't seen the other posts and are curious, I'll tag this post w the AU tag so that y'all can go explore it. With that out of the way, here's what I got (it's mostly about Ellyus bc I'm obsessed with my own OC, of course):

Ellyus has a non-linear time perception, if this were a proper fic (man I wish I had enough energy for a proper fic) the story would open with his death, it's the first thing he'll ever be aware of. And then things are out of order for him, between one breath and the next he might see Vanadis, between sleep and wakefulness he might see the future. It's all scattered, and oftentimes repeats over and over, if this were a proper fic he'd experience what has been written/uploaded thus far every time there's a new reader. The pressure in his skull and eyeballs build up and up until it causes pain as sort of a side-effect or aftermath of these visions, and he dissociates a lot. Suletta is one of the few people that can ground him. He has to take pain medication to dull the symptoms, and he also has cybernetic implants like Cardo Nabo:

Watsonian reason: it helps manage the pain and augments his nervous system so that he can live just a little longer.

Doylist reason: this is so that he reminds Prospera of Dr. Nabo, a haunting of her ghost. Doesn't help that he becomes pretty much the leading engineer/researcher of GUND-ARM Inc. like she was the head researcher of Vanadis Institute.

He'll die and then become the twelfth GUND-bit. (Haven't yet pinned down an exact point in the timeline yet but probably juuuust around Plant Quetta-ish. The attack never happens, or more like a similar incident happens later down the line on Earth and that accelerated his death.) And then he leaves everybody else to pick up the pieces of his impact.

And it is Ellyus who breaks the news to Suletta, about Vanadis, about their origins, about Ericht. But he couldn't bring himself to do it while he was alive, there's certain things he as a character is Not Allowed to say directly to people, so he takes a loophole and pre-records video/audio messages to be automatically released to certain ppl upon death like a dead man switch. It... well, people take it just about as well as you'd expect.

“It's up to you, now. Whatever you choose, I want you to live. I want you to be happy. Do you understand, Suletta? It's your right to be happy. To choose. You understand. I'm sorry I couldn't say this to you when I was still alive.”

Man if I had enough energy I'd write Suletta piloting Aerial for the first time after Ellyus dies, only to notice that there's a twelfth bit now, and the bit's voice... she can't put her finger on it but it's familiar.

Too familiar.

Suletta's always been smarter than people give her credit for.

She'd recognize her brother anywhere.

And she finally asks, after the duel or something, not expecting an answer, hoping she's wrong: “...onii-san?” in a quiet, hesitant voice.

She doesn't want to be right.

She wants to be right.

To which the bit replies, in a garbled voice, “Yes.”

But how did he die? What was he feeling in the moments leading up to it?

His narrative time as an insert character was about to be up, he knows he's gonna die, and like with a heart attack he feels the Dread settle in— not the jittery kind of “something's coming” that he often feels as an instinct, no. The kind that says, “that something is here.”

He is taken from the hospital by Prospera and her accomplices, all parties involved knowing what she has in store for him. She takes him to Aerial and just as she's about to upload him into the Data Storm—

He takes her hand.

“I'm not Ericht. Neither me nor Suletta. But it can still matter, right? Our— Our efforts. Our dreams. GUND-ARM. It matters, right, mom? M—Mom. You won't ruin it, right? You'll let it— let it live— right, right? Mom? Please, mom. I— I don't wanna— don't, don't do— don't. —ant to... to l— Sulet—ta— (El4n's new name)— J—Jeru— some—someone— no, no, I don't—”

Aka, he dies terrified for everyone and everything, scared that despite his efforts in disrupting the plot it might all be for naught and things will course-correct and Prospera will... Yeah. You know.

At some point during his frantic speech Prospera takes the hand he's been holding and covers his eyes.

The pain ends abruptly, and he's... well, inside. With the other Children of the Coven.

The twelfth GUND-bit.

And lately I've been getting more and more fond about the idea of Prospera nudging Shaddiq and El4n into cooperating with Quiet Zero— she wants Shaddiq to kill Delling and take the presidency. Miorine is... complicated. She's the one keeping the GUND ideals of medical application, saving lives, despite being the daughter of the man that ordered their slaughter. It's complicated, and El's desperate pleas shifted... something, in her. So she spares Miorine for now, until she can figure out what she'll do next. In the meantime, Shaddiq is the unfortunate target.

Wouldn't it be fun if Prospera and Shaddiq actually team up? Against Benerit and Spacians as a whole? Quiet Zero will surely give Earthians enough power to strong-arm some negotiations, and well...

Shaddiq now also has someone stuck beyond the Data Storm that he'll want to give a second chance at life to.

Thankfully due to Ellyus' influence Shaddiq is... less destructive than in canon, more on the lines of collaborating w GUND-ARM for disaster relief and stuff, uniting the various factions on Earth into a single unified front, he finally fucking learned that destructive means alone won't help people so yeah. He still has a lot of cunning fire in him though, and plots for Delling's death and snatch the presidency.

El4n isn't so stoked about Prospera— He unfortunately sees parallels between Bel/Peil and Prospera (what he knows now from El's post-mortem messages plus all the little hints while he was still alive certainly doesn't help), he only has to hear “We're not the ones that matter, Suletta and I. We'll never be Samayas. You understand.” once and alarm bells are going off in his head.

At some point he angrily demands Prospera: “Did El ever matter to you? Does Suletta?”

But he does go along, because he feels it's unfair that he was saved by Ellyus (he who wasn't even sure if he wanted to live or not, a puppet without a purpose) and yet he couldn't do the same for El.

Suletta is unsure about all this. She's doubting and second-guessing Prospera's goals— she isn't sure if this Quiet Zero thing won't end horribly like Ellyus was worried it would (post-mortem messages hello). She doesn't know if this is what Ellyus would've wanted and... I don't know. I don't know how things will proceed from her end just yet.

Some miscellaneous stuff:

Ellyus and El4n are the only ones allowed to call Shaddiq by his birth name Jeru Ogul, and in private. It's a sign of trust— Shaddiq keeps it under twenty layers of masks, a reminder for the Earthian boy he once was, fuel for what he must do. He's literally never trusted anyone with this tender heart of hearts before this. Before them.

Ellyus' nickname is El, as you might've noticed. Suletta wanted to call him Elly/Ellie when she was young, but he suggested El instead— because “it's cute, but that's not my name”. It's because Elly/Ellie would be written the same as Eri in katakana: エリ, and he... he doesn't want to bear Eri's name for all that he's fond of her (he got to hear Eri's little speech from Lfrith's pov after all). El would be written as エル, sharing the beginning of Elnora (エルノラ). Though... his full name エリユス does have “Eri” hidden inside it.

Since from what we've seen of the girls' bedroom of Earth House, I guess it's safe to say that boys also share a room w bunk beds, though El4n might receive a bed he still worms his way onto El's. They cuddle.

The Earth House kids have a groupchat. Chaos ensue.

El5n is most definitely involved in the project to burn Peil Technologies even if I don't have a solid plan on when and how.

There's... a lot more of this AU I haven't included in this post but I'll cut things off here, for fear of the post getting too long. I don't think that many people will be interested in my stuff anyways, but it sure felt nice to get this off my chest. So thank you so much for the ask!

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