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highladyluck · 3 years

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Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag playlist

Direct link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5KLghlM9nCF1WLKBNoLt5z?si=b1e1d244810e4ae9

26 songs, 1 hr 23 min. A character playlist for Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag, aka the High Lady, aka the Daughter of the Nine Moons, aka “Precious” but only if you’re Mat Cauthon, aka Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag, aka the Empress of Seanchan.

She’s a fascinating mixture of good and evil, person and tool, sympathetic and unsympathetic by turns. I tried to capture that in this playlist, which is organized roughly chronologically by her personal timeline.

There are spoilers in the playlist and commentary for Winter's Heart through A Memory of Light, since this is meant to mirror the narrative.

Track List:

1. Second Child, Restless Child – The Oh Hellos

2. Game of Survival – Ruelle

3. Sit Still, Look Pretty – Daya

4. When I Rule The World – LIZ

5. Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival

6. The Thief and the Moon – Shawn James

7. Pomegranate Seeds – Julian Moon

8. Zebra – The Magnetic Fields

9. Jolene – Dolly Parton

10. Maybe, This Time – OK Go

11. Big Guns – Ruelle

12. Fascinated – Ivy

13. The Bullpen – Dessa

14. Pretty Little Head – Eliza Rickman

15. Greek God – Conan Gray

16. Emperor’s New Clothes – Panic! At The Disco

17. Rat Queen – The Mountain Goats

18. Carmina Burana: O Fortuna – Carl Orff

19. you should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish

20. Muse with a Dagger – Taylor Castro

21. Please Don’t Say You Love Me – Gabrielle Aplin

22. Daisy – Ashnikko

23. Mother’s Daughter – Miley Cyrus

24. I Walk The Line – Halsey

25. Glory and Gore – Lorde

26. Trouble – Stripped – Halsey

Commentary and lyrics underneath the cut. Listen to it here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5KLghlM9nCF1WLKBNoLt5z?si=b1e1d244810e4ae9

1) Second Child, Restless Child – The Oh Hellos

See, I was born the second child With a spirit running wild, running free

The Empress’s second child, the only one who goes across the ocean.

2) Game of Survival – Ruelle

Are we the hunters? Or are we the prey?

"Keep this doll to remind you that I will always hear you if you say my name. If I am still alive, of course."

3) Sit Still, Look Pretty – Daya

Oh, I don't know what you've been told But this girl right here's gonna rule the world Yeah, that's where I'm gonna be because I wanna be No, I don't wanna sit still, look pretty

Tuon wishes she looked more intimidating, and threw a full-blown temper tantrum when she was told who she’d have to marry.

4) When I Rule The World – LIZ

When I rule the world, then I'm gonna make you sweat Dog collar 'round your neck, on your knees and scrub the deck

I promise I didn't forget about the sul'dam thing. This should be as jarring as her initial POV in Winter's Heart is.

5) Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival

I see the bad moon a-rising I see trouble on the way I see earthquakes and lightnin' I see bad times today

Such a good “Seanchan invade Ebou Dar” song! I definitely stole this from someone else’s Mat playlist, but I don’t think it’s on 8tracks anymore.

6) The Thief and the Moon – Shawn James

Said the Thief to the Moon "I'll extinguish your light soon I'll put an end to all the light that you shed On this world in its darkened state"

I can imagine this as a Seanchan myth; covers Tuon's opinion on her prophecy & getting kidnapped.

7) Pomegranate Seeds – Julian Moon

Kore, Kore, fauna and flora How did you get your throne? (Hey!) You made a deal You traded daffodils For a kingdom of ash and bone

Had to sneak in a reference to Tuon's middle name. Tuon's POV on her bargain with Mat.

8) Zebra – The Magnetic Fields

so there's one thing I crave when my days become ho-hum and blah I want a zebra

Took this from my Mat/Tuon book playlist because it is truly the funniest song on there. It's a zebra in our hearts!

9) Jolene – Dolly Parton

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene I'm begging of you please don't take my man

This is very tongue-in-cheek, but at the same time, if you pay attention you can see that Tuon's particularly annoyed by/threatened by Joline Maza.

10) Maybe, This Time – OK Go

So listen, I'm not trying to prove anything at all here But don't you think that maybe, this time, you were wrong?

Mat to Tuon after confiscating the a'dam from her.

11) Big Guns – Ruelle

Every little move is fixed Like a game of chess The blood on your hands is thick And you're placing bets Can't hide in the den of lions

A really perfect song for Tuon's 'lion on the high plains' realization; I know technically Mat doesn't have cannon or grenades yet, but shhhh, the rapid-fire crossbows are more or less machine guns. Let me have this. Call it foreshadowing if you must.

12) Fascinated – Ivy

Never turned out like we talked about Never could tell how to read your mind Never found out what you're all about In this lifetime, baby, you will be mine

Tuon's POV on the marriage ceremony.

13) The Bullpen – Dessa

Forget the bull in the china shop There's a china doll in the bullpen

Returning to Ebou Dar to kick ass and take heads. This was the song that made me create this playlist, because of "china doll in the bullpen," which is such a great description of Tuon.

14) Pretty Little Head – Eliza Rickman

Catch yourself a looker, let him go, go, go Wanna have your baby, but I'm so, so slow

Tuon misses Mat, but don’t you dare breathe a word about it. Besides, it’s just business.

15) Greek God – Conan Gray

And since you always swear that you wanted me gone Then why don't you go get your gun? 'Cause you don't really hate me (You're a little baby) You don't wanna end me (You wanna befriend me)

The Tuon vs Rand confrontation (take two, where Tuon's actually there.) Rand has quite enough confidence, really, but most of the song really works.

16) Emperor’s New Clothes – Panic! At The Disco

Welcome to the end of eras Ice has melted back to life Done my time and served my sentence Dress me up and watch me die

Declaring herself Empress after meeting with Rand.

17) Rat Queen – The Mountain Goats

We who have never once tasted The stench of defeat Victory sweet as the dregs of the fast food dumpster Look how they jump when we show up Like they've just seen a monster

H/T to @anyboli, who first suggested this to me as a Tuon song. This is a good soundtrack to planning the raid on the White Tower…

18) Carmina Burana: O Fortuna – Carl Orff

O Fortune, like the moon you are changeable[…]

I literally cannot imagine a Tuon playlist without this song. It’s White Tower raid time!

19) you should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish

Count my cards, watch them fall Blood on a marble wall I like the way they all Scream

Yeah, this was inevitable too. I’m using it for that absolutely horrifying POV of hers where she's in the damane training room and decides it's time to plan a full-out attack on the White Tower.

20) Muse with a Dagger – Taylor Castro

You're making fun of my people Pretend I don't hear you Cause I won't forgive myself For fueling or burning you

Tuon's thoughts on Mat in the garden. This didn't lean as as far into the dagger/knife imagery as I'd hoped for- remember, this is the blog that insists Athaem means Magic Dagger Curse- but it seemed so strangely apt for the two of them that I had to include it.

21) Please Don’t Say You Love Me – Gabrielle Aplin

There's no need to worry when You see just where we're at Just please don't say you love me Cause I might not say it back

Her conversation with Mat in the garden.

22) Daisy – Ashnikko

Respect a bitch, I'm a maverick Flexible, so elastic But don't you dare bend a bitch backwards

This is what you married, Mat. (The Mat POV version of this character sketch is probably Cake's Short Skirt Long Jacket.) I will not apologize for the number of #girlboss songs on this playlist.

23) Mother’s Daughter – Miley Cyrus

Oh my gosh, she got the power Oh, look at her, she got the power So, so, so Don't fuck with my freedom I came up to get me some

The confrontation with Egwene. I see this as mostly Egwene's POV, with Tuon doing a sort of echo, the way she does in the original scene. They are fascinatingly alike here, and the way Egwene controls the scene and gets in Tuon's head- when that's Tuon's signature strategy- is amazing.

24) I Walk The Line – Halsey

You've got a way to keep me on your side You give me cause for love that I can't hide For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide

Tuon admitting that her heart tells her to return to save Mat (and the armies of the Light).

25) Glory and Gore – Lorde

Glory and gore go hand in hand That's why we're makin' headlines (Oh! Oh!) You could try and take us (Oh! Oh!) But victory's contagious

The Seanchan army comes back for the kill.

26) Trouble – Stripped – Halsey

Don't forget me, don't forget me I wouldn't leave you if you'd let me Hmm, when you met me when you met me You told me you were gonna get me

Death threats are just their deranged way of flirting; if Tuon wanted Mat dead she wouldn't warn him, you know? And in that final scene with the fireworks Tuon's telling Mat that she wants him around, and he understands it as such.

#this is my celebration for hitting 200 followers!#SURPRISE IT'S MORE TUON CONTENT #this is what you get for following a blog with a tuon pun in the username #wheel of time #wheel of time playlist #playlist #tuon paendrag #fortuona paendrag #fortuona athaem devi paendrag #tuon athaem kore paendrag #problematic fave tuon #wheel of time spoilers #the gathering storm spoilers

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thegreymoon · 3 years

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Ever Night

How does she always make the worst decisions 😑

I am trying SO HARD to stan but she makes it so difficult 😒

***

These people are the only ones I stand behind on this show. The rest are all getting on my very last nerve.

I am so sick of the Tang Emperor, he has no spine and no common sense and this pitiful attempt to give the Empress a story arc of her own was beyond underwhelming. Like, choose your position and stick to it, ffs!

***

LMAOOOO, weren’t you trying to murder her, like, 2 seconds ago?

When will this show go back to being intelligent 😫

***

I mean, he’s not wrong, but who the hell wrote this script?

=> the Elder sneaks in to murder the Emperor

=> the Elder tries to murder the Empress when she won’t aid him in killing the Emperor

=> the Elder gets the Emperor to agree to his terms with severe political, religious and military repercussions with no real leverage whatsoever except pointing a stick at the Empress

=> (the royal guard is somehow unbothered and nowhere to be seen)

=> the Elder is suddenly worried about the state of the royal marriage again and apparently concerned about Empress’ happiness after she unrepentantly abandoned their people in a frozen wasteland to live a life of luxury and he tried to murder her for it

=> the princess does the only logical thing there is to do when an assassin infiltrates the goddamn palace to threaten the lives of her royal father and his wife

=> (the captain of the royal guard appears and remains unbothered)

=> Emperor: “Tell my daughter to go away, nothing to see here, it’s not an assassination attempt, just a tiny squabble with my in-laws!”

=> the Elder points out the absurdity of this entire situation as if we’re now supposed to laugh off this whole debacle of a script and write off literal attempted regicide on a quip from a quirky old man who ~loves~ his daughter even though he just tried to kill her

Me: ................................................... 🙄🙄

***

LMAO, and since there was obviously no logical resolution to this whole damn ridiculous mess, the writers decided to conclude the entire shitty arc by having the Elder commit suicide for no good reason via terrible special effects 🤣🤣

I cannot with this nonsense 🤣🤣

***

I’m becoming more and more sympathetic to Li Yu. I mean, she’s insufferable and a brat, but her father is just so... worthless. He replaced her mother with his mistress (and could do it with no repercussions because he’s the most powerful man in the country), had her married off to a feral tribe when she voiced her objections and is now threatening to kill her.

Yes, she’s cold-blooded, somewhat selfish and self-centred and has a massive blind spot when it comes to her sadistic idiot brother, but her father is a really shitty parent to all of his children.

I feel like the narrative keeps trying to make the Emperor a sympathetic, honorable character but he’s just so self-serving, spineless and cowardly and all he does all day is angst about how hard his life is. Also, there is no honour to be found anywhere. It’s canon that he’s more than willing to let corruption go unchecked and his family to get away with murder, torture and a bunch of other bullshit, as long as it benefits him. Chao Xiaoshu was right to wash his hands of all his filth.

***

Ha! Here we go! Finally, we get to the bottom of his age!

So, he was 8 yrs old when Xia Hou attempted to kill him, fifteen years passed from that point until his arrival in the capital, which made him 23 yrs old at the time, and at least a year has passed since then. That means he is at least 24 right now.

@dangermousie I suppose they upped his age because they cut the transmigration part and there is zero chance a four-year-old is going to survive killing to stay alive and taking care of a baby at the same time. Even an eight-year-old is pushing it.

***

Every single scene with that Mo woman is such pure nonsense. Elementary school villains trying to boost her relevance, nonsense all over the place. I am losing braincells by the moment.

***

OMFG, this stupidity is never-ending 😑😑

It is really, really hard to be invested in the story when the stakes are this manufactured.

***

When the writing is so bad, it literally gives you second hand embarrassment.

***

All the hate 🤮

The fact that Sang Sang is waiting for him at home, thinking of him every minute of every day, and here he is, sowing his wild oats, just gets to me on a visceral level. Fuck this entire collection of (poorly written) tropes with a cactus. It absolutely ruins stories for me and this one is also very much ruined at this point.

***

I am beyond pissed off. Crystal Yuan is now firmly on my no-watch list.

***

This is how this useless character is described on Wikipedia: Gentle and delicate, her pureness is reflected in her cultivation as well as her honest attitude toward love.

Nauseating 🤮🤮

***

Exactly! The note is for Sang Sang, not you!

Go fuck yourself.

***

“When will he write a little note just for me?”

Bitch, never! At least I hope.

***

LMAOOO, “Do you know how many girls I have lining up for me?”

I very much doubt anyone is lining up for your stank rapist ass.

***

LMAOOOO, he is such a mood 🤣🤣

This is my exact face when some moron starts rambling about Heaven and Hell, how the Devil is coming to bring about the end of the world and how we must kill all those who practice the same faith a bit differently because some old man proclaiming himself as an authority figure says so and claims it’s written in a book in an ancient language that I can’t personally read and have never even seen 🙄🙄

Come to your senses already, Ning Que! Is this sheltered fool really who you want to be in love with? Ask yourself, is she really wise, deep and intelligent, or is she just rich and conventionally attractive?

Also, let’s not get into the idiocy of her old man shifu sending this stupid child into the wilderness in the middle of a war to look for the original copy of a holy book that every single power faction is also looking for and will definitely kill to obtain. And that is before we even get to the two of them travelling alone, her wearing a pristine white outfit, and apparently carrying no supplies with her. Like???????

I want to go back to the first episodes when this show was still good 😭😭

#ever night #en spoilers #en ep35 #en ep36 #chen feiyu

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farawaysoph-ie · 5 years

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Incoherent Gideon the Ninth Whatever

So as some of you may have noticed (...) I finished Gideon the Ninth some hours ago, then went to sleep (bc apparently I still need sleep, amateur) but after waking up I'm still #shook.

So here's one of my long nosense lists (FULL SPOILERS ahead):

The whole set-up was bound to be OTP material: we spent our lives hating each other but now I gotta protect your tiny necromancer ass even if you tell me nothing and people are dying

Who was gonna tell me that necromancers, swords AND space went so well with each other?

Also the covers for these books are SO. BEAUTIFUL?

Gideon I'm-gonna-make-a-dirty-joke-even-if-everyone-ignores-me-and-people-are-dying Nav

Nav was a Niner name

Because I hate you (sure sugarlips, sure)

Griddle (really Reverend Daughter, really?)

“Ten thousand years of tradition, Griddle.” “I don’t have ten thousand years of tradition, bitch”

This. This is were I realized I would end up selling my soul for Gideon.

This and every time she put on her SUNGLASSES

"Gideon had nowhere to go and nothing to be, and no orders and no goals[...]."

When she punched the Third cavalier #draghim

"The hard moue of his mouth told her that he was used to making people feel that way, but also that he definitely used lip balm."

The things Gideon noticed, I swear

"He had the eyes of a very beautiful person, trapped in resting bitch face."

I'll never be over Palamedes Sextus

Harrow regained consciousness just to tell Palamedes he was not the greatest necromancer of his generation, and if this doesn't tell something about her, I don't know what does

"“This calls for rigor, Nav.” “Maybe rigor … mortis,” said Gideon, who assumed that puns were funny automatically."

Gideon Nav Talking Time

"Don’t go down there solo. Don’t die in a bone. I am your creature, gloom mistress. I serve you with fidelity as big as a mountain, penumbral lady."

“I am your sworn sword, night boss.”

"Gideon’s mouth was about to round out the words “bone empress” before she realised what had been said."

I never thought I would one day read something like "Teacher said that the facility was chocka with ghosts and you might die?"

Gideon "ghosts and you might die" Nav

Are we going to talk about Gideon's biceps?

“The arms kind of looked like swords. I want to fight it.” (we truly are blessed)

"My brain is always yelling at you"

When Harrow compliments Gideon sword fighting? (Asdfghjklkjhgfdsa)

Gideon: I just want to eat and sleep like a normal person

Harrow, who runs on darkness and bones apparently: what do you mean?

"I need you to trust me"

"I need you to be trustworthy"

"Too much of this shit, and they’d end up friends."

Just make out already.

I just loved Gideon fake vow of silence because for half of the book everyone considered her this fierce serious warrior nun, but this clashed so much with her inner thoughts omg

So basically "Gideon longed to say: What the fuck?"

Gideon being totally cool with Harrow sucking her life energy, #rideordie more like #rideanddie

“Nice to know that the other Houses are also creeps,”

"Why?" "Probably because you asked."

Gideon is the definition of pure of heart and dumb of ass, seriously

"“Ha-ha,” said Gideon, “first time you didn’t call me Griddle,” and died."

"Take your hand off my wif... I mean my cavalier" that's how it went right?

"Gideon wanted to say, Nonagesimus, quit the sacred-bat-black-vestal act[...]"

The respect for the Sixth House that reached the maximum when Pal and Cam destroyed the second house and served the bullies justice

DEATH FIRST TO VULTURES AND SCAVANGERS.

The power of this scene

"“You don’t talk like—how I thought you might talk"", bless the teens, I didn't understand why they were always insulted when described, but maybe it was just my sleep deprived and non-native speaker impression

"Eat me, milk man"

When Gideon and Harrow were fighting about Dulcinea, I suffered

And the stuff about the head, seriously Gideon was almost going to kill her bone empress

“It’s nearly ten thousand years old, if that’s what you mean.” “Well, I’m not,” she said. “So … what the fuck, basically.” “The ultimate question,”

"Camilla was nobody’s fool, though how she’d cuffed Harrow was going to be a tale of terror for another day."

"Gideon had prepared beforehand a fuck-you salvo so long and so loud that Harrow would have to be taken away to be killed; but then Harrow added, “Please.”"

THE POOL SCENE

"“Too many words,” said Gideon confidentially. “How about these: One flesh, one end, bitch.” The Ninth House necromancer flushed nearly black. Gideon tilted her head up and caught her gaze: “Say it, loser.” “One flesh—one end,” Harrow repeated fumblingly, and then could say no more."

Yes, yes, of course I died.

“If anything moves—” “Yaaas, I know. Let it head for Camilla.” (Gideon was wild until the end, a queen)

"I have you. We bring hell." (the tears)

"With Harrow there, suddenly it was easy, and her horror of the monster turned to the ferocious joy of vengeance. Long years of warfare meant that they each knew exactly where the other would stand—every arc of a sword, every jostling scapula. No hole in the other’s defences went unshielded. They had never fought together before, but they had always fought, and they could work in and around each other without a second’s thought."

I'm sorry but did Gideon take on a freacking Lyctor with just her sword, a broken kneecap and other wounds?

And Harrow waking up "Step off, bitch", like not on my watch

When Gideon said "I'm just me" I swear I heard my heart breaking

"Her hands were not shaking anymore" YES BUT WHAT ABOUT ME SOBBING?

The whole scene of them fighting the Lyctor, like Gideon being her smartass self until the end I cannot even

If no one ever tells my hallucination "I cannot conceive of a universe without you in it." then what's even the point

"See you one the flip side, sugarlips"

A very honorable mention:

"“He say anything?” Gideon wavered. “He said to tell you he loved you,” she said. “What? No, he didn’t.” “Okay, no, sorry. He said—he said you knew what to do?”"

This was just so real and Palamedes and Camilla were #squadgoals.

Now all I'm left with are overthinking stuff and making up theories.

Like there is NO WAY IN HELL Gideon is dead. My girl survived killing gas when she was weeks old. She woke up sore from something that should have sent her in a coma. And the fake Dulcinea telling she knew another Gideon once. Also you all suggested that the Emperor might be the evil one here (excuse my naive self, I'm slow with this stuff we don't have many conspiracy theories where I live). And hell yeah, I'm on board, let's break the shackles of the girl in the Lost Tomb and overthrow an Empire. I mean how could the Undying King not find any body, I mean Judith was dying and there were no others necromancers left on the planet.

And now my wait begins. For now:

Death first to vultures and scavengers, losers.

#gideon the ninth #incoherent whatever #gideon the ninth spoilers #tasmyn muir

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kenzieam · 5 years

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Not Happening, Doll - Chapter Six (Bucky X Levi)

Rating: M (language, violence, eventual smut, angst, slow burn)

Genre: Drama/Angst

@captstefanbrandt @iammarylastar @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @notimetoblog @captain-ariel-barnes @bitsandbobsandstuff @softlybarnes @lovelybbarnes @buckitybarnes @bucky-plums-barnes @moonbeambucky @badassbaker @citylights221 @empress-of-boujee @chook007 @shynara51 @diinofayce @casestudy-mw @jewels2876 @damnaged-princess @everythingisoverrated @allmyfanficfaves @clarabella960 @angryschnauzer @wowspideyholland @smilexcaptainx @shirukitsune @cake-writes @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123

If I missed any tag requests, I apologize!!

*IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED OR DELETED FROM THIS LIST, DM ME*

*****************************************************************************

Levi and Bucky cannot stand each other (or rather, the former Winter Soldier cannot stand to be around the Avenger’s newest member and, like the ass he is, he won’t divulge why) and of course, they get teamed up for a new mission. It’s deep cover this time and not only do they have to work together, they have to pretend they’re MARRIED.

Heaven help them….

****************************************************************************

The sunrise was hauntingly beautiful, both a dying burst of color and transition into dark, which had become his chosen domain. Bucky gave a deep, shuddering exhale before heaving to his feet, leathers creaking, and walking stiffly to his waiting motorcycle. A small photo, faded and cracked from hours exposed to the sun, nestled between the handlebars and Bucky stroked a gentle finger across it, smiling sadly as he remembered what he’d had and what he’d lost.

Just over five months had passed, in excess of 3700 hours, more than 220,000 minutes, uncountable seconds; each one a dull knife blade dragging across his heart. He’d been so stupid, so careless; pulling another into his life, his flawed goddamned life; letting himself believe that he deserved more than the crippling shame that was now his constant companion.

Levi. His beautiful Levi.

He’d failed her. He’d broken his promise to keep her safe. And the last five months had passed both like a blink and an eternity since then.

Kicking the bike to life, Bucky twisted the throttle, rocketing away, trying to leave the ghosts of his past behind, but they followed with reckless speed, whispered in his ears and ran ice-cold fingers up his spine to coil lovingly around his jaw and press lingering, poisonous kisses to his starving lips. Sometimes he could pretend it was still Levi, still touching him so tenderly, whispering eternal love against his skin, nurturing and strengthening his cracked heart, like water to a parched desert landscape.

Had she known? The depth of Bucky’s love for her? The visceral level of his connection? She’d saved his life, in more ways than one, and how had he repaid her?

The screech of tortured metal screamed suddenly through his mind, jolting his muscles and electrifying his heart. It burst into a frantic tattoo and his path down the highway swerved and wobbled; to an observer, he might have looked ready to lay the bike out, but there was no one out here and he was all too used to abruptly needing to control his racing heart, his shaking body, besides, he didn’t deserve something so final and peaceful as death.

He couldn’t stop, he had to keep going; away, away.

****************************************************************************** “How does that one feel?” Tony mumbled, micro-wrench lodged firmly in his mouth, glancing between a multiple-screen layout and the subject seated in front of him.

“Still a little tight.” Levi replied, picking at the edge of the advanced vibranium alloy that was the topic of their conversation. Tony reached over and sharply rapped her fingers with the wrench, wagging his pointer finger at her with a scowl.

“Quit it, or you’ll get more scars.”

Levi rolled her eyes. There were already scars, mute testimony to the trauma that had led her here, made her Tony’s guinea pig as he sorted through and tried out different solutions to her newest problem. His diligence was touching, and to be honest Levi enjoyed her time with Tony, he’d become like a older brother to her, but the yawning chasm inside her, the great well of emptiness that only one person could fill was rarely ever pacified by his or anyone else’s presence.

The doors to the lab opened with a muted hiss and Levi looked up, a wide smile pulling at her lips. “Hey!” She called, reaching out her arms in search of a hug. “How’d it go?”

Steve shrugged, still decked out in his tactical suit and leaned over, wrapping an arm around Levi and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Same old shit.” He answered as he stood back upright.

“Language.” Tony muttered, not even looking up from his keyboard.

Steve briefly stuck out his tongue at the man and Levi choked on a giggle. His hand trailed down her arm to grasp her hand as he sat in a convenient chair beside the lab table she was perched on. Still grinning, he pressed a kiss to her knuckles then held the back of her hand to his cheek. “We miss you out there.”

“I miss being out there.” Levi countered, mischief gleaming in her eye before she purposefully raised her voice, eyeing the mad scientist currently frowning at a readout. “If Doc Brown here would hurry up with the magic- “

“Oh, shut up, Peg-Leg.” Tony threw back, his words softened by a smile.

Levi snorted in amusement while Steve chuckled quietly, pulling Levi’s hand back down to his lap, his thumb stroking slow circles across her knuckles.

“Seriously, though. How is it?” Steve peered at Levi’s right leg, now a sophisticated prosthetic below her knee.

“Just working out the last kinks,” Tony replied distractedly, bashing at a tablet screen before reaching over and flicking a switch.

Levi dug her finger into the space where the prosthetic and her leg met. The vibranium alloy formed a protective cup around her leg stump, and so while she had a few inches of leg intact below her knee, the alloy stretched up to just below her kneecap, rising on the sides to partially surround the joint. “The molding is a little tight here, but that’s fixable; it’s the internal workings Tony’s having trouble with.”

“Well, I didn’t get to monkey with Barnes’ arm nearly as much as I wanted to, so I’m flying blind here in some things.” Tony mumbled, stabbing once more at the screen before turning to Levi and announcing with a flourish. “There, try that.”

Levi hesitated, skin heating at the mention of Bucky. Steve squeezed her hand, offering a small smile when she glanced at him. Taking a deep breath, Levi forced her feelings away; there would be plenty of time tonight, in the dark of her room, for her misery and sorrow to make an appearance; and swung her legs off the table.

Four months ago, Levi had woken up in the medical lab at the Compound; disoriented and in agony. Concerned faces hovered over hers, bleeding in and out of focus, but never the one her addled brain called for, the one her body had been seeking since she’d first stumbled into partial consciousness an unknown time ago, floating in bleak blackness, unable to navigate except by trying to follow the sounds of familiar voices as they spoke to her, told her to keep fighting, to come back to them. After a time, she’d come to recognize most of her friends and teammates’ voices and even the subtle differences in touch as they’d caressed her hands or stroked her face, but the one she truly wanted had never been there, the voice she wanted to hear above all others, the touch she wanted to feel so badly it hurt, never came.

Three weeks she’d lain unresponsive in a coma, they told her. Three weeks lingering between life and death, the only surety of her condition being that her right leg below the knee was mangled, shattered and unrepairable. Thousands of pounds of metal and momentum easily overpowering and destroying mere flesh and bone, even enhanced tissue.

They’d collided with that last SUV, barrel-rolling until they’d hit a tree and come to a bone-breaking halt. The team, alerted by Bucky’s last garbled scream over the comms, touched down into a war zone, debris scattered like sand. No one in the black SUVs had survived, but both Bucky and Levi had, twisted and trapped in the wreckage. Once freed and rocketing back to the Compound, the true devastation of Levi’s injuries had come to light.

Bucky was hurt badly too, but none of that pain touched his anguish when he learned of Levi’s ruin. He’d howled like a dying wolf, sagging forwards and sobbing, taking great, whooping breaths as Steve struggled to patch and stitch his innumerable wounds. The tang of blood was heavy in the air, the slow patter of crimson drops a ghastly white noise as Bruce, Tony and Nat struggled to stabilize Levi. Finally, the severe concussion he’d suffered had mercifully shut him down and he remained unconscious for the next day and a half.

When he’d woke, he’d learned the extent of Levi’s injuries, seen her rent and wrecked body cadaverously still on the bed, hooked to a dozen or more machines; but it was the fact that she’d lost her leg that seemed to be the breaking point for him. Bucky had thrown a small duffel together and fled the compound, still bruised and bleeding; taking his motorcycle and disappearing into the night.

He’d checked in sporadically since, only long enough to confirm that he still drew breath and not a heartbeat longer. Steve’s attempts to reach him remained ignored and unanswered and he never attempted to reach anyone else.

Steve still remembered the way Bucky had sounded when he’d told him that Levi was awake and responsive, that the last three unspeakably terrifying weeks were over. He’d never heard his oldest friend cry that hard, not even in the quinjet when Levi’s fate had been unknown.

“Are you coming back? She’s asking for you.” Steve gripped the phone, heart hammering. Levi was still weak and vulnerable, needing to rest and recover but right now she was devoting the majority of her energy to asking for Bucky, trying to struggle from her bed to dress her still-broken body and search for him, tearful and pleading for the others to help her, saying that Bucky needed help, he was in pain and she needed to go to him.

Bucky had refused, breathing raggedly over the line, his broken heart and why was it broken? Levi was alive, an audible grinding in his chest with every struggling breath.

For a time, Steve had hated his oldest friend.

Levi’s immediate grief had lessened, or maybe just been buried under the desire to recover and she’d been a machine ever since. Her body had healed quickly for a human, even for an enhanced human, but Levi had pushed and pushed herself, never happy with her limitations.

She’d stop asking in the third month if Bucky would talk to her, stopped asking about him completely in the fourth month and, if it wasn’t for the dark shadow of sadness and misery that clouded her amethyst eyes and weighted her limbs when she didn’t consciously fight the pull, you’d think she was over him.

Now, she was almost ready to rejoin the team, all the bugs and surprises worked out of her advanced prosthetic. Shuri and Tony had collaborated on it and its technology equally even Bucky’s cybernetic arm. The new limb was a leading edge graphite-grey, shot through with lines of deep purple and every toe was its own separate joint; with the exception of the color, a point Levi had insisted on because she refused to try to hide or disguise her new leg as if she was ashamed of it, you would be hard pressed to even guess she had a synthetic limb. Levi had worked hard to eliminate any trace of a limp or favoritism and, like Bucky, was now skilled at using her prothesis to her advantage in combat.

“Hey, movie night later?” Steve asked, falling in step beside Levi as she left the lab.

Levi glanced up at him, shadows still clouding her eyes and forced a smile. “Sure, but I get to pick the movie this time.”

Steve grinned and nodded, pausing long enough to lean down and press a kiss to Levi’s cheek. “You got it; I gotta get out of this suit.”

Levi smirked, reaching over and slapping his ass as he turned to jog away and threw him a friendly finger when he glared mock-seriously back over his shoulder.

********************************************************************************* The Compound was quiet, almost alarmingly so as Bucky entered the building from the garage level and he glanced around, frowning. Was the team out on a mission, the support staff engaged in the control rooms? The building was akin to a bunker and was just as jealously guarded, no doubt his approach was monitored and reported miles ago, his entrance captured on innumerable security cameras.

His leather jacket creaked as Bucky walked down the corridor, and he was struck with the compulsion to slink along, like the assassin of his shadowed past. He was an outsider by now anyway, he’d deserted the team almost six months ago, abandoned the woman he promised to protect and love, the teammates who’d bled for him just as much as he had for them.

He’d been expecting to be met with anger, rage, indignance; a lynch mob baying for his blood but there was nobody, not even a janitor. His skin began to crawl as he entered the private elevator reserved for the team’s suites and, as the doors closed with a muted hiss, he shivered with a sudden chill.

The doors opened on one of the resident floors and Bucky stepped out tentatively. His room was at the far end of the corridor, a minefield of three other teammates’ doors to pass before he got there. Fighting the urge to scurry like a rat, Bucky strode forwards, gripping the handle of his worn duffle tightly, until the straps almost cut into his calloused palm.

Almost there, just a dozen more steps-

“Hey.” Steve’s voice called, but there was no friendliness in it. It was like he was hailing a stranger in a warzone. His shoulders tensing, Bucky turned, prepared for the worst. Steve stood just outside his door; arms crossed over his chest and feet spread shoulder-width apart. His face was expressionless, and his eyes were hard. “Just going to sneak back in. Like you left, without saying anything?”

Bucky fought a wince. If Steve was showing no mercy, then he damned sure wasn’t going to get any from anyone else. Steve huffed out a breath and leaned his shoulder against the wall, relaxing his stance but not his expression.

“What are you doing here, James?”

Ouch.

He was never ‘James’ to Steve.

Bucky glanced back over his shoulder, measuring the distance to his door if he just took a crazy flying leap to escape this tension and Steve took the opportunity to march towards him, not bothering to move quietly, instead sounding like a grizzly bear charging. Bucky turned his head back in time to feel Steve’s finger poke him hard in the chest, pushing him a half-step back.

“I asked you a question.”

“I.. “Bucky sighed, he hated feeling this way. It was like he was falling again, clawing for Steve’s hand on that train; like he was being torn out of the freeze, dragged around while still fighting the crippling weakness and disorientation, the only surety in his world the fact that it was about to be filled with agony. “I don’t know.”

“Are you back?” Steve’s question was clipped. “Because, if you’re planning on just running out again, do it now. Levi doesn’t need to see- “

“How is she?”

“Who? Levi?” Steve’s glared bored into Bucky’s eyes and he fought not to look away. “You’d know yourself if you’d stayed.”

“Steve… “ Bucky held up his hands, palms skyward, giving Steve what little he had. “Please.”

The solitary word, the plea behind it, the simple misery in its single syllable caused a shadow to flash through Steve’s hard glare and he exhaled heavily. “She needed you, Bucky.” He stepped back, shaking his head, then turned and disappeared into his room, slamming the door behind him.

Bucky stood there for a beat, knees unsteady before turning and striding to his door.

********************************************************************************* Levi glanced up as Steve entered the common room and searched his face carefully. He’d texted her earlier today to inform her that Bucky was back and locked in his room, then had come over when Levi asked him to. He’d sat on her bed and watched her pace back and forth before snagging her hand and pulling her down beside him.

“You don’t owe him anything, Lev. You can completely ignore him if you want.”

Levi gazed up at him. “I don’t know if I want to just ‘ignore’ him.”

“Just give it some time. He just got back; you’re not obligated to do anything- “

Levi leapt to her feet again, resuming her pacing. “I know! But… Jesus… I still- “she scrubbed a hand roughly over her face and then through her hair, the bob long since grown out.

“Do you still love him?” Steve asked quietly, watching her carefully. Levi stopped her frantic movements and looked over at him, her expression miserable.

“Yes.” She whispered. “But I don’t know if I can ever trust him again.”

Steve nodded sadly. Forcing a change of subject, he smiled up at her. “Movie night, anything you want, with all of us. Let him stew in his room, we’ll have some fun tonight.”

Levi managed a tight smile.

“Ready?” He asked, brandishing a large bowl of popcorn in each hand proudly.

“Yeah, everyone else on their way?” Even as the words left her mouth, voices reached her ears and the rest of the team filtered in, Bucky conspicuously absent, but Levi wasn’t even sure if Steve had told him about tonight.

Sam snatched a bowl from Steve, sputtering in surprise when it was just as quickly taken from him by Nat. Wanda settled the spat by pushing a bag of chips into Wilson’s hands and rolling her eyes at the redhead.

“Alright, sit down asshats.” Levi called, scooting sideways on the couch to make room.

The sound of the television and the team’s sporadic laughter drew Bucky out later. He quickly narrowed it down to the common room and realized it was one of their infamous movie nights; nights he’d usually shunned unless dragged into it, usually by Nat, and now wished, deep down inside, that he could still be a part of. He’d imagined joining in when he and Levi returned from their mission, snuggling together on the couch, sharing a blanket and maybe getting secretly naughty, but his snub tonight was clear enough.

He was no longer part of the team.

He hesitated at the edge of the room, watching; Clint was sprawled on his stomach on the floor, a pillow fort half-finished around him; Sam was spread-eagled on the armchair, with Nat perched on the arm and over the back, her stomach a convenient pillow for him. Bruce had a small TV tray pulled in front of him at the loveseat and was tinkering on something in addition to various other tools and parts scattered over the rest of the couch as he half paid attention to the screen. Tony had procured some large beanbags at some point in the last six months and he and Pepper were sequestered there, giggling together and not paying attention to the movie at all. But his eyes were drawn to the couch and his heart sank. Levi sat at one end and Bucky could just see the large form of Steve laying beside her, his head on her lap and powerful arm resting across her knees. Levi’s fingers carded gently through his hair and he was half-asleep, his fingers trailing an unconscious mirrored path of her touch along her thighs.

Bucky’s blood boiled even as his chest felt like it was caving in. What had he expected? Steve had had Levi first, at the safe house; when she’d gone into his room and they’d both eyed him nervously the next morning. He’d not smelled Steve on Levi that morning, but that hadn’t ruled out a good shower and, until he’d been unable to fight his own urges anymore, he’d simmered with jealousy at the possibility that Levi had chosen Steve over him. Any headway he’d made on the mission had obviously been overridden by Steve’s presence now and they looked downright cozy on the couch together; the punk in the exact position that Bucky was supposed to be in, it was supposed to be Bucky feeling Levi’s fingers in his hair, him feeling her thighs beneath his head, her sweet smell surrounding him.

His metal fist creaked as he balled it, his nails biting into the palm of his flesh one. He was ready to bail, back out of the room and leave when Sam glanced over and saw him.

“Hey, joining us?” He asked, a hard edge of challenge in his voice. It was hard to decipher exactly which option he preferred, and Bucky froze as the rest of the team swiveled their heads to look at him. Steve’s head lifted from Levi’s lap and he eyed Bucky briefly before turning his head and murmuring something to Levi. Sitting up, he scooted closer to Levi and gestured to the now open end of the couch.

Bucky hesitated. The last thing he wanted was to sit next to Steve and Levi, but there was no where else to go and what final, frail strands of friendship would he snap by turning and leaving them again? The muscle in his jaw clenched briefly before he schooled his features and strode forwards, sitting stiffly on the unoccupied end of the couch. Attention returned to the movie, after a few long, appraising gazes at him and Bucky forced himself to relax. He glanced over and immediately regretted it. Steve and Levi were practically in each other’s laps, the blond man leaning against Levi, his head on her shoulder. They’d pulled a blanket up over them and Bucky’s glare burned there, trying to see through the fabric, to see what was going on beneath it.

Levi giggled at something Steve whispered and Bucky’s fist creaked again as rage boiled through him. Every instinct in him screamed to stand and tear Steve away from his girl, crush his mouth to hers and brand her until there was no mistaking his claim on her.

But could he ever call her that anymore? His girl? Hadn’t he shattered that bond when he’d abandoned her at her most vulnerable?

No one offered him a bowl of snacks and any appetite he might have had was shot anyway, watching Levi and Steve out of the corner of his eye. The bastard had his head on her shoulder, tucked right up against her cheek and she had her head tilted to rest against his. Levi studiously ignored him, focusing solely on the movie, giggling every now and then at something Steve muttered to her.

Bucky’s nostrils flared as his temper ratcheted up and the only thing that kept him from acting on his simmering rage was the certain knowledge that he no longer had a right to. He’d waived any and all rights to Levi and her body the minute he’d straddled his bike and roared off into the night, and he’d only expounded on that every single time he refused to speak to her.

But it hurt too much, to hear her voice and not be there to touch her; to sense the pain and discomfort she was most likely in. She had been hurt badly by the crash, the wreck he’d put her through; she’d lost her goddamned leg, and it was all his fault. The last thing he was entitled to now was her love and attention.

The movie dragged, and Bucky had no idea what was playing anyway. He kept catching covert little glances his way, sidelong little looks that flicked between Levi and Steve and him as if expecting him to snap and tear the two of them apart, like he absolutely wanted to. The credits were barely rolling before he couldn’t stand it any longer and leapt to his feet, scurrying down the hallway like someone was chasing him.

Levi watched him run away, a curious feeling of satisfaction and shame coursing through her. She and Steve weren’t an item, they never had been and never would be, he was like a brother to her and their awkward fumbling in the safe house had only confirmed that for each other; but he had become a major pillar of support for her these last six months and their closeness during the movie had not been a show for Bucky’s benefit. Steve was a snuggler, a serial cuddler and so was Levi; no one else on the team liked to be spider-monkeyed while they were trying to pay attention to the movie so it always turned out to be just the two of them; hell, it wasn’t unusual for Levi to outright crawl into Steve’s lap anymore, his arms circling her and his head resting on top of hers. Their closeness tonight had not been to try and drive Bucky crazy with jealousy, if anything, it had been an attempt by Levi to continue on with her new life, with what had become a deep and important bond with Steve, the man who’d been there even when the man who owned her heart had not been.

But seeing Bucky again had stirred more than just anger and hurt in her heart. She missed him, every bit of him, the way he used to tease her through texts, amping her up while she was still at work and could do nothing but rub her thighs together to try and calm the heat rising between them; she missed the way he’d touch her, draw her close as they sat on the couch at night, the way he’d trail gentle kisses along the curve of her neck to wake her in the mornings and the way he’d pull her to him at night, snuggling close and wrapping himself around her, a protective cocoon of hard muscles and warm flesh.

But they’d started out as adversaries, Bucky’s misguided attempt to keep distance between them and had been drawn together anyway; and now they were apart again, and again, it had been Bucky that had chosen that, forced that on the both of them and Levi wasn’t sure if she had the strength to fight for them a second time.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #the avengers #sebastian stan #protective bucky barnes #bucky x levi #bucky x lev #bucky x nika #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes angst #thighs of betrayal #james buchanan barnes #not happening doll #bucky barnes drama #bucky x oc #bucky #bucky barnes undercover #bucky barnes romance

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dragon8641 · 4 years

Text

The Soldier and the Empress 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a couple of things before you start reading this fanfic.

I won't be using subtitles for the vast majority of it, only when not everyone can 'hear' these characters is when i'll use them (Like Senketsu).

This fic assumes you’ve already watched Kill La Kill as it contains spoiler and skips a lot of story for different purposes.

This fic is (most of the time) written in first person perspective to add to the immersion.

This is a Satsuki X Reader/Insert Fic, I just think that leaving the name blank takes away from the immersion. Also the 'good shit' will come in tiny bits here and there as well as some big ones so be patient.

The story will curve away from the anime later down the line, specially after the biggest event on the anime happens.

I appreciate feedback and grammar corrections greatly, as long as you ain't an asshole about it it'll be Okay. (I do spelling mistakes on purpose when I'm the one 'talking')

Originally uploaded to wattpad exact same way under the limitations on this site.

With all that said, please enjoy and tell me what you like and what you don't of it. Thanks for reading.

Lizard Among Pigs

Satsuki Kiryuin

That's the name of the woman who stole my place as the student council president at my high school.

Back then i didn't rule the school out of greed or desire for power, but out of fear, i wanted everyone to stay away from me. So i recruited followers and with them i made my dream school and it looked like my second year would been just as peaceful, that's when she showed up.

Long black hair, blue eyes and a stare that could kill. She completely destroyed the defences i built over the last year. Not even an hour past her arrival, many of my followers had left me for good and the ones who attacked her were already on the ground.

Satsuki Kiryuin

She shouted her name as demanded my presence. There was nothing else to do, i had to go out and face her myself.

Once i was alone in front of her, four other figures showed up, a pink haired girl, next to her a blue haired four eyes. To Satsuki's other side, a green haired punk with a bamboo sword and finally behind her a two and a half meters tall blonde buff man.

I had no chance against her, let alone any of her goons. However, I also had no reason to surrender. my weapon was a pair of claws made out of scrap that i slowly put on without taking my eyes off Satsuki. Either fear or something else kept me from looking away as to which one was, i got my answer soon after.

"Surrender!" The long haired woman in white uniform shouted at me, almost making me kneel from that alone. seeing that was not the case she seemed somewhat impressed.

I let out a groan, her shout did not beat me, but sure as shit left me tired.

"Impressive" She sounded way different now "You who ruled over this people with fear, you were right to do so, but you lacked something very important!" she went back to shouting, draining more and more energy out of me with every word.

"Hm, and here i thought this one was going to be some pushover… i need to reexamine the data" the blue four eyes spoke to no one in particular.

"Like a lizard under a hail..." the other girl with satsuki 'answered' to the glasses guy.

"Oh ho" the green haired punk said surprised while the big blonde man said nothing.

Satsuki Kiryuin

She took a step forward, a single step, then a blinding light appeared from behind her, i could not see it's origin.

"Come at me and if you survive, I will tell you what you lack!" She hit the ground with her sword and again more energy left my body.

I only had enough strength in me for one single attack, so i had to make it count.

With the last of my pride of the position i got for myself i managed to speak back at her.

"Then so be it!" thus i readied my weapon. I put all my strength on that attack, or so it seemed, it was a feint, when i got closer to her i would change direction, that's all i had to work with.

And she still stopped me effortlessly and calmly as when she first showed up. a strike from her sheathed sword to the stomach and with my Scrap Claws broken i fell to my knees in defeat. I barely manage to lift my head, i saw Satsuki at my left, three of the four goons she brought were far more relaxed than just a second ago, but the tall blonde one looked way more serious than anyone else.

Finally she spoke.

Satsuki Kiryuin

"Determination"

That was the last thing i heard before i fell to the floor barely conscious. With my defeat she was done here, so they were preparing to leave. And just as she gave a final speech to the ones who were still somewhat awake, a speech I could not hear. I saw her in the distance, that same blinding light i was now able to see perfectly through it. before i was almost lost to fatigue but now i was lost for words at her beauty, why was it so different now from the one that beat my ass just a moment ago?

She wasn't, the moment i laid my eyes on her i felt it, but i didn't realized it yet…

"I want to follow her." That's all that went through my mind after that, i had to act fast, i had to move. I managed to get some strength in my hands and rip some grass, as i slowly raised my head once again, i realized that they weren't that far from me as i originally saw, probably a trick of the fatigue.

I was now kneeling, and all five of the spectators were in complete silence, i didn't know why then, but now i know it was them acknowledging the strength i had to get up after one of Kiryuin's strikes. I remember the blonde man smiling if just a little, the glasses guy typing at a computer and the punk was definitely happy, the pink girl was looking at Satsuki, like waiting for her to say something.

Next step was to get up, i just knew it. So i tried and tried and tried until i lost count of how many times i tried but failed. i felt pathetic.

Then in the endless white noise i heard a voice, Satsuki's.

"GET! UP!"

Inexplicably i sprang up and got on my own two feet, stumbling a little, but i did not fall i was not going to fall ever again.

Somehow now I could clearly see the faces of the four, the big man was now all smiles, the four-eyes was typing even faster, the other two were still the same but the punk was looking at Satsuki this time. She was smiling, i was lost to her sight again but now i was breathing heavily trying to regain consciousness.

"Well Done Tadasuki! You have proven yourself! Join me at Honnouji Academy!"

That's when i pledged my undying loyalty to Lady Satsuki, The woman that stole my heart.

From there on out i expressed my love for her in form of loyalty, hoping once all this is over, once her little sister and father are avenged, once Ragyo is defeated maybe, just maybe i… no, i'll restrain myself from such thoughts for now.

"Tadasuki, sir, is everything in order?" Omiko Hakodate, two star leader of the tennis club asked me, her superior, to check if everything was in ok after i inspected it.

"Yes, there seems to be no problems with your equipment, Sanageyama should be here soon for the last adjustments… by the way, what happened to the new girl?"

She told me what happened to the new girl after one of her club members didn't showed to practice the day before.

"I see, she'll most likely show up again… ah! whatever, it's Sanageyama's problem now (and i still cannot follow what happening inside of her pretty head… i'll ask Nonon later… no that sound like a bad idea...)" with that i left the tennis court to examine other clubs and their equipment, such is my duty as vice-president... well that and follow her orders.

#kill la kill #satsuki kiryuin #kiryuin satsuki #oc #fanfic #xreader #Soldier and Empress #klk

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palest-quadrant · 7 years

Text

Of Skaia and Sunlight Chapter 1: Shadows on the Breeze

Hey before I paste the text in I just want to let you know that the first six chapters are already up on ao3, I’m just pasting them in one at a time so I can look back on them later.

John Egbert was not having a good day. He traced a finger along the rim of his coffee mug, and sighed, blowing his short bangs up onto his forehead. He knew that his father was right, and that politics were almost certainly a one way road to death, but he had to say something.

The alliance with House Life was simply preposterous. Doing so would make several powerful enemies, House Doom included. No one really knew what happened to people who angered House Doom. They just ended up dead, a rotting corpse that looked to be decaying for weeks, though the person had just been seen the previous evening alive and well, or a bloated cadaver ravaged by an unidentifiable poison.

Breath’s other option wasn’t much of an improvement. Refusing this alliance would practically be declaring war on House Life. To survive they would certainly have to make an alliance with House Doom, which was sketchy at best, deadly at worst. While they were still sorting out their terms with Doom, Life would be launching an all out assault.While not known for its subtlety, Life was not a force to be trifled with, especially its Empress.

In short, House Breath was stuck between a rock and a hard place. There was no easy solution and the Grandmother knew it. She and several of her most trusted advisors had been in her huge traveling wagon for days now, only emerging to squirrel away more food into the building. John wasn’t quite sure what all the secrecy was about, information had always been relatively free flowing in his House. It was unnerving. He had been called to the caravan today, albeit in secrecy, and had been pacing for the past hour.

John donned the customary blue hood of his house. It was long, the tail nearly reached his waist when down from his head, a deep cobalt. He strapped a knife onto his upper arm, covering it with the sleeves of his shirt as he adjusted his glasses to sit straight on his nose. He huffed a sigh, mussing his dark hair and stepped out of the tent.

He crossed the camp without much consequence, stopping only when it was unavoidable, and even then he was bouncing on his toes. Herds of Tinkerbulls fluttered across the area, their musky scent filling the air. John pressed his ear against the heavy leather flap that served as a doorway to the traveling wagon. Inside he could hear rapid fire speech, and voices raised.

“You have to understand, we mustn't-”

John stepped into the caravan, a wave of musky air washing over him. Arguments petered out into silence. His father, halfway through his sentence with his fists clenched on the table, quickly withdrew. He shot one last glare at the offending adviser and smoothed his lapel, beginning to stride over to meet his son.

“Ah, John.” He placed his large hands on both of John’s shoulders and kissed the top of his head. John’s father then spun him around to face the elaborate mahogany table, as well as the sets of eyes that surrounded it.

“This is my son, John.” There was a visible relaxation around the room. “The Grandmother called him, but I was not aware.” Stress on the word aware. He spat it out like a piece of rotten tobacco, then continuing slowly. “That the rest of the advisors had not been notified of his imminent arrival.”

John’s palms began sweating and he wiped them on his pants, hoping none of the councilmembers noticed. One, of leonine countenance, did, and smiled with a grace that promised certain death if he made a misstep.

Heads bowed under his glare, all except for the Grandmother, who simply smiled at him, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “Yes yes, child. Come, sit.” She made a vague gesture towards one of the empty seats.

John traversed the room, aware of the small puff of dust that went up at every footstep. He sat down and shifted slightly in his seat. The Grandmother appeared to have turned her attention back to the rest of the room, as chatter had begun anew, along with all of the previous arguments.

“This is suicide! We can’t refuse this alliance, Breath is as good as dead if we do!”

“If we take it we’re toast! At least Doom won’t be on our asses if we refuse.”

“Life isn’t much of an improvement. You want them to sic their military and imperial drones on you?”

The Grandmother stood up after this discourse had continued for some time, brushing imaginary fuzz off her elaborate robe. She seemed to exude a heavy air, drawing the eyes of the room towards her. “Silence, Gentlemen,” she smoothed her graying hair, teasing the curls in it. “There is always a choice.”

“Of course, have the choice between Doom and Life but that’s not much in the way of free will-”

“We will not be creating any new alliances, not today. Breath has always been free, its members allowed to choose their own path. We must not sacrifice our Principle in the hopes of avoiding defeat.” The Grandmother swept her sky blue sleeves from her hands in a smooth gesture, a heirloom ring flashing silver in the dim light. It was definitive, and her blue eyes were as cold as ice as she swept them across the room. One council member finally spoke up.

“Defeat? You must mean complete annihilation. Surely the rest of the House will understand?” A councilman with deep midnight blue robes spoke up, voice fading as the steely gaze of the Grandmother moved to him.

“They cannot hope to kill all of us, if we scatter quickly.” Quiet. All looked to John’s father who had stood up silently, and was now resting his palms on the table. Smoke drifted up from his pipe and John followed it with his eyes. None spoke until long after it had dispersed at the roof of the tent.

“Separate?”

“Preposterous!”

“What do you hope to achieve?” “Who do you think you are?”

The Grandmother held up a hand smiling softly. “House Breath was always a nomadic House, I suppose it is time that we return to that life. It was only a matter of time. In fact, I seem to recall you, Master Orage, being one of the strongest opposers to the change into this current form of administration.” A pointed look at one of those who had raised their voice, an older man with a long salt and pepper beard and slate blue robes. He sat down in a huff.

John summoned up the courage to speak. “I don’t understand, why did you need me here?”

Twenty four eyes turned to him. The leonine one grinned. “Provisions of course.” She smiled wickedly. John’s father tensed near him, shifting subtly to stand between her and John.

“Your father has requested that we let you know as well.” Something in her voice suggested that it wasn’t much of a request, and he would be paying for it later. “He believes that you might be useful in our next objective.”

“Which is?” Inquired a gravelly voice from the crowd.

“We scatter, and hide, and hope this blows over. Since I suspect it will not, I am sending Master Egbert here to request aid from the Houses not involved so far.

“What?” A booming shout from John’s father. The Grandmother smirked, knowing she had won. John shrunk in his seat, wishing more than anything, at that moment to disappear.

“Of course, Mr. Egbert, we would not want either Doom or Life to discover our supposed ‘betrayal’.” She made air quotes in the space next to her. “Who better to send than a nobody, a simple paperboy, to seek aid? And we shan’t let anyone else know of this, I assume. Security, of course.”

John’s father was fuming. He was no idiot, and knew when he had been beaten. This knowledge, however, failed to keep the strain that promised thunder and lightning out of his voice as he quietly asked to be excused from the meeting. The Grandmother responded with a wave of her hand, to which every other council member quietly filed out in response to.

John headed to his own tent, still numb with shock. He packed all of his things with robotic motions, a water skin, a sharpening stone. Little things that he hoped he would never need to use. He had never left Breath, he had thought he never would. It was a development, to be certain, but John wasn’t sure he was ready yet. His father had told him of the cutthroat realms beyond the Zephyr herding grounds, and he knew he probably wouldn’t last a second in one of them. John pushed aside the flap of the tent, running his finger along the embroidered edges as he turned to leave.

“John,”

John whipped around, searching for the familiar white fedora in the crowd. When he found it, he sprinted towards his father, feet almost never touching the ground. When he reached him, they embraced, a crushing bear hug that enveloped John in the familiar scent of flour and sugar. They stayed like this for minutes, though to John it couldn’t last long enough. When he finally pulled away, he took only three steps before his father spoke.

“John, I wish I could go with you.” His father’s voice was filled with regret.

“Why can you not?” John whispered, almost unintelligibly.

“I- John, you know I have to lead the rest of our clan, there’s no one else that knows enough about how it was before we grouped together.” He ran his hand through his carefully styled hair. “Summoner help me, I would drop everything in a heartbeat if it were just about you and I.”

“But it’s not.” John said.They both paused. “Look, I get it. You have a whole clan to lead.”

Silence again, weightier than before. John followed his father’s movements as he took off the ring that he had worn since John was no larger than the boxes that held the canvas for the traveling tents. There was a line of pale skin around where it used to be and it felt like there was a hole where something important was missing.

“I want you to take this.” John’s father stood with his hand outstretched, a peace offering.

“You want me to- Dad no!”

“I want you to take it.”

John reached out his hand shakily and took it. It was cold to the touch, almost dark, as if it was mourning the loss of a constant companion. He looped it through a chain on his neck and turned back to his father, who was standing alone, silent, reserved.

“Dad, if this is the last time I see you,” John started.

“It won’t be.” His father’s tone was certain, optimistic, but his eyes said different.

“I love you.”

John walked towards the unknown, compass in hand. The crowd parted around him and he looked back one last time. He placed his hand on his heart and placed the other to his head, an old sign of respect. He departed, his blue hood flapping in the wind.

Welcome to shitty chapter number one

Here’s the link to the work on ao3! Thanks for taking the time to read through.

#Shadows on the breeze #Of Skaia and Sunlight

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kenzieam · 5 years

Text

Not Happening, Doll - Chapter One (Bucky X Levi)

Rating: M (language, violence, eventual smut, angst)

Genre: Drama/Angst

If I missed any tag requests, I apologize!!

*IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED OR DELETED FROM THIS LIST, DM ME*

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I KNOW, I KNOW!!! I HAVEN’T FINISHED ALL MY PENDING STORIES AND HERE I AM STARTING A NEW ONE… I CAN’T HELP IT, LOL. COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

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Heaven help them….

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“No.” The declaration was so abrupt that even Tony was stunned silent. Finally, he managed a disbelieving, “No?“

Bucky nodded once; eyes stubbornly fixed to a corner of the room that nobody currently was occupying, arms crossed firmly across his massive chest.

“What-the-fuck-why?” Tony asked, voice hardening.

Bucky shrugged, glancing up once to briefly meet the glare of the woman he was referring to. “She’s too new, too green.”

Levi snorted derisively, rolling her eyes so hard Steve worried she’d just seen her brain and he was plagued with a similar impulse.

“She’s new to us, not this line of work.” Tony’s voice was sharp now, warning the former assassin who only shrugged again, drawing a low snarl of anger from Levi.

“What the hell is this bullshit, Barnes? I gotta bleed for you first? Gotta pass initiation?” Levi’s violet eyes were incandescent, blazing with fury and indignation and Steve wondered idly if she would simply launch herself over the table at Bucky. This wasn’t the first time Bucky had questioned Levi’s abilities in front of the team, but it was the boldest.

“I’m not babysitting-”

“Oh, fuck you Barnes! Who the fuck kicked your amnesiac ass just yesterday in training, huh? Me!” Levi slammed her fist down on the table for emphasis then abruptly turned her attention back to Tony. “I’m not going to work with someone who doesn’t trust me.”

Tony sighed. “I need you to. Nat’s cover might be compromised and I can’t pull Wanda; unless Frosty and Steve are willing to play a gay couple, it’s on you.”

Levi’s full lip curled and she fixed her blazing glare back on Bucky. “I’ll go, but send me with someone else who’s not a peckerhead.”

Steve had to disguise his sudden snort of laughter with a cough, rolling his chair away to face Clint and Nat. Nat was still disgusted at being grounded, her arms crossed over her chest, while Clint snort fresh coffee out his nose and proceeded to howl like he’d just been hit with an electric cattle prod, prompting Sam to laugh so hard he started choking and needed Steve to whack him on the back. Bucky just glowered; his expression a mix of begrudging amusement and boredom.

Tony shook his head faintly, glancing upwards to implore for strength. “It has to be him; he’s got the most experience with this type of infiltration work. We need absolute secrecy and camouflage to be successful.”

“And we have to pose as a married couple?” Levi clarified. At Tony’s nod, she rolled her eyes again and shot finger guns at Bucky. “There’s no way Captain Siberia can pull that off, affection? Shit, we’ll be blown inside a day.”

Anger joined the boredom in Bucky’s eyes, and something else Steve couldn’t immediately identify. His mouth opened in rebuttal but Steve didn’t wait to hear what came out.

“Stop it.” He commanded. He glared for emphasize at both Bucky and Levi, but let his gaze soften with her. It was no secret that Bucky had made Levi’s transition into this team as rocky as possible and this was finally going too far, even for the benefit of the doubt Steve often seemed to extend his oldest friend’s way. “This is the way it has to be. Bucky, you’re the most experienced in this; Levi, you are more than capable. I know you haven’t had too many opportunities to prove yourself with us yet, but I’ve read your jacket, you can handle this assignment all day.”

Bucky’s face went hard, his eyes darkening. Abruptly he stood and stormed from the room.

“Briefing in an hour! Wheel’s up in three!” Tony bellowed at his retreating back. The slamming door was his only answer.

Steve exhaled and forced a smile as Levi turned to look at him. She raised a brow.

“He’ll come around.” Steve offered weakly and Levi snorted, pushing sharply at the table to spin her chair away.

******************************************************************************************

“You proud of yourself?” Steve demanded, poking his head into Bucky’s room. He only grunted in answer, shoving supplies into a tactical duffel.

“What is your problem with her, Buck? Levi’s got this-”

“Just drop it; punk.”

“No, I’m curious.” Steve strode past Bucky and flopped down onto his bed, resting his folded arms behind his head; crossing his feet at his ankles he fixed his oldest friend with a baleful eye. “Enlighten me. What is it about Levi that rubs you the wrong way?”

Bucky only sneered, disappearing into his bathroom.

“She’s enhanced too.” Steve began. “Is that the problem? She’s the last experiment tied to Howard Stark, is that it? She’s new to us but not to this line of work. Fury trusts her; hell, we all do, why don’t you?”

“Why do you?” Bucky shot back; reappearing from the bathroom. “Who knows what SHIELD had her do, all her files were destroyed, why?”

“What about you?!” Steve demanded and was immediately ashamed when Bucky flinched at his words. “We going to start judging people based on their past now? Where does that leave you?” He snapped his mouth shut, already hating himself for going there. “All I mean is, you’re better than your past, and nobody holds it against you; why can’t you give her the same courtesy?”

Bucky fixed Steve with a dark, heavy, hateful glare. “Glass houses, right?” He spat, his voice dripping venom and pain.

“Buck, c’mon-”

“Whatever.” The former assassin stormed out; jaw clenched.

The briefing was tense. Bucky glowered at nobody and nothing while Levi listened with a grave intensity, flicking occasional glances at Bucky before returning her attention to the information. The mission, while simple, was delicate. Bucky and Levi were going deep undercover, posing as a married couple, to infiltrate and observe a curious abnormality in a small industrial community. It was the type of place where a large corporation had moved in and all but bought the town; most of the residents were employed in the corporation itself, while the rest depended on the worker’s business to survive. The company had been going on a hiring spree in recent months, enlarging its work base to almost double and deep digging had discovered suspicious ties to murky industries overseas, blank parent companies with flowery bullshit names that, if you dug even further, stunk of HYDRA.

Bucky, to his flat curiosity, was to play a stay-at-home husband, a man who worked from home on computers (children’s book illustration, to Sam’s intense amusement) and rarely left the house while Levi would be the one to actually begin working at the company. While Levi worked to burrow her way into the dealings at the corporation, Bucky would spend his days sneaking around like a thief, planting bugs and wire-taps in the neighborhood that he would then be able to monitor in real time from almost directly on top of.

The corporation was too legally backed and too savvy to be taken down by anything resembling a government or law enforcement tied investigation and so the here they were, ready to dive in, the old-school way.

“Your backgrounds have been sent to your tablets, memorize them; we’ve got everything up to and including how much the tooth fairy gave you as a kid. Your entire life is there if someone gets suspicious and starts digging.” Tony explained, rubbing his forehead wearily.

“Did I miss something? Why is nobody asking why we’re sending a former HYDRA agent directly into a suspected snake pit?” Levi broke in suddenly, her voice hard. “I mean, the guy’s a cyborg, it kinda makes you stand out in a crowd.”

Ashamed anger flared in Bucky’s eyes and his lip curled involuntarily. Tony shifted uneasily in his chair, clearly wishing that Levi hadn’t brought up such a sticky point. Steve tensed, ready to intercept if things suddenly turned violent, dimly noting that the rest of the team was doing the same around him. Levi continued to stare levelly at Bucky, one brow raised and Steve admired her balls, they definitely clanged.

“We don’t really have a choice. We can’t risk an in and out type surveillance, that’s why we gotta go old school. We need someone with the most experience at deep cover and Barnes here has made a living, involuntary as it may have been, at being invisible. He’s also got the real-time experience to evaluate and make determinations on what he picks up, without having to send out communications that might get detected or intercepted. And you’re new enough to the team that no one tied to HYDRA should recognize you. It’s a definite risk but one we need to take.” He paused then and winced as he continued. “Which is also why you have to cut your hair and dye it before you go, Barnes.”

“WHAT?!” Bucky exploded, leaping to his feet.

“Well, Lev’s got a point. Your arm you can hide, that shaggy, greasy mess you call hair, right out there to see.”

“When were you going to tell me this?!”

“You would have known this if you’d read the jacket earlier but you chose to storm out like a toddler.” Tony snapped and Steve groaned quietly. This was falling to shit awfully fast. Bucky was already chafing on a number of points, chiefly being working with Levi, followed closely with being stuck as the mole, burrowing around in the background like vermin and demanding he cut his hair was probably going to be the proverbial straw.

“Your wardrobes are being sent ahead with the ‘moving company’ to the house, you need to fit the preppy style chosen for you.”

“Preppy?!” He thundered, nearly apoplectic now. “I gotta be-” he paused, then spat the word. “A millennial?”

At this, Tony finally had the grace to look temporarily sheepish. “Starbucks chic.” He shrugged, cockiness returning.

Tony had a death wish, that was the only explanation. Salvation, however, came from an unlikely source.

“Save your energy, Barnes. We gotta get going.” Levi cut in; her voice surprisingly soft. She ran a hand regretfully through her own auburn mane, and looked over at where Bucky stood, chest heaving, fists on hips. “I have to dye my hair too, and wear ‘vegan leather’ or some shit.” She stood then with a heavy sigh, gathering the tablet and folder of information in front of her, holding them to her chest. She met Bucky’s glare again, but surprise had drifted into his eyes now, his lips slightly parted. “C’mon, husband. Escort your wife to the beauty salon.” She turned to address Steve. “Meet us in the hanger in an hour?”

Steve nodded, surprise making him dizzy as Bucky seemed to cave, heaving an almighty sigh before gathering his own materials and storming after Levi, pausing only long enough at the door to whirl and give Tony the bird.

*******************************************************************************************

An hour later, a Seattle metrosexual and his vegan-leather clad wife marched into the hanger, walking close enough to fool a layman into thinking they were friendly with each other, as long as you ignored the sparks of banked anger and resentment flashing in their eyes every time they happened to meet.

Bucky was now blond, sporting the uber trendy slicked-back undercut and clearly uncomfortable in fitted khakis and a body-hugging long-sleeved, navy blue sweater. Levi was only slightly less uncomfortable with a harsh geometric bob in unrelieved black, skin-tight jeans and white, deep-v necked, button-down men’s shirt, the sleeves rolled up and left unbuttoned half-way down to her navel.

Steve bit his lip to keep from laughing. They had an hour and a half quinjet flight, followed by a two-hour drive with Steve to a safe house, then another hour and a half drive without him further to their new ‘neighborhood’ to get comfortable and learn all the shit on their tablets. And to eighty-six this distance between them, not even trendy hipster couples practiced this level of ‘anti-love’.

Bucky glared daggers at Steve, correctly reading his amusement and stormed up the ramp. Without a word he threw himself into the rear-row seat; Levi watched him mildly before looking at Steve and offering a faint smile.

“Think we have a chance?” She asked.

Steve fought a grimace. “I’m not worried about you, I mean, I am… but you can take care of yourself…. I’ve never seen Buck this wound up though.”

“He really doesn’t like me, does he?” There was a definite edge of sadness in her voice and Steve reached over, slinging an arm over her shoulders and pulling her close, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.

“I don’t know what his problem is. He won’t tell me, and I’m worried what I said to him made it worse.”

“I doubt that, he respects you too much.” She paused, a little uncomfortably, then added. “We should get going.”

Steve nodded and turned, pulling Levi with him up the ramp and depositing her gently in a seat across from Bucky, to her faint amusement. Her smile however, faded when she slipped into the seat and remembered her ‘husband’ glowering at them both. Pulling out her tablet from a trendy over-sized tote, she smiled gamely at Steve while he strode further to the cockpit then turned her attention to reading her fictional past.

With an aggravated sigh, Bucky yanked his out and began to do the same, glaring smoking holes into the screen.

Steve barely held himself back from an only semi-ironic Hail Mary before beginning throwing the magic switch.

*******************************************************************************************

Levi stayed valiantly in her seat, despite the storm cloud next to her, and continued to memorize her story during the remainder of the flight. At times she’d feel Steve’s eyes on her and would glance up, grinning when they made eye contact, usually looking away in chagrin when a low growl from beside her would remind her that she wasn’t alone with the blond man.

“Should be on this mission with him.” Bucky grumbled irritably. “Punk already looks metro.”

Levi rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath and praying to the fates for strength. Jesus Christ. “You are far from my dream partner too, Barnes. You think I want to spend the next how many months stuck with you? Pretending to…” she swallowed and while she didn’t really mean it this way, it looked like in revulsion, “love you? Dream on. The biggest asshole in the Compound and he’s all for me? How did I get so lucky?” Without waiting for a snarled reply, Levi deliberately pulled her knees up to her chest and turned her body away from Bucky, pointedly looking away and concentrating solely on her tablet.

Ears burning, Bucky chanced a glance up at the cockpit, fought a kneejerk sneer when he saw Steve’s disapproving frown. With his enhanced ears, Steve had just heard every word and Bucky was suddenly ashamed at the disappointment in his friend’s gaze. Gritting his teeth, he returned to his reading.

Although he would have liked the company, Steve was proud that Levi stuck it out and stayed near Bucky, seeming to have completely erased him from her radar after her last burn. She hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true, unfortunately; since the Accords and Wakanda, Bucky had been struggling. He was the black sheep of the team, rejecting most social contact and glowering from the sidelines petulantly when forced to interact. The movie nights that Steve admittedly loved with the team were always made slightly tense when the Winter Soldier was made to attend. Nat was braver than most, dragging the man out of his self-imposed cave and demanding he stay and watch with them, but Bucky rarely relaxed enough to make it worth the trouble. Most of the team just gave him a wide berth now, a courteous acknowledgement when they passed in the hallways and little else.

He was a valued member of the team, no doubt; strong and capable on missions, but he just couldn’t seem to relax and the charming, charismatic man Steve had known before the war rarely volunteered conversation anymore, or even a smile. It hurt Steve’s heart, to see him struggle like this, but he was running out of ideas on how to help. Time didn’t seem to be doing anything but make Bucky more entrenched in his self-imposed isolation and, if he was being completely honest, Steve would have preferred to sit Buck out of this mission entirely. Maybe he needed to go back to Wakanda, maybe they shouldn’t have asked for him to return to the team after Thano’s defeat.

But he was the only man on the team fluent in enough languages, and familiar with HYDRA activities; he was the only one who could watch and evaluate what he was seeing and draw on his seventy-plus years of bitter experience to act accordingly. It sucked, frankly and Steve was infinitely sorry that Levi was going to have to suffer too. The woman was smart and capable and Steve’s mind and body hadn’t decided yet if the emotions and impulses he felt near her were brotherly or something far more intimate.

A small ping from the control panel reminded him that they were close to their destination and he yelled back to his flight mates about it, smiling in delighted surprise when Levi appeared and sat in the copilot’s chair, strapping herself in.

Bucky watched her leave, watched her give Steve the smile she never gave him, feeling an unfamiliar pang deep in his chest.

*******************************************************************************************

“Okay, what high school did I graduate from?” Levi asked, glancing over her shoulder, quizzing her fictional husband.

“Thomas Jefferson High, Denver Colorado, home of the Spartans.” Bucky intoned, bored from the back seat.

“My first dog?”

“Mutt named Harvey, ran over when you were seven.” Bucky sighed dramatically.

“My apologies, your Highness.” Levi snarked. “Just making sure you read your homework.”

Bucky leaned forwards suddenly, poking his head between Levi and Steve’s shoulders. They’d been driving for less than an hour, but it seemed like forever. “Your full name is Madison Elise Jaeger-Harper, born June 2, 1994. Your mother was a whore who left the family when you were seven. Your step-monster was okay but definitely favored her own kids over the steps. You worked your sweet little ass off and graduated high-school early, which is the reason you’re so young and packing two majors-”

“And then I married a pompous, grouchy asshat and that’s how we ended up here!” Levi snapped, then whirled suddenly and grabbed at Bucky’s collar. Steve wasn’t sure if she was just that fast, to catch the Winter Soldier unaware, or if the man had let her, but it hardly mattered at this point. Levi yanked Bucky closer, their foreheads nearly touching and hissed, her voice so low and venomous that even Steve felt a cold finger trail down his spine.

“Listen here, Barnes.” Levi spat, nearly vibrating in fury. “This is not my dream assignment either, but if it somehow keeps HYDRA from infiltrating our world further, then I’ll do pretty much anything, even work in close proximity with you. But this is it, this is where this stops. Spit out whatever it that you hate so much about me and then get THE FUCK OVER IT. So help me, we are not going to blow this assignment because we can’t be professional!” Her eyes bored into his, her breathing heavy. “Well? Say it?!” Bucky only glared in return, fists clenched, his breathing just as labored. For the briefest moment, his eyes flicked down to Levi’s lips then back to meet hers, narrowing with anger.

With surprising strength, but not really surprising, Steve reminded himself, Levi was enhanced with almost the same serum as he was, Levi pushed Bucky away from her, the sound his back made when it hit the seat a loud crack. Both parties continued to glare at each other before Levi growled and broke the staring contest, turning around to glower out the windshield.

“Okay, that’s it.” Steve declared. He pulled the vehicle sharply over to the side of the road and threw it into park, whirling in his seat to face sideways. He leveled a stare at both teammates, until they looked away, cheeks reddening.

“We need this to work.” He snapped. “We need to find out just how deep HYDRA goes in this town. I fought Tony on this to send someone, anyone else but you two, but I lost. So you both need to get this out and dealt with-”

Suddenly, Levi threw open her door and stormed out, marching angrily away. The whole car vibrated with the slam. They’d managed to pull over near some type of rest stop and Levi climbed onto a weathered picnic table a couple dozen feet away, in profile to the two men. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she rested her chin on top and stared forwards into the trees beyond the rest area, chest still heaving. Tears poured freely from her eyes now, even as fury continued to blaze from them.

Steve stared at her for a long moment, then flicked his eyes up to the rearview mirror. There were too many emotions on Bucky’s face right now to name all of them, but predominant in his eyes was discomfort and shame. Finally, when Levi had finally broke and cried, it had finally reached him.

“Fix this.” Steve snapped.

His oldest friend’s eyes flicked to his in the mirror for the briefest instant, then down and away. Bucky heaved a deep sigh, not in irritation, but seemingly to get up his courage. He nodded once, silently, then exited the vehicle, walking slowly towards Levi, his hands jammed into his pockets.

Steve watched silently as Bucky approached, saw Levi remain silent and unmoving as Bucky paused and called her name quietly. After a pause, he stepped closer and leaned against the picnic table, a safe distance from Levi, and crossed his arms over his chest, staring out at the trees with her.

*******************************************************************************************

“Levi… I’m sorry.” Bucky murmured, when a few minutes had passed and she still hadn’t acknowledged his presence.

She remained silent and Bucky continued, shame making it hard for him to breathe. He hated to see someone else cry, to know he was the cause.

“I… I can’t tell you right now what bothers me so much, I’m not even sure myself but… you’re right, Steve’s right. We need to do this; we need to be professional.” He exhaled and uncrossed his arms, grimacing as he rubbed the back of his head and felt freshly-shaved hair.

Levi stared forwards for so long that Bucky was tempted to move his hand in front of her eyes, to see if she hadn’t fallen into some kind of catatonic state but he held back, biting his bottom lip, his arms crossed again, not it anger, but in defense, to ward off the chill that Levi’s emotions seemed to super-charge the air around them with. His shoulders hunched and he began to worry that he truly had broken something in her this time, that she would never willingly communicate with him again-

Levi turned her head soundlessly and fixed him with her amethyst gaze. “I’m doing this for the team, not for you.” Her voice was flat. “I’ve done deep cover before too, with SHIELD. I can play the part, can you?” There was a chilling lack of emotion in her voice that struck somewhere deep in Bucky, in a way he didn’t understand fully. She waited until he swallowed and nodded in return before pushing off the table and standing in front of him.

She held out her hand to him, but the smile on her lips didn’t reach her eyes. “Hold my hand, husband?” There was an edge and a challenge in her tone and whereas before Bucky might have felt a need to bite back, the genuine sorrow she’d let him glimpse softened his reaction. He took her outstretched hand, gave it an experimental squeeze. Levi tensed only briefly before returning the action and Bucky laced his fingers with hers, an involuntary move that made him hesitate a beat, as he waited for Levi to reject it.

Her smile softened a bit, but still didn’t reach her eyes. She moved soundlessly beside Bucky as he guided her back to the vehicle and opened the door for her. Steve waited, reaching over to rest his hand on Levi’s shoulder, searching her eyes when she looked at him. His eyes tracked Bucky as he slid into the back seat, then moved back to Levi’s, asking a silent question of her with a raised brow.

Levi nodded in return and the smile she gave Steve did reach her eyes. “Let’s go.” She murmured, then reached for her tablet. “Okay Barnes,” she called back as Steve shifted into drive. “Test me now.”

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky and lev #bucky and nika

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dragon8641 · 4 years

Text

The Soldier and The Empress 4

The Four Winds and a Stormcloud

Endless,dark, head feels light. Ground finally appears. Satsuki is there in her kamui, wielding Bakuzan and pointing it at someone.

Her mouths moves but no words come out.

Then someone starts to take shape, a man, not too big, not too small. He is grabbing were his right arm that has been chopped off with his other hand, preventing blood loss. He is on his knees while Satsuki points Bakuzan at him. His face is just a dark silhouette. The man speaks.

"It's been a blast..."

Satsuki raises Bakuzan over her head, aimed towards the man's neck. She takes the slash with all the strength she has.

As Bakuzan is about to reach the man's neck, his face was recognizable now. Head raised, eyes closed and smiling. Kai Tadasuki, that was his current name.

"Goodbye... Satsuki..."

His head flies off detached from the rest of his body..

Another not so dark room, a big bed could be made out from the dim light. Someone was sleeping on it, a pale beauty with really long black hair, Satsuki Kiryuin. One second she look like she peacefully and deeply asleep, the next one, she got up screaming and in cold sweat.

"KAI!" Reaching her hand forward, she felt like a month worth of sleep just left her body.

Mr. Soroi, her butler, knocked on the door asking if everything was fine, he was an old man that has been a long time with Satsuki, he did not ran in instantly since he knows Lady Satsuki can defend herself just fine, he going in would actually make her be at a disadvantage.

"Should i call for him Lady Satsuki?!"

"Everything is fine Soroi (Kai Tadasuki, why does your death haunts my dreams?)"

The butlers stood silent outside her room for a while, expecting an order from Satsuki. When he felt like it was too long he decides to break the silence himself.

"Milady, should i prepare a fresh blend?"

"Please do, also Soroi, what time is it?"

"Is almost 4 in the morning Milady."

"Today is No-Late day… then i will be out in a moment"

"Understood, and Milady, are you sure you don't want me to get Master Kai, you sounded quite disturbed when you woke up..."

"Thanks for your concern Soroi, but he is probably already waiting outside in the meeting room with Gamagoori, besides i don't really want to see him right now..."

"I see, please pardon my insistence"- The butler bowed outside the room by force of habit -"if you allow me I will be leaving to make the tea"

"You can go, also tell them i don't want to be disturbed unless is something really important."

Soroi bowed once again and with an "Understood" he left for the meeting room where the elite four gather, Gamagoori had just left.

"Man, do i really need to be here?" Kai complained to Gamagoori.

"Tadasuki! You better not slack off!"

"I won't, jeez, do you ever know what a joke is,*Sigh* let's skip the formalities and just start, i'll be waiting in the camera room when you get back."

"Very well, though i don't like you skipping stuff, i'll let it slide for now and go"

"Yeah, after all we do have to put extra work to keep the Matoi girl in line… !" I heard something in the back of my mind.

"Something the matter?"

"Nah, get going, I'll sound the siren, just to make it somewhat oficial"

"Then i'll be going, do remember our daily match, it's always a pleasure to see how Lady Satsuki enjoys them!"

"Of course Ira, now go, or you may not catch them."

Gamagoori was a little confused about who he was going to 'catch,' but he knew it had something to do with the way i "see" the future, predicting how some stuff will plan out. Honestly, I don't really know how i do it, but it sure as shit has been useful a handful of times.

Just as the elevator doors shut and Gamagoori started to descend, Soroi came out of the door at the very back of the room, that door led to Satsuki's personal chambers.

"Oh, Soroi, good day, is Lady Satsuki awake already?"

"Good day to you too sir, she is up, though she asked not to be disturbed today, do not worry, she will still make her appearance at the students that make it in time today."

"Something happened?"

"I believe she will tell you personally once she decides to come out."

"Very well, thanks Soroi, i'll be leaving for the camera room… (What happened?)"

"Have a good day sir"

"...Tell her… tell her she can talk to me if she wants to..." I reluctantly say to Soroi.

"Will do sir" he bowed and started heating water for Satsuki's tea, shame i can't taste anything, so i cannot really understand its appeal… no time for self pity, time to 'work.'

The No-Late day was one of my favorite events we had, while i had to deal with that girl Ogure, i always ended up having a good time seeing how many of the students failed to reach the School in time. This time was even more enjoyable, that bitch Ogure was nowhere to be seen and the Matoi Girl was having a bad time with the traps while wearing her pjs instead of her Kamui. Funniest shit i've seen in a long ass while.

Later that day, Gamagoori showed up and asked where Ogure was, i told him i didn't knew and he went away after examining the Honno City model in the camera room. There was something odd about it, but i couldn't give half a shit, i was dying of laughter.

Luckily, i guess, Matoi was able to make it in time after crashing one of the thingies the two and uppers stars students ride onto the school, seen crazier, although... i'm probably gonna be the one who's gonna fill the paperwork for its repairs… whatever, i had fun, is worth it.

By the end of the day i was informed of the awful half-assed 'plan' Ogure had about dethroning Satsuki, good thing Gamagoori found out first, if it were to been me, then i don't think anyone would have listen about her anytime soon, though i was probably gonna do the same he did, just to not get Satsuki angry when she finds out.

"(Now that i think about ti, she was with Matoi, ugh… hopefully Ira doesn't notices...damn i might have been trying too hard to get her out of my mind...)"

Satsuki gave her speech at the students that survived and quickly returned straight to her own chambers, i was a little annoyed that i could not see her more, but she's the one calling the shots, so i can't really complain.

All five of us were chilling in the Meeting room, Satsuki still did not came out and Soroi politely stopped us from going in. Inumuta was typing on his computer, Sanageyama was pretending to be asleep with a magazine covering his face. Gamagoori watched the grounds with Nonon who was eating sweets.

"Oy, Lizard, do me a favor and get me some more chips from the counter will ya?"

"Yeah, yeah, i still don't know what you like bout' this stuff Nonon"

"It's tasty! Baka Tokage!" (Stupid Lizard)

"Now now, no need to be mean, you know he can't taste any of them"- Inumuta slides into the conversation- "That said, have you tried them? maybe you'll like the texture."

"Yeah, i tried them a lot back then, got tired of them really damn quick!"

"Interesting..."

"C'mon Mr. Lizard, i'm starving!" Clearly annoyed she yelled at me, when she is in a bad mood she gets all bossy... more than normal… but what is she mad at?

I throw her the bag of chips and she immediately lays down on her bean bag chair, looking at the empty grounds of Honnouji. Inumuta goes back to typing.

"What about you Sanageyama, you also don't look too relaxed, is it bout' the Matoi girl?"

"Oh ho, Mr. Monkey got a thing for her?" Nonon's tone changed dramatically and she turned her head to Sanageyama.

He 'woke up' taking the magazine off his face.

"I was doing real good not being annoyed by Jakuzure, y'know that Kai"

"So was i, now, spill the beans"

"Whaddya mean annoyed? Baka Saru!" (Stupid Monkey)

"I'm only interested in fighting her, I plan to ask Lady Satsuki for a chance soon..."

"Well that's bold, you sure you wanna say that out loud just like that?"

"I don't think you wanna stop me, Gamagoori is patient and he doesn't seem too interested in our chat right now, Inumuta wants Kamui data so he won't go after her just like that"

"You're right on that one" Inumuta spoke his mind while still typing.

"and Jakuzure is not even listening"

Nonon wasn't even looking at us anymore, she was just grumbling between each chip she took to her mouth.

"I guess you right, but what exactly tells you i won't stop you?"

"Will you?"

"Nah, it'll be fun watch how she kicks your ass, haha!"

"What an optimistic Vice-Prez we have, don't we?"

Everyone else ignored him and he let out a sigh before going back to "sleep."

*Blip* *blip* a little alarm sounded and everyone looked at the source, Inumuta.

"Hm, What's this? i got reports of someone wreaking havoc in the two-stars district"

"Odd, don't we have peoples for that?" Nonon barely interested expressed herself while shoving more chips on her mouth.

"It seems that this time it's a fellow from outside Honno City, i got his face, right now i'm looking for data on him."

I heard something again in the back of my mind, but this time louder, i still could not figure out what it was saying.

"Got him, uh?!"

"What is it Inumuta?" I got a little impatient.

"See for yourself."

"Daisuke... Kogane!"

Everyone jumped when they heard that name.

"Oy Oy! Ain't that your name from long before we met you, Mr. Lizard?!"

I remember that name, i only became Kai Tadasuki during my last year in middle school… there was only a handful of faces who knew that name besides the ones in this room and once i saw the photo Inumuta had examined i was certain.

I remember the last time i had been this angry, it was when Matoi defeated Fukuroda and his blood landed on Satsuki's face. I would have ended her right there and then given the order.

The face i usually had of friendly superior to the Elite Four was replaced with the one that got me the seat right behind Satsuki. The face of a Predator, looking for his prey.

"Yes, yes it was Jakuzure… His real name is, Izanagi Kogane, my brother."

#kill la kill #satsuki kiryuin #kiryuin satsuki #klk #oc #xreader #Soldier and Empress #fanfic

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