The Soul Bond Meme

[disassembling]

"I can't live without you...literally."

Wake up. Do what you have to. Work. School. Save the world. Avenge your father's death. Go back to sleep. Average day, for human, demon, sailor scout, angel, slayer, what have you. Though there's some part of you that wonders, in the back of your mind, if this is the day you'll meet your bond.

Because your world is just like ours - or how yours was, in another universe - but with one addition: the soul bond. The soul bond is a concept as old as time itself. People don't question the process, it just is. Some say that it comes from the beginning of time, where each soul was created in a pair, and throughout the lifetimes those souls are reborn into, they search for each other. This is the soul bond. Even if that's mostly faded into myth, it's generally excepted that there is only only one person for anyone. So, soulmates.

Not exactly. Soul bonds are more. They are about the joining of bodies: sexually and psychically. The bond isn't necessarily about love, though the close connection facilitates that emotion growing, and some fondness does appear in almost every case. It's bigger than love, bigger than hate, bigger than anything else; it's finding yourself in someone else, and your never wanting to lose that. Needless to say, the soul bond is the cornerstone of life and society. Marriage is reserved for the bonded, and you're expected to be searching for that other half. There's a good biological reason for that, too, as the unbonded cannot reproduce and those who have not found their bond are doomed to die extremely early in comparison to their peers and in a most painful, withering fashion. Who would want that?

In this world, sex is had with those who are not the other half of your bond, even if society considers that frivolous. For the truth is, sex with any other will never be as good as sex with your other half. When you make love to someone who isn't yours, you'll know it. It's a disappointment.

When you so much as see your bond for the first time, or at least for the first time after you've reached sexual maturity, you'll know, even if you're already "with" someone else. The signs are inescapable. You'll know it's them. You'll become hyper-focused on them, your heart will race, your muscles tighten, your brain shoot off every signal it nose...and you will become aroused beyond belief. Any arousal you've had prior pales in comparison. So go ahead, if you don't want a bond, ignore it. Try. It won't work. The more you ignore it, the more control you'll lose. Did I forget to mention? In this world, sexual drives are a little more animalistic than usual. They would have to be when the mainstay of the races is a sexual-based bond. Those who try to ward off the desire to become one with their other half can achieve mild success - until they absolutely lose themselves. It's not uncommon to see bonds going at it in the streets, unabashed and unashamed, for trying to hold off the inevitable. Sex between bonds in public, generally, is not looked down upon.

You've given in. Of course you did. But what now? The first time you have sex with your bond, it will be beyond compare. You will share memories with each other, as this is the opening of your psychic connection with them. Yes, psychic connection. How would you expect to be truly bonded otherwise? How strong this link is depends on how often you have sex. Even at baseline, though, you'll know if your bond is hurt or in trouble. Fair warning: this will pull at that animal brain, and you will go into a beserker mode to get them back with you. Similarly, you will behave in a territorial manner if you feel the bond is threatened; jealousy often results in shameless public sex, in hopes to re-establish the strength of your connection and make your bond realize that YOU'RE the other part of them, no one else. In addition, bonds don't handle separation well and each partner will be antsy and on edge. It can be done, and most pairs do because of work, duties, and life in general, but returns are usually accompanied by sometimes days-long sex sessions.

Aside from those quirks, the bonding process can be quite useful. A bond can calm you down, and sex with your bond can serve as the ultimate relaxer. Your bond is the one who can heal you, and sex boosts your strength and power. Yes, those of you looking to achieve your ultimate goal...or ultimate form. Being a bond makes you stronger. Don't resist, no matter how surly you are.

The bond is no respecter of person. Outside of sexuality such as straight or gay, types or species don't matter. You could be bonded with someone as different from you as night and day. However, no matter what the case, you'll begin to care for them in some fashion. You'll feel the need to be with each other as much as possible, both sexually and otherwise. They'll become the most important person in the world to you. Of course, this is assuming your bond is someone you can feasibly be with. Perhaps there is some truth to that reincarnation business, as sometimes, those souls are reborn into people who are never meant to be bonds - warring tribes, at-odds species, and even relatives or people with a great amount of age between them.

The bond is permanent. This is the person you were meant to be with, after all, until you die (and soul bonds usually die within years of each other). Theoretically, though, it can be broken. Mostly, this is done when one side betrays the other side somehow. As the bond is initiated through sex, it's broken in the same way. What happens next is rarely pretty. Police reports usually find the bodies of the dead bonded, cause of death specifically unknown.

Head spinning yet? It shouldn't be! This is the world you live in.

rules
- Comment with your character, preferences, what you're interested in, and what you're not interested in.
- Crosscanon tagging is expected and encouraged. Mention if you want to make some kind of canon-insertion AU with one of the characters or just have a nebulous AU.


prompts

Meeting - You see your bond in that way for the first time, and it's done. You're done. You have to have them to be complete.

Trying to Fight It - No, you're the type who rebels against this whole "soul bond" system. You're the master of your own design, and you won't give in despite the fact that you could just start masturbating right now.

Failure to Fight - The whole fighting thing didn't work out, and now you're going at each other like you'll die of thirst.

First Time - The legendary first time with soaring sensations, amazing orgasms, and the sharing of memories.

Not the Sharing Type - You're a private person and don't want your brain in someone else's. How can you reconcile this? Maybe doing the act can change your mind. Or maybe you just want relief so badly, you don't care.

Feedback - You feel all of your partners pleasure as well as their pain. If you can't come up with something kinky, I can't help you.

Dirty Thoughts - You know what's naughty? Sending mental images of what you'd like to do to your bond through your connection. It's like mental sexting - or a fun way to torture them.

Learning About Each Other - You're learning what both of you like and don't like and sharing as you go.

Jealousy - Someone tried to approach your bond and it made you a bit miffed. Now it's time for some affirmation of the connection and to make sure that you're still on their mind.

Rough Bond - Your bond is more hate than love sometimes, but it's a thin line. Besides, you still care more about them than anyone else, and god forbid someone hurt them. Besides, rough sex is fun.

Separation - You'll be apart for a while. You need one last hurrah

Reunion - You're back together. Now to make up for lost time. Not just because you want to, either.

Public - Remember how I said sex in public is accepted for bonds. Why not take advantage?

Chasing That High - You keep having sex with people, trying to find you bond.

Chasing That Low - In contrast to the above, you're trying to keep away from a bond by desensitizing yourself to sex.

Bond Party - Some young people throw "mixers" where, hopefully, you may meet your bond. Experimentation is bound to happen...even experimentation with multiple people at the same time, trying to find that one.

Can Never Be - Your bond is with someone you shouldn't have one with. They're your sworn enemy, your teacher, or your sibling. Your body and soul says yes, but your mind says no.

Strengthen - You need energy to defeat the big bad or rule the world. Go to your bond and recharge.

Comfort - A bond is often the only one who can calm their other half down, and that sometimes happens through a grounding via sex, bringing the upset party back to what really matters.

Healing - Healing wounds and healing the connection all comes down to body pressed against body. Just be careful of blood.

Long Time Bond - You've been together for some time now and you know each other like the back of your hands. You can make them come in ten seconds flat if need be, but it's more fun to drag things out, isn't it?

Ritual - You want to make your bond official in the eyes of the government. Unsurprisingly, the marriage ceremony is ritualistic sex.

Impregnation - There's no fertilization between the eggs and sperm of non-bonds, so one surefire way to make sure everything's on the up and up is to get pregnant.
Mind Games - Being psychically connected is all good until they fuck with your head.

Dependency - It's not always easy, being for, all intents and purposes, addicted to a person. You need them like you need breathing, and you'll take what you can even if you're ashamed.

Already with Someone - You love someone, but they're not your bond. Can they keep you when you meet your real bond?

I'm Not Yours, You're Not Mine - You know you're not bonds. Still you want them to stay with you and you'll do anything and try to be better.

False Bond - You thought you were bonded, you really did, until you met them

Faking It - There are benefits to faking a bond, including for safety, financial gain, and to secure alliances. Of course, you can't fake it in the bedroom.

Manipulating - You'll get what you want, even if you have to lie and pretend you're bonded to them...how you can fake that, no one knows, but it's worth a shot.

It's Not Me, It's You - Sometimes, mistakes are made. They're your bond, but you're not theirs.

Break the Bond - Because you have a death wish or a snuff kink.

My Ex-Lover is Dead - Your soul bond is gone and you're trying to fill the gap.

OR MAKE UP YOUR OWN


Now made with 10x more awful because Brock Rumlow is involved in it. I regret nothing and neither should any of you.

Comments

[cloneororiginal]

Liar.

Sarah mentally hissed, trying to keep that thought to herself, but it meant through their connection. It was said in loud voice, verge of yelling. Her snarly behavior was attributed to his attitude and her own needs becoming increasingly hard to ignore. Being this close wouldn't, no couldn't, be enough for him. Sarah hit the bag against, hoping he'd feel the energy and momentum of her blow. Was it a super power of his to get under her skin like this? To make her want to kill him and keep him alive at the same time?

"The only one buying any of your crap is you." She knew him better than that. At least, she'd like to think she knew Brock on some level.

[imadebreakfast]

"Ariel." She said, eying him a moment as if to assess any potential treachery before actually accepting that apple, "My name's Ariel. Which is usually hilarious, because of the wings. I know." There was actual amusement in the tone, she was generally the first one making jokes about finally living up to her name. Right at the moment, though she couldn't be entirely sure if the amusement was the usual amount or if it was combined with the relief of finally being close to him.

"You say things like that I'm going to wonder if you're worried about my reputation or your own." And that was mostly a joke as well, she knew full well that he couldn't afford to be found by either side and there was part of her -a part that was slowly getting bigger- that wanted to make sure he wasn't found. She couldn't be sure just yet whether or not she was disgusted with herself for wanting to keep him safe.

"So," She said, rubbing the apple on her sleeve before taking a bite out of it, "What'd you have in mind?" Because if they could figure out how to not go crazy and leave no one else the wiser for it, well, that would be best for everyone involved.

[eleutheria]

For a few moments she was so worried that he was going to leave her here, without even answering any of her questions and leaving her confused again, not being able to figure out what she could do to set them in the path to, somehow, steady their bond a bit more and help him to get better or at least support him while he was doing that. She knew it was going to be hard, of course she knew, but it was just awful to know you had your soul bond so close and yet so far away but she didn’t had it on her to force anything on him.

It was so painfully slow going and it felt like for every step forward, there were two backwards but that had to count, that was better than nothing and the time she had thought he had been dead.

When he finally answered, she tried not to frown since that answer felt a bit rehearsed and it didn’t exactly answered much, it left her in an in between state not knowing if he was actually doing better or not, but she decided not to push. She trusted that he was going to tell her if anything was wrong or not, which he clearly wasn’t ready to do now.

“Neither am I to be honest, since apparently I missed a lot of things.” Which explained why her list of things to catch up sometimes felt endless, not to mention she had been more focused on finding and then helping Bucky to do much about it. “I figure we can both catch up or is there anything else you will like to do?”

[disassembling]

He lingered in the doorway that would allow him to walk away again, something he had been doing all the time. Sometimes he wondered why he didn't just walk right out of the Tower and never come back. He knew that separation from a soul bond could become painful, but he had excellent pain management skills and it wasn't even that they were close anymore. She had so many others to take care of her, and he was really only bringing her down with his presence and how she constantly worried about him. One of the only reasons that he stayed was because he didn't want the separation to be painful for her.

She didn't indicate that she wanted to leave, and it almost seemed too good to be true that they were alone together. It didn't happen often and it didn't stay that way long it seemed unless she was specifically helping him with something that he couldn't yet figure out on his own. He still tilted his head to listen for sounds of approach from others before he slowly relented.

He eased away from the doorway slowly, prowling silently to the couch and seating himself gingerly. He glanced around; he didn't normally sit on the communal couch, often lurking in a chair off to the side or standing near a wall. He felt very exposed like this and he folded his hands neatly in his lap and glanced at her subtly.

"I don't understand a lot of the references," he muttered softly.

[disassembling]

He found it interesting that she had the audacity to glare at him when so few were able to. Everyone tended to act as if he were a bomb about to go off or would be frightened of him. Others were abusive to keep him in line, but few people ever glare at him, let alone weapons like himself who tended to keep their distance from him altogether. He only ran the missions with them but often had objectives of his own so didn't spend that much time with them.

No, she didn't have to answer and she clearly was going to resist answering. There were other ways of finding out the answer.

Before she could bolt, he turned away walking to the side panel next to the door for communication with command. He was allowed to use it for requests and to ask mission specific questions. Others tended to use it to lock doors or request backup. He pressed the button to announce himself.

"A clone is refusing an order. My clone, I think. I require clarification."

[hashisreasons]

Ward shook his head, staring at Brock with a neutral expression. "Think you and I have different definitions on who the trash is." Because he was sure that Coulson and his team would be trash to Rumlow. Ward? He wasn't so sure he'd put them in that category. He tried hard to toe the line, not get in trouble but it was getting harder to keep his feelings in check.

Not when he felt so bad about how things ended.

Ward closed his eyes, shivering at the proximity of Rumlow in front of him and the breath against his ear. "Just what do you have in mind," he murmured. His voice grew husky, lower in tone as his body betrayed how he was feeling. He hated that he couldn't hide it better. "I... I'm listening," he growled. Beside him, his hands formed into fists and he struggled not to take another step back.

[cloneororiginal]

Of all the things he could do, requesting for clarification on her. He could beat the answers out of her, use a knife, a gun and point it to her body, but he was requesting information on her. As though HYDRA created a scientific way to determine if two people were meant for each other through their DNA. He was asking a stupid question, one that could get both in trouble for.

"What are you doing?!" Sarah wasn't going to hear the end of this from her handler. They were going to wail on her hide until her rebel streak was crushed to dust. Fear of her handler and being beaten to an inch of her life trumped worrying about a stupid bond. She drew closer to him, ready to force his hand off the communication board.

"Which clone are you referring to?"

"Cancel the order." her tone was demanding, but there was a hint of a plea there. Buried beneath the anger and frustration, there was a plea. The calm sensation and pleasantness began to return, slowly trickling over her body. Sarah held her gaze on his and finally swallowed her pride.

"...I am. I am yours."

[whatsfondue]

Steve was receiving regular reports from the STRIKE team that they were rescuing the hostages group by group according to the plan and schedule. There was a request from one of the team members for him to head towards another area in the village as backup, which after a moment he denied and told them to handle on their own, judging that the risk to the mission without him to be minimal. If he gone off now then there was a high chance the target would disappear; the target's done so before. Or worse, the hostages would be dead. He crouched down when he reached the house to duck underneath the window, readying himself to break through the door.

Then he felt an odd twinge in his chest and Steve paused, his free hand going to rub against approximately where his heart was. Twinges in his chest were nothing new...before the serum that was. He used to have a heart murmur and with his asthma he'd learned to categorize fairly quickly what was acting up inside his body. This was kind of like it yet at the same time not. Taking a deep breathe, he pushed it aside in his mind. He was on a mission and this doesn't feel like it was going to compromise his capabilities so it could wait until later. Slowly, he peeked carefully into the room from outside; the sight of a body hanging from a noose in the middle of the room made his eyes widen and the next moment he was breaking through the window with the shield and jumping in. A dead body told no tales and both he and SHIELD very much wanted those tales.

He jumped in through the broken window just in time to see a figure in black darting out the doorway. Steve's reaction was immediate, which was to give chase immediately.

[eleutheria]

For long moments while he lingered near the doorway and didn’t made a movement to get close, she was worried that he was going to leave the room and she was going to stay here wondering just what she had done wrong to push him away this time. No matter how many times she pondered about it, she had no idea what exactly happened during those moments when he apparently got angry and left, so she couldn’t help but think it was something she might have unconsciously done to him.

And maybe that was the main reason she felt such a wave of relief when he didn’t left, when he finally approached and took a seat on the couch with her, she counted that as a little victory and she hoped, for the sake of the rest of her team that was still here, that they wouldn’t come and interrupt them. It was so odd, how they were soul bonds yet hadn’t exactly spent a lot of time alone together that didn’t involved either helping him figure something out or when they retired to their floor to try to sleep, as much sleep could be achieved when being plagued by nightmares here and there.

He still looked tense and just a bit uncomfortable, but he had stayed and that was better than nothing, they were still going with baby-steps here and she was going to take her time here. “It is alright, it’s not as if I get most of them either anyway, this is why I am watching all of these since they think it’s a crime I don’t get them.”

And it was also a really bit sad that she sometimes got lost or confused when she didn’t understood certain references. She browsed the queue list that Sam and Natasha had created for her to catch up and picked the movie that followed the Lord of the Rings, one that she was going to need to re-watch since she had nodded out. “Okay then…” She smiled and moved just a tad bit closer to him, putting on the next suggestion on. “Next is The Princess Bride; I have been told it’s rather interesting and good film.”

[legaxtum]

There was a slight roll of her eyes at that comment. “Don’t tell me you have come all this way to remind me of that fact?” Not that she needed, much less wanted a reminder of it. She carried on with what she was doing, taking care of the barely there scraps she had after having helped captain Rogers and while she didn’t looked overly tense about having him there, it didn’t meant she had lowered her guard around him, it will be stupid to do so.

“You know that’s probably the only perk about this, that if I ever were to die, no matter how much you try you will die and it will be one less annoyance in this world.” Maybe that was why, since the reveal of his loyalties, she hadn’t minded as much the idea of dying during a mission, since despite the sheer hate they felt, cold hard facts were that they were linked and if one fell the other will as well. It was one of the very few satisfactions she had with this and even if he had been the one to die, and she had to follow, it will still be satisfying to know he wasn’t part of this world anymore.

She snorted at that, a guardian angel her ass; bastards like him had nothing of the sort, more like sheer damn devil’s luck. Once she was done tending herself, she stashed everything on the counter under her sink and moved to walk past him, with a small shrug. “I wouldn’t call him a boyfriend, but he fulfills his intended purpose.”

[infligere]

He raised an eyebrow at the official offering of a name, aware it was kind of personal. They had never been formally introduced, though he had no doubt that they knew one another's names. He inclined his head slightly. "Rumlow," he replied because he didn't go by his first name to many people and all those who had previously were dead. Maybe he'd offer it later down the road if this went anywhere other than mocking and anger. "Do I sound like I'm laughing?" He wasn't; he must have left his sense of humour in another jacket.

"Well, considering my reputation is blown wide open and if anyone sees or recognizes me, I'm pretty much a dead man... let's just go with keeping your reputation intact," he said conversationally, though the corner of his lip formed a smirk all the same. He had no problem ruining reputations after all. "Yours will be pretty screwed if anyone finds out your bonded to me after all."

He shrugged at the question, glancing around to make certain that they were still alone. He really didn't trust exposed positions like this. "We're both soldiers. We can come up with a contingency plan on how to go about our lives with this sticking point in min." And he wouldn't mind seeing how long it took him to annoy the shit out of her and steal at least a kiss in the process.

[infligere]

The single word reached him through the bond that they shared, and instead of looking startled, he only gave her a slow smirk and a raised eyebrow. She was such a taciturn personality, all piss and vinegar, all fight or flight. He supposed he might have been a little similar if their roles were reversed... but then again, if their roles were reversed, he'd just be a mindless killing machine.

He still braced the bag all the same, chuckling at the energy and force that she put into it. He was not at all dissuaded by her displeasure with him. If anything, it made him want to stick around more.

"Well, I guess the gig is up then, since you know me so well, huh? It's why I'm fully clothed and holding this bag rather than jumping on you and pounding you to the floor," he replied with enough snark to see if he could just annoy her still.

[infligere]

"It would be a real shame if we did," he said, but he could care less what government official would be eliminated for the cause. It really was the scum of the earth that he had been setting his sights on, the predators, the assholes, the greedy. He knew it was human nature to be complete assholes and really stupid sometimes, but his life had been dedicated to seeing a better world in his mind. "What's your definition?"

He noted the shiver but more, he savoured the husky tone. It sent a new thrill through him and forced him to fight with his own body and avoid just reaching out and grabbing Ward to draw the man closer. He wanted some control after all. "We've got weapons here, and I know of a few places where two agents could get in and limit the bleed of important information. We'd be rewarded no doubt," he murmured, his voice a husky caress of its own. "It's have to be planned well first, but you and I are good enough, aren't we?"

[infligere]

No, he didn't feel that he had to explain why he had come at all, since it should have been obvious by now. The bond would only allow them so long of a separation before it began to hurt, and while they worked at SHIELD it was fine since their proximity at times eased the strain of not taking their bond further. Now he had been gone too long to survive and heal, and he was back to get that little taste of the bond so he could slip away again, aware that she would never follow just as he wouldn't.

"Well it's good to know you've found the perks of this whole thing," he replied with a chuckle. "You could save the world a whole bunch of trouble and off yourself and force me to go wit you if it meant that much to you." He couldn't kill her after all; the bond refused to allow him to do more than hurt her a bit, accidental or otherwise.

He stepped aside to let her pass him by, tilting his head as if to avoid getting to close. There was the momentary thrill of her passing so closely to him but it was gone once she had moved out of close proximity again. "I hope I don't have to fake some manner of jealousy. I'm pretty vengeful you know."

[disassembling]

He wasn't one to sit in a room for long unless there was a mission that required his patience. That was different than spending time in a single room to do anything aside from sleeping. Now that he had his freedom, he often liked to make use of it by wandering away and exploring as he had never been allowed to while he was still considered a weapon by HYDRA. He also certainly didn't spent a lot of social time with the Avengers, let alone understand a lot of the social references of the day and age that he lived in.

He nodded and finally just folded his hands into his lap as an indication that he was going to stay here on the couch with her for a little while. He could see the television at least, and he had no idea the show that she was going to watch either. He figured that it didn't really matter since he would probably not find it interesting or understand half of it. He was better when it came to watching the news.

His gaze flicked over to her when she shifted, noting that she came a little closer. That wasn't wholly unusual, and they were sitting on opposite sides of the couch, even if it was small for at Stark residence. "Watch whatever you want. I'll try to keep up."

[disassembling]

His finger was still on the communication station when she seemed to realize what he was doing, but he had no order to stand down. When something was fitting right, he was allowed and encouraged to ask for clarification to prevent any manner of malfunction for missions and training.

He turned his head when she approached, noting the look on her face and at the question from the dispatcher, he made the decision to not make a big deal out of this since she had given him the information that he wanted and cleared up the potential mess. No doubt someone was going to come down and look into the matter anyway, but his confusion had been clarified and that's all that mattered to him.

"Cancel that. The situation has been dealt with."

He released the button and turned to face her again, tilting his head to the side almost curiously. Slowly, he reached up and removed his goggles, peering at her with blue eyes. "What does that mean?"

[cloneororiginal]

It had not been Sarah's intention of letting anything leak into their shared link. It was one of the most annoying things about being bonded. She wanted to have things stay in her own head. If she wanted to yell at him in her mind, then she should have the right and privacy to do so. It wasn't as though she was digging through his mind. Though, whenever he got hurt so did she. Any good kick to the ribs will make anyone double ever and curse their existence for a good five seconds.

Seeing Brock with his smirk, the same one she loved and hated all at once, and continue to stick around was putting her closer to the edge. Sarah was like a bomb, ready to explode from the slightest thing. He continued to push his luck with her. What? Did he like seeing her all pissy, upset and possibly ready to jump him? The damn man had to love it. No matter what Sarah did, he annoyed her for his amusement, but she had yet to find anything that caused the same reaction.

She clenched her hand, letting her nails sink into her palms and create crescent marks on her skin. Part of her was itching to land a blow to his face, regardless of hurting herself in the process. The other part rationed, if she touched him it might be game over. She might be the one to jump him, which wouldn't be good for her reputation at all.

"We both know how much you enjoy it, Brock. You haven't taken the edge off of anything, but you want to keep spewing shit, by all means..." she huffed, grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head and tossed away, revealing the black sports bra she had underneath. Her lithe form glistening with a light layer of sweat.

Tried of hitting a bag rather than a person, she began to walk past him with the intent of asking or challenging one of the other soidlers for hand to hand workout.

[cloneororiginal]

For a brief second, Sarah found herself relaxing. He was canceling the order to have more information pulled up on her. That wouldn't raise too many red flags, but they would still have someone coming to them to ask what the hell went on. It would be easy to fabricate a lie; saying he needed to check to make sure he was getting the right clone and not one that was going to die from respiratory issues. However, that second instantly evaporated. He removed his goggles and Sarah's heart stopped.

He had painfully beautiful and haunting blue eyes she had ever seen.

His words didn't sink into her head instantly. The fact that she was looking at him, making eye contact and was still breathing was astounding. There was a huge part of her that wanted to bridge the gap between them and solidify their bond. She felt herself taking that step closer, forcing her to pay attention. Instead of moving forward, she stepped back.

"It means..." Whoever calls themselves god, or has a hand in fate, really fucking hates her guts.

"We.....we're meant for each other. That other half to yourself, that's what we could be to one another. It means...we're fucking screwed."

[imadebreakfast]

He'd definitely have to try harder if annoying her was the goal, mostly because right now she was too busy enjoying being able to think about something without getting distracted every few minutes. Granted, it would have been nice to be thinking about anything other than their current predicament with that level of concentration, but she'd take what she could get.

"Guess the first question is if you're going to be sticking around here for a while or going to ground somewhere else." Which really was a question even despite the fact that she hadn't actually asked it. She shrugged one shoulder as she took another bite of the apple, talking carefully around it, "I'll be back in town more often. Be easy enough to do my own thing while I'm here." Because if she told Steve she was visiting friends he'd actually believe her, and while she didn't like lying to him, it was bound to become a necessity.

"Unless you've got a better idea." She added, honestly curious as to what he'd had in mind, if it was any different than what she'd come up with.

[hashisreasons]

"I... I think that some aren't as bad as you think they are." He growled the words, his hands shaking as Brock grew closer. His eyes closed and he swallowed, biting his bottom lip to keep from pouncing on him. He knew how humans could be. A better world could be great, but it wouldn't be easy to pull off.

He swallowed, a shiver running through him. "Just where do you want us to go?" He nodded his head in agreement, his body acting as if it had its own mind separate from him. "I... I'm good at planning." His voice was low, a hunger in it as he stepped closer to Brock. He could picture the man in his mind. All he wanted to do was grab him and drag him out of the weapons locker.

"Don't know you well enough. Are you good?"

[infligere]

"Are you talking about your old team or a part of society in general, hmm?" He knew that they shouldn't get close to each other, but it was difficult to avoid that and talk in secret. This place wasn't that secure for one and for two, the weapons shed was not actually that large. It was easy to get close just moving around it, and as the distance closed, the fight to resist became even harder.

He stepped in, leaning closer so he could feel the gentle shift of air as Ward breathed, but he pretended like this was all just some secret meeting between them. "We'll have to meet up in private to discuss things, but I figure we can be out of here in a week on our own. Together we're good enough agents to get it done without bringing too much attention to ourselves."

He chuckled, his eye falling to the way that Ward's lips moved when the man spoke. "I'm one of the best. How do you figure I got a job rubbing elbows with Captain America, huh? It wasn't my beauty."

[disassembling]

He was used to be stared at, so her gaze was not supposed to bother him at all. There was something about it though that made a strange heat warm his body in a way that hadn't happened before, and he stared at her as he pondered that reaction. Was it a malfunction that required reporting? He hadn't yet determined if it was a malfunction at all, but her eyes were something that drew him as only the orders of his handlers generally only could.

He tilted his head at her explanation, though the idea of being half to begin with was strangely illogical to him. He pondered the idea, taking his time to assess the threat to him by such an explanation.

"Why are we in such danger?"

[infligere]

He was also enjoying the new freedom to think long and hard about something rather than flicking his thoughts all over the place. It made grocery shopping a pain when he couldn't remember what he wanted to eat. He'd never had to rely on a list before this had all happened, but here he was knowing if she left, he'd be back to a list just to function in his life or at least to focus enough to get things done.

"Well, they probably won't allow me to use my passport anymore, so I guess I'm stuck around this area," he replied dryly. He also had a relatively safe place to stay in, so he would milk that for a bit longer until he could better find out where active HYDRA cells were in motion. "Well, if you wanted to stay in town more often, I could possibly arrange something." He didn't really want to, but it would be nice not to have to flit around like some ADD kid.

"The only other idea would be for me to go with you, but I don't see that happening with how my history goes," he replied with a smirk.

[infligere]

On the private channel, he was informed that Rogers had declined to help a STRIKE team member and was heading to his direction fast. He had little else to do what with a partially malfunctioning soldier and the swinger from the ceiling. The priority of course would always be the Soldier, and when the twitching went still to gestured for the Winter Soldier to leave the room, though his charge seemed reluctant and began to look around as if expecting something. They had to pack up and leave; this was getting too much, though he was going to have to report this much to his regret.

He was following the Soldier when the window smashed, and he darted to the next room, grabbing the asset's arm and bodily pulling the other man along. The asset's eyes continually went back towards the sound and strained his hold on the Soldier. Suddenly, he knew there was no escape, not like this, not with Rogers so close.

"Draw your sidearm," he hissed at the asset, slipping behind the Soldier and suddenly reaching up to press a hand over the Soldier's eyes so there was no sight of the man about to barrel in on them as he continued to walk them backwards. He had enough time to tell STRIKE that the mission was compromised.

[imadebreakfast]

She snorted, amused as much as anything else at the moment, "Oh that'd go over like a house on fire." She shook her head, "Even if I was the one presenting the idea. That plan's definitely not gonna fly."

A nod then, looking just a little tired even despite the clarity of thought that being this close to him brought on, "So, clandestine meetings every couple or three weeks is going to have to work. For now." She knew that the plan was, eventually to actually move into the Tower, at least that was what the plan was for Steve, her status as an Avenger was still unofficial, and she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to give up her apartment anyway, even though she hadn't even seen the place in months.

"I can live on that." It wasn't a long-term solution, she knew, because the time apart would get worse the more often they were actually together, "You?"