UPDATED 01/03/2016
Flames of War 18
The Flame is born
"I'm telling you man, the pay for this job is great. Sure we may have to tangle with Capes, but think about the benefits"
"I don't know man, I don't want to be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life because some Freak punches me too hard and shatters my spine"
"I'm not worried about that"
"Really? Why are you so confident?"
"Have you checked the Medical insurance we have on this? If anything I hope a Cape breaks a leg or two"
"Jesus Christ, man. Do you have any idea what these freaks can do? I heard that one of them, Brimstone, was the one that blew up Chicago. And afterwards he tried killing more people at a nightclub"
"Really? Jesus, I hope the guns that F.L.A.M.E are packing can do some damage to those freaks then, I want to be ready when the time comes"
Conversations such as this were becoming more and more commonplace as ordinary men and women were signing up to join F.L.A.M.E at an accelerated rate. Engineers and technicians were being hired from all over the country to assist in creating the technology that would enforce the new laws of this country.
The F.L.A.M.E recruitment offices were being opened up all over America, it had only taken two days for recruitment offices to spring up in many of the US's major cities like New York, Boston and even the healing city of Chicago. Men dressed head to toe in red armour guarded the doors, handling the highest tech weaponry the US government could afford until Stark and Hammer could provide them with more fitting guns.
Ever since the fight at the Mansion, sightings of Captain America and his Avengers had stopped altogether. According to the Avengers that supported the Registration act, the outlaws must have found a place to hide and gather themselves. The Shield safe houses that Black Widow and Spiderwoman knew about were unoccupied, not much of a surprise since Hawkeye and Mockingbird would have considered that when on the run.
The world was changing faster than anyone could have predicted, and both the Pro and Anti Reg Avengers were concentrating on building their ranks, in case another unfortunate incident like the one at the Mansion happened.
Today was a day however that things would change even further, with the true birth of F.L.A.M.E.
*New York City, 1 Week post Act became Law
"Dammit, Dammit, Dammit!" the young Avenger cursed under his breath as he sprinted across the rooftop, the sound of helicopter blades gaining on him with each new step not far behind.
The young avenger was only doing what he thought was right, stopping a bank robbery was something that he and his team were all but happy to do. Yet here he was, running for his dear life as the combat Helicopter was gaining on him. The red, white and blue colour scheme of his costume wasn't exactly made for stealth, but he couldn't believe that the men in the helicopter had the guts to be shooting someone who was literally wearing the American flag. The Young Avenger known as Patriot was on the run from a Helicopter with the F.L.A.M.E Insignia on the side in bright red. Its Gatling guns and homing missiles would defiantly put a dampener on his day, even with his abilities.
"This kid just doesn't know when to quit does he?" the helicopter pilot asked the gunner in the back.
"Don't worry, a couple rounds from this bad boy will make him stop, or at least give us one less cape wearing problem to deal with" the gunner said as he readied the Gatling gun on the side of the chopper.
"Don't kill him, our pay gets cut If we take them out without getting a kill order" the co-pilot informed the gunner over the radio.
"I'll be sure to keep it to kneecaps" the gunner smiled as he aimed the Gatling gun at Patriot and began to squeeze the trigger.
With a loud piercing roar the Gatling gun unloaded on the rooftop that Patriot was running across. Now aware that he was being fired upon, the young Hero picked up the pace as the heavy gunfire was right on his heels. It was then that Patriot realized he was quickly running out of rooftop to sprint across and his only way out was the glass face of an office building.
The Patriot only had one option:
Jump
It was either that or get riddled with holes from the barrel of a Gun that could poke holes through tank armour. The young Avenger leapt, hoping to god that his body weight could break through the glass of the office building. He curled his body into a ball as he went hurdling towards the building, shattering the glass as the weight of his body broke through.
The Patriot's costume was torn, his shield dented and his mask practically hanging off his face, not only that but he was sure then once he stood up that his left arm had been dislocated by the impact. Still, a dislocated arm was better than a bullet through the kneecap any day.
"Shit…..that's gonna be a pain in the neck to put back" Patriot grimaced as he held his arm in pain.
The Patriot rose to his feet, the broken glass cracking underneath him as he swayed back in forth in a dazed trance brought forth by the pain he was going through. But what came flying through the window woke him from his daze.
A Gas Grenade with its pin pulled.
"….Oh Boy" Patriot bit his lip as he braced himself.
*BOOOOOOOOOM!*
"Are you sure he can survive that?" the pilot asked the gunner who had thrown the grenade into the building. The gunner replied after trying to swat a flying ant away from his face.
"It's just a gas grenade, it'll stun him. And to be honest we should be more concerned about the property damage" the gunner replied as he signalled for the pilot to bring the Chopper around.
Half a block away, the rest of the Young Avengers, Wiccan, Hulkling, Kate Bishop and Stature were being loaded onto the back of a large armoured truck with the F.L.A.M.E logo on the side. All of the young Avengers had been bound by armoured restraints that prevented the superhumans among them to use their powers or abnormal strength to break free.
The young Avengers were being forced at Gun point to enter the armoured vehicle by a force of at least 5 F.L.A.M.E troopers all armed with heavy machine guns and their trademark red armoured suits. When the building a few blocks away exploded in smoke, the Young Avengers all turned their heads in order to see it properly.
"You see what trouble you caused? You see what happens when you try to be some big bad vigilante like your buddy Captain America?" one of the guards said, pointing at the sight above them. Once the Young Avengers were forced into the back, two of the troopers followed them in to keep watch on them and make sure they didn't try anything to escape.
The truck made its way to the Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline of New York city clear as day in the night as the trooper in the passenger seat complained to the driver, a female trooper wearing a red suit of F.L.A.M.E armour herself.
"See, this is what I'm talking about, these kids are what? Sixteen? Seventeen tops? And they're running around in masks and tights like they get off on it. I mean the little freaks could be getting paid to do this, instead they're gonna get a reality check in Rykers or Alcatraz when it's finished" the trooper kept talking at the driver who looked like she was getting pretty dam tired of his talking.
"God, do you ever shut up?" she asked, her helmet hiding her expression.
"Hey, what's your problem? Aren't you sick of those Mutants and freaks making normal people like us look bad?" he asked once again.
*CLANG!*
The trooper in the passenger seat jolted his head upwards as he heard something hit the roof above him.
"Hey…did you hear tha…"
Suddenly a red armoured hand burst through the roof and grabbed the trooper by his head before yanking him upwards, tearing the roof to pieces. The trooper began screaming as his attacker grabbed him by the throat, hoisting him up high as the truck sped across the bridge.
"Hi there" his attacker grinned. Upon the realization that his attacker was none other than the red eyed Avenger, Brimstone himself, the trooper drew his firearm and unloaded the clip into Viktor's face, but every single bullet bounced off of the Brit's super-dense skin.
Until finally
*click,click,click*
…
…
"….Uuuuum"
"You expected that to work didn't you?" Viktor asked with a raised eyebrow.
The trooper nodded with a look of pure terror on his face.
"I thought so" Viktor sighed.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" the trooper squealed as he found himself being flung off the side of the bridge and into the east river.
"Sorry mate, nothing personal!" Viktor shouted, cupping his hands. His crow Callus then flew into sight and perched himself on the Avenger's shoulder "Where the hell have you been?" Viktor asked his feathered companion.
"CAW!" Callus squawked.
"I don't know if you're bulletproof, but that isn't an excuse to pussy out of a fight" Viktor replied before looking down at the driver's end.
"Would you mind stepping on it, dear?" Viktor asked the driver as he leaned over the side of the roof to face her.
The female trooper took off her helmet to reveal none other than Laura Kinney, X-23. She gave Viktor a relieved look "That thing was squeezing my brain, and I warn you, I'm not the best driver on the team"
"Just keep us on the road and let the rest of us handle things" Viktor winked at Laura before returning to the roof.
In the back, one of the two troopers was beginning to panic due to the sounds of something landing on the roof, followed shortly by the squeals of terror and gunfire.
"What the hell was that?" He asked the other trooper, panicking.
"Backup, and about dam time" the other trooper replied.
"What?!" the trooper asked before.
*WHACK!*
The calm trooper hit the other trooper with the butt of his rifle, causing him to fall to the floor, unconscious. The trooper took off his helmet to reveal Clint Barton, the first Hawkeye.
"How are you kids doing?" Clint smiled as he took the keys to the restraints from the other Guard's belt.
"Hawkeye?" Stature asked in shock.
"What are you doing here?" Hulkling asked.
"Getting you rookies out of here, Cassie's dad also had a hand in helping out" Clint replied as he went over to Wiccan first and began to undo the restrains covering his mouth.
"What about Patriot?" Kate asked with concern for her leader.
"Don't worry, we have men taking care of him right now. We just need Wiccan here to get us out of here quick sharp with one of his spells" Clint replied.
'Hey, Barton. Would you mind speeding it up, they are already setting up a blockade on the bridge' Viktor spoke to Clint over their coms.
"And whose fault is that for throwing a guy off a bridge after letting him unload a handgun?" Clint replied.
'I'm going to pretend I didn't hear the sass in your Tone Mr Barton' Viktor replied snidely.
"That guy has no idea how to be stealthy" Clint muttered under his breath.
On the roof of the truck, Viktor had already lit up his hands with thermal energy, if Wiccan's spells didn't go as planned, he would need to burn a path through the blockade for his comrades. Viktor never really liked burning guys who just did their jobs, but then again the Avenger always did have a very loose moral compass and wouldn't mind giving out a few third degree burns to keep the people he cared about safe.
"We're on a bit of a time limit people! Move your arses!" Viktor shouted as the truck sped towards the blockade, it seemed like with each passing second the blockade was getting bigger and bigger with more and more cop cars blocking the road along with armoured vehicles bearing the insignia of F.L.A.M.E on their sides.
Just as Viktor was about to unleash his flames upon the blockade however, the ground beneath the truck began glowing blue, and streams of blue energy began lighting up the air around them. The sound of an adolescent Mutant chanting a spell could be heard even from within the armoured truck.
"It's about dam time" Viktor smirked as he evaporated the flames that engulfed his hands and mere moments before the truck disappeared to wherever Clint told Wiccan to teleport them, he held out both his armoured hands and gave both the Police and the F.L.A.M.E troopers a gesture that came from the heart.
Two middle fingers and two words.
"SUCK IT!"
With a flash of blue, the truck evaporated without a trace, leaving behind a blue trail where the wheels had been. Luckily for the police, the truck had disappeared a mere 3 feet in front of them, unfortunately for them on the other hand, they got full sight of the Avenger known as Brimstone flip them off and tell them to suck it.
*Unknown Location (Probably Underground)
"Ok Bravo team, you are clear for your arrival" Luke Cage spoke over the radio system of the base.
*KRACKLE*KRACKLE*KRACKLE* WHOOOOOOSH!*
Within the span of a second the armoured truck carrying the Young Avengers appeared in the centre of the room, leaving one or two feet of blue crackling tire tracks behind it. The truck crackled and sparked with electrical energy and the Red Eyed Avenger standing atop of it was frozen in the position he was in before the truck had disappeared.
His two hands outward with a pair of middle fingers.
Only he wished he didn't do that now because…well.
He was giving two middle fingers to Betty Banner, the Red She-Hulk...one of the strongest women on the planet. Her arms crossed and one of her brows raised as if saying 'really?' though her look turned into a smirk when she saw the look of embarrassment on Viktor's face.
"Uuuuuh….sorry, I was just um…the cops and…the…Umm….please don't kick my arse" Viktor stuttered in pure embarrassment.
Now Viktor was defiantly powerful enough to toe to toe with a Hulk, he had proven that when he handed Ross' rear end to him at the Mansion. But one thing many people didn't know about Viktor was one thing, even though he made it known that he was never afraid to fight, he never fought women.
So Betty could very well kick his ass if she wanted to.
"Very tempting offer, Harrigan" Betty smirked.
"Uh, Uh, Uh. I'm the only one that gets to kick his ass" Laura interjected as she stepped out of the driver's seat. She began ripping off segments of the Flame Armour from her body, starting with the upper sections of the torso.
"God, this armour chafes, how the hell do they expect to fight in this?" Laura asked rhetorically as she tore off a pauldron from her shoulder.
"Well, they aren't all super flexible and limber Mutant Beauties" Viktor grinned.
"Sweet talking won't get you out of what you pulled" Laura pointed at Viktor.
"What did I do?" Viktor said in self-defence.
"You alerted half the island of Manhattan that we were planning a break out, that and the blockade would have stopped us for sure" Laura replied.
"Hey, it wasn't that bad, I could have blown a hole through that blockade in a second" Viktor waved away the subject.
"That wouldn't exactly help out cause, Brimstone" came the voice of Captain America from the other side of the room.
Viktor, Laura and Betty turned to see the Star Spangled man enter the room, followed closely by Luke Cage, Falcon and Mockingbird. Viktor for one wasn't surprised at the Captain's appearance, he wanted to make a good impression on the newer additions to the team by being the man to greet them.
Viktor recognised this strategy, he had been the one on the receiving end of it many times. Military leaders and royalty of the past would approach him in the past when they learned of his 'talents' and needed him to tip the scales in a war.
It was a darn good strategy all things considered.
"I was just trying to make sure the newbies got here safe and sound" Viktor smiled behind his mask.
"Well that's good to know, for a second I thought he turned into a Pyromaniac" Bobbie replied.
"I have been setting things on fire since before I could speak Bobbie, if that isn't a Pyromaniac I don't know what is" Viktor said as he walked across the top of the vehicle to the back end where he pointed his hand and fired a Thermal blast at the lock keeping the back doors shut.
"And behind door number 1" Viktor announced in a phoney TV show presenter accent.
The back doors of the truck opened and out leapt Clint Barton, still wearing the F.L.A.M.E armour he had been wearing for the mission minus the helmet. The archer held out his hand and helped his younger female counterpart of the same name out of the truck before the other Young Avengers followed him out.
"What…where are we?" Hulkling asked in confusion.
"Welcome to Resistance headquarters, kids" Betty welcomed the Avengers as both she and Laura walked around the corner of the truck.
"This place used to be a top secret Shield Safe house, only level 12 Shield staff know about it" Laura added as she ripped a gauntlet off her left arm.
"Level 12? How many of them are there?" Wiccan asked.
"One, Nick Fury. Widow, Myself and Spiderwoman are only level 9" Clint added, smirking as he thought of his asshole boss.
"Resistance?" Stature asked as undid her restraints with the key that Clint Provided them.
"Didn't you wonder why you couldn't get your hands on your old man for the past few days?" Luke asked rhetorically.
Viktor rolled his eyes, he could see where this was all going and decided it best to get it over with as quickly as possible. The red eyed Avenger jumped from the top of the truck and reached out to the Young Avengers that didn't have their restraint removed, and in a quick show of strength he ripped them clean from their bodies.
"Long story short, we are telling the government to screw itself by forming a rebellion, you've seen Star Wars so you get the point. We saved you from being locked up in some shithole for the rest of your lives so can say thank you, leave and get in the same predicament again OR you can join our little band and make a difference…. any questions?" Viktor quickly explained in an even more amazing show of speed as he crossed his hands behind his back.
"Uuuh…are you…" Wiccan began to ask
"Brimstone, yes, but please call me Vik and yes I know…I am way hotter than I am on TV, both figuratively and literally" Viktor smiled.
"…Uh….ok…" Kate stuttered.
"I've got a girlfriend by the way, so no trying to get a piece, that goes double for you two" Viktor pointed at a confused Hulkling and Wiccan.
Viktor leaned in and whispered "Don't sweat it, I don't judge, I'm not even Human for god's sake" he smiled before holding his arm out to Laura who was still tearing pieces of armour from her body.
"Mi Lady" he smiled as Laura hooked her arm around his before the two left the room with haste.
The other Avengers only watched with raised eyebrows at Viktor's never faltering ability to confuse them to the point of silence. Cap wondered how this could be the same man that nearly beat Ross half to death a day or two ago, then again Viktor was known for being a great actor, he was better at hiding his emotions than most, he did have 950 years of experience after all.
The Captain had known Viktor for 2 years….and he was still trying to understand him and how he thought. It really spoke miles about how well Viktor could hide his emotions when Captain America, who was known for telling what was going through people's heads, couldn't read him.
"Uuum, Captain?" Kate asked the star spangled man as he seemed to be staring into nothing.
"Oh…sorry, I was miles away, anyway…what do we do with him?" Steve said as he looked at the F.L.A.M.E trooper that Clint had knocked out, he was sat up and regaining consciousness.
"Could you give us a few minutes?" Hulkling asked the older Avenger as he and his teammates looked like they wanted at least a little bit of payback.
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Viktor asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, I'm sure I can get this dam thing off" Laura said behind gritted teeth as she tried to pry off the armoured boot of her left leg.
Viktor and Laura were sat beside each other in the main living quarters of the base, a large room that seemed more like a replacement of the mansion's living room that it should have been. Fury wouldn't have liked one of his secret safe houses to be abused like this, but then again Viktor didn't give two shits about Shield Protocol and didn't want to live in some 'sterile shithole' as he put it.
The main monitors in the room (that were previously security monitors) had recently been turned into glorified cinema screen level TV's, Steve wasn't very happy about that, but the Red Eyed Avenger yet again refused to live in a 'sterile shithole' without a means of entertainment…. that and Viktor needed his fix of old Dr Who episodes, Star Wars and Game of Thrones.
The world's oldest nerd was very passionate about his nerdy shit.
Laura had managed to rid herself of many of the F.L.A.M.E armour pieces, only the pieces below her waist remained. Though Viktor had to admit that even though he felt offended by the logo choice, as it was a direct insult to him, he admired the design of the armour.
Being the adopted son of a Blacksmith and a practised Blacksmith himself, Viktor always admired armour of all kinds and he had to admit that the F.L.A.M.E armour was very well designed. It covered all the vital areas of the body, allowed for movement and protection all over seemingly without hindering the wearer's flexibility.
"I've got to hand it to those arseholes…they know armour design" Viktor sighed as he picked up a gauntlet from the floor and closely inspected it.
"Really? Because this crap is really stuffy" Laura grunted as she tried to force the boot from her left leg.
"That's because you don't wear armour on a regular basis, every time you put on an armour suit it gets easier and easier, until it's like a second skin, besides, it makes you look badass" Viktor smirked as he noticed little similarities between the F.L.A.M.E gauntlets and his own Gauntlets.
"Well I think it sucks, why would I need armour anyway?" Laura huffed.
"You could use some protection. Running around wearing a top that doesn't cover your midriff isn't exactly intimidating" Viktor smirked as he teased Laura.
"Are you saying you don't like my midriff?"
"No, no of course not…doesn't mean I don't get jealous when I see complete arseholes staring at my girl's great figure" Viktor winked.
"Wow, you, jealous?" Laura smirked.
"Wouldn't you get jealous if other ladies stared at my pecs all the time?" Viktor joked as he began posing with his biceps.
Laura could only laugh at the way Viktor was displaying his muscles, to the point where he threw his coat off and started posing like a body builder. The black undershirt Viktor wore underneath his flak jacket wasn't by any means disrupting the size of his muscles, then again it wasn't any surprise that a guy who could bench press tanks was built like a Tank.
"Ok I get it, I get it. Just get your ass down here and help me get these dam boots off" Laura chuckled. Viktor quickly sat down beside her and in the blink of an eye yanked the boots from her feet…. after he undid the clasps keeping them on her of course.
"…Uh…" Laura blushed in embarrassment.
"You see? It helps when you know what you are doing" Viktor smirked like a smug arsehole, which promptly earned him a boot to the face thrown by his girlfriend.
Viktor smiled his smug grin as he helped Laura take the rest of the armour off "You know; you should really consider a costume that doesn't leave so much flesh exposed" Viktor said as he finished helping Laura.
"Does it really bother you that much?" Laura asked.
"I sometimes forget you can heal like you do during fights, and seeing you getting impaled, shot or stabbed at isn't very pleasant for me. Besides it doesn't help me control myself either…I see someone hurt you in a way that could kill you, and I feel like skinning the bastard with my bare hands" Viktor said, gripping his gauntleted fist.
Laura wouldn't put it past her Knight in Flaming armour that he probably did that to men in the past. Viktor's overprotectiveness was something she never got tired of seeing, it showed that he truly cared for her, unlike other men in her life, he didn't care for her to the point of treating her like a damsel.
"Ok, I suppose I should try getting a…less revealing costume" Laura replied, Viktor smiled in response, obviously happy that Laura knew what he meant.
"Well good….I don't want to end up pitching a tent during a fight, I might poke someone's eye out" Viktor smirked until he got a few slaps from the Raven Haired Mutant. His dirty British Humour wasn't ever as strong as when he was fooling around with his lady.
"God, you are worse than Parker" Laura laughed as she finished slapping Viktor in the face. Her slaps didn't do much, in fact they didn't do anything at all to the steel faced…whatever Viktor was.
It was then at the mention of the Amazing Spiderman that Viktor's smile faded away. Peter hadn't been at all himself since the whole fiasco at the mansion, losing allies would be difficult for anyone, losing friends would have been worse, but to Peter, losing Carol was as bad as it could have gotten.
Viktor hadn't seen Peter like this for a while, the only time he had seen the Wall crawler act like he did was when he had lost Gwen Stacey.
It was moments like this that made Viktor remember the very moment he had met Peter.
*FLASHBACK*
8 Years Ago
The movers hefted the cardboard boxes over their heads as they unloaded the cargo from the back of the van. Sweat dripping down their brows as they struggled with the boxes that felt like they weighed a tonne each.
"What the hell does he have in these thing? Bricks?" one of the movers said with a thick Brooklyn accent.
Nearby, the new resident on the street was inspecting his new home. The house was defiantly…. homely, and with time, elbow grease and the right attitude it could be make into something great, something worthy of a man who had lived longer than the existence of the United States.
The new resident in question wore black sunglasses that shielded his glowing red eyes from anyone that could be watching. He wore a Black Leather Jacket on top of his grey shirt, and along with a pair of blue jeans and studded rocker boots, he looked like the sort that would be part of a Band.
Viktor stood there looking at his new home and sighed.
"It'll do…. for now, I suppose" he muttered to himself, the home was defiantly a step down from his last dwelling; a large mansion like home in the West Midlands of England, the hot air of America didn't feel right in his lungs at the moment, he had always preferred the cool crisp air of Britain.
Then again this might have just been the stark difference between his homeland the relatively new country he was in. Viktor hadn't set foot on American soil since they were roaming around the dessert in Spurs with revolvers strapped to their hips.
"Hey buddy, ya wanna help us out with yer shit?" one of the larger Movers yelled at Viktor whom scowled to himself.
He already wished he was in the Old West instead of this place.
Between a Rude and crass Cab driver that wouldn't shut his mouth, the Real Estate Agent that kept ramming the properties down his throat, the annoying arsehole that sat next to him on the plane there that wouldn't stop asking if he "Knew the Queen" simply because the guy had apparently never met a Brit in his live and now the movers whom instead of doing the job he paid them for were simply pissing and moaning that they weren't getting any help, Viktor was seriously contemplating burning this fucking house to ground with them inside it.
This was of course during one of Viktor's 'Phases'
"You better not have broken any of my things" Viktor said as he began to walk towards the van.
"Hey, Man, were just doing our jobs here, we've never had to pick up shit this heavy" The man, whom Viktor assumed was in charge said.
"Well that just isn't my problem, your job is to get my possessions from the back of this Van, into my house… are you telling me that you can't do that?" Viktor narrowed his eyes.
"Dude, this stuff is heavy as shit. You can't expect us to get this crap into that house as fast as you want" the mover replied.
Viktor gave the man a look that could only be described as a scowl, right now he was not in the best of moods, and this country had apparently not run out of ways to piss him off. The black haired Brit took a few steps forward to where about 3 movers were having trouble picking up on of his boxes, and with one hand Viktor lifted the box up and walked over to his house and placed the box down gentle on the porch.
"Wow…that was hard work wasn't it? I suppose I'll go and piss and moan at my employer that it was hard and ill cry like a six-year-old because I don't wanna do my own job" Viktor mocked the movers with an over the top Brooklyn accent.
"Fuck it, I'll do it myself. I obviously can't count on you idiots to get it done" Viktor said as he gestured for the movers to get the hell out of his sight.
Viktor quickly got to moving the boxes stuffed with his belongings out of the mover's truck so he could get rid of them all the sooner. To say that Viktor had a bit too many possessions was an understatement, his boxes filled with old keepsakes that he never left far behind, mementos of his past that reminded him of his unnaturally long life.
However, when Viktor began moving the boxes he quickly noticed that they were being moved much faster than he thought. That was when he saw that he had a helper, a young man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white shirt, jeans and a pair of sneakers. The man was much shorter than Viktor with an athletic build as opposed to Viktor's towering mass of muscle.
"Uh…. Excuse me?" Viktor called for the young man's attention.
"Hi, I thought you might have needed some help moving these things" the young man replied with a smile. Viktor was surprised that this man was at least half as big as then men that had so much trouble with his packages, yet he was hauling them around with no real trouble.
"Uh…Thanks, I suppose…. I'm sorry but who are you?" Viktor asked, curious to know who this young man was and why he was helping out.
"Peter Parker, I live just across the street with my Aunt" Peter replied with a chipper tone.
"Huh…Parker, I suppose that makes us neighbours" Viktor replied.
"What accent is that? Wait let me guess…" Peter Began.
'I Swear if he says Australian ill rip his head off' Viktor thought as his eyebrow twitched. He had worked on keeping his native accent, it was a good accent and he didn't want anyone mistaking him for what he was, a Brit.
"You're from the UK aren't you?" Peter asked with a smile.
"…Wow…. you're the first person I've met that got it right on first guess. You'd think the people in this country had never met a Brit before" Viktor replied as he hefted a particularly large box onto his shoulder.
"Yeah, well, my Aunt always says that first impressions are the most important" Peter replied, following Peter with a box under his arm.
"Smart woman" Viktor said as he put the box down. When the red eyed Brit looked at Peter, there was an expecting look on his face.
"…. Oh, yeah, Viktor Harrigan" Viktor introduced himself with an offering of a handshake.
"Nice to meet you Vik" Peter smiled as he shook Viktor's hand.
'Vik?...Vik….Vik…..huh, I like the sound of that' Viktor usually despised nicknames…but for some reason, he liked it.
"So…why are you helping me?" Viktor asked, the young man was probably trying to get access into Viktor's house to snoop around and gossip, at least that's what Viktor thought.
"Because you looked like you were having a bad day, I thought ide help out and maybe put a smile on your face" Peter replied.
Viktor knew how to spot a Liar, after 950 years it was something you just picked up, even good liars showed signs of it…but this kid was telling the honest to god truth. 'Funny' Viktor thought, the first American he had met that didn't piss him off immediately…he could get used to this country.
"By the way, what's with the sunglasses? It isn't that sunny today" Peter asked. Viktor knew what Parker's reaction would probably be, fear was one of the reactions he was used to at this point, and seeing as Parker was technically his neighbour he was bound to find out about his eyes sooner or later.
Viktor took off his sunglasses, keeping his eyes wide open, showing off his bright red eyes. The way in which Viktor's eyes glowed usually depended on his mood, if he was in an ok mood like right now, they would barely glow at all, it was only during times of utter joy or rage that they really started to become noticeable.
Viktor over the years had considered coloured contact lenses to help blend in, but to be honest they itched like crazy and were so uncomfortable that Viktor usually felt like clawing his own eyes out.
Viktor saw Peter's eyes widened and immediately went to cover his arse with an excuse "It's a medical condition" it was far from the most farfetched excuse Viktor had come up with over the years.
Peter only smirked and whispered "Its ok, I got a lot of friends that are Mutants" he smiled.
"I'm….not a mutant" Viktor narrowed his eyes in confusion, astounded that even if he was a Mutant that this guy he had just met wasn't another one of the racists he had seen on the news waving banners and shouting that Mutants should be exterminated.
"Dude, trust me. I won't tell" Peter said tapping his finger against his nose with a smile before he went left Viktor's porch.
"If you ever need help unpacking or moving stuff around just holler" Peter waved as he bid Viktor farewell.
Viktor raised his eyebrow in confusion, he wondered what his future in this country could bring. He smirked before putting his sunglasses in his pocket, showing his red eyes with pride with a smile.
"Land of opportunity indeed" he smirked.
*FLASHBACK END
"Um, Viktor?" Laura asked, snapping Viktor out of his trance.
"Sorry, flashback" Viktor smirked.
"You must have plenty of them" Laura assumed.
"You have no idea" Viktor replied.
"Was it about Parker?" Laura asked.
"How could you tell?"
"Call it instincts. You should talk to him you know?" Laura as she leaned into Viktor's side.
Viktor could only slouch back into the couch, his head hanging off the edge of the headrest. He stared at the ceiling, he was never used to being the one that snapped someone out of a depressive state. He was always the one with his head hung low with the need to be snapped out by someone else.
First time for everything.
Such a pretty thing.
The gold band sparkled in the light while the rubies would shimmer like the sun and sapphires would shine like the stars of the night sky.
Such a beautiful thing.
It was never meant to be her ring; it was meant to be Peter's. He was supposed to wear the one that matched his outfit while she would wear the other of obsidian and yellow gemstones.
Such a precious thing.
But her Amazing Spider-man wasn't known for conventional thinking; he wanted them to wear the ring meant for the other, so that even when they were apart they would remember each other.
Such a hopeless thing.
She was weak without him, but she would never admit it to anyone. She was known for being perhaps the physically strongest woman on the planet, yet here she was; on the verge of tears just thinking about how her fiancé, the man she loved, had left her.
But it wasn't entirely his fault.
Carol knew exactly how passionate Peter was with his views, how he would never abandon the teachings of his Uncle, the man she had never met but wished that she had.
With great power comes great responsibility; that's what he always said, and no matter the situation he always stuck to that belief. It was what drove him, what made him such a great hero, a man whom children idolized and stared with awe whenever he swung through the cityscape.
She wished she could travel back, but even deep down she knew she would end up making the same choice as she had made on that day. Peter was dedicated to his cause, unfortunately the same could be said for her, it was one of the things they had in common.
Yet it was one of the things that ended up tearing them apart.
She loved her country, she was proud to be an American, and it was her duty to serve her country's best interests. Deep down she was still a soldier, a woman of the Military. This law simply made sense to her, for too long had relations between the Meta-humans and regular humans been getting worse since the incident in Chicago, this law was a necessary change that needed to happen to regain the Public's trust.
But deep down, a part of her still hurt, she had been left by the man who swore he would stay by her side.
The world was a cruel place.
As Carol sat on her couch simply staring at that ring, that beautiful symbol of Peter's feelings for her shimmered in the sunlight pouring through the window. Jessica was nearby on the phone, telling the others whether Carol would be fit for duty anytime soon, she had been stuck in her apartment since that day and the constant harassment by the paparazzi wasn't helping.
Jess had already threatened castration to a few of the reporters that wanted an 'exclusive' on Carol and Peter's relationship.
The female Arachnid worried for her friend like a sister, constantly watching her, keeping her company to help ease the loneliness. She hadn't been outside since that day; it was obviously taking a huge emotional toll on the blonde.
"Yeah, she's…. she's as good as she can be" Jessica spoke over the phone.
"When do you think she'll be back on her feet?" Tony asked on the other end.
"That doesn't matter Tony, I don't want you or any of those red armoured Twats coming around to make her condition worse by pulling her out onto the streets when she isn't ready!" Jessica growled into the Phone.
"Jess, she can't stay in her apartment forever. The public are in a frenzy, they want to see all of us doing our jobs and stop Cap and his little rebellion" Tony replied, concern for Carol in his voice, but more determination for getting Cap arrested or at least stopped from his reckless behaviour.
"I don't give a dam about your bloody crusade, Tony! She's been like this for a week and you are already trying to get her involved with this crap. Just let her rest for god's sake!" Jess replied angrily.
"I'm…. oh god, Listen I'm sorry Jess it's just that, well things haven't been easy for any of us since, you know" Tony replied, referring to the moment that the Avengers had been torn in half. It may have only been a few days, but it felt like a lifetime ago.
Jess had only agreed to join the Pro-Reg forces because she wanted to stay close to Carol. Her best friend needed her more than Cap did, even though she disagreed with the law on almost every level she cared about her best friend much more. She was willing to follow the registration act in order to at least keep Carol from going insane from losing her fiancé.
Although she had to admit, she couldn't stop stifling her laughter when she looked at Ross after his very one sided 'fight' with Viktor. The Red Eyed Brit was not fucking around when he went all out on the Red Hulk, and it showed; Ross had been walking around with a black eye, a swollen jaw and third degree burns for days, it truly took a force of nature to do that to a Hulk. Then again Jess always appreciated her fellow Brit's talent for beating people within an inch of their lives.
"I know…I know, It's just, she needs time ok? Once she's back to her old self I'll…I'll let you know, ok?" Jess spoke over the phone.
"Ok just…stay safe alright?" Tony asked.
"We will…see ya" Jess replied.
"And Jess…" Tony began but stopped halfway through his sentence.
"Yeah?"
"…I…I love you"
"…Me too" Jess replied quietly before hanging up. She put her phone down before walking back into the main room to find Carol looking at her with her bags underneath her eyes. She hadn't had a wink of sleep in days, and it was really beginning to show.
"Who was that?" Carol asked from the couch.
"It was just Tony, asking how you were" Jessica replied as she sat down beside Carol.
"What did you tell him?" Carol asked.
"I said you'll be ready when you're ready" she replied.
The silence between the two had been uncomfortable to say the least, but it was mutual. Carol for the first few days had done nothing but cry her eyes out of her skull until they were dry. Jess hadn't left her apartment for days, she couldn't leave Carol when she was in a state like this.
Carol thanked god so many times over the last few days that Jess stayed with her. No matter what position Carol found herself in, she could always count on her best friend to be there for her. The Spiderwoman wouldn't leave her best friend for anything, she put Carol before herself on more than one occasion.
Jessica Drew wasn't just a Hero; she was a true friend.
"You know, you don't have to stay here, Jess. I'll be alright" Carol said with a sad look in her eyes.
"You won't get rid of me that easily, I'm staying until you get back on your feet, missy" Jess smirked, always cheerful even in times like this. She smiled because Carol couldn't, the Blonde needed someone like this in her life right now, now that Peter had left.
"I miss him, Jess. I keep rolling around in bed and expect him to be there next to me, smiling and telling me that everything would be alright" Carol was on the verge of tears again, but deep down she knew that after the crying fit she had a few days prior had drained most of the sadness out of her.
"Then why didn't you go with him? Is the registration act so important to you?" Jess asked honestly.
"I can't just throw away my beliefs, Jess. I want to help this country a better place for Meta-humans and regular humans, if we don't it's a never-ending cycle of hate, we make a mistake and the public hates us for it, they'll never accept us unless we do something about it" Carol replied truthfully.
Jess had heard that reason from so many of the other Avengers that joined the Forces of F.L.A.M.E to enforce the laws of the Registration act. To be completely honest by now she was sick to death of it.
"Fine, use that excuse for now, but when you are thinking straight and ready to open up, I'm all ears" Jess replied.
"Excuse?!" Carol exclaimed before Jess held her hands up in defence.
"Take your time, you always have to after stuff like this. You didn't speak to me for weeks after the whole 'Binary' incident" Jess replied. When Carol lost her godlike powers it left an impact to say the least, but like the saying said 'whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger'
Maybe that saying didn't work 100% here, but…hey, you work with what you have.
"I'm not making excuses, Jess. This whole situation it…it feels like my heart is being ripped in two, I have my duty on one hand, the thing I've let be my guide since I was a little girl…and my feelings for Peter…..I don't know what to do" Carol began to tear up, she hated feeling like this, it was moments such as this that made her wish her emotions were closer to that of a Kree rather than a human.
"You know that I'll follow you anywhere, Carol. No matter what" Jess put a hand on Carol's shoulder, comforting her.
"I'm lucky to have a best friend like you" Carol smiled back, wiping her tears.
"You could do worse" Jess smiled, hugging Carol.
Jess just hoped that Carol could see sense sooner rather than later.
"Peter! Hey Peter!" a voice snapped the brown haired arachnid out of his trance as he sat in his quarters.
Peter's quarters didn't look particularly impressive, a very small room with a still packed bag and suitcase in the corner. Really pale and dull surroundings for one of his reputation and personality. But then again, right now he wasn't his usual happy go lucky self.
He had been in this situation before, bags underneath his restless eyes, bloody knuckles from a long night of bashing his fists against the faces of men he had fought. A mask hanging loosely in his hands, unwashed greasy hair and the costume he had worn for the past week beginning to really smell of sweat.
He was like this only when Gwen had died…and now another true love of his had left, only this time is was more painful…Gwen didn't chose to leave…. Carol did. That just drove the knife in deeper.
His bags and suitcase hadn't been touched since he brought them in his new room. Only the essentials that he could assemble from his and Carol's apartment were within, though he didn't use them, he really didn't feel like doing much of anything besides fight.
The culprit of the voice stood in his doorway with his arms crossed. Wearing neither his hat or coat, Viktor had a peculiar look on his face, one that said "God, look at the state of you" and in thinking so he wouldn't be wrong.
"How are you doing?" Viktor asked.
"…Been better" Peter replied, not shifting his gaze from the empty wall in front of him.
"…Mind if I take a seat?" Viktor asked, pointing to the vacant spot next to the wall crawler.
Peter nodded.
Viktor walked over to the Wall crawler, the metallic clanking of his boots, the various zippers on his flak jacket, his metal pendant and the armour plating of his gauntlets rattling, making a racket as he walked over to his comrade.
Viktor was never that stealthy with the amount of metal he had in his outfit. Anyone could tell when he was approaching.
The bed creaked under the weight of the Red eyed Brit as he sat down next to Peter.
"…How did the mission go?" Peter asked.
"Went well, got the kids out of there alright enough. It's getting worse out there though, more and more Meta's getting arrested because they don't agree with the law" Viktor replied, clasping his hands together with a metallic clank.
"We could really use you out there, Pete. Missions aren't as fun when I'm the most annoying guy out there" Viktor smirked. Getting a slight, forced chuckle from Peter.
"Not much charm to it when Logan can't really kill you" Peter replied, earning a chuckle from Viktor. But the Black Haired Avenger could tell it wasn't honest, Peter was trying to mask his emotions like usual only he was doing a very bad job doing it.
The two stayed in an awkward silence for a few uncomfortable minutes, neither knowing exactly what to say. Even though the two had about 930 years' difference in terms of age, they were very alike, both loud mouthed talkers that weren't always good at expressing their feelings.
Viktor was never someone who expressed himself or views through words, he preferred to let his fists do the talking.
"…Ugh, I'm not good at this whole, comforting thing am I?" Viktor said as he put his clasped hands to his forehead.
"You can't be perfect at everything" Peter replied.
"I'm not perfect at most things. In fact, the only things I'm really good at are fighting, killing, setting fires and…. really crappy jokes…. you are the one who knows the complicated shit, mate" Viktor admitted, putting his arms behind his head and laying back onto the bed.
"Complicated?" Peter asked, confused at what Vik meant.
"Yeah, convincing people that they are worth more than they think, like the god knows how many times I've been in a bad place, and you were the one to snap me out of it" Viktor replied.
"I…I suppose" Peter replied.
"Face it Pete, if not for you I would still be acting like right sad git" Viktor replied nonchalantly.
"Yeah…true" Peter smirked the slightest bit.
"…. Fuck it, Pete I can tell that being separated from Carol is taking a toll, but she isn't gone. She is probably just as torn up as you are, and like it or not, sooner or later you two are going to meet again and you'll have your chance to make things right…" Viktor spoke with a kind tone that was unlike him.
"…Until then you need to get back in shape, that means no bullshit angst, no self-loathing and most of all no blaming yourself…ok?" Viktor replied.
Peter though not completely over his depression, felt the slightest bit cheered up by his friend. He smiled a bit and rubbed his tired eyes before replying "Thanks buddy, I needed that" Peter smiled.
"What you need is a shower, you fucking smell" Viktor replied, earning a pretty honest sounding laugh from Peter.
"I mean it; I've smelt burnt week old corpses that smell better than you" Viktor furthered his little joke.
"Ok, Ok, take it easy, I get the message" Peter chuckled as he put his mask down on the nearby bedside cupboard.
Viktor smiled, feeling very pleased with himself, he knew he wouldn't get Peter back to 100% himself anytime soon, but he could at least ease the pain of Carol's absence. What Peter needed was someone to keep him at least stable, and Viktor thought he could do at least that, for all the times Peter had gotten him out of a depression.
He couldn't help Peter all the way, but he could help him get halfway.
Anything was better than the pathetic state the Wall Crawler was in right now.
"Hey Vik" Peter got Viktor's attention as he stood in the doorway.
"Thanks for not leaving" he smiled.
"…. Don't get all gay on me, Pete" Viktor joked, earning another laugh from Peter.
It would be a slow road…but slow was better than staying still.
FINALLY UPDATED THIS S.O.B! thank god for that, a bit smoother and shorter for a chapter (this chapter was going to have waaaay more in it, but I cut it down so I could post it sooner for those of you that wanted their FOW fix XD)
Nothing else really to say besides I'M NOT DEAD! And this story is FAAAAAR from finished, I have already put various amounts of Blood, Sweat, Tears and various other bodily fluids I would rather not divulge into it and I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP!
YOU HEAR ME DAM YOU!?
I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU!
SO DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP ON ME!
…
…
Ok, note to self: stop binge watching the Abyss….as much XD
Please, remember to leave your thoughts, concerns and questions in the form of a well thought out review…which I will read very thoroughly and reply to.
NO FLAMES FOR GOD'S SAKE…. ok that 'flames' bit wasn't intentional…. but what the hell! I'll stick with it.
And oh god I've missed this! DAKKAMAN777 QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER:
SUPERHERO MOVIES OF 2016….WHICH ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?
Me – Suicide Squad and Civil War of course
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