Imagine the Avengers finding out what you truly are.
. .
. .
Becoming friendly with the Avengers was a total accident. You'd been alive long enough to know how to stay hidden in plain sight, but it was just your luck that some type of alien species decided to attack a place you just so happened to be at, at the time. You weren't fond of killing for sport and didn't take it so well when the aliens started shooting off energy beams at any human it set its sight on.
Using your speed and strength to your advantage, you sped through the streets getting people to safety and/or punching your fist through alien chests in hopes of killing them then and there. You'd been so focused on taking out the threat that you nearly took Captain America's shield to the gut, but you turned around just in time and caught it when it had ricocheted off a building. Shield in hand, you glanced around wildly for the superhero and then flung the shield right back at him when he stared at you in surprise. An energy blast to the shoulder caught you off guard, but also angered you to the point that your vision bled red and you tore through all the aliens on the same street as you.
Afterwards, as you were catching your breath, Captain America and the other geared up superheroes found you. They tried luring you back to their tower to get your shoulder checked out after Captain America kindly informed them he had witnessed you take a blast to said shoulder, but after showing them it was healed you had waved off their generosity. That, of course, only intrigued Iron Man all the more and he immediately wanted to run tests. But given how much energy you had used up, you knew you needed to feed before letting them run any form of tests. They were hesitant to let you go, but after promising to show up the following day they couldn't exactly keep you. Especially since you took up Captain America's offer to drive you home once they found out where you lived.
That was a couple years ago and to this day they hadn't questioned your superhuman feats after Tony and Bruce surprisingly found nothing out of the ordinary with your blood.
"So YN," Natasha says, grinning as she slowly sips her beer, "how was that blind date of yours the other night?"
Your nose wrinkles in distaste, and Steve and Clint laugh. "Never. Again," you tell her. "You have terrible taste in picking my would-be one night stands."
"Well you're not exactly forthcoming with the type of person you're looking to hook up with."
You roll your eyes and then glance to your left, side-eying Steve who was sitting next to you in the booth at the bar the four of you frequented when they had the night off. "Rogers. Find me someone like Steve, just not so.. wholesome."
"W-What?" Clint laughs. Natasha raises an eyebrow, glancing between you and Steve.
"Steve is the perfect package," you say, reaching over to pinch his cheek as he laughs. "He's just a little too perfect for my tastes. I want someone who's got Steve's entire persona in public, but then behind closed doors will choke me as he fucks me into the mattress."
Clint spews his beer, choking. "Jesus Christ!" You and Steve laugh at his misfortune, Natasha smirking as she pounds on his back. "Warn a guy, YN!"
"Where's the fun in that?" You muse. As Clint calms down, you then say, "But in all seriousness, Steve is mostly my type. Just a little more beardy and we're golden."
Steve's mid-sip when he glances at you. "And if I grew out my beard?"
"I would climb you like a goddamn tree."
"Ugh. You two can't hook up!" Clint complains. "At least not for another month or so. I will not lose another bet to Barnes or Wilson." You merely shrug at him, letting his thoughts run rampant all on their own.
The night is still a bit young and Clint has, yet again, challenged you drink for drink. Everyone thinks you just hold your alcohol really well and no one knows that it takes more than the average amount it takes a human to get drunk to get you drunk. But your friends seem to enjoy Clint making an ass of himself, so you keep on letting them believe what they want about you.
Eventually you have to head home, so after helping pay for the bill the four of you take your leave. Natasha helps steady Clint out ahead of you and Steve, and Steve hooks his arm through yours when you trip over the curb.
You're happily walking arm-in-arm with Steve that you're not paying attention to your surroundings. Not until it's way too late.
"Hello, love." The accented voice instantly makes your blood run cold as you stumble to a halt, head whipping in it's direction. Klaus Mikaelson stands across the street, smirk firmly in place. "You're a hard girl to track down."
Heart pounding, you attempt to step back, but Steve's hold on you keeps you in place. "YN? Who's he?"
"Come on now, mate. No need to be so tense. We're practically family." From one blink to the next, he's across the street and standing just a few feet from you. You flinch and pull free from Steve then, stumbling back. "After all, my family is the one who made her."
Steve, Natasha, and a very tipsy Clint all glance at you. "What's he talking about, YN?" Natasha asks.
But instead of answering, you ask, "K-Klaus, what are you doing here?"
On the verge of stepping in should you need it, your friends watch as Klaus swaggers towards you to close the distance. "I'm a bit bored at the moment and the family isn't talking to me once again. Thought I'd hunt down one of my favorite partners in crime."
"Still in the habit of m-murdering people when bored?" You gulp, subtly trying to put some space between Klaus and your friends. In your peripheral, you see Natasha reach for a gun she always carries on her and Klaus smirks. Apparently he's seen it too. "I'm not like that anymore. Haven't been for a very long time. You'll have better luck with the Ripper of Monterey."
He comes closer still until he's nearly toe to toe with you, tucking strands of hair behind your ear as tears fill your eyes. "I don't want the Ripper of Monterey, I want the Ripper of San Luca."
Your expression crumbles. "Please don't, Klaus."
But he only smirks in response. "Turn it off, love."
"No." He chuckles darkly and fear and frustration instantly fills you. "No!" You shout this time and push him away, throwing pleading looks at your friends when they step forward to intervene. You shake your head at them, sniffling. "Don't."
Klaus chuckles and steps closer again. "Now, now, sweetheart. Don't be like that. Just turn it off and-"
"No. I won't." You shake your head at him.
Klaus smirk falls and his gaze hardens. "Turn it off."
"YN, what's going on?" Steve asks.
"What's he talking about? What's he doing?" Natasha wonders too.
You shake your head, openly crying now. "I won't. I won't go back to that lifestyle just because you're bored, Klaus."
In the blink of an eye, Klaus' hand is around your throat as he slams you into the nearest wall and screams in your face. "TURN IT OFF!"
Clint swears, stumbling to the side as Natasha lets him go to take aim with her weapon. Steve steps forward to intervene, but the sudden lack of fighting from YN has him coming up short.
"YN?" Natasha calls out.
YN slowly blinks, the anguish and fear bleeding from her features right before a grin forms. She lazily wipes at the tear tracks on her face and Steve has a very bad feeling about this. "Niklaus," she purrs, "aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Klaus smirks and her gaze darts down to the arm attached to the hand still wrapped around her throat. "Choking's reserved for bedroom activities or don't you remember that?"
YN pushes off the wall as Klaus releases her, draping an arm around her shoulders that she readily shrugs off while clicking her tongue at him. "Can't blame a man for trying, love."
"Yes, but we both know you're no man."
His amusement falters, leaving the three Avengers very confused.
"YN, what's going on?" Natasha asks.
"And what exactly was turned off?"
Klaus looks at Steve, smirking. "Don't you know, mate? You make a living fighting off monsters, yet you invited one into your very home."
This time it's YN's time to smirk as she giggles. "Surprise! God, you have no idea how good this feels." She slides her hands up her sides and the sides of her neck before following the path back down. "Feels so good to finally be free!"
"Free?"
"That's the thing about us vampires," Klaus tells them. "Some of us are completely normal, able to live life as if we never died in the first place with just a well balanced diet in place. But others- others become rippers. Vampires capable of the most gruesome killings without a care in the world."
"A-And you're saying YN is a ripper?" Clint stammers.
"Well when her pesky little humanity switch isn't on, then yes. She's loads more fun when it's off."
"Blah, blah, blah. Boring!" YN sighs. "Come on, Nikky, let's go have some fun."
"YN." Steve warns when she attempts to walk away. "Don't."
"Don't." She mocks and then laughs. "What are you going to do, Captain? Stake me?" This time Klaus laughs along too. "You'll have to catch me first." Then within a blink of an eye, she's gone.
All eyes turn to Klaus. "Just a head's up, YN loves hide and seek. Follow the trail of bodies and you'll find your girl."
Steve, Clint and Natasha are suddenly left alone on the empty sidewalk. Natasha and Steve share a dreadful glance at one another, and Clint sighs. "This is bad, isn't it?"
"Yes. If this Klaus guy is to be believed, we need to find YN as soon as possible," Steve says.
"Vampires though?" Clint frowns. "We've seen YN walk in the sunlight with no issue."
"But it would explain the speed, strength and healing capabilities." Natasha holsters her gun, glancing up and down the street to keep an eye out.
"Well whatever she is, she's still our friend," Steve says. "You saw what I did. She was scared of that Klaus guy before he made her what- turn off her humanity? She didn't want this."
"Then let's go get your girl, Cap. We'll get Tony to start running facial recognition."
It's been two weeks since YN was basically abducted from under their noses. Steve had taken the abduction quite personally and took lead on the mission to get her back. Bucky, Natasha and Clint joined him on the hunt while Tony and Bruce kept an eye on the cameras back at the tower.
Every lead given to the assembled team was always minutes, if not hours, too late and they were left dealing with unconscious people who were missing nearly all their blood and/or bodies completely drained of their blood. Some bodies had their throats or hearts ripped out and the Avengers on call were left feeling uneasy since they didn't know who was actually responsible for the murders.
Eventually, on Halloween of all nights, they get a tip that leads them to a college party. The fog machines, strobe lights, and too loud music make Steve and Bucky apprehensive about entering the premises, but after losing a game of rock, paper, scissors to Natasha and Clint they have no choice but to enter.
"You think she's in there?" Bucky asks, fitting a Phantom of the Opera mask over one side of his face to prevent the civilians from recognizing him.
Steve sighs, frowning at all the stumbling individuals in front of the house. "I hope she is. I don't know how many more dead bodies we can come up with cover stories for." He has the same mask as Bucky and readily pulls it on. "I just hope we can bring her back from this version of herself."
"We will."
"Guys, we have a confirmed sighting." Clint's voice crackles over the comm unit in each of their ears. "You're gonna wanna get in there."
Steve and Bucky waste no time in marching across the street, sliding past the crowds of college students and pushing their way into the house. The two supersoldiers stay close to one another, the music making them grind their teeth from how loud it is, and only come to stop under the archway leading into the back room. They glance around before they find YN there in the middle of the room, dancing to the beat with her eyes closed and a blissed out smile lifting up the stained corners of her mouth.
"How do you want to go about this, Stevie?" Bucky asks.
In front of YN, the individual standing there tenses before he glances over his shoulder. Both soldiers tense at Klaus' knowing smirk and Bucky has to grab hold of Steve when Klaus leans closer to YN to cradle her face in his hands. The smile YN directs at Klaus is enough to make Steve bristle with jealousy, but then his heart aches as he watches YN's expression slowly go slack.
Klaus leans in to kiss her forehead and then he's gone, and Steve and Bucky are making a beeline for YN.
"Hey. Hey, sweetheart, can you hear me?" Steve asks, ripping off his mask before cradling YN's face in his hands.
Feeling too warm hands cradling your face, your own hands reach up to wrap around the owners' wrists as your gaze clashes with the all familiar blue of Steve Rogers. There's a moment of absolute relief of seeing your friend, but then realization of what you've done over the last two weeks comes to a screeching halt in the forefront of your mind and your heart breaks.
Tears filling your eyes, you stare up at Steve in horror. "What have I done?"
"It wasn't you. That Klaus guy said something about your humanity being off. It wasn't you, sweetheart."
"But it was." You release Steve and step out of his reach, reaching up with shaky hands as you wipe at the blood surrounding your mouth. "Fuck."
"YN." Bucky comes up to Steve's side. "It's okay."
"No. It's not." You glance between both soldiers and the blood staining your hands. Anxiety skyrocketing, you shake your head as you take another step back. "I'm sorry." And then using your speed to your advantage, you disappear from their sight within a second.
It takes you a couple of days to come down from the blood high and to get most of your guilt under control. No one had followed you, which was oddly confusing, but you took what you could get and took that time to pull yourself together.
After all that you've done, you don't know how you're going to face your friends ever again. How you're going to face the Avengers. So instead of reaching out, you keep your return to New York quiet and head straight for your apartment. You don't want any issues with anybody, so you decide the best course of action is to just pack up and start over somewhere else.
Only when you're halfway through packing there's a knock on your door. You tense, glancing towards the door but end up ignoring it. As you attempt to continue boxing up your things, there's another knock followed by, "Come on, YN. I know you're in there. Tony installed a couple of cameras and a silent alarm to tell us when you returned."
Steve's voice is enough to make you falter and stare at the door as if you can see right through it. You can't, but you can hear his all too steady heartbeat. And after letting a few moments pass, you know he's not going anywhere anytime soon and decide to just let him come in. "It's open," you call out.
As the door opens, you set down the picture frames you had in hand and turn around to face your friend. Steve cautiously walks into your apartment and looks you up and down. "You good?"
"Mhm." You force a smile. "Peachy."
He sighs. "YN."
"What? What do you want me to say?" You ask, already over the impending conversation. "I fucked up, Steve. I'm a murderer. A monster. People like you don't associate with people like me."
"You weren't in your right mind. That Klaus guy told us what he made you do. You're not-"
"I'm not what, Steve?" You ask, appearing just mere inches from him, fangs extended and the whites of your eyes blood red as black veins pulse beneath them. "Tell me I'm not a monster when I look like this."
And to your surprise, but not really, Steve holds his ground as he stares down at you. His hands land on your shoulders before slowly sliding towards either side of your neck until his thumbs are brushing along either side of your jaw. "No one is blaming you. That Klaus fella sent us videos of your little vacation," he says and you tense, your vampiric features slowly bleeding away in shame. "We think he meant to tease us with your uninhibited actions, but we noticed something else he probably didn't."
You gulp. "W-what was it?"
"That while you did feed, sometimes to the point where the person you were holding fainted, you never killed anyone. That was all on Klaus."
"I.. I didn't kill anyone?"
"No. We matched the identities of every deceased being to someone Klaus had his hands on. Your victims never died."
Hearing no signs of deceit from Steve's heartbeat, tears of relief fill your eyes. Your arms instantly go around his waist and his arms wrap around your shoulders to bring you against him in a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never wanted any of you to see me that way."
"What the hell happened that day, YN?"
You allow yourself a few moments longer in Steve's arms before pulling back and gesturing for him to take a seat. You get comfortable in one corner of your sofa, hugging your knees to your chest as you face Steve who took a seat in the opposite corner. "Vampires, as I'm sure you know that's what I am by now, have the ability to control human minds and implant memories if we so wish. But Klaus and his siblings, since they are the firsts vampires ever, they're the only ones who are capable of controlling both human and vampire minds. Klaus was bored and wanted a murder happy bestie, so he chose me and made me turn off my humanity so I'd be ruthless right alongside him."
"And that night we found you, he what, made you turn it back on?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
You shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine. He's a lonely and possessive individual. He was probably hoping the Avengers would shun me or hunt me to the point that I'd go running back to him."
"You weren't in your right mind, YN," Steve assures you. "No one blames you for the past two weeks. And in fact, Bucky and Clint are anxious to see you. They know what it's like to have their minds messed with."
"And what about the others? Are they on the fence about me?"
He shakes his head, grinning. "No. Tony has so many questions about vampires, Bruce wants to run a few more tests now that he has the knowledge of vampires being real, and Natasha wants to spar without you holding back."
"Tony's going to have me either drink blood in front of him or bite him, isn't he?"
Steve chuckles. "He might."
"And you?" You ask. "I know you're here and all, but what me and you had before Klaus messed everything up was a lot different than what I had with the rest of the team."
He stares at you for a moment before holding a hand out in your direction and you hesitantly accept it, squeaking when Steve pulls you across the sofa and settles you onto his lap. With one arm behind your back as you sit sideways in his lap, Steve grabs your hand that's laying in your lap. "Nothing has really changed on my part," he admits. "If anything, I'm kind of relieved to know you're capable of more than you originally let on."
"But I drink blood!" You blurt. "And I enjoy it. You should be disgusted."
"We've all got our issues, YN. If you can learn to live with ours, then we can learn to live with yours."
"Wow. I can't believe that the Captain America is telling me he can get on board with me being a creature of the night."
"So long as you don't try to take a chunk out of me.." You groan as he chuckles, but then tense when Steve's hand drops yours and finds its way to cradle one side of your face so you're staring directly at him. "But in all seriousness, nothing has changed for me. I'm just hoping now that you don't run off."
"I'm not running-" He gives you a deadpan stare and you sigh. "Okay so I was," you admit. "But in all fairness I thought you would either stake me on sight or hunt me down to experiment on me."
"Never." And before you can reply, Steve's leaning in and pressing his lips against yours. You tense in surprise before letting your body go lax against his, reaching up with your hands to hold his face as you return his kiss. When he pulls back, but leaves his forehead resting against yours, he chuckles. "Been wanting to do that for a while now."
"You sure as hell have perfect timing."
"Don't I?" You lean in to kiss him once more, only to pull away a moment later. Head tilting curiously, you then glance up towards your ceiling and huff a laugh. "What? What is it?"
"It seems our friends have gotten impatient," you say. "I can hear Clint and Bucky on the roof." Steve chuckles, shaking his head, and you reluctantly slide off his lap so you're standing on your own two feet. "Come on, Cap. Help me unpack if I'm not leaving."
He sighs, though his grin counteracts his show of annoyance. "If I must."
As Steve heads into your kitchen to start putting your dishes back in their rightful place, you start unboxing your picture frames to put them back on the wall and shelves while keeping an ear out for your friends. It isn't long until you hear Clint and Bucky finally make it to your floor, the two of them quieting their steps and (to their ears) soundlessly opening your front door. You hear the telltale sound of metal being unsheathed and whirl around, catching a knife just inches from your face.
Clint's eyebrows raise in surprise and Bucky's arm falls back to his side as he smirks. "Your reflexes are faster than you let on."
"A lot of my senses are better than I let on," you say, throwing his knife back at him and nodding when he catches it with ease as well. "For instance, I know one of you took a tumble when you landed on the roof of my building. And now that you're standing in front of me, my nose is telling me it was Clint since he's bleeding."
Clint's eyes widen as he holds up his hand, glancing between Bucky and Steve (who then decided to join you) and showcasing his scraped palm. "Holy shit. What else can you do?"
This time it's your turn to smirk as you step in his direction. "Do you trust me?" Clint gulps and then hesitantly nods. "Then go wash off your palm in the sink and come back to join us."
Clint remains motionless for a moment before shrugging and doing as he's told, and then rejoins you afterward. When he's standing right next to you, you flash him a fangy grin before raising your thumb to your mouth and piercing your own flesh. He inhales sharply as you catch him by the wrist and bring his scraped hand closer to you, and then smear your bleeding thumb all over his wound.
Clint snorts. "Are you about to tell us your magical vampire blood heals wounds now?"
"Uh, yeah."
His amused expression slowly falls before he's rushing back into the kitchen, rinsing his palm underneath the stream of water at your sink. "Holy shit!" He then rushes back into the living room, showing off his wound-free palm. "Can you do that for bigger wounds or just scrapes?"
"I can heal almost every type of wound, but it does come at a price."
Bucky frowns. "What kind of price, doll?"
"Say you get shot multiple times and the serum running through your body isn't healing you fast enough." He nods, going along with your scenario. "You drink my blood and heal, but the more blood you ingest the longer it stays in your system. Should you die by other means and my blood is still in your system, you'll wake up in transition to becoming a vampire."
"And what happens when your blood is out of his system?" Steve asks. "Are there any lingering effects?"
"None."
"You know that could come in handy out in the field."
"Don't even think about it, Barton," you say. "I don't think the team would want me to heal them out in the field with such high chances they could earn a fatal wound and wake up craving blood."
He shrugs. "Being a vampire doesn't seem all that bad."
"Uh, did you or did you not see Klaus compel me? Being a vampire has its perks, sure, but having to constantly look over your shoulder for Klaus Mikaelson sucks."
"Speaking of," Bucky muses, "is there any way to block the whole compulsion thing? I don't like the fact that there's a creature out there who could easily get into my mind like that."
"Yes," you tell him and smile softly when his shoulders slump in relief. "There's a plant called vervain that's harmful to vampires. For you, though, you can wear a piece of jewelry with a piece of the plant in it, it can be liquefied into a body spray, or made into tea bags so you can ingest. I highly suggest the tea bags because if it's in your system, you can't be compelled and if a vampire takes a bite out of you then your blood will burn them."
"Sweet. Where can we get some of this stuff?" Clint asks.
You shrug. "There are two vampires I know of that grow it. I'll pull some strings and have some delivered."
"Vampires growing a plant harmful to them?" Steve frowns. "Why would they do that?"
"Because we can ingest a small portion of it every day to build up a resistance and/or prevent the original vampires from compelling us too, but it literally feels like we're swallowing razorblades. I stopped drinking it years ago."
All three men don't quite like hearing how harmful it was for you to ingest the plant, but it's Steve who closes the distance between you and him. "Did it really hurt that bad?" You nod and he reaches for your hand. "I know you don't like being compelled, but please never drink that stuff again."
Your lips twitch at his worry over you. "Don't worry, I won't."
You and Steve continue staring at one another, unknowingly oozing adoration or something that tips off your other two friends.
"Oh. Oh no," Clint sighs. "I'm going to lose the bet, aren't I?"
You and Steve both startle, glancing at an annoyed Clint and all too smug Bucky. "What bet?" You ask.
"You and Steve!" Clint says. "You look like you're seconds away from ripping each other's clothes off."
"Oh, uhh.."
"Well I mean not in front of company," Steve says. You snort as Clint gapes.
Bucky chuckles at his best friend's grin and then clamps a hand down on Clint's shoulder. "Let's go, Hawkeye. I think it's safe to say YN is feeling better and that Stevie's got it all under control."
Bucky ends up pulling Clint out of your apartment while making sure to tell you the others are expecting you later at the tower. When the door shuts behind them and you're left alone with Steve, you glance up at the supersoldier and slowly smirk.
"So are we going to pick up from before we were so rudely interrupted or..?"
He chuckles as maneuvers around so he's standing in front of you, hands on your hips as he starts walking you backwards. "I quite like the idea of picking up where we left off."
"Mhm. Thought you would," you muse, grinning against his mouth when he leans down to kiss you. "You know the bedroom is, hotstuff. Chop, chop."