bakerstreet | I’m no longer the Winter Soldier

( Obligatory screaming to the heavens for a Sylar! But otherwise, I'd be happy to play this out with other darkened souls seeking redemption through romance. Claire can be as forgiving as she is vindictive. Crosscanon, AUs, assumed CR, it's all good. )

[Please, someone come and give this girl some actual love. She never knew what she was getting into.]

[The bigger question is how to get them in the same place, but there's always 'handwave handwave Milliways or something.']

[I could also see Six doing a concert in Tokyo that Ann dragged them to and Kathy and Joker hitting it off? Maybe start after they've been emailing/texting for a while, and Joker asks Kathy to come for a visit while they're not touring?]

[ooooooh, that could work! DO you have starter juice or do you want me to tackle it?]

[By all means, go for it. I'm crap at starters, as you know.]

Of all the things Akira thought would come from Ann insisting the group go to a concert together (and Haru bankrolling it), befriending a literal queen wasn't even on the list. But then, they're really not sure how it could have been, considering... well, everything.

(Maybe it was Metaverse weirdness? Sure, makes as much sense as anything else. Either way, Ann's connections got them backstage, and it was abundantly clear even without the Trauma Hour Solo Number that Kathy needs some friends around her age, and one thing led to another.)

In any case, Akira's been trying to get Kathy back for a visit since, just to hang out. If anything else ended up happening, they sure wouldn't complain - she's gorgeous and Akira has functioning eyes, after all - but that's secondary to some good company. The last thing Kathy needs is pressure, and Ann would set them on fire if they tried.

She's busy, and that's fine. But hopefully there'll be a scheduling breakthrough soon.

Kathy loves tours. She loves meeting people, and travelling. How she got to the modern age is something that she and the other queens have just stopped asking at this point.

Finding an actual friend in Akira, in her opinion, was the most startling thing of this modern era. He's nice, and sweet, and actually doesn't seem to want anything other than a friendship, so when she finally had a break from touring, she sent him a text.

Hey, you.

What are you doing in the next couple weeks?

The response comes at a weird time, because time zones are just like that.

Not much. We'll be into summer break by then. Why do you ask?

She's used to the time zones by now, but sometimes she forgets and thinks he's mad at her. Oops.

She texts back at a time that's definitely better for the two of them to comunicate.

I have some time off of touring, and was wondering if it was a good time to come visit?

Akira will reassure her as many times as it takes that they're not mad, just usually asleep and sometimes in class.

That'd be perfect, actually. You really wanted to come all the way out here for your time off?

Well, for starters, I definitely need to get away from the other Queens. We're getting very..... fussy at each other at the moment.

Also, seeing you is definitely worth it. We ended in Singapore anyway, and our next concert is London. I've had enough of England for a couple lifetimes.

That's fair. I'm honestly surprised some of the others can stand each other long enough to do those shows constantly. [You know, as constantly as any of their collective trauma allows.]

Come on up, then. We'll give you the grand tour. Haru's been saying her house is too empty anyway, so she'd be glad to have the company for a while.

We've wondered that ourselves, honestly. Anne and I generally can get along, but there are days I have to hide from Aragon's shouting and Parr's... everything.

I'll get a ticket, then. Are you sure that your friend won't mind? I could get a hotel or something. I wouldn't even mind one of those like... closet hotels or whatever you call them.

I can see that. It's not that 'why are we even having this stupid contest' is a bad point or anything, but right after you *won* the contest, it's a little... tone-deaf.

She won't mind at all. Like I said, she has that whole giant house to herself. It'll give you a chance to spread out a little. [And she won't feel like she's expected to pay for her visit in... a non-monetary fashion.]

Yeah, well, you try telling five stubborn women that I won. I think Cleves realizes she had it the easiest, but the rest of them... well. Poor Jane. Dying of natural causes.

Alright. That sounds nice, to be honest. Living on the road has been tiring.

It doesn't take long for her to make the arrangements, and in very short order, she's arriving at the Tokyo airport, looking around for Akira.

I might try telling them that. At least your cousin knew what she was getting herself into. Did it occur to the others that if you had something to talk about other than repeatedly being assaulted, you would have? The winner's obvious, from where Akira's sitting. (And the Phantom Thieves are in agreement that if the mutual ex follows his cohort of former wives into the 21st century, they will find a way to Deal With Him, Metaverse or no Metaverse.

Hardly the first ruler of a country they've had in their sights.)

Haru is, as Akira predicted, delighted by the prospect of some company, and the others are pretty stoked about Kathy's visit... but Akira's definitely more excited than the others. Maybe a little nervous, too, not that they'd ever let anyone see it. In any case, when Kathy's flight comes in, Akira's at the airport, with a big 'K HOWARD' sign.

Kathy's definitely nervous, and it shows just a little. Part of her is still a Tudor-era noblewoman, amazed at the idea of flying.

However, when she gets to Tokyo, she brushes aside her nerves, and collects her luggage and goes through customs, then looks around.

Her current outfit is a pint t-shirt with 'the ten amongst these threes' on it, and a patchwork skirt that she made with bits of old costumes from all of the queens. When she sees Akira, she walks over with a smirk, switching to Japanese.

"So, anyone ask you why you're waiting for a historial queen?"

Akira grins when Kathy comes into sight (that shirt is fantastic), only to blink when she addresses them in Japanese, breaking into a delighted grin. "You could have said you were doing that. I would've helped you practice."

But it's a sweet thing for her to have done.

"I'm not sure how many people bothered reading the sign, honestly, especially since I didn't write it in katakana. You have any bags to pick up? Whenever you're ready, Haru insisted on sending me down in a car to come get you."

Kathy smiles right back, a bright smile that charmed many a courtier once upon a time, and blushes just a bit.

"I wanted to surprise you. Everyone was wondering why I kept having headphones on when we weren't rehearsing, but I kept it a secret."

Her eyes widen a bit as she smirks, switching back to English with a slightly archaic tone. "Ah, so the queen has sent a carriage for this lady? Well, lead on, my lord."

Oh, Akira's been charmed for months at this point. But if there's going to be a first move, Kathy gets to make it, given her past... well, everything. She deserves to make that call for herself for once.

"Well, it's definitely a pleasant surprise. You got pretty good, for not having had much time to practice."

Akira laughs. "We can't exactly walk to her house from here, and there'll be plenty of other chances to teach you the wonders of Tokyo mass transit." If they bother with it, considering the problem with people who get handsy. "I was ready to pay for a taxi, but... Haru likes giving her driver something to do every now and then. She figures if she has all these resources, she might as well use them sometimes."

"We have plenty of time, Akira. I know you'll show me everything."

She smiles, and shifts her backpack just a bit. "Definitely nice to be rich, and have the money to spare." She's been there, and in some ways, she wishes she'd been a bit more generous with things.

"Of course! We all will. Ann's already planning to kidnap you for shopping one day." It'll be the world's friendliest kidnapping.

"Yeah. Her father... didn't understand what he had in more ways than one. She's trying to rebalance the scales, in her own way."

"Oh, no, shopping! However will I cope?" Kathy laughs, shaking her head a bit.

A pause, and she nods, a bit sadly. "Unfortunately, I know all about that feeling." None of her family really knew what to do with her, just pushing her off to this place and that.

With another smirk, she bobs a perfect curtsy, then shyly reaches over for Akira's hand. "Let's go, before someone, god forbid, recognizes me."

"I'm sure you'll manage somehow." If nothing else, Ann knows how to make it a fun experience.

Akira sighs. "I got that impression. At least you have a chance to make some real friends now, right?"

And none of them want to let that chance go to waste.

Akira's surprised when Kathy reaches for their hand, but doesn't pull away from it. "You've got the right idea. Don't want to keep that poor driver waiting too long, either."

"Yes. It will be honestly nice to have some real friends, especially ones who don't want anything specific from me."

Sure, she doesn't mind people who want friendship, and at this point, Akira wanting a relationship isn't a bad thought, especially because he's going to start in a better place than "I want your body".

She falls silent, though, just letting Akira lead, and taking in all of the sights around her. She can't read Japanese yet, but she's surprised at how much of the conversation around her she can understand.

"We're good at not expecting people to be anything other than themselves. And if you don't know who yourself is yet, we'll wait for you to learn."

It's not that the idea of a relationship with Kathy is unappealing, not in the slightest. But she gets to set the pace on that front. She's the one with all the trauma around it.

Reading Japanese is a completely different beast from speaking it, so Akira points out a few useful signs along the way. They eventually approach a very nice car; Akira knocks twice on the back window, then opens the door. "After you, milady."

"I appreciate that more than I can explain, Akira." She smiles at him, thoughtfully, but gets in the car without another word.

Cars have become commonplace to her and the other queens, but they're still a bit overwhelming. Sitting back in the seat and buckling the belt around her, she just stares out of the window taking in everything that is going by.

Traffic's pretty bad, as usual for Tokyo. Fortunately, they don't have to worry about navigating it. Akira points out a few places of interest, but otherwise leaves Kathy to her own devices.

Eventually, they get to Haru's house, and Haru whisks her off to set her up in a bedroom (more of a suite, really, because this house is ridiculous). Akira hangs out in the front hall while she gets settled.

"So, want to go do something tonight or just unwind from traveling?"

If Kathy were still a queen, she'd immediately set Haru up as one of her closest confidants. She just feels like she can trust her and even more than that, would give good advice, and be able to see through the bullshit of everyone around them.

She plunks her bags down in the room, splashes some water on her face, then goes down to join Akira.

"Well, I am hungry, at least we should go get something to eat. Then, definitely something more low-key, I think."

Haru's still figuring out how to see through bullshit herself, but she definitely understands what it feels like to be dropped in the deep end like that.

"We could stay here and order something, if you don't want to go out. Or we can brave the subway and find a place to eat. Your call - you're the one who's been traveling."

"Hm." Kathy thinks for a moment, and then shrugs. "Honestly, Akira, I'm tired, and not exactly wanting to make choices at the moment."

A pause, and a tiny smile. "If we order in, does that mean you'll stay a bit longer?"

"If you want me to. Haru's certainly not going to kick me out." And if Akira misses the last train, there are other bedrooms.

"I would like that." She smiles, then reaches out a hand for his again. "So, what can we order? I've found out the hard way that in different places, there's different places that will deliver."

It's not that Akira minds the idea of holding Kathy's hand; it's that they need to go find Haru's collection of takeout menus. After that? More than happy to oblige, if that's what she wants.

"There aren't as many Western takeout places around here - there's burgers, but those are everywhere." And that's Haru's company, and she still has mixed feelings about that. "There's a few good ramen places in takeout range, or we could maybe spring for sushi."

"Why don't you choose something, and I'll find something I like from there." She's not so familiar with modern food, other than sandwiches, but she does trust Akira's opinions and choices.

"All right, let's go for noodles, then. There's a place that does ramen, udon and soba, so you can pick based on what kind of noodles you want."

Akira's not going to leave Kathy without an explanation of the differences, either.

"That sounds good."

It's not long before she's ordered, something more noodle-y than soup-y, and reaches in her bag.

"Crap. I forgot to exchange my money into yen. If we get to a bank tomorrow, I'll pay you back."

It's true that soup-y doesn't travel as well.

"If you insist, but you don't have to worry about it." Akira's more than happy to spot some things for her.

[open to cross-canon/aus]

[ instead of stereotypical redemption make it about acceptance because maybe the character that's spent their whole life being what others want finally decides they're tired of apologizing for what they were made into, with a side of trying to figure out who they actually want to be.

as always cool with canon and timeline shenanigans; very much open to cross canon (and cross media in some cases), as well as other characters who aren't squeaky clean or can even relate to some degree. also open to canon divergent scenarios where she maintains (or reclaims) a position of power because having someone at her side to balance her out or provide clarity generally makes a huge difference for her emotional stability and consequently the types of actions she takes. ]

((Says she's not interested in redemption, but maybe you can change her mind.

Still watching the series, I'm caught up through episode 25.))

I’m no longer the Winter Soldier

Claire Bennet ∞ NBC's Heroes ∞ OTA

darcy lewis • mcu • ota

Katherine Howard | Six | OTA

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William James Moriarty | Moriarty the Patriot | castmates

Rey || Star Wars || F/M

Bucky Barnes | Marvel Comics | OTA

Xiao 👹 Genshin Impact 👹 m/m

Yelena Belova | MCU | ota

Wanderer | Genshin Impact | m/m

Kylo Ren/Brianna Solo (r!63) • Star Wars • ota

Pian Ran | Till the End of the Moon | OTA

wei wuxian | mdzs / the untamed.