It felt like every day there was something new threatening to tear the world apart and to tell the unfortunate truth, Captain America was feeling exhausted. He was just a man after all and with the Avengers separated across the globe, trying to fight for what was right became an increasingly difficult job. Still, Steve Rogers wasn’t one to ever give up and he knew that no matter what he would fight until his dying breath to make the world a better place.
After being notified of a hostage situation happening downtown, Steve decided to take off solo without a single moment of hesitation. A hostage situation was nothing he hadn’t dealt with before and this far into his superhero career very little actually made him nervous anymore. The quicker he got there and made sure everybody was safe, the better, and it was as simple as that.
Upon arriving at the scene of the situation, the Captain was made aware by the local authorities that the man holding the church hostage wasn’t some ordinary thug. He had gloated about being a metahuman and even though they didn’t know what his powers were, they were wise enough to know that it was above their paygrade. They needed somebody like Cap to step in and sort the situation out, which he was more than prepared to do.
Entering the church with little fear, Steve immediately located the man who was responsible for all the terror caused. The man was sickly pale with greasy hair and a crooked nose, as well as malignity brewing behind his grey eyes. There was little to sympathize with and Cap certainly had no intentions to either. Whoever this guy was, he was bringing misery into the lives of others and that wasn’t something he could ever stand to let continue.
“Ah, good,” the wiry man said, standing a little taller as the patriotic superhero calmly walked down the pews towards the front of the church, his symbolic shield in hand. “I was hoping you would be the one they would send.” The comment was enough to make Steve pause for a beat, his lips curling into a frown. It was never good when a villain was actively wanting the arrival of an Avenger and it likely meant there was some sort of trap in place.
High alert it is, then. Just another day in the life of Captain America, really - or so he believed. He would soon discover that this wasn’t going to be an average day for him, or indeed the world.
As he approached, the man reached down and pressed a finger to an amulet hanging from around his neck. No larger than an acorn, the gem of the amulet was a deep purple - before it flashed blue, white and red in quick succession! Cap found himself momentarily immobilized, caught off guard by whatever mystical trinket the metahuman had at his disposal.
“You don’t need to hurt these people,” Steve warned the man, not making any motions further forward. “Just let them go and we can talk things out.” It hardly ever worked but Cap was always the type to at least try - his morals required it. He wasn’t the type to go in ‘all guns blazing’ and he hopefully never would be. That could be left to the likes of Tony and Thor.
“I don’t plan on hurting them,” the man assured him as he tapped his amulet again. It once again flashed blue, white and red, and once more Steve felt required to watch it. He wasn’t sure what it was about that amulet but the colors seemed to stir something deep inside of him. “In fact, now that you’re here, I’ll be letting them go. You were the one I wanted after all.”
“The one… you wanted?” Cap asked, a chill creeping up his spine. He attempted to take another step forward but found himself utterly rooted to the spot by some unseen force. It was the work of the metahuman, he had no doubt of that, but it was the amulet that troubled him more. Whatever properties it held, no doubt they would mean ill towards himself and any other Avenger that might try to intervene in the situation.
Vaguely aware of the hostages fleeing the church, Steve instead focused on the man before him and the amulet he wore around his neck. “Come on, Cap. You’re a smart man. You must know what’s going on here,” the man huffed, taking a step closer. The hero’s initial instinct was to raise his shield but with his body totally immobilized it was a severely concerning impossibility. “You’ve noticed my amulet, right? It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?”
“What is it doing to me?” Cap hissed in response, speaking through gritted teeth. The man’s smirk was unsettling to say the very least but he had never been one to back down from a fight, not even in his pre-super soldier serum days.
“Setting you free, Captain,” the man assured, reaching forward to pat him on the shoulder. “These people… they don’t deserve you. The world doesn’t deserve you. It’s a broken place full of broken people. The time of saviors is long gone.” Once again the amulet flashed and Steve’s immediate desire to argue was squashed by the sensation of freedom that washed through his mind for the following few moments before he could regain his senses.
“You’re wrong.” Steve refused to believe that the world no longer needed heroes. They needed heroes now more than ever and he wasn’t going to give up, even if sometimes things really did seem hopeless. He wasn’t in it for the fame or glory, he just wanted people to live good, safe lives. Unfortunately in the current climate that was far easier said than done.
The amulet flashed once more, the colors beginning to pulsate every few seconds as the man cupped Steve’s face with his hands. “Let me set you free, Captain,” he whispered. “Give into what you know is true. This world doesn’t deserve you. You’re better than them, than everyone.”
“Better,” Steve gasped, surprised by how true he believed that single word to be. Maybe he really was better than everybody else. What the devil am I thinking? Those aren’t my thoughts at all! By now though the metahuman and his amulet held a grip over Steve that the super soldier was struggling to fight, especially as that grip grew tighter with every change of color.
“That’s right,” the man reassured him. “You don’t need to save anyone anymore, Cap. Only yourself. Do you understand?”
It was then that Steve realized he had regained control over his body but despite the man standing so close, he made no attempt to push him away. If anything, having him stand so close was strangely comforting. After all, he was only speaking the truth. Could he really be considered a villain when he only wanted the best for Steve? That didn’t seem right at all.
“I… I understand,” Steve confessed, admitting what he knew in his heart to be true. “They don’t deserve me. They never have.” The proud Captain America who would never turn his back on the world was washed away by the final flashes of the amulet before it settled into a new bright red. The man removed it from around his neck and placed it firmly in the Captain’s palm.
“Now, Captain, tell me how you feel,” the man urged, his lips drawn up into a smirk. Now that Steve was able to see him up close, he had to admit that the man was actually rather attractive. Golden tan, perfectly styles hair and bright blue eyes - he was a stud, there was no doubt about that. A small voice in the back of Steve’s mind informed him that the man hadn’t always appeared that way but the voice was quickly shut down and pushed out before it could truly plant in his mind.”
“Free,” Steve confirmed, relaxing into a smile. “And thankful to you… sir.” Allowing his heart to take control, Steve surged forward and pressed his lips to the other man’s while wrapping his large arms around the other’s slender waist. Being in his lover’s presence never failed to make Steve aroused and this was certainly no exception.
New memories settled into Steve’s mind, prompting him to believe that he had led a villainous lifestyle alongside his gorgeous partner for months now, ever since the world had gone to shit. Who would bother saving such a hellhole? All Steve cared about now was gathering power for his boyfriend - the one true Master of the people - and he wasn’t afraid to use force if he had to.
The Avengers could do their best to take the duo down but soon they too would come to realize that the Master’s way was the only way forward!
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