BOOK 4 of the ORPHIC Series
DISENTHRALL
/ˌdisənˈTHrôl/
set free.
~~~~~
When Lucille 'Lucy' Opal Baker starts adjusting to a world without Captain America and more government therapy sessions...
T H E F A L C O N A N D T H E W I N T E R S O L D I E R
35
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"Out of spite I will forgive and understand and will never be like you."
Brooklyn, New York August, 2024
LUCY HAD NEVER IMAGINED she would one day exit a plushie shop with three bags filled to the brim with something called squishmallows. It was her fault, really, that she had to nearly buy out the entire store for Angeliko. The three of them had been walking down the street after returning to the city of New York, exhausted and tired from the plane ride here.
Angeliko had been utterly amazed by the fact that they were in the sky, hands plastered against the window as he practically bounded up in his seat. Lucy had immediately pulled him away from it, afraid of any hypothetical situations. James had padded Angeliko's head, content with the way he was experiencing the world.
Now, well, Lucy and James were both holding bags. It wasn't like Angeliko had selfishly asked for them– no, that wasn't it. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Angeliko didn't ask for any of the plushies. He just stared at the shop window, eyes wide as saucers. But he didn't ask, even when Lucy inquired about his sudden interest in the plushies.
It was like he knew asking questions was bad– like asking for something was bad. It made Lucy angry and sad all at the same time. So she marched right in there with Angeliko giving her a confused look. And she demanded to buy out most of the store. It was okay, because she had enough money to do so.
And now Angeliko was walking between them, holding onto both of their hands as he happily giggled to himself. He didn't question where they were going or why they were in New York, and that made everything so much more worse. Angeliko had followed HYDRA because he was a child that didn't know better.
He followed whatever they told him because he just wanted to be a good kid, because that was all that mattered.
They climbed up the stairs to their apartment, Angeliko humming happily as he looked back and forth, curious. Lucy opened the door with a single thought. Angeliko bounded forwards, beaming at Alpine as she mewed in greeting, rubbing her head against his leg.
Once he had his fill of her presence, he lunged onto the nearest soft surface. He nuzzled into the couch, wrapping around a pillow. So Angeliko really liked soft things.
Lucy wondered why.
Was it a kid thing? Or was it a HYDRA stress thing?
"Hey now," James started with a gentle smile, "don't you want to play with your new plushies?"
