#Eh screw it adding more tags for visibility because why not. I want people to at least consider this statement.

[makerofmadness]

I think media literacy is at an all time low if a game can reference the fxcking skyrim meme and people still think it's not meant to be a horror-comedy. literally the top comment. How.

[wovenstarlight]

YWBK update: chapter 25 + liner notes

yesterday will be kinder has updated! you can read chapter 25 here, or start from the beginning here

okay, on to notes and commentary! first time i’m doing these, let’s hope this works out. commentary under the cut to save people’s dashes

Hamin laughs. “Given how bad you are at not being suspicious, that’s understandable.” “Oh, come on, I’m not that bad.” Hamin screws up his whole face in a squint. “Okay, so maybe I’m a little bad.”

this part was really funny to me when i wrote it because i was like “hmm reasons for DHM to understand why HHJ wouldn’t work in the guild” and then i was like Wait. Their Whole First Meeting, Dude. DHM was lowkey convinced for the longest time that HHJ was like, on the run from the KR version of the mafia, and got plastic surgery to look like his little brothers, and is possibly in some sort of witness protection program??? or something??? how else does he not have cops on his ass this man is so suspicious all the time

“I don’t think… They said the dungeons were, like, different worlds? Did they find people there?”

mafia theory second place. dungeon theory first place

“Like, humans? Um. No, no humans.” “So then you can’t be from there. Okay.”

dungeon theory shot down. mafia theory back in the running

“Hey,” he says cautiously. “I’m— I’m gonna go get us some water, okay? Why don’t you… take a minute.” “Okay.” “The bathroom is over there, if you need it.” “Okay. Thank you.”

after four years working alongside a guy you start to notice when he’s feeling a little out of it and needs a bit of a break... but as JHW mentions later you also learn to be a little subtle about giving him one

jung heewon What’s with your typing? It reads like Jihye’s [HYJ]’s fine. Very energetic Too energetic? He’s going to burn out. How do I make him calm down

Epic Burnout Man makes a reappearance! when translating sclass one of the things that makes me want to shake HYJ most is his habit of constantly adding things to his to-do list while he already has 1 billion things on his plate. and all the time he’s whining about “UGH there’s SO MUCH WORK to do” No One Asked You To Do It

Anyway. the point is. HYJ isn’t about to be beat by HHJ at Developing Issues 😔

jung heewon I haven’t spoken to him directly about this because if he’s anything like you he’ll take it as an insult You wtf whts tht supposed 2 mean quit typing jung heewon Better not say shit, mr “No, I can’t take days off and cater to my interests or go out with friends or on a date, I’m too busy taking care of the kids and making sure their needs are met, no I don’t care that there are thousands of people out there balancing personal enjoyment and romance and work AND kids at the same time, are you suggesting I be a BAD GUARDIAN to MY KIDS?”

see above re: not being too direct with pointing out when HHJ’s having Issues because he doesn’t react well

You wht but our eyes r fine jung heewon Even if having glasses doesn’t run in the family, you should still get him checked, just in case

top 10 funny time travel moments: referring to you and your past self as “us” (our = my eyes are fine), but other people think you mean “our family” (our eyes are fine = no family history of long/shortsightedness)

Also. Sooyoung-ie says hi [Attachment: 20XX1213_144516.jpg] 

ok no lie this was one of the parts that pissed me off the most, even though it’s Literally One Line, because. i love chat exchanges. i really do. when done right they’re a lot of fun to read. But Do You Know How Long It Took Me To Figure Out A Calendar For The Events In This Fic. now everything’s TIMED i have to count HOW MANY DAYS IT’S BEEN since XY event so i can CORRECTLY NUMBER the FILE ATTACHMENTS!!! this sucks!!! it took me fucking forever to pin down a timeline just so i could write this chapter plus the few before and after it!!!!

anyway i gave up when i reached year. i just put 20XX. fuck it. we are running on fairy tail time now. (actually i think that’s XXnumber number? XX76? or was it X796. something like that. Who cares i stopped watching fairy tail forever ago)

Fuck it! Hamin will understand!! “If you Awaken you should come work with me,” Han Hyunjae says all in a rush. 

“HAMIN WILL UNDERSTAND” => he literally was cool with me giving zero context for half a dozen absolute balls to the wall nonsense bullshit things i’ve done before. he’ll be fine with this too. dog_in_burning_house_this_is_fine.png

“You already know about the guilds, those are going to be for dungeon Hunters, but I was thinking of forming something like an independent group of contractors. Awakened people with skills that aren’t useful for combat, but that might… that will be generally useful. It’d be you and me, and maybe one other guy I met recently. Probably more in the future.”

given that HHJ has no idea currently that peace exists (i’m so sorry baby i’ll find a way to shoehorn you in soon i miss you so much) he’s got no intentions to start a kiseungsu business yet! he mostly wants to live quietly while just acting as a manager for other Awakening-related services, like YMW’s forge and DHM’s tracking service, along with the information exchange/lowkey spy ring that he’s planning on setting up with JHW and the bar. since HYH is fine associating with him in this timeline, HHJ’s thinking he can get a foot in the door that way, then eventually spread out into dealings with most major guild leaders

RIP to this plan. you were well-made but you will not last long.

“Please, I can’t tell you how I know that, I really can’t, it’d put me and my brothers in danger if it got out. But—” “No need.” Hamin looks slightly alarmed, and Han Hyunjae feels himself settle at the obvious concern in his eyes.

MAFIA THEORY RAPIDLY RISING TO PROMINENCE??? THIS IS NOT HOW DO HAMIN WANTED HIS GUESS CONFIRMED

“I spoke to the Task Force Head and she said that there’s been discussion about hosting a meeting for the nearby high-rankers, where they’ll announce the guild proposal and see who else is interested in trying it out.”

“they’ll announce” i’m sorry king 💔 you deserved a nap

(OH ALSO FUN FACT choi eunyoung is a canon character, not an OC of mine! she appears in uhhh i think late 140s? 150s? something like that)

“I think there’s… probably only one other S-rank who’s Awakened right now?”

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehhehe

Hamin beams. “No, they’re doing great! Spookie’s taken really well to the new housing situation, but I think Spots might miss the store…”

shoutout to @daemonic-dawn​ for letting me borrow a pet name, love u king. i had a much longer ramble about pet names here but i finished typing and realized it was all entirely off topic so i removed it for convenience

Hyunjae makes an annoyed noise in the back of his throat. “Don’t— I mean.” He huffs, visibly taking a deep breath, and Yoojin frowns reflexively. [...] “Is everything alright?” Yoojin kind of wants to be annoyed at his tone on principle, but he forces his shoulders to relax, matching Hyunjae’s posture. Though he can’t stop himself from being a little short when he answers.

things the brothers have learned in four years living together: getting confrontational often leads to arguments that just fizzle out anyway, so it’s way fucking easier to consciously tone down their combativeness in advance when talking to each other about things they have problems with, instead of screaming their heads off and then having to calm yoohyun down afterwards to boot

“I guess. Whatever.” Yoojin slumps. “Can I…” “Hm?” Hyunjae blinks at Yoojin as he gestures to the spot on the bed beside him, then jolts. “Oh! Yeah, sure, c’mere.” He opens his arms, and Yoojin goes over and flumps on the bed, head in Hyunjae’s lap. Almost immediately, Hyunjae starts stroking fingers through his hair, and Yoojin relaxes into the touch, listening as Hyunjae continues speaking.

cuddles 🥺🥺🥺 sorry i don’t have any other commentary here just. cuddles. extremely and overwhelmingly comforting for a man who spent the better part of 8 years(?) with no major positive relationships, and a kid who spent 12 years of early life basically abandoned by his parents. you had best bet they gave up on not hugging each other 1 year into this whole mess

Yoojin hums in acknowledgement. It’s not like he’d ever let himself get hurt; he has too many responsibilities to his family and friends. If he wants to be good enough to keep up, he can’t afford to fuck up like that. But… hyung will worry if he keeps working so hard. He can slow down a little for him. 

Problems disorder man when will you stop. the way he sees “getting hurt” as an inconvenience and an obstacle to his duties rather than a danger to himself. the way he doesn’t really care if he himself gets hurt, but if it’ll worry his family, then it’s a no-no. it’s just. wow. i know i wrote this but i hate him

“Not really. I talk to Myeongwoo about it sometimes.” “Ah, right, Myeongwoo.”

haha gays

“Don’t be weird about him,” Yoojin warns[...]. “I won’t, promise.”

if the “i won’t” line had a dialogue tag it’d be “Han Hyunjae lied”

“Is Eunwoo still in his relationship?” “Mhm, happy as ever. Apparently they’re trying long-distance, now that Eunwoo’s gone off to university abroad.”

three guesses for who eunwoo’s dating and you won’t need the first two

Hyunjae raises his hands like he’s going to deny the accusations levelled against him, so Yoojin seizes him by the collar and shakes him until he cries for mercy

oh my o/rv ass struggled so bad with not writing “shakes him like a man betrayed” here. it killed me not to. but in the end i prevailed (against, uh, myself. don’t think about it too hard.)

“Jeez, okay, he’s an F-rank!” “Eh?! Then why—” “He’s also got an SS-rank potential skill,” Hyunjae admits[...].

play-by-play of this scene because god if i draw any scene in this fic it would be this one just for the sheer hysterical nature of HYJ’s reaction:

YOOJIN: I HATE YOU WHAT THE FUCK WHY. TELL ME HIS RANK

HYUNJAE: HE’S AN F

YOOJIN: WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK?

HYUNJAE: he’s also got an SS-rank skill,

YOOJIN:

[an-absolute-travesty]

Royal Screw-Ups

It’s time, the final chapter is here 

*Sobbing*

I won’t get too sappy on you guys here, since I got pretty sappy at the end of thing on Wattpad

But yeah. Thanks if you’ve been reading this long. I have more plans for this world (i have some plans for a few oneshots) but for this moment, we are closing out this story

If you’re looking for the rest of the story, it can be found on my wattpad @ohwowhatethis, under the tags “kotlc fic” and “keefex” on my blog, or under the cut on my pinned post

Tag list (tell me if you want to be added or removed, just for this story or as a whole): @you-are-the-vacker-legacy @ruewen-and-rising @lemontarto @a-lonely-tatertot @clearlykeefitz @percabetn @vibing-in-the-void @sewersewersewercouch @everyonehasthoughts @imaramennoodle @enbies-and-felonies @blxckh0les42​ @rainbowtay-11 @callas-starkflower-stew @impostertamsong @appalyneinstitute1 @stars-and-splendor @anna-without-an-e

Chapter 8:

Word count: 3,677

Warnings: swearing, cassi-ass being an ass, destruction, fire, chaos, etc.

Three months of planning later, servants scurried around the property in preparation for the ceremony the next day. A glass dome had been built in the center of the property to house it.

Tam and Linh had arrived soon after they had their first meeting, luckily Tam and Fitz weren’t as lovey-dovey in real life as they were in their letters. However, Marella and Linh very much made up for it. The moment they met the guard and the princess had a connection, the sweet talk was almost too much to bear.  

In fact, all of them had grown quite close over the past months. Who knew low-level treason could bring people together so. 

Of course, not nearly as close as he’d like with a certain person, but closer for sure. Every week they met back up at the library to work out bumps in their plan, clean up the absurd amount of paper Keefe used in drawing out his first plan, or just sit and talk. Today would be their last before the big day. 

Keefe watched over Dex’s shoulder as he made his final tinkers on the device he had been working on.  

“How’s it looking Techmaster?”

“Eh, having more metal makes everything easier but...it’s one use only, so I can’t test it. We just have to hope for the best.”

“Well, I have faith in you. Your genius brain could make anything.”

Dex rolled his eyes. Keefe wanted to subtly touch him to see if his blatant flirting had been noticed, but it felt wrong to. He had been stuck in the dark for the last 3 months. 

Everyone else ran their lines around the room. Everyone besides Sophie who, as typical of her, looked half way sick in the corner. 

Keefe sat down next to her on the floor.

“Alright, what’s up Foster, have you acquired a stomach bug?” 

She giggled. “No...it’s just…” She sighed. “It feels wrong, y’know? I mean...I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“You’re really doing the opposite of hurting people though, I mean you’re making them happy.”

“Not happy, hysterical. Yeah it can be happy, but not in the way we’re doing it. Trust me, it’s not fun to watch.”

Keefe thought for a moment.

“Hey...your parents have that griffin, right?”

~*~

The sound of a wedding march echoed through the castle lawn as Sophie was led down the isle by her father. Keefe guessed she looked quite lovely in her dress, Biana, who stood as her maid of honor, was looking at her more like a husband would than him. He stood frozen at the alter, Fitz beside him as his best man and everyone else interspersed within the crowd for optimal dramatic effect. 

Sophie reached him at long last. Surprisingly enough, she didn’t look sickly this time. Her face steeled with determination gave him confidence. 

The guy marrying them together was one of Cassius’ officials. Keefe didn’t bother to remember most names anymore, but this one was a...Moland? Noland? Something like that. 

Everyone winced in unison as the man started talking, Keefe’s ears began to ring a bit at the volume.

“Lords and Ladies, we are gathered here today to celebrate the joyous union of our young Prince Keefe Sencen and the lovely Miss Sophie Foster-Ruewen.”

Keefe only realized he was fidgeting when Fitz subtly reached out and held his hand down from where it had been tapping on his leg.

“We are honored to be joined by so many friends and family. The Goom and Bride are overjoyed you all could be here to participate in this most important occasion.

“There are few greater joys in life than finding someone we truly connect with. Creatives have many names for this, a spark, clicking, but let us say today what it truly is: love.”

Keefe looked out into the crowd, he caught the eye of Dex. The redhead’s brow was crinkled and his cheeks flushed slightly. He pat the pocket of his coat in confirmation. 

“Love is what these two young souls have found in each other. In love, our truest selves are revealed. We open ourselves up and break down our walls. The veil we present to the public is lifted so we can be loved for who we are, not who we pretend to be.”

Keefe struggled to not roll his eyes. He took a final look around the room, each person nodding as he met eyes with them.

“Over these months, our Bride and Groom have developed a strong bond. This bond will only get stronger throughout the course of their marriage. Let us revel in the joy and love displayed in front of us today. May we treasure these memories as Prince Keefe and Miss Sophie get set to begin their new life together.”

Keefe took a deep breath, knowing the next words out of his mouth.

“If anyone has cause to object the forming of this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

3, 2, 1…

“I object!” 

0.

Stina first. “This marriage was meant to be mine! She’s just a dirty commoner!”

“How dare you!” Fitz cut in before anyone else could. “I object because I love her! Sophie is meant to be with me. Maruca has admitted her love to Keefe, let her marry him!”

Biana gasped dramatically. “Maruca you snake! You knew I loved him.”

“You only loved his title!” She screamed, standing up to match the rest. “And Fitz, if you’re so concerned with what Stina has to say about Sophie, you should hear what Wylie has to say.”

Fitz walked in Wylie’s direction and he stood. “Why you little-”

Just then, Keefe heard it. 

Beep. Beep. Beep. BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP.

BOOM.

An explosion burst a small part of the glass dome’s ceiling. Sophie let out an ear-splitting whistle and the griffin flew straight through the hole as the glass fell. Screams erupted through the room as the animal landed on chairs and destroyed the alter. 

The screams only got louder as the room was lit up as bright as the sun before swiftly being plunged into darkness. Those involved in the plan used the opportunity to gather themselves at the exit. With the exception of Biana and Marella who, if all went as planned, stood prepared by the very flammable reception tables. 

The darkness lifted and people quickly ran out, some of the more stuck up nobles guided by guards. Once everyone was out safely, Keefe watched as a red glow started and grew. Marella wasn’t visible, but anyone paying attention could see the two sets of footprints forming in the grass.

People ran farther from the dome swiftly filling with fire. It spread quickly, but before it could reach the outside, Linh yelled. 

“Everyone back up!”

She pulled water from a nearby pond, making a large wave that, while it put out the fires, crushed the dome in its entirety. 

~*~

Two hours later, the guests sat huddled in the ballroom of the castle, many wrapped in blankets and eating soup the kitchen served to recover from what they had been through. Through the window, Keefe saw the Ruewen parents attempting to calm their griffin after taking a long time to wrangle it. 

They were good at keeping secrets, they brought the animal here in the first place. 

Just as he started crossing the room to go talk to Dex, he felt a heavy hand grip his shoulder.

Cassius looked at him with a glare that could kill ten men. He wordlessly guided Keefe in the direction of his office and the prince obliged. 

When Keefe walked in the door, it was messier than he had ever seen it. Even his father himself was disheveled, his typically slick-backed hair uncharacteristically sloppy and his tunic smudged with soot. He sat down at his desk and heaved a sigh.  

“Do you know why I brought you in here?” 

“Because my wedding was destroyed?”

“Because we are going to plan a new one. I need you to collect everyone who had objections to get this idiotic drama cleared for the records. I’ve sent for Councillor Bronte, he can officiate you. You will have a wedding today, whether you get the ceremony or not.”

“One problem with that, Biana and Marella haven’t been found.”

Technically the truth. They were to hide in the Queen’s Gardens until further notice, but the Guard Force didn’t know that. 

Cassius was silent for a moment, his face hidden in his hands.

Then he started convulsing.

No, not convulsing.

Laughing.

“Of course!” He got up from his chair in one movement. “Of course they haven’t been found! Why am I even surprised anymore.” He threw his hands in the air. “Nothing ever goes right!” He spoke through his teeth as he pushed everything off of his desk.

“MY MARRIAGE” He cleared a bookshelf with one arm, dumping the junk to the ground. 

“MY LEADERSHIP!” He knocked over his chair.

“MY SON!” He grabbed the painting from the wall and threw it down. 

“ALL DISAPPOINTMENTS!” He pushed over his desk, it landed with a loud crash.

“And now this too? Nothing ever goes right! No matter how hard I try! No matter how much work I put in! Everything ends in failure!”

“It’s a good thing this was my wedding and not yours then.”

The door behind them opened without a knock. 

“King Cassius, is this a bad time?” Bronte looked at the office with contempt. 

“No, now works.”

Despite not being formally invited in, Bronte sat down on the overturned desk and pulled out a folder of paperwork. 

“So...we’re trying to do an emergency wedding, yes?”

Cassius nodded.

“And from my understanding, there were 1,2...4 objections that haven’t been cleared?”

Cassius nodded again.

“Then I’m afraid I can’t perform a wedding. Legally or morally considering the fact that fate itself seems against this union. It is traditional, when a wedding goes so badly, to accept that something in the universe is not accepting of the marriage and call it off.”

“I understand, Councillor. However, I am the goddamned king and you will do as I say!

Bronte was unfazed.

“Actually sir, with only a month until the coronation you have resigned some of your duties, as is customary. You don’t have full control over the law at the moment, you signed a contract.”

He pulled said contract out of his pocket, displaying the signature, before putting it back in.

“Prince Keefe and you now have split control, as you had when you had a spouse. You both must agree if you are to override a law.”

Cassius hid his face once again.

“Go. Get out of my sight.”

Keefe turned to leave but his father grabbed him.

“Just Bronte.”

The man shrugged and closed the door behind him.

“Keefe...do you know why I was so eager to get you in as king?”

Keefe said nothing. That was one thing he couldn’t figure out himself. 

“I am a shitty, shitty, king. I was never made to rule. Your mother? Yes. Yes she was. Me? No. Not at all. I thought I could do this job, I thought it would be cushy, I thought I’d have all the power in the kingdom as well as riches upon riches without having to work. I was wrong.

“I wanted to train you to do this better than I ever could. I wanted to make sure you were going to be prepared.”

“No.” Keefe’s eyes started to water in anger. “You wanted to train me up to take your job as soon as possible. You didn’t want the responsibility so you decided to hand it off to your child. It’s just like...it’s just like Mom. You were the judge and the jury but you were too much of a coward to be the executioner or even a mourner. You hand off all your problems for someone else to deal with. You’re a fucking coward and nothing else.”

“I cared Keefe!-”

“NO YOU DIDN’T.” Tears streamed down his face. “You never cared about me, you never cared about Mom, you never cared for anything or anybody but yourself. 

“I don’t love Sophie and I never will, but you tried to make me marry her because you loved the idea of the strong son with a quiet woman. That shows how much you care.”

“It was what I thought was best.”

“WELL YOU WERE WRONG.”

Keefe walked out and slammed the door. 

~*~

Keefe went to his room and sobbed. He rarely indulged himself in crying but today was one of the days he let himself. It was maybe an hour later, when he was out of tears and just laid staring up at his ceiling, that he heard a knock on the door.

When he opened it, no one stood there. Just a small note in scratchy handwriting. 

“Meet us at the library, midnight”

~*~

Keefe carefully sneaked through the castle halls, only the candle he held lit his way. He slowly cracked open the library door.

“SURPRISE!”

Suddenly a whole group of people attacked him in a hug, rainbow lights filled the normally dull room. 

“W-what is all this?”

“It’s a surprise party silly!” For the first time since he’d seen her, Sophie looked truly happy. “We don’t have to get married! And we got out of it without any serious injuries.”

Fitz pulled him over to a table. “C’mon, Bi stole some leftover cake no one ate from the kitchens.”

He looked around for Dex hoping to see his beaming smile and instead saw him sitting solemnly in the corner. He didn’t look Keefe’s way. 

“Hey Fee, are you okay?” Apparently Fitz just now noticed his still puffy face.

“Yeah um...just my dad being a jerk again. Don’t worry about it.”

Fitz shrugged it off, he knew about jerky dads.

Or he used to, anyway. That bastard Alden ran away a long time ago. 

Keefe tried to partake in the festivities but he found it hard. He was going to be king in a month, and hopefully a good one at that. Just about anything was better than Cassius. He should be celebrating right now. But...there was still something bothering him. 

It was approaching the wee hours of the morning as people slowly trickled out. Wylie had long since dropped the rainbow lights. They had been celebrating for hours, Dex was silent nearly the whole time. 

“Alright.” Fitz said through a yawn. “I’m tapping out. Night Fee. Last one standing has to clean everything up.”

Keefe nodded. When he finally left the room and they were all alone, he approached Dex. Still silent in the corner.

“Okay, what’s going on Techmaster? You seem down.”

“No it’s just...it’s hard to explain.”

“Take your time, if you’d like.” Keefe sat down criss cross in front of him.

His lips went pouty in a way that made Keefe realize he was staring at his lips.

“You’ll think I’m weird. And clingy. And jealous. Honestly I shouldn’t even be saying any of this right now but I make bad decisions at 3 A.M. I guess.”

“Hey, you can tell me anything.” Keefe started to reach his hand out to Dex before remembering he shouldn’t read his emotions. Dex grabbed it before he could pull away. A lot of sadness and hurt there. He quickly stopped reading, though their hands stayed locked. 

“It’s just...there’s this person. This guy. And...and I thought maybe he liked me but now I think he has a boyfriend. I’m not sure though.”

Keefe’s heart dropped. “Well...boyfriend status can be changed.”

Dex chuckled. “I don’t know, they have nicknames for each other and everything.”

“Sounds serious.”

“Looks serious.”

It was silent for a moment, then Dex spoke.

“Look...don’t worry about it, alright? It’s really no big deal. I’ll get over it, I guess.”

“Maybe he likes you back.”

“I highly doubt it. I’m...I’m not good enough for him. I’m just a servant. He deserves someone better.”

“Why does being a servant mean you’re bad? I’ve met some nobles that are real assholes. You’re way better than all of those fuckers.”

Dex laughed again, wow Keefe could listen to that forever. 

Dex sighed. “You know what? Screw it.”

He seemed to steel himself before saying his next sentence. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly. 

“Are you dating Fitz?”

“What?” Keefe laughed awkwardly. “No, no, no. He’s just a friend.”

“Oh. Then...who were you talking about at the gardens? I- I thought it was Fitz and you guys got together and-”

“No, goodness no. Fitz is great and all but...well he’s just not my type. And he’s been dating Tam for a while now.”

“Oh I uh...I didn’t notice.” Dex’s face flushed furiously. “Who were you talking about then?”

Keefe met his eyes. “Depends, who were you talking about?”

He didn’t answer but his silence spoke more than any words could.

Keefe scooted closer and cupped Dex’s face in his hand. He looked into the boys periwinkle eyes.

“Dex, can I kiss you?”

“Please?”

And they did.

When Keefe heard descriptions of kissing the same gender, they always said that it felt wrong somehow. But this...this only felt right. Like he had been waiting his whole life for the moment when he met the gardener boy’s cracked lips. They weren’t soft, and the kiss was a bit awkward, but it just felt...correct. Keefe chased the kiss slightly when they finally had to pull away. 

A shy smile spread across Dex’s face.

Keefe leaned back in.

~*~

Keefe walked out onto the newly-built stage in front of the castle and looked upon his people. His ceremonial robe was itchy and too large for him.

Cassius was no where to be seen. He had just...run away. The day of the wedding was the day he broke. The kingdom had been sovereignless for the last month, coronations couldn't be rushed. 

Typically the previous king would place the crown upon the head of the new ruler. Because Cassius seemed to run away in the night with nothing more than a clump of riches, Keefe got to choose who would crown him. 

“Friends and subjects of the Kingdom of Eternalia,” Oralie started. “Today, we crown a new ruler. A ruler to put the people first. A ruler who will not sleep until every one of his people is fed. A ruler to unite us.”

Keefe never realized how long winded Oralie was. Looking into the crowd, he spotted Sophie. She wore a sour expression.

Sophie never was a fan of Oralie, she wouldn’t tell him why. 

“Prince Keefe has shown a care for his people deeper than any king before him.”

She could say that again. Keefe found Dex in the crowd, absolutely beaming.

“In the time I have had the honor of teaching him in my lessons, he has shown a willingness to learn. An ability to adapt. And a knowledge of the system as well as its successes and failures deeper than anyone else his age.

And yes, it is truly a shame that a king must be crowned this young, but I have no doubt that in time he will do right by our great kingdom.”

Oralie walked over to him, her pink flowy dress trailing behind her. She picked up the ceremonial crown off the pillow that a servant was holding.

“Prince Keefe of Eternalia, do you promise to uphold the law and do what is right for your people to the best of you abilities?”

“I do.”

“And do you promise to preserve the honor of our nation?”

“I do.”

A loud voice came from the crowd.

“AND DO YOU PROMISE TO NOT LET CASSI-ASS BACK INTO THE THRONE ROOM?” Keefe could tell it was Marella, but no one else had to know that.

He cracked a smile. “I do.”

Oralie chuckled too.

“In that case, Keefe Sencen of Eternalia, with this crown I deem you King of Eternalia. May you have a long and peaceful reign.”

The heavy crown was placed upon his head. The crowd cheered and chanted, his friends yelled the loudest. Keefe saw as Fitz lifted Biana on his shoulders, they all hugged and screamed excitedly. 

Who he noticed most of all was Dex. His bright smile in that moment was worth everything he’d been through. 

Maybe he had found someone he didn’t mind being with.

~*~

Like most days, it was a somewhat quiet day at the castle. 

Keefe looked up from his painting to study the gardens, once called the Queen’s Gardens, but that was ages ago. The wall that once surrounded the beautiful landscape was knocked down a very long time ago. 

Keefe smiled as he spotted Dex tending to some ivy that had grown on one of the ancient statues. Even being a king couldn’t keep his husband from assisting the gardeners. 

Tomorrow, some old friends were visiting. That in itself wasn’t particularly special, as they visited at least twice a year (usually more), but tomorrow was special because it was the anniversary of the Great Wedding Destruction as historians had come to call it. 

How many years had it been? 300? 400? One tends to forget. 

After 50 years or so, they admitted to planning the whole event. By then, Keefe had already convened with the councillors to pass same gender marriage and gotten married to Dex. The law couldn’t exactly do much, it had been a while and no one was injured so any fear of being charged with treason was history.

A few minutes later, Dex trudged into Keefe’s art studio. 

“Hey lovey, do you know where I put the high-power garden clippers?”

“I hope in your lab, but you might want to check the kitchens.”

“Why would they be in the kitchens?”

“Heard some buzzing coming from there and last time I saw the nieces they had frosting all over their faces.”

Chaos ran in the Dizznee family. 

Dex sighed as they heard a loud bang followed by an “Oops.” from downstairs. 

“Gosh if Rex doesn’t pick up his children soon...I won’t do anything but I’ll be sour about it.”

Keefe chuckled. “You might want to go check on them, wouldn’t want them to break your invention. If they haven’t already.”

Dex hummed noncommittally. “Whatcha drawing?”  

“Just a boring landscape...that happens to include a dragon.”

Dex leaned over the easel. “It’s a very pretty boring landscape that happens to include a dragon.”

“Thank you very much, dearest.” Keefe leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. “Now you may want to actually check on the girls. I don’t think Elwin can heal severed fingers.”

“Yeah, okay.”

As he walked from the room that used to be Cassius’ office he yelled, “Emily! Leah! Please don’t be killing each other-”

Keefe just smiled. He did that a lot nowadays. 

He hoped these days would last forever.

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Shifting Intentions (baon)

Summary: Edge knows his brother very well and he doubts that Red came over for a coffee and a heart to heart.

Tags: Spicyhoney, Kustard, Established Relationships, Angst, Brotherly Bonding

Notes: The urge to write the Underfell brothers was overwhelming. Sometimes we get a little reminder that while Edge is a sweet, loving husband and friend, he also grew up in Underfell and some things are difficult to leave behind.

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

~~*~~

Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

The leaves were mostly fallen from the trees, torn down by the wind and leaving behind bare, creaking branches. They were layered atop the ground, crunching underfoot and scuffed up in rustling bunches beneath his boots as Edge moved around the chicken coop.

With the growing cold, it was time to check over the squat building to make sure it was winterized. No cracks to allow in a chilling breeze, no loose roofing to drip snowmelt down on their sleeping ladies.

And no gaps in the fencing to allow one small, sneaky chicken to escape in the night.

“There it is,” Edge murmured in satisfaction, fingering the small hole in the wires. Twice now Nugget had escaped and found her way into their house. The second time, Edge didn’t bother to wake Stretch. He carried their wayward hen back to the coop himself while she clucked unhappily at losing her place on their bed. That was last night and today Edge vowed to find her method of escape, as Stretch’s suggestion that she was learning to teleport was very low on the list of possibilities.

The gap in the wire was caused by two overlapping sections and wasn’t really visible from any angle. It was a surprise she’d even discovered it, but then, Nugget was surprisingly clever for a small chicken. And troublesome. And frankly charming, scuttling around Edge’s boots, clamoring for attention even as he sealed off her method of escape. She reminded him a little of a skeleton he knew, not that he’d name unnecessary names.

Edge mended the hole carefully, making sure to trim the wire ends closely, and he managed to not clip off the tip of his own finger when a loud voice came from above.

“playing a little handyman today, eh, boss? hope you nail it.”

It came from far over his head and likely meant Red was perched in the overhanging tree branch. Edge didn’t look up, only finished patching the hole. “Is this where I’m supposed to say screw you? I think I’ll pass, and I believe you were the one who taught me about the importance of home security.”

“ehhhhh.” But Edge knew he didn’t imagine the pleased note in that dismissive tone. “didn’t think you’d be applying it to a flock of unplucked dinosaurs.”

It took considerable poise not to flinch when his brother was soundlessly and abruptly at his elbow, crouching down to give Nugget a scratch. The gentleness of that petting was almost as disconcerting.

It was also suspicious, and Edge wondered with no little trepidation why his brother was even here, especially considered Sans’s visit the other day.

He sincerely doubted it was for same reason and still had a lingering regret for refusing Sans’s sidewise attempt at a heart to heart. It was honestly for the best. He couldn’t be the confidant Sans needed, not where his brother was concerned; Edge was the furthest thing from a neutral party. Stretch wasn’t much better, his opinions were colored as well simply by their marriage. He did hope Sans found someone he could speak to, even if it was his therapist. Stars knew Red had probably driven people he wasn’t sleeping with into counseling.

Red was not likely after a coffee and a chat, but so long as his brother was here—“Quit letting her into our house.”

Leaves rustled as Red moved somewhere next to him. He was on Edge’s wrong side, where the crack in his socket interfered with his vision. More than a minor annoyance; it agitated him to have anyone deliberately out of his line of sight and it was always better to assume everything Red did was with intention. “me? why would i do that?”

Hardly a denial. Edge continued with his repair, twisting the wires roughly. “The only reason I can come up with would be that you’re an ass, though I’m sure you believe it’s for some deeper meaning.”

Red scoffed, harsh and low in his throat. “don’t give a shit one way or another about chicken little here.”

Another crunch of leaves, vague footsteps along with ecstatic clucking and still outside Edge’s limited vision. Red was lingering in his blind spot while Edge refused to give in and move, only listening closely enough that the sharp fingertips scraping lightly over his skull weren’t a surprise. “but if i did do anything like that, might be to remind a certain shepherd to keep a better watch over his flock, little brother.”

There was a deeper meaning layered beneath that, a warning. It stung almost as much as the faint scratches left behind by his brother’s touch and Edge silently accepted both. His brother wasn’t wrong, Nugget’s escapades should have been investigated more closely from the beginning. If she’d been hurt or lost, perhaps even hit by a car, Stretch would have been devastated.

That knowledge did not make Red’s admonishment sting any less. He could feel the weight of his brother’s gaze, silently measuring Red’s current mood and weighing the correct path to take. Edge chose the route that allowed him to ask lightly, “How is Ozymandias?”

It was a distraction and his brother knew it, but he answered with a ready laugh, “he’s a shit. chewed off the heel on my favorite boots. he and sans ain’t gonna be best buds anytime soon, either, not with both of ‘em fighting over a little pettin’” Edge barely shuddered his disgust at that insinuation when Red added, slyly, ”if you’re worried about the kitty cat, you and stretch could come see him.”

That needling hit its target and it was enough for Edge to whip around and glare hotly at his grinning brother, “Don’t you dare offer him that. He’d do it to prove he could and be a mess all night for it.”

A sleepless night he did not need. Stretch was upstairs napping right now as it was. Curled up on their bed as he rarely did during the day, holding a strange new stuffed creature in his arms that was perhaps an octopus? The visible curling tentacles suggested something of that nature and Edge hadn’t the slightest idea where his husband even acquired it, only that Stretch seemed to have taken to it as an impromptu pillow. It was strangely enchanting, enough to be worth snapping a quick picture even considering the faint, worrisome shadows lingering beneath his sockets.

Checks still showed his HP as four, but Alphys stopped in about once a week to run a couple quick tests. She’d offer as much with nervous kindness, texted to Edge alone that perhaps it would be easier than forcing Stretch to come to the lab. She and her equipment both assured them that it was still rising, steadily if slowly. A few extra naps here and there would only help and Edge was happy to encourage them. And to not allow him to rise to the bait of any ridiculous challenges from his brother that would cause him to wake in the middle of the night from preventable nightmares.

To his astonishment, his brother’s grin softened. No more than a fraction, hardly visible to anyone who didn’t know him. Edge might not always understand his brother but he knew him, very well, and struggled to keep his shock hidden as Red admitted, “nah, bro, i wouldn’t do that to the honey bun.”

“See that you don’t or I won’t be the only sleepless one.” It was difficult to force the correct amount of cool sternness into his voice, but his brother would be expecting it. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“sure, why not?” Red said easily. That alone was somewhat surprising. His brother was perfectly content to raid his refrigerator at any hour of day or night, but rarely joined them for a meal.

It would either be a terrible mistake or just possibly a reasonably enjoyable meal. Red and Stretch usually got along very well…until they didn’t. Then they could squabble viciously, their insults chosen with deliberate care to draw the most blood. Worse, Edge couldn’t say that the two of them didn’t enjoy those nights just as much. His love had a disturbing cruel streak at rare times, much the same as Red, only Stretch would have regrets about it later and harsh self-recriminations.

What Edge knew without doubt was that he did not personally enjoy being in the middle of their brutal comedy routine. But the possibility of a perfectly nice (normal) meal with his brother and husband was too much to resist.

Edge gathered up his tools, shooing the chickens back into their newly repaired coop. “Come on, then, I need to get started.”

Red fell in at his heels, disturbingly familiar, as was his, “sure thing, boss.” Like falling through a thin crust of repression into bitterly icy memory. Red added on, relentlessly, “the honey bun is waking up, anyway.”

That statement was already an argument waiting to happen. Edge didn’t comment on it, though, let it go.

Because wasn’t there a dark, buried part of him that was grateful that his brother was watching out, pleased that his brother cared enough about Stretch to want him safe? In moments like these, Edge knew himself for the hypocrite he was, irritated with Blue’s incessant overprotectiveness while being comforted by the knowledge that if anything ever happened, his brother’s watchful eye would be over Stretch. Keeping him safe if Edge couldn’t.

It was better to simply not acknowledge that desire; he kept it back, lurking in the secret recesses of his soul where faint voices sometimes whispered slyly that the ring on Stretch’s finger was lovely, but he would be enchanting in a collar, marked with Edge’s colors and name, a bold declaration that none could mistake.

The words were strictly Underfell, whispers that Edge could never entirely banish, hidden ideas he never, ever wanted Stretch to glimpse. He never wanted to try to explain that he truly did understand that this world was different and the meaning behind it was not the same. It wasn’t about ownership, not the way Stretch knew it.

Anyone from Underfell would look at that collar and know that Edge was Stretch’s entirely, utterly devoted to his wellbeing and protection. A warning and a promise of dust to any who did not heed it, and not the illusion one that Red once wore for him.

But what those internal whispers refused to understand was that Edge didn’t need a collar for it to be true. His certainty of love was more than enough and it only took thinking of Stretch, of every treasured memory Edge possessed of his delight, and of his quiet, trembling voice promising to love and cherish to banish those voices back to the darkness where they belonged.

But not before they wondered with unholy glee exactly what his brother’s thoughts were on the subject, and did they concern Stretch or Sans.

Enough. Edge paused at the sliding glass door, taking a deep breath and shaking away those old, unsettling thoughts. When he pulled the door open, he held back, gesturing impatiently for Red to go in front of him.

For a brief moment they stood there, neither of them moving and his brother cast in shadow from the artificial light that spilled out from the doorway. Then Red stomped in ahead of him, the steel tips of his boots ringing against concrete and then kitchen tile. He hissing out as he passed, “there better be fucking chili dogs for dinner.”

The slight shakiness in Edge’s exhale was ignored, gone in his next breath as he followed his brother, closing and locking the door behind them.

-finis-

[inawickedlittletown]

Walking The Wire (78/?)

Summary: Tony Stark always knew about Peter Parker. He didn’t know that Peter was going to get superpowers and become Spider-Man, but he always knew about Peter because Peter was his son.

This will span from pre-Iron Man up through the rest of the MCU (eventually including Infinity War) and will be for the most part canon compliant except where I’ve taken some liberties and interpreted canon a certain way.

Pairings: Pepper/Tony, Tony/Steve (endgame), Tony/Mary (past)

A/N: If you want me to tag you when I post new chapters let me know. This fic is also on AO3

I used Collider’s MCU timeline to stay canon and the title of this fic is an Imagine Dragons song that is just so fitting for Peter and Tony

Masterpost

Chapter Seventy Seven

He really had screwed it all up. Peter just hadn’t expected that he wasn’t going to get back to the hotel in time. Getting out of the vault had taken forever. The security was just top notch and Peter had to suspect that since Tony had had a part in forming the DODC that he had probably had a part in making their vaults so secure as well.

But finding out the the glowy thing could actually act as some sort of bomb changed everything. Peter had no idea why he hadn’t asked Karen about it before. He had just been so focused on figuring out how to stop the weapon dealers and the tracking that it hadn’t seemed that important to ask Karen. Plus, Peter had figured that since it was alien tech that Karen wouldn’t know what it was either.

Ned didn’t answer any of his calls once Peter finally did get out after hours and hours of trying to figure out the code to bypass the door. Before Ned could answer any of his calls, Tony called. Peter should have expected it really considering that Tony was there for the competition. The whole conversation was a mess from start to finish. The worst part about it being that he could tell that he had disappointed Tony but also gone and wasted his time too. Peter hadn’t even gotten to try to explain anything or get Tony to do something about the glowy thing. Peter just hoped it wouldn’t go unstable.

When he finally did make it back and he finally got through to Ned, it felt like he was talking to himself because Ned felt a great need to just blather on about decathlon as if that mattered in comparison to anything Peter might need to say. Why couldn’t he just listen to Peter for once? But no --

Then, Liz was on the phone and she was half-concerned half-upset with him and Peter really couldn’t win could he? Why did no one want to take just a few seconds to hear what he had to say? And then the call was dropped and Peter felt even more eager to get there.

By the time that he finally did make it to The Washington Monument it was to everything falling apart. The bomb exploded.

Peter ran into Michelle on his way. For some reason she wasn’t inside the building with everyone else and yet she seemed genuinely scared about what was happening. Most people were freaking out left and right and Peter just kept running and he jumped up and started to climb.

Tony hadn’t returned to the competition after the phone call. Instead, he headed to the car and he sat there for a while trying to figure out what his next step was. He wasn’t going to leave Washington. No, he needed to see Peter and speak to him about everything. Tony just didn’t know what he was supposed to say or how he was supposed to handle the whole thing. It was -- this was new territory.

“See, these are the things Pepper is good at,” Tony said outloud to himself and Friday.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he noticed people coming out from the competition which signaled that it was actually over. Peter’s classmates seemed to be going sightseeing from the looks of the bus they got into. Peter should have been with them.

“Boss, there’s something happening,” Friday said fifteen minutes later.

“What’s going on, Fri?”

“Some kind of explosion, boss,” Friday said. Then, after a beat, “Spider-Man is on the scene.”

“Of course he is,” Tony said darkly. Because Spider-Man showing up in Washington DC when usually he only operated out of Queens made all the sense in the world. It wasn’t suspicious at all to anyone keeping tabs on him.

The whole keeping his nose clean and keeping things low-key had apparently flown out the window at some point. Naturally, Tony hadn’t thought to bring the Iron Man suit because this was supposed to be a normal day for him. He was supposed to be like all the other parents just going out of town to see their kid compete. With Peter it seemed like normal would never be achievable. Tony needed to get used to it. He needed to plan for it.

Friday took control of the car and drove which meant that Tony had time to get himself together. He got to The Washington Monument in record time. When he arrived, police was already outside the building along with other first responders. Peter was reaching the top of the Washington Monument and Tony’s breath caught in his throat when he saw him.

“Sir, you should remember to breathe,” Friday said.

Tony coughed.

“Should I initiate a call with Peter?”

“No. No. Might distract him.”

Peter was trying to get into the building from what Tony could tell. He was hindered by the helicopter which was enough of a distraction without adding Tony into that mix.

“Who’s in charge of the helicopter?” Tony asked. “We need them to back down. They’re not going to be the reason my kid gets hurt.”

Friday got him the information and gave him direct contact and Tony kept his eyes trained on Peter as he spoke to someone on the phone.

“This is Tony Stark and it is my intern trying to rescue the people inside that building and I want that helicopter to back off--”

Peter suddenly jumped and Tony could make out what was happening only because of his glasses and the zoom-in that he’d done and he watched as Peter broke through a window and made it inside. Tony let out a breath and he hung up. This kid was going to be the death of him.

By the end of it, after he’d actually managed to save everyone, Peter just felt guilt. He felt like he couldn’t do anything right. Things just kept going wrong and he was to blame. He’d gotten lucky and no one had gotten hurt -- although they had come pretty close. Peter had barely managed to rescue Liz.

Peter had been quick to throw out a web and catch himself before he really fell the whole way down the elevator shaft. Then, he’d managed to find a way out and it seemed like as soon as his feet were on solid ground, that Tony was on the phone.

“Karen’s going to bring you to where I am, kid,” Tony said. “Get out of that suit though. Don’t bring any more attention to yourself, eh.”

“Okay,” Peter said because there was nothing else to say and he already felt bad enough.

Peter changed in a maintenance closet and he was lucky that he did have his regular clothes on him. Then, he followed the GPS map that Karen had for him on his phone. The entire walk, Peter was preparing himself for a lecture or a telling off -- something that he wasn’t going to like anyway. He couldn’t imagine that Tony would have anything else to offer to the situation and Peter found that he wouldn’t blame him. It was just that all of this was his fault. The bomb being in the monument and going off was his fault not to mention him getting stuck in the DODC vault and just everything that had happened the night before. Why did he just keep messing up so much? This was why Tony didn’t believe he could handle things like this in the first place and Maybe he was right.

Outside of the monument it was chaos. The police were there and reporters and crowds of people seemed to be just standing around. Peter walked around everyone, hoodie up. He followed the GPS instructions not too far and he spotted Tony as he approached. He was leaning against his car. His arms were crossed and he was staring at his phone and frowning. He looked up when Peter approached and before Peter had even gotten within two feet of him, Tony moved towards him and pulled him into a tight hug.

It was a hug that Peter hadn’t realized that he needed and even less wanted. He fell into it and his arms wrapped around Tony and Tony just pulled him closer and tighter and Peter felt better -- he wasn’t freaking out as much anymore.

“I’m so so proud of you, Peter,” Tony whispered after a moment and his voice was full of emotion and Peter hadn’t expected him to say that. “I was worried. But you did good.”

Peter had pressed his face into Tony’s shoulder and Tony lifted one of his hands and his fingers carded through Peter’s hair gently. It felt amazing -- comforting. Like nothing was going to go wrong because Tony was there and he was -- he wasn’t upset at him. It was everything and more and it reminded him so much of hugging Ben after a nightmare when he was a little kid. Maybe it felt better than that and it lasted a while with neither of them saying anything because Peter didn’t want to ruin it and he didn’t know what to say.

“You’re okay, Pete,” Tony said eventually. “I was watching. It was -- you did so good, kid. Come on, we have to get out of the street.”

He led Peter to the car and Tony actually opened the passenger door for him before going around and getting into the driver’s seat. He didn’t turn the car on though and instead he faced Peter.

“So,” Tony said, “want to tell me what happened?”

“I -- I was following a lead.”

“Hmm,” Tony said. “I gathered that.”

Peter felt guilty. After the way that Tony was reacting and the way that he had clearly been worrying about Peter it just made everything he had done just so much worse.

“I, um, the other night I found a piece of the weapon,” Peter admitted. “It was left behind, I guess, but anyway I picked it up.”

Tony wasn’t visibly upset. He just sort of stared at Peter for a long time and then he let out a breath. “Okay,” he said. “Go on.”

“Ned had it on him. It went through an x-ray machine.”

“Which made it unstable and made it blow up,” Tony said and he was still eerily calm. Peter could only imagine the way that May would have reacted to this if she had been the one in the car with him. There would have been yelling and crying and May freaking out and not knowing what to do.  

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” Peter said. “I just -- it was there and I thought maybe I could find a way to help and figure out who the winged guy is. I wanted to figure out what it was and then I had a way to track them and I didn’t -- I wasn’t looking for trouble--”

Tony sighed and Peter could tell that he was trying to figure out what to say so Peter looked away out to the street where few cars drove by.

“We’ve discussed this a few times now, kid,” Tony said and Peter’s attention went back to him. “I realize now that you really are more like me than I expected. This reckless nature of yours -- it’s dangerous and I know it comes from a good place but, Peter, you aren’t thinking things through. You’re just doing what you think is right and it’s dangerous and -- anyway, I hope today has made you a little more aware of what we’re facing here.”

Peter almost couldn’t look at him. It would have almost been better if Tony was yelling and not taking this oddly calm way. Tony just didn’t seem all that angry but Peter could tell that there was disappointment mixed in the way he looked at Peter and it was hard to face that.

“Those weapons -- they’re made from Chitauri tech,” Tony continued. “There is so much about them that we just cannot know. But even if we did know it we don’t know what they have done to them.”

“I didn’t think—“

Tony let out a laugh. “You don’t say,” Tony said and then sighed. “The point is, kiddo, that the last thing I want is for you to get hurt. And this — what happened today could have been catastrophic. I saw you Peter -- and as well as you did today things could have ended very badly. If it wasn’t you -- it could have been one of your friends. Things like this — the things we cause because we’re trying to do good it’s the whole point of The Accords. Accountability is important but not as important to me as your life.”

The worst part about it was that Tony was right and Peter had screwed up. Tony had been right all along. Peter really was in over his head when it came to all of this.

Peter should have told Tony about the glowy thing when he first came upon it and handed it over so Tony could look into it. Maybe Tony would have let him help with that. Or maybe not.

It became obvious though that Tony apparently hadn’t even realized that Peter and Ned had hacked into the suit because he didn’t bring it up and as guilty as Peter felt over it he just couldn’t make himself tell him about that. He and Ned would just have to reverse it before Tony noticed and that would be that. He just didn’t want to disappoint Tony even further.

“Peter,” Tony continued. “I just want you to be careful and maybe my approach in asking you to stay away from this altogether wasn’t exactly the best, but if you could just exercise some modicum of thought before just jumping into things and keeping secrets that will have to be enough for me for now. You have to keep me in the loop, kid. All I want is to be able to help you. Well, I’d rather you not be in danger at all if you could help it but that’s not going to happen.”

Peter felt somehow even guiltier about the suit. He was on the brink of saying something except that he knew that Tony would actually be angry then. And not just that — it felt like it was too late to bring it up. He and Ned were just going to have to put it back to how it used to be and hope that Tony just never realized.

“I’m sorry,” Peter said. “I just wanted--”

“I know,” Tony said and he actually reached over and ruffled his hair but he smiled at Peter and things were going to be okay.

Tony ended up having to drop Peter off at the hotel once Ned called after Tony had taken him to get a quick bite to eat once Peter admitted that he hadn’t had anything since dinner the night before.

A part of Tony was mad. It had taken everything in him to try and keep calm because he knew that Peter would react better to that than Tony yelling at him about everything that had happened that day. Tony had been close to taking the suit away as punishment but it hadn’t felt right -- not when the suit was meant to protect Peter as much as it was a tool for his superheroing. Anyway, he was hoping that the whole incident had given Peter some perspective and that he might finally leave at least this whole thing alone. Otherwise, he was going to truly send Tony into an early grave.

“I’ll see you in New York, kid,” Tony said, “and since I’m not really grounding you over all of this I think it’s only fair you deal with whatever your teachers want to punish you with for skipping out on the competition. Yeah, haven’t really forgotten about that.”

“I’m sorry,” Peter said.

Tony waved his hand. “We’ve gone over that. Go on. And call your aunt, she’s probably freaking out if she heard about what happened at The Washington Monument.”

He hadn’t wanted to put more pressure on Peter by mentioning that he really had made it quite obvious to everyone that he was somehow affiliated with Midtown High by showing up as he had in Washington DC after only appearing in New York before then. Also, since everyone was reporting on the event, Spider-Man was now a well known name. It was a good thing that The Accords had been amended before this otherwise Tony didn’t know what kind of trouble they would be facing and what kind of questions he would be getting.

Before leaving, he contacted Coulson again, this time over the phone.

“I think you’ve seen what happened today in Washington,” Tony said.

“Yes. Inhuman?”

“No. No. Although I suppose it might be better if people think that’s what he is. Or maybe not. I don’t know,” Tony said. “I’m surprised none of your people showed up.”

“We didn’t need to,” Coulson said. “Is he an Avenger?” Coulson asked.

“One in training perhaps. I -- the reason I called is because I don’t want there to be too much interest in his powers. At least not from the wrong people.”

“You mean Ross and perhaps others interested in the Supersoldier Serum. Are you saying he’s--”

“No, no. He was bitten by a spider. It’s not entirely clear what happened. But we both know that someone might want to replicate anything that might give them similar powers. Supersoldier or not his powers are -- well, it’s possible he’s stronger than even Steve but that’s beside the point--”

The more people that were involved in helping them out -- people that Tony could trust -- the better. And Coulson was -- he was someone that Tony could really trust.

“Also,” Tony added before he hung up. “I’m telling Pepper you’re alive. And probably Captain America too. Get you that signed trading card set.”

Coulson actually laughed. “Stark, there was ever only one complete set and it was destroyed the day I died.”

“It’s possible I have another one,” Tony admitted. “Or something better. I’m just -- I’m happy you’re alive.”

“Me too.”

Chapter Seventy Nine