#I fully understand were Squidward is coming from better now

[schwarz-san]

Life sucks

And sometimes, you just feel detached and the world seems black and white? but you have no choice to walk forward even if it feels like you aren't making any progress as you felt stagnant as the world goes on and move forward without you.

Because in the end, you don't matter.

Nothing matters.

Yet, you still walk forward, sometimes with a path in mind, sometimes without.

For there is nothing you can do but exist nomatter how insignificant you are to the grand schemes of things.

Thanks for listening,

Schwarz out.

[deliciousangelfestival]

Chapter 2

Character : Mob!Steve Rogers x Female Reader (?)

Summary : Steve was hoping to meet the right one until he met her. But is he ready to be with her? He thought his life already dark because of his job. He wouldn’t able to find a woman that strong enough to face the hardship to stand beside him. Turn out his life is nothing compared to her. 

A/n :This #### will be used to explain the character’s past. 

Warning : Grammar mistakes, since English is not my first language.

Somewhere in Brooklyn. 

There’s a female who is taking a nap on the couch. Today’s activity kind of exhausts her because of last night and the unexpected event at the restaurant. She wants to take a nap first before having dinner. But after 10 minutes, her beautiful sleep got distracted.

“(Y/N) !!! (Y/N) !!!” 

(Y/N) awakened up from her nap because of the smashing door. She rubbed her eyes with her backhand. When her eyes finally focused, she could see someone standing in front of her. 

She lazily asked him, “What’s up, Bambi?”

“Don’t call me with that nickname.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes. “Yeah, because you have grown up. But Peter Parker, in my eyes, I will always remember the boy who cried asking me for ice cream.” She put on her smirk smile, her hands moving fast to mess up his hair.

He slapped her hand that made her giggle.

“It’s not like I hate you coming to my house? But what’s wrong with that pouted face Peter?”

Peter heavily sighed; this time, he threw his body to the couch. He crossed his arms and pouted. 

“Aww, ~~ What's it, partner? If you keep sighing, you will get older.”

“Urgh,” Peter rests his head on her shoulder. “When can I have a job that doesn't relate to guns?”

"You can."

Peter lifts his head to get a look at her. "How?"

"Die first."

"Thanks (Y/N)."

(Y/N) shrugged her shoulder, "You can't get rid of it. It's already in your DNA."

She pinches Peter's cheeks. "Why do you sound sarcastic today?" Usually, every time he came into her house, she could see flowers behind him. Now the background changes into grumpy Squidward. 

Peter’s face still on the pillow, he grumbles, "You shouldn’t come to my work today."

"Why not? I'm worried about you."

"Pietro has been asking me about you."

"He knew I'm related to you?" (Y/N) seems surprised.

Peter nodded. "He noticed on my first day."

"He's good."

"But today…. It's not only him." Peter grumbled.

(Y/N) still impressed about Pietro’s instinct, she didn’t hear Peter grumbled since he speaks to soft "What?"

He shook his head "Nothing."

"Are you going to have a sleepover?"

Peter has been living in his place since he graduates from university. Before he said anything (Y/N), grab his hand. "Please… I'm tired eating delivery also instant mac&cheeseeeee~."

Peter shook his head; who would even think a former assassin like (Y/N) could act like a child because of food. 

####

To explain the relationship between Peter and (Y/N); both are not related by blood. (Y/N) knew him because of his mother, and she met him when she was an assassin.

And a deadly one. 

Why did she leave? 

Because of Peter. 

Something happened that made (Y/N) choose to burn everything from her past to the ground literally. She made quite a name in the underworld. 

####

"Fine." He answered that made (Y/N) raised her arms to cheer. 

"But only for today though, because my new housemate is coming." said Peter while he went to the fridge to get some ingredients.

(Y/N) looking at his back, the boy in front of him acts more mature than her. Time moved so fast the first time she met him; he asked her for a piggyback, cried when she didn't give him ice cream and blamed her when he's the one who broke his mother's favorite plate. 

And now, he is almost taller than her, independent, better at cooking and moving out from their luxury home. 

(Y/N) puts her chin on her palm. "I don't understand why you need to move out." She doesn't want to tell the truth that she misses him.

Peter already started cutting the vegetables. He had a reason why he moved out; somehow (Y/N) past will come to hunt and target her.

####

Peter knew everything about her and saw it. He could live with it, but he couldn't sleep every time he heard a gun, a sound of grunting because of the stabbing, and in the morning, he saw their house destroyed with bullet holes and destroyed furniture.

They have to move a couple of times. 

He never saw any blood and dead bodies, (Y/N) top priorities were to get rid of the blood and bodies before he sees it. 

Peter knew that she understood his reason why; he could see her teary eyes when he told her he wanted to move out. She felt guilty for all the things he had been going through because of her. 

But it takes two to tango. Peter was the one who asked to stay beside her before she dropped him with his aunt May Parker on that day. 

What (Y/N) said was right; it’s already in his DNA. Danger always follows him because of his mother. 

His mother used to be an assassin like (Y/N) until she met his father. She left everything to build a family together.  

But their happy life was cut short; one day, he lost his parents, and that's the first time he saw the dark side of (Y/N) and the first time he knew what revenge is. 

####

"I met someone." Peter answer. 

"Owww~ My brother is a man now~."

Peter looked at her through his shoulder. 

She nodded her head multiple times. "I understand you need privacy."

"But use protection okay?"

"Ugh,(Y/N)!! Seriously…?"

(Y/N) laughed while putting her hands on it defensively. "Sorry, I will stop it."

After 30 minutes, both of them finally eat dinner together. 

"Someone else beside Pietro also asked about you."

"Hmm."

"You knew who it was don't you?"

(Y/N) winked at him. 

She knew it must be Steve because it is obvious he tries to flirt with her, and she gave him her phone number. She made a program if someone put specific keywords along with her fake name, she would get notified. (Y/N) only tell her real name to someone that she could fully trust. 

She must admit he almost got her, with the help from Starks, the other genius, but she's better at hiding.-

"You planned to make him more curious about you right?"

"You're getting smarter Peter." (Y/N) want to meet Steve once again. Today the moment she saw his face, it looked like a cheesy chick flick movie. 

She could replay the moment he approached her. And when he tried to be cool to say 'Hi' but failed, that was cute. 

(Y/N) wasn’t planning to stay long at the restaurant today but she has to because she’s worried about Peter. Last night both of them went out to get dinner when they had back her old enemy try to target her. It failed since (Y/N) is much more powerful, but Peter’s shoulder got hit. 

He said he was fine, but her heart clenched when she saw the blue bruise on his shoulder. Peter is a stubborn boy; he doesn’t want to make her worried. But she is; that’s why she chooses to stay to make sure he’s alright. 

She didn’t regret staying since she met a gorgeous man today. Perhaps cupid plays its part. 

Peter added, "He's a good boss, don't shock him."

"You make me look like a cold hearted bitch." (Y/N) scoffed. 

Peter sighed. "The time when you were with Billy Russo?"

"It was brief, but we are cool."

"It's hard to believe when he sent his Anvil team to get you."

"Because of me, he learned that his team was weak. He even sent a letter thanking you and said let's meet again."

Peter furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head; he wishes he wishes the best for Billy. 

"The time with August Walker?" 

"To be fair, I betrayed him, but hey, we got a free helicopter." 

"Zemo?"

"Both of us agreed to break up, and he ended up married with his true love. Happy ending."

Peter sighed "(Y/N); the reason why I'm saying this is because everytime you broke up with your boyfriend, they would come after you." The aftermath is always messy. 

"I love this job, and my new friend. Please don't mess this up." He makes it clear since he liked his new workplace; the first time he came for the interview, he knew something different.

####

How Peter ended up working in Steve Rogers’s business?

Peter’s previous boss closed the restaurant to enjoy retirement with his wife. He recommended Peter to try at Rogers. 

Rogers restaurant has been known as a prestigious dining place. He thought his chance was small, but it turned out he passed with flying color. Wanda was impressed by the way he could keep up with her work ethic. 

After working a few days, he realized Rogers is not just a regular restaurant.

Pietro interrogated him to get some info about (Y/N), and one more obvious reason he saw a gun under Vision blazer, why would a manager own a gun? Why?

Then (Y/N) told him the truth that his boss is a famous mobster in Brooklyn. 

Peter sighed when he heard that; he thought he could start living like an average person. 

####

"You knew me Peter." She put down the knife and fork, then sipped a glass of red wine. 

"I'll listen to you. Besides, I quite like him."

Peter widened his eyes "You mean genuine like him right? Without any agenda?"

(Y/N) nodded, "Maybe he could be your future brother in law."

Peter immediately shivered to imagine Steve became his family. "Let's not think to far (Y/N)."

Unlike Peter, someone else already thinks of it. 

Somewhere far away, in a secret mansion where Steve and others gathered. 

Three of them sit around the table; Bucky and Sam were nervous while Steve is playing with the dagger. 

Natasha is furious. "I knew someday Rumlow will make a fuss at our area and make a big mess. But what I don't understand is why I got a call from the fixer and then the interior design telling me they want an extra payment because we asked them to finish in a month?"

She already anticipated the surprise attack from Brock since he replaces Pierce. It’s nothing new for them. 

She noticed that Steve doesn’t listen to her complaints "Did Brock hit Steve's head? It looks like he’s not listening to me.” 

Sam bumped Bucky’s elbow to talk to his wife. 

Bucky cleared his throat because his seat is near to her. He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "Honey, Uhm… so today, something else happened."

Natasha listened what her husband whispered to her, what she hear made her gasped "Pietro!! Bring out the vodka !!" She called out their favorite bartender.

"Wake him up," Nat told her husband, her head pointed at Steve. 

Bucky threw a french fries from his plate at Steve. 

It hit Steve’s cheeks, successfully got his attention. He realizes Natasha sits in front of him, and Pietro serves them vodka. 

Sam shook his head; he silently murmured his boss also, his best friend is in lovesick right now.

"Ooh, something to celebrate?"

"Little white wolf told me you got lovestruck today?"

Bucky’s hand covers his red cheeks when his wife mentions his nickname while Sam pretends not to hear it. 

"Yes." Steve admitted. 

"Congrats.” Natasha smirked while asking him, “So... she's the reason why you want our restaurant to reopen next month?"

"Correct."

"Ow, interesting."

“What makes her unusual was, she’s the only guest that didn’t run when the fight happens.” Bucky said. 

“She’s the one who gave him that dagger.” Sam added. 

“And, we couldn’t find anything about her even with the help from Starks.”

Bucky and Sam told her everything; they told her with excitement like they found a discovery. 

Natasha was immensely impressed when she heard that “Can’t wait to meet her.” 

They wish Steve could find someone that can accept who he is. In the last relation he had, they tried to change him by asking him to leave the mobster. It ended up badly, making Steve became bitter about everything. 

If this woman not afraid to see what happened today, perhaps she could accept who Steve is.

"Me too." Said Steve, his lips could reach his eyes. His eyes are still looking at the dagger, thinking that he has to impress her the next time they meet.

A/N: Dum Dum dum~~~~ 

The female reader turned out to be a retired assassin.  At first, I want to make the reader be Peter’s godmother, but I don’t want her to be that old, so I change it to stepsister. 

Thank you for all the likes, my new follower and for repost. I really appreciate it. 

Please tell me if you want to be tagged for the next chapter.

>>>Chapter 3

Tag:

@cloudystevie, 

@marce170018

@stepheewdgirlie

@juliealma1

@valhalla-kristin

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael After Midnight: Heavy Metal

Sometimes it’s fun to revisit old movies you watched when you were younger and find out, hey, this is better than you remembered! Sometimes your young mind just wasn’t ready to accept how awesome something was, and you needed time to fully understand what you look for and like about cinema to truly appreciate it. But then, sometimes, you watch something you liked when you were younger, and you realize… wow, this is absolute dog shit!

Such is the case with Heavy Metal. This is a movie I have frequently cited as a low-ranking entry on lists of the finest animated films of all time, and to be entirely fair to the film, it is important in a historical sense, being a cult classic that was passed around through bootlegs because music rights kept it from getting a home video release, and it came out around the dawn of the 80s and kind of destroyed what you would think an animated film was capable of. This film is full of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and it entirely, unabashedly unashamed of this, for better or for worse.

Now, while I do think the overall film is a bit lacking, it is an anthology film divided into segments, and there are some pretty good ones I will make note of; this is not a film with absolutely no merit. But before that, let me point out the one thing everyone can agree is amazing about this film: the soundtrack. You’ve got Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Stevie Nicks, Devo, Cheap Trick… if nothing else, the kickass soundtrack is worth a listen, though Blue Oyster Cult’s song inclusion irritates me to a great degree. The movie went with “Veteran of the Psychic Wars” for the soundtrack, despite the fact Blue Oyster Cult had a song ready to go that is literally about the final entry in the anthology, called “Vengeance (The Pact).” Why the people compiling the soundtrack made this choice baffles me; it reminds me of how they didn’t use “Jennifer’s Body” in, well, Jennifer’s Body, instead opting for a different Hole song from the same album.

But I digress. Let’s go one by one and touch on the segments:

The framing device is about an entity known as the Loc-Nar, who claims to be the sum of all evil, detailing to a little girl how it has influenced chaos and carnage across time and space. The thing is, though, the Loc-Nar doesn’t come out on top in any of the segments, and its schemes are often thwarted. So the entire movie is basically this supreme evil being detailing to a little girl how much it sucks ass at its one job.

The first segment is Harry Canyon, a story about the eponymous futuristic New York taxi driver. In some regards it reminds me of The Fifth Element, what with a scruffy, slummy, futuristic taxi driver trying to help a smoking hot babe find out the truth and all, but unlike that film, this short is a lot bleaker and gritty. You kinda know what you’re in for when Harry vaporizes a dude who tries to mug him, and if that’s not enough, the female lead of this short literally throws herslef at him, and yes, he gets to take a dive into her Harry Canyon – and you get to see it.

This is a running theme throughout these shorts – almost every female character has huge titties and is sexually promiscuous, throwing themselves at the first penis they see as if it was their job. It’s so incredibly juvenile and tacky as to be laughable, but I guess this comes with the territory considering the magazine this film adapted.

Anyway, the segment is harmless and unremarkable. It’s exactly what you’d expect from this sort of story, without much in the way of twists or turns.

The second segment, Den, is arguably the best segment in the entire film. We have a nerdy kid named Dan who gets transported across space and becomes the musclebound warrior with a huge cock known as Den. Every woman throws herself at him, every villain in his way gets pummeled, and no task is too impossible for this man! And did I mention that he is voiced by John Candy? Really, Candy’s comedic touch is what makes this entire thing feel fun and palatable; it’s a cheesy swords and sorcery romp through and through. Honestly, I don’t have much bad to say about this one, it’s just very silly fun.

Unfortunately we are back to being not great with Captain Sternn. Sternn, played by Eugene Levy (of The Wacky World of Mini Golf fame), is basically an intergalactic war criminal on trial, and when his paid witness Hanover Fiste (played by Rodger “Squidward Tentacles” Bumpass) comes up to the stand, the Loc-Nar influences him to the most evil act possible… betraying this war criminal in front of the judge and jury! GASP! I’m not sure what the Loc-Nar is really trying to do here; you’d think it would maybe want Sternn free to continue spreading wicked influence across the galaxy, but nah, it just makes Squidward hulk out and tries to kill him, only for the tables to be turned and Squidward to be dropped out an airlock, further cementing how utterly useless the Loc-Nar is.

Thankfully, once that’s over, we have yet another very strong segment, another contender for best in show: B-17. This is a genuinely creepy zombie short film, and the zombies are utterly horrifying and grotesque. This is regarded as the most nightmarish part of the film, and for good reason; this shit is certainly worthy of being called “heavy metal.” Honestly, there isn’t much bad to say about this one either, except perhaps that it is over far too soon.

Then we get to what is probably the worst segment: So Beautiful, So Dangerous. The entire segment is sort of meant to be a lighthearted comedic breather between The last segment and the final one, but it just comes off as combining every problem the movie has into one segment: the uselessness of the Loc-Nar, copious and ridiculous sex, drugs, and so on. Really all that’s missing from this is gratuitous violence, but hey, guess you can’t have everything all the time, right? It just comes off as really dull and pointless, and there’s not really anything particularly funny about anything that happens in it, unless of course you’re a thirteen year old who thinks “big boob woman having sex with robot while aliens snort cocaine” is the funniest shit on Earth.

Thankfully, we end on a strong note with Taarna, which is about a proud warrior woman dressed in horrifically impractical armor (and this actually effects the plot, I’m not kidding, somehow there was some self-awareness here) and a cool alien pteradactly flying off to fulfill a vengeful pact after the slaughter of a peaceful race by barbarians mutated by the Loc-Nar, in what may be the Loc-Nar’s sole impressive feat. Taarna is the ultimate hero, giving us the trifecta of qualities a heroine in this movie should have – boobs, butt, and bush... Er, I mean, sword, cool mount, and ass-kicking prowess. This one is not quite as good as “Den” or “B-17,” but I still think it’s a solid finale that has enough action and awesome music to make up for its tackier elements.

The movie ends with Taarna’s defeat of the Loc-Nar echoing through time and killing it which… makes absolutely zero sense, but whatever, the Loc-Nar is an absolutely atrocious villain and perhaps one of the most useless in cinematic history, he gets a 1/10 on Psycho Analysis. Then the girl gets her own kickass space dragon thing and becoming the new Taarna or something and, honestly, it’s the exact  sort of batshit ending you should expect from the film.

So, is this really an awful film? In some places, no. It’s a love letter to cheesy, trashy sci-fi fantasy from the 70s, with all that comes with it, and in that regard it does succeed. But still, a lot of the film feels like the utterly juvenile fantasies of same sad high schooler, or perhaps even middle schooler, who has never had and who likely never will have sex. It’s a tashy little time capsule to a bygone era where this sort of storytelling was okay so long as there was enough blood and titties on display, so if that appeals to you, by all means, check this film out. It’s certainly not the worst thing in the world to watch, but animation has come so far and adult animation in particular is capable of so much more than adolescent masturbatory fantasies that this film has little value beyond a few solid segments and a damn good soundtrack.

Hell, just go listen to the soundtrack. I think you’d have a better time doing that.

[mikrowrites]

all hail the magic man

•part three•

Doctor Strange x Apprentice!OC(platonic)

A/N: this one’s a long one~

Charlie had found after three years of apprenticeship in the Mystic Arts, wearing just a pair of jeans and a tee shirt felt... weird.

It was a quiet morning in the Sanctum, and excitement flowed through the fifteen-year-old’s veins at the thought of a free day without sitting in front of books or cleaning the Sanctum or polishing her Sanskrit. Just a normal day.

Stephen had lured Charlie out of bed (at 10:46 am, yes) with the sweet promise of a sandwich from the local shop, causing her to run out to the foyer to meet Stephen and Wong on the staircase.

“Seriously, you don’t have any money?” Stephen sighed at Wong, Charlie handing her mentor her five bucks.

Wong shrugged dismissively at Stephen. “Attachment to the material is detachment from the spiritual.”

Stephen shook his head while playfully nudging Charlie’s shoulder. “We’ll tell the guys at the deli.”

“Maybe they’ll make you a metaphysical ham on rye~” Charlie sang, cutting Stephen off and turning back to Wong teasingly.

Wong rolled his eyes at the girl, rummaging through his belt. “Oh! Wait, wait, wait, I think I have 200!”

“Dollars?”

“Rupees.” Wong replied, Charlie snorting in laughter.

Stephen sighed. “Which is?”

“Uh... buck and a half?”

Stephen let out a louder sigh, shaking his head and continuing down the stairs with Charlie following behind. She tapped Stephen’s shoulder, pulling out an extra few bucks. “I’ll take care of it, Mrs. Mendota paid extra for me to walk her dog this week.”

Charlie turned to Wong. “What do you want?”

“I wouldn’t say no to a tuna melt.”

Suddenly there was an explosion on the stairs behind them, causing everyone to stumble to their knees on the floor. It appeared some rainbow light was flowing violently into the stairs, causing a gaping hole.

Once the light subsided, the three ran forwards, Stephen’s cloak flying to him as Charlie and his clothes suddenly shifted into their robes. Stephen and Wong cast shield over their fists while Charlie summoned her weapon, a bow and arrow made from the magic orange sparks.

A deep groan came from within the hole. They looked down to see a man, whose skin was shifting from a green color to a normal peach skintone. Charlie lowered her bow slightly her eyes widening in recognition. “That’s... That’s Dr. Bruce Banner...”

The man shifted his head to her, panic visible in his eyes and body. “Thanos is coming,” He gasped, his voice raising to his normal pitch. “He’s coming...”

Stephen turned to Wong and Charlie in confusion before looking back at Bruce.

“Who?”

- - - - - -

Stephen cast a portal in the foyer, nodding to Charlie as they both stepped forwards, Charlie looking back to give Banner a reassuring smile.

They were in a park, Tony Stark and Pepper Potts stood before them in shock.

“Tony Stark, I’m Dr. Stephen Strange. I need you to come with me.” Stephen commanded.

The two still looked panicked, Tony with a protective arm on Pepper, with the woman grasping it like a lifeline.

“Uh, erm—congrats on the wedding!” Charlie smiled nervously, attempting to diffuse the panic.

“I’m sorry, you giving out tickets or something?” Tony asked defensively.

“We need your help. It’s not overselling it to say that the fate of the universe is at stake.” Stephen responded calmly as Charlie stepped through the portal to retrieve Bruce.

Tony scoffed. “And who’s ‘we’?”

Bruce stepped out of the portal towards the couple, Charlie staying behind in the foyer with Wong. “Hey, Tony.”

“Bruce.” Tony acknowdged in surprise. Suddenly Bruce walked forwards, pulling Tony into a tight embrace.

Around five minutes later Tony say on a couch in the Sanctum’s foyer. Charlie cast an illusion as Wong began to speak.

“At the dawn of the universe, there was nothing. Then, boom.” Wong paused as Charlie continued casting the illusion, a number of stars and a galaxy forming as Charlie created visuals of five of the infinity stones. “The Big Bang sent six elemental crystals hurtling across the virgin universe. These Infinity Stones each control an essential aspect of existence.”

Each stone illusion glowed as Charlie named them off. “Space, Reality, Power, Soul, Mind...” Charlie turned to Stephen who opened the Eye of Aggamoto, revealing the sixth stone.

“... and Time.” Stephen finished.

Tony bit his lip. “Tell me his name again.”

“Thanos.” Bruce responded quickly. “He’s a plague, Tony. He invades planets. He takes what he wants. He wipes out half the population. He sent Loki! The attack on New York, that’s him!”

“This is it.” Tony muttered. “What’s our timeline?”

“No telling. He has the Power and Space Stones. That already makes him the strongest creature in the whole universe. If he gets his hands on all six stones, Tony—“

“He could destroy life on a scale of hitherto undreamt of.” Stephen finished.

Tony did some runner’s stretches casually in the foyer. “Did you seriously just say “hitherto undreamt of”?”

“Are you seriously leaning on the Cauldron of the Cosmos?” Stephen mocked, his cloak flicking Tony as he stopped his stretches.

“If Thanos needs all six, why don’t we just stick this one down a garbage disposal?” Tony reasoned.

Stephen shook his head. “No can do.”

“We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone with our lives.” Charlie crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at Tony.

“And I swore off dairy... but then Ben & Jerry’s named a flavor after me, so...”

“Stark Raving Hazelnuts.” Stephen commented in disgust. “A bit chalky.”

Wong shrugged. “A Hunk if Hulk of Burning Fudge is our favorite.”

“Wait! That’s a thing?” Bruce gasped. The banter continued on for a while, Charlie eventually sat on the of the steps with her chin resting on her fists.

Suddenly Charlie was pulled out of her thoughts but a distant rumbling she stood up, looking around before turning to Wong and Stephen.

“Say, Doc, you wouldn’t happen to be moving your hair, would ya?” Tony questioned.

“Not at the moment, no.” Stephen concluded.

Charlie began to tense at the sound of muffled screams. Whipping her head to the door along with the four men in room. Tony walked to the door, opening it to see total chaos. People screaming, horns honking, a heavy wind blowing debris and even people over.

Stephen turned back to Charlie. “Shields up. Stay behind me. No funny business, if we get attacked, hide. Do you understand?” Charlie nodded, summoning her shields. “Good.”

The remaining three followed Tony out, to see him helping out a woman who had fallen before a care crashed into a pole beside them. “Help him!”

Wong gestured to Bruce and Charlie, the girl creating a shield over them as the two men helped the guy out of his crashed car.

They all stood in front of a weird donut shaped shape ship, Charlie staying behind Stephen and Wong with her shields up. Two beings were phased down in front of them a couple yards away. Stephen glances back at Charlie, who gave him a nervous glance, before directing his attention to the creatures.

The smaller creature spoke. “Hear me and rejoice. You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos. Be thankful, that your meaningless lives are now contributing to th-“

“—I’m sorry, Earth is closed today.” Tony shouted. “You better pack it up and get outta here.”

“Stonekeeper.” The creature addressed Stephen directly. “Does this chattering animal speak for you?”

“Certainly not. I speak for myself.” Stephen stepped forwards, himself and Wong summoning their shields. “You’re trespassing in this city and on this planet.”

“He means get lost, Squidward!”

The creature dismissively glanced to the other, bigger alien. “He exhausts me. Bring me the Stone.”

The lumbering creature began to stalk over, Tony nodding to Bruce. “Banner you want a piece?”

However after a few quite embarrassing attempts, it appeared that the Hulk wanted to part in this fight. As the creature began to charge, Tony tapped his reactor, a impressive nanotech suit covering his body as he shot the creature back, before the smaller creature used his powers to shoot Tony out of sight.

Stephen turned to Charlie. “Go. Hide.” He demanded, but she felt like her feet were glued to the pavement staring at the smaller creature in terror. Stephen turned around fully as Tony recovered. “Charlotte! Go! NOW!” He yelled, snapping her out of her daze.

Charlie, seeing the desparateness in his eyes, nodded and ran, kneeling behind a car as she created a shield around herself, covering her head with her hands as she squeezed her eyes shut.

- - - - - -

“-rlie! Charlie! Hey, kid!”

“Charlotte!”

Charlie opened her eyes, removing her hands from her head as she looked up to see Wong and Bruce kneeling in front of her shield, concern in their eyes.

She quickly tore down the shield, standing up. She turned to Wong. “Where’s Stephen?”

The man was silent, his mouth etched into a thin line.

“Wong... don’t... where is he?” She demanded.

“They got him.” Bruce murmured, Charlie whipping her head over to him. “They took him and the stone. Tony went after him.”

Charlie places one of her hands on the back of the car, nodding. Tony was with him. They’d be okay, Stephen was the strongest man she knew. “Okay... okay, what do we do now?”

Bruce walked over to a pile of rubble pulling out a battered flip phone. Charlie followed him, looking at the phone with interest.

Wong created a portal to the Sanctum, drawing their attention. Bruce cleared his throat. “Where you guys going?”

“The Time Stone’s been taken. The Sanctum remains unguarded. What will you do?”

“I’m gonna make a call.” Bruce responded, holding the flip phone up to his ear.

Wong nodded to man before turning to Charlie, nodding his head towards the portal.

Charlie figited with her hands. “Wong?”

The man turned towards her.

“I’m... I’m not coming with you...”

The man furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, turning fully towards the teen. “What?”

“I’m staying here with Dr. Banner.” Charlie reinstated.

Wong’s face hardened. “No.”

Charlie stood her ground. “You are completely capable of protecting the Sanctum yourself. Dr. Banner is defenseless.”

“Stephen would never-“

“Stephen isn’t here!” Charlie hissed. “I’ve been training for three years! I want to be goddamn useful!”

Wong was silent for a moment.

“Fine.”

Charlie smiled, running up to Wong and embracing him. “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

Wong chuckled, pulling away before fixing Charlie with a stoic face.

“No you won’t.”

With that, the portal closed and she turned towards Bruce, inhaling deeply.

This was still not quite when Charlie met death toe to toe.

- - - - - -

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