#STOP I WROTE A REO FIC

[rewh0re]

uhhh so I am an adult in literally 2 days....can I post suggestive stuff on my blog now?

[welovenightcord]

Are you in love with me?

A/N: Me when I remember I have a Tumblr account: 😱 Don't worry guys I'm not died yet. BY THE WAY, I wrote this because I saw an amazing reels on instagram and I was like ‘Why don't I write a fic about this!?’

Characters: Isagi Yoichi, Bachira Meguru, Kunigami Rensuke, Chigiri Hyoma, Jingo Raichi, Shoei Baro, Rin Itoshi, Sae Itoshi, Niko Ikki, Nagi seishiro, Reo Mikage, Tokimitsu Aoshi, Michael Kaiser, Alexis Ness, Kenyu Yukimiya, Hiori Yo, Ranze Kurona, Eita Otoya, Tabito Karasu, Ryusei Shidou. (WOW SO MANY.)

Warning: English isn't my native language. I'm sorry If there's any mistakes.

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You had a friend that always take care of you. They always bought you things that you like. Even in your bad times, they were with you. It was too nice but you couldn't help but wonder one thing...

You had a school day like always. After school, they came to you and asked If they hang out with you. You accepted of course. While you two hung out, you had manned up and asked them;

“You're always so kind to me... I'm wondering, maybe... You like me?”

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Their eyes literally lit up. They happily jumped up and down and hugged you tightly.

“Yes! Yes! I like you a lot. I can't even take my mind off you! You're so pretty,kind,nice,amazing,gorgeus,perfect,cute,adorable...”

“Hey, Hey! Stop!”

“Oh? I got too excited. Sorry! Anyways, do you accept my feelings?”

Bachira Meguru, Reo Mikage, Alexis Ness, Aoshi Tokimitsu

Their eyes widened and cheeks reddened.

“W-wait..! I-I don't like you... at all. I mean, uhh... I-I... Stupid! How can you even ask something like that!?

“E-eh? Is this a yes or no?”

“I- Uhhh..! Yes! Okay? Are you happy now!?”

They loves you dearly but too shy to admit it.

Rin Itoshi, Niko Ikki, Jingo Raichi, Shoei Baro

“Oh? Yeah, I love you. I love you so much.”

You couldn't help but blushed.

“Hah~ Are you blushing? So cute~ I like your blushing face, my shy girl~”

Chigiri Hyoma, Michael Kaiser, Nagi seishiro, Sae Itoshi, Kenyu Yukimiya, Ryusei Shidou, Eita Otoya, Tabito Karasu

Their face is like tomato at this point. They tried to say something but stuttered...

“W-what? W-was I that... obvious..? Uhh... Yeah, I love y-you so much.”

You could just smile at them. They looked so silly!

Isagi Yoichi, Hiori Yo, Ranze Kurona, Kunigami Rensuke, Niko Ikki (again), Alexis ness (again)

[milaisreading]

Oh, ok, It may be a request or may be not (looks like more I just share my own thoughts, sorry if I bother you). Don't push yourself to write it, really, I just have so many thoughts about Bllk manager and just want to share them~

So, listen, you mentioned in your platonic!Ego fic that manager had an experience as football team manager in her previous school. So now I can't stop thinking about Manager-chan as Hakuho HS (Reo and Nagi school) manager (AU? Or not AU? IDK). Just imagine their friendship! How Reo and manager take care of Nagi like his parents and joke about it. How boys develop their feelings for manager. How they have these overnight stays in each others house, where they just talk about their future dreams and enjoy each others company. How girls in the school bully manager, because she gets along with Reo, and Reo with Nagi protect her. Omg, this thought has a whole series potential!

Anyway, thank you for listening and I wish that you'll have a great day!

Author: YOUR MIND! I LOVE IT! This was written in one sitting, Idk when I wrote this fast. Here u go! Thanks for the request :3🩷

Characters: Reo Mikage, Nagi Seishiro and the Reader

Warnings ⚠️: Reader uses she/her. Requests are open.

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to: Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

Being a student at a prestige high school like Hakuho was a privilege. From the great staff, study material and most importantly, the great connections one could make during the years of stay there. It was no secret that majority of the kids there were rich, with a small % being students from middle class, who got into school thanks to their academic achievements. (Y/n) was among the richer students and had fairly normal grades, nothing really outstanding, but enough for her. Aside from that, she also had Hakuho's football team to manage, as her parents thought it would be a great way to train. After all, once everything is done and over, she will have to take over her father's CEO position.  Well... that's when some of her regrets started. The first one was meeting Reo, the second one was Nagi and the third one for allowing them to enter her close friend circle. (Y/n) didn't really plan any of it, but it was Reo who forcefully made it into her life, dragging Nagi along.

It was a peaceful day for (Y/n), she just finished reporting to the coach on the stats of the players and was planning on going home, when shit hit the fan. Walking put of the gym, she saw a large group of girls surrounding one of their star players, Reo Mikage. Who happens to also be the richest one in school, so that added to his charm too.

Sighing, (Y/n) walked over to them to stop the commotion. Would it have been anywhere else, she wouldn't have cared, but the coach strictly told her to keep the peace around the gym and field.

"Alright, can you all keep it down." (Y/n) said loudly, causing the group to look at her, including Reo.

"What do you want, (L/n)? You as his manager can talk to him whenever you want, give us a shot too." One of the girl's said, leaving (Y/n) stunned for a moment.

"I could care less if you want to talk to him or not. Just move it somewhere else."

"Ha?" The group wondered.

"The coach will be mad over the yelling. If you want to ambush Mikage so much, do it somewhere else." Reo was left stunned as the girl's sighed and after a few more minutes left the area.

'Finally.' She thought as she was about to leave, but the purple-haired boy stopped her.

"Manager, wait!"

"What?" But before she could turn around to see him properly, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey!" She yelled in protest as the boy grinned down at her.

"Let's be friends."

"What?!" She asked again, left confused by his demand.

And so it started, for days Reo would paster the girl, whether it's during lunch, during break or even during practice. Classes were a whole new experience now that he bribed the person sitting next to her, to switch seats. The change was sudden, but (Y/n) didn't mind it much, considering that he didn't ruin her routines or anything. So now fast forward a few weeks and the duo was pretty close, to the point where they called each other by their first names. Just as (Y/n) got adjusted to Reo in her life, he introduced her to someone else.

"(Y/n), meet Nagi Seishiro. He is the new addition to our football club." The girl looked at the white haired boy and nodded her head.

"(L/n) (Y/n), nice to meet you."

"Same." Nagi said back, making an awkward silence between the three.

"So... what did you need? An introduction to the football club's rules or-"

"Give me money." Nagi said, stretching his hand out. Reo chocked on his spit and started scolding the passive boy. (Y/n) looked at Nagi in disbelief, surprised with his boldness.

"If I have to be here and talk with people, the least I can expect is being paid." Nagi protested, causing (Y/n) to chuckle a little.

'Where did Reo find him now?'

And with that awkward introduction, the trio became basically inseparable. While it took Nagi a while to warm up to (Y/n), her liking some video games he played made it a lot easier to talk with her. To add to that, she would take her time in talking with him and let him sleep when he wished to. That had Nagi pretty much whipped for her.

"You don't want to eat? Nagi, Reo is waiting for us outside." (Y/n) argued as the boy waved her off and laid his head on the desk. "You can go without me. I want to sleep." Nagi whined and (Y/n) let out a sigh. Taking her phone out, she quickly texted Reo that the plans got changed and she pulled her desk closer.

"What are you doing?" Nagi wondered, opening his eyes.

"We will be eating here then. Reo will be here soon too."

The albino sat up straight now as he looked at (Y/n) in confusion. The girl took out her bento and started eating.

"You eat too, otherwise you won't be playing today."

"Says who?" Nagi questioned.

"I say that, and the coach too when he finds out you didn't eat anything."

"That doesn't sound like a smart plan for the school." Nagi sighed as (Y/n) stopped eating to look at him.

"After all, the school will lose today if I don't play."

"Ok? I don't really care for that. I want you healthy and not playing with a empty stomach. The school and its reputation are the last thing on my mind." Nagi's eyes widened a little as (Y/n) started eating again. The boy slowly nodded his head and went to take out his own lunch to eat.

Reo was pretty much attached to her from the get-go, liking her more carefree attitude when she is out of school. But also liking it when she took charge during their practices, specifically if a fight started between some players. Reo enjoyed in the fact that (Y/n) didn't care for his status or who his parents were, she just wanted to hang out with him.

"Soo where are we going?" (Y/n) wondered as the duo walked down the street. Nagi was out with a flue today, so the two visited him, bringing some medicine and food for him.

"We can go and get lunch? I know a good restaurant down the street." Reo suggested as (Y/n) nodded her head, as she was pretty hungry.

"You did great during practice today. I always like watching how fast you adapt and copy everyone." (Y/n) spoke up, causing the boy to look at her with a confused expression.

"Really? I always thought you liked Nagi's techniques more, since he is the best scorer." Reo said.

"I do like watching him too, but to me you both are equally good. Maybe I like your techniques more since you adapt faster than Nagi, it's really interesting." (Y/n) said absent-mindedly as Reo blushed from the compliment.

"Ah... it's really nothing special. But thank you." Reo smiled as (Y/n) sent him a short glance.

"It is though, not everyone can pull of the the things you do. Be more proud of it."

Reo said nothing as they approached the restaurant. If he wasn't sure about his feelings for her before, then he sure is now.

"Nagi, you have to eat, and stop making (Y/n) feed you!" Reo scolded the boy as he shook his head. The girl sighed and picked some of the meat and rice up, then fed Nagi with it.

"As long as he eats, I really don't mind. You should be eating your food tho, it will get cold." (Y/n) commented, looking at Reo's bent. The boy held back a groan as Nagi chuckled a little.

"I swear, sometimes it feels like we are parents and Nagi is our child, (Y/n)." The purple-haired boy said, grinning as the girl let out a chuckle. Nagi frowned at the comment, the idea of (Y/n) and Reo being married and having kids left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Anyways, are you two excited for Blue Lock? Being a manager for more players has me stressed now." The girl asked.

"Yeah! This will be so much fun, you as our manager and Nagi and I playing. Who knows, the two of us might win the World Cup together." Reo grinned while pointing at Nagi.

"Sure. (Y/n), you can wear my jersey when that happens." Nagi said, directing his attention to the girl. (Y/n) laughed and nodded at the idea, but before she could say anything, Reo spoke up.

"Mine would fit you better though. Besides, I call dibs since I met you first." Reo pouted and looked at (Y/n).

"I don't think calling dibs works like that." She commented, not noticing the glares Nagi kept sending Reo.

"Besides, I might not wear either at the end."

"What do you mean by that?" Nagi asked and Reo followed.

"Yeah! You would break my heart if you rejected it." Thinking he was simply teasing, (Y/n) wanted to joke in return. Unfortunately for her, she set of a flood of worried that way.

"Well, you never know if I catch a future players attention and end up marrying him. After all, the wives or girlfriend's always wear their men's jerseys."

Reo and Nagi's eyes widened at that and anxiety hit them both like a ton of bricks. They started to laugh nervously and nodded their heads, app the while sending each other worried looks. They could handle this rivalry between each other but with someone else? That is a no go, they will have to protect (Y/n) from whoever ends up in Blue Lock.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

i think it’s the fact that he can go so many directions that makes it hard for me to write him argh i want to write him soooo bad. AND STOP free his haircut let him live only he can pull it off 😣

if you write for kaiser pls do something twisted i would be SO invested you don’t understand. and omg let me hear about that nagi plot pls pls

i def feel that HAHA i think in every fandom people will interpret characters in their own ways but some characters (ex rin, shidou, barou) tend to have pretty standard fandom characterizations from fic to fic (now whether i AGREE with these standard characterizations is a separate thing but at least they are consistent) and others can be completely diff depending on who the author is. i think kaiser (and to a lesser extent nagi and sae) is subject to the latter where everyone sees him in a slightly diff way so it’s hard to nail down which version of him YOU want to write yk.

AHHH i feel like kaiser is a really good character to write darker stuff for so i do think that if i wrote for him it would be a heavier story than what i’ve been putting out recently. and we shall ignore the haircut…tbh rooting for a kainess breakup because long hair kaiser/man bun kaiser is so MAJESTIC i think ness gives him the shitty haircut on purpose so he can gatekeep

nagi plot under the cut!! heheh it’s pretty convoluted and also atm just a bunch of rough notes on my ipad…i would have to try writing the first chapter a couple of times to see if it even flowed the way i wanted it to and to make the according adjustments if it was something w potential so even if i do ever end up writing this particular story the finished product might be very different than this!! that said i am in fact sharing the entire outline so i fear you will not be very surprised by any plot twists if i ever work on this or post it

basically it’s a mix of a couple of fics for other fandoms that i never got around to writing + some newer ideas that i have had!! the main cast of characters is ofc y/n and nagi but also rin is there!! and sae and reo but they’re secondary to the main trio

it starts off in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by monsters and which has a loose oligarchy-type government. y/n is the bastard child of duke l/n, who is the head of one of the influential government families. when she’s youngish (twelve or so??) her mother dies and officials attempt to arrest her for identity fraud when she claims that she must be sent to the l/n estate as they are her only surviving family. she manages to escape and learns how to use some weapon (either a sword or a spear idk atm) to kill monsters as she has a strong desire to protect those less fortunate than her, as well as to prove herself and one day find her father so she can have a family again.

on the other hand nagi is the eternal warrior (there would be a more researched title for him but atm this is my placeholder) whose original self was there 1000 years ago when the apocalypse began and was the only one able to fight back against the monsters when they appeared. he has been reincarnating (though WITHOUT his memories LMAOAO he’s not ancient i prommy he just looks the same/has the same name in every lifetime) and once people viewed him as a defender of the people, but a while ago the mikages (another one if the influential families) took custody of him and he’s basically been their enforcer for the past 100 years so people kinda hate him. he is kind of jaded and lonely after witnessing/causing so many deaths and he doesn’t see much of a point to life besides following whatever orders reo/the mikages give him and killing who he’s told to.

at some point nagi is told to kill y/n (it’s revealed eventually that it’s because duke l/n realized she’s out there and called in a favor w the mikages but we don’t know that at first) but instead of killing her he ends up saving her life. even he can’t explain why he took the initiative to disobey orders for the first time so he decides he’ll stick with her for the time being until he can figure it out (plus going back to the mikages isn’t really an option considering he’s gone against them)

while y/n + nagi are on the run, they meet rin, who is VERY confused about a lot of things. the itoshis are basically the family above all of the other families, and he’s supposed to be their heir, plus he has memories of having a great childhood with his parents and older brother, but for some reason he finds himself on the street with nothing but a note in his fist that says “don’t trust father and sae”. nagi and y/n decide that rin’s goals of trying to reclaim his position as heir and figure out the meaning of the note (which is in his own handwriting though he doesn’t remember it) align with theirs of finding duke l/n and. just chilling ig?? idk nagi is kinda there at that point HAHA. anyways so they all decide they’ll work together.

a bunch of stuff happens blah blah this entire part will come to me when i’m actually writing LMAOOO. anyways then it’s revealed that before getting thrown out, rin realized that if he ever got to close to asking questions/getting curious about the apocalypse, he’d suddenly forget what he was doing (in an unnatural way not just him being dumb), so he began writing down notes to himself to keep track of his suspicions. however he is found out and his notes are burned before he’s cast out and his memories selectively erased, though he managed to save the note telling him not to trust his family so that he didn’t end up falling into the same pattern again.

rin reveals that sae has the power to alter memories, and that he suspects the itoshis (plus the other influential families) also have some knowledge of how the apocalypse began and how it can be ended/the monsters gotten rid of for good. y/n reaches duke l/n but he rejects her and says he wishes he sent nagi after her sooner, and that he also regrets sending them any money at all because things would’ve been better if she would’ve died as a kid. nagi manages to round up the members of the influential families (#boyboss 😜) and sae has a change of heart from seeing rin again after so long; he says that there is a way that they can stop the apocalypse from ever happening, but that means that the influential families lose the power they obtained after the fall of the world, so they’ve been hiding it from everyone since they discovered it.

every generation, an itoshi is born with the power to wipe memories and send one person back in time. with that power, they could conceivably return to the beginning of the apocalypse and prevent it from ever happening. sae is the one with that power in the present and he decides that having wealth/whatever isn’t worth the destruction of the world, so he agrees to send back y/n, as he believes she has the best chance at managing to set things right.

y/n travels back in time and meets the first version of nagi, who ends up falling in love with her. unfortunately even before the apocalypse things were kinda unsettled as everyone realized Something was going to happened, and eventually a world war breaks out, which og nagi and y/n get involved in. y/n is fatally wounded at one point, but before she dies she manages to tell og nagi everything about the future and how he has to stop the box containing the beginning of the apocalypse from being opened. sadly og nagi invented being down bad and he is so distraught by her death that he opens the box and curses himself to the cycle of reincarnation so that he can meet her in the future.

y/n wakes up back in the future unsuccessful and also shocked that the one who started the apocalypse was nagi (even though current nagi has no clue about any of this). sae is furious that she wasted his power and didn’t actually accomplish anything, but at some point rin realizes he also has that power?? not the memory part he just can also send her back to the past…not sure why this is the case but it’ll come to me as i’m writing and hopefully not feel like an asspull DHSKSJSJ. anyways even though she’s lowkey traumatized y/n agrees to try one more time.

og nagi falls in love with her again ofc (we’re three for three here if you all are keeping track) but before the world war can break out, y/n kills nagi. he is understandably shocked but instead of being angry at her he tells her she must’ve had a reason and dies decently happy considering he was murdered for something he hadn’t even done yet 😭 because nobody else has the knowledge of where the box is besides y/n, the apocalypse is averted, and the world war is concluded in a relatively typical way instead of supernaturally, so life goes on as best as it can.

however, y/n is then stranded in that timeline of 1000 years ago, without anyone she knows (as og nagi is obviously dead and the others aren’t born yet). she can’t return to a future which doesn’t exist so she’s just stuck there for the rest of her life.

the epilogue is a series of letters she writes to nagi and rin, detailing her life and how she misses them. the last letter is addressed to nagi, wherein she explains that death is coming for her soon and she hopes that wherever she ends up next is the same place that he is. it’s kinda unclear whether she’s talking to og nagi or her nagi from the no-longer-future but you know me and my open endings 🤩 leaving it up to reader interpretation is my fav thing and i will do so at the slightest provocation

[rainisawriter]

Emoji writing ask game: 🎢🛒😍

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

The fic that comes to mind is Where Are You Now? (Johnny, NCT) I just remember listening to the song for like 3 hours while I wrote without stopping. I cried a few times while writing it and even now, I get teary eyed when I re-read it. It remains as one of the fics that I'm most proud of.

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

Rain, obviously. I love the rain so I always try to add it when I can. The reader/MC usually always likes tacos, pirates of the caribbean, and Dr. pepper lmao

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

(I think this is the one you meant? I didn't see a heart eyes emoji but I'm also tired af so lol)

I have a few and they are:

Hitsugaya Toushirou (Bleach)

Ootori Choutarou (The Prince of Tennis)

P (High&Low)

Shibaman (High&Low)

Woozi (Seventeen)

Yamasho (The Rampage) do not come for me tale is2g

Chenle (NCT)

Reo (Generations)

Isane Kotetsu (Bleach)

There's probably more but, again, tired lol

Fanfic Writer Emoji Ask - Send Me Some! 🌮

[lazysublimeengineer]

electric touch

Summary: All I know is this could either break my heart or bring it back to life.

Set during the staged honeymoon period of Reo and Isagi in Hawaii. Expounding on some missing scenes from my finished multichaptered Reosagi fic, “Betrothed.” Of how Reo and Isagi gotten closer to each other and blurred the lines between their bogus relationship and what their heart is yearning for.

Characters: Isagi Yoichi & Mikage Reo

(A/N: This is not the one-shot sequel I was speaking about in my last author’s notes in my finished fic, “Betrothed.” This is merely a one-shot fic depicting some of the missing scenes between Reo and Isagi’s stay in Hawaii during their staged honeymoon for the media. I wanted to expound on some missing scenes to show on how they gradually fall in love with each other as their days passed by in that lovely island. This is also inspired by one of vault tracks from Speak Now TV which is Electric Touch. For those readers who have not read Betrothed yet, if you want to get the gist of this story, I highly suggest for you to read Betrothed first then start reading this afterward. But you can also read this as a standalone fic if you want. It’s your choice to do so. So, without any further ado, here is this short finish fic dedicated to my fellow Reosagi shippers in the fandom. Hope that you enjoy this as much as I did when I wrote it. Lastly, I don’t own anything from this franchise except for this fic of mine. This wonderful manga belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura. And this lovely song belongs to Taylor Swift feat. Fall Out Boy).

Just breathe, just relax, it'll be okay

Just an hour 'til your car's in the driveway

Just the first time ever hangin' out with you tonight

I've got my money on things goin' badly

Got a history of stories ending sadly

Still hoping that the fire won't burn me

Just one time, just one time

Isagi tried to calm down his stuttering heart as he waited for Reo down in the hallway.

It wasn’t the first time that they stroll along the beautiful and picturesque views in Hawaii.

But this was the first time that they’re hanging out normally. Like without any preconceived notions of just throwing off the paparazzi or the other people around them for a show.

Was this considered as a date?

Isagi immediately shook his head. No. He shouldn’t get ahead of himself.

Just because Reo had asked him casually the other day if he’s free to hang out with him at the Hanalei Bay in Kauaʻi beach to have a picnic with him to watch the sunset doesn’t mean anything to him.

He shouldn’t put any meaning behind it.

Isagi knew that he’s threading on a dangerous line if he didn’t stop his heart from having these stubborn notions of something meaningful that’s been happening to the both of them.

‘Calm the fuck down Isagi and get your head out of the gutter you idiot.’ His mind scoffed at him and he was tempted to bang his head against the wall just to make his brain shut up sometimes.

His breath hitched inside his throat and his heart leapt wildly inside his chest when his eyes finally spotted on Reo approaching his direction.

When their eyes met, Reo gave him one of those smiles that he’d usually see in the pages of society magazines but it never failed to take his breath away.

He found himself smiling back and giving out a simple wave of recognition.

Isagi ignored the way his heart would stubbornly cling into hope.

Clinging into a hopeful thought that their bogus relationship would end and turned out for real this time.

Isagi was in a clusterfuck of a mess when it came to Reo.

But he found himself being pulled into his orbit foolishly and he couldn’t rein his stubborn heart this time.

All I know is this could either break my heart or bring it back to life

Got a feelin' your electric touch could fill this ghost town up with life

And I want you now, wanna need you forever

In the heat of your electric touch, mmm

A soft moan escaped from Isagi’s lips as Reo’s mouth latched into one of his sensitive nubs and gave it kitten licks while he bounced on his lap like a spinning top, his eyes rolling back and drool slipping out at the side of his mouth in pleasure as the other’s throbbing cock reached deeply into him and hit all the right places inside of him.

“Ngh… Ah… Reo… Reo…! ‘S good…! I-I can’t…” Isagi mewled helplessly as his hands gripped his shoulder tightly for leverage and support as Reo reciprocated his actions enthusiastically and grinded harder in return, making his legs trembled like a leaf and his body shivered deliciously against him.

“You can my dear husband. You’ve taken it before…” Reo whispered seductively as he held his hips in a vice like grip and controlled his motions, making him jumped on his cock faster and harder in return which made the other cry out in pleasure. His amethyst irises gleamed lasciviously and let his tongue took a hungry swipe at his torso.

The movie was still on the television and continuously played on the background but the sounds that were coming out from it were drowned out by the salacious moans and erotic noises that were coming out from their mouths with the loud creaking of the bed against their wild movements on the mattress.

What should be a simple movie night between the two of them to pass the time inside their room turned into a wild night of carnal embrace as it started out as a simple brushed of their hands together at getting popcorn inside the bowl or how their legs scraped innocently with one another when they moved on the sofa because of the cramped space between the two of them.

No words were spoken between the two of them as they let their traitorous bodies communicate with one another, getting pulled into a magnetic haze and slotting their lips perfectly with each other like pieces of a missing puzzle.

Isagi knew that they he shouldn’t continue this kind of set up with Reo but with a just a simple gaze into his lustrous orchid irises alone, his resolve would crumble down and knees weak like a jelly.

Despite their animosity with one another, Reo continued to awaken something within him that left his mind and heart in a chaotic mess and completely enamored by the charming yet enigmatic man beneath him.

Reo’s touches and passionate kisses sent an electrifying sensation inside his veins and made his body trembled like a leaf against his arms. He was at the mercy of the young heir and he let him toy with his body as he pleases because he was on the receiving end of the sinful yet delicious pleasure and ecstasy which turned him into a whimpering mess of a paramour on top of him.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! If we keep going like this…. I’m gonna…!” Isagi moaned out loudly as the other hit his sweet spot and abused it repeatedly which made his eyes rolled back and drool cascaded down from the underside of his lips.

“Gonna what baby hmmm?” Reo asked in a sultry voice as his mouth busied itself on showering every inch of his skin with his fiery kisses while Isagi couldn’t stop his body from riding him like he was in a horse race even if he was already reaching his limit.

“I’m gonna come Reo…! Ngh… Wanna come please…! You’re just too big I c-can’t…!” Isagi whined needily, tears of pleasure streaming down his cheeks as a helpless mewl escaped his lips when he suddenly reached his peak and came untouched on top of him, splashing their chests with the hot streaks of his cum.

Reo licked his lips as some streaks of his cum landed on his mouth to which Isagi could only stared down on him dazedly, his cheeks flushed and weak moans slipping past his lips as Reo continued to grind down harder underneath him while he chased his own release.

However, the next few seconds came out in a blur as Reo suddenly flipped their positions on the bed and Isagi found himself being pinned down on the mattress by the other who was now situated on top him.

“Now, you’d be a docile and kind husband to me if you will let me come right? I haven’t even come yet so I hope that you’ll be kind enough to let me…” Reo whispered seductively as he licked at the shell of his ear which made the other groan out in delight and anticipation.

“F-fuck… R-reo… Please… Slow down… Ngh…” Isagi gasped lightly as Reo pulled away suddenly before slamming back into him ferociously that had Isagi screaming and keening out in pleasure and ecstasy.

“Fuck Isagi. You feel good around me! Like you’re made to take my cock! If you can look at yourself right now…!” Reo chuckled lowly only to be interrupted by a series of moans as his walls clenched around him and feeling the other’s nails raking down on his back which sent a delicious sensation across his spine.

“There! Right there please! Reo! God! Harder! Ah! Ah! Ah!” Isagi mewled like a helpless kitten beneath him as Reo continued to plow him on the mattress with avid ferocity that had the bed shaking back and forth.

“Fuck I’m gonna…!” Reo cursed out under his breath as he could feel his impending release and his body almost reaching at his limit.

“Fuck! Yes! Reo inside please! Inside! Wanna let you fill me up until I’m full! Fuck! Feels good! Don’t stop please!” Isagi babbled incoherently as his entire being operated on need and want, moaning and mewling beneath him like a bitch in heat.

With a loud moan leaving his lips, Reo reached his climax and spilled everything inside of him, painting his walls white with the hot splashes of his cum until it dripped down on his legs slowly.

A weak moan left Isagi’s lips as he felt full of being filled up to his brim instantaneously, his grip loosened on Reo’s back as he let the other fell of top of him, breathing raggedly against his neck. He could feel the loud beating of their hearts inside their chests.

For a moment, nothing can be heard except for their heavy breathing until a light gasp slipped past Isagi’s lips as he felt Reo nipping on the crook of his neck which was still sensitive from their activities.

“Reo… W-what are you d-doing…?” It came out as a groan when he felt Reo’s hand started to roam on his body once again.

“Hmm? What does it look like my dear husband? If you don’t me to continue then tell me to stop.” Reo replied huskily as his face was a few inches away from his until he leaned down and captured his lips in an invigorating kiss that set their nerves and bodies on fire once again.

Isagi wanted to tell him to stop this madness but his heart and body was always weak for him and unable to see reason.

He’d let him make love to him that night several times and let him claim his heart, body, and soul repeatedly in throes of passion and lust.

Reo was his sweetest downfall in a lifetime.

I've been left in the rain lost and pining

I'm tryin' hard not to look like I'm trying

'Cause every time I tried hard for love, it fell apart (whoa)

I've gotten used to no one callin' my phone

I've grown accustomed to sleepin' alone

Still, I know that all it takes is to get it right

Just one time, just one time

His mauve irises looked over at the horizon beyond him as he sat quietly in a chair at their balcony.

Even in a moment like this, his body was used in waking up early in the morning due to his hectic lifestyle at work as the new CEO of their corporation.

Reo stared at the rising sun as it brought out a soft tinge of reddish hues across the sky and painted the ocean with a golden halo for a moment.

In a rare moment like this, he got to relax and stared peacefully at the beautiful scenery in front of him without dashing out of the door as if he was chasing his time to get into his office.

And…

…

His eyes drifted over at the bed which was covered slightly by the curtains but he could see the silhouette of his husband who was still in deep slumber with blanket covering only the lower part of his body and revealed his naked chest which was littered with faint love bites and marks that he made when they made love last night more than once that he lost count of how many times it was as they were going at it until the ungodly hours of the night.

He instantaneously looked away as his eyes settled on the sky above him. Reo didn’t want his gaze to linger for far too long because he knew that his traitorous body would react on its own and succumbed again to the swirling haze of want and desire for the other every time he saw his ravishing looks or when their gazes meet and how he could easily drown into the depths of his ocean blue eyes.

But could he say that they had made love last night when it was clear as a day that there were no feelings involved between the two of them and it was just a moment of weakness to indulge in their own pleasures amid the pressure of keeping up their façade of this marriage which was born out of necessity and convenience?

It had been so long since Reo had felt like this.

He wanted to take control of his emotions because he knew that it was only way he can squashed away these confusing feelings that were swirling and causing havoc inside of him.

He’s trying his very best not to fall without having a parachute because he knew that if he did and if no one was there to catch him, his heart will shatter into tiny, little pieces for the second time again.

Reo grew accustomed to being alone and with no one to greet into when he got home after a long, grueling day at work. Or no one talk into just because he wanted to…

…

And he didn’t want to be back to that world where he had fallen apart because he was so done with that.

He knew that it was difficult but he needed to reign his foolish heart in the cold reality of their situation and let his commonsense win because if he let his emotions prevailed him…

…Reo knew that he can’t let Isagi go or slipped away from his grasp ever again.

All I know is this could either break my heart or bring it back to life

Got a feelin' your electric touch could fill this ghost town up with life

And I want you now, wanna need you forever

In the heat of your electric touch

Scrolling down on the screen of his phone, Isagi read his newsfeed mindlessly as he was lying on the couch in silence.

He was inside their hotel room all alone upon waking up since Reo was not in there except for a simple text message on his phone that he had to hit the hotel’s gym on the 15th floor to do his usual routine of morning exercise.

Apparently, Reo didn’t wake him up as when he woke up from a deep slumber, it was already 10 in the morning.

Even though he was sore all over, he’d notice that he was freshly dressed in plain white clothes and the sheets were crisp and clean.

A small blush formed on his cheeks at the thought of Reo cleaning him after having several rounds of sex last night to which he received the brunt of it.

Isagi immediately shook his head as if he wanted to banish the thought away.

Suddenly he saw something on the screen of his phone that caught his attention.

“Meiji Takenoko No Sato Chocolate?” Isagi read out loud before an idea popped into his head which made him rose from the couch with a slight wince on his expression because his hips were still hurting like hell from last night. Damn. Reo didn’t hold back from fucking him voraciously last night.

He checked the calendar on his phone and there was a note on that day.

It’s Reo’s birthday today.

It shouldn’t bother him but the thought of not being able to give something to Reo on his special day made his heart twinge slightly at the thought.

“Well, it’s not like it matters because he’s rich and he can have all the good things he wants with just a swipe of his card.” He scoffed lightly to himself before he sighed and went back to the site of the convenience store again nearby.

He just stared at the object in front of him in silence before he decided to click on adding it to cart and proceeding to check it out.

Hopefully, he’d made the right decision and won’t embarrass himself in the measly present that he was about to give him later this day.

I was thinking just one time (just one time)

Maybe the stars align (just one time)

And maybe I call you mine

And you won't need space

Or string me along while you decide

And just one time (just one time)

Maybe the moment's right (the moment's right)

It's 8:05 and I see two headlights

The faint rustling sound of the footsteps coming from the doorway caught Isagi’s attention and snapped his head towards his direction to find out that Reo went inside, his hair was freshly damp from the gym showers that he hit on after his morning exercise.

“Oh, good morning Isagi. You’re finally awake. Have you eaten? We can ring the hotel staff to bring us some lunch here.” Reo greeted him as he made his way towards his direction.

“We can do that. I’ve only had some coffee earlier anyway.” Isagi replied before he paused, a look of hesitation crossing his features.

Reo took noticed of this and looked at him expectantly.

“Well got something to say Isagi-kun?” He couldn’t help but to ask teasingly, seeing his hesitance and confoundment cute and amusing.

“Stop that…” Isagi grumbled under his breath, looking away as he brought out something from the under the table and handed something to him.

“Hmm?” Reo blinked a few times before he took the offered object on his hands and stared at it in silence.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. It’s just that it’s your birthday today and I don’t know what else to give you. But I did remember that you love bamboo shoot village chocolates so I decided to just give it to you as a birthday gift… So yeah, happy birthday I guess...” Isagi muttered.

“How did you know that it was my favorite?” Reo asked, staring back and forth from Isagi to the box of Meiji’s bamboo shoot village chocolates on his hands in wonder.

“That’s because you’re my husband.” Isagi looked at him as if he asked him a nonsense question. “Even if we just got married out of necessity and will divorce soon, it’s only prudent to still getting to know the person you’re marrying into.” He added.

Reo grew silent for a moment, there was look on his face that Isagi couldn’t decipher. It was one of those rare times that he had a hard time guessing what’s on his mind from his expressions alone as Reo can be a closed off person even though he was always an exuberant, outspoken, and charming person most of the time.

Unable to withstand the growing silence between the two of them, Isagi finally stood up and was about to leave him in peace.

“Oh well, would you want me to ring the hotel staff from the phone to or—.”

His words died in his throat as Reo suddenly caught his wrist and spun him around, pulling him against his chest and capturing his lips in a captivating kiss which made his pulse skyrocketed and heart leapt wildly inside his chest.

“R-reo…” He murmured against his lips and gasped lightly as Reo’s arms encircled around his waist firmly as if he never wanted to let him go.

Reo was about to deepen their shared kiss before Isagi pulled away abruptly to catch his breath and glared at him weakly, his face flushed and eyes glittering with unshed befuddlement and anticipation at the same time.

“Hmm? You did say that it was my birthday, right? But you didn’t ask me yet on what I really want for my birthday.” Reo whispered seductively, his hot breaths fanning against his skin which sent a shiver across his spine.

“W-well what do you r-really want for your birthday t-today?” Isagi inwardly cursed at himself for stammering like a lovesick idiot in front of him.

“I want to have a taste of my dear husband for today. Would you allow that? I’m curious about that sweetness you portrayed earlier.” Reo replied huskily as his mouth descended on the pale column of his throat and let his tongue lick at the sensitive skin which made Isagi moaned out softly under his breath.

“Ah fuck… Reo… if you keep doing that… I can’t refuse you…” Isagi groaned out.

“Why? Do you want to refuse and tell me to stop? You can’t be that cruel to your own husband on the day of his birthday, right?” Reo mumbled hotly against his skin.

The addicting sensation crawled into his veins and Isagi found himself leaning closer and removing any gap between the two of them as his body reacted instinctively and encouraged Reo’s mouth to shower his neck with heated kisses and love bites, his hands entwining themselves around his neck.

“Fuck you Reo… You need to give me a massage later for this…” Isagi breathed out before a surprise moan erupted from his lips when Reo suddenly carried him from the ground going to the bathroom.

“With much pleasure.” Reo laughed huskily as he brought him inside the bathroom and place him in the tub gently. He didn’t waste his time as he discarded his own clothes and joined him on the tub, turning on the faucet to let some water in.

A scintillating sensation shot right through him when Reo claimed his lips once again in an invigorating kiss, tugging on his shirt idly while he slowly undoes his pajamas from his legs.

Isagi’s mind was in a limbo and he found himself naked later with Reo on top of him in a tub full of water and showering his body with enthusiastic kisses and eager caresses of his hands in every fiber of his being which left a trail of fire underneath his skin.

“Ngh… Ah… Reo…” Isagi moaned out softly as he felt his fingers making its way to his entrance which was still sensitive because of the numerous times they had sex last night.

“Hmm? Still soft and easily slipped in… You must be excited to be filled once again my dear husband.” Reo chuckled lowly under his breath.

“S-shut up you asshole…” It came out as a breathy moan which made Isagi burned out in mortification and Reo grinning wickedly at him.

“You’re saying something?” Reo asked silkily before he pulled his fingers out and situated himself on top of him, taking ahold of his legs and wrapping it securely around his waist and gave a one, swift thrust which stole Isagi’s breath and made them both groaned out in unison.

“Fuck! God! ‘S too big… Ngh… That feels good…!” Isagi mewled helplessly beneath him as Reo started to thrust harder and faster in return.

“You’re still fucking tight… No matter how many times we did it Isagi… You’re still tight… Fucking hell… God! You feel good around me!” Reo groaned out loudly as he couldn’t stop his body as if it was having a mind on its own and was operating on instinct and lust, pistoning Isagi’s insides with his voracious thrusts that made the water splashed in and out of the tub because of their wild movements.

“Reo fuck… Too much… Ah! Ah! Ah!” Tears of pleasure streamed down Isagi’s cheeks before Reo leaned down and licked the salty tears away from his face and finally reached his mouth and captured it in a wild kiss.

Isagi returned his kiss enthusiastically, panting and moaning against his mouth before he reached his peak and came untouched beneath him.

Reo continued to chase his own release and railed him recklessly on the tub before he moaned loudly into his mouth and reached his climax, painting his insides with his cum and cascaded like a waterfall between his legs.

“Fuck… I swear to God Reo if you want one more round, I’ll kick your ass.” Isagi moaned out weakly as he pulled away from his embrace and breathed heavily.

“I can assure you that there won’t be unless…” Reo trailed off suggestively before Isagi punched his chest weakly.

“Fuck off.” Isagi grumbled out without any heat to his words.

It made Reo laughed heartily and raised his arms placatingly. “I’m just kidding of course.”

Isagi just rolled his eyes playfully in return.

For a moment, no words were spoken between the two of them until Reo wrapped his arms around his waist and rested his head on the crook of his neck.

“Thank you for the Meiji Isagi. But most of all thank you for taking an effort for bringing something simple yet meaningful on my birthday. It’s been a while since I’ve got one of my favorite confectionaries handed out to me simply without going out of my way to just buy it…” He whispered softly against his ear.

It made his heart do an erratic flip flop inside his chest and a faint rosy hue coating his cheeks.

If Reo was always like this, how was he going to able to separate his logic and emotions when it came to him?

“You’re very much welcome my dear husband…” Isagi whispered back softly and carded his fingers through his damp locks.

They let themselves be ensconced in this moment where the reality stopped existing for them temporarily and let the world fell around them.

All I know is this could either break my heart or bring it back to life

Got a feelin' your electric touch (oh)

All I know is this could either break my heart or bring it back to life

Got a feelin' your electric touch could fill this ghost town up with life

And I want you now, wanna need you forever

In the heat of your electric touch, mmm

(A/N: When I first heard the song Electric Touch, it automatically made think of this ship especially in the Fall Out Boy’s part of the song since the lyrics really resonates with Reo’s thoughts and feelings towards Isagi at this fic. I should probably make a playlist for them in the future seeing that they have several theme songs already starting from my fic, “Betrothed.” Stay tuned for the one-shot sequel of Betrothed and short spin off sequel for Nagi which will come out soon. Lastly, I know that Reo’s birthday is a few days away but I’ve seen a cute official art of the boys celebrating Bachira and Reo’s birthday online so it also contributed to the inspiration of this fic aside from the song itself. Review and kudos are much appreciated).

[princefado]

1, 2, 8, 12 & 30 for the end of year asks!

under a cut bc this response got long xD

favourite fandom you joined this year

does ikuhara count as a fandom??? i say yes, lol. bc i have dove head-first into everything he's made this year and i'm very happy about it!!!

2. favorite fic this year

for fics i wrote, hands-down "my baby's got a gun", my cnc fic for gumworth week. i started this before gumworth week, but im really happy i got around to finishing it!

for favorite fic this year... god, i got so many good exchange fics. i can't stop thinking about (and you know this) "discipl(in)e", "Exchange Student", or "Lovely Creature". I also received "Sugar" as a gift for my birthday (it doesn't say so but I did indeed receive a mysterious fill to my kinkmeme prompt on my birthday)

for fics i read but were not published this year, it's gotta be "The Homewrecker", a glorious Reo/Mabu + The Otter fan comic.

for fics that were not explicit gifts for me... I really really loved "Can't Hurt Him". i think about it all the time.

8. favourite author of the year

I DONT PICK FAVORITES. but i gotta say i'm really proud of brontitall for putting emselves out there and publishing more things (and participating in exchanges!!)

12. longest fic you read this year

assuming I did actually read it this year (it's possible I read it last year), far and above "Creation Myth", which I devoured in a single night if I remember correctly. I really didn't read that much long-form stuff this year though.

30. fandom resolution for next year

write more! draw more! BE MORE CRINGE!!!!!

i think maybe a solid resolution would be to get around to drawing either an oppai mousepad for gumworth or a body pillow for them!!

[pluviophile-imagines]

Fic Reflection: Rule of Three

↳ This fic was one of the fastest I’ve ever written. From concept inception to post-ready it took days, though I’ve been wanting to write a poly getting-together fic since like the very start of this blog I just hadn’t found a ship that spoke to me enough (almost happened with Dabihawks but I didn’t get my shit together in time)

↳ The first line written was “‘Sei’s being impatient.’”

↳ The last line written was “In fact, he’d come to genuinely enjoy spending time with you, both when Nagi was around and otherwise.”

↳ Reonagi as a ship holds a v special place in my heart bc it’s probably the only thing I really ship in Blue Lock. It’s also a ship where i can definitely say id be interested in dating both parties, and i think they would work well in a triad like depicted

↳ Big fat shoutout to mr @venexus​ who somehow shot me with a reonagi raygun when they wrote their reonagi fic; i blacked out for 12 hours and when i woke up I’d written like 80% of the fic. Also shoutout to them for beta-ing and listening to me scream about the reader getting a mind of their own and becoming a dom

↳ It’s not openly stated in the fic but nagi and reader met through online gaming! Reader’s a bit of an e-thot; when they got together with nagi they weren’t quite popular enough but by the time of the fic they’d quit their job to do it full-time. nagi didn’t meet them through a stream tho they just met on an mmo and hit it off. They got together literally the first time they met irl; they realized they lived rlly close to each other so reader stopped by to meet nagi & hang out one day and he just. Impulsively kissed them while they were gaming together lmfao

↳ In case u couldn’t tell from his narration at the beginning, Reo fell for the reader almost immediately upon meeting them, he just didn’t realize it. The reader knew about it the whole time, both his feelings for them and his feelings for nagi and nagi’s feelings for him. The only reason it took so long for the poly thing to happen was bc reader thought Nagi and Reo were oblivious to the whole situation and it took Nagi broaching the subject for it all to click (if anyone’s interested in how that convo went,,,,,, send in an ask)

↳ Reo definitely tries to sneak away in the morning but reader catches him in the kitchen and they finally have like. A real conversation explaining that yes they rlly do wanna bring him into the relationship and no it’s not just bc they want a third they specifically want him while nagi is asleep in bed and Not trying to make out with the two of them. Hes a fucking menace (I might write this scene too if theres any interest tbh shoot me an ask im truly a sucker for morning after scenes)

↳ Deadass considered learning how to color just for this fic’s banner ngl….. I had a rlly great mental image of the two hapibas i chose with watercolor-type coloring, rlly simple with just their hair and eyes colored, but that didn’t happen. Would’ve ended up spending more time on the banner than the fic LMFAO

↳ I do imagine this in a universe where the bllk team is a professional team and i think the whole thing is…. Not exactly hush-hush (bc dear god nagi would never be able to keep something like that a secret hes way too impulsive in a “i dont fucking care who sees im tired and i want a kiss right now reo” way) but deffo low-key they dont go announcing it so it just kinda…. Comes out slowly n naturally and the reactions are either “oh thank god we were about to lock all three of you in a closet” (isagi, chigiri, bachira, etc. basically the ones who r closer to nagi n reo) or “ur saying reo wasnt dating them this whole time????” (gagamaru, karasu, eita, etc, basically Everyone else) bc tbh he like. Basically fucking was

↳ In that vein their relationship genuinely doesnt change all that much once reo starts dating them tbh the main difference is that now he can kiss them and spoil tf out of them (bc why does reo have money if not to spend it on me 🙄)

↳ First thing he does is buy a bigger bed and a bigger couch cause it gets cramped with the three of them on either….. And then reader complains enough about them being too big for their apartment and reo buys them a new apartment obvi (“no this isnt an excuse to move in. stop laughing reader im being nice bc you keep saying the couch is too big- no you will not be paying for it at all stop trying to”)

↳ Nagi doesn’t like dates that involve going out and doing things so more often than not reo takes reader out to mikage corporation dinners etc while nagi stays home. He pretends to be exasperated when they do their spitfire routine but tbh he brings them on purpose so theyll make the geriatric executives and bad-touch-happy daddy’s boys uncomfortable…… and when the two of them come back home at like 2 in the morning nagi is always up pouting on the couch cause he couldnt sleep without them and they promised theyd be home three hours ago

[raptorbox]

wip wednesday: (old) kuroko no basket edition!

since the dub has us watching the anime for a second time, i’ve gotten into a knb mood! so i decided to dig through my evernote and post some bits and pieces of old wips from...ah, 6 years ago is the earliest one. welp. 

here we go! it’s.......mostly akashi/kuroko. i might have an otp. maybe.

akashi/kuroko, coffee shop au

nothing’s actually written for this one, just a cast list and where everyone goes. it’s a pretty long series of lists sooo i won’t actually post it, but here’s where GoM+Kagami are!

Kagami transferred to be a shift manager at Seirin coffee shop

Kuroko is hourly at coffee shop, also pre-school teacher

Murasakibara pastry chef at restaurant owned by Yosen manager

Akashi is a grad student for business, also shogi champ

Kise is a part-time model, taking pilot lessons, and part-time retail worker

Midorima is in med school, works part-time at ???

Aomine line cook/chef at a different restaurant (Touou)

Momoi general manager of said restaurant

if i revisited this i might change some stuff around, but this is pretty fun!

midorima & ???, a...fast food au? maybe?

"I'm off in a few minutes"

Midorima is still turning all the bills in the cash drawer

okay that’s a super short one but i do like the idea of midorima taking time like i used to just...turning all the bills to face the same direction

akashi/kuroko, coffee shop/bookstore au

"I'm off in a few minutes," Kuroko says, looking Akashi in the eye while he continues to wipe down the counter, "if you can wait."

Akashi smiles and turns his coffee cup in his hand, giving Kuroko a glimpse of his own handwriting on the side of it. It just says "Akashi-kun", and Kuroko knows he wrote that a solid 15 minutes ago.

"Are you?" Akashi muses. Kuroko nods and Akashi straightens up from leaning against the counter, taking his coffee and lingering gaze with him. "I'm not in any rush."

Kuroko thanks every higher power that the coffee shop outlet didn't see too many of the bookstore's customers today. He doesn't usually want busy days as it is, but the moment Akashi comes in the more he finds himself wishing for nothing to do.

so the past two wips were filling the same prompt i guess? w/e, i actually started this one. different coffee shop from the seirin coffee shop at the top.

TYL GoM meet-up, feat transgirl reo but not in this excerpt

"I'm sorry." Akashi says and the table goes quiet, half from shock over hearing Akashi say that at all, and the rest as if they'd been punched.

They don't know how to respond. Kise's jaw is dropped,  Murasakibara fidgets, and Midorima is getting his hand squeezed by Takao. Aomine stretches loudly, suddenly, and everyone jumps.

"S'not your fault," Aomine grumbles while not making eye contact with Akashi, "don't apologize."

Akashi's frown is set in deep. "I should have been able to handle the situation much better than I did. I take responsibility."

(More arguing maybe)

Kagami is still chewing his food when he talks. "Weren't all of you in fuckin middle school? Like...what, 13 or 14?"

Everyone turns on him with different reactions; while Murasakibara looks horrified at the disrespect, Takao is trying his damn hardest to keep his burst of laughter muffled. Kuroko jabs Kagami's side and Kagami groans.

"Oh my god," he growls, "seriously, you guys were kids, who the fuck expects a kid to handle all you assholes?" He gripes while gesturing to the rainbow of said assholes, his own boyfriend included.

i get what i was going for but i’d write this differently from how i did 6 years ago. this is like a little overdramatic i guess??? but man i’m just here for some adults dealing with group childhood trauma but this time in a more lighthearted way

akashi/kuroko, about their first date!

Akashi looks as put-together and expensive as kuroko knew he would. He has layers and nice shoes, hands in his pockets and a pleasant, observant expression as he scans the crowds. Kuroko's early and he wonders how long Akashi has been here.

He doesn't bother waving, it wouldn't necessarily make him more visible. He's expecting to be able to walk up to him, invisible and silent, but he's quickly in Akashi's area of sight and he's seen. Kuroko stumbles from being suddenly so visible under a gaze that seems to see all of him at once.

Akashi smiles. "Kuroko, you're early."

Kuroko steps into Akashi's space, settles comfortably beside him facing the crowd. "You're one to talk."

"Hmm, well I can't argue that." Akashi glides through his words. "Shall we go?"

Kuroko is watching faces and gestures. "We're early, aren't we?"

Akashi's eyes flick over all the people,  smirking a little. "Everyone here is in a rush."

Kuroko nods. The trains are going to be packed and he would usually tackle that challenge. He bumps shoulders with Akashi, who nudges him in return.

i actually wrote more of this than i remembered? i have a few other sections started. they make out against a chain link fence after playing some one-on-one to end their date.

akashi/kagami, just some notes

Alex leaves nail clippers

"Your home is so spacious it's hard to believe anyone could lose something here..."

Sits that boy the fuck down

"You can think about dinner while I do this. Maybe you'll even think of something new."

Comments on how he'll call him taiga someday but later

He still has to readjust to tetsuya despite kuroko's insistence on it

Clip clip file file

Humming

It's a concerto I'm practicing

Kagami makes a massive dinner, mutters about how he didn't think if anything new to add or do

Too distracted and stuff

Gets a head scritch

this was basically a fic about akashi grooming kagami’s nails bc i’m just. a big fan of that stuff. i think there’s some hint hint at akashi/kuroko/kagami but maybe not, who knows with me tbh. this would be fun to revisit

akashi/kagami(/kuroko), harry potter au

“Please be more careful.”

Kagami grunts as he shifts his body. “I can’t promise you that.”

Akashi pets Kagami’s hair and brings his hand back around to his cheek. “Try.” he says with a slight smile. It’s dark out but he can see the flush in Kagami’s cheeks and the light in his eyes.

---

They return to the equipment room to undress themselves from their quidditch gear, Akashi leading Kagami by his hand, still in quiet disbelief that this might just work out.

Akashi looks up and is the first one to see Kuroko standing there in his robes, broom in hand, smiling at them.

kuroko came to practice with them, heard the yelling and ran to see what was up, saw the post-fall bit and just kinda hung out and watched bc boyfriends yeh.

“Jeez, now I’ll never hear the end of how much time I spend with Slytherins,” Kagami groans, “and the seeker and captain of the team, at that.”

now we’re getting into the old self-indulgent af shit back when harry potter wasn’t on my shit list.

akashi/kuroko(/kagami), that same harry potter au

(3rd years)

Akashi sits in his bed across the room from Kuroko’s. Their roommates are in their own beds, studying or writing letters in the quiet warmth of their dormitory. It’s lights-out, they should all be at least trying to sleep, but it’s been a long time since any of them have stuck to that.

Akashi doesn’t know if Kuroko used to go to bed on time. He doesn’t remember if he gets up early or is late for his classes. He never used to see him, but now he can’t stop looking at him. Kuroko fidgets under his gaze and Akashi smiles.

“Sorry, Kuroko,” he says, watching Kuroko startle and look around at their roommates, “is this uncomfortable?”

Kuroko’s expression rarely morphs outside of his usual default, but Akashi watches the small furrows of his brow and the deeper set of his unsure frown. He’s been unable to un-see Kuroko since that day earlier this year. He finds Kuroko fascinating and wonderful, a pinnacle of everything he wanted to complete his quidditch team who goes far and beyond his every expectation. He’s fixated on Kuroko, the Muggle-born Slytherin with a talent tailored to the qualities of a perfect Seeker.

Some of their dormmates have looked up at Akashi curiously, asking without words who he was talking to. Akashi waves them off and they shrug, more preoccupied with their own things at this time of night Akashi reaches out a hand to Kuroko, across the room, and Kuroko shoots it a confused stare.

Akashi chuckles. “Come here.”

no one can pry slytherin kuroko from me, that’s all i gotta say

aaaaaand that’s all i can show for my old af knb fics that i never finished! i don’t know if i’ll pick any of these back up, maybe one of the coffee shop ones if i do. as much as i loved and plotted out the harry potter au, harry potter is dead to me so i’ll just have to transplant that story into something else somehow if i really want to.

[thepureblooded]

A/N: I haven’t posted anything in a month but I really wanted to finish this akafuri fic. I wrote dialogue first which is not my usual writing method but eh, it was fun.

Summery: Uncrowned Kings try figure out who Akashi is dating, with great speculations and misplaced indignation. Akashi is confused by his starters but is mostly focused on his phone. Mayuzumi is there for the voice of reason that everyone ignores.

Full version here, which contains a bonus scene.

OoO

Reo watched Akashi walk out of the locker room, her eyes narrowing at the almost bounce in his step. “Have any of you noticed Sei-chan has been acting weird?"

Nebuya gave her a dubious look. “You know this is the same person who did offer to gouge out his eyeballs and give them to us if we lost a game, right?”

“But he’s a lot less insane now since we lost the Winter Cup!” Hayama was quick to defend, head pocking out of his t-shirt. “We’re allowed to check our cell phones during breaks now!”

Reo nodded. “And last week he lessened our training regimen when I asked him to.”

“Yesterday he helped me study for the science test,” Nebuya added.

“And that’s exactly my point.” Reo snapped her fingers. “He’s been calmer since the Winter Cup, true, but these past three weeks he’s been nice.”

This gave them all a pause.

“Didn’t just last month he confiscated a third year’s phone, saying he would drop it from the school roof if he saw it again?” asked Hayama, remembering that terrifying incident. The poor boy looked like he was going to cry.

Reo looked over at Nebuya. “How was your tutoring session?”

“It was pleasant and helpful,” Nebuya said, in growing horror. “He even brought snacks.”

They all began to panic.

“Is he sick? What if he’s dying?” Hayama frantically asked.

“Do you think the pressure of being captain at such a young age has finally broken him?” wondered Reo.

“Maybe aliens have laid eggs in his brains and are messing with his head.”

Nebuya joined in the conspiracy. “What if he's been replaced by an alien?”

“I mean; I’ve been telling you guys from the beginning that Akashi isn’t human,” Hayama said, exasperated. “His eye changes colour.”

“Trick of the light, I’m telling you,” Reo dismissed.

“They glow during game time!”

“Adrenaline.”

“Maybe he’s dating someone?” Mayuzumi threw in, wondering why he was joining their, frankly, ridiculous conversation. He was going to put it down to vague curiosity.

“What?” This suggestion threw the Uncrowned Kings.

“You said he lifted the banned on phones, right?” Reo nodded when Mayuzumi looked at her in confirmation. “He did so he could check his. Simple.”

“The lessen training time?” Hayama hesitantly asked.

“To spend more time with his partner.”

“Being nice while tutoring me?”

Mayuzumi shrugged. “Good sex?”

There was an awkward pause as the idea of their captain have sex became a possibility.

Reo grimaced and quickly asked the main question, “But who would Sei-chan date?”

“And more importantly,” Hayama added. “Who would date Akashi?”

“Do you think he would make a good boyfriend?” Mayuzumi asked, honestly just to see what the Uncrown Kings reactions would be. Nebuya face was still frozen in discomfort from his earlier comment and it was pretty amusing.

Reo hesitated. “I… don’t know. I can’t imagine Sei-chan liking someone to that degree.”

Hayama nodded. “It would have to be someone special. Someone from Rakuzan?”

“Can’t be, or we would know.”

“So someone from another school. A cute manager? Maybe it’s the one that was also with the Generation of Miracles!” Hayama excitedly said, looking like he cracked the code.

Reo shook her head. “She’s in love with Kuroko, remember?”

Hayama waved his hand dismissively. “Aren’t all the Miracles in love with Kuroko?”

Reo froze, staring widely at Hayama. “You don’t think…?”

“But isn’t he with Kagami?” Hayama asked in alarm, catching onto what Reo was implying.

“But Akashi could still…” Reo made a vague hand movement that somehow explained everything she refused to say.

“It could be another basketball player that isn’t Kuroko?” Nebuya hesitantly offered, seemingly coming back from the dark place he went off to. Mayuzumi honestly wasn’t surprised by their easy acceptance of Akashi possibly dating a boy, but it was pleasantly nice to confirm it.

“I guess,” Reo dubiously agreed. “But who?”

“Oh!” Hayama exclaimed suddenly. “We can steal his phone and see!”

“Or we could ask him?” offered Mayuzumi, the only sensible person in this conversation.

He was ignored.

OoO

Getting Akashi’s phone proved to be a bit more difficult than just grabbing it while he was busy.

“Because Akashi sees everything,” Hayama hissed, sending quick looks at Akashi who was, coincidentally, on his phone.

Reo rolled her eyes. “My God, you make him sound like a super-villain.” And wasn’t that a terrifying thought, because there was no doubt that Akashi would make a very successful villain. He already has the tragic backstory for one.

Hayama, in a panic way to create a distraction, challenged Akashi to a one-on-one. The match itself was like watching a car accident, nothing was going to turn out well but you couldn’t look away. It was short and brutal. The phone was forgotten in favour of watching the carnage.

The closest they came was when Akashi was taking a shower. They managed to locate the phone in his bag, after way too long rummaging. However, it was password protected, which was a low move on Akashi’s half. It made snooping very hard.

Hayama peered over Reo’s shoulder at the phone. “Try 1234.”

Reo scoffed. “That’s dumb. Maybe his birthday?”

“Do aliens even have birthdays?”

“For the last time, he’s not an alien.”

“Felt that way facing off him.” Hayama leaned back, pouting.

Before they could even attempt to break the code, Nebuya waved his hands frantically from his lookout position as they heard the shower go off. Luckily for them, a message came through the same time, appearing on the front screen. In their panic, they could only see the letter “K” in the contact name before the phone was shoved haphazardly back into the bag.

Akashi walked in and gave his starters weird looks. That was probably because their idea of acting natural was to pose like they were on the front cover of a style magazine. Reo was lounging on a bench as if to seduce a lover. Akashi was rightfully suspicious and not seduced at all.

OoO

“I’m telling you that it’s Kuroko,” Reo hissed, walking down the street while still doing her tie.

They left the changing rooms as soon as they could. Reo and Hayama are buzzing from their new-found knowledge, while Nebuya less excited but still curious. Mayuzumi was there because this was his way home and it seemed more effort to try and ditch the three idiots than to walk behind them.

Hayama was still doubtful on their leading suspect. “I don’t think Kuroko is one to cheat on his boyfriend.”

“But it’s Sei-chan,” Reo shot back. “Who wouldn’t cheat on their lover for Sei-chan?”

“People who actually value their lives?” Hayama’s voice went up a few notches because no one could be that suicidal, could they? He quickly added, “Also, I don’t think Akashi would take it too kindly to being a side chick. He would want to be the main hoe.”

Nebuya groaned. “Can we please stop putting our captain in sexual scenarios?”

Reo ignored Nebuya. “Does this make Sei-chan a homewrecker?”

Hayama eyes went wide, as he never thought of his captain like that. “He really is a villain!”

“We have to stop him!” Reo slammed her fist in her hand in righteous declaration.

“Yeah!” Hayama said with the same enthusiasm, fist in the air.

“But how?” Nebuya asked, confused but determined to help his captain in any way.

“By confronting him of his bad ways!” Reo exclaimed, a steely glint in her eyes.

“And help him find a better, healthy relationship!” Hayama was now visibly vibrating.

“He’s obviously trapped in some situation and he needs to be broken free!”

“Shown the error of his way and lead down a path of redemption!”

“God help us all,” Mayuzumi deadpanned from the back.

OoO

“Sei-chan!” yelled Reo, storming towards him. She wasted no time and decided to confront him the next day before morning practice. Nebuya and Hayama approached at a slower pace but both looking just as unwavering. Akashi raised one eyebrow at them.

“You must stop your harmful ways right now!”

“What-”

Hayama jumped in before Akashi could complete his baffled question. “We know about your little secret relationship.”

Nebuya nodded coldly.

Akashi’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh, you know about-”

“And honestly, I’m appalled” Reo was so wound up that she even went as far as to stab Akashi in the chest. Hayama and Nebuya quickly lost their resolve in favour of staring at Reo in horror. No one dared to get close to Akashi, not for a friendly slap or high-five, and especially not to poke him in disapproval.

Akashi looked down at the offending finger before fixing Reo with a look that sent goosebumps down Hayama’s arms. “Excuse me.”

Nebuya visibly flinched at Akashi’s tone. “Uh oh.”

“Maybe we should stop.” Hayama was bouncing from foot to foot in nervous energy, literally feeling the air get colder as Akashi glared at Reo.

Reo clearly had a death wish, for she pushed on regardless. “To be involved with someone like that is honestly a disgrace. I thought you had better taste, or at the very least better tact.”

“Really.”

“Is his eye glowing?” Nebuya whispered to Hayama in fear.

“Told you,” Hayama hissed back.

Both of them took a few cautious steps back, leaving Reo to her suicidal mission.

Let it be said, if Reo felt passionate about something, nothing stood in her way. “We are all aware how emotionally stunted you are, but that does that excuse you’re behaviour. To go ahead with the relationship, where the long distance is most likely already a strain but to also be with someone who would stoop so low as to agree with it as well, is ludicrous. Sei-chan, you can do a lot better than him. You don’t need to settle for a vile bastard like him.”

“You do not get to speak about Kouki like this,” Akashi spat, looking ten seconds from murdering Reo.

Reo jaw dropped in disbelief. “You’re dating another person? Sei-chan, you’re no better than Kuroko!”

“What does Kuroko have to do with any of this?!”

Reo frowned at the frustrated confusion on Akashi’s face, finger dropping. “What do you mean?”

“For God’s sake,” Mayuzumi muttered, having entered the court around the middle of Reo’s rant and was fully done with the Uncrowned Kings’ shenanigans. “Are you dating Kuroko or not?”

“Of course not,” Akashi grounded out through clenched teeth.

Reo squinted at Akashi. “Then who are you dating?”

“Furihata Kouki.”

The Uncrowned Kings blinked in baffled union. “… Who?”

“Serin’s point guard.”

“I never thought Akashi would be into older men,” said Hayama.

“Not that one,” Akashi said with very little patience. Mayuzumi was honestly amazed that he had any. “The other one.”

Hayama blinked in surprise. “They had another point guard?”

“Oh,” Reo exclaimed. “They had the first year, right?”

Nebuya frowned. “The really scared one? But Akashi, why would you date someone so weak and-”

Hayama was very quick to jab Nebuya sharply in his sides as the murderous look came creeping back onto Akashi’s face.

“And very lovely,” Hayama rushed to continue, loudly over Nebuya’s pained wheezing. “And kind, and great in bed-”

Reo smartly stepped back onto Hayama’s foot before he did any further damage, a bright smile on her face as she smoothly finished, “And we’re really happy for you Sei-chan. We should meet him sometime.”

Akashi narrowed his eyes at the suggestion. “Over your dead body.”

“Isn’t the dead body supposed to be yours?” Hayama asked absently, more worried about his foot then what he was saying. That is until he looked up and saw Akashi’s irritated expression and hastily corrected himself, “Right, never mind, over mine.”

A/N: And that's basically it done. If anyone has some helpful criticism, it would be much appreciated. I don’t know if I should have a bonus meeting where they actually see Furi but I’m not too sure what to write for that. Suggestions?

[courtingstars]

Notes for The Vanishing Prince, Chapter 4

It’s Chapter Four, hurray! This one turned out a little differently than I expected… Mostly because the scene at Rakuzan ended up being so long. But I decided to keep it as is, because I just love Rakuzan’s team SO MUCH. <3

So as promised, this was Rakuzan’s turn to have a cameo (and by cameo I mean a super long scene, with loads of love for the Uncrowned Kings and especially Reo).

Also, I ended up including screenshots from the anime in this post! So if you’re interested in a basic breakdown of my theory about why scenes like this one prove that psychic phenomena were included in the show from the beginning:

Well read on, friend. BECAUSE OH DO I HAVE THEORIES ABOUT THAT.

(Cut for stuff about Rakuzan, a little about why I love the Uncrowned Kings so much, even more love for Reo, a brief explanation of some of the supernatural/psychic references, and a seriously epic yudofu restaurant because tofu is Akashi’s first love, obviously)

On Rakuzan’s Campus

It was fun to try to figure out what Rakuzan as a school would be like… I’ve had a headcanon for a while that each member of the Generation of Miracles chose a high school (and a team) that generally reflected their personality and priorities. So my version of Rakuzan has a lot of Akashi-esque qualities to it. XD

Canonically, Rakuzan is supposed to be a prestigious school that excels in multiple areas. That’s one reason why I included OCs in this chapter, to show that Akashi is far from being the only overachiever at his school. Which, as Furihata realizes, makes his status at the school that much more impressive! (Plus I like to fill out different areas of characters’ lives that we don’t get to see in canon, sometimes by coming up with new characters… I try not to overdo it too much, though, because I know it might only be interesting to me? //laughs)

As a side note, the Rakuzan students are shown preparing for their school’s cultural festival, which is a common event in Japanese schools, and pops up in anime a lot. It frequently involves each class and/or club designing a different booth or event for the festival (like selling food, putting on a play, etc). I’ve read a few series where the festival occurs in late summer to early fall. I don’t know if that’s the typical time of year or not, but that’s why I included the student council working over their vacation to prepare! From what I understand, it’s not uncommon for Japanese students who are really involved in extracurricular activities to continue participating in them over summer vacation (like sports practices, for example).

I Just Really Love The Uncrowned Kings, Okay?

Hopefully I wasn’t the only one looking forward to seeing how Furihata would get along with Rakuzan’s three Uncrowned Kings! I find their canon relationship with Akashi really fascinating, so I wanted to explore some of the implications of it in this chapter. (And then it went on WAYYY longer than I expected. But I was just having too much fun and too many feelings to stop? XD;)

For me, one of the most interesting questions about Rakuzan in KnB is why the other players elected Akashi as captain in his first year… I have a lot of headcanons about it (and a one-shot fic that I started ages ago, that I still really want to finish!). It’s especially interesting because the Uncrowned Kings had a history of competing against the Generation of Miracles in junior high.

So in this chapter, I ended up hinting at some of my theories about why the Kings in particular would decide to make Akashi (and specifically Bokushi!) their leader. I also implied that Akashi wasn’t the only member of Rakuzan who was forced to reevaluate his priorities because of the events of the Winter Cup. (To me this is portrayed really well in the last few episodes, through Reo’s reactions especially.)

Basically, one of the reasons I love Rakuzan so much is because I think of all of them as hyper-competitive people who originally decided to go after victory and focus on dominating the competition, at the cost of everything else… And then were forced to face the consequences of that decision, and realize it was ultimately unfulfilling, at least in part because they came to genuinely value the bonds they’d formed as a team. <3 So I tried to show this in how they explained the situation to Furihata.

… I’m also kind of surprised that I managed to fit in references to all five of the Kings in this chapter? I did not expect that. (And I definitely did not expect how Kiyoshi and Hanamiya would come up in the conversation. //laughs)

Also, I do headcanon Reo as wearing makeup sometimes! I just feel like he would be amazing at it, honestly. (Or maybe I’ve just spent too much time watching beauty gurus on YouTube or something, lol.) In any case, I’m SO HERE for Reo in general… Especially Reo the Love and Sexuality Guru, finally telling it like it really is? //laughs (Oh my god I worked SO MANY self-indulgent headcanons into that silly conversation… Though interestingly enough, Reo flirting with Takao is from some of the anime outtake/bonus scenes. XD So I didn’t make that part up, at least!)

I should probably also mention that some of Furihata’s assumptions/uncertainty about Reo’s identity are related to Japanese culture… In KnB, Reo is depicted as the type of person who would probably be thought of as an “okama,” which usually refers to a gay man who’s also very feminine in their gender expression. (It can also refer to a drag queen, for example.) I think the term was used in the KnB manga, but I wasn’t able to verify that? (And I should also mention that the term itself can be offensive or positive/reclaimed, depending on who uses it.) So gender and sexuality are distinct aspects of a person, but Reo’s choice of self-expression and honorifics, at least to someone who is Japanese, would tend to imply certain things about both. I tried to make that as apparent in the scene as I could, without going into the cultural concept behind it?

(Also a special shout-out to anyone who figured out why Reo asked Furi his date of birth, and why Furi’s answer intrigued him… Because OH HOW I COULD RAMBLE ON AND ON ABOUT THAT.)

On Empaths, Mediums, Clair Senses, and Auras

So for those of you who wanted to see more supernatural stuff in this fic, I really hope you enjoyed Reo’s little conversation with Furi! (I’ve been looking forward to these two finally interacting for SO LONG. I’ve had a million headcanons about them, ever since I wrote that one chapter of Giving Chocolate ages ago… I even hinted at it in several of my other fics, mostly the Christmas ones. XD)

I won’t go into a super-detailed explanation of supernatural abilities here, since the terms I used aren’t culturally specific to Japan, and are pretty easy to research. But since I see Reo as someone who likes to use knowledge from lots of different modalities of the supernatural (like tarot divination, for example), I figured that I would give a quick overview of some of the stuff he mentioned.

An empath is basically someone who is supposed to be able to sense supernatural “energy” in their environment. The idea is that things like a person’s mental health and emotions manifest as energy—in their aura, for example—and empaths can sense this energy and even absorb some of it. (Sometimes to the point that it’s difficult for them to tell the difference between their own feelings and someone else’s.) Empaths can get very overwhelmed and anxious around crowds of people—or a specific person who is emotionally intense or even toxic—for the same reason. Basically, an empath is naturally affected by outside energy, and tends to let that energy in, more than most people. Even though they themselves may not realize it.

A medium, on the other hand, is someone who can connect with spirits, like those of people who have passed on. (I didn’t mention the term in the chapter, but seeing ghosts could potentially fall under this category.) The ability to do this is believed to manifest in a lot of different ways. Some of the possible ways are sometimes called “clair senses.”

“Clair senses” refer to different types of psychic/supernatural perception. The most common term is clairvoyance, which is being able to “see” supernatural phenomena. (From what I understand, it can be literal seeing, or more of a “in your mind’s eye” type of thing.) There are other types of clair senses too, like clairaudience (hearing supernatural things, like a spirit’s voice), and claircognizance (knowing something supernatural, kind of like having a “hunch”).

And finally, an aura is a form of supernatural energy (or light!) that surrounds a person. Some people think it reveals everything from your overall health to your current emotions. (I’ve always been kind of fascinated with the concept, and I even had my aura read for fun once. //laughs) In Chapter Four, we find out that while Akashi’s aura is more or less a single color (red), Furihata’s aura has multiple colors. Believers in auras often claim that the appearance and colors of a person’s aura can tell you a lot about them, and what they’re going through.

So it might seem like a stretch, to be including this stuff in a fic about a basketball anime… But weirdly enough, the canon of Kuroko no Basuke has a lot of intriguing moments that could be interpreted as referring to stuff like auras and clair senses? I could probably ramble on about my theories on this for FOREVER, so instead I’ll just leave a couple of screenshots here:

(Subtitles/translation courtesy of Crunchyroll)

… Yeah. I definitely did not come up with the idea to include this stuff on my own. XD (You can interpret these moments as symbolic too… But I feel like the story actually makes more sense if it’s literal, at least on some level? //laughs)

(Especially since that’s not even counting all the aura-like visuals in the show. And the weird eye stuff. And characters who can apparently predict the future in various ways. AND THE TRIPPY DOOR VISIONS AT THE END. SERIOUSLY DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THE DOOR VISIONS. Anyway.)

On Platform Dining in Kyoto

I might talk about this in more detail for an upcoming chapter, but yes, the part about dining on platforms in Kyoto in the summer is a real thing! You can find a general overview about it here.

Basically, since it gets so hot and humid in the valley where Kyoto is, some of the restaurants have a tradition of putting up special wooden platforms over the river and serving their customers on them. It’s called “kawayuka” dining when it’s done over the Kamogawa river, inside the city. (An area outside Kyoto called Kibune also participates in the tradition, where this style of dining is called “kawadoko.”)

On the Yudofu Restaurant

Finally, in the longstanding tradition of me doing way too much research about the places in my fics, I did indeed pick out a real place for Akashi’s favorite restaurant!

First off, I should probably mention that yudofu isn’t just Akashi’s favorite food. It’s also one of the most famous regional dishes in Kyoto. (Maybe THE most famous!) Kyoto has a ton of restaurants that specialize in making high-quality tofu, so a boiled tofu dish like yudofu is extremely popular, both with locals and tourists. Yudofu itself was also created in Kyoto, because the monks working in the temples needed vegetarian dishes for their Buddhist diet.

Yudofu is thought to have originated in the area around Nanzenji temple. That being the case, I wanted to choose one of the most traditional, famous restaurants there to be Akashi’s favorite. I had a couple of choices, like this restaurant, which is one of the oldest restaurants in Japan. But in the end, I chose a place called Nanzenji Junsei because the atmosphere of the garden, the ability to reserve a private dining room, and the elaborate set meals all struck me as something Akashi and his family would appreciate. (Plus it seems to be highly rated as well as famous.) You can learn about the history of the restaurant, and see tons of pictures of the buildings, garden, and the food on the absolutely gorgeous official website here.

(Yeah. I want to go there. SO BAD. You can also see more pictures of the restaurant in the TripAdvisor reviews, including more shots of the private dining rooms.)

And while I haven’t been lucky enough to try it in Kyoto, I have made yudofu before! It’s an ultra simple dish that relies on the highest possible quality ingredients. So it’s definitely an appropriate choice for Akashi. (That being said, it does amuse me that his favorite food is basically just, well, tofu cooked in water… Like what teenage guy would say that was his top favorite food EVER? Oh, Akashi. You are such a Kyoto boy. XD)

On a side note, if you want an idea of how old some of the restaurants in Kyoto really are, I thought this article of the top ten oldest restaurants in Japan was interesting! Kyoto still has restaurants in operation that date all the way back to the middle ages.

The city’s culinary fame also inspired a longtime headcanon of mine that the Rakuzan players initially bonded over restaurant hopping… So that’s why that keeps popping up in my fics? //laughs Well, that, and this screenshot from one of the third season endings that literally shows them eating together in a place that looks like a Kibune kawadoko restaurant, and wearing yukata no less:

(Oh Mayu, I miss you, why did you have to graduate before this fic takes place? XD)

(And seriously don’t get me started on the shots of each team from that ending, they’re all adorable with great little geographical/cultural references AND I CAN’T)

Well, that’s it for my notes! I have a draft of the next chapter completed, and while my goal is to work ahead in the story first, I hope to be posting it very soon. (I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say… IT’S A TRIP.) I’ll also be sharing my Pinterest board for the fic then, so if you enjoyed the ones for Storming the Castle, that’s coming up!

[honeybee-babe]

Wine (TUA K/laus, Klave fic)

A little thing I wrote with @hargreevesstylesm, can also be found on her blog! :)

“Klaus, pass me the salt!” Dave’s voice called from across the kitchen. He and Klaus were cooking dinner for themselves, a nice dinner. They had gone to the store earlier in the day to go shopping for ingredients and Klaus forced Dave to buy them matching aprons. Klaus was pushing for chef’s hats too but Dave only indulged him so much.

“Catch!”

Dave shouted, “KLAUS, WAIT NO-”

Klaus’ giggling cut him off. “Did you really think I was going to throw the open salt shaker?”

“Well, you are three very full glasses into this bottle, so I wouldn’t exactly put it past you,” Dave teased.

After Dave’s comment, Klaus made direct eye contact with his handsome boyfriend and downed the rest of his fourth glass. They were drinking a bottle of pinot noir and Klaus had already drunk a good amount of it by himself. Dave was still working on his second glass. He was much more immersed in the cooking than Klaus was. Klaus was taking a glance at the recipe every few minutes and going, “Oh, someone I know added this one time!” and then shoving the ingredient into the pot before Dave could protest. Dave wanted to follow the recipe as tightly as he could, but the chaos from his boyfriend was not allowing him to do so.

They worked on their dish for another ten minutes or so and Klaus had already finished his fifth glass.

“You wanna slow down, babe?” Dave asked. “You’re gonna get drunk.”

Klaus rubbed his already-a-little-bloated tummy. “That’s the goal!” The edges of his words were a little slurred already.

If there was one word that Dave would use to describe Klaus, it would be this: enigma. There were so many things about Klaus that contradicted other characteristics and so many things he did had juxtaposed reasoning. His body was the same. He would have different reactions to different things all of the time. Klaus had a high alcohol tolerance, but at the same time, he didn’t eat too much so he could either get drunk off of not too much alcohol or he could be drinking for a while and still not get too drunk.

Today Klaus had snacked on some crackers but he had woken up late and he didn’t feel like making breakfast. He also didn’t feel like going out of his way to get lunch, so he was working with a rather empty stomach. Four glasses of wine was enough to get him more than a little tipsy.

“Shoot! No no no no no!” Dave fussed over the sauce, which he’d just poured a little too much wine in. Even two glasses of wine in, despite his low tolerance, he was still a perfectionist. Good thing he had Klaus to balance him out.

“Babe, ‘s okay, it’ll cook off!” Klaus wrapped his arms around Dave from behind, pressing soft kisses to the back of his neck, smiling at the way Dave shivered and giggled. “Hehe, I,” he cut himself off with a hiccup. “I got you!”

Klaus loved how ticklish Dave was. Normally he’d give Dave his space when he was busy, saving the tickling for when they were in bed, but right now he had no concept of boundaries. And Dave’s neck just looked so damn cute. Suddenly, Klaus attacked bringing his fingers around to the front of his boyfriend’s neck and attacking.

Dave went wild, dropping the spoon into the saucepan as he twitched and giggled maniacally.

“Stop,” he struggled out in between giggles as he frantically tried to shove Klaus off. “I’m -” another bout of giggles “c-cooking!” He finally managed to push Klaus off, which sent his boyfriend stumbling behind him, catching himself only when he was about to hit the floor. He let out a little shriek as he sorted himself out and Dave couldn’t help but laugh at how drunk his boyfriend was.

“Whoa, hello!” Klaus snorted and leaned against the counter, where they’d left the pinot noir. He grabbed the bottle from off the counter and went to take a swig.

Dave frowned. “Klaus, you’ve had enough.” He grabbed the bottle from his hands.

“Oh, come oooon,” Klaus whined, making grabby hands at the bottle in Dave’s hands.

“Wait twenty minutes and we’ll see.” Dave placed it on the highest shelf, which he could only reach by going on tiptoe. They were the same height, but there was no way Klaus would be able to maintain his balance long enough to reach it.

“You’re no fun,” Klaus said with pouted lips, but nonetheless wrapped his arms back around Dave, whose attention was on the sauce again. Dave may or may not have been the only reason Klaus could even stay upright at the moment.

Dave brought a spoonful up to his mouth and blew on it before tasting. “I’m not sure what it needs.”

He tried not to show his frustration at the way Klaus wordlessly dipped his finger into the (boiling hot!) sauce, licked his lips, and poured in an extra drop of olive oil. Klaus dipped his finger into the sauce again and brought it up to Dave’s lips for him to try.

Dave sighed. “It’s better,” he admitted begrudgingly.

“Of course it is!” Klaus teased, pressing his face back into Dave’s neck as he started to sway back and forth, humming along to the tune of an old song he used to frequently hear Luther blasting from his record player when they were growing up.

Dave smiled as he stirred and listened to Klaus, swaying slightly with him. “What is that song? I don’t think I’ve ever heard it.”

“What?” Klaus asked incredulously, swinging around to Dave’s side to shoot him a confused glance. “You don’t know REO Speedwagon?”

Dave just shook his head, face blank.

“And I can’t fight this feeling anymore,” Klaus sang out loud, grabbing Dave by the shoulders and turning him around to face him, forcing him to abandon the saucepan he was tending to. “I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for.” He wrapped his arms around Dave’s waist and started to lead him in a (very clumsy) dance. “It’s time It’s time to bring this ship into the shore And throw away the oars, forever – you’ve never heard that song?”

Dave shrugged against him. “No. You sure it’s been written, yet?”

Klaus pulled away from him, stumbling backward and hitting the counter again as he laughed out loud, slapping his own forehead and raising his hand in the air in an exaggerated, “Italian” gesture. “O, stunad! What’s a matter for you?”

He paused with his hand high above his head as his breath started hitching, nose twitching for a solid five seconds before he brought it down to cover his nose and whipped his head to the side.

“Ihhhh…… hi’ietSCHieww! Ehhh…..hihe’DTshiehh! Hhnxgshyuu! O, scusami!”

The sneezes sent him stumbling and Dave grabbed onto him to make sure he didn’t slip and hurt himself. “Bless you, bug, be careful,” Dave said. “Hold onto me next time, yeah?”

Klaus nodded, sniffling. The recovery time for those sneezes was a lot longer than it usually was. In fact, he was still recovering when he started to build up again. “Dave it….it tickles again I….HhiiETSHiew!These are so whehhh-wet-hihhh….hng’shiew! HehhISh’ehh! I’m hehh-dizzy ha ha-hiehhh….ingxxt-ngt’uh!”

“Bless you, baby, are you okay?” Dave asked. “What just happened? You’re sneezing like crazy!”

Klaus made a motion asking for a tissue. Dave grabbed a paper towel off of the counter and handed it to Klaus with one hand, and used the other to keep his wine-drunk boyfriend upright. Klaus blew his nose harshly and then wriggled it a few times. “There are so many of these,” he slurred. “I think it’s the wine.” Klaus grabbed the sauvignon blanc bottle off of the countertop and sniffed it. Dave relaxed because he didn’t think Klaus was going to pull anything, but then he quickly brought the bottle up to his lips and took a large gulp.

“Klaus!” Dave scolded him. He stole the bottle and put it with the other one on top of the shelf. When he returned to Klaus, he was standing with his hands a few inches in front of his face, his eyebrows furrowed and his nostrils flaring.

Knowing what was most likely going to happen, Dave pulled Klaus up against him, steadying him with his own body. Klaus buried his face into Dave’s chest and let loose. “Hhhh..Huhh’ENXtshyuu!! Hh’nxshiuu!”

Dave stroked Klaus’ hair. “Bless you. You got a couple more in you?”

Klaus nodded and rubbed his nose against Dave’s apron. “I think so. M’nose won’t stop tickling.” He sniffled hard and Dave had to try his hardest to keep himself together. “Hih’eshyuu! Ugh, yuck. Hihhheng’kt! HiehhhehhETSCHiew-hihhitsshhNXGT!”

When Klaus came back up for air his eyelashes were being held together by tears that threatened to slip down his rosy cheeks. His nose was running slightly and the paper towel Dave had handed Klaus moments before was now more than damp.

“M’head hurts now,” Klaus mumbled. His breath hitched superbly yet he scrunched his nose up trying to fight off the tickle. “Hh’itshieh!”

Dave helped guide Klaus over to one of the chairs at their table and he eased him down onto the seat. Klaus leaned into the back of the chair and held a hand up to his sinuses. Dave’s bubbly and loving boyfriend was now tired and not feeling well. Dave felt guilty that he was quite enjoying the show that Klaus was putting on. His sneezes were so desperate and gorgeous and everything Dave wanted to hear.

Unfortunately, Klaus was now dizzy. He massaged his sinuses for a minute or two before bringing his hand up to nurse his head.

Dave leaned in and kissed Klaus on the lips gently. Klaus kissed him back. As Dave pulled apart, he slid his nose up against Klaus’ in a quick motion that sparked a tickle in Klaus’ nose.

“Davey you sonovabitch-ihhh? EhhhhhHh…ugh. Oh-waitno-HnngtshIEH! Oh fuck that was big. HhhhhISHieh! Oh my-ixgtshiEHH-ixhtshiew!” Klaus’ nose was leaking a bit and he swiped at it with his sleeve, wincing after. His shirt was a little rough for his liking. He grabbed a dish towel off of the table and blew his nose into it.

“Hey! That was for taking our dishes out of the oven!” Dave grinned. “Bless you.”

Klaus hiccupped. “My nose tickles so fucking much what the fuck.”

He shook his head wildly as another hitching breath coursed its way through him, this time leaving him in despair.

Dave returned to the saucepan and started seeing if it was ready to go on the pasta and the chicken. He stirred it around for a few more minutes and added some parmesan cheese. He startled when he felt Klaus’ arms around him. He was supposed to be sitting down.

“Honey, what are you doing up?” Dave asked.

Klaus shrugged, “I got bored.”

“You can’t be all sneezy around the food, baby.”

“Oh no no I promise I’m dhhh-donesneezing. Forever.”

“You sure?” Dave turned his head around to assess the damage. Klaus still looked pretty sniffly, but he didn’t look like he was going to start up again soon. So Dave returned to cooking, letting Klaus hug him from behind and give him occasional tips from over his shoulder.

“No, Davey. That’s too big.” Klaus was helping Dave to dice onions.  Dave went back over the patch he’d messed up on.

“How’s that?”

“Perfect!” Klaus giggled and pressed a kiss into Dave’s hair from behind. “Perfeziona-hhh’nxgsh!” Klaus sneezed suddenly into Dave’s hair. “Hehehe, whoopsies - oh my god!”

Klaus grabbed Dave’s left hand, holding up the index finger, which was bleeding a bit.

“What happened, Davey?” He frantically ripped off a paper towel and held it up to his boyfriend’s finger.

“Uh, I dunno. My hand slipped.” Dave shrugged. He had his head down. Klaus put a hand on his cheek and made him look back at him. Dave was blushing profusely.

“Why are you– oh my god, it was the sneeze, wasn’t it?” Klaus bit down on his lip to keep from giggling when Dave nodded. “You’re fuckihhhhh….. n’gxtshuu! shitting me right now. You’re gonna cut your hand off next time.”

“Klaus, it’s just a little cut,” Dave protested. Klaus scrunched up his nose and response. Then a devilish little smirk crossed his face.

“Well, in that case -hh!” Klaus yanked Dave’s hand away from the stove and kissed his booboo. “Mwah!-hih!” He buried his nose into Dave’s palm. “h’xnkgt!”

Dave yanked his hand away, blushing deep red.’

“Klaus, you’re sneezing again. You should go sit back down.”

“No,” Klaus sniffled and swiped the back of his hand across his nose. “I’m fine. We have to finish cooking.”

And they did. It only took them about ten more minutes to finish cooking. In that time, Klaus’ sneezes slowly died down until they came to an apparent stop. And when they finally sat down to eat, he managed to convince Dave that he was sober enough for another glass of wine. He wanted more Pinot Noir, but Dave wouldn’t let him touch it. He resolved to finishing off the bottle himself, and (reluctantly) poured Klaus a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

“Mmm,” Klaus leaned back in his seat with a contented sigh, staring down at his empty plate.  “That was so good, Davey. I’m a culinary genius.

“Just you?” Dave asked through a mouthful of spaghetti He was only halfway through his own plate. “Last I checked, I helped.”

“Hmmm, I guess. You were my sous chef,” Klaus said with a giggle and a little shrug. He let out a tiny burp and brought a hand to rub at his bloated tummy. “Ugh, I’m so stuffed. Not complaining though.”

“I can’t believe you ate all that.”

“I hadn’t eaten all day!” Klaus leaned over the table to poke Dave’s nose. “Don’t judge me.”

“Not judging,” Dave scrunched his nose and swallowed his food. He booped Klaus back on the nose. “You’re cute.”

“No, you’re cute! You’re cute when you’re eating, with your teeny-tiny widdle mouthfuls!” Klaus picked up a handful of spaghetti off of Dave’s plate with his bare hands and dangled it over his boyfriend’s face. “Let me eat vicariously through you.”

Dave shook his head and chuckled but nonetheless obliged, setting his knife and fork down and opening his mouth up wide for Klaus.

“Heeeeeere comes the….. Hih! Hih’dTSHieww!”

Klaus heard Dave laughing before he opened his eyes. When he opened them, he saw his boyfriend doubled over and hysterical.

“What’s so funny? It was just a - hih’xngtshu! A sneeze,” Klaus grinned. “I get that you like them but this is a bit extreme.”

Dave didn’t look up, just pointed towards the wall.

“L-Look at the,” he giggled between words. The wine must be getting to him, too. “Look at the wall, bug.”

Klaus followed Dave’s gaze and looked at the wall, which was smeared with chicken piccata, spaghetti noodles slowly sliding down towards the floor. He laughed even harder than Dave.

They ate for a few more minutes until there was no more food left to eat. Klaus had convinced Dave into letting him have another glass of pinot noir. Dave was on his fourth glass.

“Hh’hetsjhuh! IhhNXGT’uh! Hihhh…hiehh…fuck,” Klaus sniffled hard. He picked up his napkin and squished his nose into it, blowing hard.

Dave smiled softly. He said, “So the wine sneezes are back. C’mon, bug, let’s get you to bed. I’m gonna clean up but I’ll be right in with a box of tissues as soon as I’m done.” He pressed a kiss onto Klaus’ sweaty forehead.

“Ehh’nXGTzhiuu! Will you be my tissue?”

“Anything, for you.”

[kamil-a]

utenazanmai crossover fic i just Cant get it out of my head yknow!!

Their tour guide is a chatty blond guy, pulling them along in a rickshaw and pointing out the sights. Utena and Anthy sip iced tea (Chuchu stealing sips from both their glasses) and keep an eye on whatever the celebrity kid on TV is selling- they can’t quite tell. "...Don't mind if I ask," and Anthy at least is pulled out of her thoughts by this, tapping Utena's arm urgently to bring her to attention, "but are you two a couple?" 

Utena beams, holds up her hand to show off her wedding ring (old habits die hard), while Anthy gives him a polite smile. "We were just married!" she says brightly, and Utena knows better after a decade or so than to correct her. "We're on our honeymoon!" she chimes in instead, and squeezes Anthy's hand - don't worry dear I'll cover for you and i know we aren't really. Anthy squeezes back, I'm proud of you. The guide stops pulling the wagon a moment to smile back at them- he has unnaturally sharp teeth. "Great!", he says, holding out a hand. Chuchu shakes his fingertip. "I thought so. I'll have to introduce you to my partner! People like us," (and the way he raises his eyebrows on that word speaks volumes to them), "ought to connect with each other." He makes little interlocking circles with his fingers for emphasis. A lot of people here use that word. The first time they noticed it was outside a shop, on a sign asking customers to "connect with us!" on various social media, some recognizable, some unfamiliar. They wrote it off as an interesting turn of phrase. Half a day into their stay in Asakusa, now, and it makes Anthy's stomach drop to hear the word every time. It's a themed town, they knew this from a cursory Google, but they were not told how themed. This is not kappas and cucumbers.

Anthy points to a building a block ahead- "Ah! A cafe ahead. Utena, do you think we should stop for lunch?", and Utena nods and agrees. She's worried about Anthy, (who can tell this on her face. She is also very hungry, which Anthy also sees.) "You two are just in time," their guide (Utena squints at his name tag, it reads “Reo”,) tells them. "The place just opened yesterday! Even Mabu and I (that's my partner) haven't gotten to check it out yet, and-" Anthy's hand twitches to the bridge of her nose- she is not even wearing sunglasses. She settles for closing her eyes and stretching. "I know!" Their guide is not to be shook off. He spins on his heel, snaps and points fingerguns at the two of them. "We'll make it a double date! Wait a moment, I'll call him, he's such a foodie, you should know!" "At the very least," Anthy whispers to Utena before smiling encouragingly at him, "he has driven fairly slow." "Well, there's two of us, and just him pulling.", she whispers back. Anthy links an arm through hers in reply.

[lady-of-rohan]

joseb, 10-22. go wild

I NEVER GOT TO POST THESE JOSEB ASKS AHHH.

10. Which one stares at the other's booty like "damn" and how does the other react when catching them

Seb is pretty much canonically an ass man, so he was checking out Joseph's sweet butt even before it was appropriate ;D I actually headcanon he first saw the full booty when Jo was in the hospital and had to get a shot in the ass, and then Seb couldn't stop thinking about it for days. I feel like no matter how long they're together or how old they get, Joseph is always embarrassed and gives him "THE LOOK" especially when he stares in public.

11. When they live together what kinda place do they live in? What does their home look like?

I headcanon that Jo and Seb live separately, until Sebastian offers to have Jo move into his apartment with him (even though Jo's is wayyyy nicer and ritzy since he lives in a Krimson high rise). Seb's apartment is pretty small, having moved there with Myra after the accident. It's basically a little kitchen, a bathroom, office, living room and single bedroom. Joseph definitely helps decorate the place and make it look more homey (and certainly less messy). His aquarium also brightens it up a bit.

Further headcanon is they buy a nice house down the road after a couple years :) Sebastian buys it as a big surprise for the boyfriend ;D I wrote a fic about it here!

12. What do their dates look like

They do a lot of the classic stuff. Food is frequently involved because Seb loves to eat. They see films, go out to restaurants and their favorite diner, have coffee outings. Sometimes they take walks.

13. How does each act when getting drunk

Joseph is a sleepy drunk. He can't hold his liquor very well, and usually ends up just passing out randomly. Seb, before the accident, was a gregarious, fun-loving drunk. But since the accident he tends to be dark and brooding, so Joseph tries to keep his drinking in check. It's pretty rare that they end up drinking for leisure any more, due to Seb's alcoholism. Down the road, I feel like Joseph (and therapy) would help him manage it much better. There's an incident I wanted to write about in a fanfic, where Seb and Jo attend a wedding, and Sebastian has a bit to drink, and ends up getting really handsy and PDA with Joseph, embarrassing him.

14. Which one rolls over in the morning to wake up the other one just to give kiss them

Definitely Sebastian. As he's looking at Joseph sleeping he just can't help but wake him up with some sweet kisses

15. Have they saved each other's lives before

I'd say that's pretty much canon. Joseph I think, by reporting Seb to the IA, helped him greatly even though Sebastian was hurt, and didn't understand Joseph's reasoning that he was worried for his health. And Sebastian definitely helped Joseph out in STEM, not only by being his emotionally supportive partner, but also quite literally smacking a gun from his head.

16. Does one have an interest the other think is weird but wants to listen to it regardless

Joseph and his love of tropical fish and aquariums. Seb thinks it's so boring and stupid but he politely indulges him, anyway, since he knows that Joseph adores his hobby.

17. Which one uses cropped hentai as reaction images

I can't really see either of them doing this ahaha. But if so, I guess it'd be Seb. Like, him finding about what exactly hentai is and randomly googling to Joseph like: YOU WERE RIGHT. LOOK AT THIS SHIT.

18. Does one of them kinkshame the other

Seb definitely teases Joseph about the fact that he loves being spanked, but lovingly so. And obviously he loves his ass so he's more than happy to accommodate.

19. Is one of them self conscious about their body? If so how does the other comfort them?

Yeah, I feel like Joseph can be a bit self-conscious at times. Because Joseph is softer, and Seb is more ripped. But Sebastian just reassures Joseph that he loves every bit of him, and kisses him everywhere and shows him how much he adores his body by making sweet love to him.

20. Say they were cuddling on the bed while listening to record player playing the background. Which song is playing?

Probably something old-timey. Maybe Bing Crosby's "It's been a long long time." Sweet and soothing and romantic!

21. What is their song? Like the song that gives them overwhelming feelings?

This is a tough one. My instinctive answer was "Can't fight this feeling" by REO Speedwagon XD

22. What song do they listen to while going on a joyride

Seb would probably blast something ridiculous like Highway to Hell ahaha.

[ceallachs-m]

003 MAYUZUMI CHIHIRO lets do this!! ò 7 ó ALSO 002 MayuKuro ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) *winks*

Please don’t use that face on me-

002 | send me a ship and I will tell you:

When or if I started shipping it: It was something I considered when Mayuzumi was first introduced in the manga, mostly because my close friends really enjoyed it, but I personally didn’t see the appeal of the ship nor Mayuzumi until like… a few weeks ago. (This is coming from a person who wrote a Mayu*Kuro fic lol). And for some time I kind of gravitated towards Kuro*Mayu more, but then things happened and here I am now. I blame Bev for this. And all my favorite Aka*Kuro artists drawing Mayu*Kuro too kadjfvf Why do I always only get into a ship when no one talks about it anymore.

My Thoughts: I didn’t sign up for this. 

What makes me happy about them: I find it amusing how Kuroko actually likes Mayuzumi, but Mayuzumi is always so done with everything and he deflects social interaction left and right like the recluse he is (same tbh). And then there’s Kuroko who’s super chill and accomodating of people in general that even if Mayuzumi’s liKE PLS DON’T TALK TO ME I DON’T WANT TO ASSOCIATE WITH YOU, it doesn’t really bother Kuroko at all and he stays anyway lmao. I like Mayuzumi having a soft spot for Kuroko deSPITE ALL THE TSUN.

What makes me sad about them: The fact that it’s growing on me and I even bought doujins fml

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: I haven’t read many fics about them except Ira’s fics, and she wrote Mayu*Kuro the way I like them so yeah. :” I don’t think I have any pet peeves for now.

Things I look for in fanfic: I only read fics about Mayu*Kuro if it has Aka*Kuro involved too, LOL. Rather, I don’t think I’d particularly look for fics where they’re the main pairing, but if it has Aka*Kuro then I’d definitely go for it. I think I’m more interested in their doujins.

My kinks: I s2g these two would have a lot of angry/hate sex – that will occasionally have its tender moments, but I see it as predominantly ravenous. (Plus most of the anger/hate comes from Mayu anyway, but that’s just him being so frustrated for being susceptible to the undeniable attraction //smacked)

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Kuroko with Akashi. Mayuzumi with erm… I don’t know, I don’t really ship him with anyone. Maybe Mibuchi? Or Hayama. :”

My happily ever after for them: …ERM… THEY CAN GET MARRIED, SURE. With Akashi as the interloper. //no

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you:

How I feel about this character: He’s growing on me, please make it stop.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Kuroko (and Reo-nee maybe?)

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Interactions with other Rakuzan members are nice. ww

My unpopular opinion about this character: I’m not really a fan of him and his personality annoyed me at first, but I like his interactions with Kuroko, so my opinion of him is slowly getting better.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I don’t think I have any. :”

My het ship: Him with all his 2D waifus.

My fem/slash ship: –

My OTP: Mayu*Kuro.

My OT3: Mayu*KuroMayu are so much fun, lol.

My cross over ship: HIS 2D WAIFUS.

My kink: He can be a sadist lbr.

A headcanon fact: I FEEL LIKE HE’D BE A GOOD COOK IDK

My genderbend: I am personally not a fan of genderbend, but he seems like the type to be pretty open to stuff like this. :”D

→ Send me a character / fandom / ship!

[uozlulu]

WIP Fic. Guardians of the Galaxy/Avengers. Untitled. PG-13-ish

Back in April 2016 I had surgery and due to brain damage I have i had a really bad reaction to anesthesia and I had to build my brain back up to speed. The first fic writing idea I got post-surgery was Infinity War, but from a Guardians of the Galaxy perspective instead of an Avengers perspective. It was the only idea I had so I ran with it until I hit a brick wall of inspiration in how to write the second half of the fic idea.

Since the Infinity War trailer is out now I might as well post the portion of first draft I wrote since I did put a lot of time and effort into it so it’d be a waste not to share. If there’s an interest in me finishing this fic, editing it, and making it good enough to post on AO3 and ff.net I’ll gladly continue it even though that will mean posting it after the movie comes out. If there’s no interest in that that’s okay too. Like I said, I don’t want the time and effort it took to make a playlist (this is a GotG fic after all) and write 15,913 words to go to waste. 

It’s been spell checked and grammar checked via Word. My writing process is to write up a rough draft and then edit it once all the chapters are written so it’ll likely be rough in places or not fleshed out enough. I’ll give a rough overview of where the fic is going in the second half since it’d not be fair to post this and not tell you roughly how it ends in case it never does get finished. 

So here we go....

Title Title Goes Here Author Uozumi AO3 | ff.net | Tumblr Fandom Avengers (MCU)/Guardians of the Galaxy (MCU) Character(s)/Pairing(s) Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, Daughters of Thanos, Drax, Gamora, Groot, Happy Hogan, Scott Lang, Mantis, Wanda Maximoff, May Parker, Peter Parker, Pepper Potts, Hope Pym, Peter Quill, Rocket Racoon, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, T’Challa, Thanos, Thor, Tony Stark, Sam Wilson Genre Action/Alternate Universe/Science Fiction/War Rating PG-13 Word Count 15,913 Disclaimer MCU c. Marvel, Disney Summary The Guardians of the Galaxy track Thanos to the Solar System. Upon reaching Earth’s orbit, their ship runs afoul and they’re scattered across the globe. As they encounter the Avengers it becomes obvious that both groups must unite and stop Thanos’ threat Warning(s) language, fire, violence, death, major character deaths, spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2017), spoilers for the trailers for Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Spider-Man: Homecoming(2017) Notes For the sake of narrative clarity Peter Quill is Quill and Peter Parker is Parker. This fic also places the Ginnungagap somewhere between Greenland and Iceland. I wanted to make this a more Guardians centered fic to avoid possibly making the fic too much like the upcoming Infinity War movies. I’m just excited to be able to write fic again so I’m running with the first idea that came to me. I also will be honest that I’ve not seen Doctor Strange (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), or Thor: Ragnarök (2017).

Title Goes Here Three hops. Three more hops. It was almost two years since Yondu’s death. The Guardians of the Galaxy tracked Thanos, edging ever closer. Three jumps and they would be in the same solar system. Quill held his breath. Gamora squeezed his shoulder from the seat behind his. Two jumps. Groot slept quietly in Drax’s lap. Mantis sat with Gamora in front of the security panel. Their new ship was smaller than Quill’s old ship, but had ample space for the small crew and whoever tagged along from time to time. Mantis wanted to touch Quill and understand his emotions, but she did not feel like she could ask right now, that anyone could speak right now. One final jump. Quill let out a long, low breath. “Almost there,” Rocket said. There was not much either of them could do while the ship jumped. The ship shuddered to impulse engines as they finally arrived at their destination. They were three planets away from Thanos’ main ship. “Cant’ Fight This Feeling,” by REO Speedwagon started to play as the Earth loomed in the cockpit windshield. Peter stared. When Yondu abducted him almost thirty years ago Peter had not comprehended what happened long enough to look back at Earth before they warped out of view. He swallowed. “It’s so…blue,” Mantis said quietly. “It explains his moods,” Drax said as if in some kind of agreement. “I am Groot,” Groot yawned. “We arrived,” Rocket answered the question and then pointed off to the left, “but what is that?” Everyone looked at an object coming into view as it orbited the Earth. There were groups of eight solar panels on either side of several linked structures. “It’s too primitive to be Thanos’,” Gamora said. “Is it Terran?” Peter frowned. “I don’t know. Looks like Skylab or something, so probably.” His mind filled with questions and quandaries. Did Earth have any kind of space defense? Was this a space defense? An explosion at the stern of the ship caused everyone to move forward with the vibration. Groot fell out of Drax’s lap. The attack alert system began to sound and the security screen in front of Gamora and Mantis brought up the rear view cameras. “It’s a Chitauri sentinel,” Gamora said. “He’s firing to port.” Rocket brought up the weapon systems while Peter navigated the ship. He was not fast enough and another shot sent the ship towards Earth’s orbit. “I will go out and meet them in –” Drax said and started to undo his safety harness. “We don’t need anyone to go outside,” Peter said. “We need the guns in the back.” “We don’t have any guns in the back anymore,” Rocket said. “The sentinel is moving to starboard,” Mantis reported. “That I can do,” Rocket said and returned fire on the Chitauri ship. Groot found himself huddled under one of the seats. From his hiding spot he could see a red button behind a small cage. It was a special button only meant for emergencies. Everyone was careful to tell him not to touch it. The ship rocked again. They were losing altitude quickly. Everyone was shouting. Groot could not tell if they were winning or losing, but it felt like losing. It felt like an emergency. He extended a branch towards the button and pushed. “Ejection sequence activated,” the ship’s voice said. “Ejection sequence activated. Please remained seated.” “What the –” Peter glanced over his shoulder and did a head count. “Where’s Groot?” “I am Groot,” Groot said and he scrambled up into the empty chair. “Ten,” the computer said. “You WHAT?” Rocket asked. “Nine.” “I am Groot,” Groot said. “Eight.” The computer activated everyone’s safety gear so that they each became encased in a bubble wrap looking space suit. “Seven.” Peter tried to keep the ship stable. “Someone needs to stop this ejection sequence.” “Six.” “I’m trying! I’m trying!” Rocket said. “It’s not responding.” “Five.” “We need a meeting place,” Gamora said. “Four.” “Uh…” Peter tried to think of a landmark. Any landmark. “Three.” “Peter!” “Two.” “The St. Louis arch!” Peter said. “One.” The windshield lowered and the ship ejected everyone except for Peter, who sat in the captain’s chair, into Earth’s atmosphere. Peter kept control of the wounded ship. All he could do was guide it towards what looked like North America as everyone else disappeared from view, as “Baby, I can’t fight this feeling anymore,” brought an end to the sound playing over the speaker system. The group ejected from the ship were too high up for their jet rockets to engage immediately. Their suits protected them from disintegrating in the reentry friction. One by one the winds pulled them away from each other until only Groot and Rocket remained. “Groot! GROOT!” Rocket cried out after his bubble-wrap like suit retracted, but he was too far away for Groot to hear. A large coastal city loomed below. “Dammit – Groot!” Rocket shouted. His jetpack kept him at a stable speed, but if he tried to force it to help him fly, it sputtered and threatened to fail. Rocket was so fixed on Groot’s position that he was ill-prepared to land on a terrace of one of the tallest buildings and tumble into the penthouse. He lay on the floor catching his breath and then let out a string of curse words. Rocket stood up and pulled the jetpack off so he could examine it. “No. No.” There was a small scorch mark at the base. He opened a hatch and examined the wiring. “Shit.” He felt eyes on him and tensed. He raised his gaze and saw a man sipping coffee watching Rocket quietly from a few yards away. “Totally didn’t see anything,” Tony Stark said. “Totally didn’t hear anything either.” He kept his distance and did not take his eyes from Rocket. Both grew quiet, assessing the other. Tony was so calm that Rocket could believe Quill’s stories about these raccoon things being on Earth that looked like him. “Anyway, where do people go to get mechanical parts around here?” Rocket gestured towards the direction he came from. “I’ve got a friend to go pick up and I can’t do it with this thing busted.” “Who’s your friend?” Tony asked. He finished off his coffee. “None of your business,” Rocket said. “I just need some wires and probably a propulsion cord. Tubing too.” Normally all these things would be ripe for the taking at the nearest spaceport, but Rocket knew they were too far out in the boonies of the galaxy for such a thing. Tony set his mug down. “It’s my business,” he said. “I know there’s an invasion coming. I know raccoons don’t talk or fall out of the sky. So I need to know who your friend is so I can protect this city, this planet from whatever’s coming.” Rocket realized the only thing keeping this situation from deteriorating was the fact he had not presented a credible threat to this person yet. He could also tell that Tony’s patience was thin. Rocket looked around the room at his options and paused. They were in a penthouse full of comfortable furniture and decorations that belied the owner was artistic and mechanical and probably out his nose rich. Rocket set his jetpack down and showed Tony his palms. “I think I’ve been too hasty. My friend is a small talking tree about this tall. If I don’t find him soon, who knows what will happen to him.” “A small talking tree?” Tony asked. “Yeah. His name’s Groot,” Rocket said. “He’s not even a sapling. He went down somewhere over there.” Rocket gestured off towards Queens. “We’ve got to get back together and find this…uh…” he tried to remember what Peter said before everyone left the ship, “San Ark.” “San Ark?” Tony asked. “Yeah, I don’t know what it is either,” Rocket said. “Anyway, like I said, I need some parts to fix this thing so I can go find him.” Tony was quiet a long moment, thinking things over. “Okay. Come with me. I know where there are some parts.” He started off towards the elevator. Rocket followed. He figured if it was a trap, he could get out of it. Gamora, meanwhile, lost sight of the others early on. She fell through the atmosphere and waited. If she engaged the jetpack too early it would not work. She could see airplanes below and no sign of any spacecraft other than what they saw from orbit. She went into a bank of clouds and still waited. When she emerged, she could see taiga stretching out in front of her with few signs of settlement. Gamora retracted her bubble wrap-like suit and engaged her jetpack, using it to guide her into a landing spot, avoiding the fir trees. Gamora landed in a pile of slush. Everything was melting from warmer late spring temperatures. She sighed and looked around. Like so much about Earth, she was in the middle of nowhere. It was too cloudy to find the sun. She took out a small device from her pocket that was made to find certain types of magnetism for navigating any habitable planet. She held it up and let it calibrate, using the reflection on the device to see behind her. She took a deep breath. What was it that Quill said aliens always said in movies? “I come in peace,” Gamora said. Her device beeped to let her know it had calibrated to Earth’s magnetic force. “Forgive me if I don’t believe you,” Sam Wilson replied where he stood not far away, one hand on a gun near his thigh, “since the last few have not.” Gamora showed him her hands, though she was ready to defend if need be, and turned slowly to face him. She could tell he was a soldier and highly intelligent. Before either could speak again, there was a streak through the sky. The damaged Chitauri sentinel crashed into the trees not far away. “Not one of those bastards again,” Sam murmured. “You’ve fought them before?” Gamora asked. “Yeah,” Sam said, keeping details light. He drew his gun. Gamora drew her own space gun. It was small and discreet and ran on its own self-charging system. They retreated into denser taiga and waited. The Chitauri moved silently. There were two of them carrying medium sized particle weapons. The Chitauri shot first, singing the trees. Sam and Gamora moved to other cover. Gamora returned fire when she could. Sam fired one shot, choosing to conserve his bullets and lead the action towards the mouth of the forest. Gamora drew closer to one of the Chitauri once she saw the riverbank and led them out into the open. Once they were on the ample, rocky riverbank, she drew her sword and charged. The Chitauri switched weapons to a three pronged blade that pulsed with electricity. They clashed, each try to avoid death. The rocks were flat and wide farther away from the river, leading to good footing for both. They twisted and turned, trying to cement the high ground and avoid the smaller rocks. Out in the open, Sam lacked cover. He did not have his wings either. However, he knew the terrain and he knew his skills. He returned fire, injuring the Chitauri. Sam used the pause in action to charge forward and tackle the Chitauri to the ground. He could heard the other Chitauri die. Thick blood oozed from the Chitauri under Sam. The Chitauri stopped struggling and reached for a button on the side of his armor. “Get away!” Gamora shouted at Sam, who was already rolling away from the Chitauri. When the Chitauri pressed the button he exploded, spewing guts, blood, and skin across the riverbank, Sam, and Gamora. Two seconds later there was a massive explosion in the direction of the Chitauri ship causing the ground to shake in such a way that Gamora almost lost her footing. Fire shot into the sky, lighting the forest around it on fire like a giant flare. The bears down river made alarmed noises, calling to each other to evacuate. Other animals began running in any direction leading away from the fire. Sam scrambled to his feet. Gamora joined him and they ran downstream away from the fire. They came to a place in which rocks stuck out at short enough intervals they could cross the river. The fire continued to spread. Gamora looked over her shoulder once she crossed the river at the destruction consuming the taiga. She turned away and continued following Sam. Back in New York, Groot remained motionless on the roof of someone’s front porch. He fell three hours ago and he was not sure what to do. He lost track of everyone after he pressed the button. He heard someone approach the house and peered in their direction. Peter Parker entered the front yard and rubbed his face. He had his backpack slung over a shoulder and looked wiped out from school. He ran a hand through his hair and paused. Then he looked directly at Groot. Groot held his breath and remained perfectly still. He was definitely just a bit of drift wood on this roof. He was one with other branches that fell during the rain last night. He relaxed when Parker entered the house. Groot was not sure if he should stay on the roof or not. He meant to leave sooner but some neighbors came out of their houses to hang flags and others kept coming and going as if everyone was preparing for an upcoming party. Groot hoped he would not have to lie low until night. Certainly the others were looking for him. The window near Groot’s head opened. Parker leaned out and touched Groot carefully. Groot held his breath. “Hey,” Parker said. “I can hear you breathing.” He held out a long stem of broccoli. “Are you hungry?” Groot looked at the broccoli. He’d never seen such a plant before. “I am Groot,” he said quietly. Parker blinked. “What?” he asked. “I am Groot,” Groot repeated a little louder this time. Parker nodded slowly. “Well, uh…if you need water, I can get you water.” He put the broccoli in his mouth and ate it. “Want to come inside?” “I am Groot,” Groot said. He reached out to Parker. Parker picked him up, unsure of how to hold Groot at first. “I’m Peter, by the way,” Peter said. He juggled Groot in one arm and shut his window with his other hand. “As long as Aunt May doesn’t see you, you can stay here as long as you want.” “I am Groot?” Groot asked. “She’s uh…my dad’s sister-in-law,” Parker said. “I’ve lived with her since I was little.” He carried Groot down the hall and into the bathroom. He set Groot down on the linoleum and made sure the small tub was clean. Groot looked around the bathroom. He saw a cockroach in the corner and slowly crept over to it. He caught it in his branches and bit down on its hard exterior. “I am Groot,” he murmured in disgust and cast the cockroach aside. The cockroach ran into a nearby vent as fast as possible. “I don’t think you should eat that,” Parker said. He started the water running. “What kind of temperature do you like?” “I am Groot,” Groot said. Parker nodded and adjusted it so it was ever so slightly warm. “Try that,” he said. Groot reached out and touched the water. “I am Groot!” he said and excitedly got into the tub. “Okay,” Parker said. “Now, watch this.” Parker engaged the shower. Groot’s eyes lit up when the shower rained down on him. He rushed to the far end of the tub to get the brunt of the blast and then danced about, taking in the water. There was a large curtain pulled across most of the tub. Peter watched him from the far end where the water wasn’t in danger of soaking the bathroom. Groot looked at Parker and then remembered to say, “I am Groot.” “You’re welcome,” Parker said. “I AM GROOT!” Groot shrieked when the water abruptly became ice cold. He ran away from the brunt of the spray and got out of the tub. “Ah! Hold it!” Peter said. He shut the water off and grabbed a big towel. Groot tried to evade the towel and ran out into the hallway, leaving a small trail of water in his wake. “Groot, you can’t get everything wet!” “I am Groot!” “You’re on carpet! Air drying doesn’t count!” Parker eventually dropped the towel over Groot as gently as possible. Groot stopped running once he was under the warm fluff. Groot dried himself off and peeked out at Parker. He watched Parker wiping up the puddles Groot left on the carpet and bathroom floor. Groot draped his towel tent over his head like a hooded cape and sat on the floor. The door downstairs closed. “I’m home!” Aunt May called out. “Shit,” Parker murmured. “Hey, go to my room and hide, okay?” he said quietly to Groot. “I can’t let Aunt May see you.” Groot looked at the staircase and then he looked at Parker’s room. “Groot,” Parker hissed. “Are you okay?” Aunt May asked from the foot of the stairs. “Yeah,” Parker called out. He headed down the stairs. Groot got up and dragged his towel cocoon into Parker’s room. He settled down onto a small child-sized chair Parker kept in a corner despite being too big for it now and fell fast asleep. Mantis did not worry when she saw the others disappear. They all had to find Louis Arch. She did not think Quill would pick a place too hard to find to meet back up at since he grew up on this planet. She was west of Gamora and none of the terrain was ideal to land. She finally settled down on the rocky shore downstream of Gamora and on the other side of the river. There were bears upstream. Mantis approached the river and knelt down, sticking her fingers into the cold river. Instantly she withdrew them, wiping them off on her jacket. “Too cold,” she murmured, accustomed to talking to herself when alone to cope with Ego leaving her alone for long stretches of time. Mantis’ antennae stretched. She could feel eyes on her. She turned around and saw a young woman watching her. “Hello,” Mantis said. “I am Mantis with the Guardians of the Galaxy. We’ve come to save Earth.” Wanda Maximoff did not immediately say anything. She looked at Mantis as if she was not sure it would be rude to stare at Mantis’ antennae too long. “I do not know who or what that is,” Wanda said carefully, still assessing if Mantis was friend or foe. “We are a group that helps anyone who needs help,” Mantis said. She paused. “Unless they’re Thanos.” She kept her gaze on Wanda. She did not know why but there was something about Wanda that seemed familiar, almost like Mantis herself. Mantis knew that this feeling made no sense since she and Wanda did not look alike, but she could not shake the feeling either. Wanda took one step forward. “You feel things, yes?” She did not look away from Mantis either. “Yes,” Mantis said. “I feel…everything.” She also took a step forward. Her fingers she dipped in the river stung in the cold air. “I don’t touch people who don’t allow it,” Mantis added. Wanda brought her hand up, but kept it close to her body, hesitating. Mantis reached out, her palm open, ready to take Wand’s hand if Wanda consented. “What is going on?” Steve Rogers asked as he emerged from the fir trees. He was dressed in earth tones and for the climate like Wanda. Wanda took a deep breath and then let her hand rest at her side. Mantis lowered her hand as well and curled her fingers to access the warmth from the sleeve of her jacket. “I have it under control,” Wanda said. “This is Mantis. She says she is a Guardian of the Galaxy.” Steve looked at Mantis. “What are you doing on Earth?” he asked. He looked at ease, but his stance was also tense as though he was ready to defend them if Mantis attacked. “We’re –” Mantis said but stopped speaking as the three of them watched the injured Chitauri ship fly across the sky and disappear out of view. “They attacked us,” Mantis said. “Our ship sent us into your atmosphere and we got separated.” “Why would they attack you?” Steve asked, his eyes trained on where the craft disappeared from view. “We’re here to stop Thanos,” Mantis said. “They work for him.” “We’ve fought them before,” Steve said. He frowned deeply. “Wanda, I’m going to help Sam. Take Mantis to that place. If things start to go south, take the truck and head northwest.” Wanda nodded. She motioned for Mantis to follow her. Steve ran in the direction of the ship. It would take him into the woods before Gamora and Sam could emerge from the woods. Mantis followed Wanda along the riverbank. Wanda handed Mantis a pair of gloves. “You do not want to get frostbite,” she said. “Wear these.” “What is frost bite?” Mantis asked, who was used to Ego’s utopia and the safety of spaceships. “It is when the skin rots,” Wanda said. Mantis pulled on the gloves. They were very warm. They moved quickly as they could through across the taiga only stopping when an explosion echoed from far away. Wanda hesitated, looking back at where Sam and Steve were. Then she shook her head. “We must hurry,” she said and picked up the pace. Not long after animals began to run in the same direction and the smell of the forest burning filled the air. When they arrived at an abandoned fishing cabin, Wanda and Mantis got in the truck. It was outfitted for the terrain and snow. Wanda started it up and the pair headed to the road. They headed North West and soon they ran into Steve, Sam, and Gamora, who got in the back of the truck. Wanda continued driving through the haze caused by the fire, heading steadily towards the tundra. Drax ended up getting carried away to the north farther than any of the others. He ditched his protective suit as soon as he could and used his jetpack to avoid landing in the ocean and finally bringing it down along the eastern most coastline of a series of fjords. It was cold and there was snow flurries in the air. His shoreline was just the bottom of a cliff surrounded by other cliffs and glaciers. He heard noise nearby and looked towards ocean. Two men in a sophisticated boat came in as close to shore as they dared and idled. Thor stood up and raised a hand in greeting. “We saw you fall from orbit. What is your business here?” “I have no business,” Drax said. “I’m not getting paid.” “Right,” Thor murmured. “Do you think he’s one of Thanos’ men?” Bruce Banner asked quietly, though his voice carried across the water. Both Thor and Bruce wore long and thick dark cloaks to protect them from the weather. Thor shook his head. “I think he is one of those we heard about,” he told Bruce. Then he asked Drax in a louder voice, “Are you the one who held the Power Stone and survived?” “I did not hold the stone, I held my friends’ hands,” Drax said. He paused. “That is why I survived.” “So he’s one of them?” Bruce asked Thor. “It appears so,” Thor said to Bruce, “which means we are very fortunate.” He addressed Drax again, “We are two of the Avengers. We can ferry you wherever you must go. It is likely your comrades will meet where ours will.” “At the ark?” Drax asked. Maybe this ark Quill wanted them to meet at was some kind of port on Earth. “No,” Thor said. “On the battlefield against Thanos.” He extended a gang plank from the boat towards Drax so that Drax would not have to step into the frigid ocean. Drax stepped onto the plank and then onto the ship. He settled down onto one of two seats Thor and Bruce were not using. “I did not know Earth had such technology,” he said. “We don’t,” Bruce said. He looked around the boat for a compartment that might store clothes. “We might have an extra cloak if you want one.” “No,” Drax said, “my nipples are too sensitive. I can do without.” “If we are ready, let us be off,” Thor said. “Once the wind is warmer, we will be able to contact our allies.” Once they were all settled onto the boat, he pushed some buttons and they shot off across the water at tremendous speed. “Temple of the King” by Rainbow played in Quill’s earbuds as he assessed the large mass in front of him. It swallowed up part of the town he was raised in and now the buildings were abandoned. He found it when walking through the forest away from the crash site. No one needed to tell him that the large magma-like monolith was a remnant of Ego’s failed plan. He also had a feeling the attack originated from somewhere near the Dairy Queen his mother took him to whenever she had the funds. He took in a deep breath. He still had his wallet from Earth along with $15.00 in bills and probably another $3.03 in coins. It was leftover birthday money. Peter sighed deeply. The town’s graveyard was likely swallowed up since it wasn’t too far away on the other side of the Dairy Queen. Quill opened his mouth and then closed it. He turned away and began walking out of town. Some of the shops were the same but most changed. He was not sure what a Starbucks was but it was where the comic book store was when he was little. The route to a nearby state road was the same and soon Peter was walking towards Saint Louis. “Mr. Big Stuff,” by Jean Knight came on Quill’s Zune next. He let the beat get into his step as he continued along the shoulder. He tried to hail a big rig that passed, but the driver did not stop. Even though it had been over two decades since he last traveled to Saint Louis, Peter knew the route well. He went back and forth his entire life with his mom while she tried to treat her cancer. He regretted naming the arch as their rendezvous point, but it was the first iconic landmark he could think of while trying not to die. The sun was starting to think about setting when a car slowed down beside Quill and he paused his music. The car window rolled down with a comfortable hum instead of a squeak from a crank. A man older than Quill sat in the passenger seat and a red haired woman drove. “Hey,” Clint Barton said. “Looks like you could use a lift.” “Going to Saint Louis?” Quill asked. He pulled the earbuds out of his ears. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Natasha Romanoff said in a half-deadpan that Quill could not tell was sincere or a hint that her response was a joke. He could, however, tell she was probably Russian. It made him remember the Cold War for the first time in decades. He wondered if it was still happening. “Get in,” Clint said. “Always room for one more.” Quill got in the back of their car and settled into the seat behind Clint, putting his bag in the middle seat. The car was cushier than the last car he rode in. It was also more technologically advanced with dual climate control and actual built in cup holders for passengers in the front and the back instead of little plastic ones that got wedged into the space between the car window and the door interior. “This is…really nice,” Quill said. He wondered if it was a high end model or maybe a cheap model. If this was a cheap or older car, he could not imagine what some high end new car must be like now. “Thanks,” Natasha said. After a bit of silence, Clint asked, “So, what brings you to Missouri?” Clint sounded like he came from the next state or so over and it put Quill at ease. Quill leaned back in his seat, surprised at how much leg room he had in the back even if it was still cramped. “Business,” Quill said. “What about you?” “Yeah, we’ve got business here too,” Clint said. He seemed to consider his words and then asked, “Did you see that big thing in the sky a few hours ago? I keep telling Tasha that it was a UFO, but she won’t believe me.” “They aren’t real,” Natasha said. “It was a meteor.” “Meteors aren’t that big,” Clint said. “It also had passengers.” “Cast off,” Natasha said. “Meteors break up in the atmosphere.” Quill did not know what to say at first. He was prepared for people to be afraid of the other Guardians. He was not prepared to explain his ship, which now that he thought about it, was kind of a stupid detail to overlook. He held up his hands. “I saw it. Trust me, definitely saw it. Big hunt of rock spewing little rocks everywhere. Pretty sure it was a meteor.” He paused. “Or is it a meteorite? One falls to Earth the other is on Earth…” “That doesn’t explain why you were in a town that hasn’t been inhabited in three years,” Clint said deceptively casually. Quill froze. “Shit.” Natasha had been slowly increasing her speed to the point the car was now too fast for Quill to easily escape. Quill licked his lips and considered his options. “The people after you are also after us,” Clint said. “We can help, but you have to tell us who you and why you’re here.” “And if I don’t?” Quill asked. “Then we’ll leave you where SHIELD can find you,” Clint said. “SHIELD’s just a rumor,” Quill said without thinking. “So you have been off world a while then,” Natasha said. “SHIELD is very real and they are already picking apart your spacecraft as we speak.” Clint nodded. “Why did you come here? Who are you?” he asked. Quill weighed his options. The state route did seem unusually desolate. He also knew that the Guardians alone would like be unable to stop Thanos by themselves. “I’m Star Lord. There’s this intergalactic evil guy called Thanos coming to collect stuff hidden away on Earth. As a Guardian of the Galaxy, it’s my job to make sure he doesn’t get it.” “‘Stuff?’” Clint asked. “What stuff?” “Space stuff,” Quill said. “Top secret space stuff.” “Is your name really Star Lord?” Natasha asked. “Yeah,” Quill said. “It’s a name known throughout the galaxy.” Clint gave him a dubious look. Natasha looked mildly amused. Maybe. Quill could not read her yet, but something about her reminded him of Gamora and Nebula. “You can also call me Peter,” Quill said. “Who are you?” “Avengers,” Natasha said and left it at that. A siren caught Quill’s attention and he looked out the rear window. There was a sheriff car zooming towards them. “We must be out of that zone now,” Clint said. “I hope you’re buckled in, boys,” Natasha said. “We’re going to lose him. She pushed the car to its limits and cut across a field to another state highway that would lead to an interstate. Traffic increased and she began to weave her way to the nearest exit. “We’re going to leave the car in the open and use the darkness to our advantage,” she said for Quill’s benefit. They entered a town of over 5,000 people at a normal speed and continued along the state route until they reached a sad looking gas station near the interstate. They abandoned the car in the parking lot and went into nearby woods, working their way south parallel to the interstate. They crossed a road and continued until they reached a neighborhood. The houses were modest, some better kept than others. Quill stopped and looked at the houses around them. It reminded him of the neighborhood his grandfather lived in except with more disrepair and age. He swallowed down his feelings and followed Natasha and Clint as if the three of them were out for a totally normal walk. Quill was not sure what Avengers were, but it sounded like the kind of help he needed. He decided to stick with Clint and Natasha for now. They found their way to a boat showroom. There was a pickup truck in the parking lot and no sign of anyone in the store. It did not take long for them to get the truck started and start heading south on the interstate. They were going away from St. Louis now with Clint driving. “What are the Guardians of the Galaxy?” Natasha asked. She sat between Clint and Quill. “What are the Avengers?” Quill asked. “Seems polite you tell me about yourself first.” “The Avengers are a group of skilled individuals who protect the earth,” Natasha said. She opened the glove compartment and found an unopened bag of chips. Neither Clint nor Quill objected when she opened them and began rationing them out to the three of them. Quill made a weird face when he tasted the BBQ flavor. “This is…weird.” He knew how BBQ chips should taste but this was not it. “Not a bad weird.” “I believe it’s your turn,” Natasha said and gave Quill another chip. “It’s polite.” Quill snorted a little. “The Guardians of the Galaxy are like the Avengers, but in space. We get hired to do stuff like protect batteries or if a big threat comes up like Ronan, we kick his ass.” “Ronan?” Clint asked. “Yeah, the Destroyer,” Quill said. He was working for Thanos, but we managed to defeat him.” By the skin of their teeth and the seat of their pants. Even knowing he was part Celestial now, Quill did not know how he survived the Power Stone. “We’ve heard things about Thanos,” Natasha said, “mostly whispers.” She passed the third to last chip to Clint and passed the next to last chip to Quill before taking the final chip for herself. Quill turned the chip over in his hands. He was running out of time and had to take the chance that Clint and Natasha could help him. Where else could he go? He took a deep breath and began to explain what he knew about Thanos and what the Guardians were on Earth to do. A large ball of fire and particle beam shot up into the sky far enough away that Dax, Bruce, and Thor could not see the source. It was a fireball tall enough that it likely could be seen from space. Bruce cleared his throat “Well, that…’s festive.” “Is it a custom?” Drax asked. It made him think of the bonfires his people danced around except bigger and more annoying. “No,” Bruce said. “I’m not sure what that was.” They could see very, very faint smoke as though the fireball had been taller than wide and whatever caught on fire might be even farther away than it first appeared. “We are in range to communicate,” Thor said. “The others might be aware of what the cause is.” He removed a communication device from his belt. It looked Asgardian in design. He pressed some buttons and waited. The set of three beeps caught Rocket’s attention immediately. His jetpack fixing adventure led to him needing to rebuild the entire interior of the pack if he wanted it to work. Tony’s technology was not primitive, but Rocket did know several places across the galaxy he probably could get better equipment in some regards. If this was the height of terran technology, Rocket did not want to think about what he would be up against if he landed somewhere less populated. Whatever was beeping kept beeping. Rocket looked at Tony who was working quietly in a corner on his own project. Rocket could not tell if Tony was purposefully ignoring the beeping or could not hear it over the music playing from the speakers. It was similar music to the stuff Quill played but a little louder and a little angrier. Rocket liked it. “Mr. Stark, there is a communication from There Can Only Be One,” FRIDAY said. Tony paused the song, went over to a nearby desk, and retrieved a communication device that looked like alien tech Rocket saw before that definitely was not terran. He pressed a button. “Tony Stark.” “Greetings,” Thor said. “Forgive my lack of communication. There has been too many developments.” “If you mean aliens dropping from the sky once a week around the world and a talking raccoon in my workroom, yeah, lots happening,” Tony said. He moved over to where he was working. “Hey,” Rocket said as if he was telling Quill to watch it with the raccoon talk. “So there are other talking raccoons? Quill said that they did not talk here,” Drax said. Rocket rolled his eyes. He bounded over to Tony’s workspace and said loud enough for the others to hear, “It’s me, you dumbass.” “I’m here too,” Bruce said muffled in the background. Tony’s face softened at Bruce’s voice a little. He let out a small breath. “Been a while,” Tony said. “Glad you’re safe.” There was a small pause and then Thor said, “We must assemble together at the tower. There is much to discuss. It is also important that we find the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy. They will be indispensable in the upcoming battle.” “About that…” Tony said. “Stuff happened. Fighting on the tarmac is a meme now. Half the team are fugitives on the run. Rhodey is a bionic man. We’ve not assembled in over a year.” There was silence on the other end of the line. Rocket studied Tony’s face, trying not to be obvious about it. Tony looked off at the bar he no longer stocked. “We cannot fight ourselves right now. Not just Midgard but Asgard and possibly the universe needs us to stop Thanos before he can obtain what he seeks,” Thor said. “I –” Tony stopped himself. “Look. We already fought. Everyone lost.” “How about,” Bruce said and his voice became clearer as though he took the communication device from Thor, “we come to the tower, you get whoever you want to come too, and we talk about how to handle this? You can tell us what happened and we can figure out how screwed we are.” Tony was quiet for a long moment. “Yeah. I’ll make some calls. Get who I can here.” “We will arrive in…” Bruce’s voice trailed. “About one and half sjømil,” Thor said, a little muffled. “Yeah,” Bruce said. “We’re in a boat. We’ll be there in an hour or two? I think we might be warping space time around us.” “We are following the river,” Thor said. “We’ll see you soon,” Bruce said. When the transmission ended, Tony let out a slow, low breath. “I told them this was going to happen,” he said. “Nobody listened.” Rocket frowned. “Well, it’s happening. Now what?” He was not sure what ‘it’ meant Thanos specifically, aliens in general, or whatever the fight was about. “Don’t you have some sort of guardians to gather or something?” Tony asked. He was already queuing up contact info of those to notify. “We’re all going to meet at the San Ark. Can’t be too hard to find,” Rocket said. “Drax and I can just bring you guys with us.” Rocket would use a communicator to talk to the others but he did not have one on him. He had not anticipated someone using the emergency exit button. Tony looked dubious, like Rocket was talking about something alien. It made Rocket wonder if in the thirty some years Quill had been off world that this San Ark thing stopped existing. “Besides, I’ve got to go get Groot once this is fixed,” Rocket said. He returned to his jetpack. “How hard is it going to be finding a little tree in this place?” He knew how hard, but that was also why he needed to fix the jetpack. He needed to be able to outrun anyone who had problems with a talking raccoon and sentient toddler tree. Rocket hoped nothing too weird was happening with Groot. The first hour of riding in the back of the pickup was silent. Sam sat in the corner behind the driver’s seat and Gamora sat in the corner behind the passenger’s seat. Steve sat beside Sam. Gamora had a communicator but she kept it off for now. The middle window in the back of the cab was open so they could communicate with Wanda and Mantis once they were in a position talking would not disturb Wanda’s driving. The taiga was rough, but the truck was equipped for off-roading. After a while, they came to a gravel-road. “Should I?” Wanda asked. “Yeah,” Steve said quietly. The fire was behind them and still burned. The gravel was easier to travel than the taiga. After a few minutes, Mantis said, “It’s very quiet. Our friend always plays music when we travel.” “So the two of you work together?” Steve asked, his eyes moving from Mantis to Gamora and back. “Yes,” Mantis said. She turned her head to look back at Sam and Steve. “He loves music. His soul is full of music.” “Thanos’ soul is full of music?” Sam asked as if he officially had heard everything now. “No,” Mantis said. “Peter Quill’s soul is full of music. We’re here to stop Thanos. He’s not our friend.” “We’ve been tracking Thanos down for the last year,” Gamora said. “He’s after powerful weapons that are so powerful they require more than one being to use in most cases. He is so strong, he can use at least one if not more without assistance.” She took a breath. “As far as we know, he doesn’t posses any of them, but there are two on Terra and possibly two more that can be accessed from Terra.” Steve’s lips drew into an increasingly thin line as Gamora spoke. “How many of you are there?” “Six,” Gamora said. “When our ship was in orbit we were attacked by the Chitauri that followed us into your forest. If you know who Thanos is, you know what kind of threat will come, and he will come soon.” Steve looked down in thought and Sam kept his eyes on Gamora. Steve’s gaze swept over them from Sam to Wanda to Mantis and finally to Gamora. “What can we do to stop him? How can we help?” Gamora knew they would need any ally they could get. She began to explain the situation, keeping some details to herself for now. Groot woke up from his nap alone in Parker’s room. The sun was low in the sky and the room was very dim. Groot emerged from the towel and looked at a small post-it note on the arm of the small chair. He could not read English, though he saw Quill write in it from time to time. Groot sniffed the post-it and made a weird face before sticking it back onto the arm of the chair where he found it. He climbed up onto the window sill and let what sunlight could reach him touch him. It was nice. It was also really, really quiet. Groot remembered not to let Aunt May see him, whatever an Aunt May was. Parker said it was a father’s sister-in-law, but that explained nothing. Groot got down from the window sill and quietly went to the door. He peeked out into the hallway. There were no lights on upstairs, but there was a nightlight in the hallway. There were lights downstairs and he could hear the TV playing. Groot crept closer to the stairs, pausing every so often to stand perfectly still. It was a good camouflage tactic used on his home planet. The music from the TV drew Groot closer. The course said, “Tell me more. Tell me more,” but Groot did not need direct prompting. He settled onto one of the steps and peered through the balusters. A woman folded clothes while watching the TV where a group of adults pretending to be teenagers danced around a school ground singing about summer love. It was very colorful and very catchy. Groot let his legs dangle over the edge of the step. May Parker placed the folded laundry meant to go upstairs back into the basket. She left the television on and headed for the stairs. Groot was too engrossed in the continuing movie to realize he should move until he heard a very loud shout. “No! I will not have rats in my house!” May said. She kicked out at Groot who slipped between the balusters only to fall to the floor. May set her laundry down on a step and charged down to grab a broom. Groot got up and looked around. He ran under the sofa, but he was too big to fit. He tried under a chair, but again, he was just one size too big. He finally laid down under the coffee table and remained completely still. May approached and moved to stick the broom under the coffee table to help herd the presumed rat towards the door before she froze and blinked. “What…?” She took a step back and studied Groot. “You’re not a rat.” After a long moment of silence, Groot said, “I am Groot.” “I’m May Parker,” May said. Groot suddenly yelped and rolled out from under the coffee table. “I am Groot!” he exclaimed and prepared to run off. This was the Aunt May Parker told him to avoid probably. “Wait!” May said. “Wait. You’re not in trouble.” “I am Groot?” Groot asked. “Is that all you can say?” May asked. “I am Groot,” Groot said. He did not understand how Parker could understand him but May could not. “Well, ah…do you know Peter?” May asked. “I am Groot,” Groot said and nodded for emphasis. “I see,” May said. “He’s at a party right now. How about we call him?” she asked. Groot nodded. May took out her cellphone. Groot looked over his shoulder at the TV just as the song ended. His eyes sparkled a little and he settled down on the carpet to sit and watch. Movies were truly wonderful. He figured it would not hurt anything to keep watching the movie while May talked to Peter. Traveling northwest worked until the snow began to fall. While the truck was equipped for difficult weather and rough terrain, it was not wise to press their luck. They returned to the gravel road until they pulled off to take a break and change drivers. Wanda led Mantis to a water source in sight of the truck. It looked clear and flowed. Wanda knelt down and began to refill her canteens. “I will let you have one of these,” she said. “It’s not good to travel without water.” Mantis knelt beside Wanda and watched. “Is the god who controls your weather angry with you?” she asked. “What?” Wanda asked. “Sometimes planets are gods or controlled by gods,” Mantis said. “When mine was upset, he would make every day dark and cold.” She took the canteen carefully from Wanda once it was full. “What did you do about it?” Wanda asked. She filled the second canteen. “There was nothing I could do until the very end,” Mantis said. “I was brought there to help, not hurt.” She unscrewed the cap of the canteen and then screwed it back on, examining the design. “I did not want to think about it until I had to think about it.” Wanda screwed the cap onto her canteen and observed Mantis. “Did no one else think it was wrong?” “There was only Ego and me,” Mantis said. “Until my friends came, then we destroyed Ego and began hunting Thanos.” They lapsed into silence. Wanda stood up and then Mantis stood. Mantis did not take her eyes off Wanda. “May I touch your hand?” “What?” Wanda asked. “I want to know what you’re feeling,” Mantis said. “When I touch beings I can feel their emotions, all of them. I can also manipulate their moods. Ego used that in me to help him sleep.” “I feel worried,” Wanda said. She tied her canteen back to her belt. “Something is coming. It won’t end well.” Mantis nodded. She tied her canteen to her own belt since that was where canteens seemed to go. “I am worried too,” she said. Since Wanda did not agree to anything, Mantis put her hands in her pockets. Mantis looked over at Gamora who was trying to reach Quill on her communicator. “Gamora is strong,” Mantis said. “When she’s with me I feel like I can be strong too.” Wanda followed Mantis’ gaze. “We are also strong,” she said. “Hopefully strong enough.” They walked over to Gamora who was working on establishing contact with Quill. “Finally,” Quill said. In the background they could hear a radio commercial for a Back to the 80’s concert transitioned into “Rocket Man” by Elton John. “Where are you? Are you okay?” Mantis, Wanda, Sam, and Steve gathered around Gamora. “We’re fine,” Gamora said. “Mantis is with me. It’s snowing and there’s a lot of trees and bodies of water.” “How far north are you?” Quill asked after a pause. “How would I know?” Gamora asked genuinely. She did not know how she would know if she had never been to Earth before and did not know where Quill even was right now. “Peter, the Chitauri ship followed us. It sent some kind of signal to Thanos. I think we’ve got anywhere between three hours and three weeks before Thanos arrives. “Three’s more,” Gamora continued. “We met up with three people, one of whom can outrun a forest fire without getting winded or breaking a sweat.” “Is his name Steve?” Clint asked, voice muffled from behind on the opposite side of the truck from Quill. “It’s me,” Steve answered, speaking loud enough for Clint to hear but not so loud his voice would carry past the clearing. “From what I can tell, Gamora and Mantis are serious about stopping Thanos. They seem like,” a pause, “people we can work with.” “Quill seems that way to us too,” Clint said. “What we need to do is come up with a strategy,” Sam said. “Sounds like Thanos has been strategizing for a long time now. He probably already knows what he’s going to do after that big fireball appeared.” “I agree,” Gamora said. “We at least should assess where we are and if we can get together to talk about what we should do. We’ll need as many allies as we can get. Thanos has many armies at his disposal.” They began solidifying their plans. Gamora and Mantis’ group were about two to three days travel from where Quill’s group was. They decided to use Memorial Day weekend to their advantage and meet towards sunset to ensure most people would not be paying attention to them. When the conversation ended, Gamora checked to see if she could get in touch with Drax, Rocket, or Groot. None of them responded. She sighed and put her communicator away. The group got back into their truck, this time with Steve driving, and started back towards the gravel road that cut through the taiga. The first person to arrive at Tony’s place was James Rhodes, followed soon after by Vision. After an insanely long conversation with a go-between, Tony got T’Challa to agree to a video conference. Tony sighed. “Two more to go,” he said more to himself than anyone else. “Is there a reason there’s a talking raccoon making a jetpack?” Rhodey asked quietly so Rocket could not hear, but Rocket could hear. “Repairing a jetpack,” Tony clarified. “Same thing,” Rhodey said. “He fell from the sky. He’ll go find a talking tree once he’s done,” Tony said. “Of course he will,” Rhodey said. He accepted the glass of water Tony poured for him. “I am Vision,” Vision greeted Rocket. “Are you from Earth?” “No,” Rocket said. He was almost done with his repairs. He still had not decided if he should stick around to see what the people coming had to say or try to find Groot immediately. He knew that if he waited for dark, he might have a higher chance of running into fewer problems, but he also did not like that Groot had been out there somewhere alone for such a long time. He looked up at Vision then blinked. “So you really do wear that thing on your forehead?” Rocket heard the rumors some idiot was running around with an Infinity Stone out in plain sight. He did not expect this. “It’s embedded,” Vision said. “Without it, I would cease to exist.” “That’s…” Rocket’s voice trailed. “So, you’ll be the center of the action then.” “Mr. Stark,” FRIDAY said, “Dr. Banner, Thor, and an unidentifiable have arrived.” “Good. Send them up,” Tony said. Rocket did not have to be told that Thor was an Odinson. Asgard was legendary even in Rocket’s part of the galaxy, not only for its wealth and strength, but also the fact it was exceedingly hard to enter unless through specific routes. Bruce Banner, however, looked completely unremarkable even though he also wore clothes befitting of the more well-known worlds connected by Yggdrasil. “Friends,” Thor greeted Tony, Rhodey, and Vision, “and…new friend,” he greeted Rocket. “Hey,” Rocket replied. “New haircut?” Tony asked. “Yes,” Thor said. “I reunited with Banner in the gladiatorial pit. We won many battles. Unfortunately short hair is a requirement.” “Gladiators? Isn’t that more of a Roman thing?” Tony asked. “Sakaar is not one of the realms,” Thor said, “but we were able to return to the realms.” “We fought in the Ragnarök,” Bruce said quietly. “It didn’t go according to the prophecy.” Drax approached Rocket as Thor and Bruce gave Tony, Rhodey, and Vision the details. “Where are the others?” he asked. “I imagined the ark would have more animals in it than you and the humans.” “This isn’t our meeting place,” Rocket said. “I’m still not sure where San Ark is anyway.” He flipped a switch and his jetpack whooshed quietly. He turned it off. He could retrieve Groot when he was ready. “I wonder if it still exists,” Drax said. “Quill said he has not been here since he was a boy. If someone travels the stars and returns, he is always younger.” “We’ll figure something out,” Rocket said. “I know we have to,” Tony said loud enough that Drax and Rocket looked at the humans, android, and demigod in the room. Tony took a deep breath. “Look, just…I can fight on the same battlefield. I’m not going to run away from this, but I’d rather not talk to him. I don’t have to talk to him to fight with him. Whatever this battle is going to be it’ll be bigger than both of us anyway.” “We could discuss a truce,” Thor suggested, “and then toast to putting this aside and figh –” “You weren’t there. You don’t know,” Tony said in a tense, quiet whisper. Bruce held up his hands. “How about we just…use Thor as a go between? Thor probably gave Steve a communicator too. You two won’t even have to sneeze at each other. No drinks necessary. The truce is already unspoken, no one wants to fight each other while we fight a galactic super power. Have you contacted Natasha yet? She’s probably in the middle of this already.” “I was about to contact her,” Tony said. He sighed and rubbed his face. “King T’Challa is on standby, sir,” FRIDAY said. “Good,” Tony said. He pressed some buttons and T’Challa appeared on a screen nearby. They got hold of Natasha and went through some brief introductions before getting down to business. “The power Thanos seeks are the Infinity Stones,” Thor explained to make sure everyone was on the same page. “The Space Stone is blue and it is what allowed Loki to open a dimensional portal for the Chitauri to attack this city six of your years ago. The Reality Stone is a red stone and it became the Aether. It is the reason that the Svartálfar invaded Midgard not even two years after. Both of these are kept in very secure locations that even I am not aware.” Thor paused. “Not long ago word reached Asgard that a group calling themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy used the Power Stone to stop Ronan the Destroyer. Where that stone is I cannot say.” Drax almost said something but Rocket shook his head. They remained quiet. “Another stone I am unware of its location is the Time Stone,” Thor said. “I heard it was green and had the power to manipulate time to varying degrees. There are rumors it appeared on Earth but I have no evidence. However,” Thor approached Vision, “we all know where the Mind Stone is. Thanos will come for it first.” “Then I am a target and a danger,” Vision said. “Yes,” Thor agreed, “but the danger of allowing Thanos to wield the Mind Stone is infinitely greater a threat than protecting you and the Stone from Thanos.” “Has anyone checked on whoever’s guarding the Space and Reality Stones?” T’Challa asked. “Are they still secure?” “Yes,” Thor said. “The beings still stand.” Thor frowned. “While we were on Sakaar and after our battles in Asgard, I heard many things. Whatever Thanos is planning it will be bigger than any battle we have fought as a team. We must unite with each other and with the Guardians of the Galaxy and whoever else we can bring into the fight that will give us an advantage. We likely have little time.” “Where are the rest of you guys anyway?” Rhodey asked Rocket and Drax. “We kind of ran into some technical difficulties,” Rocket said. “When we came into orbit, we got hit with a Chitauri ship and one of our crew decided to eject us from the ship. He’s like two or something. It happens. Before we left the ship, we decided to meet at a San Ark, so we go there, the rest of us will be there.” There was a a small pause and then the holoscreen that represented Natasha made a small noise like a sputter. “Saint Louis arch!” Quill said. Another silence followed since they were all under the impression Natasha was alone. Then Rocket asked, “How was I supposed to know? It’s not like we talked about it. Besides, who makes an arch significant landmark anyway?” ��The city of Saint Louis for one,” Quill said. “Paris for another.” “I don’t know where either of those are,” Rocket said in a no duh kind of voice. “How would I know where either of those are?” He shook his head. “If the Guardians have a meeting place then perhaps some of us should go there to meet with them,” Vision suggested. “We could also provide a swift exit in case we have to make the ‘shooting a found footage movie’ excuse,” Tony said. “We could meet on Memorial Day,” Natasha suggested. “We can use the crowds to our advantage.” “Maybe meet around sunset?” Quill said. “That way people will be paying attention to the river more than the people.” “How crowded does it get there anyway?” Bruce asked. No one knew. The last time any of them had been there was when Quill went with his grandpa in the late 80’s. They began to plan what they could and then T’Challa left the conversation and then Natasha and Quill left the conversation. The room was silent for a long time. “I should go find Groot,” Rocket said. “Before you go..,” Tony said and after some searching, he handed Rocket a smartphone. “If you get into trouble, press the helmet icon and it will call me directly.” Rocket turned the smartphone over in his paws. He put it in his bag and then headed out the way he entered the penthouse earlier that afternoon. Rocket set off from the penthouse’s landing strip and flew past neon signs and buildings, heading as fast as he could in the direction he saw Groot disappear. He honestly did not know how he would find Groot. Rocket dodged drones and birds. He ignored shocked shouts when someone happened to glance out a window while he flew past. Rocket slowed when he got to the approximate area. It was residential. He stopped the music and hissed, “Groot!” knowing Groot could hear him even if he was super quiet. “Groot!” He landed on the sidewalk and slunk into a nearby yard. “Groot!” He approached a window and peeked in. There were two young kids and a babysitter watching TV. Rocket moved along the street, sticking close to the houses. When Peter Parker hurried down the sidewalk, Rocket hid behind some rose bushes. Once Parker was gone, Rocket continued his search. “NO!” a voice behind Rocket from inside a nearby house shrieked. “No! Bad raccoon!” Rocket blinked “What the f –” He turned around in time to get a very, very bright light shone in his face. A speaker nearby began to blare, “Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band so loud it hurt Rocket’s ears. Rocket ran. The music continued to blare, but once he reached the Parker residence, there were enough buildings between them to make it tolerable. Once the song ended, the music stopped. Rocket’s ears still rung. “I am Groot,” a voice said from the house Rocket hid beside. Rocket froze. “I am Groot,” Groot said, thanking someone. “How do we know this isn’t going to turn out like Gremlins?” May asked. “Don’t feed him after midnight?” Parker asked. Rocket peeked in the window slowly. Groot was walking over to the TV while May and Parker stood with their backs to the window. Groot looked hydrated and healthy. There did not seem to be any danger and Groot looked happy. Rocket hesitated and then he lowered his head below the window. If he knew where Groot was and Groot was okay, did he have to take Groot back with him right now? It would also be easier to collect Groot if Quill was there judging by the weird light and music display down the street. There was a small chirp to Rocket’s left. He ignored it. The chirp sounded again. Rocket looked at the source and saw a raccoon staring at him. The raccoon let out a small purring noise. “Uh…” Rocket’s voice trailed. The raccoon inched closer and chirped again. “…No. No thanks,” Rocket said, not really sure what the raccoon meant. The raccoon drew closer and purred again. “Just go…do whatever you guys do,” Rocket said and stood up, taking a step back. He engaged his jetpack and took off into the air as the end to “Blinded by the Light” echoed into the night, muttering “Trash panda,” under his breath. The Saint Louis Arch was currently under renovations. Even though no one could go into the structure, there were people enjoying the designated picnic areas. The Mississippi River flowed along the eastern bank, and the sunset began to decorate the old courthouse to the west. Quill, Natasha, and Clint sat in the open enjoying the music from a nearby radio station truck and the view. Quill hoped it would not be too hard for everyone to get a ticket into the grounds. “I like the music, but I could go for some metal once in a while,” Natasha said. Peter and Clint followed her gaze. They could see Tony, Rhodey, Vision, Thor, and Drax approach. Their clothes did not look expensive and they almost blended into the crowd except Vision’s face under his hood was clearly not a flesh tone. No one in the crowd seemed to notice this, most people continuing to go about their business. “I dunno,” Clint said, “I wouldn’t mind a good round of ‘God Bless America.’” From the other end of the park, Steve, Sam, Wanda, Gamora, and Mantis entered. The three native to Earth wore non-descript clothing. Gamora and Mantis still wore what they arrived on Earth with. All of them had what looked like convention badges as though they had an afternoon of fun and now came to watch the sunset. Most people did not take notice, and those who did started whispering about makeup and prosthetics skills. Quill stood up and waved to both groups as ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends,” by War began to play from the radio van’s speakers. Gamora, Mantis, and Drax gravitated to him immediately. Steven then Sam then Wanda then Natasha then Mantis then Clint then Quill then Gamora then Drax then Thor then Vision then Rhodey then Tony made a curved line. No one said a word. “Where’s Rocket and Groot?” Quill whispered to Drax. “Rocket stayed behind with Banner. He said Groot is safe,” Drax said. Quill nodded. When it appeared no one was going to say anything, he took a deep breath. “Anyway…hi. Thanks for coming. I’m Star Lord,” after some looks he said, “most call me Peter. I’m part of the Guardians of the Galaxy and we’ve come to kick Thanos’ ass. All your help is appreciated.” He reached down to a cooler nearby. “I brought some hot dogs and some veggie dogs I grilled at a park earlier. I’m not sure if they’re good or not. I had a soda for the first time in like almost thirty years yesterday and it was not what I was expecting at all.” “In a good way or a bad way?” Vision asked. “Huh?” Quill asked. Then he seemed to process the question. “I don’t know. It’s just not what I remember drinking.” He opened another cooler. “We also got some water bottles. Figured we might as well eat.” The groups eyed each other and then Steve and Tony both sat. The rest followed. There were enough dogs for everyone to have two. The sun continued to lower in the sky. They remained quiet, some more tense and others more relaxed. Quill looked at the arch, his eyes following it from one end to the other. “Okay, I have to ask,” Rhodey said after he finished a hot dog, “why the arch?” “Uh…well,” Quill thought about how to answer, “it’s easy to find. I grew up not far from here actually.” “It is…. What does it do?” Thor asked. “You go up to the top and look at the city from the observation deck,” Quill said. “They built it when my mom was a kid.” Everyone’s eyes were on the arch as they watched the sky grow darker and darker, almost at a faster rate than it should during a normal sunset. “Guys,” Natasha said in a warning tone. The darkness became a void. A large ship appeared as “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” by Three Dog Night began to play from the abandoned radio van. Ordinary people on the grounds ran as fast as they could, abandoning what they could not carry. Tony and Rhodey encased themselves in their suits. Gamora put her hand on the hilt of her sword. “I thought you said the Space Stone was secure,” Tony said. “It was,” Thor said. “When I returned to Asgard, it was still secure in the vault.” Lights across the river began to flicker and then go out and soon lights around the arch and the city went out as well. The only light came from the almost full moon rising steadily. Quill touched a button near his ear and activated his space helmet so the eyes would allow him to discern friend from foe. “Protect Vision,” Steve said. “Get him out of here.” “Thor, you’re the demi-god,” Tony said. “Get him back to that location.” Vision hesitated. “Tony –” “Go with him,” Tony said. “We can’t lose you.” Vision and Thor disappeared into the darkness. The Daughters of Thanos drew closer, the lights of their jetpacks showing their locations before they dropped to the grass. Quill, Tony, and Rhodey took to the air since their vision technology was the best of the group. Drax shot up after the group in the sky once his eyes became accustomed to the moonlight. The rest of the Avengers and Guardians drew into a circle with their backs to one another. None of the Daughters of Thanos looked like each other. Many were humanoid, but there was at least one that looked like a person-sized biped lizard, and there were a few Daughters that moved on four legs when waling. Many had mechanical parts like Nebula. Few, like Gamora, were completely flesh still. Gamora had fought almost all of them and those she had not fought before she saw fight others. She drew her sword and stilled her breath. The clash on the ground came from all sides. Wanda used her magic to throw those charging towards her to the side. Mantis positioned her hands and waited for skin to grab, concentrating on thinking about sleep and peace. Natasha used her dual guns to pick off Daughters before they got too close. Gamora clashed with her sword, holding her ground while trying to evade attacks. Steve grabbed a heavy cooler nearby and used it as a shield between him and the Daughters while also using it offensively to strike blows. Sam took out a knife with a long blade and hoped he could figure out where to slice the aliens for maximum blood loss. Clint had his bow and arrows, shooting strategically. Some arrows exploded on contact and the shrapnel dispersed into the wave of attackers. Several of the larger, quadrupedal Daughters charged Wanda, Natasha, and Mantis at the same time several Daughters from the sky dropped down and lifted Steve, Sam, and Wanda into the air. With the circle broken, Thanos’ forces on the ground swarmed. Gamora ducked and swung, striking her targets. Natasha kicked one of the Daughters charging in the face and Mantis grabbed another, sending her into a deep slumber before touching the Daughter Natasha kicked, sending her into a deep sleep too. Quill continued to fire at any target he could. He watched the Daughters who picked their targets up shoot high into the air. “Shit,” Quill said. He shot at another Daughter and then flew towards them, not sure what he could do to help all three of them. Sam managed to drive his knife into the neck of his captor. Once the Daughter died, they remained in the air due to the jet pack. Sam used the controls to lower the dead body and himself to the ground. Wanda damaged her captor’s jetpack and sent the Daughter spiraling to the ground while Wanda’s powers kept her in the air. She began attacking the Daughters around her, sparks of red lighting up the aerial battle. Quill saw Clint look at him just before Clint’s captor released him. Clint fell through the air and shot an arrow, striking the Daughter in the jetpack engine, causing an explosion. Quill managed to get below Clint fast enough to catch him. Quill returned Clint to the ground. They joined the fight on the ground, Clint collecting arrows from dead bodies. Drax was aggressive with his battle style. He slashed, stabbed, and headbutted his way through the sky. Each opponent was a challenge and each was more skilled than the last. He ploughed his elbow into the middle of the lizard Daughter and she bit him on the shoulder. Drax stabbed her in the sides and watched her drop to the ground. Then his vision began to blur. His head felt too light and his feet too heavy. He touched a button on his jetpack but it did not respond. He tried to press harder but it felt like her could barely push it at all. He slowly fell through the air to the ground as he blacked out. It did not feel like progress, but they were slowly making it. Gamora knew there could be a second wave of her sisters, but she was not sure when it would come. She felt a sting along her ankles that quickly began to move up her legs. Multiple something were attacking from outside her clothes. She sprung into the air with her jetpack and kicked, but the stinging persisted. Soon the Daughters of Thanos began to falter in their attacks. Many took to the air like Gamora. Gamora felt a sting on her hand that then became a pain as if something was trying to eat her flesh. Quill started shouting nearby and also took to the air. “Shit. Fuck. What the hell?!” A large humming drew closer like a wave of stinging insects. The wasps began to target anyone who was not an Avenger. “Shit,” Clint said. “Shit! You’re attacking our allies too!” he shouted. “Scott! Stop!” There was a sudden pause and the biting ants and stinging wasps stopped but did not retreat. There was a harsh smell of various metals in the air, like a mixture of bloods that also did not smell like blood at the same time. Some of the Daughters of Thanos dropped to their knees or passed out completely, their bodies unable to handle the insect toxins in their bodies. Suddenly, a large man in a head to toe suit appeared towards the north side of the main battle. Scot Lang stood ten foot tall in the Giant Man form of his suit. He picked one of the Daughters of Thanos out of the sky and threw her at the hovering spacecraft on the other side of the river. The spacecraft shot a beam out, incinerating the incoming warrior and anything in its path. Several Daughters of Thanos hovered mid-air once the beam passed through them and then one by one each of the Daughters’ jetpacks exploded and Tony’s suit exploded milliseconds after the closest daughters to him did. Guts and shrapnel showered down on anyone near the explosions. The next blast from the ship shot at the giant man, who ducked out of the way before shrinking down to blend into the crowd. This time Daughters scrambled out of the way as best they could an only a few did not survive. Quill found Gamora in the air. “What can we do?” Daughters began to return to the ship. As long as they approached on their own volition, the ship did not shoot at them. “We have to go,” Gamora said. She pinched the last remaining ant and sent it towards the ground. “What are these things?” “Red ants,” Quill said. He looked around for somewhere they could go that wouldn’t harm people if the ship followed. Suddenly Scott Lang appeared across the shore, directly under the spaceship. He leapt into the air and punched his fist into the hull of the spaceship. When he landed on the ground, it caused the area nearby to quake. He jumped and punched the hull again, causing a loud cracking noise to echo through the immediate river valley. The void reopened and the ship escaped through it. Giant Man shrank out of sight. Gamora and Quill landed at Drax’s side where Mantis was already trying to move him. “I put Drax to sleep so he could heal. He’s very wounded.” Quill wrapped one of Drax’s arms around his shoulders and wrapped his own arm around Drax’s waist. He used impulse power on Drax’s jetpack to help carry him. “I’m out of ideas about what we’re doing next,” he said. “We’ll let them lead,” Gamora said. “Stay alert. This isn’t right.” Sam landed nearby and removed one of the Daughter’s jetpacks he took during the battle. He looked at Wanda. “I can’t find Steve.” “I saw him fighting not long ago,” Wanda said. She drew her magic to her hands. “I can check for his breath.” A thin red mist spread from Wanda’s fingers as she detected vibrations in the air. Tony and Rhodey landed not far away. Wanda’s eyes widened. “They’re –” Half the Daughters lying on the ground stood up and pressed the detonation devices on their jetpacks. At the same time, one of them shot something towards Tony’s suit. It was sticking and large and the stickiness began to grow, oozing into joints to make the suit harder to remove. “Uh…” Tony was half way out of the suit, but the stickiness grew, clinging to bits of fabric of his clothes once his clothes were exposed. “This is a message from Thanos,” the large lizard said. “He remembers New York and he will not allow it to happen again.” Rhodey moved towards Tony to help. “No!” Tony said. “Everyone, get away!” he tried to put his suit back on, but the sticky mass prevented most of the suit from returning. Tony found enough suit to propel himself into the air just in time for the sticky bomb to detonate. Shrapnel and flesh rained down on everyone. Only the parts of Tony encased in his suit remained. Within seconds, the remaining Daughters detonated their jetpacks, the force of their explosion sending those alive and corpses flying. The grass caught fire. It took a moment before Gamora realized she’d landed several feet away from her original position. The ringing in her ears eased away and she stood. The moon showed a mass of bodies and body parts scattered across the grounds. She looked around near her and found Mantis, who was still alive, and helped Mantis to her feet. Quill and Drax were farther away and closer to the detonation point, but both were still breathing. As far as she could tell, the void was gone and the threat from her sisters gone. “Sam! Sam,” Wanda said nearby where she knelt over him. “I’m – I’m still here,” Sam murmured and sat up slowly. “Where’s Steve?” “I cannot find him,” Wanda said. Clint stood up and rubbed his face. He had his weight on his right leg as though his left leg was too injured to stand on. Natasha and Rhodey walked towards the north and stopped after several paces. Natasha kept one of her arms close to her body as though it were injured. Rhodey removed his armor and Natasha’s posture straightened. Suddenly two people appeared beside Sam and Wanda. Hope Pym stood beside Scott dressed in a similar suit to his, but with a more wasp-like color motif. “What happened?” she asked quietly. “Tony Stark is dead,” Clint said. He found some twisted metal he could use as a makeshift cane. “We can’t stay here. Now that the ship is gone, the police and press will show up soon.” Quill got to his feet and pulled Drax up with him with help from Gamora. “Where do we go?” he asked. Rhodey found a picnic blanket and wrapped what remained of Tony in it. He walked back towards the others with Natasha a step behind him. “We have to go,” he said. “Everyone can come.” He encased himself in the suit and took to the air. Wanda had enough energy to transport Natasha with her magic. Gamora helped Sam with her jet pack and Mantis helped Clint with her jetpack. Quill was at the end of the line with Drax. It was a short flight to the north and across the river to a set of three islands. There was an aircraft concealed in the trees. The group touched down and approached. Rhodey retracted his suit and then pressed a button on the watch it became. The cargo doors opened. Thor and Vision were prepared to fight back, but when they saw it was a group of allies, their postures relaxed. “We were undisturbed,” Thor said. “Apart from an earthquake,” Vision said and paused, seeming to take a headcount. “Two are missing.” “No,” Rhodey said and set the bundle of body parts down in a seat. He fastened the bundle in so it would return to the tower intact and undisturbed. He rubbed his face and went to the pilot seat. Everyone else filed into the aircraft and took seats, leaving the row Tony was in alone. Quill sat in the copilot seat, not sure where else to be. Rhodey took a deep breath and ran through the pre-flight checklist and then the craft rose straight into the air like a helicopter but without the blades. Memorial Day in New York City carried on like any other Memorial Day. There were parades, pool openings, and cookouts. Parker and May were gone since that morning leaving Groot to his own devices. He watched some TV, played around with a bucket full of water they left him in the shower, and watched the neighbors and street activity. The front door opened and closed. “Hey, Groot!” Parker called out. “I am Groot!” Groot said. He used his branches to swing off the stair railing and fling himself towards Parker. Parker caught him. “Hey. Do you want to get out of the house?” “I am Groot,” Groot affirmed. “Okay,” Parker said. “If you promise to stay in my backpack, I can show you something really cool, okay?” “I am Groot,” Groot said. He could promise that. Parker got his bag and packed it with some extra water bottles. He placed Groot inside and zipped it up so that the top was open but not so open people could see inside it. “How’s that feel? Is it too stuffy?” Groot waited a few moments. “I am Groot,” he said. It would suffice. They traveled by foot for some distance and then they took to the air. Groot could not see much asides from buildings and sky flashing by as they seemed to swing through the air. After much swinging, they stopped moving. “I am Groot?” Groot asked quietly. “Yeah, we’re there,” Parker said. He unzipped the bag. Groot let out a very loud, very high-pitched shriek. Hovering over the bag was something that was red and blue with giant white eyes. Groot continued to shriek and attacked with is branches. “Wait! Hey! It’s me!” Parker said. “Groot!” Groot peered out of the bag. Parker had the mask pulled up to his forehead. It was definitely him under that second skin. Groot slowly poked his head out the bag. They were on top of a building. There was no one else around. “I am Groot,” Groot said. “Prove I’m me?” Parker asked. He frowned and then removed the second skin from his right hand. He showed Groot his wrist. “This is my costume,” he said. “See? It’s my hand, my arm.” “I am Groot,” Groot said, noting the place where the webbing could come out of Parker’s wrist. “Well, it…uh…does this,” Parker said and he shot a bit of webbing at the rim of the rooftop, creating a small web. Groot got out of the bag and went over to the web. He poked it gently. “I am Groot.” “Yeah, it can be like that,” Parker said. He reached into the bag and retrieved a small bag of potting soil. “Want a snack?” “I am Groot,” Groot agreed and took the bag from Parker, picking bits of dirt out with his branches to eat. Parker got out a bag of chips and settled down on the roof near the rim. Groot climbed up onto his lap and the two looked out at the sunset gleaming against all the buildings in the city. Parker put on some music and “Iron” by Woodkid began to play. Groot watched the sky change colors and the sun grow larger and redder. He finished his soil and drank some water as Parker’s music continued to play. When the sun finished setting, Groot stood up and said. “I am Groot.” Groot wanted to swing through the city where he could really see instead of being stuck in the bookbag. “You’re really small. It might not be a good idea,” Parker said. “I am Groot.” Groot was not that small. He had grown so much since he was still in a pot on the ship. “People might see you,” Parker said. Groot looked at the Spider-Man suit and then at Parker’s face. “I am Groot.” There was no way Groot looked weirder or would attract more attention than that costume. “You shouldn’t say the f-word you know,” Parker said. “What if Aunt May hears that?” “I am Groot.” Aunt May could not hear that well. Parker sighed. “I’ll let you stick your head out until we have to walk.” Groot agreed and they made sure he could see without falling if they ended up upside down. Once Groot was in the bookbag, they were off across the city again. Groot’s eyes grew wide. It was amazing to feel the rush of air, see the lights and buildings zooming past. They made a pitstop for Parker to change clothes and then Groot spent the walk home deeper in the bookbag. When the group left in the late afternoon, Rocket had to stay behind because Terra was apparently not ready for a “walking, talking sass raccoon,” and Bruce elected to stay behind for reasons Rocket did not know, though he could guess introversion was a factor. Rocket continued making a particle gun from scratch and Bruce worked at correlating what they knew about Thanos. When it got to be suppertime, Bruce was willing to cook and Rocket was willing to eat anything. Bruce made fried noodles with vegetables and fried tofu. It was spicy and had a sweet twinge to it from sweet chili paste Rocket found in the pantry. Rocket set his bowl down after licking off every last drop and then leaned back on the kitchen stool. “How long does it take to get to this St. Louis place anyway?” “In Tony’s jet? Probably an hour or so. He still has to coordinate with the FAA, so maybe an hour and a half,” Bruce said. He picked their bowls up and took them to the sink to rinse them out. “They’re probably staring each other down as we speak.” Once the dishes were rinsed, he set them in a slot in the wall that would carefully take the dish to a main dishwasher to be cleaned. They went back to the workroom and Bruce turned on a screen, choosing a local channel that would be likely to interrupt programming with any breaking news. Rocket continued wiring his gun, but the movie on the television kept drawing his attention. It was about this robot that had come to Earth to destroy some woman who was probably going to hook up with the male protagonist at some point. From what Rocket could tell, Bruce was not paying attention to it at all. It was probably a little over an hour since the sun set in New York, when the station showed the local news logo and the newscaster appeared on screen. “We’re sorry to interrupt your Memorial Day, but we have breaking news from St. Louis.” Rocket and Bruce turned their attention to the screen. “The footage we’re about to show you is a life, unedited feed from a hotel room near the action. Discretion is advised.” The footage showed an alien spaceship near the full moon rising behind the arch. It showed some of the Daughters of Thanos dropping down to the ground out of frame to fight while others engaged Quill, Iron Man, and War Machine in the air. Soon Drax joined them. The last light of the sunset disappeared and only the moonlight and light from jetpacks and attacks illuminated anything. Whenever the footage cut out, there was always another stream from somewhere else to take its place. Rocket and Bruce continued to watch. Then there was a large beam blast from the spaceship. The feed cut out. Groot woke when he heard a spaceship’s canon fire. “I am Groot! I am Groot!” he said, but soon realized he was not on board his ship and his friends were not here. He looked at the television. He did not remember falling asleep, but he must have when the movie they were watching about lions started playing a song about feeling the love tonight. “…we’re trying to find another feed,” one newscaster said. “There’s no word yet if any Avengers were in that blast.” Groot looked at Parker then. The teen had his arms on his thighs and had bitten his nails almost to the point there was nothing left to bite. Parker’s eyes did not leave the screen. His entire body was tense. “I am Groot…?” Groot asked tentatively. “Shhh,” Parker said. “…This feed comes from Drury Plaza Hotel…” the newscaster droned on as the screen switched from the studio to a blurry image of the battle raging. Again the spacecraft fired its canon. Groot and Parker watched the aftermath quietly. The newscasters only spoke to explain to anyone tuning in what was going on. When Giant Man sent the spaceship away, the cameras all suddenly cut out and there were no more live feeds. “I am Groot!” Groot said and he jumped off the couch. He ran towards the door. He was going to help his friends. He wasn’t going to let them just lie there. He could remember Yondu lying in his casket during the funeral and he did not want that for any of them. “Groot!” Parker charged after him. “Groot! No!” He shot his web at the door handle so it would be stuck to the door molding. Groot started banging on the door. Parker picked him up and Groot became a mass of branches trying to break the web and get out. “Groot! They’re in St. Louis! We’d have to go by plane! I don’t have that kind of money!” “I am Groot!” Groot didn’t care. He needed to know his friends were okay. “We could call them! We can talk to them!” Parker said. He kept a tight grip on the thrashing plant. “I am –” Groot paused when the news made its breaking news fanfare, “Groot?” he finished quieter. Parker turned around so they could both see the television. Groot stopped thrashing. Tony Stark’s picture appeared to the left of the newscaster with 1970 – 2018 written underneath. Parker wrapped his arms around Groot more like Groot was a stuffed animal than insolent toddler. “…reports that Tony Stark has died,” the newscaster said. “Multiple sources can confirm based on video evidence and eyewitness testimony that the billionaire was killed when a space ship attacked those fighting at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. There has been no official word from Stark Enterprises, but we suspect they will confirm his death before morning.” Parker’s grip tightened around Groot. He swallowed hard. The news split the screen with a helicopter view of the battle site. There were few corpses. They could see firefighters approaching the scene. “..We’re expecting an update from the local fire chief and police chief within the hour,” the newscaster continued. “I am Groot,” Groot said. The Peter he knew cried. It was probably something Peters did. Paker snuffled loudly. He set Groot down and picked up his phone. His hands shook as he typed a message into it. When he went to hit send, the phone rang and he dropped it. He cursed under his breath and picked it up, answering it. “Hel –” Parker cleared his throat to make it sound stronger, “Hello?” “Hi, it’s me,” Happy Hogan said and then after a pause he said, “Happy Hogan.” Parker gripped the phone tightly. He could not even open his mouth. “Peter? Are you there?” Happy asked. “I just…Are you sitting?” “Y – Yeah. Sure,” Parker said even though he still stood. “It’s bad news. I…” Happy paused as though picking out the right words and realizing there were none. “Is he…?” Parker asked and slowly sat down on the floor. “Y – Yeah,” Happy said. “I’m really sorry, Peter.” His voice was very thin. Parker’s hands shook too much for him to keep holding the phone and it fell into his lap. He put his hands over his eyes and began to sob. Groot hesitated and then he toddled over and wrapped his branches around Parker. Groot did not know what to say. He let Parker cry. The medical facility at the tower was fully staffed. The Guardians gathered in a corner left to their own devices, letting the staff take care of the Avengers since the staff had more experience with that than treating beings who were not from Earth. They could see Sam and Wanda sitting on the same hospital bed talking quietly. Natasha had her right arm in a sling while waiting on a cast. Clint’s leg was still being set. Thor stood off to the side, thinking deeply. Bruce helped the medical staff take care of patients. Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, and Vision were elsewhere. Drax abruptly threw up. “Hey! Watch it!” Quill said at the same time Rocket said, “Give us a warning!” “It has exited my body. I do not need to be here,” Drax said. “Let’s just…stay together a little longer,” Gamora said, glad to be standing on the opposite side of the hospital bed. “The thing I don’t get is how is your arm that big?” Rocket asked Quill. “I’m allergic to wasps like my mom,” Quill said. He had his jacket off now. The site of the sting on his right hand looked angry and his entire arm from finger tips to elbow was swollen. “I just need some Benadryl and a gallon of Gatorade.” “I tried to tell them not to sting you,” Mantis said. “It was easier to influence the ones that crawled more than the ones that flew.” Scott and Hope approached the Guardians and introduced themselves. Hope had some ice packs. “We’re sorry about the attack,” she said and held out the ice packs that were already wrapped in cloths. “Ice can help with the bites.” Gamora studied the packs a moment and then took one of the packs cautiously. After about an hour after the ant attack, the pain of the bites had reduced. She placed the ice pack on her arm and found that it did help what pain remained. “You probably didn’t know,” Quill said, trying to stand a little straighter. It was hard to look cool when one of his arms was swollen all to hell. He took two ice packs and put them on his forearms. “We owe you a beer or something when this is all over,” Scott said. End Draft After this point, Steve's body is in posession of the government. There are funerals. I was kind of stuck because I was trying to figure out how exactly I wanted to do these funerals. What time of day? Where are they burried? The government has Steve's body for experimentation so what do the Avengers bury in his stead? Sam and Rhodey take over command of the Avengers. Bucky's brought out of cryosleep and Loki also joins in on things because this is so much bigger than past problems and the Avengers/Guardians need all the help they can get. Nova shows up because like hell she's going to miss this. Groot and Parker show up to help too. Thanos has possession of all of the Infinity Stones. The final confrontation is very brutal. Not sure who all would die, which is another reason for the delay in finishing this. Slowly the stones are stripped away from him. Vision is restored, Loki uses the Tesseract to help rather than hurt, etc...Eventually after much struggle and problems, Thanos is defeated. How exactly is a good question, it's another reason that I kind of stalled out on this thing. The ending, however, was much clearer to me than this middle to almost end bit. Once the dust is settled and it's time for everyone to go home, the Guardians (what remains of them?) head to their ship, which has been rescued and restored. They're standing outside of it along with what remains of the Avengers, X-Men, whoever, etc.... The Guardians think Quill will remain on Earth. It's his home after all and the place he's longed to see again. They all know how much this means to him and they expect him to want to stay. Except, Quill's been gone since 1988. The food's different, his extended family is either dead or wouldn't realize who he was anyway. His mother is dead. While it was great to visit Earth and full of nostalgia, the Guardians are his family and space is his home, though he will always love what he knows of Earth. So in the end, the Guardians zoom off back into space to the tune of like "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge or something in that vein. The End