#They Will Know What He Meant || Clint & Luka

[killerqueenwidow]

Natasha did her best to get through her own issues as she got all the files and took care of the rest. As Lukas sent pictures, she did the same. She showed off some of the countryside and some buildings that had fun architecture. When she was at statues that meant something, she showed them off and made sure she replied to the options for his school clothing.

[Little Spider Hawk] I know you do. And I would love that. I am finding some things. And I've picked up some souvenirs for you. And with the pup in the shelter, I'll send you some money to donate to the shelter for her so she can get some more care and toys. Can that happen?

She took a breath and looked at her phone. She'd noticed Clint hadn't texted so she called him, wondering what he had to say to her.

🛑 + REVERSE

send 🛑 to clean blood off of my muse after they protected yours.

add + to reverse so receiver is the one cleaning blood off sender.

Natasha looked down at the boy and arched an eyebrow, grabbing another rag. "I could have taken care of that. Why would you do such a thing?" she asked calmly, even if her tone had a bit of a worried edge to it.

@manymusesbym

[whosxafraid]

"Grip" - Little Clint

Meme: SEND “GRIP” TO GRIP MY MUSE’S JAW IN YOUR MUSE’S HAND Status: OPEN

A towel lifted from the sink to wipe away the steam. The bathroom door half way to let the room breathe. He takes insanely hot showers…probably shouldn’t given the closed proximity but with the boys home and the babysitter falling through…it can’t be helped. And perhaps only luck the bathrooms situated the way it is, so when the little pitter patter of feet reach his ears; he only has to half turn to hide things a little boy shouldn’t see.

  “An jus’ wha’ ye be d’inkin’ ye doin’?”

A tease, that’s framed by a side glance of the five year old crawling up to stand on the toilet. Watching the elder go through the motions of making himself look presentable. Even if he can’t do much with what he’s got. Hair that will grow back instantly should he cut it, a beard that thank fuck will hold a trim for a day or two. And to that end he’s picking up the clear cream off the counter. A little on his hands and spreading it over his cheeks.

                No’din. What ya doin’?

A small twitch of a smile, a chuckle that isn’t much else but air. 

         “Shavin’, lad.”

                 I wanna do it.

         “Ye no’ be growin’ inta ye hair ye’, lad.”

A hand that reaches for the straight razor…or was before there’s suddenly two little hands on his face and pulling his gaze towards the little boy that’s now on his knees on the sink edge.

                 I wanna do it too!

A brow, that sets his mouth at an amused tilt; before he’s gently removing Clint’s grip. Reaching instead for the chair in the corner that Edith always used when painting her nails. Saddling it up against the sink and perching the little boy on it.

             “Al’roi’ght, dunna be gettin’ ye’sel’ in knots….hol’ ye hand ou’.”

And maybe in another place and time it would be a kodak moment. Something meant to be taken and taped into the scrap book of a little boy’s life; as a father and son moment. But it’s not quite that is it? Not this life at least. But maybe allowances need to be made for old men, with older memories. To let him pretend if just for a moment. Let him relive a memory. Let him feel connected to the old little soul that Clint doesn’t know he is. And one stroke at a time, with a make shift blade-less razor, the big bad wolf teaches a little boy the art of keeping himself neat and square.

[goggles-mcgee]

Hello. I love the prompt " the commission " can we have the full story please ? How will the avengers react of the news about Hawkmoth?

The full story will come later I promise! I unleashed so many things onto myself but I have no regrets XD Though I shall share some headcanons with you guys about the AU in the mean time!

* Pepper has been a fan of MDC since she saw the designs for Penny and Jagged’s wedding attire. Her and Penny are friends and when she asked who made Penny’s dress and Jagged’s suit, Penny was all too happy to tell her and brag about Marinette and show her everything else Mari had designed for her and Jagged and others. 

* When Tony officially proposed, Pepper already knew who she wanted to make her dress. She could tell Tony was hesitant to ask MDC since she wasn’t that well known yet, but they both knew he couldn’t say no to her, so it was no surprise when she caught him looking at her website and commission prices. Later she pretended not to notice him calling Penny and asking for MDC’s email. Pepper liked to let him believe he could keep anything from her, it was the thought that counted. 

* Peter, Harley, MJ, and Ned are all excited for the wedding. Peter gets to be the flower boy which he is super happy about and Harley is the ring bearer. 

* MJ is also a fan of MDC

* The whole “Minion” squad are Jagged Stone fans. Peter’s favorite album may or may not be Rock Giant.  👀

*The Minion Squad are all off school for summer already, Marinette just started summer since it’s the beginning days of July. While the Minion Squad plans to help plan the wedding, invent, prank the Avengers, and just have some good summer fun, Marinette plans to work on her MDC commissions since she knew she would be getting a lot. Penny had given her a heads up. Besides, there wasn’t much friends she could hang out with since Luka had told her that him, his sister, and his mom planned to sail around for the summer. Anarka wantedd to get the kids out of Paris for a while. Chloe and Sabrina would be going on vacation with Chloe’s mom to Milan for two weeks and then to New York for a month so Chloe could see her mother’s business and get a feel of it and see if it is something she would want to take over. Kagami and her mother would also be leaving Paris to visit family in Japan. The only ones she would be able to hang out with would be Alix, Nathaniel, and Marc. 

* Then she gets the email from Tony. Freaking. Stark! She nearly faints! Okay. She faints. He actually wants Marinette to design and make his and Pepper Potts wedding attire!!! His email said that he would house her and her team for however long she needed for the consulting period and the beginning work of the outfits. Okay actually it said till the outfits were done but she would discuss that with him and Pepper when she got there because wedding dresses typically took 6-9 months to make. She figured she had time as he did specify they were planning a December wedding of next year, something about it being a Christmas present. 

* After she talks it over with her parents, she responds to Tony that she would love to design and make his and Pepper’s wedding attire but before the discuss anything further she would like for them to video chat. Tony agrees later that day, which is more than enough time for Marinette to set up at Jagged and Penny’s house, they officially bought a house in Paris yes, along with her mother and father so they could talk everything over with Mr. Stark. When the camera connects, Tony swears he must be rebooting because he did not think that MDC was a 16 year old girl, but he adapts quickly and understands now why she wanted to discuss the arrangement more.

* Tom and Sabine are even more delighted and on board on sending Marinette to New York when Tony offers to let her stay in Stark Tower/Avengers Tower with the heroes and his Minions. Marinette of course asks if she can bring some friends, they’re not officially her team but she would feel better having them there with her. Of course Tony agrees because he could practically hear Pepper scold him if he said no and they continue to set everything up while Marinette calls up Alix, Marc and Nathaniel and ask if they want to go with her to New York to go to the Avengers Tower. It takes too long in her opinion to convince them that no. she’s not joking, and yes she is serious. 

* Once they get their parents permission they plan to leave on Saturday which would be in two days. It’s a little hectic, especially because Marinette didn’t know if she should take the Miracle Box or not but in the end she decides to leave it with her mom and dad, aka the new Turtle and Fox heroes of Paris. They had found out she was Ladybug a little after she had become the Guardian because she had broken down. Everything had become too much for her and Tikki couldn’t stand to see her chosen like that so she told Tom and Sabine that their daughter was Ladybug. 

* Marinette was going to take the Horse, Mouse, and of course, Ladybug Miraculous, to New York though. Her mom promised that she would text her or call her as soon as she could if they spotted or heard an akuma, and that they would fight it off until she got there. 

* When Marinette and her friends get to New York and meet Tony, he can tell they’ve fought in a fight children shouldn’t have to, but he doesn’t know how to ask about it so he pushes it back till he can think of a way to approach the subject. He immediately takes a liking to Marinette, he can tell she’s smart for her age, and he just likes her energy. 

* Then Tony introduces them to his Minions and Peter, Ned, and Harley all have a collective freakout because they are meeting THE MDC. MJ is, of course, happy too but she can at least keep her cool when meeting the designer who made Jagged Stone’s iconic Eiffel Tower sunglasses, the one who designed his Rock Giant album art, and the one who made his Roaring Dragon Jacket! Peter asks Marinette if she can sign his copy of the album and Tony thinks it’s all down hill from there. He can see the kid’s blush from across the room. 

* The consultation happens and Pepper is just as surprised as Tony was when she learns MDC is only 16 but she hides it fairly well. Both are pleasantly surprised by Marinette’s professionalism and are pleased with the overall talk about what they want out of the design. Tony even manages to squeeze in another suit for Peter because he knows the kid and he is not letting him wear a rented tux to his wedding. 

* Tony and Pepper have dinner with the kids and the Minions and it’s decided that they can stay for the summer, and no Pepper don’t look at Tony like that it’s not because he’s trying to help Peter get a date for the wedding.

* Then Marinette meets the Avengers. Thor loves her, but like who doesn’t Thor love? And who doesn’t love Thor? She is super interested in learning about Asgard, especially its fashion and she even talks Thor into giving her some fabric samples to work with. He just loves her enthusiasm and he appreciates her letting him talk about his home and his people. Marc and Nathaniel get a great picture of the two of them sitting on Thor’s flexed arms. Marc also loves to hear about Thor’s home and people and Nathaniel loves to draw him and those he talks about. 

Natasha accidentally sneaks up on Marinette, she never means to do it, it is just how she is, so when this little girl turns around in a flash with a pencil held in her fist as a weapon her eyes narrowed looking for the danger, she is suprised and has to stop her own reflexes from sweeping the girls legs from under her. She respects Marinette’s reflexes and the two spar and Marinette tells her she used to do ballet when Natasha asks her why her turns and spins almost seem like she’s doing a dance and Natasha’s eyes light up. The two bond over ballet 

Bucky, Clint, and Steve meet her one morning when they go to the kitchen and find so many goodies to eat and see this tiny little girl singing to herself as she pulls muffins out of the oven. She turns to them and smiles and says good morning before introducing herself so they do as well. When Steve introduces himself her eyes narrow and she hisses out, “YOU.” He’s so confused until she starts tearing into him about him hero suit. Bucky and Clint of course love this moment and will cherish it forever. 

She meets Bruce and he’s heard of this little terror from Steve and he’s thinking she’s going to tear into Hulk about wearing only shorts but then she’s shaking his hand and saying it’s an honor to meet you Dr. Banner, apparently she’s read some of his papers. And Bruce can’t help but smile for the rest of the day. 

When Wanda meets her she just hugs the little girl for a while because she hadn’t meant to see how her ex friends had treated her back in Paris but she did and this child needed a hug. Marinette had just been asking what material her jacket was made out of so they had touched briefly, then she was being hugged, but she didn’t mind, she figured maybe Wanda was having an off day and needed a hug.

Vision had just looked at Marinette and said, “Miraculous.” nobody knew what he meant but Marinette did and she just put a finger to her lips with her eyes wide with panic. Thankfully he got what she was trying to say and gave her a nod and small smile. 

Tony said there was more people for her to meet but she would have the whole summer to do that so she was content. 

* Then the first akuma alert went off when they were there in New York. Marinette thought everyone was sleeping when she created the portal and leapt through...she didn’t know how wrong she was. 

[strawwritesfic]

Clint Barton x Pregnant!Female!Inhuman!Reader: Where Gods Do Fear to Tread [Ch. 4]

Summary: Even Prince Charming can’t ensure a happily ever after.  

Challenge: “9 Months” challenge by crackleviolet on Lunaescence Archive -- Single Motherhood

Rating/Warnings/Tags: T (sexual reference; pregnancy; not canon compliant; canon character death; canon character death does not reflect canon; physical violence against androids; some foul language; canonical Barney; no Laura Barton; Inhuman!Reader; Avenger!Reader; Avengers Compound; Wanda & Reader friendship)

Pairings: Clint Barton/Female!Reader; Wanda/Vision

Tag List: @imaginesfire​

Master List

Chapter 4: Picking Names

Dawn broke over the grounds of Avengers HQ one morning to the unusual sight of you and Wanda sharing breakfast. She was already dressed for the day; you wore workout gear. Your pregnancy meant even longer in human form than originally planned, and your resulting tantrums had forced Steve to assign you to join Bruce for yoga and meditation each day. Of course, the good doctor had to have his sessions at four in the damn morning. The one upside to getting up so early was that Wanda was always awake by the time you were finished. If Vision wasn’t around, she was usually willing to eat with you.

“What about…Aspen?” you said as you tucked into a bowl of oatmeal.

“How about Lukas?” Wanda countered.

“Knowing you, you’ll want me to spell it with a ‘k.’ What do you think about Jace?”

“After that horrible boy in that horrible book?” She wrinkled her nose. “I like Rune.”

“Denver.”

“Mikkel.”

“Shawn.”

“Otto.”

“What are you two talking about?”

Steve entered the kitchen after his daily many-mile run. Even though he’d been working out much longer and harder than you had, he looked as perfect as ever. Stupid Steve. But you didn’t want him to assign you more anger management lessons for insulting him, so you held your tongue and did your best to remain civil.

“Trying to pick a name for the baby,” you answered.

He turned to you with eyebrows raised. “You find out what you’re having?”

“I had my ultrasound a few days ago. It’s a boy.”

“You told Clint yet?”

“He’s…aware,” you said evasively.

“Found any good names yet?” He pressed a button on the coffeemaker and waited for his mug to fill.

“Nothing yet.”

“I can’t convince her to go with anything from where I come from,” said Wanda.

“He’s not growing up in Sokovia. I just want him to have a nice, normal, American name.”

Steve, having obtained the coffee that would do absolutely nothing to wake him, pulled out a chair at the table and took a seat next to Wanda. “If you want normal, what about Walter or Edwin?”

“I said normal, Cap, not ‘meant for a senior citizen.’”

“There are lots of people named Walter and Edwin.”

“Lots of grandpas, maybe. Try again.”

“I had an older relative named Erik,” Wanda put in.

“What’s going on?” came a new voice. Bruce appeared. He blinked owlishly at your trio.

“We’re discussing possible names for [Name]’s son.”

“You’re having a boy? Congratulations!”

“Thanks,” you said.

That was enough invitation for Bruce to join you as well. “Have you considered Albert?”

You threw your hands up in frustration. “Why are all of my friends so old and-slash-or obsessed with Germany?”

“Anthony is a good name. Not old or German, in my very humble opinion.”

“I am not naming my child after you, Tony.”

When had he got there anyway? The kitchen might have been large enough to accommodate everyone, but it didn’t prevent you from feeling seriously crowded. What, was the whole team going to show up to give their thoughts about who was currently renting out your womb?

“You could have my old name, if you’d like it,” Vision said as he drifted in as well.

“It might be nice to have another Jarvis around,” Tony agreed.

“No offense,” you said, struggling to stay calm, “but I’m not naming my child after a glorified butler.”

Wanda narrowed her eyes, but didn’t get the chance to scold you before someone else showed up:

“You all discussing names? This I’ve got to hear.”

Natasha, too? “Who are you texting over there?” you demanded.

“Sam. He won’t want to miss this.”

“You’ve got to involve your boyfriend?”

“Of course.”

Sure enough, the entire team found its way to the kitchen shortly thereafter. Thor wasn’t even on the planet last time you’d checked, and he made an appearance as well. Everyone chattered on top of everyone else. Cold sweat broke out across your forehead. If only you could have turned into a puddle and escaped between the tiles. Since you couldn’t, you had to just sit there and take it.

“What’s everyone doing?”

They all fell silent upon spying Clint standing in the door. All of them, that was, except for Natasha, who said:

“Picking names for your kid.”

“Uh…shouldn’t I be involved in this?”

She shrugged. “You weren’t here. Jealous?”

“Kinda!”

“I believe Troels would be the most appropriate choice in this instance,” Thor declared. He was met with several vehement arguments against his decision at once. You couldn’t pick one voice out from the throng. Then:

“All right, everybody leave!” Clint shouted. Again, silence fell. “You’re freaking [Name] out. Go on. Get out.”

Mildly as he spoke, the team listened to him. They filed away, chatting amicably among themselves and clapping Clint on the shoulder as they passed him. Once the room was empty, he came to sit beside you.

“Thanks,” you said weakly.

“Don’t mention it. You really picking names without me?”

“No.”

This was a bald-faced lie. Although you and Clint had gone on several dates by then and you definitely liked him, you still felt weird discussing the baby and the future with him. Like a whole lot of decisions were being made without either of your consents. Like certain choices weren’t really choices. If you did things yourself, maybe you’d stop feeling that way—but Clint wasn’t going to make it easy.

“Right.” He drummed his fingers against the tabletop. “Got anything good yet?”

“Nothing at all.”

“Hmmm. You like Benjamin?”

“Benjamin Barton? Double ‘B’s? That’s cruel.”

“Hey, my brother’s Barney Barton.”

“Is that the same brother that abandoned you at the circus?”

“The point stands.”

“No,” you laughed, “it really doesn’t. No double ‘B’s.”

“But he’s definitely getting my last name either way?”

Your face went hot. Why had you told him that? At this rate, Clint really would be in your life forever, and you’d never be able to shake the feeling he was with you out of pity. If you’d just gone with Anthony like Tony wanted, Clint never would have had to be involved. The cat was out of the bag, however, so all you could say was:

“I guess.”

He grinned, scooting closer to you. “Okay, then. No ‘B’s. Let me think…”

“Let me guess. Clinton Barton?”

“Absolutely not!” Clint looked horrified. “I’m not gonna saddle a kid with being a junior. What’s there to live up to here anyway? Skylar? No, too on the nose. Hm. Thomas?”

“Thomas?” you echoed.

“Sure. Normal, right? We call him ‘Tommy.’ Nothing too formal. Just a good, solid name.”

“Tommy Barton.” The name felt right on your lips. Slowly, a smile of your own spread across your face. “I like it.”

“Good enough for now?” Clint reached down to take one of your hands in his. You settled your head on his shoulder.

“Good enough for now.”

After all, time remained before the baby was to be born. Time to get to know his father better. Time to pick the perfect name. Time for all the worries that prickled at you that morning at Avengers HQ. For the time being, though, you could put them out of your mind, and enjoy Clint’s company and care.

[kathasofwander]

And ML MCU Crossover

IT ALL STARTED WITH A SNAP. 

Chapter 5

The seven adults of the Miraculous team looked at Steve and the man in the strange suit with wide eyes. What did they mean? Could they still get their friends and family back? What had happened?

“Hey! You all must be the kids Nat told us about. I am Scott, although you must know me as Antman? No? Its ok, well now you do.” He said. The team looked at Steve, as if to ask what was happening. “Well, Scott here had the brilliant idea of time travel. We go back in time to where the stones were before Thanos got them, and undo the snap.” he explained. “How exactly are we gonna do that?” Luka asked. “Ever heard of Quantum Science?” Scott asked. Adrien perked up at this, and Scott explained the plan to them. 

“So, wanna join us? We have the teams and the equipment but we need more hands to help us from this time.” Steve asked. The miraculous team looked at one another. “Team discussion. Tell Wong to come in and help yourselves to the macarons. We will be right back.” Marinette told them. 

The seven of them stepped out of the bakery. “Are you sure this will help? There are so many risks.” Kagami said. “Its been 5 years. If Daddy saw Paris as it is now he wouldnt have liked it.” Chloe chimed in. “Its risky, yes, but I miss my family. Sometimes I wonder why I didn’t vanish as well.” Alya said sadly. “My dudes. I think thats why we didn’t vanish. Fate. It knew that we were meant to help get everyone back. To fight this. We cant give up! If this is a way to get everyone back, then I am willing to do it.” Nino reasoned. Marinette nodded in agreement. “I agree. But guys, it’s our choice.” she said. Luka smiled, “If this means I get to see Jules and Mom again, then let’s do it.” The others smiled back at him

Marinette held out her fist in the middle of the group, “Pound it?” she asked. 

“Pound it.”

The team went back into the bakery and told the three heroes (who by the way were pigging on the macarons) that they were ready to help. Wong opened the portal to the Avengers facility again, and they all stepped in. They were greeted with hugs from Rhodey, Nat, Rocket (who hugged only Plagg because he had grown fond of the little guy) and Bruce, while Nebula waved at them. There was another man standing a few feet away, with a funny haircut. “Hey kids. When Nat and Rhodey told me about y’all, I refused to believe them. Now I do.” He said, smiling faintly. “Hawkeye.” Alya said. The man nodded, “Clint Barton, actually, but that’s ok with me as well.” he said. 

“All right, Enough with the pleasentaries. Chop chop. Lets get to work.” Tony Stark came in, followed by a rather...healthy figure. “Thor?” Chloe asked. Bruce nodded at her “What happened to him? He used to be hotter than Adrikins!” she exclaimed. “Hey!” Adrien said. “Why thank you Miss Bee!” Chloe curtsied and stalked away, probably to see if Nat needed help with anything. Over the years, the two ladies had bonded over their lonely childhoods, and now were inseparable. Nat had also become kind of like a mother figure to the team. Out of all the avengers, only she and Rhodey (sometimes Steve and Bruce) had reached out to them, offering help and advice. 

Adrien, Nino, Luka and their Kwamis helped Stark, Rocket and Bruce build the quantum tunnel, while the girls helped Nebula with the suits and the science behind it all. Marinette even used her designer brain to help make the time travel suits more durable under whatever harsh conditions they may face while time travelling. The avengers’ original suits too got a durability upgrade. Clint went for a test ride, which was successful, and then they sat down to help find which times to travel to. Thor rambled with about the reality stone, and slowly, they narrowed down where each and every Infinity stones were. 

The Avengers suited up, while the Miraculous team manned the technical part of the machine. Steve gave his speech, and Nat smiled at them, “See you in a minute!” She said, before the helmets covered their faces. Adrien went to the station and took control. “Countdown in 5...4...3...2...1.” The tunnel lit up, and the Avengers went in, and were out in a minute, just like Nat said. But where was she? She had gone to Vormir with Clint to get the soul stone. “Clint, where’s Nat?” They heard Bruce ask. 

Chloe climbed the steps and asked the same question, “Where is she?” The broken look on his face said it all. They had lost Nat. They had lost another mother figure. Chloe collapsed on her knees and shook. Kagami went to her and rubbed her back soothingly, allowing her to break down fully. 

Later, the seven stood in a room, watching as five of the Avengers; Stark, Steve, Clint, Thor and Bruce spoke near the lake. Chloe sat on the bed, sipping tea, covered in a blanket with Luka and Kagami beside, consoling her. Alya and Marinette stood near the window, while Nino and Adrien sat on the couch. “Was it really worth it? We got the stone. But at what cost? We lost Nat.” Kagami said, tears in her eyes. “Nat sacrificed herself for that goddamn stone. Now its upto us to make sure she didn’t die in vain.” Marinette said. “Thanos is lucky he’s dead, or else I definitely would have cataclysmed him.” Adrien said, angrily. Just then, they saw Bruce throw a bench into the water. They then knew what they had to do. 

Bruce, Tony and Rocket had successfully managed to put the stones in another gauntlet, and after much argument, Bruce had volunteered to do the snap. They all transformed. Ladybug and Queen Bee rotated their weapons to create a shield standing in front of Thor, Rocket and Steve, while Chat did the same with his baton as he stood in front of Antman. Carapace created a shelter for himself, Rena Rouge, and Ryuuko. With a small nod at them, Bruce closed his eyes and put the Gauntlet on, taking in all the damage the stones gave him. He then snapped his fingers, and for a moment, Ladybug felt weak on her knees. She fell down, and Chat caught her. “It worked.” she whispered. “What was destroyed has been created again.” she told them. Scott walked out and confirmed Ladybug’s statement, while Clint was speaking to who they assumed was his wife on the phone with tears in his eyes. 

Then, all of a sudden, the ground beneath them trembled, and they were thrown onto the ground with a huge force. All that was the Avengers facility was now dust.

A/N: Whoo. That was a long ass chapter. But I had the idea and didn’t want to forget it so I wrote it. New chapter will probably come tomorrow. Till then, Enjoyyyy!

[imjustthemechanic]

Natalie Jones and the Golden Ship

Part 1/? - A Meeting at the Palace Part 2/? - Curry Talk Part 3/? - Princess Sitamun Part 4/? - Not At Rest Part 5/? - Dead Men Tell no Tales Part 6/? - Sitamun Rises Again Part 7/? - The Curse of Madame Desrosiers Part 8/? - Sabotage at Guedelon Part 9/? - A Miracle Part 10/? - Desrosiers’ Elixir Part 11/? - Athens in October Part 12/? - The Man in Black Part 13/? - Mr. Neustadt Part 14/? - The Other Side of the Story Part 15/? - A Favour Part 16/? - A Knock on the Window Part 17/? - Sir Stephen and Buckeye Part 18/? - Books of Alchemy Part 19/? - The Answers Part 20/? - A Gift Left Behind Part 21/? - Santorini Part 22/? - What the Doves Found Part 23/? - A Thief in the Night Part 24/? - Healing Part 25/? - Newton’s Code

Newton’s journals are hard to read, but contain some intriguing clues.

Natasha passed her book to Sir Stephen.  “Let me see yours,” she said.

They traded, and his was both different and similar – it seemed to contain what might have been mathematical equations or chemical formulae set aside on their own lines, but written in a combination of letters, numbers, and zodiacal symbols that meant very little.

“Okay,” said Nat.  “The good news is, it’s not the Voynich manuscript.”  That was a start.          

“That’s… something, I guess,” said Sam, not sounding particularly impressed.  “Why would he write it in code?”

“Because alchemists were witches and heretics and he didn’t want to be burned at the stake,” said Nat.  “Now, the most likely solution is that it’s a simple letter substitution code.  In English the easiest way to crack one of those is to assume that the most frequent letter is E and then work from there. It’s possible he just moved the whole alphabet some number of letters, so we’ll start by…”

“It’s not English,” said Jim, looking over Sir Stephen’s shoulder. “It’s Greek.”

Nat looked up sharply, and found that Jim himself looked as surprised by this pronouncement as she was.  “How do you know?”

“I… just know,” he said, his mouth full.  Nat did wonder if the food did him any good, or if he only ate because his cells were mimicking hunger.  If the cells could use food to replenish themselves, wouldn’t they do so instead of quickly dying off?

Jim pointed at something on the page Sir Stephen was looking at.  “Look how many of the words end in E-L,” he said. “Like there.  You think that means anything?”

Nat took the book back.  The place where Jim’s finger had come to rest said tiseltidikwel… if Nat assumed the EL’s were the ends of the words… she turned over a napkin and began to write on it.  “Assume it’s Greek.  A lot of Greek nouns end in O-S.  If you swap O with E and A with I…”  She played with the consonants for a moment, and then had a revelation.  It was a simple letter substitution cipher, but it was based on phonology!  “Exchange nonvoiced stops with nonvoiced,” she said, “voiced with voiced, and glides with glides… and you get kalos k’agathos, beautiful and good!”  That was a fairly common phrase in classical Greek, which had often conflated goodness with beauty – as, for that matter, had alchemy.

She smiled at Jim.  “How did you know?” she repeated.

He looked uncomfortable now.  “I don’t know.  It’s like when I knew where he’d been living, or knew about Star Trek.  It’s just kind of there, in the background of my brain.”

It seemed that Neustadt had definitely imparted more knowledge to his creations than he thought – and it seemed to be almost unconscious knowledge, imparted unconsciously.  Interesting. “All right,” said Nat.  “So we write out the cipher, and then we’ll just have to translate it.  If somebody else wants to work out the letters, I can read the Greek.”

The notebooks were slim, but since all the work had to be done by hand – deciphering the looping hand, then matching each of the letters with its cipher, and then translating – it was a very slow process.  The group finished their breakfast, paid, and then moved on from café to café, ordering water and weak wines, or stopping in souvenir places for notebooks and pens to use.  Slowly, they began to work out the first few pages.

The book Sir Stephen had first taken remained utterly indecipherable – the symbols used in the formulae were not in the same cipher as the other two.  The one Nat had started with was full of cryptic statements, not unlike the one from the published writings about the balance of libra and the venom of scorpio.  The smoke of the burning Tower blots out the Sun, hiding it from the Fool’s sight, said one line.  Another read only by gold can gold be made, but purity is essential, said another – compared to the rest, that was downright lucid.  Nat assumed it meant that the reactor needed a sample of gold to start with, like the elixir needed a sample of DNA, and that any contamination would affect the final result.

Yet a third noted that The Holy Dove is the principle, in Brother Aleksio’s keeping.  Nat frowned, tapping her pen on top of her notebook.

“The Holy Dove,” she said.  “That’s the monastery in Montenegro he told us about.  I’m gonna guess the item Brother Aleksio was holding onto for him was a sample of the purest gold Newton knew about, to use as a template for the Philosopher’s Stone.”  She looked up at Sharon.  “Did Fury get back to you about that address in Australia?”

“Yeah,” said Sharon.  “It’s a sheep ranch the size of Cornwall and one of the most sparsely-populated places on Earth outside of Antarctica.”

“That would make it a perfect place to build something like the Philosopher’s Stone,” Nat observed.  “Someplace where if it goes wrong, not many people are around to get hurt.”  Much like Rasputin working in Siberia.  Certainly better than Daedalus starting the thing up in the middle of Atlantis.  “Where’s that card he gave us?  We were supposed to ask for Brother Luka?”

Sharon pulled it out and looked at it.  “Yeah, Brother Luka.”

“What are you thinking?” asked Allen, as Nat tilted her head and stared at the bottomless Adriatic sky.

“I’m thinking…” she said, “that we should probably go to Kotor after all. At the very least, we can poke the bear trap and see if it closes.  Brother Luka might be able to tell us what Newton wants with the Philosopher’s stone.”

“What would he seek, if not to make gold?” asked Sir Stephen.

“I don’t know,” said Nat.  “Which is what worries me.”  If you didn’t know what something was, it could be anything.  “It would be good to know that all he wants is gold, because that means none of the worse possibilities are true.”

“What kind of possibilities?” Sharon asked warily.

“I don’t know,” Nat repeated.  “That’s why they’re worse.”

Fury wasn’t able to get them a flight to Montenegro – there was no airline that flew from Santorini to Tivat.  There were ferries, but those went to Athens or Crete.  After a couple of hours of research, Sharon found a cargo boat that was willing to let them ride along to Budva, as long as they stayed out of the way of the crew and didn’t complain too much.  To get to Fira’s harbor, they took a rather hair-raising ride down the incredibly steep – and sometimes very close to the cliffside – Santorini cable cars to get there.

“Look, they’ve got donkeys,” said Clint, pointing to a winding path below them. A train of the animals were taking people and goods down to the docks.

“That must be how they got stuff up and down before the cable cars,” Sharon observed.

“So why are we risking our necks on this thing when we could be riding donkeys?” asked Clint.  The car bumped over one of the cable towers.

“I thought you said horses were bastards,” said Sam.

“I didn’t say that, Robin Hood said that,” Clint told him.  “And horses are bastards, but donkeys are nice little beasts.  We’ve got one on the farm.  He’s a pet.  His name is Barney, after my brother.”

“I bet your brother was flattered,” Sharon said with a smile.

Jim was leaning on the window, staring down at the scrubby cliffs.  Nat touched his shoulder again.  “How do you feel?” she asked.  He’d been pretty quiet since the moment he’d given him the key to Newton’s cipher, as if lost in thought.

“Who’s the guy who had the sword dangling over his head?” asked Jim.

“Damocles,” Nat replied.  She remembered it less from the myth and more from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

“Like that,” he said.

Over breakfast in the ship’s little mess hall the next morning, Jim contemplated his three flasks.  They’d marked the open one with an elastic band so he would know it wasn’t quite full. The other two still had complete doses in them.

“It’s been five days,” he said.  “That means I ought to take the first one, right?”

“That’s what she said,” Allen agreed.

“I wonder what would happen if I waited a day,” Jim said.  “Would that help me last longer, or would I just start falling apart too fast for it to help me?  And what happens with the one we used some of on Dr. Wilson’s bird?” He didn’t sound as if he begrudged this anymore, just resigned to his uncertain future.  If they ever saw Desrosiers again, Nat thought, she would have an even harder time getting away.

Jim unscrewed the flask lid and sniffed the contents, as he might a bottle of brandy.  There didn’t seem to be any smell to them, so he took a swig and promptly gagged.

“Oh, god, that’s foul!” he wheezed, as Allen whacked him on the back.  “It’s like having a warm slug crawling down your throat!”

The unasked question hung in the air.  Jim thought about it for a few moments, then took a deep breath and downed the rest of the flask, as fast as he could, without stopping to breathe. There were tears in the corners of his eyes by the time he was done, more from effort than from emotion.

“What’s it taste like?” asked Sam, curious.

“Like mud mixed with tobacco juice.”  Jim wiped at his eyes, then grabbed the nearest cup – it happened to be Allen’s coffee – and downed that, too, followed by a bottle of sparkling water Nat handed to him.  “I can still taste it,” he whimpered.

“Do you feel any better?” asked Nat.

“I can’t tell yet,” he said.

She didn’t bother to ask him if it were worth it.  People went through much worse things in the name of staying alive: dialysis and surgery, amputations and chemotherapy.  Compared to such medical procedures, swallowing slimy stuff that tasted bad was probably nothing at all.

“If it is any comfort,” said Sir Stephen, “Buckeye and myself dared each other to eat worse things than slugs.”

Jim eyed him with distaste.  “Like what?” he asked, then held up a hand.  “No, don’t.  Don’t answer. The middle ages were disgusting and I don’t want to hear about it.”

“It was not so very bad,” Sir Stephen protested.

“Yes, it was,” said Nat.  “People kept pigs in their dining rooms and threw the contents of their chamber pots into the street.  Then there’s black death, smallpox, tuberculosis…”

“If Newton has made many of you,” Sir Stephen said, “then versions of yourself will have seen all these things change over the past several centuries. I envy you that.”  He’d been thrown into the modern world with no preparation whatsoever.

“Yeah, I’m fine with not having seen it,” said Jim.

“Buckeye’s father always said that what did not kill a man made him stronger,” Sir Stephen told him.

“I don’t have a father,” Jim replied, giving a very clear signal that he wanted to end the conversation.  However interested he might have been in the man earlier, he had clearly decided that he was not Sir James Buckeye, and didn’t want to try to be.

[rudemaidenswrite]

What is Meant to Be

part 5

by: @pusantheamazonian

part 1:https://rudemaidenswrite.tumblr.com/post/168955583826/what-is-meant-to-be

part 2:https://rudemaidenswrite.tumblr.com/post/169996173916/what-is-meant-to-be

part 3:https://rudemaidenswrite.tumblr.com/post/169996536566/what-is-meant-to-be

part 4:https://rudemaidenswrite.tumblr.com/post/169996730016/what-is-meant-to-be

It’s early in the morning; well the butt crack of dawn. Lukas has already left for the morning. He goes on a run and checks the garden every morning at an ungodly hour. The beds cold now without his body heat, so grabbing a pillow and throwing the blanket around you. You migrate to Jean-Paul’s door. Knocking hard a couple of times you debate on whether you should just go in. Because Kyle arrived late last night and they could be naked so you’re going to wait a few minutes before knocking again.

“Ana? What are you doing here this early?” Jean-Paul answers the door groggily.

“The bed was cold.” With a mumble you shuffle past him aiming straight towards his bed.

“The bed was cold? Oh did Lukas go on an early morning run?”

“Mmhm.” You blurrily see that Kyle is still asleep, you flop down beside him on top of the blankets half way off the bed. Immediately falling asleep.

 ~

“Ana…..hey Ana it’s time to wake up.” Kyle’s voice is soft; soft like melted chocolate.

“Noooo.” You bury your face even farther in the pillow. Kyle chuckles and begins to rub your head.

“Ana it almost 10 o’clock, you need to wake up so I can make the bed.”

“Ugh.” With the blanket still wrapped around you; you roll off the bed with a soft thud.

“You alright?” Kyle snickers.

“Ya been through worse.” Rubbing the sleep out you can see that Kyle is dressed for the day and has his dread locks pulled into a ponytail.

“Well if you go get dressed and meet me in the kitchen downstairs. I will make you some food. I hear you love bacon strip pancakes.”

With that incentive you scramble to the door. The whole way you can hear Kyle’s laugh. Within 15 minutes you are dressed and down in the kitchen with Kyle.

Kyle Jinadu, the gorgeous man of chocolate. Standing at six feet this guy is one of the sweetest people of the male species you have ever met. Nonjudgmental and caring; married to your third-best guy friend and is currently making you bacon strip pancakes.

“Good morning to you sunshine. It’s good to see you official awake now.” Kyle smiles flipping the pancakes

“Ya, ya I’ve finally risen from the dead. It’s good to see you too. When did you get here?”

“Around 1AM, business meetings ran late.”

“Good grief.”

“Eat up and you can help decide some stuff with the Northstar Company.” Kyle puts the pile in front of you.

“Oh you better not let her decide, she might have me snowboarding down Mount Everest.” Jean-Paul laughs walking to Kyle and giving him a kiss before stealing one of your bacon pancakes.

“Awe, can’t I marry you two? All I would require are hugs.” You pout seeing how sweet and carefree they are. They are so cute and happy it makes you wanna throw up.

“Sorry Ana but we aren’t in Utah.” Kyle chuckles.

“Besides don’t you have a soulmate back in New York City?” Jean-Paul teases.

“No comment.” You frown at Jean-Paul

“Ah so that’s the reason you have suddenly showed up here.” Kyle reasons.

“There was a complicated argument fueled by emotions and superpowers with no verbal decree of commitment.” Jean-Paul steals another strip.

“Oh you’re defiantly snowboarding down Mount Everest now.” You toss your fork at Jean-Paul.

“I doubt that.” Smiling Jean-Paul knows what’s up. Lukas kept Jean-Paul in the loop about what Lukas is about you, he purposely brings Ana more into a conversation.

 Lukas and Kurt have gone to visit the Avengers in Stark Tower. They have landed in the middle of the living room surprising everyone there.

“Who the hell are you?” Clint asks from his spot on the couch.

“Where is he?” Lukas scans the room looking for Loki.

“Ah if it isn’t the Australian Dorito.” Tony says taking drink of scotch.

“Where is he?” Lukas asks again with more determination. His ambassador skills wearing thin. The Avengers are slowly encircling Kurt and Lukas.

“Oh you mean the walking terror that is currently destroying everything I love?” Sarcasm reigning from Tony.

“Yes, him.”

“Well he is currently fighting with Thor in the gym.” Steve pipes in nodding towards the doorway.

“Will you show me the way?” Lukas tries to ask nicely.

“Lukas are you sure?” Kurt begins to question if Lukas’s plan will work.

“What so you can cause more damage?” Tony walks closer, drink still in hand eyeing Lukas.

“If Loki wants to get Ana back he is going to have to learn somethings.” Lukas stares Tony down.

“I’ll show you the way.” Clint voices walking away from the group.

“Clint!” Everyone responds looking at Clint in surprise.

“Come on.” Clint complains walking to the elevator; Lukas and Kurt follow.

As the elevator slows Lukas can hear the yelling and sounds of things crashing from inside. The room is practically destroyed. The walls have several holes in them with all of the equipment in pieces. Lukas picks up a lone weight and hurls it at Loki’s head.

“You idiot!” Lukas yells. The weight bounces off of Loki’s head seeming to merely stun him before he turns to find the culprit. The rest of the group stays back.

“You.” Loki angrily breathes.

“Did you consider that you two being apart would put her in more danger than when you are together?” Lukas closes the distance.

“What would you know?” Loki sneers.

“A lot actually like how you two don’t really know each other but have a deep bond or how this fight is a stupid reason to break up.”

“I am supposed to believe that you know what happened?”

“Yes I do know Ana has told me everything. Why? Because I’m her best friend, above all I will do what it takes to keep her happy. Even if it means coming to talk to the dumbass she still likes after he broke her heart.”

“Then why are you here if you care so much about her happiness?”

“This fight is nonsense trust me I know from experience.”

“What experience would that be?”

“My fiancé is a non-mutant. I have had this fight about safety before, it is best to keep her with you.”

“Nonsense and we don’t have a deep bond.”

“Lies! Your eyes glassed over.”

“Huh?” Loki unconsciously takes a step back.

“Ana may not be very talkative but she is observant. For the fact that she can tell when you lie, your eyes glass over or how when you start to get angry your right hand starts to twitch. When you’re nervous you start to fidget with your left palm. What about how you are hesitant to touch the others because they might think that you will try to mind control them if you move too quickly.”

Loki is taken aback at how well Solana really observed him. Not just his flaws but his inner most thoughts as well.

“Lukas calm down.” Kurt whispers seeing how riled up he is now.

“But what about you? For being around her 24/7 you should know some pretty basic stuff about her. Like what is her favorite comic book; favorite musical; favorite color; what season does she prefer; favorite flower; is she a morning or a night person; what is her comfort food? If you don’t know what her comfort food is then you sure as hell don’t know her or know the fact that she has dual citizenship.” Lukas stops talking long enough to breath quickly before turning on everyone in the room. “Besides no one noticed the changes in her personality or routine?”

“What changes?” Natasha asks.

“Some friends you guys are. Not once the whole time she was here did she have any of her medication.” Lukas is extremely disappointed in the so called Avenger. Claiming to be Ana’s friends but not noticing anything wrong with her.

“Medication?” Thor begins to question what they missed.

“She takes medication every day for PTSD, anxiety, insomnia and depression.”

“The scratching.” Cue lightbulb to Loki realizing the latest weird thing you had been doing.

“Yes that’s one of her late signs.” Lukas exaggerated his eye roll.

“Why didn’t she say anything?” Steve is concerned because of the ways he had treated you and the news about your health.

“She would rather suffer in silence than to be a bother or have people treat her differently because she takes medication.” Lukas looks back at Loki. “So you better figure out what you are going to do.”

[whosxafraid]

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay

Tracked from [ x ] @bettershotthanbucky

There’s about forty-seven different things going on inside the younger body near by. Anger, hate, resentment, annoyance, sadness, aggravation, longing, confusion. It’s hard to feel just one thing when you’re young. It’s why so many youths are reckless, lack the patience to think before they leap. And...that’s okay. That’s what being young is for. And anyone that truly believed that youth was wasted on the young...well they just hadn’t lived long enough to really work all the kinks out--regarding life, the universe and everything else. Because forty-two....is a lot closer to a proper answer than the human race would ever reach. Luka’s lived long enough to work that out at least. 

               I’m not comin’ home yet.

It takes years of self discipline to keep his face straight. Not chuckle at the words. At the way they are said. Clint want to sulk. Even if it that means suffering his stomach trying to eat his spine out. But Luka gets it doesn’t he? Understands that Clint is stubborn. Just like his brother. And both of them--well he can’t deny they got that stubborn streak honest. And it’s that thought that maybe has his gaze searching the tree line. Not for anything in particular, just a minute way to distract himself. Keep himself and his features under control.

                 “Aye, o’roi’gh’.”

There’s no sense arguing about it. Not unless he wants to turn the playground into battlefield number two of today. Which he doesn’t. Not by miles. It’s not his...place too. He’ll leave that to Edith.  So instead boots shift...a shoulder pushes loose of the bars; and the immortal finds his way to the edge of the playground. Plucking the cigarette from his ear and lighting it. Pocketing the used match, as he takes a long drag. A haze of sunlit smog pushed back out through his nose, to rise and hang a moment before the almost non existent breeze carried it away.

It’s quiet here, despite the heaviness of the teenager behind him. And maybe it’s a little too easy to at least metaphorically fall into that. Let himself just be for right now. Clint isn’t going anywhere, and tomorrow starts the weekend so there’s no harm. He’s got all the time in the world to wait. And maybe a bit selfishly enjoy the quiet company of a boy that would never know the truth. 

The truth of why Clint sometimes felt so out of place. Why some things just didn’t translate in his head. Why sometimes it felt like he was born either too early or too late. And where all that anger that sometimes scared the kid, really came from. Why? Because Clint had always been more like his mother. 

Tough as nails but soft hearted.

[whosxafraid]

Wee Moments

Tracked from [ x ]

A soft kind of tug at one corner of his mouth. That’s framed by air pushed out of his nose in some easy ghost of a chuckle. Clint was...well he was young. Still had that sense of wonder and innocence about him despite the horrible things he’d learned to live with. And there’s a part of Luka that still rages, still snarls and snaps, to give the cause of the boy and his family’s pain a bloody end. But that’s all it would ever do. Snarl and snap. Because Edith hadn’t wanted harm done, so no harm was.

                “Talles’? Oi’ dunna know o’bout d’at, lad. D’ere be basket ball players taller d’an me ye know.”

And while the statement is true, it isn’t at all said to prove the boy wrong. But simply to tease. Tease and goad in a way that causes no damage. The plate picked up from the counter, stooping down just enough to wrap and arm around the boy. Lifting him up around the middle and stepping over towards the table.

                 “Aye, higher d’an ye would be on me back.”

There’s a bemused sort of glint to his green eye, as he sets Clint down in his usual chair and the plate upon the table in front of him. Feet carrying him a few more steps to retrieve a juice box from the refrigerator. He hopes Hi-C is okay because Edith hadn’t had time to grocery shop yesterday, so he’d done it last night before coming over to watch the boys this morning. 

Deft hands make quick work of the wrapper and straw and it’s placed within Clint’s reach, before another of the chairs is shifted out from beneath the table. Turned about and straddled. Arm settling on the back of it as he goes looking for one of his toothpicks, to stave off his need to step outside.

               “Ye eat firs’ d’en we be seein’ what ye d’ink o’d’view.”

[whosxafraid]

A big kid.

Meme: Send “a big kid” for my muse to find yours playing on a playground. Status: Open

He’d gotten the call an hour ago. Edith’s voice thick with concern. There’d been an argument. Something about a bad grade and losing archery class privileges. And the subsequent huff and puff of her youngest teenager stalking out of the house…and not coming back. So a worried mother had called him instead of the police(thankfully), and Luka had spent the last hour doing what he did best. Finding.

Though honestly the playground a few miles away from the house was not precisely where he’d looked first—though clearly it should have been. But the kid had taken a round about way of getting here, and it had been his trail that Luka had followed; so the elder really can’t be blamed for the hour it had taken to locate the wayward teen.

There’s a sigh as he watches Clint from his car. Hanging a bit pitifully from the monkey bars, kicking stray pieces of bark with his toes. Okay he can handle this, at least that’s what he tells himself as he texts Edith to let her know Clint’s been found and he’ll drop him off at home…soon. The phone left tucked in the empty drink holder, before the immortal climbs out. Digging around in his pockets for a toothpick to seat in the corner of his lips as he moves forward. Hands slipped into his pockets, and trying his very best not to appear as the overbearing authority figure he knows the teenager will buck.

Booted feet settle him at one end of the bars, leaning a shoulder against the metal ladder. Eyeing Clint up and down once or twice before his gaze shifts away towards the tree line the sun is sinking behind. No immediate words forthcoming because brooding teenagers don’t hear them anyway. Clint will talk (and listen) when he wants to, and not a second before. And it’s not like Luka doesn’t have the time to wait. Because that’s one thing he’s always had an egregious abundance of. 

Time to wait.

[whosxafraid]

Clint peeked into the kitchen where the large man who was basically a superhero in Clint's eyes was busy getting some food, it looked like anyway. He shuffled his way in and scooched closer and closer until he was right under foot looking straight up, craning his neck, "Yer so tall," he said after a moment, "Will you give me a piggy back? Barney says I'm too big, but yer biggerer!"

There are somethings, no matter how much time has passed. Or what has happened to him, that a man remembers. The smell of food over a hearth. The tint of a look cast across a humble sized home. The pitter patter of little feet. And maybe the sound as a grin twitching at his mouth. Mixed match eyes shifting only just so to the side before they fixate back upon what he’s doing. Which coincidentally is making a sandwich and crisps for the owner of those little feet.

And yet…it’s hard isn’t it? Hard not to let his mind wander back as he places bits of meat and cheese on bread so very different from what it once was. Not to slip up, and let memories that leave his throat tight and sore from fighting the sensation of choking. Memories of a life over two millennia gone. A life he can only grasp at pieces of in this present, makeshift existence.  

But there’s a breath, a slight clearing of the though and like any good adult he lets the boy think he’s being sneaky. Gives no indication the child has been taken note of, save accommodating him when he quite literally positions himself underfoot. Luka doing his very best to take the wee boy’s statement and question as seriously as he possibly can. His gaze once again shifting to look down at Clint with a bit of a quirked expression.

             “Aye o’bi’.”

             “Piggy back? Hmm. Oi’ dunna know. D’ose be fer babies, lad. Bu’ oi be tellin’ ye what. Ye ea’, an’ we be seein’ abou’ given’ ye o’leg up o’different way. Wha’ ye d’ink?”