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swarvey · 5 months ago

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when you've moved on | elliott x gn!reader | part two

summary -> he slowly lost interest in you after you got married. now he watches you fall back in love with someone else. warnings -> very slight mention of nsfw, implied age gap, mainly just angst! wc -> 1106

a/n: i swear i keep trying to write for the bachelorettes but then get inspired with an idea for the bachelors :') anyways have this, decided to do elliott since he's "so much older and wiser" iykyk.

this was inspired by the dialogue you get when your hearts with your sdv spouse gets low, except i flipped the tables :) lmk if you guys want to see this as a series!!

part one -> the way i loved you (sebastian)

tolerate it -> "what would you do if i break free and leave us in ruins?"

elliott's pen hovers over the page in front of him, unmoving for the past ten minutes now. his grip tightens, knuckles white in frustration as he finally releases it, falling back in his chair with his eyes closed as it clatters onto his table.

his writer's block has never been worse, and it's because all he can think of is you.

more so, his loss of you.

no matter how many times he replays the scenario in his head, he can't make sense of how he lost you. he still remembers his wedding day, how he couldn't help but tear up at the sight of you approaching him down the aisle.

"you said you wouldn't cry," you'd teased him.

"i said i would try, my dear," he responded, touching your cheek gently, "but how can i not? your beauty is otherworldly today."

he remembers his vows, his promise to always be by your side. he remembers kissing you like his life depended on it. he remembers going home with you that night, in disbelief that he could finally call you his as he pulled his hair into a bun, mermaid's pendant hitting his bare chest as he dragged you to the bedroom.

"i love you, y/n," he'd said after, both of you panting in exhaustion and satisfaction beside each other. "more than anything else in this universe. i wouldn't trade you for a hundred iridium bars."

you'd laughed, turning your head to look at him with shining eyes and pink cheeks. "really? how about a thousand?"

"nor a thousand."

"ten thousand?"

"not even ten thousand bars, no."

". . . how about a hundred thousand?"

"no, not even a hundred thousand bars!" he'd turned to you then, wide-eyed and holding back a grin at the sight of your scheming gaze. "my love, let's be reasonable—"

"what about a million bars?"

"wha . . . a million bars of pure iridium . . . ? dear, don't make me do this . . ."

"a-ha!" you'd said, sitting up in bed suddenly. "so you would!"

"i never said such a thing!"

at the sight of his pout, you had sprawled yourself on top of him, planting a kiss on his nose as he looked down at you with a smile.

"i love you, too, el."

elliott sighs, his head falling forward into his hand. one part of him wishes to hear you utter those words again; the other prays he'll one day forget you ever said them.

the first few seasons after the wedding had been dreamlike — elliott had never felt so full of life before. it was like being with you had opened his eyes to how colorful and bright the world could be. sometimes he would wake up before you and admire your sleeping figure, a soft smile appearing on his lips every time he caught a glimpse of your necklace.

he doesn't remember when the spark began to fade, though.

no, he only recalls the days he began to leave the farm early in the morning to spend time alone in his old cabin on the beach, coming back only for dinner. the two of you would eat quietly, sitting at opposite ends of the table. he would ask and answer questions shortly, mainly focusing on the dull, uninspiring feeling he seemed to get every time he was in your shared house.

he never noticed the sad look filling your eyes, begging him to pay attention to you, to show you the love he once had for you. he paid no mind to how your face lit up every time he came home, only to deflate as he walked past you. he never even thought about how your conversations with him had turned one-sided, as he would spill his troubles to you without even giving you a chance to share yours.

not until it was too late, that is.

". . . do you still love me?"

it was a question he never thought he would hear from you, and yet he'd unknowingly driven you to that point. elliott had never heard silence so loud until then, realizing that, for some reason, he couldn't answer your question.

"answer me, elliott," you'd said, voice wavering as he uneasily met your eyes. "i need to know this. i feel like you've been treating me like a kid lately — when i talk to you, i can barely get a word out without you lecturing me. you're barely home to even do that anymore."

he scoffed. "please, y/n, be reasonable," he had replied, the same words he had said that night after professing his love to you. "i've simply been a bit caught up lately, that's all. i need my own time to write."

"seriously? that's what you're going to say?" you shook your head, crossing your arms as you looked at him pleadingly. "why are you acting like this? do you seriously think being a bit older than me justifies how you've been treating me?"

"that has nothing to do with our situation," he snapped sharply, then sighed. "please, can we go to bed? i'm tired of this." he started towards the bedroom door, leaving you behind him.

"you never answered my question."

he stopped.

"it's okay, el," you'd whispered. "i had a feeling i already knew. i was just hoping you would at least be able to tell me."

so now, here he is. unable to finish the sequel to his novel because he'd dedicated the first one to you, and what's the point of writing a second one if you're no longer by his side?

what's the point if you have sebastian now, who spends every second with you? who is much younger than him and rides a motorcycle? who gives you a mermaid's pendant — a year after the two of you separated, by the way — and makes sure the entire town can make it to your wedding?

he doesn't know what you see in him. sure, his passion for music is a bit admirable, but can he really treat you properly? there's no way seb can make you smile, make you laugh, make you cry out of pure joy or pleasure like he did.

elliott had attended the wedding, of course, so he could make sure you were happy.

he most certainly wasn't hoping to see a twinge of hesitation, maybe even regret in your eyes as you walked down the aisle again.

as elliott abandons his writing and heads out the doorway of his cabin, the image of you happier than he'd ever seen you while passionately kissing sebastian is burned into his mind.

you are no longer his, and it's entirely his fault.

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scoonsalicious · 6 months ago

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The Pocket MCU: Avengers 1/?

In Which Pocket Meets the Avengers for the First Time.

Word Count: 1.5k

Scene In-Movie @ 53:45

You offered Couslon a Sour Patch Kid as you walked toward the bridge with him and Tony. You could hear a group talking up ahead, mentioning something about iridium.

“It’s a stabilizing agent,” Tony said, immediately jumping into the conversation.

You continued your conversation with Couslon. “It’s really not a problem, Phil,” you told him. “Take the jet.”

“I’m just saying, pick a weekend,” Tony turned back to add. “I’ll fly you to Portland. Keep love alive.”

You nudged Coulson with your elbow, giving him a reassuring glance. “Think about it,” you offered as you followed Tony onto the bridge. Your eyes lit up when you saw Natasha Romanoff sitting at the table in front of you. “Natty!” you exclaimed, rushing forward to give the spy a hug. It had been ages since you’d last seen her.

“(Y/N)!” she exclaimed, returning your embrace. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you, but what are you doing here?”

You shrugged and rolled your eyes. “I go where he goes,” you said, gesturing toward Tony.

“I’m sorry, but who are you?” a sandy haired man in a red, white, and blue getup behind Natasha asked. He turned to Coulson. “I thought this was a top-secret situation. Need-to-know, only, and you’re just letting civilians in here?” He gave you a once over, taking in your black leggings and your off-the-shoulder Disney World t-shirt you’d had to tie back with an old hair tie.

“Trust me,” you said, popping another Sour Patch Kid into your mouth as you sized up the man before you who could only be Captain America, himself– Steve Rogers– “you’re gonna be real glad this one’s got his own handler.” You jerked your head in Tony’s direction.

“Hurtful,” Tony called out as he moved toward a row of computers on the bridge. “The iridium means the portal won’t collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD.” He passed a big, beautifully beefy long-haired blond man that looked like he came straight from a viking saga and patted him on the arm. “No hard feelings, Point Break,” he added, “you got a mean swing.”

“Dr. (Y/L/N).” Bruce Banner stepped forward and reached for your hand. Your eyes widened in surprise at being recognized by someone as prestigious as the Bruce Banner as you wiped the sugar on your fingers off on your leggings. “I read your dissertation on examining the ethical considerations and societal implications of developing and deploying advanced technology for global live-saving purposes. Brilliant work.”

“Oh, shit,” you said, blushing as you reached out to shake his hand. “Dr. Banner, thank you. It’s an honor.” Sometimes, you forgot that you, too, had finally managed to snag your PhD. And to be reminded by someone like Bruce Banner was… well, it was fucking flattering.

“This little one is a doctor?” boomed the tall, viking-like god of a man. “She is so small, I feel I could place her in my pocket and abscond away with her home to Asgard before any of you would even notice she was gone!”

“Who is he and can we please let him do that?” you whispered to Nat, who managed to conceal her laugh behind a cough.

“(Y/N), this is Thor. Thor, this is (Y/N). You already know Dr. Banner, and this is Steve Rogers and Maria Hill,” Nat made swift work of the introductions. “(Y/N) is Stark’s–”

“Ward,” Tony interrupted. “She’s my ward. I’m her guardian. It’s very touching, very heartwarming.”

“Chief Technical Officer of Stark Industries,” you amended, shooting him a glare. “Legal adult, thank you very much.”

“Listen, Doctor Pocket,” Tony began, but you interrupted him.

“If this Loki guy gets a hold of iridium,” you began, talking over Tony, “he’ll be able to keep his portal open as wide and stay open as long as he wants.”

“Uh, raise the mizzenmast,” Tony commanded, raising an arm over the bridge. “Jib the topsails.” Everyone on the bridge gave him a confused look. “That man is playing Galaga!” He pointed to a crew member of the helicarrier who was, in fact, playing Galaga. “He thought we wouldn’t notice, but we did.” You rolled your eyes and sighed. Tony needed to be the center of attention at all times, otherwise, he tended to… act out.

Tony proceeded to look around the bridge controls and Tony covered one of his eyes. “How does Fury even see these?”

“He turns,” the woman Nat had introduced as Maria Hill deadpanned.

“Sounds exhausting,” Tony said, running his hands over one of the screens. “The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily.”

You put a hand on Nat’s shoulder at the mention of Clint’s name and squeezed gently. You knew how much he meant to her, how devastated she’d been when she’d learned he’d been compromised.

“So, the only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density,” you added.

“Something to kick-start the Cube,” Tony agreed.

“When did you two become experts in thermonuclear astrophysics?” Hill asked, arms folded across her chest.

“Last night,” Tony replied. At Hill’s disbelieving look, you added:

“The packet. Selvig’s notes. The extraction theory papers.”

“Did no one else do the reading?” Tony asked, exasperated.

“Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?” Captain Rogers asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

Dr. Banner paced in the background, thinking. “He’d have to head the Cube to 120-million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier.”

“Unless,” Tony added, “Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect.”

Banner opened his arms. “Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet.”

“Finally,” Tony said, holding a hand out to Banner. “Someone who speaks English.”

“Hurtful,” you shot back, but Tony just stuck his tongue out at you.

“Is that what just happened?” Captain Rogers asked as Tony and Banner shook hands behind him.

“It’s good to meet you, Dr. Banner,” Tony said. “Your work on antielectron collisions is unparalleled. And I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster.”

“Do you want me to book the honeymoon suite for you now, Boss?” you asked with a sardonic grin, “or do you want to wait until the two of you have found a place to register, first?”

“Jealousy is an ugly look on you, Kiddo,” Tony said with a grin. “Daddy can have more than one genius friend.”

You pulled a disgusted face. “I swear to god, if you ever refer to yourself as ‘Daddy’ in my presence again, I will rip that arc reactor from your chest and shove it so far up your ass that you choke on it.”

Tony looked contemplative. “Yeah, yup– I hear it now. Horrible choice of words, totally my fault. My apologies. Never again.”

“Wait,” said Captain Rogers, clearly confused. “I don’t understand. Are you her dad, or–”

“Absolutely not!” you and Tony both shouted at the same time.

“I was hoping you might join Dr. Banner in tracking the Cube,” said a voice from the entranceway to the bridge. You turned and saw Nick Fury enter the room. “That’s Banner’s only purpose for being here.”

“Oh, hey, Nick!” you chirped. “Sour Patch Kid?” You held out your box to the SHIELD Director.

“You got any blue ones?” he asked, to your utmost delight, and you fished through the box to dig out two before placing them in his outstretched palm.

“They’re my favorites,” you told him, smiling. “You’re lucky I like you.” Fury winked at you– or, maybe he just blinked, you couldn’t tell with the eyepatch on– before bringing the candy to his mouth.

Captain Rogers narrowed his eyes at you. “Maybe we should start with that stick of his,” he said, eyeing you up closely. “It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon.”

“I don’t know about that,” Nick said, trying not to pucker his face as his Sour Patch Kids proved sour, “but it is powered by the Cube. And I’d like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys.”

“Monkeys?” said the sexy viking-man–Thor, you reminded yourself– he had a name! “I do not understand.”

Captain Rogers excitedly pointed a finger. “I do!” he said, and Tony rolled his eyes behind him while you tried to stifle a giggle. “I-- I understood that reference,” Rogers nodded happily, looking to you, as if for approval. You just nodded at him.

“Good for you,” you said.

“Shall we play, doctors?” Tony asked.

“This way, sir, madam,” Banner said, indicating for you and Tony to follow him into the belly of the helicarrier, where no doubt his lab was waiting.

You turned back one last time as you followed the two men, wanting to wave a farewell to Nat before the ship swallowed you up. The second after you turned, you notice Captain Rogers turn quickly turn away from you, a blush coloring the side of his neck.

Huh, you thought as you turned back to follow Banner and Tony. If you hadn’t known any better, you’d have sworn Captain America had just been checking out your ass.

#Pocket MCU #Unwanted Prequels

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a-small-batch-of-dragons · 7 months ago

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Cuddle Bugs | The Swarm

Very recently, I got to thinking about Cuddle Bugs, the fic you have where Virgil is raising his gaggle of kids and how much I *adored it*. Is Virgil a single parent in that fic? Has he ever had any potential romantic partner(s)? And how did the kids take it, were they suspicious of this sudden guy sending their dad flowers, wooing him, etc? It is hilarious to imagine a kinda "several moments where the kids disapprove of a man courting their dad, and the one time they don't" sort of fic. And the guy that they eventually gave their blessing to to date their dad is Remy or smth. :D – anon

Read on Ao3 Part 1 (not fully necessary but does establish the world)

Warnings: none!!!

Pairings: virgil/remy

Word Count: 2865

Virgil starts to see someone. His children have...opinions.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Virgil says as he opens the door, “but I’ve got one of my kids still here, his club got canceled and the babysitter has her exams this week.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all.” Remy puts his sunglasses on top of his head. “Given that you’ve got five of the little munchkins, I figured I’d normally get you with one of them.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like we—“

“Dad? Is that you?”

“Yeah, Pop Star, it’s me!” Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Remy mouthing Pop Star? He just shakes his head and turns to see Patton barrel down the stairs, his cat plushie held tightly under his chin. “Hey, there he is.”

Patton screeches to a halt when he sees Remy,. Remy waves a little bit and Patton pouts. Honest to god pouts.

“Who’s that?”

“I’m Remy. I’m a friend of your dad��s. Is it cool if I hang out for a bit?”

“Are you waiting for something?”

“Pat,” Virgil says softly and Patton glances at him, “he’s my friend. Friends can stay over for a bit, can’t they?”

Patton shuffles a little bit. “But you normally go to your friends and then Amy comes and stays with us.”

“That’s right, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have my friends over too, does it?”

Patton shrugs. “Is he staying for dinner? We have enough for garlic bread since Ro and Re aren’t home.”

“I like garlic bread.”

“You like any carb,” Virgil mutters, mainly for Remy to hear, and he just grins. “Well, does that mean you’re gone help me, Pop Star?”

“I can help. Can I put Winston on the counter?”

“Who’s Winston?”

Patton indignantly holds up the plushie, who Virgil could swear was named Star yesterday. “This is Winston!”

“Right, sorry. Yes, Winston can stay on the counter as long as he stays away from any of the food.”

“He doesn’t like garlic, it makes his breath smell really bad.”

”Garlic makes everybody’s breath smell bad, buddy.”

Patton wrinkles his nose as they move into the kitchen. “You should tell Janus that, he says it doesn’t work on him.”

”Oh, it works alright,” Virgil says under his breath and Remy laughs. As Patton bustles ahead to set Winston down on the safest part of the counter, he turns. “Thank you for doing this. I know it wasn’t what we planned—“

“Virgil. Sweetheart. I’d be an idiot to turn down fresh homemade garlic bread.” Remy pats his shoulder. “Besides, I think your little Pop Star has it covered.”

“You’re so gonna ask me about that later, aren’t you?”

“As soon as he’s out of the room.”

Virgil groans.

***

“Logan? Where’d you go, bud?”

“I’m over here, Dad, I found the book i wanted.”

Virgil ducks around the end of the library shelf and sure enough, there’s his little genius sitting on the floor, cross-cross applesauce just as polite as can be, looking intently at t a book with pretty rocks on the front cover. He drops to one knee to ruffle his hair—and hear him squawk.

“What’s this one about?”

“Gemstone and minerals. The teacher said something in science class about how scientists can find out things based on the layers of rock and what would’ve been there when the dinosaurs were here and so I wanted to know more about how different types of rocks are made and do you know what iridium is?”

“Iridium? No, what is it?”

“It’s a type of really rare metal that’s actually more common in rocks from space so scientists can guess when and where they landed based on the amount of iridium.” Logan points to a picture of an asteroid. “See?”

“Whoa. That’s cool. How do they find out what’s iridium and what’s not?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“That’s my boy.” Virgo ruffles his hair one more time—Logan doesn’t even notice, already absorbed in the book—and looks around for the front desk. “Do you want to check this one out and read it at home?”

“I don’t know if this one will have it.”

“Did you check the index like Ms. Tori taught you?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if it’ll be under iridium or something else, so I’m looking.”

“Virgil?”

Virgil turns. “Remy? What’re you doing here?”

Remy walks over to them, eyeing Logan. “That’s…a different one than the one I met last time, right?”

“Yeah, this is a different one. Logan, can you say hi to my friend?”

”Hello.” Logan looks up. “You work at the museum?”

Remy glances at his name tag. “Yeah, I do. You got sharp eyes, kid.”

“Do you know what iridium is?”

“Tell you what,” Virgil says quickly, “let’s go check that book out and you and Remy can talk about iridium while we do that, okay?”

Remy, as it turns out, does know about iridium. Even better, he knows the part of museum where they explain how scientists do research with it. Virgil has a hard time prying Logan away from him when the book is all checked out, but he does get the plan for their next date all squared away.

“Just bring your little genius with you, otherwise we’ll both never hear the end of it.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

***

“Thank you for tonight,” Virgil says softly as they pull up to his house, “I really enjoyed it.”

”Hey, of course. There’s nothing wrong with a good old fashioned dinner and movie date.” Remy leans over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘I’m glad you had fun.”

“Yeah, it was…really great.” Virgil glances up at the house. “You, uh, wanna come in for a drink before you drive home?”

“I’ll steal your bathroom, how’s that?”

“Mind the load-bearing wall, it tends to get stuck on the studs.”

Remy laughs as they get out, their breaths condensing in the cool night air. Virgil fishes in his pocket for the keys, the lazy contentment of a well-spent evening making his movements slow and a little clumsy. He eventually gets the door open just as Remy’s hands come to settle on his shoulders.

“You got it?”

“Mm.” He pushes the door open. “Still sure I can’t convince you to have one drink?”

”I’m driving.”

“Who said anything about alcohol?”

Remy’s eyes light up. “Why, Virgil, is this you telling me you’ll make me a nice fancy cup of coffee in your fancy coffee machine?”

“Oh, no, you said you only needed to use the bathroom, so—“

Remy pulls him back when he goes to turns way and kisses him properly. “Don’t do that to me, you menace, am I getting my coffee or not?”

“Go use the bathroom,” Virgil laughs, “then we’ll see.”

Remy gives him a look but turns to go off down the hall. Virgil chuckles, shaking his head. After he shrugs off his coat and shoes, keys in the key bowl, he goes to the kitchen and starts turning on his fancy coffee machine. What can he say, he’s a sucker for someone who appreciates the hard work it takes to make a good cup.

He’s considering what mug Remy would loathe the most when he hears a shout from down the hall.

“Remy? Is everything okay?”

He’s already moving. Dad instincts. He rounds the corner to see Remy frozen against the wall and a little bit further into the darkness, he sees gleaming eyes and a grinning mouth. He sighs.

“Remus, you’re supposed to be in bed.”

Remus giggles. Remy lets out a quiet noise as his little gremlin scuttles—yes, scuttles— forward and grins up at Remy. Remy gives him a little wave and he giggles again, leaving something on his foot before skittering up the stairs. Virgil sighs, leaning down to pick up—oh. It’s Remus’s green toy car.

“That,” Remy whispers as they hear a door creak open and shut, “was terrifying.”

“Yeah, sorry. I would’ve warned you about him.”

“You didn’t even flinch!”

“Yeah, well, after you wake up to him staring at you three inches from your face without saying a word a few times, you get used to it.”

Remy looks more than mildly horrified. Virgil holds up the toy.

“But hey, he gave you his green car, that means he likes you.”

”You literally have a gremlin.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Can you feed him after midnight?”

“I can’t feed him after nine.”

Remus shudders. “Now you’re definitely making me a cup of coffee before I leave.”

***

He’s on the phone with Remy when there’s a little knock on his door. He pulls the phone away from his mouth and calls out and his little prince peeks his head around the door, his nose all red and his eyes all wet.

“Oh, hey,” he murmurs, sitting up and holding out his arms, “hey, Princey, what’s the matter?”

Little Roman lets out a sob and hurries across the room to fling himself into Virgil’s lap. Virgil hugs him immediately, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head.

“Hey, baby, what’s wrong? Can you tell me what’s going on?” Roman just sobs again. His little hiccuping breaths keep seizing against Virgil’s chest and he closes his eyes. “Shh, shh, baby, you’re okay. You’re safe, I’ve got you, I’m right here.”

“Is everything okay?” Remy asks quietly and Virgil jumps. He’d…forgotten he was on the phone.

“Roman’s crying,” he mutters back, “don’t know why.”

“Do you want to hang up?”

Virgil’s about to say yes when he notices that Roman’s not sobbing as much anymore. Instead, his little pouty face is peering up at the phone.

“Hey, Princey, it’s Remy. Can you hear him?” Roman nods. “You wanna say hi?”

He nods again and Virgil sets the phone on the other pillow tapping the speaker icon and hoisting his baby up onto his lap.

“You’re on speaker, Remy. Roman wants to say hi.”

“Hey, Roman,” comes Remy’s voice through the phone, “I hear you’re having a bad time right now, I’m sorry.”

Roman sniffles and clings his to Virgil a little more.

“I was just about to tell your dad about this story my zookeeper friend was telling me about their pandas. Do you wanna hear it?”

Roman nods and Virgil kisses his head. “Yeah, Remy, we’d like to hear about the pandas.”

Remy begins to tell a story about a panda getting confused by a little kid in a big white snow coat with a black hat. Apparently it thought the child was a pup that had gotten outside the enclosure, so it followed them around and around the pen, pawing at the window to try and figure out how to get the baby back. The poor thing had been so confused when the child took the coat off and had run to the other side of the enclosure.

Virgil goes to laugh again only to realize there's a snoozing Roman on his chest and laughing would definitely wake the poor thing up.

"He okay?" Remy asks when Virgil's side of the phone goes quiet.

"Yeah. He's just asleep now." He shifts to get a better angle so Roman won't wake up with a crick in his neck. "Sorry about that."

"Hey, nightmares get everybody. It's not the first time I've put someone to sleep with a story."

Virgil huffs a laugh. "Yeah?"

"Oh, my college friends used to call me Sleep 'cause I could knock 'em all out."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

Remy makes a quiet offended noise that quickly turns into a laugh. "You two gonna bed down now?"

"That's probably for the best. Talk tomorrow?"

"See you then."

***

Janus comes into the living room, sits down on the end of the couch, and puts his elbows on his knees like he's the kid genius in a supervillain movie, staring at Remy. Virgil's just about to scold him for being impolite when Remy, without missing a beat, puts his phone down and gets into the same position: criss-cross applesauce, elbows on knees, fingers steepled in front of his chin.

Virgil makes the very smart and reasonable decision to just see how this plays out.

"You're over here a lot," Janus says first.

"This is true."

"Why?"

"I like your dad. I want to spend time with him."

Virgil coughs to hide how red his face goes at that. Janus doesn't even notice.

"Why here?"

"Because your dad cares about you and your brothers a lot, and it makes him feel better to have you close in case anything goes wrong."

"Does that bother you?"

"Not at all."

Now, here's the thing: both Janus and Virgil are surprised by that. Technically, Janus has the smaller of their two reactions because he's in whatever interrogation mode this is—shit, his kid is giving the guy he's dating a shovel talk, isn't he, that's what's happening right now—but Virgil…Virgil just stares at him.

"Virgil is someone I care about, doesn't it make sense that I would care about the people he cares about?"

"Not necessarily."

Remy frowns. "Why not?"

"That hasn't been true of everyone that Dad's seen before."

"Okay," Virgil mutters, shifting on the couch, "we don't have to bring any of that up."

"Well, then those people should hope we're never in a room together, or else I might have to have a very nice, long, detailed chat with them about how wrong they are."

"Can I help?"

"Certainly."

"Guys," Virgil says, because this is very quickly spiraling into something it should absolutely not be—even if part of him is struggling not to find the whole thing very endearing, "I think that's enough."

"What's your favorite food?"

"I'm a big fan of spaghetti and meatballs."

"What about garlic bread?"

"I'll never say no to garlic bread."

"Are you staying for dinner?"

Remy just looks at Virgil, who shrugs. He looks back at Janus. "Is that alright with you?"

"Will you help us make garlic bread?"

"Absolutely, I will."

"Then come on, I'm hungry and the twins will start screaming in half an hour if they aren't fed."

"Oh, you're all gremlins, aren't you?"

Virgil doesn't quite know how that leads into Janus and Remy having a very heated debate about monsters and…something else, but he doesn't have to make dinner that night, so he's counting it as a win.

***

+1.

Virgil comes out of the bathroom and stifles a snort.

"I'm scared to move," Remy whispers, Patton's head nearly sliding off his shoulder, "help."

Movie nights had always been sacred in the household. They were for family only, they were a time where all of them put aside their differences and just spent the night cuddled up on the couch—sometimes going to sleep in Virgil's bed in a big pile too—and no one was willing to rupture the sanctity with things like arguments or fights.

Which is why, when all of the little munchkins clamored for Remy to come to a movie night, Virgil had a sneaking suspicion in might end this way.

All the kids had agreed on the movie beforehand—another rarity—settling on the new Puss in Boots movie that'd come out pretty recently. Remy had been sat on the outside of the couch at first, only for the kids to make, cajole, plead, and order him to come closer almost as soon as the movie started. Virgil had just chuckled and passed Patton over to sit on his lap, the others grabbing onto his arms, his hands, even his legs. He'd gone to the bathroom once they'd gotten to the forest and…

Well, he's come out to see his little ones absolutely sprawled over Remy.

Patton's still in his lap, his head on one shoulder. Somehow Janus has gotten there too, his arms wrapped around Remy's chest like a plushie. Roman is on his right, hand tangled in his hair, Logan on his left with a grip on his hand. Remus lays across his feet, snoozing away. God, Virgil loves them.

"Was this your ploy," Remy whispers as Virgil walks back over, the movie still playing quietly in the background, "to get me here and trap me with your adorable children?"

"No, but I can't say I'm too upset that it's happened."

"They're the cutest snare in the world."

"Mhm. And there's no escape from them."

Remy laughs as Virgil leans down to kiss him. "I'm not all that mad about it, now that I think about it."

Virgil smiles. "No. I'm not either."

General Taglist: @frxgprince@potereregina@gattonero17@iamhereforthegayshit@thefingergunsgirl@awkwardandanxiousfander@creative-lampd-liberties@djpurple3@winterswrandomness@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes@iminyourfandom@bullet-tothefeels@full-of-roman-angst-trash @ask-elsalvador @ramdomthingsfrommymind@demoniccheese83@pattonsandershugs @el-does-photography @princeanxious@firefinch-ember@fandomssaremysoul@im-an-anxious-wreck@crazy-multifandomfangirl @punk-academian-witch@enby-ralsei@unicornssunflowersandstuff@wildhorsewolf @thetruthaboutthesun @stubbornness-and-spite @princedarkandstormv @your-local-fookin-deadmeme @angels-and-dreams@averykedavra @a-ghostlight-for-roman @treasurechestininterweb @cricketanne @queerly-fluid-fan @compactdiscdraws@cecil-but-gayer@i-am-overly-complicated@annytheseal@alias290@tranquil-space-ninja @arxticandy @mychemically-imbalanced-romance@whyiask@crows-ace @emilythezeldafan@frida0043 @ieatspinalcords @snowyfires@cyanide-violence@oonagh2@xxpanic-at-the-everywherexx@rabbitsartcorner @percy-07734@triflingassailantofmyemotions @virgil-sanders-the-gay-emo@cerulean-watermelon@puffed-up-bees@meltheromanstan@joyrose-fandomer@insanitori@mavenmush@justablah65@10paradox10@uhhh-hi-there-i-am-nervous@cutebisexualmess@bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti@ultrageekygirl

#dragonbabbles #sanders sides #virgil sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #sympathetic remus #janus sanders #deceit sanders #sympathetic deceit #patton sanders #logan sanders #remy sanders #sleep sanders #fic

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bellygunnr · 4 months ago

Text

Trueno Twitterpation

A commission piece for @lyndexv of their OC Geoff reviving a sentient AE86! It was an absolute blast to write.

----

The AE86 was a cowering, sorry mess when he first discovered her, wheels stuck fast in dry-wet-dry again mud ruts and strapped down by voracious forest overgrowth. How she got there evades Geoff still, as her previous handler had long since passed and the one before him just wanted her gone. He'd all too eagerly dragged her out of her mire and onto a tow truck. The sunlight'd been good for her on that trip, though. Under the muck, her paint had taken on a faint glow, which he kept an eye on until she was practically a fireball trailing him home.

Now she's clean. Physically, at least. Her tires are new and so is her paint. And she stares at him plaintively from his driveway, headlights popped up, drawing his full attention repeatedly until he can do nothing but give in to her call. It's nice outside, at least. A pleasant day with a breeze. His skin itches, like he imagines the Trueno's does, a restless buzzing that urges him to unlock her driver's door and drop inside, stretching out to fill the cabin with all the languidness of a cat in a sunbeam.

He runs his hands along the hard edge of her utilitarian dashboard, key pinned against his palm with his thumb. Dust floats up in fits and bursts as he does so, becoming a thin veneer that the low outside sun diffuses in. The restlessness becomes electric, then, and he hurries to turn the key in the ignition over.

The dashboard lights gradually warm to life. The engine, not so much. The AE86 trembles under his hands, her anxiety as acute as a storm's ozone, her shame a pulsing heat between his eyes, like tears.

"Hey, hey," he says gently. "Don't be upset. I know it's hard. It's not your fault."

The Trueno's frame judders hard with the force of the engine cranking. Fuel sparks, but it's both too much and not enough, and he sees smoke filter pitifully from her backend through the rear view mirror while the engine sputters back out. He pats the top of her dash consolingly.

It's terrible. She's willing, he can feel it, but there's-- problems. Barriers. Age. Disuse. Abuse. And it's killing her.

"I'll be right back. Alright? I've got a couple ideas."

He runs his hand across her dash one more time. Heat bleeds between them, lingering all the way to the hardware store, which he bikes to. When he comes back, he's significantly poorer and weighed down by car parts.

But it's a nice day. They've got time to burn. He has the tools.

And she's willing.

Geoff pulls out spark plugs that are black and burnt. He swaps them out for new iridium-tipped ones. Then he pulls the air filter and the carburetor and that's a new round of problems-- running is to survival as driving is to living, can't have one if you're the other, so he's glad he bought a rebuild kit for the carb.

"Guess we'll have to go for that drive tomorrow. Sorry, girl," he sighs. "But this won't take long. I'll get you put back together."

The wind blows. One of the headlights abruptly droops, as if the '86 is winking in acknowledgement. Geoff carefully lowers the hood down and clamps it shut.

"Just sit tight."

He ducks into his garage.

---

The carb body has to soak and dry, and be brushed through. He sits at his workshop bench with the flood light on and goes through the floater, the jet screws, all of it, until it is whole and hale. His back burns with the full attention of the AE86 (or maybe he's just imagining it). (It's getting hard to tell).

It's dark out by the time he's done and that's okay. He drags his light source out with him, making multiple runs for the tools, until the AE86 is open and waiting. She's cool to the touch now that the sun's gone. She patiently abides Geoff's fumbling around in her engine bay.

"That should help with some of it. New air filter. Rebuilt carburetor-- I changed the settings, too, just to keep up with things. That'll feel good in the morning."

He's numb with cold by the time he's done. She bounces on her suspension when he closes her hood one more time, finished for the night. His hands linger on the panel of her closed headlamp.

"Good night," Geoff says.

---

He ends up sleeping in too late the next day. The shrill beep of a horn-- not French, he thinks bizarrely-- wakes him up with a shout. He's halfway out the door in just a t-shirt and boxers before his brain catches up with his body and he stares hard at his driveway, confused.

Clouds skate across the sky. A bird lingers atop his mailbox.

The AE86 has not moved an inch. But--

"I'm gonna go get dressed," he tells her.

And he does, in record time. The Trueno's key bites into his palm with a sort of nervous energy. He's still not fully awake, but he's jittery in a suppressed adrenaline, pre-interview, post-accident kind of way. It's usually not a good start to a day. But this feels alright.

The driver's door is ajar before he even pulls the handle. He pauses, but shrugs and slides into the seat, letting muscle memory guide him until the engine is cranking.

It hangs.

"Come on, girl," he urges quietly.

He twists the key again.

With a pop, the four cylinders start to go, and everything buzzes to life.

"Brilliant!" Geoff cries. "I knew it! I hope that feels good!"

His face twinges from smiling so broadly. Experimentally, he revs the engine, watching the needle smoothly sail from idle to 2000, 3000, and drop back down. There's some rough bubbling-- but she's not quitting. Good. Fantastic, even.

He drops into first gear. Very gently, they work together, easing out of the driveway and onto the gravel road beyond. She snarls a little passing into second into third, but stays true.

Excitement suffuses him. He can't tell if it's all his emotions or something else. But it doesn't matter. Geoff cranks the windows down, waves at a passing motorist. They don't understand.

That's okay.

They end up driving to the coast. After some time, he feels the urge to pull off onto the side of the road, where a breeze has picked up and drags in the scent of the sea, mixing in with the tang of grass. It's picturesque. His heart is still beating fast.

The Trueno idles along. Geoff tenses suddenly.

Thank you, he hears.

"What?" He blurts out.

Thank you, is repeated. For saving me as you did.

The voice is entirely in his head. Yet he can hear it. Hear her. And he knows in his bones that he's hearing Her, the '86, her chassis trembling with the raucous motion of her engine. This adrenaline. This joy. His, but not his alone. Hers, too.

"I'd do it again," he says stiltedly. "And I'll keep fixing you up until there's nothing wrong with you."

He hears her wheels crunch in the gravel. The blunt curve of a fender presses up against his legs.

Of course. I have full faith in you.

Geoff scrubs at his face, trying to hide a rapidly rising blush. She can't just SAY that! He turns around, only to find the Trueno shaking on her rear-suspension, in a rather identifiable pattern. Of course.

"The feeling's mutual," he gets out.

They're both glad it's such a nice day out.

#gunny writes

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jordaninthevalley · 7 months ago

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The Ginger Island Mushroom Cave Argument

This is a follow up of my "Mushroom Cave vs Fruit Bat Cave" post.

Originally this was going to be included in my initial post, but I felt like it was long enough so I am going to be making this it's own seperate post.

This also ensures that I can dedicate my full focus on this argument and everything within it, so buckle up for yet another long post as this contains information for every. single. aspect. of getting to ginger island, different things within certain aspects of it, and much more.

Divider Credit

A common argument I see within the various discussions I participate in or just read through without throwing my opinion into the mix related to this topic is, essentially, "Ginger Island has a Mushroom Cave so you should just pick the Fruit Bat Cave because you don't need two of the same cave!" and I, frankly, find this argument to be insane. This post goes into why.

The Boat:

Anytime after Summer 1, Year 1 you can enter the fish shop and a cutscene will trigger, Willy does not have to be in the shop, but the cut scene is Willy telling you how he has an "old friend" in the back and hints that if business picks up he will show you what he has in the back room. This door is locked before this cut scene and remains locked afterwards.

To be able to access the back of the shop you need to finish either the Community Center or the Joja Warehouse. Sometime afterward Willy will send you a letter inviting you to enter the back room of his shop, where you will find his "old friend" - a broken down boat. The boat has three things which need to be repaired, the hull, the anchor and the ticket stand.

The Hull: 200 Hardwood The Anchor: 5 Iridium Bars Ticket Stand: 5 Battery Packs

Hardwood:

To get hardwood you can find it from a Large Stump, Large Log, Mahogany Tree or Mystic Tree. If you have the Lumberjack Profession, all trees have a chance to drop hardwood.

Large Stumps can be destoryed with a Copper Axe or better. You need 5 Copper Bars and 2,000g to get that. Large Stumps provide 2 hardwood, meaning you'll need to chop down at minimum 100 Large Stumps to get 200 hardwood. Large Stumps have a 10% chance of dropping a Mahogany seed.

Large Stumps (Re)Spawning: - In the Secret Woods there are 6 Large Stumps which respawn - On the Forest Farm there are 8 Large Stumps which respawn - On the Four Corners Farm there is 1 large Stump which respawn - With the Shrine of Callenge activated you can find Large Stumps on floors 41-69 in the Mines. Stumps spawned on the Standard Farm do NOT respawn

Large Logs can be destoyed with a Steel Axe or better. You need a Copper Axe, 5 Iron Bars, and 5,000g to get that. Large Logs provide 8 heardwood, and do not respawn.

A large log does block the entrance to the Secret Woods, meaning that unless you glitch through with a chair to the Secret Woods, you won't be able to get the hardwood from the secret woods until you have the Steel Axe.

A Mahogany Tree produces between 8-13 hardwood when felled, I suggest not chopping down your first Mahogany Tree that you grow but instead letting it spread for awhile until you start to chop them down incase you do not get another mahogany seed when you fell your first tree.

A Mystic Tree also produces between 7-11 hardwood when felled, but I think that tree is better used being tapped for Mystic Syrup over farmed for hardwood.

Iridium:

To get iridium you must head to the Skull Cavern (you can also find it in the Volcano Dungeon, but that is found on Ginger Island.) If you pick the Hill-top or Four Corners farm, there is a chance of them spawning there after reaching Level 10 in your Mining Skill.

You can also find them from Magma Geodes, Omni Geodes, Super Cucumber Fish Pond once the population reaches levle 9, a meteorite, fishing treasure, panning, the traveling cart and the Statue of Perfection.

A Meteorite has a 1% chance of happening, and will only happen if the random 3x3 area the event chooses on the farm has a 2x2 area within it that has no water, placed objects that block movement, buildings, resource clumps or farm animals. If this isnt met the event does nothing. If you get the meteorite, you need a Gold Pickaxe or better to harvest this. To get a Gold Pickaxe you'll need a total of 17,000g, 5 Copper Bars, 5 Iron bars, and 5 Gold bars. When you destory a meteorite you get 6 iridium ore, 6 stone, and 2 geodes with 25% chance to drop a prismatic shard.

They can also drop from Purple Slines, Iridium Bats, Iridium Crabs, and Iridium Golems in the Skull Caverns.

Magma Geodes can be found on levels 81 - 119 of the Mines. Omni Geodes are found when breaking rocks but every Tuesday Krobus Sells 1 for 300g and the Oasis sells 3 every wednesday for 1,000g each.

In total you will need at least 25 Iridium Ore, and 5 coal, to get 5 iridium bars.

The traveling cart has a chance of selling an iridium bar for 3,000-5,000g. The following mobs also have a chance of dropping an iridium bar:

Shadow Shaman at 0.2%

Shadow Brute at 0.2%

Iridium Bat at 0.8%

Purple Slime at 0.9%

Iridium Golem at 3%

Battery Packs:

Battery Packs are gained from Lightning Rods during thunder storms, solar panels after 7 sunny days, 5% chance to dropped from the iridium bat, and as a possible gift from Pam or Kent. The traveling cart also sells them at times for 1,500-2,500g

If you pick the remixed bundles and get and complete the Children's Bundle, you will be awarded with 3 battery packs. The solar panel recipie is acquired after the "Island Ingredients" Special Order is completed, but you have to have Ginger Island unlocked to have a chance of getting this Special Order.

The Lightning Rod recipie is acquired after reaching foraging level 6 and you craft it with 1 Iron Bar, 1 Refined Quartz, and 10 Bat wings. You also get one when completing the 10,000g Bundle in the Vault in the community center.

The Lightning Rod can only be hit once per thunderstorm, so if you only have one lightning rod you'll need at least five thunder storms to obtain 5 battery packs.

If noLightning Rodd have been struck there is a 100% chance for one to be hit. If 50% of the Lightning Rods on the farm have been struck there is a 75% chance for the rest to be hit. If 90% of the Lightning Rods on the farm have been struck there is a 19% chance of the rest to be hit.

The Community Center / Joja Warehouse

You need to complete the Community Center to be able to even repair the boat. This takes, at minimum, a year to do but can take much longer depending on your playstyle. You will need 42,500g to complete the Vault bundles.

You can also pick the Joja Warehouse to complete, but you will need a total of 140,000g to buy the membership as well as all of the developments. You can fudge this a bit by completing certain Community Center bundles and then buying the Membership so you can reduce the amount of gold you have to spend.

Ginger Island

Once you repair the boat you can travel to Ginger Island for 1,000g per boat ride. When you reach the island you are on 'Island South', this contains the dock as well as the paths to the other parts of the island.

You will head to the only open path with takes you to 'Island East', where you follow the island resident "Leo" and upon interacting with things within his hut you will unlock 'Island North'.

When you unlock 'Island North' you will follow the Magma Sprite and head to the Volcano. You will only be able to unlock 'Island West' after gathering 10 Golden Walnuts.

'Island West' includes the farm, and a dilapidated farmhouse that can be fixed up for 20 Golden Walnuts, you will need an additional 5 Golden Walnuts to be able to recieve mail while on the island. For another 20 Golden Walnuts you can craft the Farm Obelisk which will only warp you to the farm, you will have to get a seperate Obelisk to be able to warp to the Island without using a totem. Upon making the Farm Obelisk, you will be given one Island Warp Totem.

You can sleep at Ginger Island and will wake up on the island. The golden walnuts are scattered around the island, and can be found when completing puzzles, fishing, tilling up certain locations around the island, and more.

Ginger Island Mushroom Cave

Now that we are on the Island, how can we get the Mushroom Cave?

Head to 'Island North', when you see the Field Office (Green tent with bone on the outside) head to the left. There is a broken bridge which can be repaired for 10 Golden Walnuts. This leads to the dig site, which has the Mushroom Cave. There is a boulder blocking the cave which you need to blow up with a bomb to not only release Professor Snail but also have access to the Mushrooms.

The cave randomly spawns new mushrooms everyday, and they grow directly from the ground so you benefit from the Gatherer or Botanist profession as well as get XP from them, this does make it better than the Farm Mushroom cave on that front but not the cost front.

Staying On Ginger Island?

The only thing that would make the mushroom cave a benefitial thing at this point in the game is if you stay on the island and never leave it. You can, somewhat realistically, do this as you do have a farm on the island, a bed, as well as a shipping bin.

The island farm does have some perks such as not needing scarecrows, sprinklers can be placed here, fruit trees can be grown here, and the island acts as a greenhouse.

However, you will have to head back to the normal farm to be able to complete certain quests, get certain achievements, unlock certain items, have animals and keep them happy, catch certain fish, get various items and much more. So, to even fully play the game you cannot stay on Ginger Island forever, this means we need to either spend 1,000g every time we want to head over and benefit from the mushroom cave and the other things we can benefit from on the island, or we need to be able to craft the warp totem or build the obelisk.

Warp Totem: Island

Bought from the Volcano Dwarf for 10,000g.

Floor Five of the Volcano Dungeon houses a dwarf that runs a small shop but unless you have the Dwarvish Translation Guide you won't be able to access his shop.

You get the Dwarvish Translation Guide by donating all four of the Dwarf Scrolls to the Museum. - Dwarf Scroll 1 can be found Tilling in the mines or Skull Cavern on any floor at 0.16% chance. Bat, Bug, Cave Fly, Duggy, Green Slime, Grub, Rock Crab and Stone Golem have a 0.5% chance of dropping it. - Dwarf Scroll 2 can be found Tilling in the mines between floors 1-39 at 0.1% chance. Ghosts, Frost Bats, Dust Sprites, and Blue Slime all have a 0.5% chance of dropping it. - Dwarf Scroll 3 has a 1.5% chance of being dropped by Blue Slime while other Slimes, Lava Bat, Lava Crab, Squid Kid, Shadow Brute, Shadow Shaman, Metal Head, Spider, and Blue Squid have a 0.5% chance of dropping it. - Dwarf Scroll 4 has a 0.2% chance of being tilled up in the Mine on floor 80 and above. Monsters outside of Serpents, Skeletons, Wilderness Golem, Carbon Ghost, Iridium Bat, Iridium Crab and Haunted Skull have a 0.1% chance of dropping it.

If you are able to access his shop, you will be able to purchase the recipie for the Warp Totem: Island for 10,000g. This will always be in his shop until you purchase it.

To craft a singular warp totem you will need 5 Hardwood, 1 Dragon tooth, and 1 Ginger.

Dragon Tooth:

Obtained in the Volcano Dungeon either around the skeletal remains of a dragon or by killing a Lava Lurk, which has a 15% drop chance.

If your inventory isn't full, you don't have to worry about items falling into the lava as they will automatically go into your inventory, however if you don't have room there is a chance that when it drops on the ground it can land in the lava.

You can also get Dragon Teeth from a Stingray Fish Pond which has a population of at least 9.

Stingrays are found in the Pirate Cove found on the Southeast side of Ginger Island. You unlock this area by building the Beach Resort for 20 Golden Walnuts after repearing the Farmhouse. If you put a Stingray in a fish pond, you will have to fulfill quests to be able to reach max amount of fish in the pond. For the first quest you'll have to give them seven cinder shards, which are found within the Volcano Dungeon by either mining nodes, inside chests, or dropping from a Magma Sprite, Magma Sparker, Magma Duggy or False Magma Cap. For the second quest you'll have to give them a dragon tooth. Once you reach 9-10 Stingray in the fishponds: - Roe has a 63-69% daily chance of spawning - Magma Cap has a 4% daily chance of spawning - Cinder Shard has a 9-10% daily chance of spawning - Dragon Tooth has a 5% daily chance of spawning - Battery Pack has a 9-10% daily chance of spawning

These are, as far as I am aware, the only ways to get Dragon Teeth. There is not a guarentee that a Dragon Tooth will spawn around the Dragon Skeleton, and Lava Lurkers seem to be the best way to get them.

Ginger:

Ginger cannot be grown as it is similar to Spring Onion. You can find it growing wild on the island and harvest it with your hoe. TigerSlime have a 9% chance of dropping Ginger and theyre found in the volcano dungeon as well as in tiger slime grove.

Tiger Slime Grove is found in 'Island North' and is north of the pond.

Island Obelisk

You can buy this Obelisk from the Wizard for 1,000,000g, 10 iridium bars, 10 dragon teeth, and 10 bananas. It is 3x2 building and is neceassary to achieve perfection.

To be able to buy the various buildings from the Wizard, you need to complete both the Dark Talisman Quest and the Goblin Problem Quest. To complete the Dark Talisman Quest you need to complete the community center or joja warehouse and unlock the sewers. You will have to trigger a cut scene up in the mountains after completing either the CC or the JW, then speak to krobus. After speaking to krobus you'll have to go to the mutant bug lair and go through it to get the dark talisman. Upon retreiving the dark talisman, you'll head back to the railroad and place it in it's appropriate area. To complete the Goblin Problem Quest you'll enter the witches swamp, speak to Goblin once and then you'll give him a void mayo. You can either fish up the void mayo from the surrounding water, or you can buy a void egg from krobus and turn it into void mayo, or if you have a void chicken you can turn one of it's eggs into void mayo. Once you give the Goblin his void mayo, he'll run into the hut. You now have access to the hut, he won't be around. Grab the Magic Ink and head back to the Wizards hut through the symbols on the floor. You are now able to access the Witches Hut, the Shrines within it, as well as the Buildings in the Wizard tower.

Banana:

Bananas and mangos do not spawn in the fruit bat cave so if you picked that, you're SOL on collecting these fruits from your farm.

To obtain the banana sapling you will have to get the Island Trader for 10 Golden Walnuts on 'Island North' after purchasing the Island Farmhouse. Banana Saplings cost 5 dragon teeth.

You can also obtain the Banana Sapling through Golden Coconuts and completing the Large Animal Collection in the Island Field Office.

Golden Coconuts

These can be found by shaking palm trees that have a visible coconut on them. There is 10% chance the palm tree will drog a golden coconut. If you have a fish pond with Blue Discus there is a 4-5% daily chance for them to give you one. Their quests include 3 taro root then 10 taro root, which is a crop you can grow after buying them from the Island Trader for 2 Bone Fragment per Taro Tuber.

You can also trade 10 coconuts for 1 golden coconut.

You break the coconuts like you do with Geodes by using Clint, they cannot be broken with the Geode crusher. The first golden walnut you crack open will always produce a golden walnut. Afterwards the golden walnut will produce other items.

Golden Coconuts can produce Banana Saplings, Mango Saplings, Pineapple Seeds, Taro Tubers, Mahogany Seeds, Fossilized Skulls, Iridium Ore, and a Golden Helmet.

The probability is a bit weird on the wiki, and I don't fully understand it but I will provide it here: Banana Sapling: 1/7 Mango Sapling: 1/7 Pineapple Seeds: 1/7 Taro Tuber: 1/7 Mahogany Seed: 1/7 Fossilized Skull: 1/7 Iridium Ore: 1/7 Golden Helmet: 1/20 All of them have an asterislk next to them which leads to: "After getting the Golden Helmet the probability is set to 0. If the player does not have it yet, the probability of getting the other ite,s is actually 19/140 until it is obtained. If you can explain to me what this means, that would be a wonderful help! It is possible I am not understanding this as I am typing this all out at 5am after being up since 9am yesterday but as of right now that is just gibberish to me.

Large Animal Collection

Fossilized Leg (2): Breaking Bone Nodes at the Dig Site, 10% Chance

Fossilized Ribs (1): Digging Artifact Spots on the Southern side of the island, 25% chance, and breaking bone nodes at the dig site, 1.35% chance

Fossilized Skull (1): Golden Coconut

Fossilized Spine (1): Fishing in Dig Site River, 10% chance

Fossilized Tail (1): Panning in Dig Site River, 20% chance

Completing this collection awards you with 6 golden walnuts and 1 banana sapling.

Bare Minimum List Of Materials Needed

Hardwood: 205 (+ 5 for every extra warp totem: island crafted)

Iridium Bars: 15 (75 iridium ore, 15 coal)

Battery Packs: 5 (1 Iron Bar, 1 Refined Quartz, 5 Bat Wing Per Rod)

Copper Bars: 5 (25 copper ore, 15 coal. For Copper axe.)

Iron Bars: 5 (25 iron ore, 15 coal. For Steel axe.)

Dragon Teeth: 16 (+ 1 for every extra warp totem: island crafted. Not counting fish pond requests)

Ginger: 1 (+1 for every extra warp totem: island crafted.)

Bananas: 10

For the Gold amount:

Community Center Completed: 1,058,500g (+ 1,000g for every ginger island trip)

Joja Warehouse Completed: 1,156,000 (+ 1,000g for every ginger island trip)

I dunno about y'all but this seems like a lot of time, gold, and effort just to get a mushroom cave when you can get one upon earning 25,000g.

#jitv #jitv sdv #stardew valley #sdv #JITV Comparison #Ginger Island #Ginger Island Mushroom Cave #Stardew Valley Ginger Island #SDV Ginger Island #Stardew Valley Mushroom Cave #Stardew Valley Ginger Island Mushroom Cave #SDV Mushroom Cave #SDV Ginger Island Mushroom Cave

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panickingpansexuality · 2 years ago

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Elliot x GN! Reader

It's a stupid thing jealousy, that is if that is what this can be called. The notion that maybe perhaps the one you love should be with someone else, that they'd be happier if they weren't with you. It was a stupid thing all around and the farmer knew that but the way Elliots face lit up when he talked to Leah made their heart ache. The spring festival was wonderful, it always was (y/n) hadn't asked anyone to dance in years due to the first time around but it was something that they wanted to do, they wanted to dance with Elliot but they didn't even know the moves.

The farmer pressed the back of their palms against their jeans and slid them down, thankful for the cool air under the trees to help with the unwanted anxious sweating.

"Heyy stranger." A happy voice said coming to stand beside the farmer.

"Oh," (y/n) said looking up "Hello Emily."

"So you finally gonna dance with Elliot this year?" She asked.

"I don't know.." the farmer said looking at their work out boots. "I mean he looks so happy with Leah that I sometimes wonder if we're right for each other."

Emily was quiet for a moment, (y/n) could feel their eyes raking over them. It made a knot in her stomach form even though (y/n) knew that it wasn't out of hostility.

"If they wanted to date by now." Emily said carefully, "I think they'd be together before you came along."

"I know." (Y/n) said softly, "but I want him to be happy and if he isn't happy with me.."

"Dude he will not shut up about you." Emily said, "I know everything about you simply because of your boyfriend, he loves you (y/n), really."

"But would he be happier with someone else?" (Y/n) asks.

"No, I don't think he would be." A different voice says, (y/n) looked up to see Elliot standing in front of them. The clouds in the sky parted just enough for a ray of sunlight to come down over the man.

Emily looks between the two and then looks towards Clint and said:

"Oh…I think I hear someone calling for me."

With that she makes her escape leaving the two in slightly awkward silence.

Elliot crosses his arms and looks a little wounded as he asks:

"You really think I'd be happier without you?"

"Sometimes." (Y/n) says a little timidly, "it's just that I want you to be happy and if I'm not the person you can be the happiest with then.."

"My darling little farmer." Elliot said softly, "Forget all of those thoughts this instant and listen very closely."

Elliot takes a careful hand and holds one of the farmers, he can tell the anxiety that envelopes them, he takes a small moment to kiss the sweaty calloused palm he holds and it eases the farmer slightly, giving Elliot the time to speak:

"I wouldn't trade you or any moments we share for 1,000 iridium bars, for 10,000, or a 100,000. I will love you through this life through the next, even if we part the time I've spent with you has done so much for me and I want you, if you'll let me I'll devour your heart the way you've devoured mine until you're so full of me that the sight of me going leaves you with longing."

"Elliot." The farmer says laughing, "that was beautiful."

"There's that laugh." Elliot says dreamily, "maybe I can get more of it. Watch this."

"ATTENTION STARDEW VALLEY!" Elliot yells, the red faced farmer desperately jumps at him trying to get him to stop, "I LOVE THIS FARMER!"

"YOU'RE DRUNK ELLIOT, GO HOME!" Gus yells causing a ripple of laughter through the crowd, they return to their previous actions.

The red-faced farmer faces their partner with tears eyes.

"Does that prove it to you, my sunflower?"

(Y/n) presses their face against Elliots chest and laughs, "I think that drives away the doubt, my sun."

"Good." Elliot says kissing the top of their head, "So, do you wish to dance with me today?"

#self doubt #stardew fanfiction #stardew farmer #stardew valley #elliot x farmer #elliot x reader #stardew elliott #flower dance #stardew valley spring

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johnnickwilson · 9 months ago

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Keep Connected Anywhere with Iridium Sat Phone & Iridium GO!® Top-Ups | GTC

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#Iridium Sat Phone Top-Ups #Iridium GO! ® Top-Ups

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reysclowncare · 2 years ago

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🎪American Society for the Wellbeing of Clowns (ASWC): Harmful Rhetoric and Mistreatment of Clowns

While I would normally stay quiet on this issue, due to recent events, and the fact that this organization has become the fourth largest clown organization in America, I feel the need to comment and inform clown lovers and owners of the ASWC's dangerous rhetoric, as well as harmful actions they've taken in past years.

ASWC's Perpetuation of "Clean" Pedigrees

This point is the most popular criticism of the ASWC, but I thought I'd go ahead and explain it in this post.

One of the most prominent values of the ASWC has been "protecting the sanctity of purebreds." This claim is fueled by the false belief that crossbreeding results in more birth defects and genetic mutations, which simply isn't the case. A study conducted at the Center of Clownology by Dr. Faxenmacher reported that purebred clowns and mixed-breed clowns have the same rate of mutations/defects, thus disproving this uneducated claim.

The current head of the ASWC, Charles Kasperle, had made a concerning tweet on his personal account 3 years ago calling for the euthanization of mixed-breed clown breeds, stating that their "quality of life" is poorer than purebreds. This level of extremism might not actually be something the ASWC stands for, but this careless eugenic rhetoric by the very head of the organization should be addressed.

The Mishandling of Larger Breeds

The first physical ASWC center was established in 2015 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In the years following, their centers have grown in number, spread out across the continent. These centers are dedicated to the rehabilitation of injured/sickly strays and act as a shelter for said clowns.

As well-meaning as these centers appear to be, they, unfortunately, don't provide adequate care and sustenance for their clowns. In an interview with former volunteer Lindsay Possenreiser on the "Clown of the Town" podcast, she explains that any clown that wasn't of the teacup variety didn't have nearly enough enrichment or space, and were kept in the same kind of cages as teacup breeds. As we know, most large varieties of clowns need at least 30ft of space to themselves, as a vast majority tend to be territorial. This can usually be achieved by a small to medium-sized circus tent.

Possenreiser also commented on the lack of time they spent outside of their confinements. She stated that the only times they were out of their quarters were for an hour of outdoor time, or for check-ups. Mistreatment of clowns by an organization meant for clown wellness can lead to mass amounts of misinformation spreading amongst the clown care community like wildfire. Always do your own research, and consult professionals if necessary.

Endorsement of Unethical Clown Milk Companies

As of 2020, the ASWC has opened its doors to companies that sell clown products, such as milk or clown hair, giving an "ASWC Approved" seal to companies they deem "ethical." While I don't believe that it should be sold for human consumption, I do appreciate that certain companies go the extra mile to ensure the comfort and quality of life of their dairy clowns.

The ASWC has given the majority of its seals to companies that care for their clowns correctly, but a lot of these seals have gone to a few brands that don't prioritize their dairy clowns. There are quite a few out there, but I will be focusing on the largest seal-holder, Shamhonk Farms.

I won't get into the mistreatment of dairy clowns in this post (check out @bowling-with-skulls PSA on clown milk for more extensive information), but a recent documentary by Keira Spassmacher of one of Shamhonk's farms shows the caged conditions their clowns are forced to live in. I will spare the gruesome details, but it's dirty, small, and horrifying.

If you take a look at the top 5 beneficiaries of the ASWC in the past 3 years, you would probably notice Gooftacular, the parent company of Shamhonk Farms, being their #3 top beneficiary. A few other unethical companies with this seal, such as Iridium Inc. and Juggler's Premium, are also large donators to ASWC. This cannot be directly proven, but it can be implied that a few of these companies bought their seal.

*This is a reminder that just because a product has a "seal of approval" on it, doesn't mean that the seal is FDA-approved or an official term used by the FDA.

If you are looking for clown organizations/charities to volunteer for/donate to, please consider these alternatives:

The Goober Foundation: Inspired by the founder's late clown companion, Goober, who unfortunately passed from early-onset Madcap, this organization is dedicated to the care of clowns with severe to fatal afflictions, donating its earnings to families in need.

Chucklet Care Association (CCA): This association is grounded in care for sickly/stray chucklets to ensure they grow up to be healthy, full-grown clowns. This organization offers artificial Clown Milk, physical therapy, and even on-site care for chucklets that fall into their care. Please consider giving the CCA extra love, as their sponsors have been declining in the last year. It's getting harder for them to keep their doors open.

Ethical Clowns United (ECU): The ECU is dedicated to ending the mistreatment of clowns that have been bred for product, and to stopping the recently proposed legislation to end the ban on clown meat from being passed. If you feel especially for clowns bred for product, I'd suggest donating here.

Always be wary of what you are donating to. Just because it's a big name in its industry, doesn't mean it can't cause mass harm and perpetuate harmful misinformation. Thank you for reading.

#clown husbandry #clown breeds #clowns #clownblr #ASWC #American Society for the Wellbeing of Clowns

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fowlerblogs1 · 11 months ago

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Uninterrupted Connectivity to Iridium GO! Top-Ups and Beyond

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Understanding Iridium GO! Top-Ups

Iridium GO! Top-ups serve as a crucial element in ensuring uninterrupted satellite communication. These top-ups allow users to add airtime to their Iridium GO! devices, enabling them to stay connected in remote areas where traditional communication methods may falter. Let's explore what sets Iridium GO! Top-Ups apart and how they contribute to a seamless communication experience:

Global Coverage with Iridium Airtime

Iridium Airtime, a fundamental aspect of Iridium GO! Top-Ups leverages the extensive coverage of the Iridium satellite network. This global coverage ensures that users can communicate reliably from virtually any location on Earth. Whether you're sailing the high seas, trekking through dense jungles, or working in a remote field, Iridium Airtime keeps you connected when it matters most.

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While Iridium GO! Top-Ups cater specifically to the Iridium GO! device, it's essential to recognize that Iridium Sat Phone Top-Ups extend connectivity options to a broader range of Iridium-compatible devices. This inclusivity ensures that users with different Iridium devices can benefit from the convenience and reliability of top-up options.

Exploring Top-Up Options: Iridium GO! Prepaid Topup

Iridium GO! Prepaid Topup is a valuable addition to the Iridium communication ecosystem. This prepaid option provides users with the ability to manage their communication expenses more effectively. Let's delve into the key features and benefits of Iridium GO! Prepaid Topup:

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Iridium GO! Prepaid Topup offers users a cost-effective solution for satellite communication. By preloading airtime, users can control and budget their communication expenses, avoiding unexpected bills. This approach is particularly advantageous for those who want a predictable and manageable cost structure for their communication needs.

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The prepaid nature of Iridium GO! Prepaid Topup empowers users with control and flexibility. Users can choose the airtime that aligns with their usage patterns and preferences. This level of customization ensures that users only pay for the communication services they need, providing a tailored and user-centric experience.

Unlocking Enhanced Connectivity: Iridium GO! Prepaid SIM Card Plan

In addition to Top-Ups, we are exploring the Iridium GO! Prepaid SIM Card Plan reveals a comprehensive solution for users seeking enhanced connectivity options. This prepaid plan, coupled with the convenience of Iridium GO! Top-Ups offers a holistic approach to satellite communication. Let's explore the key aspects of the Iridium GO! Prepaid SIM Card Plan:

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The Iridium GO! Prepaid SIM Card Plan is an all-in-one solution designed to meet the communication needs of users. With a prepaid SIM card and a tailored airtime plan, users gain access to a complete communication package. This simplifies the process of staying connected, making it easy for users to manage their communication tools efficiently.

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OSAT (Orbital Satcom): A Trusted Partner in Satellite Communication

In the expansive landscape of satellite communication, OSAT (Orbital Satcom) emerges as a trusted partner, offering diverse products and services. Let's explore how OSAT contributes to the satellite communication ecosystem, including Iridium GO! Top-Ups and related solutions:

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As technology continues to advance, satellite communication solutions, including Iridium GO! Top-ups will play an increasingly vital role in keeping individuals and businesses connected across the globe. With OSAT as a trusted partner in the satellite communication landscape, users can explore a world of possibilities, ensuring that their connectivity needs are met with reliability and convenience.

SOURCE: http://tinyurl.com/ycznw3yx

#Iridium Airtime #Iridium GO! Top-Ups #Top Up your Iridium GO #Iridium Sat Phone Top-Ups #Iridium GO! Prepaid Topup #Iridium GO! Prepaid SIM Card Plan #OSAT #Orbital Satcom

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simpvalley · 3 years ago

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How They Show Their Love (RSV Bachelors Edition)

♡ Characters include: Ian, Jeric, Shiro, Kenneth & Phillip

♡ A/N: This was written in a day after only playing SDV for 60+ hours over the past two weeks. I hope you enjoy! ❤

Ian

Giving: Acts of Service

Ian knows no better way to show his love for his loved ones than by making himself useful through sheer hard work and this definitely reflects in his relationship with you. He will always want to know how he can be of service to you around the farm or if he can run any errands for you - just because he wants to be helpful to you and to remove any burdens he can off your shoulders.

You’d just returned home from a day at the mines to find the entire house sparkling from top to bottom, a delicious warm meal waiting for you. Ian was in the middle of watering the pots of flowers you’d put around the house as decorative pieces. “Welcome home! I was just finishing up some chores I thought I could help out with,” Ian said with a cheerful smile.

Seeing how happy he was being helpful, you didn’t have the heart to tell him they were plastic flowers. You’d just have to replace them with real ones.

Receiving: Words of Affirmation

Ian has many insecurities, from his impoverished background to his lack of a proper education. Hearing from you that he has you by his side to support him in overcoming these insecurities will mean the absolute world to him. Reassurances from you that you believe that he is indeed capable of whatever it is he is trying to do, be it learning how to read and write or his woodworking skills, will also help keep him motivated to continue trying his best to improve his skills.

It was a quiet morning on the farm. You were putting together iridium sprinklers as a favour for Alissa while Ian sat on the couch, a book he’d borrowed from the library open on his lap. Not having had the opportunity to have a proper education, Penny had suggested he start learning how to read and spell simple words with children’s fairy tales. He’d chosen Cinderella as the first book he’d tackle.

You were just packing up the last sprinkler when you heard a quiet sniffling. You quickly got to your feet and approached Ian who was sitting hunched over on the couch with his face hidden from view, asking worriedly “Ian? Are you okay, babe?”

Ian quickly ran the back of his hand across his face before he looked up with an obviously forced smile and said “I-I’m fine.” You sat down on the couch next to him and waited patiently till Ian found the courage to continue speaking “I...I just feel so stupid. Vincent and Jas can read this stuff but I can’t even make it past the first page.”

Upon saying that, Ian burst into uncontrollable sobs. You put your arms around him and pulled him into a hug, letting him cry out the frustration. It was only when the tears seemed to cease that you spoke “Ian, these things take time. You’re not going to be able to pick up reading and spelling in a day.”

You pulled away from the hug and put both your hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at you. The tearful expression on his face almost made you weep as well but you stayed strong for him. You continued speaking “You’ll get the hang of it in time, I promise. You’re the most hardworking man I know and you are definitely not stupid. You’ll overcome this just like you’ve overcome everything else except now, I’ll be by your side helping you too. Alright?”

Ian nodded slightly and a smile finally lit up his handsome face. He looked down at the book still laid open on his lap for a moment before turning back to you, asking shyly “Will you please read with me? Only if you’re not still busy with the sprinklers.”

Jeric

Giving: Words of Affirmation

You’ll never feel insecure with this man around! He may throw around compliments like they cost nothing but you can be rest assured that he means every word of it when it comes to you. If ever there comes a time where you’re feeling a bit down and need a pick-me-up, Jeric will be there with a cup of your favourite drink and sweet words to go with it.

“Here you go, beautiful. Tell me what’s wrong now,” Jeric said as he settled down on the floor beside you, handing you a mug of hot chocolate. You accepted the mug from him and after a sip, explained that you sometimes went through periods of insecurity.

Jeric put an arm around your shoulders and squeezed you gently, planting a kiss on the top of your head. He said “Baby, you’re the most gorgeous person I have ever met. You’re kind, generous, beautiful - all the positive adjectives vocabulary has to offer. You have nothing to feel insecure about.”

You didn’t reply but had just rested your head against his chest, closing your tearful eyes.

As he held you in his arms, Jeric decided then that it was his mission to remind you every day how stunning you are until you began to believe it too.

Receiving: Quality Time

Jeric LOVES spending time with you. He’ll use any and all excuses to follow you around as you do your daily chores. If this is early on in your relationship, it’ll be because he wants to get to know you better (as mentioned in his dialogue in RSV’s NPC Adventures). If it is after you’ve been dating/married for a while, it’ll be because he misses you and just craves having your comforting presence around him. He tries to not appear clingy but internally, he would drop anything to be with you 24/7.

“Awww, what do you mean I can’t come with you?,” Jeric pouted as he watched you get your gear together for a trip to the Skull Caverns. You’d been planning this for the past week and Jeric had been constantly dropping hints that he wanted to join you ever since you brought it up.

You placed the last box of cherry bombs into your backpack and looked up at Jeric with an apologetic smile. “It’s too dangerous, baby. I’ll be back before you know it, okay?,” you said, leaning up to give him a quick kiss on his lips.

Jeric walked you to the bus stop and waved goodbye, trying not to show his disappointment. By the time the bus was out of view, Jeric had made up his mind. He’d go to the Adventurer’s Guild and ask Marlon there to train him to use a sword. Then, you’d have no reason not to let him go with you!

Shiro

Giving: Quality Time & Acts of Service

After all Shiro has been through, he has come to appreciate every minute that he gets to spend with his loved ones. Shiro cherishes the evenings he gets to spend with you even if you’re just curled up in front of the television under warm blankets or individually doing your own things in each other’s presence.

Shiro also shows his love by trying to be as useful as he can be despite his disabilities. If you cook dinner, Shiro will wash the dishes. If you put the laundry into the washing machine and dryer, Shiro will fold your clothes and put them neatly into their respective drawers. Teamwork is key in this relationship!

You were sitting on the couch, glancing in the direction of the kitchen every now and then. Shiro had insisted that you get some rest after a long day of farming while he put together some treats for you. He had been progressing well during his physical therapy sessions according to Phillip but it still didn’t stop you from watching out for him, just in case.

Shiro slowly walked out into the living room, carrying a tray that held a bowl of popcorn and two cups of hot chocolate. He laid the tray onto the table in front of the couch and sat down beside you, trying not to show any signs that the effort had tired him out. “Thank you, babe,” you said appreciatively, cuddling up to him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“It’s the least I can do for you when you work so hard every day,” Shiro said with a smile, kissing you gently on the lips. He put his arm around you and rested his cheek on the top of your head as you flipped through the channels on the television, relishing in the comfort you brought him just by being beside him.

Receiving: Words of Affirmation

Shiro is often concerned that you would get bored of being with him since he can’t do very much due to his disabilities. Whenever he worries about this, he starts to second-guess your relationship and wonders whether you would be better off dating someone else who would be able to give you experiences that he personally can’t until he recovers completely.

Shiro will genuinely appreciate it when you reassure him that that is not the case and you wouldn’t want to be with anyone else but him. He may need you to repeat it every once in a while but Shiro just wants to be sure that you’re happy.

“Y/N, are you...happy?,” Shiro had asked one morning while you two were having breakfast. You looked at him in surprise, wondering what had prompted him to ask such a question.

You put down your cutlery and reached across to take his hand into yours, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Of course I’m happy, Shiro. I’ve got everything I could ever ask for - a loving husband, a beautiful home and a thriving farm. Why do you ask?,” you said with a questioning smile.

Shiro averted his gaze from you and said nervously “I just sometimes worry that you’ll get bored of me. You know, since I can’t do very much…” His cheeks were flushing a light pink and you could hear the slight tremble in his voice as he spoke.

You gently rubbed the top of his hand with your thumb as you said assertively, making sure he was looking at you “Shiro, look at me. You are the one and only man I have ever and will ever love. I could never become bored of you. Okay?”

Shiro nodded with a small smile and you knew that while appeased for now, he still had doubts in his mind. But you didn’t mind. You would reassure him over and over again if Shiro needed you to because you loved him with all of your heart.

Kenneth

Giving: Acts of Service

Kenneth will insist on coming up with some sort of machine that will help you to fully automate the farming process, from watering to harvesting. While he works on that though, Kenneth will do his best to help you with little chores around the farm even though he’s not familiar with this area. At the end of the day, he just wants to help reduce your workload so you won’t have to be so stressed.

“Come to bed, honey. That can surely wait for tomorrow?,” you said as you wrapped your arms around Kenneth from behind. He had been working all day in his study, trying to finish his automated harvesting machine. It was the start of Fall tomorrow and he wanted it to be ready by then.

Kenneth looked up with a tired smile and said “I just want this done in time for tomorrow. I’m really close this time, I can feel it!” The two of you never brought it up after it had happened but the last time, his machine had almost burned down the crops after exploding nearby. You were remaining optimistic that Kenneth would figure it out eventually however.

“The seeds will literally only be going into the ground tomorrow, love. Harvesting won’t be for another couple weeks or so. You have plenty of time,” you assured him. That didn’t seem to persuade Kenneth so you had to resort to your final move. You slyly whispered into his ear “How would you like to help me by planting a different kind of seed tonight?”

Kenneth’s face flushed a deep red and he cleared his throat, saying as he hurriedly shoved his tools away into their respective places on his desk “W-Well, you know I always love to help!”

Receiving: Physical Touch

Living on his own on the outskirts of Ridgeside Village with not many people he would call a close friend, it’s not surprising that Kenneth is absolutely touch-starved. He will come up with a plethora of excuses to touch you throughout the day, and Yoba forbid you try to leave the bed in the mornings before Kenneth has had his fill of cuddles. Feeling you in his arms just makes his relationship with you feel more real (he constantly wonders how he got so lucky to be with you) and you fill him with a sense of comfort that he would otherwise only find while working on his projects.

"Mmm...five more minutes," Kenneth mumbled sleepily as he wrapped his arms around your waist. The alarm clock had rung about ten minutes ago and you knew you had to get ready for the day as it was the day of a new season but Kenneth was being especially clingy that morning - which you didn't mind at all.

You twisted your head around to give him a kiss and whispered "I've gotta go to Pierre's for some seeds today, honey. There'll be time for cuddles later, I promise." Kenneth made a whining sound and refused to release you from his arms.

He mumbled again, kissing you gently on your bare shoulder "Just five minutes, please?" You couldn't help a smile from forming on your lips. How could you resist giving in to him when Kenneth was being so darn cute?

Farming would just have to wait.

Phillip

Giving: Gift Giving

There is nothing more that brings Phillip pleasure than seeing the bright smile on your face when he gives you a gift, whether it’s a massage to soothe your sore limbs or a delicious meal at Pika’s restaurant. If you’re just as into comic books and action figures as he is, Phillip will also lavish you with monthly comic book subscriptions (which he will definitely not partake in as well).

You woke up that morning to the sound of cardboard being ripped apart. You put on your warm slippers and padded to the kitchen where you found Phillip sitting on the floor while poring over a comic book, surrounded by ripped cardboard and bubble wrap.

Upon hearing your footsteps, Phillip looked up with a smile and said “Good morning, Y/N! The new comics just came in, your box is on the table there.”

You picked up the box and found that it had already been opened. You turned to look at your husband with a raised eyebrow and he grinned sheepishly, saying “I may have already had a peek, sorry…”

Receiving: Quality Time

Phillip doesn’t get much down time in between visiting his patients every day and then meeting up with Harvey to help him out with the clinic every now and then. That is why he holds every moment he gets to spend with you dear to his heart and greatly appreciates it whenever you take time from working on the farm to be with him on his breaks.

“Can you believe the cliffhanger they left us on?!,” Phillip groaned in annoyance as he placed the comic book on the grass beside him, resting his head on your shoulder. You two were sitting on the lawn in front of the Log Cabin Hotel, Phillip having had an hour to spare in between seeing his patients.

He’d called you earlier that morning, asking if you wanted to come over and read the latest issue of Incrediman with him and you, being the best girlfriend ever, had agreed to take some time off from farming to be with him.

“Thank you for coming up here to see me...I’ve missed you,” Phillip said, turning to you with a shy smile. He slipped his hand into yours and wished that moments like this didn’t have to be so rare. The two of you were just so busy all the time, sometimes the only time you got to see each other was at night when Phillip stayed over at your farm. But even then, you were both so tired that you would just go to bed.

You hesitated before asking “Maybe it’s time for us to move in together?” Before Phillip could answer, you pulled out something from your pocket and put it into the palm of his hand. It was a Mermaid’s Pendant - even Phillip who had not lived in Stardew Valley for long knew the significance of that pendant.

“Will you marry me, Phillip?”

#stardew valley #ridgeside village #rsv #ridgeside village headcanons #stardew valley headcanons #rsv shiro #rsv ian #rsv jeric #rsv phillip #rsv kenneth

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anonymousewrites · 2 years ago

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Portal to My Heart (Book 1) Chapter Three

Chapter Three: Gala in Stuttgart

(Y/N) was finally allowed out of her cell. She was glad for two reasons. First, she was closer to Loki and in no pain from the spell. Second, she could figure out what the Selvig and the team of scientists were building. It was another portal, but this one seemed like it was going to be successful. (Y/N) was not allowed to observe too closely because she might sabotage it.

“Where did you find all these people?” asked Selvig.

“SHIELD has no shortage of enemies, Doctor,” replied Barton. He held up a tablet displaying “Iridium” and “Dr. Heinrich Schäfer.” “Is this the stuff you need?”

“Yeah, iridium,” said Selvig. “It forms anti-protons. It’s very hard to get hold of.”

“Especially if SHIELD knows you want it,” said Barton.

“Well, I didn’t know,” exclaimed Selvig, “Hey!”

Loki walked over from where he’d been sitting and observing the portal’s construction.

“The Tesseract has shown me so much! It’s more than knowledge. It’s truth,” said Selvig.

“I know,” said Loki, smirking. He glanced over to the agent beside him. “What did it show you, Agent Barton?”

“My next target,” answered Barton simply.

“Tell me what you need,” said Loki.

Barton opened a case and picked up his infamous bow. “I need a distraction. And an eyeball.”

“Very well,” said Loki, looking down at the tablet, which now displayed information on how Dr. Schäfer was speaking at a gala in Stuttgart. He smirked. “I believe I have just the distraction for procuring an eye.” He looked to (Y/N). “Come, unless you prefer the agony of my departure.” Loki didn’t wait for her to respond, simply walking off towards the parked vehicles.

Tch. Ass. (Y/N) sneered behind his back but followed.

They had taken a stolen SHIELD plane to Germany. As (Y/N) suspected, they were infiltrating Dr. Schäfer’s speech in Stuttgart. They parked at a side entrance so nobody could see. Loki got out and motioned for her to follow. He nodded to Barton, who drove off to another part of the building.

“Let’s get this over with,” muttered (Y/N), crossing her arms.

“Watch your tongue, mortal,” said Loki.

(Y/N) huffed and rolled her eyes.

“Hm.” Loki looked her up and down.

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

Loki scoffed. “If you believe I am observing any beauty, you would be incorrect. Such mortal standards do not compare with Asgard. I am merely deciding what you shall wear. You cannot possibly be seen with me at a gala in those garments.” He waved a hand.

Green light shimmered over (Y/N), obscuring her outfit. It was replaced with a long black dress. Green and gold detailing covered the top and off shoulder sleeves, creating the illusion of vines wrapping around her. (Y/N) was fairly impressed. It was a beautiful gown.

Loki raised an eyebrow, examining her. “Acceptable for a Midgardian.” He waved his hand once more, this time using the magic on himself. He now wore a suit with an elegant gold and green scarf around his shoulders. His deadly scepter now became an ornamental cane. Loki held out his arm. “Ready, darling?”

(Y/N) just gave him an annoyed glare before linking her arm with his. “Yes, dear.”

As they walked into the gala, she plastered a smile onto her face. They wove through other couples, eventually going upstairs to “view the paintings.” They were blending in perfectly.

“My, my, I didn’t expect Midgardians to have any semblance of taste in art,” said Loki, pausing to look at the paintings.

“You also expect us to be pitiable creatures you can conquer with little effort. Clearly, your expectations are wrong,” said (Y/N).

“You are quite bold for someone in your predicament,” commented Loki, raising an eyebrow warningly, “Are you sure that’s wise?”

“If you wanted to kill me, you could have already,” said (Y/N), “No point in staying afraid if every second could be your last.” She smirked. “Besides…someone here has to knock your ego down a peg or two.”

Loki chuckled. “More and more interesting by the minute, aren’t you?” He leaned closer to her ear, to all the world looking like a loving boyfriend whispering sweet nothings to his beau. “I believe I will keep you around, clever mortal.” He leaned back, smirking. “Come along, dear. I wish to see Dr. Schäfer’s speech. It’ll be very…entertaining.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist and escorted her to the stairs. Below them, the curator of the institution was giving a speech.

Loki whispered into (Y/N)’s ear. “Stay here. Don’t worry, I will be close enough that no pain shall come to you.” The tone of his voice made it clear that he wouldn’t regret hurting her for not listening to his words.

(Y/N) wanted to disobey but knew nothing would come of it. He was stronger than her and could kill many of the people in the room, including her. Not to mention, (Y/N) had the strangest sensation that Loki had already considered and accounted for whatever she may do. He suspected she had abilities, which (Y/N) had to admit was a possibility judging from her out-of-body experience, so Loki probably even considered what she herself couldn’t think of.

Loki himself strolled down the stairs. A serious look replaced his sly one. As he reached the ground floor, he twirled his staff deftly and hit a guard, sending the man to the ground. The people watching gasped in shock. Loki pushed the curator onto a table, his head near Loki. The god pulled out a device from his coat. (Y/N) recognized it as one of SHIELD’s torture instruments. She had never used one or had it used on her, but she guessed it was painful. Loki stuck it onto the Dr. Schäfer’s eye. Evidently, this was the eyeball Barton needed. The curator jerked and twitched painfully. People screamed and ran for the closest exit. Even from (Y/N)’s position above, she could see Loki’s satisfied smirk.

In the confusion around her, (Y/N) took her chance. Sure, the pain may return if she tried to escape, but she might be able to get to a telephone or contact someone in the crowd who could help. She slipped into a group of other young women running down the stairs. With them, she slipped outside, running into the streets to escape the devil of a man follow the crowd. (Y/N) glanced behind and groaned when she saw Loki was dressed in the armor and helmet she had seen in her vision. His cane became the deadly, pointed staff. That could only mean trouble.

Loki walked proudly, watching the people scrambling for safety like a predator with its prey. A cop car came roaring towards him, but a blast from his staff flipped it over. All around the crowd, copies of Loki appeared, trapping them.

“Kneel before me,” said Loki. People were too frightened and confused to do anything. “I said…” He and all his copies stamped their staffs against the ground, blue light erupting from the jewels. “Kneel!”

The crowd did as he asked. Even (Y/N) knelt, though mostly to blend in with the group. She glared defiantly at him, still hoping he wouldn’t see her.

“Is not this simpler?” said Loki, chuckling slightly. He began to stroll through the crowd, reveling in the people cowering in fear. “Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.”

God, he sounds so smug. (Y/N) clenched her teeth. I’ll be damned if I just let him get away this. She stood defiantly. “To a man like you?” She laughed wryly. “Never.”

Loki smirked. “There are no men like me.” He was somewhat pleased at her insolence since it made her interesting.

“I’ve seen plenty of men like you. They all fall in the end,” said (Y/N).

Loki’s eyes narrowed. He raised his staff. “Look to this foolish woman. Let her be an example.” He wasn’t planning on killing her (he still wanted her to free him from the scepter’s control and learn what other useful abilities she possessed), but he could inflict a serious wound on her. Leveling the staff at her, Loki fired.

(Y/N) brought her hands up, guarding herself. Nothing hit her. Lowering her arms, she saw a man she’d only ever read files on: Captain America.

“You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing,” said Captain Rogers.

“The soldier,” remarked Loki. He chuckled. “The man out of time.”

“I’m not the one who’s out of time,” said Rogers.

The Quinjet appeared above and leveled its guns at Loki.

“Loki, drop the weapon and stand down,” said Agent Romanoff over the PA system.

Loki responded with trying to blow the Quinjet out of the sky. The people all around took their chance to run.

(Y/N), however, sat down on a bench that was out of the way. No matter who won, she’d be in an unfortunate position. She’d either be under SHIELD’s control again, being forced to “help mankind” (develop weapons), now with powers (she’d be the weapon), or she’d be stuck with Loki (a god hellbent on conquering Earth). Wonderful. My two choices are bad and worse. She sighed and crossed her arms. You see, (Y/N) wasn’t particularly fond of SHIELD. She found them dangerous in their own right, constantly worried about power and weaponry. She disliked having to work for them. The only reason she was a strategist there was because she did some hacking a few years ago. Her parents were killed in a mysterious accident, so (Y/N) did so digging (including breaking into secure governmental files) and discovered who was behind it. Then, she made a cyber trap and caught them. However, SHIELD approached her afterwards and told her that unless she agreed to work for them as a strategist, she’d be put in jail for breaking several laws (which she had been aware of). Therefore, there was a considerable amount of resentment in (Y/N)’s heart towards SHIELD.

For a bit of time, neither seemed to gain the upper hand. Finally, however, Loki knocked the Captain’s shield away and held his staff to the hero’s forehead.

“Kneel,” said Loki.

“Not today,” growled Rogers, pushing the staff away and kicking Loki.

Loki tossed the soldier to the side. Suddenly, “Shoot to Thrill” began to play over the Quinjet’s PA system. Iron Man flew in and blasted Loki in the chest. As Loki groaned and sat up, Stark activated many other weapons.

“Make your move, Reindeer Games,” threatened Stark.

Loki’s armor disappeared in a shimmer of gold, and he raised his hands. He did not look pleased.

“Good move,” said Stark.

“I’m impressed,” remarked (Y/N), walking up.

“Ma’am, you shouldn’t still be here,” said Rogers.

“Relax, boys,” said Romanoff over the PA, “She’s one of us.”

“I thought the people Reindeer Games took were brainwashed?” asked Stark.

“We’ll explain once we’re in the air again,” said Romanoff, landing the jet.

“So you weren’t affected by his weapon?” asked Rogers.

“Nope,” said (Y/N), shrugging.

“Are we sure she’s not lying? Cause, ya know, he is the so-called ‘God of Lies.’ He could be making her say that,” said Stark.

“I’m perfectly in control of myself, thank you very much,” snapped (Y/N).

“Director Fury confirmed that Loki appeared frustrated, and she doesn’t have the weird blue eyes, so she’s telling the truth,” said Romanoff.

“Is he saying anything?” Fury’s voice appeared over the radio.

Speak of the Devil, thought (Y/N), amused. Unlike many of SHIELD’s higherups, she had some respect for Fury. He actually tried to do the right thing (sometimes, he was still a spy).

“Not a word,” said Romanoff.

“Just get him here. We’re low on time,” said Fury. The radio shut off.

“I don’t like it,” muttered Rogers.

“What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?” said Stark.

“I don’t remember it being that easy,” said Rogers, “This guy packs a wallop.”

“Still, you are pretty spry for an older fellow,” remarked Stark. “What’s your thing? Pilates?”

“What?” asked the Captain.

“It’s like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple things doing time as a Capsicle,” said Stark.

“Fury didn’t tell me he was calling you in,” said Rogers, clearly annoyed.

“Fury doesn’t tell people a lot of things,” said (Y/N), “It’s best to always be ready for anything and have contingency plans.”

“Is that how you survived being with that guy?” asked Stark.

(Y/N) shrugged. “I’m smarter than I look, and he’s not as scary as he looks.”

Suddenly, lightning began to strike around the Quinjet.

“Where’s this coming from?” muttered Black Widow.

Loki began looking around uncomfortably.

“Aw, scared of a little lightning?” teased (Y/N), pouting.

“I’m not overly fond of what follows,” said Loki.

(Y/N) was taken aback because he was being rather serious and truthful. “What follows?” she muttered to herself.

Something landed on the Quinjet, causing everybody to jump and become on edge. Stark grabbed his helmet and put it on. He then opened the rear hatch of the jet.

“What are you doing?” asked Rogers.

Suddenly, a man with a hammer landed on the open hatch. (Y/N) recognized him as Thor from the files she’d hacked read. She glanced over at Loki, who had a surprisingly worried look on his face. Stark raised his hand to attack, but the hammer was thrown into his chest, knocking him into Rogers. Thor then ripped Loki from his seat by the neck and jumped out into the open air. They disappeared in an instant.

“And now there’s that guy,” muttered Stark.

(Y/N) collapsed to the floor. Loki was far away, and the pain was returning. She grasped her chest as the agony increased since the Quinjet was flying farther away.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” asked Rogers, kneeling down.

“Go…catch…Loki…,” gasped (Y/N). It was the only way for her to recover.

“Alright,” said Captain America, standing up.

“Another Asgardian?” asked Black Widow, glancing back and frowning at (Y/N) on the floor. The redhead has heard (Y/N)’s statement, however, and decided not to press. There would be time to treat her eventually.

“That guy’s a friendly?” asked Rogers, confused because of the information he’d heard on Thor had described him as an ally.

“Doesn’t matter,” said Stark, “If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract’s lost, and (L/N) here is in pain. We need to get him back.” He walked over to the open hatch.

“Stark, we need a plan of attack!” called Rogers.

“I have a plan. Attack.” Iron Man leapt out of the jet, following after the two gods.

Rogers grabbed a parachute and began to put it on.

“I’d sit this one out, Cap,” advised Romanoff.

“I don’t see how I can,” said Rogers.

“These guys come from legends. They’re basically gods,” said Romanoff.

“Just…overpowered…asses,” coughed (Y/N).

“There’s only one God, ma’am,” said Rogers, “And I’m pretty sure He doesn’t dress like that.” He grabbed his shield and jumped out.

(Y/N) was left on the ground in pure agony. She could hear what sounded like Romanoff trying to talk to her, keep her conscious, but it sounded far away. Her vision blurred. The only sense she retained that could focus was touch. And it was plagued with pain. (Y/N) just wanted the torture to end. Once Stark and Rogers caught Loki, they’d return and her pain would leave. If she was near Loki, she’d feel better. All she could think of was that fact. I wish I was near Loki so the pain would go away. I wish I was near Loki so the pain would go away. I wish I was near Loki so the pain would go away.

“(L/N)?...(L/N)?” Romanoff’s voice echoed in (Y/N)’s head.

I wish I was near Loki so the pain would go away. I wish I was near Loki so the pain would go away. I wish I was near Loki so the pain would go away.

Blue smoke swirled around her. The sensation of falling made (Y/N)’s stomach drop. She landed on hard rock. The blue wisps of smoke dispersed in the air above her. Her vision focused, revealing the expanse of dark clouds obscuring the night sky. Her hearing sharpened, allowing her to listen to the wind whistling in the air. Finally, the pain receded, leaving (Y/N) taking deep breaths of fresh air.

The fuck was that… She rolled over and pushed herself up. She was sitting on a cliff overlooking a forest. She looked around and ducked behind a rock when she saw Loki and Thor. Well, my wish came true…

“We were raised together,” said Thor imploringly, “We played together; we fought together. Do you remember none of that?”

“I remember a shadow,” said Loki, “Living in the shade of your greatness. I remember you tossing me into an abyss.” His face broken, betrayed, angry. “I, who was, and should be, king!”

“So you take the world I love as recompense for your imagine slights?” accused Thor, saddened. “No. The Earth is under my protection, Loki.”

Loki laughed bitterly. “And you’re doing a marvelous job with that. The humans slaughter each other in droves while you idly fret. I mean to rule them, as why should I not?”

“You think yourself above them?” said Thor.

“Well, yes,” answered Loki, as if it was obvious, although confused at the question.

“Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother,” said Thor, “A throne would suit you ill.”

Loki angrily pushed past Thor and marched toward the top of the cliff. (Y/N) pushed her back against the rock, hiding herself. Now was not the time to reveal herself.

“I’ve seen worlds you’ve never known about! I have grown, Odinson, in my exile!” cried Loki. “I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it—.”

“Who showed you this power?” questioned Thor. “Who controls the would-be king?”

So I was right. Somebody is pulling the strings, thought (Y/N).

“I am a king!” shouted Loki.

“Not here!” yelled Thor, shaking Loki, “You give up the Tesseract! You give up this poisonous dream! You release the spells you’ve placed on the mortals you took!” His face became softer, more pleading. “You come home.”

For a moment, Loki was still, a tender wistfulness filled his eyes. It was over in a second, however, replaced by a jeering smirk.

“I don’t have it,” he said.

Thor summoned Mjolnir to his hand.

“You need the Cube to bring me home,” said Loki, “But I’ve sent it off, I know not where.”

“You listen well, brother.” Thor was preparing to speak again when a red and gold streak hit him, launching him into the forest.

Loki was left seemingly alone on the cliff. “I’m listening,” he said sarcastically. He sat down as Thor and Iron Man began to fight.

“Enjoying the fight? Personally, my money’s on Stark,” said (Y/N).

“Do you make it a habit to travel without knowing and listening to conversations you are not a part of?” said Loki, raising an eyebrow.

“I do have a habit of getting my hands on information, but this one’s your fault,” said (Y/N), shrugging and sitting down next to him. Her gown fanned elegantly around her legs.

“Oh?” questioned Loki.

“You used that weird spell on me, and I really didn’t want the pain when your brother grabbed you, and poof! I was here,” said (Y/N), “Without that spell, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

Loki chuckled. “You never cease to entertain me.”

“I hope to one day pain you,” muttered (Y/N). She smirked. “You know, a nice dagger or bullet to the chest would be very satisfying.”

“Careful with your words, Midgardian,” warned Loki, “You may be entertaining, but you are not immune to punishment.”

“I’ve already been punished twice by you been too far away,” said (Y/N), shivering at the thought of the pain she had felt.

“Ah.”

If (Y/N) didn’t know better, she would have thought a flash of guilt passed over his face.

“A word of advice,” said (Y/N), getting serious.

Loki raised an eyebrow curiously.

“If you ever want to rule or lead, fear will only do so much. People will stand up to you, unafraid,” said (Y/N). She looked him straight in the eye. “So do your worst to me. I don’t care.” She looked back to the fight, which Captain America had joined.

Loki didn’t respond. He watched her with interest. Two people that night had been incredibly honest and bold: Thor and (Y/N). Both had similar messages: stop what he was doing. It was normal for his brother to spout such idealistic nonsense, but to have a mortal dare to speak so freely, twice, was unprecedented. Although she had some abilities which made her slightly dangerous, (Y/N) obviously had no control over them. She was at his mercy. Loki had to admit, however, that her words rang true with what his mother had always taught him. He almost winced at the thought of Frigga. He knew she would be disappointed in him. Loki steeled himself. It was too late to turn back now. No matter what his brother or (Y/N) said.

He smirked, seeing the fight below had ended. Time for my plan to continue. Loki glanced at (Y/N). I wonder if you’ll continue to surprise me. I guess I’ll have to keep you around.

#portal to my heart #mcu loki #loki laufeyson #loki #loki odinson #loki x reader #mcu fic #mcu #marvel mcu #marvel cinematic universe #marvel

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writing-gifts · 4 years ago

Text

Finding Home (merman!Elliott x gn!reader)

A/N: Me and a friend, @hideyoosh, worked on this stardew valley reader insert fic together. There should be more chapters in the future hopefully.

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The tree branches sway as the fallen leaves are carried in the gentle wind.

Today was a perfect day for fishing. You had been so caught up in tending to your autumn crops that you hadn't taken the time to focus on your hobbies. It wasn’t like you didn't enjoy farming though, it was just nice to take a break every once in a while.

Unfortunately, the lake in the forest south of your farm seemed to be quiet today. Nothing was biting, even with the bait you had hooked on. This was extremely peculiar since every time you came here multiple fish would bite throughout the day. You'd even throw some back. But now it was well into the afternoon and you hadn't caught a single thing.

You sigh and lean back in your seat you placed on the dock. Good thing you brought one with you.

While you contemplate whether you should call it day or not, your rod jerks forward. You finally had hooked something!

You scramble to try to reel it in hoping, praying, that it wasn't trash that got caught. However you cross that off quickly. Whatever you had at the end of the line was fighting back hard.

You put up your best fight, set on making this fish yours and it seems like neither of you will let up. But then your line suddenly snaps.

The release of tension sends you and your chair falling backwards. Your mouth gawks at the destroyed line on your iridium fishing rod. This wasn’t any cheap rod either. In fact, it was brand new!

What could have been strong enough to do this?

You pout at the loss of an incredible catch and your line that you would now have to fix.

"Dammit…"

Suddenly, you hear splashing from the lake and look up to see a man in the water not too far away from you. You had never seen this man in town before so you're immediately alarmed.

How long had he even been in the water?

"I’m sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" he called out.

Your mouth hangs open and you’re at a loss for words.

The man had long ginger hair, and deep green eyes. Along with his defined cheekbones and sharp jawline, he might as well be physically flawless. Part of you couldn't believe he was even human.

He holds out your hook, the broken off piece of your line hanging from it, and begins making his way closer to the dock.

"I apologize for breaking it, but I couldn't get it out otherwise so…."

You finally manage to somewhat collect yourself back onto your chair and try to make sense of what was happening. Surely you would have noticed someone out in the lake before you cast out your line, so how did he get hooked?

He stares at you, and you stare right back. His gaze was warm and honest, almost naive.

Breaking the momentary silence, you utter a very eloquent, "What?"

"This hook. I believe it belongs to you seeing as we’re the only ones here. Thought I would return it since my arm has no better use for it."

You give a breathy laugh and reach for the outstretched hook. “Yeah I suppose you’ve got a good point there. Thanks.”

You take the hook from his hand, your fingers just brushing up against his. The small bit of contact has your face heating up unexpectedly and you look away.

What's wrong with you?Just an ounce of human contact and you're on fire! Touch starved much?

The other equally reasonable part of you argues otherwise though.

The man is a living, breathing deity of grace and beauty! Anyone with eyes can argue that. How am I still conscious?

And somehow you agree with both.

Once you take the hook, you notice the blood on his left arm.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hook you. I’d be a sorry excuse for a fisherman if I could only fish men."

He offers a short laugh and replies, "That's quite alright. You were just trying to catch a meal.”

Oh, I caught a meal alright...

“I assure you it appears much more garish than it actually is." He pokes around the wound to demonstrate no reaction. “See?”

"Please, it's my fault you’re hurt so I can at least help you clean the wound. My farm’s not too far, I’ll grab a first aid kit and be back.”

You get up from your chair quickly and give him no time to argue. If you were fast enough you could be back within an hour, so you half-sprint the trip back to your farm.

As you look through your medicine cabinet for anything else you might need, you remember the times you hurt yourself with fishing hooks. Sure, they can be annoying to deal with, but that’s really all. You can't really say much for experiencing getting hooked and reeled though.

Catching yourself zoning out, you quickly gather what you need before heading to the dock once more.

You run down the old wooden planks to your chair and pole, but you don’t find the injured stranger there with them.

Confused, you look around in the distance to see if he got out of the water somewhere. As soon as you turn to look behind yourself, you feel something grip your ankle. You shriek and frantically try to kick it off.

“WHAT THE F-”

"Shh! Please don’t scream! It’s me!"

Your ankle is released and you fall backwards onto the dock. Again. You scoot closer to the edge and meet an apologetic gaze. The man was still in the water after all. You give a sigh of utter relief.

“I’m so glad it’s you and not a murderous mythical fish monster...Where did you go?”

“I was diving a bit while you were gone. I’m sorry. It was ill mannered of me to grab you so suddenly,” he said earnestly.

Part of you wonders why he didn't just call out to you but you shrug.

“All is forgiven.”

You place a towel and first aid kit on your fish cooler and motion to the chair next to it.

"Can you get out of the water for me? You can sit on this seat so I can clean you up."

"Um…"

"What’s up?"

He visibly tenses at the question and musters out, "I just don't think I can get up into that seat."

He moves closer to the pier and places his hands on the worn wood before trying to lift himself up and falling back in the water.

“Not a problem man! I’ll help you up.”

“Wait!”

You take a good grip on his arm, muster all the strength you used trying to reel him in the first time, and heave him onto the dock. Your eyes widen when you see that his bottom half isn't human at all. His hips were completely covered in burgundy scales and as he sits himself on the edge of the pier, you realize that his lower body tapers off into a giant tail.

For the second time today you find yourself struggling to find words.

The man--no merman realizes your shock and gives an empty chuckle. "I've scared you again…"

Immediately, you blink and shake your head. "I--I'm just a little surprised, but not scared. You’d be surprised yourself that this doesn’t even top the list!"

Supernatural beings in this town aren’t exactly few and far between, are they?

“Anyways, tail or not, your arm still needs attention. Lift it up for me?”

The man gapes back at you but does as you say. It seems he’s the one left speechless this time.

You grab the disinfectant spray off the cooler and move the bandages to the seat before approaching him.

"This might sting a little."

You spray where the hook had got him and you realize that the gash goes down further than you thought originally. It begins near his shoulder and fades out around the middle of his bicep due to you trying to reel him in. The guilt starts to set in pretty fast as you inspect the wound.

As you try to take your mind off the damage you caused you notice the merman seems lost in thought.

"What's your name?" you ask.

He seems surprised yet relieved by the break in the silence. He slips into a relaxed and elegant smile and says, “Elliott. Might I ask you yours?"

"I’m ____, but most people just call me the farmer around here."

"Then it's very nice to meet you, farmer."

You grab the bandages but then remember that the Elliott would eventually have to go back in the water. So you fiddle with the packaged roll in your hands instead.

"Well, I think I'm done. I can't wrap the wound cause it would be bad if the bandages got wet. Will you be okay?"

"You needn’t worry! It will heal in no time at all and even more so since you helped me." He gives you a very charming smile and you can't help returning it.

He’s really different from everyone else in town, you think to yourself, and not just because of the whole merman situation. Elliott had a mature and sophisticated manner of speaking which was a welcome change of pace. And speaking with him was effortless as it was enchanting. You hoped it wouldn’t be the last time.

"Do you live here?"

The merman frowns slightly before shaking his head. "Unfortunately, I appear to be stuck between a rock and a hard place in terms of my home.”

"Oh, are you lost?"

"Not necessarily. I ended up here because I had nowhere else to go. The humans in blue along the coast have closed off any underwater entrance back into the ocean from here."

You tilt your head wondering what he means before it hits you.

Joja.

"The dam--They must have shut it off completely. But they said that they wouldn't!"

Your brow furrows as you try to figure out how this happened. Earlier in the year, Joja had finished the construction of their dam running along the outlet of the river bank to the sea. All you knew about it was bits of information you overheard in the saloon, really, and that helped you remember two things. That the dam was unfortunately an energy powerhouse in Stardew Valley and Joja was only allowed to build the dam under the condition that they could not mess with the river bank’s environment.

Cutting off the sea from the river is a huge interjection! They couldn't even do it without the proper authorization! What could they possibly be hoping to gain from a severed connection between the river and ocean?

Your thoughts come to a halt when you see Elliott giving you a concerned look. The last thing you want to do is give him more reason to worry, so instead you inhale deeply and do your best to comfort him.

"I'm sorry that happened to you. I wish I could help you get back."

He smiles weakly, "Your kindness and concern are enough."

The sentiment was nice but you shake your head. "No, I'm going to help you get back home. I've just decided."

The merman's eyes widen. "But how?"

"...That is a good question." You think for a moment but nothing is really coming to mind.

"I don't know yet but I'm sure we can come up with something eventually!"

Fortunately, that's enough to raise Elliott's spirits. "Perhaps you're right. They do say two heads are better than one."

You smile, but maybe you need to recruit some assistance though.

#stardew valley #stardew elliott #elliott x farmer #elliott x reader #reader insert #stardew valley x reader #dabbling a little out of jojo lol #sdv elliott

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galaxy-lilies · 3 years ago

Note

I have no idea what ginger island is but I love the Stardew valley au so yes please!

Ginger island is an unlockable area where the player is able to explore the island, gain another farming area, collect golden walnuts, and explore the volcano dungeons. To first unlock it, however, the player needs to fix up the old boat in the fisherman's back dock.

Philza is the fisherman in this AU and reaches out to Sapnap for some iridium bars and battery packs. In the meantime he asks Karl to collect some hardwood to help him fix the boat. The three fiances gather the materials quickly, quackity helping out karl with chopping down trees while sapnap smelted the iridium ores.

When they arrive at Philza's shop they're greeted by Wilbur who motions that Phil was in the back repairing anything else he needed before the fiances came with their supplies. That's how they find Phil surrounded by a bunch of crabs but otherwise fixing the glass panes on the boat.

He thanks the three for helping out and promises that the boat would be fixed by tomorrow. Karl pipes up and asks where exactly the boat led to and Phil explained it led to an island he actually grew up on.

"I was raised by the birds there, collecting mangoes, bananas, and golden walnuts. It was also there I met my wife!"

Quackity blinked. "Wait. YOU'RE MARRIED???"

Philza laughed at the reaction. "Indeed I am. I haven't seen her in a long time, and I unfortunately don't think I will anytime soon.

Not in this lifetime, at least."

"Either way, I'm allowing you three lovebirds to use my old hut I have over there. It might be a little dusty but it should be fine. Plus if you're looking for another project there's an old resort location right off the dock. So many hurricanes have destroyed it since but it should be easy to repair.

And sure enough the next day they were off. Clad in gaudy hawaiian shirts, swim shorts, and flip flops they arrived on shore to first see the destroyed resort.

"Damn, Phil wasn't lying when he said it was destroyed," Sapnap said, crouching down by the rubble.

The three head west to find Phil's old hut and an expanse of unused soil. They cleared some of the debris and entered the hut. It was quite homey and large enough for the three of them. There were some old notes and photos on the walls, throughly faded from time. Karl grabbed one to look at and his eyes widened. He silently puts it in his satchel and goes back to the kitchen to meet up with sapnap and quackity.

"Well it seems to be in good shape. If anything we can probably stay here the night if we wanted to explore more tomorrow."

They wander around the west side of the island seeing a shipwreck north of the beach and a few tide pools. They head eastward to see the jungle and a huge parrot group taking over an abandoned tree house.

On the way to the treehouse, however, quackity stopped to look at a plant with a golden walnut in the middle. He plucked it off and shook it, the walnut jingling like a bell.

"Hey guys check this out-"

Suddenly they were swarmed by the flock of parrots, one of them taking quackity's beanie, the other eating the golden walnut from his hand.

Once they dispersed and Quackity realized he was missing his beanie he exclaimed, "HEY THAT'S MINE, GIVE IT BACK!"

The parrots only squawk playfully and flew off, heading towards the volcano. Quackity starts running ahead of them, sapnap and karl calling out for quackity to slow down. The parrots squawked again and flew through the entrance of the volcano. Quackity ran in blindly before letting out a yelp. Concerned and confused karl rushed in after.

And that's how they found quackity sputtering in a water pool with a parrot squawking happily at quackity's demise. As a cherry on top it dropped his beanie into his lap getting it all wet. Quackity huffed, putting it on.

"Thanks for that, I truly enjoyed it." he snarked, getting out of the water pool to return to his partners.

Now they were met by the entrance of the cave. A river of lava split the entrance and the first level of the dungeon. All of their farming supplies were back home and sapnap was the only one who brought a his sword.

As quackity and sapnap tried to figure out a solution to get across, Karl glanced to the side and found a barred door. On the other side was a button and an entrance leading to somewhere in the dungeons. He closed his eyes and felt his human form fall. He blinked and looked down seeing his colorful noodle arms again and snaked his hand through the bars. He hears a click and a clang and the door was gone.

Alerted by the noise, Sapnap and quackity whip their heads around to see a smug, multicolored karl showing the opening. After a few pecks on the cheek and a flushed karl, they all enter the opening revealing a huge, mechanical forge. Karl and quackity couldn't hold back a smile as Sapnap started gushing over how cool it looked and how it functioned.

"Dear Yoba, if I could only bring this back to Pelican Town..." sapnap said, trailing off.

They notice and collect a few more golden walnuts nearby before finding another exit. Curious, they find a level of a dungeon with a similar bar door and button mechanic. After Karl snakes his hand through and unlocks the door, they're met with a myriad of monsters ready to fight them. Karl did his best to placate the tiger slimes, but they were more rabid than the normal slimes back in the mines. Quackity yelped as a magma sprite came down to swipe at his head and Sapnap swung his sword to scare off the sprite.

"We're outnumbered," sapnap said, swiping at another magma sprite. They were starting to swarm around the trio, stunning and burning them in the process.

All of a sudden there was a squawk and the very same swarm of parrots came to the rescue. They scared away any remaining monsters and ushered the trio out of the dungeon and back to the entrance. One of the parrots stayed behind and sat on top of quackity's head, snuggling into his beanie.

"Looks like you've got new friend," karl teased earning a groan from quackity.

The three agree that they should go back to Pelican Town for the day and called up Phil to pick them up. Once they return to his fish shop, karl told quackity and sapnap he would meet up with them after he talked to phil.

Once alone, Phil asks what was up and Karl presented the picture.

"...Where did you find this?" he whispers, running his fingers over the creased edges of the photo.

"It was on the wall of your old hut," karl explained, leaning on the counter, "I was the only one who saw it, by the way, your secret is safe with me."

Philza stashed the photo in his cloak. "I see..."

Karl analyzed Phil's face before continuing. "So tell me Phil...

How exactly did you marry the Goddess of Death?"

#long post #long post tw #stardew valley au #karlnapity

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votederpycausemufins · 4 years ago

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Alright, another chapter for my fic with Jrum. Just so you know, we’ve got a hels hermit and uh... his personality is Horny(TM). nothing to get it out of a teen rating, but there is some non consensual touching at one point so i’m giving a warning.

Rustic House Club

Jrum was set down on a counter before NPG left again, saving there was something to grab. The younger bot waited there for a little bit before getting bored and jumping down from the counter to explore the place. Jrum was pretty sure this was NPG’s base. It seemed to be a giant rustic house or mansion or something. The wood and stone were unfamiliar, but that being said, the world outside was also strange, covered with mint green grass and dirt that was a grayish blue. The sky looked mostly normal, though it was littered with multicolored clouds.

Back inside, in the center of the room was a giant campfire surrounded by some reddish brown stone. There was also an enchanting table setup with bookshelves around it, but some of the shelves were made with a dull colored wood, and some were made with the stone like what made up the walls.

A sound just behind Jrum made him jump and whirl around, only to see what looked like a very fluffy bunny hopping around. It was a nice powder blue color, and whenever it jumped, what looked like a small puff of smoke was left behind before fading.

“H-Hi. You’re n-not a bad bunny, a-are you?” Jrum nervously asked the hopping creature. “B-Because my dad d-doesn’t like bad b-bunnies.” The bunny responded by hopping and landing on top of Jrum’s head and flopping down there to rest. “H-Hey! That tickles!”

Jrum carefully grabbed the animal to put it back on the ground. He smiled as he felt that it was indeed extremely fluff as well as feeling rather soft. Once the bunny was back on the ground, it went hopping about the room again, letting Jrum explore the house more. There were a number of shulker boxes strewn about which seemed to be filled with items, but for the most part the items weren’t ones that Jrum recognized. Like what was a moa? Or an ambrosium shard?

Jrum shook his head as he stopped looking in the boxes before turning his head to some armor stands nearby. One had an elytra resting on it, while the other didn’t have an elytra or chestplate. Other than that, the first stand had some sort of purple armor while the other was a pinkish color.

The last thing Jrum really noticed was a ladder going up to the next floor, but he didn’t get the chance to go upstairs before NPG returned, carrying what sort of resembled his charger. “I’m back!”

Jrum scrambled his way back to the counter and sat on it, hoping NPG hadn��t seen he wasn’t there. “Sorry for the wait. This thing is just hard to carry and Sense wouldn’t come here to build it because he thinks it’s crazy to live in a dangerous place like the aether.”

The bunny from before hopped over and onto NPG’s head. “Oh! Hi Rusty! Did you meet our guest? He’s my brother.”

“Your bunny’s name is Rusty?”

“Yup!” NPG set the charger down near where Jrum was sitting. “Hmm, I’m sure you’ll want somewhere to sleep, so I’ll have to make you a bed later. Because trying to get that thing up a ladder would be no fun.”

Jrum looked at the pinkish armor that NPG was wearing. “What’s that?”

“Hmm?” NPG looked where Jrum was pointing. “Oh! This is some aetherite armor. It’s like netherite, but for here!”

Jrum nodded, then just sat quietly, swinging his legs. NPG was also quiet, just sort of smiling and swinging his arms about before there was a buzz. The older robot reached for his pocket and pulled out what looked like a communicator, though it was a different style, and read a message on it.

“Oh good! Prof says we can meet with him!”

Jrum tilted his head. “Who’s that?”

“That’s right! I haven’t explained things yet!” NPG exclaimed before putting his comm away again. “Okay, so we’re in Helscraft! It’s like where you’re from, but opposite. Our overworld is more like the nether, but not entirely. More like… hmm… if instead of dirt, mycelium and nylium were normal, and then instead of normal trees we get those giant mushroom things that still can be used for wood. The aether is like an opposite nether in that it’s cold here and there’s no bedrock at either edge of the world. And then finally the end in our world is probably the closest to being normal, but there’s no ender dragon. Instead there’s this thing called the warden and it’s really dangerous.”

“Oh… but who’s Proff?”

“Oh right! So here instead of hermits there are helsmits! And just about everyone in Hermitcraft has a sort of… not really opposite, but at the very least alternative version of themselves down here! Prof is one of them. He’s our version of Doc.”

“Who was the person that looked like daddy?” Jrum asked. He knew NPG had said something, but he hadn’t fully been paying attention.

“Oh! That was Perfect Sense. Most people just call him Sense.”

“Who else is there?”

NPG’s eyes lit up, happy to explain for his brother. “Okay, so there’s Xannes who’s our admin. Most people don’t use his name though, which is rude. Instead they say stuff like Evil Xisuma, Evil X or just EX. There’s True Symmetry who’s the current emperor, or I guess empress, of the server. Her running mate was Waltzware, who everyone calls Whiskey. Fun story about that, I can tell you it another time. Uh, he’s in a rivalry with DelayVS and Phedaz. There’s BadtimeswithScar, or just Badtimes. He has a place on the overworld with a big magic crystal in it which is where I go to hang out with you. It’s a little hard to get to sometimes with Peanut guarding the place. Helsknight has been around the longest and-”

“Um, so are you the opposite of my dad?” Jrum asked, cutting his brother off.

“Nope! Not really! That’s Grifter. See, I showed up sort of near the end of season three and he appeared when we moved to season four. I’m pretty sure he was a Listener or something, but anyway he didn’t like me since he thought I was taking his place. When Prof made Base Iridium, it was so he could lock up Grifter because he was like... the worst person. And so he’s been stuck there ever since and I get to stay because they all like me better!”

Jrum nodded. “Okay, and then do Grum and I have copies here?”

NPG stopped smiling at the question. “Well… no. Glodhet made Sense run for emperor, but Since Glodhet was LaxSprite’s running mate, Sense didn’t have anyone as his running mate. I tried, but he said no. Because of that, we never built any versions of you.”

Jrum looked down at the floor sadly. Sure NPG was a great friend, but he and his brother were really the only kids on the server, so it was pretty lonely a lot of the time.

“Um, well, do you want to go and see Prof?”

Jrum nodded and NPG picked him up before going to the portal he had outside. Jrum shivered when they walked outside, the air extremely cold. That definitely was opposite to the nether. It also didn’t help that it seemed to be night out, which made it even colder. “Isn’t the neth- uh, aether faster?”

“Yeah, but with its day and night cycles, it’s really dangerous at night and you don’t really have any gear I don’t think. Besides, Prof isn’t that far away from the other side of my portal.”

“O-Okay.”

Grian and Mumbo spawned in Helscraft right next to each other. They spawned on a small island that was half made of mycelium, half on fire. Grian was a little worried about the fact that Xisuma didn’t seem to be with them, but that was probably fine? Maybe he had been there before and when spawning in, he appeared there instead.

There seemed to be some sort of water around the island, but it didn’t quite look right as it was a bright red color. Grian carefully plucked a wing and dipped it into the water. It didn’t get burnt or damaged or anything, so that was a good sign.

Mumbo looked in a chest on the island and found it filled with boats. The wood seemed to be slightly pink, like a slightly more colorful jungle boat. He placed it into the water and got in, Grian climbing in behind him. “Well, while everything looks different in color, that island seems to be like the spawn island back home, and that out there looks like the shopping district.”

Grian looked into the distance. “Yeah, though it doesn’t look quite as populated as the one on Hermitcraft. I-Is that a giant blackstone castle?”

Mumbo squinted his eyes, looking back towards the larger island. It was a little hard to tell because it was against a black sky with few stars in sight, but Mumbo could make out what seemed to be the outline of a castle. “I’m guessing they have the same sort of starting seed, but they build whatever they want and it doesn’t match what we do.”

Grian agreed, and then Mumbo paddled them to the island. When they reached the shore, Mumbo got out first and then held a hand out to help Grian.

“Since I can fly, I’ll look at this place from above. You check on foot. Does that sound good?” Grian asked, getting a nod from Mumbo. “Great, let’s go.”

True groaned as the sunlight was blocked for a moment. Even with her sunglasses on and her eyes closed, she could tell when the light didn’t reach her closed eyes for a moment. Her best guess was someone decided to try and annoy her again by building something to fly in just the right place to annoy her, something that had happened more than once before. She moved her glasses to her forehead and set down the glass of wine she had been sipping from before walking to the edge of her sunbathing balcony and looking below to see who exactly was messing with her.

She groaned when she was Sense walking in the paths below. Of course it would be the resident evil genius causing trouble. And then as the light was blocked again, she turned her gaze skyward to see what exactly he had made this time. True expected some sort of redstone machine to be moving around up there, Sense trying to control it from below and put it in the right place. What she didn’t expect was for the thing in the air to be a person, specifically one with wings, not elytra, on their back.

Immediately True was rushing back into the castle. This was not happening. “WHISKEY!” She shouted at the top of her lungs. “STOP WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU’RE DOING AND CALL PROF! SENSE FINALLY FUCKING DID IT!” She heard some sort of response but didn’t really pay attention as she grabbed the armor and weapons she left inside. As soon as it was all re-equipped, she went back onto the balcony and scoured the skies.

It was easy to spot the avian in the sky, having gotten closer if anything. True drew her bow and aimed at the moving target, trying to follow his path. Then when she was sure her aim was right, she fired the arrow, watching it sail in the air.

Mumbo had been looking in every building he had come across, which had been harder than it sounded since the land of the island was damaged beyond belief. Rubble was everywhere and creeper holes littered the terrain. He kept looking up at Grian, hoping he would find something so that he wouldn’t need to bother with the buildings.

The redstoner was just climbing out of another building through the mostly blocked up door when he looked up in the sky. Grian was still flying, but he watched as one moment an arrow hit the avian and the next he was covered in fire and falling to the ground. Immediately Mumbo started running in Grian’s direction.

A few minutes before, Grian had finished looking at yet another section of the island from overhead and turned around to view the next one. He was so focused on the ground below, he wasn’t paying attention to the airspace around him until suddenly an arrow struck his wing. Fire from the arrow spread to his wings and the rest of his body, making it feel even worse.

Grian tried to flap his wings and move towards the water. He wasn’t sure what that stuff was, but he hoped it would put him out. The problem was that the arrow had hit his wing in just the right place that even twitching it slightly felt like agony. And since he only had use of one of his wings, the avian started plummeting to the ground. He at the very least managed to twist his body so that way his wings were below him so that the feathers helped soften his fall.

“Don’t worry. I got you Gri.” Grian heard Mumbo say and a moment later he could hear a bucket of water get spilled out, dousing the fire that was covering his body.

“Th-Thanks. Ow that hurt.” Grian thanked Mumbo and stood up to brush himself off. “I didn’t even notice that- mmph!” Grian was cut off as suddenly Mumbo’s lips met his in a kiss. His eyes widened in shock, especially as Mumbo tried to deepen the kiss. At that point Grian pushed him away. “Wh-What?!”

“Sorry. Just been a while. And with that just happened…” Mumbo gave a half smile. Grian sort of knew where he was coming from, but this hardly seemed like something to warrant a kiss like that. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks for the water. Won’t be able to fly for a bit though. I got shot right in the wing and even potions are going to have trouble with that.”

“Well I can help you with that later. That arrow came from the castle, so we should be careful about any more from there.”

Grian nodded, but then paused. If anyone was going to be shooting at him, it might be because they didn’t want him getting to Jrum. And if that were the case, then Jrum was in the castle. “Well then we should be going to the castle, right?”

Mumbo smiled. “Of course. Lead the way.” Mumbo gestured towards the castle and Grian rushed off, not hearing the words that were added on at the end. “My dear.”

Mumbo followed along behind Grian, heading towards the castle. He didn’t bother picking up the water that had been placed down. Who would care about that? In fact, he even threw the bucket behind him, not watching where it landed.

The bucket sailed through the air before finally landing with a thunk. Mumbo rubbed his head, glad that the item had been empty. “Who would throw an empty bucket?” He asked no one in particular before finally getting to the top of the hill. Sitting there was a water source, likely from the bucket. This should have been where Grian landed, but the avian was nowhere in sight. “I didn’t realize he had a bucket of water on him.” He then realized it was red instead. “Wait, this is water from here… Who placed this?”

Mumbo continued to look at the surrounding terrain and noticed the water had made the surrounding mycelium a bit muddy. There seemed to be two sets of footprints, and in one print, a feather had been stepped on. Said feather was a bright red, which could only belong to one person. Mumbo’s eyes followed the prints, watching as they went towards the castle. If Grian was anywhere, he would be there, so he started walking in that direction.

Grian raised an eyebrow as Mumbo held his hand, but he supposed it made sense with what just happened and them going into a dangerous area. They carefully walked through the halls of the castle, checking every room. So far there was no sign of Jrum, but there weren’t even signs of anyone. But then they were turning down one hallway and ran into someone who looked like Tango, except his skin was a lavender color, his hair even darker than Mumbo’s and his eyes glowing purple rather than red.

“It was easier to find you two than I thought.” The not Tango spoke, pulling out an axe of some sort of pink colored metal. He ran towards Grian and Mumbo, ready to attack, but then Mumbo pulled out a piece of TNT. Immediately not Tango stopped in his tracks, and then Mumbo was pulling Grian another direction, placing the TNT down and causing not Tango to scream.

“How’d you know that would work?” Grian asked as they ran.

“Didn’t, just had a slight hunch.” Mumbo replied. “Let’s go up those stairs.” And Grian looked over where Mumbo pointed, the two of them then turning to go that way.

Behind them, the not Tango tried to find another path. He didn’t get far though before running into Mumbo. In an instant the axe was out in front of him, ready to attack. “Gah! Don’t take a step closer or-” Not Tango looked around, surprised to not see Grian. “Where’d the bird go?”

“You saw him? Which way did he go?”

“You two already got separated? That’s so unlike you.” Not Tango answered. Mumbo looked away from the helsmit, who took the opportunity to attack. The redstoner noticed just in time and was able to dodge the attack, running to dive behind the block of TNT nearby. It obviously wasn’t the safest place, but it was still cover. One that happened to repel the not Tango, who freaked out at the block.

When Grian reached the top of the stairs with Mumbo, the redstoner pulled the two of them into a nearby room. It was thankfully empty, and Grian watched as Mumbo locked the door behind them. “Well, they know we’re here now. It would probably be good to deal with your wing, hmm?”

Grian nodded. “Yeah, it would be good to do that so I’m not hindered at all. We’ll probably need all the help we can get with this.”

Mumbo came over to Grian as he was busy climbing onto the table in the room so that Mumbo had a better platform to treat him on. Just as he was settling down, ready to shift his wings back into existence, Mumbo grabbed him from behind, the redstoner’s mouth suddenly on his neck. Grian gasped, not sure how to react, and before he could do anything, Mumbo was off him again, leaving a purplish-red mark on Grian’s neck.

Grian turned to face Mumbo, only to be kissed again. Grian wanted to complain, but Mumbo’s hand found the sweet spot on his back, right between his shoulder blades, and Grian couldn’t help but melt into the redstoner’s arms.

Mumbo panted as he reached the top of the stairs, having been chased by someone that almost looked like Zedaph. He had been cornered and nearly killed, but then the not Tango showed up and the two of them started fighting each other instead. Mumbo used the opening to run, getting up to the next floor. At the top of the steps, he thought about just standing there a bit longer to catch his breath, but then he heard what sounded like Grian behind a nearby door.

It sounded like he might have been hurt, so the redstoner rushed to the door and tried to open it, only to find it locked. Another noise from inside worried Mumbo, and he immediately had a pickaxe in his hand and broke down the metal door. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t this. In front of him was himself and Grian. The avian was sitting on a table as he kissed him, hands working on pulling the red sweater off. “What in the world?!”

Grian opened his eyes when Mumbo spoke, looking to see what the problem was. They then widened to the point they were practically bulging out of his skull as he saw Mumbo in the doorway as Mumbo was also currently kissing him.

Grian pushed Mumbo, the one kissing him, away so he could say something. “Mumbo?!”

The Mumbo who had been kissing Grian turned around to see the second version of him in the doorway before looking back at Grian. “Wait. You’re not Grifter.”

“Uh, no. I’m Grian? W-Which one of you is Mumbo?”

“I am!” Mumbo spoke up, attempting to go to Grian’s side, but his hels counterpart stopped him.

“And I’m Sense. Are you sure you’re Grian though? Because your body is just the same as I remember Grifter having~. The same soft lips and strong muscles. And I’m sure you have the same-”

Grian felt Sense’s hand start to move down his back as he spoke, so the avian shoved him away. “Nope! We are not doing this! Absolutely not!”

Sense pouted and gave a huff. “Fine, then what are you doing here?”

“We’re here looking for our son.” Mumbo replied. “I’m guessing since you didn’t realize this was Grian, you haven’t seen him.”

“What would that have to do with it?” Sense replied. “Though didn’t realize he was your son too. Anyway, of course I’ve seen him.” When Grian opened his mouth, Sense stopped him by continuing. “Oh, but I won’t be telling you anything just like that. I need something out of it.”

“Oh ew no!” Grian replied, moving behind Mumbo.

“Oh please, I wouldn’t want that. Okay maybe if you were offering… but no, if you can get here from your little Hermitcraft world, you might be able to get to the last season of Helscraft.”

“And why would you want that?” Mumbo asked.

“Grifter got left behind, and none of us can go back there ourselves. I mean, there are a few here who can, but no one who’s willing to actually free Grifter.”

“I’m afraid we can’t either. Xisuma’s the one who brought Grian and I here. And I doubt he would want to send us anywhere else.”

Sense scoffed in irritation. “Fine, then I have one other option, but you’ll need to help me out Grian.”

Grian winced, clinging tighter to Mumbo. “Wh-What do you want?”

“I’m really a fan at how True is running this place. I would have loved to be emperor, but without Grifter, I didn’t have a chance. However, if you’re with me, I can make a bluff for the throne.”

Grian hesitated, weighing his options. Finally, he sighed. “Okay. Fine.”

“Grian, you don’t have to say yes.”

“If it’ll help us find him, I’m going to do it.” Grian stopped hiding behind Mumbo. “I’m in. Just as long as any contact from you stays above the waist!”

Sense frowned at that. “Really? Because-”

“Touch anything below that, and you won’t have hands to try again with.”

“Alright, alright. I won’t!” Sense replied, actually smiling slightly. “In fact and attitude like that should help sell it. Now let’s go find True. I’d stay in here if I were you Mumbo. Wouldn’t want you ruining things and not be able to get that information.”

Mumbo wanted to argue, but Sense was already out of the room dragging Grian behind, leaving the hermit to find a place to sit and wait.

“There you go. Th-Those wings should work fine for you.” A pig hybrid spoke, putting down a clipboard.

NPG helped Jrum down from the examination table he had been sitting on. “Thanks Prof! Let’s go test them out Jrum!”

“O-Oh, by the way, you two should be careful out there.” Prof stopped the brothers before they could leave. “I g-got a message from True. A-Apparently she saw Grifter. I would th-think she mistook you for him again… e-except you’ve obviously here.”

“Oh! Then I suppose we will need to be very careful as we attempt to fly.” NPG replied, starting to leave again, but this time Jrum stopped him.

“Um, NPG? How long have I been here exactly?”

“Hmmm… Maybe half a day? Not too long.”

“But I was out for a while trying to get to that place in the nether… So I’ve been gone longer than that. Maybe that’s not the Grifter person, but maybe that’s my dad looking for me?”

“Oh! That’s probably it! Even more of a reason to try flying! So we can go over to the castle and see if that’s him!”

“Well i-if you’re going to do that, stay safe.” Prof smiled and waved goodbye to the two robots before going back to his other work. “Hmm… l-looks like Xannes is trying some new scheme. G-Guess I’ll have to go over there now to stop him.”

Xisuma woke up with a literal jolt as something shocked his arm. He tried to move to see what it was, only to find himself unable to move anything, being tied down to a chair. “Mind telling me why you brought Grifter here?” A deep voice spoke, one X was very familiar with.

“Evil X? Where am I?” Xisuma tried to turn his head around even a little to see where his brother was.

“You happen to be in my base. I coded in something so that you would be brought here if you ever came to Helscraft. I never expected it would actually be used. But right now I’m very grateful for it.” Now Evil X walked into Xisuma’s line of sight. He was surprised to see that his brother wasn’t wearing a helmet, then noticing that he himself wasn’t wearing one either. “Where’s my helmet?”

“Oh you don’t need that. I know it helps you access all your fun little admin powers like mine gives me my hacks. The air here is breathable so you don’t need to worry about that and we can have a nice little chat. Now. Why did you bring Grifter here?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Evil X smacked Xisuma with a shovel. “Wrong answer, try again.”

“No, I’m serious. I don’t know what you mean. I came here with two of my Hermits, that’s all!”

“You? Bringing hermits with you? Why?”

“Someone from here kidnapped one of their sons.”

Evil X cursed. “You brought Grian and Mumbo. That’s not going to end well. NPG’s got the kid so I have a clue of where he might be. The question is how fast we can find them.”

“Who’s NPG? And you still haven’t explained about ‘Grifter’.”

“NPG is the closest thing we have to Grian here. Technically, that title would go to Grifter, but none of us can deal with him. We locked him up and left him behind in our old world. Look me in the eyes brother.” Evil X stared at Xisuma, waiting until the hermit was looking back. “I want to destroy your server. I want it to burn to the ground. I wouldn’t mind if all your hermits died and couldn’t… well okay, maybe just had trouble respawning. We grief and steal and have actual wars here. But I would never, not in a million years, ever want you to deal with Grifter. That’s how bad he is. And right now, it seems like the others here think Grian is.”

Xisuma immediately tried to stand up, only finding himself struggling in his bindings. “Then we need to stop that.”

“No, we don’t need to do anything. This is my server, I’m dealing with it.” Evil X started to walk away, but Xisuma heard him stop walking for a moment. “Plus, I wouldn’t mind having you own me in the long run.”

#hermitcraft #jrumbot #npg #npc grian #helscraft #grian #avian!Grian #mumbo jumbo #Hels hermits #helsmits #hels!Mumbo #hels!False #hels!Tango #hels!Doc #evil xisuma #xisumavoid #My writing

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strawberrysoup · 4 years ago

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Let’s Review || Chapter 21

Peter Parker knew that his big sister would do anything for him to be safe and happy. She’d given up everything for him twice over already and would do it again in a heartbeat. And that’s why, when the criminal mastermind Tony Stark started inextricably following him around, he didn’t say a word. Because he knew without a doubt Penny would do whatever she had to if it meant keeping Peter safe. He had to protect her, just like she always protected him. He never considered what would happen if Stark decided both Parker siblings were worth taking. Never considered who else in Stark’s inner circle would agree. He just wanted to protect her and yet somehow, they both ended up with needles in their necks.

relationship: Steve Rogers/Original Female Character/Bucky Barnes, background Peter Parker/Tony Stark rating: Explicit warnings: Dark Steve Rogers, Dark Bucky Barnes, Dark Tony Stark, Dark Avengers, kidnapping, non-consensual&dark sexual situations, underage Peter Parker, emotional and psychological abuse, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat more warnings: you know what? there’s really not anything. except like... this ones gonna hurt 🤙🤙 good luck

read this: fuck guys this chapter was draining and insane, please reblog and comment if you liked it. pleeeease.

The anxiety had been building for a week now, but as the final day of Penny’s stay in the tower progressed Peter found himself practically vibrating with panic. He’d been trying, desperately, to make Tony change his mind—he’d spent an entire day not talking to the man, had screamed and raged against him, he’d cried and begged, offered anything in exchange for Penny to stay. The older man had held his ground remarkably, gently admonishing him for all of his misbehavior and brattiness and explaining, every time, that it was what was best for Penny.

In all fairness, Peter realized about half way through the week there was no hope for convincing Tony, but he had to keep up the behavior lest he rouse suspicion. Thankfully it wasn’t exactly hard to be depressed and angry and petty, not when Tony was endangering his sister.

The garbled piece of technology in his pocket felt heavier than ever, in his head the iridium electrodes were ten thousand degrees. Peter didn’t want to use it—kind of. He didn’t want to make Tony sad or angry, but he kind of did? What he knew he wanted was for Penny to escape, with or without him. Any disappointment or anger would be worth it, he’d revel in it just a bit, and Penny would be safe.

“Come here baby.”

His feet moved before he even thought of it, trailing over to where Tony was standing at the bar with a finger of scotch in a tumbler. They were getting ready to head down to the soldier’s floor, freshly showered after a day in the lab and just waiting for it to be time. Peter didn’t understand why they couldn’t just go early, why did they have to wait all day anyway? He could’ve been with Penny hours ago, he could’ve helped her escape hours ago. The clock was ticking and his nerves were rising.

“You are freaking out,” Tony told him pointedly as he drew Peter into his arms once he was close enough, tucking the boy against his chest, “I can feel your brain going nuts. What do you need baby?”

“Penny.” It wasn’t a belligerent or angry response, just short and desperate.

Tony sighed heavily, weight settling on his shoulders at the teenager’s words. He’d been conflicted for the last week, ever since Steve told him the ‘plan’. The plan to take Penny a thousand miles away and tuck her away inside of a cabin until they could condition her to behave. He understood the method to the madness—he’d considered spiriting them away before too. But the keyword was them. He had considered taking them both off to some secluded cabin. It was the same sensation Tony had gotten when he decided he would steal Penny away along with Peter; they were supposed to be together.

But that wasn’t to say he didn’t see the necessity.

Tony was fully aware that Penny was not adapting the same way his boy was. Where Peter had fallen into tolerance and was moving towards acceptance and potentially even appreciation, Penny was still actively resisting most of the time. Steve revealed that she’d started to break after reaching her pain threshold, there had been small cracks in the surface and the soldiers were managing to pry their way through the gaps. Had it been Peter, they would’ve had him calm and docile and perfectly behaved by now—but Penny was a completely different animal.

It was slow going though, agonizingly slow. And her reluctance caused a correlating reluctance in Peter, who generally matched her opinions and emotions but at about a quarter of the level of passion. Not to say Peter wasn’t passionate about things, the kid was, but Tony still wondered if the teenager realized the gravity of what had happened the way Penny did.

For all of his intelligence, Peter was still young. His ability to think logically was great, but his immaturity hindered him; Penny had shielded him, a lot, from the realities of the world. The idea that he was with Tony for the rest of his life likely didn’t mean much, it was a concept but Peter didn’t have any way to conceptualize the future like that. His brain was perpetually stuck in the present, just like most kids his age.

Penny understood consequences. She understood harsh realities and disadvantages and unescapable struggle; she’d lived it for so long. Three jobs, no bed, no insurance, no degree, no— Tony had to stop himself. Penny understood suffering in a way she hadn’t allowed Peter to, had protected him from. Penny knew what forever meant and she knew it was crippling. Peter was in the early chapters, still in his exposition and living in the moment. His sister was at the end of her story, a tragic dénouement of everything she’d ever known.

Peter had retained his rose-colored glasses, whereas Penny’s were smashed when she was thirteen. Hard stop, no condolences for the loss of her childhood—they were obliterated when she could barely comprehend what life was and the difference between the pair was palpable.

If they kept the siblings together, Penny would never adapt beyond protecting Peter. She wouldn’t be able to see the future as an opportunity versus a loss, not while she felt like she had failed him. Seeing Tony touch him, talk to him, look at him was enough to make Penny fall into a pit of existential dread over her failure to protect her brother. The separation had to happen; him and Peter needed to develop away from the soldiers and Penny—there was no other viable solution.

The way Tony’s arm tightened around his back for just a moment, a quick reassuring squeeze, told Peter that despite the silence the man hadn’t changed his mind. He wouldn’t relent. He wouldn’t fucking fix it.

“Here, you know what? Let’s peek in,” Tony gestured towards the TV with the tumbler, tugging Peter around the bar to stand just behind the sofa, “JARVIS, how’s Penny and the Popsicles?”

“Ms. Parker has just changed clothes and is awaiting your arrival, sir,” the AI responded smoothly, “shall I pull up the camera feed?”

“Yeah, throw it on the TV,” Tony wrapped his arms around Peter and pulled him into his chest once again, resting his cheek against the side of his head while they focused on the screen, where Penny was walking into the living room.

She was wearing a long sleeved shirt that dusted her knuckles and leggings, her masses of hair pulled into a bobble on the top of her head. The camera was focused on the living room as a whole, angled to see the front of the couch and armchairs, Penny’s daybed just barely visible in the corner. Bucky was sitting on the armchair, phone in his flesh hand while Steve skirted the top corner of the screen, walking around the kitchen and dining room.

Peter clocked that something was amiss immediately. Penny was hugging herself around the waist, shoulders hunched towards her ears as she crossed the room. They were able to catch her profile as she came to a stop in front of Bucky and waited until she had his attention, a hint of the expression on her face something Peter recognized to be heart wrenching. When he put his phone down and sat up slightly, looking almost concerned, Penny immediately tucked herself into his lap—of her own volition. Bucky was visibly in disbelief, arms snapping up to help settle her, tucking her close when she rolled even further onto her hip and pressed her chest against his. She went so far as to press her face against the slope of his neck, arms tucking around the back of his neck and shoulders tightly.

Bucky had followed all of her movements valiantly, helping her adjust and tugging her knees to rest between his thigh and the arm rest. Steve even crept further into the corner of the screen, looking at Bucky with raised eyebrows and signing something with one hand while absently holding up a pitcher with the other.

There was something crawling under Peter’s skin; he could feel it slithering over his muscle tissue and insinuating itself into his being. A sharp tremble ran down his back and he pulled away from Tony, pretending to turn to wipe away tears when instead he was trying to get a handle on his shaking. He couldn’t identify it, didn’t know what was going on, it felt like his blood was bubbling in his veins and he tamped down the shiver fiercely before Tony could tug him back into his chest.

“See baby, Penny’s fine, she’s just waiting for us,” he murmured gently against the side of Peter’s head—Tony didn’t know, didn’t recognize how sad she looked— “I know this is going to be hard. It’s gonna be hard for all of us, but Penny won’t be gone long baby. They’ll be back before we know it.”

Penny would break before they knew it. Penny would break. Penny would shatter. Something viscous was festering in his chest, constricting his organs. His heart was pounding but blood was oozing rather than pumping through his veins, it felt thick and congested—he felt sick, he was going to puke but Tony was shuffling him towards the elevator already. Peter swallowed hard, allowing himself to be ushered inside while the man followed behind.

“Soldiers’ floor, J.”

“Of course, sir.”

Tony cursed before the elevator doors closed, sticking his arm out, “I forgot Penny’s present, wait here baby.”

And all of a sudden the blood was rushing through Peter’s veins. He didn’t even think—the moment Tony was out of sight he ripped the piece of tech from his pocket and opened the tiny pocket that allowed whatever little physical maintenance that was necessary for an AI enhanced elevator. He couldn’t have imagined such a pristine opportunity, hadn’t had any idea how he was going to execute his plan.

“Mr. Parker, I do not—”

“Sorry JARVIS,” he gasped, on the verge of a panic attack as he hastily connected the circuit board to the elevator system and, by proxy, JARVIS’ system.

Peter had just closed the panel before Tony returned and the teenager found himself gasping for breath, leaning against the railing in the elevator. Tony sighed upon seeing his distress, obviously believing it was a result of Penny’s impending departure—it wasn’t like JARVIS could explain otherwise, Peter glanced towards the red dot in the corner of the elevator, once again apologizing to the AI in his mind.

When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, he stepped into the foyer where the soldiers’ front door was located and waited, shaking, to see what happened when Tony stepped off. He let the man shuffle him along, listening for the sound of the elevator doors behind them. Tony didn’t seem to notice that it stayed in place, open, an anomaly for either of the tower residents’ personal elevators.

The front door opened and Penny burst through, immediately jumping up to wrap her arms around Peter’s shoulders to tug him into the biggest hug she was capable of. He could feel her shaking, Tony’s hand rested on the small of his back and the soldiers were standing inside the apartment, waiting to welcome them in. Peter reeled with scenarios, looking to the side at Tony’s face, his eyes. He let his eyes trail over him for just a few seconds before shifting.

He made eye contact with Steve for all of four seconds before sweeping Penny up and darting back to the still open elevator, “JARVIS! Down, now! Fast!”

He slid through the doors with Penny clutched to his chest just before the door closed and the elevator started to descend at the fastest rate that was safe for unaided, standing human transportation.

“PALTI CHAYIM WHAT DID YOU DO?!” She was screaming in Hebrew, words flying from her mouth so fast he couldn’t even keep up—something about stupid, why, what they’ll, safe—

“PENNY—Fuck! You have to run! Stop screaming, listen! When we get to the floor you run!” He shouted back, trying not to shake her too hard while they continued to descend uncomfortably fast, “I don’t know how long it’ll work!”

“Peter why did you do this?” Penny was sobbing into his chest while he struggled to get them both to their feet, “Palti Chayim, I—Fuck! Fuck—”

Her hands dug into his shirt roughly and she shoved him into the back corner of the elevator, falling against him just a moment later. Peter’s arm lashed around her waist when she almost fell while trying to turn, her back pressing him further into the corner and he realized the elevator was starting to slow. Penny’s hands gripped the railings to each side, trapping him in the corner. His eyes snapped to the blue dots over the doors and his heart seized in his chest—they were only on floor 35, for the elevator to have slowed so much they would’ve needed to be on the 20th floor minimum to stop on the 1st floor at the current rate of deceleration.

JARVIS was back in full control, carefully dropping their speed until it came to a complete stop on the 12th floor. Penny’s body locked up like she’d gone into rigor mortis when it started to ascend again, her breathing coming in frantic pants. It was going up at the usual clip and Peter realized that every second it took made his heart beat faster in his chest. He was light headed, dread setting in.

Tony had told him multiple times that anticipation was the real punishment sometimes, the overwhelming paranoia and fear and desolation. His thoughts immediately began to spiral and his knees weakened slightly.

“When it stops you stay in here,” Penny’s voice shook as she spoke.

“Wha—”

“Shut your mouth!” She screamed, once again defaulting to Hebrew, “Be quiet. Do as I say. Do. Not. Move.”

“Penina—”

“Stop.”

Peter swallowed down a sob, head dropping to rest on her shoulder. The passing of floors was marked by a soft tone and between the two of them, they were barely able to remain standing when the silence between beeps started to lengthen. Penny’s grip on the railing slipped, her hands sweaty from sheer panic, her knees just barely holding up the extra weight. His arm was still slung around her waist, but his hold was too slack to keep her up despite the strength with which he clenched her shirt in his fist.

“Stay.” Penny managed to choke the order out just seconds before the door opened, a panicked sound escaping her lips when she realized her legs weren’t moving the way she needed them to.

It just amped the anticipation, Penny’s brief but agonizing hesitation before she forced her limbs to react and lead her out of the elevator. He nearly gagged on a sob, watching as she put her hands up and out to her sides, just slightly. Penny was vibrating with fear, her fingers almost blurry from a distance.

“P-Please—” Peter couldn’t see them, they must’ve been standing to the side of the doors, in front of the second elevator, “it’s m-my fault.”

“No—!” He launched himself forward, only for his sister to turn faster than he thought she could move.

Penny had never laid a violent hand on him, but the way she shoved him back into the elevator bordered on it, “SHUT UP!”

He’d never noticed the way Penny’s voice cracked when she screamed before. It had always been there, he was aware in the back of his mind, but he’d never really noticed. It hurt in a special way, when the bottom seemed to fall out of her words until she could rally through the rasp. Penny had been smoking some combination of weed and cigarettes for almost as long as he could remember—had she been fourteen or fifteen? He was only eight, maybe nine at the time. Did her voice crack like that before?

His thoughts spiraled once again while Penny turned forward again, putting herself between his seated self and the three men’s towering forms, “I’m his guardian. His actions fall on me, not him. I should’ve stopped him, I shouldn’t—if I had stayed inside t-to wait, it wouldn’t have—”

“Babydoll,” Steve sighed, shifting to step closer but stopping short when a full body cringe racked her form and her hands lifted to cover her face, just for a second before she clasped them tightly in front of her chest, “Penny…”

“You—you can just… p-punish me, okay?” Her voice was shaking as badly as her body, hitching every few words and she shuddered violently for a moment before lowering herself onto her knees, “H-He’s just a k-kid, I should’ve—”

“Okay, precious, come here,” Tony scooped her up under her arms, bringing her back to her feet before tucking her into his chest, “I know that this is just what you do. It’s a compulsion, trying to take the blame like this? But we both know nothing you did could’ve stopped him. He grabbed you and ran before Steve could get to you, sweetheart.”

“N-No, I—”

“We had audio and video in the elevator the whole time, doll,” Steve cut her off gently, “JARVIS was translating to Tony’s phone. We know what you said, and we know what he said.”

A choked sob escaped Penny and her fingers dug violently into Tony’s old t-shirt, her nails scratching him through the fabric. Bucky immediately darted forward and snatched her out of Tony’s arms, spinning them around until Peter couldn’t see her around the bulk of his body. It had been preventative—if they got to her before she did damage, there didn’t have to be a punishment. He could see her legs kicking and the sound of her crying but not much else.

“Peter,” his attention snapped to Tony, who’d stepped directly in front of him, “we’re going to go inside, everyone is going to calm down, and we’re going to have a good night. Do you understand?”

His breath froze in his chest for just a moment, whooshing out when the man crouched to look him dead in the eye, “are you willing to calm down so that you can be with Penny this evening?”

It took him a half second longer than he intended to nod, murmuring a quiet response. He was rewarded by a small smile and Tony helping him up, the older man immediately wrapping an arm around his waist once he was on his feet.

There wouldn’t be any opportunity for escape, of course, whether Tony was physically holding him or not. He’d give the kid one thing: he never thought Peter would get so close. Never thought Peter could get so close. He wondered how long he’d been working on that particular piece of tech—something that overrode JARVIS’s response to his orders. It only worked in the one elevator and it was corrected within two minutes of the breach, but it was still incredibly impressive. Especially considering Tony had been very careful not to provide him with any parts or pieces that could facilitate a runaway attempt.

Inside the apartment, Bucky was still cradling Penny tightly to his chest but now in the same position that they’d seen on the security camera. Tony could feel Peter tremble against his side at the sight, his chest jumping with a suppressed sob. There were a pair of kittens worming their way around Bucky’s ankle, the little white one particularly loud in its’ efforts to be noticed.

“It gets upset when Penny’s upset,” Steve stated from behind, startling Peter for just a moment when he walked around the pair and towards the chair, “here you go, doll.”

The super soldier scooped the tiny cat into his hand and deposited it right against the exposed crook of Penny’s neck before swiping the orange one up as well, setting it on the arm of the couch a few feet away.

“That one doesn’t?” Tony questioned, guiding them over to the couch and pressing Peter sit before sitting next to him.

“It doesn’t like to be touched as much,” the blond answered, already walking towards the dining room again, “food should be up soon.”

Tony knew that Steve was doing his best to distance himself at the moment, lest he lose his temper on Peter. He was pissed, practically steaming in irritation and honestly Tony appreciated the lengths he was going to. The orange cat let out a squeaky meow from where it sat, looking hesitant to be on the same surface as other people. It very carefully hopped from the arm of the couch to a seat cushion, toeing the very edge before backing away nervously.

“Here, I’ll put you down,” Peter murmured quietly, reaching over and carefully picking the kitten up, relieved when it didn’t protest and sat it on the ground gently.

“Do you need a cat too, baby?” Tony nosed his temple gently before pressing a kiss there, watching Peter smile when the orange cat went up onto its back legs to knead its little paws against his ankle.

The teenager reached over and picked the kitten back up when it continued to meow and scratch at him, obviously looking for attention. As soon as it was on his lap it started to squirm, but only until his hands weren’t wrapped around it. The little thing was sniffing around him curiously, stumbling across his lap on unsteady paws.

A tone sounded near the front door, alerting them that the food had arrived. Steve was quick to respond but Penny didn’t even shift and Peter certainly didn’t look much inclined to move while the kitten was, adorably and painfully, clawing its way up the front of his shirt.

“How about we eat around the coffee table,” Steve suggested as he walked into the living room with two large, brown paper bags full of food, having evidently read Tony’s mind, “Tone, can you get everything out? I’ll go grab plates.”

Tony started absently digging through the bags and pulling out the styrofoam containers. He was definitely checking what was in everything and stacking it around the table depending on who’d be eating what, but his eyes were mostly locked on Peter. The kitten had made its way up to his shoulder and was furiously rubbing its face against his cheek, purring up a storm.

“It usually only lets Penny touch it,” Bucky’s voice rumbled from the armchair, his eyes also focused on Peter and the cat while his hands absently roved over Penny’s still form, “even then not for long.”

“Maybe it has discerning taste,” Tony reached out and tried to scratch it under the chin, only to jerk back when it lashed out with sharp little kitten claws, “exquisite tastes, I guess.”

“It’s cute but those claws are sharp as hell,” Steve returned with plates and silverware, two six packs balanced on top and a few bottles of soda tucked under his arm, “Bucky would be covered in scars if we didn’t heal.”

“I was trying to play with it, I didn’t think it would turn into a psycho killer and go for the jugular.”

“Says the psycho killer who regularly goes for the jugular,” Tony muttered under his breath, making Steve and Bucky both snort in amusement while Peter wondered if an actual ice cube going down his spine could make more goosebumps than that statement, “why not get it declawed?”

Steve and Bucky exchanged looks, both cautiously glancing towards where Penny’s face was tucked into the brunet’s neck, “it’s not—”

“Declawing a cat is cruel,” Penny’s voice was watery and angry, “they’ll be in pain for the rest of their lives. You want them to stop scratching but all it does is make them angry and mean and they’ll spend the rest of their lives hating you. Making your life as miserable as possible until you give up and either euthanize them or give them away. It’s what you get for ruining their fucking lives.”

#steve rogers x oc #bucky barnes x oc #steve rogers x oc x bucky barnes #dark!steve rogers #dark!bucky barnes #dark!tony stark #dark!fic #dead dove do not eat #let's review chapter 21 #let's review

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