#aim expo

[regallibellbright]

IGN reports that Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft will all be skipping E3 2023.

Microsoft will reportedly be doing a summer showcase (with some PR speak about timing that translates to ‘probably right around when E3 traditionally is,’) per the article, but not having booth presence.

Microsoft is ON THE ESA BOARD, so if the report is accurate and they’re skipping it is DEAD dead.

[gunsandspaceships]

Tony Stark’s achievements

Childhood:

“Brilliant and unique mind”

At age 4 built his first circuit board

At age 6 built his first engine

Cracked the Pentagon’s firewall in high school on a dare

Went to college at 14

Built cool smart robots (Dum-E and U) when he was a teen

At 17 graduated summa cum laude from MIT

Polyglot

Before Afghanistan:

“Da Vinci of our time”

Became an owner and CEO of Stark Industries at 21

Successfully ran the company for decades

Advanced the world of technology, not only in weaponry and robotics but also:

created advanced AI J.A.R.V.I.S.

created holographic interface technology

created repulsor technology

Participated in charity

In and after Afghanistan:

“I’m sorry, I’m not Tony Stark”

Survived an open-heart surgery in a cave, without general anesthesia

Lived with, in fact, a debilitating wound, shrapnel, and a huge and dangerous technological device in his body for years and was willing and capable of doing not only his usual work but also being a superhero and doing all these next things...

Did not give up under torture and fought with his captors

Invented and built a miniaturized Arc Reactor, in a cave, with a box of scraps

Invented and built Iron Man armor, in the same cave, with the same box of scraps

Escaped from captivity by himself (with help from Yinsen, but without any armed assistance)

Became an expert in piloting and driving

Saved people in Gulmira

Saved a USAF pilot

Probably the best hacker in the world, was able to easily hack networks of the Pentagon, US government, AIM, and SHIELD

Fought with Iron Monger after nearly died. Defeated him and saved many lives. Was ready to die for that

Built many more different Iron Man armors

Fought terrorists between IM and IM2 (IM2 tie-in comics)

Saved a submarine crew (IM2 - newspapers in Vanko’s home)

Saved a woman from a fire (IM2 - newspapers in Vanko’s home)

“Stabilized East-West relations” (IM2 - newspapers in Vanko’s home), so the world was “enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years”

Organized Stark Expo

Was able to keep Iron Man armor in his safe hands despite the government’s and HYDRA’s attempts to take it for themselves

Defeated Ivan Vanko in Monaco

(Re)Discovered a new element

 Synthesized it, by building a particle accelerator, at home

Revolutionized energy industry and science. Gave clean energy to the world

Defeated Vanko in New York with Rhodey, Natasha, and Pepper and saved many lives again

Saved Peter Parker (IM2)

Made it so that the Abomination would not leave prison and join the Avengers

Built Stark/Avengers Tower powered by Arc Reactor technology

Saved Steve Rogers and many civilians in Germany from Loki

Was able to fight with Thor on equal terms

Biggest brain on Earth, arguably - in the Universe:

best scientist on the team, in SHIELD, on Earth, in the Universe

expert in nuclear, particle, and quantum physics

was able to learn very quickly – became an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics in one night

Successfully tracked Tesseract by its gamma radiation with Bruce

Saved Helicarrier with the Avengers and SHIELD agents on board, almost died

Saved Rogers from a merc right after that

Fought with Chitauri, killed many of them, saved a lot of people

Was able to blow up a Leviathan by himself

Saved New York City by redirecting a nuke to the wormhole

Saved the world by destroying Thanos’ Chitauri army, almost died again

Founded The United States Department of Damage Control to clean up after battles

Rebuilt Stark Tower into Avengers Tower and gave each team member their own quarters

One of the best biologists and biomedical engineers on Earth, even if it’s not his main area of expertise:

helped Maya with Extremis back in 1999, because knew more in her own field, and even didn’t remember that

was head hunted by Aldrich Killian to work on Extremis with/instead of Maya, who was the leading expert in tissue regeneration

improved and stabilized Extremis, so it became safe regenerative technology, and with it…

cured Pepper

healed extensive injuries in his chest

invented and implanted devices for remote control of his suits (into his forearm in IM3, and most probably into his brain for Mark L armor in Infinity War)

invented build-in diagnostic system in his suits

Invented many devices for protection purposes (ex. bomb disposal)

A capable detective. Figured out the cause of explosions in IM3 on his own

Saved Pepper instead of himself by putting Mark 42 on her during the attack on his Malibu mansion

Survived the attack with a barely working prototype suit. Shot down a helicopter with a piano

Was able to fight with enhanced fire-breathing regenerating terrorists without armor and weapons in Rose Hill. In handcuffs

Knowledgeable and skilled in medicine:

saved a kid with his arc reactor in a deleted scene from IM3, selflessly pulling it out of his chest and performing defibrillation under electric shocks

knew how to recognize hyperglycemia when Harley was eating 3rd bawl of candies

closed his wound in Infinity War with nanoparticles

performed first-aid on Bruce after his snap

Built a lot of stuff from random things he bought in a store for the assault on the Mandarin's mansion. In a motel

Successfully stormed the Mandarin's mansion full of armed and huge security guys with dogs. Alone. Without his armor

Successfully escaped captivity in the Mandarin's mansion with just a few pieces of armor on

Saved all the people who fell from the Air Force One

Stormed Roxxon Norco ship with Rhodey, without a suit. With one handgun

Saved the US president

Defeated Killian and his Extremis-enhanced terrorists, saved many lives

Built quinjets

Created Iron Legion

Became the benefactor of the Avengers, provided them with everything, was a combatant, and also the team’s pilot, hacker, engineer, medic, and scientist

As an Avenger saved many lives on missions, including destroying the rest of HYDRA in AoU

With Bruce’s help created Veronica and Hulkbuster suit

Defeated a rogue Iron Legionnaire with a fork

In contrast to other team members was able to function after Wanda played with his mind

Defeated mad Hulk. Saved a lot of lives in Johannesburg

Easily hacked nuclear codes in Nexus and found J.A.R.V.I.S. “in the world’s biggest haystack”

Created advanced AI F.R.I.D.A.Y.

Many advanced AIs

Created Vision

With the Avengers defeated Ultron and his army

Evacuated people who were left in Sokovia

Saved a falling evacuation shuttle with people on it

Together with Thor saved Earth by destroying the falling Sokovia

Rebuilt Stark Compound into Avengers Compound for the team in Upstate New York

Invented several medical devices, including leg braces, blood toxicity detector

Sponsored the development of technology for psychotherapy (B.A.R.F.). Prevented it from being used for harm

Funded all the students’ projects at MIT

Did everything possible to legally, politically, and physically protect the team before, during, and after the Civil War

Was able to disarm Winter Soldier without a suit, with only one armored glove

Figured out Spider-Man’s identity

Created Spider-Man’s suits

Mentored, sponsored, and looked after Peter Parker

Saved Peter Parker (SMH). Twice

Saved the ferry from sinking

Invented nanoparticles

 “Earth’s best defender”

Went to space to save Peter, Strange and bring back Time Stone

Saved Peter Parker (IW)

Saved Strange on the Donut spaceship. Killed Ebony Maw

Cloak of Levitation chose him as his second favorite (deleted scene with Tony wearing Levi and Strange in Mark L)

Was respected by Thanos himself

Withstood when Thanos hit him with a moon

Fought Thanos, made him bleed, kept fighting even without armor

Survived a severe injury thanks to his own invention

Was able to function, tried to fix Benatar, and return home while injured and ill with an infected wound

Built a lab for Bruce and helped him to become one with Hulk (combine the best of both worlds)

Became an amazing dad

Became an expert in time travel physics

Discovered/invented (controlled) Time travel

Built a time machine

Went on Time Heist and stole Tesseract from a guarded military base

Created his own Infinity Gauntlet

Thus brought half of the universe back to existence (Bruce snapped and partially sacrificed his health, but nothing would be possible without Tony)

Saved Bruce’s arm by providing emergency medical care

Fought with Thanos again and…

Saved the whole Universe

[germanpostwarmodern]

If you have ever driven on a motorway in Belgium you likely have encountered large abstract sculptures on the roadside. Unmistakable due to their sheer size their creator in Belgium and even more so outside the country is little known: it was architect/sculptor Jacques Moeschal (1913-2004) who by the early 1950s not only embraced sculpture as a means to break free from the limitations of architecture but also aimed at democratizing art. Although Moeschal initially worked in a figurative style he, through the rationality of modern architecture, quickly embraced abstraction as his language. In 2021 Bozar Brussels showed the first comprehensive retrospective of Moeschal’s work, accompanied by the present catalogue published by Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König: it explores the artist’s work and for the first time also focuses on the few but equally fascinating buildings Moeschal realized. The latter include the spectacular pavilion of civil engineering at Expo 1958 in Brussels, his own modest home and the fortress-like House De Keignaert. But of course it is his monumental sculptures placed alongside Belgian (and Israeli) motorways since the early 1960s that have anchored Moeschal, often unbeknownst, in the memory of the people: the artist in his form-finding process was driven by the democratic nature of the motorway and the unique perception situation of driving by, seeing the sculpture through the narrow framing of a car window and at the same time moving at considerable speed. Accordingly the sculptures had be to be large and of simple shapes in order to be fully perceived and to distract from the monotony of the motorway. Through close cooperation with engineers and his architectural background Moeschal was able to have them cast on site in concrete, the material of the time perfect for monumental constructions like the „Signs“. Not many roadside artworks are of great quality but Jacques Moeschal‘s works are a wonderful exception that finally receives its due appreciation in the present catalogue that I warmly recommend!

[sonicthetarot]

Sonic the Tarot Update #3

Hello everyone! We're back from our break to give an update. For one, Sonic the Tarot's Major Arcana and Suit of Cups lineart is now completely done! Here's a preview of the Major Arcana as a whole (please forgive the excessive watermarking).

It's also time to give a more detailed rundown of how the next few months will go. We aim to complete the art production phase by late August/early September. Then, we'll order a select number of decks before preorders... because we've been accepted into Sonic Expo 2024!

During Sonic Expo's event on November 8th-10th, Sonic the Tarot will be available for the first time alongside some potentially exclusive extras. The base deck will come with three components: the 78-card deck, a saddle-stitched guidebook, and a custom two-part box.

Once Sonic Expo is over, we'll open preorders for web-based sales; we expect these to be open for about a month, ending sometime in December. Afterward, once the manufacturer sends us the completed decks, we'll mail them out to everyone. Leftovers will be saved for future sale.

In the coming months, our branding will undergo a refresh to better reflect the deck's energy.

Additionally, we want to thank you all for being so patient! This is a dream project for us, and we're so excited to share it with everyone. Please look forward to more updates soon!

[stevebattle]

Toyota Partner Robot ver. 1 Walking Type (Trumpet), Toyota, Japan (2003). Partner Robot version 1 is a “Walking Type” bipedal humanoid that plays the trumpet. The robot actually blows air from a bellow, through rubbery lips, while playing the notes with its fingers. "Toyota’s Partner Robots played music on drums and trumpets at their 2005 World EXPO debut in Aichi Japan. Their use of musical instruments demonstrated the excellent hand and arm coordination Toyota has developed for their robot franchise. Toyota’s Partner Robots are designed to work in the health care industry to help attend to Japans aging population, but Toyota also intends to implement them in their automotive manufacturing facilities. According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Toyota plans to become the first in the industry to use advanced robots in all production processes, with the aim to cut production costs to levels comparable to those in China. The bipedal humanoid Partner Robot is similar in height and stature to Honda’s ASIMO and has human-like lips that allow it to play the trumpet." – Partner Robots v.1

[scarletsaphire]

TUCKER DANNY JACK AND SKULKER

"Ok, you're gonna need to run me through this one more time," Tucker said, trailing after Danny towards the Fentonwork's lab.

"You remember that Skulker is like, a tiny little blob thing in a mech suit, right?" Danny asked.

"Of course! How could I forget, I still have the pictures."

"Well," Danny said. "Apparently, if he gets hit hard enough in like, five different specific spots, he can't pilot the mech suit anymore? Like it just doesn't move."

"And let me guess," Tucker said. "You hit him hard enough in those five specific spots and now, he's what? Sitting on the table in the lab?" Danny scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. Tucker sighed. "I don't know why you think I can fix him. Like, I appreciate the confidence in me, I am pretty great, but there's a big difference between building a computer and fixing a whole guy."

Tucker's feet hit metal as they made their way through the door into the basement. Sure enough, as soon as they made it to the bottom, Tucker saw Skulker. Or rather, Skulker's empty, broken suit. "Jesus, dude, did you put him through a garbage disposal or something?"

"That is, in fact, a thing that happened," Skulker's real, high pitched voice came from Tucker's left. "It was right after I threw him into the sewer!"

"And I stand by my decision," Danny said. He made his way over to where Skulker floated and lifted himself onto the only clear spot on Jack's desk. "Have you ever seen the sewers? They stink. Almost as bad as your aim."

"You insufferable whelp, just wait until my suit is operational, and I'll show you aim!"

"Nuh uh, you agreed one month no hunting if I fixed it up," Danny said.

"Of course," Skulker said. "Every great hunter knows that you don't hunt in off season."

"Hey now, I don't see you trying to fix this, so why do you get to make the deal?" Tucker protested while gathering together tools. The Fenton's lab was a mess, as it always was, but Tucker had puttered around there enough with Danny to know the not quite organized chaos. "What am I gonna get out of it?"

"Um. A theoretical month of extra time with your best friend?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of an all expenses paid round trip on the Phantom Express to that Tech EXPO happening in a few weeks," Tucker said. "You remember the one."

"Dude, that place is like, 500 miles away!" Danny argued. "It'll take ages to get there if I carry you."

"It will not. We've clocked your flight speed at well over 150, it'll just be a few hours."

"I don't know if you know this, but carrying someone for a few hours while flying a hundred miles an hour isn't what most people would describe as easy."

"You're not most people," Tucker said. "But if you don't want my technological expertise, I'll just be on my way. I'm sure you'll figure out how to get this together." He turned to walk back towards the stairs.

Danny groaned. "Fine. But you're paying for my ticket."

Tucker turned back around with a smirk, cracking his knuckles. "Deal. Now, sit back, relax, and watch the master at work."

---

It ended up being only Danny who was sitting back and relaxing. As Tucker had predicted, a giant ghostly robot mech suit was, in fact, very different to anything Tucker had worked with before. Skulker knew much more about it than he did, so the ghost had taken to hovering over Tucker's shoulder, directing his work and shouting threats at Danny. And occasionally Tucker. (He was somewhere between creeped out and flattered that Skulker thought he was worthy to insult, if not fully hunt. That was one of the details he was never going to mention anywhere within a hundred miles of Jazz.)

"Could you grab me that laser wrench thing?" Tucker asked. "The one your parents use for small scale ectoplasm constructs."

Danny grabbed one of the many tools off of Jack's desk. "This one?" Tucker glanced over quickly, not willing to take his eyes off of the suit when he was quite literally elbow deep in machinery.

"No, the other one. I think it glows purple sometimes?" Danny made a noise of acknowledgement before holding up a similar looking device. "That's the one."

"Hey Jellybean, go long," Danny said before tossing the device at Skulker. Tucker couldn't help snorting at the indignant squeak Skulker made when he caught the device. 

"One day, ghost child, I will have your head hanging from my wall, and you will never be able to fling around childish insults ever again," he grumbled, passing the device to Tucker.

"Yea, I've heard that before. Maybe one day you'll be able to actually follow through on your threats."

Tucker already knew what Skulker was going to say, or at least had a pretty good guess. Despite how frequently they threw each other through buildings, Danny and Skulker were friends, at least in a ghostly sense. He'd heard their banter both in and out of combat enough to let the comments fade into background noise, focusing instead on fixing the part he needed the tool for. 

This part of the suit was delicate, to say the least. Skulker's suit fed almost entirely on ambient ectoplasm, whether that be excess produced by Skulker himself or by the environment he was in. This part was a regulator of that energy, allowing for the suit to store excess power for use later, like when he was blasting twenty seven different missiles and a laser canon at Danny. If Tucker fucked it up, there was a lot of different things that could happen, all of them bad with a capital B, and most of them ending in some kind of explosion. Minor explosions, admittedly, and ones that would take a while to build up, especially outside of the ghost zone, but an explosion nonetheless.

Luckily for Tucker, the system was pretty simple. A couple of wires and a designated compartment that held the filtered ectoplasm. All Tucker needed to do was reconnect the wire here, seal off the leak there, and-

Tucker jumped as the door to the basement slammed open, followed by loud heavy footsteps. He pulled the tool out of the cavity in Skulker's arm quickly, throwing the tool to the other side of the room, and spun around to try and hide Skulker's suit from Jack. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Danny doing the same for actual Skulker, despite the fact that Skulker had gone invisible. 

"Danny boy!" Jack called from the stairs, still out of view. "I thought I heard you and your friends down here!" Jack's head poked out from the top of the stairs. Tucker met his eyes, watched as it flicked from his face, to Danny, to Skulker's suit. Tucker covered his ears preemptively. "GHOST" Jack bellowed, grabbing an ecto-blaster from wherever he stored them on his hazmat suit, and opening fire towards Tucker.

It was lucky that Jack's aim was so bad; Tucker might've gotten better at dodging ectoblasts, but at such a close range, there was no way he'd get out of the way in time. And ectorays stung, and the residue it left never came out. Instead the ectoblasts hit against the back wall, leaving a green, smoldering mark. 

"Dad, stop!" Danny called, dashing towards Jack a little too quickly.

"Danny, what are you doing? There's a ghost in our basement!" Jack shouted, but he didn't fire the ecto-blaster again. Not with Danny so close.

"A ghost that is completely and totally still with both me and Tucker down here?" Danny asked. Jack narrowed his eyes, visibly processing the information. Then his features lit up and he grabbed Danny in a bear hug. "Ok uh what are we doing now."

"You caught the ghost, isn't that right Danny-boy!" Jack said, not putting Danny down. "That's that one ghost hunter that's always showing up to try and hunt down the ghost boy. as if he would ever be able to catch the ghost before we could." Tucker saw Skulker reappear over Jack's shoulder, small mouth opened to protest, before Danny's hand clamped around him. He couldn't see Danny's face at this angle, but the faint green glow indicated that Danny was using his Scary Eyes. It worked.

Danny let go of Skulker just as Jack set him down. "Uh, yea! It uh. Wasn't too hard?"

"Wasn't to hard!" Jack said. "We've been trying to track this ghost down for nearly as long as the ghost boy! For you to catch him, why, you must be some ghost hunting prodigy! C'mon, let's check out your catch!" Jack practically dragged Danny over to the suit, and Tucker reproached at his insistent waving. He couldn't see very well around the brick wall that was jack Fenton, but he was able to see enough. Enough to make him duck under Jack's arm to get a closer look, and start swearing.

"Is everything ok, Tuck?" Danny asked.

"Of course it is!" Jack answered in his place. "I'm sure he's just realizing how incredible this all is!"

"We might have a code potato," Tucker whispered so just Danny could hear. "Definitely gonna need help to fix it."

Danny's face sharpened in the way it always did when he was dealing with superhero stuff. "Hey, Dad, do you think we could get something to eat first? All that ghost hunting really works up an appetite."

"You bet it does! You go get something to eat, but science waits for no man! I need to make sure the ghost is secured for experimentation later. Don't want to risk him blowing up the house!" Jack reached out to grab the arm connected to the panel Tucker had been working on.

"Stop!" Tucker shouted, throwing his whole weight into Jack's arm to push it out of the way.

"What has gotten into you two?" Jack asked, brows knitting back together. "I feel like I'm missing something..."

Tucker met Danny's eyes. It had taken a long time, for them to be able to communicate just with a look, but over the years of near death (or post death, in Danny's case) situations, they'd gotten pretty good at it. Danny's ghost based empathy thing helped. Danny knew that Tucker was being very serious, life and death kind of situation. He could probably guess by Tucker's reaction to Jack that this was something incredibly delicate. Danny also knew that the game plan was still up to him; it was his secret, his half-life on the line.

"Dad, do you trust me?"

Jack turned his confused expression to Danny. "Of course I do, son."

"Then I need you to promise me something. You won't ask questions, you won't start a fight, and you won't get in the way," Danny said.

"Danny," Jack said slowly. "I don't understand. What do you-"

Danny cut him off. "Just promise me. Please?"

Jack was silent for a moment, before he nodded. "I promise."

"Tuck, what's going on?"

"I nicked the regulator when he came downstairs," Tucker said, adjusting slightly to the side so Danny could see. "It could be nothing, or it could be a very volatile explosion waiting to happen."

"Definitely an explosion," Skulker said, materializing above the suit. "That's a nasty one." Jack yelped in surprise, but put his hands over his mouth to silence it.

"How do we fix it?" Tucker asked. "I'm assuming we can't just throw it back into the ghost zone and be done with the problem."

"That's probably the worst thing you could do," Skulker said. "Unless your goal is to blow up the realms."

"Been there, done that, already stopped it from happening," Danny said. "What else do you got?"

"Could we try to reroute it somehow?" Tucker asked. "There's gotta be more of them in here somewhere, right?"

"There is, but they are located in distant locations. There would be no point of having them in the same area," Skulker said. "If you connected them, my suit would be completely unusable."

"Yea, but it would solve the literal ticking time bomb, wouldn't it?" Tucker asked. 

"Perhaps," Skulker said. "But I wouldn't be able to get it back to my lair, and I would rather not have the whelp stinking the place up again."

"And yet you keep trying to get me there," Danny retorted.

"Yes, as a pelt. Not as you," Skulker said. 

"Danno, what's going on?" Jack said, his voice significantly higher than it normally was.

"No questions," Danny replied. "I'll explain after. So, reconnecting to a different regulator is a no go. What about shutting down the power input in general."

"Impossible," Skulker scoffed, the sound odd in his tiny jelly bean voice. "If you could just shut it down that would be a massive overlook." 

"You don't have any kind of shut down switch at all?" Tucker asked. "It seems like your style."

"Please, I'm not Technus."

Danny and Tucker laughed. "True that. So shutting it down won't work either. I'm not even going to bother suggesting letting it explode in an explosion proof place, so I'm out of ideas."

"I'm pretty much out too," Tucker said, staring into the hole in the side of the suit. "I'll keep thinking."

It was Jack who spoke next. "You're looking for a regulator for... ectoenergy?"

The three others turned to look at Jack. "Yea," Tucker said slowly. "It needs to hold filtered ectoplasm from the surroundings, and be able to expend it. Without exploding."

"Without exploding when I don't want it to!" Skulker amended.

"I could do without that," Danny mumbled. 

"And it needs to fit in there?" Jack asked, gesturing to the suit. Tucker nodded. "Some of our ectoblasters have a regulator that functions like that. Would that work?" He was looking at Tucker, who looked at Skulker.

Skulker was thinking. "It may work temporarily, at least long enough for me to get back to the lair and fix it properly." 

"What blaster is that in?" Danny asked. 

"The bigger ones, but not as big as the Fenton Bazooka. Any of those should work," Jack said, and Danny ran off to grab the weapons. "You are...comfortable working with these types of things?" Jack asked Tucker after a moment of awkward silence. 

"Not really," Tucker replied with a shrug much more nonchalant than he felt. "I know enough, and Skulker isn't a bad teacher, at least when it comes to this."

"So you're... Skulker?" Jack said to Skulker. 

"I am Skulker, the greatest hunter the ghost zone has ever seen!" Skulker said.

"Wait, I thought this ghost was the greatest hunter?" Jack gestured to the suit.

"I built it as a tool to use during my hunts!" 

Tucker could see the gears turning in Jack's head, but any other questions were cut off by Danny running back downstairs, a number of different weapons cradled in his arms. "Will any of these work?" he asked, setting them on the floor in a crash. 

Jack nodded, and grabbed one from the pile. "This one will work." He dismantled it expertly, and removed a small piece. "If you hook this up to the regulator it should work." He held it out to Tucker, who took it with a nod. 

"On it," he said. Tucker worked in tense silence, with Skulker hovering above him, and Jack and Danny a few steps behind. Finally, he wiped the nervous sweat off his brow, and resealed the whole on Skulker's suit. "That should do it. Give it a spin?"

Skulker climbed back into the face hatch, letting it seal around him. The display came to life, and Skulker rose to his fake feet. "It's rather stiff, but nothing that I won't be able to fix!" he said, back  to his regular voice. "I do not believe this is worth a month without hunting, whelp."

"Two weeks and I'll do something nice for Ember," Danny replied smoothly. 

"Deal. I will see you in two weeks, ghost child!" he called, and began to make his way to the portal.

"I'll cherish every minute I get to go without seeing your ugly mug," Danny called back. "Seriously, you got to decide how you look and you chose that?"

Skulker's retort was washed away by the whirring of the ghost portal. His departure left Jack, Tucker, and Danny standing in the basement without a possible life threatening situation to mediate the conversation.

"I guess I owe you an explanation," Danny said. 

"You do," Jack said. "But it can wait until I've made some fudge. I think we'll need it for this conversation."

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

Based on that post about Charlie is magically turned into a kid. The staff are arguing and Alastor makes his usual snide comments about Vaggie, and Little Charlie kicks his shin and says "Don't be mean to the pwetty lady!"

Oh! That is absolutely precious!!! Yes! Yes! and Triple Yes!

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Vaggie: Lucifer, I'm serious! We need to figure out why Charlie is a toddler. The Princess of Hell can't go from looking like she's in her twenties to being two!

Kid Charlie: (pausing in her headbutt game with Razzle to shout) I'm fwee! (gets headbutted by Razzle and sprawls out on the floor)

Vaggie: Oh, I'm sorry, Charlie. (to Lucifer) A Three Year Old! (swipes her arms in a cutting motion) And I am NOT being labelled as a pedophile because my girlfriend turned into a literal child!

Lucifer: (recording Charlie playing with Razzle with an almost manic amount of giggles) Awwwww, do we have to??? Look how ADORABLE she is!!!

Kid Charlie: (tired of playing headbutts, climbs onto Razzle's back and rides him across the floor) Onward, Razzle!!! To da castle!!!

Razzle: Bap-Baa-Baa-BAAAAAAAP!!! (charges and sprints around the lobby, occasionally jumping and using his wings to stay airborne a little longer)

Vaggie: (heart melts and ovaries pulse before she shakes off the rose colored glasses and growls at Lucifer) Yes, Lucifer. We have to.

Lucifer: (pouting) Awwww.... Alright....

Alastor: (shadows in from nowhere) I heard Lucifer sigh in dismay. What did I miss? (sees Charlie riding Razzle's back and quriks an eyebrow) Well, this is an interesting turn of events.

Vaggie: (groans) Charlie randomly turned into a three year old. We're trying to figure out how to turn her back.

Alastor: (grin widens and turns more menacing) And who will be watching her in that time?

Lucifer: Uh, I literally raised her once already. I think I can manage watching her for a few days while we figure out what's going on.

Vaggie: No offense, Sir, but I think you should put your efforts into figuring out how to turn Charlie back. You have the most magic experience out of all of us.

Lucifer: (Morningstar Puppy Eyes and whimpers like a kicked puppy)

Vaggie: (after building an immunity due to living with Charlie for three years) No. You're working on finding a cure.

Lucifer: (huffs) Fine. (adjusts his hat sassily) You've just fallen from Awesome Future Daughter-In-Law to Moderate Future Daughter-In-Law.

Vaggie: (rolls her eyes) I'll go with you to that rubber duck expo next week if you can figure out how to turn Charlie back.

Lucifer: With the fluffy duckie jam-jams?!

Vaggie: Ugh! Yes! With the duckie pajamas! But you have to get Charlie turned back before then.

Lucifer: Deal! Ho! (does the CA-CHING arm move) I'll have this figured out by the end of the day! Best! Future! Daughter-In-Law! EVER!!! (poofs away in red and gold glitter)

Alastor: Well, now that we have that settled. I'll take young Charlie until then.

Vaggie: The fuck you are!!!

Alastor: Oh? And were you going to watch her? I happen to be wonderful with children!

Vaggie: I've managed to do just fine so far?

Kid Charlie & Razzle: (accidentally ram into the couch) Ow..../ Baaaa...

Alastor: Ah, yes. The epitome of maternal instinct... Or should I say, the poster child for contraception? Leave the nurturing to the professionals, darling, unless you're aiming for 'World's Worst Babysitter' award.

Vaggie: (growls as her eyes glow and her bow turns into horns)

Kid Charlie: (hears the jab, sees Vaggie being super pissed and the self-conscious of her capabilities swirling underneath her bravado, and growls as she runs on all fours towards Allastor; dutifully headbutting him in the shin with her horns) BAAAAAAAP!!!!

Alastor: Ouch! My shin!

Kid Charlie: (stomps Alastor's ankle for good measure)

Alastor: Gah! My fucking ankle!

Kid Charlie: (stomps her foot and points at Alastor with a surprising air of authority) Don't be mean to the pwetty lady!!! (turns to Vaggie as her horns disappear and makes grabby motions) Uppies, Ms. Pwetty Lady, pweeeease?

Vaggie: Pfft! (stops the bout of laughter bubbling in her chest and picks up Charlie, cradling her on her hip) Yeah, Alastor. Be nice to the pwetty lady. And you shouldn't be swearing in front of children. (turns to Charlie) Thank you, sweetie. (kisses Charlie's cheek in a maternal way)

Kid Charlie: Tehehehehehehe! (continues to giggle and blush while acting bashful and hiding her face)

[penvisions]

garnish {chapter 5}

Pairing: Chef! Joel Miller x Bartender! Reader

Summary: A busy Friday night always has its ups and downs, but never this bad.

Word Count: 5.4k

Warnings: triggers associated with the food industry, workplace tension, language, argumentative dialogue, degrading language, power dynamics (due to job rankings), attempted assault, man on woman violence, shoving, pushing, non con touching, non con manhandling, mentions of eating disorder, vomiting, reader has a lot of panic attack symptoms, reader goes nonverbal for a moment, symptoms of shock, minor injuries, smoking, cigarettes, alcohol, alcohol consumption

A/N: i realize this chapter has a lot going on, i've tried to tag it appropriately, if i missed something please let me know and i can add or alter.

ao3 link || series masterlist || main masterlist

Tommy’s smile was bright as you approached, the hum of the dining room fading out as you looked from him to the young woman across from him.

“Well look who it is, the only girl brave enough to call Joel a meanie to his face!”

“At your service.” You tipped your head, going along with the banter from the jovial man. He had cleaned up rather nice, a dark button down and slacks in lieu of the plain t-shirt and jeans he had worn to the bar all those nights ago. “Chef sent this over.”

“Name’s Tommy, not sure if we actually got acquainted the other night in all the chaos. And this lovely young woman is my company for the night, Sarah.”

“Only because you had a reservation and dad would’ve killed you if you didn’t make it.” The young woman had the same dimple that Joel did, a decoration on the right cheek. Same furrowing brow, now aimed at her uncle across from her. She was beautiful, from the carefully arranged kinky hair atop her head to the caramel of her skin.

“It’s not my fault my date bailed.”

“Of course, of course.” She waved him off as smiled at you in a conspiratorial way, pulling you effortlessly into the conversation. One you weren’t too sure you even wanted to be a part of. There was a heavy weight that had settled in your chest, insecurity and anxiety such a familiar feeling as it flared. “My Uncle Tommy doesn’t have the best luck with the ladies.”

“You’re Chef Miller’s daughter?” You asked for confirmation as politely and professionally as you could, setting the wine glasses down in front of each of them. Introducing yourself as you watched her nod enthusiastically. While using the wine tool, you felt Tommy’s eyes rove over your expression, a collected smile on your lips as the feeling in your chest began to gnaw and move up into your throat. Nausea was rolling deep in your stomach, and you wanted nothing more than to excuse yourself. But you were a professional and had been tasked with delivering them their drinks.

Tommy must’ve clocked the slight shift in tone, definitely the way you referred to Joel. His smile faltered a little, but he was aware enough not to ask you anything too personal in present company. Hell, even in the restaurant setting, not wanting to cause a stir with whatever was going on with you.

“One and only!” She chirped as lifted her now full glass to her lips and took a sip. The saccharine sweet scent of the wine did not help to settle your stomach as you poured the appropriate serving into Tommy’s glass. “Well, by blood at least.”

You hadn’t responded, unsure of what to say. Not knowing what to say to the daughter of the man who had begun to fill the void in your life you had let form. So you fell back on the practiced skills that allowed you the job you did. You prattled on about the wine, from the notes that should be detectable to the perfect pairings on the menu that they could consider.

The universe seemed to take pity on you, because someone was sidling up next to you as you set the bottle of wine on the table. Millie placed a hand on your upper arm, leaning in to speak to you quietly.

“Need help on expo, Mary’s orders.” Her words were a blessing and you quickly excused yourself from the table.

“Appetizer for 38, chef.” Someone announced as a dish slid onto the expo line. Joel turned from where he was tending to a steak, keeping it braised with the butter that was browning in the pan alongside sprigs of rosemary.

“Run it.” His eyes locked with yours through the line.

“I’m here to expo, not run dishes.” You focused on wiping the edges of the dish with a towel, ensuring no sauce or herbs or fingerprints tarnished the ceramic. You double checked the hanging ticket and when it looked good to go you were calling out. You projected your voice, keeping it professional. “Can I get hands please?”

“You have hands.”

“I’m on expo, Mary said.”

“And I’m tellin’ you to run it, what’s your problem?” The cast iron skillet in his hand clunked to the burner, flat as he disengaged the flame, and turned his full attention on you.

“Think your daughter would like it if you brought the appetizer out, chef.” You shot back at him, aware that eyes were shifting from you both at the exchange as the servers flitted around grabbing refills for drinks and plates to preset tables. Something flickered behind his eyes, but he reigned it in as quickly as it appeared.

“Expo helps runs dishes.”

“I’m well aware of my job responsi-“

“Apparently not. The dish is dying. Run. It.”

Locked in a heated glare with the man across from you, the tension of the kitchen and the dining room and having to sneak around, of your professor coming back to the restaurant, to the feeling that you didn’t want to think about every time you saw the crinkle of his eyes when his lips pulled into a smile.

Chest hurting, panging in such a harsh way you felt your breathing begin to deepen. Full breaths expanding and exhaling visible moving your chest. His eyes softened the slightest bit but whatever he was about to say was drowned out by the dining room door opening with more force than necessary.

“I am so sorry! I thought Mary said to get you for expo, she said to get you back on the well and I run expo.”

“This needs hands.” Was all you said to the flustered girl before setting the towel down and rushing out of the kitchen.

“Somebody run the goddamn dish!” Joel’s raised voice had you picking up your pace and you tried not to burst through the door as you entered the dining room.

The bar was busy, a line of tickets stuck together where the printer didn’t tear them completely and they hung down to the floor mats at your feet. Making quick work of them and running them to their respective tables to help out the swamped looking servers, you were just about to the bar when you noticed that Joel was out in the dining room. He was standing beside table 38, with his family. As you passed by on the way back to the bar, you caught a snippet of their conversation.

“Congratulations, baby girl, I am so proud of you.” Joel leaned down to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her into his side as he stood beside her. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, flattening the kinky curls there with the action. She swatted at him, though her easy laughter sounded in the air. Another young girl had joined them a beer you vaguely remember pouring in her grip. She was fairer skinned than the rest of them, but it was family, their dynamic too familiar and jovial with each other to be otherwise. You ignored the table completely as you passed it, pretending it was just another happy father and their child, a good evening to be surprised at work by family. The bathroom door slammed behind you and you beelined for the nearest stall and locked it with shaking hands.

You vomited the breakfast you had managed to eat and the bites of recipes you had tried while prepping earlier that day. Coughing as the acid burned in your throat, you tore far too many sheets from the toilet paper roll and raised them to wipe at your mouth. Breathing heavily through your nose, your chest felt tight, and the phantom feel of a man’s large hand on your back had you holding back sobs. Eyes stinging as you fought off tears, you tried to keep as quiet as possible as the bathroom door opened, and the click of heels could be heard from the newcomer. The scuff of boots on the tile signaled another.

“So who do you think it is? The old man could not stop smiling the other day and he does fuck all except work so it has to be somebody here.”

“I dunno, maybe another manager? Everyone here is so young.”

“Yeah, but age is just a number. You’re dating someone older.”

“But dad doesn’t know about that.” Her tone sounded vaguely threatening. But a cackle decorated the air and then giggles. The two girls dissolving into easy going laughter before exiting the room.

After making yourself presentable, you exited the bathroom and made your way back to the dining room. As soon as you were back behind the bar one of the girls who had been waiting for a date must’ve come to terms with being stood up, she was tracking a ride home on an open app on her phone. She waved at you to close out and you took the card from her offered hand, checking the way she was a little too loose in her movements.

“Hey, Mary!” You called out, seeing the woman walking along the length of the bar and helping to refill water glasses for the nearby tables. “I’m gonna run someone out for a ride pick up, that cool?”

“Of course, I’ll let the servers know there will be a wait for drinks.”

“Thanks.” A grateful smile and a signed receipt later, you found yourself waiting on the curb outside the front door with a chatty girl.

Someone was standing to the side, smoking a cigarette but the minimal light didn’t allow you much of a hint of who they were, probably just a patron waiting on a table or stepping away from dinner for a moment. Just as you were helping the girl into her ride, double checking that the person and car matched the description the person put out their cigarette. Making sure the car was driving safely through the parking lot you and taking a moment to enjoy the fresh air, you heard the steps of the person as they made their way back toward the entrance.

Suddenly a hand was grabbing you while another was ushering you away from the immediate front of the building, back by where they had been standing to smoke. They were too strong, causing you to stumble on your feet as you were swept away.

“Yo, what the actual fu-“

“You need to shut up.” Your blood turned cold, and you let out a shout as your back collided roughly with the brick of the building. The action caused the clip your hair was being held in to snap and break apart, the jagged pieced of plastic tangling in your hair and pressing into your scalp. Another shout pulled from your chest at the pain.

A hand was shoved over your mouth and you tried to kick out at the man in front of you and swipe your hands out at him, but he pressed the entirety of his body up against yours. Your nails caught on his figure, tangling in his jacket as you tried to push him away. His own hands yanked them free, breaking two of your nails in the process. Grunting in pain at the throbbing that stemmed from them against his hand.

Through the blood rushing in your ear and the blurry image of blonde hair clouding your vision you bite down as hard as you could on the palm of the hand against you. The man cursed, stepping back in his shock and you pushed at him again with everything you had.

He stumbled, the light catching his face and allowing you to see that it was the man from the bar all those nights ago.

“Fuck!” Your voice squeaked out as you rushed away from his reaching hands. You reached up and brushed what was left of your hair clip away, not wanting to draw attention to anything amiss as you neared the door, for once you were through the threshold. His steps and presence were heavy behind you but the second your hand gripped the handle for the door he seemed to collect himself.

Trying to keep a composed air about you, you weaved your way through the dining room, eyes focused solely on the swinging door that led into the kitchen. Everything was a silent hush around you, mind not picking up on the absent chatter of the dining room or the clinking of silverware as people continued their nights like normal. As soon as you were through the door, you let go of your composure.

You were rushing toward the office with quick steps, your heart beating painfully in your chest and your ears roaring with the sound of blood rushing. Ignoring the way Joel’s head followed you as you sped through the kitchen, you pushed through the way your skin felt like it was itching, too tight over your body. You reached for the closed handle and turned it, stepping inside without thinking and the door clicked behind you as you leaned back onto it. Your breathing was heavy, and your hands were shaking and when you looked up to see Mary in her desk chair, a bite of food frozen midway to her mouth you let out a stuttering gasp.

“Oh no, honey, what’s wrong?” Food forgotten, she stood up and ushered you into Joel’s chair beside her own.

The words you wanted to say wouldn’t come out, stuck in your still burning throat and you feared you would throw up again in the middle of the small office. The longer you tried to force the words, the more your chest hurt, the more strangled noises sounded into the air. Reaching up to lay a palm flat over your chest, you could feel the rapid pace your heart was beating at, and you just shook your head as your skin continued to feel too tight and your temple began to throb in time with your rapid pulse.

“Oh, oh gosh. Okay, just, honey please calm down.” Her hands were on her knees as she knelt down in front of you. She took your hands in her own, pausing slightly at the sight of your broken nails, and urged you gently, “Just breath, one deep breath for me okay?”

A knock on the door startled you so bad you nearly jumped out of the seat. The grip Mary had on your hands tightened as she watched your breathing take on a hurried staccato, her eyes holding so much worry as she looked over you before turned to face the door.

“What the hell is goin’ on? I got the barback running from expo because the lead server said there was a commotion at the bar and-“ Joel’s deep baritone was too loud in the small office as he hadn’t waited for an answer and shouldered his way through the now open door. His words cut off abruptly as he took in the scene before him. You couldn’t bear to look at him, too focused on not tipping over into full panic attack mode. 

“We have a bit of a situation, Joel.” Mary reached out and smoothed a hand down one of your arms, having picked up on the slight trembling your body was doing with the door open. “Please close the door, she’s overwhelmed.”

“What’s going on?” His voice was tempered, arms coming to cross over his broad chest. He was trying to take control of the situation, trying to figure out what had upset you so much you basically abandoned the bar. You could feel his eyes on you even as you kept your head down and gaze focused on your hands tangled up with Mary’s.

“I’m trying to figure that out, she’s frozen, can’t get any words out.”

“Spit it out.”

“Joel!”

“Well! She’s the one with the problem, so she’s the one who had to let us know.”

“Honey, please talk to us. You can tell us, we won’t judge you. Did something happen? Was it a customer?”

You shook your head, tears hot as they trailed down your cheeks. The spike of fear you had felt when the man had reached for you had you scrunching your eyes shut as you took a shuddering breath. Joel was there last time, he had helped you then. Wrestled the man to the bar top and away from you, it had been so easy for him. It wasn’t fair, you could only do so much, you didn’t have the same intimidation factor that Joel did merely existing.

You lifted your head and met Joel’s eyes, the brown dark in the way that displayed how angry he was, unsure of what was going on and falling back on his gruff nature. But your words softened them, something that flashed too quickly for anyone else to see.

“The man from the bar, he’s here.”

He was gone in the blink of an eye, steps loud as he stalked through the kitchen. The sound of the swinging door creaking on its hinges audible even in the office. If Mary thought anything of your words she didn’t let it show, focusing her attention on helping to calm you down. After a few moments, his steps could be heard as he made his way back to the office. His arms were crossed over his broad chest, face set in a scowl as he tried to process the situation.

“Did he touch you again?” Joel’s voice was dark, his words a dangerous thing that cradled a threat in every syllable. You shuddered as they washed over you, even if the sentiment wasn’t meant to be aimed at you, it was because of you. For you, he spoke with such ferocity.

You could only nod, unable to get any more words out. Mary’s hand tightened over your own before she stood.

“Joel, we need to call security and give them a description. I want whoever it is out of the restaurant. I know you’re the owner, but this-“

“I want him out, but I’m calling the cops. Not just security.” Thick fingers already digging his cell phone from a pants pocket. He brought it up to his ear as the line began to ring, having punched it in quickly.

“Everything is going to be okay, we’re going to keep you here in the office until the police get here and then one of us will take you home.” She was trying to continue to sooth you, but half her attention was on the phone in her hand as she contacted the security company employed by the restaurant. She was messaging them, letting them know there had been an attempted sexual assault on the premises.

Those words burned into your retinas, bright as if they were a neon sign even when you clenched your eyes shut. Joel’s steps were solid as he left the room, phone still to his ear as he waited on the line until officers arrived on site, wanting as clear communication as possible. He returned a few moments later with a steaming mug.

Mary detangled her fingers and let you know she was going to go and manage the front of house, to ensure that things were still running and let the girls know to not go outside on any breaks for the time being. Joel took up her abandoned seat, putting the phone on speaker and setting it down atop the desk.

Using his feet to maneuver the rolling chair closer to you, he carefully removed your hands from where you had begun to grip the fabric of your jeans. He molded them around the warm mug, his own around them and he just looked at you. His concerned eyes took in the way your hair was mused, no longer contained in the clip you had showed up to work in. The way your eyes were rimmed red, cheeks stained with tear tracks, the way you were trembling slightly, eyes unfocused as you stared at your lap. You wouldn’t raise your head to meet his gaze head on, no words were being spoken, it was…disconcerting to him to see you so locked up.

“Darlin’,” Was all he said as he raised the mug up toward your lips. “Please take a sip of this, it’s bone broth, it’ll help ease your nerves a little.”

You only intended to take the smallest sip to appease him and get him to back off, still mad about finding out he was a father and that he didn’t tell you his daughter would be coming to the restaurant. Sending you to her table without a thought in the world how you would feel or react to such a revelation. But the second the warm liquid washed over your tongue, you were taking consistent sips until the mug was empty and placed off to the side on the desk beside his phone.

He sat with you in silence, not sure what to say that would break the spell you were under, the shock you were under. He hadn’t seen this side of you, knew that everyone reacted to these things differently, that it wasn’t an easily overcome thing, if overcome at all. You wanted to reach out and take his hands in your own, to feel the warmth of him but you fought back the urge, the happy face of his daughter flashing in your minds eye.

You reached a hand up to press against a pain on the back of your neck, as soon as your fingers touched the skin there underneath your hairline, you hissed out a deep breath. Your hand came away bloodied, shaking as you looked at it with wide eyes. Joel was on his feet instantly, one hand cradling your face as he moved your hair carefully from your neck. You felt his warm exhalations on your shoulder as he leaned in, the faint scent of an earlier cigarette on his breath mixed with the spearmint gum he chewed while on the line. His fingers gently reached for something you couldn’t see, flinching slightly as something tugged at the back of your neck. In his hand was a broken shard of your hair clip, blood bright on the turquoise of it. Fresh tears welled up and blurred your vision as they fell over your lash line and over his hand still cradling your cheek.

“Fuck, you’ve got some pretty deep cuts back here. I’m so sorry, baby.”

“D-don’t call me that.”

Anything he was about to say was cut off as a voice trilled over the phone call still going on his phone.

“Mr. Miller, sir? Dispatch here, officers are pulling up right now.”

He removed his hands from you, a weird look about him as he moved to pick his phone back up, “Thank you, I’ll go meet them out front.”

“Will you-“

Nodding your head, you couldn’t bear to look up at him.  

“Okay.” He nodded at you, his eyes trying to catch yours to make sure but you had ducked your head again. He reached over to get the small first aid kit from where it was stashed atop the shelve over the desk. It wasn’t as stocked or official as the one in the kitchen, but it had stuff you could clean your injury with. “I’d offer to clean it, but I don’t want to push you. Please, at least drag some antiseptic over the back of your neck.”

The rest of the night was a blur, the restaurant closing two hours earlier than posted hours. Mary insisted on driving you home, some of the girls from the front of house parroting her offer. Joel had silenced them all with thanks for being so kind and willing to help, but as the owner and the one who was ultimately responsible for everyone’s safety. He put his proverbial foot down and said he would be making sure you got home safe. A good cover, you thought bitterly to yourself as he walked back into the office sans apron.

“Alright, Mary is gonna close up once everyone is finished cleaning. Do you have your keys? Figured I’d drive your truck so you have it there at your apartment. My brother can meet us there and bring me back for mine.”

He kept his distance as he walked with you toward the staff parking lot at the back of the restaurant. He was quiet as you stopped by the lockers to get your bag, his own on his shoulder he had swiped from the office. You had stayed there while the cops had talked with Joel, with Mary, to security. The man had been long gone, rushing away from the security guards that had quickly rounded the front of the building when you had shouted out. But they had been seconds too late and you paid the price. The cops had asked you for your statement, Joel standing behind you the whole time, providing details from the night at the bar as well.

The truck was silent as Joel held the door open for the passenger seat, making sure you were situated before he closed it as gently as he could. Once he adjusted the driver’s seat from your settings, he climbed in as well, the cab of the truck tense as he looked over at you and you looked out the window.  

“I’m sorry.” Your words were so low, a whisper barely heard over the running engine and hush of the other cars on the road.

“For what darlin’?” Not answering him right away, you reached into your bag and pulled out a cigarette, moving on to dig into your pockets for a lighter. You froze when you couldn’t find it, realizing it must’ve fallen out when… punching a finger to activate the lighter built into the dash you chanced a look over at him. He was focused on the road, his large hands around the steering wheel and his brow furrowed. His bottom lip looked a bit irritated, like he had been worrying at it with his teeth.

“All those reservations, all that business.” Was your quiet response, reaching for the lighter when it jutted out from the dash to signal that it was ready to use. You lifted it to the end of your cigarette, inhaling deep once the ember glow encompassed it. He looked over, but you had already turned toward the cracked window, watching the smoke billow out in wispy curls.

“I ain’t worried about a few hours lost. The most important thing is that you’re okay.” His fingers curled tighter around the steering wheel, you could hear the crinkling of the leather in the small space. He flicked the turn signal on and reached up to hit the gate control you had attached to the visor as your building came into view. It was easy enough for him to pull into one of the spots that ran parallel to the building. It was only two stories, four apartments on each floor. Two more exactly like it on either side within the secure gate. He watched it close completely before he turned the truck off, turning to face you.

“Look, about the table, it was supposed to be for Tommy and a date of his.”

Shaking your head, you made to open the door and get out. With a sigh, he followed suit, rounding the bed of the truck to hold the door open for you while you stepped out. With one last pull, you put out the spent cigarette and dropped it into the bed of the truck. Adjusting your bag on your shoulder, you began to walk across the small parking lot toward the outdoor stairs that led up to your apartment. Joel was behind you, your keys in his hand as he made sure the vehicle was locked, the beeping sound loud in the quiet of the early evening.

“I was going to tell you, it’s just-“ You watched as he opened the security door and then the front door, shouldering past him you dropped your bag on the couch underneath the window. The click of the security door deadbolt echoed between you, but all you felt was exhaustion being back in your space.

“I don’t want to talk about that right now, not – not tonight, please.” Walking away from where he stood just inside the door, into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He followed you further into the space, into the living room, closing the main door behind him, locking it to make sure your space was safe and sealed away from the world.

“Joel, I was so scared.” The words were a quiet confession as they left your lips on a shaky exhale, hands clenching at your sides as you tried to fight the urge to reach for him now that you were back in the living room beside him. He was so close already, but it wasn’t enough. You needed, no, wanted him to be the one to pull you for once, to let you know that he cared. You looked up at him, bottom lip trembling.

His arms were enveloping you, pulling you into his chest. He buried his face in your hair, and you could feel the way his own breath was shaky as you. You turned so your cheek was resting right over his strong heartbeat, a faint slightly delirious chuckle shaking your body before you were crying into his chest. His hold on you tightened and you reached your hands around him to hold him in return, hands digging into the fabric of his shirt at his sides.

You silently guided him towards your room, needing to get off your feet and melt into the full embrace of the man you were already entangled with. He followed you, kicking off his shoes to leave in the living room. He let go of his hold long enough to turn around and let you change without his eyes roving over you, not wanting to overstep anything. You were grateful, still too worked up to do much else other than hold each other. Once you were in a baggy shirt and a soft pair of sleep shorts, you reached your hands to grab ahold of the back of his shirt.

He turned around, the fabric twisting up, allowing you a flash of the dark trail of hair that ran from his belly button to disappear down below the belt holding up his work pants. Scrunching your nose at the idea of his dirty pants on your clean sheets, he ducked his head to make eye contact with you.

“What’s that lil bunny nose for, huh?” He boldly kissed the tip of your nose, pulling a surprised huff of laughter from you around soft sniffles as your fingers latched into his belt loops and weakly tugged at them. He made a sound deep in his chest, hands coming to wrap around your own. “Darlin’-“

“Just don’t want them on my sheets, that’s all.”

“Okay, only if you’re comfortable. That’s all I want right now, okay?”

You helped him, rather uselessly, to unbuckle the belt while he shucked the fabric down his legs. He stepped out of them, clad the clean shirt he had changed into at work and a pair of dark boxer briefs. He let you run your hands underneath his shirt and grab at him, he let you push your face back into his chest. And in return you let him wrap you back up in his arms and guide you to the bed. It took a few moments of shifting to get comfortable, but you ended up laying your upper half over his, his arms on your lower back and your legs tangled together where they stretched out. Your face was pressed into his neck, and you were sure he could feel the wetness of your lashes against his skin.

“I’ve got you, you’re okay, darlin’.”

He was reassuring you as much as he was himself.

previous chapter || next chapter

dividers by the lovely @saradika

[sycamorelibrary754]

Guardian Angel

Chapter 9: When in Rome

Summary: I have no idea how to summarize this chapter besides saying buckle up. 🫣

Warnings: Danger, angst, claustrophobia.

Word Count: 6.3k

A/N: My apologies for how long it took to get this chapter posted. I wanted to take my time on it because it’s essential to the rest of the story. I hope you enjoy it!

Guardian Angel Masterlist

You walked into your room, anxiously shutting the door behind you. Your mind races as you pace back and forth. Running your fingers through your hair, you struggle to comprehend why Onyx Petroleum would be interested in Sokovian land. Your mental spiral is interrupted by a knock on your door, followed by Tony's voice asking if you're okay. You open the door, and the billionaire walks in, quickly shutting the door behind him.

"I can't believe I didn't clock it before," Tony said, holding up the newspaper. "Those con artists from Onyx Petroleum are your parents - sorry."

You force a smile and respond, "It's okay. They deserve the title, trust me."

"I know firsthand," Tony muttered.

“You know my parents?” 

“Your father was a regular visitor of the Stark Expo in the old days.” You're taken aback, wondering how you never knew that. “Dear old dad rarely spoke to me growing up, but I remember he once said that Y/F/N Y/L/N was the only person who made him believe that humanity was doomed to extinction.”

“Sounds about right,” you said.

“Oh, and then," he recounted, "A few years ago at a September Foundation grant presentation at Cal Tech. Your mother, as usual, was doing her thing - schmoozing with everyone. She cornered Pepper and started rambling about how a partnership between Onyx Petroleum and Stark Industries could transform the global oil exploration and production industry. Pepper kindly reminded her that Stark Industries no longer partners with companies or individuals that harm the environment or the population. So your mother called Pepper a fraud and threw her drink in her face! Can you believe that?"

You sigh as you sit down on the edge of the bed, “Unfortunately, yes.”

"Any idea what this is about?" Tony asked, holding up the paper again.

You shake your head, saying, "No clue. They've never shown any interest in foreign oil.”

"Do you have access to anything that would give us insights into their business dealings?" Tony inquired.

You shake your head again, feeling helpless. "Not anymore. My parents removed me from all of their bank accounts and company mainframes when they kicked me out," you say with a huff, throwing yourself back onto the bed. “I don’t get it. Sokovia was destroyed. What’s left for them to find.”

“Vibranium.”

“What?” You said as you sat up. “That doesn't make sense. Sokovia was a war zone.”

“What do you think they were fighting over?” The billionaire asked rhetorically. 

“How do you know this, Tony?” 

“After Ultron's attack on Sokovia and the subsequent sinking of Navi Grad, FRIDAY performed an extensive deep-sea mapping of the ocean—every square centimeter. Seven hundred thousand images were captured at a depth of almost 4,000 meters,” Tony explained, tapping the screen on his watch. “The mapping exercise was aimed at locating the submerged remnants of the destroyed city and ensuring the safety of any underwater vehicles or divers exploring the area. Doing so would provide insights into the underwater topography of the region and assist in the reconstruction efforts.” 

You rise to your feet as a hologram of the 3D map materializes before your eyes.

“Instead, FRIDAY found something else,” Tony explained, shifting pieces back and forth through the air. “Outside of Wakanda, Sokovia has the largest natural vein of Vibranium anywhere in the world, but no one has been able to mine it yet because…,” zooming in on the composite. “It’s underwater.”

You studied the 3D image carefully, trying to comprehend how Onyx Petroleum would go about mining the most potent substance on Earth. 

“This much Vibranium in anyone’s hands is frightening,” Tony said. “In the hands of a company notorious for unethical business practices, it’s perilous.” 

“Does Wanda know?” Your mind was racing with concern for your girlfriend.

“No, and I don’t think we should tell her,” closing the hologram. 

“What? Why not? She has a right to know! It was her home. We can’t just—“

"Easy, Willy Wonka," Tony said. "I know she needs to know, but we need more information before we can act. I need to do some more research and figure out the next steps. In the meantime, tell the rest of the team what we know. Wanda is running point on a full-team, large-scale mission the day after tomorrow, and it benefits no one for her to be distracted, right?" 

You nod hesitantly in agreement, still processing everything. "Trust me, Y/N. If we take our eyes off the ball, bad things happen. We need to be strategic and focused if we're going to keep everyone safe." 

After a moment of silence, you let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, you're right," you concede, looking down at your hands. "I just don't feel good about keeping this from Wanda. We've always been honest with each other, and I don't want to ruin that." 

Tony places a reassuring hand on your back. "You're not lying to her. You're just postponing the truth to protect her," he explains calmly. 

You slowly nod, taking in his words. It made sense, in a way. But the guilt still lingered in your mind, gnawing at you. You knew that, eventually, you'd have to come clean.

*^~^*

You stirred from your sleep two days later, but the uneasy feeling in your stomach lingered. Your conversation with Tony was still vivid in your mind. You peered outside and saw SHIELD agents hustling and bustling around the grounds. You felt lost, unsure of what to do or where to be, so you did your best to keep a low profile and stay out of everyone's way. This was your first time seeing a mission play out before you. Sure, team members had come and gone before in the three months you had been living at the Avengers Compound, but being so focused on your recovery, you hadn’t paid that close attention. 

FRIDAY interrupted your train of thought as you stood by the window. “Ms. Y/L/N,” she said, “Ms. Maximoff requests your presence in The Overwatch.”

You were confused. “The Overwatch? Where’s that, FRIDAY?”

“I’ll escort you there, Ms. Y/L/N,” FRIDAY said, opening the elevator doors.

As you stepped into the elevator, you noticed it was going down. The compartment sprang to life, and you counted at least three floors before it finally stopped. The door opened, revealing a futuristic virtual command center. Wanda stood with her back to you, looking up at a wall of monitors.

You couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!"

Wanda turned at the sound of your voice, and her smile was enough to melt you into a puddle. "Impressive, isn't it?" she said.

You nodded, still in awe of the sight. "What is this place?"

"This is The Overwatch," Wanda explained. "It's a command center that allows Fury or other Avengers who aren't on a mission to provide support in real-time."

You walked over to where Wanda was standing. "It's only used when everyone gets called away or on big-scale operations," she added.

You looked up at the bank of monitors, each displaying a name in the corner. Your eyes quickly found Natasha's, labeled N. Romanoff. Next to her, you spotted T. Stark, S. Rogers, B. Banner, T. Odinson, C. Barton, B. Barnes, S. Wilson, K. Bishop, Y. Belova, P. Parker, and C. Danvers. 

"Am I even allowed to be in here?” You asked.

"Technically, no," Wanda replied with a smirk, "but this is my first time running point on a mission, and I could use the company."

Curiosity getting the better of you, you asked, "Who are they after?"

"Unfortunately, that information is classified," Wanda replied, typing away on the keyboard and pulling up a map, "but I can tell you they are in Europe."

"Well, that narrows it down," you joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Wanda sighed and sat before the command module, motioning for you to join her. "I wish I could tell you more," she said, "it's so much more stressful sitting in here than being out in the field with the team."

You tried encouraging her, saying, "Hey, at least you're safe here."

“Yes, but I feel so helpless," Wanda admitted while monitoring the team's vital signs. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to Fury for agreeing to let me ease back into the swing of things, but the loss of control scares me.” 

The tense atmosphere was palpable in the comms as Steve's voice cut through, "Wanda, we're on our final approach. ETA, 30 seconds."

Natasha's raspy voice chimed in, "How are we looking?"

"The approach is clear—five guards in the courtyard outside the building.

"I got it," Tony interjected. You heard muffled groans on the other end of the comms as Tony dismantled the threat in a matter of seconds. "We're clear outside."

Everyone, turn on your body cameras," Wanda commanded as the monitors rose to life, giving you a first-person point of view of what everyone on the team was seeing.

"Nat, the security office is two doors down on your left," Wanda directed.

"Noted, I'm on my way," Natasha confirmed.

"When do I go in?" Peter's voice sounded eager on the comms.

"Hold your position, Spider-Boy," Yelena said. "Patience is key."

"Yeah, Peter. You're too eager. Just slow your roll and wait for the signal," Kate Bishop said.

"So is being quiet, Kate Bishop." Yelena cut in again.

I can't believe this is happening," you said involuntarily.

"Shh," Wanda whispers.

"Who is that?" Thor asks as he catches his hammer flying towards his monitor screen.

"Is that Y/N?" Carol asked between shots.

"No, it's not," Wanda lied to protect you.

"It is Y/N! What are you doing in The Overwatch, Willy Wonka?" Tony asked.

“Aww, they’re having a date night,” Clint joked sarcastically as you watched an arrow fly away from his camera and out of sight.

"Everyone, please be quiet. You're clogging the comms," Bucky demands irritably.

"Let's all be civil," Sam adds.

“I concur,” Bruce agreed.

"How are we doing, Nat?" Steve asked as he knocked out another security guard.

"I'm bypassing the firewall, Natahsa replied, typing away on the keyboard. “There. The Iris Detectors are down.”

"On my signal," Wanda spoke calmly. "Disabling the dome cameras in 3, 2, 1. Go.”

Sitting in front of the bank of monitors, you found yourself momentarily bewildered. You weren't sure which of the screens to focus on as the team moved in unison. Each one displayed a different angle of the action, and you didn't want to miss a single moment of what was unfolding before you. You watched with bated breath as they efficiently made their way through the building, their movements purposeful and precise. It was a sight to behold - you had never seen such determination and skill in your entire life. 

Despite seeing footage of the Avengers on the news over the years, watching them firsthand was an entirely different experience. You felt incredibly fortunate to be able to call them your friends. As they worked towards the second level, you couldn't help but feel a sense of awe wash over you. These were some of the most powerful beings on the planet, and yet they were risking their lives to protect others. It was a humbling and inspiring sight to behold.

As the team entered the building, you watched Bucky effortlessly kick in a door. "I'm in the lab," he announced, his voice calm and collected.

Tony's voice crackled through the comms, "Do you see the mainframe?"

"There's two, which one is it?" Bucky replied, scanning the room.

"Open the silver panel," Tony instructed.

With a few hard pulls, Bucky managed to pry off the front of the mainframe. Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass filled the air as Carol crashed through a nearby window with a guard's arms wrapped tightly around her neck.

Without hesitation, Bucky turned to assist her. "Keep going! I got this," Carol shouted, her voice slightly strained.

Tony's voice cut through the chaos, "You should see the mainframe HiperSockets that provide high-speed TCP/IP connectivity within the central processor complex."

"For fuck's sake, in English, Tony!" Bucky shouted, his frustration palpable.

"Language,” Steve reprimanded.

An alarm began to blare as red lights flashed, signaling the imminent arrival of more guards.

"Bucky and Carol, eight more guards are heading your way," Wanda's voice sounded over the comms. "Thor, you're the closest."

"I'll be right there," Thor answered.

You watched as The God of Thunder bounded down the stairs and into the lab. In a thunderous flash, he took out all eight guards, leaving the room eerily silent.

"Cut the blue cable!" Tony finally shouted.

Bucky pulled out a pocket knife and quickly sliced through the blue cable.

The rest of the team arrived on the scene, and the lights inside the mainframe went out, plunging the room into darkness.

"How do we know for sure it's down?" Kate asked, her voice laced with concern.

Natasha fired three gunshots into the mainframe, causing the container to smoke.

"That ought to do it," she said, lowering her gun.

"Well done, everyone," Wanda praised. "I'm no longer seeing a heat signature from your location, which means the building is offline."

"Thanks, Wanda. Nice job on the point," Steve said. "We'll reconvene at 1800 hours to go over Phase Two."

Wanda looked exhausted as she removed her earpiece. The monitors had gone dark again; she leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath to calm herself down. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and looked at you.

"Wow, sweetheart. That was amazing! I've never seen anything like that in my life. You were great,” you said, touching her shoulder. 

Wanda smiled weakly, feeling a sense of satisfaction mixed with exhaustion. "Thanks," she said, "it was touch and go. But I'm glad they were able to get the job done."

You nodded in agreement. "Are all the missions that intense?"

Wanda thought for a moment before answering. "Not all of them," she said, "but this is one of the most challenging ones we've had in a while. But that's what we're trained for, right?"

“Do you miss it? Being out there, I mean,” you asked hesitantly. 

Wanda’s expression was pensive as she spoke, her gaze fixed on the ground. "It's a complicated situation," she began slowly. "On the one hand, I don't want to leave my boys. After we lost their father, I made a promise to Billy and Tommy that I would always be there for them, no matter what." She paused for a moment as if lost in thought. "But on the other hand," she continued, her voice growing softer, "sometimes I feel like I'm denying who I am. Like my magic knows, I’m turning away from that part of myself.”

As you sat beside Wanda, you suddenly realized something that had never occurred to you before – you had never seen her use her powers. You searched your memory for any instance where you had witnessed her abilities in action, but you drew a blank. The only thing you could recall was being in her arms after the accident before you passed out, but even then, you couldn't remember if she had used her magic to keep you safe.

You took a deep breath and reached out to hold her hand. "I know we've never talked about this, but is there a reason you've never used your magic in front of me?" you asked, your voice gentle and curious. You hoped she wouldn't take offense to your question, but you couldn't help feeling a little curious about this aspect of her life that she had kept hidden from you.

"I was wondering when you would finally ask me about this,” Wanda sighed softly. “Since Westview, I have had difficulty trusting myself to use my powers safely. I lost control in a way that I never have before, Y/N, and the thought of putting anyone through that again is unbearable." Her voice was tinged with remorse and sadness as she continued, "I don't want to be a danger to those around me or myself. I’m afraid to use my magic again, and I don't know how to overcome that fear."

As you stroked her hand, you spoke reassuringly to Wanda. "I know you're feeling guilty about what happened in Westview, but that was only one aspect of your powers. You've done so much more good in the world than bad, and the magic that courses through you is a testament to that. Remember all the times you used your abilities to save lives, protect innocent people, and bring hope to those in need. That is the true measure of who you are, Wanda. Don't let a single mistake define you or your legacy."

Wanda nodded as she looked at you. “Thank you, Y/N,” wiping the tears away that threatened to fall. “I know I can’t avoid using them forever,” she looked around the room, “I also know I can’t hide down here for the rest of my life.” 

“Why don’t you show me?” 

“What?”

“Show me your powers. Come on, let’s see what you got, sweetheart. It’s just us, and we’re three floors underground. Nothing can go wrong, I promise.”

She looked at you hesitantly before she finally agreed, “Okay.”

Wanda rose from her seat and walked to the middle of the room. She took a deep, cleansing breath, held out her left palm, and began slowly circling it with her right hand. You watched as an orb of red energy materialized in her palm. Pointing her hand in your direction, you felt the chair you were sitting in move underneath you as you quickly rolled across the room and stopped on a dime in front of the redhead.

“Woah,” you said in amazement.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” she smirked.

Slowly but surely, she rose above you, her body glowing with a vibrant, otherworldly red magic that seemed to envelop you completely. Despite your shock, you felt a sense of calm wash over you as you basked in the warmth and comfort of the magic surrounding you. It was as if Wanda had wrapped you in a cocoon of pure energy, and you felt safe and protected in her presence. Her eyes were fixed on you, glowing like twin stars in the night sky. For the first time, you knew without a doubt that you were in the presence of a powerful being beyond your understanding. Yet, despite her immense power, she was your Wanda—gentle and kind.

The redhead reached down and gently touched your cheek. For a moment, you closed your eyes and basked in the warmth of her touch. You couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same sense of warmth and safety with you that you felt with her.

I do, Y/N," Wanda said with nothing but adoration in her eyes.

You were confused and asked, "Do what?"

"Feel the same warmth and safety you feel with me," she replied.

You wondered, "I, did I - I don't think I said that out loud, did I?"

"I heard your thoughts, love," she answered.

You repeated, "You heard me - you can hear my thoughts? Oh, God."

Wanda reassured you, "Oh no, no, Y/N. It's okay. This was the first time I've ever listened to your thoughts. Outside of work, I never invade anyone's privacy that way and never would with you without your permission or unless it was an emergency."

The redhead reached for you as she floated down. The red magic swirling around your joined hands.

"That was incredible, sweetheart. I know it will take some time, but don't hide this part of yourself away. It's wonderful.”

The sudden sound of the elevator whirring through the walls startled Wanda, breaking her concentration and causing her to dismiss her red magic hastily. "Shit! Quick, hide in that storage cabinet," she urgently whispered, pushing you towards the stainless steel structure.

"What?! Why?" You asked, confused and alarmed.

"I told you, you're not technically supposed to be here. The security clearance is off the charts," Wanda explained as she urged you towards the cabinet.

You sprinted towards the cabinet and quickly shut the door just as Maria exited the elevator. "Hey, Wanda. Great job on Phase One. Everything looks good on our end," she said, scrolling through her tablet.

“Thanks,” Wanda said, nervously tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear as Maria continued.

"I'm going to go brief Fury, but I'll be back for the check-in call at 6 pm to discuss Phase Two."

"Okay, see you in a bit," Wanda replied, relieved she hadn't noticed you.

As Maria stepped back into the elevator, she teasingly called, "Oh, and Wanda? If Y/N is going to be down here with you, at least give her a key card."

Wanda blushed at being caught. "I don't know what you're talking about," she fibbed.

"Of course, you don't," The Deputy Director chuckled. "Ask her to bring some Candy Bar chocolate for us later when she comes out from the storage cabinet," she added with a giggle as the doors closed.

You cautiously opened the door to the cabinet and stepped out, your cheeks reddening as you met Wanda's embarrassed gaze. She fished a blank white key card out of her pocket and handed it to you. "Here, now you can legally be down here with me."

You took the card and turned it over in your hands. 

"Thanks," you said softly. “Tell Maria I'll bring some chocolate truffles later," you winked.

"Hmm, sounds good," Wanda smiled, leaning in to give you a gentle peck on the lips.

*^~^*

You arrived back at The Overwatch a few hours later, your white key card and a bag of truffles in hand. Maria was sitting next to Wanda in front of the wall of monitors. You sat down next to the redhead, passing the bag of chocolates to Maria. 

"Aww, Y/N. How did you know? This is exactly what I wanted."

"Shut up,” you smirked. “So, what's happening here?" As you pointed toward the dark screens.

"We had the check-in call about forty-five minutes ago, and Steve should be reporting in any minute to confirm they've reached the target,” Wanda explained.

As if on cue, Steve's camera turned on, followed by the rest of the team. "Speak of the devil!” Maria exclaimed. 

You could tell immediately that the team was in an underground passage, evidenced by the rough stone masonry surrounding them. Their footsteps echoed through the tunnel, adding an eerie quality to the tense atmosphere.

"Hey, Cap, you ready to go?" Maria asked, glancing up at the screen.

"Affirmative," Steve replied. “Although some of us are feeling a bit claustrophobic."

"Speak for yourself,” Clint chimed in.

"Tony, you want to take that one?" Wanda asked, typing away on her keyboard.

"Sure thing, Red," Tony replied. "Everyone, reach inside your suit pockets. You should find an object the size of one of Morgan's Legos."

Yelena, ever the skeptic, held up the miniature object Tony had referred to. "What the fuck is this?" she asked, her voice laced with annoyance.

"Language," Steve admonished.

"Oh, tell it to someone who cares," Yelena retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Sestra," Nat scolded, her voice echoing through the tunnels.

"It's a bit of technology I borrowed from our friendly neighborhood ant, and subsequently made even better,” Tony smirked. "Press the button on the top."

As one, the team pressed the button, and a small oxygen mask grew to fit in their hands.

"And we couldn't have worn these on the walk down here because?" Sam asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Because they only have a 24-hour oxygen supply," Tony explained. "We need to conserve as much as possible."

"Do I have to wear this?" Carol asked. "I can breathe in space. I'm pretty sure I'm fine down here."

"The vacuum of space is very different from underground," Maria said. "We don't want to take any chances. Put it on, please, Danvers."

“Why doesn’t the billionaire genius have to wear an oxygen mask?” She asked. 

“There’s an oxygen supply built into the suit,” Tony smirked.

With a resigned sigh, Carol donned the mask, and the rest of the team followed suit. Wanda went over the topography of the catacomb, identifying key landmarks and intricacies that could help them navigate the maze-like structure safely.

In a hushed tone, you turned to Maria and asked, "Have they ever had an underground mission before?" 

Maria shook her head and replied, "No, not like this. This is completely uncharted territory for them.”

"Okay, as we discussed," Steve said, pointing to the left. "Group one with me down the left tunnel; group two with Tony down the right tunnel."

As you observed intently, you saw each group setting off towards their designated directions, down the ancient corridors. The walls were adorned with intricate archways, illuminated by sporadic pockets of light that added to the mystique of the surroundings.

“Mr. Stark, this is amazing! Have you looked at these carvings and art? Easily third century—” Peter started. 

“This isn’t a history field trip,” Natasha interrupted. “Pay attention to your surroundings.”

The group had been walking through a tunnel for some time when, without warning, felt the ground beneath their feet shake. A low and ominous grumbling noise echoed through the air, and everyone was thrown into the tunnel walls. 

"FRIDAY, what's happening?" Tony asked urgently.

"Accessing the wave radar and enhancing the thermogenic signature," FRIDAY responded.

“Do you feel that too, Steve?” Wanda asked

Steve grunted as he struggled to regain his balance. "Yeah, is it an earthquake?" he asked.

"It's an energy surge, Boss," FRIDAY replied to Tony. "A core reactor holds together the primary stabilization of the tunnel structure."

"That's not first-century tech," Peter mumbled, face down on the ground.

Kate helped him up. "Yeah, no kidding, Sherlock."

Just as the group was getting back on their feet, Sam's voice cut through the tense silence.

"Hey! Hold it!" he shouted.

"What is it, Wilson?" Tony asked.

"Someone is watching us at the end of this tunnel," Sam exclaimed as he ran ahead of the group.

"Sam, wait!” Steve shouted.

"Lock onto Wilson," Maria said, standing up.

Wanda quickly shifted to Sam's primary camera and enlarged the visual. The mystery figure took two quick turns to the left as if they knew exactly where they were going. A third turn to the right, and Sam lost sight of the man for a split second. Looking around quickly, but to no avail, he said, "I lost them."

"How will he get back to the rest of the group?" You asked.

"Good question, Y/N," Sam replied.

Maria glared over at you. "Sorry, I keep forgetting they can hear me too."

"Sam, you're closer to Tony than Steve," Wanda said. "I'm pinging his tracker right now. Two lefts and a right should do it. And Steve and company, follow your tunnel about a half a mile down and then take a right, and you should meet up with everyone else."

The team wandered through the catacomb tunnel in silence, only the sound of their breathing and the stone under their feet breaking the stillness. When they were finally reunited, Tony broke the silence, "Okay, new plan. We're staying together." 

Peter quickly agreed, "I'm with Tony on this one." 

Yelena, standing nearby, murmured to Kate, "Color me surprised." 

“Oxygen masks stay on, Nat,” Maria said pointedly. 

"Yes, detka,” Natasha replied.

Yelena couldn't resist mocking her sister, "Yes, detka," she repeated sarcastically. But before she could carry on, Natasha pinched her arm, causing her to yelp in pain. 

Thor shouted, "Knock it off, Lady Widows!" 

Wanda added, "Thor is right. The catacomb can be disorienting, but you need to keep moving. Tony, I'm reviewing the National Geophysical Data Center records to assess your declination value and sending them to FRIDAY. Keep true north." 

You turned to Maria, puzzled, "What did she say?" Having no clue what your girlfriend was talking about. 

"They should turn right," Maria whispered. 

You watched as everyone walked in a single-file line to the right, trying their best to keep their footing on the uneven stone. Suddenly, a second energy surge echoed loudly through the comms, causing everyone to turn their cameras downwards. Your heart raced as you gasped at the sight of cracks quickly forming between everyone's legs. Before anyone could react, the ground gave way beneath them, accompanied by screams and the sound of broken gravel. 

Maria gasped, and Wanda put her hands over her mouth in shock. 

"Oh my God!" You exclaimed. "What the hell just happened?" 

Wanda asked urgently, "Steve? Tony? Can you hear me?" 

Maria followed with a shaky voice, "Natasha? Come in! Anyone?" 

"Shit," she said anxiously, picking up the phone in front of her. "All SHIELD agents, Romeo, Echo, Delta." 

"FRIDAY, Code Red. Initiate Emergency Protocol 3000," Wanda ordered, running back towards the elevator and flipping a red switch under a glass cover. 

"Compound shutdown initiated. Director Fury and Mrs. Stark have been notified and are en route to The Overwatch," FRIDAY responded.

You stood there, frozen, not knowing what to do with yourself. The shock of what you had just witnessed was so intense that your vision started to blur, and you felt as though you were about to pass out. Suddenly, you felt someone's arms on your shoulders, and you jumped slightly. 

"Y/N? Y/N, love, stay with me, okay?" Wanda said, her voice soothing.

You looked up at her and then back at the monitors, pointing at them with a shaking hand. "They... it..." you stammered, struggling to form coherent sentences.

Wanda nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I know," she said, rubbing her hands up and down your arms in a gesture of comfort.

She slowly led you back to your seat, still holding onto your shoulders, and conjured a glass of water out of thin air. Taking it in your hand, you felt the coolness of the glass against your skin, which helped ground you and bring you back to the present moment.

*^~^*

Fury furrowed his brows and asked Maria, "When was your last point of contact?"

"Five minutes ago."

"Maximoff was running point?"

You didn't appreciate the way Director Fury was speaking about Wanda as if she wasn't in the room, but as an outsider, you chose to hold your tongue.

Wanda stepped forward before Maria could respond, "Yes, sir."

"What happened?"

“Two energy surges of unknown origin, but we didn’t have time to assess the cause before-." Wanda’s voice trailed off as she struggled to continue.

“Before you lost them,” Fury finished the sentence for her. Wanda nodded silently, unable to look the Director in the eyes.

“She didn’t lose them! It was an accident,” You suddenly heard yourself shout.

Pepper placed a hand on your shoulder as Fury’s gaze shifted over to you. 

“Who is this?” Fury asked, pointing at you.

“I'm Y/N Y/L/N, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you,” you said, slowly reaching out your hand to shake his, but the gesture went unreciprocated.

"The car accident victim," looking you up and down. "She looks fine, why is she still here?"

You wondered why you were still here yourself, but Maria jumped in before you could respond, "She’s still recovering, Sir."

"Do you have clearance to be down here?"

You fumbled in your pocket for the white card Wanda had given you earlier. Fury looked at the card but gave you no response before turning back to Wanda.

“Are we still picking up pings from their trackers?”

“Yes, faintly,” Wanda said.

"Do we know how deep the catacomb goes?" He continued.

“Roughly 65 feet, but the fall could have taken them another 50 feet at least," Wanda stated.

“They were wearing oxygen masks?” Fury asked.

“Yes, but they only have a 24-hour oxygen supply if they haven’t been damaged,” Wanda explained.

Fury turned back to Maria, “How fast can we have a team of agents on the ground in Rome?”

Your ears perked up at finally knowing where everyone was.

“Four hours,” Maria responded.

“Make it three,” The Director said.

“Yes, sir,” Maria replied as she started to walk away.

Wanda interrupted calmly, "No. I’m going."

“Out of the question, Maximoff. You haven’t been back in the field since your return, save for her accident," Fury pointed at you. "I’m not sending you out there by yourself in the most dire moment in the history of SHIELD. You don’t know what you’ll find down there, and you’re still too unreliable."

“Unreliable,” Wanda repeated. “With all due respect, Director Fury, no one is more reliable than me. There is no one more powerful than me, and you and I both know that it will take someone who can move heaven and Earth, literally, to bring everyone home!”

Fury looked over at Pepper, who had yet to say a word—doing her best to keep her calm.

"Wanda can do it," Pepper declared, fidgeting with her wedding ring. "I have faith in her." 

"You leave in 20 minutes,” Fury said, turning to Wanda. “But you're not going alone.”

“I’ll get changed right away, sir,” Maria assumed.

“No, you’re staying here, Hill. You’re too close to the situation with Romanoff.”

“Nick, I-“

“No, you’ll run co-point from here. That is final."

“Co-point? Who is-“

“I need to make a couple of phone calls. In the meantime, Maximoff, you get suited up. We’ll meet you in the hangar,” Fury ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Wanda acknowledged.

You followed Wanda out of the elevator and into the locker room, feeling nervous and determined. Wanda suited up with a look of solemn determination on her face. You didn't want to show your nervousness; Wanda had enough on her plate. She took out her phone, frowned at the screen, and then turned to you with a serious look.

“I need you to do something for me,” the redhead said.

“Of course, anything,” you replied, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

“I need you to pick up Billy and Tommy and stay with them at my house. I know you have only met them once, but they liked you,” she started to ramble, her voice tinged with anxiety. “Pepper offered to take them, but I just can’t let her do that while Tony is…” she paused, her voice breaking with sadness.

You nodded understandingly, realizing the gravity of the situation. “I’ll do it,” you said, grabbing both sides of her face. “The boys will be okay, I promise. You bring everyone home.”

“Thank you so much, Y/N. I I already called the school to let them know you’ll be picking them up. I know I can trust you,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion. Your lips met in a kiss—one of comfort and reassurance.

The word trust was all it took for Onyx Petroleum and Sokovia to rush back to the front of your mind. But then you remembered Tony’s words. “If we take our eyes off the ball, bad things happen.” Wanda needed to focus. But God, it was killing you to keep this from her, even under the most dire circumstances.

You walked with Wanda to the hangar, an area of the compound you had yet to visit. The mood was a stark contrast from this morning. SHIELD Agents moved about the space with the same purpose and direction, but the energy differed. It was anxious.

You caught sight of Director Fury standing next to one of the Quinjets with two women you didn’t recognize, but it was clear Wanda knew both of them. She ran a few steps ahead of you and wrapped her arms around both of them in an emotional embrace.

“Y/N, this is Dr. Darcy Lewis and Captain Monica Rambeau,” Wanda said, motioning to each woman. “This Y/N Y/L/N, she said, touching your back.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you both,” you said as you shook their hands, trying to keep your composure.

“Hi, nice to meet you too, Y/N,” Darcy replied warmly.

“It’s a pleasure,” Monica said, giving you a small smile.

"Captain Rambeau will be accompanying Ms. Maximoff to Rome, and Dr. Lewis will be running point with Deputy Director Hill from The Overwatch," Fury explained before glancing at his watch. "It's time to go."

Wanda looked at you with a mixture of anxiety and determination in her eyes. You tried to hide your nervousness, not wanting to add to her stress.

After a deep breath, Wanda spoke, "Billy and Tommy will be off from school in a couple of hours," she said, handing you her house keys. "Let them know that I'm working with the rest of the team, but don't give them any details. I’ll try to check in if I can.”

"Okay, sweetheart," you replied, taking the keys and putting them in your pocket. "Just make sure everyone comes home safe."

"I will," Wanda said with a nod, her eyes shining with determination.

As you leaned in to kiss the beautiful redhead, you felt a rush of emotion wash over you. Her soft lips met yours, and for a moment, everything else seemed to fade away. When you pulled away, you wrapped her in a tight embrace, holding her close to your chest. You watched as she walked towards the Quinjet, accompanied by Monica. Darcy and Fury were waiting by the side of the hangar, their faces solemn. You couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as the jet's engines came to life and slowly lifted off the ground. You stood there, watching as it climbed higher and higher into the sky until it was nothing more than a speck in the distance. As it disappeared from view, you felt a pang in your chest, as if a piece of your heart was flying away with it.

[zee-nith]

I Watched the First 15 Minutes of MHA Movie 4: You're Next

I just went to Anime Expo 2024 in Los Angeles today and watched the MHA panel! The seiyuus of Midoriya, All Might, Giulio (red-haired guy with the eye patch), and Anna (blonde girl with the red headband) talked to the audience for a bit, and we got to watch the first 15 minutes of the new MHA movie! Here's my breakdown of what we saw:

Dark Might watches the fight between All Might and All For One (S3 E11) on his TV in a room by himself. It's the same video as we see in the anime rather than the helicopter footage that was broadcasted to the MHA world. This could just be a recap for us, but it could potentially also be hinting that Dark Might lives in some alternate universe (though the latter seems unlikely)

When All Might points to the camera and says "You're next", Dark Might answers as if that message was for him, saying he will take over All Might as the new Symbol of Peace

Two men carrying guns discuss the kidnapping of Anna, and how Giulio seems unfit to find her (his objective seems to be to assassinate Anna). Meanwhile, Giulio is preparing tea a ways away from the two men. I'm assuming they work together, though it's never explicitly addressed

An emergency alarm is sounded, warning that Tartarus jailbreakers have been spotted, and Giulio speeds away on a red motorcycle

Class A (minus Aoyama) has split into 3 teams to detain all jailbreakers. Team 1 includes Midoriya, Jiro, Uraraka, Hagakure, Ojiro, and Sero. Team 2 includes Bakugou, Ashido, Tokoyami, Koda, Sato, and Kirishima. Team 3 includes Todoroki, Tsuyu, Iida, Shoji, Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, and Mineta. Team 1 captures 2 or 3 jailbreakers (I forgot), Team 2 captures 4, and Team 3 captures 6

(midoriya uses float, air force, full cowl, and blackwhip to capture the jailbreakers and it's so badass, we love to see it)

After checking in with each other via radio, they're alerted of another jailbreaker who I cannot remember the name of. All teams converge to that location, with Midoriya splitting up from his team using Float to pursue the jailbreaker

The jailbreaker is running away with Anna as his hostage, monologuing about how he's unstoppable with Anna by his side

Midoriya catches up to them and tells Anna to grab his hand, and she immediately tries to stop him. He grabs her hand regardless, and is suddenly surrounded by flower petals. His body erupts in pain, nearly leaving him prone

We also see a flower fully bloom on Midoriya's back, but it wasn't addressed again in the preview

The jailbreaker breaks into a building and tries to take another hostage, but Midoriya restrains him using Blackwhip

Something?? happens?? Idk I think I got distracted because the seiyuus were IN THE AUDIENCE but. anyways

Somehow??? they end up outside and it's nighttime. As Midoriya continues restraining the jailbreaker, Giulio catches up and begins shooting at Anna using his prosthetic arm that apparently turns into a gun. We also notice that the roots of Anna's hair are turning black

As the bullets are about to hit, a man creates a force field that drastically slows movement around Anna and the jailbreaker

Midoriya tries to restrain Giulio using Blackwhip, but Giulio begins aiming to shoot Midoriya. Despite this, Danger Sense doesn't activate in response

Meanwhile, the rest of Team 1 catch up, and ask what's going on. Midoriya says he has no idea, which honestly same

I'll post the rest in a reblog because I'm reached the image limit hhh

[pemprika]

I love your art and your pins look so nice!

Do you have any idea about when you'd next have them available at your shop?

thank you for liking my art and asking about my shop!

my initial shop reopening date was set to early june, but it will be delayed until the end of july after anime expo. i'm tentatively aiming to reopen my shop on july 28! :")

[spiderforestcomics]

SpiderForest’s member application season is open now through June 30!

Do you make a webcomic and want to be part of a great collective?  Read on!

At SpiderForest, we aim to provide a supportive environment for our members to grow, teach, and build each other up. We offer free hosting to our creators, help newcomers get a website up and running if needed, and cross-promote each others’ work. Members are also encouraged to host their own events and collaborations through our Hub and Discord chat.

Some examples of SpiderForest collaborative projects and events include:

Print and Digital Comic and Art Anthologies

Cross promotional events to share readers

Holiday fanart exchanges (April Fool’s, Secret Santa) and group art collages

Monthly figure drawing streams

Convention appearances at Small Press Expo and Thought Bubble

And much more!

Our applications are open to active webcomics of all genres and styles!  If you are interested in joining our community, please take a look at our guideline page and let us know if you have any questions!

Apply here

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Hi! So I've been preparing for my first snake, and have settled on a ball python. But in my area, it's much easier to find morphs than it is to just find a "standard" so I was wondering if you had any advice or maybe resources on what morphs to avoid?? Thank you

Here's my list of morphs with known issues. Spiders are the most common problem morphs you'll find; also look out for anything with "bee" in the name because that's a common name for spider crosses. If you're after a normal, you might have luck asking around at a reptile expo - lots of sellers won't even bother bringing normals to expos, but if you ask you'll likely be able to find some very cheap. I've seen normal ball pythons selling for like ten dollars at expos; they're hard to sell so lots of breeders will practically give them away if you just ask.

A few unsolicited tips, as well! Ball pythons can be tricky first snakes, so I strongly recommend getting your enclosure set up well in advance. Coconut fiber substrate is good for retaining humidity well; you'll be aiming for at least 60% humidity and a temperature gradient of about 88-78. Make sure any snake you buy is already well-established on frozen/thawed rodents, and you might want to consider looking for an older snake - snakes who are at least a year old are going to be much more tolerant and easy to work with!

[lifblogs]

Not That Sorry

Day 7 of Neurodivergent Tech Week Prompt: "I've been thinking." "I sure hope so. It would be worrisome if you didn't." @neurodivergent-tech-week, thank you so much for hosting this event. I had so much fun writing all the stories for this, and might still write 1 to 2 more After Dark stories. This has been a great way to explore Tech. I can't wait to check out what other people have done for this event. Again, thank you so much. This was fantastic.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Word Count: 2358 Summary: Tech is injured during a mission, and Hunter does his best to help him out. Though, the pain is giving Tech sensory overload, and there's still a mission objective to complete. WARNINGS: Graphic Depictions of Violence READ ON AO3

Tech had just climbed up the access wall to get to the main computer systems to shut down all Imperial communications when he saw a bright red flash in his vision, and searing pain burst into life in his knee.

Tech stumbled, but didn’t fall. His brain had already taken in all of his surroundings, taking note of what provided cover, and as blaster bolts followed him, he hunched to make himself a smaller target and limped towards the computer, getting behind it, and crouching down.

Well, he tried to crouch down, but that was when he fell, and his injured right leg stretched out before him. His breaths came out in huffs through the pain. He didn’t have time to worry about his injury as blaster fire filled the air.

Tech peeked to see if he could find whichever trooper was aiming at him.

Ah, no, it was an officer. A lone officer with no armor per Imperial regulations, and he was closing in on Tech from the other side of the walkway.

A shot nearly got his head, and the light seared his eyes.

He ducked back into cover, everything becoming too much. The bright sky, the sound of blaster fire, the hum of electricity, the feel of his armor on his body. It was all. Too. Much.

A small part of Tech wondered how the officer had even shot his knee.

Through squinting eyes, breathing heavy, he looked at the wound, expecting the worst, preparing for it.

But thankfully what he saw was that the shot had grazed him, just under his armor, coming in from the side, though his armor covered a great deal of it from sight. It could be worse under there than he thought.

The flaring pain was making every other sense horrendous though. Even the tang of carbon scoring was choking him.

Take out the officer. It’s your job. It’s what you have to do.

Yet Tech could barely move, anything touching his skin feeling like sandpaper, and movement would have it rubbing against him.

“Tech, why aren’t the computers down?” Hunter asked through comms.

Tech groaned, a hand hovering over his injured leg, wanting to protect it. He responded, voice tight and low with pain, “I have run into a slight problem.”

“Which is?”

“An officer has me pinned. I’m injured.”

“How bad?”

Hunter’s voice stabbed his ears.

Tech wanted to scream, he wanted to curl into a ball and say nothing ever again.

Yet he had a job to do, and he would do it like he always did.

“A bolt grazed my knee. It’s nothing.”

To Tech’s surprise a bolt took out the officer, body crumpling to the corrugated metal. Hunter’s head appeared in the same place Tech had climbed up, and then he was on the walkway with him, making the climb in record time.

“Echo, get to a tower. I need eyes in the sky. Tech’s wounded,” Hunter said as he knelt by Tech.

“On it.”

“How bad is it?” Hunter asked.

Tech tried to take deep breaths, tried to do anything to minimize the pain of being alive and sensing everything.

Tech started taking off his poleyn to get a better look at his injury, hissing as the pain worsened for a moment.

Tech drifted away from his body. That wasn’t his knee. Both his knees were fine, right?

He’d dealt with injuries before, had handled much worse than this, hadn’t even gotten sensory overload when he’d broken his leg. He supposed it was random, sometimes.

His pants were singed, exposing bright red, bubbling, waxy skin, except the angle of the bolt had hit the outer side of his knee, and that part had gone in deeper. The result was marred, burnt soft tissue, and… was that bone? It was difficult to tell, what with the organs he was looking at having sustained burn damage.

“Worse than I expected,” he admitted to Hunter.

Hunter leaned over him to get a look, wincing at what he saw.

But he jumped into action quickly, taking off his pack, and rummaging for medical supplies.

He took out a can of bacta to spray on the wound, and bandages.

“All right, this is gonna hurt,” Hunter said, holding the bacta.

Tech just nodded, trying to hold his now-shaking limb still.

Oh, he felt faint.

He was ashamed to say his reality started to dim as Hunter sprayed the bacta on his knee. He might have screamed through his teeth, but it was difficult when he could barely feel his body, yet it felt too heavy all at once, and there was just pain, burning, ruining pain.

Tech started coming back to himself at some immeasurable point, vision clearing, and filling with color. Hunter was loosely bandaging his leg now, taping the sides of the bandages to his pants so it would stay in place.

He cut more bandages with his vibroblade, adding another layer.

His knee wouldn’t stop burning.

His bone wouldn’t stop screaming.

“You hanging in there?”

“I don’t quite understand that phrase at the moment,” Tech admitted.

Oddly, the loss of his senses from almost fainting seemed to have mostly fixed his sensory overload. He was at least grateful the colors of the sky had stopped screaming at him.

Now he was recovering, and he adored language, but right now it did not seem to be his friend.

“Are you okay?” Hunter rephrased.

“I do believe my body is trying to go into shock.”

“All right, hold on.”

Hunter quickly finished with the bandages, which were almost too much to feel, like someone was trying to tickle him, tickle his wound.

For a second he wanted to rip the bandages off, but came back to himself.

At least, he thought he was in his body again. It was hard to tell as his brain zeroed in on the pain, telling him something was wrong. Yes, of course. He knew that! Why couldn’t it just stop? He was trying his best not to scream, not to tense his leg, not to knock his head back against the main computer system from the agony of it.

“More pain incoming,” Hunter said, holding his pack with one hand. “On three.”

“Not this again,” Tech complained.

“What?”

“Just shut up and do what you have to.”

Hunter grabbed Tech’s leg, which made Tech almost punch him in the face (which he barely restrained himself from), and he lifted it. Oh, now he really wanted to punch him in the face.

The burning worsened, his knee was shrieking at him, the red hot pain jabbing up in his thigh, and down to his shin. His entire leg shook from it, which only made it worse. Tears involuntarily ran from Tech’s eyes. Hunter placed his pack under his knee, and released it.

Hunter patted his shoulder as he groaned and growled through gritted teeth.

He was panting hard, nausea curling in his stomach so badly that he worried he’d throw up on Hunter.

Hunter took one look at Tech’s face and took off his helmet so he could apply a chill pac to the back of his neck. Hunter left his helmet by his side.

The cold made him shiver as it seeped in quickly, but his stomach started to feel better.

Hunter stood, and leaned against the console, hands curling into frustrated fists.

“Is there a way we can still disable the computer?”

“Stand me up.”

Hunter gave him what was probably a sidelong look through his helmet.

“No.”

“Stand me up!” Tech repeated.

“I’m your sergeant, and I said no.”

Hunter continued to eye the computer.

Tech groaned, already thinking of all the ways he could mess this up. He started climbing to his feet, twisting so he could hold onto the console to pull himself up and rest his weight against it.

Panting, he managed, even as burning seemed to stab into his very brain from his knee.

“Sit down,” Hunter said.

But Tech was already doing his job.

He hoped he was doing his job.

He knew pain could change how someone perceived reality, and right now his vision was tunneling, and he was close to throwing up, and the chill pac had fallen from his neck. He could barely see Hunter by his side.

“There,” Tech said, flipping a final switch.

He fell against the console, leaning hard, wincing as he accidentally pressed buttons, but thankfully this part of the console had already switched off. All he could hear were his heavy breaths, the blood rushing in his ears. His stomach demanded his attention, and Tech could barely handle it.

Hunter grabbed him, supporting him as he lifted him from the console. He got him to sit, holding the chill pac against his neck for him.

Tech swallowed roughly, and began taking deep breaths. But the pain was throbbing, stabbing, and his breaths were arrested by harsh cries.

Hunter squeezed his shoulder.

“Hang in there,” he said. “I’ve got you. You’re gonna be okay. But also for a guy who is supposed to always be the smartest person in the room, that was stupid.”

“Well,” Tech managed to say, “as the smartest person in the room I wasn’t going to let you touch a single button.”

Hunter gave a soft laugh. “Fine. You got me there. Rest for now. I’m gonna check in with everyone else.”

Hunter stood, looking over the compound, to where the others were doing their part for the mission. He checked in with them, and their parts of the mission seemed to be going smoothly, though Hunter had to ask Wrecker to fill in with Echo’s original job.

Tech hated seeing the board get rearranged for him.

Hunter crouched down by Tech.

“I’ve been thinking…” he began.

“I sure hope so,” Tech bit out in a moment when the pain stabbed him. “It would be worrisome if you didn’t. Gah!”

Despite his exclamation, Hunter took off his helmet so Tech could see the flat look he gave him, but he replaced it with an easy laugh. Tech supposed that was better than seeing his usual worried grimace when something was wrong. It made Tech wish he could do something to help him, but he was the source of Hunter’s pain. Tech’s pain was… well, it was his pain too, he supposed. Hunter took all of their pain.

“We have to get you out of here and back to the Marauder,” Hunter said. “If we get Wrecker—”

“Wrecker’s on the other side of the compound,” Tech pointed out. “I can walk. I just need help.”

“Fine, but you do whatever I say. Got it?”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Tech said, hoping his tone was light, but it was most likely injected with his torment.

“I’m taking Tech back to the Marauder,” Hunter informed everyone.

With shaking hands, Tech retrieved his helmet, feeling a bit better with it there to protect him.

“How’s he doing?” Wrecker asked.

“I’m fine,” Tech responded, not holding in the aggravation he felt. “You do realize I can answer these questions myself? I’m not unconscious, or unresponsive.”

“Oh. Right,” Wrecker said.

Hunter went on, “We’ll have to get Tech some serious medical attention though, but that’s a problem for later.”

And Hunter would still be thinking it over at this moment, even as he thought over everything else.

Tech was trying to do the same, but it was like a shroud had been placed over his mind, slowing his thoughts, trapping the very inner workings of his brain.

“Okay, let’s get going,” Hunter said.

He grabbed his pack, which was now under Tech’s calf, and then helped Tech to his feet.

Tech just about threw up from the movement.

Hunter wrapped an arm around his waist, and Tech wrapped his around Hunter’s shoulders. His hand gripped Hunter’s shoulder like he was about to lose him.

They got Tech down the wall, Tech snapping at Hunter that he was doing it wrong, or going too fast, or too slow, why can’t I do it? He eventually was standing, leaning back against the wall, trying to catch his breath, maybe even to snap at Hunter again. The pain gripped him hard, and he clawed at his thigh just above his injury, squeezing his eyes shut, crying out.

Hunter went through his pack again once he slid down the wall, and before Tech knew it a needle was jabbed right into his neck.

He covered the side of his neck once the needle was gone.

“Ow!” he exclaimed.

“That was for lying about how much pain you’re in.”

Tech felt the slow trickle of the medicine through his body, felt it brushing away the pain, resting atop it, and settling over his knee.

His next breath felt much better, and he opened his eyes.

He averted his gaze from Hunter, wishing he had a good reason to take out his datapad right about now.

“How’d you know?” he eventually asked.

“You get grokky when you’re injured.”

“I do not.”

“Grokky,” Hunter sang, like that would win the disagreement.

He sighed. No, that definitely won their little disagreement.

They wrapped their arms around each other again, Hunter supporting him, and they continued the slow, painful trek back to the Marauder.

Tech sighed once they had made it, sitting back in the pilot’s seat.

“Now stay here,” Hunter ordered.

“Where would I go?” Tech asked.

Echo started shouting over comms. There was a problem.

Hunter left to go deal with it, and Tech listened in.

And realized what he had to do.

He turned in his seat, forgetting about his pain and the slight high he knew he had from the medicine, and pulled in the ramp to the Marauder. He did a quick pre-flight check of the systems, taking only seconds to do so given he’d done them a thousand times.

Tech turned on the engines, told the wings of the ship to lower, and took off.

Time to pick up his brothers.

Now stay here, flashed through his mind.

Sorry, Hunter, Tech thought as he rushed to save his family. But not that sorry.

[eboyloser]

my TTS/VAT7K headcanons part I | Varian

- He/Him transmasc

- Tangled universe equivalent to Indian and German. (Ulla is German, Quirin is Indian and Italian)

- He can speak Coronan (German), The in-universe equivalent to Hindi, Saporian, Ingvarrian (Russian), and short bits of other languages like Latin. Despite his Grandma being Italian (look at my Quirin Headcanon’s) he never learned it fluently since his dad never spoke it to him but he did try and pick it up. One day when V was like 12 he just decided he wanted to learn as many languages as possible.

- Invented most modern cleaning supplies (hoover/vacuum, hand held hoover/vacuum, those special mops, etc) after the science expo to help Cass out

- Quirin taught him how to use a bow and throwing daggers, whenever Varian isn’t reading or doing experiments he is probably practicing his aim. (this is why he’s so good w throwing goo bombs and hitting on target).

- Quirin didn’t speak about the brotherhood but he did raise Varian with some of its culture, (bedtime stories, recipes, superstitions)

- Varian and Quirin speak mostly Coronan at home but will sometimes speak in Hindi (the in-universe equivalent)

- When Varian is frustrated he will sometimes exclaim in Hindi since no one else knows what he’s saying and he can curse all he wants. also he shit talks people in Hindi (he gets in trouble if Quirin hears him).

- Came out as trans at like 7 after cutting all his hair off in the bathroom sink. Quirin has better things to worry about than his kids gender so he is fine with Varian being himself

- although he hates Andrew and the Saporians, he still keeps the bandana with him. He mostly uses it to keep his hair tied back when doing experiments.

Part II

[solradguy]

Package illustration and SEGA Aime card stickers promoting Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Plus R offered at Japan Amusement Expo 2013. Art by Daisuke Ishiwatari. Original art scan credits lost. Upscaling and editing by solradguy.