#ajak eternals imagine

[romancingromanoff]

What I Feel For You

Thena xf!reader

It’s 400 AD and the height of the Gupta Empire. Over 5,000 years have passed since you first gazed upon Thena and you haven’t stopped looking at her since.

A/N: This has been on my mind since I rewatched the film November and I’ve always felt that Eternals has been one of the more underrated movies of phase 4. Angelina Jolie is also brilliant as Thena obviously and since she’s bisexual in real life then her character has to be queer too. I don’t make the rules.

Word count: 2655

You supposed that stranger pairs had existed. As you gazed upon Sersi and Ikaris while they partook in their bonding ceremony, you couldn’t help but think about how different the two of them were. While Sersi was pure warmth that seemed to extend to every single person she met, Ikaris remained tactical and slightly removed from everything else that happened with the humans around them. But then you remembered how Sersi had softened him and the days of Babylon where he seemed to grow an entirely new perspective. He began learning the humans’ languages, became more involved in their development and culture, and allowed Sersi to lead him into something he would have otherwise left unfamiliar.

The problem was that you couldn’t change for Thena even though you longed to desperately. For her you would remake yourself from the dirt and clay you stood on, mold a new person with your own tears. Back in Babylon, she said that she didn’t come to Earth to cower behind walls, but that’s exactly what you did. On that day you had watched her fight deviants with cosmic weaponry and both the grace and strength of a thousand winds. You were behind the city walls, of course, for what else would you have been able to do?

Similar to Druig, your special ability was mostly psychological and didn’t serve much purpose on the battlefield. Communicating with animals had allowed you to assist the humans in their domestication but not much else when it came to fighting the deviants. In fact, you spent most of your time in the company of four-legged, scaly, or winged creatures and admiring your Thena from afar. 

A few decades ago, the two of you had shared a dance during the humans’ celebration of solstice that Druig and Phastos sneakily planned. You remembered feeling more alive than ever with her arms around that night. A stupid joke that you told her actually made her smile the biggest you had ever seen and suddenly you were about to confess all the feelings that had been kept hidden over the course of thousands of years. But then in an instant, the entire party erupted into a swarm of chaos when a band of horns sounded out the spotting of some lurking deviants. 

“Stay here, little one,” she had quickly told you before placing a brief kiss on your forehead and running off as a sword materialized into her hands. But you were certain that she had only been concerned about you as a friend would  and quickly convinced yourself that she wasn’t interested. 

And there was also Gilgamesh. Admittedly, there was a time earlier on into your mission that you wanted to resent him completely. He was strong, a natural protector, and capable of giving Thena that life of adventure you knew she longed for. The way that the two worked in sync when they fought was almost like an intricate dance you knew only two people with a deep personal connection could choreograph. You couldn’t help but covet what he had but being the giant teddy bear that he was it eventually softened you. Now, you tried to be happy for them both from the sidelines.

After the bonding ceremony you retreated to a nearby herd of elephants that you were growing pretty close with. You were languidly brushing the oldest female and leader of the herd when Ajak stumbled upon you.

“I’m sure these majestic creatures make wonderful company but a little bird told me that you’re avoiding someone in particular,” she approached you and the herd slowly. Ajak was always careful around animals and behaved much more respectfully than others like Kingo. Near Mount Erymanthos he had once tried to ride a giant wild boar on a dare from Sprite which had ended awfully for all parties involved. “Care to talk to old me about it?”

You knew that Ajak wasn’t a threat to the elephants so you silently directed them to let her through as you replied, “Birds are terrible gossips, you can’t trust them all the time.” That one made her chuckle a bit but then she became serious once again.

“Why don’t you talk to Thena? She cares about you, you know? We all do and just want to see you happy.”

“She doesn’t care about me the way that I care about her,” you sigh right before another elephant steals the brush from your hand and holds it up out of your reach with its trunk. “Hey, what the heck?”

“See? Even they know you’re being ridiculous. Why do you assume that she feels that way when you haven’t spoken about it?”

“Ajak, look at me,” you step back so that now all of the elephants tower over you like trees. Besides Sprite, you’re the shortest of the eternals and quite insecure about it. And while you weren’t bad looking by any means, Sersi and Makkari were certainly more beautiful than you were. You had always had an easier time blending into a crowd. “What can I give her that Gilgamesh can’t? She deserves someone like him who won’t hold her back. My life isn’t exciting and full of danger like hers. I would just bore her.”

That’s when Ajak gives you a stern, foreboding look and you know that you’ve upset her. “Careful there, I don’t want to hear you say things like that about yourself. You may not be a fighter like her but neither of you are just one single thing. You bring out a different side of her that no one else can and she has feelings for you too.”

That’s what makes your head shoot up at attention. “She... she told you that?” You can hardly believe what Ajak is telling you but suddenly your heart is bursting with hope. 

“Actually, Gilgamesh and I were just discussing it.” That is... surprising. “But Thena has her own insecurities and isn’t certain how to talk to you either.”

“Why... why is that? She’s Thena! She’s the most incredible person I’ve ever known. She isn’t scared of anything.”

Ajak simply shrugs but gives you a suggestive look. “Sometime our judgment becomes clouded when we’re in love. Maybe it’s something you should think about.” With a smile, she gracefully turns on her heels and begins walking away.

The elephant hands you your brush back but by now you’re too distracted to continue brushing them. There’s an idea forming in your head and you need their opinion on something.

-~-

A few days later when everything is set up, you’re going over the plan one last time with Gilgamesh while Thena is out training. 

“Do you think she’ll like it?” You’re certain that by now he must be sick of dealing with you but he simply laughs and gives you a nod.

“Relax, she’s going to love it! Just be yourself and she won’t be able to resist you.” You curse yourself for ever holding a grudge against Gilgamesh. He’s been nothing but sweet and supportive this entire time and you hope to someday repay him back. He pulls you into a warm hug before his eyes catch something and he becomes much quieter. “She’s right over there, good luck.”

When you turn to look at Thena, it’s like emerging from freezing cold waters and feeling the warmth of the sun on your face for the first time. Everything about her is mesmerizing and bright and it makes you feel like an entirely new being just discovering the wonders of the world. She looks at you with some understandable curiosity after seeing you and Gilgamesh innocently embrace and begins to walk towards you, her eyes never leaving yours. You’re determined not to break eye contact with her but a smile uncontrollably takes over your entire face until she’s only a few feet in front of you and finally speaks.

“Did I miss something?” She asks with a hint of playfulness in her tone and you quickly shake your head.

“No, you’re actually right on time,” this causes her to raise an eyebrow at you and you plead with yourself to stay strong. “I was hoping that you would join me for a ride, if you wanted to that is.”

Her surprised smile causes tingles to spread throughout your entire body. “I would be honored, sweet one, but what would we be riding?” You’re probably grinning like a child at this point but you just continue to stand there cheekily as the answer reveals itself. Out from the jungle, an elephant slowly saunters its way over towards the two of you and Thena’s eyes light up even more than usual. “She’s ethereal,” you hear her whisper before the elephant gives a reply.

“Her name is Aaloka and she says thank you,” you translate. “She also said she agrees with me.”

“Agrees with you on what?”

Be brave. “That you are very beautiful,” your words surprise her and a blush begins to cover her cheeks. It’s all so much to take in that you start to feel your heart race. The only other times it does that is when you’re fearful, but she’s the only one that makes it beat this way. It’s like it beats for her.

Aaloka kneels and Thena assists you on top first before gracefully leaping up behind you. You start to feel a bit overwhelmed by how high up you are with nothing to hold onto until she wraps your arms around your waist and instantly freeze. No one has ever held you like this before. Eventually, you allow yourself to relax your body and sink softly back into hers. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, but a welcome one.

“Are we just going to sit here or do you plan on taking me somewhere?” She asks playfully and it shakes you from your spell. 

“Um, yes! Let’s go!”

Aaloka already knows which path to follow and it doesn’t take as long as you had expected for you to arrive at the spring. In the close distance is a waterfall that reflects the vibrant pinks, yellows, and oranges of the sky all around you. Thena lets go of you, which leaves you feeling somewhat empty, and is the first to dismount before you awkwardly try to slide your way down. At the very last second, the elephant moves one of her feet so that you trip forward and lose your balance. Thena immediately catches you in her arms with a soft laugh and brushes away some of your hair that’s been slightly tussled. 

“Hey, that wasn’t very nice!” You scold the elephant which has no sense of guilt whatsoever. “She did that in purpose you know.” Thena chuckles once again with a look of amusement in her eyes.

“I think she knows that I like keeping you in my arms, sweet one,” Thena huskily breaths into your ear and it causes a gasp to escape from your mouth. Looking up into her giant hypnotizing orbs stops time itself. How did you become so lucky to be here with her? Doubt starts to settle in and you unconsciously cling to her harder.

“I just don’t know what I’ve done to deserve your affections. I’m not strong like you or fast like Makkari. Everyone on the team has a myth or a legend named after them except for me. Thena, they named a goddess and a city after you! But me? I’m nothing extraordinary.” The confession brings a frown on her face that instantly confuses you. What did you say that upset her? 

“Do you really not see how incredible you are? You’re the most amazing person I know.” Thena looks at you with such admiration that it’s almost impossible for you not to believe her words. “If they name something else after Kingo I think his ego might cause his head to explode. But you, my darling, are too quick to discredit yourself for all the good you have helped put into this world. Things you have done from the pureness of your own heart even if you were scared, unsure of how to show the humans and animals how they must work together. Respect each other.”

“It’s my job,” you brush it off with a shrug, unsure of what she’s getting at. Nothing that you’ve done could ever compare to when she saved an entire city full of people. “You deserve someone just as strong as you are. A fighter that can protect you.”

“You think I can’t protect myself?” She raises an eyebrow at you and you realize how stupid you must have sounded.

“No, that’s not what I meant! Of course you’re… I meant to say that I wouldn’t want to… because I’m not-“

All the air dissipates from your lungs when her hand comes to rest at your cheek. Softly laughing, she drops the fake act of frustration in order to soothe you.

“Shhh, I was only joking, my dear. For the record, I’m not interested in a partner that can spar with me or deals with all their problems like Ikaris by blasting through everything. I only want you. You’ve taught me that there’s so much more to life than fighting. That there can be different ways of looking at the world.”

It’s at that same moment that the universe seems to send you a message in the form of thousands of green lights which begin to float up towards the sky. The synchronous dancing of the fireflies wasn’t something you had planned and you find it difficult to resist the smile that grows on your face. Standing together in the glowing green light, it feels nothing short of a truly magical moment.

“Y/N,” Thena softly whispers and you are brought back to the face of the most beautiful woman in the world looking at you with so much warmth. “I would never lie to you. So please believe me when I say I have never loved anyone else the way I love you.”

You’re sure your own heart is glowing within your chest brighter than all the fireflies in the world.

“You… You love me?” All of a sudden it feels as if you might float away. As long as she goes with you you’d be fine.

“Yes, darling. I love you and I’d be honored to be yours.”

“I love you too!” You throw your arms around her neck while Thena giggles, instinctively pulling your bodies closer together.

“May I kiss you, little one?” She breaths in your ear, sending shivers of anticipation across every inch of your skin.

“Please do,” you answer with a smile before your lips finally meet.

Your kiss is exactly like all the wonderful things you love about Thena. She’s gentle yet passionate, pouring all of her desire for you into the kiss while still being incredibly soft and responsive. In all your years of living you’ve never kissed anyone before. You’ve secretly observed human couples of all types share countless kisses throughout history. You feel like you’ve been forced to sit through even more between Sersi and Ikaris in the past century alone. Every time you’ve wondered what It must be like to experience something so magical. With Thena, you’re certain you finally understand what all of the fuss was about.  Nothing else has ever felt so right.

The two of you eventually separate when you’re both startled by the sound of Aaloka triumphantly cheering. Thena pulls you closer to her as you laugh, smiling directly into the crook of her neck.

“What did she say?” Thena asks.

“Something along the lines of ‘It was about time already!’”

“Well I have been waiting to kiss you for only a few thousand years!”

Feeling bold, you reach up to take Thena’s face into your hands. “Maybe we should make up for the lost time?”

“Definitely,” she agrees before swooping down to bring your lips together once again.

[cabispace]

Tasty

Ikaris : You know what would be cool ?

Makkari : More books

Gilgamesh : Food

Phastos : More time in the day

Kingo : To have a goddam network

Druig : You to shut up

Y/N *whispers* : Hooking up with your mom

'Everyone else hear it and turn to you'

Ajak : I would love to dear

'Ikaris pass out as well as you turned bright red'

Phastos : That's an interesting developement

[zafirosreverie]

The M word (Ajak x F!Reader)

This...I don’t even know what’s this. But enjoy!

(part 2)

__________________________

"She's doing it again" Gilgamesh frowned "Thena! She's doing it again!"

"Again?"

"It's the fifth time this week" Phastos said, joining them in the stands.

Usually, he'd be in his workshop, grateful that the rest of the Eternals were finally quiet, but ever since you'd come into their lives, he had to admit that he'd been taking more and more breaks. He couldn't help it, the current situation was too funny for everyone.

Ajak, the leader, the prime eternal, was in love. She was totally and completely head over heels in love with you. None of them knew the full story, because the woman had strictly forbidden you to talk about how you met, but that didn't stop them from having fun.

It was inevitable, you were the best thing that had happened to them in...a long time. You were strong enough to fight Thena and Kingo, smart enough to follow Phastos' conversations, you loved talking to Druig about human morality, you didn't mind making a fool of yourself to play with Sprite and Sersi, and you were as kind and cool as Gilgamesh and Makkari. Even Ikaris had developed a soft spot for you, treating you like a sister.

And most importantly: you were immortal, despite not exactly being an eternal. So neither of them had to worry about you getting hurt in battle (not that Ajak paid attention to that detail, she was always nervous when you went to fight), or time closing in on you and you dying while they blinked.

You were the perfect match for Ajak, and everyone could see the love the woman had for you, one that was fully reflected in your eyes as well. Sprite and Kingo had teased a bit the first time they saw you kissing, but deep down they all knew that you were a permanent part of their lives now, they just needed to make it official.

Which would be easier if Ajak would stop blushing like a schoolgirl with her first crush every time she saw you and finally ask you the all-important question. They had all given her space, not wanting to pressure her, but it had been years since you had been with them and everyone was running out of patience.

"What are we watching?" Druig asked, appearing out of nowhere.

"Ajak is watching Makkari and Y/N train" Thena explained "We are watching Ajak being a nervous wreck while she watches Makkari and Y/N train"

"My favorite show" he replied, standing next to Phastos.

Ajak kept her gaze on you, pretending not to hear her friends behind her. She wasn't stupid, she knew that sooner or later they were going to come up with the same request as always, but the answer was still no. It's not that she didn't want to take that step, she loved you, but it made her nervous to think about the M word.

"Why don't you make her a camera, Phastos? It'll last her longer" Thena smiled as Ajak flinched.

"Oh, I'm sure it's not necessary" the man answered trying to contain a laugh "she already has Y/N’s image completely burned into her mind"

"I told you to let me into Y/N's mind" Druig intervened "this would have been over years ago"

"Enough!"

The four Eternals jumped as the leader approached them with fire in her eyes and her face completely red. Maybe she was shorter than all of them, but an annoying Ajak always commanded respect, even from Thena.

"I will not tolerate this...taunting from you, is that clear?"

"We would stop doing it if you did what you have to do" Thena replied. (I said that she commanded respect, not fear)

"I don’t know what you're talking about"

"Ajak, you're daydreaming about kissing Y/N all the time" Druig said

"That's not true" the woman blushed

"She's daydreaming about fucking her all the time" the blonde smirked.

"THENA!"

“You didn’t deny it”

"m-hmm, kisses and sex, that's what marriage is all about, you're dreaming of marrying her" Phastos smiled

"Enough! Get out of here, all of you"

"Did I hear Ajak, Y/N, and marriage in the same sentence?" Kingo asked, sticking his head through the arch of the door "Ohhhh, finally?! Excellent!! I already have everything planned, wait, I'm going to get my notebook, this will be the best wedding ever!!"

"Kingo!"

Ajak let out a mortified groan as the other four Eternals laughed around her. Was it really that hard to ask for a little privacy in this family?!

"Who's getting married?" you asked, appearing suddenly behind her

The prime eternal froze in her place and glanced sideways at Thena, who was failing miserably to hide her victorious smile. She was going to kill each and every one of them in their sleep.

"You and Ajak!" Kingo replied from inside "Don't worry, I'll send you the invitation tomorrow when I have your dress!"

"Kingo!!!!"

[softquietsteadylove]

there can't be enough thenamesh reunion fics!

may i ask for more?

Gilgamesh yanked the Warrior back by the shoulder. She tried to regain her balance but he slammed his fist against her head, creating a gust strong enough to rattle the ship windows. She went down softly.

"Oi!" The Mind Reader was quick to respond to his fallen comrade. They all had a sense of togetherness that Gilgamesh admitted he found absent within his own team (himself, the Soaring Eternal and their Prime).

Ikaris took advantage of the team's sense of protectiveness. He grasped the Speedster's armour collar with his hand, using her as a shield against the puppeteer. He fired his eyes into the dark haired one's armour, sending him through the wall. Then, the Speedster was nothing but a burden.

Gilgamesh winced as she was thrown headfirst to the ground. Ikaris wasn't stronger than him - he knew that for a fact - but he certainly acted more brutally.

"Come on," he muttered in his accent, dragging the body of the Speedster behind him as he floated over to retrieve the Mind Reader as well.

Gilgamesh stared down at the Warrior Eternal. Her body was also limp, but he could feel the Cosmic Energy thrumming within her veins. He could practically feel the rhythm of her heart, if he let himself imagine it. He didn't know what made them so different, according to Arishem.

"You want a hand with 'er or what?" Ikaris snarled at him, piling both of his catches under his arms to bring back to Ajak at the helm of the ship. He was probably just going to sling her over his shoulder, or worse, drag her.

"Go ahead," Gilgamesh grumbled, kneeling down to her. She was his defeat, and his responsibility. Ikaris floated ahead, even banging the Mind Reader's head against the door frame in his lack of care.

Her face looked so peaceful.

Gilgamesh caught himself trying to move her hair away from her face before sighing. He slipped one hand under her arm and shoulders, and the other under her knees. She folded into his grasp so easily he wasn't sure if she weighed anything at all.

"Gil."

He stared down at her, ready for another fight if she was waking again. But as he drew his arms in, all she did was relax against him--him, the enemy. He couldn't imagine why.

But her head rolled to the side, and her tiara even met the cold, hard shell of his chest plate. And yet she had a little smile on her face, as if there were no place she would rather be. He adjusted her a little before making the trip to the head of the ship as well. He did have the courtesy not to smack her head against the door, at least.

She kept calling him Gil.

No one called him that. He didn't even think of himself like that. His name was Gilgamesh, and he was the Strongest Eternal, sent by Arishem to retrieve rogue Eternals who had been tainted by the Deviants of Earth. He had never met this woman before.

But his heart ached in his chest as he carried her.

He felt conflicted fighting her. He had felt awful knocking her out. And he had felt so protective at the thought of Ikaris laying a single hand on her.

"There he is."

Gilgamesh walked in with the Warrior Eternal in his arms. He held her gently, just briefly looking at the other two piled on the floor like litter.

"Well done," Ajak said, observing the difference in technique between him and Ikaris. She waved her glowing hands.

Gilgamesh stepped back slightly as the woman in his arms floated up out of his embrace and upright. The lines of her energy signature formed around her, creating a golden cage in a sense around her.

"These will hold them until we arrive at the World Forge," Ajak clarified as the three bodies floated to their places around the statue of Arishem.

Ikaris joined Ajak again at the front window, discussing their strategy. Those two seemed close but also at odds, in a weird way. Gilgamesh turned away from them, back to the blonde.

She was beautiful.

He wasn't a traitor just for thinking so. He walked closer, looking up at her floating just off the ground. The signature of her Cosmic Energy was weaker, but he could swear he still felt it calling out to him. It was like they were cut from the same cloth.

He reached up, tucking some hair behind her ear and out of his way. It felt familiar, in a terrifying way. Her eyes didn't even flutter. Not that he wanted her to wake up.

Gilgamesh looked back at his teammates, but they were whispering among themselves. They weren't any more concerned with him than he was about them. And that was just fine. They were a team, not some cobbled together family unit.

He looked up at her again. Thena. That name had been pulsing in his head since he saw her. He wasn't sure how; she was the Warrior Eternal, deadly and traitorous. That was all he knew about her. Except her name. And that she had a sweet sounding laugh. It echoed through memories he didn't have.

He hadn't even realised he was reaching up until his fingertips met her cheek. He didn't know what he was doing. He had no explanation for it to himself, much less to his team, let alone the woman herself. Her skin was soft.

It seemed impossible, but he could have sworn to all the stars in the sky that she leaned into his touch, however much she could. He didn't press his palm to her skin. That felt...wrong--like he had no right. Just looking at her felt like a betrayal of some kind. "Thena."

The Warrior's sandy coloured eyelashes fluttered. Maybe she was stronger than Ajak had assumed. She couldn't open her eyes, but he knew they were green (somehow). "Gil."

That name again. It made his whole body burn, like his chest was on fire. He stood back from the Warrior calling for him--someone. He didn't know who she was calling out to, but it wasn't really him.

"Gilgamesh."

He turned towards his Prime, and his fellow Eternal at the window. It seemed so cold over there. He nodded, walking over silently. Only when he was further away did he realise he had been holding the Warrior Eternal's hand.

"Are you prepared to hand them over?" Ajak asked.

He frowned, "why wouldn't I be?"

Ajak was silent, but Ikaris freely scoffed at him, "y'seem awfully soft on the traitor. There's no need for the gentleman routine with faulty scum."

Gilgamesh clenched his fists at his side, but he forced himself to remember his place. "I'm curious, but I'm not confused about the mission."

"Good," Ajak concluded, ending the conversation for both of them.

Ikaris let out one last laugh at him before floating off again. Did he have to fly everywhere just for the sake of it? He could walk just fine.

Gilgamesh tried not to seem like he was watching keenly as Ikaris walked by the prisoners again. Ikaris also looked up at the Warrior Eternal, and Gilgamesh tried not to yell at his teammate to keep his distance from her.

But Ikaris kept moving, and Gilgamesh wasn't eager to admit that his chest loosened. His eyes left the figure of Thena floating limply. He blinked, finding Ajak staring at him. "What?"

She looked back at the Warrior Eternal and then back to him. "You know her."

He shook his head. "We were briefed on all of them. She was a better fighter than I could have imagined. I think that deserves some respect."

Yes, he had respect for his fellow Fighter. She seemed very much his equal, all agility where he was sturdiness. He wanted her to be treated with respect and honour, just like any good warrior.

He wanted her to be handled so delicately a flower would weep with envy.

"I agree," Ajak sufficed to say. She gave him one last look before leaning closer, "keep your mission in mind, Gilgamesh. Whatever the traitors try to whisper in your ear...remember their deception."

"I will," he assured his team leader before she too departed. He stayed at the window, looking into the vast nothingness where eventually the World Forge would come into view. He looked over his shoulder.

It wouldn't be long until he could ask her why she called him Gil.

[cdragons]

Our Love is Eternal

Next Chapter

Eternals MCU AU: Ikaris x Elemental!Reader

Author's Note: Hello! I am so sorry for being so MIA in my writing lately, I would like to put out on the record that I have not abandoned any of my works, I have just been really busy with finals. I still am, but I watched Eternals and just HAD to get this idea out. My other work "Like the Wave, She Broke; But Like the Sea, She Persevered" is in progress, and hopefully it will be out by the end of this coming week. I am also aware that Ikaris is a pretty unpopular character (with good reason), but I just love Richard Madden so dang much. Keep in mind that I am a VERY casual Marvel fan, I have only seen like 3 movies in total and watched Agent Carter, but that is it. Also, this is a very AU fic, and Ikaris and Sersei have never been together in this, but they are besties bc I thought that it would be cute.

This was actually written as a birthday present for my fellow Richard Madden girlie, @valeskafics! I am so sorry that it was so late, I really wanted to make sure that it was perfect, and please don't hate me for not running this by you to beta it, I really wanted it to be a surprise. I really wanted to show my love for you by bringing to life this work, as you were the first person to really encourage me to pursue writing in the first place, and you have my eternal gratitude for that. But I promise that with the surprise finally being out, I will let you beta the next chapter for both of my works.

Which brings me to give a shoutout to the ever so lovely & legendary @its-actually-minicika for being my beta for this chapter! She is so amazing to do this with how busy she is as a writer and med student, please go check out her fics, they are amazing!

Warnings: Mature language, Ikaris is probably very OOC, mentions of sexual content but not very explicit (but it will later, along with some violence), Reader is a menace, Druig is a menace, Reader & Druig are besties and menaces together, depression, DND lore & language is Aquan (translations will be at the bottom), Takes place during the Blip, also Reader is female & has dragon mom so...make do with what you will ig

BABYLON 525 BCE – Persian Gulf Shores

Blue on blue; white tips rising, crashing, then disappearing; one massive wave breaking apart into a dozen smaller others, until it became this tremendous and monstrous inorganic entity that only seemed alive. To him and the rest of his team, it was just a large mass of water molecules, all stacked on top of one another, until it amassed into this single cohesive body. But the humans they guarded and protected, it was alive, as alive as any other organism: human, animal, deviant, Eternal, you.

“Hey dumbass,” a truly obnoxiously vibrant voice called out that broke Ikaris’ stare to the ever-constant blue horizon in front of him, as a genuine and full smile broke his usual stoic visage. He turned to the direction of your continuing teasing taunts, “you realize that just because I bite, doesn’t mean the water will do the same, right?” You wrapped your arms around his shoulders while flashing him one of your signature smirks, your eyes briefly flickering a gleam of silver in accordance to your playful mood. You decided to let your (h/c) locks loose today, and in doing so, allowing the sun to dance upon their lustrous shine while framing your wonderous and elated features.

You had even decided to forego your everyday amour: a fitted dark cobalt blue dragon scale outer tunic that reached to your knees with elbow length sleeves, enchanted by your brother to be impenetrable to both mystical and physical attacks, covered in pearly ivory twining along with silver vibranium shoulder armor; a dark violet bodysuit with the same silver vibranium covering your wrists and knees; finally, boots of the same sealskin leather enchanted by your brother to allow to walk on water no matter what storm plagues the surface waters. But what caught Ikaris’ eye and brought him the most pleasure was the gold chained lapis lazuli pendent he gifted to you in celebration of banishing your father to a distant dimension, as well as the first time you told him you loved him.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that.” Ikaris couldn’t help up but to take your bait while wrapping his muscular arms around your waist. The dark blue chiton perfectly draped your glorious figure felt heavenly under Ikaris’ calloused hands. He could have stayed in this position here until the rapture, and not regret a single moment passing. “After all, who are you but not the personification of the seas and oceans themselves? My lovely Y/N, daughter of Hydron and the Great Protector of Ta-Lo, Younger Sister of Malik the Unmoving and Mystic Arts Master Shen, Warrior Champion of the Deep, Wielder of the coveted Sea’s Fury…” Ikaris could go on and on, spouting out all the titles that you absolutely HATED whenever you heard them in passing from both surface- or ocean-dweller, but he needed to stop to snort at the pained grimace marring your beautiful face.

“Ok, ok, ok, stop, stop, STOP!” You shove your hand to his face in attempt to make him stop, but all that did was turn his snigger to laughter, making you laugh in turn. “A bagillion years will pass and we’ll grow roots and wrinkles and face the end of the WORLD before you finish saying all those damned titles!” You even make a pitiful attempt of removing yourself from his grasp, despite fully knowing he would rather be slowly quartered before letting you out of his sight. In response, Ikaris just held you tighter, letting you know that you weren’t going anywhere.

“You do know that the word ‘bagillion’ isn’t an actual number, right? Or even a real word for that matter?” Ikaris couldn’t help but point out your incorrect vocabulary, well aware of the fact that you fully intended him to point that out so that you could tease him back. You dramatically rolled your eyes at him, putting on the production of suffering from his words by letting out a long guttural groan as you fell backwards while still remaining in his arm-locked embrace.

“UGHHHHHH, do you really find it so NECESSARY to be an insufferable know-it-all?” You pulled yourself up to glare at his mirthful smirk and stormy eyes; your heart leapt in joy knowing that you were the reason for such sparse playfulness to be displayed. You continued to toy with your beloved as you pursed your lips into a pouting smirk along with furrowed eyebrows.  “It’s a wonder at all why anyone would find you attractive enough to fuck you”

“Really?” Ikaris decided to go against his better judgement and continued to humor you with your little game, “So that must mean that the woman before me is either a creature with a magnanimously generous soul, or that she’s just incredibly desperate for a cock because she annoyed off any other suitor.” He unsuccessfully bit back a snigger behind his smug smile at the sight of your eyes widening and mouth dropping in aghast, clearly very proud of himself for rendering you adorably speechless.

“You brat!” You eventually shrieked out while pushing him to the water, the splash drowning out his laughter before you pounced on him and playfully pounded your fists to his chest. The water immediately soaking your dress as you exclaimed, “You will play for your treacherous words you bastard!” You barely finished your sentence before your enduring lover flipped the two of you over, and he trapped your wrists under his hands and your hips within his knees. You couldn’t help but gasp at the sight above you, the rising sun’s rays danced on his features, and his soaked suit clung to his sublime muscular frame even more than normal. You thanked every god you learned as a child, even your Ikaris’ revered Arishem, for granting you this sight. To be allowed to witness such otherworldly beauty; to trace his frame with your hands, lips, and tongue; to be given the chance in meeting an outwardly apathetic god, only to find the endlessly loyal man whose heart and soul were entrusted to you of all people. No jewel or power was worth more than that.

“And you will pay for your vulgarity,” Ikaris bent down and whispered to your ear, taking in immense pleasure at the shiver that trickled down your spine in hearing his husky and gruff tone. He pulled away before quickly placing his lips upon yours, drinking in the sounds of every whimper and moan that escaped your throat, taking in the taste of your lips into the depths of his mind, and feeling the softness of your lips that moved against his own. He wanted to make sure that every part of you would be forever etched into his memory. Because for all of Ikaris that you praised every power in knowing, Ikaris praised Arishem for all that in just witnessing the miracle that was you. To Ikaris, you were everything. You were more than the oceans you protected and loved, more than the lands you walked across to join him in battle, more than the very skies that Ikaris considered to be his second home his first true home being you. From the moment he met you, your presence plagued him, both body and soul. You had ruined him for the rest of his immortal life, and he couldn’t be more grateful. Because now he knew why his Celestial Creator placed him on Earth, it wasn’t so that he could protect the humans and eradicate the hideous Deviants that plagued this planet. It was so that he could witness true, absolute, unconditional beauty. He was created by Arishem to meet you.

Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes soon turned to hours, and before long the sun had long set, and stars littered across the sky with the moon’s illustrious sheen silhouetted the immortal lovers’ naked forms. Both of their clothes and amor long gone, either willed away by conscious thought or torn away by impatient hands. Hours of glorious love-making, a dance so wonderful and marvelous that it could only be done between that of twin flames could not resist the ever-turbulent demand of their bodies becoming one. An act so intimate, that it could only be done by that of a love that only the stars and planets within the heavens could bear to witness such ardent and true love, for such intense beauty in its rarity was not meant to be seen by mortal eyes. Even when night claimed the dessert, the blistering heat turned into a numbing chill, and human families retreated to their homes while animals began to prowl, the immortal couple remained in their hidden lagoon. You didn’t bother to change the temperature as your lover’s warm embrace deterred any cold attempting to reach you and him.

“Ikaris, can you promise me something?” Your voice soft and timid, completely opposite from your usual teasing and mirthful tone. Ikaris immediately looked at you in concern, worried that he had been too rough on you in his ardor. Relieved that you bore no marks indicating harm (besides the ones from his teeth), he gazed into your eyes, your dazzling (e/c) eyes, and replied.

“Anything my love,” he answered sincerely, “ask for anything and I will do anything in my power to grant it to you.”

“Promise me that this is forever,” you told him, “Promise me that whatever happens, our love will remain and that you will remember it.” You stared at him with a gaze so full of love and desperation that it both filled Ikaris with so much love and shocked him to his core. “Even if we are apart, and if you find someone else, you remember our love so that it would remain true. Promise me this, and I swear that I will promise the same” With you still in his arms, he sat up and positioned you so that you would sit on his lap while cradling your face in his hands.

“My darling, what brought this on?” He asked, “Why of all things, do you fear that our love would not remain true?” He looked at you as if you had gone mad, for what other reason could it possibly be? A love like the one he shared with you was that of no other. For him, it was you, it could only be you. After all, it was you who mercilessly tore open his walls, who brought him to a world of constant joy and laughter, who showed him that there was more to life than strength and duty. That he was a being that could allow love in his heart and life, and in doing so, allowed him to see the beauty in this perfectly imperfect world.

“This world is changing so fast,” your voice sounding like it was thousands of miles away from him, “and with it, so will my family, including me. I still have a duty, an obligation to protect my brother’s empire and its inhabitants.” Your eyes fill with tears and you turn away before revealing your true fear, “I’m afraid that my duty will take me away from you, that you and I will be apart, and if I do come back, time will change you and I so much that the love between us will mean nothing but past memories of a lifetime that no longer exists.” Tears run down your cheeks as your voice chokes out your final word before you turned away from your lover and hugged your knees to appear as small and invisible as possible. You hated crying, to be vulnerable, even more than your paramour. You never cried in front of others, not even when you were bitten by a poisonous basilisk in your left calf and you had to be held down by ten men for the healer to remove the massive portion of corroded tissue unanesthetized. A little side effect from your father’s teachings.

Your father always took it upon himself to teach you and your brothers the importance of power, reveling in knowing that he held your life in the palm of his hand. And as much as you hated him, despised him, wanted to watch the life drain from his eyes from your hand; every strike, every tear, every bruise, every single cruel act by his hand made you who you are. You were argumentative, a bit chaotic, sometimes even downright cruel with your sarcasm; but you were also fiercely protective and loyal to those you loved, remarkably astute, and had an indomitable will that could never break. You took the tears and pain of a child that sought refuge in the sea caves from Hydron’s temper, and used them to fuel a survivor who excelled in both combat and the water arts. Under your father, you were a puppet; by your brother, you were an equal. But to cry in front of your lover, who you had exposed your deepest insecurities and fears as he had done for you, still proved to be one of the greatest challenges you faced. You could not bear it if the man you loved saw you as weak, for he was someone who coveted strength and loyalty just as much as you, it was what drew you two together after years of constant bickering and almost childish rivalry.

“Y/N look at me,” Ikaris’ voice was hard and firm, once again taking on his self-assigned role of leadership. His posture was straight and mouthline became uncompromising. But his eyes, despite seeming so impassive and vacant, spoke of a thousand truths too important for any spoken language, human or aquatic. You took in a deep breath, in attempt to remain the pillar of strength you had been raised to be, trained to be, broken and molded a thousand times over to the warrior you were today. Only for it to be completely shattered by the one person you had thought to be completely incapable of stating the words he spoke next, “My love for you was not instantaneous, but built over time. And it was not built over me loving everything about you, a love like that is insignificant, infantile compared to the love I have for you. No, our love is unconditional because it is one of acceptance, between that of flaws and strengths. It isn’t to say I will unconditionally accept all of your bad behavior, nor would you of me; but what makes our love so strong, so everlasting is because of the fact we have seen the very worst of each other. Our love, actual love, unconditional and true love, does not require one of us to remain as we are for the other to be happy.”

The sobs that shook your body were not ones of sadness, but that of joy. Pure, unadulterated joy and complete relief filled our body as Ikaris once again wrapped his arms around your frame, kissing the top of your hair, and continued to whisper words of reassurance.

“After all my love, if it is evidence you need to prove such a truth, look no further but me. You changed me Y/N, into a completely different man. I never knew how freeing it would be to love someone, and be loved in return. I am hopelessly, irretrievably in love with you Y/N. I’m grateful for the life I have with you, and whatever may come, we will get through it. I know we will. I promise. If nothing else, I promise you this my love.” With that being his final word, Ikaris tangled his love’s luscious (h/c) locks with one of his hands, the other grasping her perfect ass. You wrapped your arms around his broad shoulders, dragging your nails across his back like you done dozens of times before, and encased his hips with your soft, silky thighs.

“Ikaris,” you gasped as you tilted your head back as he trailed his lips across your jaw, and continued down your neck, until he decided pay his amorous ministrations to your perfect cleavage and lovely breasts. He drank in every one of your whispers, “Ikaris, Ikaris, Ikaris…”

LONDON 2020 – THE BRITISH MUSEUM

“-ris…Ikaris…IKARIS!” And just like that, Ikaris was taken out of his trance, and was cruelly brought back onto his life. Or at least his current one, the one where he was named Dr. Isaac Harris, historian of the National Museum of Scotland, and guest lecturer at the Natural Museum of History in London. The same one his fellow Eternal and one of his best friends, Sersei, worked at as a history professor. The same reality where you had disappeared for the past 600 years, Arishem knows where in this realm or the next. A reality of 600 years of emptiness and droll living without you by his side. He turned his head and realized he had unintentionally been ignoring his long-term friend and fellow Eternal, Sprite. And judging by her irked expression, he had been unintentionally ignoring her for a while. “Oh wow, it only took you like ten minutes to snap you out this time. At least your mouth isn’t open with drool dripping out this time.” And with that, she was back to typical Sprite self, teasing and taunting and good-natured ribbing being in her blood. It wasn’t really like her to hold on to grudges…well, at least not for too long.

“Sorry,” Ikaris quickly apologized to make sure that he wouldn’t forget to do so later, “I was just thinking about something.” He returned to staring at the portrait in front of him, one of Olivier de Clisson. He decided to come to London a week earlier than scheduled, and Sprite took it upon herself to demand they both go exploring the city.

“Really,” Sprite inched closer to him as she looked at the portrait, “I don’t get it, what’s so special about this one?” She was annoyed that Ikaris decided to spend their time together at another museum, because somehow this one was so different from the one, Sersei worked at already, the one he would work at next week. “Anything important about the print besides how ‘ancient’ it is?” She used quotation marks when saying the word “ancient” mockingly, as nothing in this entire building as truly ancient as them.

“No, not really,” replied Ikaris with a small half-smile and light chuckle, “Just going down memory lane is all.” This caught on Sprite’s attention very quickly.

“We didn’t stay in France in the 1400s,” she stated as she looked at Ikaris with narrowed eyes and a suspicious glare, “or anywhere near Europe for that matter.”

“No, but you did,” thought Ikaris, as he fondly remembered the time you spoke about Jeanne de Clisson, a French former Noblewoman you befriended as you travelled along the English Channel. You two bonded over the European patriarchal lunacy while also trading tales of adventures and secret facts of your personal lives. You especially loved her recounting the love story between that of her and the love of her life. The very man who’s printed visage Ikaris stood before, as if trying to transport himself to that very moment Lady Clisson’s husband sat for his portrait. What was the weather like at the time? Was he sitting or standing? Based on the posture, most likely sitting. Was Lady Jeanne de Clisson in the same room with him, or did she wait outside the room? Were you with her during the time the portrait was made?

“Where the hell is Sersei?” Ikaris looked at his watch to quickly change the subject before Sprite could catch on, she was never really a fan of the relationship you and him shared. “I’m starving, and she said that this place needed reservations to get a table.”

“Sersei’s always late,” Sprite matter-of-factly stated, “meeting, late; presentation, late; date, late. Are you seriously surprised after 7000 years of knowing her?” And just like magic, in came the very Eternal they had been talking about, power-walking through the gallery as to not break the golden museum rule of ‘No Running in the Hallways.’

“I know, I know, I’m late, I’m sorry,” were the first words that came out of their green coated Eternal, “I was just talking about an important discussion with one of the fellow historians, and we were talking about how tomorrow-”.

“Just say you were making out with Dane so we can leave and go eat already.” Sprite interrupted her exasperated before taking both Ikaris’ and Sersei’s hands and marching out of the museum and hailing a cab. “If I had to spend one more minute staring at Olivier de Clisson, I might go crazy.” This caught Sersei’s attention as she remembered that none of the Eternals stayed in Europe during the 14th century.

“Since when have you been interested in 14th century France?” She curiously asked her good friend and former second-in-command of the disbanded Eternals. After all, if she recalled correctly, they were in South America at the time.

“What’s this about tomorrow that made you so late when you were supposed to meet with us over half an hour ago?” Ikaris briskly quipped while staring out the cab’s window, not wanting to revisit the subject. “Because I’m pretty sure professors are supposed to be known for their punctuality, even if their lectures can bore their students to sleep.”

“Hey! I will have you know that my students LOVE my presentations!” Sersei rebutted very quickly, as she was used to be ribbed on for her inability to ever show up on time, but she would never allow any comment about her class being BORING to pass. “And I already apologized for being late! Right, Sprite?”

“Honestly, I’m too used to it to listen to them at this point.” Sprite bantered back, “I still think it would you should find better excuses considering the hickey on your neck.”

“WHAT?” Sersei immediately took out her phone to open up the camera app to see if said “hickey” was really that visible, “ugh, I told Dane to be careful and not to…I don’t have a hickey.”

“No, but you did just admit that you were late because you were making out with Whitman.” Ikaris couldn’t help but join in as he could see how flustered his usually calm and collected friend was getting, when in the dark cab. “Honestly, you make it too easy.” It was unusual for him to be playful, as it often clashed with the image that he set for himself since they first woke on the Domo, but he found it fairly easy to do so with his girls especially you.

“I hate both of you,” Sersei grounded out as she pouted her lips while sinking into her seat, “do you both realize that?”

“Yeah, yeah, we love you too. Hey, I think we’re here!” Sprite exclaimed as she saw the bright yellow door that was underneath a blue tarp with the words ‘Share the Flavors of the Levant’ printed on it. They quickly paid the cab fare before entering the restaurant. Luckily, there wasn’t that many people as it was still pretty early, so there wasn’t an ungodly wait time for a table for three. As they sat down and ordered a variety of plates to share around, Sersei decided to continue her news about the ‘special guest’ coming in tomorrow.

“I swear, it’s incredible, I think the writing on it might be an earlier form on cuneiform, but I just can’t get it right! And the family interested claims that it might be relic from one of their ancestors. Normally the museum wouldn’t even think about letting them near it, but this family funded so many institutions around the world, so the board is hoping for a future donation! They’re even sending one of their own private historians! Also, they personally requested that I be the one to show them it!” Ikaris had never seen Sersei this excited over a guest historian, besides him, but that’s more because she had grown worried that he was too busy moping in his flat back in Edinburgh for a social life.

“What exactly is so special about the artifact they’re interested in? If it’s an earlier form of cuneiform, there’s no way they can actually claim it to be a family relic. And how much do you know about this historian bloke?” Ikaris was getting more suspicious of this character the more he heard Sersei speak about them, for them to personally request her seemed excessive. If anything, it sounded like they just wanted to flirt with a pretty girl who happened to work at a museum, and likely thought they knew more than her.

“Not much, only that this ‘guy’ is actually a woman, and young, really young. Dane hasn’t even seen her, only talked with her over the phone a couple of times. But he said that she sounded to be around her mid to late 20s.”

“Okay…but that doesn’t really explain why they wanted her to study this particular artifact in person. But the sound of it, the family could have just sent someone to deliver it to them so she could study it.” Even Sprite was growing more skeptical of this ‘mysterious guest historian.’ “Maybe Ikaris should be there with you for this.”

“I promise you that it’ll be fine.” Sersei quickly reassured her friends, more than familiar with their overprotective tendencies. “But the sound it, she shows huge promise as an historian, especially one that specializes in oceanography and nautical folklore. They’re hoping in that by sending her here, she gains some personal and professional experience if she chooses to work in a museum later on. Also, the writing on the tablet is unusual, I’ve never seen anything like it. But by the looks it, it carries markings and designs that indicated being related to sea mythology. And although it looks primitive, the organization and penmanship show an immensely superior and advanced intelligence for that time period. And since the site is still being excavated, the family wants someone to personally study over it.”

“Oceanography…nautical folklore,” these two subjects caught Ikaris’ attention and interest immediately as he repeated them in his mind for a little bit. He went silent for a little bit, but certainly long enough to catch Sprite’s attention, and her ire.

“You know she’s gone right?” The forever youthful Eternal spit out in a poor attempt to mask her envy, “It’s been 600 years Ikaris. When are finally going to move one already?” It killed Sprite to see her longtime friend and unrequited love remain so heartbroken after all this time, but not more than it irritated her that he never even so much as looked at another woman since that sea bitch left. “She wasn’t worth it then, and she isn’t worth it now. Just forget about her!”

“Sprite!” Sersei whisper-shouted at her friend while quickly glancing behind her to make sure that no one was eavesdropping, “Sprite, you know that isn’t fair.” She turned to the man being questioned interrogated and almost sank into her seat seeing the fury and wrath in his stormy blue eyes. She understood where Sprite was coming from, but unlike her, Sersei understood that Ikaris was someone who needed time. It was hard to move on from love, especially a love as powerful as the one he and you shared all those years ago.

“Oh, spare me Sersei,” the fiery-haired illusionist uttered in contempt, “you know just as well as I do that this isn’t healthy. He’s just holding on to a person that doesn’t exist anymore!” If Sprite saw Ikaris’ angular jaw tightening in anger and noticed that his clenched knuckles were growing paler, she made no indication of it. “He’s still here, we’re still here! Seriously Ikaris, how long are you going to pretend that she didn’t just abandon you-”. She couldn’t finish her sentence as Ikaris stood up from his seat, and stared down at his teammate with so much fury she almost regretted her words, ‘almost’ being the key word.

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” his voice tight and gruff as he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. “What the hell do you think you have any right to speak of her?” Ikaris’ entire frame was trembling in anger, his fists clenched at his sides as if he could barely contain himself from bringing this entire block to the ground. “What do you know about her? You always hated her; you couldn’t see past your own inadequacies to see what a truly incredible woman she is. She brought the best in me, she made me a better man because she searched for one, because she demanded one, because she deserved one.” He turned to Sersei to give a quick nod for goodbye before staring back at Sprite to lay down his final strike, “You’re a child, always have been, and always will be. I could never envy you Sprite. Because for all of your impressive creations, a life without love isn’t a life lived at all.” And with that being his final word, he immediately left the establishment and walked to a secluded alley before taking off in the sky. His apartment was only a couple of stops in the metro, but being underground made his skin crawl, especially after a row like that.

He flew across the London sky for about an hour before he landed on his balcony. Most would criticize Ikaris for keeping his balcony door unlocked, but considering that he lived in one of the top floor penthouses that had a perfect view of the Thames River, it was safe to say that the area was more than safe. It technically wasn’t even his apartment, as the lease was signed under Kingo’s name as a favor. It was the same for his flat in Edinburgh, the townhouse in San Francisco in 1965, even the land property for the estate in Cape Town in 1858. Kingo was more than happy to do so, he found the search for the “perfect property” to be payment enough, provided that Ikaris faithfully watch all of his filmography. Ikaris would rather get his mind read by Druig than to admit how he sometimes envied how easily humanity came to his former teammates, especially Kingo and Sersei, to anyone other than Ajak or you.

No matter the time or place, these two had always flourished with humans, especially since humans adored them. They were always flocked by mortals; Kingo with his larger-than-life personality and flair for grandeur, and Sersei with her golden heart and constant kindness. It was exactly the opposite for Ikaris, who preferred to keep to himself and only cared for humanity enough to complete his mission in the destruction of Deviants. He never felt the need to connect with them, seeing them as a weaker species with a finite time of living. So why bother with the effort and heartache? Who would he connect with more than his team? Who would understand him better than the people he fought beside in battle? To which, Arishem had answered his unknown prayers by sending him the horrific menace disguised in the form of an ethereal water goddess that was you. Y/N, his equal in battle and wit, the love of his immortal life, his twin flame. You were the source of his constant torment and anguish, and yet remained to be his only form of relief and clarity.

“Y/N,” thought Ikaris, as he closed his eyes while lying on his bed, “when will you return to me?” He remembered everything of you. From the first time you torpedoed him with the ocean in anger, to first time you and Druig bonded over his insufferable stoicism and humorless personality, to the first time you held his hand in silence comfort when he silently blamed himself for every life lost, to every single moment you gazed into his eyes with yours in open defiance, to every hidden kiss and touch shared between the two of you. Feeling his cock harden at your smile, he groaned before quickly standing to remove his current attire and hop into the shower. He mentally recalled his spending this month as he would likely run the water bill up the wall, considering how he would need a long, cold shower tonight.

Maybe going with Sersei tomorrow wasn’t a bad idea, at the very least it might take his mind off you. Except that it won’t, nothing ever does.

ENGLAND 2020 – BOARDWALK PLACE

A figure stood alone in her apartment, clad only in a loose white Henley and blue checkered cotton shorts. Her damp hair styled in a messy bun to avoid sleeping in a wet shirt, and the heat that surrounded her was quickly snuffed out as she stepped out onto her balcony. Her skin bristled at the breeze, but the “young” woman welcomed the chill that came as the night crept in from day. The ceramic tea bowl she picked up from her travels in late Meiji Era Japan was her favorite. Its careful craftsmanship could not differ more from the era’s rise of trademark Western influence by remaining faithful to the Edo Period artistry. This particular tea bowl had small cracks as a result of the firing, only adding to its charm, along with delicate brushstrokes of a heron standing among the reeds. While she was grateful to witness the rapid modernization of Japan under the Meiji Emperor, the gauche colors and opulence made her eyes hurt. She wished to come up to the surface earlier to take in the artistry of the Edo Period that was lost forever. The stark differences in the use of techniques and colorings from either time periods were mind-boggling. Looking at the bowl’s painted delicacy made the tea inside it almost bearable, but at least holding it with both hands chased away any chills.

Taking a deep breath of the city air before grimacing and coughing. No matter how much fondness or even admiration she grew for humans and their progress in art, literature, science, and almost anything mostly food, she couldn’t NOT just SEETHE in outrage by how they managed to contaminate her home to such an ungodly extent. Lady Zephyr would weep if she could witness how her precious breezes became sour since the famous smog that came and stayed from the factories in the Industrial Revolution. Lord Magnum would have riddled every metropolitan area with sink holes if he knew how his precious terrain became so sickly from poisoning in increasing use of chemical warfare. Hydron and Hellfire…fuck those egomaniacal cunts, she’d dance on their outer-dimensional graves if she knew how. A soft buzzing broke her out of her silent ramblings as she set her mug on the little sun table to see who would be calling her so late. She smiled in reading the contact’s name on her phone, ‘Bitch <3.’

“Hello?” She answered in a comic tone, “I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid I must have given out the wrong number to someone else.” She didn’t bother to hold back the chuckle that escaped her throat as she continued on coyly, “After all, I know better than expect a certain someone to know how to send a text, let alone call. He’s awfully old, practically senile in fact.” Her mood brightened in hearing the mechanical laugh that travelled all the way from the Amazonian Rainforest.

“Well, shit,” drawled a masculine voice with his trademark Irish lilt, “you miss a couple of texts while selflessly protecting a group of humans from the world and themselves, and then you just get marked ‘senile.’ That hardly seems fair, my beautiful, beautiful Y/N.”

Your mirthful (e/c) eyes flashed an array of blues and purples in delight, a rare emotion to feel since you came to the surface dimension almost two hundred years ago. You would have lost any semblance of sanity if it were for your “eternal” companion, Druig. You had yet to meet a more loyal and truer friend than the man who was an entire ocean apart from you. If Ikaris was the love of your life, then Druig was your soulmate. The two men could not be more different, whether it be about their philosophies regarding humanity, their battle strategies, or even just their general personalities. However, if it was one thing they could agree on, it was that you were someone too precious in their lives to lose, so they tried their best to cease fire in your presence.

“Oh, my darling Druig,” you playfully groaned out, “is anything in this world we live in truly fair?”

“Of course not my dear,” he needled back, “if life were fair, a certain fair water nymph would have called me back the moment her flight landed. But alas, she left me high and dry, and I was forced to be the first to contact despite her being the one to force this cellular device on me in the first place. And in doing so, breaking the no technology rule in my secluded paradise. Oh, woe is a man to which no woman loved him.” You rolled your eyes at his dramatics, shaking your head in exasperation.

“Well, you should be pleased to know that I have arrived safely, and while I would hate to cut this call short, I should get ready for bed.” All humor left your eyes, and your voice became flat and tight in stating your next words, “After all, tomorrow’s a big day for me.”

“You sure you can do this?” Druig whispered out, his tone switched from teasing to comforting. He knew how important tomorrow was for you, how long you had been waiting for this moment, how you sacrificed so much for this single piece of history that may not even be real. “You could always send someone else, and no one would know the difference.”

“No,” you shook your head as you paced across your balcony, taking in the mundanity of walking civilians rushing home to their homes, families, and friends’ spouses. “I need to see it myself, if someone else does it, they won’t know where to begin in deciphering it.” You wish you could stop your free hand from shaking, but your nerves were getting to you. “I’m the only one who can at this point, everyone is missing or blipped or…”. You closed your eyes and took in a deep breath to calm the tremors in your voice, “Druig, I need to do this. If for no one else, I owe it to myself to confirm its authenticity.”

“…Aren’t you scared?”

“I’ve had more than my fair share of wild goose chases before love, you don’t need to worry about me.” The streetlamp around the corner suddenly became very interesting, if you squint your eyes enough, you could see how the water from the dock reflected its rays.

“No about the tablet,” he paused to carefully think of his next words, “about seeing him.”

You felt your heart stop for a moment, and you release a breath that you hadn’t realized you’d been holding in.

“Ikaris,” you whispered as tears were starting to cloud your vision. His name haunted you for centuries, the very memory of his voice caused your heart to ache. You wanted to scorn Malik for dragging you with him all those years ago, but you couldn’t even bear to remember your sweet brother without breaking down in agonizing grief. But no matter how much you wanted to see your lover, even for just a second, you couldn’t. You weren’t ready yet. “He doesn’t start until next week, that’s more than enough time for me to confirm if the tablet is real or fake. I’ll be fine.”

“You’ll still see Sersei,” Druig pointed out, “and you know she’ll tell him the minute she sees you.”

“I’ll just have to tell the truth then. A very, very, very vague truth.” You paused in remembering Sersei in fondness, she was like the older sister to you. She was always kind and warm and so understanding, a true godsend for a girl who lived with two obnoxiously overpowered and overprotective brothers. You always knew that she was far out of Shen’s league. “She’ll understand, I know it. I’ll send her your love.”

“Ugh, don’t bother. She’ll know it’s fake.” That brought a rather unattractive snort from you. Leave it to Druig to make you laugh in your most sobering conversations. “Just promise me that you’ll be careful, I love you.”

“I will, I promise. I love you too, sleep well.” You quickly ended the call as you looked at the dock near your flat. The London nightline perfectly reflected on top, presenting a truly enchanting façade to cover the horrific damage done to the Thames. You shuddered in thinking about what monstrosities were thrown in and sank to the bottom. You reached your neckline to grasp the only physical memory of your lover, a lapis lazuli pendent hung from a delicate gold chain, before reaching down your wrist to trace a bracelet with an aquamarine charm that was surrounded by small beads of red jasper with white streaks.

Realizing you had yet to drink your tea, you were relieved in feeling that it was still warm. You took a deep breath before chugging the entire mug in one go. You learned the hard way that taking individual sips only made the experience far more unpleasant. You gagged in disgust as you whispered out the words you had spoken every night since you returned to this dimension, “Liv vji nuup jiem zuas tuam, miv vji tie cepotj zuas xuit… Liv vji nuup jiem zuas tuam, miv vji tie cepotj zuas xuit… Liv vji nuup jiem zuas tuam, miv vji tie cepotj zuas xuit.” Using the breathing exercises Shen taught you as a child, all the primordial energy lost from today reentered your body. Taking one last look at the moon before you slept for the energy to continue building up, you stated the same words every night for 600 years.

“Good night my love,” you whispered softly “I hope to see you soon.” The mocking moon and gentle breeze being the sole witnesses. You stepped out of your balcony and quickly rinsed your mug before entering your bedroom. Taking out your hairclip and releasing all the tension in your scalp as you evaporated any remaining water in your hair before switching off the lights and headed to your bed, and sank under the covers. As your head hit your pillow, fatigue from your travels slammed into you like an iron war hammer. When you closed your eyes, you began to drift away to welcome any dreams that brought you to him.

Translations:

“Liv vji nuup jiem zuas tuam, miv vji tie cepotj zuas xuit" (x3) - Let the moon heal your soul, let the sea banish your woes (x3)

Notes: Please let me know what you think in the comments, or just like or reblog! Please be kind, let's all remember that Tumblr should be a safe space for all content creators, and that we should all be respectful of people's likes and dislikes (so long it isn't bigoted). Have a great day!

[playbucky]

First Love.

Requested by Anon – Can I ask for a with Druig x Eternal reader where he always been in love with her but never say or do anything and everyone take separate ways and when is time to find her all the Eternals go to her home and find that she's had a life with someone, and that he knows what she is and know about them. Characters – Druig x Reader. Word Count – 2k.

‘Baby, you have some visitors.’ Nikolai called, you lifted your head from the large pot. Moving away from the cooker, you made your way through your house, rearranging the flowers on the way past. Looking at the bright yellow tulips, a smile made its way onto your face. Arriving at the front door, Nikolai moved out the way and the smile quickly dropped. ‘Could you go and look over dinner?’ You asked Nikolai, he nodded. Placing a kiss to the side of your head before he disappeared into the house. ‘What are you guys doing here?’ You asked the group of eight, who were looking at your hardly changed appearance. ‘Ajak was killed.’ Ikaris said, your brows furrowed together. ‘What?’ You questioned. ‘We found her in her garden.’ Sersi said, you lowered your head. ‘Why are you here?’ You asked them. ‘We need your help Y/N.’ Druig said, your eyes snapped to him as he lifted the sunglasses up onto his forehead. ‘You don’t need my help.’ You told them. ‘We do.’ Sersi said, you shook your head as you lifted a hand and rested it on the doorframe, forming a barrier between them and your life. ‘No.’ You said. ‘The creatures are coming back, one of them attacked Sprite and I in London.’ Sersi told you, you looked over your shoulder. ‘You are more than welcome to stay for dinner, but I can’t ruin this life.’ You told them, Sprite smiled at you. ‘I’ll gladly stay for your food; all we’ve been eating is crisps and sandwiches.’ She said, you gave her a smile as you moved to the side allowing her to walk past you. ‘Oh wait, does he know?’ She asked, you looked over your shoulder and nodded. ‘Yeah.’ You replied, she nodded before heading in as you turned to the group. ‘He knows?’ Sprite asked, making sure she heard you correctly. ‘We’ve been together five years, can’t keep that from him.’ You said, Thena looked at you and smiled.

‘Where’s Gilgamesh?’ You asked, looking around the table. You noticed Thena freeze and look blankly at the plate in front of her and your stomach dropped. ‘When?’ You asked, Nikolai looked at you. ‘Two days ago, we were attacked by three creatures when we were getting Druig.’ Phastos said, you clenched your jaw and nodded. Nikolai’s hand landed on your thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. You looked up at him, you had silent conversation and he sighed before nodding. He cleared his throat and stood up, the group watched him. ‘It was lovely meeting you guys but I need to go pack.’ He said, he lifted his plate up before taking it to the kitchen and cleaned up quickly. ‘Why is he packing?’ Sprite quizzed, you clenched your jaw. ‘He’s going to stay with his family.’ You told them, pushing the food around on your plate. ‘Why?’ Ikaris questioned. ‘Because he loves her and knows that when he’s safe she can focus.’ Thena stated, you looked at her through your eyelashes. ‘So, you’re going to help us?’ Sprite asked, you nodded and lifted your head to look at her. ‘I can’t let them destroy the world that we built, that we created and that I have fallen in love over and over with.’ You explained, your gaze slipping to Druig at the end of the table.

‘Is he willing to stay with you when he’s old, wrinkly and cannot move but you’re still the gorgeous woman that never ages?’ Druig asked, you knew he was giving you a compliment, all be it back handed whilst berating your lover. ‘No.’ You told him, your voice void of emotion as you looked at your old friend before you looked away. ‘I’ve told him I won’t be around then because I can’t bear the thought of seeing him die.’ You informed him, he watched as you avoided eye contact with him. ‘So why did you fall for him?’ Druig asked you, you shrugged your shoulders looking at the man you were in love with then to the man who had been your first love. ‘I don’t know Druig, why did I fall for him? Why did I fall for you?’ You asked him, lifting your gaze and finally made eye contact with him. ‘But what should it matter, I haven’t talked to you in thousands of years.’ You told him, his gaze dropped, ‘yet then again you did believe that you always knew better, didn’t you?’ You asked him, his bright gaze snapped up to you as you watched it darken. ‘I never tried to control you.’ He hissed, you arched an eyebrow. ‘No, I’ll give you that but I would bet my life that you would’ve tried to keep me stuck in your village?’ You said, he shook his head quickly. ‘No.’ Druig snapped, he pointed a finger at you before he took a breath and dropped his arm. ‘I would have never harmed you, not when I loved you so much.’ He said, you took a small step back. ‘Druig, we never loved each other.’ You told him. ‘We believed that we had to be together, right, no one else understand us since we were created together?’ You quizzed, his eyebrows flickered. ‘So you don’t believe that Icarus and Sersi don’t love each other?’ Druig questioned, you opened your mouth before a knock at the door stopped you. ‘Come in.’ You said, you turned to the door to reveal Sprite, she looked concerned. ‘Everything okay?‘ She asked, you gave her a tight smile. ‘Oh yeah, just having a well overdue conversation.’ Druig commented, Sprite looked at him then to you. ‘We think we’ve found something.’ She stated, you nodded and Druig pushed past you, Sprite stepped to the side before he bashed his shoulder against hers. ‘Are you sure your okay?’ ‘Yeah, hard truths always come out and well I realised them before he did.’ You told her, you turned and offered your arm which she took, both of your made your way to the large room where everyone had gathered. ‘I hope you can sort it out, we’ve all been routing for you.’ Sprite told you, you tried to smile but it came out more of a grimace than anything. ‘I don’t think so Sprite, he’s had years to apologise or to even reach out but now, with this fight where we don’t know what we going against-,’ you told her. ‘But you were each other’s first love.’ She commented and still looked hopeful. ‘Exactly,’ you sighed, ‘when Ajak found out that we were puppets having our minds wiped it was in our design to fall in love with each other.’ You finished. ‘Or fate.’ She added. ‘Fate doesn’t exist.’ You replied as you shook you head. ‘Come on Y/N, every restart, life and planet we’ve been in, you would think that they would programme that out, stopping any emotions.’ Sprite said, your brows furrowed as you sighed. ‘I wish it was that simple, I really do but I’ve gave up Sprite, I’ve spent too much time hoping.’ You said. ‘And with Nikolai?’ Sprite quizzed, ‘With him I don’t have to hope, we support each other and love each other.’ You explained, she looked down at her feet. ‘But he’ll die.’ She whispered, almost afraid to say it. ‘Yes he will.’ You agreed with her, ‘but until then I want to be loved by him, I want to settle down and maybe even get a dog or two.’ ‘What about a kid?’ She quizzed, you shook your head. ‘It’s impossible, we aren’t designed to reproduce but that isn’t a bad thing.’ ‘We should join the others before the send a search party out.’ You joked, Sprite smiled and you both continued on the short walk.

You and Makkari watched as Ikaris pushed Druig into the mountain, the rock crumbled with the force and Makkari screamed as she dropped to her knees. Everyone froze and watched as Ikaris floated down, his lips pulled into a smirk. ‘Oh don’t too upset Y/N, you don’t love him.’ He taunted, you stood taller and squared your shoulders as you slowly blinked. ‘Y/N.’ Ringo called out, Phastos started to make his way over as well. You looked back to the mountain that now had lava spurting from the top, you then looked around for Thena but you couldn’t see her anywhere. Everyone was dishevelled and tired, their clothes burnt and tattered. ‘Sersi?’ You called out, Ikaris raised an eyebrow. ‘Yeah?’ You heard her reply, you faced Ikaris again. ‘Stop it.’ You replied, Ikaris looked amused. ‘She won’t be able to stop it, not when I’m here.’ Ikaris stated, the corner of your lips curled up as you turned back to him. ‘Good thing you wont be here for long then.’ You told him before he could react you surged forward, you shoulder collided with his chest, as you wrapped your arms around him and lifted off. ‘What are you doing?’ He grunted out, you tight grip around him was pushed off, both of you floated in the air, the clouds floated around your feet. ‘Stopping your mistake.’ You snarled, he tilted his head to the side. ‘Mistake?’ He questioned.

‘We were to let this happen.’ He pointed down below him, a low groan could be heard of the ground breaking apart. ‘I’m not letting you kill the world that I’ve came to grew and love, not when I’m still breathing.’ You replied, he shot lasers at you which you quickly dodged, you swept his feet, the force caused him to twirl around. ‘You awfully angry Y/N.’ Ikaris stated, you pursed your lips. ‘Of course I am, you killed Ajak and Gilgamesh, even twisted Sprite’s mind.’ You reminded him, he smiled. ‘Sprite willingly joined me.’ Ikaris reminded you, you shook your head. ‘She joined you because she loved you Ikaris.’ You told him, he shrugged. ‘Isn’t it you that said love isn’t true?’ He quizzed, you bared your teeth to him. ‘Yes, but you seem to have a pattern of using love to get to people.’ You said, he held up a finger. ‘Once, I’ve did it.’ ‘Sersi.’ You spat out, he froze and you tilted your head to the side. ‘Oh, you forgot about your first love, didn’t you?’ You asked, ‘the woman gave you everything, but yet you broke her heart and now your back agains trying to send us back for what?’ You quizzed. ‘To get her to fall in love with you again?’ You said, his eyes darkened. ‘It’s for her own good.’ He grunted out, you arched an eyebrow, the clouds were climbing at your sides. ‘Yeah, no, I’m not falling for that bullshit.’ You told him, he bared his teeth at you as he squared his shoulders and you watched as his eyes redden. Taking a deep breath you surged forward again, the cool air brushed against your side before a steering hot flash went down your side but you continued on your path. You shoulder dug it’s self into his chest again, your arm wrapped around his waist, fingers interlocked as you pushed up. The pair of you continued to rise, Ikaris fought against you but he didn’t break the grasp you had on him. The air suddenly turned freezing as you broke the atmosphere, you looked down and you could see the earth as it continued to get smaller. ‘Y/N.’ Ikaris said, he started to sound panicked. ‘Y/N, please, I’ll hand myself over.’ He said, you ignored him as you fought against him as he wrinkled. ‘You’ll die.’ He said, you titled you head back and looked at him. ‘I know.’ You replied, with one last push you felt the warmth of the sun hit you, taking a deep breath you unwrapped your arms and pushed him backwards. Ikaris didn’t fight as he disappeared into the bright orb, you smiled when you could no longer see him. A weight had been lifted off your chest before a a large laser shot out, it connected with your chest and sent you spiralling backwards, which caused you to pass out.

[wipethetape]

maybe it wasn't bad after all

Ajak x Goddess!Reader

Request: Hi! I was wondering if you could do a one shot with reader and ajak? But it’s after the emergence stuf and she’s alive? Maybe it’s how the reader ( who’s some type of non—human creature), and ajak meet? And how ajak gets flustered easily around the reader? If you could that would be great! Thank you so much!

A/N: two things: established hela x thena relationship, hela x reader bestfriends bc they're goddesses AND IM SO SORRY THAT IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO POST IT

Something shifted in Ajak's behavior after the whole stopping of the Emergence plan and Ikaris flying to the sun. She considered Ikaris as her closest companion, maybe not comparable to her relationship with Thena. 

She treated her as the favorite child out of everyone on their team. Ikaris leaving and choosing to protect Arishem's design left a void not only in her heart but in the purpose of her living as well. All she wanted was to stop the birth of the celestial and save the Earth even if it means disobeying Arishem, but it came with a price she cannot bear to accept: Ikaris. 

She blames herself for Ikaris' decisions. Maybe if she hadn't told him the truth and the purpose of their existence, he wouldn't have left Sersi. Maybe Sersi may have convinced Ikaris to join them in saving humanity and not go against his 'family' despite his unwavering loyalty to Arishem because his unwavering love for Sersi was more. Maybe he was still together with them, with her. 

The Eternals are not dumb to not notice how their Prime Eternal was still affected by all that happened to them. She was always level-headed, strong, and impartial as their leader. But this, with the whole Ikaris ordeal, no one exactly knows how to help her. Ajak was always there to help them deal with their issues, the mediator, their emotional and rational pillar, but who would be the pillar if she requires one?

That's why they collectively agreed to frequently visit Ajak's cabin, taking turns but always overlapping with one another. The most frequent visitors are Sersi and Sprite, who are now visiting together after their reconciliation. It is working, but it couldn't do much. It came to the point where Ajak tried to convince them to stop, but they didn't listen.

Tomorrow morning, she noticed Makkari and Kingo laughing in front of a monitor. Ajak silently walked towards them to see what they were doing. 

They were too immersed in the monitor that they didn't hear Ajak coming to them. 

"No, don't say that. It's a turn-off," Makkari signed. Kingo just smirked and sent the message he typed. 

Kingo sent the most terrible reply after what seemed to be a suggestive exchange of messages then unmatched with the person. 

"What were you doing?" Ajak asked. In a sudden moment, they exchanged glances in realization, which didn't go unnoticeable to Ajak. Is she in trouble? Yes. Was it a bad idea that she let her curiosity dominate? Without a doubt.

They made Ajak sit down, briefing her about how the internet works, then explaining what they were doing and how it works, mainly how you can find someone to talk to. Ajak is a fast learner, but they knew she wasn't interested enough to try this so they made her an account and forced her to make a match while they were there. 

Ting. Match successful.

Ajak sent "Hi" as her message. Kingo grunts and Makkari stoops down her shoulders. She's a starter, let's give her that, they think. 

You replied with a greeting, and thankfully you asked a lot of questions that kept the conversation going really interesting. The three Eternals were so invested in you.

At one point, you unknowingly asked her if she believes in God, and the two masterminds beside Ajak wanted to laugh their asses off with the question. With the way you asked, "Do you believe in God?", that's what religious emissaries spreading the word of God would say. 

I see why you said you don't believe in God.

You sent it, and it was an understatement to say Ajak was utterly confused. She's clueless about whether it's genuine, a joke, or sarcasm. She saw the typing icon, so she waited on what were you going to say. Kingo already understands the reason why you brought up this out-of-place topic. 

I don't think He could create someone as stunning as you.

Ajak felt her cheeks heating with what you said. Add that to the embarrassment she feels knowing that two of her team members were watching this whole exchange. Kingo was right, people on the internet can be really.. scary. How can you manage to be cocky in front of a monitor and say whatever you want to someone? 

Well lucky you, because that message would be the reason Ajak is always on her phone to talk to you for the whole day in the next months. 

When you finally dared to tell your best friend Hela about your chat buddy on a dating app, oh how she takes great pleasure in teasing you. It did not help that her wife Thena was in the game. 

You've been single for years now, and Hela (courtesy of her brothers Thor and Loki, but mainly the mischievous one) introduced you to a dating app. She says she wants you to get laid so you wouldn't bother the couple on holidays, again. The last time you asked to drink with them because you were lonely on holiday, they (Hela) almost kicked you out the moment you got sober after making them take care of you. 

The bad thing about divulging into this dating app was not only just letting Hela get into your mind about it, but you forgot how small Earth is. You never told the couple the identity of the person, and they didn't pry about it because they're just delighted you're finally entertaining someone. Until Thena invited you to join them on the family dinner slash reunion with the other Eternals.

You didn't want to be there, because as Thena mentioned, it's a family dinner. On holidays, where you can wander around the world or just talk 24/7 to Ajak at that time. However, thanks to those wives who have their own world and are scary when they join their forces together, you can say you just have to make bad choices sometimes. 

The dinner is hosted in Thena and Hela's house, and you were the one in charge of the decoration of the house and mostly helped in the preparation of the dinner itself. 

Everything is almost done except for the main course when someone knocks on the door. Thena fixed her apron and walked towards the door. Opening, she was greeted with smiles and hugs from every Eternal. One by one, as if by cue, they go inside after offering their greetings and small gifts to Thena. 

Something tells you to glance over the visitors, and you did. Only to see the Eternal Thena is currently hugging. 

You knew Ajak as the Prime Eternal whom Thena always seemed to cherish the most whenever she tells stories about her family. You never realized that the Ajak you were talking to online was the same Ajak that was almost killed by her favorite child and saved the Earth with the other Eternals from the emerging celestial. 

Idiot. It should have occurred to you when you thought it was too unique for a human to bear the name. 

Before removing herself from Thena's embrace, her eyes found yours. She saw you. She saw you. Not even in your best form. You're aware of how much of a mess you look having a few minutes to dress up and fix yourself. However, it was too late to retreat now. 

Makkari and Kingo noticed the subtle shock on their Prime Eternal's face. Following her vision, they finally saw the woman who was making Ajak's day filled with joy rather than sadness after the incident. 

You noticed the other pairs of eyes as well, chuckling at how the two were signing to each other about you and Ajak. You don't want to gossip, but you discovered that they refer to you as "the God". Ajak told you during one of your calls that she was forced by her friends to join the app and helped her through it, and you put the pieces together. 

———

The time has flown by fast. Everyone is currently enjoying their booze before retiring for the night, except for Sersi who went first to bed after tasting the alcohol from Asgard, with Sprite and Phastos following moments after. Only the three of you, Ajak and Thena, were not drinking—though Thena took some when she was trying to stop her wife from drinking more. Ajak, being the mother figure that she is, you assume, chooses to be sober to take care of the remaining Eternals. You? You feel drunk with her presence alone.

It was a challenge to maintain your interest to have a chat and listen to the other Eternals. You weren't rude enough to ignore their questions, but the only times you opened your mouth were to respond to their inquiries and feed yourself. You don't know what they're talking about because you were too occupied being mindful with the Prime Eternal by your side, not wanting to look more foolish in her presence.

Whenever she needed something, whether the condiments or to taste the food placed on the other side of the table, you were fast to move even before she spoke about it. You find charm in watching her being flustered and trying hard to hide her emotions by avoiding your eyes whenever your fingers graze on each other.

"Wrong. It is my Makkari." Druig glances at Makkari sweetly, to which she reciprocates and smiles. 

It seems that Druig and Hela were bantering about their partners. Hela is already conceited, which gets worse with a combination of a topic about her wife or her reign and journey as the queen, and liquor from Asgard.

"Morons. It is Thena, my beloved, who was worshipped as a goddess by the midgardians, befitting as her wife is the queen of Asgard." 

"I have to throw up," you seriously said, earning a glare from Hela. 

"Me too." Thena butted. 

Both of you stood up but went in different directions. Thena went straight to the kitchen, still pretending to throw up about Hela's comment which gained laughs from everyone, while you went outside the porch to breathe. 

You didn't know that Ajak plans to follow you shortly after. When she made her way to the porch, you noticed her and rubbed the chair beside you of dust knowing that it was clean. She sat on it while looking at how you seemingly shine so brightly, complementing the night sky. 

After a few minutes that seemed long to you, you heard her speak. 

"So do you always say those," she pauses, contemplating if she should continue, "things when you talk to other people?" She starts the conversation, ending her question with a tone stronger than she intended to. You were confused for a second about what she was referring to, then you realized it was your messages with her. You believe you simply misheard the jealousy and insecurity in her voice. 

You shook your head. "I learned from the Avengers. The phrases. Really a bunch. My first and last time using it. It just slipped my mind that humans like those phrases, and I tried." You explained while trying to check her reaction.

You don't want Ajak to think you are a flirt. Sure, being a goddess entails experience, but you were not an expert on it in contrast to your Goddess of Death friend. You innocently thought she was a human from your first interaction, so you tried to apply what you've learned from humans during your stay here. 

Silence enveloped the two of you. It is totally fine with you since you can admire the woman beside you whose eyes wander at the now appearing stars in peace. 

"Your voice is more enticing than in phone calls."

"Only my voice?" 

Ajak raises her eyebrows in shock and embarrassment. How she wants to melt in your gaze while she listens to your voice. 

"You're ravishing," she replies, her voice a bit wavering. 

The silence once again made its presence known around the porch. Both have no intention of wanting it to leave, yet they want to hear each other's voice even if the words don't make sense. 

"That Arishem should have a little credit for creating a beauty like you," you complimented. "Probably the best," you whisper. 

And that's where Ajak lost it. The composure she's been trying to maintain the moment she set foot in the house and saw you in the kitchen cooking. The moment your eyes met in shock and joy when both realized your unconventional first meeting. The glances you steal at each other at the table when one thought the other wasn't looking. 

She kept on looking everywhere except your eyes. The floor, the walls, and the whole night sky became her best friends. 

You simply smiled at how adorable her reaction is. You thought it would be the other way around, aware of your tendency to develop a whole personality to cover your nervousness. 

"Would you go with me, Miss Prime Eternal?" 

"To where?" 

"To get married." 

That gains her full attention to you. She heartily laughs. 

You add, "For a walk. And other things," pausing, "More like exploring each other's universe and be a part of it." 

She finally stared right into your eyes lovingly. 

"Haven't you already?" She inquires, a tiny smirk forming on her lips. 

[hughiecampbelle]

Imagine Arishem telling Ajak to get rid of you:

A threat to the mission.

That is what he called you. That is what you were to him. To Ajak you were so much more. You'd spent all your life together, learning and growing. You loved the people of Earth more than you loved yourself. Every culture, every language, you learned and loved it all. You helped them adapt and thrive outside of your Eternal duties. You gardened with them, you collected their art, you adored looking after the children. You were always getting into trouble with them, annoying Ikaris or making Druig do party tricks. It was an unconditional admiration. Even as they changed, sometimes for the worse, and even when they hurt you, turned their back on you, you forgave them. It wasn't you being stupid or naive like everyone had thought, you were being forgiving, understanding. Humans were so new, still learning walk on their own. You hurt only because you wanted the best for them, because you cared so deeply for them.

You could never let them all die.

And she couldn't make you. She wouldn't. You would have sacrificed yourself for them, that was all too clear. How you cried when they fought one another, wishing you could step in, stop them. At one point you'd needed to be held back so as not to interfere. Ajak felt like her own heart was being ripped out as you pleaded with her, with all of them, to give you a chance. If you'd only had a few minutes with them, you were sure you could make it end. You were sure it could stop. Even then, when she refused, you could never get mad at her. You forgave her and you apologized, understanding that is not what you were sent here to do. She immediately made you take it back. You should never apologize for caring too much, for feeling what you feel. She saw strength in your actions, she saw loyalty. Arishem saw a target on your back. Weakness. Weakness could not survive in this new world.

[skylarinfinity]

*m/n and thena first date*

*m/n pull chair for thena, thena kiss m/n cheek as thank you*

thena: *watching m/n frozen in one place* are you okay?

m/n: *still shock thena kiss his cheek* please married me.

thena:....

*eternal spying them from a far*

phastos: no it's too soo!

kingo: why the hell he suddenly just stop functioning?

sprite: gosh, human useless when they in love.

ajak: *shake her at m/n* that they is.

tags: @sonicqaulan

[welldonebeca]

Apex Predator (V/Final)

Pairing: Ikaris x Thena x Makkari x Ajak x Sersi Warnings: Smut. Orgy/Gangbang. Oral sex. Dirty talking. Rough sex.

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Masterlist

Ikaris held onto Thena's thigh as she squirmed on top of his face, moaning as he devoured her.

"Ikaris," she tried to protest. "Too... much!"

He didn’t even take his lips off her cunt, licking her clit and making her cry out.

“I think you can take it,” Ajak decided, cooing her.

Thena trembled, moaning out, shaking over him, cumming again, and Ikaris decided to show her some mercy, pulling away.

“Thena,” Ajak pulled her hair back, standing over her, caressing her cheek. “Be nice. Thank our Alpha.”

“Thank you…” she grunted, crawling away, probably overwhelmed.

Ikaris smiled and was about to answer when Makkari grabbed his face instead, sitting on him to get her own ride, and Sersi’s lips wrapped around his cock, sucking him off.

His Omegas were insatiable and, as a good Alpha, it was up to him to give them whatever they wanted.

They’d all been so needy for him lately. Even Makkari, who had Druig, had been coming to him more an more lately.

“Alpha,” Ajak moaned, taking one of his hands and placing it between her legs.

He ran his fingers on her wet folds, always so sweet and welcoming to him

Of all four, she was the one most eager for him, always. Sersi was more affectionate and confident in their relationship and both Thena and Makkari had their side partners to spend time with - in Gilgamesh and Druig - and never really needed him as much as they wanted him.

But Ajak was always eager to take whatever he offered her, looking for his company and so wet to be fucked he knew only an exchange of looks could get her ready for him sometimes.

“Ikaris,” Sersi called him, lips leaving his cock, and he felt her fingers running on his thighs, hungry. “I want to ride your cock.”

He lifted Makkari from his lips, pushing his fingers into her cunt and playing with her clit just as Thena leant to kiss her, sweet and hungry, humming something he couldn’t quite hear, but might as well be one of her sweet praises.

“And that’s how you ask?” he teased her. “Not nicely, not politely?”

Sersi whined.

“Please, Ikaris,” she begged. “May I have your cock? Can I ride, please, please?”

Ikaris smiled.

How could he ever deny her anything?

“Come now before Ajak beats you to it,” he instructed.

Makkari apparently took his hint, and sat back on his face, and he grabbed her hips, eating her out again.

By Arishem, Ikaris had never found a flavour he had favoured over another but omega slick was by beating to be the best.

He was glad he had mastered multitasking as he focus on eating Makkari - his cheeky Omega rubbing her clit against his nose - as he now fucked their leader with four fingers and Sersi impaled herself on his cock, taking her pleasure from him.

Ikaris was now just their toy, someone they could use to get filled and pleased.

He could already feel his knot tingling, threatening to pop. Sersi's lovely mouth already did wonders and her cunt only served to send him off, he suddenly felt a tight grip on his shaft.

"Now, now, little boy," Thena cooed. "She isn't done yet. None of us are."

He throbbed.

Fucking hell. Those Omegas were going to kill him one day.

He grunted, wanting to growl at her but with his mouth preoccupied, but his attention was pulled back to Makkari when she cried out, rubbing herself harder against him, moaning as she neared her release.

It always pleased him so much to hear Makkari's voice. It was so rare that she even used it, and it was deep and soft anytime she did. Hearing it meant he was doing something very, very right.

She finally came, covering his face with slick, and fell by his side on the floor, panting in bliss.

Before he could even have a moment to himself, Ajak grabbed his face, kissing him deeply.

"You want a ride next?" he offered, using the heel of his palm to rub her clit.

"I want to see your face when you cum," she hummed, moaning as he curled his fingers to find her sweet spot.

"Sersi," he moaned, reaching his free hand to grab her thigh. "Such a fucking good Omega."

She moaned, bouncing on his cock.

"My Sersi," he growled. "So good for your Alpha."

She just moaned more, Ajak's cunt squeezed his fingers.

"Ikaris," she cried.

"Cum for me, my sun," he coaxed his bouncy Omega. "Let me breed you up."

Sersi cried out, cunt fluttering around his cock as she came, and was still shaking on top of him when Ajak came just as well, coating his hand in her wetness.

Ikaris followed right after, eyes connected with hers as he came, dumping his seed into Sersi's cunt and knotting her, as his other Omegas just settled on his big bed - something he had had done especially for them.

Sersi curled on top of his chest, cuddling him as Ajak took his right side and Makkari took his left, and Thena lied across the top of his head, pulling his to rest his head on her soft stomach as she petted his hair.

"Our Alpha," Ajak kissed his cheek.

"Such a good Alpha, little Ikaris," Thena caressed his jaw.

Something filled him deeply. Devotion for his girls, and deep pride, for his Omegas were sated for now, and he could feel their love for him, each in their own way.

[anki-of-beleriand]

The House At The Edge Of The World Ch. 14

Summary: Y/N is the owner of an Airbnb at the edge of the world, a place in which Wanda would either heal or become what everyone is afraid of.

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff/SW! x Female!Reader

Warnings: Minors DNI! +18, angst, jealousy, drama, slow burn, hurt and comfort, friends to lovers, pregnancy, romance, fluff, mentions of depression and self harm, healing, R owns an Airbnb that welcomes many known characters from Marvel, R has powers, Wanda needs healing, and so does R, R sometimes is an asshole but for a good reason. More warnings as the story progress.

Author's Note: The story follows up the events of Wandavision right before the twins birth. Since I didn't like the fact Natasha died in Endgame, she is alive as well as Tony everything else just happens the same way it does in the movies. We will see some Eternals and mentions of all the new members of the cinematic MCU.

The end looks like a good conversation, and decisions to be made. R is ready to do so, but will Wanda want to stay with her?

English is no my mother tongue so I do apologize for any grammar, spelling or funny mistake.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Epilogue

Chapter 14

Stay with me

Whatever had happened after you left, you didn't care. 

Your main priority had been Wanda, and all through the flight you and Ajak had been tending to her injuries and her general state. Yelena had been observing from afar, but her eyes never left your form while you worked on the redhead. She had known about your power, about the strangeness behind your family and the world surrounding you. Yet Yelena never imagined she would fear the power hidden inside you. 

The gate of the Quinjet opened to show the image of a dark-haired woman with fair skin and kind features. She locked eyes with you almost instantly, your heart leaped at the sight of Sersi coming over to you to wrap her arms around you. 

"Y/N, are you okay? How is Wanda?" Sersei asked looking behind you to see the redhead woman still unconscious being carried on a stretcher. 

"She is still unconscious. Her magic has been greatly affected by the device they use on her." You were trying to hide your real emotions, your eyes never leaning those of Sersei who merely offered a comforting smile. 

"Well, she is in luck, right? Ajak and I are here, and you will be there as well." Sersi stepped back, turning to Sprite who was coming onto her with the same concern written in her face. 

"Sersei!" 

"Hey, Sprite, how is it going?" 

The conversation between them faded away while you let your feet take you inside the house and followed the women leading Wanda to the closest room. You could see as they settled her down making sure she was comfortable before setting the medical bay for the redhead. 

"Her nervous system has been affected by the electric shocks." Ajak said to your right, she stood there overseeing everything while never losing sight of your persona. "She was sedated so it will take a while for her to wake up."

"She needs magic, and…" 

"I know." Ajak placed a hand on your forearm, the tenderness behind her gesture almost made you break. "It's going to be okay, she is far stronger than you gave credit for."

You crossed your arms, tilting your head to the side. It wasn't as if you didn't know how strong Wanda was, you have known for a long time. It was more the fact that you feared what would happen when she woke up. 

Would she stay? 

Would she leave? 

So many questions roamed inside your mind, and the uncertainty of the situation was almost unbearable. Never in your wildest dreams did you imagine you would fall in love again. Much less with a woman that, by all accounts, was just like you. 

"They will come, and they will have questions." Ajak intervened again, you didn't need to ask who she was referring to. "Are you ready for that conversation?" 

"Are you?" This time around you did face Ajak with an unreadable expression. "I could lie and get away with it."

Ajak softened her features by nodding at Wanda, "but you won't lie for her, or else, whatever chance you get to be together may slip away."

You opened your eyes, raising your eyebrows at this. Following Ajak's stare you realised Wanda had changed a lot of things in a bubble world you had built around yourself. You were not a hero, you never were, but you couldn't ignore the world any longer… you couldn't ignore the world Wanda was living in. 

"Think your words carefully, and be ready."

"What about you and the others?" Your secret might be out, but the rest of the Eternal should keep their own secrets for themselves. 

"We are family, Y/N, whatever you decide we are here for you."

Ajak gave your forearm a light squeeze before turning around and leaving you alone with Wanda. You hesitated before stepping forward and sitting beside her, your hand found hers and the warmness of her touch brought comfort to your soul. 

______________________________________________________________

Night had already fallen by the time you exited her room. 

Wanda was still asleep, and during all that time people had come and gone after making sure the redhead was not in danger and that her recovery was a matter of time. 

You knew the meeting with the people who had come to her rescue could not be postponed any longer. Wanda had on her peaceful expression, her magic was still flickering and and out of reality, and the pain in your heart was a longing for her to be better, for her to put you out of your misery. 

With a kiss to her forehead, you knew there was nothing else you could do. Not until she woke up, and not until you had spoken with everyone. 

It was time for you to face the world. 

The noise coming from the study told you where you should go. It wasn't difficult to find everyone waiting for you, the many faces you had known personally or by the TV news were all staring at you. 

The first person you noticed was Sersi, her tender smile warmed your heart giving you strength to enter the room. To your left were the people you had called family since you were a teenager Ajak and Sprite sat comfortably on the sofa with Thena and Gil hovering behind them. To your right were the women you had helped at some point, friends and people you had trusted with some secrets but not all of them. 

Natasha and Yelena wore their Widow garments, with Nick Fury and Tony Stark wearing casual clothing that hide the real power both of them possess. 

"She is still asleep." Your words echoed into the room, your eyes falling upon Ajak. "Her strength is coming back, and her magic is not as erratic as it was a couple of hours ago."

"Erratic?" Tony asked, leaning back, his posture relaxed and open. "What do you know about that? More importantly, who are you besides a dirty secret from Romanoff over here?" 

Natasha growled at the man, but her eyes were just as curious as those of Yelena. They thought they had known you, but after what you did on that island they were not so sure anymore. 

"I'm Y/N, and I'm merely the owner of a destroyed Airbnb." You shrugged, cracking up a smile. "That's gonna cost you an extra, you know that, Mr. Stark?" 

Tony returned the smile, "I'm aware. Though I would say you already got a good deal out of this mess, Maximoff seems to be very fond of you, from what I heard."

The comment made your eyes flickered gold, a hand placed itself on your shoulder and you knew Sersi had come to the rescue. 

"I pride myself to be well-informed of what is happening around the world, and who are the people I should watch out for." This time around it was Fury the one to speak, he placed his elbows on his knees, his hands wrapping around one another and his sole eye pinning you to the spot. 

" You and your friends were certainly a surprise for me today."

"That made you nervous, Agent Fury?" You retorted eyeing the man with a blank stare. "We've met before, you know?" 

This time around Fury was shocked by the news, he narrowed one eye as if trying to place you in his memory. You chuckled tilting your head. 

"You won't remember me, I was different back then and you were just being recruited into the secret organisation that works for your government." 

"How…" Fury started but trailed off when Sprite created a scene right in front of them. 

A young Nick Fury with both eyes, talking with a man that looked nothing extraordinary. Yet they exchanged words, a handshake and soon Fury had a piece of paper. That was it, they both parted ways, Fury went straight to what seemed like an office building, the other man went inside an old car and drove away. 

"What were you doing there?" 

You smiled, "I was following him, and old debt to settle. He was the son of a friend, I was making sure he was not killed that day."

"He died, though." Fury stated narrowing his good eye at you. 

A flash of sadness crossed your face at the memory. 

"He did. I couldn't make it on time. And, at the end of the day, I am not a hero." You leaned back glancing at Fury then at Tony. "I am a mere owner of an Airbnb at the edge of the world."

Silence settled around the living room for a moment, you could see the observant eyes of the heroes of the world observing you and your family. For the very first time in a very long time, your world and the real one crashed in a single moment in time. 

You could see the possibilities forming in the mind of Fury, the questions pouring from Stark's mind and the many unsaid things you had between Natasha and Yelena. 

At the end of the day, she was the first one to speak. Her tone revealed how hurt she was for the situation, her eyes never leaving yours. 

"You never told me you were this…" Yelena trailed off for a moment, her gaze dropping. "This powerful."

"Y/N powers are not something you play with." Thena said, settling her eyes on Yelena. "None of you had seen what they can really do, and it is something Y/N have always been careful with."

"Having powers doesn't mean you have to put them to work for the greater good." Gil continued lifting his chin. "The world can be an ungrateful place."

"That's true." Natasha chimed in uncrossing her arms. "But sometimes, it needs to be saved either way."

"You guys are young." You said shrugging. "The world, people… Some of them will never change. I fight only for my loved ones, Natasha. As long as my family and friends are fine, I am fine."

"Which will explain why you came to the rescue, right?" Tony intervened tilting his head and settling his eyes on you. "You love Wanda, you couldn't allow her to get hurt."

"I do, yes." You replied simply, Tony nodded leaning back on the chair. 

"Are you a threat?" The man asked and you couldn't help but laugh at his bluntness. 

"Oh, I am." You replied, your eyes gleaming a dangerous shade of gold. "I can be your worst nightmare and none of you would know what happened or how it happened."

"But you are not interested in fighting us." Fury didn't even flinch, his words were just as neutral as yours had been a moment ago. 

"Or protecting you, no."

"At some point the world would come crashing down on you, don't you think?" 

You turned your head to Ajak, the older woman offered a single smile matching the one Sersi and Thena were wearing. You knew the world, the real one had come to you in the form of Wanda Maximoff. She had broken the icy facade you had worn for so long, that right now it was almost impossible for you that her world was starting to be a part of yours. 

"It already has, Fury." You sighed, lifting your eyes to the ceiling. "I am not a threat to you or your government. I'm not interested in power or fighting, I only want peace."

"And Wanda." Tony mentioned with a teasing tone. 

You flared at him looking away until you saw the same teasing glint in Natasha's eyes. 

"I guess, we will see."

Fury nodded, crossing his arms, "I guess we will."

"Well, now that the conversation is over, how about something to drink and eat. I bet everyone is hungry." 

Ajak stood up with many agreeing to her sudden change of topic, you sat there for a moment watching as Ajak left the living room with Fury and Tony following them and everyone soon scattering around the house. 

Yelena came to you slowly, she sat down with a frown on her face trying to catch up to what she just heard, to the things she had seen. 

"I'm sorry, Lena. It was never my intention to make you feel…"

"Cheated?" Lena snorted, shrugging. "I knew there was something else about you, but you had never raised any bells in my head or Natasha's… We knew you were not a threat."

You smiled at the young woman leaning over placing your elbows on your knees. 

"I never intended for this to happen." You lowered your head thinking hard over the last couple of months. "But she… I

I don't know…"

Yelena swallowed down her emotions, she nodded curtly placing her hand on yours. 

"If she hurts you, I'm gonna kill her."

You couldn't help the laughter leaving your lips, your arms wrapping around the young woman with tenderness. For some reason, you knew she and you would be okay, and whatever had happened with the rest of Earth's Mighty heroes… Well, that also seemed to be okay. 

Now, all you had to do was wait for Wanda to wake up. 

______________________________________________________________

It happened at dawn. 

The world was sleeping, the sky was changing its colours with shades of blue, purple and red igniting the horizon. There was a cold breeze biting at your skin, sitting by the balcony you had allowed time and weather to invade your thoughts and insecurities while trying to forget what you feel. 

The soft footsteps brought you back to reality. Your heart beat fast, hitting your ribcage the moment you sensed her and your eyes found those of hers. 

"Hey." She didn't rush her feet, her dopey and tenderness made you gasp in affection. 

Standing up from your position, your hands wrapped around her, putting her against your body and feeling at peace knowing she was there. That she was okay. 

"You shouldn't be up, love." You whispered, her hands playing with your hair while you felt her smile against your neck. 

"You weren't there." Her words were tender, a mere whisper in your ear that told you of her doubts. “And I thought…I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t lose me, Wanda. I’m here.” And you meant it in more ways than one, you made sure to look at her the wounds on her neck, the ones on her wrists and then her tired expression.

You almost lost her. 

And your heart broke into a million pieces thinking you wouldn’t be with her anymore. And now that she was back, that she was in your arms, the fear had doubled. What would happen if she didn’t want to stay? What if she had to go?

Wanda softened her stare, she didn’t need to hear your thoughts because those same thoughts were inside her head. Being with you had been so different, falling in love with you had been…what she needed.

“You won’t lose me either, Y/N. I’m here…for you.”

At that moment you realised she wasn't the only one feeling the uncertainty the recent events had brought to your lives. It took you but a second to notice her lips against yours, the neediness behind her gesture, her hands travelling down your body. 

The flash of crimson told you Wanda ws not alone, and soon you were being dragged inside the house and you gave in knowing that moment could end up in a heartbreak. 

By the time you woke up again, the clock on the table was showing it was past midday. The warm body to your side stirred, you lowered your faze to see Wanda snuggled against your side with a content smile playing on her lips. 

She was awake, and probably had been for quite some time. The place was completely silent, and you couldn't even make the sound of people outside the room. 

"Everyone went to visit the town." Wanda mumbled without opening her eyes. "It's only you and me."

As soon as she said this, her body trembled and her hands grabbed you tightly. You sighed looking at the ceiling, the arm you had around her midsection wrapped tightly around her. 

"So, it's only you and me in a big empty house? Whatever can we do?" 

Her giggles made you look down and find her green eyes looking at you. You smiled back but your eyes were finally showing how you were feeling with the whole situation. Wanda tensed lightly, turning around she sat down letting the blankets fall to the bed. 

"I think we should get ready."

"I think we need to talk."

You watched as she merely stood up and left, the emptiness in your chest made your body ache with longing. Tilting your head to one side, you knew that falling into bed with her had not been the best of decisions when there was so much left unsaid between the both of you. 

"I made you something to eat, and there was some orange juice and some wine but I wasn't sure what you may want so early…"

You observed the redhead walking around the kitchen, babbling non-stop while evading your eyes and trying to make it impossible for you to bring the white elephant in the room. 

Wanda gasped, halting her actions, finding herself looking into your golden eyes. 

"Y/N…" Wanda whispered your name with fear and longing. 

"I am in love with you." You all but whisper, your left hand cupping her cheek but you never did anything to shorten the distance with her. "I thought I would never feel this again, and you came into my life showing me this was possible… That I could feel like this again…"

Wanda's eyes watered at your words, she was trembling by now with her lower lip quivering under the weight of your words. 

"Wanda, I…"

"I'm sorry." Wanda whispered with a sob escaping her lips. 

She leaned in hiding her face on your chest, something inside broke for you knew her life was out there in a world filled with danger and heroism that you were not ready to be a part of. Whatever you could offer to Wanda was a life of tranquillity and solitude in a place that was almost forgotten to the rest of the world. 

It hurt knowing you would lose her. 

"I couldn't… I tried… I just…" Wanda cried softly, holding onto you. "He… He was there… And I just…" 

"It's okay, it's okay… I know." You whispered, hugging her comfortingly. 

"No! No, it's not." Wanda finally said, she stepped back wiping her face. "I should have seen it, I could have prevented it… but I left him there, I thought…" 

"Stark recovered his body, and he won't be used anymore." You commented softly. Wanda shook her head but you didn't stop there. 

"They were waiting for you to recover, but as soon as you're fine you can go back…"

Wanda stopped her passing, she winced at the memories coming into her; she placed a hand on her face while trying to collect her thoughts and you couldn’t help but close your mouth and remained silent watching her without knowing what to say. Or what to do. 

“I thought Vision was my everything.” Wanda tried to hold onto her tone of voice, her eyes completely lost in the memories and the situation she had evaded moments before she was taken from the Hill. 

Wanda remembered the time she had been tied to that room, her eyes seeing the dead body of Vision while she thought of her life in the most recent months. She had been happy, not having to fill out anybody's shoes, or trying to hold herself for fear of triggering someone, or messing up while trying to help someone. Wanda and Scarlet had gone through her memories and her past, and everytime she thought about the end well…

It all came down to Y/N, to her smile and the warmness behind her words. I never thought love would feel like this…

And if she was honest with herself, Wanda never thought it would be like that; the young woman dried her tears while her lips broke into a tentative smile she dedicated to you. You didn’t dare to dream about her thoughts or her choices, waiting too much about the people around you could be painful at the end of the day. 

“Then you came into my life and…” Wanda shook her head putting her arms around herself while biting her lower lip. “And I found myself falling so hard, and so deep for you…I know…I know it would be impossible for me to live away from you.”

“Wanda…”

The fact that the home was empty, and that this conversation happened right after you and her had shared a dawn filled with passion and tenderness should be the indicator this was going through the right track. But you didn’t dare to hope, a lot of things had happened in the past for you to think this could be different.  

The young woman came onto you, and your world stopped for a moment when she cupped your face in her hands with her lips curving slightly. At that moment, it was Wanda and Scarlet all in one sending you a stare that made your soul tremble in a way you hadn’t done for so long. 

“Everybody is waiting for me to go back, to be better to…” Wanda trailed off for a moment, her eyes flashing with the memories of how her life had been up until that point. “When I had to come here I was mad, and sad and ready to leave everything for a glimpse of normality, to recover a life I never really had but dreamt of.”

“And now? What do you want, Wanda?” You finally asked in a whisper, Wanda turned to you and you realised you hadn’t been this vulnerable in front of anyone in a while. 

“Now, I want a normal life…I’m tired of what am I and what I can do I only want…” Wanda bit her lower lip, a flash of fear crossing her green eyes. Your hand placed tenderly under her chin lifting her stare to look at you. 

“What do you want?” You could give her the world, if necessary. She just needed to say it and there was nothing in the world you wouldn’t get for her.

Wanda sighed showing the vulnerability you had come to appreciate from her, those moments in which she would stop pretending in front of you.

“I want to stay here, I want to…I want to be with you and see what will happen.” Wanda all but declared, you stood there for what seemed an eternity and the other woman was starting to step back, her face falling with a crack of uncertainty.

“Then, stay with me.” You stepped forward wrapping your arms around her, giving her enough space to leave but letting her know you wanted her with you. “I can’t promise you it will be easy, but I can promise you I will do everything I can to make you happy.”

Wanda stepped forward, and without any more words she sealed the deal with a kiss.

______________________________________________________________

It was past midday by the time everyone was back into the house. 

At another time, and perhaps in another place the moment of peace you and Wanda had enjoyed during the day would have been cut short by the needs of the people filling out Ajak’s living room. Wanda was taken to the side by Tony and Nasha and soon you found yourself under the watchful eyes of Thena and Sersi.

Wanda stood on the balcony leading to the kitchen, the world in the coast of Italy was something she had come to appreciate in her soul. It was peaceful, and her heart found comfort in knowing this could be her new home.Her body turned lightly, and she and Scarlet stirred uncomfortably when her green eyes found the form of Thena leaning close to you.

Jealousy was something Wanda had learned recently, and the fact she had to be on the balcony while you were inside with a former lover was making her restless. 

Tony stood by her side, his dark shades reflecting the afternoon sun while the sound of laughter filled out the streets. Fury rested the weight of his body on the rails crossing his arms while letting his good eye pinned the redhead on the spot. Natasha sat down playing with the drink Ajak had given her, enjoying the cold breeze of winter, and the strange silence amongst the group. 

“This went a little out of hand.” Fury broke the silence talking to the group, his good eye moving from Wanda to Natasha. “Monica is trying to gather all the evidence she can, while Rhodes is helping out with some other bases around the coast.”

“Hayward was not working alone.” Tony commented lightly, his lips pressing together while his hand helped him out of his glasses. “But the fact he thought he would get something out of stealing the body of Vision and getting to you…”

“I thought about it.” Wanda finally said, looking away while wiggling her hands. “When I came back…I…he was alive because Thor gave the mind stone and his body the charge he needed to be alive. I thought…my magic could do something similar.”

“That’s why you started the whole Westview thing?” Tony asked, Wanda offered a broken smile shrugging.

“I wasn’t thinking when that happened, Tony.” Wands sounded tired all of a sudden, her body giving up on the tension she had been accumulating as of late. “But the moment I went to get his body, I knew it was a possibility.”

Fury narrowed his head leaning forward, “why didn’t you?”

“I was afraid, and I didn’t know if it was possible.” Wanda stepped forward until she was standing beside Tony and observing the blue of the ocean in the distance. “But I knew I could find a way to do so, perhaps…perhaps if I got to know my powers and who I was, I could use my powers to do it.”

“Then you just finally explode.” Natasha had seen the state Wanda had been in during Steve’s funeral, the way she had fought during Thano’s attack from the past and how she had been when she realised everything had been lost.

Wanda lifted her shoulder turning slightly, she locked eyes with Natasha and her smile was different. Without a doubt, Wanda had changed, and that was all Natasha needed to know at the moment. 

“Are you ready to go back, or do you think you will explode once more, Maximoff?” Fury asked, straight to the point while uncrossing his arms and stepping forward. “We are trying to build the team from scratch and…”

“I won’t go back.” Wanda said firmly, her eyes hardening as they settled on Fury. 

Tony and Natasha interchanged glances, while Fury merely lifted a single eyebrow at the bold declaration. Wanda dropped her arms, tilting her head to the side.

“It took me so long to get to where I am right now.” Wanda stated simply, Tony snorted, nodding towards the house.

“You mean, with a lover girl? Never peg you for a lesbian, Maximoff.”

Tony chuckled under the glare of Natasha and Wanda, he lifted his arms in a sign of peace but instead of mocking all Wanda could see was understanding, something she never thought Tony was capable of.

“It’s not about Y/N.” Wanda satiated turning to Fury who was looking a little sceptical. “You sent me here to heal, and get better. For the first time in my life I was able to be just…me. Someone who didn’t have to keep with anyone’s expectations, who didn’t need to jump every morning to save the world.”

Tony held back the smile threatening to leave his lips, he could see Wanda had changed in the last months she had been away from the life she had lived during her time as an Avenger and a runaway. She seemed relaxed, and the gleam in her eyes told Tony she was happy, happier that he had ever seen her before.

“I don’t want to give this life up, Fury. Not now,not any time soon.”

“Is this you talking, or is this what happened to you a few days ago talking for you?” Fury inquired, tilting his head and making sure Wanda could not look away from him.

The young woman pursed her lips shaking her head, “it is me talking, Fury. Before this…I just…I thought I had to go back to everything I left behind. This was supposed to be a holiday so I could get better.”

“It wasn’t about that.” Tony intervened, stepping forward, he placed a single hand on Wanda’s shoulder and Natasha nodded briefly, giving Tony the heads up to go right ahead. 

“What do you mean? What was that?” Wanda pointed at Tony then at Natasha, both of them stirred lightly while Fury leaned back waiting to hear the story.

“We thought about getting you out of the States and really out of commission for some time.” Tony revealed glancing at Wanda with a tenderness she had only seen in him whenever Morgan was around. “What we saw when trying to get you out of Westview told us that you were just asking for help.”

“A help we never provided because we were too busy saving the world.” Natasha said simply. 

“So you never thought I would be better?” Wanda asked, crunching up her nose.

“No, we never thought you would be back to do the same things you have been doing over the years. We thought you would be back changed.” Tony waved his hand around smiling. “And you did.”

Wanda knitted her bros together, she set her eyes on Tony first then on Natasha and finally on Fury.

“So you were expecting me to stay here?” 

“Not here, exactly.” Tony replied. “But perhaps telling us you didn’t want to go back into the hero world. Which, we would have understood, we actually got you kid.”

Wanda was kind of surprised at some point they thought she would choose a life different to the one she had been leading up until the Blip. She had been lost, and with some many broken thoughts inside her mind, so angry at the world it had been quite difficult to try and find a way back to what she really wanted or needed. Her powers had been part of that confusion, and her misused of the magic had created so much conflict inside her and in the world that she never thought she had a choice. 

“We lost track of you after Westview.” Fury started passing around the balcony, his hands in his pockets. “And Hayward came over to try and start an illegal operation in Italy that we stopped just on time.”

Wanda stood there for a moment, confused as to what Fury was saying exactly.

“As far as I know, Wanda Maximoff dropped off the face of earth, and we are one venger down.” Fury snorted. “Just my luck, gotta start looking for new talent then.”

Wanda stood there with her mouth hanging open, “Are you saying…?”

Fury shot her a pointed stare, ignoring the smiling faces of Natasha and Tony. He knew he wouldn’t hear the end of it from Tony, but for now he could give away what he knew would bring peace to Wanda. It was the least he could do.

“Just try to not break anything around here, and try to not make yourself noticeable.” Fury stepped forward walking towards the entrance of the house. “You know how to find us, Maximoff. I hope you find what you are looking for. Good-bye.”

Wanda stood there for a moment, still shocked by what had just happened. Tony and Natasha turned their eyes on her waiting for her reaction, Wanda just shook her head passing her hand through her hair looking first at Natasha then at Tony.

“Is he serious?”

“As serious as Fury can be, yes.” Natasha commented leaning back on the chair she was occupying. “So, you want to stay then?”

Wanda broke into an easy smile, and this time when she lifted her eyes you were looking back at her. The smile on your face, and the wink you sent her way was everything Wanda needed at the moment.

We really are staying here.

“Yeah, I’m staying here.”

______________________________________________________________

Night had already fallen, and your footsteps were taking you to the edge of the cliff.

The smell of the ocean reached you out, and the wind caressed your skin lightly while the moon shone a silver light above your head. The town was a golden paradise you could oversee from your position in the Hill; and the silence around you was enough to make you feel at ease. The woman on your left shivered, and you turned to her, passing your arm around her shoulders, putting her closer to you.

Wanda snuggled closer, her hands dropping around your hips leaning in the place of her face on the nape of your neck. Your heart jumped in your chest, your body tingling all over while you placed a soft kiss on her forehead. 

“I’m thinking of a new setting for the house, perhaps something bigger for both of them.” You commented lightly, Wanda pursed her lips watching what used to be your guest house.

Your breath was taken away when she lifted her face with a brilliant smile, she grabbed your hand dragging you around the backyard towards the ruins of the house. You chuckled watching as her hands gleamed red and the idea you had in your mind became more real right before your eyes. 

“Like this?” She asked teasingly at you, you shook your head putting her closer brushing your nose against hers.

“You know Gil is gonna be mad he couldn’t help around?” You whispered putting some strand hairs behind her ear, Wanda closed her eyes for a moment only to open them filled with unshed tears. 

“He can help, this is only so he knows what you want.” Wanda bit her lower lip, enjoying the closeness of your body and the sight of your smile. 

“And what about what you want?” You asked leaning in to plant kisses on her cheek. 

Wanda closed her eyes tilting her head to wrap your lips with hers, a soft caress of lips while the kiss turned into an intimate moment of shared emotions. You broke the moment by spinning her around, your arms surrounding her waist making her laugh at the silliness of the moment.

“Go on, Wands, tell me what you want.” You whispered in her ear, your eyes gleaming gold showing off a big house with people coming in and the sight of you and her as a family. 

Wanda and Scarlet jumped at the sight, her breath caught in her throat when they noticed the sight of a bump in their abdomen. You could sense the woman in your arms tensing, disbelief filling up her senses as she stepped away from you turning with green and red eyes glancing at you.

“What did you…?” She started and you shrugged looking away for a moment before looking back at her. 

“Magic without intent, Wanda, is not magic.” You replied, stretching out your arms around the hill. “But if you put your heart in it, well it can work miracles.”

Wanda placed a hand on her abdomen, the dreams she had about her life back in Westview and what chances were coming onto her made her dizzy for a moment. She jumped when you grabbed her hand tentatively, you chewed on your lower lip before dropping your shoulders.

“I….I am in love with you, you know that.”

“I do.”

You nodded as if confirming her words, “I want to be with you.”

“I want to be with you, too.” Wanda replied suddenly understanding what you were trying to say.

“There is still a lot we need to figure it out but…I just want you to know I wouldn’t miss this new adventure with you for anything in the world.” Your voice was almost trembling as you opened up to her, Wanda was glancing at you completely serious hearing every word with a beating heart.

“I want to grow old with you, and if you allow me I want to build a family with you. Whenever we are ready, whenever you ar…”

You were cut off by the woman crashing her lips against yours, she held onto you with the same passion she had done so those first times you two were together. She kissed you with love and neediness, and her magic reached out to yours in ways you had learnt for years but that came out naturally to her.  You smiled into the kiss, a game started with you trying to cut it short while she chased after you laughing as you tickled her and soon both of you were just kissing and playing around until, little by little, you went into your destroyed home and enjoyed one another under the night sky above your room.

______________________________________________________________

Tag list!

@cowboyboots236 - @kacka84 - @alurajordyn - @mrscromanoff - @trikruismybitch - @njavezan - @alwaysgoodnight - @mrsmaximoff21 - @casquinhaa - @kyaraderuwez

[zafirosreverie]

You’re safe with me (Ajak x F!Reader)

Look at this! Zaf remembered she has a writing blog! Nice. Anyway, enjoy this little something I did because I love Ajak 💙💛

-------------------------

"Do we have souls?"

The question had taken Ajak by surprise. She knew why Sersi had asked her that, after all, watching humans find their soul mates had become the eternal youth's favorite pastime ever since those damn marks started appearing.

It was something completely out of their control, and even Arishem had no answers for her when she asked. Humans simply woke up one day to realize that they had marks on their bodies, where their soul mates were supposed to touch them when they met.

Arishem had said that they shouldn't worry about something so silly and concentrate on the mission. Ikaris had agreed, but Ajak…Ajak was terrified.

"Yes, Sersi" she smiled kindly "we have souls, just different from theirs"

The girl took a moment to think about it, nodding when she agreed with the answer. The prime eternal silently thanked her for no more questions, as she could feel Ikaris' penetrating gaze on her back.

Ajak dismissed the girl gently but quickly, bringing her hands to her chest for a moment, almost protectively. Ikaris waited until Sersi was gone before coming closer.

"You shouldn't lie to her like that" he said bluntly.

"I didn't lie"

"You didn’t?" he raised an eyebrow "you know as well as I do the reason she asked"

The woman didn't answer, she just nodded. She knew that Sersi hoped that a mark like that would appear on her body as well. She also knew that Ikaris' annoyance stemmed from fear that this was the case and he might lose her. But that wasn't Ajak's business.

"Don't fill her head with false stories" he said

"I didn't lie" she said again, walking away from there.

She could feel the man's gaze burning her back, but she kept her steady pace, refusing to show any sign of weakness in front of him. It didn't matter how much her hands trembled on her chest.

____________________

"Leave her alone!"

Ajak gasped and sat bolt upright on her bed. Her room was completely dark and she could not perceive any call from Arishem. So it had been another nightmare. Great. It was the third that week.

She couldn't even tell when she'd started dreaming about that voice (hell, she didn't even know if she should be dreaming in the first place), she only knew that she'd been waking up after hearing a voice calling for help, a direct blow to the front and a huge empty in her chest for too long. She had to do something.

"I need to get out of here" she mumbled.

She scrambled to her feet and tried not to look too much at the black mark on her chest. This was the reason why she had not lied to Sersi, the reason why she was growing increasingly uncomfortable with Ikaris' comments about human markings.

She didn't know how, or why, but one night, just a few months after the legend of soul mates had begun to emerge, Ajak awoke to find that she herself had one of those marks, a black spot on her chest.

She tried to understand it, she tried to get rid of it with the magic that the celestials granted her and that she rarely used, but nothing had worked, the black stain was still there, tattooed on her skin. And she had been afraid. She was terrified of what that meant, what others might think of her, but more than anything, she was terrified of endangering whoever she was attached to.

"I don't know who you are" she murmured, placing a hand on her chest "but you're better off away from me."

______________________

You ran as fast as you could, no matter how much your legs ached or how your chest burned from running for hours with almost no rest. You had to get out of there.

"First dead before going back there" you thought, forcing yourself to keep going.

You had no idea what you had done to deserve this, but you hated the mark on your face with everything you were. Ever since it had appeared on your 18th birthday, it had only brought trouble after trouble.

Your father had always had plans to sell you to the highest bidder, no matter who it was, if you wanted to or how they treated you, he only cared about the dowry he could get from them. But then that mark had appeared, and his plans had taken certain turns.

He no longer just had to find a good dowry, now he also had to find someone who could erase the mark on your face. Of course, he couldn't think of a better way than to let all the suitors punch you in the face, to see if any of their fists matched the mark on your cheek. It was humiliating, painful, and you were fed up, so you ran away.

It wasn't difficult to untie the ropes from your feet and hands, nor was it hard to get out of the tent. The hard part was outwitting the dogs that guarded your father's camp. Nasty little beasts. It didn't take them long after they noticed your absence to find your trail and it had been a life and death race ever since because you knew your father would have no mercy on you and even if he didn't kill you, what he would allow his men to do with you was much worse.

"Why can't I have a good thing for once?!" you thought angrily

Just for once, you would like someone to defend you, to see you more than as a prize, for someone to realize that you were a person. That someone really loved you.

"Why don't you do something useful and send me my other half, mark of the devil?!"

You heard the dogs getting closer and closer and you tried to pick up your pace, but you were too exhausted, you had to stop, you needed to breathe. But you couldn't, if you stopped, it would all end.

Tears flooded your eyes. You felt helpless, angry, and scared. You weren't even paying attention to where you were going or what was happening around you. You just had to keep going.

________________

Ajak blinked as a hard blow landed on her chest. The impact sent her back a little, but she managed to keep her balance, and her arms instinctively wrapped around whatever she had collided with. Or rather, whoever.

You grunted a little and blinked rapidly, trying to place where you had hit yourself. Your face didn't hurt, so it must have been something soft. You blushed deeply to see that you had, in fact, landed on another woman's chest.

"Are you okay?" Ajak asked, immediately becoming concerned upon seeing your state.

You had the soles of your feet mangled, lots of bruises and scratches, sweat covered your body, your hair was terribly disheveled, and your chest heaved up and down (she scolded herself internally for staring).

"Help me" you said, holding on to her.

Your voice resounded strongly in the ears of the eternal. She knew it, it was the voice that had been in her dreams for Arishem knew how long. She immediately looked down, gasping as the mark on her chest, barely visible by the neckline of her dress, began to fade.

Unfortunately, she didn't have time to process everything when the barking of dogs sounded right behind you and you returned to your survival state, not noticing that the mark on your face also disappeared.

The woman moved almost automatically when she saw the dogs appear, followed by several men. Instinctively she pulled you behind her, shielding you with her body and trying not to tremble at the feel of your warm breath on her neck as you clung to her.

"Leave her alone!" she said, echoing her own phrase from her dream

Some of the men across from her laughed, no doubt dismissing her because she was a female, but more seemed to recognize her (or at least one of her many legends. All the Eternals had inspired much of the human mythologies) and backed off a bit.

"The girl is mine" said an old man, smirking "my brother has given her to me as a wife"

"Please don't let them take me" you whispered

It broke the brunette's heart to hear your broken voice and feel the slight tremor of your hands clinging to her arm. She didn't even know your name, nor had she known you for more than a few minutes, but the emptiness in her chest that little by little began to fill with a warm feeling told her only one thing: you were hers, and she had to protect you.

"I said leave her alone" she said with a firm voice "get out of here while there is still mercy in me"

Your uncle and his closest men laughed at the threat, not noticing how the rest of them scuttled off into the dead of night. Ajak smiled a little as the old man took a step towards you. She didn't always get a chance to display her abilities beyond healing.

You gasped as a golden sphere appeared in the woman's left palm. She didn't even give you time to react as she fired a golden bolt at your uncle's feet, making everyone jump. It was a clear warning, one they definitely got this time.

"I'll say it one last time" she said quietly "get out of here. I claim this girl as mine, she’s under my protection now"

At least the men had half a neuron to know that their lives were really on the line there and that nothing was worth trying. The golden sphere did not disappear from Ajak's hand until all the men had left.

You relaxed a bit, but then your mind turned back on and you recoiled in fear. The older woman sighed, she should have expected that. She raised her hands carefully, in a gesture of peace.

"Calm down, you're safe" she said, her voice as calm as she could manage.

"Get away from me" you said "what are you?!"

"I will not hurt you"

"Yes, of course, and I'm going to believe you"

"I just saved you, didn't I?"

You opened your mouth to reply, but nothing occurred to you. She was right and you knew it. She had saved you, she had protected you from a pack of wild men you knew very well would not have waited to get to camp to use you and hurt you. You really owed her a little trust.

"What are you?" you asked again

"That doesn't matter right now" she replied, walking slowly and tentatively towards you "there will be time to explain everything, but I have to get you out of here"

"Why would I go with you?" you said "for all I know you could have saved me to sell me yourself"

Ajak stopped in her path, not knowing why your words pierced her chest. She didn't know you, she didn't know where you came from, who you were, your story, nothing. Damn, she didn't even know where she meant to take you.

The others would ask who you were and she wasn't going to risk that Ikaris could do anything to you (she trusted him with her life, but Arishem knew that sometimes he could be…intense). But she couldn't fight with that force that tied her to you either. Suddenly, having you by her side, and gaining your trust, had become a necessity.

"Your mark is gone" she said simply

You blinked, not expecting that answer. Ajak gave you a few moments to take it in before walking back towards you. At least it worked a little bit because you stopped walking away from her.

"I-...w-what do you mean...it's gone?"

The woman nodded and ripped off one of the jade ornaments that Sersi had insisted on including in her dress (she would thank her later), offering it to you as a makeshift mirror.

You looked at yourself fearfully, and although the stone did not reflect your features exactly well, it was enough for you to notice that she was telling the truth, your face was clean, without traces of the mark that had cursed you for so many years.

"But when?" you muttered, more to yourself than to her "...the crash" you suddenly said

Ajak just nodded again. She knew that you would need a moment to process everything as well. She gingerly moved closer and allowed herself to admire your features as you lost yourself in thought.

You were beautiful, you had a light in your eyes that the eternal had not seen in a human in a long time. Your hands were trembling and covered with new scars and wounds, but they seemed precious to her. You were a little taller than her, but you still looked so small and fragile.

Everything about you aroused a desire for protection in her and a feeling so human that she didn't think it was for her. You must have felt her gaze because you raised your head and blushed deeply.

"Then you..."

"I'll protect you" she said "you're safe with me" she promised you

You nodded slowly, staring at the piece of jade in your hand for a moment longer before handing it back to her with trembling hands. Her fingers brushed against yours as she took it, sending an electric current through both of you.

"...who are you?" you asked, trying to catch up on everything that had happened in the last half hour.

Ajak smiled at the subtle change in your question. You didn't seem scared of her anymore, just confused and a little…impressed? The first was understandable, the second filled her with pride.

"Ajak" she said softly, almost as if her name was only meant for your ears.

You looked into her eyes, noticing for the first time the depth of her gaze and how it seemed that time and life were hidden in them. You took a deep breath, ignored the butterflies in your stomach, and offered her a sheepish smile.

"Y/N" you said, offering her your hand.

The woman returned your smile and carefully took your hand, bringing it to her lips instead of just shaking it.

"A pleasure to finally find you, my Y/N" she said before kissing your hand softly, making you blush and your legs go weak.

[softquietsteadylove]

What if a Deviant has mind controlling abilities and uses on Gil? The rest of them realizing it a bit too late when Gil suddenly started to attack.👀

Let the action and drama take its place!

Thena pulled her sword from one of the many Deviants from this most recent onslaught. "These seem quite unlike those of the past."

"They are bizarre," Sersi murmured, hovering and fluttering around the slain bodies around them now that there was no more threat. She looked up at Thena, "Deviants tend to mimic the wildlife the planet already sustains. But these are...they seem almost alien, like-"

"Us," Thena concluded, making Sersi nod her head with some reluctance. She looked out to the horizon, where the rest of the Fighters were already gathering along the front of the attack. "I must see to them."

Sersi merely nodded. She wasn't a Fighter, but even she had need to join the fray with the attacks were as dense as they were becoming. It was relatively early in their mission, but the more humans flourished, the more protection they needed. She squinted, "is that them?"

Ikaris was always easy to spot soaring well above everything around them. Kingo was also running towards them, waving his arms about something.

Thena frowned, "what are they saying?"

"Run!"

Gilgamesh rose up, breaking the horizon line and coming down with sheer force, his fist opening up the earth beneath him.

Kingo barely had enough distance to escape the minor earthquake, rolling and tumbling from it. Thena jerked in reaction but Sersi held her arm.

"What's happening?"

Gilgamesh continued his pursuit of them though, using his strength and concentrating it into different parts of his body to use as propulsion. He was launched forward, catching Kingo in his escape and raising his fist.

"Gil!" Ikaris swooped down, knocking him away from the Sharpshot Eternal. His eyes charged.

"No!" Thena launched herself up and into Ikaris' path, grappling onto him with a weapon and dragging them both away from Gilgamesh. "Don't hurt him!"

"Thena!" Ikaris roared at her like a pest on his back. He tossed her off, not bothering to return to the ground while the threat was still so present.

"What has done this?!" she demanded of her brother, keeping her eyes on Gilgamesh. Blank eyes took her in, assessing the new threat she posed.

"We don't know!" Kingo protested as he scrambled to his feet (and behind Thena). "One minute he was fine, then one of those things let out this sound--awful buzzing sound, really, then-"

"Kingo!" she barked at him, backing up slightly as Gilgamesh took slow, unfocused steps in their direction. He was the Strongest Eternal for a reason, and any one of them needed to exercise caution.

"I-I don't know!" he flailed again, faced down with the strongest of his brothers approaching like some mindless beast. "We all were fine but then Gil started acting weird."

"He is under some sort of influence," Thena concluded, as half-baked an assumption as it was. But Gilgamesh would never willingly turn on them like this. She kept her eyes on his, not that they were really looking at her. "He would never do this."

He would never raise a hand against her willingly.

Thena brought up her shield, catching the otherwise unstoppable fist of the Strongest Eternal. They both dug their feet in, the ground cracking beneath them. She held him at bay. "Leave us!"

Ikaris had already done so, taking Sersi away from danger at the first sign of an enemy he couldn't defeat singlehandedly.

"No way, T!" Kingo responded, bracing her from behind to help her not be pushed back by Gilgamesh's sheer strength.

"Go!" she snapped at him, keeping her eyes through the lights of her shield and on the enemy...on Gilgamesh. "Find Phastos--Ajak! Find a way to undo this!"

She knew Kingo was reluctant; he was actually very protective of all of them, despite his powers being most effective with some distance between himself and the enemy.

"I can handle him," she said more quietly. Her arms were starting to tire.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Kingo muttered before letting go of her and rounding around Gil's side. He fired a few shots at the ground between them, creating somewhat of a dust cover. "Kari!"

A bolt of gold zoomed through the area, nearly impossible to see at all. She zipped Kingo away and then she was there. Thena spared her the briefest of glances. "I don't know what this is. But we can't hurt him."

He was still Gilgamesh.

Makkari tapped her on the shoulder. Thena did her best to look at her. He's vibrating.

She frowned. Makkari would know, though. Kingo had said that the Deviant on their end had let out some wretched sound and then this had happened.

Gil pushed harder and Thena increased the surface area of her shield, bracing it with her knee as well. She was growing tired of this. "Kari, did you feel a bigger vibration earlier?--some kind of sound or signal?"

Makkari was just as quick mentally as she was physically, looking at Gil and connecting the dots offered by her fellow Fighter. She placed her hand on the inside of Thena's shield, vibrating every cell in her body through it.

Gilgamesh drew back, gripping his head and roaring in agony from it.

"Gil!"

He gripped his head in his hands until he was on his knees. He drew back and smashed his head against the ground.

"Gilgamesh!" She hadn't even realised she had called out the first time, but this second time, Makkari held her back from going to him.

Gil slammed his head down again.

"Stop it!" Thean shouted, not that she could know if he could hear her or not.

His teeth were gritted together. "Run."

"Gil," she pleaded again--practically whimpered as her throat grew tight. She hated to see him like this.

It was early in the mission, sure. But she knew Gilgamesh, knew how kind and sweet and gentle he was by nature. This wasn't like him. She pulled against Makkari, who was letting her feet impact the ground to hold her back. "Please!"

"Thena!"

Makkari's head snapped up and just like that, she was running them away from him.

"Makkari, please!" Thena tried to reason with her sister as Gil got further away and then suddenly vanished from sight. Being transported by Makkari was always hard on the senses. "W-We can't-"

"Thena."

She turned, the rest of her team - her family - already standing by the Domo. She eyed Ajak, walking towards her a little too calmly. "You are going to leave him out there?"

"He's too dangerous, Thena," Phastos chimed in (from his safer distance). "We have to wait it out a little."

Thena's eyes hardened at her team. "You are abandoning him to this...sickness?"

Ajak had a strange look on her face as she closed the distance between them. Thena never liked that look--like she knew something and wasn't divulging everything. "The risk is too great, Thena. We have to let him get it out of his system. Give it time."

Thena looked back to the battlefield, fully able to sense the lingering presence of one of their own. She watched and listened; dirt dusted up and if she really concentrated she could hear him, still wailing like a beast looking for a fight.

Makkari looked between them all, moving to be seen by everyone's vantage point. Interrupting the vibrations worked. I can-

"We can't risk you," Ajak smiled at her, then looked to Thena's half-turned shoulder, "either of you."

Phastos also half turned, but towards the comfort of their ship. "Let him tire himself out, T. We'll go get him then."

"He's just out there swinging at nothing, right?" Sprite added in far too light a tone for the actual goings on. "Let him."

Druig said nothing but also disappeared into the sanctuary of the Domo. Makkari looked at him, shaking her head, but it did not persuade him to stay.

"I promise, Thena," Ajak said in that slow, lyrical way she had. "We will go to him as soon as the threat has passed."

Thena stood resolute against the skyline, watching over Gilgamesh as best she could. "You may abandon him if you see fit. I will not."

Sersi was the last one to leave, hovering between the lines of staying and saying something and joining the rest of her fellow Thinkers. In the end, Ikaris pulled her inside by the hand.

Makkari nodded at her and then at Thena.

"No," she responded to the question never asked. She looked up again, unable to pull herself away from the thought of Gilgamesh left alone with only the violence in his own mind. "I'll stay."

And so she sat herself down, on the ground, watching until there was no sign of movement, listening until his agony had quieted. And then she began the journey back to him.

[mayamidnightmelody]

The Eternals, a group of superhuman beings created by Jack Kirby in 1976 for Marvel Comics, have long been an integral part of the Marvel Universe. Known for their immense powers, ancient origins, and complex mythologies, the Eternals have captured the imagination of comic book readers for decades. In 2021, Marvel Studios brought these characters to the big screen in the film "Eternals," directed by Chloé Zhao. This article delves into the differences and similarities between the movie and the comics, examining how the film adapts and reinterprets the rich source material.

Origins and Creation

Comics

In the comics, the Eternals were created by the Celestials, god-like beings who visited Earth millions of years ago. They performed genetic experiments on early humanity, resulting in three distinct groups: the Eternals, the Deviants, and baseline humans. The Eternals were granted near-immortality and vast powers, which they used to protect humanity from the destructive Deviants.

Jack Kirby's original vision was heavily influenced by mythology, science fiction, and his earlier work on the New Gods for DC Comics. The Eternals were presented as almost god-like figures themselves, with a rich tapestry of stories intertwining their existence with the myths and legends of human history.

Movie

The film adaptation retains the essential elements of the Eternals' origin, including their creation by the Celestials. However, it expands and reinterprets these elements to fit within the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The Eternals in the movie are sent to Earth to protect humanity from the Deviants, following the orders of the Celestial Arishem. The film emphasizes their role in guiding and observing humanity throughout history, contributing to the development of civilization while adhering to their mandate not to interfere directly in human conflicts.

Characters and Relationships

Comics

The core group of Eternals in the comics includes Ikaris, Sersi, Thena, Makkari, Ajak, Gilgamesh, Sprite, and others. Each character has a distinct personality, power set, and role within the group. For instance, Ikaris is often portrayed as the noble and powerful leader, while Sersi is known for her hedonistic and adventurous nature. Thena, inspired by the Greek goddess Athena, is a fierce warrior and scholar.

The relationships among the Eternals are complex and often strained. Despite their immortality and shared mission, they have different views on their purpose and how to interact with humanity. These differences lead to internal conflicts and evolving dynamics over time.

Movie

The movie introduces a diverse cast of Eternals, retaining many of the key characters from the comics but with some notable changes. The gender and ethnicity of several characters are altered to create a more inclusive and representative ensemble. For example, Ajak, originally a male character in the comics, is portrayed by Salma Hayek, and Makkari, traditionally male, is reimagined as a deaf female character played by Lauren Ridloff.

The film delves deeply into the relationships and emotional lives of the Eternals. Ikaris (Richard Madden) and Sersi (Gemma Chan) share a central romantic subplot, highlighting the tension between duty and personal desire. Thena (Angelina Jolie) and Gilgamesh (Don Lee) have a profound bond, forged through their shared experiences and Gilgamesh's role as Thena's protector. The film also explores Sprite's (Lia McHugh) struggle with eternal youth and the limitations it imposes on her desire for a normal life.

Themes and Motifs

Comics

The Eternals comics explore themes of immortality, duty, and the nature of godhood. Kirby's storytelling delves into the philosophical implications of living for millennia and the burden of immense power. The Eternals' interactions with humans raise questions about free will, interference, and the ethics of their protective role.

The mythological underpinning of the Eternals' stories is a significant motif. Kirby weaves elements from various mythologies, creating a rich tapestry that connects the Eternals to the gods and heroes of ancient cultures. This connection to mythology enhances the grandeur and epic scope of their adventures.

Movie

The film adaptation retains many of these themes but adapts them to resonate with contemporary audiences. The theme of duty versus personal desire is prominent, as the Eternals grapple with their mission to protect humanity while longing for personal fulfillment and connections.

The film also emphasizes diversity and inclusion, reflecting modern societal values. The diverse cast and varied backgrounds of the characters underscore the universal nature of the Eternals' story, suggesting that heroism and virtue are not confined to a single culture or ethnicity.

Another central theme in the movie is the concept of faith and questioning authority. The Eternals' blind obedience to the Celestials is challenged, leading to a critical examination of their purpose and the morality of their actions. This theme aligns with broader narratives in the MCU, where characters often grapple with the responsibilities and consequences of their powers.

Visual and Stylistic Differences

Comics

Jack Kirby's art in the original Eternals comics is iconic, characterized by his dynamic compositions, bold lines, and imaginative designs. The visual style is grand and operatic, reflecting the epic scale of the Eternals' stories. Kirby's use of intricate details and cosmic imagery creates a sense of awe and wonder, befitting the god-like nature of the characters.

Subsequent artists who have worked on Eternals comics have brought their own styles to the series, but the grandeur and mythic quality established by Kirby remain a consistent visual thread.

Movie

Chloé Zhao's "Eternals" brings a distinct visual and stylistic approach to the MCU. Known for her work on intimate, character-driven dramas, Zhao combines this sensibility with the epic scope of a superhero film. The cinematography, by Ben Davis, captures sweeping landscapes and grandiose celestial imagery, creating a sense of scale and majesty.

The film's visual effects bring the Eternals' powers to life in a way that is both spectacular and grounded. The design of the Celestials is particularly impressive, maintaining their awe-inspiring presence from the comics while integrating them seamlessly into the film's aesthetic.

Zhao's approach to storytelling is more contemplative and character-focused than typical MCU fare, allowing for deeper exploration of the Eternals' internal struggles and relationships.

[lovelyfanatical]

I Get a Sugar Rush Whenever I'm With You - Chapter 5.3

Happy Friday fellow Drukkari stans, or whatever day it is for you! I'm on a roll with the updates apparently. If you missed the last mini-chapter and need to catch up, you can find that here, or you can go back to the very beginning here. The remaining Eternals have officially joined the friend group, so group scenes are about to get even more chaotic! So, without further ado, here's the next installment of Drukkari in the Great British Bake Off!

It was only right that the rest of the competitors be invited to dinner. Sadly, Sprite’s mom thought it better for her to get an early night, and Phastos was too tired to stay up with them, even if the days were getting slightly shorter. But Gilgamesh was more than willing to join, having heard about their weekly soirées.

“Frankly, I was a little offended I wasn’t invited sooner,” he joked with them that evening.

It is a very exclusive group, Makkari responded with mock seriousness.

“Yes, so exclusive that we let everyone in,” Sersi added with a smile.

“Well, as many as we could fit in one room,” Ajak interjected. Despite the extra invitations, Druig really wasn’t sure how they would’ve fit any more attendees short of having them eat on the bed. Ajak didn’t seem like she would appreciate that. “But you could’ve just asked. That’s what I did!”

“Really? I thought it was like a secret club. Members only,” Gil said, which drew a few chuckles.

“To be fair, I thought the same thing at first,” Sersi conceded. “I only joined after Druig invited me.”

“Is that how it happened?” Dane asked, his demeanor polite but an ever so slight uneasiness in his face. Druig almost thought he imagined it until he saw Makkari looking between him and Dane curiously.

“Yeah, I told you about it, remember?” Sersi continued. “When I asked for his macaron recipe. He gave me the copy at dinner, which is how I got in.”

“Oh, right,” he replied. While Sersi seemed oblivious to it, Druig could still feel something slightly off in Dane’s usually cheerful personality. Before he could dwell on it, Makkari quickly signed, Speaking of recipes, how did you come up with that yuzu and matcha éclair recipe, Gilgamesh?

“I was wondering about that, too!” Ajak joined in. “I’ve never had those together.”

“They looked incredible, like straight of a pâtisserie,” Druig added.

Gilgamesh was more than happy to talk about his éclairs. As he interpreted for her, Druig could tell that Makkari wasn’t really listening to Gil’s story, her eyes drifting back to Dane and Sersi. Guess he’d have to ask her about this abrupt change in topic later, he thought, as Gil finished his story.

“That’s amazing, Gil! You really should open your own bakery when this is all over,” Ajak said, a subtle smile tugging at her lips. “People would come from all over!”

“That’s kind of you to say,” he replied, suddenly bashful.

“She’s completely right, though,” Sersi interjected. “Those éclairs would definitely go viral on Instagram.”

Sersi’s an expert at Instagram, I’d believe her if I were you! Makkari added.

“Well, if she’s the expert, I guess I have to listen,” Gil joked good naturedly. “Can’t do anything yet, though. I’ve got to win this competition first!”

This provoked some surprised sputters from the table.

“Woah, those are fighting words!” Druig admonished, trying and failing to hold back his grin.

“Hey, I am playing to win,” Gil continued. “I thought I’d have this week’s Star Baker in the bag until I saw your éclairs.”

“Mine were alright, but I don’t know if they were Star Baker level,” Druig tried to brush off. He narrowly avoided the piece of bread Makkari threw at him.

“Hey, no throwing food!” Ajak scolded, but Makkari wasn’t listening.

I beg to differ! Those éclairs were a triumph! she said, making each of her movements very sharp and deliberate. And thanks for bringing them up again, now I’ll be craving them.

“Sorry,” he mumbled sheepishly.

“Now I really wish I’d gotten to try them,” Sersi said with a sigh.

“Don’t forget you got second in the technical,” Ajak chimed in. “Gil’s right. I think this might be your week, Druig!”

Druig swore up and down that it was a fluke (custard tarts were another one of his specialties), but the rest of the group was not having it. So, he held his hands up in surrender as they continued to heap praise on him, along with a few good-natured jabs. In truth, he had been more worried about just staying in the competition, not necessarily winning. Up until now, getting Star Baker had been the last thing on his mind. But after the day he’d just had, he was wondering if it really could be in reach.

-

As they were leaving Ajak’s room for the night, Druig hung back and tapped Makkari’s shoulder. Can I walk you back to your room? he asked, and she gave a small nod. As they let the others get further away, he turned to her to ask, So, was Dane acting weird earlier?

Makkari’s eyebrows shot up at the memory, and she replied, Uh, if you consider being jealous the same as being weird, then yes!

Druig felt his eyebrows furrowing as he simply signed, Jealous?

At this, Makkari gave him a pointed look. When his expression remained confused, she halted in her tracks, grabbing his sleeve so he’d stop too. You really don’t know what I’m talking about?

No, he confirmed. Jealous of what?

Her palm went straight to her forehead, after which she vehemently signed, Of you, stupid!

Druig’s mind took another second to put the pieces together, his eyes going wide once he finally realized. He thinks… me and Sersi? was all he could get out.

At this, Makkari doubled over laughing. It went on for a good minute as Druig tried to wrap his head around this new information. When Makkari finally recovered somewhat, still wiping tears from her eyes from laughing so hard, he asked, Why would he even think that?

You really don’t know that either? she signed incredulously. She was fighting off another laugh attack, but she calmed herself long enough to say, Well, when a man learns the woman he likes was asked out by another man—

It was a group dinner! Druig interrupted.

Yes, but Sersi said you invited her, not the group, she continued. And while Dane may have been oblivious to Ikaris, he’s watched you, me, and the others get closer to Sersi over the past few weeks. It’s not that big of a leap for him to think he may have competition.

From me? Druig asked, still in disbelief.

Well, you are the other young, handsome single guy at dinner, she signed matter-of-factly. I’m sure he would’ve had the same reaction to any other single person in your position.

Druig nodded thoughtfully as he mulled over this explanation. Then, in an instant, the realization of what she’d said hit him. You think I’m handsome?

Makkari’s eyes widened, as if just realizing what she’d said herself. As she averted her gaze and thought about how to answer him, Druig thought he noticed her beginning to blush. He’d really caught her off guard.

Well, yes, she finally answered, her eyes finding his again. He was beginning to smirk when she surprised him again by punching him in the arm. Don’t let it go to your head. You won’t win Star Baker tomorrow if you’re too busy thinking how handsome you are.

Yes, milady, he replied, unable to stop himself from chuckling even if his arm did hurt. They’d already arrived at her door, so they said goodnight and she slipped inside. Druig was grinning all the way back to his own room.

-

Fun fact: The Eternals writers considered making the love triangle between Sersi, Ikaris, and Druig but decided not to. Anyway, let me know what you think!

Part 17

[hughiecampbelle]

Imagine Ajak trusting you enough to put you in charge:

This was too much.

Too much power, too much responsibility. You barely knew how to communicate with Arishem, let alone figure out how to save the planet. Everyone was looking to you for answers, why would she do this? Why would she trust you? There were a number of far better candidates standing in front of you, asking you what you saw. You weren't leader material. You didn't demand respect like the others, hell you couldn't make anyone do anything even if you tried. You hung in the background, virtually invisible. You spoke only when you felt it was necessary. You were perfectly happy sharing silent side-eyes and the occasional wink with teammates behind the others backs. You showed up, you did your job well, you were fair and just. That was all. You weren't loud, and you couldn't make any decisions under pressure. They watched you with pleading eyes, first out of curiosity, then concern. Say anything, they begged, but you were at a loss for words. This had to be some cruel joke. It had to.

Ajak knew what she was doing, though. Whether or not you believed her was on you. You'd always been shy, watching from the sidelines, but that didn't make you stupid. That didn't make you ignorant. If anything, it put you above the rest. You were observant, you knew what they were all thinking, and you never got in over your head. She loved all of you as if you were own, but the world couldn't wait for them to collect themselves after their emotional outbursts. It was running out of time. You'd always underestimated your abilities, no matter what she said. Now you'd have to come to terms with the fact that you weren't who you thought you were. That you were just as powerful, if not more so, because of all that time you spent watching, and waiting. She hoped you'd be able to trust your instincts, trust yourself, and do what you thought was right. In all the time she's known you, you have never once strayed from your beliefs. The world could really use that right about now.