#also the whole time i was surprised like oh hank died first actually??? well not Died. but damn
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Peter Maximoff’s complicated relationship with Star Wars
Summary: Peter didn't like Star Wars. But not because they were bad movies, no. It's because they somehow were very similar to his own life, and they also showed him what might have been, had his twin lived long enough. This is the story of Peter Maximoff, told through the many similarities between the original trilogy and his own life.
*All Star Wars quotes are in italics*
Peter doesn’t like Star Wars
Don’t get him wrong, the movies are great. The first movie had come out when he was 22 years old, and he had found it amazing. He had never seen anything like it before and had sneaked into the movie theater to rewatch it with his twin several times.
‘I need your help, Luke.’
It was almost ironic how his life resembled some parts of the movie. Both he and Wendy had some characteristics of Luke and Leia. He was the goofball, the one who had been recruited to break someone out of an impenetrable prison. Hell, Charles could be Obi-Wan, the old wizard with strange mind control powers (though he didn’t have them at the time), Hank was Chewbacca, the fierce beast who was loyal to his family, and then the claw guy, Logan, was Han Solo. The dark-haired man with a don’t-mess-with-me attitude that would shoot you down without hesitation. That made him Luke, the farm boy that was raised isolated, unaware of the true danger. Only difference was that Erik wasn’t Leia, no he was Vader. Wendy was Leia, the fierce, loud mouthed, badass princess that didn’t let anyone boss her around.
They had loved the first movie, but then tragedy struck. His twin’s powers were always unpredictable, always on the verge of lashing out. He had tried to help as much as he could, but just a few months after their 23rd birthday, it was too much for Wendy to bear. She lost control and died, taking half a block with her. Peter did his best to carry on, but their lost connection was all he could feel. The aching emptiness that had always been occupied by his twin sister. It took awhile, but he did eventually go see the second Star Wars. It was... a bittersweet experience to say the least.
Seeing the big bad Vader being related to Luke really did a number on him. All he could think about was the fact that he too was related to a literal terrorist. Someone who had hurt hundred of people and would probably not hesitate to hurt him as well. And then it was revealed that Luke and Leia shared a connection, where they could hear each other and feel each other, and it just overwhelmed him. Minus the kissing (ew, that was gross, why did they even include that?!) Luke and Leia’s relationship reminded him of his and Wendy’s.
That’s why he wasn’t surprised when they were revealed to be twins in the next movie.
Actually, he had been surprised, but more about the fact that his grief took over for a moment. Seeing Leia try to reason with Luke, telling him that nothing good would come out of chasing Vader, their father... that was a conversation that had really happened after their mom told them who exactly was Magneto. Peter had decided to chase Erik down the moment he had resurfaced.
‘I won't fail - I'm not afraid.’
‘Oh, you will be. You will be.’
His mom had warned him about Magneto, how nothing good came out of chasing ghosts, but he had to try. A confrontation with the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Cloud city The mansion was full of people, and the place was exploding. He saved them all (minus one), of course, because that’s what he did. Why be a speedster if you can’t save people from catastrophe?
‘Luke, don't - it's a trap!’
Yeah, it had been a trap, alright. But unlike Luke, he hadn’t had Leia to warn him. So, the carbon freezing chamber knock out gun had worked. That’s how he ended up captured by the government and woke up in a weird green room. The others, he could understand why they were taken, they seemed to know the man holding them, but why him? Peter was of no interest to them. Unless they knew he was related to Magneto and planned to use him as a bargaining chip, but it seemed unlikely.
Then, they were freed and, on their way to confront En Sabah Nur, or as Hank had described him, the blue god. He had told Raven about his relationship with Erik, and she promised him that she would make sure she would tell him.
‘There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you.’
The cold, cold eyes of Magneto were staring at him with something that seemed almost like interest. “And you?”
‘I am your father.’
It was right there, a perfect opportunity served on a silver platter. An opportunity to make Erik realize he wasn’t alone, that he had more family. Perhaps he’d turn back to the light side if he knew. “I’m your-“
But it was Wendy who was the brave one, she was the chosen one. She never would have hesitated. And he wasn’t his sister. “I’m here for my family too.”
It was all sad and tragic because his life was just like that. He could feel Raven’s eyes on him, she couldn’t understand why he hadn’t told him, but she couldn’t know about Wendy. It was his own painful secret.
With how similar his life was to Luke’s he wasn’t sure why he was even surprised when he got his hand cut off leg broken. Then, there he was, trying to hold on to consciousness as shock settled into his body.
‘Hear me! Leia!’
Oh, how he wished Wendy were here. She would have destroyed them. Peter would have done anything for his twin to answer, like Leia did with Luke. But she was dead, there was no one to answer him. Just the cobwebs of their broken connection and the burning pain of his leg. He didn’t really care what happened next, he was all too focused on getting his message to his long-lost sister. He didn’t really believe in a higher power, of some all-powerful entity that somehow watched over everyone. He did, however, believe in Wendy, his strong, beautiful, powerful sister.
‘I would have preferred her too’
The blue God’s voice resonated in his head, catching him off guard. No one had ever reached in his mind like that, Wendy only could because of their connection.
‘If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will.’
Would his father have tried recruiting Wendy for his brotherhood? Yeah, definitely. She would have been the true last hope. A daughter to be proud about. One with abilities beyond anything anyone had ever seen. One that truly would have saved everyone, hell, she would have prevented the mansion from exploding and never would have been captured in the first place. The blue god looked at him with disdain in his eyes and Peter knew it didn’t mean anything good. He tried to crawl away, but in his current position, that did absolutely nothing.
‘It is pointless to resist, my son.’
En Sabah Nur grabbed him by the hair and tugged, holding him painfully upright and vulnerable. He’d always hated staying still, he was always too full of energy, always eager to chase after the next distraction.
Peter looked up at his father, trying to see if he would do anything, but he saw nothing but indifference. Magneto didn’t care about him. He was an insignificant mutant, a face amongst a thousand others. Soon to be counted amongst the hundred of corpses that Erik had seen in his life.
‘Now, young Skywalker...you will die.’
The god pulled his head back sharply, exposing his throat. “End him.”
One of his horsemen was approaching him with a sharp sword. Peter was slightly thankful that it wasn’t his dad that was chosen to be his executioner. His powers had kicked in, trying to give him an opportunity to escape. But it only made his imminent doom even worse.
Then, he didn’t die, and the hope of seeing his twin again was brushed aside for another near-death situation. As it turned out, Raven was a great person when the son of her friend was in danger.
En Sabah Nur let him go too quickly to focus on the blue mutant. He gasped and writhed as he fell to the ground as electricity pain coursed through his body. The blue god didn’t care about him, he continued calling for Charles, calling for his true target.
‘Father! Help me!’
He should cry out like Luke did, there was no way Magneto would act if he didn’t. Then again, he didn’t have a clue who he was. It was doubtful he remembered him from the Pentagon, it had been nearly 10 years and Erik had had a whole other family since. He was just the nameless idiot that got a big head and tried to take on a god and got defeated like a loser.
In the end, they were all fine, just a little shaken. Erik gave him a weird look, either he pitied him, or he was wondering what he had wanted to tell him. But Peter was on the verge of passing out, there was no way he could hold a conversation at the moment. They came back to the mansion and Peter decided to stay, maybe getting out of his isolation wouldn’t be so bad.
So, even if his life was similar to Star Wars, in its turns and tragedy, it wasn’t even close to how the trilogy ended. The scruffy Han never came back, Obi-wan wasn’t next to a redeemed Anakin (he just left all together) and Leia wasn’t at his side anymore. A happy ending wasn’t something that happened in real life. Everything he wanted resolved wasn’t wrapped neatly into a bow. He still had his loads of daddy issues caused by a father who didn’t know was a father and Wendy, his amazing long gone twin still wasn’t at his side. Peter figured that some good would eventually come to him, it couldn’t be all bad, right?
‘This is our most desperate hour.’
He had faith in that, so, when he was woken up by a burning sensation in his chest, he did his best to understand. The pain was so familiar, it was grief. But not his grief, no, this came from the connection he shared with his twin.
“Wanda?” he called out. Using her real name because she was calling to him. Because she needed him. Because she was somewhere all alone.
“I had a brother, his name was… Pietro.”
It was painful for her to talk about him, so he made sure to let her know through their bond that he was there for her, she just had to reach out. Wanda was confused to feel him, but her scarlet magic soon opened a portal. It might be a trap, there was no way to be certain, but Peter trusted his sister. He took and deep breath and ran into the portal without hesitation. She was alone and she was suffering, it was his job as her twin to help her.
‘Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.’
#peter maximoff#pietro maximoff#Erik Lehnsherr#star wars#marvel#x men#marvel fanfiction#x men fanfiction#quicksilver#wendy maximoff#wanda maximoff#x men apocalypse#Charles Xavier#Evan Peters#Michael Fassbender#dadneto#wandavision
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just because you’re afraid it doesn’t mean you’re broken.
Titans 3.05
once more into the cold dark void of the internet with my stream-of-consciousness take on a superhero tv show...
spoilers ahead.
1. i cannot believe that among the first things i get to hear in this episode with my own two ears is the line 'eluded our overdudes'. why must you give me such pain along with so much joy, show?
1.5. scarecrow stringing jason along on this path to red-hood-dom is not something i would’ve ever expected, but does kind of make sense.
1.55. i don’t know all the details of the original resurrection arc in the comics but i like that jason, weirdly, has a greater role to play in his own demise and rebirth? i think it makes it easier to draw a line between his past trauma, the demonstrably shitty and terrifying responsibility of being robin, the ways bruce and the titans wronged him, his responses to that, the reasons he turns to scarecrow, and his final evolution to red hood. it makes for a smoother character arc rather than a one that was interrupted for two decades before somebody went oh hey let’s resurrect that kid that the audience once voted to kill and make him an anti-hero!
1.75. what’s crane giving him? anti fear toxin? anyway, crane is a fucking creep and i’m not sure i want to see a whole lot of him on my screen.
2. oh, um, heads up: there’s a long sequence of unsteady cam + flickering lights right after the title card upto the 3:16 mark. it’s a bit headache-inducing so if you want to skip, you can go ahead and do that.
2.45. that’s... weird... why would he dream about... donna...
ok, who am i kidding. i’m going to jump right into my theory about Why Titans Makes Sense Actually because the show itself is apparently not interested in explaining itself:
a) it makes no sense for jason to be conjuring up donna--who famously did not care much for him!--in his dreams. (he wasn’t even there when she died.) or for her to be telling him don’t go or there’s still time.
b) this leads me to think that that’s actually donna, in some sort of limbo between life and death, the kind of place where jericho used to be
c) rachel has demonstrated that she has the power to link the minds of the titans across great distances--she called jason and hank/dawn for help in 2.01, she linked up everybody later in the season, projected dick’s hallucination of his father into their brains without even realising she was doing it, and in the finale, she managed to get dick into conner’s brain. she’s in themyscira now. is this how she gets donna back to life? but reaching out to her in that non-space between life and death?
d) the next obvious question is: why isn’t donna appearing in the dreams of the other titans? she probably is, but they have better reason to be dreaming about her since they were actually close to her, unlike jason.
e) but why would she warn jason in particular? does she foresee jason entering the afterlife--however briefly? does she have an idea of what jason plans to do and what he will become?
f) anyway, more trippy mindscapes and weird psychic powers, yay!
2.5. my heart clenched when bruce comforted jason post-nightmare: clearly i’ve been reading way too much batfam fic. this is a side of bruce we haven’t really been told to expect by all the characters on the show calling him a ‘psychopath’ (*cough*unreliablenarrators*cough*) and him getting jason to speak to a professional speaks volumes about the kind of self-reflection he’s done post dick’s departure, and maybe some of the regrets he has with regards to how he dealt with dick’s traumas.
i mean, just look at him when jason dismisses his concerns! BRUCE IS TRYING JASON
anyway, i have a whole lot more i want to say about this, but i’ll save it for later.
also: LESLIE THOMPKINS!!!!
3. i really like molly--and i love that she’s a friend from before jason got taken in by bruce, the implication that they meet up regularly and that she’s a grounding influence on him (tho clearly not grounding enough to not go along with his dumbass idea about confronting a child trafficker alone).
3.5. aw, jason. robin was his armour against everything in the world that would throw him down and chew him to bits, but san francisco proved that even robin wasn’t enough to protect him. it’s really interesting how ‘disillusionment with the idea of robin’ is so integral to the traumas of both dick and jason but in such different ways.
4. LESLIE!!!!!!! i even forgive her office being so goddamn blue because leslie!
4.5. it makes so much sense for titans!verse leslie to be a therapist, because this show is so inward looking anyway, and therapist sessions are a useful tool to showcase this character work in a story. besides, at least in fanfic, leslie often seems to double up as a counsellor anyway.
4.6. oh man. i’m not terribly convinced by walters’ red hood (tho i think that may be the point--argh. i’ll come back to this thought later. have to stop getting distracted!) but he plays the asshole kid that’s trying not to let any real emotion seep through really well.
“you’d like me to punch you, wouldn’t you”
5. not sure what to think of batman’s little trophy case other than the show winking unsubtly at us and going look look - catwoman! the riddler! two face! you excited yet?! it’s like the scene from the end of amazing spiderman 2 when they were trying to drum up excitement for a sinister six spinoff by having harry osborne walk by a bunch of display cases with stuff from iconic villains in them.
... but then again, bruce does like to display a lot of shit in his batcave, including his dead robin’s bloodstained costume, so.
5.5. bruce is so soft with jason it’s killing me. beyond just trying to learn from his mistakes with dick, it speaks to his own genuine desire to balance his dedication to gotham with doing the best by his sons, although he’s often not successful with that.
i love that titans is really playing the long game with bruce wayne, with each season and character-perspective sliding in fresh pieces of a bigger puzzle. titans’ bruce has always been a phantom of other peoples’ making, but now we’re getting the idea that he’s a whole lot more complicated than other people make it seem.
5.75. it really recontextualises some of his actions from previous seasons: the fact that he locked dick out of his security systems in 1.06 is likely his way of respecting dick’s independence and his desire not to be associated with batman/gotham anymore. jason knowing about bruce’s tracker while dick doesn’t is probably bruce trying to be more honest and upfront with his charges. bruce sending jason packing off to sanfran to spend time with the titans is probably not him passing on a big responsibility to dick (as i first uncharitably thought) but him trying to get jason out of the toxic influence of gotham for a while and a sign of his trust in dick as a leader and a mentor,
5.8. i mean, bruce is a prick, but he’s also human.
6. i think leslie is doing some good work with jason here, though she may have overstepped the line with her line about robin as a construct being projected by a man with BPD. her speculations about bruce’s diagnosis have no place in her session with jason, and if bruce confides in her, an egregious violation of patient-therapist confidentiality.
(about the diagnosis itself... i don’t know. i can’t really confirm or refute this without a whole lot more information, and i’m not sure if the writer of this episode means BPD in the same way an actual professional might.)
6.5. i think a huge thing that gets missed out in a lot of recent comics as well as movies/shows is that bruce didn’t create the robin persona out of whole cloth. dick did. he’s the starting point of that legacy and to call it entirely bruce’s creation is blatant erasure of that. in fact, i’m surprised that dick doesn’t feature more in the conversations they’re having about the pressures of being robin. after all, the guy had been robin--bruce’s partner--for such a long time before jason.
6.8. (and here’s the primal part of me that resonates the deepest with dick grayson--the Eldest Daughter part--that’s sort of resentful: that jason gets the therapy and softness and the learning from mistakes when it took years and years for bruce to reach out in any meaningful way to dick.)
7. oooh that was a great scene!
it’s fun to do these stream-of-consciousness live reactions, because the moment you step down from your soapbox, the episode goes right into tackling what you were just complaining about. bruce means well, he’s learning, but he goes about exactly the wrong way to help jason: taking away robin now can’t be read by jason as anything but a devastating judgment call from bruce. and iain glen really sells the moment that bruce realises this--too late--and his helplessness in trying to get jason to see that it isn’t jason’s fault that he’s trying to do this. he loves jason enough that jason is enough.
7.5. aaaah so jason brings up the elephant in the room at last. dick got everything makes sense from his perspective, where getting to put on a costume and fight crime means approval, means being something stronger and better than you are. dick got to be robin, then nightwing, and a leader of a whole team of other costume-clad heroes.
8. ... how did jason just walk into arkham????? this is ridiculous.
8.3. i mean, clearly jason’s not thinking straight, but betraying batman like this puts his possibilities of being robin again even further away.
8.5. watching that chemistry experiment montage was strangely funny. this guy is looking for an antidote to fear? well, constantly mixing up and inhaling gases concocted by a mad-scientist supervillain is something only the very fearless--reckless to the point of foolishness!--would do. what’s to say crane’s not given you a formula for a drug that will keep you tethered to his every will and whim? hmmmm?
8.7. so he sought out the joker to... test the formula???
9. wow the “loud and clear... boss” hits different after a whole episode of them referring to each other as father and son.
9.3. waitwaitwait HOLD UP. wait a DANG MINUTE. you’re telling me that scarecrow had enough resources that he could not only have folks on the outside steal jason away and dunk him in a lazarus pit (i TOLD you that this show would bring up and dismiss ra’s al ghul in a ten second aside! I TOLD YOU) but also have his own little chemistry lab in the basement, AND have enough resources for jason to build his red hood persona???????? all of this in barely twenty four hours?
well there goes my ‘jason orchestrated his death’ theory. it was nice while it lasted. *cups hands to the sky* fly away, my baby.
9.6. a part of me is gleeful at the rushed nature of such an iconic transformation though, especially when compared to all the character work that went before it. we’re so used to getting the opposite that it’s fucking delightful to have a show that’s more interested in exploring its characters’ minds rather than battle scenes or recreating transformations from the comics. that’s taken such bold and exciting steps to fully convey all the nuances of its most recognisable character, bruce wayne, from casting an older actor to play him to unflinchingly showing just how damaging the vigilante lifestyle has been to him and the people he loves. BRILLIANT
*sporfle*
10. again, heads up: a whole lot of flashing lights between 40:28 and 42:00.
10.3. i guess it’s the super-compressed timeline that’s really throwing me off. where did he have the time to get/develop the mind control thing from? or is it something that he got from the cabal of villains that he intimidated at the beginning of 3.02? very messy.
10.5. i love molly, i hope she shows up again this season.
11. aaaand that’s it! that was a solid episode as flashback episodes go, but now i can’t wait to return to the present.
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Kinda angst I guess (but it has Zanaz so take that with a grain of salt)
Trying out writing a story this time.
I mean, yeah, I wrote for the comics, but not long dialog.
So yea, as per both the funni boys mature content warning. (There's no canoodling, there is talk of it tho.)
Also there's quite a bit of text (8 pages worth on Word)
So ye:
“Get up, I have some juicy gossip for you.”
...What?
I open my eyes and the world around me is blinding. It’s so bright that it takes a second to adjust to it. There’s nothing around me other than vast white and empty space.
This definitely isn’t Nevada anymore. (Unless Hank managed to ruin everything even further somehow.)
“Get up now, I know you heard me.”
I get up and look around. Who the hell is talking? There’s literally nothing but white for miles.
“I’m in your head, pretty boy.”
Uh, that…
“I’m holding my eyes closed, don’t worry. I regret ever having them open in here, in fact.”
Welp, that answers that. Now for the other question.
“Who I am is not important. What info I have, may be of interest, though.”
Alright?
“There’s a deal attached to this knowledge, Zanaz. Hear me out before you start fidgeting.”
I’ll sure try.
“You know Kits, right?”
No duh, he’s my best friend.
“Excellent. He’s going to die soon.”
…
What?! Wha, when, how, uh--
“Calm down, jitterbug. There’s nothing you can do to stop his fate, so don’t try. If he doesn’t die one way, another thing will go wrong. Understand?”
I-- NO! What the fuck?! Are you gonna kill him?!
“No, not me. I’m just sharing the news.”
Yeah, right, sure. Fucking… When then?
“Soon.”
How soon? In a month, week or a few days?
“Hm… A month then, give or take.”
...Fuck… How?
“Depends on what leads up to it.”
So, there are a lot of different ways it can happen, right?
“Indeed there are.”
...Do I die with him?
“No.”
NO?! In none of the different variations, I don’t die by his side?
“Oh, you can be by his side, of course. But death isn’t after you.”
What if I try to block a bullet, but it goes through both of us.
“Oddly specific. You’ll still survive.”
What if I block it with my head?!
“Brain damage, possible vegetable state. Will still survive though.”
What if Hank slices us with one of his multiple katanas?!
“People have lived through being sliced in half before.”
WHAT.
“This world has zombie clowns with god like powers and the AAHW is lead by a man consisting of black fire.”
...Ugh, fair enough. So… Wait those are all possible deaths for him?
“If you do everything in your power for it to happen, then yes.”
I… I can kill him before his time?
“Of course! You have free will, don’t you? It’s more of a question if you want to.”
Of course I fucking don’t! I care about him!
“I saw. You daydream about him an uncomfortable amount.”
He’s the main person I’m around, give me a break!
“Have you ever considered not being horny?”
Until I’m castrated, there’ll be nothing of the sorts.
“You’re not even fertile! None of the clones are!”
You think I’m tryna get anyone pregnant at this sausage fest? Besides, that has not stopped me before.
“I refuse to believe that any of those scenes I saw play out in your head happened for real.”
You’d be surprised then.
“WHICH?!?”
Those are for me to treasure.
“...You’re pulling my leg.”
Believe what you want.
“Augh, never mind, TMI. Back onto the topic at hand.”
Oh, yeah, right. Kit… Dying…
Could you for real not give me a date?
“If it depends on the circumstances beforehand, then there’s no possible way to tell which one belongs to this timeline.”
And that means…?
“I don’t know how this Kits dies.”
Can I at least warn him?
“Well, there’s where the other side of the deal comes in. If you tell him, then the effect kicks in immediately.”
What effect? Death?
“Precisely.”
...Ah. Wait, so if I don’t tell him, he dies in a month but if I do, he dies immediately? Of what?
“Stroke, heart attack or brain aneurysm. Chosen at random. Oh, also sneak assassination. That’s also a valid option.”
...This feels set up.
“Mh?”
This feels like either you or whoever sent you here set this up so I’d suffer. You enjoy the pain of others, don’t you?
“I’m only the messen--”
Yeah, yeah, Messenger Bullshit. Then whoever decided this is probably a reality tv producer, who is jacking off to someone pushing in the soft part of a baby’s skull as we speak. You encourage such behaviour by working with them, ya know.
“...Do you think you sound smart?”
I know for a fact I’m not, so no. I’m pretty sure I’m on the money with this one though.
“If I wasn’t here then Kits’ death would come as a surprise to you though!”
I’d prefer that, actually! Now I have to deal with knowing that he… He… Won’t be here anymore soon.
“Well, knowing how overwhelmingly perverted you are, wouldn’t you wanna grab this opportunity?”
...What?
“Shoot your shot, ask him out. Not like you could do it with a corpse… …Right…?”
I may be horny, but I’m not messed up.
“Had to make sure.”
Ugh, you’re just making fun of me, aren’t you?
“Which instance are you referring to?”
Kit would never date me.
“And why exactly do you think that?”
He has standards?
“You’re a decently handsome fellow. You also get along with him just fine.”
That… That’s not a determinant of shit like that. There’s way better out there for him.
“He won’t meet em then. Only a month to live, remember?”
I… It’s not worth it.
“What isn’t?”
I know he’ll say no, there’s no point in trying.
“How do you know for sure until you actually ask?”
Cause it’s obvious! He’s actually got a brain in his noggin and he knows me way too well! He’d be fucking disgusted, man! We’re just friends and that’s that.
“Do you not want to then?”
...Why do you assume I do? How do you know that those aren’t just blissful fantasies like the rest of them?
“He’s the only one that you dream of in a non-perverted way. I see no other person in this graphic landscape that you want to hold hands with. (Also, I am closing my eyes again now, Jebus Christoff.)”
...Ffffuck.
“Well, did hit the nail on the head?”
Y-You’re stupid and gay!
“I’m rubber, you’re glue.”
That doesn’t affect me, I’m already openly gay and stupid!
“I guess we’re both such then.”
Dammit.
“So, you gonna give him a month to remember or not?”
…Eh?
“Come on, how much romance could a member of the A.A.H.W. really experience throughout their lifetime? If you’d make this month worth his and your own time, perhaps it would be less painful to see him go? At least he died happy?”
THAT WOULD BE EXTRA PAINFUL FOR ME, THOUGH!
“Oop, Zanaz selfish, you heard it here first, folks.”
That’s not what I meant. I’d already be upset over losing my best friend, imagine how fucking devastating losing a sweetheart would be.
“…I dunno, still sounds selfish to me. Does his happiness not mean anything to you?”
Who says he’d be happy with me?
“I know you want to make him happy, at least. You dream about his smile.”
STOP FUCKING LOOKING THOUGH MY THOUGHTS!!
“I’m not looking anymore, I just memorized the ones I already saw. (I wish I couldn’t.)”
I- You- Fucking-- UggHHH! It’s not worth it!
“What exactly do you imagine will happen if you tell him how you feel, huh? World combusts?”
I already told you, he already knows way too much about me! He’d be fucking grossed out and we’ll… We’ll stop being friends.
He’d quicken his pace whenever we’d have to pass each other in one of the halls. He’d desperately keep his glance away from me. He’d… I’d stop being the main person he talks and comes to company for a-and I can’t fucking have that, man!
I-I wouldn’t be able to handle it. He means too much to me.
“…I had no idea you were this insecure.”
FUCK OFF! It’s a bitter reality that I’ve come to accept!
“You haven’t even given it a shot!”
You don’t need to get crushed by a piano to know you’d die on impact!
“Those two things don’t correlate even remotely!”
It’s a metaphor!
“I know that, I’m saying that Kits has a thing for you too!”
…He what?
“He has major league crush on you! The things you say when play-flirting excite him! He’s gotten off to the thought of you touching him up! The works! (Why did I word it like that?)”
Whuh-- How the fuck do you know this??
“While you were monologuing, I visited his subconscious and confirmed it for myself.”
You can do that??
“You don’t even know my name.”
...Fair nuff. So, wait, he’s actually gotten off thinking about me?
“I don’t even need to open my eyes to already know you’re imagining it. Short answer, yes. He’s into you, Zanaz.”
Augh, I dunno what to do with this info. It’s kinda... Overwhelming in a way.
Actually, wait, how do I know you haven’t been lying to me this whole time?
“I’m an incorporeal voice in your head that’s having a back and forth with you in a white void.”
Yeah, and?
“…I’m supernatural?”
Yeah, and?
“Come on! I just know, okay?!”
Sounds fake, not gonna lie.
“The part where I knew that Kits was gonna die was convincing, but the moment I mention that he might have a thing for you, you question the validity of my claims thus far??”
One sounds way more far-fetched than the other, you gotta admit.
“NO IT DOESN’T?!?!”
For you maybe! I’ve known him since I’ve been out the cloning tube! We became agents together! I think I’d know what kinda stuff is off the table for him, buddy.
“Well, not only are you wrong, you’re in denial.”
I am not!
“Then try it! Just attempt asking him out! In the very least, you’ll remain friends after. I promise you. Cross my heart and all that jazz.”
…
…You’re absolutely positive? You are also the person that told me he’d die in a month’s time.
“A hundred percent positive. I have never been more sure of anything in my life.”
You have a life?
“Unfortunately. So, you’ll do it?”
Why’re you so adamant about me fucking Kits?
“Affgdgfdgfg, it’s not about you fucking him, it’s you making his last living month worthwhile!”
Okay, so, why do you want me to do that?
“…Do you not??”
I mean, I guess that sounds worth my time. But you didn’t answer my question.
“Sorry for assuming that you want the person you’re madly in love with to be happy, I guess??”
Apology accepted. Now, how do I get outta here?
“Ugh, just wake up.”
Whu--
And I’m sitting up in my own mat, back at the facility. The clock shows that it’s early morning.
What the fuck do I make of what I just saw? Or heard, for that matter? It clearly wasn’t a normal dream, I never remember those. Plus the topic tends to blur together usually.
I gotta tell-- Wait, I can’t do that, fuck.
…
It’s way to early for shit like this, man!!
Augh…
#It's got pictures <:)#OC#Madness combat#I took my time with this one and like how it came out#Augh I had to even edit the text and shit on Tumblr...#I be like *gives Zanaz even more personality*#KitZan
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Madness Combat: Just Bros Being Dudes
AO3 Link:
(Hhh This Took A Long Ass While Lmao)
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Fandom: Madness Combat
Characters: Deimos, Sanford, Hank (Briefly), Jebus (Briefly), Tricky (Briefly)
Platonic Or Romantic?: Romantic Sanmos
Summary: Just A Normal Saturday In Nevada For The Boyfriends, Sanford And Deimos. They Also Share Their First Kiss With The Help Of Hank And Tricky Thanks To A Text Message. Also Deimos Makes A Lot Of Jokes, If You Know Them Then Congrats. :) If Not, That's Ok.
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The Sound Of The Alarm Clock Went Off At 8:00 AM, Causing Deimos To Wake Up From His Slumber. He Sat Up From The Sleeping Position He Was In And Yawned While Stretching Before Hitting The Snooze Button And Rubbing His Eyes. Looking Over To His Side, He Noticed Sanford Was Absent From His Side Of The Bed. It Was Cold, So He Had Been Probably Gone For A While Now. It Was Done Nicely Compared To The Smaller Man's Side Of The Bed, Which Was Very Messy.
Deimos Knew San Liked To Wake Up An Hour Or Two Earlier Than Him All The Time. He Did That Even If They Weren’t Being Bothered By The L33t / A.A.H.W (Agency Against Hank Wimbleton) Groups Anymore. Deimos Slipped On The Closest Pair Of Slippers He Had By The Bed And Headed Toward The Kitchen. There He Heard Pans Being Set Down On The Stove Or In The Sink To Be Washed Later And Bacon Sizzling In A Pan.
Sanford Was At The Stove Making Breakfast While Whistling One Of Their Favorite Songs. That Favorite Song Happened To Be Poker Face By Lady Gaga, Deimos Would Always Sing And Dance Happily To It While Sanford Watched And Laughed During Their Breaks In Between Missions. Deimos Instantly Smiled At The Sight Of His Boyfriend Being In A Good Mood On A Morning. Everyone Knew Sanford Wasn't Much Of A Morning Person, He Was Only Cheerful When He Knew He Was Going To Have A Good Day.
It Always Was Fun Going On Missions Together And Then Getting To Relax With Each Other Afterwards. They Loved To Chat And Goof Off With Each Other All The Time. The Smaller Man Quietly Shuffled Into The Kitchen Being Careful Not To Distract The Man Cooking And Sat Down In A Chair. Ford Smiled And Flipped The Pancakes In The Pan. San Turned Around To See His Beloved Boyfriend Sitting At The Table.
Sanford, Smug: “Enjoying The View, Dee?’
Deimos, Jumping In Surprise And Hiding His Face In Embarrassment: “U-Uh What? Yeah, I Like Roses. I Mean What-”
Sanford, Giggling A Bit: “What? Anyway, How Many Pancakes Do You Want?”
Deimos: “Ooo, Can I Have 4?”
Sanford Nods And Turns Around, Walking Back To The Stove To Continue Their Breakfast. Deimos Watched His Boyfriend With Love In His Eyes. Dee Loved Watching His Boyfriend Do Anything; He Even Has A Whole Photo Album Full Of...Just Sanford In Battle Poses, Laying Down, Sitting, Ect..
Sanford Knew About Deimos’s Pictures. He Didn’t Really Mind, It Was Just When They Got Posted Online And Girls Were Coming To The Posts and Simping For The Man In The Bandana. Cut Back To Deimos Looking At Sanford With Love In His Eyes, Dee’s Tablet Vibrated On The Table.
Deimos Quickly Picked It Up, And Saw It Was From Hank. His Panic Died Down A Bit, And He Just Stared At The Notification. Like Sanford, Hank Liked Getting Up Early So He Can Get Things Done. One Of Those Things Would Be Making Sure Tricky Wasn’t Eating All The Food In The Fridge. Tricky Normally Has To Be Fed At Least 8 Times A Day To Ease His Chaotic Nature For A Few Minutes At Most. Then Jebus Has To Look After Him For Safety Reasons.
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Hank: Deimos. Are You Up?
Hank: Deimos? It's 7:04 AM.
Hank: ?
Hank: Deimos??
Hank: Oh Yeah. I Forgot You Like To Sleep In
Hank: You're Probably Going To Wake Up At 8:30 AM, As Always.
Hank: Anyway, I Just Wanted To Say Tricky Misses You Guys. He Keeps Talking About You And He’s Wondering If You 2 Can Come Play With Him Later Today Or Tomorrow.
Hank: He's Happy You Two Are A Couple Now. He Bought A Gift For You Too.
Hank: Well….He Stole It, Then I Had To Pay For The Damage….AND The Gift
Hank: Also, Quick Question….Have You 2 Even Kissed Yet?
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There Was Silence For A Good 3 Seconds Until Deimos Screamed, Startling Sanford. The Tablet Fell On The Table Before Ford Could Even Reach His Boyfriend. The Man In The Bandana Hugged His Boyfriend To Calm Him. Ford Thought It Was Some Fangirl Who Messaged Him And Sent Something Gross As That Happened Very Often. He Took The Tablet To See For Himself, And Snorted When He Saw The Message. He Looked At Deimos Desperately Trying Not To Laugh At What He Saw.
Sanford: “You-” *He Quietly Giggles, Trying Not To Embarrass Deimos On Purpose* “You’re Screaming Because We Haven’t Kissed Yet?”
Deimos: “Well- I- Yo- We- He-”
He Was Immediately Silenced By His Boyfriend’s Lips Making Contact With His. They Stayed Like That For A Few Minutes Before Sanford Pulled Back And Got Back To The Stove. Deimos Just Sat There In Shock, His Face All Hot And Red. That Was Their First Ever Kiss, And Deimos Wanted To Be Involved Too. Just Thinking About It Made Him More Flustered. He Must've Been Spaced Out For A While Because When He Looked Up, Sanford Wasn't There. He Checked His Tablet Again And Saw A Notification: A Text From Hank.
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Hank: Lol. Sanford Told Me You Screamed When I Asked.
Hank: That Probably Was Really Funny In Person
Hank: If Only He Recorded It.
Hank: *[One Attachment Sent]*
{Hank: He Didn’t Answer My Question. Did You Guys Kiss Yet Orrr?
Sanford: Well Yes And No. You Embarrassed Him Lol. It Was So Funny Haha
Sanford: He Screamed When He Saw Your Message, Then I Kissed Him.
Hank: Pfft- Are You Serious?! Wow Lol
Sanford: Yeah Lmao. Made Me Throw A Pancake At The Ceiling. It Was Mine Too :(
Sanford: Good Wasted Pancake :(
Sanford: *[One Attachment Sent]* {Image Description: A Gray Tiled Ceiling With A Medium-Sized Pancake Smacked In Between 4 Tiles.}
Hank: XD}
Deimos: I-
Deimos: YOU!! >:( THAT WAS YOUR FAULT HANK J. WIMBLETON!!
Deimos: YOU MADE HIM WASTE HIS PANCAKE. THAT WAS YOU!!
Deimos: YOU FUDGING BULLY >:(
Deimos: I'LL HECKING FIGHT YOU!!
Hank: XD
Hank: Yeah Right Lol. I'll See You Later
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A Couple Minutes Pass And Sanford Taps Deimos On The Shoulder. Dee Turns Around To See His Boyfriend Fully Dressed. A Pile Of Clothes Was Placed In The Seat Next To The Shorter Man. Deimos Could Only Assume It Was His Clothing, As Hank Did Invite Them Over To See Tricky. The Smoker Popped A Cigarette In His Mouth And Left To Get Dressed. Once He Got Back, He Put His Cigarette In The Ashtray And Got Sanford Greeted With A Kiss. Well 2, One On The Forehead And One On The Mouth.
Deimos: “You Know, You Could’ve Waited Till I Was Ready For The Kiss.”
Sanford: “Why? It Would’ve Been A Year Or Two If You Said You Were Ready. That’s Basically How Our Relationship Started. Everyone Knows That, Ev-EVEN TRICKY KNOWS!”
Deimos’s Face Just Heated Up, He Knew That Was True And Couldn't Argue. After That Chat, Sanford And Deimos Got In Their Car And Headed To The Base. Deimos Was Messaging Hank During The Entire Ride. Hank Was Teasing Deimos A Lot About The Kiss, And How Deimos Reacted When It Was First Brought Up. Deimos Yelled-Texted At Hank Again, Causing The Man In The Red Goggles To Laugh Again. Dee Put His Tablet Away Once They Got To The Base. Of Course, None Other Than Hank Himself Was There To Greet Them And Welcome Them Back In.
They Passed The Savior, Jebus, Who Was Reading A Book, Supposedly A Bible Or Something He Could Find Lying Around. He Was Sitting At A Table With Red Wine In A Fancy Glass And Biscuits On A Plate. Deimos Wondered If Hank Told Him About It, Since He Received A Teasing Look. Sanford Just Thought Nothing Of It, And Wanted To See If Tricky Had Actually Changed Since Their Last Encounter With Him.
Once They Approached Tricky's Room, Or Area (Whatever You Would Call It), They Saw Signs Like 'Caution: Beware The Clown', And 'Do Not Enter Unless You Are Hank'. They Were Also Greeted By The Sound Of Someone Eating Something Viciously.
Looking From The Glass Window On The Wall, They Saw The Clown Filling His Face With All Different Kinds Of Food. He Stopped To Grab A Drink, But Got Distracted By Seeing Hank With Sanford And Deimos. Tricky Immediately Ran To The Glass And Smacked His Face Against It, Causing Ford And Dee To Jump Back.
Tricky Smiled In Delight After Seeing Deimos And Sanford For The First Time In A Long While. He Waved Through The Glass, Then Rushed To The Speaker. The Faint Sound Of Someone Yelling 'HAAANNK!' And 'VALID. FRIENDS' Could Be Heard Through The Speaker. The Door Suddenly Opened Slowly, The Smell Of All Kinds Of Foods Plus Blood Pouring Out Of The Opening And The Cracks. The Clown Immediately Jumped Out Of The Room, Startling The Trio.
Tricky: "SANFORD! HANK! DEIMOS! FRIENDS! VALID. YES."
Hank Actually Smiled Upon Tricky's Entrance, He Patted The Clown's Head Twice And Let The Other 2 Do The Same Thing After. They Talked About Everything That Happened, And Caught Up With Each Other. Jebus Entered The Room Half Way Through The Conversation And Joined In. They Chatted For Hours, Tricky Was The One To Point Out The Time To Everyone. Sanford Said That He And Deimos Had To Leave, As It Was Late (11:12 PM).
They Said Their Goodbyes Before Ford And Dee Headed Out. They Stayed Silent In The Car, Just Thinking About How Much The Others Have Changed. Tricky, Who Has Become More Friendly And Takes Baths. Hank, Who Is More Calm And 'Married To A Blender'. And Jebus, Who Has More Control And Is Starting To Learn Dad Jokes.
Deimos: "I Had Fun Chatting With Them After A While. I Just Wish Candice Was There With Us, I Miss Her."
Sanford: "...We Didn't Know A Candice."
Deimos, Grinning: "I Know Candice. I've Known Her For A While Now."
Sanford, Not Falling For It: "Good For You. Is She Nice?"
Deimos: "....Y-Yeah…...Although Her House Really Smells Like Updog. It's A Problem."
Sanford: "......Really?"
Deimos, Pushing The Joke: "Yes, Especially The Kitchen. It Really Reeks Of Updog. It's Disgusting, Bleck"
Sanford, Sighing And Smiling: "What Is Updog?"
Deimos, Giggling Like A Child: "Nahat Much Wh-"
Deimos Couldn't Finish His Sentence Because He Was Laughing. Sanford Just Snorted And Smiled, He Always Knew How He Could Get His Boyfriend Lost In Laughter. Even If A Joke Wasn't Really That Funny, Deimos Could Be Laughing For An Hour. He Absolutely Loves Jokes Of All Kinds And It Doesn't Matter Who Tells Them. By The Time They Arrived Home, Deimos Was Still Slightly Giggling And Wiping A Tear From His Eye.
Sanford Carried Deimos Into The House, As The Man In The Visor Finished His Giggling Fit. Ford Set His Boyfriend Onto The Couch And Started Getting Ready For Bed. He Left Dee Some Comfy Clothes To Slip Into For Bed. About A Couple Minutes Later They Both Were On The Couch In Pajamas (Or Just Clothes They Never Wear To Work).
Deimos: "Why Weren’t You Laughing At The Joke, Sanford?"
Sanford: "The Joke Wasn't That Funny, Deimos. You've Heard It Over One Hundred Times Already."
Deimos, Giggling Again: "But..It's Funny."
Sanford, Trying Not To Smile: "It-It's Really Not."
Deimos, Now Full On Laughing: "I- It Was Funny When Hank Fell For The Candice Joke." *He Smacked His Side While He Laughed* "It Hurt Like Hell, But It Was Worth It!"
Sanford, Smiling But Trying Hard Not To Laugh: "Oh Right I Forgot About That."
Sanford Then Let Deimos Cuddle Against Him As He Laughed Again. He Only Laughed Harder When Sanford Yelled, 'It's Not That Funny!'. Eventually, Ford Was Laughing As Well With His Boyfriend. They Laughed Until They Eventually Fell Asleep. Today Was A Good Day For Both Of Them, And They Were Happy They Could Spend It Together, Like Old Times.
#madness combat#madness combat sanford#madness combat hank#madness combat tricky#madness combat deimos#madness combat jebus#madness combat deimos x sanford#madness combat sanford x deimos#mc sanford#mc deimos#mc hank#mc tricky#mc jebus#mc deimos x sanford#mc sanford x deimos#sanford#deimos#hank#hank j. wimbleton#tricky#jebus#deimos x sanford#sanford x deimos#sanmos#fanfic#long post
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oh shit there was more Daniel Lore (about other people being like “this guy’s a dumbass” correctly) and there’s a whole story about ppl Trying to get to the other world??? i really missed the latter and/or didnt really put it together and all i knew of the former, besides that tasi seems to be Right At one of the old camps at an excavation site left from the actual same expedition daniel was on, was some note from yeah the main guy mentioning like, give [someone else] daniel’s work for the day.....if that was the implication the guy thought that someone less clueless should have the job vs idk daniel being otherwise indisposed i didnt pick up on it, im clueless as well
and like i said lmfao i was such a sucker for every atdd lore extrapolation/tie-in. every time i realized alexander was being talked about or something i was like >:o!!!!! lmfaooo and i did like the stories going on specific to this game / about the lore of that Other World as well, but i defo feel like im missing some pieces / am Vague on some parts / am just not quite putting some things together lol......if at any point u wanted to just talk abt the Stories and Lore shit as u understand it lmaooo im def kinda like. i have connected only Some of the dots around here smh
also yeah now im gonna have to find the article where frictional explained the whole “stay in the light, low sanity will make you easier to detect” thing was totally made up to Impact The Player’s Experience from the perspective of the player but not actually any difference in game mechanics, there was no real enemy detectometer sensitivity increase or decrease, and they were counting on people to simply Feel like there was, of course lol, and not like anyone playing this game ever noticed like, hang on, there’s no consequences to low sanity other than daniel’s perception of things!!
also liked that yeah every time tasi (didn’t) “died” it was still like Wuh Oh.....that her being regenerated and able to read alien languages was like wow how useful, this is probably a problem though lmao.......like it def feels like frictional realizes more how to actually create a feeling of Stakes without it simply being that the monster is really gonna do some hit damage if it catches your player lol, and they are aware of how it will actually feel playing the game / how someone will react to elements of the game......didn’t need one-hit Kills for everyone to still avoid monsters as hard as they do, and the guy whose playthrough i watched pointed out that frictional’s good at avoiding letting you get desensitized to dying (like if you just kept getting Got over and over). also tasi fell / slid way down shit SO much lmfao i was out here like goddamnit there we go doing This again smh. fall desensitized
anyways yeah im like Lore??? and just fun to talk about frictional stuff esp amnesia stuff so. i am out here
watched the end of some guy’s amnesia: rebirth playthrough and i have some boring thoughts @halloweenhavoc have u finished the game i feel like you have more of a grasp on all this stuff than i do lmfao what with having actually played it and also probably remembering machine for pigs better
Keep reading
#daniel is so funny mostly bc he’s just some fuckin dumb annoying rando guy#who is also very dramatic and sure is All In on shit.....#being an archaeologist for some reason....whining abt his expedition....having Orb Problems even tho he’s just some rando....#getting involved w some orb man b/c Orb Machine Broke and the meat web is out there....alexander just like umm would you torture and kill#a bunch of randos if i told you they were awful and daniel’s like well sure no problem#alexander seeing no problem in how dramatic and committed daniel is and getting messy and just kidnapping a child yolo#then daniel gets upset only AFTER killing the kid like why’d you think a child was an evil murderer surely or smthing daniel...i know he was#getting into the swing of things so that even alex was like haha whoah there pal 😅 lol but this man is stupid ass#and then he gets all dramatic and committed again...to killing alexander this time#but he’s still just some fuckin dude!!!!!!!!#the theme of media this week is ‘’this is what you get on 19th cent british expeditions smhhh’’ barging around in algeria...#also the whole time i was surprised like oh hank died first actually??? well not Died. but damn#thought he must still be out there Not fucked up.....#amnesia
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The Stars Made Us (Part 7)
Prompt: In this world, you’re one of the “lucky” ones who got a soulmate, but what if the universe gives you more than you bargained for?
(Prompt challenge – You live in a world where your soulmate can write on their skin and you will get the writing on your own and vice versa. Where they can wash away the ink on their own skin, however, the writing is forever scarred onto your skin until you meet face to face)
Word Count: 2438
Warnings: angst and language throughout
Notes: This was supposed to be for @sorryimacrapwriter and their challenge like a year ago, I think? I still loved the prompt though and have been working on this story for quite some time. This aesthetic was made by @dontshootmespence, thank you so much! Beta’d by @like-a-bag-of-potatoes, couldn’t have done it without you, as well as @carryonmyswansong and @arrow-guy and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo
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Also, I’ve never really liked the whole soulmate AU thing idea, but this felt so right and it was amazing to write. I hope y��all love it too!!
The next morning, you were about to meet Hank after the routine you’d set up when you saw Charles make his way towards the alcohol in the study.
“No,” you said sternly, following him in and taking the bottle from him. “No alcohol before noon.”
“I beg your pardon? This is my house. You are a guest here, and if I want to drink from sun up to sun down I bloody will,” he said, anger clear in his tone and frown as his eyes raked your form.
“Just until noon,” you repeated calmly. “Surely your serum will hold out until then? Why don’t you go set up a game of chess and I’ll be in the library to meet you shortly.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to distract me,” he noted, his face a mask of humor.
“Good thing you don’t know any better,” you teased with a tight smile. “Please? I know it’s a passion of yours and I’ve always wanted to play.”
“Wait, you’ve never played chess?”
You shook your head, innocence wrapping your face and gesture. “No.”
“Why not? Hasn’t everyone?”
“I was much more of a gin rummy kind of girl,” you explained.
“Ah, I see. Not in my wheelhouse but I could give that a go,” he offered.
“I’d love to show you… So, uh, off to the library then?” you asked.
He smiled and laughed. “Yes, I suppose we are meeting in there. Five minutes?”
“Sounds perfect,” you said with a smile.
He swept around you and as soon as he was out of sight you broke out into a sprint to find Hank.
“Hey, where’d you disappear to? I’ve started on extracting the--”
“I can’t help. Not this morning.”
“What? Why not?”
“Charles was going to start drinking and the only thing I could think of to divert his attention was a game of chess so… we’re playing chess.”
His eyebrows shot up. “So while I’m in here, you’re going to be playing a game?”
“I know, I’m sorry, but you want him to get better right? Maybe it’s best he has some company with humans rather than with a glass and a needle.”
Hank’s face fell.
“I’m sorry, Hank, I know you’re doing the best you can. I just… We need to keep him focused and away from the alcohol. Think you can work on this without me?”
“Yeah, I’ll do my best,” he said, a touch of disappointment in his tone.
“Thanks, you’re the best. I’ll try to be back as fast as I can.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he sadly replied. “Just… go keep him company.”
An expression of sad sympathy colored your face. All you did was nod before dashing off to the library. Charles was sitting on the right side, a small table set up with chess as he sat there staring at the board.
You were surprised at how your heart felt every time you laid eyes on him. Even in his worst state, this man made you feel… grounded. It was as if you were walking around half-empty, then you got close to him and everything felt right with the world. Even if he was drug and alcohol dependent and a bit of an asshole, just being in his presence, everything was okay.
You walked in and sat down across from him, honestly a little nervous. Knowing this man through a screen was one thing, but sitting down across from him, it was an entirely different feeling. A different dynamic, especially since it had been a year since you’d even spoken.
How much had he changed? How had you changed? Talking every day with one person, you knew what to expect. He was in grad school, you were in residency. He was working towards teaching, you were dealing with patients. It was a no brainer. You swapped stories of graduations, accolades, promotions, and victories. What stories would you swap now? How his adopted sibling had abandoned him, his spine neglecting his ability to walk, his school ripped away from him, not a friend in the world except the two people in this mansion with him. What kind of stories would those be?
“Alright,” you started cheerily, “how do we play?”
“So you’ve really never played?” he asked with a bemused grin.
“No. I started to learn the rules once, from my uncle, but the idea of losing pieces just to win an endgame... “You shook your head. “It seems barbaric.”
He laughed gently. “There’s nothing barbaric about it. It’s a highly intellectual game that involves strategy and knowing your opponent.”
You looked up through your lashes as you glanced down at the board. “And you think you know me?”
“I’d like to think I do, after ten years.”
You made a noise of contemplation. “Hmm, I was under the impression you didn’t remember a thing about me.”
“Wanting to forget you and forgetting you are two vastly different things, Y/N.”
You smiled.
“You’ve never said my name before,” you noted quietly, your heart fluttering and warming. He might not think it was important, or nice at all, but you’d waited a very long time to hear this.
You were on a very different side of this romance. It appeared Charles wasn’t ready for it, but you were very much prepared to jump right in. Every little sentimental action he did, every little way he tilted his mouth, the way his eyes penetrated your very soul, the way his accent fell off his lips -- it was practically intoxicating. Here you were, swimming like a school girl like the night you found out you had a soulmate; yet it seemed for Charles you were just a guest to interact with, to mildly entertain.
It tore your heart asunder.
“I’m slowly learning to right some of my wrongs,” he said in a soft voice. “Alright, let’s see, so you have the pawn and the pawn can move like this, see?” he began and he took about ten minutes explaining the game to you, being very patient.
“You ready to begin?”
“Sure.”
So the two of you sat, playing chess, not saying a word for about twenty minutes, only halfway through the game.
“So, did you play this when you had your powers?” you inquired cautiously.
“Actually,” he began, making his move, taking your rook, “I did.”
“Did you use them?”
“I tried not to,” he explained, “but it’s like music playing in the background. You can pick up on things people are thinking if it’s loud, distinct, or stands out. So sometimes I would hear what they were thinking, sometimes I didn’t. I tried to ignore it.”
“How did you learn to control them?”
“Practice. Quieting them was...is… the hardest part. Once that’s done, I can do the rest easily.”
“And all the other… facets, like accessing memories, how did you learn how to do that? On a girlfriend or?”
He laughed, his eyes never leaving the board as you studied your moves as well. “Are you trying to probe to see if I had a girlfriend previous to our… relationship?”
You gave a quick half smile, filled with amusement. “I wasn’t consciously, but I suppose it slipped out. You’re avoiding the question, should I assume I’m right?”
“You know, Dr. Y/L/N, not everything or everyone has to be psychoanalyzed,” he countered teasingly.
“I know, I know. I just… I’m curious about that part of your life, that’s all.”
“For your information, I didn’t test on my girlfriend. I actually used my step-brother. When he bullied me, afterwards, I’d probe his mind. I realized I could access memories, get into his head, and learned in there. At first, it was an accident, and I couldn’t break the link… but then when we went to sleep, it broke. Later, I purposely tried to connect, disconnect, and read thoughts. Until his father died, and they moved out that is…”
“Did Raven ever meet Cain?”
“No. No, Raven came to us a few months after Cain’s father died and he moved away to live with his aunt.”
“I see. So you practiced on your abusive step brother?”
“It was all I had. Doing that to my mother felt wrong, Raven asked that I never do it to her, and with the kids at school I couldn’t tell if I was reading memories or fantasies. Your move by the way.”
“Oh, yes, right,” you said, snapping out of your sympathy induced trance. You made an arbitrary move before getting back to the conversation. “So no girlfriend?”
“Like a dog with a bone,” he muttered.
“I prefer the term persistent.”
“No, no girlfriend in the picture. Not for some time. I dated briefly, just after Harvard.”
“So… when you were seventeen?”
“Mhm. She was an undergrad. She wasn’t very mature though, so it was over before it began. I knew I wouldn’t find anyone on my level. I couldn’t even legally buy cigarettes but I had graduated college, so… the odds of me finding anyone worthy of my time were slim. Of course, that was before your scribbling showed up on my arm.”
“That wasn’t scribbling,” you accused with a laugh, fake offense in your tone. “I put a lot of time, thought, and effort into that, thank you.”
“If that’s your example of a lot of time and effort then maybe I still haven’t met my intellectual match, hmm?” he joked.
You narrowed your eyes before taking his bishop.
“Maybe you spoke too soon,” you challenged as he glanced up at you and you raised an eyebrow.
“Perhaps I did. And you?”
“What about me?”
“Did you have a highschool sweetheart before you knew about me?”
“Oh, well… I don’t really see how it’s relevant--”
“Double standard, Y/N. That isn’t very nice. I was probed about my entire romantic career but I can’t get so much as a--”
“Fine. Yes. I dated. Two guys in high school. One lasted about eight months from January of sophomore year to the beginning of junior year.”
“And the second?”
“Four months of junior year.”
“No one dazzled you senior year?”
“Just you,” you hummed, not thinking before you answered.
“Oh, just me?” he asked, catching your little slip up.
Your cheeks heated before you smiled. “Yes, if I’m being totally honest.”
He was looking at you, curiosity and merriment burning in his face. He’d only glanced at you three times during this whole game. In a way, you were thankful. When he gave you a direct look you felt like you always had to overshare. When he was looking down at the board you could focus on answering carefully, filtering. When he was staring at you, it was like truth serum.
“So what happened with the other two?” he questioned as his attention drifted back down to the board.
“One was determined that I follow him, you know, go to the college he had his eye on, despite what I wanted. So we parted ways.” You made a move. “And the other liked a friend of mine more so we mutually ended things.”
“Sounds like you haven’t had any bad luck with men, so that’s good.”
“Sounds like you haven't had any luck with women. One woman throughout your whole life? You’re thirty-two.”
“Yes, so?”
“Well, if you only dated at seventeen--”
“Y/N, I met you, my soulmate, at twenty-one. I didn’t date after that, so, most of my life, has been with you… Romantically, that is, if that’s what you want to call this.”
“You swore off dating for me?”
“Of course,” he said as if it were obvious, “didn’t you do the same for me?”
“Yeah without question.”
“So why do you find it odd that I did the same?”
“Well,” you started, nervously wringing your hands, “you’re you, you know? Handsome, accomplished, driven, confident.”
“And you’re just a wet rag? Or what am I missing? You’re all those things as well, except handsome. I’d choose a different word.”
“And what word might that be?”
“Nothing short of stunning.”
His words made you blush quickly and smile to yourself.
“So tell me, why did you commit to us but were worried I didn’t?” he wondered.
“You just have so much more going for you than I do.”
“That’s not true. I know quite a bit about you and you’re quite the catch. Not to mention, I’m not like that. I was dedicated to you the moment we encountered each other.”
“I’m glad to know you felt the same about this.”
“Of course,” he concurred before the two of you finished the game, with him beating you easily.
“Ugh, see that’s why I don’t like that vile game.”
He chuckled. “It’s a fantastic game. You did quite well for your first time. I bet you’ll beat me next time.”
You couldn’t help but laugh, loudly. “Not likely.”
“You should believe in yourself more.”
“I believe in myself plenty, except when it comes to strategy games.”
“But you play gin rummy?”
“Well that’s entirely different,” you assured with a smile as the two of you cleared the chess game.
“Is it now? Well let’s just see. I’ve got some cards in my desk drawer there. Show me how to play and we’ll see if it’s all that different.”
“Okay, sure. You got to show your prowess, I’ll show you mine.”
“There’s that feistiness I missed,” he cheered as you got up and got the cards, his words making you stop for half a second.
So he did miss you...
“Okay, so the game is easy, especially compared to that mini war game we just played,” you joked and he smiled. Knowing you could do that to him lit you up inside.
You explained the game, all the rules and played. He caught on quickly, which didn’t surprise you - he was practically a genius. What did surprise you however, was that he beat you at your own game.
“How the hell did you--?” you started, flabbergasted, staring down at the table.
“All strategy games are the same, Y/N. I’ve been playing them for a while.”
“But this is my game and you, you just beat me.”
“Oh, don’t be a sore loser. You’ll do fine next time.”
“I should’ve done fine this time,” you mumbled. “Well I need to get dinner made, so I’ll be off. See you for dinner?”
He nodded and smiled and you left, reflecting on the good bit of information you’d learned that day. And focusing on how this might not be as bad as you thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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#the stars made us#charles xavier x reader#charles xavier fic#charles xavier#stephen strange x reader#stephen strange fic#stephen strange#hank mccoy
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Goodmorning
(Connor x PlusSized!Reader)
A/N: Yes this is absolutely self-indulgent, let me live my life. Also I didnt know what to to title it so yee
——————————————
It was still dark when you came into work at the DPD that Monday morning and all you wanted to do was go back to sleep for 12 more hours. But alas, you had work. You weren't a detective or an officer or someone that went out in the field at all really. Basically a secretary of sort, taking care of files of cases and such. How you weren't replaced by an android by now you had no idea, but you were grateful. Well, at least now you were.
You used to hate working at the DPD. Why? One reason. Gavin fucking Reed. The insufferable prick seemed to make it his goddamn life mission to make you as miserable as possible. Specifically targeting your weight. How original. It didn't really make you feel that bad, okay that was a lie. But it was more annoying than anything. You were so close to just quiting when a certain android appeared at the desk across from Hanks.
When you first saw him you were intrigued to say the least. He was.....drop dead gorgeous. And when he looked at you with those perfect brown eyes you were smitten. You were also extremely embarrassed that he had just caught you gawking at him and with a nervous laugh you waved at him before hastily getting back to work. Little did you know that Connor hadn't looked away, and was extremely confused as to why your round cheeks were rising in temperature.
Ever since then your little crush on the android detective just kept growing the more you interacted with him. In that time you also grew closer to Hank, you realized that he was actually really cool. And also definitely knew about your 'little' crush. Of course, you didn't know he knew. You thought you were being so slick, but in Hanks words you were being "really fucking obvious." Thankfully Connor didn't put the pieces together.
You knew that he'd never feel the same about you, even if he could feel that way towards anyone. Why would he pick you of all people? You weren't exactly the prettiest, or the smartest, and you couldn't kick ass to save your ass. But hey, you could dream right?
Despite that you always held a tiny piece of hope. A tiny piece that only kept growing as you noticed how he himself was slowly becoming the very thing he was meant to hunt. And when he finally became a full on deviant? You were beyond happy, and so so proud.
You smiled to yourself as you made your way over to your desk as you recalled the day he and Hank came to you with the news. It was the day after you saw your little Connor on tv leading an army of Cyberlife androids he 'woke up'. The first thing you did was bring him in for a bone-crushing hug, gushing about how proud you were. You almost kissed him right then and there but you had to force yourself away from him with a little awkward laugh.
"Good morning (Y/n)," Connor's voice tore you away from your thoughts.
"Morning Cony," you greeted him with a smile.
Glancing over to Hanks desk and, unsurprisingly, not seeing him there you chucked a bit to yourself.
"It seems that Hank couldn't be bothered to come to work on time like the rest of us. Again."
When you didn't get a response from Connor you looked back to him staring at you intently, his LED blinking yellow. You rose a brow and couldn't help but smirk slightly, knowing exactly what he was doing.
"I just got here and your already scanning me, hmm?" you asked amused.
He blinked a couple of times and his LED returned to its passive blue. The lightest shade of blue tinting his cheeks, seemingly in embarrassment.
"My apologies, (Y/n). But I noticed that your low in dopamine. Have you eaten breakfast?" He inquired, tilting his head adorably as he always did.
"Uhhh yep. Had a bowl of cereal," you lied.
You didn't really ever eat breakfast. Not because of your whole overweight thing, but because you just never really got hungry early in the morning. You could already hear Gavin's dumb voice fiegning shock. But surprise surprise, just cuz you're overweight doesn't mean you're constantly stuffing your face. You only do that at night.
Connor was just about to call you out on your obvious lie, he didn't even need a lie detector to know that since you were an awful liar, your stomach betrayed you with a low growl. He frowned slightly and you chuckled bashfully before looking down at your stomach.
"Traitor," you mumbled to yourself.
"(Y/n), you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day for humans. You should eat something," before you could even speak he interrupts you with a playful smile, "and only having coffee doesn't count as breakfast."
"Okay okay, fine fine. You win," you sigh in defeat which earned a smile from the android.
God how you loved that awkward smile. Adorable.
"Lets hope that there's something decent in the break room," you said before turning in the direction of said room.
"Alright, I'll be out here filling out some reports if you need anything," Connor called out to you before you left.
You hoped to god that you got here before Gavin and that you wouldn't have to see his stupid-
"Well looky what we have here. Come to raid the fridge?" He asked with a smug grin, like he thought he did something.
Of course.
You didn't dignify his schoolyard taunt with a response, only rolling your eyes. However you did change your course to the coffee making instead. You could grab something when he left, not really wanting to deal with his judgment at the moment. As Hank would say, it's too early for this shit.
"Aww did I hurt little piggy's feelings?" He taunted further as he made his way over to you, pinching your cheek.
Immediately your hand came up to slap his away and you shot him a glare.
"You know pigs are actually really intelligent creatures. Shame the same can't be said about you. So thanks for the compliment jackass," you snapped before turning your attention back to the coffee maker.
Before Gavin could get out a comeback to reclaim some of his pride, Connor appeared in the doorway.
"Is there a problem here?" He directed to Gavin.
"I was just leaving," Gavin said bitterly before leaving, childishly chucking into Connor's shoulder on his way out.
Connor didn't move an inch.
You huffed as you watched him leave, subconsciously rubbing the cheek that he pinched rather hard. Connor noticed this and tilted his head slightly before making his way over to you.
"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" His voice was concerned and he looked back to Gavin, fully prepared to beat his ass for hurting you.
"No, no I'm fine. The prick just pinched my damned cheek. Who the fuck even does that?" You sighed.
Yet despite your words he gently grabbed your chin and tilted your head slightly to make sure no damage was done. He certainly couldn't let one of his favourite humans be injured, especially not by one of his least favourite.
Connor's actions immediately started making heat rise up to your cheeks and you couldn't help but stare at his perfect face. God how you wanted him to just kiss you right then and there. As soon as those thoughts entered your mind you immediately averted your gaze from him, your cheeks becoming even more warm.
Connor tilted his head at your odd behavior and did a scan of you quickly. When he came to the conclusion that it seemed you were flustered, he had to hold back a smirk. He might have been innocent, and a bit oblivious about your feelings for him for.....well longer than he wanted to admit seeing as though he was a detective and couldn't figure out you liked him without help from Hank. More like Hank straight up saying it in frustration. But now that he knew, he couldn't help but think how adorable you were. How didn't he see it sooner? Oh how he loved being deviant.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and this time he made no effort to hide his smirk. When you looked up to him you were the one tilting your head in confusion. Slowly, he leaned down and you swore you felt like your heart was either going to explode, or just stop altogether. Your eyes went wide as he grew closer, and when he planted his lips ever so gently on the spot where Gavin pinched you swore you died and went to heaven.
When he pulled back you just blinked at him in disbelief. The way your heartrate went through the roof made Connor's smirk widen and he had to stop himself from chuckling at how adorable you looked.
"All better?" He asked slyly, the smooth bastard.
You couldn't even get out a word in response, only making weird noises before nodding. You were definitely feeling better now. He pulled his hand away from you and stood up straighter, his face forming an innocent smile as if nothing happened.
"Good, then I suggest you get some breakfast," with that he turned to leave the room, but not before shooting you a wink.
You stared at the door he left from as you brought up your hand to touch the place the kissed you. Now you were rubbing it for a whole new reason.
Suddenly a thought came to your mind. Why did he do that? Did he know you liked him? How did he-?
Hank.
Oh you were so going to kill him.
——————————————
A/N: Sorry the ending is kinda bad, idk where tf this went lmaoo. Was originally gunna make Connor the innocent bby he is but then he turned out to be the smooth bastard he also is woops. Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed
#dbh#dbh x reader#dbh connor#dbh rk800#connor rk800 x reader#connor rk800#connor x reader#detroid become human#detroit#connor x plussized!reader
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Essential Avengers: Avengers #228: TRIAL and ERROR!
February, 1983
AT LAST! The trial of Yellowjacket!
Its been over a month in-universe and about a year out of universe but here we are. The Trial of Hank Pym.
Although the time getting here was mostly farting around with other stuff while Hank sat in prison. Can you believe Scott Lang is the only person we see visit him?
The Avengers found time to experiment on an immortal child who thought jumping into the sun was a good idea but not to visit Hank?
I’m not saying that Jan should have had to put herself through that and Tony is clearly feeling too guilty over the whole thing. But Cap didn’t visit? Hawkeye didn’t? Mr. Lets Bust Hank Out?
Possibly they did off-screen. The Hank arc has been kind of suffering from Shooter’s inability to balance writing and EICing. I feel that if redone, there would be more to the arc.
Anyway, the trial!
We skipped the first two days. Its the third day of the trial now.
The graphic guy went above and beyond for that Sad Composited Hank graphic.
I like the AN AVENGER’S DARKEST HOUR thing.
I also like the setup for recapping the necessary details.
Ex-Avenger attempts to heist the government would be big news so all the information is conveyed as this news report.
INCLUDING COURTROOM SKETCHES
God, that’s good.
That’s good comicing. Amazing.
Look at Thor in a courtroom sketch. Superb.
Look at that cheesy graphic for the coverage. Does anybody in Marvel even use a domino mask?? Everything about this is amazing.
People may say that Frank Miller revolutionized using media talking heads for social commentary in his comics. Maybe. Maybe so. But how many courtroom sketches did he include? Huh?
So apparently the reason why we’re on day three of the trial is that days one and two were entirely debates over whether Hank was even fit to stand trial.
I’d’ve thought they would get that out of the way ahead of time.
And Hank wants his day in court. So who was arguing he wasn’t fit to stand trial? The prosecution?
Apparently, the prosecution tried to argue that Hank’s history as a hero made his crimes more heinous, as a legal argument.
Which, uh? Um? Uh?
The defense objected that this was prejudicial but they were overruled.
The news recap ends when She-Hulk turns off the television angrily for reminding her of her legal career.
She-Hulk: “Leeches! I haven’t met Henry Pym, but he can’t be the creep they’re making him out to be! And that prosecutor -- ! I know it’s his job, but do they all have to be sanctimonious?! I hated that when I was a practicing attorney, and I don’t hate it any less since I’ve become She-Hulk!”
Reminds me that her nemesis in her original Savage She-Hulk book was an Assistant DA called Buck Bukowski who was a real sexist douche.
He mellowed out over the course of the book, mostly by learning that a death he blamed She-Hulk for was sorta his fault, but I wonder if she left LA so she wouldn’t be tempted to throw him out to sea.
She-Hulk is also still super bored (in New York??) and wanders downstairs to see if anyone is up to anything interesting.
Downstairs in the gym, she finds that the Caps are training.
The Captains America and Marvel.
Cap(tain America) is doing some combat training with Captain Monica Marvel.
This will not be at all confusing to have them on the same team.
Anyway, this training sequence is amazing so lets just have it all:
Cool stuff, Caps.
The training has to be cut short because Cap(tain America) has a prior commitment but still good stuff.
She-Hulk applauds Captain Marvel’s showing but Marvel waves it off as thanks to Cap(tain America)’s training. Which Cap(tain America) waves off as thanks to her being a quick study.
Its like a self-perpetuating modesty loop in here.
Cap excuses himself to go to his prior engagement.
Captain Marvel: “It’s easy to see why he’s called a living legend! He’s very good! And his grasp of strategy is second to none!”
She-Hulk: “Yeah, he does pretty well for a guy with no powers, but I could take him!”
What a this era of She-Hulk thing to say, She-Hulk.
Captain Marvel tells She-Hulk hey maybe not! Cap has stood up to some pretty tough customers, including Jen’s cousin the Hulk.
Which She-Hulk didn’t know!
Y’know, after Bruce (or recently implied to be Joe Fixit Actually??) started Jen’s origin story, the Hulk has not much further relevance in the Savage She-Hulk book. Jen doesn’t even give any indication that she’s keeping up with his exploits.
Not surprising, since the book was trying to be its own thing. And Jen’s life just starts to implode not very far into her solo so she doesn’t have time to also worry about Bruce.
Captain Marvel mentions that all of Cap(tain America)’s run-ins with the Hulk are recorded in the Avengers computer archives and She-Hulk concedes she should give that a look.
Hey, she finally has something to do in New York!
Captain Marvel also tells She-Hulk that she’s going to head home.
She-Hulk: “You have a place in the city?”
Captain Marvel: “Not this city... New Orleans.”
She-Hulk: “NEW ORLEANS?!?”
Captain Marvel: “Sure! It’s a snap to commute -- when you can travel at the speed of light! Take care!”
And then she nyooms off!
NYOOM!
It’s a good point! I hadn’t considered it but yeah, Monica can just commute. No need to uproot her life to become an Avenger.
I guess that’s why the decision was so easy for her to make.
She-Hulk is still at the window, wishing she could lightspeed to Malibu, when Thor and Janet arrive from court.
Janet thanks Thor for coming to court with her. Which he says no big to because “Time given to one’s friends is well spent. Would that I had given more time to poor Henry before this.”
You’re a cool guy, Thor.
The mention of Hank has Jan break down a little.
Jan: “Oh, Thor! Why has this happened to us... to all of us? We’re Avengers!”
Thor: “But still we are human -- aye, even a ‘god’ such as I! None of us are immune to wounds of the spirit. We err... we misunderstand. Janet? Is there anything more I can do?”
Jan: “No! No... I’m all right! We mustn’t dwell on the past. The future’s all that matters!”
Thor: “But...”
Jan: “I don’t want to talk about it anymore!”
Geez.
We’ve seen how affected the Avengers have been by what Hank has done and what they think he has done. We’ve seen Jan is more messed up by it than the smile she puts on lets on.
But the plaintive questioning of how this could be happening to the Avengers still hits hard.
Thor respects Jan’s wish to end the discussion to the frustration of She-Hulk who has been watching this conversation from the upstairs window.
She’s frustrated that Jan won’t just let it out, that Thor just let the subject drop.
She-Hulk: “It’s that blasted Avengers’ tradition of ‘respecting the privacy of members’ personal affairs.’ The founding members carry it too far! Can’t they see how it hurts them? And Jan -- ? Why does she hold in all that grief and heartache? Why doesn’t she cry and scream and shout and get it out of her system?!”
Jen and Jan are two very different people!
But She-Hulk, and Hulks generally, are about letting your feelings out. And Jan van Wasp has long been about playing the flighty sprite.
I’d crack joke about She-Hulk being this invested in the drama of the Avengers already but Jan is her friend. They presumably went car shopping together.
And She-Hulk has very few friends and almost zero female friends. Her one female friend died in a convoluted car accident and then She-Hulk mostly had a male supporting cast. Thank goodness she’s here on the Avengers with its two whole other women.
Meanwhile, at Stark International, Cap(tain America) has come to pay a visit.
He hasn’t been able to reach Tony in days. And Tony’s secretary told him that Tony has locked himself away in his private lab and that he doesn’t want to see anyone.
But if he didn’t want to see anyone, he should have thought twice about making it so that the security system will let in any Cap that flashes an Avengers ID.
Cap is particularly worried because of that nasty argument they had about Tony dating Jan. Tony has been pretty down since they broke up and Cap doesn’t want to see him fall apart like Hank did.
And.
Tony is. Doing. Maybe not okay.
He’s sweating a lot and unshaven and monomaniacally focused on a project.
Cap finds him holding up an enormous piece of machinery and doing SCIENCE.
This is the final evolution of Tony’s guilty conscience regarding Hank Pym.
Iron Man: “Remember how Moondragon used her mental powers to mess with our heads? Well, it’s my theory that she’s responsible for Hank’s recent troubles! I aim to prove that with this cerebral scanner! This baby should tell us whether or not Hank did the crazy things he did because of some outside mental influence! I hope I’m right!”
I mean, he raises a fair point! I don’t think its the case because what would it have benefited Moondragon to make Hank do what he did? And if its an inadvertent thing, she mind controlled a lot of people when the roster change-up was happening back in #211 so why did only Hank get affected? Plus, it doesn’t really match up with what both Hank and Jan have been saying about his behavior deteriorating before then.
But, Tony is going to Tony. And he, like many fans and writers and editors, just want a simple nonsense explanation that can make a distressing thing go away.
Cap points out that the ginormous machine can’t exactly be dragged down to the courthouse but this is just the prototype. Tony is going to have a miniaturized version ready by Monday.
Cap: “I see. Tony, how long have you been up?”
Iron Man: “I don’t know... 30... 40 hours, maybe. What difference does it make?”
Cap: “It makes plenty! You’ve had some rough sledding lately... You can’t keep on driving yourself this way!”
Iron Man: “But I have to do something for Hank. I feel that I let him down... In so many ways.”
Cap: “You can’t help him if you kill yourself in the process!”
Tony is going to Tony. I think that in some ways he might have a more overdeveloped guilt complex than Peter Parker or Matt Murdock.
For Reasons, I’ve taken a look at how things are going in the Iron Man book around this time and oof. Poor Tony.
Over in Leonia, New Jersey, Vision and Scarlet Witch are watching the trial coverage on the news and-
Okay.
1.) How do you make watching the network news so moody and dramatic, Vision? Do you ever actually relax?
2.) Do you two just wear your costumes around the house? Surely you must have other clothes? Vision? Do you have other clothes?
Some other stuff is that Wanda has been holding up Jan and Hank as the ideal marriage so this whole thing has been weirding her out. Although Vision has had a less rosy opinion of it, having been there for it with all of the marrying the split personality nonsense involved.
Although I don’t know why issue #68 is referenced. I don’t think that had anything to do with anything. Issue #60 is where the wedding happened.
Bet whoever put that caption wishes they had access to the internet.
I kind of wish we got more stuff like earlier, got to see Avengers not currently on the team and other heroes that worked with Hank Pym reacting to his disgrace exit from the team and then arrest. Wish we could have had Vision and Wanda try to visit him in jail.
Meanwhile, Long Island Sound.
A LOCATION OF EVIL
A suited man arrives and knocks on 13308 McKinley.
He is Dr. Chen Lu and he is expected.
Moonstone/Dr. Karla Sofen meets Dr. Chen Lu at the door and shows him in to the secret science basement where Egghead is running an experiment with the latest scientific equipment that can be begged, borrowed, or stolen.
I’m figuring... mostly stolen? Right? Like Egghead’s plan was to steal all the resources he needed? Because, ugh Effort?
Moonstone interrupts Egghead to let him know Dr. Chen Lu has arrived and Egghead is thrilled! He rushes from his seat to shake his hand.
And the sentiment is returned by Dr. Chen Lu who is eager to join Egghead’s project.
Y’know, Egghead is a jerk and is stealing all of his resources but his project will hugely improve medical science and he’s getting criminal scientists off the street and into some actual science jobs they can be excited about.
Dr. Chen asks how Egghead isn’t dead because he was pretty sure he was told Egghead was dead. And Egghead sure has a tale to tell!
In Defender #43, Egghead set up Cobalt Man to reach critical mass and explode to distract the Defenders so he could steal a magical star. When Cobalt Man found out, he was pretty pissed and decided to blow up Egghead.
Egghead: “We had a bit of a falling out, you might say... and he ended the situation most dramatically. Witnesses actually assumed we’d both perished. In actuality, I had been teleported by an experimental mechanism to relative safety in the New Jersey swamps... and unlike death, one can usually return from the state of New Jersey!”
Damn, Egghead! Criminal genius that you are, you’ve found the only New Jersey joke I’ve ever laughed at! Fiend!
I think its the glasses adjusting what does it.
Anyway, Egghead’s and Dr. Chen’s cool conversation gets interrupted by Tiger Shark and Shocker bursting through the ceiling fighting.
Beetle flies in after them and apologizes for the mess but says ‘really Shocker had it coming, man, fuck Shocker.’
Beetle and Moonstone jump in to separate the two.
Hey, you might be wondering how the Masters of Evil are out of jail when last time we saw them was getting arrested after attacking the Avengers like dumbasses?
Check that panel where Iron Man is lifting a really heavy thing. There’s a news broadcast about a bunch of prison escapes. Good job on the same issue setup, Stern!
Shocker complains that Tiger Shark called him a two-bit hood but Tiger Shark says in his defense that Shocker IS a two-bit hood (Not inaccurate...) who nearly screwed up the isotope heist. But Egghead says that Shocker is an important part of the operation.
Then Tiger Shark notices Dr. Chen Lu and says a slur.
C’mon, guy. Don’t be like that.
Dr. Chen Lu: “Speaking without thinking seems to be second nature to you, Tiger Shark. In the interest of our future partnership, I shall excuse the insult to my race... this time! But I warn you, do not use that word in my presence again, or you shall answer to -- THE RADIOACTIVE MAN!”
Tiger Shark hurriedly says that obviously he didn’t mean to offend. Because Dr. Chen Lu Radioactive Man fwooshed into his green skin (dammit comics whats with you and Asian people and green skin?) radioactive form and costume.
But with Radioactive Man on the team, the Masters of Evil are finally complete and ready for the next step of EGGHEAD’S BOLD PLAN.
Meanwhile, Hawkeye returns to his apartment from his day job, kind of looking a steady paycheck in the mouth. Sure the big wad of bucks is nice but its sooo boring. Thank goodness he has Avengersing to keep things exciting.
He then sings a short bit about “Best of both worlds -- !” because Hawkeye.
Hawkeye sees the news broadcast about the Hank Pym trial and even though he hasn’t been called to testify (because he wasn’t part of the team when Hank was caught with his hands in the government’s cookie jar) he figures what the heck, he’ll go to the trial anyway to show moral support.
And he does! In full costume!
In fairness, so are Thor and Captain America.
I guess Captain America and Hawkeye don’t have publicly revealed identities. But they couldn’t have thrown a suit on Thor?
Please put Thor in a suit. For reasons.
She-Hulk and Wasp are wearing nice court clothes.
Although She-Hulk seems uncomfortable in her nice court clothes.
(By the by, She-Hulk showing up at all makes Hawkeye warm up to her a little, since he figures that in her own way she cares about being an Avenger as much as he does.)
By the way, notice who wasn’t in that picture? Hawkeye leans over to whisper to Cap where is Iron Man? Annnnd Cap thinks maybe he just got wrapped up in his cerebral scanner project.
At this point in the trial (day 4), Hank has finally been called up to the stand to testify on his own behalf.
So, of course, given Hank Pym’s luck, the courtroom explodes.
What a dynamite conclusion to this arc!
The Masters of Evil (Moonstone, Radioactive Man, Tiger Shark, Shocker, and Beetle) jump into the court through the exploded ceiling, grab Hank Pym, have Shocker blow up the load bearing wall, and then run out while the Avengers are distracted holding up the entire ceiling!
An action scene fast enough that I can believe, yes, the Avengers didn’t have time to react to it before it happened.
But Thor is strong enough to hold up the ceiling, so Wasp orders Cap to get the crowd to safety and has She-Hulk and Hawkeye follow her to go after the Masters.
Cap: “Jan’s really coming into her own as group leader! Even Hawkeye’s snapping to at her orders!”
Good. I’m glad that people keep telling me that Wasp is doing a good job as Avengers leader.
Seriously. Given the way that the Avengers book handles teamwork and the idea that the Avengers even have a leader sometimes, I’m glad that the book is explicitly conveying that Wasp is doing good.
Hawkeye net-arrows Tiger Shark, She-Hulk tackles Radioactive Man, Wasp confronts Beetle, and nobody confronts Shocker because its just Shocker.
Beetle scoffs at Wasp trying to stop him but has to eat his words pretty soon. Her Wasp stings being souped up in this recent stretch of comics hasn’t stopped being a thing.
Beetle: “Ow! Maybe I was the one who spoke too soon! Even with my armor, I can feel a little of the Wasp’s bio-stings! If I can’t shake her, she might blow my micro-circuits!”
Very glad that Wasp continues to be an effective fighter in her own right and not just the distraction ‘fly around and pester people.’
She-Hulk just throws Radioactive Man out of the panel, mocking him for being green as her without any of her sweet moves.
Tiger Shark wants another go at She-Hulk after the way she stomped him in #222 but.
Oops guess I shouldn’t have mocked Shocker. Since he was ignored, he can sneak up behind She-Hulk and use HIGH INTENSITY VIBRO-SHOCKS to rattle her bones to dust.
Except, no. I should have mocked Shocker, a little.
Because even though the HIGH INTENSITY VIBRO-SHOCK rattles She-Hulk so that she chatters out “T-t-think a-a-again, y-y-you w-w-walking q-q-quilt!”, she grabs Shocker’s hands and holds him up in the air for Hawkeye to short out Shocker’s gauntlets with a couple of magno-volt arrows.
Shocker crumples, confused because one of the other Masters was supposed to be covering Hawkeye.
Radioactive Man tackles She-Hulk so She-Hulk just belts him away.
So Radioactive Man concedes, well, okay, She-Hulk is stronger than him. But brute force and being green aren’t the extent of his powers. He’s also radioactive, radioactive.
He hits She-Hulk with a controlled burst of gamma rays, which shifts her back into Jennifer Walters.
Hey, Jen! First time you’ve appeared in this book in this form.
She’s less than pleased. In fact, she starts screaming “No! Not this!!” and begging someone to help her.
Thankfully, the Masters put her out of mind as not a problem anymore.
And the dominoes fall.
Tiger Shark smacks Wasp out of the air, freeing Beetle to blast Hawkeye. And nobody can stop Moonstone from nerve pinching Hank Pym and pulling him into a truck.
Thor and Cap run out of the courthouse, presumably having gotten everyone to safety.
Thor: “Ho, villains! You’ve not won the day yet! Not as long as a single Avenger stands!”
Thor do what Thor do and what Thor do is throw Mjolnir.
Exceppppt its at Radioactive Man and Radioactive Man can still deflect Mjolnir with energy fields. Radiation can do that. Mjolnir doesn’t exist in real life so we can’t prove that radiation can’t do that.
Radioactive Man deflects Mjolnir right at Captain America. He gets his shield up in time but it still knocks him on his ass.
The Masters all book it into the truck while the Avengers get to their feet.
Wasp orders Hawkeye to shoot out the tires to the truck. But before he can and before it can be fruitless, a getaway truck explodes out of the truck and flies off more quickly than the Avengers can chase.
And by “the Masters all book it into the truck” I mean, “except Shocker” because they ditched him.
With the Masters escaped, Wasp turns on the shocked Shocker and rips off his mask and demands he tell them where the Masters are going.
But the shocked Shocker is too shocked to answer. He seems out of it, really.
So Wasp changes the question. Who is behind this? Why did they want to kidnap Hank Pym?
Shocker: “Why? It... it was his idea! Dr. Pym’s idea... He arranged for us to free him!”
DUN DUN DUUUUU- no wait we know thats not it
whats your game shocker
Sometime later, Hank Pym wakes up in Egghead’s lab. And, of course, immediately leaps up to kick the shit out of Egghead as soon as he sees him.
Alas, Tiger Shark holds him back.
Egghead: “Don’t restrain him too tightly, Tiger Shark! He’s of no use to us injured!”
Hank Pym: “I’ll ‘use’ you, Egghead! You’re responsible for ruining my life! You manipulated me into stealing that government adamantium... and set me up, when your scheme failed! You’re mad if you think you can make me help you now!”
Egghead: “Pish-tosh!”
Good rejoinder, Egghead.
God, this also cracks me up.
Egghead says that he’s in the middle of a great experiment and that he needs the world’s greatest biochemist, Hank Pym.
Hank is still on the ‘why the hell do you think I’ll help you, I hate you so much.’
So Egghead has the tv turned on.
Anchorman, Non Burgundy: “... Authorities were stunned by the news that Dr. Pym had planned his own abduction! The Avengers refused to comment on the Shocker’s confession, but polygraph experts confirmed --”
Egghead explains that Shocker was a patsy. His gauntlets were secretly rewired with special circuits that brainwashed him into believing what Egghead wanted him to. So thoroughly that it fooled a lie detector.
Egghead: “As far as the world is concerned, Henry, you are now most assuredly a criminal. No one will believe otherwise. Not the police... not even your former friends. You have no one to turn to in this world... except us! Join the Masters of Evil, Henry! We will give you a new life!”
Hank Pym: “All right... I’ll do it!”
DUN DUN DUN!!
Wow, so I guess Egghead wasn’t just being petty. He was also systematically destroying what little was left of Hank’s life to force him to work on SCIENCE project with him.
Proving his innocence and ‘getting his dignity back’ was all Hank had left to him.
Geez, sucks to be Hank Pym!
Psst, follow @essential-avengers? Like and reblog?
#Avengers#Egghead#Masters of Evil#Hank Pym#the Wasp#She Hulk#Hawkeye#Thor#Captain America#Captain Marvel#monica rambeau#Iron Man#not doing so well#essential avengers#essential marvel liveblogging#SUPERHERO LEGAL DRAMhaha just kidding it gets interrupted#lot of interesting trajectories the avengers are going on in this issue#so far so good on the Stern run
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Marvel OCs ( wip )
Name: Nico Ikol
Story:
Faceclaim: Logan Lerman
Summary: Let’s get one thing straight, Nico was absolutely not some kinda norse god Okay? Nor the reborn version of one or whatever. They were just a normal kid.
Okay so they sorta had a knack for getting people to agree with them and fine they’ve been having dreams about a blonde man with way too long hair and lightning and then there’s the whole...powers thing.
But I mean, aside from that.
And oh yeah the guy from their dreams is at the door claiming he’s their lost long brother.
Name: Ruth Parker
Story: tbd
Faceclaim: Rowan Blachard
Summary: Ruthie Paker has been dubbed her brother’s shadow from the first time they arrived at their aunt and uncle’s doorstep. The siblings have been together through everything; their parent’s deaths, their adoption by their aunt and uncle, their uncle’s death. It was the Parker kids against the world.
So when Peter starts acting weird Ruthie’s the first ( and it starts to dawn on her, the only one) who notices.
Name: Astrid Odinsdotter
Story: tbd
Faceclaim: Dove Cameron
Summary: Loki wasn’t the only child stolen from a battlefield. Nor was he the only one Odin and Freya raised as their own. Astrid was raised along side her brother as the princess of Asgard unware of her parentage; but her world gets thrown into utter chaos first when her brother is exiled to Migard and then when her true parentage is brought to light.
Name: Grace Wilder.
Story: tbd
Faceclaim: Kat Graham
Summary: tbd ( takes place in Runways)
Name: Isabelle Nyx
Story: tbd
Faceclaim: Holland Roden
Summary: Heir apparent to Nyx Incorporated, Isabelle like all of the PRIDE kids seems to have it made. Never mind the fact that her best friend killed herself or that her friend group fell apart soon after.
On the anniversary of Amy’s death, Isa tries reaching out to her former friends but out of everyone, Alex Wilder seems to be the only one interested in mourning Amy with her. She’s surprised when the others join them, and even more surprised by what they find out.
“Fuck our parents. How about we actually run away.”
Name: Michelle -Miche- De Santos
Story: tbd
Faceclaim: Siena Agudong.
Summary: Miche knows the church of the Gibberin is evil, knows that they paste on happy grins to prey on runaway kids. She knows because they killed her sister. The problem is no one believes her. It doesn’t matter though, she’s not gonna stop until she figures out how to make people see the rich assholes for the evil they are.
Except that she wasn’t planning to find the very children of the people she’s sworn vengeance against.
And apparently, they ran away.
Name: Lucille Harkness.
Story: tbd.
Faceclaim: Amber Benson
Summary: Lucille knows about Agatha Harkness, how could she not. She grew up on stories of the witch that betrayed her coven ( Lucille’s coven) and committed the most atrocious of acts against their own during the time of the Salem trials. Agatha’s name was whispered in Lucille’s family, a warning of how reaching for forbidden knowledge could corrupt; a horror story of the witch who slaughtered her own kind without a care in the world.
Still she never expected to find any trace of her in her lifetime, never expected Agatha to be more than whispers and campfire side stories, much less find out she’s in a bubble of Chaos Magic in a small town in New Jersey.
Name: Nancy Keener
Story: The Mechanic
Faceclaim: Sadie Sink
Summary: tbd
Name: Tracey Stein.
Story: tbd
Faceclaim: Sophie Lillis
Summary: Tracey has known her dad was evil since he beat her brother over a B-. She’s also known better than to think anyone would believe her. Except for of course her brother. They both knew it, they covered for each other, protected each other and that was enough. Even when their social group expanded to include the other PRIDE kids, it had always been her and Chase against the world. When Nico’s sister died and their little friend group falls apart it’s still the two of them against the world.
And then on the anniversary of Amy’s death the siblings find themselves at Alex Wilder’s house of all places. Turns out her dad’s not the only evil asshole in their parent’s little social club. Turns out all their parents are.
Turns out they have to runaway.
Name: Gwendolyn -Wendy- Maximoff
Story: tbd.
Faceclaim: Millie Bobby Brown
Summary: Finding out her brother was a mutant and that the men who came to look for him when she was five years old, finding out she herself was a mutant, finding out there was a special school for mutants. Gwendolyn Maximoff thought the weirdest parts of her life were behind her. She’s starting to settle in at the institute, starting to call it home, and she has her big brother with her which is the most important night.
Then overnight Peter disappears. Months go by with Hank and the professor poring over resources and Wendy wondering when her brother might come home. When they finally find him she demands to be the one to go find him.
As it turns out she might be the only who can; and that’s how she finds herself in Westview New Jersey...on an entire different dimension.
Name: Kamila Maximoff
Story: ( Love ) Persevering
Faceclaim: Malina Weissman
Summary: Kamila lives in Westview, a little town in New Jersey where nothing out of the ordinary ever happens. Kamila lives with her older sister Wanda and Wanda’s boyfriend Vision who might as well be her father for all intents and purposes. Life s simple in Westview, Kamila wakes up every day and goes to school. She helps babysit her little cousins and gets help for her advanced courses from Viz. She and Wanda are as close as ever...she thinks.
Kamila doesn’t always remember what she learned in school. Their neighbor Agnes gives her the creeps. She doesn’t remember the twins turning 1, or 2, or 3. She doesn’t know why Wanda’s the closest thing she’s had to a mother but she is. She wakes up screaming sometimes with nightmares of Vision’s body and her sister screaming and turning to dust. She feels like time isn’t passing and is passing too fast at the same time. She remembers things..things that never happened. ( why would she ever be in sci-fi YA novel looking lab? Why would Wanda?)
Kamila lives in Westview New Jersey with her family; in a suburban little town where nothing ever seems to happen. But she’s starting to think their lives are anything but boring.
Name: Anne Rogers
Story: tbd
Faceclaim: Sarah Michelle Gellar
Summary: Steve Roger’s genetic clone. Shield’s pet project. Avenger’s Family Member. Darcy Lewis’ girlfriend. Anne’s gone through a lot of changes throughout her existence. And a lot of loss.
She refuses to have Darcy be one of them.
“I’m not gonna ask again assholes. Where the hell is my girlfriend?”
Might end Tyler Hayward’s entire career and existence.
Name: Audra Ward.
Story: tbd
Faceclaim: Zoey Deutch
Summary: Audra doesn’t remember much before her brother gained custody of her as baby. That’s what happens when your grandparents and uncle are a load of abusive assholes ( that much Grant did tell her) She doesn’t know what led to their deaths, how Grant was able to find her and gain custody when he was a teenager himself. She doesn’t know anything other that the life they build together after. Still she has her brother, and school, and her life is...well not normal. One does not simply have a normal life with a brother who works for S.H.I.E.L.D but all in all her life is good. It’s her and Grant against the world, and she has a plan to graduate early and find her own calling helping to keep the world safe from H.Y.D.R.A. like her big brother does.
Then Grant’s team finds a break in tracking down a hacker and her life gets decidedly more messy.
Other Plot bunnies:https://welcometotheocverse.tumblr.com/post/651928008282816512/marvel-plot-bunnies
#i have a few plot bunnies but they won't come to light so for now here they are#no I do not like Tyler Hayward why do you ask#i did give him a daughter tho to be fair she Also may end him idk yet#we'll see#my ocs#Marvel Ocs#wip#im gonna drop a few more but am now still hyperfixated on my Gilmore Girls ones#so i figured id just dump em here and then come back when the hyper fixation fades#most of them are Runaways bc i loved the comics and am salty with the show lmao#with some wandavision bc Current Events#child abuse cw#because of Tracy's bakstory#masterlist
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I’ll Take Care Of You, If You Ask Me To
@pcgasuss asked me for jealous Dick. I’m not very good writing about jealousy, but I tried.
Summary: Dick should have known that Kory and Bruce talking was not the best news to him.
1,7K | DickKory | Fluff | Read on AO3
The echo of Kory’s laugh grabbed Dick’s attention in midsentence. She was all the way across the room, actually not in the room at all, but you could see her, and Bruce, talking through the glass.
“Dick?”
“Hm?” He turned attention back to the boys slowly. Conner had his whole face frowned in confusion. It was hard to make Gar smile these days, but he had an amused glint in his eyes.
“Forget it, Con. He’s gone outer space now.”
Conner looked even more confused. Dick sighed and pretended he didn’t hear it.
“Anything else?” Dick asked dryly.
“Yeah, like you could even remember we were talking about.” Mocked Gar.
“Of course I remember.”
“What was it, then?”
“It was…” Kory laughed again, this time a little bit louder, Dick had to bite the insides of his cheeks to control the urge to just nap his head in her direction again.
“Exactly.” Said Gar very pleased with himself. “Come on Con, let’s play some videogames.”
“Only an hour, then bed. I want you both well rested tomorrow morning.”
“Sure, boss.”
“Goodnight, Dick.” Dick gave the boy a tight smile and nodded, Conner turned back to Gar. “Should we invite Hank and Rose?”
Gar answered something, but Dick didn’t listen as they walked away. He took a sip of his orange soda, wishing it was something stronger than sugar and watched them with the corner of his eyes. He couldn’t ignore the fact that both his surrogate father and his… Well, Kory wasn’t his to begin with, but they were both naturally flirty people. Kory was just too charming to her own good, no, scratch that, she was too charming for everyone’s around her own good. The charisma that Bruce so meticulously learned to perform, the same that he tried so hard to make Dick copy and never quite succeeded, Kory had it effortlessly. And Dick knew Bruce very well, there was no way he wouldn’t make any moves, even though the probabilities of him following through with them were quasi none. After all if Batman had something was work ethics. And yet… What was he saying that was so funny? A voice inside his head that sounded terrible like Donna was calling him a paranoid freak and explaining to him in painstaking detail how he had no claim for the feelings brewing in his chest. But it shut up in silent panic when he saw Kory touch Bruce’s arm. When Dick noticed he was already getting hit on the face by the cold wind as he reached the veranda.
“Hey.” Greeted Kory, the easy smile on her face not quite reaching her eyes.
“Nice of you to joying us, chum.”
“Chum?” Asked Kory in obvious delight. A little too much. She was not drinking orange soda.
Dick winced.
“Can you not call me that?”
“Why not?” Was that a little bit of genuine hurt that he was seeing on Bruce’s eyes?
“Because I’m not twelve anymore.”
“See what I was telling you, Miss Anders?”
Kory fell in a fit of giggles, and Bruce smiled fondly at her. Dick felt panic bubble inside him. He hated how Bruce would make him feel like a teenager ager just by being around.
“What? What is happening? What were you telling her?”
“About how adorable you were as a child.” Managed Kory holding on to Dick to keep straight. Her hand on his shoulder was cold. Dick frowned. It wasn’t like he spent hours and hours of what should have been sleep reliving every time she touched him but she never felt cold before, actually, she used to be almost feverish. “Nothing to feel ashamed of.”
“I can’t help but doubt it.”
“Don’t you trust me, Dick?” Asked Bruce prying Dick’s eyes from Kory’s.
“With my dignity? Not at all.”
“You hurt me, son.”
“What did you tell her, Bruce?”
“Oh, this and that.”
“Kory?”
“Oh, cool off. It was nice to hear about baby Dick Grayson. Even though by the stories you didn’t change very much.”
“What do you mean?”
“Bruce here was telling me about how seriously you took yourself, and that, what was her name? Selena?”
“Selina.” Corrected both men together.
“Yes, Selina, she was the best at making you lose it and act like a kid.”
“That’s because she was infuriating.” But when he looked at Bruce his face was softer and when he asked had a note of hopefulness. “Heard from her lately?”
Bruce straightened himself slightly, an act that would pass unnoticed to anyone, but that brought a tiny smile to Dick’s lips. So that explained the whole easy mood of lately.
“Yes, actually.” He cleaned his throat. “She has been around. But we were talking about you…”
“Around? How much around? Is she okay?”
“She is, yes.”
“And you both…?”
“What?”
“Come on, Bruce!”
Bruce just took a sip of his drink and pretended to look at something else far away. Kory just watched their back and forth like it was a very entertaining game.
“Did Jason meet her?”
Bruce sighed.
“Yes, they’ve met.”
“What? They didn’t get along?” Dick’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “They are so alike…”
“Maybe too much you could say.”
“Sorry to hear that, B.”
“It’s alright.”
Deciding to give Bruce a break, he turned back to the woman by his side.
“What else did he tell you, Kory?”
He tried to pretend he didn’t notice that her hand haven’t left his person, slipping from his shoulder to his arm, and that now she was making doodles with the tip of her fingers giving his tingles. Bruce also noticed, but besides making sure to let Dick know he did with an inquisitive look, he didn’t say anything about it.
“Well… He showed me picture too… of your first suit.”
“No…” His eyes widened in terror.
“The little short was so cute, Dick! And the booties. Adorable! I sent a picture to Rachel already.”
“You did not!”
“I did! My batteries died so I don’t know her reaction yet…” She pouted.
Horror spread over Dick’s face and he turned to his mentor.
“Why? Why do you have that with you?”
“To look at it, of course, since I so rarely get to actually see you these days. I carry it in my wallet.” Said Bruce proudly.
“You!” He pointed to Bruce. “And you Koriand’r, I thought you were my friend.”
“Such a drama queen.”
“I know.” Agreed Bruce, “and you believe he never even took acting lessons?”
“No. You two talking was a horrible idea.”
“Well, I thought it was loads of fun. But you, Dick Grayson. You have no such concept.” And to Dick’s complete shock she gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, Bruce. It was lovely to finally meet you.”
“Likewise, Miss Anders.”
“If I have to call you by your first name, you can just call me Kory too.”
“Very well. Goodnight, Kory.”
She just smiled before leaving, her hand lingering on Dick’s arm before she was completely gone.
“So…” Said Bruce when Kory was far-gone. “There is no chance you are coming back, then.”
“I can’t leave the Titans.”
“The Titans?” Bruce scoffed. “Sure.”
“Why are you insinuating?”
“Me? Nothing. But well, I always thought that eventually you and Barbara would settle down, I can see now it will hardly happen.”
“Bruce… Me and Babs haven’t been a thing since high school.”
“I know… I know. But Kory is really a formidable woman. Take good care of her.”
“I’m not seeing Kory either, Bruce.”
“Whatever you say, chum. I’m also going to bed. Long trip back home tomorrow. Goodnight, son.”
“Bruce, I’m not-“
But the man completely ignored Dick, leaving him alone with his feelings and the cold air.
Later, when Dick arrived at his room, he learnt that there was already someone occupying his bed.
“Kory? What are you doing here?”
She purred softly, he had to ask her about that one day. And opened one shiny green eye.
“Dick? Shit. I think I got rooms wrong.”
“Kory, are you okay?”
She sighed, trying to lift her body starting from her head, but no such luck.
“No… Not really. Can I… I mean. Just for sleep?”
He should say no. He really should say no and help her to her room.
“Yes. Sure.”
“Thanks.”
And she didn’t say anything else for so long he was sure she was asleep.
He washed himself and joined her in bed. As soon as he got under the covers, her static form gained movement and she turned to him, pushing her face against his chest. He felt a sense of familiarity and relief so strong, he wondered if it was like that when Hank took heroin.
“I’ve missed you.” He heard she whisper sleepy.
He leaned into her hair, letting himself inhale her scent.
“I miss you too.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“So many things…”
Dick kissed the crown of her head, his fingers getting used to the new texture of her hair. It was so silky now, he missed the fluffiness from before.
“Me too.” He sighed. “Rest, Kory.”
He was sure she was sleeping when he heard she giggle softly.
“What is it?”
“Your dad is hot.”
“Oh my god, Kory.”
She giggled again and looked up to him.
“You are hotter.”
And then she kissed him. He held her impossibly close, and her hand felt warmer when she cupped his face, not hot as it used to be. But her lips didn’t taste the same either, the taste was somehow stronger, more intoxicating, and as he bite them softly they were even more thicker than he remember or fantasied about, her tongue even more talented. But he forced himself to breathe before the kiss consumed them both. Kory was acting so weird. He couldn’t. Not like that.
He pulled away avoiding her seeking lips and kissed her forehead.
“Go to sleep Kory, we’ll talk tomorrow.”
She sighed and got more comfortable against him.
“Goodnight.”
--------------
Another fluffy piece. It’s my headcanon that the reason why Titans Bruce is like that is because he eloped with Selina and is living his best life lmao. Kory in this story is a bit OOC, I think she is so out of it because all her recent losses that she is trying so hard to feel anything else that’s why she is acting so weird. It was nice to write this one. I hope you enjoyed to read it too, and if you did, let me know.
Likes are awesome but if you want to support me please reblog <3
#dickkory#robstar#dick grayson#starfire#koriand'r#kory anders#dcu titans#titans live action#batcat#my fic
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while i’m sitting here nervously chuckling to see if we go into curfew mode/shelter in place...
amanda’s guide to 616 tony’s relationships with characters you know from the mcu. otherwise known as how things are very different.
pepper: tony’s not married to pepper. he’s never been in a relationship with pepper. they pined after each other for a while, pepper got married to happy, happy died, she and tony banged, and then tony deleted his brain and that was pretty much that. by the time tony got around to asking pepper out, she was seeing someone, the weight of happy’s death was there (she asked tony to cut happy’s life support with extremis), and they’d both moved on. they definitely do not have a kid - 616 tony is childless. they’ve been good, good friends over the years, but now have mostly grown apart, and pepper’s doing her own thing as rescue.
rhodey: not much changes here besides the fact that rhodey is a former employee of tony/former ceo of stark/former iron man. while tony was pulling his life together while in recovery, rhodey was iron man. then he became war machine, and is also a liason to the us military for stark. he and tony are still pretty much bffs, despite the fact that they’ve had their spats over the years. tony loves rhodey a lot and tells him that frequently. they use ridiculous code names for things like mama hen and papa bear. when rhodey died tony rebooted him out of death. it’s like that.
happy: happy was pretty much the same. former boxer, tony hired him as a chauffeur. tony saw pepper and happy making eyes at each other and did his best to push them together. happy was in and out of tony’s employ for literal years, sometimes doing his own thing, for a while running literally all the pr and charity stuff (and doing a damn bang up job of it too, during the stark solutions days), and eventually was beaten into brain death during civil war. tony caused the blip in his life support at the request of pepper because happy didn’t want to spend his days like that. tony misses him a lot.
peter: 616 peter is a good deal older than mcu peter, and tony wasn’t really a mentor. instead, you can argue he kind of adopted peter as a little brother (which was a much better take on that friendship, no i do not take criticism). but civil war happened, tony convinced peter to reveal his identity for the sake of regristration/keeping peace, aunt may got shot, everything went to hell, and there’s been a long, slow healing process between the two of them. they can work together nicely enough...usually. but during the parker industries days there was some serious animosity going on - slapfights via the stock market. now, though, they’re starting to move on, and be able to act like grown adults and talk.
steve: oh boy. tony has some major fucking heart eyes for steve rogers. the avengers found steve in the ice, and he’s been tony’s literal attached at the hip bestie ever since, even though they break up more than a junior high school couple. instead of bickering, these two are all unnecessary touching and waxing poetic about each other and acting as each other’s biggest fans. tony has a captain america memorabilia collection. steve’s temporary death utterly destroyed tony completely. look for one, and the other probably isn’t that far behind. the avengers always function better when these two are in sync.
bruce: complicated. super complicated. bruce was a founding member, tony will tell you he is absolutely bruce’s friend, and he really is! but their relationship is...tumultuous. tony saved bruce’s life, but inadvertently caused the hulk as a literal manifestation via gamma bomb. he does love bruce, he does. but he’s also done shit like shot bruce into space because he’s something of a danger in the eyes of...well. just about everyone. (to be fair, that was the illuminati, and boy do i have opinions on the illuminati.)
thor: 616 tony and thor have been through the shit, both together and against each other, and have come out the other side still friends. the big three (tony, steve, thor) is called that for a reason. they’ve got a super tight relationship. but they’ve all three fought hard against each other, as well, and there was a point in time (after the thor clone particularly) where it looked like tony and thor were quitsies. not so much, apparently, thor’s a big tony supporter when tony and steve are feuding. tony (and also steve) have pretty much told odin to get fucked over their boy.
nat: nat and tony met while she was still a russian spy. that’s right. nat started off as an iron man villain. but once she switched sides and joined the avengers...listen. nat and tony have in the past had this...on again off again thing. how serious it’s ever been is up to you to decide, but they’ve been a thing. nat drags tony into things and he goes along willingly because he trusts her completely. he always believes nat has a good reason for doing what she’s doing. it’s been pointed out before but like...the level to which he did not care she had all this info on him (and clint, and bucky, and logan) could not have been more in the negative numbers. tony loves nat. tony trusts nat. enough that he doesn’t spaz the fuck out when she breaks into his bedroom and sits there waiting for him to wake up.
clint: clint was part of cap’s kooky quartet, when the og avengers left for some personal time. even so, tony and clint did spend a good amount of time out west with each other, during tony’s recovery and when he finally picked up the iron man mantle again. tony made clint’s hearing aids. it was tony and steve who were there when clint was going blind. they bicker and pick on each other like...a lot, but if clint calls, even for something as stupid as detangling his fucking cable box, tony’s there to help. they’re friends, is what i’m getting at. clint was the first person tony offered the shield to after steve’s death, to be the next captain america.
carol: instead of barely existing in the same space, tony is friends with carol. he loves carol like...a whole lot. they might argue, and they might disagree (and i think it’s because in reality carol and steve are a lot alike and tony is a good foil to the both of them), but ultimately tony loves and respects carol like...so much. he’s her aa sponsor. he’ll be there to help at the drop of a hat. hell, even after she’s broken his windpipe and finally explains herself to him and thor he’s more than willing to do what needs to be done. she’s the one he trusted with the whole...mmm...hinky shit that was going on behind the scenes after civil war bc he had to have someone and who better than carol danvers?
wanda: sorry but the mcu screwed the pooch completely with wanda all the way around. wanda was another one that was part of cap’s kooky quartet (along with pietro) and like...she was one of them for so long, you know, like...she and tony have actually led teams together, he brought her into force works. i honestly don’t think he holds any animosity for shit that happened before civil war, enough that he can make jokes about it now. it’s not this weird...you’re grounded bc i said so bullshit with them. tony will call wanda sweetheart at the drop of a hat.
vision: tony didn’t create ultron, that was hank pym. the vision is a bit of a weird case in 616 but he’s tony’s??? friend??? enough so that during age of ultron (616′s aou) tony was as blinded as everyone else that ultron had been using the vision to fuck with them from the future. he’s the one who worked to get vision’s self-repair to function after avengers disassembled and it eventually kicked in. he’s the one who helped vision with viv. and he fixed viv’s dog??? like??? he’s not the creator of either of the things that came out of ultron initially but he is vision’s friend, thank you and goodnight.
sam: yeah sam and tony aren’t like. best buds. they view life and being a hero too differently, i think. but they’ve been on teams together and worked fine together. they were able to get their shit together after steve’s assassination. i’d argue tony initially gave sam a chance because he was steve’s friend, and then gave his respect on his own once he saw who sam is as a person. especially when he was filling in as cap. not best buds, can work together just fine.
scott: hey so uh. tony’s friends with scott!!!! i hate!!! what the mcu did!!!! tony’s the one who took a chance on scott when he got out of prison. he hired him. he’s supported scott as ant man, scott’s been an avenger, tony’s uncle tony to scott’s daughter cassie!!! tony’s the one who begged cassie to please, please stay out of superheroing bc he’d lost scott, and he didn’t wanna lose her too. when cassie was little she used to be at stark industries parties!!! like...there’s none of his mean-spirited bullshit there, tony has no problem going to scott and being like hey. i need your help. they’re friends!!!!
t’challa: they’re friends, karen. like t’challa’s been on and off avengers teams for years, and these two have enough in common it’s probably no surprise they can?? get along just fine?? they were part of the illuminati together there toward the end of the incursions (along with steve until they, you know, wiped steve’s mind). they went after the avengers when that toxin was let loose at mount rushmore, because tony, the idiot, broke them out of jail. they have an information sharing agreement between tony’s company and wakanda. they’re friends. and tony’s always been kinda in love with him, lbr here.
bucky: how about a complete one eighty from the mcu? actual friends. didn’t start off that way, no, bucky tried to kill tony the first time they met. because bucky’s...well. he’s bucky. instead he ended up being the new captain america, bc tony took one look at this idiot and said “oh no he’s dumb i have to protecc.” tony knows where bucky lives in indiana - you can bet your ass not everyone does. tony can and will drop everything if bucky calls him in the middle of the night and says “hey, i need you.” he does the work on bucky’s arm that bucky can’t. alpine likes him. he’s willing to support bucky’s solo gig. keep the oatmeal angst, this is the tony and bucky content i’m here for, with bonus small town fireworks.
guardians of the galaxy: they come as a group in this because.................................tony used to be one!!! he likes them just fine!!!! he used their ship as a space crashpad for a while and got into so much trouble with them!! jfc, tony and peter set up the quill network!!! he and gamora had sex like once in which she was not impressed!! he and rocket bickered and dickered back and forth!! angela!!! they all met angela together!!! i hate!!! the mcu take!!!!
edit: stephen: i forgot stephen. because i’m dumb. anyway!! yeah so...stephen and tony don’t bicker that way. they’re friends. stephen never answers his damn phone, but they’re friends. stephen was long time illuminati just like tony was, and they all got up to hinky shit together. it was stephen that wiped steve’s mind at tony’s go ahead. they weren’t on the same side during civil war, but since they mostly get along just fine, and aren’t like...Like That with each other at all.
and as for people like...harley, ig. sorry, pal, they don’t exist in 616 so there is no comparison. tony wouldn’t know who the hell they are. but there you have it. it’s done. i did it.
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Jessica Jones - ‘A.K.A. Hellcat’ Review
"I've got this."
For the second time this season, Jessica Jones pulls the 'Let's see all that from someone else's perspective' trick. Once again, the second perspective is Trish's. Once again, it really, really works.
When the episode titles were announced and we were dividing up which Agent of Doux was going to review which episode, I saw the title for this one and thought to myself, 'Oh good, I get to do the one where Trish has her big hero debut that we've been waiting for. That will be neat.'
That was not what this was.
Since her funeral is the emotional core of the episode, why don't we start by talking about Dorothy. Last episode we saw most of the events of Dorothy's funeral, and what was surprising was the number of people who approached Jessica and Trish and told them inspiring stories of how Dorothy genuinely helped them in their careers. I was a little concerned about this, because I thought it might be the indication that we were going to go ahead and Hank Heywood Dorothy, and I really hate that trope.
If you don't follow Legends of Tomorrow, first of all let me say that you should be watching Legends of Tomorrow. Unless you hate things that are awesome. Secondly, I'll explain the reference. Hank Heywood was the father of Nate, one of the titular Legends. Hank was regularly shown to be an emotional abusive, self involved piece of garbage whose go-to move was to try to destroy as much of his son's self esteem as possible. Then Hank died, and at his funeral we heard one nice story about one singular time that he did something decent, and everyone acted like he was totally absolved of everything forever and has always been just like Jesus.
Obviously I'm still a little irritated by this. Hang in there, I'm coming around to my point.
Since then, 'Hank Heywooding' (v.) has become my own personal shorthand for that thing that TV and movies like to do in which they bestow retroactive sainthood on an intrinsically negative character for the sake of shoehorning in a 'redemption arc'. When the first few testaments to 'Dorothy saved my career' started coming in I really thought that's where they were going. with her. But then the show did something really interesting. Without disavowing or minimizing the times that Dorothy had honestly been a positive and supportive force for people, it went on in this episode to show us Dorothy at her most manipulative and emotionally abusive, pushing Trish into getting her big break through the most reprehensible means possible.
And just a side note, in case anyone is in any way unclear on the point; telling a girl that age that the financial well being of her whole family is entirely on her shoulders is not even the tiniest bit OK. To say nothing of adding on, 'now you're responsible for all of the cast and crew having jobs too.'
I like how they handled this overview of who Dorothy was as a person. It's complicated, and it's messy, and it feels realer than we generally can expect from television.
So, while we get 'Secret Origins: It's Patsy', what we're really being told is exactly what Jessica said both here and in a previous episode. Trish is who she is because of Dorothy. Good and bad. It just turns out that Trish is a lot more broken inside that we'd had an opportunity to see before, and her grief at Dorothy's death is being channeled into the worst possible interpretation of 'You're obligated to give it everything you've got.'
Great usage of misdirection leading into this episode. At the end of the previous one we interpreted Erik's look of shock when he entered the construction site office as, 'Oh my God, Trish is the killer!' It turns out that what he was really shocked by was how completely Trish had lost control. In fact, all of the 'do over' scenes that we get here are reinterpreted in fascinating little ways now that we know Trish's side of the story. That's good storytelling.
I felt just awful for Erik through most of this one. He's right, the situation is completely dicked. It was endearing how dedicated he was to rescuing Jessica from being arrested for the crime that he himself was at least partially responsible for. It did however make me sad inside to find out that he was lying to Jessica by omission last episode. I really wanted to believe in him. Wonderful detail as well that Erik called the cops on Jessica in order to stop her from preventing Trish from attacking Mr. Arsonist and thereby giving Jessica an alibi. Erik and Jessica are going to have one hell of a come to Jesus talk at some point very soon.
So, final score at the close: Jessica was mostly absent. Trish is deeply scary now and completely off the rails. Erik's heart is in the right place but he continues to make poor choices. And Dorothy was capable of being both very good and very bad. RIP Dorothy, and bring on the final two installments.
Bits and Pieces:
- Young Trish's red wig was absolutely horrible.
- The flashback of Trish attacking Sallinger didn't give us any new information, but set up the structure of the episode really nicely. I liked how they handled that.
- Was Erik's expression after Trish punched him just pain from the punch or was he feeling evil from her? Was the punch a plotting contrivance to justify why he didn't sense evil from her at that moment?
- What the everloving hell was up with Omar 'Satan wins when the forces of light stand idly by’ the Doorman? That's a super messed up thing to say to someone whose mother was just murdered. I notice that we didn't see his face when he said it though. Are we going to find out that that was just in Trish's mind?
- Erik and Trish continue to have amazing chemistry with one another as performers. Also, most irresponsible vigilante team ever.
- It was good that the kick that killed Nussbaumer didn't look any more over the top than anything else she'd done. That sold the 'it was an accident' vibe.
- I suppose leaving the badge behind with victim number two should theoretically clear Jessica of the first murder.
- I have a million questions about whether evil is a tangible and finite substance, based on Erik's reaction to the first death.
- Did anyone else get a real Logan Echolls vibe off of Erik through most of this episode?
- Did Erik leave the trailer because Trish was giving him a headache there at the end? Because that was my read.
- I actually experience a groin pull just watching Trish put her foot on Jeri's throat. I can't be the only one who thought Trish was going to attack her.
- Jeri is now blackmailing Trish in order to get her to help solve Kith's problems. That's nice plot dovetailing. There is now no shortage of people who might kill Jeri before the season's end. My money's currently on Trish, although Jessica might be the dark horse in that race.
- I love the worldbuilding detail that cops have to take into account how various superpowers affect their perp investigations.
- Trish is totally going after Sallinger now, right?
- This episode was written by Jane Espensen, my favorite TV writer of all time. I wrote her a love song once. You can google it.
Quotes:
Dorothy: "What did I tell you about parentheticals?"
Trish: "Despite everything on my side, the good, the right, they still win."
Trish: "Was I bothering you? Because your wife beating was bothering me."
Erik: "I can take a hit. When it’s righteous."
Dorothy: "You take that holier than Mom look off your face."
Trish: "You blackmail guilty people." Erik: "I’m re-thinking that career path."
Erik: "If you get hurt chasing my bad guy, Jessica is going to kick my face in and I’ll let her."
Erik: "Christ. This is so dicked up."
Another solid installment which fills in the answers to a bunch of questions that we didn't know we should be asking yet.
Eight out of ten groin stretching exercises.
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Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.
#Jessica Jones#Trish Walker#Jeri Hogarth#Malcolm Ducasse#Marvel#MCU#Jessica Jones Reviews#Doux Reviews#TV Reviews
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all the stars (are closer) [1/5]
summary: Scott is a washed-up comedy actor and an ex-convict, unable to find enough work to pay child support. Hope is a famous action star and the daughter of one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples, still struggling with the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death. When Hope’s estranged father casts them in his directorial debut, a romantic drama with a script that’s more truth than fiction, they find themselves tangled in a mysterious conspiracy that just might explain what really happened to Janet Van Dyne all those years ago.
a/n: Fic title is from the song All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar (with SZA).
word count: 4.4k | ao3 | tag
To the surprise of practically no one who’d known him in his childhood and his awkward adolescence, Scott went into comedic acting soon after graduating university (with a master’s in engineering, no less), having spent many of his late nights doing stand-up instead of studying for exams. To the surprise of nearly everyone, however, he then went on to become moderately famous.
“He was always better at making me laugh than making me cry. Well, until the end,” his ex-wife Maggie had said with a bittersweet smile on a morning talk show once. She was an actress as well, often erroneously underappreciated in supporting roles, and was now engaged to a man who was known for guest-starring on every cop procedural that was still airing long beyond its expiry date.
Maggie hadn’t been talking about their divorce, exactly, but rather, the cause of it - Scott had spent three years in jail for trying to expose a crime ring inside the film industry that no one wanted to admit existed, three years of their daughter’s life he could never get back. His career had also come to a complete standstill ever since, and though he’d made half-hearted attempts at a comeback, he never seemed to be able to make it to where he had been.
“You gotta do something different here, Lang,” his agent had said to him after the third movie premiere in a row in which he’d spent most of it mulling over how much of his paycheck had gone to child support. “Look, there’s a director who’s been chasing me down, wants you to read for a part. It’s not your usual, though - romantic drama, Oscar bait, whatever you wanna call it. He’s already got his lead actress. You know Hope Van Dyne?”
Scott promptly jolted out of his apathy-induced haze. “What?”
Hope was the result of a rare Hollywood happy ending, the daughter of two silver screen icons who had been staples of drama films in their prime and had gotten married after working together and discovering a mutual secret love of science. They later started a scientific research foundation together as an anniversary gift for the world, focusing on funding biological innovation and children’s education programs. It was declared the Hope for Science Foundation during the opening ceremony, where the two of them posed for pictures and talked to reporters while cradling their newborn daughter in their arms.
It hadn’t all been picture-perfect though, as her mother had died in a plane crash when she was seven. Her father’s last role had him playing a surly but well-intentioned detective, with one particular scene that critics loved where a six-year-old Hope had appeared as his character’s daughter. No one had heard from him ever since. When Hope started appearing in action movies in her twenties with a dozen martial arts credentials and her mother’s last name instead of her father’s, rumors followed her everywhere she went. In short, she was the last person whose name Scott had expected to hear.
“Be careful when you meet her, alright? Everyone says she’s...intense.” His agent made a face. Scott was too stunned to make any sort of face in return.
For one reason or another, Scott found himself standing outside the director’s house a week later, debating whether to ring the doorbell, knock on the door, or turn right around and never come back. The decision was made for him when someone walked up beside him, rapped their knuckles sharply on the door, then stepped back and promptly directed their attention to their phone. He turned to stare incredulously at Hope herself, dressed in a smart pantsuit far nicer than his button-up shirt and jeans, making no attempt to acknowledge his presence.
“Hello,” he said rather stupidly. She didn’t respond. “I’m, uh, I’m Scott. It’s nice to...nice to meet you.” More silence. “Y’know, my agent didn’t even tell me anything about the director or the movie, so I don’t...really know what I’m doing here?”
“Is that a question?” she said shortly. Her voice was softer than he remembered from the handful of movies he’d seen her in, but there was a bite in her tone that made him wince.
“No, I really don’t know what I’m doing here,” he admitted, chuckling awkwardly. She seemed unamused. “But you gotta know something, right? And that was a question,” he added at her pointed eyebrow raise.
She suddenly shoved her phone in her pocket and pushed past him to open the door, which had apparently been unlocked the whole time, barely waiting for him to follow. “Hank is waiting for us in the sitting room.”
“Wait,” Scott called after her, hastily shutting the door behind him once he’d stepped inside. “Who?”
The first thing he noticed was how eccentric the house was, looking every bit as old-fashioned as its exterior had been, with Victorian-style furniture, elaborate wallpaper and wainscotting, and dimly-lit lamps in every corner that made it feel more like an atmospheric showroom than an actual home. It took him another few seconds to notice that Hope clearly knew her way around, striding down the hall and through a series of doorways until they finally came to a stop in a room occupied by another man.
Scott did a double-take at the sight of the man - he was notably older than any director Scott had ever worked with, well-dressed in a wool sweater vest, slacks, and a tie, peering at them through his translucent-rimmed glasses with a piercing gaze. What was most notable, however, was the fact that he was definitely Hope’s estranged father.
“Hank,” Hope said neatly, folding her arms across her chest.
“Hope. Would it kill you to call me ‘Dad’?” Hank let out a world-weary sigh, sinking into the plush armchair behind him and gesturing for them both to sit on the fainting couch opposite. Hope immediately sat down; Scott was still looking at him dumbfoundedly. “Mr. Lang, I see you’ve already met my daughter.”
“Yeah, uh, she’s great,” Scott said, turning to look at her. She was already back on her phone. He turned back and stuck out his hand. “Mr. Pym, huge fan of your work - ”
“It’s ‘Doctor’ now, Scott. Spent my early retirement putting my mind to good use.” Instead of accepting Scott’s proffered hand, he gestured toward the bookcases behind him, practically bursting at the seams with volumes on things like quantum physics, time displacement, and other topics far beyond Scott’s master’s degree. “Sit down.”
Scott finally took a seat, sheepishly tucking his rejected hand away. “Sorry - Dr. Pym, I didn’t realize you were directing now.”
Hope scoffed. “You really didn’t tell him anything, did you?”
“Tell me - ” Scott glanced between them, but neither seemed interested in making eye contact with each other. “I’m missing something, aren’t I?”
“To make a long story short, I need more than just a good performance out of you.” Hank leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, staring at Scott so intently he could feel his ears burning. “What can you tell us about the Ghost conspiracy?”
Scott groaned, leaning back to rub his eyes; he could feel a headache coming on already. “Oh, you gotta be kidding me. No disrespect to you, Dr. Pym, but I left all that behind me the second I got out of jail. Besides, they had me sign a bunch of agreements not to talk about it, it was all very legal. Even if I wanted to talk about my theories, I can’t.”
“But it’s not just a theory, is it? It’s real, all of it,” Hank insisted. “People were disappearing and - ”
“Almost thirty years later and you still can’t let this go.” Hope finally put her phone away so she could narrow her eyes at her father. “We have more important things to be focusing on, Hank. Dragging in a has-been who might know something about this stupid cult theory just to feed your obsession over Mom’s death is a new low, even by your standards.”
“Don’t you talk about your mother like that,” Hank growled, suddenly rounding on her. “Show some respect.”
“Fine. Then we can go back to not talking at all,” she replied. She got to her feet and promptly turned to walk right out of the house, her heels clicking sharply against the glossy wood floors. Hank sighed, sinking further into his chair, making no move to go after her.
Scott, who was trapped in an unpleasant combination of feeling utterly confused, awkward, and shocked all at once, slowly stood as well. “There’s no movie, is there?”
“There is,” Hank said resignedly. “And I need both of you, more than you could ever know.” ______
Scott barely slept at all that night, staring up at the ceiling with everything he knew and everything he thought he knew rolling around in his brain. He had only stayed at Hank’s house for another few minutes, hoping to get a clearer picture of what exactly he was expecting from him, but Hank had only said that he would get in touch when they were ready. Scott wasn’t sure if “they” really included Hope, given that her car was long gone by the time he walked out of the house. She seemed about as interested in entertaining Hank’s schemes as she was in...well, just about anything else.
Still, Scott found himself on a sunny San Francisco backlot three weeks later, sitting in a hair and makeup trailer with the air conditioning blasting comfortably through his unwashed hair. He had signed a contract after it had been extensively combed through by his lawyer, and a script had finally been mailed to him last night, though he knew its importance was secondary to Hank’s true intentions.
If Hank and Hope were even just a little bit less intimidating, Scott would have turned down both the movie and the mystery, but he had to admit - if nothing else, he was intrigued. Neither of them seemed to be able to talk about Janet beyond using her as a weapon against one another, and he couldn’t blame them. He remembered how he could barely bring himself to talk about Cassie during the first few months of his incarceration, how he couldn’t bear the thought of how much he’d disappointed her. He had wondered if she would want to see him after he got out, if she would want to remember him at all.
The sharp bang of the trailer door being flung open startled Scott right out of his thoughts (and his chair). He glanced in the mirror to watch Hope walk in and sit down in the seat beside him. The assistants immediately began to panic, scrambling to dig through their kits and find what they needed for her. Hope remained as disinterested as ever, silently sipping on her coffee and scrolling through her text messages.
“Morning,” Scott chirped. She side-eyed him over the rim of her cup. “Hey, don’t you think it’s weird that we haven’t done a table read or pre-production or...y’know, anything?”
“Hank invests his time and money into what he wants, not what’s actually needed,” she replied, her tone dry. “If you were expecting this shoot to be like anything you’ve ever done before, you clearly don't understand what’s really going on here.”
“I don’t, because neither of you are telling me anything,” he pointed out. “And I’m not an expert on this stuff. There are probably a dozen people out there more qualified to help him than me, why can’t he just ask around?”
Hope glanced briefly at the makeup assistants still rooting around the bottoms of their bags for products, then leaned in close, her mouth nearly brushing against Scott’s ear. He shivered. “Hank hasn’t been focusing on the real problem that I went to him for. There’s a man determined to blacklist him permanently from every connection and every social circle he’s ever had, ruin his reputation, and deplete my family of the fortune that my parents built. He only knows this because I told him, which is why he has to be discreet. He also thinks solving the conspiracy will somehow stop this from happening. I think he’s really lost it this time.”
“So who is this guy?” Scott asked quietly. “Why does he have it out for Hank?”
“Darren Cross was a would-be protégé of his. Child actor he met during the filming of his very last movie...the one that I was in, too.” Hope leaned back in her chair to look at her own reflection in the mirror, eyes glazing over as she became lost in thought. “When...when Mom died, Hank left everything behind, including his promise to Darren that he’d take him under his wing. He couldn’t handle being abandoned.”
“What happened to him after that?” Scott pressed.
She let out a quiet, harsh laugh. “Among other things, he became the CEO of my parents’ foundation. It was poetic to the public, but what it really was? It turned out that a mutual spite for Hank was a negotiation point for starting a business relationship between us, and so I made it happen. I was the one who put Darren in that position.” Her head bowed. “I made us vulnerable.”
Scott blinked. “I’m so confused.”
Hope sighed, rolling her eyes so hard he suspected she would have pulled something had she not likely done it thousands of times before. “Try to keep up, I’m not here to babysit you. I’m here to help Hank.”
“Really? Because it kinda sounds like it’s the last thing you wanna do.”
“He abandoned me right after Mom died. Since then, he’s only come back into my life a few times, and usually not by choice.” Her voice broke. “I don’t want to believe the things he believes, but...part of me wants to entertain the idea that somewhere, somehow...she’s still alive.” ______
The end of the fourteen-hour shoot left Hope half-collapsed in the driver’s seat of her car, completely and utterly drained, both physically and emotionally. She knew Scott was familiar with her work, but she knew nothing of his - comedy had never been a draw to her, not when her life had been so deprived of it. Her expectations for him had been low, and she’d made that obvious from the beginning, but what actually happened in front of the cameras left her silently impressed. Still, it didn’t make his presence any easier to accept.
She had been eighteen when she’d agreed to meet with Hank in person for the first time since her mother’s death, with every other encounter being expertly maneuvered by lawyers or assistants or any other number of sneak tactics he’d used to attempt reconciliation, to no avail. He’d told her about the Ghost conspiracy, showed her all the news clippings and redacted documents and photographs he’d collected, telling her it was likely Janet had gotten too close to the truth and had been taken from them as a result. Hope then spent the rest of her life holding steadfast to the plane crash that everyone believed to be true, mostly out of spite. However, six months ago, she ended up calling him with a new proposal, because now, they were racing against the clock.
“Darren wants to cut off all program funding and shut down the Foundation, start it from scratch with his name on the side of the building,” she had said to him over the phone. “He wants to discredit you, blame you for Mom’s death, and...he’s been siphoning money elsewhere. Offshore bank accounts, shell companies, things I can’t trace myself, but I know it’s happening. We have to stop him before this turns into something bigger than just us.”
Hank had paused; even after all their years apart, she could still picture him narrowing his eyes in contemplation. “What is he up to?”
“I wish I knew.” Hope had pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers in agitation. “I’ve caught glimpses of his phone and his work desktop - emails, invoices, redacted documents - but I don’t know where to begin. I...I need your help, Hank.”
Another pause. Then, “I think I found a guy.”
She had blinked. “...who?”
A sharp knock-knock-knock on the passenger door window promptly pulled Hope out of her reverie. She flinched further when she realized who it was. “Oh, god.”
Scott shot her a bright smile, though even he was starting to look exhausted as well. “Hank wants to do a nightcap at his house, said he wanted to go over the details.”
“Of course he does,” she said bitingly. “Fine, I’ll meet you there.”
“I, uh, I don’t suppose I could get a ride with you, could I?” he asked, his grin turning into something more sheepish. “I’m still not clear to get a driver’s license yet, I’ve been taking ride services ever since - ”
“ - ever since you got out of jail,” Hope interrupted. Her eyes were narrowing more and more by the second. “Just get in before I change my mind.”
The drive to Hank’s was uncomfortably silent for the first few minutes, though she could tell he was itching to talk, his fingers drumming an irregular pattern against the windowsill. “So that was, uh...that was something.”
“What was?” she said shortly.
“O-kay, never mind,” he mumbled to himself. For the first time since she’d met him, he almost seemed embarrassed.
She cleared her throat, feeling a mild sense of pity for him that she was sure would pass. “It was definitely...different. But we both know the movie isn’t what matters here.”
“Right, but we still have to do the whole - ” he waved his hand aimlessly “ - the shoot, post-prod, press, y’know, the usual. Unless Hank decides to shelve the project if we get this done first.”
Hope suddenly slammed on the brakes without warning, causing Scott to jolt forward. All the air was knocked out of his lungs from the tug of his seatbelt, causing him to wheeze; she ignored him. “Why are you even getting involved? You could’ve easily walked away from all of this.”
“Well…” He paused for a moment, partially to think about what he felt and what she wanted to hear, but mostly to cough and catch his breath. “...you have to understand, Hope, I don’t get a lot of options or opportunities these days. It’s hard to find work of any kind as an ex-con, let alone in an industry as messed up as this one. So, after listening to Hank and listening to you, I mean, how could I not help, especially if I’m the only one who can? That’s how I felt the first time I got involved, and that’s how I feel now. If I can figure out this weird conspiracy that’s been haunting me for the last six years, I can prove to my ex and my daughter that I didn’t do what I did for nothing.”
She made a quiet noise in the back of her throat, so low that Scott nearly missed it. It almost sounded sympathetic. “I...almost forgot about your daughter. I know all about Maggie, but...I guess you both kept her out of the public eye. That’s not what my parents did with me.” She lowered her gaze to the steering wheel, unable to look at him. “What’s her name?”
“Cassie.”
“It’s a pretty name.” Hope, to Scott’s surprise, cracked a small smile. “If you want what’s best for Cassie, you might want to start by protecting yourself first. You may be sure about what happened to you in the past, but you have no idea what’s about to happen in the future. None of us do.”
He shrugged. “Sounds like an adventure.”
Hope snorted, shaking her head, though it seemed more playful than it had before. She let go of the brake to step on the gas again, still smiling as she pulled the car back onto the road. ______
After the excessively long discussion at Hank’s house, where, to Scott’s disappointment, Hope fell back onto her stone-faced stoicism and strong contempt for her father, Scott took a car home, not wanting to bother her further. His mind was still reeling from everything they’d talked about, all the (legal) details he’d shared, all the information Hank had, all the interruptions Hope made to remind them of the more immediate issue at hand. Ten minutes into the ride, Scott leaned forward to gently tap on the plexiglass and request that the driver make a detour.
He found himself standing on the doorstep of a house far nicer than his, in a gated community he had once known. It was only a few blocks over from where he and Maggie used to live when they were together, a step-up from the crappy apartment they had when they were first starting out, young and fresh-faced and naïve. He took a deep breath, then rang the doorbell.
A moment passed before someone answered, the door swinging open sharply. To Scott’s dismay, it was Paxton, Maggie’s fiancé, staring him down in complete disbelief. Scott grimaced. “Hey, man. Is my daughter home?”
Paxton scoffed. “You’re not supposed to be here, Lang.”
“I know, I know. I just...it’s been a long day, and I thought I would stop by and say hello. Can I at least do that?” Scott pleaded.
The decision seemed to be made for Paxton, however, as there was a sudden pattering of a little girl’s footsteps thundering down the hallway, and she practically barreled right into Scott’s side with a delighted squeal. “Daddy!” Cassie shrieked.
Scott let out a sigh of relief, crouching down and melting into her embrace, instantly soothed by the feeling of her face burrowed in his neck. He then pulled back a little so they were eye-to-eye. “Hey, peanut,” he said softly. “Been a while since I’ve seen you.”
“For good reason,” Paxton coughed, though he stepped aside so Scott could cross the threshold and get into the house. “I’ll tell Maggie you’re here.”
“Wait, no, don’t - ” Paxton disappeared up the stairs before Scott could stop him. Scott groaned, looking back to Cassie, who merely shrugged. “So what’ve you been up to? All kinds of trouble, I bet.”
“No way,” she protested. “I’ve been super good. Mommy said so.”
“That’s good,” Scott murmured, cupping her face in both hands so he could push her hair out of her face. She was a little taller than she’d been the last time he’d seen her, though her eyes were just as big and round and expressive as ever. He then realized she was wearing the pyjamas he’d bought and sent her last Christmas, which he had wrongly assumed Maggie had just thrown out before Cassie ever realized they existed. “Hey, uh, I’ve been working on a new movie. I’m not really sure if you’ll be old enough to watch it when it comes out, but it’s different than the stuff I usually do. And I’ve got some...interesting people I’m working with.”
“Int’resting how?” she asked.
“It’s a father-daughter team. Just like you and me,” he replied, poking her playfully in the stomach, causing her to giggle. “What do you think, peanut? You wanna act with me someday, too?”
“Scott, let our daughter have a normal life, please.” He glanced up to see Maggie standing at the top of the stairs, her arms folded across her chest defensively. Paxton was hovering at her back, glancing between them like he was watching a tennis match.
“How can I? Have you seen the house you guys live in?” Scott remarked. “What’s the mortgage like?”
“I’m not here to argue with you, Scott. I am here to remind you that you can’t just come by whenever you feel like it,” she said, furrowing her brow at him. “And it’s late. Cassie has to be in bed in fifteen minutes, she has gymnastics tomorrow.”
“Wait - I brought you something.” Scott pulled out an envelope from his back pocket and held it out to her. She made her way down the stairs to take it, eyeing it suspiciously as if she expected it to explode, and carefully pried it open. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was.
“Scott, this is - ”
“Six months’ worth, yeah,” he nodded. “I know it’s nothing compared to what you guys make, but I just wanna do my part. I wanna do what’s right.”
“But where did this come from?” Maggie sputtered.
“I got an advance payment for the project I’m working on,” he explained. “Just started today, actually.”
“Daddy’s doing a movie. He says it’s diff’rent from his other stuff,” Cassie informed her, smiling toothily.
“Scott, if you’re getting involved in something immoral again - ”
“Illegal, even,” Paxton interjected. Scott couldn’t help but think he tended to forget that he only played a cop on TV.
“ - then I want no part in it, and I don’t want a single cent,” Maggie finished, turning to shoot Paxton a dirty look.
“I promise, it’s honest money. I’m going straight. I’ve been going straight for the past year,” Scott insisted. “I just meant ‘different’ as in ‘different genre’, okay, it’s nothing to be worried about! I’m turning it around, Maggie. I swear.”
“Well…” She sniffed, carefully tucking the cheque back into the envelope. “I’m not cashing it until I know you’re in the clear. So go home, Scott. I’ll call you later this week, we can talk more about this movie of yours then.”
“I’m shooting all week, so I’ll text you when I’m free instead,” he suggested.
“Fine,” she said, pursing her lips. Scott knelt to give Cassie a hug goodbye, sneaking in a quick kiss on the forehead despite knowing he was already pushing his luck. “Can you at least tell me the name of one of your co-stars or something? Just to, I don’t know, make it sound more legitimate?”
Scott paused, straightening up. “Hope Van Dyne.”
Maggie scoffed incredulously; Paxton made an odd choking noise in the back of his throat. “Hope Van Dyne, are you serious? Everything I’ve heard about her, all that stuff about her parents, I mean...she seems...intense.”
Scott glanced down at Cassie. She grinned, reaching to squeeze his hand. He squeezed back, chuckling mostly to himself. “So I’ve been told.” ______
a/n: I've been wanting to write a multi-chapter AU for Scott/Hope for ages, but could never quite think of a concept that would suit them specifically. Then this popped into my head after watching the trailer for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and remembering how much I enjoyed The Nice Guys, and here we are! I started a post-Endgame fic focusing on the Ant-fam a long time ago as well, but that'll probably come after this one is complete.
As you've probably noticed, this fic is going to mash up elements of both Ant-Man movies in different ways. It'll also go back and forth on the film industry aspect and the conspiracy hunt aspect, with some chapters focusing on one more than the other. Next chapter will be posted next Friday and I'm hoping to post this weekly. Thanks so much for reading, likes and reblogs would be much appreciated, and I'll see you next time :)
#scotthope#hopescott#langdyne#langdyne fic#scotthope fic#myfic#myfic: all the stars#marvel#long post#i'm having a v good time writing this so i hope this is interesting to at least one other person lmao
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Razel never imagined himself dying. It just never occurred to him; he’s virtually immortal, and even he if wasn’t he’d probably forget he could die and throw himself in the fray anyway. He just doesn’t have the oversight necessary to envision his own ending.
But if he had ever taken the time to do so, he’s sure he’d have came up with something else than “slowly bleeding out in the middle of enemy territory after failing a rescue missions”.
.
Two days earlier.
The universe always needs saving. It should get tiring, after a while, but Razel thrive on the excitement and adventure. It means he rarely feels the urge to return to the Tower, spending weeks or even months at a time flying from planet to planet, and when he does return it is only for a few days, a week at most.
This time was supposed to be less than that, no more than a pit stop between two missions. But then he got distracted talking to Banshee-44, which mean he was late for everything else on his schedule, and at this point he might as well stay a bit and talk to his other friends while he’s at it.
His first instinct is to seek out Cayde-6 for a bowl of ramen, as is their usual meet-up ritual. But he doesn’t find Cayde anywhere. Not an uncommon occurrence in and on itself: the hunter is notoriously slippery and tends to disappear to check on his caches across the galaxy, so. Not worrying.
But then he goes to Ikora, and she’s just… nowhere to be found, either. He likes to come talk to her when he comes back, Warlock to infinitely-smarter warlock. He’s not a fan of meditation, but she always has tea and a fun story to tell about the rest of the Vanguard as long as he’s not bothering her in her research. She’s also extremely predictable. That’s when he starts to worry.
It’s when he realizes Zavala isn’t in his usual spot that he knows something is really, really wrong. The commander likes to oversee his home, and to be easily found by his troops. He’s always in the same spot.
“Hey, has anyone seen the Vanguard around?”
Another guardian blinks at him, surprised. “You ain’t been around, have you?”
“No, I’ve been-” He stops, not sure how to explain that he’s been running around doing nothing of importance for like, three months. “Busy,” he finishes lamely.
She quirks an eyebrow but doesn’t comment. “Heard a friend of theirs got taken by the Fallen or somethin’? Tower’s been up in arms about it, but the three o’ them has been hidin’ in their strategy room or whatever.”
Oh, that’s not good. Not good at all.
He barely remembers to throw her a thank as he runs off to where the Vanguard is meeting. If one of their friends is in danger… Well.
There’s nothing that he loves more than a good rescue missions.
.
Of course, rescue missions are a lot more fun when they don’t end with a dead target and a soon-to-be-dead would-be rescuer.
It might have gone better if Razel hadn’t gone against direct order by coming here. Ikora insisted that he shouldn’t go; that Jude was unlikely to be still alive, and the mission too dangerous to even try. Zavala had wisely nodded at her words, looking sad but resolute. And Cayde—
Well. Razel can’t read Cayde, because he’s a robot and he’s not that good at reading people. But he knows Cayde has lost many people in his life. As have Zavala and Ikora, actually. He thought, what’s the harm in trying to get one of their friends alive?
He should have listened to them. They’re so much better at planning than he is.
Maybe if he had, Cubix—
Well. Cubix would still be able to get him out of this mess. That’s what Cubix does.
What Cubix… did.
So now he’s stranded in the middle of a Fallen stronghold, with no ammo, his sword broken and lost somewhere along the way and a dead Ghost to mourn over while he’s waiting to finally bleed out.
He’s laying against a broken wall, surrounded by Fallen bodies and the stench of blood and burned flesh. The room is dark, enough to hide him for a little while, but it won’t take long for the rest of the Fallen to track him down and then—
And then he’d be like Jude. Dead and without a Ghost to bring him back.
Because he let his Ghost get killed like a moron—
Pain pulses in his stomach, the dull throb briefly rising to a burning stab in the guts, and he groans. He lifts numb fingers to the wound, clumsily prodding the torn skin, slick with blood. Yikes. He’d cauterize it, but he’d used the last of his power in a desperate bid to save his ass from the Fallen now laying around him. Fat lot of good it does him.
He hisses through his teeth and lets his hand falls again. On its way down it knock against his thigh, bouncing on the small device strapped to his belt.
Oh. Right. He still has that. Communication-whatever, space talkie-walkie. Ikora has him carrying one since the second or third time he went off-grid because Cubix caught some Vex virus and couldn’t communicate with them.
He gives it a poke, wondering if it survived the whole debacle. Must be a whole pint of blood in its casing from the way his clothes are drenched with it.
Unexpectedly, it crackles, the static-y sound of an open channel.
“...lost contact- Wait. Razel?” Cayde, his mind supply, and he feels an odd sense of calm. Nothing can go wrong with Cayde there. Even if he’s not there-there. He just has that kind of luck following him around.
He jumps at the sound of his name and fumbles for the device, managing to unhook it from his belt. He curls around it, mindless of the pain, as if to protect the voices inside it from the Fallen roaming the halls.
“Razel, is that you?”
“Shit- Yeah. It’s me. I’m here.”
“Is that-” Zavala’s voice, quickly covered by Ikora’s.
“Guardian! What the hell do you think you are doing?”
He coughs wetly, giving it an honest thought. “Huhh- Bleeding out, I guess?”
“What-”
Zavala again. “Guardian,” he says in his Commander voice, firm and reassuring. “What’s your status.”
He lets out a shivering breath. “Mission failed, Commander. The target- Jude’s dead. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no mission, Guardian. What’s your status?”
“I’m- I’m out of ammo, and I’m bleeding. It’s… pretty bad, Zav. Gut shot.”
There’s a scuffle as the device changes hands. Somewhere in the distance, someone swears. Ikora’s voice washes over him, soothing despite the edge of desperation underneath. “Why haven’t you been healed already?”
“Out of power. Ghost’s… Cubix is dead.”
“Shit-” Cayde is back. “You really have a gift for getting in terrible situation. Almost as good as mine.”
He manages a weak laugh. “You have a gift for getting out of them.”
“Yeah well, what do you think we’ve been doing? Chatting around tea? We’re on the way, buddy. You’re kinda predictable once you get used to the whole ‘jump first plan later’ train of thought.”
“If you didn’t want me to go head first you shouldn’t have given me a sword.”
It’s an old argument and usually Cayde is fun about it. Today he just sounds tired. “Yeah, yeah. I know.”
“’M sorry.” He blinks, trying to see through the haze settling over his eyes. That’s not going to make his aim better. It’s already terrible when he can see. “I tried to save them, you know? I tried really hard. But I was too slow...”
“You weren’t supposed to try, Raze,” Zavala says gently. “It was too dangerous, too unlikely a rescue. They were ours to grieve.”
“Tried anyway,” he mumbles. He’s just going to close his eyes a bit. Not for long... he’s just so tired.
He drifts off, despite the increasingly urgent calls of his name through the device.
Shots echo in the distance as he claws his way to semi-consciousness. He’s tired, the kind of exhaustion that settles in your bones when you’re dying slowly enough for your body to notice. It’s not the first time it’s happened. Just the first he hasn’t been sure of what would happen afterward.
Maybe the second, in hindsight. Who knows what went in Before-Razel’s head when he died.
There’s a constant hum originating from somewhere around his chest. He gropes around, wincing as it tugs at the wound, and his fingers close around the communication device.
It’s Cayde, mettering under his breath like he does when he’s nervous. The words are covered by shots and Razel is far from his best state, but he thinks he hears him repeat “Don’t be dead” a few times there.
“’M not,” he mumbles. He slides slowly to his side, sprawling over the sticky ground with his cheek smushed against the device.
“Thank the Traveler,” comes the reply, breathy with exertion and something else he can’t make sense of. “Where are you?”
“Dunno. Sorry”
“It’s alright. I’ll just follow the trail of bodies.”
His chuckles turns into a cough. Blood splatters on the ground, more dripping from his lips down his chin. Yikes.
“Shit. Hold on. I’m almost there.”
Odd chatters come from the door, attracted by the noise, and he knows the Fallen have found him. “I don’t think-”
“Shut up. I’m coming.”
The line goes dead. Razel pouts. He’d have liked to hear something else than a bunch of Fallen in his last moments, but then again dying while he’s on the radio with someone else sounds very gruesome and cruel. Better not.
The chatters come closer, skittering steps approaching him — less than a dozen but more than half, maybe. He could take them, if he wasn’t bleeding out. He could…
His thought is cut off as he’s blinded by a burst of golden light. Sparks fly around him, surrounding him. Seven shots ring out, casting the room in stark shadows before fading back to darkness.
Silence.
Then, someone hurries to him and drops to his side. Gloved hands cradle his face and he blinks blearily as the face of Cayde swims into half-focus.
“Razel.”
He goes for a smile, but only succeeds in baring bloody teeth. “You came,” he says, delighted.
“Wha- Of course I did. Ikora and Zavala are just behind me, I rushed in-”
“I didn’t think you’d came,” he babbles on, going from tired right to delirious with blood loss. “Shouldn’t have had t’come, but- but… s’nice. Of you.”
“Of course we’d come. We weren’t going to let you die,” he gripes, fingers leaving his face to settle on his stomach. He immediately misses the touch, and tries to make it clear with a choked off whine. Cayde ignores him, reaching in his pack for bandages.
“I die all the time.”
“You know what I mean.”
He giggles. “Yeah, I kinda do.”
Cayde shakes his head. Softly, he adds. “Friends don’t let friends get themselves killed like idiots.”
“I’m your friend?” Surprised. Then, delighted, “’m glad t’be your friend. You’re a good friend, Cayde. Ikora and Zavala too but. Y’buy me ramen. Best friend.”
And then he passes out again.
.
Things one forgets when one can be magically healed by a little floating robot: hospitals. They suck.
“I can’t believe you didn’t know you’re our friend.”
Razel looks up from the takeaway ramen Cayde brought him (best friend, he called it) and points accusingly at him with his fork — he doesn’t have the dexterity necessary for chopsticks right now.
“First of all, I don’t know anything. Second-” He blinks. “Hm.”
Cayde shakes his head and pats his shoulder sympathetically.
“Oh, by the way. Cubix should be back online in a few days, so you’ll be healed soon… ish. Might keep him a lil’ while to make up for your dumbass suicide mission.”
There’s a pause as Razel grumbles in his noodles, because. Yeah, that’s fair. Then-
“Wait. Cubix’s alive?”
Cayde’s head swivels around. “Of course he’s- you literally kept his pieces in your pocket. Just had to fix him up a bit.”
“That a thing we can do?”
“You did it with Osiris’ Ghost!”
“Oh. Right.” He hits his forehead with the palm of his hand. “I’m dumb.”
“Don’t worry, buddy. We like you just the way you are. Lonely pair of brain cells and all.”
“Hey!”
Cayde is cackling as he rises to his feet, cape swaying with his steps. He stops with his hand on the door, back turned to Razel.
“But- don’t forget it, alright? You’re our friends. We love you. Don’t be an idiot.”
And then he leaves, because Cayde-6 will never not be allergic to display of emotions.
Razel smiles into his ramen.
#writing#destiny 2#cayde-6#zavala#ikora rey#my ocs#razel is a huge moron and i love him very much#it's 3 am i hte myself#long post#razel
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(^:
HENLO!!! this is ur actual bday present, not that Gross thing i sent earlier lol. again, do whatever u want with it!! u dont have to post it or anything. it’s just easier to submit stuff like this than to, idk, send u an email like a señora lol.
ok so im doing this in bullet point format bc the last time I wrote a coherent, well-written paragraph was like 5 years ago or smth. anyway!! since u hated soooo much my beautiful, amazing, unique goths au im going with the loser couple au… which was also a college au of sorts?? dskjhksjdf this isn’t even an au, since y’all are already losers tbh (^: this also got out of hand…. this shit is eight pages long. idk enjoy bithc.
first of all, ck the kind of dude everyone’s lowkey scared of bc he’s silent and serious af. also he does seem kind of a weirdo, tbh?
youve seen him around, maybe you’re in the same dorms but u have absolutely no idea what he’s majoring in :o and u ask around but no one has any idea either!! oh wow a mystery~~
BUT he’s kinda cute hmmm (^: and u probably find the weirdo vibe interesting
however it’s so hard to get to talk to him. u always run into him when you’re out with friends or in a hurry to get to class so :///
but destiny works in mysterious ways~~~ and once u meet it’s rly. so unexpected.
actually, it’s awful since u get locked out of ur dorm sound familiar?? during winter break, rly late at night after a long study session at the library yes, the library, fight me. so u kinda just. sit down miserably outside ur room, since ur roommates are gone, cursing everything and everyone. u will eventually go looking for someone to help u out or smth but right now u need to Whine.
but oh my!! enter mister im changkyun!!! that weirdo who actually lives a couple of doors away from u (how come you never found out wtf???)
he sees u basking in ur misery and actually. finds u rly cute??? bc you’re pouting, cursing a little under ur breath, fumbling with ur phone. but u also look angry as fuck, ready to kill a man??? and yet you’re really fucking cute what the hell!!!!
so he comes up to u and asks u what’s wrong, to which u answer not so nicely without even looking up from ur phone, bc you’re rly so done with this situation ://
but then u look up and u See who it is fuck fuck fuck fuckfucbicvufkhkcfj
but since ck’s Nice and he understands that u must be having an awful time (and also bc he thinks youre cute) he offers to help u. you’re kind of skeptical since he’s just another student, what could he do???
until he tells u he knows how to pick locks lmaoaoaoaoa. that lil weirdo (‘:
anyway he saves ur night. but since he’s an annoying lil shit he’ll tease u abt it every time he runs into u for the rest of winter break.
since that day y'all basiclly become an old, bickering, married couple fnsdjdj
u never stop annoying each other…. you’re wearing a hoodie? he’ll probably pull the hood all the way down until it covers ur eyes, and u get him back by messing up his hair which, by the way,is so soft….. hmmmm
u call each other nerd and loser and dumbass all the time lmao. he’ll constantly bring up the way u met just to jokingly say that you’d be lost without him :/// he rly is a lil shit.
it’s funny bc everyone figures out u are falling for each other… except u two. and i rly do mean everyone. ur friends. his friends. ur roommates. ur cat. the janitor, too, probably. it’s so obvious it hurts.
one time someone implies u would be a cute couple and y'all literally go all ‘no???? haha me??? liking that loser??? pfft not in a million years’
it’s the biggest lie, of course (: and ever since that person suggested u would look good together, both of u kind of realize it’d be… nice. more than nice. actually, super nice.
but since both of u are dumb tsunderes, as ive said before, u will literally be the embodiment of this scene… except it goes both ways. honestly u are so gone for each other it’s GROSS.
but we need some angst up in here so y'all dont get together for a reaaaaaaally long time :/ smh. the pining is Real. ppl come and go in ur lives, and each person u go out with sees that u already fell for someone else—and that’s why all potential relationships don’t last much–, but sdjkfhksjdhk!!! neither of u want to openly admit it.
it’s A Mess bc u are actually good friends and u tell each other abt ur dates and stuff—secretly hoping the other will do something—but y'all looove being dumb so u act like it’s all cool and be like ‘o rly!! good for u, i hope it works out’. right. :/
y’all keep dancing around each other for several months until one Merciful Soul gets tired of ur shit and forces u to sort things out. im talking abt locking u up in some room and not letting u out until u stop pretending u aren’t disgustingly in love with each other. or smthequally cheesy (: u know ilove cheese
((obviously everyone eavesdrops through the door bc cmon, theyve been waiting for this for sooooo long))
at first u two are just annoyed at the Merciful Soul betchait was minhyuk, and u spend ur time yelling and cursing them for doing this (all while claiming that this is pointless, since u have NO feelings for each other. none. nada!)
after a very long time, it’s ck the one that confesses first lmao. youve been whining and being grumpy the whole time youve been locked up together and it kinda reminded him of the way u met… damn. here come The Feelings.
he’s tired, and there’s nothing left to lose. so he tells u The Truth.
[suspenseful pause….. what’s going to happen next?? :OOOOO]……… tune in next year to find out, in the continuation of Cristina’s Cheesy Birthday Present!!!
jk, proceed to the next bullet point pls.
obviously u tell him u feel the same way [insert ppl crying in the background] and he’s actually shocked when u say u like him back…. and gosh, he does look cute when he’s surprised…
so yeah!!! it’s until then that u FINALLY go on a date during the weekend!!. hallelujah. thanks minhyuk,u beautiful soul.
so!!! ok!! first date!!! a rly cute fairground in the evening!!!
u try to be fake mean to each other like u used to but everything feels different~~~ (^:
so instead y’all act bashful as hell, and blush at everything jjdfghjfhd. hands brushing accidentally?? BLUSH. eyes meeting? BLUSH. BLUSH BLUSH BLUSH!!! u also laugh at everything bc both of u are so nervous oh gmhg fdknjjkdsfjoidf this is gross.
he’ll tell bad jokes to make u laugh and they’re rly so so so bad that he actually keeps u in stitches. if u look rly closely you’ll see his huge ass heart eyes bc !!!! he made u laugh!!!! and u look so pretty when u laugh omg!!!! dis-gos-tinnnnn
it’d be such a cute date tbh im crying just thinking abt it (‘’’’: obviously he’s a gentleman and he lets u choose what to eat, which ride to go to first, etc. u could literally tell him ‘hey let’s just sit down and do nothing’ and he’d say yes. he’s so gONe, ifmgfjdmf.
he’s kinda quiet and a lot shier than u wouldve expected but youre literally melting bc that’s a new side to him that you’d never thought you’d see.
u end up having so much fun (‘: u gross lil idiots, u.
oh and he’s def the type to ask if he can kiss u at the end of the night EYYYYYY
even if u find that incredibly endearing you’ll probably roll ur eyes with a huge ass smile on urlips lmaoaoaoao and call him a dummy for even asking when you’ve literally be in cloud nine since ur date started kjkhwjeqdkwjlk
[hello, brief break to clarify that from this point i forgot this was actually a college au lmao, so the rest of the bullet points are literally just. random facts abt u two dating hhhhhh. We dont even know what ck’s major is odjfngnfdj]
at first things are a lil awkward in ur relationship tbh
catch ck googling ‘how to relationship’ on a daily basis dnfndkfjdncn he is sort of clueless abt how to handle The Feelings. mostly bc this is Important and the last thing he wants is to mess it up )^:
that goes away eventually, tho!! he’ll start being his weird little self real fucking soon, so Get Ready
u still call each other nerd and all that stuff, but ur voices are dripping with fondness when u say it… literally everyone around u gets cavities from it, ew.
he’s not that big on planning dates but from time to time he’ll take u to rly cool, unexpected, interesting places :o and eventually he’ll show u his favorite secret spots ((’:
study dates are a thing. i bet he’s that type of person that enjoys reading in weird ass positions… his legs are like, halfway off the couch and his arm is bent in a way that looks almost painful… what the hell….?? but it’s fine (: it goes so well with ur study methods, those that are Too Weird for the library, yeah?? (:
he will also stare at u a lot bc u look cute when you’re rly focused on smth that is, when u stop whining abtstudying…
every time u catch him doing that you’ll go all ‘stop staring at me!!! wtf are u looking at u weirdo’ and he’ll answer ‘you’re so pretty~~~ ♥️♥️♥️’. you’ll blush like a lil idiot, naturally (^: hmmmm
and yea, yea. nap dates are a thing too :/// with sleepy forehead kisses and raspy voices and tangled limbs. all that sappy stuff. he’s a lil shit tho, so he’ll sometimes poke ur ribs to tickle u lmao.
buuuut he’ll also take a lot of pics of u sleeping bc he thinks youre cute )))): his faves always end up being his wallpaper for months.
he’ll get strange gifts for u, like rly bizarre plushies and rare books on topics he thinks u will like, tacky anime memorabilia, etc. he’ll always give them to u at random times bc he just saw them and reminded him of u ♥️
he makes a lot of playlists for u too!!! pls listen closely, he puts a lot more thought into them than he lets on.
u like his selfies??? well he’ll send u a lot of those. unfortunately, bc he’s a lil shit, he’ll mostly send double chins and weird ass faces from equally weird angles
from time to time he’ll send u a Nice One tho ((((^: and u know, tongue selfies since youreSO fond of his(and I quote) “5ft tongue”. and oh gosh! is that a tongue piercing…??? eyyyyyy
if u want to take couple selfies then you’re gonna have a real hard time bc he’ll always be making weird faces and poses just to be annoying. eventually u will make dumb faces too tho (’: what a couple of losers
expect weird random texts: he loves telling u abt whatever is on his mind—probably aliens. he thinks a lot abt aliens and the universe. throw some conspiracy theories in there, too—. he’ll also send obscure memes. and a lot of russian cats!!
he’ll love ur cosplay hobbie. he thinks it’s super cool. he’ll call u a nerd but don’t be fooled! he totally brags abt it with his friends (^:
oh! and this is unrelated but at some point y'all will look like an emo goth couple. u won’t even realize that you’re both wearing black and looking Edgy, it’ll just happen spontaneously. tragic 😔
there are a lot of comfortable silences when u hang out, but late night deep convos are also fundamental :o!!! bc y'all are Smort.
he’ll act like f*cboi from time to time tbh?? he’ll tell lots of dirty jokes LMAO. u roll ur eyes at him a lot bc they’re rly. so bad.
if he winks or does Eyebrow Things then u can’t rly roll ur eyes and act like you’re annoyed bc (: u like it (: and u think it suits him (: and he knows it (: (: (:
u get back at him by telling him he’s cute tho, and he’ll get all shy and he’ll stutter and saying “noooooo” while also fighting back a smile
he will also howl or bark at u to annoy u jdfhkjdf. damn f*rry ://
on that note, he loves to embarrass u in front of ur friends bc he’s a lil shit :DD
But he’s also the sweetest??? whenever he sees you’re feeling down he’ll start doing weird shit to make u laugh. if that doesn’t work then he’ll hug u real tight without saying anything else, bc that’s Enough, u know?? (’:
ok time to get Domestic lads!!!
Idk who the hell is going to cook bc y'all are a damn mess in the kitchen. u two try to cook Nice Meals sometimes. seven times out of ten u end up ordering takeout lmao.
be prepared: he sings in the shower, and he does so terribly. (he might do it a little louder and a little more off-key sometimes bc he knows it makes u laugh)
random kisses are a thing!!! he kisses ur cheek or ur shoulder or ur nape or literally. any body part he can get his lips on when u two are just hanging out, watching movies or smth. it’s so soft and cute )^: wtf im crying
but also stolen kisses!! he’ll kiss u at the most unexpected of times and it alwaysleaves u breathless
he’ll constantly put his head on ur shoulder and make this face at u (^:
can’t sleep??? don’t worry!!! he’ll sing to u with that pretty, soothing voice of his
anyway. what I meant is that y’all would be such cute little idiots together this was long af. wow. im so sorry. happy birthday??? lmao
I HAD TO PUT THIS UNDER A READ MORE BC ITS SO FUCKING LONG NAT U DUMBASS ICB U DID THIS KFJSKFJSLKDJFLKJ THIS IS SO CHEESY AND GROSS and it also made me realize that u know too much shit abt me. what was that t*ngue part. im not talking to u ever again. aNYWAY U RLY ARE AN IDIOT I WAS SMILING SO BIG THRU THIS WHOLE THING MAYBE I SCREAMED A LITTLE?????????? FUCK U!!!!!!!! WHATS WITH ‘The Feelings’ PART I HATE THAT I ALMOST DIED FUCK OFF IM NOT LIKE THIS!!!!!!! I DONT HAVE FEELINGS!!!!!! U CANT DO THIS TO ME SKJFHSKJDHFKSLDJFH
icb u rly did the fairground first date i rly fucking hate u why did i even tell u these things i knew it was gonna fire back im fjjgjkknknnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn ur ‘tragic 😔’ when we become a goth couple :/ u dont understand goth love
why the fuck did u make him howl. i wanna fucking die rn. what the fuck. he fucking would. fuck off.
i dont wanna talk abt all that domestic shit how did u even write all of that without dying i literally wanna rip all my limbs off i wont make any comment. i didnt need to know what that would be like but u looooove ruining my life so :)
i rly hate u ksdjfhskdjhfksjh icb u did this thank u i wanna die??????????? wtf nat !!!!! no but rly thank u :( u took the time to write this long ass college au (is it????? whats cks major tho rly :/ ) and just skdfjsjk u remembered all the weird shit i told u thats cute and also Really Bad what else do u know that i forgot i told u skdfksjh im literally always screaming at u abt this shit how did u !!! remember all of this!!!!! dldskfjshljhlakjsh this is so cute and horrible nat wtf how could u :( now im gonna cry :(
#SDFJSDJSLDJFHLSJDHJS URE AWFUL#but i love u sm what theu fuck u rly did all of this#sdjfksldjakjsdhlkajh u know how long it took me to even start reading it#i rly couldnt bc usually these aus are just cutesy and not so personal???#bUT I KNEW U WOULD RLY MAKE ME A LOSER ND IM JUST CRINGING#BC YEA THATS RLY WHAT ID DO SHUT THE FUCK UPSLDFJLSKDJ#i hate this. how the fuck am i supposed to go on with my life now :/#@at ck this could be literally us but u playing see u in london u better fucking step up ur game#idk what else to say this is incredible u rly are incredible#my baker bee#mutuals🌼#submission
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Sorry, I was at Jail
Written by Gossamere as John and Tony as Peter.
Warning:
Original story was posted in Twitter but due to it’s obtuse cleaning policy, some parts are unable to be saved.
John
How many days has it been since he's home? Three days? A week? A month? Who knows.
John never bothered to count, and perhaps the main reason was because he had lost count since the very beginning. Days well spent in the damp cells and blinding interrogation room had managed to mess his sense of time, and although the facilities given there are better than what he gets on a run, John prefers freedom over that shithole.
He was in Illinois a week ago, three days later he was in Kentucky, then Ohio. Shit, God knows how some people manage to travel around the world, but John clearly wasn't having funhitchhiking from car to car, stuffed beneath cows or chicken in the back of some shitty truck, orsleeping next to an addict in a building that could crumble if someone just punches the drywall.
Heavens, he misses his bed. He misses his noisy neighbor and kind landlord. He misses his night shift on Hank's place. He misses Marie's dogs. He misses the loud bickering of monopoly night.
He misses his home.
It's all nothing but flaw, but he can't help it.
He misses his kids.
"Let's not run away again."
John stands still in front of the door. His stubbles are long gone and his hair is shorter than the last time he went out. With backpack strapped and grocery bag filled with turkey and potatoes (along with some snacks his kids would love) John knocks on the door.
He expects no answer, but still, John says, "I bought snacks." His voice echoes through the quiet hall.
ㅤㅤ
Peter
The first three nights, Peter stayed at Stan's.
But no matter how much he loved Miss Amata and how fun it was having Stan around to bother, it still isn't his home. He doesn't quite feel comfortable with the the couch he sleeps on, of the dining table he does his homeworks in. The furniture is too... decent. Peter even feels weirded out by the good, functioning faucet Stan's sink has. Most of all, Peter doesn't like the feeling of intruding. Stan accepted him kindly, but he still didn't sign up to take two teenage kids under his wing. Not like his dad had.
And with home just next door, why won't he stay at home? Peter's a little less than one year away from being a legal adult—heck, El's already a legal adult. Between the two of them, they can manage.
But still, home was too empty. With two teenage kids running the place and no adult, the place quickly become even more a mess than it already is.
( Oh, who is he kidding. It is nigh impossible for the house to be messier than it is. It just felt empty without John's nagging and—
—and his constant presence, really, that it's become a little unbearable to live in. ) So they struck a truce. At Stan's sometimes, (and that one time when he had to abruptly leave)—and at home the other times. All those times, Peter picked up after the messes. The glass pieces left after John had gone, the dishes, the trash, he took care of it all. Stayed out of trouble, too, because what's the point, really? There won't be anyone to tell him off for it.
But still, days pass and John didn't come back. Peter wondered if he didn't make it, or someone finally outsmarted him. He wondered if there was really no way for those people to know of, and contact, him and El as next of kin. If he has adoption papers stashed somewhere, if there is a note of his adoption under John's name somewhere in the system.
Oh so uncharacteristically of him, Peter even allowed himself a brief moment to wonder whether John has abandoned him. Of course, Peter's not dumb—he later found out the circumstances of John's absence. He still wonders if his father had to drop the kids in order to make it out free.
Which is why, when he heard a knock on the door, Peter's very hesitant. The call out that follows sound like his father, but his father can also sound similar to other white men.
El's not even home. If he gets arrested, no one will find and bail him. If it's someone bearing the news that John fucking died and he's got to go back to the orphanage, then he's fucked.
But, 'I bought snacks'—? Peter's going to take his chances.
He unlocks the multiple locks on the door, then opens it—
—and yes, he'd hoped, but Peter's starting to lose hope. Not in Jesus' green earth did he expect it to be really John.A rush of emotions flooded him, and without very much thinking, the first words out of his mouth was,
"Holy fuck."
Before he pulled his father into a hug.
ㅤㅤ
John
Does he expect the door to be opened so soon? No. Does he expect the door to ever be opened?
No. Yet he hoped, still.
John knows that it was his fault for not telling his kids any sooner, but really, who, on this goddamn earth, have had the sane mind to tell their children that they kill every Saturday night?
Nobody! Even a cold-blooded serial killer won't ever do the same. They're smart like that. It's just, John never get expected to get caught.
Now he owes an explanation, if the door ever be opened.
‘Shit.’
Yet he hoped, still. John should've expected that 'twas all for nothing 'cause the chance that El and Pete didn't freak out when they caught a glimpse of him on the news are... close to zero. Hell, even John would probably freak the fuck out.
So when the door creaks open and a curse word eluded from a lanky figure, John feels his eyes burn. He doesn't even realize how dearly he missed them since the very response he gave was a direct hug. There ain't even hesitation or any fake groan, no, he was surprised himself. As soon as he found Pete's arms wrapped around him, John hugged him back. Pulling the younger lad into a tighter embrace which results in a shortage intake of air, but John didn't give a damn fuck about it.
He's home.
That's all that matters.
"Kid, where did you fucking study those foul language?" he jokes, his voice coming out slightly choked.
ㅤㅤ
Peter
He is so awash with relief that his father is here, his father is back, that he pushed aside all the other thoughts. All minor things, really, like how long it will take for this hug to turn awkward.
The both of them are not known for physical affection, after all. Or really, affection in general.
But fuck that.
For days Peter was fucking terrified that he'd hear news that this man is dead. Now that he's here alive, breathing, no limbs missing, everything else is good enough. Peter buries his face on the crook of John's neck, crushing him in his arms.
"Was taken at thirteen by a dad whose mouth 's worse than a fucking sailor, what'd ya expect." He murmurs.
After quite some time, really an amount of time that could be held against him later, Peter pulled away to really take a good look at the man in front of him. He lost the stubble and the Jesus hair, much to Peter's dismay. Now the man's contact name must change. But considering Peter's own eyes are red from tears of relief he did his darnedest to hold back, everything's all good.
"Uh," he stepped aside, clearing the doorway from his looming figure so John could step in. The house is as it was, not a little neater, but not a complete mess, either.
"Uhーit's now Peter's Manor. And I fixed... the faucet. Googled how to do it." He grins, before proceeding to babble a giant info dump on how exactly that came to be, as well as little things from school that John never seemed to care to know, but Peter told anyway.
Ah, it's all the normal.
Before Peter adds, hesitantly,
"Next time you have to yeet, please don't break the window. Had to cover it with cardboard. And… For fuck's sake tell us."
ㅤㅤ
John
John ruffled Peter's overly silky hair. As someone who looks like he had been worrying shit, his boy sure never missed a day of skin care or any wholesome shower.
He just laughed, of course. He did jump out of the goddamn roof instead of walking down the stair like a normal human would do. Hell, even now John thinks that he overdid that part. Looking towards the broken window which is now poorly covered with cardboard, John was even surprised that Peter managed to fix the sink using the help of (probably) WikiHow.
"Got ya some ramen," said the man instead, not wanting to discuss the prior subject even deeper 'cause, although it was obvious that the man is bluffing, he also knew that no subject in this goddamned world will ever, ever, actually make anyone distracted by the ongoing facts. For all the damned shits he hoped, his face was aired throughout the country and now he's a God-forsaken fugitive.
Surely, the topic of him getting arrested and causing a chaos over the whole State will pique someone's interest better, over a chicken flavored ramen.
Even though, the other person he's talking to is basically someone who worships it.
ㅤㅤ
Peter
For how brilliant John is,
(and yes, he'd helped Peter with some homework assignments before; what made Peter scratch his head in confusion, John had walked through with ease,)
his dad can sure be a tool sometimes. What makes him think that escaping through the window, of their battered, run down home, can be a good idea?
But, considering what the circumstances of his escape was, Peter could only imagine that it was for the very best. The thought makes him fill with dread, because,
because he knows. It makes his head spin with unanswered questions he isn't sure he even wants answers to, and unanswered questions he doesn't dare ask.
For now, he'll take the chicken ramen. It sounds mouthwatering, appetizing, and Peter is hungry, hungry, absolutely fucking famished,
except he is not. He just needs to not think, and MSG seems like the best way out.
Peter's frustrations could probably be read all over his face, and when he caught himself, he puts the cheery face right back on. Hands rummaging John's shopping bag, pulling out the packs of ramen noodles,
and a,
turkey?
Peter stares at the item, quite puzzled, before bursting out laughing.
Is this thing cooked?
"Dad, ya realize Thanksgiving is days ago?" The corners of Peter's eyes crinkle in the way they do when he is genuinely laughing out of amusement,
and he is.
Any kid would truly be puzzled to find out their father is a vigilanteーthat's putting it nicely, the Revelator is more likely a big time criminalーand Peter is any kid.
How can his ol' man be the Revelator, and how can the Revelator be... dad?
The turkey had been a reassurance, a respite. Only his dad can do shit like providing chicken ramen with their belated Thanksgiving turkey.
"Man. Okay. I'm going to make the best thanksgiving dinner out of this. Dear Lord, we thank you for showing us to a cardboard to fix our window."
ㅤㅤ
John
"Amen!" John chimed, his laugh came out light and, Gosh, didn't it feel good to be able to do mundane shit like this again after a draining week.
Then it all happened casually. Like the usual drill, some old boring jokes and John asking how's school, as if nothing had happened for the past few weeks. As if the whole incident of him getting locked up, almost dying, and running away from place to play never happened.
Sometimes he takes a glance of Peter and can't help but to notice the slight frustration flashing across his face. And John had tried to ignore it, he sure do, but damn, it's fucking hard. So now he can't help but to throw some more awkward jokes which doesn't help anything.
"Do you know tur-turkey-key? It's a turkey stuffed inside a turkey and sometimes I want to try it, but the thought of stuffing a dead bird inside a dead bird is terrifying."
That mental image might scarred his mind, but anyway, he had already ruined the mood since day one so it's nothing new.
ㅤㅤ
Peter
Yeahー
Yeah, Peter would definitely take this. Peter wonders if John noticed, even, that he's so fucking cheery today. More than Peter's ever, /ever/ seen him been.
He supposes, getting home does bring the light out in everyone. Or maybe, Peter's vain ass whispers, he's just happy to see his kid.
The conversation they breeze through; Peter laughing at John's weird as fuck jokes, and talking about mundane things like school, his sister, his crew. Peter even told him about Miss Amata. All the daily happenings around Peter.
The thought that there isn't a word spoken about John bubbles up from time to time, each time stronger than the last, until it's a fucking chore to ignore.
Curiosity kills the cat, and by now, Peter's murdered enough cats to stock a restaurant somewhere in scary ass China. He shudders at the thought. "Hey, Dadー" he begins,
And John just cut him off in favor of the tur-turkey-key. Is that even /a thing/? A dead bird inside a dead bird?
"Why you gotta put it like that!" Peter whines, his voice loud and booming. But then he laughsーthere isn't even another bird in the houseto stuff in this one, is there?
Peter rummaged through the bags, just to confirm that yes, there isn't any. The laughter died down, and Peter busies himself with the pot he's making ramen in.
The water's almost at the boil, and the oven feels hot against his calf.
He's got to ask.
"Dad,
why did you do all that?"
ㅤㅤ
John
Sooner or later, someone's gonna ask. Sooner or later, he's gonna tell 'em. And John knows that too well to the point he can't bring himself to be surprised when Peter finally build up the guts to ask him that. The amount of distracted look the kid had thrown (even though there is literally a ramen in front of him) was enough to give John the impression that he ain't letting this topic easily.
Still, John just chuckled. Perhaps it was forced, damn, it was obviously forced and awkward and there are just a lot of things wrong about it. John just continues on fiddling with the ramen, maybe too much to be considered as a blasphemy towards the sacred religion. Then he stopped. Setting aside whatever he's doing and stared back at Peter with all seriousness he never actually thought will use towards any of his kids.
And it wasn't just John in those gray eyes. It was also the eyes of a cold, ruthless murder; of the false Messiah; of the goddamn Revelator and all the fucked up shit he is. And John doesn't know how to feel about that 'cause no matter what the reason are, he knows the shits he's doing ain't something... just. He knows there are a lot reason why he should just hand himself over the jail, but he didn't.
Even now John feels tongue tied 'cause he doesn't even know why he's still doing it. Perhaps the detective is right, though. Perhaps he just wants to satisfy the urge to burn everything in his goddamn sight like a fucking mentally derailed man he is. Perhaps he's just a fucked up man who should have killed himself already.
Or, perhaps, he just doesn't want to remember why.
John can't tell. All he know is, he just, “have to.”
ㅤㅤ
Peter
"What do you mean, you have to. Are those guys... bad guys?"
Peter stammers with his answer, as he is hit with a startling realization. As startling as being drenched in a bucket of ice water, that,
he has really never met the Revelator,
until now.
Sure, the man standing in front of him is John, his father, but the feral, cold look in those eyes belong to someone else. Someone else Peter has never met, someone quite dangerous.
So that is The Revelator.
Peter, of course, has never been delusional enough to think of his dad as an upright suburban man. Heck, the man has probably ingested more drugs than a hospice patient.
But even after his research, and the news outlet confirming his research, he still wasn't expecting this.
For what felt like hours, there was silence. The oven timer, loud and shrill, breaking the silence between them. More silence, as neither of them move to acknowledge it's cries, as if it was unheard.
There was fear.
Of course there was. There was confusion, there was anger, there was sadnessーall of them jumbled together into an emotion not even patient, positive Peter can process.
But then there was that sense, that feeling of,
oh, okay.
An emerging acceptance.
Suddenly Peter understands the families who protect their persecuted members, despite the heavy evidence against them. Suddenly he understands their disregard of the victims, maddening as it might be.
The victims are faceless names amidst the sea of people. Faces Peter likely never seen and won't see now. The Revelator is John.
John who raised him, fed him, listened to his day and helped with his homework. His father is The Revelator.
The Revelator is his father.
And there is nothing that could change that, not that Peter even wanted the change. Familial bond is one hell of a drug.
ㅤㅤ
John
The Revelator stared down towards the younger man with an indifferent expression, still, as if he was staring at a passerby or a faceless NPC in an anime show, as if the one he stared to wasn't someone he had raised for years.
And he was probably going to keep it that way, y'know. That, of course, until he heard the man's stammered words, the flashes of emotions across the dark irises. From confusion, anger, sadness. Everything jumbled into one and John couldn't decide which one snapped him back into his sane mind as there were too many of obvious, lingering pain.
John just hoped that there wasn't any disappointment somewhere there.
"Pete—" he was trying to reach out to him again. Goodness, even now his voice was trembling mad shit when he saw the distant look from the person he adores, yet never admits. John could feel his eyes burning again, and it feels like something had strangled the base of his throat, resulting on him to stand like a mute with his mouth slightly agape.
He wasn't even sure what he should do. At this point of time, the ramen might be overcooked already until it could be considered as a blasphemy. Everything is blotted in his ear, and the only thing ringing in his mind was a simple question of ‘why?’.
Why did he do that?
"I'm sorry," he said, perhaps his lips were trembling too, but really, John couldn't think of anything due to the guilt clouding his head—or the tears forming in his eyes.
ㅤㅤ
Peter
"Holy fuck, Dadー"
His knee-jerk reaction is to pull his father into a hug, tight and bone-crushing. His fingers grapple at the other man, his face burying on his shoulder.
In his haste, it is really a miracle Peter didn't knock over the ramen pot.
It took him no thought at to embrace his father like this, to take him back, despite everything. Perhaps it was the tremble in his voice, or the tell-tale shine of tears in his eyes.
In hindsight, it was the guilt. Perhaps Peter wished it into existence, or perhaps he wanted to believe in it enough that he sees things, but he can read the guilt. It's all over John.
It's almost overwhelming to see the cold, feral Mr. Revelator pass the baton to human John with his human emotions. But for Peter,
Peter who never really had anything, Peter for whom John's odd brand of love is he only one he knew,
it's enough. It's more than enough.
"Don't cry, dad. 'M gon' cry too," he mumbles.
As long as John isn't gone to the Revelator, then it's all good.
ㅤㅤ
John
John lets himself get pulled closer, lets the younger's head rest on his shoulder. He can feel his heart getting stuck in his throat again, but somehow the hug had managed to take away the pain.
And for once, he feels safe.
It never seems to end, and although their dynamic was never the one with too many affectionate gestures, he doesn't mind. John brings his hand to rub Peter's back, hoping that, if it won't soothe him, then at least it will do the work for Peter.
"I ain't crying, you dork," he said, forcing a laugh, which might have sounded like he was choking on something. He was smiling a little, a smile with a twist to it. Like the one smile of a child who is determined not to weep, because John was still on a verge of tears and if its not because how his unnecessary ego, he might have been broken into sobs.
He was the first to let go of the hug, his eyes were still red, but the smile across his face never for once falter away. John pats the younger man on his shoulder, laughing at his expression before pointing out to the food.
"Come on. You’re going to regret this later.”
ㅤㅤ
Peter
Lies.
They're both crying.
Judging by the red rimmed eyes they are both sporting as the hug is released, that fact is indisputable. But neither of them mentioned it, as they broke into laughter.
John laughing at Peter, and Peter laughing at John. He's never seen his father cry before.
Fuck the Revelator—in a very non-literal way. Peter doesn't know him, he knows only John. Peter gives his father's shoulders a squeeze,
"It's okay, dad." he mutters. He doesn't explain further, doesn't simply offering a smile. It's silence acceptance, all around good vibes, until something inevitably goes wrong.
This time, it's a burnt smell.
"Fuck, dad, you didn't burn the building in front on your way in, did ya?" Peter quips, but it's quite obvious that the burnt smell comes from the oven.
And that's what Thanksgiving dinner ended up being. A mangled turkey, the non-burnt parts salvaged, and a pot ramen way, way too overcooked it's an insult to the Ramen Gods themselves.
They both choked down the food, horrible, really. But there's a promise to come of board games and lazy evenings.
It's all good, really.
For now.
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