#am literally finally approaching and will unwind by finally writing

[maxmoffs]

gonna just post this quick psa yap about my interactions here on wanda and the rest of my blogs from here on out , then i'll be fully committed and indulged into finally ! fulfilling my owed starters , inbox and drafts and writing entirely, just because i want to get it out of my chest and so that im fully comfortable and happy with my blogs and want to be able to come on without feeling so anxious ! this is the most I’ve approached everyone and bravely finally after being shy and hesitant so pls be proud of me uwu . it’s been a long time coming i know , im finally actively interacting, i do know that i had been so yappy ooc the past weeks that just went by! its because i haven't been doing anything but work and training and with the christmas holidays chaos, so it had gotten me incredibly sporadic which is the reason for my lack to keep a consistent flow of my writing on all my blogs no matter how much i wanted to ! i actually have no idea who is following me or not still from the last time ppl had been more enthusiastic of when i made wanda weeks ago uuhuhu , but i hope all of you are still interested because when i write and post all my owed writing its both old and new bahaha just bc i hadnt had the proper opportunity to write wanda as how ive been wanting to with full focus like right now bc i had been so busy :( <3 please continue below for the psa , i appreciate you if you do get where im coming from <3 because after this , i want to just feel happy writing wanda and the rest of my muses . without feeling like i have to prove my worth or place , but im finally at a good mental balance of both , and i now have slower days since christmas is finally at its end of holiday chaos for me work wise which was the only thing holding me back and life is life and i will now stop for apologising to be slow ! i now have discord anyways , which is also finally open and im migrating to as an avenue to 'yap' and plot with those that dont mind my excitment hahahaahah so as long as we're mutuals , im already a big yapper and will always be welcoming , so you are welcome to add me just pls understand that i do get overstimulated or busy sometimes but i'll use it more now ( arden1ly . )

im gonna just consider this as an add to my rules . but as i continue here on out now , i think i will now stop following people first anymore unless obvs we are moots and you're moving blogs . and will just focus my time and attention to those of you that just want to write with me and wanda and my multi , who are already here, my mutuals and my mains / friends who's stuck by and been patient and understanding with me . i will always be an open book , and will always always keen a nurturing and safe environment because i love writing , and love being able to write with everyone as best i can, but will no longer go too above and beyond to push myself to others and i will always be here to come back to when the interest rises again of interest to write with me , because at the end of the day ! im here to write with you ! and along with that , a bonus when i create wonderful friendships which i also know and feel that i have now <3

it is what it is, and i have lost a few wonderful moots i had been writing with a couple of weeks back out of the blue that i never even noticed probs bc of that very reason , i have kept myself quite so very open book and half of the time i literally dont know whats going on so i tend to really keep my and i noticed that it definitely scared ppl that my inability to hold my excitement can be sometimes excessive so i will try to refrain from it now , because ive always advocated kindess and positvity on my blog and nothing else ! but i know tumblr is so scary! and can be so judgemental , and im a super open book but also can barely keep up so sometimes i barely scroll through tumblr, but i always try my best. from here on out though , obviously i will always and stay welcoming especially if you are a mutual already here , but i just no longer want to keep apologising for my speed / slow -ness , or for my personality bc really half of the time its just me approaching with excitement to write and interact, but ive noticed that its probs annoyed ppl , and i dont want to also be annoying for anyone <3

[dem-obscure-imagines]

You're So Timeless | Vol. 2

Steve Rogers x Reader

Fandom: MCU

Summary: In 1943, Steve Rogers was visited by his soulmate. He fell hard. Problem is, she was from the future and didn’t stick around for long. Now, in the twenty-first century, he finally found her again, except this version of her hasn’t met him yet and won’t know he’s her soulmate for another year. 

Note: So this is a combination of my other two Steve Rogers soulmate AU fics, but lengthened and fleshed out into a full fic. I was literally possessed to write this. I have no other explanation. I really like how it came out. I gave this one chapter headings (I am also going to post it to Ao3) and yes some are Taylor Swift titles. Sorry about that. It takes place roughly around the time Civil War would, but we have managed to avoid the war this time around. I also moved some other characters up the timeline because I think they’re neat and I said so. Without further ado, please enjoy my new Magnum Opus.

Also Tumblr made me split it into two parts. This is PART 2. Part 1 is linked HERE.

Warnings: Canon-typical violence/injuries, soulmate au, tons of mutual pining, kind of a slowburn but in reverse. Light angst, but a happy ending.

Word Count: 38.7k total (I am not sorry)

Reader Is: Enhanced (forcefields), 24 years old, female 

The Recovery Period

When you woke up, Steve was there sitting in the infirmary, sleeping. His head was leaning back against the wall, snores deep and quiet. It was dark. You weren’t sure how long it had been. You blinked a few times and took a breath, your chest protesting when you did.

The monitor you were hooked to started beeping loudly and Steve awoke, meeting your eyes. He called for Bruce and stood from his chair, approaching the side of your bed. You reached for his hand and he gave it to you immediately, fingers latching onto yours, as though to prove you were awake, that you were alive.

Bruce arrived and gave you the rundown, the grenade, which you remembered, the fact that you had a cracked rib and quite a bit of bruising, but that you had gotten very lucky otherwise. He prescribed you some pain meds and six weeks of rest with a brace before he’d reevaluate.

And at first, it wasn’t bad. Sam played a lot of Fortnite with you. You were pretty good at it, surprisingly. Tony had a pretty extensive collection of movies and you had every snack you could ever dream of. You got some reading done, you picked up crochet, and everyone spent a lot of time entertaining you.

Bucky introduced himself. Steve had talked about him a bit before you met him, but the man standing in front of you was a lot quieter than you’d expected, more timid. You figured he’d open up more once he was convinced none of you were scared of him. And you weren’t. The dangerous part of him was the Winter Soldier, something Wanda had been working with him to unwind from the depths of his mind.

After a few days, when your pain had toned down a bit, Natasha sat you on a stool in the kitchen and gave your hair a trim, getting rid of the singed ends. Wanda got into the undercover stash in one of the bathrooms and found a few bottles of hair bleach and some blue dye. Steve found the three of you in there with hair shears, and a bowl of mixed blue dye that Wanda was painting onto your freshly bleached ends.

He had no complaints. After all, blue was your color. It was quite a bit shorter, too, but he thought it suited you. He thought everything suited you, to be honest.

You did some online shopping in those first few weeks. Your Avengers allowance was no joke and you had barely touched any of it yet, which meant a new reading chair was well within the budget, a cool round one than you could hang from the ceiling. It was Steve that found you pushing the giant box down the hall when it arrived.

“Hey! Woah, are you supposed to be pushing that?”

You froze, turning to face him. “Maaaaybe.”

“Alright, move.” He chuckled, rolling up his sleeves and taking over, pushing it down the hall to your room. “What is this anyway?”

“New reading chair. It’s really cool, it hangs from the ceiling.”

“And you were going to do that part, too?”

“I was gonna figure it out. Maybe use my powers for that part.”

“Ah, right. Forgot about those.”

“Me too, honestly. Haven’t used them much lately.”

“For good reason.” He straightened out, the box now sitting in the middle of your room. “How are you feeling, better?”

“A lot better. Still a little sore, but my bruises are starting to clear up.” You motioned to the brace you had to wear around your middle. “Might be out of this thing before six weeks if I can help it.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see what Bruce says.”

“Of course.” You nodded, using a pair of scissors to slice the tape along the top of the box.

Steve opened it up and started taking parts out. You reached for the instructions and sat down next to him on the floor, familiarizing yourself with the process. It didn’t look too difficult and it was only a few pieces of hardware.

“I’m gonna go grab some of Tony’s tools.” He told you, walking towards Tony’s workroom. He returned a few minutes later with a drill and a screwdriver. “Alright, where are we starting?”

“Okay, so we attach the chair part to the support chains, and then those get screwed into the ceiling. Like this.” You showed him the diagram.

“I’m no handyman, but I think we can figure it out.” He grinned, scooting a little closer to you.

“Oh I’m sure we can.”

It didn’t take long. Less than an hour. The two of you talked, joked, laughed. Eventually, you used your powers to hold the thing in place so Steve could screw it into the ceiling. He got off the stepladder and sat in the chair, testing the strength of the chair himself before deciding it was good enough for you. With a smile, he got up and motioned for you to give it a try.

You put the cushions on the chair and sat down, smiling. “I’ve always wanted a chair like this.”

“Well I’m glad I could help that dream come true.” He chuckled. He handed you the book sitting on your desk. “Here, give it a real test.”

“Oh good idea.” You chuckled, positioning the book in your hands, curling your legs into your desired reading position. Yep, it worked. And it was pretty comfortable. “Now all I need is a little lamp over here.”

“Let me know when that comes in.” Steve chuckled, thumbs tucked into his pockets. “I’ll be here.”

Steve watched you with a soft smile, how happy you were. Maybe someday, he would build other things for you, in a house you shared. A nice little place in the suburbs, or on a farm somewhere, like Clint had made for his wife, Laura. He’d build you a million reading chairs. Hell, he’d build you a whole library if it’d put that smile on your face.

“You ever built Legos before?” you asked.

“I don’t even know what those are.”

“Alright, we’ll fix that. There’s a really easy fix to that, actually.” You pulled out your phone, clicked a few links, and then looked back up at him with a smile. “It’s on its way.”

“What’s that look for?”

“You will find out in two to three business days.”

***

By the time your Millennuim Falcon Lego set came in, Steve had been sent on another mission. And while he was gone, the Compound got an unexpected visitor in the form of Scott Lang, who Sam found on the roof and promptly got his ass kicked by while you were sitting at the monitors, one of the only things that you could do with your current injury.

“Don’t tell Steve.”

“Oh I won’t.” You spun out of your office chair, made a portal to the warehouse, and stepped through it, using your augmented goggles to find the guy, trapping him in a tiny forcefield. Sam came into the warehouse shortly after, looking at the bubble you’d made with interest.

“Got him. Ow!” Something nipped at your ankle and you looked down to find hundreds of ants. “Oh FUCK no.” You dropped him and kicked off the ants, making a platform of energy to stand on so they couldn’t crawl on you.

“Hey man, she’s injured!” Sam called into the room, looking around for wherever he had gone.

“Sorry!” The attacker replied.

And that was the last you saw or heard from him until Sam tracked him down, offering him membership on the team, if he so wanted it. Someone who shrunk could be a great asset on the team. Which is why when he told the rest of you about Hope, someone who did the same but with wings, obviously, she was invited, too.

The team was growing, and as it did, the Compound felt less empty, which was nice, especially when the team was split off doing their own things.

Steve came back shortly after, looking tired. It hadn’t been anything too bad, from what you’d heard, but he, Natasha, Clint, and Tony had been gone for a week. Still, the moment he was back, he popped his head into your room.

“Hey.”

“When did you guys get back?” You asked, looking up from your book, curled up in your reading chair.

“Just now. Um, I’m gonna take a shower, and then…Legos?” He asked, eyes earnest. You could tell he had been thinking about it the whole time he’d been gone.

“Oh absolutely. I’ve got ‘em ready to go.”

“Excellent. See you in twenty.” He saluted, walking down the hall to his room. You got the massive box of Legos out of your closet and brought it out to the table in the lounge, waiting patiently for Steve, who got out of the shower not that long after, dressed in sweats and a tank-top, still a bit damp from the water.

“Tadaaaa~” you said, pushing the box across the table. 

His eyes lit up as soon as he realized what it was. “Where did you get this?”

“Amazon.”

“It comes with Han Solo?” Steve asked, looking at the pictures of the minifigures on the box.

“Yeah, of course it does. Comes with Leia, too.” You grinned, opening the box and dealing out instruction manuals, sorting the bags into neat little piles.

“This is great.” He smiled. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” You shrugged. “I owe you one for building my reading chair. Now pay attention; This little orange thing is a Lego separator. It’ll help if you get them stuck together and can’t get them apart. Oh, and do not step on them. It will hurt so bad.”

He chuckled. “Thanks for the heads-up. So where do we start?”

Catch Me Now

Finally, after what felt like the longest recovery period ever, you were cleared once more for missions and training. However, you didn’t have any at the moment. Missions, that was. You were back to training with the others three times a week. Steve had you back on a workout regimen, but he was treating you different, like at any moment your rib might randomly re-crack.

Wanda and Vision got sent off on a mission with Clint, a recruitment mission. Apparently, there was another archer on his radar. A good one. It was his hope that with another archer on the team, he could take a bit of a step back, still be involved when he was needed, but hopefully, he’d be able to spend some more time with his family.

This meant, however, that you didn’t have anyone to go to the local theater’s Hunger Games marathon with. You asked Natasha first, but she was busy looking through some files, working out the details of the coming missions.

“I think Steve is here today. You could ask him if he wants to go.”

You could, you supposed. You felt a lot closer to him, lately. You had been spending a lot of time with him, between the extra training and the Legos. He had custody of the Millennium Falcon set, but he’d given you the Leia minifigure. She was sitting on your desk in your room.

So, with a shrug, you agreed, walking down the hall to Steve’s room and knocking on the door. He and Bucky were in there, talking hushedly about something, but they quieted at the sound of your knuckles against the wood.

The door opened and Bucky looked down at you, smiling when he realized who it was. “Oh, hey, (Y/N).” He welcomed you in, shooting Steve a look.

“Hey, (Y/N). What’s going on?”

“If you’re busy, I can come back later.”

“Oh, no, we’re just…catching up.” Steve said.

“Gotcha. So um…Wanda was supposed to go to a movie marathon with me at the mall today, but she forgot she had to go on that mission, so I was wondering if you wanted to come with? I already bought the tickets.”

“Oh, sure. What movies?”

“The Hunger Games.”

“Yeah, absolutely.” Steve nodded. “Just let me get changed.”

“You can come too, if you want, Bucky. I’m sure they’re not sold out.”

“Oh, that is alright, (Y/N). Thank you, though. I’ve gotta work myself up to public outings.” He looked between the two of you, a weird sparkle in his eye. “You two have fun.”

“Will do.” Steve replied, chuckling as his friend left.

You left after, getting changed into the outfit you’d picked out. It was pretty simple: a bleach-dyed Hunger Games shirt, some comfy joggers for the long day ahead, and a pair of slip-on shoes. You grabbed your purse and walked back out to the living room, where Steve was waiting, dressed in his civilian disguise, a baseball cap and glasses. No one would ever recognize him in glasses.

“Ready?”

“Ready.” You nodded, plucking your keys off of the hook by the door.

“Oh, I can drive.” Steve offered.

“Okay.” You agreed, putting your keys back.

He picked up his instead, from the hook next to yours. You walked out and got in Steve’s car, hopping in the passenger seat. The mall was about an hour out. Steve took the backroads, the scenic route. But you didn’t have to give him directions. He knew where he was going. After all, it was the same mall where he had met you.

You gazed out the window, watching the trees go by, looking for deer. Steve gazed over at you every so often, thinking about how someday, when you were driving places, he’d be able to reach over and take your hand, bring it to his lips. His heart ached just thinking about it. The next four and a half months couldn’t pass quickly enough.

“So what are these movies about? I keep hearing about them.” He asked, desperate to hear your voice.

“Are you familiar with the dystopian genre?”

“Yeah, kinda. Like weird, bad future kinda stuff.”

“Exactly. So this one is in a world called Panem, which is supposed to be North America hundreds of years from now. There’s twelve districts and a Capitol that rules over them all. Because of a rebellion about seventy-four years earlier, every year, two kids are chosen from each district to battle to the death in an arena.”

“Woah.”

“Yeah it’s kind of a lot. It’s really good, though. Lots of commentary on the United States government. No offense.”

He chuckled. “None taken. The America I stood for back then…I’m learning it was a different America from the one we live in now. But it’s hard to shake a name that’s been stuck with you for the better part of a century.”

“What would you choose?”

“What name?”

“Yeah, if you got to choose again, now, what codename would you choose?”

“Oh, gosh, I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Something cool. I’d need help workshopping. And you? If you got to choose again?”

“I’m good with Waypoint. For a while, at least.” You shrugged. “It’s kinda fitting, all things considered.”

“It is. Suits you.”

“Thanks.” You chuckled. “So how is everything? How is Bucky doing?”

“Good. They’re um, scheduling a day to test out his…what’re they called, his trigger words? To see if Wanda’s tinkering in his head has been working.”

“Oh wow. That sounds like a lot.”

“It is. He’s nervous, but he knows it has to be done.” Steve sighed and gave a shrug. “And whatever happens, he’s got us to catch him, figure out what comes next.”

“Absolutely.” You nodded.

Steve pulled into the mall parking lot, following the signs to find the doors closest to the theater. You handed him his ticket, which was printed on shimmery, gold paper, the Mockingjay symbol stamped on in black ink. You reached into your pocket and handed him a length of string with beads on it.

“I made it for Wanda, so it might not fit.” You warned.

He read the words, spaced between orange and black and gold beads. “District 12?”

“It’ll make more sense in a bit.” You chuckled and held out your wrist, where the matching one was. “Gotta represent.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” He slipped the bracelet on, the beads spaced out and stretched around his wide wrist. “See, fits fine.”

“Uh-huh, sure does.” You laughed. “Look, it fits perfectly. You can almost read it.”

“Just about.” He grinned, reaching for the door handle.

“So, what’s our cover?”

“What?”

“Our cover. We can’t be Avengers here.”

“Right, um…” Steve thought for a moment. “You work at the library. I’m your boyfriend and you dragged me here, but I’m very supportive.”

“The most supportive.” You agreed. “Alright, I’ll play. Let’s go.”

Steve locked up the car, the horn honking as the two of you walked towards the entrance of the mall. You led him upstairs to the movie theater entrance. You checked in with your tickets and the girls at the table gave you your commemorative popcorn tins and cups. Steve went to get the popcorn filled. You stood over by the soda fountains. He returned with a huge grin and a bucket of popcorn.

“Look at this! They’re so big now.”

You laughed. “How big were they before?”

“Little paper bag.” He chuckled and turned towards the Cocacola Freestyle machine, looking at the buttons with wonder. “Alright what is this?”

“The future of beverage technology.” You told him, putting ice in your cup and tapping one of the beverage options, opening up all the extra flavors before choosing yours.

Steve poked the Coke button and read over all the options before settling on Cherry Vanilla Coke. He snapped the lid on and put a straw in it, taking a cursory sip. He smiled. “Takes me back.”

“Got that vintage taste?” You asked.

He nodded. “At the risk of sounding like a commercial, yeah, it does.”

You led Steve to the theater where you’d be spending the entire rest of the day. You walked him through the schedule. First was Hunger Games from noon until 2:22. There’d be a ten minute break, then Catching Fire from 2:32 to 4:58. There was a forty-five minute break for dinner. Then Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2 until just after ten. Every movie, they punched a hole in your ticket, and if you got all four, they were handing out little prizes, supposedly. You weren’t sure what yet, but you were excited to find out.

“Got a long day ahead of us.”

“I better not catch you nodding off.” You teased, kicking back the recliner.

“I don’t snore that loud.” He said, following your lead and pressing the same button to lift his. God, theaters had changed. He set the popcorn tin between the two of you. He couldn’t count on two hands how many pointless dates he’d gone on with Bucky before he met you for the first time, how many pretty dames he’d offered popcorn, only for them to completely blow him off. But when he’d taken you to the movies back then, you’d shared gladly. And today was no different. You scooted closer, your hand brushing his every so often.

The movie started and Steve watched, enamored. It was different than the movies he was used to, sure. Maybe Star Wars had warmed him up, or maybe it was the fact that you were sitting there beside him, but he loved every second.

Between movies, the two of you went back out to the lobby to get your tickets punched for Catching Fire, stretch your legs and get refills. Steve noticed a handout for the flashback movies that were coming up. His eyes landed on the Wizard of Oz and his gaze softened.

“They still show this?” Steve asked, pointing to the poster.

“Yeah, every handful of years. It’s a classic.” You smiled. “I think I was Dorothy for Halloween one year.”

“Would you go see it with me?” He asked.

“Yeah, of course.”

Sure, things were different between you and Steve than he thought it would be. He knew it would be a while before you’d know. You’d told him you’d been friends for about a year before visiting him, but it felt so much longer, living through every day, scared to even take your hand without sending the wrong message.

You saved him the trouble, though, reaching out for his free hand. He took it without hesitation, giving it a squeeze. God, he’d do anything to kiss you, but he knew that would be stepping clear over that line. Holding hands was friendly enough. Hell, you held Wanda’s hand all the time and that didn’t mean anything. He was pretty sure, anyway.

“Where’d you go just now?” You asked, your hand his anchor in the moment, keeping him from drifting back off into the past again.

“Nowhere, I just…this is nice. Thanks for taking me out.”

“Thanks for coming with me.”

You went back into the theater, hand in hand, carrying your refills. This time, you’d gotten a slushee, and he had decided to do the same. You settled back into your seats, assuming your spots with the people you had been sitting near before. If anything, there were even more people in the theater for Catching Fire.

Steve took a sip of the slushee, looking over at you. “It’s cold.”

“Yeah, it’s ice.” You laughed. “Do you like it?”

He scrunched his face. “Ooh, brainfreeze.”

“You’ve gotta go slow.”

“Lesson learned.”

The lights dimmed and you grinned, looking back at the screen, missing the longing look in Steve’s eyes, admiring the way your face was lit by the glow. And in those seats, once again, he was that little guy from Brooklyn, watching a movie with his soulmate.

***

Two and a half hours later, the theater lights went up and you had forty-five minutes to kill until the next one started. You wandered down to the food court to get something to eat. 

“So what did he mean there’s no District 12?” Steve asked when you settled down at one of the tables. Shoppers walked all around, laden with paper bags full of goods. It was a kind of busy day, actually, but it was fine. You liked to peoplewatch.

“When the books came out, I had to wait a whole year to get the answer. I think you can handle the next forty minutes.”

“There are books?”

“I have them. You can borrow them. And they are even better than the movies, if you can believe that.”

“They must be pretty damn good, then.” He chuckled. “You want to shop around a bit? We’ve still got some time.”

“Oh absolutely. There’s a Lego store here.”

Steve grinned. “They have a whole store for those?”

The two of you finished eating, threw out your trash, and then walked down the hallway to the Lego Store. Steve browsed some of the boxes. There were a lot of cool things. Buildings he recognized, landmarks, things from movies he hadn’t gotten to watch yet. There were also flowers. Lots of flowers, and Van Gogh’s Starry Night. He could see himself building any number of them with you.

You were over by the minifigure bags, squishing them to feel which character was inside. Steve chuckled, but didn’t question your process. Instead, he wandered over to a rotating display of minifigure keychains. A few caught his eye, but more than anything, you did. That was, a keychain of you, in your suit, that eight-pointed star on your chest. Right next to it was him, shield and all. He chuckled and then grabbed one of each, heading towards the checkout.

By the time you caught up with him, he had already paid.

“What did you get?” you asked through your giggles.

“It’s a surprise.” He smiled, voice soft, eyes softer.

“Alright. Keep your secrets.” You chuckled.

Steve took your hand, walking back towards the theater. You got one last refill for the last two movies, got your cards punched, and headed back inside to finish off the saga.

***

At the end of the night, all the people who had been there for all four movies got a t-shirt, a Mockingjay pin, and a mini poster. Along with the tin and cups they’d given you, you’d say it was definitely worth the ticket price. You and Steve walked out to the car together and sat in the seats for a while before either of you spoke.

“Thanks for coming today, Steve.”

“Oh, any time, (Y/N). We should do it again sometime.”

“I’ll let you know if I catch wind of a Star Wars marathon.”

He grinned. “Oh please do. I’d love to see those on the big screen.”

He pulled out of the parking spot and drove off the lot. By the time you got back, almost everyone was asleep. Almost. Bucky was on the couch, watching something, volume on low. He looked up when the two of you came in the door.

“Fun time?” He asked.

“Oh, very.” You laughed kicking off your boots and setting them in your slot on the shoe shelf.

Steve plucked your keys off of your hook and, very efficiently, added his top secret Lego purchase to yours, the keychain of himself. 

“Oh my God.” You giggled, looking at it. “This is great.”

“We match.” He said, holding up his own keys, which already had the keychain of you on them.

Your heart just about melted. “We sure do. God, you’re giving my soulmate some awfully big shoes to fill, Steve.”

“Well,” he smiled, and suddenly, he was that little guy from Brooklyn again, at your height, in awe of the woman the universe had plopped directly onto his front porch. “I’m sure he’ll grow into them.”

Mr. Perfectly Fine

You had training early, almost all hands on deck. Tony was on a business trip, Thor was on Asgard. But otherwise, everyone was accounted for. Clint’s new recruit, Kate, seemed nice. She was twenty-three, fresh out of college, and really did have quite a shot. She might shape up to be a pretty good Hawkeye after all.

Scott and Hope were there as well. Hope was extremely skilled. You could tell she’d practiced for a while, knew her suit and the Pym Particles inside and out. And Scott was also there. He was nice, there was no question about that, but you could tell he still had a lot to learn about the crazy world he’d stepped into. Still, it was nice to have them around regardless.

Tony hadn’t officially inducted them to the team, and there had been no party announcing such a thing. You couldn’t help but wonder if he was waiting for someone. One more member, perhaps, before making it official.

You had been in…something of a mood since your little outing with Steve. It had been a blast, sure, but it had also been a reminder: Steve had a soulmate, in the past tense. There was a name on his wrist. And your bare wrist meant that it wasn’t you. You had a soulmate out there somewhere, human or super, whether you wanted them or not.

Steve was perfect for you. But you couldn’t have him.

And god, did it hurt.

You trained hard, hitting the punching bag that occupied what was usually Steve’s corner. He was there a lot, blowing off steam. Now you got it; it felt good to hit something. You spun, kicking the bag.

“You’re unbalanced.” Bucky piped up, walking over.

You looked up at him, watching his movements, but he didn’t mean any harm. Obviously he didn’t. He’d passed his mind-control test with flying colors. He was a free man now, and he was a lot lighter because of it.

“Am I?”

“You’ve gotta shift your weight a little, really plant that other leg.” He instructed, adjusting your body, hands gentle but firm. You could feel Steve’s eyes on you from across the room, but he didn’t come over. “Otherwise they’re gonna push you right over.”

“Well thanks. I appreciate it.” You said, giving the tip a try. “I haven’t done enough hand-to-hand.”

“We’ll get ya there. I’m surprised Steve hasn’t been working on it with you.”

“Yeah, I don’t know. Things have been weird since the Hunger Games.”

“I noticed.” Bucky chuckled. “I’ll talk to him. See what’s going on in that head of his.”

“It’s not his fault. I’ve been the weird one.”

“Oh. Need to talk about it?”

“No, I just…I need to work through some stuff.”

Working through stuff meant that after training, you went straight to your room, closed the door, and started listening to your angst playlist, spread like a starfish across your king-sized mattress. And that was how Nat found you almost an hour later.

“Knock-knock, I’m coming in.” She said, opening the door. “Hey. Why are you listening to Songs for Sad Bitches in here?”

“What? How’d you—?”

“Your playlist name is on the screen out here when you play stuff on the built-in speakers.”

“Embarrassing.”

“Happens to the best of us.” She shrugged, closing the door behind her and sitting on the bed. “So, why are we sad bitches today?”

“I can’t talk about it.”

“You can’t talk about it, or you can’t talk about it here?”

“The second of those options, yeah.”

She dangled your keys from her hand, the little tiny Captain America taunting you. “Thought so. Let’s get out of here. Kate hasn’t been to the mall yet and she needs to buy some more clothes.”

“Alright. I could go for some mall pretzels.”

So, for the second time in a week, you piled into a car and headed off towards the mall. This time, however, you were with your friends, Wanda, Nat, and Kate, not your unattainable work crush.

Wanda loved the mall. Seeing her that happy almost made your heartache go away. The four of you shopped around. You picked out a few new tops, some accessories, a cute bag, and it was a nice distraction until you passed the Lego Store. You got some pretzel bites and hunkered down in the food court with the others.

“Alright. Spill.” Nat urged.

Wanda offered a sad little smile and Kate looked up, waiting to see where this was heading. She was new to the team, which meant she was new to the drama, too.

“I don’t know, just…going out with Steve…”

“What, you don’t like him?” Nat asked, prodding.

“The opposite.”

“Then why are you all torn up about it?”

“Because I can’t have him.” You said, pushing a pretzel bite around in the cup of cheese. “He has a soulmate.”

“Had. In the forties.”

“Right, but…I turn twenty-five in what, like four months now? And then I get whoever and…I need to let him go before I get hurt, but I can’t.” You sighed. “Or before I hurt him, leading him on just to run off into the sunset with someone else…I just feel like shit about the whole situation.”

Natasha sat there with the perfect poker face, giving a sly little smile. “It’s gonna be fine. I promise. And if not, you’ve got us here to catch you.”

“What she said.” Kate agreed.

“It will be fine, (Y/N).” Wanda promised, patting your hand. “My birthday is first. Let me be the stressed one.” She let out an incredulous laugh. “I have a crush on an android.”

“Hey, if any robot has a soul, it’s gotta be Vision.” You said, eyes soft. “Obviously, he doesn’t have a mark, but, if your wrist has his name…”

“That would be enough for both of us.” Wanda agreed, nodding. “It’s weird. I know…I know he’s the one but I still have to wait. I wish if you figured it out early, the universe would just let you have it.”

Natasha looked to the rest of you, soaking in silence for a moment before taking off the cuff she wore around her wrist. “Alright, it’s been a secret long enough.”

“Woah, Nat…” You gave her a moment to back out, but she held up her wrist, letting the rest of you read the name on her wrist. Bucky. Her soulmate was Bucky. It…made a lot of sense, actually. The way he looked at her during training, the way she kept herself so guarded around him. “Does he know?”

“Unclear.” Natasha shrugged. “I, uh…Steve said he wasn’t sure. And Bucky’s memories are a little fuzzy. The Red Room tried to get rid of our marks. Said they made us liabilities. When I got out, they hadn’t found a way to do it yet. It showed up a few years after that.”

“Is that like…still around?” Kate asked. “The Red Room?”

“Unfortunately.”

The word sat on the table for a few long moments before you said, “What if we took it down?”

Something sparked in Natasha’s eyes and she met your gaze. “Elaborate.”

“I’m serious. The four of us,” you thought for a moment and then it clicked, “Hope.”

“Maria.” Natasha said, putting the pieces together herself. “I mean, that’s really all we’d need. Plus a location and a plan.”

“Oh my god, are we going on a mission?” Kate asked, lighting up at the prospect of her very first real mission.

Nat grinned. “Yeah, I think we are.”

I Can See You

Steve caught wind of Operation: Red Room before you’d so much as suited up. Of course he didn’t think it was a good idea. After your accident, he still saw you as fragile. You were fine. Your ribs were fine. They’d healed better than even Bruce had expected them to. Still, that look in his eyes said otherwise.

“I’m just not sure this is something you should be doing on your own.”

“We can’t bring you. We can’t bring Bucky. It’d be handing them two supersoldiers on a silver platter.”

“So you’re just gonna waltz in there instead?”

“Yep.” You replied, lighting a little forcefield around your fist and holding it up as evidence. “I can handle myself, remember?”

His eyes softened. “I know that.”

“Then why are you still fighting me on this? Do you seriously think Natasha would let anything happen to me? Do you think Wanda would?”

“What if they have something that disables your powers? Both of your powers.”

“If they did, they’d have used it already.”

He sighed, muscled arms crossed, pink lips pressed into a pout. “(Y/N)...”

“You’re not talking me out of this.” Not even with those pretty blues, you sneaky bastard. “Besides, it was my idea. I’m not leaving the girls hanging.”

His eyes widened. “It was your idea?”

“Well, it was a group effort, but I’m the one that put it into words, yeah.” You shrugged. “If you didn’t think I could handle being an Avenger, why did you recruit me?”

“I never said that.” His jaw clenched and he shook his head. “I just…I don’t know what I’d do with myself if something happened and I wasn’t there to stop it.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Always.”

“Then trust me to do this.” You told him, resting a hand on his chest. “And trust me to come back to you.”

He met your eyes, melting at your touch before relenting, “Okay. But be careful, alright? Promise me.”

“I promise. I always am. You guys should be here to hold down the fort anyway, in case they retaliate.”

He nodded. “Yeah, alright. I’ll be here.”

You walked down to the locker rooms and suited up, making sure everything was tugged tight, belt equipped with both real guns and stun guns. Natasha had told the rest of you there was brainwashing afoot with the Widows that were still in the Red Room. If you could help it, the goal was to get them out without hurting them. That was where Wanda came in. Her specialty.

You all loaded up into the jet, Maria Hill joining you as your getaway pilot. You hadn’t gotten the chance to work with her yet, so you were excited to. You rehashed the plan on the way. The Red Room was housed in a floating base, which was why it was so untraceable; it was always moving. 

You, Kate, and Wanda were on Widow duty. Wanda would dispel their brainwashing, and you and Kate would deal with the physical cells and deal with any guards standing in your way. Once the brainwashing was handled, Wanda would go with Nat to kill Dreykov himself, the man in charge who had escaped countless assassination attempts. This time, she wasn’t leaving anything to chance. Hope was going to shrink down and destroy the place from the inside, and once everyone was out and safe, Maria would fly you all to safety.

Ideally, anyway.

Steve saw you off, standing in the driveway as you flew off.

“Natasha wasn’t kidding. You’ve got him wrapped around your finger.” Maria chuckled.

“You could say that.”

At the moment, the Red Room was hovering over a suburb in Maine, nearing the Canadian border. Any closer and it would become an international incident. It had to be now. Maria cloaked the jet as it approached, hiding it from onlookers, obviously, but also, hopefully, from the Red Room itself. Though, their sensors were very advanced so there was no way of knowing until you got closer. That put you on edge.

So, instead, you turned to Kate. “First mission today. You ready?”

“Oh hell yeah. I’ve been waiting for this.” Kate nodded. She slung her quiver over her shoulder. “What was yours?”

“The local county fair.” You chuckled. “Though, I guess if you count my first encounter with a bad guy, it was at the mall, guy with a flamethrower and a dream. He is in jail now.”

“That is typically what happens when you dream of arson.” Natasha said, grinning. “Thank you all. For this. For coming.”

“We’ve got you, Nat. They did some pretty awful shit to you. Time to make them pay for it.”

“Speaking of, ready up, ladies. We are two minutes out.”

Power crackled in your fingertips. You were ready to go. Well, as ready as you could be.

Maria pulled up to the docking bay and the five of you got out. Hope lowered her helmet visor, saluted, and then shrunk, flying off into the vents. The other four set off in a linear path, up the winding hallways towards where they kept the Widows.

The hall was bathed in red light, dim. It set you on edge. Natasha led the way, motioning the rest of you on. You noticed as you approached each camera, it flicked off, the heads of them tilting down.

Oh right, Hope. Awesome.

You approached a series of rooms, doors all identical. They slid open when you approached, and sure enough, two dozen women came charging at you all at once, dressed in identical athleisure. Wanda waved her hands, red mist cascading down the hall, their eyes filling. It took a moment, but they all stopped, looking around at each other for some idea of what was going on.

“Natasha?” One of the voices in the crowd said, a blonde girl with wide eyes. “You came?”

Natasha nodded, smiling. “Of course I did.”

“You’re the Avengers.” The girl said, looking at the rest of you. “You’re really here.”

“Some of us. Come on, we’ve got a ship waiting.” You told her.

The girl looked at you and then back at Natasha.

“Go with her.” Natasha instructed. “I’ll be back in like five minutes. Tops.”

“What’s your name?” Kate asked, starting to lead the others back to the ship.

“I’m Yelena. Natasha’s sister.”

As you led them back down the hall, armored guards rounded the corner. You made forcefields at their feet, tripping them up. Kate shot arrows down the barrels of their weapons, causing a few small explosions. The Widows fought with you, taking out anyone that approached. Soon enough, you got to the docking bay, which exploded as soon as you approached.

You put up a shield between the rest of you and the explosion, blocking the girls from the flying debris. Okay, that put a wrench in things a little bit.

“What are we gonna do?” Kate asked, looking to you, the reflection of the flames shimmering against her skin.

“I’ve got an idea.” You said, approaching the opening carefully, wind whipping all around. Maria was still piloting the jet, doing her best to get close to the massive hole.

You made a platform with your power, curving it up at the edges, like a giant spoon. Slowly, you slid it across the gap to the jet. Maria got the hint, turning it around and opening the ramp. You made another platform and two of the Widows hopped in without hesitation. Slowly, you started the process of feeding them all across, two by two until everyone was in the jet. Everyone except you.

“Hey.” Hope said, landing and returning to full size, out of breath. “What did I miss?”

“Not too much.”

“Want a lift?”

“Why not?” You shrugged. Hope took your hand, flying you across the gap and into the ship. That just left Wanda and Nat unaccounted for.

You watched anxiously, waiting, waiting, waiting. Nothing.

“Hope, how long before this thing blows?”

“A few minutes.”

“Fuck.” You shook your head. You pressed a finger to your earpiece. “Nat, Wanda, do you copy?”

Radio silence.

“(Y/N), there they are.” Kate pointed. She really did have eagle eyes.

“I’ll get them.” Hope offered until an enemy ship opened fire.

“I’ve got it.” You said, channeling something deeper. Instead of making a bubble, you formed a tunnel of shimmering blue energy from the platform they were standing on to the back of the jet. “Hold her steady, Maria!”

“As steady as I can.”

A few explosions started at the back of the base, setting off a chain reaction. The two of them ran through the tunnel, its energy shielding them from the fire, the debris, and the rain of bullets. Wanda sped them along, until they were safe and sound, in the jet again.

Maria closed up the door as more explosions went off. You lowered your hands, letting the energy dispel. She flew off to a safe distance. The rest of you watched in awe as the Red Room fell, crumbling to bits, to ashes and ruin.

Yelena hugged Natasha, thanking her. Natasha apologized for not coming sooner. And the rest of the Widows were able to rest, breathing free for the first time in years.

***

The first stop on the docket was a SHIELD base in New York to drop off the majority of the Widows. SHIELD had a plan in place to get them back into society, integrated, rehabilitated, whatever they needed.

The second stop, of course, was Taco Bell, for refreshments.

The third stop was home, where Steve was waiting at the dinner table, chin resting against his folded hands, Bucky sitting across from him. He whipped around at the sound of the door opening. You, Kate, Wanda, Natasha, Hope, and Yelena were talking and laughing, laden with bags of fast food.

His eyes fell on yours first and it was like time stopped.

“How did it go?”

“Good. I got you a Baja Blast.” You said, setting the large cup of the teal drink in front of him.

He stared at it for a long moment before looking back up at you. “You…”

“I’m alright, Steve. We all are. And, uh, we have a new teammate.”

He finally spotted Yelena in the mix. “Oh?”

“Natasha has a sister.” You shrugged, sitting down and unpacking your order. “Apparently.”

Speaking of whom, Natasha walked up to Bucky, looked him in the eye, and said, “Barnes. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Yeah, of course.” He nodded, following her into another room.

“Wonder what that’s about.” Steve murmured, sticking a straw into the drink he kept staring at like it was a potion you’d plucked from a fantasy realm. You supposed teal was kind of an odd color for a drink…

You smirked. “I have some idea.”

“She told you?”

“Yeah.” You shrugged. “It makes a lot of sense. The way he looks at her…”

He nodded. “Like something out of a movie.”

“Yeah, exactly.” You sighed and then shook out of it, motioning to the drink. “Alright, let me know what you think.”

He took a first sip, holding it in his mouth for a second before swallowing. The smile on his face grew. “It’s sweet.”

“Too sweet?”

“A little.” He chuckled, going in for another sip. “No, maybe…maybe I do like it.”

“Uh-huh. Think about it.” You laughed.

Yelena sat down next to you. “Is this seat taken? I’m starving.”

“Have at it.”

“Alright, well, you girls have fun. I’m headed to bed.” He held up his cup. “Thanks for the drink. Glad you’re home safe.”

“Night, Steve.”

Yelena looked at you, wonder in her eyes. As soon as he was out of earshot, she said, “Oooh, tell me everything.”

You chuckled. “Where do I even start?”

Champagne Problems

Two weeks later, you got dressed for Wanda’s twenty-fifth birthday outing. It would be just the girls, headed to a club nearby. Wanda would turn twenty-five just after midnight and she didn’t want to be in the same building with Vision if she was going to get her heart broken. It wasn’t a bad plan, all things considered.

You were wearing a black dress, knee-length, form-fitting, paired with a dark red lip, and of course, the star necklace Steve had gotten for you all those months ago. You let your fingers linger on it in your reflection before throwing on your heels and walking out to the living room to wait for the others.

Steve was on the couch, watching the Muppets Movie.

“See? I wasn’t lying about Gonzo.”

“You weren’t.” He laughed.  He opened his mouth to make a quip, but it died on his tongue when he got a good look at you, eyes softening. “You got a date tonight? You’re all dolled up.”

“Huh? No.” You laughed. “It’s girls’ night.”

“Didn’t you just have girls’ night? I believe it involved several explosives.”

“Right, well, Wanda turns twenty-five just after midnight, so we’re going out again. This time hopefully with less explosions.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “Well, ya look great.”

You blushed. “Thanks.”

“You hear about Nat and Buck?”

“It’s official.” You grinned. “I’m happy for them.”

“Me too. They’ve both been through so much. They deserve to be happy.”

“So do you, Steve.”

He tilted his head, giving you that sad smile. “I am. Promise.”

The other girls came into the living room before you had the chance to respond. Nat was hand-in-hand with Bucky, who kissed her on the cheek before releasing her and joining Steve on the couch, grinning like he’d won the lottery. In a way, he had.

“Let’s get a move on, birthday girl.” Natasha said, slinging an arm around Wanda’s shoulders. “The night is young.”

She looked back longingly where Vision was hovering in the corner of the room. “Be back soon.”

“Text me when you find out.” He said.

“I will.” She promised, eyes brimming with tears.

You took her hand in yours, giving it a comforting squeeze. She squeezed it back, meeting your eyes and offering a smile.

The five of you piled into the car. Hope wasn’t coming because she was in San Francisco for the weekend, but Yelena was. She seemed determined to experience all the life she’d missed out on thus far. You couldn’t blame her in the slightest.

The club was lively, music pulsing loudly. There were lots of birthdays being celebrated, it turned out, announced by party hats, birthday crowns and sashes, and the periodic cheers of groups of people, yelling out in excitement when their friends learned who their lives were promised to. It was kind of magical.

You ordered a drink, downing it quickly and surrendering to the fuzzy feeling at the edges of your mind. You were pretty sure the last time you’d been drunk was your induction to the team. You remembered that night with Steve, how he looked at you, how it felt. And then you ordered a second drink, dancing to the music with the girls, trying to forget your worries, even if only for the night.

A guy approached you, a look in his eye. He eyed up your bare wrist. “No soulmate?”

“Not yet. A few months too early for that.”

“Then would you mind if I swept you off your feet for the night?”

“Sorry, I…I’m here for my friend. It’s her twenty-fifth.”

He scoffed, looking you up and down before stalking off towards his next victim. “Alright. Your loss.”

“Asshole.” Yelena rolled her eyes, taking your hands and spinning you around on the dance floor. You let her, dancing along. “I do not blame you, (Y/N). If I were you, I wouldn’t settle either. Not for that.”

You laughed. “Yeah, not my thing.”

“You’ve never…?”

“Well, a little. In high school, we used to have parties where we ‘practiced’ for our soulmates. It never got any further than a little spin the bottle, though.” You confessed.

“Ah, see, I’ve had practice. But it never meant anything. Red Room, bleh.” Yelena shrugged. “I am ready for something real.”

“How long you got left?”

“Another year.”

“I’ve got three and a half months.”

“So I’ve heard. I bet you are excited, being so close to it.”

“Excited, nervous.” You laughed, shrugging. “I kinda just want to rip the Band-Aid off, get it over with.”

“I’m sure.” She motioned Kate over and she joined the two of you, dancing to the beat. “Kate Bishop, how long do you have left?”

“I’m twenty-three.”

“Ah, well, then you have lots of time to party.” Yelena grinned, spinning her around. “We should really do this more often.”

You chuckled. Yelena had only been part of your little family for a few weeks, but already you could tell she was going to be a handful in the best way.

Eventually, you wandered back over to Wanda, who was standing in the corner of the room, nursing a single glass of Vodka Cran.

“Hey, birthday girl. You doing okay?” You asked.

She nodded, irises ringed with red, as they often were when she was stressed. She blinked a few times, forcing them back to hazel. “Doing great.”

“Wanda, whoever they are, they’re so lucky to have someone like you.” You took her hand. “Now let’s go dance and forget about it for the next hour.”

She smiled. “Lead the way.”

***

In what seemed like no time at all, midnight came. Natasha ordered a bottle of champagne and each of you got a glass. Wanda sat on a barstool, staring at her wrist. From right next to her, you had a pretty good view, watching with a racing heart as a string of letters appeared, darkening into existence.

The Vision.

She burst into tears, hitting the call button on her phone. He picked up on the first ring.

“It’s you, Vis! I knew it was you!”

The rest of you gathered your things, eager to reunite them as soon as you could. Your thoughts were racing, though. You’d never really thought of it before, but…your soulmate could be someone you already knew. Someone you were already in love with.

Someone who was already in love with you.

Maybe there was some hope after all…

The Origin

Only weeks after your night in the club, you found yourself in yet another bar. This time, it wasn’t for fun, though. You, Sam, Nat, Bucky, and Steve were undercover in a quaint little tavern in Alaska. A quaint little tavern that happened to be a front for Hydra, as it were. But that didn’t mean that everyone there was Hydra, just definitely the bar tender and the security guards that kept eyeing you up. Probably a handful of the patrons, too.

In addition to that, so were the flannel-clad guys at the bar.

“Hey, little lady.” One wandered up to you, bumping your elbows. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“I’m all set with this one, thanks.” You said, taking a long sip from your drink.

“Aww, come on, just one more?” The guy on your other side egged on. “Pretty girl like you deserves to have a little fun.”

The guys around them started getting riled up, trying to convince you to have another drink. Never had you been so glad to hear Steve’s voice.

“Sorry fellas, she’s taken. Come on, sweetheart.” You felt his hand on your shoulder and let him pull you away from the fray, back to his little corner. He had been growing out a bit of a beard for this. God, did it suit him. He rested his hands on your waist, face approaching your own, nose nestled beside your cheek. “You see anything?”

“Bartender has a gun under the counter. Intense code-protected lock on the door in the backroom.” You told him, masking your words with a smile, nuzzling your nose against his.

“I’ll get to work on the door.” Bucky said over the coms. “Whatever you’re doing is working. Those guys have lost all interest.”

“Perfect.” You chuckled. “Thanks for defending my honor.”

Steve smiled and it was breathtaking, the way his eyes sparkled in the warm light. “Anytime.”

You really couldn’t help yourself. You couldn’t even blame it on the alcohol; there hadn’t even been any. It was a virgin drink. Your arm wound around his neck, pulling him in so you could kiss his cheek. His arms wrapped tight around you and he buried his face in your neck to hide his rosy cheeks, laughing.

Once again, that line between your cover and your feelings began to blur.

“Alright, I’m in.” Bucky said. “Feel free to join us whenever.”

“Coming.” Steve murmured, a hand moving the hair out of your eyes. He pressed a long kiss to your forehead, sending your heart into a frenzy before taking your hand and leading you to the backroom, where Bucky and the others were waiting.

“You were born for undercover work, (Y/N).” Natasha said, giving you a smirk and a friendly nudge.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that.” You laughed. “It’s kind of fun, though.”

The five of you walked down the tunnel. When you finally reached the main room, it was kind of dark. You lit your fist with blue energy, using it to find a lightswitch. There were several computers that flashed to life, a wall of weapons, and also, a wall of screens. There was a little electrified cell, but it was empty. No captives, as far as you could see.

You started looking around while Natasha backed up files to a hard drive. Bucky watched the entrances. Sam looked over the weapons, taking notes of the ones that were out of the ordinary. Steve stared at the screens, mesmerized by…something.

“Um, (Y/N)?” He asked, motioning you over.

You looked up at the images. They were all of you. Pictures of you in the field, diagrams of your anatomy, hospital records, your birth certificate. There were illustrations of you, and a few fields marked as unfulfilled: blood sample, soulmate information, DNA.

Beneath it was written Planet of Origin: Illustria

“What the actual fuck.” You said, voice flat, staring at the word. You’d never heard it before. Not even with the recent discoveries about space and the wider universe. Thor, your only connection to space, had never mentioned it. Yet, for some reason, Hydra had reason to believe you were connected to it.

“Company.” Bucky announced, readying his gun as a group of Hydra agents stormed down the tunnel. 

A section of the wall slid open and a scientist-looking man stepped into the space. Steve threw his shield, bouncing it off of three surfaces before it came back to him. The man made a run for it, but you lit your fists and ran after him. Steve followed after.

Once you were both through, the wall slid shut. On the other side, you could still hear the sounds of the fight. They needed you. But you needed answers. It was an impossible choice, made easier when he started talking.

“Ah, the Girl from Space and the Man Out of Time. How nice to have you both here in one place.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” You said, fists clenched, eyes glazed over with raw power, glowing like Wanda’s did.

He laughed. “You didn’t know? Your commerades didn’t tell you? Surely they must have seen the suppressor in your neck when they were running all those tests.”

Your world came crashing down. “The what?”

“Your parents paid us to put it there. Paid SHIELD, at least, but, we’ve been one in the same for a long time. Didn’t know how to handle their little alien girl, especially at her full power, on a planet that wasn’t their own. They should have known you’d outgrow it eventually.” He tsked. “Of course, I could always take it out for you.”

“You touch her, you die.” Steve said, voice as smooth as steel. It sent a chill down your spine. “I’m warning you.”

It made sense. It was like a switch had been flipped when you were in college, your powers coming from seemingly nowhere. They’d been suppressed all your life, but finally, the suppressor stopped working. You hadn’t even known it was there. Maybe that was why you’d been stopped at so many airports.

“Not to worry Captain, I was on my way out of here anyway.” He raised his hands and started walking towards an exit tunnel.

You raised yours, making a cuff of energy around his wrist, holding him in place.

“No, you get to answer to SHIELD.” You told him. “And then you get to answer to me.”

Steve used his shield to knock the guy out with one quick, precise throw. The door behind the two of you slid open, Natasha pushing it open. There were downed Hydra agents all over the floor behind her.

“Having a party without us?”

“Something like that.” You mumbled, heart still racing.

“I got the files, (Y/N).” She said, playful demeanor falling immediately. “We’ll figure it out.”

Steve lugged the scientist over his shoulders, handing him off to the SHIELD agents who had come to help, one of whom happened to be one of the guys who was hitting on you at the bar. Go figure. Bucky and Sam joined the three of you. Sam put a hand on your shoulder and offered a supportive smile.

You still felt numb.

***

You got back to the safehouse and the snow outside doubled, coming down in droves, thick snowflakes and heavy winds. It was safe to say you would not be making it back to the Compound tonight.

You changed out of your bulletproof gear and into a tank top and sweats, running a hand through your hair. You met your eyes in the reflection, noticing how they flickered blue. In the other room, you could hear the video call finally go through with Tony and Bruce, who were back home.

“Oh don’t give me that look, Rogers.”

“Well, can you blame me?”

“What, like you’ve never kept a secret ever in your life, give me a break!”

“About her life, Tony!”

“I’ll get her.” You heard Natasha tell him, and then heard her footsteps approaching the bathroom door. She knocked. “Hey, they’re on. I made you some cocoa.”

You opened the door, letting out a sigh and nodding. “Thanks, Nat.”

She smiled, patting your shoulder and leading you out to the couch. Tony and Bruce were sitting in the living room on the screen. Steve had been pacing, obviously, given his stance and the fact that he was still standing.

You sat down, making eye contact with each of them, lips pressed into a flat line. Your heart raced, chest aching, stomach on fire from the adrenaline of it all. “So?”

Tony sighed. “You’re an alien.”

“Half.” Bruce amended. “On your mother’s side. She’s from a planet called Illustria.”

“Uh-huh, yeah. I got that part. How long have you known?”

Bruce looked at Tony, hoping he’d deliver that part of the news. He did. “I’ve known since you were recruited. Fury did a background check. You were already on the files.”

“What about the suppressor?”

“We didn’t know what it was. We didn’t know what taking it out would do to you.” Bruce admitted. “We thought you knew it was there.”

“I want it out.” You said with certainty. “I want it out as soon as we get home.”

“Are you sure?” Bruce asked.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. I want to know who I am. That starts with knowing what I’m actually capable of.” You sighed. “And call Thor. I have questions I need answered. His alien friends might know.”

“Anything else?” Tony asked.

“Who else knew.” It wasn’t a question, it was a demand.

“Just me and Fury,” he said, but you couldn’t tell if he was lying or not.

“And Hydra.” You snapped. “What, are you afraid of me? Had to keep a lid on my powers because you’re so fucking obsessed with control?”

Tony scoffed. Clearly, you’d struck a nerve. “That’s not it.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know how you would take it.”

“Okay well, I think I would have been okay hearing it from a friend, in a place I felt safe. I had to hear about it from Hydra. They had a fucking cell with my name on it.” You said, trembling as you remembered it, tucked away in the corner there. That was the only explanation for it, really. And then something else clicked, too. “That…that day when Steve got tranq’ed. They weren’t trying to hit him, they were trying to hit me. He jumped in the way. They’ve…been trying to take me this entire time.”

“Oh my god, Tony…” Natasha said, voice quiet.

“Get those files to me, Nat. I’ll take a look. See if they have anything on the suppressor so I can take it out when you get back.” Bruce said, eyes soft. “And I’m sorry, for the record.”

“It’s not you I’m mad at.”

“Kid, please don’t—”

You cut Tony off with a click of the remote, hanging up the call. You let out a shaking sigh, setting the remote down. Your fingers were trembling. You took a few breaths, lungs heaving. You wanted to scream. You needed to let it out.

Everyone else on the team knew why they were there. Every other person in your life knew what made them special. Wanda’s power came from the Mind Stone, Steve’s came from the Serum, Tony’s came from his massive fucking ego. They all got the privilege of their origin story.

All of them except for you.

You needed to call your parents, if you even could. They’d told you they were moving to Florida. Now you wondered if they’d moved off the planet.

“You gonna be okay?” Sam asked, eyes trailing you as you paced through the room towards the door.

“Nope.” You walked out to the other den, burying your face in your arms, sobbing for a few minutes until you got it all out, or most of it anyway. Eight months. Eight fucking months he’d known you and didn’t think to tell you.

The chip in your shoulder burned.

You began to seriously wonder if anyone else had known. Bruce had run all those tests, surely he had seen something. He’d told you there were abnormalities, but he’d assumed they were from your powers, not the cause of them.

Steve crossed your mind briefly, but you shot that down pretty quick. He, of all people, would never keep a secret like that from you. You knew him well enough to know that.

Aside from that, the only real suspect you had was Vision. He had been JARVIS once, surely he still had some of that database in his mind. You’d give him the benefit of the doubt. For now.

“Hey.” Even before you looked up, you could tell Steve would be leaning in the doorway, that lovelorn look on his face. You were right, obviously.

Tears welled in your eyes. “Steve.”

He crossed the room, collecting you in his arms, hands rubbing comforting circles on your back. You surrendered to him, crying into the fabric of his crewneck, face tucked into the crook of his neck. One of his hands cradled your head, smoothing over your hair comfortingly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He rumbled, voice deep and soothing. “I would have told you.”

“I know you would.” You sniffled, gripping him like a lifeline, your anchor in the storm. You pulled away to meet his eyes. “I feel so stupid for crying about it.”

He shook his head. “It’s not stupid. I would, too.”

“Like it’s fine. Aliens are cool. T-Thor is cool.” You sniffled again, more tears running down your cheeks. “I’m fine with being one, I just…”

“You’re still (Y/N).” He asserted, a gentle thumb wiping your tears away. “You’ve always been able to do these amazing, beautiful things. Now we know why. And maybe there’ll be even more things you can do with that thing out of your neck.”

“Yeah…” You nodded. You took a deep breath. “I’m really glad you’re here, Steve. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t.”

He pulled you back into his arms to hide the look on his face. “I’ve got you. Always. We’ll figure it out.”

***

Hours later, you were curled up on the couch, asleep. Despite the fireplace raging with fresh-chopped wood, you were still shivering, pulling the blankets around yourself as tight as you could.

Steve watched you from the dining table, forlorn. Natasha nudged him, motioning towards you. He shook his head. He couldn’t. Right? What, take advantage of you in your vulnerable state?

Bucky seemed to agree with Nat, grinning into his mug of coffee. Of course they agreed. They were soulmates, after all. Just like you and Steve. 

The mark on his wrist seemed to thrum when he thought about it.

Relenting, Steve got up off of his seat, walked towards the fireplace and adjusted the logs, adding another small one for good measure. He looked back at the others, who were silently, but aggressively, encouraging him to go over to you. Sighing, he did.

He knelt down in front of you, clearing his throat, which caused you to jolt awake.

“Is everything okay? Are we under attack?”

Steve chuckled. “No, uh, we’re all good. Are you cold? You’re shivering.”

“Kind of, yeah.” You admitted. “I’ll be okay, though, I promise. I’ve always been kind of cold. Must be an alien thing…”

“Do you…want some company?” He asked, unsure of how to word it. “I…run warm.”

“Do you mind?” You asked, sitting up a little and raising the blankets you were under.

His heart raced. “Here, um…” He wiggled in underneath you, letting you lead as the two of you settled.

“God, you do run warm.” You hummed, all but collapsing against him, a hand flat against his chest while you adjusted.

“I didn’t always.” He said, voice sincere. “Buck and I used to have to share a bed in the winter. It was brutal.”

“Sounds like it.”

“Yeah, he snores.” Steve joked, earning a laugh.

“Oh I know. I can hear him three doors down back home.”

“And I can hear you from the other room!” Bucky called, sending you and Steve into a fit of giggles, like kids at a sleepover. “It’s a small cabin!”

You heard him and Sam devolve into a bickering match about the truth of whether or not Bucky actually snored that loud.

You looked up at Steve, asking “is it okay if I put my arm here?” while carefully draping an arm across him.

“Yeah, of course. Get comfortable.” He nodded, leaning against the pillows and pulling the blanket up around your shoulders.

You rested your head on his firm chest, listening to the way his heart was racing. Cute.

“We could, uh, put on some music if you want.” Steve suggested. “I’ve still got that playlist on my phone.”

“Which one’s your favorite?” You asked, voice soft, curious.

“Timeless.”

“I thought it would be.” You smiled, meeting his eyes, which sparkled in the light of the fire. “You’re so timeless, Steve Rogers.”

He grinned. “You think so? You don’t think I’m a fossil like everyone else?” he said, quoting Natasha and Tony and many others who equated him to some dinosaur because of his accident.

“Not even close.” You shook your head and sighed. “This might be the wrong thing to say, but…I’m really glad you’re here. Your life could have looked a lot different, but I’m really glad you ended up in mine.”

It took every ounce of his being to hold in his tears when you said it. If he could have confessed then and there, he would have. He would have kissed you square on the lips, told you he loved you, that he always had, that you weren’t some accident, you were his destiny. Always had been.

Instead, he had to settle for, “I’m getting used to it, but I am, too. I’m really glad I found you that day, (Y/N).”

“Me too.” You smiled, readjusting your cheek against his chest, letting out a long breath. “Goodnight, Steve.”

“Night.”

His warmth lulled you to sleep after a long, emotional day. Never had you felt so safe and protected. It was easy to feel that way in the arms of a supersoldier, you supposed, thoughts meandering until there weren’t any left. You were asleep in minutes, breaths slow and long and even.

Once he was absolutely sure you were out, Steve pressed the gentlest kiss to your forehead, grateful beyond words to have you in his arms again, grateful you were safe, grateful you were his.

Even if you didn’t know it yet.

***

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the sliver of a gap in the curtains, right into your eyes. You blinked a few times, trying to figure out why the mattress was moving. And then you remembered. Steve.

The supersoldier was still asleep, breaths long and slow, those thick, gorgeous eyelashes resting against his sharp cheekbones, lips impossibly pink. His muscled arm wrapped tight around your waist, the other settled on the couch.

Your eyes wandered to the band on his wrist. It was out of place slightly, the edge almost crooked enough to read the letters etched onto his skin. Almost.

There was a part of you that was tempted to look. To nudge it aside the tiniest bit, say it was an accident, and finally know who it was that had been holding his heart in their hands for the last seventy or so years.

But you couldn’t do that to him. He trusted you enough to hold you while he slept, while he was the most vulnerable. You respected him too much to do that. So instead, you adjusted slightly, closing your eyes again.

“(Y/N).” Natasha said from the doorway of the kitchen.

“Hmm?” You replied, eyes opening again.

She eyed up the two of you, grinning. “Cute.”

You chuckled. “Thanks.”

“Got those files sent to Bruce. He doesn’t think it’ll be a problem getting that thing out of you. Won’t even have to put you under.”

“Cool.” You nodded. “Is it…like right between my neck and my shoulder? On the right side?”

“That’s where it is on the diagrams, yeah.”

“Okay. Thought so. I get pain there sometimes.”

“During training?”

“Yeah. I didn’t think it was anything serious. Thought it was like a pulled muscle or a pinched nerve or something.”

“You never said anything.” Steve murmured, blinking awake. “You were in pain that whole time?”

“No. It comes and goes. Mostly when I try out new stuff.” You said, still planted on his chest, looking up at him.

He smiled. “Morning.”

“Morning. How’d you sleep?”

“Really well, actually. How did you sleep?”

“Like a fucking rock.” You grinned. “You weren’t kidding about running warm. Thanks for sharing.”

“Anytime.”

“Let’s get a move on, team.” Sam said, walking out from the bedrooms down the hall, Bucky not far behind him, looking tired.

You reluctantly left the warmth of your shared cocoon, sitting up and stretching, brushing your fingers through your tangled hair. “Alright, let’s go get this thing out of me.”

Show Yourself

“Alright, so, this might hurt a bit. Are you ready?” Bruce warned. You were laid out on a table on your stomach, a curled pillow beneath your head. It was a bit like a massage, except Bruce had made an incision at the base of your neck where your suppressor was implanted. He’d given you some numbing gel and pain meds, though, so you didn’t feel much.

On the other side of the observation window, Steve was standing with Natasha, his arms crossed, eyes focused. Tony wasn’t allowed even in there, which pissed him off. He’d tried to get on your good side when you’d gotten home and you blew him off completely, which, Steve had to admit, was amusing.

And Tony definitely deserved it.

“I’m good. Go for it.”

Carefully, Bruce used his tools to wiggle it free from your flesh, setting off a chain reaction in your body. The wave of relief you felt was almost enough to put you to sleep, a refreshing, cool sensation rushing from your head to your toes. Power crackled between your fingers, and you could feel your eyes glowing for a moment, despite the fact that you couldn’t see your reflection.

Bruce moved to stitch you up, but your body did the work for him, mending back together on its own before his very eyes. He adjusted his glasses, sure he was seeing things. But no, the wound was healed, just leaving a little dried blood on your skin, which he wiped off with a wet piece of gauze.

“Woahhh.” You murmured, coming out of the trance. You blinked a few times and it felt like waking up from a college nap, the kind you don’t set an alarm for and then come out of in a stupor.

“You feel okay?”

“Yeah, I’m great.” You nodded. “Are you done? Did you stitch it up?”

“I…didn’t have to.” He murmured, still staring at the spot. He handed you the shirt you’d brought in and you tugged it over your head, staring at your arms, your hands. You didn’t look any different, but it was like every atom in your body was electrified.

It felt right.

Bruce opened the door and Steve and Natasha walked in, watching your every move.

“Wow.” Natasha said, grinning. “You look…”

“The same, but…more you.” Steve met your eyes, offering you his hand. 

You took it, letting him help you stand. Even his touch felt different now. Better. You settled, adjusting. It felt different, like even the gravity itself had changed. It would take some getting used to.

“I need to hit the training room.” You said with an excited grin. “You two are welcome to join me.”

“Can I watch? I want to take notes.” Bruce said. “From the observation booth, of course.”

“Oh yeah, by all means.” You nodded, leading the others down the hallway. A few others tagged along, Yelena, Kate, Wanda, who were all curious to see what you were capable of now, and just how much Tony’s lies had been holding you back. Sam and Bucky were already there and smiled when they saw you coming, Steve and the others in tow.

They cleared out some room, letting you have the space you needed. You stretched and then got to work.

First, you made a few forcefields. They still had that shimmer, like sunlight in a swimming pool, but they were twice as thick as they had been before. Steve couldn’t break them with his super-strength anymore.

You had more control over your waypoints and your portals, which, the more you used them, were becoming two different things. The waypoints, your stars, were a quick zip from point A to point B. Your portals, however, were more like a window that you could open and close, and took on more of a circular shape.

You were stronger, too. Nowhere near as strong as Bucky or Steve, but twice as strong as you’d been before, faster.

And then came the other thing. If you focused hard enough, and focused on the floaty, tingly feeling in your chest, your body started to glow around the edges, and at long last, your feet rose from the floor.

“Oh my god…” You murmured, lifting yourself from the tile ground. At first, it was hard to control, but you quickly figured out how to get from point to point, and how to hover in the middle.

Steve stared up at you as you hovered, fists lit with power, hair floating in the breeze you’d created. It was like watching the birth of a star, powerful and beautiful and otherworldly.

For the first time since 1943, he knew in his soul that he had to paint you, exactly like this. He memorized the moment in his mind, every detail from the streak of sunlight on your chest to the misplaced strand of hair on your forehead, the exact hue of your glowing irises.

“A picture might last longer.” Natasha teased under her breath, watching as you touched down.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.” Steve replied, already picking out a color palette in his head.

“Holy shit…” You breathed, the glow dissipating as you returned to normal. “What a rush.”

“Welcome to the fly club, kid.” Sam said, patting you on the back.

“Thanks.” You grinned. “You’ll have to give me some pointers sometime.”

“Oh, anytime.” Sam walked over to Steve with you. “You see her up there? She’s like Superman.”

“I saw.” Steve agreed, arms crossed. “I think this calls for celebration, huh?”

“What did you have in mind, Cap?” You asked.

“Baja Blast?” He suggested, earning a laugh and a friendly shove.

“So you did like it?”

“It’s growin’ on me.” Steve admitted, that sly smile spreading. “Come on, my treat.”

“Oh I’m in.” You agreed. “Let me just take these monitors off.”

You turned in Bruce’s software, all of the vital-measuring instruments, cuffs and little sensors hooked to your arms and legs and chest.

“So, give it to me straight, doc. Am I stable?”

“Yeah, everything looks great. Vitals are great, heartrate is fine, if not a little elevated, but I’d assume that’s just from the adrenaline.” Bruce noted, looking at the numbers and charts on the screen in front of him. “If you feel weird, let me know and I can check things over, do some scans, but otherwise, it seems…you’re doing better than you were before, actually.”

“Alright, good to know.” You said, trying not to let his words hurt you. 

It was good news, it really was, but you could have felt this way for eight months, not two hours. You were thinking faster, processing things at better speeds. Hell, it even felt like you were breathing easier. Whatever that thing was that had been inside you, it had been sapping your health for your entire life. And now, you finally knew what it was like to be at a hundred percent instead of eighty.

Fuck Tony.

***

Steve drove the two of you through the nearest Taco Bell drive-thru to get snacks for yourselves and the rest of the team.

You ordered your regular, your Baja Blast, and everything the others had requested, running it on one of the team cards Tony had given you all. On the drive back, Steve had a question you didn’t really expect.

“Where do people shop for art supplies these days?”

“Jo Ann’s or Michael’s. They have a little bit of everything. Fabric, yarn, paint, beads, basically everything you could need. Why, you got a DIY project planned?”

“Something like that, yeah.” He grinned. “I don’t do much shopping, so I didn’t know where to start.”

“We should go sometime. I was running low on yarn.” You said, taking a sip of your Baja Blast.

“Make anything cool lately?”

“I’m working on a sunflower cardigan for Wanda.”

“Oh she’ll love that.”

“Yeah, she’s the one who sent me the pattern.” You chuckled. “It’s gonna look really cute on her.”

The two of you got back a few minutes later, a drove of hungry superheroes descending upon the paper bags you were carrying almost instantly. It was a welcome sight, a full table of laughing people. Your family. You felt a little different now, but nothing had changed. Not really. They still liked you, still smiled at you, joked with you, laughed with you.

So then why had Tony felt the need to hide it for so long?

***

Days later, Steve walked down the paint aisle of the craft store, picking out some brushes, some canvas, paints. He found the perfect one for your eyes, another hue for your forcefields. The amount of time he spent looking at you made it easy.

He smiled to himself. The little guy from Brooklyn would be proud of him, getting back into art beyond the sketches he did from time to time. It reminded him, though, that he needed to swing back to that antique shop and finally pick up the painting that had been waiting for him for so long.

Surely, he could keep it hidden until your big day.

Happiest Place on Earth

Being an Avenger often brought along unexpected adventures and opportunities. Today, that adventure was a theme park. Apparently, Disneyland was putting in a whole section in homage to the Avengers and Tony wanted you all to be there.

And though the two of you weren’t on the best terms at the moment, who were you to fight a free vacation?

You and Wanda helped pick out each others’ outfits for your day off following the grand opening. But today, you were wandering the park in uniform, side by side with Captain America himself, as you walked side by side down the street in the parade.

They’d tried to teach you all to do a little dance as you walked. The only one even attempting it was Scott, who was absolutely thrilled to be there. Supposedly, his daughter Cassie would be there to see him, too. You hadn’t met her yet, but Scott loved her to the moon and back. With him as a dad, she’d have to turn out pretty cool.

“Waypoint,” Steve said, motioning you over to see a little girl dressed not as a princess, but as you, your star shining proudly on her chest.

“Hey there, superstar.” You smiled, giving her a high-five. “You look great!”

“I want to be a hero just like you someday!” She said, her voice impossibly small. Impossibly innocent. It was a cute moment, but you couldn’t help but hope she’d never have to be. That someday, you and the rest of the team would get the world to a place where superheroes weren’t needed, where there was just peace. Where people with powers could simply be like everyone else.

“You already are, hon.” You told her, posing for a picture as her mom held up her phone.

You continued along the parade route and saw a couple. The guy was wearing a Captain America hoodie, the girl was wearing a Waypoint shirt. You wondered if Steve noticed, but didn’t have to ask when you saw his eyes lingering there, his mask all but hiding the faint blush on his cheeks.

A few teenage girls stopped you and you signed their autograph books, throwing something together. Despite your time on the team, there had never really been a time you’d been stopped for them. It was an odd feeling, being famous for something like this.

Steve signed with confidence, though. Sometimes you forgot that before he actually got to go out in the field and make a difference, he’d done a stint as a celebrity, touring the country to sell war bonds.

Someday, you’d bribe him enough to show you the videos, if he hadn’t already burnt all of them first.

“Are you excited for your birthday?” One asked. “I heard your twenty-fifth is coming up.”

“Oh! Yeah! I mean, I guess I’m more anxious than anything. It’s the big one.”

“You’re going to have every twenty-four year old in the country on the edge of their seat waiting to find out if they’re the one.” Another joked. 

You laughed along. “Yeah, I guess it’s coming whether I want it to or not.”

You were near the end of the route, so it wasn’t long after that you were off the hook to walk around a bit, get something to eat.

Steve turned to you, trying to sound casual when he asked, “You don’t want your birthday to come?”

“I mean, yeah.” You shrugged. “I’m not entirely set on the idea of pledging myself to some stranger for the rest of my life.”

“It’s not always a stranger.” Steve said. “Maybe you already know them.”

“That’s true. That would be…I mean, it would be better, sure, but…I’m pretty sure the only person I want it to be already has someone else.” You couldn’t meet his eyes when you said it, afraid of the answer, one way or the other, whether he finally said it outright, or if those pretty blue eyes said it for him.

You couldn’t handle the heartbreak.

“Wait—”

“(Y/N), we have time to hop on Pirates of the Caribbean.” Wanda said, swooping in to save you. She was really good at that. She took your hand and the two of you ran off in the direction of the ride.

Natasha walked up behind Steve, hand in hand with Bucky, who was nibbling on a churro. Obviously, they had heard the exchange.

“Fuck.” Steve muttered, shaking his head. “Well, great.”

“What’s going on, soldier?” Natasha asked.

“She’s gonna be so pissed when she finds out it’s me.” Steve said, voice small, as he watched you walk away. He waited for you to glance back at him. You didn’t.

“What are you talking about? Steve, she’s liked you for months. She listened to Songs for Sad Bitches when she thought she couldn’t have you.” Natasha reasoned. “Feelings like that don’t just go away.”

Bucky chimed, “Are we forgetting the night at the cabin?”

“That was three months ago.” Steve said, staring at his shoes. “I…I’ve been keeping it from her this entire time, hiding it from her, letting her feel like shit and stress herself out over it. I shouldn’t have gotten so close in the first place, but…I just can’t keep myself away from her. She looks at me with those eyes and I just…crumble.”

“I hear ya, pal.” Bucky said, patting his arm. “But you remember the look in her eyes at the bar that night? You remember the things she said to you? That (Y/N) is still a month away. She still has feelings for you. She still loves you, and she’s…she’s even excited to see the little guy.”

“She loved the little guy.” Steve agreed, smiling softly, remembering the look on your face when he’d found you, laying on his porch, the tenderness with which you’d whispered his name. In a world that constantly looked down on him, figuratively and literally, you were the first person aside from Bucky that made him feel loved, like he had something waiting for him.

Steve let out a long breath, nodding. Bucky was right. Back in the forties, he’d been the level-headed voice of reason, getting Steve out of the trouble his big mouth got him into. Even in the twenty-first century, he was still doing his damage control. In a way, he had missed it.

“Alright, now I know I missed some chapters.” Sam was on Steve’s other side, holding an ice cream sandwich, eyes wide. “When exactly were you going to tell me your soulmate is on the team?”

Steve chuckled. “Surprise?”

“Welcome to the inner circle, Sam. We’ve been waiting for you.” Natasha joked, wearing a grin.

“I mean, it explains a hell of a lot. Here I was thinking she was like…the grandkid of one of your old war buddies or something.”

“That’s what I thought!” Natasha agreed. She and Bucky finally filled Sam in on everything he’d missed over the past several months.

Steve’s eyes wandered back to that couple, dressed as him and you. They were holding hands, walking down the pathway, laughing, talking. They stopped for a selfie together in front of the Avengers Campus sign, which inevitably devolved into a kiss.

And in his head, he replaced them with him and you, carefree and in love in the happiest place on earth.

You’re On Your Own, Kid

Maybe, if you lied very still, you could convince the universe no time was passing at all. You were staring at the ceiling, flat on your back, the weight of the world resting flat against your entire body. No, against your soul, weighing you down.

Tomorrow was your birthday and you were not ready. Not in the slightest.

You let out a loud groan, forcing yourself to get up, to get dressed. You chucked your pajamas in your hamper, throwing on some joggers and a t-shirt, the old Star Wars tee you’d had since high school. It was a simple one, black with stars scattered across the fabric, the yellow logo emblazoned across the front.

There was a knock on your door.

“It’s open.” You called, not turning around to see who it was. You put on your star necklace, the one Steve had given you almost an entire year before. You tucked it under the fabric of the shirt.

“Morning. How’d you sleep?” Steve asked, leaning in the doorway, arms crossed, eyes searching.

“Not well.” You sighed, turning to look at him.

“I didn’t either when mine was coming. I swear I didn’t get any sleep for a week.” He said, eyes soft. “I, um, got breakfast. It’s in the kitchen. Those breakfast sandwiches you like.”

Your lips curled into a tired smile. “Thanks. That’s really sweet.”

“Of course. Whatever you want today, just say the word.”

You crossed the room, walking right up to him and straight into his arms. He held you to him, read resting against yours. For a moment, he questioned if it had already happened, if he’d gotten the days mixed up.

If you already knew.

“I just need you to hold me.” You whispered, holding in tears. You should have been excited. It should have felt like Christmas Eve. You should have been absolutely buzzing with excitement for the day to come.

But you weren’t ready to let him go, for everything about your relationship to change. You needed more time.

“I can do that.” He said softly, thumbs etching circles into your shoulders. “As long as you need me to. I’ve got you. Always.”

“Okay.” You whispered, voice breaking. The tears finally slipping down your cheeks. It was all you could say to keep yourself from saying ‘I love you.’

You ate breakfast with the others. Natasha could tell you had been crying, so after, she took you, Wanda, Kate, and Yelena out of the house. It was a welcome distraction. The mall was the perfect spot. It always was. 

“What about this one?” Wanda held another dress against you, imagining you in it for your birthday party the following night. Steve had taken it upon himself to be the entire planning committee, which was why he was back at the Compound with the boys, getting things in order. The only thing he wanted to have to worry about tomorrow was the party itself.

“Does it come in blue?” You asked, eyeing up the rack she’d pulled it off of.

“It does.” She smiled, putting the red one back in exchange for blue. It was sparkling, form-fitting, a little less formal than the one you’d worn to your Avengers induction, but it had the same vibe, just shorter and with a deeper neckline.

“Perfect.” You said, turning towards the dressing room. You handed Wanda your purse and slipped into it. It fit perfectly in all the right places. You did a little turn in the mirror, satisfied, and then walked out into the store again, where Natasha was nodding in approval.

“Alright, dress acquired, where to next?” Kate asked, checking the list she was keeping on her phone.

“I heard there is a Lego store here.” Yelena said absentmindedly, glancing out the door. “We should go.”

“Is that where you got Steve’s Millennium Falcon?” Natasha asked.

“Steve has a Millennium Falcon???” Yelena asked, eyes wide. “I want one.”

“I got it online. It was on sale.”

“I didn’t know Steve liked Star Wars.” Kate noted as you walked back into the dressing room to change back into your Star Wars shirt, ironically enough.

“Loves it. He’s a big nerd. Bucky, too. Buck’s more of a fantasy nerd, though. He’s super into Lord of the Rings.” You could hear the grin in Natasha’s voice when she said it.

“Steve said it was the first thing he watched out of the ice. Star Wars, that is. I don’t know if he’s seen Lord of the Rings yet.” You added. “And he’s talked about going to the Stark Expo back in the day. Vintage nerd.”

“Nice.”

Once you’d paid for the dress, you moved on to the Lego Store, where Yelena just about ran to the Millennium Falcon set to see it for herself.

“Lego typewriter.” Natasha noted, pointed at it. “Speaking of vintage nerd.”

“Oh I’m sure he’d get a kick out of that.” You laughed. Depending on how things settled after your soulmate bomb dropped, maybe you’d come back and get it for him. At the very least, you were pretty sure you’d still be friends after it all. And friends built Lego sets together.

“Hey, wait, there are Legos of us?” Kate asked, eyeing up the display where Steve had, you assumed, gotten your matching keychains. “This is news to me.”

“Let me see.” Yelena walked over and gasped, eyes falling on her Lego self.

Wanda smiled softly, head tilting as she looked at you. She rested her hand on your shoulder.

“It will be fine. To quote someone I care about very deeply: whoever they are, they are lucky to have you. Now, let’s forget about it for a bit.”

“Alright.” You agreed, letting her lead you over to the Build-a-Figure station, where you started mixing and matching the pieces. It was hard, but you let your worries melt away, at least for a little while.

***

Meanwhile, Steve was walking around the Compound with a clipboard, making sure everything was ready for the next day. Scott and the ants were helping put up the decorations. He’d sent Sam and Bucky to pick up the cake, and Tony had taken it upon himself to take care of the catering. A peace offering of sorts.

Steve was putting together the playlist for the party himself, hand-picking songs you liked, recommendations from Nat and Wanda, songs from Taylor Swift’s discography, and then, finally, a special song he’d been saving. 

Steve liked to listen to his records in the privacy of his room, away from the ears of members of the team who would tease him for it. They were forties jazz mostly, made the place feel a little more like home, especially when you weren’t around. But there was a song that he would soon share with you, as soon as tomorrow came. He hesitated to add it, but eventually, he pressed his thumb to the song, adding it to the playlist.

He closed his eyes, remembering that moment. The last song of the night before Val’s closed. It was one of the last times he had gone there.

“We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when…” The singer’s voice had floated across the room, words striking him to his core. He got chills, opening his eyes again. God, he couldn’t wait for you to know. Sure, he was a supersoldier, but he was pretty sure the weight of his secret was finally crushing him.

***

You retreated to your room when you and the girls got home. It was kind of late. You’d decided to catch a movie while you were out. You didn’t mind. You were beyond ready to go to sleep and just…get it over with.

Off with the Band-Aid.

“Where’s (Y/N)?” Steve asked, finding Natasha and Kate in the dining room.

“She went to her room for the night.” Kate replied innocently.

“Alright.” He nodded. “How was she doing?”

“Not great.” Yelena said, already into the box of the Lego set she’d settled on. “I mean, she’s like fine. Just…kinda sad.”

“Quiet.” Wanda agreed. Vision had his arm around her.

“Okay, well…” Steve put his hands on his hips, thinking. What was the harm in telling them now? Warning the rest of them what they’d be waking up to tomorrow. “Vision, can you round up the others?”

“Of course.” Vision nodded. “To be clear, I am to leave out (Y/N)?”

“Yeah. Yeah, everyone but (Y/N).” Steve confirmed, leading the others upstairs to one of the lounges. He sat on the couch, mouth resting against his hands, elbows on his knees. Tony sauntered in, followed by Bruce. The rest of the team filed in one by one, finding seats, staring at Steve, waiting for answers.

“So, um, thanks for coming everyone.” Steve said, meeting their eyes.

“Uh, Cap, we’re missing (Y/N).” Clint said, looking around.

“That’s the idea.” Natasha replied.

“Is this a party planning meeting? Do the decorations look okay? I really thought the ants did a good job.” Scott said.

“They did a great job.” Steve reassured him, taking a moment to collect his words. “So, as you all know, tomorrow is (Y/N)’s twenty-fifth birthday. And…I need to finally come clean. I’m her soulmate.”

“Okay, now that I did not know.” Tony said, meeting Steve’s eyes. “Your long lost love is one of our housemates?”

“Tony.” Nat shot him a look.

“No, I’m serious. I’m just…I’m relieved is all.” Tony admitted with a sigh. “I…the reason I didn’t tell her is because I didn’t know if Illustrians…I didn’t know if she’d have one. I figured…” He shook his head, staring at the floor. “I didn’t want to bring her down when it was so close.”

Steve took off the cuff on his wrist, finally finally showing him the mark that had been there since his twenty-fifth birthday in 1943. Your name, written in your neat, careful handwriting, first, middle, and last.

“Why not tell her, then?” Kate asked. “Why haven’t you told her?”

“That’s a little more complicated.” Steve thought. “When I turned twenty-five…she was there. In a few hours, when she goes to sleep, she’s headed to the forties to see…well, me, before the serum. I don’t know how or why, but…when she got there, she didn’t know. I didn’t want to risk changing anything. Butterfly effect and all that.”

“Time travel?” Bruce asked, eyes bugging out of his head. “You are just casually telling us that time travel exists.”

“I guess so.”

“Woah. Bruce. We’ve got some tests to run.” Tony said.

“Oh I am already taking notes in my head.”

The meeting ended shortly after that. The rest of the team gave him supportive words and smiles, but Tony’s were the most poignant. 

“I don’t know what you’re still doing here, Rogers. Go see her off.”

“Right. Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good luck, Steve.”

“Thanks, Tony.”

***

You closed the door after Steve left, listening to his footsteps retreat down the hall, steady and even. You let another tear roll down your cheek. All of the crying was exhausting. You just wanted to be done with it.

You sat on the bed, taking off your bra and chucking it across the room, laying back to relax and, hopefully, get some sleep.

The exhaustion must have been helping, because as soon as you closed your eyes, you felt the drifting start. It was strong and immediate, pulling you down through the mattress. You felt like you were floating and falling at the same time, limbs tingling. Your eyes shot open when you realized what was happening, but it was already too late.

And then everything went white.

Right Where You Left Me

In 1943, you walked hand in hand with your soulmate down the sidewalk, through Steve’s favorite park. It happened to be a shortcut between his favorite diner and the local theater. He liked to sit there sometimes, sketch couples walking by. Never had he imagined he’d be one of the couples someday.

For the past week, he’d about worried himself sick. He’d barely slept, he’d had no appetite, he’d had the worst art block of his life. Every time he fell asleep, he had dreams of finding his soulmate, only for them to be some pretty but shallow girl who didn’t want anything to do with him. He had nightmares of a grayed out mark like Bucky’s, or worse, no mark at all. Which is why when he’d run out that morning to get the mail, he hadn’t even checked yet.

Part of him didn’t want to.

And then he’d found you out there, laying under the mailbox.

And now, he was holding your hand. 

You caught his eyes, grinning. He smiled back, heart racing. Gosh, maybe he needed to sit down.

“Hey, could we sit for a minute?” He asked, motioning to the bench beside the path and trying his best not to sound out of breath.

“Yeah, of course.” You agreed, following him and sitting down beside him, hand still clasped tight in yours. “Do you have an inhaler?”

“What’s an inhaler?”

“Shit, right, they probably haven’t been invented yet…” You murmured, pulling your lip between your teeth. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

“You…know about the asthma.” He realized.

You nodded. “I know about all of it, Steve.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “And you’re still looking at me with those eyes?”

“What eyes?” You tilted your head, innocent. “There’s no one else I’d rather be looking at, Steve. Just you.”

“Okay, now I know you’re not real.”

“Am I gonna have to spend all day convincing you I am?”

“You just might.”

You leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek, leaving a reddish mark there. “Oops. Sorry, let me—”

Steve grabbed your hand, stopping you from wiping it away. “Leave it. Bucky comes home covered in ‘em all the time. I’ve never gotten one before.”

“I am going to cover you in lipstick marks by the end of today.”

He grinned, finally standing up to keep moving. “Is that a promise?”

***

It was nearing the end of the night. Steve could feel his time with you was nearly spent. So he led you by the hand to the stairs at the back of the bar, the ones that led up to the roof. He’d found himself up there alone on quite a few nights, when the double dates Bucky set up inevitably crumbled.

It was a beautiful night, clear. The stars were out in force, dotting the sky in perfect constellations. In the distance, fireworks boomed. It was one thing he’d always loved about his birthday.

“Wow, this is great.” You murmured, looking out at the city. It was like you were living in a photograph, the old buildings looming in the skyline, vintage cars driving down the street.

“My favorite spot.” He explained, walking over to the railing.

“I can see why.” You let out a sigh, gripping his hand tighter, fingers laced with his. You turned towards him, looking at the smattering of kiss marks on his cheeks. You’d kept true to your word.

Steve twirled you around, pulling you closer, a soft, romantic smile on his face. “God, you are so beautiful.”

“Let me show you something.” You told him, drawing his eyes to your hand where you made a tiny, gentle forcefield, its blue light shining across his features.

“What…is that?” He asked, staring at the orb. “Is that how you got here? Where were you keeping it?”

You curled your fingers, letting the bubble fizzle away. “It’s not a thing. It’s part of me. Something I’ve been able to do since college. There are a lot of people like me where I’m from, people with gifts. Steve…after I leave, your life is about to get a lot weirder than time travel and forcefields. I can’t tell you how or why, but…”

“I appreciate the heads-up.” He assured you, smiling. “And I love you, too. I didn’t say it down there, and I know I just met you this morning, but…I…I love you so much, doll. I don’t know what I’m gonna do without you.”

“You, Steve Rogers, are going to do amazing things.” You whispered, taking his hand again.

“Says the girl with superpowers.”

“I’m serious.” You told him. “I grew up hearing stories about you. I wanted to be just like you. Brave beyond words, fiercely loyal. I guess it only makes sense that we share a soul.”

Steve grabbed your face with both hands, kissing you deeply, lips dancing against your own, heart racing, knees wobbling like Jell-O. He rested his nose against yours, breathing shallow.

“Careful, there. Don’t let me take your breath away.”

He shook his head, kissing you one last time before murmuring, “Oh doll, I could do this all day.” He glanced back towards the door, music from downstairs faint. He took your hand. “Let’s go back downstairs. I think they’re playing the last song.”

You smirked, following him. “I thought you had two left feet.”

He shrugged. “I’m a quick learner.”

***

After you’d disappeared, Steve felt hollow, walking slowly back into the house. Bucky was sitting at the kitchen table, absently reading the paper. He met Steve’s eyes when he heard his trudging footsteps.

“She left you something.” Bucky chucked the bundle of fabric at him and Steve caught it, holding it out in front of him.

Your Star Wars shirt. Shit. He hoped you didn’t need it for anything. “Uh oh.”

“Might fit you.” Bucky chuckled. “Obviously you can’t wear it out, but…”

“Yeah.” Steve agreed, eyes sparkling with tears. He held it to his face, inhaling the scent of your perfume like it was oxygen. “God, I miss her.”

“I know, pal. It’ll be alright. I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but it will be.” Bucky’s eyes fell to the grayed out mark on his own wrist, so faint it was barely legible. “You just gotta take it one day at the time.”

Don’t Know Where, Don’t Know When

Your veins were on fire. The blinding white shimmered, giving way to…your ceiling. You were laying on your bed again, sunlight streaming through the window.

You blinked a few times, feeling flowing back into your limbs slowly. Your heart raced. You sat up, staring at your hands. Soon enough, your eyes found your wrist. The letters were still there, spelling out the name of your soulmate.

Steven Grant Rogers.

“Oh my god.” You looked up and met your reflection’s eyes, your hair still set in elegant 40s waves. Your pajamas were gone, replaced with the blue dress. Your lips were a deep shade of red, the same shade you’d left all over Steve’s face last night. A different Steve in a different time.

You let out a breath, standing up and walking towards the door, your new-vintage forties heels clicking with every step. You marched straight out to the kitchen, where Steve was sitting at the table, fiddling with his cuff. He was sitting across the table from Bucky and Natasha, whose eyes tried to warn Steve that you were approaching behind him.

“Happy Birthday, (Y/N). Um, how’d you sleep?” He asked, eyes widening when he saw the way you were dressed. His first love, in the flesh, just the way he remembered her.

“I didn’t.” You replied, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out of the room, snatching up the folding footstool leaned on the end counter as you passed.

“Good luck, pal.” Bucky laughed.

You just about kicked open the door of the conference room, skirt swishing as you did. You closed the door behind you, locking it with a click.

“(Y/N), listen, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, but—”

You unfolded the stool, getting up on top of it and pushing him against the wall. You crushed your lips against his, hands grasping the fabric of his shirt. He moaned into your mouth, frozen for a moment until the rest of him got the hint. His eyes fluttered shut, strong arms wrapped around your waist, head tilting as he deepened the kiss.

Your grip on his shirt weakened, arms looping behind his neck, holding him close as his lips left yours. He rested his forehead against yours, breaths ragged. He laughed, tucking his face into the crook of your neck to hide the tint of his cheeks.

“Not quite where I thought this conversation was gonna go.” He murmured against you, pressing kisses up your neck.

You reached for his left hand, fingers lingering against the strip of leather that was still hiding your name.

“You can take it off.” He told you, eyes sparkling. “It’s about time.”

Carefully, you undid the metal bit holding it in place and peeled it back, revealing your name etched there onto his skin, your handwriting unmistakable. You choked on a sob, tears slipping down your face.

“The whole time?” You asked, grabbing onto his hand with both of yours. “You knew the whole time?”

“I’m sorry.” He apologized, eyes falling to the hand you were holding. “I…You didn’t know when I met you. I didn’t want to risk…changing anything.” I didn’t want to risk losing you.

“I can’t believe…Here I thought I was your rebound.” You laughed, sniffling through your tears of relief. “I thought you were falling in love with me and I would be the asshole for getting a soulmate and breaking your heart. And it was me the whole time.”

“That’s why you were worried we wouldn’t be friends?” He asked softly.

You nodded, more tears falling when you remembered the way you’d felt day before.

“Oh, sweetheart…” He shook his head, wiping your tears away. “Honestly…I’m really glad we got to be friends first. Most soulmates don’t get that. It made me appreciate every moment with you even more. It was weird and hard, but…loving you was easy. Always has been. It was not telling you that was crushing me.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t put it together sooner…” You said, shaking your head. “All of those little moments…the reading chair, the Hunger Games marathon, the cabin…” Your heart ached remembering the night in the cabin. 

You remembered him sleeping against the wall in the infirmary after you’d been knocked unconscious, unwilling and unable to leave you alone when you were hurt. You remembered the bewildered look in his eyes when he thought you were dressed up for a date instead of Wanda’s birthday outing. The argument about whether or not you should go on the Red Room mission, when he was more worried about your safety than anything else, broken over the idea of something happening to you when he wasn’t there to help. The Lego set you’d spent hours building together, his hands so careful, fingers brushing against yours every so often. The mission in the Amazon, when the only thing he could think about while pseudo-drunk was you.

It was always you. It had always been you. 

“Steve…”

“Are we gonna be okay?” He asked quietly, watching you, searching your eyes for some flicker of disappointment. “It’s okay if you need time. I’d understand. It’s…well, it’s a lot to process.”

“I just…” You sighed, squeezing his hand. “I can’t believe I get to have you. I can’t believe you’re mine.”

“Believe it.” He said. He raised your hand, pressing a long kiss to your soulmark. “I love you, (Y/N) (L/N). I always have.”

“I love you too.” You confessed, earning that handsome smile he was so famous for. You couldn’t help but admire him, your supersoldier, the man that time had saved specifically for you. “I don’t need time. I just need you.”

You looked down at your new dress, realizing for the first time what it meant that you were still wearing it. You’d left your other clothes behind.

“Right. Before I forget.” Steve said, presenting a tattered, faded wad of fabric that had once been a shirt. “You left this at my place.”

You unfurled the fabric to find your missing Star Wars shirt, or what was left of it. You stared at it, dumbfounded. “You’ve had this the whole time?!”

“Took it everywhere with me.” He admitted. “Storming Hydra bases in Europe, Battle of New York, Sokovia, everywhere. I used to wear it, back when I was…you know, but it didn’t fit after my growth spurt. Sorry I couldn’t get it to you in better shape.”

“This is why you like Star Wars.” You realized, staring at it and looking back up at him.

“Yes.”

“Oh my god.” You laughed, shaking your head. You handed it back to him. “I think you need this more than I do, Steve. You can hold onto it for me if you want.”

He smiled, eyes soft. “You mean it?”

“Yeah, of course. I know it’s safe in your hands.”

Your shirt wasn’t the only thing that was safe in his hands. You were pretty sure, finally, that your heart was, too.

You stepped down from your footstool. Steve watched with an amused smile, chuckling.

“We had less of a height difference last night.” You reminded him, folding up the stool.

“I remember.” He reached for your hand and you gave it to him. He brought it to his lips, kissing each of your knuckles with care. “God, I missed this. I missed you so much, doll. Which is silly because you’ve been here, but…”

“I get it.” You reassured him, dropping his hands and wrapping your arms around him instead. 

He hugged you to his chest, resting his head against yours and letting out a long breath. You could tell he’d been holding it in for a long, long time.

***

Before you changed out of your forties look, Wanda insisted on a little photoshoot, which you were grateful for. Looking back, it would be fun to have pictures, even just as more proof that it had actually happened. Steve obviously sat in on some of the photos.

You asked some questions, of course, such as “who all knew?” The answer was everyone, but not until the night before when he’d finally come clean to the team. Before that, it had just been Bucky and Nat, and more recently, Sam.

Wanda claimed she had felt something, but never pried. Anyone could see it, though. Anyone with eyeballs. The way he looked at you had always been with love.

You changed into your dress for the party, necklace on display between your collarbones. You touched up your makeup a little bit, but left it. Bucky’s vintage lady friend had done a good job.

Tony showed up about an hour before the party was supposed to start, instructing the caterers. He stopped in his tracks, meeting your eyes with an apologetic smile. “Rogers tell you my side of the story?”

“He did.” You nodded. “And I appreciate you looking out for me. Kind of. In your own way.”

“And I am sorry, for the record. Maybe there would have been a way to bring it up without…you know.” Tony shrugged. “Happy birthday, kid. I’m glad it all worked out for you and the old-timer.”

You chuckled. “Thanks.”

“Got in touch with your parents. You were right. They’re off-planet. But I have their contact info if you want to…”

“Yeah, I’d really like that. Thank you, Tony.”

“Of course. I’ll get that all squared away.”

Steve walked up to you as Tony walked away, eyes landing on the necklace there. You realized, as he stared at it, that you’d been wearing it the night before. You hadn’t taken it off before bed.

“Is that what you meant when you said you had help picking it out?” You realized, putting the pieces together. “I thought you meant Natasha or something.”

“No, I uh…” He grinned, nodding. “I got a good look at it that night. You never said who gave it to you, but I figured it may as well be me.”

Steve was wearing a blue button-up, his nice black slacks that did everything for his legs. He’d shaved, combed his hair all neat. His hand settled on the small of your waist, pulling you closer to him.

You stood on your toes, hooking an arm around his neck and tugging him down for a kiss, lips melting against his. You felt his warm hand settle on your jaw, tilting your head just so. He smelled good, like his woodsy mahogany cologne. His breath was fresh, spearmint. And his lips were soft, confident but gentle.

His nose nuzzled yours, breath warm as it fanned across your cheeks. He met your eyes for a moment before pressing a kiss to your forehead, pulling you against him again. Now that he could touch you freely, he just couldn’t get enough.

“Bout time.” Bucky chuckled, walking into the room, Natasha’s hand in his. She looked great, wearing a nice red dress. “How are you two doing?”

“Great, Buck.” Steve replied, still not letting you go as he swayed. “I’m doin’ great. How are you, birthday girl?”

“It’s the best one I’ve had so far.” You said, echoing his words when you’d asked him the same question. You kissed him again, lips finding his easily.

He smiled, eyes sparkling. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Same here.” You told him. “I’ve had a crush on you since middle school. Imagine how I feel.”

“Middle school???” He asked, laughing.

“Yeah, why do you think I was crying at Air and Space Museum?”

“I was still in the ice!”

“Middle school girl crushes know no bounds, Captain Rogers.” Kate said, her and Yelena walking into the room next, more or less matching in their black dresses and purple and red accents. “I had plenty of crushes on old dead guys when I was in middle school. No offense.”

He laughed. “None taken.”

The party guests arrived in waves. The remainder of the team came, along with the extended family: Maria Hill, Jane Foster and her intern Darcy. A handful of your college friends came, buzzing about the prospect of being at the Avengers Compound, as well as the fact that you were an Avenger now, since most of them hadn’t seen you since that change had occurred.

You greeted them all as they came in, smiling and laughing and joking around like you did during the good old days. You introduced them to your new friends, your team. The playlist Steve had agonized over set the perfect tone. Some songs were upbeat and danceable, some were chill and slow, giving the couples in the room the chance to pair off and dance together.

During one of such songs, Steve offered his hand.

“Come on, let’s dance.”

“Like old times…” You murmured, hand sliding into his as he led you out onto the makeshift dancefloor.

Steve faced you, strong hand settling on your waist, the other still wrapped around yours. There was only one song it could be, of course. His favorite of the songs you had shown him thus far. He spun you around, face hovering just behind your ear, where he pressed a tender kiss before spinning you back around to face him.

“Even if we’d met on a crowded street in 1944, and you were headed off to fight in the war…”

“You still would have been mine, we would have been timeless…” You sang softly, meeting his eyes, the smile on your face matching his own. It was like Taylor had plucked the lyrics from your very heart.

“I think we kind of are.” He said, head nuzzled to yours, still swaying along to the song.

“Yeah, I think so too.” You replied.

When the song was over, Steve leaned in and asked, “Can I give you your presents now?”

“Yeah, of course.” You nodded.

He led you out of the room and down the hall to one of the conference rooms, where he’d stashed them earlier. There were four things waiting there. A medium box, a tiny box, and two easels covered with sheets.

He turned a chair around and motioned for you to sit, so you did. He handed you the bigger box first, and the infamous clinking sound gave it away before you could even get the wrapping paper off.

“Oh I think I know what this is.”

“I thought you might say that.” He chuckled. “I didn’t know if you had this one or not. I kept the receipt just in case…”

You tore the paper off to reveal a Lego set. It was Van Gogh’s Starry Night. “I don’t have this one yet. And I cannot wait to build it with you.”

“That makes two of us, doll.” He kissed your cheek, handing you the next present, the smaller one.

You tore the paper off to reveal a small velvet box. You gently lifted the lid and inside, there was a set of star earrings and a simple silver band. An eternity band, if you weren’t mistaken. Not an engagement ring, but it was a common gift for soulmates to give once they found each other, especially after they’d spent some time together.

“Oh, Steve…” You murmured, tears in your eyes. “They’re beautiful.”

“Can I?” He asked, kneeling down beside you and reaching for the ring.

“Yeah, of course.” You held out your hand and let him slide the band onto your finger. How he’d gotten your size, you didn’t know, but it fit perfectly.

“I’ve been thinking about doing this since 1943.” He confessed, hands lingering around your own.

“It’s still so crazy to me.” You sighed, shaking your head. You met his eyes. “You were in love with me before I even existed, before my parents were even born.”

“I know.” He nodded, pressing a kiss to your cheek, another to the corner of your lips. “When I woke up after the ice, I…I was lonely for a while. I spent a lot of days alone, learning, trying to figure out the new world I’d found myself in. I was kind of bitter. I didn’t know why it had happened to me…until I found you in the mall that day. And then I knew it wasn’t some accident. What happened to me was fate. You’re my destiny. Everything that happened led me straight to you and it was all worth it.”

“You can’t keep doing this to me.” You sighed, fingers intertwining with his.

“Doing what?”

You leaned your forehead against his, whispering, “Making me fall more in love with you.”

“No promises.” He laughed, kissing your lips and pulling you to your feet. “On my twenty-fifth, you said you didn’t know I was an artist and I promised I’d show you sometime.”

He pulled the sheet off of the first painting. It was you, glowing a brilliant blue, streaks of energy emanating from you like you were a star. Your eyes glowed, hair blew in the breeze. Behind you was a bright waypoint and zipping through the air was his shield, all of it captured in breathtaking oil painting. You wondered how long it had taken.

“This is so beautiful, Steve.” You rested your head against him, arm wrapped around his waist. “You made me look like a freaking goddess.”

“Well now you know how I see you.” He reached for the sheet covering the second painting, a little more careful with this one due to the age of it alone. “You might recognize this one.”

It was the painting from the antique shop, the soulmates dancing in Val’s. Now, with your new knowledge, you recognized them immediately. It was you and Steve. Always had been. Tears slipped down your cheeks and your hand covered your mouth, muffling your sobs. There was a time when you were afraid no one would ever love you as much as the blond-haired man loved the girl he was dancing with and it had been you all along.

But that little blond guy had painted it for you, not knowing whether or not you would ever get to see it.

You turned to Steve, standing on your toes to wrap your arms around his shoulders, head resting against his strong frame as you cried.

“I never stopped looking. Never.” Steve said, voice getting emotional. “Every base I went to, I met every nurse. At every coffee shop, I studied every college student in case you were there doing homework. Every time I went to the theater, I was scanning faces for yours. It became habit, looking for you. I…”

“You found me.” You said, pulling away to see his face. You brushed his tears away with a gentle thumb. “You found me, Steve.”

He surged forward, kissing you deeply, with a century of passion behind his lips. Your hand wandered into his soft blond hair, the other settling against his firm chest. His hands caressed your body, memorizing every curve and dip, lips chasing yours through every slight movement. And after, he pressed a dozen kisses to your cheeks, your forehead, your nose. You giggled, finally catching his lips again.

Your breaths were heavy when he finally pulled away; his, too. You straightened out the fabric of his dress shirt, pulling him back down for one last kiss. Then another. Then, really, one last one.

“I love you, Steve Rogers. Now, then, and always.”

“Now, then, and always.” He murmured, kissing you again.

The two of you cleaned yourselves up before returning to the rest of the party. You blew out your candles and made your wish, for an eternity side by side with him, that wherever life took the two of you, it took you there together.

You had a slice of cake and some ice cream, sitting on the couch next to Steve, legs draped over his. He used his thumb to dab a little frosting onto the tip of your nose. You smeared frosting across his cheek with yours, which made him laugh.

After, there was one last song before most of the guests would be headed home for the night. As soon as the instrumental kicked in, you got emotional. It had been your last song with Steve the night before, a song that had been written about those going off to war, their futures as uncertain as the stars were numerous.

For Steve, it held a different meaning. He’d known then that his time with you was running out. He had no idea when he’d see you again, just that it would be a long time and that the version of you he met wouldn’t even know him yet, that it might be years before he got to kiss you again.

And so, the two of you danced as you had the night before, on Steve’s twenty-fifth and on yours, your face tucked against his, his arms wrapped tight around you as you swayed gently to the music.

“We’ll meet again. Don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again some sunny day…”

Tags: @cap-lu20

[girlgirlgirlnormal]

Niragi x OC x Last Boss (Part 3)

Sooo, I wrote a third part! Noone asked for it, but I think I´m going to write more parts, just because I enjoy writing these characters and am having a writers block on my other project :/ And maybe I should proofread and edit the other two parts, but here you go!

But hey! This part is not smut but an actual game! 

I hope you enjoy it! 

part one - part two

“What the fuck where you doing?”, Hina was ripped out of her thoughts as Kuina approached her, whisper-shouting, “What happened?”

“I got laid”, Hina informed her friend, she had woken up sandwiched between Samura and Niragi. At first, she thought that she should be waiting for them to wake up, but it was still dark and they looked both so peaceful. If Hina was being honest, her body was still hurting. A quick look in the mirror had confirmed all the bruises and hickeys she had been feeling, all over her throat, chest, and thighs. Her bikini top only covered the most of her breasts, everything else was exposed. She had stolen a pair of shorts from the drawer, that at least covert the bruises on her butt and the hickeys on her upper inner thigh. She hoped they weren’t going to be too mad about her sneaking away.

“What?”, Kuina exclaimed.

Her eyes widened, as she saw the bruises on Hinas body, “You call that getting laid? You look like you survived your own death.”

“I had worse nights and I´m not even lying about that”, Hina smiled at the pretty girl next to her, “My last boyfriend”, she formed quotation marks with her fingers, as she said boyfriend, “used to do way worse and I still had to dance every night.”

Kuina gave her a sympathetic smile, “Look, I´m sorry about that, but I don’t believe that putting yourself in a situation in which you could easily get killed is going to help with your trauma.”

Hina rolled her eyes, “I did cum twice”, she informed Kuina grinning.

Loudly exhaling through her nose, Kuina shook her head. She was about to say something, but she stopped, grabbing Hinas hand and staring at something behind her. Mustering up a smile Hina turned, finding Niragi and Last Boss approaching them with fast steps.

“Good morning”, she greeted, as soon as the men were in a hearing distance.

Niragi was the first to reach her, one of his hands forcefully grabbing her hair, while the other held his sniper rifle, “Why did you leave?”, he asked angered.

Hina took a deep breath. That was the kind of behavior her old boyfriend had portrayed daily. At least she knew how to handle it.

“I needed to get something to eat”, she gestured towards the bar, her plate was still sitting there, only half eaten, “I didn’t want to wake you. You were both seeping so peacefully.”

“You ran away from us”, Niragi said, Last Boss standing behind him, with his arms crossed.

“I just went to get breakfast”, she said, “Why would I leave you?”

“She deserves a bit of trust after she’s been such a good girl last night”, Samura commented, still not raising a finger to help her.  

“I hope its ok that I borrowed some shorts”, Hina said, still not acknowledging her hurting scalp, “You kinda destroyed my bikini panties.”

“They look great on you”, Samura informed her, finally putting a hand on Niragis shoulder, “Come on. She´s just eating.”

Niragi looked her up and down. His gaze lingering over all the bruises and hickeys they had caused. His fingers unwinded from her hair and glided over her throat, amazed by how pretty the purple spots looked on her.

“I’m yours, remember?”, Hina asked smiling, “I won’t just leave.”

“We were wondering when your visa is going to run out”, Last Boss asked, stepping beside Niragi, “We are going to the game tonight. We want you to come with us.”

“My visa ends in two days”, Hina answered, “but it wouldn’t hurt to renew it a couple of days earlier.”

It would hurt. Walking hurt and she couldn’t even sit. Her ass and clit were still throbbing from being abused the night before.

“Good.”, Niragi said, “We’ll see you in the evening.”

With that they left as fast as they had approached.

“Why would you go to a game with them?”, Kuina asked, “What will you do if they sacrifice you?”

“Probably die”, Hina answered, sighing as she saw Kuinas frown, “If they can help me to survive here, I’ll take it. If I die, I die. There is really not much to do about it.”

“Why are you so indifferent about dying?”

“I don’t want to play games forever. I don’t really want to go back to the real world either. I have nothing there.”

She was lying. She had someone. Someone she would never see again. Someone she wasn’t able to have even back in the real world. She would not be able to have him once she got back. Her boyfriend would never allow it.

Hina spent the rest of the day in her room, trying to cool her core to ease the pain and waiting for the gong. The gong always announced that it was time to get ready for the next game. She hoped that it was not a physical game. She didn’t know if she would be able to fight or even run.

“Don’t be stupid”, she whispered to herself, “If you can dance on the pole after he had his way with you, you can run and you can fight.”

They had been nicer to her than he had been. Even the fact that Niragi choked until she had seen black spots dancing in her vision didn’t stop that from being true. He had been so much worse, and nobody had been able to protect her.

Sighing she made her way to the lobby. It was getting dark, it couldn’t take much longer for the gong to go off. Many people seemed to think the same way. The lobby was already fairly crowded as Hina approached. She couldn’t help but notice the lingering gaze of a couple of people, examining her bruises and hickeys. She held her head high. The sports shoes she was wearing were comfortable, but she couldn’t help thinking her dancer shoes would be so much more appropriate right now. She was used to strutting with platform heels, not giving a fuck about what other people thought about her or her profession or all the bruises she had all over her body. She smiled as she saw Samura and Niragi standing in the back of the lobby, talking to some other militants and walked over to them. They stopped talking and watched her move towards them.

“Good evening”, she greeted them, still smiling.

“Hey”, Niragi greeted back.

Last Boss just smiled.

They didn’t start a conversation. Hina did not know what to talk about, with all the other militants around them and the men did not look like they were interested in talking to her anyway. Niragi was back to talking to the others while Samura was still watching her. She looked up at him, still smiling. His tattoos looked nice. She wanted to trace them with her fingers, but she didn’t dare.

“You’re still wearing my shorts”, he said, “Why? You’ve been to your room.”

“I like them”, Hina informed Samura, “They´re comfortable and they are yours.”

“I thought the whole girl steals her boyfriend’s clothes was only a movie trope”, he deadpanned.

Boyfriend? Did he assume they were in a relationship? Did he want that?

Before she could say anything else Hatter was on the balcony, giving a speech about the games and how they all were comrades. Hina didn’t listen. Part of her wanted it to be true. She wanted to be able to go back to the real world. She didn’t want to play games to survive.

She was whisked away to a car with the militants and off to the game before she knew it.

They reached the venue, an old warehouse, in short time and went in. The phones were laid out in a small room in the entrance. Hina couldn’t help but notice how hot it was in there. For once she was happy that she was only wearing a bikini top.

She picked up a phone and let herself be squished between Niragi and Last Boss as the registration proceeded. There were 4 other people as the voice announced that registration was closed.

“Game code: 8 of spades. Game: The floor is lava. Game clear is achieved then players cross the warehouse and enter the safe zone. Time: 15 Minutes”

After the announcement the door behind them opened, unveiling a large warehouse. The floor was literally lava. Objects were floating in the lava, monkey bars and ropes were dangling from the ceiling. A big digital clock was counting back from 15 minutes. Hina sighed, stretching her legs.

So much for protecting me, she mumbled and watched as Niragi attached his sniper rifle to a harness and Last Boss examined the lava.

She watched as turned to one of the women that were not part of the militants and shoved her to the edge.

“What are you doing?”, the woman cried out, “Stop!”

“We need to find out if this is really lava”, Samura only explained, holding the poor women by her hair and shoving face to the edge.

“It cant be lava”, said Hina, all the attention was on her now, “I don’t think that the stuff could float in lava, it would be too hot. It still seems to be pretty hot and I would not recommend touching it.”

It was a thick blubbering substance and steam was rising. If everything she had seen on nationaly geographic was right lava looked different.

“Come on”, she said smiling, “we don’t have much time.”

With that she walked over to the far right of the room and jumped on the table that was floating there. This seemed like a decent starting point. Many other objects were floating nearby and some monkeybars were hanging nearby. Standing on the desk she assessed her next move. The chair, which was placed about a meter from the desk was the nearest object, but it didn’t had enough surface area to land safely. She chose to jump a little bit further and landed on a piece of driftwood. From where she was standing the best jump she could make was to a globe. She looked back. Samura had let go of the woman and was following her. Niragi was standing on something that looked like a sink. She was about to make the jump as a piercing scream echoed through the warehouse. She turned back, the militants all seemed fine, someone was struggling in the lava. The struggle didn’t last long. After mere seconds the person disappeared.

“Maybe acid?”, Hina asked, turning back to Samura.

“You didn’t let me check”, he just said, shrugging.

Hina leapt on the globe, landing on her stomach, barely able to lift her legs enough to not touch the lava. She could hear Samura jumping on the driftwood behind her as she started to lift herself of, trying to stand up, to be able to jump to the monkeybars. The monkeybars were leading straight to a spinning bed in the middle of the room.

“Time remaining: 10 Minutes”, the computer voice announced.

Hina had finally managed to stand up. The globe was slippery, but it wasn’t a far jump to the monkeybars. Once again she was happy about the muscles she had gained while dancing. She managed to grip the first bar. It was swinging back and forth violently, as she realized that the next bar was too far to just grab. She had to built momentum. She leapt, grabbing the second bars.

She heard a loud splash and someone else was screaming. A shudder ran over her back.

“Come on princess”, Niragi was already on the bed.

When did he get there? Taking a deep breath she leapt to the next bar. Only three more there left and she could jump to the bed.

Another scream. She couldn’t look back, but it sounded like a man. Fueled with adrenaline she made the last leaps. She was hanging on the last monkeybar as she felt it swing harder.

“Jump, Niragi will catch you”, Samura said, she could hear him leaping from one bar to the next, making it swing harder.

Hina nodded and using the swing she let go then she was nearest to the bed. Niragi did catch her.

“Nice”, he said, dragging her to the side so last boss had a place to land.

“Its easiest if we go that way”, he explained, after Samura joined them on the bed, pointing to his right, “the objects are smaller but the distance between them is shorter.”

Hina and Samura nodded. Niragi made the first jump. He made it look so easy as he made the second jump and landed effortlessly on his feed on a small barstool. After the bed had spun around two times Samura gave Hina a small nudge, “You first”, he said.

Hina nodded and made the jump, landing on her butt.

“Ouch”, she mumbled, standing up and making the next jump to the barstool that Niragi had already vacated.

Another scream echoed through the warehouse. Hina looked around. Only one of the other militants was left and the girl that Last Boss had threatened to push into the lava was a couple of meters behind them, sitting on top of a piece of driftwood.

She made the next jump. Only a couple more jumps were left.

“3 Minutes left”, the computer voice announced.

“Fuck”, mumbled Niragi, “Come on, princess.”

She jumped. Samura was close on her heels. She jumped again. And again. Niragi reached the other edge and started looking for the door to the safe room.

“2 Minutes left”

“Found it”, Niragi announced, opening a door. He left it wide open and went back to the edge, reaching for Hina, “Come on.”

Two jumps were left, but one of them was another globe, much smaller than the one she had jumped on before.

“You can do it”, Samura said behind her.

Mustering up her courage she made the jump, landing on her stomach. It took some effort to stand up, but the next platform, another sink, was close, so she made the jump. She turned back and watched Samura make the jump to the globe, somehow landing on his feed.

“30 seconds left”

“Come on!”, Niragi screamed, extending his hand to her.

She made the last jump and found herself in Niragis arms. Not even two seconds later they were joined by Samura on the edge.

“Go”, he said, shoving Hina to the open door.

Just as the voice started to count down from 10 Samura was the last of the trio entering the room. He wanted to close the door, but Hina stopped him. She wanted to help the others, but they were too far away.

“3”, counted the voice.

Sighing she stepped to the side, letting Samura close the door.

“Game cleared.”, the voice announced.

She felt herself being squished by two bodies, as Samura and Niragi hugged her while on the other side of the door pained screams erupted. They didn’t scream long.

Their phones beeped, showing that they had earned 8 additional days to their visa.

“Let’s go home”, Niragi said, opening the door on the other side of the room.

Sighing she followed the men out. The cool night air felt nice after the hellish heat inside.

“You were good”, Samura commented as they were seating in the car.

They had lost everyone else in the game. She was wondering why they were not upset over the deaths of their militant friends, but she guessed that it would make sense. She had known that they didn’t really have many friends in the beach.

“Theres an executive meeting”, Niragi informed her, as they reached the beach, “Go to Samuras room, we’ll come as soon as possible.”

Hina nodded and watched them walk away.

“How was the game?”, asked Kuina, who had approached her from behind.

“They did not sacrifice me to find out if the floor was really lava.”, Hina deadpanned, “What were you up to?”

“Just hanging out with Chishiya”, Kuina answered, “Did you just say the floor was lava?”

[angeli-marco-writes]

Bill and Fleur - Our Spot

A/N - I do not own these characters, this is a work of fiction. Fleur is an absolute darling and I absolutely adore her. Please enjoy this cuteness despite the awful writing from my wattpad. It was fun to write in my two best languages as well, even if the French is just in bits.

Warnings - mentions of other character death, fluff, bad English and French for 1.6k words. 

Summary - After the final task, Fleur finds herself in despair, and goes to the only spot she can think of to unwind, not expecting to be approached by a handsome stranger.

AFTER CEDRIC'S DEATH and the events of the maze, Fleur could be found in a hidden corner of the Hogwarts grounds that she'd discovered in her time there. She didn't realise anyone else went over there, until she heard footsteps. She didn't really want to be found, she was heartbroken and kind of traumatised. Inside that maze she'd encountered terrors that she never thought could be real.

She looked up, still wearing her blue velvet tracksuit in the faint moonlight mingling with remaining sunlight, and was met with the strikingly handsome ginger gentleman that she'd marvelled at in the stands, and in the relatives room much earlier on.

"Fleur is it? Are you ok?" he asked softly, going up to her and crouching next to her sitting figure. She wiped her eyes instinctively of mascara mingled tear tracks, even though they'd been dry for a while and met his eyes, nodding.

"Yes, I am ok merci. Cedric dying just upset me. Sorry, my Eenglish is not good. Comment t'appelle tu?" She spoke gently, seeing the man sit down next to her in the grass.

"Je m'appelle Bill. Nice to properly meet you." He held her hand gently and kissed it gently, making her chuckle a little but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "I don't speak much French, but I speak enough to get me through a conversation. and your English isn't too bad." He winked, causing her to smile again.

"I'm so sorry zat you found me here. I'm a mess, covered een mud!" She insisted, pointing to the patches of tried mud and blood stains all over her pale tracksuit, but Bill kept his grip on her hand firmly, so she let it happen, intertwining her fingers with his.

"You're beautiful you know?" He murmured after a moment of silence, making her flush a little despite constantly receiving compliments on her looks. She was startled also at how forward he was, and she felt special, like he really saw her. "I know you're part Veela, I can tell, and my brother said so... but it's not just that. You're beautiful even when you're dishevelled and muddy." He chuckled. "And you were so brave to take on that tournament. as soon as I saw you in the chamber and I saw your eyes, and then I saw you outside the maze and I was rooting for you despite Harry basically being my brother." he continued and she laughed a little.

"You should not 'ave looked at me before ze maze. Your handsomeness distracted me." a coy smirk began playing on her lips. She moved her spare hand up to brush some stray red hair off his face and tuck it behind his pierced ear.

She couldn't help but revel in him, despite her own good looks. He was tall and muscular, freckled with piercing blue eyes and a warm smile. He had quite long fiery red hair which was tied at the base of his neck in a little pony tail which suited him, as well as the fang dangling from his ear. Fleur had never felt this way about anyone before, she'd never been nervous around a guy due to her Veela heritage, but that didn't matter here. Despite only knowing him a short time, she felt that Bill could see who she really was beyond her billowing silvery blonde hair, perfect good looks and terrifying anger.

"You wanna talk about any of it? I don't have to get home for a bit, I was just visiting Harry in the hospital wing with mum, and before you ask, he's fine." He said, seeing the sorrow in her eyes, and she nodded. Bill sat down on the ground and pulled her velvet covered legs into his lap, allowing her to be comfortable.

"I feel like I failed me and my school in zis tournament. I did not complete ze second task in le... le lac. Ron et Harry saved ma Gabrielle. Et I messed up in ze maze, bringing shame on Beauxbatons et Madame Maxime. C'est mon année finalement, I wanted time to do somesing special and I failed. And Cedric-" She paused, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "We were friends, ze four of us. Because of this task. And now 'e is gone. I'm so sad he's been killed." 

A lump began forming at the back of her throat and all her pent up emotions from the past year were being released. Bill could somehow tell that she'd be shunned if she showed this emotion to her classmates or headmistress, so he let her cry it all out, wrapping a reassuring arm around her.

"Fleur, you didn't fail your school. You performed admirably in this tournament. It's designed to test you and put you out of your depths ok? Quite literally in that second task, and no one blames you. You were an admirable champion and you've brought glory to your school in your final year, that's nothing to be ashamed of. And Cedric. I know you were friends, Harry wrote to me. Cedric lived in the same village as my family, I saw him growing up; the same year as my brother-" He began, but was cut off by a confused expression from Fleur.

"Your brother eez en Harry's year, non?" She asked with a bemused face, perfectly illuminated in the moonlight, and he laughed, having to gather himself before continuing. He held her legs closer to him, absently drawing shapes on her joggers, but she didn't mind.

"I have five brothers and a sister," He said, and her jaw dropped in response. "There's me, I'm 24, Charlie's 22, Percy's 18, Fred and George are in 6th year here so they're 17, Ron is in Harry's year so 15 now, and Ginny my sister is a year below Ron, she's 13."

Even after he finished, Fleur still looked astonished.  She was admittedly a little awestruck, and it took her a while to speak, to find the words. Bill couldn't care less, he could sit with this beautiful young woman in his old spot under the stars forever.

"You 'ave a grande famille!" She said and he chuckled to himself, their oceans of eyes connecting and forming a bond. "It's just me and ma soeur Gabrielle, she eez almost ten." Her heart seemed to glow as well as her cheeks when thinking of her sister, and Bill could instantly tell they were close.

"Family's amazing isn't it? I want a family of my own one day, just maybe not with seven kids..." he said playfully, and her tears subsided, leaving her able to just enjoy his presence.

"It's ok that you're sad about Cedric, you know, a lot of people are, and you'll be able to go to his funeral. But the ones that love us never really leave us do they?" She nodded, a smile meeting her eyes this time. "There's that gorgeous smile. I know I only saw it at the start of the task and I've only known you, what a day? Properly, less than an hour, but your smile is wonderful." He marvels at her perfect pearly white teeth and her dusty pink lips. 

He didn't mind that she was donning a dirt covered tracksuit with mud and blood on her face, he didn't mind that her hair was messy and held together by a breaking hair bobble, he didn't mind that they didn't speak the same language or that she'd just cried to him. Bill just enjoyed her company and honestly never wanted their meeting to end.

"So, when school ends, what are you gonna do?" He inquired, breaking the silence and pulling Fleur in closer to him, she happily agreed and nuzzled her head in his neck.

"I'm working at Gringotts 'opefully, maybe just in a shop, to make my Eenglish better. Just for ze summer." She smiled before asking him a variation of the same question and seeing his eyes light up.

"I'm a curse breaker for Gringotts!" He grinned, and she joined him, her cheeks beginning to ache. "I was working in Egypt, but now things are getting bad here, I'm gonna work at the main building in England. Guess I'll be seeing you at work then." He teased and nudged her lovingly which she thought was more than amiable.

"You will 'ave to 'elp me," she gazed up at him with wide eyes and he nodded almost immediately in agreement.

"Anytime..." he murmured, their faces getting closer until their lips were inches from one another. "We shouldn't do this. we'll be working together and I'm years older than you." 

He tried to reason his desire, but couldn't even convince himself as their lips met in a lustful kiss. Their lips moved in unison, understanding one another, and they didn't dare let go until they couldn't breathe.

"Madame Maxime will want me at ze carriage now. Eet was nice to meet you, Bill Weasley." She blushed as she stood up and scrambled away, the moonlight reflecting off her hair, but Bill hurried after her and caught her wrist.

"Here." He said, slipping a hair bobble on her wrist. "Yours is about to break, and I know how often they go missing. A token to remember me by, until I see you next month of course." He flushed himself, his cheeks matching his hair, as she stood on her tiptoes to plant a kiss to his cheek.

"Fleur Isabelle Delacour. I come to England on ze 10th of July."

And with that, she ran off into the starry distance, he could see her small frame turn into a faint shadow as he smiled to himself. Maybe it wasn't so bad that someone found his old spot, maybe it was their spot now.

[beautifully-tuan]

3 - actually not sorry

Jinyoung x musical critic!reader a lil angst, kinda funny lol, fluff-ish Warning: cursing

Masterlist Part One    Part Two

 You had all your reasons to stay mad at Jinyoung for an entire week. He had called you a hypocritical bitch after all. You hated that he acted so petty about it, without even allowing you to speak and get your point across. Not that you had to justify yourself to him for doing your job anyway, but the man just couldn’t get that into his stubborn head. You could understand he was angry. Who wouldn’t get upset after reading such brutal words? But if only he’d given you a chance to speak and explain why you wrote them, maybe things wouldn’t have gone so bad. Is this karma, you thought to yourself.

  You were surprisingly sad about this whole situation, because you couldn’t help but think you and Jinyoung could’ve been something. You got along really well with each other, not just sexually but also conversationally, intellectually and emotionally. You pretty much valued the same things, and you felt like you had possibly missed out on something great. The fear of permanently losing Jinyoung before even actually having him was, most probably, your motivation to get over yourself after an entire week of wanting to strangle him. Whether you liked it or not, you had him under your skin.

 You came to the conclusion that a good old confrontation was the best way out of this sticky mess. You decided to talk to him once and for all and lay your cards on the table, so you could communicate like the grown and civilized adults that you were. But there was a problem: Jinyoung was acting like a child. He avoided you like plague whenever he could. And when he couldn’t – because he couldn’t act too weird in front of the clueless GOT7 members – he threw weird looks in your direction, responded dismissively to everything you’d say, and roasted you at any chance he got. The rest of the boys found it normal, thinking that Jinyoung was just comfortable enough around you to be his overly savage self. You were the only one who knew of his hatred towards you. He was making it even harder for you to find the will to talk to him.

 After a concert, you heard the boys talk about going out in the city with their manager for a visit, and you heard Jinyoung say he didn’t want to go because he was too tired. This was your best chance. You immediately went and locked yourself in your room, patiently waiting, until you heard a knock on your door.

 - “We’re heading out” Bambam said when you opened. “Wanna come with us?”

 - “Thanks but I can’t, I’m sorry. I got tons of work to finish and then I’m going straight to bed. Maybe another time.”

 - “Okay, no problem. Good luck then” he said sweetly before turning on his heels to leave.

 - “Oh, wait” you stopped him. “Are all of you guys going? I have an article to finish and I was hoping I could ask one of you some questions and get it done with. Anyone would do.”

 - “Ah yep, Jinyoung’s in his room. He’s too old to go out with us” Bambam joked.

 - “Great then I’ll go talk to the grandpa. Have fun out there.”

 - “Thanks, bye” he said and disappeared at the corner of the corridor.

 Now that you had the confirmation that Jinyoung was there alone, you armed yourself with courage and determination. When you arrived in front of his door, you took a deep breath and knocked.

 - “Who’s that?” he called.

 - “It’s me.”

 You heard him sigh from the other side of the door. For a split second, you thought he would ignore you. But apparently, he was smart enough to understand that you weren’t going to leave him alone. You heard his footsteps approaching. The second the door opened, not giving him the chance to dismiss you again, you immediately blurted out a “We need to talk” before walking past him and into his room.

 - “Go ahead, make yourself at home” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

 You gestured him to sit down on the bed and went to stand in front of him with your arms crossed. He stared at you, looking almost bored, waiting for you to say something.

 - “You want to talk, then talk. Is it about that sweet new article you uploaded?”

  That new article. The one where you showcased GOT7’s qualities and achievements. You had totally forgotten about it. At this point you almost wished it had never been published, not wanting to give Jinyoung the satisfaction of reading it. You didn’t write that article for him, but something about his amused expression hinted that he was convinced you did so.

 - “No, it’s not about that.”

 - “Okay, then are you going to apologize?”

 It’d only been one minute and you were already annoyed.

 - “No, I’m not.”

 Jinyoung raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised that you hadn’t come to apologize.

 - “Why not?”

 - “Because I’m not sorry” you simply said with a shrug.

 He snorted in disbelief.

 - “Then why am I even listening to you?”

 You were internally boiling up, but you held on.

 - “Because I can explain everything.”

 - “Oh, so you can explain stuff but not apologize?”

 - “Will you stop being a jerk and listen to me?” you snapped, out of patience.

 Jinyoung rolled his eyes and, once again, you feared he would ask you to leave or say something mean again, but he didn’t. He urged you to speak, and so you did.

 You explained everything, not omitting a single detail. You told him that you wrote that article when you weren’t close to him or GOT7 yet. You told him that you only wrote about what you saw and your opinion on it, because that was your job. You saw that JYP Entertainment had too much control over GOT7, whom let that happen without protesting, which made them look like children under their company’s influence, at least from your point of view. You were paid to be honest, not to please the artists you were writing about. Yes, it was unfortunate that it took so long for things to reveal themselves as they truly were, but there was nothing you could do about it. You explained to Jinyoung that he had the right to be upset about it, but he also had to try and understand. You also made it clear that you didn’t write the second, more flattering article to seek forgiveness for him, but because it was the truth and it needed to come out.

 The entire time you spoke, Jinyoung had his arms resting on his thighs, hands intertwined, nodding his head every now and then. He seemed to listen carefully, but you just weren’t sure anymore. You never knew what to expect from this man: one minute he’s acting all petty and condescending, the other he’s serious and attentive. He kept you on your toes, and your heart was pounding in your chest the entire time.

 Once you’re finished, he doesn’t say anything, looking down, as if processing all the information you’d given. You sigh in relief, feeling a heavy weight being taken off your shoulders.  

 - “... I see” Jinyoung murmurs after a minute of silence.

 - “Yeah, so that’s why” you say, wiping your sweaty hands on your pants.

- “Cool” he says, a sweet smile on his face. “I guess you can go now.”

 Your jaw dropped.

 - “Is that it? Is that all you have to say?”

 - “What were you expecting? Make up sex?”

 - “No, you idiot” you said, fuming. “Don’t you have anything you wanna tell me? Something around the lines of ‘I’m Sorry’?”

 - “Why should I apologize when you refuse to?”

 - “Because you called me a bitch, Jinyoung.”

 - “And you called me a puppet.”

 - “I just told you I was only doing my job!” you practically screamed.

 - “You hurt my pride!” he deadpanned, just as loud.

 A fake, irritated laugh escaped you.

 - “That’s a ridiculous excuse.”

 - “Your ‘I was doing my job’ shit is just as funny to me” he pointed out.

 - “Well I’m not going to apologize, Jinyoung” you said stubbornly, crossing your arms on your chest with a little huff.

 - “Me neither” he replied, imitating your position.

 After a duel of looks that seemed to last forever, Jinyoung finally spoke out.

 - “Fine. Let’s settle on common ground: we both fucked up real bad, and we’re even now.”

 You wanted to voice out your disagreement and tell him that wasn’t fair, but you stopped yourself. It probably took him a lot to admit that he even fucked up. There was an effort from him. It wasn’t enough, but it was quite a progress, Also, you were tired of fighting. You just wanted him back in your life, somehow, anyhow.

 - “Okay. So are we good now?”

 - “We’re good” he nodded. “Now if you don’t mind, I want to sleep.”

 He stood up from the bed and proceeded in walking you out of his room. You sighed, highly doubting the sincerity of his words. He was dismissing you again, and you’d have done all of that for nothing. You followed him, confused and disappointed. Were you about to lose him for good this time? You really couldn’t tell anymore. You were ready to surrender and apologize right now if it meant he would stop being mad at you, but before you could speak, he stopped in his track and turned to you.

 - “It must’ve been stressful. Having all of that in your mind, enduring my vengeful behavior and then arguing and stuff.”

 You blinked, not seeing where he was trying to get.

 - “Yeah, it was... I guess. Why?”

 - “I don’t know” he shrugged. “I was thinking maybe we should go to the bar downstairs and have a drink before we sleep. So you can, you know, unwind.”

 You stared blankly at him for a second, puzzled. But then, something clicked in your brain and you smiled teasingly.

 - “Is this your own roundabout way of saying sorry? Is this a date?”

 - “Absolutely not, dear. You’re paying for your own drink” he said, walking back to put on his shoes.

  He had his back turned on you so you couldn’t see his face, but you could swear you saw his ears redden.

 - “Are you coming or not, before I tie these?” he asked, feigning impatience and gesturing towards his shoelaces.

 You shook your head. Jinyoung was literally hopeless. But oh well, that would only be another challenge for you. After making him beg, next step would be making him apologize. And with that, you followed him downstairs, reminding yourself to always refer to this night as your first date just to piss him off.

a/n: hello and thanks for reading the Not Sorry mini-series hehe 🖤 i hope you enjoyed the story, don’t hesitate to give me feedback, i appreciate it a lot! a special thanks to the person who requested this story, i enjoyed writing it so much. 🖤

[schmicos]

Anonymous said, “Someone flirting with Nico and Levi having to set em' straight.”

Before I start this, I need to acknowledge I’m actually super new to the Grey’s Anatomy fandom. Like I literally just started watching this show last week. I’m not even close to season 15 yet. I think I’ve watched enough and seen enough on Tumblr to understand the general context of this show though, enough to write this one-shot adequately anyways. I still hope you all enjoy, feedback is always welcome. (:

—

Levi craned his neck towards the other side of the room, stopping at the small table Nico stood around with Link, laughing and talking probably about what an exhaustive week it had just been.

Tonight, the hospital was hosting a happy hour, of sorts, marking the ten-year anniversary since Grey Sloan Memorial first opened its doors a full decade ago. As he waited for the bartender to finish mixing their drinks, Levi turned his attention back towards the bar, glancing down briefly and smiling to himself at the sight of his boyfriend so candid and relaxed. Nico had been working relentless hours at the hospital lately, not excluding the grueling hours-long surgery he had undertook just this morning, tending to the broken arm of an abuse victim who had sustained severe fracture wounds in three different places. Still, the two of them were more than happy to attend this event with everyone; it would be nice to unwind and enjoy themselves someplace beyond the cold, barren confines of the hospital.

He and Nico were finally starting to settle into this very new and very exciting relationship they had both entered, finally starting to understand what exactly they wanted to commit themselves to. Being with Nico had begun to feel comfortable, almost like a given, even—as if the two of them had always meant to cross each other’s paths, like Nico was the last piece in Levi’s puzzle he needed to feel complete.

Of course, there remained other things Levi was still working on getting used to, one of which involved the stranger currently making his way over to the now-deserted table Nico was still hunched over.

“Looking for some company?” the all-too unfamiliar man greeted him.

Nico glanced up, feeling his senses prickle and his eyebrows furrow as he tried to process why this random stranger was approaching him—with such an unoriginal pick-up line nonetheless.

“I am, actually, but with another man.” Nico stood up straight and set his features in a line, turning towards the bar and hoping to some God that this guy would take the hint he was clearly searching for someone else.

“Ah. Gotcha. And where might this other man be?” pretty boy continued, leaning further into Nico’s space.

He’s persistent, Nico thought as he very visibly rolled his eyes towards the other man. As he struggled to devise some other ploy to get this guy to leave him alone, Levi came up behind the two, setting drinks on the table and placing a hand on Nico’s shoulder.

“Hey, Nico. Who’s this?” Levi feigns in an innocent tone.

“Uh, no idea actually. He was just leaving.”

Levi only stares at him with an unreadable expression on his face. “Oh. Well, hi.” he says, turning towards the other man. “My name’s Levi. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Nico watches in all but disbelief as his boyfriend extends a hand to the guy, actually making an attempt to meet him.

“I’m Josh. I was just telling your friend here, maybe we could meet up sometime. Hang out. It'll be fun.”

Levi chuckles, he couldn’t believe the audacity in this guy. “Actually, I heard he’s seeing someone else. Pretty lucky if you ask me,” nodding towards the taller man.

The other guy only scoffs. “How lucky could this guy be? What could he possibly have that I don’t?"

Levi shrugs. “Well, for starters, I heard this guy happens to have a surgical internship at the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. I also know this guy happens to be the same one standing right in front of you right now, and he'll be the one taking home the other guy you’ve been making abundantly uncomfortable for the past ten minutes. So, unless you’re really looking to waste your time here, I suggest you take this act somewhere else, buddy. You won’t be finding whatever it is you’re looking for with us.” Levi finishes triumphantly, taking a swig from his drink and setting it defiantly back against the round wooden table.

Pretty boy has no choice but to gape and blanch as he turns away, mumbling profusely with his tail between his legs.

Once the man has left, Levi can physically feel the tension leaving Nico’s body beside him. “Wow. I’m glad that’s over.” Nico breathes, taking a sip from his drink and setting it back against the table—still a little too hard for Levi’s liking.

“Are you okay?” Levi turns to him, resting a hand on Nico’s forearm.

Nico’s eyes meet Levi’s again. “Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine. I just thought that guy would never leave.” the taller man stutters, still choosing to shake his head in the direction the guy had just left.

“I’m sorry he was bothering you. I watched him walk over to you from the bar. I just didn’t know if I should say something.”

Levi follows him with his eyes as Nico maneuvers himself around the table to stand in front of him. "That’s okay. What do you say we go back to my place? We can spend the rest of the night with you telling me about that Dungeons and Gargoyles game you seem to love so much.” he suggests, weaving his arms around his boyfriend’s waist.

Levi could feel his heart swell with the adoration he held for this man.

He beamed, reaching up for a kiss before bouncing away to go grab his jacket. The two of them left the bar that night, hand-in-hand, strolling down the streets of Seattle as they forgot all of their troubles, leaving them up by the door at the bar.

[mysteriouskod]

TW: possible stalking, sexual(?) Harassment, harassment in general, toxic masculinity(? I guess), just.. it's about a creep.

So, I didnt really wanna post this. I really, really didnt, but I'm fighting off an anxiety attack right now.

As you guys may know, I've been with out a job since December 2017. I have only recently decided to go back to work, despite not fully feeling ready. I need money, I have goals, if I could bull my way through work at my worst point, I figured I could do it now.

Abou 2 to 3 weeks ago, when I first started working the night shift, I walked to work as per usual. I love walking. It's my favorite way to prepare for or unwind from something. I went to Tim Hortons, a Canadian Coffee shop that made it's way here in Buffalo, before my shift because I was an hour and a half early. After eating a donut, I back tracked to work cause it's less than a five minute walk. I sit on the bench and smoke a cigarette.

Then he approaches me.

Now, I'm from South Buffalo. It's a little neighborhood pretty much right outside the outer city(so like, the outer outer city. I'm a block or so up from where the city of Buffalo actually starts, I think.) I also went to college inside the city. I'm used to weird people from all walks of life.

But this guy felt different.

I took my head phones out to see what he wanted, assuming it was a cigarette. He was visibly drunk, and high off something. Again, nothing I'm not used to. He hung around for about 15 minutes. He spoke in a way that didnt make sense. HE knew what he was talking about, but it literally made no sense. He leaves, I write it off as nothing.

Until Thursday.

I go out for my break around 10, cause the last cashier wants to go hone early. No problem. I really dont give a shit. Like always, I scan the parking lot. Not a paranoia thing, more like a "am I gonna get in anyone's way/How many customers do we have rn" type deal. I sit on the bench.

As soon as I sit on the bench, he approaches me.

Hes high/drunk again.

He again tries giving me cigarettes, I again try declining. He asks my name. I panic and give him my chosen name, cause no one at work knows that name since I cant have my name tag have that name(i hate it but I'm honestly glad) This way, he goes in asking for a Kinsey, no one will know who hes talking about.

Hes so fucked up he cant even say it right.

He asks my age, I tell him 21 thinking "mayhaps thisll make him leave me alone".

His response: "score! I am too..... just add a few"

Now, the man is clearly 40(well, 39 as I learned later). I have no problem with this. I dont give a shit how old someone is. I'll talk to anyone in normally conversation. I am more attracted to people older than myself. If I click, I click.

But I dont know any one in that age group in their right mind who would respond that way. Sure, I do know people who are older and like younger(LEGAL) people, but the difference is they know how to fucking act and dont ducking harass people so that's not my problem here.

I'm legitimately scared.

He gets a phone call, makes a really weird comment about me. Is talking about me like he actually KNOWS me.

The moment he turns his back and walks the other way I run inside and tell the cashier who then tells our manager on duty.

Fast forward an hour.

He fucking comes in.

Theres 4 to 5 other people at my station cause it's the easy scan and the only thing open for people to cash out.

He doesnt really try talking to me.

I get an opportunity after he leaves to call my manager up to help customers, and let him know the guy came in. Gives me a very firm "if you need me, call me" with that like... I really dont know how to describe it. I know the look cause my guy friends have given it to me before. You know... that like protective "I got your back, I wont let anything happen to you" look. Says he will let the over night manager who will be there for the rest of my shift know.

Fast forward to roughly 1215ish, the last 30 minutes of my shift.

Like three people in my store.

He comes in.

Starts accosting me for lack of a better word. Making no sense.

Trying to buy me food. I politely decline. He gets mad at my excuses(that could have been legitimate) Goes on about how nice I am (IM FUCKING NICE TO EVERYONE) Moves to the other side of my stand podium thingy. Doesnt realize I specifically adjusted my stance to not give him an opening. Continues to try giving me food, that im nice, getting mad I'm rejecting him. I'm desperately trying to get him to leave me alone. Even pointing out I think hes too drunk and needs to go sit down which makes him more angry. I consider telling him about my boyfriend.

Then a Male customer (one of 3 people who came up in the time guy was there, whom I was desperately trying to signal via eye contact that I needed help) says bye to me, and I say bye back. You know, my job.

The RAGE in this man's eyes that I DARE give another man attention was staggering.

Cant tell him I have boyfriend, he may get violent.

He finally decides go go grab MORE beer. I call my manager up.

Manager stands next to me, and when guy gets to a scanner, tells me to go to the back.

I literally have to hold myself back from RUNNING.

My manager calls for the other guy on shift who was cleaning the meat room to have him tell me I can come up. I think he did it on purpose so a) guy wouldnt get my work name and b) guy would know theres another man on shift.

I didnt stop shaking until I went to bed that night.

I bought a knife.

I havent touched a knife in over two years for personal reasons.

The guy only approaches me when I'm alone. When it's dark.

No body tried to fucking help.

I'm scared to go to work now. I'm scared that if I take my break outside, like I always do, he will approach me. I'm afraid that he will see me get out of my moms car (or the vehicle of who ever drives me) and come in.

I am afraid and do not know what to do; I need this job.

[superfoulparadisebouquet]

Peach Candy: Chapter 3

~ I hate this town. I hate everyone who lives here. I hate my parents for not granting my one heartfelt plea to move to another town, but more importantly, I hate this school. I hate those whom I once called a friend, can barely look at me anymore. I hate that I have to sit in the same room with him every day and listen to Melody boast about how happy they are. She always seems to boast within earshot of me every time. I know she’s doing it on purpose. I wish I had the will to tell her that there was no need for it. I know. I know she won. I know I lost. He made it very clear.

I had tried one last attempt to get him to tell me the truth. I gathered up all the courage I had and followed him home one night. My heart was already broken, I didn’t think he could take anything else from me. Turns out I was wrong. Since that night I’ve become emotionally numb. It was like that Tv show, where they talked about turning off their humanity. Like flipping a switch. That’s what it was like. I almost can’t remember the last time I felt anything besides this numbness. I was able to stay home all through the first week, but I couldn’t play hooky any longer. My parent’s mercy had run dry.

It’s been three weeks since that night. No one talks to me anymore. They don’t know how to deal with me. Of course, they’ve never phrased it like that, but I know that’s the real reason. Rosa and Alexy lasted the longest before they gave their last effort to pull me back from the dead. Not that I can blame them.  I don’t put any effort into my appearance anymore. I can’t remember the last time I smiled.

We were all in the middle of math class with Mr. Bernard and as usual, I was drowning out the world with music, hiding my headphones from Mr. Bernard. It’s the main reason why I’ve been sitting in the far seats lately in all my classes. Except for Ms. Delanay, with her ridiculous seating chart, granted it is the only time Rosa will talk to me now. Not that I blame her. I’ve pushed everyone away. The only one I haven’t been able to shake off is Castiel. For some reason, he’s made it a point to make sure I have at least one full conversation with him a day. He’ll even text me on the weekends every once in a while.

To be honest, he’s the only one I can put up with out of all the people who have tried to talk to me. He doesn’t give me that pitied look that everyone else can’t seem to help but give me. He’s invited me to a few band practices that I’ve accepted every time. There’s just something about Lysander’s voice and Castiel’s music that eases me. It’s one of the few times where I feel anything.

I was brought back to reality when I felt someone tap me on my shoulder. I brought my head up from my desk to see Castiel pointing to his ear. I huffed in protest as I reluctantly took one of my earbuds out to hear what he had to say to me.

“You coming to practice tonight?” That’s it? That’s what he had to say to me right now?

“This couldn’t wait until after class?” Mr. Bernard isn’t as strict as Ms. Delanay, but he came in second place. He didn’t care where you sat as long as you stayed quiet and paid attention. I don’t need to grab his attention and get in trouble again for listening to my music. He always seems to know, no matter how well I hide my headphones.

“Are you?” I glanced up at the board to see Mr. Bernard was writing an equation, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t aware that there was an unwanted conversation going on.

“I can’t. My parents grounded me last weekend.”

“So?”

“So, I don’t need to get in any more trouble than what I am.” My grades are slipping and remembering the disappointment in my parent's eyes only makes me queasy all over again.

“Didn’t realize you were such a chicken.”

“Castiel,” Lysander whispered in disapproval.

“You know…the last time you said those exact words to me, I ended up with nothing.” Literally. I have nothing now. No boyfriend, no friends…nothing to care for. Castiel and Lysander are all I have left, and on the right day, it’s enough.

“Sounds like someone’s throwing another pity party.”

“I am not throwing a pity party-”

“Excuse me.” My blood froze, remembering we were still in class. Mr. Bernard was now leaning on his desk, glaring at the three of us in the back. “If I have to stop my lesson again because the three of you can’t keep your lips sealed…you’ll all be moving to the front. Am I understood.” We knew perfectly well that he wasn’t asking. I adjusted in my seat, making myself face the front as my answer. “And Candy.” I knew what was coming next. “You’ll be seeing the principal if I have to tell you to take your headphones out of your ear one more time.” Ignoring the glare Mr. Bernard gave me, I reach over to punch a snickering Castiel in the arm. He knows very damn well that if he hadn’t started the conversation I could be listening to my music in peace. Mr. Bernard went back to his equation, ignoring Castiel chuckle as I punched him. I went through the rest of the class in a muted daze.

It was well into the night, and the boys just ended their band practice. We were picking everything up, leaving no evidence that we were ever there, like every night. I decided to stay in the end because I knew there was a long lecture waiting for me at home.

Mr. Bernard had me stay behind class to explain he had spoken to my mother earlier this morning to advise that I have fallen behind and my grade was slipping. This was the fourth call within that last week my parents have received about my grades. I figured if I’m going to get in trouble, might as well have my last night of freedom before I’m permanently grounded for the rest of the year. Assuming I’m going to be able to graduate and leave this town behind.

Like always, we climbed the stairs to the hallway and Lysander turned the lights off at the top. Castiel and I stood around as we waited for him to lock the door, giggling the knob to make sure it was secure.

“Well…have a good night, boys. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You’re not planning on coming to class?” Lysander was confused.

“More like hoping my parents kill me that way I don’t have to come back.”

“I don’t think so little girl.” Castiel grabbed my wrist, surprising me. “You’re coming with me before you head home.” Before I could protest he started to drag me down the hall. He stopped in front of the roof doorway, releasing my wrist so he could lock pick his way in.

“What are we doing?” For some reason, I was whispering now, even though the only person around was Lysander. He walked by us, also curious as to what was going on, but he’s more use to Castiel’s shenanigans. Castiel already unlocked the door and was holding onto my wrist again.

“Come on.” He started pulling me again and we started to climb the three flight of stairs it took to get to the roof.

“This is it. This is where you kill me. I knew it would come to this sooner or later.”

“I’m almost impressed.” I waited for him to finish the second part of his sentence. “I haven’t heard you talk this much in a long time. Normally I have to pry it out of you.” There was humor in his tone. I rolled my eyes, now determined to not say another word the rest of the time. We reached the top and he let go of my wrist when walked out onto the roof. There was a slight breeze, creating a nip in the night air. Castiel continued to walk toward the edge of the roof, leaning and placing his forearms on the edge. I let out a silent sigh and joined him. As I approached closer to the edge, I noticed how breathtaking the view was. The city lights of Sweet Amoris was mesmerizing. I placed my hands on top of the ledge gazing out into the city.

“Wow.” Was all I could whipser. Castiel chuckled beside me.

“I like to come up here from time to time to unwind. Listen to the sounds of the city. Helps me clear my mind.”

“You realize you’re sounding like you’re reading a line from a Rom-Com, right?” That got him chuckling again.

“Actually…” He hesitated for a long time. “Your first day here, I was gonna bring you up here after school.” Iooked out to the city, surprised. I slowly looked to Castiel, who was still gazing at the lights. I held my breath as I observed his profile. Feeling my eyes on him, he finally gave me his. I blinked a few times, snapping myself out of the daze. I awkwardly looked back to the city, feeling my pulse quicken.

“Yeah, right.” ‘What the hell is going on with you? Why are you getting nervous? It’s just Castiel!’

“I’m serious. I went looking for you but Mr. Student Body President had already snatched you up. Apparently, the library was more your speed.” My eyes fell to the ground that was a good three stories beneath me. I felt queasy remembering that day. How different would things be now if Castiel had just found me a minute sooner? Would I have fallen for him instead of Nathaniel, or would we still be in this same story? “I know it’s not easy.” His tone has changed. It was gentle but serious. “I might not know the exact extent of what you’re feeling, but I know what it feels like to be betrayed.”

“I know.” I mumbled almost to myself. Maybe that’s why it was so easy to talk with him and no one else. Deep down, I know he has an idea to the pain and embarrassment that I feel.

“What you’re doing isn’t helping anyone.” His words made my stomach tense up. “I know that you can’t help it, and you shouldn’t force yourself to smile and act like everything’s fine...but you still need to take care of yourself.”

“A little hard to do that, when I don’t care.”

“Sure, but how I see it is that you doing this to yourself, he wins.”

“Of course he wins!” I turned to him, yelling. “They all won. I have nothi-”

“Knock it off with that bullshit!” He yelled right back. “You do not have nothing. You have friends that care for you, who are still worried about you. Parents that are concerned for you and your future.” I rolled my eyes, already done with this conversation. “What are you going to do if you can’t graduate? I thought you wanted to leave?”

“I do.”

“Then get your shit together. Enough with the woe-is-me. We get it. He broke your heart, but guess what?” He paused but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of answering his rhetoric question. “It will heal. I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but it will. You’ll start to replace him with new people, new memories. Someday, you won’t even think of him.” My heart hurt with the idea of his words. “You’ll get over him.”

“He was everything to me.” I whimpered.

“No, he wasn’t. You only think that because of the pain he caused, but he wasn’t everything. He can’t be your everything. If he is... then what do you have to live for now?”

“Shut up! Just shut up, Castiel!” He sighed, clearly losing his motivation. We were both quiet for a long time. He took a step away from the ledge and faced the back to the doorway.

“Just do me a favor? Think about what you want in life and don’t picture it with him, because he’s obviously not in it anymore.” With that, he headed to the exit, leaving me to my thoughts alone. “One more thing.” I wouldn’t turn around to face him. “Maybe try to smile a little more? You’ve always had the best smile. I always thought you were beautiful when you did.” That surprised me, even made my heart skip for a moment. I went to look at him but saw that he was already gone.

‘Who does he think he is?’

“I’ll smile if I want to smile!” I yelled out to him, hoping he’d hear my response. I can feel myself blushing. ‘What the hell was that about?’ I looked back out to the city. Trying, but not succeeding, to not let Castiel’s words get to me. “Damn it.”

[karaokeadvice]

Meaningless Time

It’s a...Tuesday? I think? In the summer? I do know that it’s August, because I moved back to the States on August 1st. So I’m also completely jet lagged and I don’t have any sense of the time of day. To add to my confusion/displacement, I’m staying in my childhood bedroom at my mom’s house which has remained relatively unchanged since the mid-90s. (Case in point, my sister and I still refer to one of the bathrooms as “the new bathroom” although it was renovated in 1995.) So every day I wake up at about 5am craving enchiladas, and unsure about what decade it is, and where I am in my life. But I don’t think this is a unique problem. I assume that most of you are feeling aimless, unsure of the day of the week, and perhaps craving enchiladas at whatever hour you awaken. All of the “normal” markers of life are gone. Seems like a good moment to do a deep (medium?) dive into songs about time. 

Time (Clock of the Heart) - Culture Club 

[This is Karen’s only entry because not only is time meaningless, but I can’t remember any songs I have ever heard at all over the last 44 years.] 

I go through periods every few years where all I want to do is listen to this song on repeat and start crying a little bit when actual chiming reminiscent of a beautiful yet merciless clock gently starts up during the chorus, and if that’s not something you can relate to, I guess you probably didn’t grow up waiting to just get to the part when you’re an older yet wiser divorcee in a peignoir with a high rise apartment featuring large windows to knowingly gaze out of over a twinkling cityscape as a saxophone solo wails in the background. 

Well, some of that has come true for me, but not most of it, but luckily there’s always SOPHISTI-POP to help me cut to that feeling. According to Wikipedia, this is a term applied retrospectively to music “that emerged during the mid-1980s in the UK which incorporated elements of jazz, soul, and pop.” To me it’s songs that came on Top 40 radio after my mid-1980s bedtime of 8:00 pm so I had to listen to them on my clock radio stashed under my pillow and fantasize as detailed above and also something about impatiently taking off a large clip-on earring to answer the phone. 

This feels like a love song but it’s actually a giant dis and a meditation on the sunk-cost fallacy of long-term relationships that are dead in the water. “Time won’t give me time / And time makes lovers feel / like they got something real / but you and me we know we got nothiiiiiiiiiiin’ but time.” At first it feels romantic--we’ve got nothing but time, baby, time to spend together in this beautiful partnership. But wait a minute. Time makes lovers feel like they have something real, but in this case the lovers have...nothing but time. That’s it. Time and nothing else is what’s keeping them together. The charming chiming is actually signalling the death knell of a relationship. “Time won’t give me time.” Isn’t that the truth? Also: an excellent saxophone solo.

Time Passages - Al Stewart

I always get Al Stewart and Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics mixed up. (I know, I know.) This song is actually pretty boring: a perfect fit for this period of ongoing malaise. The experience of listening to it is the equivalent of not listening to anything. It also seems to go on forever, clocking in at 6 minutes and 40 seconds. 

There’s a seemingly endless youtube video someone made which pairs the song with just pictures of sunsets and skies. It’s exhausting and somehow irritating to watch. I think it’s supposed to be relaxing? 

There’s also a weird screaming instrument (or person) at just about the halfway point. So, it turns out I hate this song. I didn’t know until I started this entry. I learned something new about myself today. If you want everyone to die of boredom, you could sing this at karaoke. Actually, that would be a great idea for a room full of drunk kickball players. Please someone take me up on this challenge when and if we can ever safely gather again.

Breathe (2 AM) - Anna Nalick

I don’t know where Anna Nalick came from or where she went after she wisely cautioned us all to “just breathe” at 2am when we are waking up in a cold sweat and calling her for advice. Actually, at 2am I haven’t gone to sleep yet. I’m likely doing one of the following: having a debate with myself in my head about whether or not I should just give up sleeping and start a movie; deciding if it actually matters if I brush my teeth; wondering what things are plugged in that shouldn’t be; and/or mentally cataloging every boy I ever kissed. Also if someone called me at 2am I would scream. I’m calling BS on Anna Nalick actually picking up. At any rate, she is a really good friend to even consider answering the phone at that hour. Also maybe put your phone on vibrate?

Chicago - Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

This is truly the question for RIGHT NOW. It’s also a really really dumb song. It seems like a filler song, like truly stream-of-consciousness writing (no shade; I’m doing the same thing right now!). But I’m envisioning the producer of Chicago’s album saying kind of last minute, “guys, we need one more song on this record. Literally anything.” I mean, look at the lyrics:

As I was walking down the street one day / A man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was on my watch / And I said / Does anybody really know what time it is 

I mean, maybe I’m not giving the songwriter (Robert Lamm!) enough credit. I guess he’s having the same existential crisis that we all are? But I just find the whole thing so irritating. Who wants to listen to a play-by-play of his day and the people he encounters while on his ambling stroll? TL/dr: one guy wants to know what time it is, some lady feels the need to inform him that her watch has stopped, and then there’s a lot of pushing and shoving (?!) as people are going to and from work. But not our narrator! He’s just walking around, waiting to be approached, so he can NOT ANSWER the question he is asked, and instead ponder the meaning of life. It’s so annoying! And also completely confusing how this was a HIT SINGLE?!! The 70’s, man. (More about this soon.)

Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce

When I lived in England (the first time, as a kid) I had my first BEST best friend, Judith. (Hi Pudes, if you’re reading this.) Like the first person outside my family who actually totally *got* me. I guess we got each other? It was actually how I always imagined friendship to be, but it had never happened like that for me before. 

We hung out every day after school and spent most weekends together. We’d stay up late listening to music in her room and just talking, talking, talking deep into the night. It was just before either of us had discovered boys, so all the energy that would later be used for crushes and romance was channeled into this amazing friendship. 

When we moved back to the US, I was devastated. 

We wrote long, newsy letters to each other faithfully for years. We saw each other every summer. I think it was the first summer we were reunited (her family came to the US to visit) that we sunk a lot of hours listening to “Time in a Bottle” and feeling sad about our fleeting moments together. We took the unusual step of writing the lyrics out on belts (?!!) for each other, and that belt with her handwriting and Jim’s lyrics hung on my closet door for all of high school. 

But there never seems to be enough time / To do the things you want to do / Once you find them / I've looked around enough to know / That you're the one I want to go / Through time with.

The bitter irony here, of course, is I lived in England again until last Saturday, and there still wasn’t enough time to see her. Not that we were allowed to for much of the past several months, anyway. But regardless, we have families and busy lives of our own now, and that brief fleeting moment when friendship is your only responsibility has long passed. 

Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

I get a Strong Emotional Reaction from the opening chords of this song; do you? Flashback, warm nights!

This is one of three CL songs that I mix up. I always wonder, is this the one that makes me sad and I also think might be good to sing at karaoke? So I start here. Then, I realize, no, the one I’m thinking of has a longer title and something to do with night.

Oh! It must be “I Drove All Night.” So I move on to that one but it’s too upbeat.

Finally, I realize I must be thinking about “All Through the Night” and get the gut-punch nostalgia hit I was seeking from the opening keyboard twinkle. (Twinkle?!)  Hope you enjoyed this tour of my brain.

Anyway, back to this song. Time after time, Cyndi helps me sift through the suitcase of memories, dreaming about my bright future as Mrs. Corey Feldman. Like Karen’s SOPHISTI-POP entry, this is another ten-year-old under-the-covers listening experience. With no baseline for actual relationships, I pictured this as a treatise on Adult Love. A series of gauzy-hued Missed Connections, punctuated by consent issues (you say, go slow).

Upon grown-up relistening, it is a strikingly accurate portrayal of Relationships. She’ll be waiting for her lover, time after time, no matter what; but also literally waiting--what with the clock ticking and the second hand unwinding. I’ll wait for you forever but also it’s 7:35 WHERE ARE YOU.

(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life - Bill Medley / Jennifer Warren

This is not the best song on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. That honor OBVIOUSLY belongs to “Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen. I don’t think you need to hear any more details about my ten-year old fantasies though, so I will spare you. 

“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” made a recent reappearance in my life when it was played at a Halloween party. I had a drunken miscommunication with my friend Nelson where I stood at one end of the dance floor and ran towards him at full speed, thinking he would somehow instinctively do “the lift”. But instead I just crashed into him and almost broke his glasses and nose. So, this is really just a word of warning. 

Also, Patrick Swayze is SO MUCH OLDER then Jennifer Grey; how did we not notice/care? Just so busy stanning Baby and Johnny Castle. Better or worse than the glaring age gap between David Bowie and Jennifer Connolly in Labyrinth? EVERYTHING IS RUINED.

All My Life - K-Ci & JoJo

Luckily, the YouTube comments have written this entry for us. 

Y.N. 2 months ago

Who’s listening during quarantine?  😁

O.S. 3 weeks ago

If you are also randomly playing old music. Hit like

JO 1 month ago (edited) 0% Butt shaking  0% Drugs 0% Lambos 0% Strippers 0% Cursing 100% TALENT

J.C. 2 weeks ago (edited)

TIMELESS!!!

[elliotthezubat]

DEATH CITY DAYS CHAPTER 81

valentines day is fast approaching, and the true cross kids face a new foe

[[cont from part 80]]

Yumi: "Everyone buckled in?" shiori: uu! lord death: yep! Yumi: *starts the engine, backs out* "Just stop by the store, pick up some groceries...Maybe get Shiori a treat while we're out." lord death: ^^ Yumi: *smiles, heads out* "Busy week for you?" lord death: yeah. sorting files and missions and what not. Yumi: "Need help?" *reaches a stop light* lord death: it'd be appreciated. ^^ -elsewhere- mikan: *resting in asura's lap* UuU Asura: "...Comfy?" mikan: *she nods* this is nice. Asura: "Hmm..." *strokes her head* mikan: u////u Asura: *cheek smooch* mikan: hmhm~ <3 Asura: *strokes her face* mikan: *kiss* Asura: =\\\\\\\= "Mmm..." *returns the kiss* mikan: are you happy? Asura: "Yes..." -elsewhere- Yukio: "..." *studying a blood sample* seiya: hard at work, okumura? Yukio: "!!! Y-Yes..." *smiles* "Just reviewing old samples." seiya: ah. Yukio: *puts the sample away in a file* "How's everything?" seiya: i've been well. miss kamiki asked me to help tutor her with her studies, and i was more than happy to help. us tamers have to look out for each other, especially since we have a kindred bond. beni: *Yawn* Yukio: "Glad you're helping Kamiki...Beni? Are you okay?" beni: *bark* ^^ Yukio: ^^; "Any plans for the festival?" seiya: well, since we're both on the festival staff, i might tend the haunted house. Yukio: "...Oh, right: I'll be busy with staff work, too." seiya: that might make it hard for the classmates asking you out. *chuckles* Yukio: -\\\-;;; "...I'm not sure about that happening." adrian: ohoho, well arent you a heartbreaker~ ^^ Yukio: -\\\\- "Please." gilda: ^^; Yukio: "Well, let me know if I can help." -elsewhere- Patty: [how's teaching goin, sis?] liz: [good. on break ATM] Patty: [i put the kids to naptime and prepping their snacks] *attaches a pic of apple slices and PB+J sandwiches* liz: [aw. cute. ^^] Patty: [i know right?! ^w^ see u at home l8r?] liz: [yep] Patty: [c u then!] -elsewhere- Konro: *sweating nervously, smiling, shaking* seamstress: *sewing wedding kimonos* fufu, you seem happy, commander. Konro: "I'm just honored to give away the groom." seamstress: *smiles* he's like a son to you. Konro: *nods* "And that's why I want to give him the best wedding possible." seamstress: and soon, we'll have a little benimaru running around, ohoho~ Konro: ^\\\\\^ -elsewhere- Assi: "Zzzz..." setsuna: *cooking dinner* Shotaro: "Can I help?" setsuna: of course. can you get the plates set out? Shotaro: "On it!" *walks to the shelves* Yohei: "What's for dinner?" setsuna: spaghetti neopolitan. nea: ?? o^o~? Shinoda: "Nooooot what you're thinking." nea: =3= boo. Shotaro: "I'm sure we got some cold foods..." *opens the freezer* -yep, they do- nea: yay. TTuTT Shotaro: "Which you want to start with? Gazpacho?" -elsewhere- Chuuya: "..." naoya: *knocks* we got food and we're having some dinner together in the main room. you hungry? Chuuya: "...Coming..." sonia: *following naoya* come on, papa. Chuuya: *weak smile* "Right..." sonia: .... Chuuya: "..." ("Is this what you wanted, Rain? This...just doesn't seem to be enough for her...I...") mito: *purrs and nuzzles chuuya's leg* Chuuya: "..." *pets her* "Gonna need to get you your food, too..." -elsewhere- Kunikida: "Behave yourself while you visit Kirako." aya: i will. ^^ sylvia: .... *shuffling* atsushi: *smiles* Kyoka: *nods* *knocks on Kirako's door* kirako: come on in, kiddos. ^^ kenji: thanks miss kirako. ^^ Kyoka: "We brought you a thank-you gift." *holds up a stack of books* kirako: aww, how sweet. ^^ sylvia: *looking around* *The titles include some children's books--including 'Baby's First Assassination Guide'* kirako:... ^^; Kyoka: "Want water, Sylvia?" sylvia: um i-if its not any trouble... Kyoka: "I'm sure it's fine with Miss Kirako..." *opens the cabinet, takes out glasses* -elsewhere- Arthur: *reading "A Knight's Guide to Electricity"* maki: ok, who is writing all these weird books? Arthur: "I just buy them and read them--I don't question them." maki:..o...kay then... -elsewhere- Steinbeck: *wringing out his wet clothes* -_-;;; "I said the treasure needed to be liquidated--and you literally threw it into the river..." twain: listen, as soon as we get back, i promise i'll make it up to you. Steinbeck: "How?" *counting the coins* *mutters* "I think we're missing two..." twain: i have an idea, and i know it will make you happy. ^^ Steinbeck: "...Do I need to slap you preemptively for pervy thoughts?" twain: it's nothing lewd! jeez, what do you think i am? Steinbeck: *stare* "...You don't want me to answer." twain: *pout* emily: well, in any case, the sooner we get home, the better. -elsewhere- Belkia: "Ready for our date~?" ayami: *she nods* ^///^ lavender: have fun you two~ Belkia: "Oh, we intend to..." *takes Ayami's hand* ayami: hehe~ naho: use protection, pervs! Belkia: ^\\\^;;;; "Naho, please..." naho: *raises a brow at him* Belkia: "So, where to first, Lovely? Dancing or dinner?" -elsewhere- Rino: T~T *slumped over* "My poor back..." mikami: do you need to lie down, miss rino? ryuuko: you shouldnt overwork yourself. Rino: "I don't--it's the boss that overworks me..." *tries to lie on the couch, moaning* "Ouchie..." mikami: we'll see what we can do to help you. Rino: "I'd like that...But you two have your own work." ryuuko: we still want to help. you're our friend after all. Rino: "..." Q\\\Q "Th-Thanks..." mikami: any time. ^^ -elsewhere- Kishiri: "--then Mom finally noticed how close she was to the edge! She almost backed the car up off the cliff if I hadn't said, 'Mom, we're going over.'" vivian: oh goodness! Kishiri: "Hee hee...Fam never lets me forget that one..." tao: you think _that_ was a crazy one? the other day a centipede got in and i hit it with the fly swatter, but it was an old fly swatter, so when i hit it, the swatter EXPLODED into pieces! Kishiri: "Woooooow...Or a really strong swing." -elsewhere- Kuro: *yawns* "Scoot over..." *crawls more under the blanket* mahiru: *hug* zzzzzz Kuro: =\\\\\= "Mmm..." *yawns* mahiru: mm.....mom...... Kuro: "???" mahiru: *whine* Kuro: "..." *POOF* *hug* mahiru: *calming down* Kuro: *strokes his back* "..." ("What the heck...") mahiru: *chest nuzzle* Kuro: .\\\\. "...???" *continues stroking* mahiru: zzzzzz -warm...- Kuro: =\\\\= ("Thank goodness...I can go back to sleep...") *but he's still stroking him* "..." *nuzzles* -elsewhere- Magaki: <Hello.> tsubaki: how are you? Magaki: "As well as I can...given circumstances." tsubaki: i see. anything new happening? Magaki: "...I finished the lessons in the English book. Thank you. Do you have another one?" tsubaki: *hands it to them* well done, magaki. ^^ Magaki: *nods* "Thank you...I wanted to know..." tsubaki: ?? Magaki: "Have you heard anything from...others about how long I'll be here?" tsubaki:....i havent asked yet. Magaki: "I see..." -elsewhere- Karim: "Okay, that'll be it for training. Dismissed." foien: so i spoke with the commander the other day. Karim: "Oh?" foien: he's spoken with a few engineers to commission a new arm for me. Karim: "Wow! ...You're going to go with it?" foien: may as well. Karim: "Hmm...When you meeting them?" foien: sometime this week. Karim: "Good luck...Need me to take over anything while you're out?" -elsewhere- shinra: .......... Relan: "Shinra?" shinra: hm? Relan: "We brought you some water..." shinra:....thanks....*glances up* iris:....... shinra:.....you're.....really iris....right? iris: *nods* shinra:.....*shaking* i dont feel so good...... Relan: "Well, that's one reason to rest a bit...And I assure you, this is Iris." shinra:....im scared. iris:.....cant say i blame you.....i-if this thing really did look like me.... Relan: "But it wasn't. And we'll figure this out...The Commander has people looking into this." shinra: mm.......am i.....gonna die? iris: its ok shinra. *holds his hand* Relan: *nods* *pat* -elsewhere- Kunikida: *leans back* ("With Aya and the others visiting Kirako, I can unwind and re-organize what I have--") -knock- Kunikida: "..." -_-# *looks out the peephole* ranpo: can i come in? Kunikida: *opens the door* "Of course." ranpo: *plops onto the bed face first* *grooooan* Kunikida: "...Okay. Rest." ranpo: zzzzzz Kunikida: "..." *sighs* *sets a blanket over him* ranpo: *muttering* no....dont do it......if you.....the agency will..... Kunikida: "???" -elsewhere- Kafka: *tapping files* "Busy busy busy--" hans: back to work already? Kafka: "I must. If I left it to everyone else, nothing would be organized--" *vigorously sharpening a pencil* hans: i...see... ._.; Kafka: "..." *taps the tip of the pencil* "OUCH! Okay...sharp enough..." *starts taking notes* "Did you have an assignment? Maybe paperwork to file? Something to type up? Database updates?" hans: at the given moment no, im just here to laminate some papers and write out some assignments. Kafka: "Ah. Well, the laminator has been misbehaving." *evil glare at the machine* "If it continues...I'll punish it." *eye shine* hans: ._.; o..kay then. Laminator: *inanimate Q____Q;;; sweatdrop reaction* Kafka: "...Is the boss happy?" hans: he seems content..... 7//////7 Kafka: "..." -\\\- "I see...Well, good. That'll make work easier until I catch up on work..." *pulls out a file--with glitter* "...Walter just had to upset my organizing method..." -elsewhere- etta: *getting ready for the next show* Leroux: "All set? Or shall we bring you some water?" etta: something to drink. im parched. Leroux: "Right oh!" *pours a glass* "I thought the last performance went well. What did you think?" etta: sure did, all thanks to you as well. ^^ Leroux: "D'aw, that's so sweet--because it's true." ^w^ etta: ^^ christine: *says nothing as she is a doll* Leroux: "Any plans this evening?" etta: well goethe said there was a party at the mansion tonight! Leroux: "Oh, goodie! I hope he won't mind Christine coming along~" christine: ..... etta: im sure he'd be fine with it. ^^; Leroux: "Well, give the performance of your life, sweetie--then we'll celebrate!" -elsewhere- Kyoka: *watching* "Don't go in there, you fool." *watching the movie sylvia: 0~0;;;; aya: watch out, mrs brisby! Kyoka: "I said not to..." *noms on kettle popcorn* -elsewhere- Meme: ^w^ *nom* tsugumi: tasty right? ao: indeed it is. ^^ Meme: "Mm-mm! Good work!" tsugumi: ^///^ *looks at anya* Anya: "..." *nom* mio: your gonna be ok. Anya: "...Th-Thanks..." *sips* -4 days later- stocking: wow, security's really beefed up this year. shura: yeah, just as a precaution. Yukio: "..." *looks around* -elsewhere- shiemi: how does my costume look guys? madoka: looks great. ^^ -there is a girl near by with....two sticks?- girl: hmmm, lets see....hoho! what have we here! *the sticks are pointing to....rin's butt?* Rin: *whistling, sorting through kitchen knives* girl: excuse me, okumura was it? do you have a demon with you right now? madoka: 0-0;;;; shiemi: >->;;;;; it's probably his cat! girl: oh? a cait sith, right? can i see them?? *shiny eyes* madoka: um, who are you exactly? girl: right! totes slipped my mind. call me annabelle warren, demon researcher and occult club member! Rin: *finally notices* "Oh! Hey, ladies!" *waves* madoka + shiemi + annabelle: *sweatdrop* -and so- stocking: *enjoying cotton candy* ~<3 Kid: "Like it?" *takes a piece* stocking: so good~<3 Kid: *nom* "Indeed..." *looks around* -seems pretty busy- Kid: "Lots of people to follow..." stocking: still, got to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. -elsewhere- izumo: ..... Paku: "I'll be heading out now..." izumo: have fun..... Paku: "...I can't convince you to go?" izumo: no can do. got exams to worry about. you have fun.........*lightbulb* OH RIGHT FUCK. -and so- izumo: still cant believe you talked me into this, okumura. Rin: "But you're so good with numbers and math and stuff! And the customers love you!" izumo: well, im here now, right? Rin: ^w^ "I knew I could trust you..." izumo: ..... -that evening- izumo: finally on break.... *phew* ???: "Come here." izumo: ??? *turns* Nemu: "Right now..." izumo: takara? what the heck are you doing here all by yourself like a weirdo? Nemu: *sighs* "I don't have time for this--" *POOF* izumo: ??.... !!!! *It's a small fox doll* izumo: w-where...where did you get that?! Nemu: "..." -elsewhere- Triple A: "Damn you, talk!" *kick* exorcist: grk- ngh.... Triple A: "How many of you are here?" lewin: jeez artie, dont kill the guy before he talks. exorcist: p-please i....i dont know anything... Triple A: "And given his reticence to speak, doesn't that indicate there _are_ more? We find them, we learn more..." -kchnk- lewin: ??? Triple A: "What the devil?" Exorcist #1: "We're locked in!" spy:....cant have you....getting in the way...... Triple A: "...You assume we can't get out?" -commotion outside the door- ???: "Stay where you are!" spy: !!! child: d-dad? whats going on? spy: !!! please! leave them out of this! Triple A: "...Lewin...Did you know about this?" lewin: yeah, i figured we'd have something like this happen, so i planned ahead. True Cross Exorcist #1: *takes the child by the shoulders* spy: within the hour! t-they're going to capture a student in death city, she's important to our goal! Triple A: "Name?" spy: …izumo kamiki. -elsewhere- izumo: why do you have that?! a-are you- Yukio: "???" shura: everyone, we need to find izumo and get her to safety. seiya: !!! adrian: it'll be better if we went into teams. i'll go with shima! ^^ Shima: .\\\. "R-Really?" adrian: come along now~ hehe~ Bon: "??? ...How the heck did he get a date?" shura: shiemi, kaname, you're on a team too. shiemi: we should ask paku. madoka: *nods* Rin: "What about me?" shura: you go with yukio. seiya: bon and konekomaru will be on a team, as will shura and i. Rin: "On it! I'll take the high ground--" Yukio: "Hold on! We should--" *Rin is already leaping up* -elsewhere- izumo: *pant pant* g...give it back! Nemu: "..." *tosses it* "Of course. After all, she gave it to me..." izumo: ??!! y-your lying! its a charm to keep her safe! what did you do to her? who even are you?! -she's reaching into her pocket- Nemu: "COORDINATOR!!!" izumo: for what? Nemu: "...The Illuminati wants you." izumo:... AS IF! -fox summon- Nemu: *sighs* "They told me not to get you injured--" *Suddenly, a giant robot toy appears* Nemu: "Go, my metamorphosing mech warrior Centogaia!!!" izumo: .... !!!! are you kidding me?! "Centogaia": "BEEP BEEP--Missile Punch!!!" *One hand explodes off Centogaia at Izumo* izumo: *braces for impact* *SLASH* izumo: !!! adrian: sorry for being late~<3 Shima: "All that Splatoon paid off...So stop bullying Izumo! It is fated that I won't let you have her!" izumo: miss fawkes! and pink hair?! adrian: if you dont so mind, we're your escorts for the evening, hehehe~ Nemu: "LIKE HELL I'M LETTING THIS HAPPEN! Centogaia! Crush them! Get her!" Centogaia: "BEEP BEEP! Squish them--" Shima: "Well, guess we have no choice..." *picks up Izumo* izumo: o////o h-h-hey! adrian: *le dodge* oop! too slow! Shima: "Girishu chiribikiri...Tadanouun sarabashadoro dashaya. Satanbaya stanbata. Zohatta sohatta sowaka...So hurry up and help me, Yamantaka!" yamantaka: ABOUT TIME! izumo: !!!!! -yamantaka fights off the robot, giving of black flames- Shima: "World class demon...KNOCK ITS PLASTIC HEAD OFF!" yamantaka: BURN IN HELLFIRE MOTHERFUCKER! izumo:...*JAWDROP* Shima: "..." *tired exhale* "D-Damn...Forgot how much energy that takes..." adrian: not bad, shima~ hehe~ Shima: ^\\\^ "I try..." izumo:....um....guys? adrian: nyeh?... OwO;;;; oh, bunnies. Nemu: "FLUFFY TOY BUNNY MODEL TOYS--ATTACK!" izumo:... time to run? adrian: yep! Shima: "Yamantaka, follow! Cover us!" -BOOOOM- madoka: !!! up there! *magical girl mode and picks up shiemi, jumping up* izumo: w-wha...what just.....taka...ra? Shima: "A familiar of mine. My black flames...only attack the demon...or the soul inside. Kind of like certain weapons..." *winks* "Only my familiar is cooler than any demon weapon." izumo:... adrian: *looks at nemu* ... Nemu: *knocked back, lying down, unconscious* izumo: did you....kill him? Nemu: "..." *EYES OPEN WIDE* izumo: !!!!! *All but Nemu are knocked back* izumo: URK- adrian: WOAH! Shima: "DAMN!" *knocked back* izumo: w-what was..... !! Nemu: *groaning, sitting up* izumo: takara? *The hand puppet moves up to Nemu's face* Puppet: "Shhh...Go back to sleep..." izumo: !!!!!! adrian: so it was the doll in control the whole time, eh? i wonder who the puppet really was...~ izumo: .....stay here and hold him off! im getting help! adrian:....sorry izumo, but...... -adrian's horns, wings, tails, and markings appear- pazuzu: im afraid we cant let you do that~<3 izumo: ??!!! m-miss...fawkes? *SLICE* izumo: ......*collapses* pazuzu: shh, there there, it wont hurt long... -pink arrows shoot down at them- pazuzu: oh? Shima: "???" *picks up Izumo* "We heading out?" pazuzu: may as well. madoka: oh no you dont! *fires arrows* shiemi: !!!!!! Shima: "??? ..." *smiles* "That wasn't very nice, Shiemi. Could you ask Madoka to stop?" shiemi: how about _you_ stop and let go of izumo! Shima: "Can't...Got my orders." madoka: how can you do this? isnt izumo your friends? and what about bon and konekomaru? and your family? Shima: "It's...a bit complicated." ^^; "I was just told to watch you all. Honestly, this is the first time they told me to do something like this. Hope I did it well..." madoka: then i'll smack some sense into you! *fires* Shima: "EEP!" *dodges, holding Izumo* "And risk hurting her?!" madoka: !! -a helicopter has appeared- shiemi: !!!! nee! intercept them! Nee: "Nee!" *vines form out, grabbing Shima and Pazuzu by the ankles* pazuzu: !!! Shima: "?! H-Hey...This isn't quite what I had in mind..." madoka: unhand her. Shima: "You're going to make me look bad." shiemi: you already made yourself look bad! Shima: "I just said I can't--why are you making me repeat myself, Madoka? I know you're cute and all, but I can't forgive monotony..." Nemu: "..." -the helicopter has arrived- illuminati member: i see you brought the girl. excellent job. Shima: "D'aw, thanks..." madoka: !!! Nemu: "..." Shima: "So, we'll get Izumo out of here and--" *SLICE* Shima: "..." *a strand of hair falls...on blue fire* "..." QwQ "H-How--" Rin: "..." *death glare* "Shima...WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, MAN?!" -FREEEEEEEEEN- madoka: EEP! Rin: "GAH!" Shima: "...Huh. Really? Right now?" konekomaru: >-< Bon: *covering his eyes* stocking: *angel mode* *glaring at illuminati goons* Shima: OwO "...All kinds of cuteness wanting to attack us...Not how I wanted this to go..." pazuzu: aw, how cute, the taint blood princess decided to play with us too~ Shima: ^w^;; "Maybe don't pester Stocking, Pazuzu? She looks pissed..." stocking: i dont know what that light was just now, or what you guys think your doing, but you need to stop this shit right now. besides, i dont think my dad would appreciate you insulting me like that. ???: *someone talking, their mouth full* "Nope. Not at all." stocking:... with food in your mouth? REALLY? =_=; Mephisto: *swallows* "I was in the middle of something. I did not expect the Illuminati to provoke us so soon. Hmm...Lord Death is going to talk my ear off about this..." ???: "HELLO, ALL." Mephisto: -_-# stocking: what the hell? *The light above assumes the form of a bird, speaking...* Light Bird: "I did not mean to be so rude..." *The light crashes down like lightning, assuming the form of a human* stocking: what the fuck?! madoka: ??!! ???: "Greetings...I am Lucifer." Bon: "?!!! The light bringer..." stocking: ...im gonna go out on a limb and say your the head of the enemy group, right? Mephisto: ^^; "Now, now, sweetie...Let's not be so rude to my brother..." stocking:.........dad........WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. Rin: "IS THERE LITERALLY NO ONE IN THIS FAMILY WITH SOME BLACK SHEEP IN IT?!!!" Mephisto: ^^;;;;;;;; "Brother...Why have you come out here? Was it the dry arid air, something to help you with that cough?" stocking: ....whatever, i'll question this later. what are you doing here _uncle_? Lucifer: *cough* "N-No...It was something else. But it is a bit of a family reunion..." Rin: "...Oh, God..." Mephisto: "..." *eyeroll* "Here we go..." Lucifer: "Today, I declare our war on the True Cross and its allies who would get in the way of our goal: to bring back Father." stocking: ?? Lucifer: "We will bring back Satan--and Assiah and Gehenna will be one again." stocking: what do you mean _again_? Lucifer: "Your father has not told you? That is disappointing...I was hoping he would help us..." stocking: *looks at mephisto* Mephisto: "..." *looking serious* stocking:....dad? Lucifer: "In the beginning--the beginning, as far as any of you need to know--there was unity. Then light appeared, and from it darkness was identified. Assiah and Gehenna were cleaved from each other, and from it spread inequality...Is this the world you wanted, Brother? The one where being a demon made you persecuted? Where even one drop of demon blood made you hated?" Mephisto: *smiling...but his right-hand shakes slightly* stocking: ........ pazuzu: even more so if one were to have the blood of demon _and_ angel, a taint blooded freak that shouldnt even exist~ stocking: *tenses up* Lucifer: *stares at Pazuzu* pazuzu: whaaat? its truuue~ Lucifer: *sighs* "Brother...Join me. With your help, we can make this world equal for all..." Mephisto: *smiles* "You call it equal...and I agree, this world is by no means equal. And I am happy to join with anyone to bring about such a world." Lucifer: "...And you think I wouldn't?" stocking: d-dad? Mephisto: "I've seen, firsthand, the 'equality' Father created: a caste system of demons, each clawing up over the other to reach for the Sun and Heavens. This 'equality' you bring back is simply another hierarchy with you on top, like the rank Illuminati has always been." Lucifer: "..." madoka: *still attacking shima* GIVE IZUMO BACK! Shima: *holding Izumo carefully* "H-Hey now! You'll cut up poor Izumo!" madoka: just give her back already! what does she have to do with any of this?? Shima: "Beats me! I just know the Boss said it's part of the plan--" Mephisto: "That word...'inequality.' I assume you mean the caste system in place in this world? But there is one more reason..." *smiles--before he bellows, blowing wind across the rooftop* "YOU DARED TO INSULT MY CHILDREN!" *The wind knocks over Shima* Shima: Q_Q *trying to keep balance* *The wind knocks down Lucifer* pazuzu: OwO;;;;; Lucifer: "!!!" *coughs blood* illuminati member: !!! sir! Lucifer: "D-Doctor..." pazuzu: shimaaaa lets get out of here already! Shima: "R-Right..." *carries Izumo* Rin: "?!!! Do something, Mephisto!" Mephisto: *smiling...and looks at Rin* "If I could, wouldn't I have done so by now?" Rin: "!!! ...Then I'm glad I'm too stupid to let logic hold me back..." *rushes forward* stocking: *charges as well* Shima: "..." *sighs* "What a drag..." *walks forward, calmly, standing before the Illuminati to give them cover* pazuzu: *TAIL SWIPE AT RIN AND STOCKING* Rin: *dodges* "YOU STUPID PIECE OF SHIT!" *slams a foot at Pazuzu's head* pazuzu: *unfazed* go on~ get mad at me and hit me with all you have~ -the helicopter starts up- Rin: "!!!" *looks back to see Shima bringing Izumo onto the helicopter* Shima: "..." Rin: "SHIMA! Bring her back, or I'll--" Shima: *looks back* "--kill me?" Rin: "..." madoka: ..... Shima: "..." *smiles sadly* "I'll give you some advice. If you want to get stronger, you're going to have to be ready to kill me...and other humans...because that is who the Illuminati recruits." madoka: *stomach drops* ???: "Shima..." Shima: "???" "...Bon..." Bon: "What kind of a joke is this...WHAT THE HELL, SHIMA?!" Shima: "...My friends...Thank you." konekomaru: *too stunned to move* Shima: "I value the trust you put into me, for all this time..." *smiles* "But that is as far as it got." Bon: "!!!" pazuzu: i should go too... it was fun, stocking, teaching with you....*pokes her nose* boop~ *flies away* stocking: .... Shima: "See you soon." *waves, as he enters the helicopter* Bon: *shaking...* "SHIMA! YOU THINK I'LL ACCEPT THIS!" *runs at the helicopter* *The doors close behind Shima...who promptly collapses* -the helicopter takes off- stocking: *wings out* oh no you don- *FWOOOM* stocking: !! Rin: *looks up* "...What the hell is that?" stocking:.... !!!!!! shura: mother-... *over intercom* EVACUATE THE SCHOOL GROUNDS, NOW! *There is...a hole in the sky...and something...no...multiple demons are passing through it* stocking: shit! Mephisto: "When Lucifer arrived...the barrier between worlds weakened at just this spot..." shura: luckily, the rest of the city is unscathed. for the time being. madoka: what do we do now? Mephisto: *smiles at Madoka* "I don't suppose you're offering your services to my meager forces again, are you?" madoka:...*nods* stocking: so whats the plan, dad? Mephisto: "Excellent! That puts my mind at greater ease." *looks to Stocking* "I will need you and Yukio to lead the exwires to rescue Izumo." stocking: right. shiemi: we're going now? Yukio: "Just us? What about back-up?" Mephisto: "Yes, now. And don't worry--I already have someone lined up to go with you!" shiemi: really? Mephisto: "Yes." *holds up Nemu* shura:................................................what? Rin: "??? Wait, Bunny Dude? What can he do--" Mephisto: "He's an upper first-class exorcist I personally recruited~" Rin: "..." *stabbed in the heart* "Wh-When am I ever going to advance..." konekomaru:.....*glasses crack of shock* Bon: *all color has faded from him* Yukio: "..." stocking: ._.;; *doesnt even know her own rank* shiemi: ??? madoka: what about shima? Mephisto: "I'm afraid I do not know what has happened with him...but we must accept that Shima was an Illuminati spy--" konekomaru: we cant prove that! Mephisto: "I would think what you just witnessed was proof enough..." *COLLAR CLUTCH* Mephisto: "??" konekomaru: even so, we're bringing both izumo _and_ shima back! Rin: *nods* Mephisto: "..." *sighs* "Focus on bringing Izumo back. Shima's return will just be the dessert..." stocking: *nods* alright, lets move out! -at the train station- stocking: everyone ready? Paku: *watching them* shiemi: *looks at paku and nods* stocking: *hugs kid* the timing of this mission couldnt be worse. Kid: "We'll make it up...Just come back, with everyone." stocking: i will. *kiss* i love you, kid. dont ever forget that, ok? Kid: "..." *wiping his eyes* "D-Don't say that...Just come back..." stocking:...right. Kid: *smiles weakly* Paku: "Shiemi...Bring her home." -and so- shiemi: we're going back to japan? Yukio: "Our source located them near Inari Shrine in the Shimane Prefecture." konekomaru: so we're flying again? stocking: yep. we've contacted someone in the japan branch to drive us there. madoka: so how do we know that's where they are? Nemu: "I planted a doll on Izumo to track her..." madoka: i see. stocking: so the illuminati is a thing after all....yukio, you're the experienced teacher here. exposition time would be nice. Rin: "Yeah, I've heard so much about them: Gravity Falls, Gargoyles, Wikipedia articles--" Yukio: -_-; "That's fiction. This is real life." Yukio: "This iteration was founded 200 years ago., a secret society associated with demons. True Cross has investigated...and found they are a terrorist organization." konekomaru: ......renzou.... Rin: "Konekomaru...You think he..." konekomaru: i dont think so. call it a gut feeling or whatever, but i think renzou still is on our side. madoka:.... -and so- shiemi: so any idea who our driver is? stocking: not a clue. Rin: "...Um...Guys? Someone's holding a sign with Bon's name on it..." Bon: "?!" konekomaru: oh! ???: "Ryu!!!" Bon: -______- konekomaru: long time no see, yoshikuni. ^^; shiemi: ? stocking: friend of yours? Bon: "I mean--" Yoshikuni: "I'm a childhood friend of Ryu! I've been in love with him since then." shiemi: o.o madoka: oh my. Bon: "COULD YOU NOT RIGHT NOW?!" Yoshikuni: "Fufu--I'm just kidding! When we were kids, we'd say we would get married. But I would never hold Bon to that--right, sweetums?" Bon: -\\\\\\- "I'm dead. I'm dead..." konekomaru: *sweatdrop* stocking: .....aaaanyway, i assume you're our ride? Yoshikuni: "Right on. I'll get you there on time..." -and so- Rin: *pushed against Bon in the back seat* "Scoot over, man..." Bon: "..." shiemi: roomy. madoka: *checking map* Rin: "..." *stare* "Your frowny face is pissing me off, Bon..." Bon: "..." *looks out the window* Rin: "...You know what...STOP BEING SO CALM!" *Rin kicks Bon--so hard that the door flies off, and Bon with it* konekomaru: D8> Yukio: "WHY DID YOU KICK HIM THAT HARD?!" Rin: "It's not my fault the door is this flimsy!" Yukio: *looks out the window* "Please tell me he landed in something soft--" Bon: *dripping wet, his hair over his eyes* =_= "..." konekomaru: ._.; stocking: yikes. Rin: "..." *gets out of the car when they pull over* "Could you just stop with the sad sack schtick?! This is--" Bon: "Not. About. You." Rin: "..." Bon: "Shima...is like family. And it is family's responsibility... if it comes down to it..." *lifts up his head* "I'll kill him, then myself in retribution." Rin: "... ... ...BWA HA HA HA HA HA!" Bon: "!!! Shut up!" Rin: *wipes his tears* "Oh, man...You're like I was...when I wanted to die..." madoka: ....... Rin: "I'm glad...someone is worried about him, like you all were worried for me. So don't stop that..." Bon: "..." *shivering* konekomaru: *smiles* Rin: "...Hey, it's okay to cry--" Bon: "I'M NOT CRYING! I'M THINKING HOW I'M GOING TO RIP SHIMA'S LIMBS OFF AND BEAT HIM TO DEATH WITH THEM!" Rin: "That's the spirit!" -elsewhere...- ???: "Help..." izumo: ??? ???: "...not happy...Why..." izumo:....m...mom?.... ???: "Why...won't you help me?" -...shut up...this....everything.....its your fault!- ???: "Sister?" izumo: !!!! tsukumo? Tsukumo: "Are you crying?" izumo: n-no im fine. *hugs* its going to be ok, its going to be- *wakes up* ah! *She's in a medical room, attached to an IV drip* izumo: nnh.... ???: "Hey, you're up!" izumo: *glances.....and glares* you..... Shima: *smiles* "Thirsty?" *shakes an unopened bottle of water* izumo:.....*looks away* Shima: "Oh, and FYI--I didn't undress you. The nurses did that...and I was kind of unconscious." *opens and sips from the bottle* izumo: ................ Shima: "...So, since you're up, you ready to talk to the higher-ups?" izumo: ....... *A rattle is heard approaching the open door...* izumo:......!!!!! ???: "I-Izumo? Help..." izumo: <m....moth...er?> *Restrained to a wheelchair is a woman, bandaged all over, looking dazed, brought in by a nurse* ???: "It's quite unfortunate...that this hag deteriorated faster than expected." izumo: ???!!! *A short, portly doctor enters* ???: "So we needed to bring you in..." izumo: you....you piece of shit! ???: "That's Dr. Gedouin to you, Izumo..." *smiles* "You've grown up quite a bit." izumo: this wasnt.......to become an exorcist, i just needed title of 'tamer second class' right?! Gedouin: "About that...we found a workaround." izumo: ?? what do you mean? Gedouin: "Our 'guinea pig--'" *rests a hand on Izumo's mother's shoulder* "--led me to the brilliant insight how to proceed without you needing to complete your training. The spirit recognizes the Kamiki bloodline, so we just need a Kamiki...Any Kamiki..." izumo: ....... Gedouin: "Your poor mother is no longer able to proceed...So I'm left with two choices." izumo: *shaking* Gedouin: "..." *turns* "Nurse. Bring Tsukumo--" izumo: NO! i-i'll do it! just leave her out of this! Gedouin: *smiles* "Good..." *small laugh* "I had hoped it would be you. After all, Tsukumo is too small, and not as developed...in her training as you." izumo:..... Gedouin: "But you need your sleep right now. Tomorrow, I'll complete your examination. If I find no problems, we'll proceed..." *licks his lip slightly* "Until then..." *carts Izumo's mother...* Izumo's Mother: "Help..." izumo:.....*trembling* Shima: "...Izumo, the charms in this room prevent use of your familiars. Please behave. If you follow his orders, I'm sure it...won't be so bad." ^^; izumo:.......fuck you. Shima: "..." *looks* "May I have a moment with her?" illuminati member: we'll be watching... *exits* felisia: .... Mephisto: "..." *offers a hand* felisia:...*hug*......will she be alright? Mephisto: "She's our child, isn't she? She has this..." -phone call- Mephisto: *answers* "Report." stocking: we're here.....the shrine is a lot more....erm....flashy, than i was expecting. *A fox mascot walks up, doing a little dance in front of Stocking* Fox mascot: OwO *dance dance dance* stocking:.... Rin: *shiny eyes* "Madoka, can we buy one? Pweeeeeease?" madoka: *checks her money* i think so. ^^ Rin: "Score!" Mephisto: "That is to be expected. Please ask Takara for assistance." -and so- Yukio: "??? Where did Takara go?" stocking: hmm.... *reviewing the pamphlet* ???: "Such a good visit..." stocking: .... ._.; you too?! *Nemu is dressed in tourist merchandise--and holding a tall fox puppet* stocking: *siiigh* Yukio: "So instead of helping us, you were off buying cheap souvenirs--" Nemu: "It was 1.2 million yen." Yukio: .__________. stocking: ............................................... *siiiiiiiiighs* Nemu: " 'I pray to Inari, god of the harvest, to fulfill my prayers--'" mike: ugh, what do you want no-....hn? you’re not the inexperienced brat, who even are you people? shiemi: we're izumo's friends. mike: so? Rin: o_____O "..." *whispers* "He put the freaking fox demon into that doll!!!" Nemu: "TELL US EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE AND IZUMO!!!" mike: and why should i? Nemu: "If you don't, we'll just ask someone else. Maybe a more worthy demon..." mike: O-O# ..... very well then. -elsewhere- izumo: ...... Shima: *smiles* "When I first joined the Academy...they told me you were some important person's daughter. But I didn't know how cute you would be..." izumo: you piece of shit. WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SIDE WITH THEM?! Shima: "...Because I hate everything." *smiles* izumo:....*grabs him by the neck* HOW THE HELL CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING SO STUPID?! THEY'RE YOUR FRIENDS, AREN'T THEY?! BON, KONEKOMARU, YOUR FAMILY, UNAGI, DONT THEY MEAN A THING TO YOU?! Shima: "...When Todo approached me to join the Academy...I felt so much hate towards everyone...Bon...Konekomaru...My brothers..." izumo:...... Shima: "...!!! B-But not you and Unagi! I can never be mad at ladies..." izumo: fuck off. the others, they're your friends.....right?! so then why betray them??! Shima: "...Heh...You got really passionate right then about 'friends.' I didn't see that coming! I thought you and I were the same." izumo: ......... Shima: "...Oh! I forgot..." *takes out a small fox doll* This was in your uniform..." izumo:....................... Shima: *places it in her hand* *turns and leaves* izumo:.....(i guess i deserve this......because im a real damn idiot....) *tears falling* {-….10…..9…..8….7…..6…..5….4….3….2…1….-} {Kamiki: "Izumo! Help me!"} {izumo: -n-;} {Kamiki: "Everyone is avoiding me like they hate meeeee!!!"} {izumo: of course they do, they disagree with your actions. *feeding tsukumo*} {tsukumo: *babble*} {Kamiki: T~T "So mean...Why won't you help your mother? Without Souji here, I need someone to listen to me..."} {izumo: get a grip, will you? usually its daughters asking for their mother's help, not the other way around!} {Kamiki: "Because a daughter should help their mother! I'm so busy with the housework--"} {???: your breakfast, lady tamamo.} {Kamiki: "Thank you, dear~"} {izumo: -_-;} {Kamiki: "You all love to serve me, yes~?"} {fox spirits: indeed, lady tamamo!} {izumo: DONT CODDLE HER! D8<} {-...-} {School Master: "Oh. It's you..."} {izumo: im here to drop off tsukumo kamiki?} {School Master: "...Okay." *turns her back, walks ahead*} {Tsukumo: Q_Q } {izumo:...tsukumo? whats wrong?} {Tsukumo: *hug* "I don't wanna! >~< } {izumo: its ok. do you still have your good luck charm?} {Tsukumo: *sniff* *nods*} {izumo: *smiles* then you wont be lonely. its ok.} {Tsukumo: "...Will I see you after?"} {izumo: of course....} {-...-} {Student: "She's talking to herself again...Ha ha..."} {izumo:....*running back home* .... ??? (who're those people?) } {???: "Ah, there she is...Little Izumo..."} {woman: hello miss kamiki. ^^} {izumo: ???} {woman: we're researchers from a demon research association, the illuminati.} {izumo: demons?} {woman: the creatures most people cant see, like your foxes.} {izumo: they're not demons! they're youkai! you-kai!} {???: *eyeroll*} {woman:....mind if we have a chat?} {izumo:....no thanks, i dont talk to strangers.} {woman: if you want to talk, here. *hands her a card; Maria Yoshida*} {-....-} {izumo: mom! we're home!} {Kamiki: "IZUMO! I need you to watch your sister..."} {izumo: ??} {Kamiki: "Souji wants to meet with me! It should be a good date..."} {izumo:....} {-...-} {souji: so yeah, they're planning some urbanization of the area.} {Kamiki: "Oh, wow...That would bring more visitors to the temple~"} {souji: indeed.} {Kamiki: *leans*} {souji: ?? tamamo?} {Kamiki: "Come home with me..."} {souji: eh??} {Kamiki: "We can play like we're sharing our home...And the children want to meet you."} {souji: tamamo...i.....} {Kamiki: "Yes~?"} {souji: i dont _want_ to see them.} {Kamiki: "...What?"} {souji: i do like you, but if you keep going on like that, i wont want to see you either.} {Kamiki: *eyes staring at him, glossy* "..."} {-something broke....inside my mom that day-} {izumo: mom, your barely home anymore, tsukumo's lonely!} {Kamiki: "SHUT UP! It's your fault..."} {izumo:......} {-...-} {Priest: "Chief Priest! Open the door!"} {izumo: ??? whats going on?} {???: "M-My Sou..."} {Priest: "??!!! W-what the hell--"} {*SLASH*} {*blood splatter*} {izumo: ??!! *running* mom?! mom?!} {*There is a figure with white hair...black eyes...a foxlike nose*} {izumo:...m...mo...m?} {???: "...Here...in Tama's path again...Getting in her way..." *turns, glaring at Izumo*} {izumo: !!!! *backing way* mom?} {Kamiki: "...YOU MADE SOUJI GO AWAY! If only I had NEVER HAD YOU!"} {izumo: .....} {*Kamiki lunges at Izumo, knocking down a wall*} {izumo: !!! tsukumo!!} {*Kamiki spots Tsukumo...and readies a claw over her daughter--*} {izumo: STOP IT!!} {*Kamiki brings down her claws*} {-one of the foxes grabs tsukumo and gets her away-} {izumo: !!! mike!} {Kamiki: "!!! You poor excuse for a divine servant!" *lunges against at her children*} mike: izumo, take your sister and run!} {izumo: *doing so* come on!} {Kamiki: *cackling growl*} {-outside-} {izumo: *dialing a number...* come on....} {???: yes?} {izumo: please! ninetales has possessed my mom! please help her!!} -….- madoka: *shocked* shiemi: *tears falling* izumo.... stocking: so they kept her family hostage and experimented on her mother?.... Yukio: "..." *pats Shiemi's shoulder* Rin: "...Then we just need to find this lab...Let's go!" shiemi: do you know where the lab is, mike? mike: underground. Rin: "???! Where underground, though?" *looking all over from the roof* -...- {izumo:...tsukumo?....tsukumo?!} {*The room is empty but Izumo*} {*The door's lock clicks open*} {izumo: ???} {*Yoshida appears*} {Yoshida: "..."} {izumo: where's tsukumo?!} {Yoshida: "Izumo...Listen to me...I sent her away--"} {izumo: ???!!!} {Yoshida: "For her safety, I put her up for adoption, so that they...so that they couldn't..."} {izumo: couldnt WHAT?!} {Yoshida: "..." *shakes her head* "They can't experiment on your mother anymore...So they want her children..."} {izumo: *her stomach drops*} {Yoshida: "...I came to tell you...because we are escaping. Stay here while I finish preparations..."} {izumo: dont you lock me in here!} {Yoshida: "..." *nods* "Okay...but don't open this door until I get back to get us out of here. Agreed?"} {izumo:....} {-...-} {Yoshida: *in one of the rooms, downloading items to a USB* "..." ("I was so wrong...This is inhuman, more than I thought...")} {???: "Yoshida?"} {Yoshida: "!!!"} {Gedouin: "You're up late~"} {Yoshida: "Sorry. I was double-checking files I misplaced--"} {Gedouin: "That's not all that you misplaced..."} {Yoshida: "?!!!"} {izumo: let me go!} {Gedouin: "Hmm...Someone forgot to lock the doors..."} {Yoshida: "..."} {izumo: ......} {Gedouin: "Let's review the evidence. First, you knew I was going to work with young Izumo here. Second, the search history on your computer shows you were looking up ADOPTION. AGENCIES. Third...you really think I'm this stupid..."} {Yoshida: "..." *glances at Izumo*} {izumo:.........DONT JUST STAND THERE, RUN!!} {Yoshida: "!!!" *takes off--*} {Gedouin: "Seize her!"} {*Guards grab Yoshida--and knock her to the floor*} {Yoshida: *grunts, struggling*} {Gedouin: *approaches Yoshida* "..." *slams his heel onto Yoshida's head*} {Yoshida: "UMPH!"} {Gedouin: "You betrayed me!" *KICK* "You betrayed this lab!" *KICK* "You betrayed...Lucifer!" *slams his foot into her mouth*} {Gedouin: *pant pant, doubled over* "Y-You!" *points to a guard* "Elixir 1021, now."} {Yoshida: "!!!" *starts crying*} {Gedouin: "Ah, good...You _do_ remember. This concoction developed from our experiments on Tamamo has amazing potential. If it works--and I'm a genius, so of course it will--it will make you my first immortal, my dear Yoshida...But, if you're body rejects it...Well, it'll have to be closed-casket."} {Yoshida: *muttering*} {Gedouin: "I can't hear you--"} {Yoshida: "DON'T DO THIS TO ME! D-Do it...Do it to her! Do it to Izumo!"} {izumo: *heart drops*} {Gedouin: "...Say the oath..."} {Yoshida: "W-We will guide the world...to unity...No demons...No humans...One world...We-We brave warriors...no matter the trial...will go forth...I pledge...I PLEDGE! Please, don't kill me!"} {Gedouin: "..." *takes her chin* *smiles* "Good...We need to have followers..."} {Yoshida: *shudders...but smiles*} {*INJECT*} {Yoshida: "!!!"} {izumo: !!!!!} {Gedouin: "Because...they make the best martyrs..."} {Yoshida: "..." *the color fades from her eyes*" ..." *seizes, twitching, falling to the floor*} {izumo:......} {Yoshida: *panting...as her skin turns deathly white...and then starts to crackle* "N-N-N-"} {scientist: *backing away*} {Gedouin: "Keep the cameras rolling...We'll add it to the file."} {izumo: *shaking*} {Yoshida: *ripping at her arm, as if trying to claw it off...as her fingers fall off* "NOOOOOO--" *the skin along her mouth falls away, exposing teeth*} izumo: *sobbing, clutching the fox doll* -outside- madoka: there it is. dream town inari. stocking: everyone stay close. Yukio: *looks* "Sure enough...Illuminati uniformed guards--" *MUNCH* Yukio: "!!!" *turns* Rin: *nom nom nom--* "???" stocking: you brought snacks from the plane here?! Rin: "Na-uh! I bought these in town! The soba is great..." shiemi: *shoves grass sandwich into his mouth* Rin: "UMPH!" -and so- guard:.....hey. Rin: *walks up with Kuro* madoka: excuse us, we were looking for the bathroom? Guard #2: "Proof of residence, please?" madoka: oh, we're from out of town. -something smacks the guard in the face.....a rock?- konekomaru: *armed with slingshot* Guard #2: "Ouch!" *clutching his nose* guard: what the heck? Rin: "???" Yukio: "Remember--they are humans. No killing." -one pummeling of guards later- Bon: "...'Satan Slash'?" Rin: >3< "I couldn't think of a name in time!" madoka: i thought it was cool. stocking:...........oh my god. -_-; Rin: -\\\\- "Let's just get through this maze of villainy and rescue Izumo--" *throws open the doors* "...My God, it's horrifying..." -the inside of the building is....a mall? rather empty though- Bon: "...I always knew malls were evil." Rin: *nods* Yukio: -_-# "Stop." stocking: no one's here.....no.... keep on your toes. Rin: *nods* "...!!! Stocking, look..." stocking: *glances* *Someone is walking...* Rin: "Someone we could talk to..." stocking: um. excuse me, miss? ???: *moans* madoka: are you ok ma'am? *She turns--and has blood pouring out her mouth* madoka: o________________o;;;;; stocking: .... konekomaru: .... shiemi: ..... *The eyes are discolored...the skin is corroding...* konekomaru: ZOMBIE! AND NOT THE MR SID KIND EITHER!! Yukio: "It's a ghoul!" *aims--* Ghoul: "Huuuuuuungry..." madoka: is it...talking? Yukio: "!!!" *fires* Rin: Q__Q "A talking ghoul?" Yukio: "Zombie." konekomaru: so it is like mr sid then... Rin: "I ALREADY ESTABLISHED THAT! WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?!" stocking: certain zombies have their soul still bound to their body after death, be it naturally or artificially. in this case, im going to assume the latter. Yukio: *nods* "These zombies are more like parasites than just demons inhabiting bodies--hence, the human is still in there..." Rin: "So why not exorcise the parasite out?" stocking: its not that simple. they've already rotted to the point of no return. Yukio: *nods* "Once in necrosis, Sid is the only known case of having his soul persist. This...is a dead body. It is best to put her at rest..." Bon: "...Look at the name tag...'Experiment'..." konekomaru: um.....guysss? Zombie: "..." *eyes open and stare at Konekomaru* -theres more than one- stocking:....ok, lets ballroom blitz these fuckers. Zombie 2: "Hunger..." Yukio: "Then go for the head--" Rin: *looks behind* "!!! Like the one...you already shot?!" Zombie 1: *standing up again* Yukio: "!!!" konekomaru: new plan. SLASH AND RUN YO! Bon: "And find the entrance to the underground!" -elsewhere- Lucifer: "..." *yawns* *shifts in his hospital bed* -elsewhere- madoka: *pant pant* i think....we're safe now.... Rin: "For now...But we still haven't found the entrance." *taps his sword on the floor* madoka: ....i just hope the others are alright. -elsewhere- stocking: ugh...ow.....hello? Yukio: "Stocking?" stocking: oh, thank goodness. where are the others? Yukio: "I don't know..." -the doors open- stocking: ?? ...!!!!!! shiemi: nnnh?....!!!! Rin: "What the H is that stuff?!" madoka: *fires arrows* shiemi: nee! barrier! Nee: "NEE!" *summons vines* Chimera 1: *claws at the vine barrier* konekomaru: s-someone help! Chimera 2: *drools over Konekomaru* *Banging is heard against the wall next to Konekomaru* konekomaru: ??!! *BLAST* Chimera 2: "???!!!" *A giant paw smacks Chimera 2 into the wall* konekomaru: thanks kuro! -BOOOOM from another wall as vines burst in- shiemi: koneko! kuro! Kuro: <I'm hungry! Why is there no food?!> *looks up* *sniffs* Chimera 1: *collapsed under the vines* shiemi: *offers grass sandwich* Kuro: "..." T~T -elsewhere- Yukio: "On your left!" *bang bang bang* stocking: *slice* damn, this thing keeps regenerating. Yukio: "..." *light bulb* *takes something out of his jacket...* stocking: *flies up* go for it! Yukio: *tosses up the rope* chimera: *ROOOAR* Yukio: "PULL!" stocking: *doing so* Yukio: "Now slice and blow it up! It'll regenerate into the floor itself!" *fires shots* stocking: *x slash* Yukio: *kicks into the Chimera's head* chimera: *shrieeek* Yukio: *HEAD SHOT* chimera: *falls* Yukio: *loud sigh* "Good work." shiemi: yuki? stocking? are you in there? stocking: shiemi good timing! Yukio: "Who is with you?" konekomaru: im here! Yukio: "Hmm...How did you escape?" konekomaru: shiemi saved my butt. shiemi: ehehe. ^^; konekomaru: and kuro's here too. Kuro: *stomach growl* <Thanks...> Yukio: "Find an escape path?" shiemi: not yet, but we should get the others out too. Yukio: "Right. All of you, follow the path. Stocking and I will cut ourselves out." konekomaru:.....!!! shiemi, you get the others out, i'll be right back. *runs* stocking: *slashes ceiling* what the.....!!! YOU! Shima: "Hey, Stocking. You're looking great." stocking: dont give me that shit. *glances* oh dear GOD what the hell is THAT?! Gedoin: -_-; "That's hurtful, even coming from a future experiment candidate..." stocking: ??!! shiemi: !? Gedoin: "Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Dr. Michael Gedoin, and I am a genius." ^w^ stocking: oh good god you're as bad as an eyesore as grossman. *swords out* please drop dead immediately. Gedoin: D:< "YOU FLESHY INSULTING DEMON/ANGEL HYDRID! WHEN I AM THROUGH PLANTING THE FOX SPIRIT INTO IZUMO, I'LL TIE YOU DOWN TO A TABLE AND DETERMINE WHERE THE ANGEL STARTS AND THE DEMON BEGINS!" *stamps his foot* >3< Shima: ._.; "Um...Spoilers, boss?" stocking: cute but that isnt gonna happen. tell you what. you surrender izumo /and probably shima too/ and let me slice you into gibs, and we'll be on our merry way, ok? Shima: "D'aw, I knew you loved me." ^w^ "...But I'm not leaving here." konekomaru: then we'll just drag you back by the ear like usual. -DOUBLE BOOM- shiemi: O-O; Rin: "BOOM, BABY!" Bon: -_-; "I can't believe you're still on with that..." madoka: ok, we're out! Yukio: "...You three are late." stocking: took you long enough! Bon: -_-# Rin: "!!! Hey! We were working as fast as we can?! What were y'all up to? We were-- ...Is that a demon?" stocking:...if your referring to that...._thing_ next to shima, that's just an insult to demons all over. shame on you. Rin: -3- "I'm demon, too...It's hard to keep track of them all. Not like I got a Pokedex or something..." Gedoin: -_-# "I'm human, you uncultured swine. Shima, fetch Izumo." Shima: *salute* "Ay-ay!" madoka: *helping nemu out* stocking: ..... (something seems off about this....) Gedoin: "Vermin...infesting this facility...Obstructing my progress to unlock immortality..." stocking: immortality, huh? Yukio: "And unlocking that secret from Izumo...to make an elixir...which means those zombies were attempts to create immortals..." Gedoin: *sneers* shiemi: y-you... you.... rotten sack of CRAP! Gedoin: *smiles* "Dear, I think you underestimate the gullibility of tourists...especially those who can't even taste mind-altering substances in what they consume or imbibe." stocking: *glares* Rin: "Those zombies...were the tourists...who ate the food..." *feels his forehead* konekomaru: just touch the back of your throat and puke it out! Rin: "...I-I'm fine! I'm a demon! I can handle that stuff, Konekomaru!" >3< Gedoin: "It was Lord Lucifer's compassion that allowed such meals to be prepared...so that the subjects would feel less pain during the experiments towards immortality..." stocking: you're horrible. Gedoin: "Hmm...'Horrible' does come from the root word regarding 'that which stimulates the body,' so you aren't wrong..." -elsewhere- izumo: .... Shima: "..." shiemi:....!! izumo! Rin: "What is she wearing?" Yukio: "...!!! For a ceremony..." stocking: *jumps up* hold on! izumo: ?! *SLICE* *BLOCKED* stocking: damn. rin! hold off shima, bon and i will go for izumo! Bon: "Right!" Rin: "On it!" *leaps up* Shima: "Oh, good...I didn't want to have to hit a woman..." Rin: "YOU'LL BE HITTING NOTHING, YOU SON OF A--" *PUNCH* Rin: "!!!" *coughs up blood* madoka: !!! *jumps up* Shima: "..." *grabs Rin by the hair--and throws him at the wall* Rin: "AAAAAAH--" madoka: *nice catch* Rin: "Th-Thanks..." Shima: "..." *prepares a stance* Rin: "...Look, Madoka. This is how a friend welcomes us..." Stocking: izumo! lets go! Bon: "We're going to get you out--" izumo: forget it. stocking: ?! izumo: this is _my_ problem to deal with! i'll handle it myself. Bon: "Would you stop being so stubborn?!" izumo: ..... Bon: "Can't you just trust us?!" izumo: how can i trust anyone with this? {Yoshido: "Can't you trust me?"} {Izumo's Mother: "Help..."} izumo: i couldnt rely on them, so why should i rely on you?! Bon: "...Gah! You're still so stubborn!" *punches an Illuminati guard* Illuminati: "UMPH!" *falls off the railing* stocking: *lift* izumo: h-hey! Bon: "Good thing we're stubborn too--" *punches through more guards* guard 2: *wilhelm scream* Bon: "Okumura! Slice a path out of--" *Dark energy swirls around Bon's neck--choking him* izumo: !! Shima: *controlling his familiar* "...I am your friend. So I am asking you, as a friend...Stop. Please." *looks at Izumo and Stocking* "This is how it has to be..." stocking: let him go! izumo: why dont you help him then? isnt he your friend too? why focus on me?! stocking: then why are you crying? izumo: ??!!....ah.....ah..... i have to.....f-for....for.... stocking: ??? izumo: my...my sister.... a-and my mother.... stocking: ?! Shima: *lowers Bon, unconscious* "..." *marches up to Izumo, past Stocking* izumo:...... Shima: "Then do it for them..." *rests a hand on her shoulder* stocking:......do you know where izumo's mother and sister are? Shima: *turns, smiles* "Her mom's right this way..." stocking:.... rin! Rin: *rushes at Shima* Shima: *sighs* *pushes Izumo gently aside, assumes a battle pose, and--* Rin: *leaps over Shima* Shima: "?!!" Rin: *--and runs into the room...* izumo: !!!! wait! she's possessed by the ninetails! Rin: "Like I can't handle that--" ???: "Daiitoku funnu youketsu..." stocking: ?? *Yamantaka emerges again--and knocks Rin off the walkway* Rin: "?!!!!" *BLAST* *Sounds of metal crunching are heard--as something looms over the others* madoka: rin!! stocking: ??!!....you have to be shitting me. *The chimeras emerged...now in one towering mass* Yukio: "Everyone, get onto Kuro!" stocking: *picks up izumo and hops on* -underground- scientist:...whats taking them so long? *BLAST* scientist: FKHYHDJH>J *A blue flame explodes throughout the lab* scientist: EEEK! *A figure falls through the flames--* Rin: "AAAAAAAAAH--" *And falls flat on his face* Rin: "..." *lifts himself up, looks around* "???" *looks at one scientist* "Yo, doc? Where's Mrs. Kamiki?" tamamo: *groan* Rin: "Oh, sweet--that answers that question..." *gets up, walks to her* "Ma'am?" tamamo: nnnhnn... Rin: "It's okay...I'm going to get you--" Gendoin: "FOOL!" Rin: "???" *looks* "...Who, me?" Gendoin: "SON OF SATAN! YOU WILL NOT LEAVE HERE WITH MY EXPERIMENTS! FOR THE BENEFITS OF LORD LUCIFER, THE LIGHT BRINGER, OUR GLORIOUS LEADER, I--" Rin: "SHUUUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUUUUP!!!" Gendoin: .w.; *Rin's fist slams into Gendoin's cheek--knocking him across the floor* Gendoin: X~X Rin: "..." *shakes his hand off* "Blech...All covered in sweat...Human, demon--like I give a shit...I just know one thing...I can't stand to see someone tortured...and I can't stand to see someone cry..." *aims his sword at Gendoin* "But for you, I'll make an exception..." tamamo: *muttering* Gendoin: "P-Please...I have so much progress left--" Rin: "After what you did to her...to Izumo...No..." tamamo: *SCREEEEEEECH* -upstairs- izumo: !!!! mom?? Yukio: "...Oh no..." tamamo: *rushing up the stairs, screaming* Yukio: "...The nine tails..." izumo: *tears falling* tamamo: *heavy breathing* pl....ease.....end......me..... Yukio: "...Izumo...Your family knows the most about exorcising the Nine Tails..." izumo: i dont....know what to do.... Yukio: "...We have to contain the Nine Tails...As long as it is within your mother, she is contained--" ???: "Fufufu~" izumo: ?! Gendoin: *climbs up* "I can think of a few ways..." Rin: "?!!! Hey! You get back here!" Gendoin: "This vessel cannot contain it...So you have your choice: the Nine Tails is released, the old vessel dies...or we find a younger one." izumo:......*shaking* tamamo:.....no......this ends....with me.......*shambles over to izumo....and hugs her* im just glad.....i saw you one more time....mama loves you...so much.... izumo:.....m-mom..... Gendoin: "!!! Now wait a minute--she is the property of the Illuminati! You can't just--" Rin: *chokes Gendoin* "I said quiet..." tamamo:......*takes an empty syringe from him..........and jabs her neck* Bon: "!!!" Rin: "?!" izumo: mo....MOM!! tamamo: *collapses and twitches...........before going still* izumo: u...uuuu.....*breaks down sobbing* MOM!!!! stocking: *shocked* madoka: ...... Rin: "..." *lets go of Gendoin, leaving him on the floor...approaches with Madoka...limping* Bon: "..." Gendoin: "..." *whimpers...then starts crying* madoka:....do you regret what all you've done? Gendoin: "...Yes...I regret it all...I regret every mistake they all made...to prevent me from seizing the Nine Tails' power..." Yukio: *checking the corpse* stocking:............. Gendoin: "This was...my one chance to earn Lucifer's blessing..." *stands, starts limping* stocking:................ Gendoin: "I'll just have to get back to the drawing board..." -SHIV- stocking:......*demonic glare* get the hell out of my sight. Gendoin: "..." *coughs up blood, looks down at the blade through his chest* "N-No...I'm special...You can't do this to me..." -sword right through the head- stocking: ....... Gendoin: "..." *smiles...and collapses* stocking: *knocks him off the walkway* ........still an eyesore to the very end.... Bon: "..." *looks at Izumo* izumo:.............. madoka:...come on! lets go! ???: *clap clap clap* madoka: ?? stocking: ?! ???: "Great work, Stocking. Although, I should be mad, since we were kind of coworkers." Bon: "?!!! Shima!" shiemi: you! Shima: "Well..." *picks up a box* "I guess Lucifer will need this...Thanks for giving us enough to start with, though. That was really cool." shiemi: oh no you dont! *begins to run after him* Shima: *sighs* "Shiemi, please..." *holds up a hand* -is that....ballroom blitz playing? is it...getting louder?- Shima: "??? ...Oh, fu--" kinzou: RENZOOOOOOOOU!!!! YOU ARE SOOOOOO GROUNDEEEEED!!!! Shima: .____.;;; "...That's only if you can catch me, bro." *looks at Shiemi, winks* "Well, guess we'll have to do this again next time~" shiemi: *flips him off* izumo: wait! tsukumo...w-where is- Shima: >3< "So mean..." *looks at Izumo...smiles* "Didn't you hear? She was adopted." izumo:...... Shima: "Well, until we meet again...and that'll be soon enough” -the next morning- shiemi: so stocking went home, as did rin and madoka... Yukio: "...I am sending Bon to Kyoto to speak with the Shima family. You should return to Death City as well..." izumo: ...... i'll stay for now.....attend mom's funeral.... Yukio: "...Izumo...I'm sorry." izumo:......i still dont know where tsukumo is......if she's happy... ???: "Of course she is." izumo: ?? Nemu: *the rabbit puppet has a key in its mouth, which drops into Izumo's hand* "A gift from my benefactor...to show you where that Illuminati woman placed your sister." izumo:...... Nemu: "You should know...that the woman put your sister in the care of True Cross--" izumo: ?? why didnt you tell me?! Yukio: "?!!!" ("Mephisto?") Nemu: "I was instructed not to. If you knew, that attention would alert the Illuminati where to find your sister, wouldn't it?" izumo:......right....... -elsewhere- Bon: "..." *stands outside the door* izumo: *exits*..... Bon: "...Hey." *picks up a duffle bag* izumo:...hey......t-thanks....for not giving up on me....i guess..... Bon: "...It was everyone who didn't give up on you. You know how hard-headed those fools are..." izumo:...yeah...... Bon: "...You eat?" izumo:....not yet.... Bon: "...I'm heading to Kyoto and was going to have some noodles before the trip. Come on." izumo:....thanks, bon. -elsewhere- Rin: *looking out the window* madoka:....*holds his hand* Rin: "..." *small squeeze* madoka:....*lean* you ok? Rin: "Yeah...Just thinking how Yukio and I...never got to say goodbye..." madoka:....... Rin: "...I always wish I could have met her..." madoka:....im sure she was a wonderful person. Rin: "..." *shakes his head* "I don't know...People who fall for devils seem...kind of suspect." madoka: *smile* i fell for you, didnt i? ^^ Rin: "..." *nods* "So..." madoka: *kiss on the cheek* Rin: -\\\\- *sniffs, wipes his eyes* -elsewhere- Kid: "..." stocking: *hugs kid* im home. Kid: *pat pat* "I'm glad..." stocking: guess we can still spend valentines together, huh? Kid: *smiles* "Anytime..." *strokes her face* stocking: *chuckles, tearing up* our first valentines as a married couple, and i almost missed it. Kid: "..." *holds her* "It's okay..." stocking: *kiss* Kid: *smooch* -elsewhere- mrs shima: *stunned* Bon: "..." *bows* "I'm so sorry..." kinzou: i dont want to believe it either, but i saw it with my own two eyes... mamushi:....i dont think i should tell unagi about this, it would break her heart. Bon: *nods* "For now, the Academy is trying to keep it under wraps--but with social media, it's going to come out..." mamushi:.... Mr. Shima: "Thank you, Bon...I'll see you out..." Bon: "..." *walks with him and Kinzou* Mr. Shima: "..." *nods to Kinzou* "Tell him..." Bon: "???" kinzou: .... its ok. *whispers* he's on our side. Bon: "..." *slow head turn* "What did you say?" *grabs Kinzou by the collar* kinzou: SHHHHH *whispers* he's our eyes on the inside! Bon: *whispers* "You knew about the Illuminati? You knew all they were doing--and you let Renzou help them?!" kinzou: its a long complicated story. we'll explain later. Bon: "...I hope the Illuminati doesn't kill him...because when I see him again...I might." -elsewhere- ???: *coughing* *The man in the mask stumbles to the floor* -elsewhere- *A man in a cloak enters the cemetery* -silence....- *He approaches a gravestone* ???: "...I'm failing, Rain." -......- Chuuya: "I was supposed to give Sonia what she needed...what she deserves. Now...once again, we are assaulted by outside forces." -....- Chuuya: "...I'm considering my options carefully...but right now, I don't want to be logical...I want to give into what I feel...And...I'm scared..." -.....- Chuuya: "...What we learned about...about him...I want to kill him. Even if it burned down the entire Mafia...I want him to die." -......- Chuuya: "..." *shudders* "Why now...Why is this happening?" -...........- Chuuya: "..." *cries, covering his face* -......- Chuuya: *sits there, just passing the time with his head in his hands* -silence....- Chuuya: *inhales* "...I can't do this to Sonia..." -.....- Chuuya: "..." *shakes his head* "I don't like it..." -......- Chuuya: "...but I don't see another choice..." -....- Chuuya: "..." *stands up, rests a hand on the gravestone* "I will..." -.....- Chuuya: "She'll be safe...I promise." -elsewhere- leo:......ngh...*stumbling....throwing up into a trash can* *cough cough* pushkin: <easy now.> *holding her hair back* katya: *pats her back* <jeez, dinner didnt go well with you last night?> leo: *panting* <i...i dont know....p-perhaps its just a bug...> Gin: "...Leo...A word?" leo: ...y-yes? Gin: *walks with her, holding her up* "...How are things with you and Motojiro?" leo:....*smiles* well. Gin: *nods* "...I am going to ask a potentially invasive question." leo: what do you mean? Gin: "...Have you been intimate?" leo: *blushing....remembering*....yes. Gin: "...Protection?" leo:.......*covers her mouth* you dont think i-....d-do you? Gin: "That is up to a trained professional to determine." leo: .....r-right. Gin: "...I know we are underground, but we'll find a way..." -elsewhere- Vulcan: *enters Deathbucks* "I know, I know--I'm late--" Kepuri: "No kidding!" >3< Yohei: *sips his coffee* Dr. John: ^^;; Stein: "..." miranda: *washing dishes and humming* Vulcan: "The patient is meeting us here?" foien: hello. ^^ serina: *nods* Vulcan: "...Hey." Dr. John: "Welcome, Foien. How are you?" foien: nervous, but given whats going on, hard not to be, haha. Yohei: *nods* "Well, I took what Fear Factory and...someone else had developed in limb replacements--" Kepuri: "--which I perfected." *beaming* Vulcan: *eyeroll* "And I re-designed to be powered by your flame abilities, if need be" Stein: *lays out the blueprint for Foien* foien: neat. Dr. John: "It's a lot to take in, so you can look over it..." foien: i appreciate it. serina: and i'll be here as medical assistance and moral support. foien: aww. ^///^ Stein: "We just have to finalize a date...John will lead on it, I'm there as backup." -elsewhere- kirako: morning, kids. ^^ *making breakfast* atsushi: morning mom. kenji: good mornin' aya: mornin' Kyoka: "Good morning." sylvia: *nods* Kyoka: "Need any assistance?" -elsewhere- Walter: *rings a doorbell* "..." *looking around* goethe: zzzz <hans. check the door. the bed is too cozy.> hans: *sweatdrop* *answers* yes? Walter: "Top of the mornin' to ya!" *holds up mail* "I brought this in!" hans: oh, thank you. Walter: "Any assignments to pass along to the others?" -elsewhere- mahiru:....*yaaaawn* Kuro: "Zzz..." mahiru:..... O.O Kuro: "Mmm..." mahiru: um. kuro? Kuro: *opens one eye* "...What?" mahiru: >/////////< why are you in human form in bed with me? Kuro: "...It was warm, comfy, and bigger." mahiru:.... .//////.;;;; Kuro: "...So, what's for breakfast?" -elsewhere- Belkia: =w= *humming* ayami: zzzz.... -she has some bandages on her neck- Belkia: *cuddles...kiss behind the ear* ayami: mmm, hmhm~ Belkia: ^^;; "Sorry..." ayami: hmm? oh this? its fine. Belkia: "I just...get a little excited..." ayami: *hug* u///u it felt nice. Belkia: *strokes her back* "Okay...I really enjoyed last night..." ayami: i enjoyed it too~ -elsewhere- Mikuni: *munching on Valentine's chocolates* =w= "Say 'aw,' Abel..." abel: *doesnt say anything cause she's a doll.* Mikuni: "...Oh! You want me to have it? Well, it'll go straight to my hips, but for you, anything." *pops another chocolate into his mouth* >w< "Ooooo, caramel! Good call..." abel: .... -elsewhere- Daisy: *grumbling, looking out the window* louisa: everything alright? Daisy: "Just finding it gross out today--all the lovey-dovey Valentine shit." louisa: ah, i see. ^^; Daisy: "And you just know Fitz is going to head to the shops as soon as all the candy is 50 percent off...He ask you to do that already?" -elsewhere- misono: *has a party hat on* -_-; shinoa: happy valentines slash birthday~ ^^ Lily: *blows party favor* misono: -///- jeez. mahiru: ^^ Hugh + Kuro: *staring at the cake* "..." licht: *nom* thank you for inviting us to the festivities, king of hearts. Hyde: *scooping ice cream onto his slice* "Totes." -elsewhere- Todoroki: *holding a small bag* "..." fuyumi: oh? Todoroki: "Yes. A classmate gave it to me." *hands it to Fuyumi* fuyumi: oh, um. *blink* Todoroki: "I wasn't going to eat them, and I politely thanked the classmate." fuyumi: ah. Todoroki: *sits down* "How were your students today?" -elsewhere- Izuku: ^\\\^ "Thanks..." tsuyu: ^^ glad you like them. Izuku: "They're really cute! I love them!" tsuyu: it took me a while to decide what to make. i was considering frog shaped, but that might be a bit cliche and also kinda cannibalistic, so i opted for the lily pad shape. Izuku: .w.;;; "Good call." *pats her hand* tsuyu: ^v^ -elsewhere- Bakugo: "TAKE IT AND LIKE IT!" >\\\\< *hands a gift bag* itsuka: oh, thanks! ^^ Bakugo: >\\\\\< "Good! You're welcome!" itsuka: *smooch on the cheek* -elsewhere- Giriko: "Okay, kiddo--come over here!" *holds out his arms* anna: *trying to crawl over* Giriko: "You can do it!" anna: ba! Giriko: "Daddy! Yep! Crawl on over to Daddy..." -she made it- arachne: yay! you did it. ^^ *claps* anna: ^o^ Giriko: *picks her up* "Growing girl--getting better every day." *hug* -elsewhere- Free: *covered in flour* "I think that's enough dough..." ^^; milia: *aCHOO* eruka: *snaps pic* Free: "Heh...Let's pop one of these into the oven...See how it turns out." -elsewhere- erina: .~.;;; Guard: "??? Working here today?" erina: *salutes, hiding something in her pocket* y-yes! Guard: "That sucks...No date for Valentine's?" erina: guess not. ^^;;; Guard: "Dang. Yeah, I'm missing my date night...Gonna have to make it up later." *half-hearted salute* "Good luck with the prisoner." erina: you too, haha... *waits for them to leave....slides the chocolate in the slot* Fyodor: "???" *looks up* erina: h-hope you like this. >////<; Fyodor: "..." *smiles* "Thank you..." erina: .//////. Fyodor: *opens the box* "Oh my..." -its a box of heart shaped white chocolates with a note that reads 'hope you like them. i worked pretty hard on them'- Fyodor: "..." *picks one up, looks it all over* "..." *slowly puts it in his mouth* erina: how is it? Fyodor: "Not bad..." erina: t-thanks. .//////. Fyodor: *smiles* "Thank you..." *licks a bit of the white chocolate off his finger* -elsewhere- Jacqueline: "I know it's not very pricy or anything..." kim: *nom*....yummy =u= Jacqueline: *smiles* "Glad you like them..." -elsewhere- Ivan: "..." zoey: *making chocolates to send to fyodor. mixed with her own blood* Gogol: <What is with this holiday for some people?> yana: <dont ask me. love does some fucked up shit to some people.> Gogol: <Oh? Is that what you call what the nurse is doing--'love'?> yana: ..... <as i said. 'fucked up shit'.> Gogol: <Jeez, I need a more positive example...Haven't you seen good instances?> yana:......................<hell if i'd know...> *turns to her side* Gogol: "???" <Huh...Not even an inanimate object? For example...> *hugs himself* <I just love my coat!> >w< elizaveta: <it's a nice coat.> ^^ <right leila?> 'leila': *click* <its a nice and fancy coat if i do say so myself, hoho!> Gogol: <Hee hee...> -elsewhere- lana: edgaaar~ Poe: "???" lana: *smooooch and hands him a notebook* hope you like it~ Poe: ^\\\\^ "Of course--I can't wait to fill it up with love poems..." lana: ^///^ -elsewhere- Arthur: *holding up a chocolate sword* "...I love you." tamaki: >////< oh my gosh. Arthur: "This is amazing...I can slice down dragons _and_ coat them in delicious chocolate before preparing the meal." -elsewhere- Yumi: *hug* lord death: =//////= *purrs* Yumi: *strokes his head* "My reaper..." lord death: *snuggles* =////w////=~<3 Yumi: *strokes him* *kisses his lips* lord death: mmmm~<3 u////u Yumi: *rubs his hip--with a small scratch* lord death: *happy shiver* Yumi: *kisses his neck* -elsewhere- Meme: *knocking on doors* "We have Valentine's cookies!" rowena: thank you, miss meme. ^^ Meme: "You're welcome!" *holds up a bat cookie* "Spooky..." -elsewhere- sonia: *petting mito* Chuuya: *enters* mito: *mreow* sonia: *smiles at him* Chuuya: "..." *weak smile* sonia: *hug* Chuuya: *hug* "How are you?" sonia: ok...did you see mama? Chuuya: *nods* "I did...I'm sorry you weren't there..." sonia: what did you and mama talk about? Chuuya: "We...talked about you." sonia: ...... Chuuya: "...Do you miss school?" sonia:.....not really. Chuuya: "...Well, that wasn't what I was expecting...I thought you liked school." sonia:....it was ok....but i couldnt relate to the other kids... Chuuya: "...Well, you do need to learn...So we have to figure out how you're going to do that..." sonia:....... Chuuya: "And I'm not the best at enough subjects..." *scratches his cheek* "I think I'll need to bring in some help with home schooling..." sonia:.....*hugs* Chuuya: "!!! ..." *pat pat* sonia: i love you, papa. Chuuya: "I love you, too..." *hug* "I guess I'll have to figure out who to teach you science--" *BOOM* Chuuya: ._.;;; ayako: its cool! no one died! this time at least. miura: -_-; Motojiro: *pops in* "Chuuya! I got new music!" *his sleeve is on fire* "I was going to listen to it after finish my art project, writing some poetry, and engaging in some P.E., Care to join?!" *his hair is now on fire* Chuuya: .______.;;;; "..." ("...He'd still be a better teacher than other former Mafia members...") ayako: how much damn free time do you even have?! Motojiro: "I multitask!" *fire is now going to his pants* Gin: "...Hence the explosion." leo: D8> *has a fire extinguisher out* Chuuya: "...Kajii, do you like teaching?" Motojiro: "Sure I do! I got certification! But I can't teach pottery." *grim face* "Never again..." Chuuya: .____.;;; *looks at Sonia* "...Would you like Kajii as a teacher?" sonia: can i? *shiny eyes* Chuuya: "..." *smiles* "Sure!" sonia: *beaming smile* Chuuya: "Okay...But Kajii, be safe with her. I don't want Sonia hurt." Motojiro: "I swear, I will take care of Sonia like she's my own child!" leo:...r-right... >////>;;;; Motojiro: "??? Lemondrop? Are you well?" leo: ?? oh, of course, motojiro. ^^ -elsewhere- Kafka: *opens the door to his apartment, marches inside...falls onto the couch pillow...lets out a small groan* -silence- etta pillow: *says nothing, as it is a pillow* Kafka: "..." *holds the pillow, hugs it* -no answer- Kafka: "...I hate Valentine's Day..." -...- Kafka: "Everyone else is happy...No one would ever want me. No one wants me. I'm not fun or attractive or...anything." -the pillow remains silent- Kafka: *closes his eyes* "...I wish I was dead….I can't even do that well...I'm going to just be alone...I'm not like Goethe or anyone who can get a relationship to work...I'm only good at work." -at least the pillow still loves you- Kafka: "..." *looks at the pillow's face* -such a sweet, darling face...- Kafka: "..." *blinks away tears...nears the pillow's face...* -...- Kafka: *smooch* >\\\\< -if the pillow had blood, it would be blushing- Kafka: *small moan, as he holds the pillow close, kisses again* "Oh, Etta..." *shifts on the couch, hugging the pillow, kisses the pillow again--* Walter: "Dude, you got it baaaaaaaaad..." Kafka: O_________o *awkward look back...* "...How long?" Walter: "Before you took your pants off, thank goodness..." *munching on a Pop Tart* Kafka: "...Why are you here?" Walter: "Mom had a hot date, so she needed the apartment." Kafka: "...Gross." Walter: "I know, right?!" ^w^ Kafka: "...Could I have, like, five minutes?" Walter: "Sure thing. I'll heat up a pizza." Kafka: "Y-Yeah, thanks..." -elsewhere- Kid: *hug* stocking: hehe~<3 Kid: "Happy Valentine's Day, sweetness..." stocking: happy valentines to you too~ *slides up under his shirt* Kid: *moans* "Oh, yes..." stocking: *licking his chest* Kid: "A-Aaaaaah~" >\\\\\\< stocking: yeah, you like that, dont you~? Kid: "Y-Yes...I want your lips right there..." stocking: *kiss* *sliding her hand down his pants* Kid: .\\\\\. *small squeak* stocking: *smirks and squeezes tightly* Kid: *gasps* "...Oh my~" stocking: does that feel good, honey~? Kid: "It feels amazing..." *moaning, squirming* stocking: *rubbing and licking a nipple* Kid: *louder moan...he's getting harder in her hand* stocking: good boy~ Kid: "I-I want to be good for you, my queen..." stocking: *smirks* close your eyes, its gonna be a long night~ -elsewhere- Mr. Tsubaki: *staring out the window* "..." -...- -someone is exiting a shop across the street....its tsubaki!- Mr. Tsubaki: "!!!" QwQ "..." *watches* -you know you cant go see her now...- Mr. Tsubaki: "..." *paws at the window* {tsubaki: hehe~ *snuggles the fox* ^///^} {Mr. Tsubaki: ^w^ *licks her hand*} {tsubaki: *snuggles*} {*POOF*} {tsubaki: o///o} {Mr. Tsubaki: *stares into her eyes...smiles*} {tsubaki:...*smiles and leans in*} Mr. Tsubaki: *sniff* ("I-I miss her so much...") mary: time to eat ^^.....toby? hey, whats wrong, toby? *pet pet* Mr. Tsubaki: Q____Q *whimpers, pawing the window* mary: do you want to go out for a walk? Mr. Tsubaki: *wagging his tail* mary: ok, leash time! Mr. Tsubaki: *walks up, lowering his head for the leash* -and so- Mr. Tsubaki: *looking around* tsubaki: *checking phone* Mr. Tsubaki: OWO;;; -she doesnt seem to notice- Mr. Tsubaki: *tugging on the leash* mary: woah! toby, easy boy! tsubaki: ?? *glances* Mr. Tsubaki: *small fox yip* tsubaki: *eyes widened in disbelief* Mr. Tsubaki: OwO *wagging his tail* mary: *was dragged and is all banged up* im ok. tsubaki: ....oh, what a cute fox. *sad smile. she remembers* Mr. Tsubaki: *not even noticing Mary* QwQ *leans his head to her feet* tsubaki: *kneels down and pets his head* mary: thanks, his name's toby. ^^ Mr. Tsubaki: =w= *wagging faster* mary: aww, he likes you! tsubaki: hehe, he sure does... Mr. Tsubaki: *nuzzles her hand, soft pant* -elsewhere- atsushi: *nom* >///< thanks lucy! this tastes amazing! Lucy: ^\\\^ "I'm glad to hear. I took a long time working on the recipe--and Kirako was really helpful!" atsushi: its the first time i ever got valentines chocolate so....thanks for being my first. ^///^ Lucy: .\\\\. *scoots closer* "...No one ever did this for you?" atsushi: not really, no. Lucy: "...Me neither." >\\\\> "I was so plain looking...and...well, you know my backstory." atsushi:....*holds her hands* Lucy: .\\\\\\. "..." *sniff* atsushi: *bright pink in the face* t-the moon looks beautiful tonight, doesnt it? >////< Lucy: "???" *looks* "...Yeah. In it's own creepy way..." atsushi: ^///w///^;;;;;; Lucy: "..." *leans closer* atsushi: *leans* >////~////<;;;; Lucy: "..." *smooch* atsushi: .... u/////////////////u *tiger tail pops out and curls into half a heart shape* Lucy: ^\\\\\^ *hug, cuddle* atsushi: *purrs* Lucy: *strokes his head, scratches behind his ear* atsushi: *dopey giggling as his leg thumps violently* Lucy: "Hee hee...Look at you...You're ready to bounce." -elsewhere- Vulcan: "I'm home..." karin: how did it go? Vulcan: "Our patient is in good spirits--so, surgery's up to the other docs." karin: good job. ^^ *pat on the back* Vulcan: ^\\\^ "Thanks...How've things been here?" -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: *staring out the window with a glass of scotch* "..." louisa: everything alright, sir? Fitzgerald: "...I miss them." louisa:...*pap pap* -elsewhere- twain: *yAAAAWN* finally back home! *slumps into bed* zzzzzzzzzzz Benimaru: *smooch* Steinbeck: *dragging two treasure chests and a bag* -_-# "Lazy sack of..." ebie: zzzz oscar: finally home. Hemingway: *carrying Ebie in* *whispers* "Yep...Can't wait to get my new pet into the fishtank..." *holding a bag...with a piranha* emily: .-.; baum: time for bed. dorothy: *being carried on his back, asleep* Piranha: *biting at the bag towards Hemingway* Hemingway: ^w^ Steinbeck: *nods* "Meeting tomorrow before dinner." -after everyone else went to bad- emily: um...mr steinbeck? *hands him something, a card* here. Steinbeck: "???" *looks it over* -its a valentines card- emily: i know its a bit last minute but, happy valentines day, sir. *exits*... .///.; Steinbeck: ._.;;; -elsewhere- kirei: zzzzz *snuggles up to benimaru* Benimaru: =\\\\= *holds her* -elsewhere- Tsuyuki: *yawns* tsurugi: >u> -a tiny little bot comes rolling up to tsuyuki- Tsuyuki: "..." *picks it up* -happy valentines. <3 -the name is smudged- - tinker: *waves* Tsuyuki: "..." *waves* tinker: success! Jun: "...Hello." takuto: hi mommy! ^u^ -the grave is silent- Jun: "Takuto and I wanted to see you." *looks at Takuto* "Need a moment?" takuto: *puts down a card* we made cards in class today. Jun: "Yours turned out great..." -...- Jun: "...Takuto and I...are glad to be here..." takuto: *looks around* Jun: "...We wish you were here." -....- Jun: "..." *rests a hand on the tombstone* -a warm feeling passes over him- Jun: "..." *looks behind him* -nothing there...- Jun: "..." *sad smile...pats Takuto* takuto: *waves his lion plushies hand* bye bye, mama. love you! Jun: *nods* "We love you..." -elsewhere- Black Star: "Zzz..." tsubaki:....*snuggle* Black Star: =\\\w\\\= *hug* -elsewhere- Asura: "Happy Valentine's Day." *holds up a beating human heart* mikan: aww, how sweet. *smooch* Asura: =\\\\= mikan: hehe~<3 ^///^ Asura: *cuddles, purrs* -morning- stocking: so that's my report. Mephisto: *sips tea* "Thank you for it." stocking: ....you know something, dont you? Mephisto: *sweet smile* "Don't I always~?" stocking: well do you think you could at least tell me? if not as a teacher, then at least as your daughter? Mephisto: "...How long do you think demons live?" stocking: ....a long time? Mephisto: "Yet you saw the condition of Lucifer. Why do you think he was so sickly?" stocking:...... Mephisto: "To be a demon is to be eternal...but not the body." stocking: ....dad.... Mephisto: *smiles* "Lucifer's body is older, and he is more powerful...and he wants no time waiting for his body to regenerate, hence his pursuit of that Elixir." stocking: ....... Mephisto: "And it didn't take a genius to realize the Light Bringer was leading the Illuminati--it's in the name, after all. So, what would you do if you wanted to know more about a secret organization?" stocking: send someone to infiltrat-..... *lightbulb* Mephisto: *claps* "Brilliant~" stocking: .......please tell me our spy is adrian. Mephisto: "Why would you think it's Adrian?" stocking: at least she's not shima. Mephisto: "True. But almost no one would suspect some fool like Shima was in the Illuminati...or could be a double agent." stocking: ......fair point. Mephisto: "It was a good thing I had some contingency plans for Izumo..." stocking: including her getting kidnapped? Mephisto: "Well...I'm looking at my contingency plan." stocking: *sweatdrop* Mephisto: "If Izumo was captured, who better than her teacher and classmates to save her?" stocking:...*small smile* right..........do you know where mom is right now? Mephisto: "She was roaming the halls." stocking: kay, thanks. *exits* felisia: hm? stocking? whats u- stocking: *tight hug* felisia: ah! stocking:....thanks for being my mom.... felisia:...*smiles and hugs back* -elsewhere- sylvia: s-so im....starting school? Kyoka: *nods* "I think you'll fit in well." sylvia: .~.;;; Kyoka: "...Did you used to go to school?" sylvia: i-i was...home schooled....m-most of the time... Kyoka: "..." *nods* "Not so different...The Mafia had me focused more on missions." sylvia:...o-oh..... Kyoka: "So it took some getting used to. But we have friends there..." sylvia: i-i-i see..... Kyoka: "And the teachers are mostly harmless." sylvia: ... Kyoka: "Just avoid Dr. Stein." sylvia: ??? Kyoka: "He's not hard to miss. He has a screw through his head." sylvia: oh, h-he was the man a-at miss etta's show a while back, r-right? Kyoka: *nods* "Him." sylvia: o-ok. Kyoka: "Stick to Miss Marie." sylvia: w-who's that? Kyoka: "She's one of the other teachers. She's really polite and helpful. She has long blonde hair and rants about dating." sylvia:...i-i see.. Kyoka: *pulls out a page* "Let's write up your course schedule. I think one or two ability courses will help." sylvia: o-ok. Kyoka: "Do you like gym?" sylvia: i-im not really g-good at it. Kyoka: "Any hobbies like art or pottery?" sylvia: i'm not...really good at anything. Kyoka: "...Then this is an opportunity to try new things. Want to take pottery with me?" sylvia: um....i-i guess so? Kyoka: "Okay." *writes down pottery for the day and time* "I'll try to make sure someone you know is in each class." sylvia: o-ok... Kyoka: "I would tell you to avoid the Mafia, but I haven't seen them..." sylvia: ... Kyoka: "Hmm...Let's get something at the cafeteria. I'll show you how to order." -elsewhere- Tsukiyo: "What you gonna wear to the wedding, Fang?" fang-hua: well, since it's going to be a more traditional style, i might get something at the town's seamstress. Tsukiyo: ._.; "...Oh...I...ordered online." fang-hua: ^^; to each their own, i guess. Tsukiyo: "I hope it looks good--" Konro: "Mail call!" *hands a package to Tsukiyo* Tsukiyo: ._____.;;; fang-hua: a lot faster than most packages. -elsewhere- Vulcan: "You keep bugs?" Kepuri: "You design robotics themed around animals?" Vulcan: *nods* "I even made a firefly-themed lantern." Kepuri: "..." Vulcan: "..." Kepuri + Vulcan: *TOTALLY PLATONIC SOBBING HUG* "KINDRED SPIRIT!" lisa + akaderu: *sweatdrop* yu: ^^; akaderu: all they need is a fish type to complete the triforce. lisa:....what? akaderu: n-nothing. -elsewhere- Anya: "..." Fitzgerald: "..." Anya + Fitzgerald: "YOU AGAIN?! UNHAND THAT HEAVILY DISCOUNTED COMMONERS' AFTER-VALENTINE'S DAY CANDY!" tsugumi: oh no. *sweatdrop* louisa: lord francis please. Anya: "Royal Kick!" *Anya knocks down a display for St. Patrick's Day* -elsewhere- inka: *grooooan* so bored =3= Panda: "Want to go to the batting cages?" inka: sure, why not. sasori: *grunt of agreement* inka: oooi, sancho, you coming with or not? Sancho: *already has a baseball helmet on...and football pads...and a hockey stick* "Coming." inka: we-he-hell, arent _you_ prepared? Sancho: "I don't want a repeat of last time..." {Sancho: "Okay! Throw it!"} {Panda: "Okay!" *holding a bowling ball*} {Sancho: *readies the bat--*} Panda: "...I said I was sorry." sasori:.... Panda: "But I bet Sasori is great at the batting cages!" Sancho: "Ever play?" sasori:....i prefer football. [note: she means soccer] Sancho: "Oh, then you can borrow my pads!" *takes off the football pads* Panda: "And get her a helmet." sasori: ??? why would i need a helmet? Panda: "Because football is hardcore! I know you're a badass, but you got to protect your head before someone tackles you! Oh! And I'll need the body paint and the rainbow wig..." sasori:...............*looks at inka, confused* inka: ?? Sancho: "Tailgate! Cheerleaders! 50 yard line! Overpriced stadium consumables!" sasori: oh....are you guys thinking american football? what _i_ meant is what you guys apparently call 'soccer'. for some reason. Panda: "...Ooooooooo! So, hooligans!" sasori: -_-#; -elsewhere- kirara: and that concludes today's lesson. esther: another job well done, kirara. ^^ kirara: indeed. *sigh* *knock knock* esther: hmm? oh, perhaps one of your students forgot something? *opens the door* yes? ^^ *Someone is standing there with a bunny head* esther: oh? kirara: -_-; hello, tezca. Tezca: *muffled* "D'aw, how did you guess?" *takes off the bunny head--and there is a bear head underneath* kirara: call it a wild guess. enrique: ^u^ Tezca: "Then I'll just have to try harder...How was class?" kirara: fortunately no one was injured. this time. *glares at esther* esther: hehe. ^^; Tezca: "Been a little too excited?" esther: i do apologize, i can be a bit intense in combat, hoho~ kirara: ... Tezca: "Well, this is a school to prep kids for death battles..." kirara: right. esther: a sad but true reality. *getting tea ready* Tezca: *sits at a student's chair* "What's up for the rest of your days today, you two?" kirara: the school day isnt over yet. -_-; Tezca: "Can I hang out here? I need to hide because of this--" *knocks his fist on the bunny mask* kirara:................tezca? what did you do this time? Tezca: "Look, I thought the rabbit mask would be a good alibi, and I did not consider the feelings of other people who may not appreciate our Lagomorpha friends." kirara: oh no. you didnt show this mask to _that_ person, right?! Tezca: "I didn't _show_ them. I just happened to be wearing it in public." *BANG BANG BANG* Tezca: OwO;; mami: *GLARE* *The door breaks down under the weight of the attacks* Ragnarok: "HEE HEE HEE! TIME TO SLICE THIS BEAR!" Tezca: *hides behind Kirara* kirara: -_-; -elsewhere- Kunikida: "..." *pouring tea* kirako: thanks, kunikida. ^^ Kunikida: "You're welcome. How are you?" kirako: doing well. *rubs her stomach* Kunikida: "Did you have an appointment recently?" kirako: *she nods* Kunikida: "And...the child is in good health?" kirako: yes...fukuzawa agreed to be a godfather for them. Kunikida: "Wonderful. That is an excellent choice." *sips* "...I cannot imagine what you are feeling." kirako: yeah.....have you ever considered having children? Kunikida: "...I don't think it would happen." kirako: you never know. aya seems to consider you a father figure. {sasaki: *holding kunikida close* doppo...please....i want to feel good tonight...*tears falling*} {Kunikida: *holding her* "..."} Kunikida: "...Hmm. I am simply keeping an eye on Aya...That's...all." kirako: ....kunikida? is something wrong? Kunikida: "..." *looks at her* "It's...not something I want to burden you with." kirako: ..... Kunikida: "...I just don't think I'm cut out for any of this." kirako: ?? Kunikida: "...I think I'm cursed when it comes to romance or...children." kirako: ....*pap pap* Kunikida: "...It's not right...not for any of them." kirako:....it'll be ok. Kunikida: "..." *looks at his book* -elsewhere- Black Star: "Hurry up, Soul--we'll miss the trailers!" soul: coming, coming. *following suit* tsubaki: ^^; Sakuya: "Hope it's better than the sequel..." *carrying trays of snacks* -elsewhere- Kafka: *nom* -n- leroux: feeling crabby? Kafka: *small grunt* "Yeah..." leroux: because valentines day? Kafka: "N-No!" =\\\\= leroux: well, christine and i had a wonderful time yesterday~ i took her dancing, we got dinner, went on a stroll through a garden, *sigh* it was magnifique~<3 Kafka: "...YOU'RE DATING A DOLL!" leroux: isnt she just~ *snuggles christine* christine: *says nothing, as, as stated before, she is a doll* Kafka: "..." *wraps up his leftovers* "I've lost my appetite." leroux: OwO~? Kafka: *opens the door, walks through--* *SMOOSH CLING* Kafka: "GAH! What the hell?!" *moving his hands through something transparent* wilhelm: SUCCESS! Jakob: "Great work!" Kafka: "YOU SMALL LITTLE GNATS!" wilhelm: *runs off, giggling* Jakob: "Wait for me!" Kafka: *rips through, chases* leroux: *sigh* i hope we can have kids one day, <my dearest~> *nuzzles the doll* Kafka: *runs back in* "WHEN PIGS FLY!" *runs back out* "GET BACK HERE, YOU BASTARDS!" leroux:....h-he's just jealous. -elsewhere- Haumea: *tracing a finger along a map* ???: are we close? Haumea: "Very..." ???: .....*feeling for heat signatures* Haumea: "...Take your time..." ???: there's two people. Haumea: "Anything interesting?" ???: they seem to be just talking... Haumea: =_= "Boo...Wish I could hear..." ???: i cannot hear them either. -elsewhere- Akutagawa: "--and it's not that I miss school or the Were Tiger, but I think about how this no-kill policy has compromised so much of what I *ramble ramble ramble* " higuchi: mmhmm. *nods* Akutagawa: " *ramble ramble* --then I got found by that nice kid--" higuchi: *listening* Akutagawa: "--and I don't know why they didn't report me..." higuchi: maybe they didnt know? Akutagawa: "I hope not. I was trying to cover my path..." higuchi: hmm... Akutagawa: "..." *opens a dumpster* higuchi: *peers* *There is stale bread still wrapped and unsold, as well as some misshapen apples* higuchi: hm.... Akutagawa: "Beggers can't be choosers..." *grabs an apple* higuchi: *examining the apples and bread* Akutagawa: "...You okay?" higuchi:....y-yeah... -elsewhere-

[littlewalken]

May 19

Well, it looks like we have about 2 weeks to enjoy the silence. Finally someone might be doing something to help us. And coming from a history of lip service and no one even saying they’ll think of helping me until after I’ve done a hella lotta somethings for them I still can’t believe it. 

The only way I would have passed that marshmallow test as a kid was because I didn’t like marshmallows as a kid. 

I grew up with food insecurity, broken promises, and a lot of other things that would have made me fail but I was also such a nervous non neurotypical (but didn’t know it) wreck that the texture of marshmallows was something I literally couldn’t stomach. I still have issues with something that reminds me of the shit they served the free lunch kids in middle school. 

So let’s talk about something else. Like that half human DnD thing where the tribe in whole approaches a bard.

How’s yer mum? Then he calculates if he’s got enough bastards to make a football team or something. 

I don’t really know anything about DnD, I get what it is, and I understand some of the context of the memes from other memes and things here. And having read Roger Daltrey’s memoir he admits to repopulating half the Midlands himself, to paraphrase. 

Yesterday was given over to actual resting. The sinuses are so blah they’ve taken half my face. I’m taking OTC remedies and hopefully won’tneed to see a doctor and take antibiotics. I don’t want to over medicate hay fever if you know what I mean. It’s all in my cheek and under my eye.

Now that I know I’ll have a few days I can use another space in this house to put some things I hope to have the energy to do some of it. 

It’s cute when the cat or dog comes and lays in the middle of the space you need so they can help, not when the screamopillar does it, gets louder and louder, and then proceeds to mess with what ever is in that space especially if its yours. 

And this emotional support hellsite has helped me to understand my inability to relax and unwind is part of my ADHD that has never been properly diagnosed because I’m a girl/poor/always having my health concerns shoved aside. 

I did do some more attempts at digital drawing over photos of some of my other artwork. I’m progressing in learning to use the program. It’s basically coloring over something O’ve already done because the goal is to learn how to use the program over creating something from scratch at this time. I also have templates I’ve photographed with my tablet for when I’m ready for that stage.

Once again it’s something I’m teaching myself because I don’t have any real life anyones on my end. 

Gonna start putting the CYOA story on to stick notes if I am clear enough to think about writing. If not I’ll read another one. Those don’t need deep thinking and they’re cozy welcoming reading. And if you don’t take your thumb off the page you can totally go back if you die in the ending. But only one level ;)

[wonderer-ru]

sweet, sweet healing

> Seokjin mini-scenario

> genre: fluff

The third part to the series I am doing called “What Are You Made Of?”

Each person is made of something in your world. Not literally, but not without effect either. There are people made of grass, velvet, sea water, rose petals, egg shells…almost any material you can imagine. And, if it’s not always reflected in the personality, the material can certainly influence the relationship people have: physical as well as emotional.

> a/n: i found a little time to write, and this concept saved me from drowning in uni work, relaxed me a bit. suggestive themes (veeeery subtle; will miss it if you ever blink) please enjoy!

He was camomile and you were honey, and you took the most amazing baths together.

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"C'mon, honey, hurry up. It's starting to feel like I am swimming in tea here," Seokjin whined from where he waited for you in a bath, getting impatient. You smiled at the pet name, never being able to suppress the joy of hearing his call. It was tragically unoriginal, yet too good (and as he claimed - too accurate) to not use.

"Then why are you so restless? It should soothe you, camomile boy," you teased, winking at him in the mirror, as your hands worked to put your hair in a bun. The herbal aroma has already reached your senses, coming from the water with the waves of subtle steam. You already felt it cling to your skin, making you breathe in a little deeper.

"Simply because I know that with you here, it will get a lot sweeter, honey girl," Seokjin answered tauntingly, making you look at his reflection, only to see finger guns pointing in your direction. A loud laugh escaped your lungs as you shook your head in disbelief. How did you fall for this dork? Oh, yeah, you loved that about him. At this point, he started to move his hands, trying to lure you in with the sounds that water made as it crashed against the sides of the bathtub.

"It was too easy for you from the beginning, wasn't it? To use what I am made of for cheesy pick up lines?" you finally turned, letting a silky robe slide down from your shoulders. Seokjin nodded, evidently very pleased with himself, and even more pleased with the sight of your bare body before his eyes. Seokjin's cheeks turned rosy long before that, his full lips rich with color, so you were ninety percent sure it was hot water effecting the man like that.

He truly never pulled any punches when it came to seducing you with his puns. Any wordplay on honey or bees, or hives would do, and you could proudly say that your heart managed to fall for it. You weren't even embarrassed to admit it to your girlfriends, and they never dared to hold it against you, seeing how foolishly in love you were.

"The opportunity presented itself, and who am I to not take it?" his eager hands reached out to touch your skin as soon as you grazed the water with your foot. The man's fingers dug into your waist as he carefully guided you down to sit between his legs. Seokjin let out a soft sigh at the feeling of your back pressed tightly against his chest, and you wasted no time before resting your head on his shoulder. The air around you instantly changed, gaining that sweet taste he could never get over.

It was your end-of-the-week ritual. To simply unwind, to embrace each other, touch each other and let your special bathtub powers do their job. It was your chance to heal each other. His hands would always busy themselves with pouring water over your upper body: your neck, your shoulders, your chest. And you would hum lazily as your muscles relaxed more and more under his touch. Sometimes he would use a sponge to massage the nerves away; sometimes he'd choose a more 'hands on' approach. Sometimes...well, sometimes his hands would stay underwater to give your lower body a special treatment. But, more often than not, you'd be lulled to sleep with his melodic voice in your ear and his palms resting peacefully on your belly. He could be calming like camomile tea, or be playful and exciting like the 'loves me, loves me not' game. Although, you always knew the answer to that.

"We are pretty perfect together, aren't we?" you mumbled, watching him play with your hands lethargically; the finger pads already wrinkly from the water. Somehow, it felt even more intimate than most of the things you did without clothes on.

"I guess so, yeah," he breathed into the crook of your neck, giving it a quick kiss. "Plus, we don't have to spend money on bath bombs," you laughed quietly and felt his lips stretch in a small smile against the shell of your ear. You could never count the kisses he left on your skin; not even during only one of your 'bath dates', nevermind all of them.

"Do you ever wish there was more drama between us? More tension?"

You always found it quite stupid irrational when people craved conflict while having a perfectly good and loving relationship. You'd never exchange what you had with Seokjin for a "thrill" (excessively sarcastic air quotes) of a fight. Not even for make up sex. But you ałso knew that it was just your preference and that people are different; some of them found peace in chaos. You doubted that Seokjin was one of those people, but the question kept you tense, and your bath powers shouldn't be wasted like that, should they? After all - this tradition was meant to bring you complete relaxation, and having thoughts like these swirl in your mind didn't quite help. Reasonable or not, you were afraid that, eventually, he could get bored with how smooth everything was going.

"No, I really don't," he answered after a moment of pondering. "Do you?" Seokjin tossed a question back, wrapping his arms around you even tighter. It would be unfair to pretend that he didn't let the same insecurities poison him from time to time.

"No," you said firmly and felt him exhale in relief.

"Good. We are settling for perfect, then," and it finally became perfect as he went to place a kiss on your cheek at the same time you turned to plant a sweet kiss on his lips, whispering...

"Yeah, I could live with perfect."

He was camomile and you were honey, and you took the most amazing baths together.

.

.

["We are not too vanilla, though, are we?" he murmured against your lips before pinching the skin of your inner thigh teasingly.

"I don't think we are," you giggled. "But if you ever want to spice things up, just tell me, okay?"

"Oh, yeah? (kiss) Would you spice things up yourself or invite someone who's made of spice to help us?" (kiss)

"Would you be open to that?" (lip bite and tug)

"I don't know. Sharing was never a problem to me, but I don't think I want to share you (pause) for now." (long kiss)]

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a/n: thanks for reading! i really hope you enjoyed! for more of my stories go for masterlist here and here.

[glare-gryphon]

Hi! So, I can't resist these prompt things, especially when my fav writers put them up! Thus, if you would like to, prompt 22 with Anakin/Vader would be great! Thanks :)

Here you are, my dear! I ended up working in Obikin because I am just… Obikin garbage.

Rating: M

Prompt: A book infested with ghosts

Relationship: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader)

Additional Tags: Post-Mustafar AU, Suitless Vader (Vaderkin), Vaderwan, Sexual Content, Dubious Consent, Tatooine Mythology I Literally Made Up

~2670 Words

Anyone born of Tatooine knows better than to wander too farinto the Wastes. It is a savage, inhospitable place: a land of dragons andraiders and ghosts. Farmers dare not set down roots, travelers dare not passthrough its heart. It is cursed land, long-ago scorned by the gods of theirpeople. Anyone born of Tatooine knows that should you stay too long, the Wasteswill show you your past, your failures, your regrets. You will see what was andwhat could have been and what never will be. Those hills can drive a man mad.

It is there that he finds Obi-Wan Kenobi, at last.

Years of searching have led him to this moment. He hasslaughtered Jedi, sacked Temples, turned entire planets inside out in hispursuit of the man he had once called Master. Now he approaches, following theglow of the man’s Light through the Waste. His own presence is dimmed, maskedby the shielding he’s mastered in the time since their parting, lest he alertKenobi to his presence. If his has his way, this will be swift. His skills as aswordsman have grown under Sidious’ tutelage, and there is something satisfyingat the thought of finally besting his old mentor. He’d left his signature maskbehind in his transport, as there is little risk of anyone seeing his face sofar out into the desert; he’s going to look Obi-Wan in the eye when he strikeshim down.

Yet, when he crosses the next rise, it quickly becomesapparent that things will not be quite as simple as he had previously thought. Atthe base of the hill is a herd of bantha, grazing on the meager plant life thatthe Wastes are able to support. They snuffle and groan, their attention drawnwhen one of Vader’s boots knocks against a stone buried in the sand and sendsit careening down the hill.  Among them,cross-legged in meditation, is Obi-Wan himself.

Obi-Wan is older now than he was that final day on Mustafar,a fact that is more surprising than it rightfully should be. His hair and hisbeard are more grey than red, his face lined and worn by the desert. The twinsuns, just beginning to dip below the horizon, have managed to tan the man’sstubbornly space-pale skin, bringing out freckles on his shoulders and thebridge of his nose. Blue eyes, familiar yet so very different, follow thetrajectory of the displaced stone until they settle on Vader. There isrecognition there, but not comprehension. Not enough for the enormity of thissituation.

A brilliant smile blooms on his face. “Anakin!” He calls,pushing himself to his feet. The process is considerably slower than it hadonce been, his joints aged beyond his years by the abuses of war. “I waswondering when you would visit me.”

The smile he wears, the vacancy of his eyes—there issomething unsettling about it all. No one knows better than Obi-Wan Kenobi themonster that Anakin Skywalker has become. He alone knows the face hidden behindthe cold mask presented to the rest of the galaxy, and he alone knows the namelong-shed in favor of his new moniker. A thought flickers across Vader’s mindof the gossip he’d heard passing through Mos Eisley. Old Ben Kenobi, the Wizardof the Wastes.

Those hills can drivea man mad, the voice of a nine year old slave boy murmurs in his ear.

“It’s been some time since you last visited,” Kenobicontinues, and there’s a flicker of something injured in his expression. “I wasbeginning to wonder if you’d ever come back.”

A mirage. That’s all he is, or at least, all Obi-Wanbelieves him to be. This would be the perfect time to strike the man down. Hewould never see it coming. Never suspect. Yet something stays his hand, and hefinds himself climbing down the hill to meet Kenobi and his herd at its base.

“I was just about to take the bantha back to the homestead,but you’re welcome to join us.”

Even addled and desert-mad, Obi-Wan has still retained hisgift for the Force. It takes but a brush of his mind, his will, to get the herdmoving. Vader tracks along beside him as they make their way through the Waste,listening as the man babbles on about his life here in the desert, filling himin on the happenings since his mirage’s last visit. It’s mostly uneventful: thebirth of a new calf, a raid by the sand people, repair of the vaporators.“Qui-Gon comes around quite often, these days,” he says, suddenly solemn.“Sometimes I think I see… see Satine. She never lingers, though; not the wayyou and Qui-Gon do.”

Vader wonders how long the ghost of Anakin Skywalker hasbeen haunting his old mentor. How long had it taken for the curse of the Wasteto take its toll?

Seeing Kenobi’s homestead puts into perspective how the mancould have so quickly slipped from the war hero Vader spent years of his lifefighting beside to the mad old man whispered about in the canteens of MosEisley. The stables are well-maintained, but even the descent of night can hidethat everything else on the land seems just this side of dilapidated. Obi-Wandoesn’t seem particularly disturbed by this fact, nor does he comment whenVader hesitates in the doorway of the man’s home. He just ushers the man in, asthough inviting the ghosts of his past in for tea is just another part of hisaverage day.

“I’m sorry it’s a bit of a mess,” Obi-Wan mutters, the lightflush to his cheeks illuminated only by the light of the three moons as he scurriedaround ahead of Vader to try and pick up the space. “It’s been rather—rather difficultto keep things tidy since you stopped visiting.”

As far as homes go, Kenobi’s is spartan in the way one mightexpect from a former Jedi. Beyond the standard necessities for desert living,there is very little to distinguish it from any other homestead. There’s asmall living space, a dining table, and a cot pushed into one corner. In fact,beyond a mildly alarming number of empty bottles of alcohol, the only realunique piece in the home is a wooden chest near the bed, intricately carved andsecurely locked. Vader’s curious as to its contents, but Obi-Wan directs him toa chair at the dining table before he begins shuffling around in the kitchen toprepare tea and something for an evening meal.

Laying on the surface of the table is a familiar sight:Obi-Wan’s journal. An integral part of his former Master’s life, the journalhad rarely stayed far from the man’s side Even during the chaos of wartime, thelittle book could often be found tucked into the folds of the Kenobi’s robes,ready to be pulled out and the dealings of the day scribbled down whenever hecould find the time. Vader had mocked him for his incessant record-keeping, butthere was always something soothing about settling down beside the man,listening to the scratch of ink against flimsi and simply unwinding after thestress of another day on the battlefield.

Kenobi returns with two cups of what Vader presumes to be tea and bowls of what he knows to be stew. Little goes to wastein Tatooines’s harsh climate, and the small creatures that lurk in the nooksand crannies of its land had fed him often enough in his youth that he recognizestheir pungent aroma even now. The stew is barely edible, though this he wasexpecting. Kenobi never had any kind of gift in the kitchen, often relying onAnakin to keep them both fed when away from the refractory of the Jedi Temple.The tea, though, is quite possibly the worst thing he’s ever tasted. There’ssomething wrong with the filter of the vaporator the water had been collectedfrom, leaving a salty, metallic taste that makes him cringe.

The flavor doesn’t seem to bother his old mentor, who dragshis old journal closer and begins the ritual of recording the day’s events inits pages. He mumbles to himself as he writes, pausing intermittently to glanceup at Vader and make sure the man is still there. In honesty, the Sith isn’t intendingto move anytime soon, as he’s still not quite sure what he’s supposed to donow.

He’d come to this planet with the intention of striking downhis former Master. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Grand General of the Republic, the Negotiator,Sith Killer—a dozen titles worn by a man Vader thought himself to hate. Butthis Kenobi that sits before him? He is none of those things; as much a ghost ofhis former self as the specters that visit him. The thought of killing him nowleaves a sour taste in his mouth.

“I missed you,” Kenobi says quietly, drawing Vader from hisintrospection. He’s set the journal aside, turned the full focus of hisattention on the younger man. The Apprentice feels himself swallow reflexivelyat the intensity of his expression, very nearly flinches when one of Obi-Wan’shands covers his own. The calluses on his palm are unfamiliar now, wear from alightsaber’s hilt replaced with the evidence of physical labor. “I often findmyself wondering what our life might have been like if you’d left the Orderwhen you’d considered it as a padawan. Would the war have still come to passwithout our influence? Would things have been different between us? Would Ihave still… loved you?

“I don’t think I ever told you,” he confesses, “but I wouldhave left with you. I would have followed wherever you led. Stars, Anakin, whydidn’t I just tell you?”

Vader doesn’t dare speak, doesn’t dare shatter thisillusion, but he can’t hear any more. He can’t sit here and listen to Kenobispeak truths he’d considered impossible, and know that he’d thrown this man’sloyalty back in his face. He’d torn Obi-Wan’s world to pieces, reduced him tonothing but this broken, desert creature in return for his unconditional love.

Leaning over the table, he is perhaps a bit forceful when hepresses his lips to Kenobi’s. The man chokes, clearly intending to pull away,but Vader sinks one hand into the man’s hair to cut off his escape. When itbecomes apparent that he isn’t going to let go, Obi-Wan allows himself toreturn the kiss. Hesitant, at first, but gaining confidence with the longer thecontact continues, even daring to nip at Vader’s lower lip when the younger manpulls away to catch his breath.

They disentangle, Vader pushing out of his chair to tugKenobi to his feet and back him toward the small cot in the corner. He stripsthe man’s clothing off as they go, his own coming undone under Obi-Wan’s persistenthand. While the older man’s nakedness is something Vader seen a hundred timesbefore, it all seems new in this context: sprawled out on the thin blanket ofthe cot, pressed against Vader’s own. A small part of him notices that the manhas lost weight since their separation—a consequence of live on Tatooine.

“Anakin, please,” Obi-Wan gasps. “Take me.”

He shouldn’t, he knows he shouldn’t, and yet he does. Hedoes, because Obi-Wan begs and pleads, a desperation in his voice that makesVader think he might break if he doesn’t give this. This one thing, this onecomfort, this one desire.

They have nothing but spit and the fluid that beads on thetips of their cocks, everything else too precious to be wasted on something assuperfluous as sex. It’s not nearly enough to slick the way, to make the pressof Vader into him anywhere close to comfortable, but he suspects that isn’twhat Obi-Wan wants, anyways. His fingers dig into Vader’s shoulders when theyounger man is finally seated inside him, eyes scrunched with pain.

“Move,” he hisses between clenched teeth.

Vader does, slowly. Agonizingly so, despite Obi-Wan’s demandfor something harder. It may be what he wants, but it’s not what he needs. Heknows this and leans down, claiming the man’s lips in a tender kiss as he rocksagainst him. There in that moment, there is no Light and no Dark; no Jedi, norSith. It’s just him, just Obi-Wan, connected in a way the galaxy and fate hadlong denied them.

Tears stream down the older man’s face as Vader wringsorgasm from him, spattering their stomachs and chests with the evidence of hispleasure. The younger is quick to follow, spilling within Kenobi’s body, barelyable to stop himself from collapsing atop the man in the aftershocks. Both hisswhen he pulls free; there is blood on the sheets. Nothing to be done about itnow, however.

He goes willingly when Obi-Wan pulls him down, curls againstthe man’s chest and listens to the rhythm of his heart. Once, so long ago now,it had beat in time with Vader’s own. Out on the battlefield, tied together bythe Force, they’d moved and thought and breathed as one. Kenobi’s heart stillbeats to that rhythm; it is Vader’s own that has gone astray. He gave his heartto another, and another, and another. To all, it seems, but this one man, whoseown still belongs solely to the brother that forsook him.

“Must you go?” Obi-Wan asks. Vader doesn’t dare move whenthe man reaches out, cupping his face with a shaking hand and brushing away atear that’s escaped him despite his best efforts. “Yes, I suppose you must,” hesighs, a soft smile on his face. There is sadness in his eyes, like a woundthat will never heal. “You were always destined for greater things than thelove of this silly old man.”

Kenobi leans down, pressing one last, lingering kiss toVader’s lips, and it feels like something inside of him breaks. The heart he’dthought long burned from his chest cracks, shatters to pieces on the sandyfloor of the small hut. He wants to sob; to fall to his knees and beg forgiveness;to remain curled into the man’s chest until dawn and Obi-Wan realizes that thisisn’t a mirage created by the desert. But he can’t.

Already he can feel his Master’s impatience prodding at theshields he’s keeping so high, desiring a report Vader doesn’t want to give. Tolinger further would tempt fate—something he’s long since learned better thanto try. If his Master were to send someone out after him, they could findObi-Wan. They could find him, and kill him, and the last piece of AnakinSkywalker’s wretched, broken heart would die too. He can’t allow that.

So he pulls away, despite the way every part of him screamsin protest. Kenobi settles back against the sheets, eyes already flutteringclosed with his exhaustion, and Vader tucks the thin blanket around the man’sshoulders before he rises from the cot to collect his scattered clothing.Slipping from the home like the mirage he’s pretended to be, the touch ofObi-Wan’s journal burns against the skin of his chest like a brand. Wornleather and brittle pages, their history written down in thousands of words,stolen from its place on the man’s small dining table and tucked away withinhis robes. It had been Kenobi’s constant companion during the trials of war andhis lonely days in the Waste. Now it will be a reminder of everything waitingwhen Vader is finished atoning for the destruction he’s wrought.

“I love you, too,” he says to the wind before he boards histransport back to the Vengeance,sending a prayer to the old gods of the suns and sand that his confession willbe carried safely back to whom it belongs.