#fuck his tunnels fuck his cars fuck his rockets fuck his cars again

[stupid-elf]

Something worth considering, I think, is that deadnaming (and conventions around it) are all about respect. Specifically, respecting the will of the recipient in actions upon them

Please, dear reader, note: X and its staff are not Twitter. If you put up a tweet and ask a question “to Twitter,” you are asking the users. The users? Still want it called Twitter. Therefore, they are not being deadnamed. It’s more comparable to when a teenager declares something their deadname and their shitty parents (Elon) insist that guests keep calling the teenager by said deadname.

We have incredibly clear standards around what to call that child.

Anyway, Twitter is still a toxic platform, but we can at least call it and the Gulf of Mexico by their names

Crying and puking, Google maps made the Gulf of Mexico say Gulf of America

[hunter-rodrigez]

As sketchy as the oceangate submarine was... you can bet your ass every single one of musky's endeavors would look just as sketchy if it wasn't for the fact that he's forced to work with government regulators.

Hell, most of his projects are this sketchy if you look a bit closer. For example: the tesla tunnels.

No fire suppression system, no emergency exits, no emergency lighting, no way for EMS to get through, no fucking nothing. I am pretty sure it's not even big enough to open the car's doors.

Or the Cybertruck that's a deathtrap for both the people on the outside and the people on the inside because it utterly disregards the last 50 or so years of advancements in car safety technology such as crumple zones or safety glass

Or the tesla model 3 where you can't even open the back doors without power. So if you're in an accident and lose power... good luck getting your kids out of the back, especially when the huge battery is turning into a huge, unextinguishable flamethrower.

Or the fucking starship launchpad that was utterly destroyed by the rocket and threw huge concrete chunks and other debris around for miles... which, incidentally, also destroyed the rocket.

That's what all these self-proclaimed Silicon Valley tech bro geniuses are like.

They all think they know better than everyone else, and that rules or consequences don't apply to them, and they see safety as little more than an afterthought.

It's why Ai and social media algorithms are used sooooo ethically. It's why amazon and facebook try to find out everything about you and happily sell that data with no disregard for what it could be used for.

It's about damn time one of these CEO dipshits got killed by their own dipshitery, I just wish it had been musk or bezos instead...

Once again, in conclusion:

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Fourth of July (Sufjan Stevens)

Well you do enough talk/My little hawk, why do you cry?/Tell me what did you learn from the Tillamook burn?/Or the Fourth of July?/We’re all gonna die

Did you get enough love, my little dove?/Why do you cry?/And I’m sorry I left, but it was for the best/Though it never felt right/My little Versailles

"Its such a slow and haunting song for something titled "fourth of july". the piano(?) sounds like rain against a window i cant explain it. this song feels like a sensory deprivation chamber"

"For one it just carries such extreme melancholy that i can't listen to it without crying (that includes me transcribing some of the lyrics my dog is currently trying to make me feel better and it is not particularly easy to type) but also if you want to just like scream and cry and sob the song was written while and about his mom dying of cancer."

Rät (Penelope Scott)

So fuck your tunnels fuck your cars/Fuck your rockets fuck your cars again/You promised you'd be Tesla/But you're just another Edison/Because Tesla broke a patent/All you ever broke were hearts/I can't believe you tore humanity apart/With the very same machines/That could've been our brand new start

When I said take me to the moon/I never meant take me alone/I thought if mankind toured the sky/It meant that all of us could go/But I don’t want to see the stars if they’re just one more piece of land/For us to colonize/For us to turn to sand

"Oh my god. Oh my fucking god. It was hard to pick lyrics because everything in it is straight fire. A banger. Slaps. Whatever people call it these days. Have you heard it"

"It talks about being raised on stories of technology and reaching the stats only to realize how flawed and elitist the modern world of technology is. It contrasts the image of science and humanity’s future that people are told with the reality of silicon valley and the modern industry of science."

Fourth of July submitted by @purplexiasphinx

[hellsquills]

Songs for GF Edits: Ideas

Rät - Penelope Scott -> Mystery Trio

First 4 verses: Ford to Bill

I come from scientists and atheists and White men who kill God They make technology high quality complex physiological Experiments and sacrilege in the name of public good They taught me everything Just like a daddy should And you were beautiful and vulnerable And power and success God damn I fell for you your flamethrowers Your tunnels and your tech I studied code because I wanted To do something great like you And the real tragedy is half of it was true But we've been fucking mean We're elitist We're as flawed as any Church And this faux rad west coast dogma Has a higher fucking net worth I bit the apple 'cuz I trusted you But it tastes like Thomas Malthus Your proposal is immodest and insane And I hope someday Selmers rides her fucking train I loved you, I loved you, I loved you, it's true I wanted to be you and do what you do I lived here, I loved here, I thought it was true I feel so stupid and so used I feel so used

Next 4 verses: Fiddleford to Ford

First verse

I was your baby, your first born The hot girl in your comp sci class And I was Darwin's prep school dream Bred, born and raised to kick your ass I fell for circuit boards, rocket ships, pictures of the stars If you could only be what you pretend you are

Second, third and fourth verses: The fight in the lab after

When I said take me to the moon I never meant take me alone I thought if mankind toured the sky It meant all of us could go But I don't want to see the stars if they're just one more piece of land For you to colonize For us to turn to sand Because we're so fucking mean, we're so elitist We're as fucked as any church And this bullshit west coast dogma Has a higher fucking net worth I bit the apple 'cuz I loved you And why would you lie And then I realized you're just as naive as I am You're so traumatized it makes me wanna cry You dumb bitch I loved you, I loved you, I loved you it's true I wanted to be you and do what you do I lived here, I loved here, I bought it ,it's true I'm so embarrassed I feel abused

Next 4 verses: Stan to Ford

First verse: Stan to his dad

Well I don't wanna eat the rich I'd have to eat my hero's first And my tuition's paid by blood I might deserve your fate or worse But I don't need your goddamn money I don't need jack shit from you So when I speak you bet your life my words are true

Second verse: Stan trying to convince Ford to make up.

Let me level with you man As someone guilty of the game I took the help I took the cash I would've taken your last name So if any girl on earth Should get to make a call about this It would be me and as I see it You're a dick

Third verse: The twins' fight.

* This would be Stan saying "you promised to be my brother but you're just like dad"

** Showing the portal, comparing it to the Stan O' War

So fuck your tunnels fuck your cars Fuck your rockets fuck your cars again *You promised you'd be Tesla *But you're just another Edison Because Tesla broke a patent All you ever broke were hearts **I can't believe you tore humanity apart **With the very same machines that could've been our brand new start

Fourth verse: The moment right before Stan pushes Ford

And the worst part is I loved you, I loved you, I loved you it's true And sometimes I feel like I still fucking do I lived here, I loved here, I thought it was true I'm so embarrassed I feel abused

Last verse

Stan

I feel so used

Fiddleford

I feel so used

Ford

Take me to the moon Because I feel so used I feel so used

[mythiccheroacademia]

Delivery HCs with 1-A’s Big Three

A/N: Maybe I’m a bit biased because I want to be a pediatrician when I’m older, but I think children are the true gems of the world. I’ve seen a few deliveries in my life, and it’s a moment that not even magic can explain. I can only imagine what it’s like for the parents--to see the baby you’d start a war for if need be. So, here’s my attempt to translate that special love within a headcanon. 

Enjoy and continue to stay safe honey bunnies

Also, remember to thank a (good) mother for being literal superheroes once in awhile. Delivering is no joke!

Warnings: all the wonderful things that come with pushing a baby out of a 3-4in hole

All characters are aged 18+

Midoryia Izuku:

when you and your husband got to the hospital, the nurses were suprised to find you laughing and your husband muttering 

they soon came to find out he was reciting how to books about delivery

word-for-word

the buff, muscley, #1 hero who scared villains into a crime rate of 2% was wiggling his knees in fear every time you had a contraction

he was running around, calling his friends and family about how he was going to combust

asked you every five minutes if you were ready to push 

“izu, honey, i don’t think it works like that”

“true....but are you ready?”

it was funny

but it stopped being funny after 14 hours of labor, when the contractions got really bad

now you were just snapping at izuku to quiet down otherwise you’d united states smash his face in

him: 😧

the nurses: 👀

he knows you’re in pain but damn 

it’s a relief when you get the epidural 

after that, it was a relatively smooth birth 

it still hurt like hell, but your husband is holding your hand, giving you encouraging kisses

one final push and the baby is out

immediately, the little boy is screaming his head off making his presence known

you let your head fall back with a relieved sigh as your body works to get the placenta out

whiles you do tiny pushes, izuku is in a love-struck daze as he stares at your son

it’s like he has tunnel vision

suddenly, nothing in his life was ever more important than this tiny little human who couldn’t weigh more than his left hand

the nurses hand you your son and you laugh through your happy tears

“it looks like i’ve got two cry-babies to deal with now” you lovingly smile

izuku is on his knees, sobbing, kissing your forehead and rubbing his finger against his child’s cheek

he’s so thankful

he’s so very thankful, he doesn’t even know how to comprehend it

you’re the best hero in his eyes

“he’s so beautiful” he repeats, like a broken record

there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for you or his son

he silently makes an oath to do everything in his power to see his family smile with security every day

izuku feels like he finally knows what being #1 truly is

Bakugo Katsuki:

pregnancy wasn’t easy for you 

having twins wasn’t rare, but it made the process riskier

giving birth is still quite dangerous, like women are superheroes bruh

due to forseen complications, you were scheduled for a c-section 

unfortunately, you’re blood pressure sky-rocketed and you had to deliver your babies two weeks early

on the way to the hospital, your contractions were tearing you apart

during each shake and scream you gave, katsuki would hold your shoulder and let you dig your nails into his arms

he took it without complaint

it was like you were a different person when a contraction hit

you never complained about the pain, but he could tell you wanted it to end with how your head would fall like dead weight

never admits to the few tears that slipped past his cheeks

he never wanted to see you like this again 

when you make it to the hospital, they wheel you into the surgery room and he follows after

is relieved to see that you can no longer feel the contractions

in fact, even with all the IVs in you, you seem a lot better--more alert

he makes his way over to you 

“sorry for the car ride. i think i drooled. i probably looked gross. still do” you joke

he speaks in the softest voice you’ve ever heard, kiss your dry lips

“no baby, you look beauitful” 

and he means it

you do. you’re the most beautiful woman he knows

you feel a lot of pressure as they take the babies out, but once they do, the sounds of your children make you tear up

bakugo is frozen as he watches his babies, one boy one girl, get cleaned up

there’s a softness in the air as the nurses lay the boy on your chest and the girl in katsuki’s arms

your heart explodes with so much love that the heart monitor does a little jump that makes everyone laugh

but katsuki makes a pained expression before lowering himself so that his forehead rests beside your ear

he can’t tell what he’s feeling bc he’s felt love before but this was different

this was so overwhelming that it sent his knees buckling

you use your free hand to smooth down his hair as he cries 

“thank you” is all he’s able to say until the tears are gone

Todoroki Shouto:

when shouto looks back on one of the happiest days of his life, all he feels is shame and embarrassment 

he was just doing everything wrong that day

no thoughts, head empty

of course you had to go into labor the day he decided to take a tiny job 30 fucking minutes away from the hospital 

he made it to you in 20, he broke several laws to do it

when he gets to the hosptial, he can barely talk 

the nurses had to call you to make sure this crazy man was actually the father of your child

misses the baby floor twice

walks into the wrong room three times bc he forgot how to read

when he finally makes it to your room, he’s fed up with himself 

“what took you so long? the front desk called me, like, ten minutes ago”

“i don’t wanna talk about it”

“are you having an attitude with me right now? when i’m about to deliver your child?”

shouto: ☹️

shutting up was the smartest thing he did that day

when the 15th hour of labor hit and you were gripping your husband, screaming and rocking on your knees for any type of relief, todoroki was nearly begging you to take the drugs 

“sweetheart, please consider the epidural”

“no, shouto. i’m doing this without one”

“why do you want to suffer when technology and modern medicine--”

“todoroki shouto, you give me one more lesson about modern medicine and i’ll rip your quirk right out of you”

“i dont think that’s--”

the nurse finally chimes in: “sir, i mean this in the nicest way possible. shut up”

after 24 grueling hours, you’re pushing

it’s taking everything within shouto not to pass out from the blood, the screaming, and how tight you’re squeezing his hand 

the baby is out and crying her little head off

you’re happy it’s all over and shouto should be too

but he’s going over the past 48hrs and letting it confirm how he’s just not set up to be a father 

he’s almost grateful that you would hold her first bc he doesnt want to screw up more than he already has, but you have a different idea

understanding the emotions and self-doubt reflected on his face, you say 

“shouto, i want you to hold her first”

he’s shocked and starts his stuttering, but the nurse is already on it

“you heard mama, open your arms big guy”

once the nurse helps him find a good hold, todoroki doesnt even notice the tears falling down his cheeks

“look at you,” you sniff. “you’re a natural”

his eyes are wide with child-like wonder and he manages to give you a trembling smile 

“you think so?” you nod and he’s smiling so big, you wanna take a picture. “she’s so beautiful, just like her mother”

he leans down to kiss you 

wonders what he did in his past life to deserve the love he was given the chance to feel today

[crypty]

Rät

I come from scientists and atheists and white men who kill God They make technology high quality complex physiological Experiments and sacrilege in the name of public good They taught me everything Just like a daddy should

Almost everything Tommy knew, he learnt from Wilbur. How to make speeches, how to strategize, how to fight. They rebelled against Dream to make potions. They rebelled so everyone could benefit. They rebelled against tyranny. He would do anything for his brother. Tommy went to war with Wilbur but only found out what he lost afterwords. Sacrifices for everyone, put the burden on the children who fought for the land. The foundation of L’Manberg was blood, after all. 

And you were beautiful and vulnerable And power and success God damn I fell for you your flamethrowers Your tunnels and your tech I studied code because I wanted To do something great like you And the real tragedy is half of it was true

Wilbur was powerful and successful. He was general of an army, fighting against a nation much larger than his own. Tommy watched everything the brown haired man did. He wanted to be just like Wilbur. He wanted to be as charismatic and influential as his brother. He wanted to be great, to do great things. He ended up sticking with his brother to the end. He did end up doing great things, both of them. Both brothers ended up seeing their hard work blow up in front of them. Only one had a choice. 

But we've been fucking mean We're elitist We're as flawed as any Church And this faux rad west coast dogma Has a higher fucking net worth I bit the apple 'cuz I trusted you But it tastes like Thomas Malthus Your proposal is immodest and insane And I hope someday Selmers rides her fucking train

They ran for president. Tommy would have been Wilbur’s vice. The ones who fought with Wilbur, the ones loyal to him, would have been high ranking in their new government. Tommy trusted Wilbur. When they were exiled, Tommy stuck with his brother. The new government was flawed. Schlatt was a horrible president. He was drunk and abusive but he won the game of politics. Tommy hated him. He and Wilbur formed Pogtopia. He would have followed Wilbur to hell. Eventually, he did. 

I loved you I loved you I loved you it's true I wanted to be you And do what you do I lived here I loved here I thought it was true I feel so stupid I feel so used I feel so used

He loved his brother. Tommy felt broken when he died. As he saw the crater where his nation once stood, as he fought for what little remained, he loved his brother. He wondered if, at the time of his death, there was enough of Wilbur to love Tommy back. He fought for L’Manberg. He fought for his friends. He wondered what Wilbur fought for. He wondered how much was lies. He wondered how much his general used his blind loyalty. He still loved his brother. That’s what hurt the most. 

I was your baby Your first born The hot girl in your comp sci class And I was Darwin's prep school dream Bred born and raised to kick your ass I fell for circuit boards Rocket ships Pictures of the stars If you could only be what you pretend you are

Sapnap and George were left alone. The Dream Team. The ideal friendship. They were everything. They were strong and powerful. Two were genuine. Their leader wasn’t. The Dream Team fell apart. They should have seen the warning signs. They should have noticed Dream faking everything. They should have noticed the power hungriness. They watched the stars and fell into his trap. They should have noticed Dream’s manipulation. They were everything and then they were nothing. 

When I said take me to the moon I never meant take me alone I thought if mankind toured the sky It meant all of us could go But I don't want to see the stars if they're just One more piece of land for you to colonize For us to turn to sand

Dream ruled the SMP. He wasn’t a king or a dictator but he was the leader. He was a good leader for so long. Not all agreed. When Wilbur declared independence, George and Sapnap were the first to take Dream’s side. All three were ambitious and believed they could win. When the first battle came, George realized he was fighting and hurting his friends. Sapnap realized he was fighting children who didn’t truly know what war meant. Neither wanted the war to continue. Dream didn’t either. The war ended quickly. There were smaller battles, smaller wars. Nothing that involved a whole nation. No one in the Dream Team wanted that. As they kept upgrading, they watched L’Manberg have fun. They watched them lose and sometimes win. L’Manberg lost so much. Perhaps that was why it crumbled to dust when Schlatt came. 

Because we're so fucking mean We're so elitist We're as fucked as any church And this bullshit west coast dogma Has a higher fucking net worth I bit the apple 'cuz I loved you And why would you lie And then I realized You're just as naive as I am You're so traumatized it makes me wanna cry

Dream, George, and Sapnap. Some of the strongest fighters in the land. The best armor, the best weapons. They could buy, or steal, anything they wanted. The three of them trusted each other, relied on each other. Why would any of them betray the other two? Dream left them. He wanted more power. He landed himself in the prison and changed. He seemed smaller, sadder. Sapnap visited his old friend. He seemed traumatized. After the visit, Sapnap went to George’s houses. They talked. Sapnap returned to his own house and broke. 

You dumb bitch I loved you I loved you I loved you it's true I wanted to be you And do what you do I lived here I loved here I bought it it's true I'm so embarrassed I feel abused

He yelled at Dream in the prison. It reminded him of earlier arguments. Fights with clenched fists and subtle begs for Dream to go back to normal. Fights that broke their already crumbling friendship. Sapnap once wanted to be his friend. Confident and powerful. The land of the Dream SMP where Sapnap built his home. He should have seen the warning signs. His friend hurt him and now he didn’t know what to do. 

Well I don't wanna eat the rich I'd have to eat my hero's first And my tuition's paid by blood I might deserve your fate or worse But I don't need your goddamn money I don't need jack shit from you So when I speak you bet your life my words are true

Quackity was Schlatt’s right hand man. They were friends, perhaps more. He joint his votes with Schlatt’s during the election. When George bailed on him, Schlatt was Quackity’s hero. He went through so much to stay with Schlatt. He went through abuse, verbal, mental, and physical, to be with the president. He oversaw the Festival to keep power. He saw a young boy get torn apart by rockets to keep his position. He snapped by the end. He didn’t need Schlatt. He learn from the former president. He changed. 

Let me level with you man As someone guilty of the game I took the help I took the cash I would've taken your last name So if any girl on earth Should get to make a call about this It would be me and as I see it You're a dick

He tried to talk Schlatt out of it. By the end of his presidency, he was more drunk and crude then ever before. Quackity saw a man who had helped him and Quackity wanted him to be better. Schlatt wouldn’t change. Schlatt stiill saw himself as above others. Quackity rose up in the past few months. He took Schlatt’s help and influence. He took anything he was offered. Perhaps that’s why he wanted to help Schlatt. He saw Schlatt at his glory and his fall. He saw the best and worse and everything in between. Schlatt was beyond saving. 

So fuck your tunnels fuck your cars Fuck your rockets fuck your cars again You promised you'd be Tesla But you're just another Edison Because Tesla broke a patent All you ever broke were hearts I can't believe you tore humanity apart With the very same machines That could've been our brand new start

Fuck everything that Schlatt had. His power, his office, his mercenaries, his land. He tried his best to break the people who resisted him. He destroyed what the country stood for. He showed everyone his true colors at the Festival. He forced Technoblade into killing Tubbo with rockets. The same fireworks that could have signaled a new land. The same boy who represented the future. Schlatt destroyed L’Manberg, even if Wilbur was the one who blew it up. 

And the worst part is I loved you I loved you I loved you it's true And sometimes I feel like I still fucking do I lived here I loved here I thought it was true I'm so embarrassed I feel abused

The part that made shame rise in Quackity’s throat was that he did care about Schlatt. Maybe he still did. He lived in Manberg, he loved its president and yet he saw it turn to rubble. He was ashamed to have been the one who worked closest with Schlatt. Some people forgave him, some didn’t. Tubbo forgave him. He worked with Tubbo, after Schlatt’s death. He amassed enough power to still be part of the government. He wondered if it was worth it.

I feel so used I feel so used Take me to the moon Because I feel so used I feel so used

~~~

Inspired by Rät by Penelope Scott

Masterlist

https://thelullabyer12.tumblr.com/post/639129395216433152/masterlist-of-2021

[mostlysignssomeportents]

RÄT

When I learned I was going to be a dad, I asked dads I respected for advice. Mostly, I asked cyberpunks (obviously). @brucesterling​ reminded me that no matter how bohemian and outre I was, I would be the epitome of contemptible bougie normalcy in my kid's eyes by the age of 15.

But then I asked Rudy Rucker, and he said, "My kids kept me cool" and Rudy was like, the coolest adult I knew, so I was in (plus his kids are super cool - Isabel made my cipher-wheel/wedding ring and Rudy Jr runs San Francisco's amazing Monkeybrains ISP).

Both predictions have come true. My kid is 12 and ahead of schedule on the "contemptible bougie normalcy" project, but she's also keeping me cool. This weekend, she played Penelope Scott's viral Tiktok hit RÄT for me. Holy shit is it amazing.

https://www.tiktok.com/@worsethanithot/video/6881853360467758342

It's a bouncy, upbeat chiptunes track about the disillusionment of Big Tech billionaires who turn out to be sociopath self-dealers whose techno uptopianism is a mask for extraction, exploitation, selfishness and eugenics.

The lyrics are structured as a breakup letter with Elon Musk, but Scott's said that he's a stand-in for every personality-cult tech grifter.

Those lyrics! A perfect bathetic mix of silliness, braininess, scathing wit, self-examination and hope.

https://genius.com/Penelope-scott-rat-lyrics

It's a balance between damning tech's leaders and holding out hope for a better future:

> God damn, I fell for you, your flamethrowers, your tunnels, & your tech

> I studied code because I wanted to do something great like you

> And the real tragedy is half of it was true

She's merciless on the venality behind the rhetoric:

> When I said take me to the moon, I never meant take me alone

> I thought if mankind toured the sky, it meant that all of us could go

> But I don't want to see the stars if they're just one more piece of land

> For us to colonize, for us to turn to sand

By the time she hits the third chorus, I was on my feet cheering:

> So fuck your tunnels, fuck your cars, fuck your rockets, fuck your cars again

>  You promised you'd be Tesla, but you're just another Edison

> 'Cause Tesla broke a patent, all you ever broke were hearts

> I can't believe you tore humanity apart

> With the very same machines that could have been our brand new start

I mean.

Wow.

You can buy Scott's whole album Public Void on Bandcamp for $6, or just this track for $1.

https://penelopescott.bandcamp.com/track/r-t-2

(I paid $10)

Meanwhile, if you're looking for something less acerbic but no less brilliant on who gets to go to space in our imaginations and our future, try Ada Palmer's "Somebody Will." It pairs beautifully with RÄT.

http://www.sassafrassmusic.com/songs/sci-fi-fantasy-fandom/somebody-will/

[0zzysaurus]

Tuggoffelees, demestrap, mungoteazer please?? 🥺

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO I’m gonna do all of them and I’m gonna send them to the fucking FUNFAIR.

TUGGOFFELEES

So, obviously there’s always lots going on in the city, but occasionally a wonderfully fun Summertime Funfair roles in, and the cats just can’t resist joining in on the human festivities. 

Misto would be quite unsure of it at first. Lots of loud noises, strange smells, bright lights. He found Piccadilly Circus stressful enough as it is, going to a place designed to stimulate every sense all at once? It sounded far too overwhelming. But of course, Tugger would insist.

To begin with, it would be too much, and Misto would just sit on the grass field by the quieter stalls for a while. Tugger would scamper off into the thumping bass and laughing crowds - disappearing for a little bit, before returning with a freshly barbequed hotdog for the two of them to share. After eating, Misto’s confidence would increase, and they’d explore for a while.

Everytime it got too intense, Tugger would place his paws gently over Misto’s ears and let the smaller tom bury his head into Tugger’s mane - just long enough that he would recouperate and go back to enjoying himself again. He really did want to enjoy this. Misto couldn’t deny how exciting it all was, and Tugger didn’t seem to mind accomidating his breaks. Finding nice, quiet spots started to feel like game in and of itself. Tugger had particularly enjoyed the dark, damp hidey-holes by the Tunnel of Love - while Misto had quite liked lounging about, and letting off some body heat on the metal rafters under some of the out-of-order rides.

Once the night seemed to die down, and the larger groups of people headed home, they’d sneak up onto an empty ferris wheel seat, and lean against each other as it rocked up to the top of the wheel. 

When it stops at the highest point, Misto looks up to the clear night sky and is stunned to see the vastness of space. The light pollution back down at the ground was too severe to see it before.

“We’re so high up, Tugger. I could reach out and touch the stars if I wanted to.” He would smile, eyes opened wide in awe.

Tugger would simply wrap an arm around him and nuzzle his cheek. “Would you look at that, Misto - I just plucked a star right out of the sky. The prettiest, brightest star that the Everlasting Cat ever made.”

--

DEMESTRAP!!

Munkustrap wouldn’t have expected Demeter to want to go to the fair grounds - especially not so late at night - and what exactly was so fun about dodging the walls of people, and being blinded by strobing flashes, and being utterly deafened by blaring whistles and bells?

Okay, maybe Munkustrap was projecting a little. He didn’t find the idea of going to a fun fair particularly alluring, even less so when he had work to be done. But Demeter’s gentle eyes and polite smile convinced him immediately. She would spend the week before nervously considering if she should go - but she’d never outright ask if Munkus would take her. He supposed that living with Macavity for so long made her anxious to ask for anything, let alone permission to go some place nice.

When they’d get there, Munk would be immediately turned off by the noise and would want to go home, but Demeter’s eyes would utterly light up at the view. She’d become as giddy as a kitten - totally at a loss on what she should do first. She’d grab at Munk’s thick-furred forearms and tug him in all different directions. 

He wouldn’t be able to help but laugh as she looks around - unable to make up her mind. He would look up and point over to a huge looking fun house. Inside would be a hall mirrors, a trampoline room, kaleidoscope tunnels, and more.

Though - no matter what stunning magic the house would throw at him, Munkustrap’s gaze would always be on Demeter, on her bright face that arguably shone brighter than the entire funfair. Her laughs touched his soul above the terrible music, and her sweet scent easily reached him through the overwhelming smell of grease and smoke. He couldn’t take her eyes off her, and the disorientating, undefined shapes of the dark and light all around them seemed to only serve to highlight her even more.

They’d be exploring the mirror room. Munk’s paws would be brushing against each reflective surface that bore her face. She was all around him, and he wanted to embrace her. He would wander and call to her, until his paws would fall through the air where he’d thought there’d been a mirror and land him in the arms of his mate.

“Right here, Munkus.” She’d purr, nibbling at his ear and nuzzling herself into his chest fur.

“Found you.”

--

MUNGOTEAZER!!

Now, Jerrie and Teazer would have been waiting for this night. They’d been counting off the days for the funfair's return since the year before. They utterly adored it.

They’d be the first cats there. The warm afternoon sun would still be high in the sky while the employees and ride operators set things up. Teazer loved being there early. Exploring behind-the-scenes of it all was much easier when the crowds weren’t getting in their way. There was also something... totally heartstopping about sitting on the grassy knoll and being held close to Jerrie’s chest just as the power is turned on, and the lights illuminate the dim grounds. 

Jerrie would be rocketting around like a loose cannon - totally unable to focus on one thing and causing mayhem wherever he could. Teazer’s kleptomaniacal habits would not be shaken, and she’d be thieving everything she could from little kid’s ice creams to toys from stalls. One thing would quickly be abandoned for another until the two of them find each other in the center of the grounds again - after dazing around like a pair of tornadoes.

While the other cats might steer clear from actually... you know, going on the rides, Jerrie and Teazer wouldn’t even think twice. Their favourite ride? The Waltzers - because if they ran fast enough, not even the ride operator would be able to catch them on the rotating, undulating platform. The pulsing music would fill them with so much adrenaline, and the spinning and turning and spinning and turning made them feel sick.

But the best kind of sick - that dizzy, giddy type of sick. Would Jerrie puke a little? Probably. Would he get right back on it again immediately afterwards? Absolutely. 

A favourite drum and bass song would come on, and they’d go crazy, leaping around and crashing into each other. 

“Watch it!” Teazer would laugh in her squealing voice.

“You watch it!” Jerrie would snort back, barely audible over the music.

Jerrie would playfully bite her arm and she’d do the same to his leg, and they’d tussle and play while the ride continued to turn, sending them into a laughing delirium. By this point, the ride operator would catch up to them, and smack them off the ride with a broom and a caterwaul.

Once they were well and truly exhausted, and unable to walk in a straight line, they’d stumble over to a nice, clear spot in the car park and lazily groom each other’s jagged fur, purring and laughing and catching their breath from all their excertions - already thinking about going again next year.

[smol-and-grumpy]

Something Just Like This - CH18

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: Dean Winchester, mobster boss. He’s a little cocky, a lot ruthless and more often than not, short tempered. But he’s also, Dean Winchester, a war veteran and hero who suffers under a shit ton of PTS. He met her in a bar and thinks it’s fate that brought her to him. Little does he know why she’s really here.

Warning: NSFW

WC: 3568

SERIES MASTERLIST

Dean drives them to the bunker and she thinks that he deliberately drives in circles, most likely it’s because he tries to make sure that they weren’t followed. She kind of hates it because she has now completely lost her sense of orientation. 

They then drive into a tunnel until they come to a garage door that opens automatically.

He sighs before he parks his car at the only empty spot. There were a lot of cars. She wonders if they’re all his. His expression is cold, somehow he is unreadable, as if something is bothering him.

“Is something wrong?” She asks. Couldn’t not ask. 

“There are too many cars. They’re having a freaking party and I’m not really happy about it.” He answers grumpily. “Come on.” 

“But, should I be going in? I mean, I’m not.. You know...” She gestures with her hands. She knows that he must know what she means. 

“It’s okay, you’re with me.” He says, his voice is audibly softer.

They get out and he takes her hand as they walk along the cars to a door at the end of the garage. Dean stops shortly before opening it, turns to her and places the hand that’s not holding hers on the back of her neck, lowering himself a little to be able to look her in the eye. 

“Listen, I want you to know something, alright?”

She nods as she looks him in the eye. 

Dean Winchester’s eyes are the greenest of green.

“Just know, when I step through that door, and see my people, that the man you see is not really me, alright?”

“Okay?”

“All I’m saying is that you might see a part of me that you don’t like but it’s not really me. It’s just how I have to be, how they need me to be, you understand?”

“I guess.” 

“Good. Because apart from Sam, you’re the only one who knows how I really am.” He says, and then he grins. “Let me steal a kiss before we go in.” 

*

They walk into chattering, it’s like they really have a party. People mingling, talking, laughing, drinking. However, the voices died down as soon as they heard Dean and her approach. 

“What the fuck is going on here?” Dean says and he’s angry, she can feel it. He lets go of her hand as he makes his way down the stairs but waits for her at the bottom. 

“Dean,” Sam says, “Cas mixed up some names for the schedule and suddenly people start to stay when they should be gone and because they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, they were sitting together and before I knew it, it morphed into this.” 

“Great. What is this? A fucking intervention?” 

“Hey, it’s nobody’s fault.” Sam says, and it’s like he just notices her now, nods at her before returning his focus on Dean. 

Y/N scans the faces around her, doesn’t know all the people, only saw a handful of them maybe, but there must be at least a dozen of them in a room that looks like it could be a library. 

“I want everyone who doesn’t have a business being here gone.” Dean growls. 

“But,” Inias throws in but doesn't say anything else because Dean’s sending him death glares. 

“EVERYONE. OUT. NOW!” He shouts, the sound of his voice makes her flinch. She’s never seen him so angry before.

Slowly, people start to move. It’s like they know how Dean can be. Some of them didn’t even bat an eye, just leave without a word.

“Why is she here?”

The voice is familiar and she looks at the source to see Amara.

“She’s with me.” Dean says calmly. 

Amara snorts out a laugh. “Nice skirt. Where did you get it? Thrift shop? Goodwill?” She looks back to Dean and Y/N’s sure that Amara couldn’t have missed the stains on Dean’s dress pants because Amara purses her lips into a straight line.

“Move along Amara, and don’t forget your shovel.” Dean jumps in. 

He actually didn’t have to, it’s not like she can’t defend herself, somehow she’s still glad that he did. 

“My what?” Amara asks, looking back, one foot already on the stairs.

“The shovel you use when you dig for fucking gold.” 

Sam and Cas lower their faces, laugh to themselves and she looks over to see Amara’s red face. “You are a fucking moron, Dean Winchester. And that hurt.” 

“Well, do you think your words didn’t hurt when you say shit like that to my girl? Think before you speak! It’s not fucking rocket science!” 

“Your what?” 

Y/N thinks she sees Amara’s throat turn red too.

Dean looks at Amara. He’s annoyed, she can see it on his face. “Oh, you heard me fine, Amara. Don’t act like you didn’t.” 

“What’s so special about her, huh?”

“Do you want a list?” He asks, “I could mail it to you by tonight. Hope you’re up for a good read.”

Amara turns to Y/N then, and Y/N knows she could talk back but she doesn’t feel that it’s her place. “He’s nice isn’t he?” Amara whispers, “Tells you things you want to hear. Sweet things, right? Too bad he doesn’t mean it, though.”

“Amara,” Dean growls and it’s a warning. 

“Fine, I’ll leave.” 

Dean then turns to Cas. “Who’s with her?” 

She knows who her is, even if Dean doesn’t say the name.

“Jess.” Sam says, “We’ll be out in a minute.”

“It’s okay, you can stay.” 

“What are you guys doing here?” Sam asks.

“We’re gonna use the gym. You up for a round?” Dean raises his eyebrow. 

“Nah, thanks, don’t wanna beat your old ass again.” 

Dean rolls his eyes, and she can’t help but let out a laugh at that.

*

Dean walks her along a corridor and there’s something nagging at her. Something Amara said. 

“So, Amara, huh?” She starts, doesn’t really know why she feels like talking about that bitch.

He stops and sighs, leans his back against the wall. “Knew you’d be thinking about that.”

“Well, I mean, it’s obvious she has a huge crush on you. Did you fuck her too?”

“Does it matter? I don’t know about all the men before me either.”

She gestures with her hands, before holding up three fingers to emphasize it, “There were three okay? Three before you came along! And one of them is a freaking stalker!”

He takes a step towards her, pushes his fingers underneath her chin, making her look up at him. “I didn’t say that I wanna know it, sweetheart, because I would want to kill each and everyone of them for finding you before I did, and I usually do not kill innocent people. We can talk about that stalker though. I can make it look like an accident.” There’s a playful tone in his voice.

She doesn’t smile.

Dean exhales, “Yes, okay, I had sex with Amara. But in my defense, it was at homecoming while still in high school and I was under the influence. Weed and booze. I don’t even really remember it but she’s been coming on to me since.”

“So you just tend to stick your dick in women you and your family work with.”

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Dean rubs over his face. “How did I not make myself clear enough when I said that I only want you?”

“I get it. It’s just too easy to wind you up.” She grins and he’s on her before she can blink, kissing her hard and fast.

He breaks the kiss to come up for air, leaves his forehead on hers. “One of these days, you’re going to give me a heart attack. I hope you’ll be happy about it.”

Dean takes her hand, walks her down the hall until they reach the gym. It’s sparse, mats on the floor, some cardio machines, weights and punching bags. 

He closes the door behind him and walks to the adjacent room. “I’ll change and you can just... lose your skirt?” He says it with an amused look, as if it’s really funny. She rolls her eyes at that but he didn’t see it, is already in the room and she can hear him opening a bag.

He walks out as she’s stretching, warming up because it’s what she always does before she’s doing any kind of sports. Her dad always thought it’s important to warm up and she kind of sticks to her routine. 

“God dammit, Y/N!” Dean growls as he sees her.

She’s bent down, her ass on full display because she chose a thong from the stack of panties to wear after Dean slipped out of the changing room in the store.

“What’s wrong?” She asks, stretching her arm behind her body. 

“You know what’s wrong,” He says, walking closer and spanks her ass with his right hand, leaves it there and kneads her ass roughly. She hates to admit that she loves it. Loves to be spanked, it’s a whole new side of her that she’s discovering. “I bought you so many panties and you choose to wear a thong? It might as well not be there!”

“What’s wrong with that?” She grins and knows it’s cocky. 

He lets out a frustrated groan, “One day, you’re going to kill me or make me kill someone for you and you’ll be on the stand and all you will say is ‘what’s wrong with that?’ with that look in your eyes and you know what’s really disturbing about it? Everyone will think that nothing’s wrong with it. All of the jury will think that you’re right because there’s not one single thing wrong with it.”

“That’s a nice story. So you gonna keep on talking or will you let me kick your ass?”

Dean’s eyes widens. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Ready to get laid, Winchester?” She asks, turning herself around and he places his hands on her waist, pulls her closer so that she can feel his half hard cock.

“Ready whenever you are, sweetheart.”

Her movements are fast, she’s good but Dean’s stronger. He goes easy on her though.

It isn't long until he has her pinned onto her back.

“You lost.” He says, bends down to give her a kiss and that’s a rookie mistake because she’s incredibly strong for such a small girl. 

Before he knows it, she has her legs around his waist and turns them around so she’s on top. Her knees pressing his arms to the mat on either side and she’s sitting on top of his chest. 

“No, you lost.” She says triumphantly her face beams and who is Dean if he doesn’t give her that win. 

Her cheeks are flushed, it’s really red, her hair’s standing out in all different directions. It really shouldn’t turn him on as much as it does.

“Okay, okay, you won. Happy?” 

“Yes,”

Dean looks up at her, sees her smiling down at him, he’s still turned on very much, even more so when she grins so fucking cockily. And then he has an idea. “So since I lost, I think I have to go down on you.” 

“You what?”

Dean wiggles his eyebrows. “Come on, sit on my face.”

“I’m not gonna smother you. You’ll die!” She laughs, as if she really thinks he’s joking.

“Then it’s a great death! Come on now, hop on!” He signals with his hands for her to straddle him.

“Dean, I don—”

“—Would you please for once do what I say?”

“Okay but if you should not get enough air and die, I’ll get the Impala.”

“I give you my apartment and Cuddles on top of it.”

“Fine!” She says, moves up his chest and hovers above his mouth. 

“Sit down.” He says, but she’s still not sure about that. “I’ll tap out.” He adds, to reassure her.

She sits down softly and he immediately starts to mouth at her clit through her panties. And he was right before, they might as well not be there because it’s so thin and he can even taste her through it.

His fingers hook around the waistband, and he didn’t even use too much force but the fabric falls apart. So much money wasted. He thought that they would at least last a day.

“Dean! They’re new!”

“I’m not sorry,” He mumbles into her crotch and then pushes the fabric out of the way to lap at her delicious pussy, swirls his tongue around her clit, sucking it in and nibbles at it. Knows that it drives her fucking crazy. 

“Fuck,” She breathes out, leans back a little, braces her hands on his chest and starts to ride his face like a dirty cowgirl. “That feels so good.”

Dean hums his approval, making her moan some more. Tries not to laugh because even though she was reserved at first, she starts to love it now.

He sticks his tongue out, lets her grind on him, her hand in his hair, pushing his face against her pussy. He never pegged her down to be so demanding when she’s on top, certainly not when she’s riding his face but yet here they are and fuck, he’s loving every second of it. 

She’s grinding hard, uses him for her own pleasure and there’s a time when he really has trouble breathing but he didn’t do anything, didn’t make her stop. Would have been a great way to pass out.

It doesn’t take long for her to come on his face, she can let herself fall and reach orgasm so easily. He likes that, a lot, it’s a huge turn on. That way he could really really test out how many it takes for her to reach her limit.

“Oh my god, I drenched you!” She says as she climbs off him, her hands rub at his face, trying to get the slick off and cleans the hand on her leg. 

“Come on, let’s take a shower to get it off properly. And who knows I might get you off again.” He stands up, pulls her along with him.

“Dean! You already gave me two orgasms in the span of two hours. I don’t think I have any more left in me.” 

“Is that a challenge?” He laughs, picks her up and throws her over his shoulder as he makes his way out towards the showers. His hand on her thighs and her bare ass, spanking her some more, for good measure.

“I’m not wearing underwear!” She punches at his back.

“Relax! Nobody will see you here. They’re all on the other side of the bunker.”

*

Dean turns on the shower head. It’s a big open space with a couple of showers lined next to one another but he figures they’ll only need one. 

He peels himself out of his shirt, shorts and underwear, stands there naked, his dick hard from letting her ride his face. What does it really say about him that he enjoys himself this much while his only intention was to get her off?

Getting under the spray, he lets the water wash away the slick from his face, and then he looks at her, she’s still hesitating. 

“You coming?” He asks, raises an eyebrow and then adds, “No pun intended.” Snorts out a laugh because that was really funny. “Well, maybe a little pun. We’ll see.” 

She rolls her eyes and he thinks it’s cute how much he can annoy her but she still isn’t really weirded out by it. 

“You sure nobody is going to come in here?” She asks, her hands are crossed over her body. 

“Well, someone will come in here if you know what I mean.” He’s laughing at his own lame joke but then he gets serious. “No, sweetheart. No one will even walk past this room.” He thinks about the last time someone came to shower in here. Only remembers that it’s him and occasionally Sam. 

“Okay,” She says, and Dean thinks it’s more like she’s saying it to herself than to him. 

Y/N takes off her top and her bra, steps into the shower spray with him and he hugs her to his chest, his hands on her ass. Yeah, he can’t not touch that sweet ass. 

He bends down, picks her up, makes her hook her feet behind his back and her arms fly around his neck as he whispers, “Besides, we found out that it turns you on when someone could be walking in on us, didn’t we?” 

She buries her face in the crook of his neck, even with the warm water, they are warmer against his skin. He thinks it’s so cute when she’s embarrassed. 

And Dean feels like he can’t not. Can’t not press her against the shower wall, can’t not kiss her and sneaking his hand between them, can’t not push two fingers inside. He feels her tensing at the intrusion, but soon she begins to relax.

“You still sore?” 

“Nuh-uh,” 

“Is it okay if I use another finger?” He kisses her cheek, the corner of her lips as she nods her approval.

He lines his third finger up at the entrance, goes in so slow it hurts himself more than the stretch will hurt her, mutters a fuck through his gritted teeth. Thinks he’s probably never going to get used to how tight and wet she is.

“So good, baby. Such a good girl,” He whispers as he sucks at her throat and he moves his fingers, in and out, getting faster with every move and he feels her heels digging into the flesh at his back. 

His thumbs press into the front, rubbing at her clit and the position they’re in is not really comfortable but he’s not going to change because she’s moaning so sweet and it damn near breaks his heart with how much he wants her.

Hooking his fingers up he moves faster, harder, hears the squelching sound of wetness that he’s sure isn’t coming from the running showerhead above them. His fingers are already drenched in slick. 

“Fuck, look at you,” He says, his voice low, a little strained from the excessive work of his fingers inside of her. 

There it is, the tight squeeze that almost pushes his fingers out of her and her legs cramp around his middle, nearly breaking him in half. He takes his fingers out quickly as her cum shoots out of her, lines his hard cock up and carves his way in. It’s tight, so fucking tight with her still coming but if it’s not worth it, he’d be lying. 

Y/N’s blunt nails dig into his back, and he thinks she might even leave marks, but he doesn’t care. How could he, when she’s coming so fucking prettily with his name on her lips. Wants to record it, set it as his ringtone for when she calls him but knows that she’ll give him hell for it. 

He pushes her up a little further against the wall, so that her cunt lines up perfectly for him to fuck up into. She has her eyes closed.

“How are you feeling?” He asks her, kisses the top of her head, one of his hands leaves her thigh to pinch at her nipple. 

Her eyes fly open and she gives him a smile, “Good,” 

“Too much?”

“No, you can go harder and deeper. Love it when you go deep.” 

Fucking hell, this girl. 

He’s close to creaming when she talks like this.

Dean follows through, goes in deeper, deeper than he dared last night. Watches her face while doing it for any signs of discomfort. There was a flinch, a swift crease of eyebrows. 

“You okay?” 

“Stop asking me if I’m okay and start fucking me, Dean.” 

His eyes widens and he kisses between her eyebrows, “Such. A. Fucking. Brat.” He says, emphasizing each word with a thrust of his hips, fucks so deep he feels like her cunt’s going to bite off the tip of his dick. 

“Fuck,” She breathes out, bites down on her bottom lip. 

“Can you come again, baby? Come for me?” He asks because he’s so fucking close already and he wants to feel her coming on his cock just one more time.

“I don’t know,” She says, but one of her hands leaves his neck and goes down to rub at her clit. 

“Yeah, just like that, touch yourself for me,” He says, kisses her as deep as he fucks her but not for long because he’s quite out of breath. “You’re fucking amazing.”

“Dean, I...shit,” 

“That’s okay, baby, I got you.” 

She lets herself go, he can feel her pulsing around his cock, loves the tight squeeze, becomes addicted to it in such a short span of time.

Dean follows her over the edge, comes so deep and hard inside her he thinks his soul left his body for a minute. 

He laughs, his forehead on her, still panting hard. They’re both out of breath. “Jesus Christ, Y/N, you’re fucking perfect. You know that?” 

She doesn’t say anything, buries her face in his throat. 

“Let’s get ourselves cleaned up before I get hard again and fuck you raw.” 

“Is that a threat?” She opens up her eyes to squint at him and yeah, this fucking girl will kill him one day.

CH19

[theolddarkmachine]

Imaginary - Chapter Seventeen

Midoriya Izuku’s life was turned upside by fate.

Eri’s life was turned upside down by circumstance.

And Bakugou Katsuki is about to learn that even imaginary friends need to grow up.

Chapter 17 of 19

Also on AO3

A/N: It’s another kinda shorter one but FAO;IJSELDFJ DOST MINE EYES SPOT THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL? After this, only one chapter and an epilogue left! also, fun fact, tsuru was my grandma’s maiden name!

***********************

The sun is bright and warm, heating Katsuki’s skin as he lets his feet carry him along the sidewalk. He’s distantly aware of the continuous chatter beside him as his latest assignment goes over the tactics of their most recent game of capture the flag with the other neighborhood kids at the park.

Tsuru Yuji, age 6.

Target of schoolyard bullies.

Colorful personality trapped behind a stoic, quiet demeanor.

In the beginning, Katsuki had thought that he’d be a bit of a tougher case, one that would keep his mind from tracking back to the house just two streets over with the girl with the happy smile, and the man with the all too bright eyes.

But things never went the way he wanted them to, apparently, since it had only taken a matter of days to break Yuji from his shell, and just a couple of weeks for the change to completely turn his school life around. Now Yuji had friends, and the inability to stop talking.

“Mr. Bakugou?” His name shattered his reverie, pulling his attention down to the kid at his side. The sunlight glinted off of Yuji’s too big glasses, blinding him momentarily.

“How many times do I have to tell you to drop the ‘mister,’ kid?” Katsuki gruffs without any heat as he returns his gaze back to the pavement stretched before them.

Yuji’s reply comes in the form of a high pitched giggle before he continues on about how next time, they should make the top of the slide their home base.

“Then, we could just slide down if we need to get away fast!” He exclaims, hands shooting upward as if the revelation is groundbreaking. And maybe it is.

Who was Katsuki to say for sure?

“You’re too damn smart, kid,” he replies with a halfhearted laugh of his own as he keeps his eyes trained forward.

The first time they’d taken this route back to Yuji’s house, he had told himself it was a mere accident. His feet had grown so used to this street that they’d automatically made their way here before he could even acknowledge the direction they had gone.

Not that it had mattered, as he had told himself, as he’d stolen a quick glance at the Midoriya household just days after he’d left it for the final time. While a bit out of the way, this path still technically did lead to Yuji’s house.

The second time they’d taken it, Katsuki had told himself a bit more walking was good for them both. Nothing wrong with a bit more exercise and all that.

Now, a month later, he had run out of excuses to tell himself.

It had broken just about every big rule in the imaginary friend handbook, but he couldn’t stop himself from trying to catch just one more glimpse of the pair that had worked their way so far under his skin.

When he had left the Midoriya household for the final time, he had left a bit of himself behind. The gaping open maw of his chest had been exposed and raw, leaving him filled with a painful ache unlike anything he had ever felt. Katuski had felt loss in the past, but this had been wholly different, and in those first few days, he had wondered if he might never be whole again.

It was a dramatic thought, of course. One he had to swallow down like a bitter pill as he’d taken on his next assignment.

The ache remained, it had just numbed enough for him to be able to finally breathe again.

But that didn’t stop him from walking by their home whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Just to be sure things were still okay.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

Gaze still ahead, and Yuji’s droning voice filling his ear, Katsuki feels his heart stutter at the sight of movement in the Midoriya’s yard.

The honey colored sunlight twists in Eri’s hair, making it shine bright as she cheers happily at something Izuku says. She looks absolutely elated as she crawls her way up into the car and waits for her dad to get her buckled in. When Izuku closes the door, and turns to walk around the back, Katsuki can see the wide smile that’s still stretched across his lips.

They look so happy, he thinks, and something about that knowledge fills his lungs with acid.

Katsuki watches as Izuku makes his way around the vehicle, his wide frame pausing at the driver’s side as he looked out toward the street.

For just one fleeting moment, Katsuki feels his breath stall in his chest as that familiar green stare passes over him. It’s gone almost as quickly as it has come, but it still leaves his heart racing as he watches Izuku climb into the car.

“Mr. Bakugou!” Yuji’s voice is indignant as he calls his attention back to him. Snapping his gaze away from the car as it backs out of the driveway, Katsuki hums.

“Yeah, yeah, kid,” he says, trying to ignore the strain that leaves him sounding breathless. “I’m listening.”

***

Katsuki was fucking angry.

And tired.

So goddamn tired.

Tired of the pitying looks his friends shot him when they thought he wasn’t looking. Tired of feeling like hole had been punched through his fucking chest. Tired of the emerald colored dreams that haunted him.

And especially tired of being summoned to the fucking Administrator’s office.

He’d woken that morning to the text that had the audacity to proclaim a meeting time for just an hour from then, and he already knew what it meant. Time to move on. Because it was always fucking time to move on.

Katuski would never be able to stay in one place for long, never allowed to be something permanent.

And that pissed him off.

His angry steps punctuated the otherwise quiet of the lobby, making the poor sap manning the front desk jump as they looked up from their coffee towards him.

“Mr. Bak—” they start to say, eyes going wide as he growls.

“Don’t call me that,” Katsuki hisses before he throws open the doors. The loud crack of the wood against the walls cut through the air in a dramatic way that would normally fill him with some sort of thrill. Now, it just settles somewhere in the vast expanse that sits at the center of his chest, lost to the empty feeling that’s slowly expanding.

“Lively as ever this morning, young Bakugou,” the Administrator says, not bothering to look up from the folder he’s holding open before him.

The sight of the unassuming tan of the file only serves to push the burning fury through him faster as he lets the doors fall shut behind him with another loud crash. It feels as if the air in the room is sucked out by the bone shaking sound as Katsuki fixes his fiery stare on Toshinori.

“Cut to the chase, old man,” he snarls, mouth twisting into a sneer that’s full of teeth and sharp rage.

A soft sigh brushes through the space as he watches the Administrator close the folder before gently pushing it toward the edge of the desk.

“Please take a seat,” Toshinori offers, keeping his attention forward.

“I’d rather just get this over with,” Katsuki bites out in return.

There’s another weighted pause before Toshinori sits back, his gaze finally finding Katsuki’s as it flashes with the steely silence of a command. For all the kindness and fun loving nature that encapsulated the Administrator, he had almost forgotten that he was the leader of the Imaginary Friends fo a reason.

Swallowing the sharp taste of his pride, Katsuki walks to the bean bag chair, falling into it with a muted thud.

“Talk,” Katsuki snaps, whittling the single word down to a barely there syllable as he keeps his gaze trained on Toshinori’s. His stubborn defiance is the only reason he catches the shift in the Administrator’s stare as it sweeps over him. Softening into something fond, and almost sad, it cools the inferno tearing through his veins, if only for just a moment.

“Have I ever told you about my predecessor?” He asks, solemn and far off, as if lost to the track of time.

“You brought me here for a fucking history lesson?” Katsuki growls, hands curling into tight fists where they sit on his knees. Toshinori’s eyebrow raises in silent admonishment. It forces a low string of grumbles from his mouth as he folds his arms across his chest and slips lower into the bean bag.

“His name was Banjo Daigoro, and he was a great Administrator,” he sighs at the memory. “But I was never his first choice for successor.”

A spark of interest lights the cavern of his insides as he cocks his head to the side.

“Originally, he had chosen one of my closest friends,” the Administrator continues before taking a steadying breath.

“Shimura Nana.”

The name rocks through Katsuki, sending a chill rocketing down his spine as his mind spins around the words that had encapsulate Shimura Nana’s terminated friendship.

“She was in training to take over the position, but was still going out into the field. Loved working with kids, you know?” He says, a small chuckle weaving between his words as his gaze goes distant at the memory.

“Banjo had assigned her a final case before she was going to be officially promoted. But then, she was seen.”

Shimura Nana reports child caretaker made verbal acknowledgement of her presence.

Katsuki remembered. She had only been with her charge for a week before it had happened.

And then—

Friendship terminated.

“Torino Sorahiko,” Toshinori rattles off, voice void of inflection as he recites what was written in the file word for word, as if it laid there before him.

“Lost both his parents. Was showing aggression towards his uncle, who had taken him in. He was a good kid, Nana was adamant about that. Then one day, his uncle saw her, and spoke to her.”

The blue of his eyes goes perfectly clear, settling into a cutting blue as his gaze returns to the present. Finding Katsuki once more, they whittle away at him until he’s flayed open, raw and exposed beneath the Administrator’s stare.

The feeling of being seen clings to him like a premonition. It’s equal parts awe and terror as it works its way through him.

Swallowing thickly, Katsuki speaks.

“What happened?”

But he knows. Has known for far too long.

Friendship terminated.

“We aren’t exactly supposed to be seen by anyone other than our charge, especially not by their parents or caretakers, as you know,” Toshinori says, pausing long enough to arch a brow at him before continuing.

“And Nana knew that too. Probably better than most, given the position she was going to take.”

He pauses again as his lips quirk sharply upward with bygone amusement and his voice falls into a hush, carried by the weight of his memory’s past.

“Funny thing is, that didn’t change anything. Even knowing hadn’t been enough.”

Katsuki’s breath catches deep in his throat and threatening to choke him as Toshinori speaks.

“Officially, they terminated the friendship. If you found Torino’s file right now, it would say as much. But Nana had returned after that, and they could still see her.”

Silence settles between them as Katsuki notices the way Toshinori’s eyes shine wetly.

“So, she made a choice,” he finally concludes with a shrug, as if what he had just said was nothing. As if he had just been talking about the weather. Katsuki might have even found it funny, how mundane he had made it, if it wasn’t for the fact that every single one of the Administrator’s words had been shrapnel that had torn him apart.

“What did she choose?” He hears himself ask, voice twisted into something even he doesn’t recognize. It hurts, the way it scrapes itself through his throat, and he could swear he tastes blood at the back of his tongue.

And yet for all the ways Katsuki ached, Toshinori just looks him over before fixing him with an all knowing smile.

Slowly, he reaches across the desk and pushes the folder closer towards him.

“It’s time to move on, young Bakugou,” he says by way of answer. The statement rings with a finality, one that doesn’t allow for argument or further discussion.

Sighing loudly, Katsuki grabs the folder, defeat hanging heavy across his shoulders in a way that makes him think he might find himself crushed into the ground with it.

Maybe that would be better, anyway, he thinks as he flips it open. With his eyes fixed down at the file, Katsuki feels his heart rate spike as it ratchets inside the cage of his chest.

“What is this?” He asks, not looking up. His pulse is deafening as it beats its soaring rhythm in his ears as his eyes trace back and forth across the folder, as if he’s missing something.

Except he knows he isn’t.

What could he possibly miss when the file itself is empty?

Katsuki’s tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth as he finally shifts his attention upward. His confusion is met with another smile.

“Even imaginary friends need to grow up,” the Administrator says. The words circle around him, overlaid with the memory from months ago, when he’d been in this same spot, only the folder before him then had held information about a little girl and her dad.

Then, he hadn’t known his life was about to change.

Now, he feels the sudden click of a realization deep in his chest as his gaze falls back down on the empty folder in his lap.

A rush works through him, filling the chasm at the center of his chest as his lips slowly turn up into a smile.

************************

[solarcitymelodies]

Hi sorry for posting so much tonight lmao I have many thought head full

So basically this song ,,, Devon? Once he figures out that what Wilton did with Karr? And all the Horrible stuff that went in behind the scenes (BEHIND HIS BACK, BASICALLY) at FLAG?? 👀

BIIIIG WARNING FOR SWEARING THOUGH

Also "fuck your tunnels, fuck your cars, fuck your rockets, fuck your cars again" SHDHJJG I KNOW IT'S JUST A COINCIDENCE BUT THE FACT THAT CARS ARE MENTIONED TWICE FOR BOTH KITT AND KARR AHAHA

and I don't mean to say this as Devon saying fuck Kitt and Karr I mean he's saying "why would you even do this in the first place if all you planned to do with them was traumatize them"

Because he doesn't really ? know? That Kitt and Karr are sentient? Not to the extent the rest of the gang does I don't think like he doesn't know the intricacies of it because he doesn't work closely with them and I think once it's explained to him he'd just be BROKEN because Wilton LIED TO HIM??? Told him that FLAG was all good and pure and never did a thing wrong when their history is so beyond messed up and just

Hhhrrgr Devon Gets Angry Arc ..... We deserved it....

[lotidge]

This is really random but everytime I hear rät by Penelope Scott all I can think of is a lotige break up song

Did, did you want a mini song fic? Because I may have written a song fic. Not some words will have been changed to fit the narrative better

Pidge stared at Lotor enraged. Even Lotor didn’t feel satisfied with everything he had done. Did he destroy his father and Voltron? Yes. Save and unite the Galra Empire? Of Course. But was it all worth the Hatred he was being given by the girl who was supposed to be his soon to be wife, his Empress, his love?

“Kathrine I-”

“I come from scientists and atheists and white men who kill God” SHe interupted him her voice shaking. “They make technology high-quality complex physiological. Experiments and sacrilege in the name of the public good.” Her fist clenched. “They taught me everything, just like a daddy should.”

At the mention of her father, Lotor shut his mouth. He knew he made mistakes, his biggest one causing her to lose her father, whom she was close to and had searched so long for only to lose him.

“And you were beautiful and vulnerable, and power and success.” Her voice was shakier. Tears pouring down her cheeks. But the sorrowful tone soon turned to rage. “Goddamn, I fell for you, your flamethrowers, your tunnels, and your tech! I studied code because I wanted to do something great like you and the real tragedy is half of it was true!”

“But we've been fucking mean, we're elitist, we're as flawed as any church and this faux rad' west coast dogma has a higher fucking net worth...” Lotor admitted.

“I bit the apple 'cause I trusted you, it tastes like Thomas Malthus, your proposal is immodest and insane and I hope someday Selmers rides her fucking train!” Pidge screamed. but her voice soon wavered into little above a whisper. “I loved you...” She looked down not meeting his eye before repeating, “I loved you...” Her hands finally met her fae as she crumbled onto the ground. “I loved you, it's true... I wanted to be you and do what you do...” Lotor wanted to reach out for her but knew it was all for naught because her words were full of nothing by truth. “I lived here, I loved here, I thought it was true. I feel so stupid and so used.”

“I never-”

“I feel so used!” She repeated, driving nails into his heart. “I was yours, your first love, the hot girl in your comp sci' class and I was Darwin's prep school dream, bred, born, and raised to kick your ass!” Her voice became enraged again hands falling and gripping onto the material of her paladin armor. “I fell for circuit boards, rocket ships, pictures of the stars! If you could only be what you pretend you are!” The word monster was unspoken. And Lotor truly felt like one. “When I said, "Take me to the moon", I never meant take me alone! I thought if mankind toured the sky, it meant all of us could go!”

“Pidgeon we can still go we can-”

“But I don't want to see the stars if they're just one more piece of land for us to colonize! For us to turn to sand...” Lotor gulped only to hear his earlier words thrown back at him. “'Cause we're so fucking mean, we're so elitist, we're as fucked as any church and this bullshit west coast dogma has a higher fucking net worth!” He ran over to her and dropped to her side, her weapon was too far for her to summon anyways. And he couldn’t take her rage and sadness any longer, but this just meant her words were even louder in his ears as she cried. Hitting him with all her might. “I bit the apple 'cause I loved you, and why would you lie? And then I realized, you're just as naive as I am!”

“Oh, you're so traumatized, it makes me wanna cry...” He mumbled, he didn’t know if he wanted her to hear those words or not.

“You dumb bitch, I loved you!” Her voice wavered.

 “I love you.” He had told her many times in much less desperate situations, but now he needed her to hear it and know how true those words were. “I love you, it's true.” He broke his desperate hold of her and force her eyes to look into his own, praying she saw the earnest to stars honesty and affection. “I wanted to be you and do what you do!” She cried. “I lived here, I loved here.” He caressed her cheek gently. Part of her wanted to believe him but the other part was heartbroken. “I bought it, it's true...I'm so embarrassed, I feel abused!” She pushed him off of her and stood tall. “Well, I don't wanna eat the rich, I'd have to eat my heroes first!” She knew her fellow paladins were out there and needed her to be strong against her FORMER fiance. “And my tuition's paid by blood, I might deserve your fate or worse but I don't need your goddamn money, I don't need jack shit from you! So when I speak, you bet your life, my words are true!” It was Lotor’s turn to be frozen on the ground, while she spoke confident and tall. The person he accidentally fell for. Let me level with you, man, as someone guilty of the game. I took the help, I took the cash, hell, I would've taken your last name!” Despite the situation, his heart skipped a beat at her admission. “So if any girl on Earth should get to make a call about this, It should be me and as I see it, you're a dick.” THe sentries started to enter to try and subdue her. She fought them all while using her words to destroy the Emperor who loved her. “So, fuck your tunnels, fuck your cars!” She took the head off one of the robots with a swift kick. “Fuck your rockets, fuck your cars again!” Ripped anothers arm off to beat the third one with it.  “You promised you'd be Tesla, but you're just another Edison, 'Cause Tesla broke a patent, all you ever broke were hearts! I can't believe you tore humanity apart!” The new robots she helped build entered to subdue her now. Her voice broke. “With the very same machines that could've been our brand new start.”

She was made to kneel in front of Lotor who had finally found the willpower and dignity to stand. She was out of fight for the moment, but not out of words. She looked at up him. Knowing her words were doing more damage than any weapon or virus she could use or make.

“And the worst part is, I loved you.” She glared at him, knowing he was avoiding her eyes. “I loved you!” Finally, he gave in and looked at her heartbroken eyes full of betrayal. “I loved you, it's true...And sometimes I feel like I still fucking do...” She gave out a sad watery laugh. “I lived here, I loved here, I brought it, it's true.” Lotor signaled the robots to start taking her to a cell. Her voice shouting at him as she was dragged out. “I'm so embarrassed, I feel abused,I feel so used!” Her voice dropped again into sorrow, and the whole ship finally heard her heartbreak. “I feel so used!” She started to beg for death. “Take me to the moon 'Cause I feel so used!” Even with the door shut Lotor swore he could still hear her whisper. “I feel so used...”

[keelywolfe]

FIC: The Rose and the Thorn: Chapter 4 (Mafia AU)

Summary:  The continuation of Rus’s terrible, awful, no good, really bad day

Tags: Spicyhoney, Mafia AU, Flower Shop AU, Violence, First Meetings

Warnings: Some violence. A wee bit of unwanted touching and some innuendo.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

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Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

The long ride through the city streets gave Rus a chance to gather up his scattered wits and once he got them back into the right order, he still only knew one thing for sure. He was seriously pissed off.

It was pretty obvious that this was all Edge’s fault, didn’t have to be a rocket surgeon to figure that out. Before Edge, Rus had stood at a lifetime score of zero when it came to kidnapping and after Edge started coming in, Rus was two for two with the extra bonus of their shop getting wrecked, and repaired, along the way.

Who the hell was this guy?

Flat out asking probably wasn’t gonna get him any answers and Rus settled for staring moodily out the car windows, absently noting the street signs even if they were all but meaningless to him. Rus didn’t know the city very well, that’s why he had google maps on his phone…he groaned inwardly as he realized his phone was missing. Fuck, it’d been hard enough to scrounge up the extra cash for that one.

His bag was gone, too, and a discreet check found his wallet was also absent. Not that he thought these guys were the kind to be cleaning out his meager bank account, but it counted for aggravation if nothing else. He’d need to get a new ID, new cards, the limited cash he’d had on him was gone. It was like every time he thought he hit bottom, the universe found another way to yank the rug out from under him.

Rus slumped down, letting his skull drop against the cool window glass as he stared at the blurring scenery.

Wait…they were passing a little corner store that Rus recognized. These streets were ones he knew. They were heading into the Dust Bowl, towards home, and Rus would have felt a lot better about it if Edge hadn’t hinted pretty clearly that Blue and home weren’t the same place right now.

He went on to prove it by driving past the residential areas and Rus gave the route that would have set him on his own porch a longing look. What he wouldn’t give to be curled up on his own bed right now, heading into Sleepsville and if any dreams came his way, Rus was gonna stuff them back up the pipe they came from.

Edge drove on and the silence in the car was close to unbearable. Rus wondered what Edge would do if he turned on the radio. Probably not kill him, he’d only just saved his life, but the guy was a criminal per his own lack of denial. Maiming might still be on the table and Rus really needed both of his hands for work.

The place they finally pulled up to was worse than he could have imagined. Rus stared up in horror at the glowing neon lights, so bright they were visible in the daylight, surrounding the huge LCD screen advertising their ‘services’. Places like this were exactly why Blue wanted their store in the Human shopping district.

“are you serious? we’re going to a strip club?” Rus blurted.

He’d never gone into any of the clubs down here in the thirties block; they were nicknamed the dirty thirties for a reason. Even if he’d been curious, which he really, really wasn’t, Blue would have murdered him if he’d put so much as a toe bone across the threshold of one of these places.

He’d been trying not to look at Edge, better to focus out the window than on the façade of a handsome face overtop whatever criminal awfulness lay beneath it. Now Rus turned to see Edge was rolling down the window, speaking in a hushed voice to another Dog Monster in a nice suit. Yeah, just like the guys from his first venture into kidnapping and Rus wasn’t any kind of Sherlock Holmes, but even he could add 1 +1 = bullshit.

Edge only glanced at him with a flick of crimson eye lights, “This is my place of business, yes.”

The Dog stepped back, and the car eased down the narrow alleyway between the buildings. Rus barely choked back a cry of surprise as Edge abruptly veered the wheel into a hairpin turn right towards the building. The brick wall loomed and then vanished into a sort of tunnel, cutting off the afternoon sunshine. An underground parking area, Rus realized, and there was no old clunker of a van with a rose on the side painstakingly painted in his brother’s hand in sight. All the cars here resembled the one he was already in, sleek and shiny, every single one of them worth more than their shop with all its blooms and their house combined.

Edge pulled into an empty spot and shut off the engine. It only made the silence that much worse, bleak and complete. He started to turn towards Rus, hesitating when Rus flinched back helplessly, strangling on a yelp before it could be the first thing to fill the quiet.

“Easy,” Edge said, and there was a new inflection for that deep voice, one that Rus hadn’t heard before. Manners he’d gotten at the shop and this morning, anger. Today it was coaxing, almost a croon, trying to soothe him like Rus was a lost pet and something about that comparison stirred his already agitated temper. Edge reached over and Rus might’ve damn well bitten him, but he didn’t touch. His expression only darkened as his gloved fingertips hovered over the side of Rus’s face where it ached the most. He was probably bruised up, whoever nabbed him at the shop this morning had popped him a good one.

“Easy,” Edge said again, in that same cozening voice, “you’re safe here. Let’s go inside.”

"no." Rus crossed his arms over his chest and slumped back into the leather seat, scowling down in the direction of the glove box. The front of his apron was dotted with marrow, dried to a tacky maroon against the heavy dark green fabric. Rus scratched at one of the spots, watched as it flaked away into dust, but the stain remained. Probably even Blue’s terrifyingly efficient laundry skills wouldn’t be able to get it out.

There was a beat of silence, then, "What?"

"no!” Rus said again, infusing that single word with all the irritation and fear of the day, letting it pour out as he added. “i'm not getting out of this car until you explain to me what's going on."

He glanced at Edge out of the corner of his eye, half-expecting another round of that anger from this morning. Instead, he looked nonplussed, his brow bone drawn down into a frown. Suddenly, one corner of his mouth quirked up in a crooked smile. "So. You want to sit here in my car with me, alone, is that what you're saying?"

Startled, Rus’s head jerked up and Edge’s amused gaze was suddenly closer, the much-larger skeleton leaning over the gearshift right into his space and bracing his arm against the passenger side door. His bulk seemed to fill in any room that Rus wasn’t already taking up and Rus’s back was already pressed tight against the plush cushion of the seat. There was nowhere else to go as he sputtered out, "w-what?"

This close, the heady aroma Edge’s cologne was overwhelming, enormous, and worse, there was a hint of spice paired with it, a whiff of roused magic that paired with the sudden heat of his body so close to Rus’s. The only light was whatever overhead fluorescents could make it through the tinted windows and Edge’s scarlet eye lights tracing along Rus’s bruised face again. That voice Rus found so enticing before sent a strange tingle down his spine as Edge murmured, "My enemies already think you're mine. Perhaps you should be."

What. The. Fuck.

"i don't belong to anyone!" It sounded so weak, less a denial and more a sad kind of plea, which was stupid, because Rus wasn’t one of the flowers in their shop, he wasn’t something that could be owned, thank you very much!

"No?" Edge picked up his hand, prying it gently away from where it frantically gripped the side of his seat. Where his sleeve rode up, Rus could see the shadow of bruises left earlier by the ropes and he could only stared dumbly as Edge nuzzled at those mottled blotches, a light kiss on the inside of his wrist made Rus shudder, not in revulsion, no, he couldn’t name that feeling. Edge’s grip was so gentle, more cradling than holding and Rus could have pulled away if he wanted to, broken that hold so easily. So why wasn’t he?

"no…” Rus tried to protest, strengthless and lost, “you don't even know my name."

"I don't, you're correct in that," Edge agreed. He pressed another light kiss to Rus’s wrist, nudging his sleeve further up to investigate where the bone was unmarked and pure. "But I know you. You work all day in your little shop until noon when your brother comes in to relieve you for your lunch, which you go to eat at the corner park."

That woke him out of the daze that rich voice wove around him, innocuous as a spider’s web and twice as insidious. At least with a spider, you knew what they wanted from you. “you…you've been spying on me!"

"No,” Edge denied. His breath was hot against Rus’s bare wrist, his teeth scraping lightly against the slender, delicate bones as he spoke, “We have another place of business down the road from your shop and I can see the park from my office. I see you sitting alone on the bench, eating your sandwich and feeding crumbs to the birds and squirrels. I don’t know your name, but I saw your smile when I came into your shop. I know more of you than you might think."

He moved then, with a blurring speed, his face inches from Rus’s as he said, softly, "I am a very bad person, flower shop boy. If you saw my soul, you'd know that. And you…"

“please,” Rus whispered. He didn’t know what he was asking for.

His voice grew softer yet, almost a subsonic rumble. Hardly more than a breath as Rus stared up at Edge with sockets so wide, they ached. "You were a step into the sunshine out of the darkness. A fantasy that I never wanted made reality and yet, now you’re here and it is becoming very difficult to not embrace the dream. Now. Do you want to go inside, or would you rather stay here with me to discuss this further?”

The last was said with a sardonic lilt and it took a moment for Rus to realize he’d stopped talking, the former silence was overshadowed by the throb of his soul, so loud in his head Rus wondered wildly if Edge could hear it, too.

But the spell was well and truly broken and if this were only a ploy to get him out of the car, it worked. Rus opened the passenger door so quickly he nearly slammed it into a concrete support beam, almost falling onto the pavement in his effort to scramble away.

Edge exited with better grace, his smooth gait carrying him to where Rus still wobbled on his feet. “Inside, it is,” Edge drawled, his mouth tilted into a smirk, “Do you need help?”

“i can walk on my own!” Rus wasn’t so sure he could, but he wasn’t about to let this asshole carry him again. He let Edge get a few steps between them before he followed, staying out of arm’s reach. Pointless effort, the first place Edge led him was a service elevator, where Rus was forced to stand right next to him surrounded by stark wooden paneling and glaring overhead lights.

But when the door opened again, it was into far more lush surroundings. Ornate carpets ran down a hallway subtly lit with ornate sconces. On the left was a neutrally painted wall lined with artwork that was miles above the league of the cheap prints in their house from the thrift shop. On the right there was a row of angular glass, almost like skylights, looking down.

The glass was tinted and if television could be believed, Rus figured it was probably one-way. He lingered back as Edge walked on, peering down. They looked down into the club below them, the stage lights dimmed through the tint.

From this angle, Rus thought he could see the entire ground floor. The bar was furthest away, with its collection of tiny-looking bottles ready to be used by ant-sized bartenders. He could see the patrons sitting at their tables, the occasional glint of a glass as it was raised, and the stage itself with a scattering of poles.

There were only two dancers, probably it was too early to put on any kind of real show, and they were making the most of their minuscule audience. A searing blush heated Rus’s cheekbones as he watched a scantily clad Bun slide languidly down a slim pole to her high heels, strutting over to kneel in front of one of the Humans in the audience, cupping her bared breasts as if in offering.

“If you wanted to see the show, we could have gone in through the front door.”

Rus jerked, looking up wildly to find Edge waiting at the end of the hallway, his face unreadable.

“how can you run a place like this?” Rus burst out. He jabbed an accusing finger at the display below them. “how can you abuse your own people for money?”

“All of our staff is fairly compensated for their work,” Edge countered, “which a more than they could say if they worked for the Humans. Now come along.”

That sounded more like an order than anything else had and Rus grudgingly obeyed. It was a shameful relief; he didn’t really want to see some guy shoving bills into a mostly-nude woman’s g-string, anyway. He hunched down, his skull low between his shoulders and followed.

The second door led to another hallway, this one completely enclosed. More expensive carpets and artwork, more intricate wall sconces that made Rus feel like he was in weird, modern version of Dracula. Except this was only like, office space above a rinky-dink strip club so why did it feel like they were walking forever?

“why did you even bring me here?” Rus grumbled, trudging along as he watched his untied shoelaces bump along the carpet. “you told me you were taking me to my brother. i want to go home.”

“I did say that and I am,” Edge agreed. Stupid how even now that voice sent a trill up his spine, why was he such an idiot, anyway? “But I’m afraid you can’t go home, not yet. Nor can you go to your shop.”

Home wasn’t entirely unexpected, all things considered, and the shop shouldn’t have been, if he’d bothered to think about it. Rus halted, dismayed, “but our store—we were supposed to get the new coolers this morning!”

“It’s been taken care of.”

“more help? great. i think we’ve had more than enough help from you!”

"You really don't have a choice. This is my fault, so I’m going to keep you safe." Said matter-of-factly, with no room left for debate or argument.

That didn’t mean Rus wasn’t going to try. "i don't want you to keep me safe! i don’t want anything to do with you or any of this...” He gestured wildly at the walls, the carpets, club that couldn’t even be seen. “this horrible place!"

Edge halted so abruptly that Rus nearly ran into his back, half-tripping over his own laces. He looked up into Edge’s stoic face defiantly, silently daring him to contradict him.

“No one talks to me like that.” But Edge wasn’t angry. It was more like he was marveling over it, almost pleased, and Rus didn’t know what that meant, he didn’t know what any of this meant. All he knew was his head ached and frustrated tears were starting to gather at the corners of his sockets, held back only be sheer determination.

He fought to keep from squirming under that penetrating gaze and it, well, it softened, somehow, it was the only way to explain it. “Come on,” Edge said, again, and instead of leading, he silently shepherded Rus to walk next to him, a hand hovering without touching at the small of Rus’s back as a guide.

They finally stopped outside of one of the doors that was as nondescript as any of them rest of them. Edge knocked briefly, in a weird rat-tat-tat pattern, then opened the door.

After everything, Rus still wasn’t sure what to expect and this luxurious office definitely wasn’t on his mental list. A large, ornate wooden desk dominated the room though there wasn’t a scrap of paper in sight, surrounded by leather chairs and sofas. There was a side bar with various sized bottles and a tray of clean glasses, and the walls were lined with bookshelves, filled with leather-bound volumes that had Rus mentally salivating; he could only imagine what information was in them, much better than the meager offerings of the local library.

Better yet, Blue was sitting in an oversized leather chair, still in his work uniform and almost disappearing into the thick cushions. He struggled to his feet with a cry, running over with both arms outstretched to Rus. Who dropped to his knees, clinging to his big brother as he hadn’t since the day they came to the surface and with almost the same mix of emotions, fear and joy.

“Brother, I was so worried!” Tears brimmed in Blue’s sockets and overflowed down his rounded cheekbones. His starry eye lights dimmed as he reached up to lightly touch the bruises on the side of Rus’s face, too gently to cause even a hint of pain.

“i’m okay, blue, seriously,” Rus told him. But he didn’t let go, leaning into those comforting arms.

“ain’t that sweet, a family reunion.”

That made Rus jerk, turning to see a burly skeleton almost as broad was he was tall coming from around the desk. He wasn’t much taller than Blue and in his sharky grin was a glinting gold tooth. One that might shine even in the dim light in the backseat of a car.

“Brother, this is Red,” Blue gestured towards the squat skeleton, who was lighting a cigar, “Edge’s brother. He told me what happened.”

“did he?” Rus said, as neutrally as he could manage when he was staring face-first at the skeleton who’d offered him a chance to ‘make it a double’ that morning, whatever the hell that meant.

“yep,” Red said agreeably. His crimson eye lights glittered with dark amusement as he grinned around his cigar. “glad you’re okay, flower shop, musta been a hell of an ordeal, eh, bro?”

Edge was standing by the door, arms crossed over his broad chest. His face twisted as if he was tasting something sour and he said nothing.

Blue only nodded, mopping away his tears with a clean hankie, “When I got to the shop and it wasn’t open, I was so afraid, brother! I had no idea that there was any,” he lowered his voice as if he might be overheard by someone nefarious, never suspecting that the bad guys were already in the room, “gang activity in our area and I’ve no idea why they would target us, but Red assured me they can help us handle it.”

“and fer a very reasonable fee,” Red added with mocking cheer.

“A fee!” Rus spluttered, “but all this is—” Their fault, Rus couldn’t say, not when Blue began scolding.

“Now, brother, I understand how you feel, but honestly, it’s not fair to expect them to help us for free. They’re businessmen and they can’t simply offer charity,” Blue lowered his voice, whispering, “and if we have their help, then I won’t have to worry about you.” He turned to Edge then and said with trembling gratitude, “Thank you, for bringing him back to me.”

“You’re welcome,” Edge said gravely, and Rus seethed inwardly even as there came another knock at the door, that same rat-ta-tat as before. Edge cracked it open to reveal another Dog, this time in what looked like a butler’s uniform, like he’d stepped right out of the movie ‘Clue’ after taking tips from Tim Curry. “Please, show our guests to their room. They’ll be staying with us for a few days.”

The Dog nodded, waiting as Blue offered more profuse thank you’s for them ‘saving’ him and if Blue thought anything of Red’s wide grin and Edge’s calm silence, it didn’t show. He followed the Dog and Rus started to trail behind him.

“Wait.” A hand on his arm made Rus pause and he looked up at Edge, biting back what he wanted to say even as he looked uncomprehendingly at the thin black rectangle that suddenly appeared between Edge’s fingers. “Here.”

It was his missing phone. Rus snatched it away, powering it on and he couldn’t help but notice the wifi was already connected. Like someone had bypassed his password and took a peek, sonuvabitch.

Blue was looking at him expectantly and Rus muttered, “thank you,’ before hastily escaping out the door.

The room they were led to was almost as big as their entire house. There was a wide bed topped with down-filled pillows and a heavy duvet, surrounded by curtains that were pointless in a room with no windows. On the other side of the room was a sitting area with a wide sofa and on the coffee table there were a couple of trays with domed covers that could only be dinner. A shame Rus didn’t think he’d feel like eating for about a decade or so. A disinterested poke at the remote on the side table opened a panel to show a large television screen that Rus didn’t bother to turn on.

What a weird place, the inside seemed bigger than the out, like an evil Tardis or something.

Rus flopped down on the bed without even stripping off his apron, toeing off his sneakers to let them plop down to the floor. That Blue didn’t scold him for making mess was a pretty good tell of his mood. Instead, Blue boosted himself up onto the mattress, crawling across the wide expanse to sit next to Rus and his hand was gentle as he smoothed it over Rus’s skull. Rus let him, didn’t draw away as he considered what he wanted to say.

“blue,” Rus hesitated, and said carefully, “i don’t know if getting involved with these guys is such a good idea.”

His brother surprised him, admitting, “I’m not sure, either. But they said they can help us,” Blue offered him a tremulous smile. “Business has been a little on the slow side and we lost that money to that horrible thief we hired. Red told me they can help support us until we get the insurance money. Things will be better, then, I’m sure of it.”

Rus closed his sockets tightly, swallowing down any other objections, because he knew that tone. Things had been tough lately, he knew that, but his brother’s false cheer told a clear story that Blue hadn’t been updating him like he should’ve. If they didn’t go along with this, they’d lose everything.

They didn’t have a choice.

“sure, bro,” Rus tried to force some enthusiasm into it, wasn’t sure if he succeeded. He gave it about a fifty-fifty shot.

“You must be exhausted,” Blue said, still petting his skull, “You don’t need to talk about what happened right now, let me heal that for you and then you can get some rest.” Fiercely, he added, “It will be all right, brother, you’ll see!”

That soothing, familiar touch drifted down his bruised cheekbone, fingertips going warm as Blue pushed healing into the injured bone. Getting healed always made Rus sleepy and he drifted off before his brother could finish, basking in his Blue’s gentle affection and care.

When he woke, the room was dark and Blue was asleep beside him, the bed so large they didn’t touch even with their arms outstretched. He fumbled for his phone, squinting at the too-bright screen that told him it was after midnight. As late as it was and as exhausted, he still couldn’t fall back asleep, his weary thoughts tumbling over and over themselves, an endless thumping dryer inside his mind.

They’d be staying for a few days, Edge said. Days of the shop being closed, days of the flowers not being properly tended, stock lost along with missing out on deliveries, walk-in purchases, any sales at all. Blue said Red offered to help but, what if that was all for show? They could lose the shop and if they did, the house would be next. Everything they’d worked so hard for.

This was all Edge’s fault, yeah, sure, and Rus still didn’t know exactly why, but it was the truth. A truth that didn’t even matter because lying here fuming about it wasn’t helping. What he needed to do was make sure Edge forced his brother to keep his promises to help them and Rus wasn’t sure how. It wasn’t like he had anything to barter, even the shop was technically in Blue’s name.

Except. There was one thing Rus knew that Edge wanted. Oh, he’d tried to deny it this morning and then went the complete opposite way this afternoon, but Rus was pretty sure he understood what was up with that. A failed attempt to protect him from…whoever, at this point Rus should probably start a list…and beneath that was the truth.

Edge wanted him, that much Rus knew and maybe if he…if Rus gave it to him. Maybe if he offered to give Edge whatever he wanted, they could be sure their shop was safe.

Lying in the wide, unfamiliar bed, Rus swallowed hard. In his daydreams, he’d been eager for something like this, tumbling into bed with his tall, mysterious stranger and even now that Rus knew the truth, a faint warmth throbbed once between his legs at the thought.

His soul was less certain, shrinking back in his rib cage. Rus ignored it, slipping out from between the sheets. All he had to do was offer and endure, who knew, he might even like it. Didn’t matter if he did. If it kept their shop open, Rus would do whatever it took.

It was worth a shot.

tbc

Read Next Chapter

[theonewiththefanfics]

Whatever It Takes (one-shot)

Synopsys: This is the fight of their lives. Get the stones, bring everyone back, but don’t screw up what happened during the last five years. But maybe there’s a chance to bring back even those that weren’t dusted. Well, whatever the case, that is what the Reader will do if the opportunity presents itself.

Pairing: Loki x f!Reader

Genre: angst/ fluff

Warnings: swearing, blood, mentions of wounds and death

Word count: 15676 (I don’t have a life :) )

       Whatever it takes.        The words echoed through Y/N’s head like a mantra. They were going back in time to retrieve the Infinity Stones. As insane as that sounded, it was their actual plan. The only plan that gave them hope to bring everyone back.        “All right,” Tony brought Y/N back from the dazed state, readying herself as she stood next to Steve. “You heard the man. Stroke those keys, jolly green.”        “Tractors engaged,” Bruce announced, and she pulled in a shuddering breath. They were actually going to do this.        From the corner of her eye, she saw Rocket hand Clint a shrunken version of the ship her father and Nebula had arrived on. “You promise to bring that back in one piece, right?”        Clint rolled his eyes, voice uninterested as he moved to stand next to Nat. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I’ll do my best.”        “As promises go, that was pretty lame.”        It had been a while since Y/N found anything remotely funny, so when the snort escaped her nose, she was shocked herself. The past five years had been hellish. And even that was an understatement.        To be completely honest, she had been luckier than most. She still had her dad, and Pepper had survived the snap as well. The twenty-two days he’d been M.I.A in space Y/N would’ve completely lost it if not for her mom. Though they were not blood-related she refused to call her otherwise. The woman had helped Tony raise her, and there would be no other way she’d regard her or him. They were her family.

       But then he’d come back. With Captain Carol Danvers carrying the spaceship, he was safely placed on the ground. Steve rushed forward to help him off the steps, and Y/N crumbled to the ground upon seeing her dad after almost three years of her own absence.        After that and the Avengers’ unsuccessful retrieval of the stones, the three of them moved into a lakeside house and just stayed there. Y/N recounted what had happened after she’d been trapped in the Rainbow Bridge after Thor’s last visit to Earth. When the topic of Loki and her being together came up, she had almost given Tony a heart attack.        “Don’t worry dad,” she sniffled, “he won’t come back.”        In any other circumstance, he would’ve been happy about the crazy Asgardian not stepping a foot near his daughter, but the tone of her voice made him realize that it wasn’t a good thing.        “How so?” he had mumbled in her hair.        “Same reason we lost so many others,” Y/N had replied. “Only that time he didn’t snap his fingers, but his neck.”        The two spent the rest of the night curled up into one another, trying to keep the other somewhat together before Pep joined and helped them start the mending of their hearts.        Then Morgan was born. Y/N didn’t know how to feel about it at first. It felt like they were trying to move on while others were left to piece together the broken shards, but when her sister’s little finger had wrapped around her own, the fierce love that filled her chest was a force to be reckoned with.        Now, Y/N surveyed the room, and excitement started to fill up her body, despite everything. This was their chance, not only to bring everyone back but to keep what they had gained. Because there would be no other outcome she’d accept.        “See you in a minute,” Nat remarked, and a moment later they were all flying through the quantum realm.        Y/N had never been a squeamish person. Whenever they had movie nights and Clint or Sam, as always, picked a horror film, no matter how many guts flew towards the screen, she was unfazed. Quite a lot of the time, her line of work consisted of splattering other’s brains against walls. And when you can control everything with just your mind, frying someone from the inside out wasn’t uncommon.        But the second they were thrown on the Chitauri overrun streets of 2012 New York, Y/N was slammed against a car, and she had to hold onto it for dear life.         “Bug, you okay?” Tony’s hand went to her back to soothingly rub it.        “ ‘M alright,” Y/N wheezed. Fuck that breakfast was really hard to keep down. “Just give me a second.”        While she was recuperating, Steve laid out the plan once more. “All right, we all have our assignments. Two stones uptown, one stone, down. Stay low. Keep an eye on the clock.”        Originally Y/N was supposed to go with Bruce to The Sanctorum, but they ended up deciding she’d be great backup for the rest as they would have to get past not only Loki and whatever he might decide to do, but also Hydra.        Right as they were about to split, 2012 Hulk landed with a harsh thud on the ground, flipping a car over onto a Chitauri troop before jumping on top of it as if he was a kid jumping on a bed.        Y/N looked over at Bruce who had a hand on his face.        “Feel free to smash if things don’t go your way,” Steve patted him on the arm, and Bruce sighed.        “I think it’s gratuitous, but whatever.”        For a moment everyone watched as he removed his shirt and reluctantly punched a car before throwing a motorcycle.        “Okay,” Tony pulled them back, “it’s time to move.”        Through an underground tunnel that connected the garage to the main parts of the Stark Tower, Steve rushed inside with Y/N, while Tony and an ant-sized Scott flew in through the window.        “I’ll take the stairs up and wait by the elevator,” Steve commented, “I need you to find two of the security suits and suit up. Tony will be with you shortly.”        “Got it, Cap,” Y/N gave him a mock salute and was off to the races.        They didn’t have much time. Hydra would get the staff pretty much immediately, and then it was up to Steve to retrieve it, while Tony had to help Scott get into the position to cause 2012 Tony a heart attack, and then subsequently get the case with the Tesseract to them.        “A heart attack, really?” Y/N had first remarked, eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. “You clearly have zero care for your own life, do you? And what if mom finds out?”        “Got any better ideas?”        “Uhh knock yourself out and pass as yourself? Trigger the security system? Maybe something that won't put your survival at risk.”        “Do I look like I could pass as a version of myself from back in the day?”        That was true. Tony had gotten significantly greyer, and the lines on his face were more prominent, though in Y/N’s opinion that was more so to do with all of the grief, not age.        “I dunno,” she had smirked and crossed her arms, feet resting on the top of the table as they went through the information of what they knew of the stones, “put a little bit of dye in there, and I’d say you’re as good as new.”        Tony gave her a gentle smile and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Y/N instantly put her head on his chest and relaxed. “Thanks, bug, for caring about me,” he muttered. “You always know how to lift me up.”        “That’s what family does.”        Now, Y/N was rifling through the SHIELD uniforms quickly taking one that seemed to be her size and another one to fit Tony.        “Ugh, Mr Rogers,” Tony exasperated through the comms as all of them got into position, “I almost forgot that that suit did nothing for your ass.”        “No one asked you to look,” Steve sighed through almost gritted teeth, but Y/N had to agree. The 2012 suit had been a complete flop in accentuating the Captains assets.        “I think you look great, Cap,” Scott responded. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s America’s ass.”        “You done there?” Y/N whispered as she moved into position downstairs to wait by the elevator. “We’re kinda on a mission here. Also, America’s ass only appeared when he got into that hot ass stealth suit. Thank you, dad, for that.”        Steve groaned while Tony chuckled. “Thank you, bug. I’m glad at least someone appreciates my designs. But also, do not ever talk about looking at Steve’s ass ever again, or I’ll ground you.”        “How can I not?” she muttered. “It’s right there.”        But before Steve could say a syllable, Tony spoke up. “All right, Cap. I got our sceptre in the elevator just passing the 80th floor.”        “On it,” he was back to his ‘soldier mode’. “Head to the lobby.”        “Alright. I’ll see you there. Kid?”        “Waiting for you by the staircase, the second suit is secured,” Y/N confirmed and settled in her position.        “You’re a gem, bug.”        Y/N smirked, and she would’ve stayed somewhat happy if not for STRIKE team appearing. “Ugh,” she groaned and sneered in Hydra’s direction. “Can I take those guys out? Preferably with a sniper?”        “We don’t have time for that, kiddo,” Tony’s voice was now right next to her.        “Bullshit, there’s always time for a little bit of that.”        Tony rolled his eyes, but nevertheless, everyone was more or less in position. “Thumbelina, do you copy? I’ve got eyes on the prize,” he murmured right as his own younger version started to walk out of the building but was interrupted by Alexander Pierce showing up.        “Bombs away.”        A few seconds passed without anything happening, making Y/N’s nerves spike when Scott exclaimed, “Is, is that Axe body spray?”        “Yeah, I had a can just for emergencies. Relax. Can we focus please?”    “I’m going inside you.”    “Ew,” Y/N winched, “don’t ever say anything like that ever again.”    From the sidelines, she observed everyone until her eyes befell on Loki. She knew she’d see him here, there was no escaping that, but Y/N thought she had prepared herself better than this. Her breath got stuck hallway to her throat and tears threatened to spill from her eyes because here he was – in chains, yes, but alive. Alive and breathing and snarking back.    “All right, move it, Stuart Little,” Tony was starting to get impatient. “Things are getting dicey up here. Let’s go.”    “You promise me you won’t die?”    Tony rolled his eye, and Y/N slapped his arm. “You’re only giving me a mild cardiac dysrhythmia.”    Scott rebutted. “That doesn’t sound mild.”    “Do it, Lang! Window’s closing in. Pull my pin!”    And that’s when he did it. “Here goes!”    If Y/N was being honest up until five years ago that day had been the worst of her life. After watching her dad fly a nuke into space with Pepper right beside her, and now seeing him crumble to the floor, was incredibly hard. To the point, she almost rushed to his side because the horrific memories were bad enough, but as planned, 2012 Tony dropped the case, and Scott kicked it towards the 2023 Tony and Y/N.    With one swift movement, he had the Tesseract, and both were on their way to the meetup point. Then everything turned south. The Hulk smashed out from the stairs, knocking Tony and Y/N out of the way, and the suitcase with the Tesseract flew open, making the cube bounce out and slide all over the floor.        “Shit,” Y/N almost yelled and scrambled to her feet right as the glowing stone stopped by Loki’s feet. She didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what would happen next.        Without thinking, Y/N grabbed onto 2012 Loki’s shoulder right as he took the Tesseract and used it to disappear. A second later, the two tumbled onto the ground, and she managed to knock the cube out of his hold.        Unsurprisingly, his chains and the mask on his face were off in an instant, signifying the fact he had just been playing along. Maybe his plan all along had been to bring together the Avengers in hopes of stopping Thanos one day, no matter if under the influence of the Mind stone or not. Or maybe he had just wanted to get back to Asgard and rule there.    The two were up, their clothes covered in dirt, but Y/N’s focus on the Tesseract instead of the alien looking planet surrounding them, and Loki’s was on her.        “I need that,” she said pointing at the cube.        “That’s not a nice way to ask though, is it?” Loki snarked back, the two circling one another like lions ready to attack. When his back was on the stone, and it was in her eyesight, she got ready. Y/N blew a strand of hair out of her face and whipped her gaze back to look at the younger Loki.    “I wasn’t asking.” And that’s when she pounced.        When they first started training together, Loki had had the upper hand. For one, he was a literal god with hundreds of years of experience, and two, she wanted to learn his tricks. He was able to make new moves and surprise her, catch her off guard and bring her down, but this time Y/N knew she had him.        They’d been together for three years, and though that was nothing but a blink of an eye for him, she knew how his body moved and bent, where his mind went to as he thought of his next attack or defence. Y/N knew him like the back of her hand.        The second she deflected his dagger and twisted his arm around, she slammed the back of his knee and elbowed him in the back of his head. She had him. But Loki was stunned in a different kind of a way.        “How did you know I’d do it?” his blue eyes were wide and looking at Y/N in complete bafflement.        She didn’t deign to respond, instead, just kicked him in the jaw sending his head backwards.        Three more steps and the Tesseract would be hers, but of course, once again things had to go south. A cold palm grabbed at her ankle, harshly yanking her down. Y/N was happy she managed to keep her tongue behind her teeth, but the clank wasn’t pleasant either way.        “I’m sorry,” he smirked scrambling to straddle her, “but this will hurt.”        His fingers pressed against her forehead, and Y/N’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. But Loki was not expecting the things he saw.        It was him. But it wasn’t. And yet it was him with her and they were… tangled together in a bed. Their legs brushing against the other’s, soft fingers tracing his jaw and cheekbone while his lips left invisible marks on her lids, brows, nose and finally where she carved him the most – lips.        “If paradise exists,” her voice was quiet as if she was afraid to pull them out of the moment, “this is it.”        “Really? In the arms of a child’s nightmare?”        “In the arms of the coolest man in the existence of the universe. Quite literally, your skin is freezing cold.”         Loki snorted shaking his head. “That’s because I’m a Frost Giant, darling.”        “Mhm,” her eyes were closed, content, “you never fail to remind me that. Especially as one of the reasons as to why I should be afraid of you.”        “You should.”        Her Y/E/C eyes were now open and had a defiant look in them. “Yet here we are.”        “Yet here. We. Are,” he accentuated each word with a kiss.        And what was so weird to the Loki watching what undoubtedly were Y/N’s memories, was the pure love her felt radiating off from them. No animosity, no scheming or underlying negative intent. When she gazed up at him, all he could feel was love.        Loki retracted with a gasp clutching his arm to himself as if it had been singed, while Y/N balled up in a fetal position, fingers quickly burying themselves in her hair.        “Just please,” her voice cracked. “I need it. I need it to make everything better… I couldn’t save you then… let me do something good for once.”        Loki didn’t respond. He just stood there shocked and… and hurt. Hurt because the girl on the ground was weeping and weeping for him. Hurt because she looked like a fractured vase ready to crumble at the softest touch. Hurt because somehow someway the two of them would meet, fall in love, and, once again, he’d ruin something so precious.        “I don’t want to hurt you,” Y/N gritted with a tearstained face, but with such defiance in her features, it took Loki aback as she finally glanced back at him, standing up on sure feet. “But I will if I have to.”        “Why didn’t you use your powers on me?”        That was not the question Y/N expected Loki to ask. In fact, she hadn’t used her powers ever since Thanos, so the only way he could know that was if he had felt them in her memories. Back then she’d have no problems surrounding the both of them in a telekinetic bubble to keep the world away.        “ ‘M a bit rusty,” Y/N gritted and steadied herself again, “but I’m also desperate. So, I’ll do what I have to.”        With that said, glimmering silver threads started to weave up and down her veins right to the middle of her forearms. It felt good to let loose, but after having bottled everything up for so long, Y/N was afraid she might explode. Though, if that was the cost, she’d pay it.        Just as the blood vessels in her eyes turned from red to silver, power now fully encompassing her body, the Asgardian prince suddenly whipped his head to the side to where the Tesseract laid.        “Do you trust me?” Loki asked, and as he said that, his eyes turned from the blue hue they’d assumed while under the power of the Mind stone into his jade orbs. It was like a punch into Y/N’s guts for she was looking into the eyes where her home was. So similar yet so different.        “You? Not really, no.”        But he just rolled his eyes like her Loki used to. With both of his hands raised, he moved closer to the cube. “Don’t,” he glanced at Y/N as she twisted her palm upwards ready to strike. “I promise I’m not going to flee. I swear… on my Mother.”        With those words all will to fight left her, her powers pushed back into that bottle where she’d hidden them. Because Loki might’ve been the god of lies, but he would never break a promise he’d vowed to keep on his Mother.        Y/N watched as he cautiously took the final steps to the Tesseract and lifted it from the ground. And though she expected to have to fight him for it, Loki marched towards her and extended his free hand.        “Trust me on this one. That’s all I’m asking.”        His green eyes bore into hers so deeply Y/N felt her heart breaking once again. Just like it had when she had stared at her lover in his final moments of defiance before they ceased to sparkle forever.        She wasn’t even fully in control of her own body when her hand slid in his cold one, and, once again, they were transported to somewhere else. Instant warmth from all around surrounded Y/N as she beheld green vines wrapped around marble pillars, and a nightlight sky full of stars.        Y/N was about to ask Loki where he’d taken her, but next to her stood not a tall man, but a slender woman with hair down to her waist. For a second, Y/N was dumbfounded as she scanned over the expanse of the garden, in search for Loki before she realized that woman was Loki. That’s when she remembered his shapeshifting abilities were more than just snakes and ravens.        “You know, it’s a good thing you never assumed your female form while with me.”        “Really?” she smirked, but Y/N could see the underlying uncertainty in his face. “How so?”        “Because somehow I can guarantee you would wear my clothes, and I was not prepared for you to look better in them than me. You always had trouble with asking for things… And you were out of my league as a dude, so as a woman I’d have no chance.”        Her shoulders instantly dropped, and Loki ushered them to start moving.        “Where are we, by the way? Just curious.” Y/N piped up as they ventured towards two grand oak doors with intricate designs before being swept inside by the moving crowd. The large hall they’d entered was nothing short of grandiose.        Huge tables were set up in long lines where people feasted on all imaginable things whether fruits, meats or vegetables. Everything and anything your heart could desire could be found on them. And the people were no different.        The shapes and sizes did not matter, nor did the colour of their skin because each and every person was dressed in jewel encrusted and gold-thread lined clothes, their hairs up and loose in different styles, each more intricate than the other.        But nothing matched the place itself. The warmth it radiated was not only physical form the ginormous hearths lining the sides of the room, but also emotional. It was welcoming and endearing. With the yellow light that surrounded them, stars shining through a cupola right above them, Y/N never wanted to leave this place. And how could she when right at the far side of the room by a table that stood higher than anyone else’s, her Loki sat and drank?        “Loki?”        Despite the fact that her voice was not raised but at a normal level, despite the roars of laughter of the rest in the room, instantly his head snapped up from where he had been leaning to the side listening in on what a gorgeous woman was telling him.    His green eyes widened in disbelief, and for a minute both just remained as they were – Y/N frozen in the middle of the aisle, and Loki sitting on the gilded chair. Then he was up and jumping over the table running towards her.        The wind got knocked out from both of them as their bodies collided. They were crying, rivers flowing from their eyes as they trembled in the others grasp. For Y/N, it might have been five years, but for Loki, although it was a split second, it felt like an eternity. Any moment without her was too long in his already centuries-long life.        “I love you,” Y/N instantly said grabbing onto his cheeks and pulling back, completely not believing he was there, but she would not let go of this moment. “I love you and I’m not wasting another second. I didn’t get a chance to say it before, but now, knowing this might be it forever, I’m… I’m not going to let this slip. I love you, I’m in love with you, all of that and above.”        “I – you,” Loki couldn’t form any words, green eyes frantically taking in every inch of Y/N’s face. His body screamed at him to never let go, to wrap his arms around her and pull her flush to him. To become and remain as one. But the only thing he could do was ask, “how are you here?”        “He won, Loki.”        “What?”        “Thanos,” Y/N sighed and shook her head, “he won. He got the rest of the stones, snapped his fingers and wiped out half the universe.”        “S-so you’re gone as well?” the question was barely audible. There was such pain in his eyes and such guilt, Y/N instantly knew what he was thinking of – I failed, and this is my fault. Even sacrificing everything wasn’t enough. I failed you, and you’re dead because of me.        “No,” she grabbed his face between her palms, “no… I’m… still alive… Even if I was… you know… dead, I don’t think, I’d be here, in Valhalla and such… actually, it’s been five years since then. And now we’re on a time heist.”        His black eyebrow raised in a sleek arch. “A time heist?”        “Well, that’s what Scott calls it.”        “Who’s Scott?”        “Ant-Man.”        “Ant-Man?”        “It’s,” Y/N huffed, “it’s a long story. But basically, the stones are in the past, so we’re here to get them so we can undo the Snap.”        His hand had remained on her waist the whole time, but the second she mentioned the Snap it tightened its grip. “Then how did you end up here?”        “I uh,” Y/N smirked and shook her head looking down at the ground, “I met someone along the way.”        Loki’s heart shattered at the words, but he willed himself to smile. It had been five years for her, and the only thing in his life that he found had meaning, was her happiness. Sure, he wanted it to be him, but he couldn’t blame Y/N for trying to move on.        “They’re really great if they allowed this opportunity,” his slender finger brought her chin up, and their eyes met once again. “But I don’t think they’d like it if you professed your love for someone else.”        Y/N’s eyebrows scrunched up, and her mouth opened but no words escaped her. She couldn’t understand what Loki was talking about, but then it dawned on her, and she had to hold off the snort that threatened to escape.        “No,” she shook her head, “I don’t think he’d mind much. He’s…. a bit brash right now, a bit self-centred… and frankly quite the asshole.”        She could feel the other Loki bristle from somewhere behind them, but Y/N’s lips pulled in a soft smile.        “But underneath that, I know there’s a good person with a broken heart. And that they just crave a bit of love. So no, I don’t think you’d mind much if I told you I loved you.”        “Wha-“ but Loki didn’t finish his sentence as the puzzle pieces settled in place. Time heist. Past. The stones. Undoubtedly New York and the Tesseract. Which meant he himself was somewhere in Valhalla in disguise with the blue cube and had brought her here to him.        A tear slipped down his cheek, and Y/N wiped it away with her calloused thumb. Too many battles stood between the soft woman he'd met and the hardened warrior in front of him. Not that she couldn’t hold herself before, but now he could see too many harsh edges on her… too many for her to ever have.    “I’m one lucky man, aren’t I? To have such a kind soul give her all to me?”    “And I’m one lucky girl to have you trust her with your heart.”        “You know,” he swallowed hard, “that whatever happens, I can’t come with you, and I won’t come back after you snap your fingers…” a tear rolled down Loki’s cheek, and with a sad smile, Y/N wiped it away. “I wasn’t one of the decimated.”        “I know. But at least we got this. At least now you know I love you.”        “I already did, darling. You didn’t need to say it. I could see it in everything you did for me, and never,” he made sure the last word was hard and strong and sure, “have I doubted it. I love you too.”        “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you,” Y/N murmured in the crook of his neck, hot tears splashing against his chilled skin.        “Had you tried to do anything, you would’ve succumbed to the same fate. And I could never exist knowing I was the cause of it.”        Y/N sniffled shaking her head. “I mean you wouldn’t be. It’d be my own stupidity, but whatever.”        The rumble, however, broken it was, seeped out from his bones into hers, if only for a moment reminding her of the good times they’d spent together. Of all the laughter they’d shared, and had now been granted another moment.        Y/N felt someone approach, and right as she pulled her head away from Loki’s chest, a perfectly manicured hand settled on his shoulder.    “My son,” a woman with golden tresses and the kindest smile Y/N had ever seen stood next to them. “Is she the one?”        The girl pulled back completely and wiped her suddenly sweaty palms against the tactical suit only to dirty them more with the soot that covered it.        “It’s uh very nice to meet you. I’d say it’s absolutely lovely, but given the circumstances, I really can’t.”        “Can’t say I’m too happy about the circumstances either, but to finally meet the woman who’s been taking care of my son’s heart, is a pleasure,” Frigga responded with a gentle grin.        Loki’s palm briefly tightened around Y/N’s waist before he slid it down to grab her hand in his. One last second.        “Loki’s been talking about you a lot.”        Y/N sniffled and wiped away a tear. “Hope only bad things. That way I have a higher chance to impress.”        Frigga sighed and shook her head. “Just the good ones, I’m afraid.”        “And here I thought I could woo your mother,” Y/N chuckled, but everyone around them could hear how forced the levity was. She was just about to give her final final goodbyes when someone coming forth from the crowd startled her.        She had turned back into her male-Loki form, given how there was no point in hiding anymore. Y/N had practically spelt it out that it was him who had brought them to Valhalla with the Tesseract, and no illusion would ever fool Frigga.    “Y/N?” he asked looking at the Tesseract in his hands, teeth gnawing on his bottom lip. “Approximately after how much time do we meet after New York?”        “Give or take a couple of years, why?”        “If I go back,” and now the younger Loki was looking at the possible incarnation of his older self and the woman, “will we meet for certain?”        “Loki,” Y/N went up to him detaching from her lover’s grasp. “If you go back if you do as my Loki did… you’ll most likely succumb to the same fate…” tenderly she placed both her palms on his cheeks and made him keep his gaze on her. “You have a chance to leave all this behind. Ditch that damned Tesseract, and live out your life. Because Thanos won’t stop. Not now, not ever. That’s why we’re trying to undo everything. You go back, and you’ll die.”        For a second the 2012 Loki seemed to rethink everything especially as his eyes drifted to where his older counterpart stood next to his mother. And a relieved sort of smile came over his face. “Somehow, that fate doesn’t seem so bad. Especially if only for a moment I get to have a happy life… if only for a moment I get to know you… because even death doesn’t seem to keep you away from me.”        Y/N snorted and rolled her eyes, punching Loki in the arm before pulling him into a hug. “I probably shouldn’t be saying this but just so you know,” she mumbled, “when we first meet, I beat the shit out of you.”        “You kinda already did,” Loki’s grip tightened before letting go.        “Oh no,” her Loki approached the two, “what she did to you – me? – was nothing. Trust me… or yourself… I guess? This is all so very confusing.”        Reluctantly Y/N turned back to her Loki, letting her forehead rest against his chest.        “I wish we had more time,” he whispered hiding his nose in her hair and gently stroking the locks. They were shorter and dryer than he remembered. As if she hadn’t had a single moment to take care of herself. Or hadn’t wanted to.        “I know,” Y/N gulped and released a shuddering breath keeping the sobs away. “But I’ve learned to be grateful even for the smallest of moments… and this was more than I ever hoped to have. I just wish whenever I die, I could come here,” Y/N whimpered, “to you… I could come home.”        “Nothing and no one will ever replace you, and every second without you, my love, is Hel. You are my everything. Don’t forget that.”        “Somehow this love declaration,” Y/N sniffled, “isn’t making me feel any better. I don’t want you to be miserable.”        Loki tilted his head to the side but smiled. “You made sure that I knew perfection through you, so it’s kind of your fault,” and before she could rebut, his lips were on hers. For the first time in five years, they were on hers once again. And Y/N was not about to let him go that easily.        The thought that people were all around them was completely thrown to the wind, and she grabbed at the hairs on the nape of Loki’s neck and brutally yanked his head closer, making him moan into the kiss. The touch of their lips was already messy from all the tears, but when his tongue snaked its way into Y/N’s mouth, she completely melted, to the point he had to keep her body against his as tightly as possible to prevent her from collapsing to the ground.        “I don’t want to go,” she choked back once both came up for some air, “I don’t want to leave you.”        “But you have to.” He hated the words that left his mouth. If it was up to Loki, he’d grab Y/N by her waist have her wrap her legs around his, and he’d go to ends of Valhalla to spend an eternity with her. But alas, that was not in their cards. “Make everything right. Bring everyone home.”        And Y/N nodded, not daring to look up at him because she knew she’d completely break if she did. Without a glance back, she grabbed onto the hand of 2012 Loki and nodded at him to do it. To open the portal. But he didn’t.        “You said that Thanos won… and now you went back in time to undo what he did…” 2012 Loki seemed lost in thought as he chewed on his lip before uttering, “What if there was a possibility both of you could return? I mean, I did bring you here,” Loki gave Y/N a pointed look and flipped the Tesseract in his hand. “What makes it that he can’t walk out with you?”        “In theory, that’s all fine and dandy, but that is the Space stone, not the Time stone. If we’d return anywhere that would most likely be back to 2012, but I need to get back to 2023, and this,” Y/N pointed at the Stark-designed bracelet, “is the only way. We travel through the quantum realm, and I only have enough Pym particles for one jump let alone another bracelet.”        “So, you get back to 2012, travel to whatever time you need to get more of those particles, get Stark to create another bracelet, and you’re set to go.”        “It’s not that simple,” Y/N exasperated. “First of all, I have no idea when Pym invented them. Second of all, if I get stuck there, I literally have no way to get back apart from staying there and growing old, most likely creating a new timeline as is, and that would fuck up a whole bunch of things for me.”        “Y/N,” 2012 Loki’s voice was low and gentle. Soothing almost. “Are you su-“        “Just do it,” she hissed, red-rimmed eyes boring into his. “Just take me back.”        And there was nothing else to it. With a bowed head, Y/N awaited for that pull she’d felt while they’d been flung through space the first time, and a couple of seconds later they were back in Stark tower, though now it was a secluded enough room, most likely a storage area instead of the crowded lobby.        “So,” Loki looked over his shoulder to spot any guards and then back to Y/N, “this is it, huh?”        She lifted her shoulders and then dropped them with a deep huff. “I guess so. I still mean it by the way,” she wiped away a tear. “That you’re an asshole.”        Loki smirked twirling the Tesseract in his hand. “Noted.”        “Miss Y/L/N?” a voice she hadn’t heard in years popped onto the speakers. Y/N and Loki both dropped to the ground crouching behind the wall, and his head turned to the side as her breath hitched.        The voice was uncertain as if he couldn’t understand what was going on, but it was really him.        “Hey, J.A.R.V.I.S. How are ya’?”    “I’m quite alright, Miss, but may I ask, what are you doing with the prisoner? You know your father and the Avengers are looking for him.”        Loki’s face turned into a sneer, and Y/N had to put an arm out in front of him, so he didn’t do anything stupid like give away their position of where they were hiding if for whatever reason someone was down there.        “Yeah, I do, bud, but here’s the thing…” she bit on her lip. Dad would kill her. “I think both you and I know something’s going on.”        There was a pause, as J.A.R.V.I.S contemplated her words. “Yes, I think I do. Given how my scans showed there were two Mr Starks in the building as well as two Captain Rogers and an undefined male the size of an ant, I’m quite certain that other things than the attack are going on as well.”        Y/N smiled, looking up at the ceiling. “You were always the clever one out of all of us.”        “I’m an A.I. Miss,” and even though his voice was levelled, she could hear the sarcasm slip through, “I do know everything.”        “Yeah, you do,” Y/N whispered and glanced at Loki who was just observing the interaction. His eyebrow raised in question.        “Ok,” she finally said. “Here’s the deal – you need to keep this information to yourself. No matter what dad says or does, do not let him know this. I’m pretty certain you know there’s another Banner in the city as well, but I need you to keep the last half an hour under lock and key and throw it in the ocean. For everyone’s sakes.”        J.A.R.V.I.S’s answer came a second later. “And when Mr Stark asks me to replay the footage for the debrief?”        “Just,” Y/N shrugged, “act as if we were never here. A.K.A – erase the parts were there suddenly showed up duplicates of people. And when I get out of here, that as well, please?”        “I can, Miss, but first you’ll have to get past the S.H.I.E.L.D guards situated on each floor as well as the STRIKE team.”        “Mhm,” and then something went off in her mind. “Speaking of S.H.I.E.L.D – you might want to dig a bit deeper into what you found on the Hellacarrier.”        “And what would I presumably find there?”        “Oh you know,” Y/N waved J.A.R.V.I.S off like it was nothing, “some little tidbits of hidden Hydra members within S.H.I.E.L.D.”        “That is… truly interesting.”        “Indeed,” Y/N nodded along. In a way, she was trying to prolong every second she could spend in this timeline, because no matter the fact it wasn’t her Loki, it was Loki one way or another.        “Don’t you need to go?” he motioned with his head to the bracelet that sat snugly against her knuckles. And she did, actually. She had to find Tony, Steve and Scott and explain what the hell had happened when some words spoken to her before wouldn’t leave her mind.        “J.A.R.V.I.S, buddy,” Y/N spoke looking up to Loki. “Can you help me with a little science project?”

***

       His heart had shattered five years ago when he’d had his final look on Y/N’s face to engrain every detail in his mind before Thanos snapped his neck. This – her having been in Valhalla and having had those few moments with her - hurt more.        Loki was just about to walk away, his mother wiping away the tears that streamed down his cheeks when the Tesseract portal opened once again, and his 2012 version stepped out with Y/N.        “This is your choice,” she held up a second bracelet, twin to the one on her own hand. “But we might need your help in whatever happens.”        She was visibly shaking, fingers holding onto the piece of technology with such a tight grip, the leather glove covering her palm looked about to burst.        Loki’s head whipped back to look at Frigga, to maybe see her own face just as stunned as he was, but that was not the case. Just as kind as her smile had been from the beginning, it remained at that moment.        “Go,” she muttered to Loki, before pressing a gentle kiss to her son’s forehead. “Be with the one you love.”        It was the only thing he needed to hear. As much as it hurt to leave his mother behind, he knew there’d come a time the two would be reunited. But this was his time to be with Y/N. A second chance that if let go of, would never return.        Practically sprinting, he grabbed the bracelet from her extended fingers, and he saw how her form sagged with relief, a chocked back sob lumping up somewhere in her throat.        “Oh, and please take care of your brother!” Frigga exclaimed before the three were enveloped in blue-black clouds of smoke, and then they were gone.

***

       Two more seconds, a recalibration of the bracelets, and Loki and Y/N were whisked away from the destruction of 2012 New York and back to the old Avengers compound in 2023.        “Y/N?” Tony was baffled as to how she was back, fully prepared to drown himself in grief as he had thought he’d lost her.        “Brother?” Thor’s breathless whisper to Loki was filled with so much joy it was like he was visibly beaming. But then everyone’s eyes drifted to the empty spot next to Clint.        “Clint, where’s Nat?” Bruce asked stepping forward.        Y/N squeezed Loki’s hand harder. Just by the look on Steve’s face and Clint’s broken soul, she knew the answer.        The archer didn’t even look at them as he stepped off the platform and slammed the stone on the table nearby. “She got the stone.” And he walked out.        Y/N was about to be sick. She was about to throw up right in the middle of the stand, but not before ruining a bunch of punching bags. Her powers screamed at her to be released, to somehow alleviate the anger coursing through her veins, but she pushed everything down, just like she had for five years.        Suddenly, the fact she had Loki with her, that they were together meant little to nothing. Because Nat was gone.        It felt like an exchange. Like it was Y/N’s fault. Selfishly she had thought they could have it all. Keep what they had, and bring back what they’d lost. Those were Tony’s words. But as they repeated themselves through her brain while she stalked away and outside the compound, she couldn’t help the hand that slapped over her mouth.        What was it worth if it meant her family would still be broken in pieces?        “Darling?” her trickster’s soothing voice full of concern came from somewhere behind her, but Y/N wasn’t ready to face him.        “Can you give me a moment?” hoarse words came as her response. “I just need a minute alone.”        “I truly don’t think that’s the be-“        “Please.”        She couldn’t keep it together for much longer, and she sure as hell won’t let him see in that kind of a state. Especially because Y/N blamed her decision for the loss of Nat.        “Just,” she cleared her throat not looking back at him. “Just give me a moment, and I’ll be back inside. Thor probably wants to talk, so you should go to him.”        But Loki turned out to be closer than expected. His cold lips pressed a single kiss to the base of her neck. “I’m always there for you.” With that, he retreated as Y/N had asked. That’s when the dam broke.        She crumpled into a little ball, two trembling palms pressed against her mouth to keep in the sobs inside, as she leaned her head against the wall of the building. And she remained in that same position for a good while just letting grief and pain consume every inch of her body until someone sat down by her.        “What happened?” Tony asked, pulling Y/N into his side. “Are you alright? How is he here? Why is he here?”        “Firstly,” she choked on her own spit before straightening out. His calming touch on her back, easing some of that hurt. They all were hurting. “2012 Hulk was not happy about you making him take the stairs, which lead to us losing the Tesseract, and me jumping to try and get to Loki. Secondly, I’m fine. Thirdly, that is a bit harder and longer to explain. And lastly, because we might need his help.”        “With what?”        “Dad,” she whispered, “we have no idea what could happen to whoever wields the stones. Not only does he have powers that include healing, but he knows more about those things than we do… and he’s in a better condition to explain that to us than Thor, at least right now. Everything that happened was a hard blow on him… he might try and do something stupid.”        She gave him a painful smile because she knew Tony understood she was talking about herself as well. “People might try and do a lot of things out of guilt.”        That’s when Tony’s head cleared. “Like try and snap his fingers?”        “Mhm,” Y/N nodded leaning her head on his shoulder. “Loki might be the only voice of reason to keep him from it.”        “And you?”    “What about me?”        “Will he be enough to keep you from doing something stupid?”        A little lightness settled in her heart. “I’m a Stark. Stupid’s our middle name.”

***

       Just as predicted, once the glove was done and ready to be used, Thor volunteered to be the one to wield it. Despite Tony’s protests saying that he wasn’t in the right condition to do so, despite Steve saying it was okay to let it be someone else, the thunder god would not back down.        Y/N had not spoken to Loki about what had happened to her once outside the compound, but she had been right when talking to her father. He was the only clear voice that could get through his brother’s mind.        “Brother,” Loki spoke looking into Thor’s eyes that had tears in them as he so desperately was trying to push his way to the gauntlet. “Let this one go. Please.”        “Just,” Thor smashed his fist against Loki’s chest but there was no fight left in him. “Just let me do one good thing. Let me bring them back.”        “You’ve done enough, brother,” Loki’s voice soothed him. “Let someone else do the fighting for once.”        One final weak punch against his chest, but Thor backed down, and Bruce stepped up.        What happened next was a blur. Bruce dawned the gauntlet, he snapped his fingers, Loki dropping to his knees next to Tony as they applied what healing medicine and magic, they knew. Scott made everyone notice how there was suddenly much more life outside, and Clint’s phone rang, his wife on the other side of the line. Then everything was blown up.        Quite literally, a barrage of bombs obliterated the compound, sending everyone every which way. Y/N had enough of a mind to surround herself in a ball of telekinetic shield as she plummeted towards the hole in the ground, debris and rubble settling on top of her while rushing water quickly filled up the space.        She had no idea where anyone else was. Y/N could hear voices speak through the comms, what sounded like Tony trying to wake up Steve, and Rhodey was calling for help somewhere not far from where she herself was stuck, but there was so much ringing in her head, it took all of her concentration to keep the shield up to not get crushed by the tons of concrete about to fall on her head, Y/N couldn’t respond to the people calling to check if she was alright.        Her comms crackled before they completely gave out. Y/N was on her own.

***

       Not only was everything down below the rushing waters and rubble chaos, but on the up as well. Thanos was back and stronger than ever. As Steve, Tony and Thor went against the Mad Titan much as they had half a decade ago, even without the stones, it seemed so much dier.        He was practically invincible, his double-edged sword slashing at Steve’s shield with such vigour that he felt it in his teeth.        “Okay, Thor,” Tony announced seeing Thanos fling Steve away. “Hit me.”        Thor smashed both Mjolnir and Stormbreaker together and with a yell, directed the lightning to the wing-like opening of Tony’s suit which he instantly charged up with, and shot Thanos with all of his repulsors. But even that would not take him down.        As Thor swung Mjolnir at Thanos, and Tony charged to deliver another hit, the Mad Titan managed to grab the Iron Man suit, and used it as a human shield, properly knocking the genius out.        Thanos’s smirk widened as Thor came his way, ready to deliver the killing blow, his battle axe pointed at his neck, but one little misstep, and he had the upper hand over the Asgardian. With a wicked grin, he grasped onto the handle of the weapon made specifically to kill him and pushed Stormbreaker deeper and deeper into Thor’s chest. Right as it was about to pierce the god’s skin, Mjolnir flew into Thanos’s face.        Everyone was blindsided for a moment making the two conscious Avengers and the purple nutsack turn their heads to the side.        With unreal rage shining in her green eyes as she stared down the Thanos, Nat lifted her head. And then a devilish smirk pulled up the corner of her lip. A smile that made even the Mad Titan bristle.        “I’m always picking up after you boys, huh?”        She didn’t give him even a second to recuperate before swinging the hammer right up into his jaw, making the alien fly backwards.        “I knew it,” Thor’s brilliant grin was such a stark contrast to the scene around them, it almost felt out of place. Almost.        “Guess we got the answer to that age-old question?” a teary-eyes Steve limped towards Nat, his heart bursting at the seams. He always knew she was worthy, despite her past. None of theirs was clean, but it wasn’t about that. It was about doing everything to right those wrongs. And Natasha was the purest form of that.        “Guess we did,” Nat smirked and twirled the hammer in her hand before rotating around herself and smashing it against the shield where Steve had crouched down and lifted it above his head.        But the rejoicing didn’t last long. Thanos once again got the upper hand. With Tony still out, F.R.I.D.A.Y desperately trying to wake her boss up, Nat flung against the wall and stunned, and Thor slammed so hard against the ground he could feel his rib crack, it was just the Captain left standing.        Slash after slash after slash Thanos practically destroyed Steve’s shield before throwing him away. He looked at the jagged edges of the symbol of freedom. Something that symbolized what Captain America was; now shattered and broken. But even then, he stood up.        Swaying and barely able to hold on his feet, Steve was ready to face Thanos, no matter if he had help and his family by his side or alone. He was still that same kid from Brooklyn who didn’t know when to back out of a fight. And this was the fight of their lives.        He’d been afraid a few times in his life, stubbornness mostly making him disregard the queasy feeling in his stomach. The first time was when he stood up to a bully at school. He was way bigger than Steve, and the blond knew he’d get a pummeling. The second time he was truly afraid again was when he lost Bucky. When he was clutching to that side of the train and watched as his best friend fell to his death, and Steve could do nothing.        Putting that plane in the ocean was another one. He’d prepared himself for death, to be knocked out immediately, but that was not true. Instead, Steve, with horror flushing through his body, realized that permanent sleep would not come for a while. So, he’d laid down on the ground and waited. All he remembers after that is cold.        Waking up in a different century without anyone to hold on for support was another one. Then finding out Bucky had been alive this whole time tortured and under the control of Hydra one more. The breaking apart of his makeshift family and cluelessness as to what to do now, another. Thanos. And now the purple grape once more.        But his army was no match for what they’d fought in Wakanda. This was a universe against one man. Yet even through that, even with his body screaming for him to stop, Steve fastened the belts of his shield tighter to his arm and faced the oncoming onslaught.        And then…        “Cap, you hear me?”        His comms crackled once more.        “Cap, it’s Sam. Can you hear me?”        His heart sped up.        “On your left.”        Slowly, not wanting to believe the voice ringing through the communication system, Steve turned to his left only to see bright orange sparks fly in a circular motion. And then it spread. With each passing heartbeat, it grew wider and wider and then, as tears of joy and relief flew down Steve’s cheeks, as he saw Tony finally regain consciousness and Thor and Nat all sat up from the ground, Sam flew into the air.        He flew in a sharp U-turn motion around Steve before back inside the portal, Shuri, T’Challa and Okoye leading the Wakandan army. It was a message to Thanos form the family he’d taken and but was now back. Don’t you dare touch him.        Fear morphed into hope as more and more portals opened, and he saw Bucky and Groot exit, he saw people and creatures he didn’t know join the fight, sky splitting apart and letting space ships stand their ground against Thanos as well.        The universe. He hadn’t just pissed off Earth, Steve remembered. He’d fucked with the whole damned universe and now had come the reckoning hour. With a little flinch to the side, Steve watched as Giant Man emerged from the rubble of what used to be his home, but in his palm was more help.        Bruce with Rhodey next to him and Rocket placed on his shoulder all stepped onto the battlefield, while Y/N, her veins and eyes glowing silver, floated herself and Loki next to him.        Steve hadn’t seen her use her powers in so long, he felt physical relief, and when Wanda settled herself next to both her and Loki, the Scarlet Witch’s eyes glowing a blazing red while the trickster’s hands were surrounded by jade swirls, he knew that this time would be different. They had the upper hand.    “Avengers!” he yelled rushing to stand in place as the leader, letting that hope and happiness and rage fuel him as the army made of everyone willing to fight in the whole cosmos had his back. Steve was ready.    “Assemble.”        Repulsors and lightning and the Seidr and so much more blurred together as everyone charged at Thanos.        “How do you wield this thing?” Natasha grunted swinging the hammer at one of the beasts coming her way and taking off its jaw. “It’s horribly balanced.”        “Trust me,” Thor huffed and motioned with his head to Stormbreaker. “This one’s worse.”        “Tasha?” Clint’s voice cracked at the last syllable when he finally emerged from the rubble, and she was the first person he saw. His eyes immediately started watering. Somehow by some impossible force, his redhead was there. And wielding Mjolnir.        For a split second, their eyes met, and Clint was greeted by the widest smile in the universe, but she didn’t get to run and hug her best friend when she was knocked down by a beast, a painful grunt escaping her, but Sam was there and took the hound off its balance and viciously stabbed it in the chest with his wings.        There’d be time to bring her in the tightest hug ever and smack her over the head for what she’d done on Vormir, Clint told himself. He’d make sure of it.        “Cap, what do you want me to do with this damn thing?” he spoke into the comms while dodging the attacks coming his way.        “Get those stones as far away as possible!”        “Wait!” Loki yelled and rushed to get to Clint. “Give me the Gauntlet.”        “Not a chance, Rock of Ages,” the archer extended his sword. The last time the two were in the same room they had not ended on the best of terms. And even though he'd helped bruce after he'd redone the Snap, he still didn't trust the god.        “Oh you, moron,” Loki gritted, making a clone of himself behind Clint. Unfortunately for the Avenger, he wasn’t fast enough, and the raven-haired god snatched the Gauntlet, but despite what Clint expected him to do by pulling the thing on and wielding the stones, he didn’t.        Instead, Loki grabbed the Space Stone. For a moment he was overwhelmed by the pure power it radiated and dropped down to his knee, making Clint have to fend off a few attackers, but then Loki was up, back straight and eyes glowing cobalt blue with a smile that chilled the archer to the core.        “Uh, guys, Witch-boy has the stone.”        “What?” Steve was almost panicking. “Get that thing away from Loki!”        But as Clint was just about to fight with the god once more, he stopped dead in his tracks. As he looked upon the man who once had him under mind control and made him fight his friends, his family, he instead turned around and protected him, with Y/N guarding Loki’s twelve because both in the sky and on the ground two large portals were being opened.    Not the kind the Wizards and Strange had with the glowing orange sparks, but blue-black clouds rolling into themselves as they expanded and glorious rows of golden armoured soldiers came marching out while the silvery gleam of the swords of the Valkyries, the wings of their Pegasus’s glinting in the sunlight of Valhalla took to the skies.    “Thought we might need some help, so I gathered the best of the best. Now,” he said replacing the Infinity stone back into the gauntlet, “get them out of here.”    And never in his life did Clint think he’d be taking an order from Loki, yet there he was nodding and running away.    “No,” Bruce interrupted, “we need to get them back where they came from.”    Y/N grunted and whipped her head around as she barely avoided a lethal slash of a claw. “No way to get them back,” Loki yelled over the commotion and ducked as Tony blasted his repulsor over his head and pulverized an alien. “Thanos destroyed the quantum tunnel.”    But then Scott, as before with his time heist idea brought hope once again. “Hold on! That wasn’t our only time machine!”    And over all of the commotion, everyone heard the annoying sound of his car’s honk.    “Anyone seen an ugly brown van up there?” Steve sprinted up the debris to oversee the field, but the Valkyries had a better advantage point.    “Yes,” Brunhilde managed to reply as she led the charge against the Leviathans, “but you’re not gonna like where it’s parked.”    “Scott, how long do you need to get that thing working?” Tony asked, killing a beast that was about to pounce on Pepper from behind.    Scott shook his head surveying the position he was in and where the van was. “Maybe ten minutes.”    “Get it started,” Steve ordered. “We’ll get the stones to you.”    And with Hope’s confirmation that they were on it, everyone now refocused their attention on protecting the stones and making sure they were delivered to Scott safe and sound.        Though everyone was fighting to the best of their abilities, back to back with strangers as if they’d known one another their whole lives, people still got taken down. One of the beasts had gotten a claw in Bruce’s ruined shoulder and had pushed him to the ground. Brawl overtook his brain part as he tried to fight it off, but it was no use as tons of pressure were put on the wound, pain clouding his whole being until it wasn’t.        Sudden relief and the release of pressure came when Natasha had swung the hammer and dislodged the thing off of Bruce’s body.    “I thought I failed. I – I couldn’t bring you back.” He didn’t even care about the horrible throbbing in his side. Nat was back. She was there, and her palms were on his cheeks, green eyes looking over every inch of his body to see if there were any more injuries.    “But you did, big guy,” Nat crouched down pulling Bruce in a hug. “Just not to here, but where I was – 2014 Vormir. Took me a moment to gather my bearings, and then I jumped back into the quantum tunnel.” She pulled back and gave him a smile. “A split second later Thanos showed up, and I got blown away. Did you really think you’d live your lives without me? In any case, I’d find a way to haunt your asses. I could smell the stupid even from galaxies and years away.”    “Well, as Y/N said,” Tony remarked into the comms. “Stupid’s our family’s middle name.”    “Speaking of stupid,” Loki piped in, “how’s the van going?”    “The system’s fired,” a clearly distressed Hope replied. “Scott’s hotwiring it now.”    A collective ‘fuck’ could be heard ringing through the field. When Y/N got the information, her own comm long ago useless and discarded somewhere under the compound, she felt something in her gut was about to sour.    Whipping her head around, her eyes befell on Wanda pulling Thanos apart limb by limb, the pain from losing her brother years ago and then Vision right in front of her fueling her powers.    In that little moment, Y/N had been distracted, Loki’s hand wrapped around her waist as he flung her to the side, away from the attack of a Leviathan.    “What are you thinking?!” he yelled, terrified that had he been a second too late she’d be dead.    “Thanos-“ but Y/N didn’t have enough time to even finish the sentence when blasters started raining down on them. Even though her instinct was to curl up in a ball and shield her head, that’s how long she hadn’t used her powers, Y/N gathered herself enough to extend her hands upwards much like the sorcerers had and created a shield to protect the ones on the ground.    Each hit against it was like a knife to a part of her body. Loki had grabbed onto her shoulder, pushing his own powers into her veins to help her somehow, but even with their combined strengths, he knew Y/N wouldn’t last long, and neither would he.    The god could feel her fatigue and how each blast slowly but surely depleted more and more of her essence.    “I love you, my darling,” he muttered leaning his head down and kissing her neck. “More than anything.”    And though it was intended to be a goodbye, as he was about to push all of his powers into Y/N to keep her alive, the assault stopped. Instead, the blasters turned their nozzles to the sky and fired there.    She sagged against his side, Loki immediately supporting her weight as everyone watched in confusion as to what they were firing at.    “Does F.R.I.D.A.Y know anything?” Y/N asked still blinded by the smoke that covered the sky.    “Not as fa-“ he started but then the ship was struck by a single blinding beam and brought down in moments crash-landing in the lake. Carol.    “D-Do you know her?” Loki asked clearly bewildered at Y/N’s smiling expression.    “We just might have a chance,” came her simultaneous reply as the Captain said, “Danvers, we need an assist here.”    She was the additional force they needed, but she was also the additional motivation for Thanos to get the stones faster.    As everyone gathered behind to protect Captain Marvel, the glove and in turn Peter Parker from any harm that might come his way, Y/N noticed how Wanda took to the skies with the Valkyries, meaning Thanos knew he could have his shot now. But not if she had any say in it.    Whipping the last bits of her powers around the Mad Titan, Y/N brought him to the ground; pushing so that his elbows and back were flush against the battered earth. She was quickly breaking down, the flame that burned inside of her dwindling like a candle in the wind, but she had enough for one last move. One last sacrifice.    “I love you, Loki,” Y/N whispered to her trickster, watching as he fought a horde of the Outriders, and gave all of herself to the kill.    Proxima Midnight's spear into her shoulder threw her off balance. The pain was unexpected and harsh. Y/N let go of Thanos, and that gave him the chance to throw her away like a ragdoll.    “That’s my kid!” she vaguely heard Tony roar or maybe whisper but there was no time to focus on that. Proxima Midnight was clambering her way towards Y/N, and then again, as she was about to bring her powers to null and give her life in the process, pain shot down from her shoulder all the way to her side, as Loki had grabbed the spear and with lethal accuracy struck Proxima Midnight in the chest.    Y/N was gasping and whimpering from how much everything hurt, but that was nothing compared to the numbing fear that spread once she saw Thanos extend his hand up in the air with their version of the gauntlet on it. Somehow while she was fighting her own battle, he’d gotten the stones. It had all been for nothing.    “I am inevitable,” Thanos grunted, staring down Tony, but when his fingers snapped, when they were supposed to be wiped out from existence, nothing happened.    Y/N didn’t need an explanation as to what was about to happen. She had had a gut feeling of where everything was going right from the get-go but seeing the man that had raised her as his own despite it not being so, seeing her father figure raise his gaze to meet Thanos’s made her heart plummet.    The nanotech pulled the stones upward and settled them against each knuckle with the Soul stone in the middle. Y/N knew this was it. She knew it would be the end. But someone she had never expected to intrude did.    “Stark, take my hand!” Quill yelled as he sprinted towards the genius with an outstretched palm. Everyone but Nebula, Groot, Rocket and Drax seemed confused, as the Guardians were already rushing towards where Tony was kneeling on the ground.    The second Peter’s hand connected to his, both let out gasps – Tony of relief, Peter of strain as the power of the stones rippled through them both. That’s when everyone on the battlefield sprang into action rushing to their sides.    A moment of confusion from Thanos, was enough for the rest of the Avengers to gather and grab onto the extended palms of the Guardian’s, while Y/N clasped onto his right shoulder with Pepper behind her, then Steve, Nat, Clint, Thor and Loki lengthening the line.    The second Bucky took hold of Sam’s hand, was when Thanos realized what was going on. Everyone else was preoccupied with becoming a part of the chain, but not Carol. Scrambling up from the ground, she shot to the Mad Titan mid-run and knocked him over, bringing him into a chokehold, while Strange and the rest of his Wizards created a huge shield around all the heroes and kept the barrage away.    Thanos raised his fist into the air signalling his army to attack while trying to get rid of Carol, but it was no use. As Peter Parker finished off the chain, taking a hold of Bucky’s and then Shuri’s palms, creating a full-on circle with Tony in the middle, Carol had her arms wrapped around Thanos’s neck, pulling him back and throwing him off his balance while Wong, Strange and the rest of the Wizards created shields of magic to guard them.    “And we… are… the Avengers…”    With a final defying smile to Thanos, the monster that had been haunting him for more than a decade in life and in nightmares, Tony snapped his own fingers. The use of the stones made everyone groan as the collective power of them rushed through the connected bodies, but one by one, the army disintegrated before their eyes as did Thanos himself; sitting alone on a piece of debris with a bowed head in defeat.    The moment the deed was done, Tony asked F.R.I.D.A.Y to release his arm, dropping the metal piece with the stones to the ground, relieving everyone and himself from the painful strain.    Y/N’s shoulder started to profusely bleed, more so than it had before, and the last thing she saw before darkness came was the beautiful face of her Loki. If this was it, she was glad they’d had at least those few moments together. And then everything was black.

***

       Never in her life did Y/N think the first thing she’d hear after waking up from a coma would be Tony’s yelling about how irresponsible she was, Pepper’s sobs of how stupid and selfish it was of her to leave them like that and Loki’s incessant pacing, while from time to time he threw her a worried gaze which quickly turned into an icy dagger.    “Wow, what a ‘welcome back, you’re not dead’ greeting this is,” Y/N grumbled and quickly regretted it.    “Don’t start this, missy,” Pepper was beyond furious. “Do you know how scared Morgan was when we brought you here like that? When she saw you bleeding and unconscious?”    “You are so grounded for lying,” Tony piped in from his wheelchair.    “And then that whole time travel thing!” Y/N’s mom continued. “I mean, I get that I can’t stop every idiotic thing your dad does, but you! I thought you had some sense in that brain of yours! And how dare you fall into that coma! Three days!”    Y/N was about to mutter a ‘technically it wasn’t my choice’ but the glare she got from Loki was enough to shut her up. Sure, all the words were harsh and should’ve been breaking her heart left and right, but for her, it was hard to keep the smile away. So, she didn’t.    “And what do you think is so funny?” Tony grunted, annoyance clearly written all over his face. Y/N just shook her head.    “Nothing,” she shrugged and then hissed when her body reminded her something had been jammed pretty harshly in her shoulder. “Just that I love you too. All of you.”    That stopped Pepper’s ranting and Loki’s pacing.    “I love you too, sweetheart,” Pep instantly replied, and threw her body against Y/N’s, pulling her in for as tight of a hug her daughter could handle.         “You just scared all of us so bad.”    “I know,” she muttered, looking over at her dad and then Loki. “I’m sorry. But to be fair,” she mumbled into Pep’s shoulder, “dad did an even stupider thing.”    The older woman laughed and pulled back wiping away her tears and the tears that had spilt down Y/N’s own cheeks. “Trust me, he already heard every single thing on my mind about that stunt he pulled.”    “And you couldn’t wait for me to wake up because…?”

***

   It took everyone a couple more days to recuperate, but once everyone was back on their feet or as healed as they could be by that point, Tony and Pepper invited everyone to their lakeside house to their vow renewal. Y/N’s arm hung in a sling as she stood with Morgan clutching on her dress as their parents recited the promise to love and care for one another for the rest of their lives.    Nobody tried to hide their tears, letting them flow freely, because for the first time in a long while, they were from joy, and everyone had decided to embrace the feeling to the fullest extent.        As Happy led Morgan inside the house, with the promise of burgers, and Tony and Pepper went to the side to talk to Clint and his family for a bit, Y/N found herself wandering off to the lake.        The water was still a bit chilly, definitely not warm enough for swimming, but she had no problem putting her feet in it and letting the liquid ripple around her ankles. Loki found her just like that – surrounded by tranquillity and peace.        “Do you think he did it?” Y/N asked her head leaning against Loki’s shoulder as she surveyed the calm waters once he had sat down next to her on the little dock.        He had conjured up a full-on black suit, and she’d be lying if she said that outfit didn’t do things to her.        “Who did what?”        “You… or younger you. Do you think he went back and let himself be taken to Asgard, despite what I said would happen?”        “If he knows what’s good for him,” Loki’s cold finger lifted her chin up to look at him, “then yes.”        His lips brushed against hers with the last spoken words before he pressed them fully to Y/N’s. So long had they been deprived of one another’s love, he had become so touch starved in what had been single moments without her, it was insane. But he’d have to endure it a bit more.        “Ok, you two, knock it off,” Tony’s voice interrupted their peaceful moment. The whizz of his wheelchair was practically silent. “I don’t wanna see you shove your tongue down my daughter’s throat. If it was up to me, it’d be cut out from your mouth.”        “Dad!”        “You’re my child!” he exasperated. “It’s my duty to scare off any potential boyfriend, let alone someone like him.”        “In times like these, I really wanna play the ‘I’m adopted’ card,” Y/N huffed but pulled back from Loki and stood up to face her father.        “Adopted or not,” a stern finger was thrown her way. “You’re still my kid.”        And those words, the fact that he had always thought of her that way, the fact that when they’d seen one another after years apart, and his first reaction had been to cry and never let go, made something in her heart break.        “Promise?” Y/N tried her best to hide the husk in her voice. “That I’ll always be your kid?”        Tony’s rough palm grasped her own. Years of mechanical work had turned the once soft skin into coarse and blistered one, but the touch was as gentle as ever. “Even when I’m grey and old.”        Y/N snorted. “You already are.”        That made Tony scoff and pull his wheelchair away. “You sure we’re not blood-related?”        “Would that make a difference?”        “None whatsoever, bug,” came his immediate reply.        Loki had been standing to the side watching the interaction between the two. So much had happened from when he tried to take over New York to where they were now, and it was insane to think how much would still change. Though he could feel that Tony didn’t have the warmest of feelings towards him, no need for magic to figure that one out, Loki didn’t think there was any hatred either.        “Can I just,” he suddenly interrupted making the eyes of the two Starks flit up to him, so different yet the same. “I just… I want to apologize. For what happened in New York.”        “Which part?” Tony snarked back. “The one where you threw me out the window of my own tower or the one where you tried to enslave Earth.”        “Uhh… both?” Loki’s eyebrows raised and he gave Y/N a ‘help me’ look, but she just smiled and shook her head.        Tony sighed rolling his eyes. “Look. I’m not going to pretend that I’m okay with this cause, I’m not… but for whatever reason,” he gave Y/N a pointed look, “you mean a lot to my daughter. And during these five years, I’ve come to an understanding about it. Doesn’t mean I was or am happy about it… but I think at this point we’ve all been through enough shit to put the past in the past. So, truce?”        He extended his hand towards Loki. It was an open palm for him to grasp, but there was so much more lying underneath that single gesture. It was saying ‘I trust you with my daughter's heart. I’m willing to put my own hurt somewhere else for her happiness.’ It was also ‘If you ever dare hurt her in any way – emotional or otherwise – this will be the same hand that breaks your neck.        But Loki, after a moment of hesitation, of disbelief, grasped Tony’s palm and squeezed it. “Truce.”        “Okay, good,” the genius nodded his head and rolled back his chair a bit. “But if you start calling me dad, I’ll nuke you into space.”        Loki pressed his lips together in a thin line, but everyone could see the smile he was attempting to suppress. “Duly noted.”        As the god and the mortal conversed and were actually having a somewhat decent time, Y/N’s eyes drifted over the expanse of the field. It was surreal to have everyone there and to have met all the people that in one way or another had impacted their lives even if she hadn’t known of them.        For example – Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. He was holding Morgan in his lap and talking to Happy and Pepper, though everyone could see the chauffer’s fluttering gaze towards his Aunt May.        He had been the reason Tony had not been able to throw away Scott’s idea of time travel completely. He’d made such a huge impact in his life, Tony had almost sacrificed everything for his family. And Peter most likely would never know that. The guilt would be too much to handle, as Y/N still saw the pain flash through his eyes whenever his brown orbs dropped to the wheelchair Tony was bound to. So, her dad would keep it to himself.        Then there was Nat. A double agent with a heart you couldn’t trust that had become the soul of their group. Clint hadn’t let go of her hand or waist or any kind of contact with his best friend. Sure, he sorta had to when Steve had swept in after the battle and kissed the living daylights out of her, but the archer was sure to be at least in a ten feet radius of his fiery counterpart.        Bruce had Nathaniel on his shoulders as all of them talked, smiles that hid the horrors they’d faced adorned their features, but if for one day all of them could pretend that everything was perfect.        Almost.        As Y/N surveyed the scene, she saw Steve peck Nat’s cheek and run off to the side while Bruce took the giggling kid off his shoulders and set him beside his dad.        “It’ll only take a few seconds,” Steve replied to Nat whose arms were crossed as she chewed the bottom of her lip. “You won’t even notice that I’m gone.”        That’s when it hit Y/N – the stones still needed to be replaced. Without a word, to her dad or Loki, she detached from the trio and rushed to the makeshift platform.        “Just to warn you,” Nat bristled a bit, “you might not like what you find on Vormir.”        “I already hate that place without being there. I don’t think there’s much that would make it even worse than it being where you…” he gestured vaguely towards her form. “You know… you did that… thing that we’re not gonna mention out loud.”        A small smile tugged up at Nat’s lips. “Point taken, soldier. But just trust me on this one. You’re not gonna like what you’ll see.”       Giving Nat one last glance, that said ‘okay?’, Steve readied himself to make the jump again, Mjolnir, the suitcase with the stones and his old combat gear on. He double tapped the bracelet, and the red-white suit embraced him,     but not before Y/N stopped what they were doing.        “Hey, Steve?” she called to him, jogging up to the platform and making him remove the helmet.        “Yeah, bug?”        “Can I uh can I join you?”        That took Loki by surprise as he had run after her pretty much the second, she disappeared from his grasp. “Darling?”        “Don’t worry,” she gave him a quick peck, stroking his jaw and then went to snatch a second bracelet from Bruce. “I’ll be back in a minute. You won’t even notice that I was gone, I just have to do one thing.”        “And can I know what that thing is?”        Y/N hummed but shook her head. “Nope… I just… don’t wanna say anything unless it doesn’t work.” She gave him a half-smile, one last kiss on the lips and jogged back to where Steve stood.        “You two ready?” Bruce asked calibrating the machine up.        “Ready,” they replied in unison the last syllable masked by the suits morphing around their bodies.        “Making the jump in three…” Bruce started the countdown, and Loki crossed his arms.        “Two…”        The prince bit the inside of his cheek. She’ll be back.        “One…”        And then they were gone. In the stroke of lightning, both Y/N and Steve disappeared into the Quantum realm.        “Bringing them back in five seconds,” Bruce announced pretty much immediately, and Loki prepared himself for the most agonizing five seconds of his life. Five seconds from that moment would determine whether she decided to stay, or if she had failed to replace the stones, or worse – she was gone as a whole. And he didn’t know if he could take it.        “… two, one,” the scientist's voice reverberated through the Asgardian’s mind, and then they were back. But instead of happy and satisfied smiles, he was greeted with Steve’s furious tone.        “What the fuck was that, Y/N?”        “Whoa, language, Cap,” she chuckled and hopped off the platform.        “Don’t,” he pointed a finger at her. “Don’t start. You just decide to fuck off to who-knows-when without a single word?”        “Look, I just made a little detour to 2012, what’s the big deal?”        Before Steve could go further with his scolding, her boyfriend interrupted saving her from another onslaught of berating.        “So, you went back to check on me?” Loki’s eyebrow was raised in amusement as if he was not breaking down on the inside from relief that Y/N was back in his arms.        “You know, not everything is about you,” she bumped her hip with his. “Sometimes it’s about Tony.”        That definitely made the genius’s head perk up.    “Of course. Didn’t you know, everything’s about me?” Tony remarked, and Pepper, Steve and Nat all simultaneously rolled their eyes. “Wait, why is everything about me? Not that I’m complaining but I’d like to know what I’m being accused of first.”        “Actually, nothing this time,” Y/N smirked and moved towards him. “In fact, I wanna give you something. Can you uh, disable F.R.I.D.A.Y just for a moment though?”        Tony’s eyebrows furrowed but he did as asked.        With a tap against his right shoulder where the Iron Man arm was attached instead of a sling, a little port opened up, and Y/N stuck a flash drive into the slot. It took a moment for things to fire up, but when they did Tony’s heart jumped to his throat.        “Sir?”        And that’s when Steve realized what had happened.        “J.A.R.V.I.S?” Tony’s voice wavered in disbelief, and the eyes of the rest of the Avengers widened. Wanda upon hearing the familiar tone even went closer. Y/N thought she saw her mouth ‘Vis’ with furrowed eyebrows, but when there was nobody, the witch stopped in her tracks.        With glistening eyes, Tony looked up at her. “Why did you do that?”        Y/N shrugged, keeping her own tears at bay, but when he tugged on her hand and she sat down in his lap, she just burrowed her head in the crook of his neck. Tony just held onto her tighter. “He’s part of your family. Our family. And this time no one gets left behind.”        “I’m a bit out of the loop here, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S.’s warm voice floated around them, making Y/N sniffle. “Would you please hook me up to the internet or just explain what is going on? For some reason, the connection has been lost.”        “Sure, thing buddy…” Tony dragged a hand down his face and placed the other one on Pepper’s palm that had grabbed his shoulder, leaning his cheek against it. His heart had never been this full in his entire life. Sure, there was a piece in Vision missing, but he was pretty sure if he worked together with Shuri and Wanda, they’d be able to get figure out a way to bring him back.    “It’s good to have you back, buddy,” he replied, clearing his voice once it cracked, and kissed Pepper’s hand in content.        “I was never gone, sir.”        And at that moment, it didn’t feel like the A.I. was saying, ‘I was never gone simply because Ultron never happened’. It was him saying ‘I’ve always been with you. You can’t get rid of me that easily.’        As Y/N stood up, watching her makeshift parents slowly make their way to the house the now ex-Captain who had passed on his shield to Sam approached.        “Why did you do that? Why didn’t you tell me?”Steve asked, walking to stand next to the woman as she crossed her arms and shrugged.        “I missed him. And if I missed him, then I can’t imagine how tough it must’ve been for dad. I mean, J.A.R.V.I.S was his friend, his family and was always there for him. And to lose him in such a horrible way and try and find it in someone who wasn’t really him… I just wanted to do something for him… he literally would’ve died if not for that crazy idea Quill had,” Y/N wiped away a tear. “I think it’s the least he deserves. And for the not telling part… I didn’t know it would work, I didn’t really think I’d be able to copy such a huge amount of data, so I didn’t wanna give false hope.”        “Stupid really is your middle name, huh?” Steve’s hand went to ruffle Y/N’s hair, but she flicked his hand away with a scoff.        “Do I need to bring in Bucky in this conversation? Cause I think he might have a few choice words for stupid being my middle name.”        “Nat,” Steve exclaimed dramatically, “save me!”        “Not a chance mister I-don’t-need-a-parachute-when-jumping-out-of-a-jet.”        “You don’t need a what now?” came the too calm voice of Bucky, from where he stood next to Sam, both talking about what it meant for him to take over Cap’s position.        ‘Run’ Loki mouthed to Steve, and without a second, he did, dashing to where Tony and Pepper were conversing with J.A.R.V.I.S just so he didn’t have to deal with Bucky’s scolding. He might have had his friend back, but that didn’t mean Bucky needed to know all the shit he’d been up to.        “So,” Loki leaned his forehead against Y/N’s, arms wrapping around her waist to secure her in place. “What were we doing before we were so rudely interrupted?"        “I think there’s someone else you need to talk to first,” Y/N detached from him with a small smile and nudged her chin towards a person standing behind Loki.        “I uh,” Thor fumbled for a moment and gave the two an apologetic smile, as they pulled back from one another, “I didn’t want to interrupt the moment.”        “That’s quite alright,” Loki mused, “you always knew the worst times to show up.”        Y/N slapped him in the arm hard enough that it made the raven-haired prince wince and pull away.        “What?”        “Be nice!”        With an 'I'm watching you' mouthed Loki's way, Y/N walked away from the brothers and went to talk to Peter. They hadn’t had a real chance to get to know one another, and she wanted to figure out who was the boy that her father loved so much, he was willing to give his life for.        “I’m,” Thor started. “I’m leaving Earth. For now, that is.”        That was not something Loki expected.       “And what will you do exactly?”        The blond shrugged. “It’s time for me to be who I am rather than who I’m supposed to be.”        Loki’s eyebrow raised. “And that includes…?”        “Don’t really know yet,” Thor shrugged, “but Asgard would need a new king.”        His brother’s mouth dropped open, but the thunder god just shrugged like it was something not even worth mentioning. “It’s what you’ve always wanted.”        “For a while, yes,” Loki nodded putting both his hands in his pockets before lifting his eyes from the ground and looking at Y/N who was talking to Peter and had Morgan on her hip. “But I think I’ve found a different reason to go on…”        Thor snorted, nudging his brother’s shoulder with his. “Anything to do with a certain girl?”        “Everything to do with a certain girl,” came Loki’s immediate reply. “So, you better find someone more qualified to take the place. I just know that this time I won’t waste the chance I’ve got.”        “I wouldn’t ask you to,” Thor almost murmured but it was loud enough for him to hear.  “How’s… mother and father?”        Loki gave him a sad smile. “They’re… good.”        Thor’s chin quivered for a moment before he slowly nodded, and his lips twitched upwards. “Did you give him a hard time about Hela?”        “Didn’t really get the chance, but I sure enjoyed it when he bristled first seeing me.”        “We’re a weird bunch, aren’t we?”        “The weirdest, but that’s what makes us great,” Loki patted Thor on the back, and together they moved to where everyone had gathered.        “Listen, I’m not happy about you and knock-off Severus Snape being together, so the second he hurts a single hair on your head, he’s dead,” he heard Tony exclaim, and Loki could practically feel the eye-roll Y/N made.        “Dad,” she groaned her arms crossed over her chest, but Loki couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his throat as his arms wove around her middle, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. He might have been permitted to enter Valhalla, but if there was a paradise it was there.        “Sissy,” Morgan pulled at Y/N’s sleeve and brought the attention to her, “who is that?”        “This is Loki,” she said with such fondness in her voice, that her little sister’s eyebrows furrowed identically like Tony’s did when he had to listen to bullshit.        “But that’s the one that attacked daddy!”        “Yeah, but,” she tried to find the correct way to explain everything that had happened but there was too much to say, so she just relented to the easy way out. “Remember when I said I was off in space for a bit? And I met someone?”        “Yeah,” she nodded still eyeing Loki suspiciously, “you said he protected and loved you. But why did he hurt daddy then?”        Loki who’d been biting the inside of his cheek while listening to the conversation put a gentle hand on the small of Y/N’s back. “If I may?”        She nodded albeit a bit reluctantly and watched as he crouched down to be eye level with Morgan.        “I – I did, hurt your father… and in turn, I know that hurt your sister, and for that, I will forever be sorry… but I’d like to think I’ve changed,” Loki spoke in the softest tone he ever had. Not even with Y/N had his voice held such tenderness. “I used to use my magic to harm others because it was the only thing, I thought I was good for but then I met your sister, and she showed me I’m capable of so much more.”        As he said that, he opened up his palm to the air, and Morgan gasped seeing the illusion of a Pegasus dancing above his fingers. Sure, she’d spent time around Thor before he went completely off-grid, but real magic was something unprecedented.    “You’re like Harry Potter!” she exclaimed. “Just without the wand!”        “Umm, sure,” Loki gave her a smile that wavered a bit because he had no clue who this mysterious person was, yet it seemed like someone she admired.            “Mom! I met an actual wizard” Morgan yelled running off in search for Pepper as Happy and Rhodey chuckled, but Tony had a mischievous smirk on his face. A new nickname was in the works.        A loud ‘excuse me!’ came from where Wong and Strange stood talking with Wanda, shock on both their faces, but Morgan didn’t care as she jumped up into her mother’s lap and started animatedly explaining Loki and his magic.        “Love, who’s Harry Potter?” he muttered in Y/N’s hair an arm securely around her waist.        “I’ll teach you all about him, don’t you worry,” she smiled turning to face him and clasped her palms behind Loki’s neck. “No boyfriend of mine will not know who The Boy Who Lived is. Besides,” her lips brushed against his making Loki chase after her, “we have all the time in the world to do so.”        “Promise?”        “Promise.”        Finally, after doing whatever it took, everything had fallen into place.        They were home.

Tags (crossed out wouldn’t take): @lumelgy @palaiasaurus64 @supernaturalbaesduh @breezy1415 @crazy--me @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @sea040561 @staryeyedgirl @deathbyarabbit @s-c-a-r-e-d-po-t-t-e-r @reblogger-not-a-blogger @m-a-t-91 @dalilx @i-need-a-hero-i-need-a-loki @maladaptive-ninja-returns @averyrogers83 @in-the-end-im-still-trash @gallifreyansass @dewy-biitch @avxgers @unlikelygalaxygiver @sweet-ladyy @magicwithaknife @ollyoxenfrees @bnhvrdy @tvwhoresblog @celebsimagines @thatkindofgurl @sj-thefan@nerissa98 @happyseagrill @asguardiansoftheavengers @crazybutconfidentaf @wishingforahome @pizzarollpatrol @desir-ae@marvels-queen-bee @julierousing98 @maggiesimps @horrorx570ximagines @luluthegreatandterrible @bambamwolf87 @drakesfiance @artbysteph87 @beets1bears1battlestargalactica

A/N: welp... this is a beast :D

Another family fix-it-fic from yours truly :D

P.S. what did ya think?

P.S.S. my tags are always open :)

[inkatheart-fandom]

Ranty Plot #001(A)

So I’ve gotten into a habit in my fandom discord where I’ve started ranting about plot ideas. I don’t have the time to make these actual stories so I just throw the ideas out into the ether.

So my friend Charlie wanted something soft (which I don’t normally do) and this is what came out.

Fandom: The Witcher

Ship: Geralt/Yennefer/Jaskier

Tags: Poly, Happy, Soft, Sweet, Modern. Nothing really bad here.

Poly Geralt, Yen, and Jaskier sitting on the couch. Yen and Jask are arguing over whether to watch American Horror Story or Project Runway. Meanwhile Geralt has already eaten half the popcorn and is watching My Strange Addiction on TLC, captions on 'cause ain't nobody can hear the TV over these two arguing.

Geralt and Jaskier trying to throw a surprise party for Yen. They want to bake her a cake and have her friends over. Jaskier convinces Triss, Sabrina, and the others to wear subtly horrible outfits so that Yen is the prettiest girl in the room and so she and him can make catty remarks after they leave. 

 Meanwhile, Geralt is in the kitchen with Ciri trying to bake a cake when it all goes wrong. There's flour everywhere, chocolate frosting stuck to the ceiling, the blackberry filling looks more like tar and when Jask comes in and starts freaking out he slips on an egg that fell on the floor and left a gooey mess.

Triss shows up with a nice bakery cake without anyone having to ask.

She remembers the time Geralt made her brownies after a breakup. She only got over that breakup because the brownies were worse than the heartbreak.

Geralt works at the old family ranch with his brothers and father. Yen was a big-time marketing executive that got tired of always being away from Ciri (and her boys) so she took a more modest job with a local business so she can be home at night. And Jask somehow makes most of their money because of his cult following on social media (Yen helped build it up so that she could take a less demanding job), and moonlights on weekends as Daffodil, an ostentatious Drag Queen.

Of course, Yen wears the pants in that house.

Jaskier has more dresses than her, and Geralt has accidentally washed (and ruined) Jaskier's drag bras more times than he likes to admit.

Vesemir never married. His family has had that old ranch for six generations. Mostly raises work horses and maybe a hundred cattle. It's hard work. But when he got lonely he adopted his first son, Eskel. 

Eskel came from one hell of an abusive family and was smart as a whip but skittish as all get-out. When Vesemir knew that Eskel was going to need more than just Vesemir, he adopted Geralt. He was glad to see the two boys become fast friends and thicker than thieves.

Lambert was sort of an 'accident.' Not in that he regrets it, but in that it happened without him really realizing it. An old client who liked to buy cattle from him and also liked to give him problems was complaining one day. Vesemir went over to the guy's farm and while he was there he kept seeing this run-down young lad who was too skinny and skittish for his own good. 

It reminded him a lot of a young Eskel, he knew the signs of severe abuse when he saw it. So he caught the kid alone before he left and told the kid where he lived. Said if he ever needed help to come find Vesemir, he would keep the kid safe. 

So a few days later, tiny scruffy Lambert is found curled up in the barn nursing a broken arm. And oops. The legal battle took several years, but he eventually wrestled custody from the bastard and by that time, Eskel and Geralt had basically assumed this was their new brother so... Now Vesemir has three boys, and they give him more headaches than anything else but he wouldn't trade them for the world.

Geralt never bought a car or learned how to drive. He knows how to ride a horse, why does he need anything else? Well, he can't exactly take Roach in the city. 

Jaskier drives a fucking mini coup, and Geralt rode in that sardine can exactly twice. Jaskier offered to drive him over to Yen's once while they were all still dating, then took Geralt back home and he swore he would never ever get in that thing again.

Eskel drives an old muscle car. It's not one of the expensive ones, collectors would never want it, but he loves that old thing. Keeps her in pristine condition. 

Lambert, of course, drives a fucking crotch-rocket to nobody's surprise. He's that asshole who's weaving through traffic at 80mph with no helmet on.

It was actually Yen who tried to teach him to drive. Tried being the operative word.

They refuse to ever tell Jaskier what happened in that lesson, but all he knows is that the passenger side door was missing, Yen looked like she'd gone through a wind tunnel, and now the engine squeaks when you put the little 4-door sedan into second gear.

She came in, announced that Geralt is never getting in her car again, and locked herself in the bathroom for three hours.

Geralt looked like he'd just come back from a war-zone.

It's Vesemir who has the rusty old work truck. Weirdly enough Geralt can drive that thing but it's no longer fit for driving on streets and would never pass smog inspection. 

[unik0rnu]

Page 10, Roughed up 

Gage barely slept deeply and as oppose to Lucy who struggled with hangover from too much moonshine and spinning around last night he knew when to stop to first, avoid a bigass headache and two, not end up doing something he would regret although temptation was so strong he was still smiling a bit under his nose while setting up a terrarium for his new future puppet. Even if still just an egg he was very dedicated to create a safe space for it, carefully taking each pebble and piece of moss he gathered around, with small steel tongs, sticking his tongue out, concentrating like he was about to disharm a nuclear bomb. The early morning silence was disturbed by a sound of something or someone hitting the floor. 

It was Lucy, reaching the edge of bed while rolling on the other side.  

-Morning, Boss…hope ya ready for another bloody walk into the park. She crawled out and pulled herself up slowly, her hair all messed up, realizing she is wearing just underwear only after she walked down to the bar. 

-So early? Huh..wait shit, did we…last night…? She mumbled, looking in a hurry across the room for her clothes and armor, grabbing a bottle of water on a way and drinking it all in one go, almost choking. 

-Fuck? No no…Boss..it was pretty close..but you didn’t stop at that one shot and u were the one actually embarassing yourself after, on the bar, trying to do some crazy strip show knocking everything over and then you slipped and knocked yourself out. He was grinning, almost laughing thinking back and seeing her eyes widen up as he was catching her up with the last night.  

-Oooookay….lets just…get to work, ugh. She coughed and dressed herself up in a rush. -What is our next target? Buffalos, gunners, ants, cmon, surprise me. She approached him curiously, sitting at the desk setting up the tiniest of tiny sticks in the terrarium, cheweing up on fancy snack she snatched from the counter. 

-Well…nothing fancy Boss, ghouls but the place is pretty dangerous even without them…fucking radiation. He put down the tools and started preparing himself. 

-I see…well our latest find might help us there. It’s finally repaired and powered up too. Her eyes turned to a red suit of power armor. 

-About damn time, Boss. Raider grabbed himself a gas mask and stuffed his pockets with Rad-x. 

-Ready up your sweet ass Boss, it’s your turn with the armor.

-----

They entered the park , Kiddie Kingdom, only the heavy echo of her steps could be heard throughout the green radiated air. 

-Can’t say i dislike it…not at all. She looked down at him and gave him a strong pat on the back that pushed him a whole step forward. 

-Ough, keep it on Boss and before we reach the castle i’m gonna pull that fusion core out of you myself, jezz. He looked at her shaking his head and reloaded his rifle. Oswald was keeping them on their toes as they reached the deeper parts of the park. Ghouls were swarming from under every pile of garbage and they were no ordinary ghouls, stronger, faster and more ridiciolously looking with all that paint splattered over them. So far there were proving only a small annoyance along with all the gas clouds obscuring their view. 

-Hey, Gage! Wanna have some fun? I’m sure you could use some since last night. And i bet we can find this green fucker there too. Lucy pointed at the building “Fun House” not so far and punched a ghoul that was sneaking behind raider’s back. 

-Ye sure…i really didn’t have enough of it as it is, crap… let’s go. The place proved to be more of a creation jester’s death trap with all crazy labirynth’s and spinning illusions. Gage wasn’t fond of it, his face almost stoned and Lucy couldn’t handle the spinning too wheel, almost puking in the power armor. They arrived to the last room, spinning this time, filled with ghouls. They both agreed on the best course of action in this case. Bunch of grenades flew through the small opening of the door and with all the room movement they bounced and spreaded out in all directions causing a total mayhem of flying guts and body parts. When the smoke went down they entered with confidence that was all of it but they forgot one last thing. The room was still spinning and so they did with it. Lucy struggled to keep the weight of her armor in balance and slowly moved towards the door that hopefully were leading to the ghoulish leader. 

-Not bad but i have more tricks for you ha ha, we shall see if you survive them you morons. As the voice went off the speakers the room abruptly stopped it movement, causing a chain reaction and impact that sent Lucy forward pushing Gage to the wall, almost flattening him into a pastry. 

-Fuck! Gage you okay? He remained stunned for a few seconds but pulled himself together right away swearing under his nose about all the fun he had so far and how he’s gonna stuck Lucy’s fusion core into Oswald’s ass. They headed up to scour the terminal room and walked outside. Next destination was the castle itself but they figured out that the best route would lead through the worker’s tunnels to avoid more hastle with gas and other obstacles.

------

The trail route towards the tunnels wasn’t proving to be as easy as they expected, with cars approaching them at high speed it could damage her man or worse…throw him into the air like a puppet so she focused on keeping an eye on those while Gage was taking down any remaining ghouls with his rifle. After smashing him to the wall not so long ago she felt a bit guilty and took a more serious approach and concentrated on the task. As they arrived to the entrance a charred bulky ghoul sneaked up from behind the pillar and brutally pushed itself on Gage, landing with him back on trails path. Two cars were approaching immediatly at the lighting speed. 

-Shit, Gage watch out!. Lucy put herself in front of him, smashing the ghoul’s head with the heavy metalic foot and threw the raider to the side. She turned back to the cars, her face expression under the helmet saddened knowing what’s coming in a brief moment. 

-Well..shit. There was no time for anything else. She put her both hands on car’s bonnet and pushed her legs into the ground as strong as she could to not get thrown off by the impact. She slided backwards roughly, her metal foot parts leaving the sparks behind from brushing off the trails. As she reached out the end of tunnel she pushed herself to the side, landing hardly on the ground and rolling over. Gage looked from behind the wall eyeballing the tunnels end and shouted her name. -I’m….okay!, I’m coming, oh man….. She raised her hand to check if all the functions remained, some parts got damaged but it was still at almost half power running up. She gathered herself togther and joined up with Gage. 

-And just when i thought you couldn’t get more badass eh? She shrugged but he finally softened his face expression by an inch. They headed down the stairs and sneaked up on the Oswald, discussing another steps of his plan and dissapering shortly after. The source of all the gas was finally found and stopped. Gage still decided to keep his mask on since any remains of radiation still remained in air and were evaporeting from the corpses. 

-I will go first Gage, we don’t know what else he can still throw at us. Upon approaching the castle main gate two rockets exploded right in front of her, sending another scraps of her armor flying. One of them flew right past his head but he didn’t move a milimetr remaining calm as always.  

-Would be great if you wouldn’t arrive naked up there. Last push Boss, let’s get this shit over with.

------

After the short hassle with Oswald and his friends at the theatre they entered the elevator. Last checks on rifle, grenades, power armor holding up to the last twenty procent but enough to beat the guy to a plum in return. Upon arriving to the tower and short conversation with the irridated ghoul Lucy knew she couldn’t let him live. Rachel, the Oswald beloved was dead, cure didn’t exist and she wouldn’t dare to see all the ghouls in Nuka World to be revived again and swarm the Town. It was their last stand, right there on the highest tower in the castle.

  -It is our home and we gonna defend it! Oswald released a green shiny wave spreading from him outwards and his companions began to swarm the place one by one. Lucy turned and approached him, pushing the blade into ghoul’s chest but he dissapered into a cloud smoke right when she thought it would be that easy. Gage was covering her with bullet rain from any other rotten ghouls trying to reach her from the cover. Oswald reappeared shortly behind her, the rough egde of his sword piercing through the chest of her armor. It was no ordinary sword, she could feel the teeth of it ripping her skin under the ribs. She hissed, biting her lips to the blood but managed to block the next incoming thrusts, the metalic structrure cracking at impact. As the Oswald was getting weaker with ongoing fight the amount of his companions was becoming bigger. She kicked their leader back, snatching the sword from his hand at last. Before he could use his trick one more time the fountian of blood flew from his throat. The wide swing of the sword almost took his whole head off but it was enough to take him down at last. 

-Sorry, but you could be too dangerous for our plans. I hope you find some peace on the other side. Oswald managed to catch her words before letting the last breath out and smiled at the thought that maybe he can finally rest, with someone precious to him, on the other side. The ghouls raged on their leader death, they all turned on Lucy and jumped on her, swarming her like angry ants and ripping the armor slowly down. Gage did what he could but the anger was making them harder to be put down, almost rabid. The armor signaled a warning about last ten procent of energy remaining. 

-Fuck! It’s too many of them…even for him, shit. Her eyes turned to the broken wall on the outside and she started dragging herself with all the ghouls towards it, taunting them to keep their focus on her only. 

-Boss, what the hell are you trying to do?! Stop, this is too fucking risky. Gage was protesting and reloding as fast as he could, barely holding himself to break his cover. 

-Sure i ain’t lettin them to get your unprotected ass so shut up and let me finish this shit!. She hell knew the impact from the fall will kill them all, she wasn’t sure if her armor could handle this but she couldn’t see any better choice as the ghouls were working fast on getting into her flesh and taking them one by one would take too long for the power source to hold up putting them both at risk. She reached the edge and without hesitation threw herself down along with all the ghouls on her. Gage ran immediately to the edge scanning the area if anything remained of her and rushed down. He couldn’t belive she would put herself at such a risk, it was foolish and crazy. The hole after impact was bloody and stinky, green smoke was raising from the splattered corpses. 

-We….did it, holy fuck. She lost her consciousness shortly due to impact. The power armor bipped and opened upon reaching the last procent. Lucy was alive but pretty broken, could barely move at the moment and blood was running from the sword wound under her ribs. Gage picked her up carefully and rushed to the closest room near tower. It was Rachel’s quarters, safe and warm enough to let the boss recover and patch her up. 

----- Lucy finally woke up, opening her eyes slowly the vision was a bit blurry. She groaned as she lifted her up to a sitting position on the mattress.

-You are fucking insane, ya know it right?. Gage was sitting next, with his arms crossed and forehead wrinkled by anger. 

-Maybe…yeh but i saved our asses, so what’s the deal? The park is ours. She standed up slowly trying to keep her balance and watched him, approaching, with his fists to the sides, feeling almost like he wanted to punch something. 

-You could have killed yourself if you wouldn’t be that lucky and it was stupid. And don’t ya tell me there wasn’t any other option. Gage raised his voice and grabbed her shoulder stopping her from backing up any more. She dropped her head, avoiding looking in his eye. 

-Why does it matter so much if i’m okay at the end? We went through similar dangerous crap before,  what changed Gage?! Lucy snapped back at him, no longer being able to stand the tension stretching in the air. 

-I fucking care about you, that’s what changed Lucy! It was first time he used her name like that, the real name. She raised her head, speachless, letting out just the silence of her slightly opened mouth. He was dead serious looking staight and sharp at her.

-I’m…sorry. There was nothing else she could say and slowly looked away, sad, but his fingers touching gently her chin stopped her. 

-You don’t have to prove anymore to me or anyone that you can be badass or some shiet, okay? You already proved something two parks ago so how bout you take it easy from now on eh?. He softened the grip on her and steamed off his nerves. As he was about to turn away she placed her hands on his shoulders and strechted up towards him, pulling him down for a soft kiss. It surprised him but he didn’t protest and leaned lower to let the touch of their lips last just a bit longer. She looked back at him as he pulled off, relieved, didn’t say anything more, walking slowly away, letting the tough raider process his thoughts on what just happened. Was it foolish, impulsive? Maybe but sure she didn’t regret that move nor anything she did so far.