#i hope they do a banner again i’ll fly back to see him (totally planned this trip years in advance to see him)

[asakamasanobu]

like i went by one final time to say goodbye as animate shut down for the day and the TRUCK TO PULL TAKARITSU DOWN WAS THEREEEE I WAS SO AWHDHSKDHDKSJ !!!?! didn’t stay long enough to watch them take the banner down but i did see the lights go out for the final time …… bye my love, hope to see you again one day <3

[fanficimagery]

Five Years After

Imagine going to the feed store for your sister, only you come home with more than just feed for the animals.

Words: 5.1K Author’s Note: The ending of this imagine was definitely inspired by a TikTok video :)

When the Blip happened, you were in complete disbelief. Chaos erupted all around as planes fell from the sky and automobiles crashed because their drivers had vanished into thin air. Everyone was a complete mess as they attempted to call loved ones, their calls going straight to voicemail or being answered by another family member that were having to deliver the bad news of a disappearance.

Your only living relative was your sister Laura and her children she had with her husband Clint, so when one of your co-workers and a handful of your customers vanished into thin air, your first call had been to your ex-Avenger of a brother-in-law. Unfortunately Clint was just as clueless as you and the phone had nearly slipped from your hand when he gave you the news that Laura and the kids had vanished. You had nowhere to go and were so scared because of the looting that had started, so Clint told you to pack your things and get to the farm as soon as possible.

You'd only been on the farm for a full day before Clint's friends came looking for him. Natasha, who you had met after your sister had married Clint, greeted you with a rather solemn hug. It was Steve Rogers, however, who attempted to introduce himself with as much joy as he possibly could in order to be polite.

You had shaken his hand, smiling sadly. "You don't need to force a smile for me, Rogers. The circumstances suck. I get it."

That had surprisingly pulled a short laugh from Natasha. "See, Steve? Told you she wouldn't be expecting the Man with a Plan."

Steve and Natasha had proceeded to stay for the duration of the day, telling Clint all about a fight that had taken place in Wakanda and who out of their friends had vanished. It was a devastating blow and you had no idea how everyone was going to cope. Then soon after the two Avengers had left, Clint went into overdrive. He was making phone calls left and right, packing bags and weapons, and you were at a complete loss.

You had decided to leave him be and it was only the following morning when you woke to an empty house did you find the letter on the kitchen counter. In the letter he had apologized for leaving you after everything that had happened, but went on to explain that there were criminals still out there who had survived the Blip when others who were sin-free didn't. He couldn't leave them be while people like his wife and children were no longer alive, so to work through his aggression he was going to hunt those criminals down. Fortunately enough, he left you in possession of the farm-house and made it so you were able to access his bank accounts. He told you not to look for him or get the others involved, so you waited a whole day before contacting Natasha and telling her all about Clint's derailment.

Clint left no trail, leaving you all alone. Or so you thought.

With Clint's vanishing act, Natasha and Steve made you their responsibility. They made sure you knew they were only a call or email away, but only after Nat drove down to give you some technological devices since the regular power grid was fluctuating. Since Earth lost half its population, everything seemed to be falling apart.

Then Tony Stark was brought back home and the world seemed a little bit brighter.

For years you drifted, working at a grocery store in town to keep yourself busy. The Blip took a toll on everyone, but it was nice to have to talk to someone even if the other person moved on autopilot. Clint sent an email every other month from a burner email, so it was a dead end every time Natasha looked into it after you had forwarded it to her. And about the only news-worthy thing that had happened after the Blip was the announcement of Tony and Pepper Stark's baby girl Morgan. You didn't know the Stark's personally, but it didn't stop you from sending their little girl a present every year on her birthday for the next five years on behalf of yourself and the Barton family.

One morning you're sitting at the breakfast table when you hear the telltale sounds of a jet overheard. You figure it's just Natasha and Steve for their monthly check-in so you think nothing of it.

The screen door creaks open and you call out, "In the kitchen!"

The steps of what sounds like more than one person falter, but then they pick back up until they near your location. "Got enough for another plate?" That oh so familiar timber makes you spew orange juice across the table. You're up and out of your seat, staring at your brother-in-law who's a lot more tatted up than you remember him being. "Hey, sis."

Tony Stark stands just a couple feet to Clint's right, but his presence isn't enough to deter you from marching up to your brother-in-law and punching his shoulder. "You asshole!" You punch him again for good measure as tears sting your eyes. "You left me. You left me all alone! How could you-"

He dodges your continuous blows, wrapping his arms around you to keep you from attacking him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but I'm here now. It's all going to be okay." The fight instantly drains out of you as you sag into his embrace, sob after sob leaving you as you clutch to him tightly.

Clint tightens his grip a little more around you until your cries turn into sniffles. "What- what are you doing here?"

"Lang came up with a plan to bring our people back." You tense in Clint's arms and pull back to look him in the eyes. "Banner and Stark made the machines necessary to make the plan work. We're going to bring 'em home. We're going to bring 'em all home, Y/N."

"Please tell me you aren't joking," you mumble.

"Nope. No joke," Tony says. "It's not a total guarantee, but we're going to try our best." You let go of Clint and turn to look at Tony who's standing by the stove and picking at the leftover scrambled eggs. "Mmm. These are good. What'd you put in them?"

"Uhh, just butter and cheese."

"Morgan would absolutely love these. She's on this whole cheese kick right now."

That earns a chuckle, and after gathering yourself you look back at Clint. "So what's going to happen now?"

"The team's getting ready for a test run," Clint says. "I just wanted to let you know I was home and that we had a really important mission coming up."

"How soon?"

"Today if the test run goes good," Tony says. He pours himself half a glass of juice before downing it in one go. "And speaking of, we need to go."

You look at Clint, a little let down that he's leaving so soon, but he grins and pulls you back into a hug. "It's going to be okay." You nod against him and he lets his arms drop before he steps back. He looks around the kitchen and his grin widens. "You've kept up good with the house. I'm impressed."

"I should hope so," you mumble. "I had to flirt with the hardware store boy so he'd help me keep the house from falling apart."

Clint laughs. "You did good, Y/N. Laura will be proud."

"Yeah, yeah. Now go bring my sister, niece, and nephews back."

"You got it, boss."

          - - - - - - - - - - 

You're grateful for the day off because it leaves you with time to clean the house from top to bottom. You need some way to burn off all your anxiousness and making sure the house looks good for your sister is one hell of a way to do just that.

You're not sure how long you'd been cleaning when you decide to take a break, and you head outside for some fresh air. You walk off the porch and onto the grass, tilting your face skyward as you inhale and exhale softly, your eyes closing. One moment all you can hear is the wind ruffling tree limbs and grass, and the next it's a cacophony of chirping birds.

Your eyes fly open and you're shocked to see the swarms of birds flying around in the sky. Sure there have been birds around after the Blip, but you've never seen so many together since then. You're too busy staring up into the sky that you don't see what appears to be ash take formation behind you.

"Aunt Y/N?" The timid voice makes your heart stop before you whirl around, your eyes widening at the sight of Lila glancing around in shock. "What's going on? Where's dad?"

"Lila?" You breathe out in awe. You stumble towards her, eyes glistening with tears. "They did it. They actually did it." You pull her into a hug, cries stuttering in your chest. As you hug her, you glance towards the open field where you see Laura appear, followed by Nathaniel and then Cooper. "Laura!"

You grip Lila's hand tight as the both of you break out into a run towards the rest of your family, you and Laura colliding with twin oomphs. The two of you are crying as Laura tries to work out what the hell happened and where Clint is, but before you can explain anything she's pulling her phone out of her pocket and dialing Clint's number. As she worries about getting her husband on the phone, you quickly hug Cooper and pick up Nathaniel to hold on your hip as you squeeze him in relief.

"Clint?" Laura sobs when he finally answers. "Clint, what's going on? I-" She stops talking all of a sudden and she looks at you, eyes wide.

"What happened?" You ask.

"I- I don't know. One second he was talking and then-" She cuts off, glancing at her children and shaking her head. "He just cut out."

You know all is not fine and that something terrible must have happened for Laura to trail off the way she did. But instead of worrying her kids, you offer a grin. "I'm sure it's fine. As clumsy as he is, he probably just dropped his phone." She forces a smile for her kids' benefit. "So why don't we go ahead and wait for him inside. I'll make something to eat while you guys relax and I'll catch you up on the five years you missed."

"Five years!?" Laura nearly shouts.

You wince. "Yeah. You guys missed a lot."

          - - - - - - - - - - 

For the next couple of hours you tell Laura all about the Blip and how half of Earth's population just disappeared- Avengers included. You tell her how Clint had you move in, and how you helped take care of the house and what few animals they had on the farm still while working at the local grocery store. You tell her all about Steve and Natasha, and how Tony Stark is now married with a daughter of his own.

"Wow." Laura chuckles. All the kids have fallen asleep around the living room, leaving Laura the time to finally ask, "And where was Clint this entire time? I noticed he brought you onto the farm, but then everything became about Steve and Nat."

You suck in a breath sharply. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice that."

"Y/N.."

"He went rogue." Her eyes widen and you wince. "He left me here with access to your bank account, which I only used to pay bills and buy groceries by the way, and not even Natasha could find him. He only came back when she tracked him down and told him there was a chance they could reverse the Blip."

"Oh Clint.." She sighs, shaking her head in disappointment.

The sound of a quinjet hovering makes you and Laura perk up, but you keep quiet so as to not wake the children. You and Laura meet each other's gazes before you carefully get up and tiptoe out of the living room, and then you're rushing out the front door and down onto the lawn.

The door drops down and then Laura is sprinting across the field to reach her husband. You joyously laugh, jogging over to catch up. But as Laura and Clint hug one another, sobbing, you turn your sights to Steve who's standing sheepishly off to the side. There are two others with him, but since you've yet to meet them you make your way towards the familiar.

"Hey Rogers. Good to see you in one piece."

He tiredly chuckles. "Y/N." You punch his arm and he opens them up so you can hug him. "How are you holding up?"

"Better now that I got my sister back," you muse. As you pull away, you glance behind him into the quinjet. "Hey, where's Natasha?" Steve's smile falls and your heart plummets into your stomach. You can practically read the answer in his eyes. "No.." You shake your head.

His breathing stutters before he clears his throat. "We, uh, we lost Tony too."

Your expression completely crumples then, but Steve is quick to pull you back into a hug. He lets you cry into his chest before Clint steals you away, and then you're crying into your brother-in-law's shoulder. Then once all the tears taper off, Steve introduces you and Laura to Wanda and Bucky.

"I'll be in contact with you about what Pepper decides to do," Steve tells Clint. "If you do anything for Nat, let me know."

Clint sniffles. "I will."

You, Clint, and Laura wave off Steve, Wanda, and Bucky as they return inside the quinjet and lift off.

"Come on," Clint then sighs. "I need to see the kids and then figure out a way to tell them all about auntie Nat's sacrifice."

"And plan a memorial," Laura says.

You frown. "This was not the homecoming I was hoping for."

After a few days of planning, Clint decides on a cookout with all the Avengers and close friends of Nat's invited. It was a couple of days before Tony's own memorial, so you were surprised when Pepper Stark showed up with Morgan in tow. You were happy to finally meet the young girl who you'd been sending gifts to and you gladly ended up on babysitting duty.

You had met more of Clint's ex-coworkers, but your attention always ended up back on the children. Then when it came time to say a few words on Natasha's behalf, you somehow ended up between Steve and Bucky as the children ran back to their respective parents with Steve tucking you into his side when the tears started.

Then when the day of Tony's memorial came, there were more guests than you had anticipated. So as Pepper and Morgan walked a small flower raft with an arc reactor replica on it and set it out on the water, you stood back with Laura and her family and waited in silence. And as the crowd dispersed, you mostly kept to yourself until you saw Steve walk out of Pepper's home in the oddest white and red suit you'd ever seen.

Walking up behind Steve, you nod at Bucky and Sam who grin at your presence. When Steve turns around, you chuckle. "Why do I got a feeling you're about to do something very stupid?"

He grins and adjusts his grip on the suitcase hanging by his side. "Someone's gotta return the stones to their original timeline."

"Mhm. Well be careful. Don't start any unnecessary fights."

"I'll try my best."

As he walks up onto the platform, you step back and nudge your arm against Bucky's. He smiles down on you and you stand by his side as you listen to Bruce who walks Steve through about what's going to happen. Bruce checks all his monitors, giving Steve the go-ahead when everything is fine. Steve nods, a mask of sorts opens up and wraps around his face, and he presses a button that had been in his hand. Bruce counts down the seconds before he flips a switch which is meant to bring Steve back, but nothing happens.

Bruce looks around his monitors and starts pressing some more buttons. "Where is he?" Sam asks.

"I don't know. He blew right by his time stamp. He should be here," Bruce says as he flips a few more switches.

Bucky sighs and you quickly glance at him, and he looks more resigned than anything as he turns to walk off.

Your attention goes to Bruce as your heart rate picks up. "Get him back."

"I'm trying."

"Get him the hell back!" Sam urges.

You and Sam are low-key panicking, but it's Bucky's calm voice that stops the both of you. "Y/N. Sam."

The two of you whirl around, gazes sliding towards where Bucky is staring off to. In the distance, on a stone bench by the water, there appears to be a man sitting there that wasn't there before. You and Sam stumble forward, and you squint your eyes, only to glance back at Bucky with wide eyes.

"Is that.."

"Go."

You share another look with Sam and he gestures for you to follow him. The two of you walk towards the man together and Sam stops just behind him as you walk around in front. When you get a good look at your friend who is way older than what he appeared to be a mere twenty seconds ago, your heart cracks just a little.

You try to force a smile, but it wobbles as an elderly Steve chuckles at you. "I'm really trying not to be so mad at you right now." Your voice cracks and he pats the spot next to him as you sniffle. You immediately sit next to him and take his left hand within your own two, a gleaming wedding band not going unnoticed. Your fingers trace it. "Was it at least a happy life?"

Steve pats your hand. "It was. It was the beautiful life I always dreamt of."

You take a moment for yourself, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "You know you were my complete impulse control, right? Who's going to stop me from trying to get into your best friend's pants now?"

There's a snort from behind you, but you don't bother giving Sam your attention. "Go easy on him," Steve tells you. "I'm not sure he even remembers how to flirt."

You grin as you lean your head on his shoulder. "I'm really going to miss you," you say after a beat. Another moment passes before you drop Steve's hand and sigh before you stand. "Well, um, I should get back my sister and Clint now." You meet his gaze and flash him a small smile. "It's going to suck not seeing you every month, but I'm really glad you found your happiness."

"Thank you, Y/N."

Your bottom lip wobbles again. "Goodbye, Steve."

As you walk away, you hold your head up high and nod to Sam when he looks at you to make sure you're okay. You continue walking, nodding at Bucky as you pass him up as well when you see Laura wave you over. "For the record, I still remember how to flirt." You stumble and and then hear Bucky chuckling quietly behind you.

"Goddamn super soldiers and your dog ears."

As the days turn into weeks, Clint and Laura offer you a permanent place on the farm now that everything seems to be going back to normal. He's promised to build you a small house on the property for all that you've done in the past five years, so in the meantime you've taken to bunking with Lila while Wanda took over the guest bedroom. Clint had also taken to bringing Bucky to the farm when he noticed the super soldier not coping as well as he was letting on, so you found yourself often sitting by the back pond with him as the two of you traded stories about Steve and yourselves.

Though you had originally joked about getting into Bucky's pants, you found yourself seeking friendship from him more than anything else and vice versa. So when you weren't working at the grocery store, you were watching the kids for Laura and Clint or hanging out with Bucky and Wanda. It was no surprise to anyone that the three of you latched on to one another after losing those that you did.

"Hey Y/N," Laura calls out. "Will you do me favor?"

You glance up as she walks out the front door, you and Wanda ceasing your conversation. You grin. "What do you need?"

"Lucky needs some dog food and we need a few bales of hay for the goats."

"Oh. Okay." You look towards Wanda. "Wanna go for the ride?"

She shrugs. "Sure."

"Thank you! You can just put it on the Barton tab at the store," Laura says. "Clint pays it monthly and I've already called ahead to let them know someone was going in to pick up some stuff we needed."

"Got it." Standing up, you pat down your pockets to make sure you have your keys, phone, and some cash. Realizing you have everything, you grin at your sister before walking down the porch steps. As you near your truck, you whistle at Bucky who was throwing knives at a target on the side of the barn. "Hey Buckaroo! We're heading into town. You wanna come?"

He throws the last knife in his hand before he turns to look at you. "Don't call me Buckaroo!" He shouts back as he makes his way towards you.

"Then stop lookin' so darn cute!"

Wanda snorts and you laugh as Bucky shakes his head at you. "One of these days he's going to flirt back and then what are you going to do?"

"Bend myself over the table and let him hit it from behind," you mumble. She snorts harder this time and your eyes widen when you see Bucky start to smirk.

As he nears the two of you, he says, "What did you say?"

"Nothing," you blurt. "Nothing at all. Wanda's just easily amused, is all."

His gaze slides to Wanda, but she shakes her head and doesn't tell him a word. You mentally sigh and praise her for being a good friend, and then you turn to walk towards your truck. Wanda readily heads for the back driver's side door while Bucky walks around to the passenger seat so he's seated next to you.

Once you're seated behind the wheel and the engine is turned on, you take a moment to find a decent song on the radio before driving. It's not too long of a drive and you find yourself pulling up to the local feed store not even three songs later.

Parking and cutting the engine right in front of the store, you turn towards Bucky. You know he's not a huge fan of being out in public, but you rather not have to flirt inside the store to get a helping hand. "Hey Buck, can you do me a favor and load up four of those large rectangular bales of hay and one bag of that dog food right next to it?" You see him tense. "I rather not have to flirt with the boy inside just so he'll help out."

He relaxes then and gives you a nod. "Yeah. Sure."

"Thanks. Just keep watch through the window. Wait 'til I give the signal for you to start loading up." He gives you another nod and you turn around to face Wanda. "Wanna head inside with me?"

Wanda grins and readily opens her door, you and Bucky following right after. But as you and Wanda head inside, Bucky remains by the tailgate of your truck and keeps watch through the large front window as you had said. Inside, Mr. Reeves is waiting by the cash register and keeping an eye on Bucky outside.

"Don't worry, Mr. Reeves. He's with me." Mr. Reeves glances at you, smiling in relief. "I need four large bales of hay and a fifty pound bag of dog food."

Mr. Reeves starts punching buttons on his register. "Alright, sweetheart. Is that going to be all for you?"

"Sure is. Um, Laura asked if you can put it on the tab? Clint will be by at the end of the week."

"Sure thing." You turn towards the window and give Bucky a thumbs up. He turns to open the tailgate and then move towards the bales of hay to start loading up. Mr. Reeves chuckles. "That's a strong fella you got there."

His words make you blush and Wanda giggle, but you can't even reprimand your friend because she is further away than you expected. She's leaning over what appears to be a warming box, hand inside as she smiles down at something you can't see. "Whatcha got there, Red?"

Her smile widens as you hear small chirps. "Ducklings."

You walk over to her, peering inside and your heart absolutely melts. Inside are the cutest ducklings you've ever seen and you know you're done for when you set your hand down inside and one particular little duckling runs onto your palm.

Mr. Reeves walks over, chuckling. "They were hatched a few days ago. All have been looking mighty strong and are ready to go to good homes."

"How much?"

"Y/N," Wanda laughs. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking this little sucker with me." You pick up your hand, duckling still happily nestled in your palm as you cradle him to your chest and look at Mr. Reeves. "Any chance you have those small plastic kiddie pools?"

"As a matter of fact I do," he muses.

Wanda is giggling the entire time Mr. Reeves gets exactly what you need, you nuzzling the yellow fuzzball to your face. You pay with your own money and sadly hand over the duckling when Mr. Reeves has to box her up. You then carefully take the box from him as Wanda takes the kiddie pool, and you walk behind her as you make your way to the truck.

You have absolutely no regrets about buying the duckling, but you still hide the box as you walk around the truck and open the driver's door. Wanda shoves the kiddie pool into the back with her and Bucky turns so his gaze darts between the both of you- Wanda looking far too amused and you looking a little sheepish as you continue to stand outside the truck.

"What did you do?" He sighs.

"Well we went in to just buy the food," Wanda says, "but-"

"I bought a duck." You blurt. You finally put the box in front of you, on the seat, and you open the lid. The duckling chirps and you beam down at her, picking her up and nuzzling her once more. "I'm gonna name her Flauta." Bucky snorts and Wanda laughs uncontrollably then. "No one tell Laura."

"Gonna be hard to hide her, doll."

Bucky reaches over to take the duckling from you and the sight of him cradling it, holding it up to his face and smiling makes you melt once more. Wanda is staring knowingly at you, but you don't even have the urge to flip her off because you know you're fucked. Instead, you take your phone out of your back pocket and snap a picture.

"That's my new wallpaper."

Bucky doesn't bother admonishing you for taking the picture, so after setting it as your wallpaper you put your phone away and climb into your truck. He holds onto the duckling as you make the drive back to the farm, Wanda giggling every now and then when you glance at Bucky and sigh longingly.

When you make it back to the farm, Clint and Laura are on the porch as the kids play out in the yard. They both stand as you park, their expressions turning suspicious as Wanda hops out of the back with the kiddie pool in tow. You grin as you hurriedly hop out as well, leaving Bucky to carry the incriminating evidence.

You can tell he expected as much as he watches you jog around to his side of the truck, already pointing at him through the opened window. "Bucky bought a duck!"

He shakes his head at you and you blow him a kiss, Clint and Laura then joining you by the truck. "Oh really?" Your brother-in-law muses.

"Yep."

"Mhm." Clint looks to Bucky as Laura bites back a grin. "Buck, what's the duck's name?"

Without missing a beat, he says, "Flauta."

Laura finally laughs. "Nice try, Y/N." As Bucky and Wanda guess how Laura knew, she says, "When we were younger, Y/N did the same thing but with a turtle. She named him Taquito."

"And Taquito lived a long and happy life until we went off to college," you say. "Flauta will live just long, if not longer, here on the farm."

Clint chuckles and then takes the duckling from Bucky. He looks to Wanda and gestures for her to follow him. "Lets go get this little lady all set up. The kids are gonna have a blast."

Laura follows after them, but not before winking at you, and you shake your head as you're left alone with Bucky. He finally climbs out of the truck, shutting the door and then leaning against it. You nervously laugh as he smirks. "You threw me under the bus."

"I couldn't take the chance that they'd make me return Flauta." You pout. "I couldn't send her back, Buckaroo. I'd already named her."

He pushes off the truck, turning you around and laying his arm around your shoulders. For a moment you forget how to breathe. "You're just as bad as Steve."

"Oh whatever." You roll your eyes, grinning as your arm wraps around the back of his waist and start walking towards where Clint went. "Steve got you shot at. I momentarily put you in momma bear's crosshairs." He quietly chuckles. "And besides, I didn't hear you deny it. Admit it, Barnes, I'm growing on you."

"Like a fungus."

You pinch his side. "Oh fuck off." He fully laughs then. "Just you wait, Buckaroo. The day we decide to put sex on the list of things we should definitely be doing, I'm gonna withhold just because you're being an ass."

"You sure about that?" The teasing lilt to his voice suddenly makes you feel at unease. "You sure you won't immediately bend over the table and let me hit it from behind?"

Your face flames, but you can't help but laugh at your earlier words. When you manage to calm down, you can't help but say, "I hate you," as you finish making your way towards your family.

"Nice try, doll, but I'm calling bullshit."

[mandoalorian]

Rach could you please do something soft like it’s maxwells birthday and you and alastair plan a small birthday party ( just the three of you) and he is so overwhelmed with love he can’t believe he got so lucky after everything ❤️ then you tell him you’re pregnant.

Also no pressure to write you can totally ignore this 😊

Birthday Surprise [Maxwell Lord x F!Reader]

Warnings: pregnancy, allusions to sex, food mention, mention of infidelity/cheating, mention of poverty

Word Count: 3200>

A/N: It’s April 1st which means it’s officially Max Lord’s birthday! <33 Thank you for all the Max requests people have sent in over the past week. They’ve truly been a joy to write. & Thank you @supernaturalgirl for this lovely request. I hope you enjoy!

Masterlist

Once upon a time, Maxwell Lord had these big, extravagant parties to celebrate his birthday. He’d host at fancy venues and it would be formal, strictly black-tie, and only the elite were invited. But the truth was, he was incredibly lonely. He had no friends, only colleagues and business associates. His wife would hang on his arm, wearing real fur, and Chanel couture earrings, parading around the room, flirting with other businessmen who might’ve been more successful than Max.

He didn’t like his birthday. Growing up, he didn’t celebrate much either. The Lorenzano family could barely afford to buy Maxwell new shoes or clothes that fit, so expecting gifts and parties was the last thing on his mind. Every year though, without fail, his mother would cook him a small cake and light a candle. “Make a wish, Maxwell.” she’d whisper. It was funny how things turned out.

And when he married for the first time, it was his wife who insisted on these big, luxurious celebrations with balloons and music. The attention was nice, sure, but it always felt like it was more for her than it was for him. He’d never say anything though. Just smile and nod. As long as she was happy. She sure seemed happy when Maxwell caught his wife with her tongue down another man’s throat at his 32nd birthday party. Thankfully, that marriage soon ended, and whilst Maxwell swelled with heartache for a good few months, better things were soon to come.

Like meeting you.

About a week before Maxwell’s birthday, Alistair was... hyper, to say the least. It was way past his bedtime, and yet he was bouncing up and down on yours and Max’s bed, clearly trying to get his father to leave the room.

“Daddy, could you go make me some french fries?”

Maxwell peeked up from his newspaper and furrowed his eyebrows together. His son’s question even ruffled you slightly, as you looked up from painting your nails and tilted your head slightly.

“Alistair, it’s eleven at night. No french fries.” Maxwell sighed before looking back down at his newspaper.

Alistair hummed, looking around the bedroom.

“Daddy, did you remember to feed Lady her evening biscuits?”

Maxwell looked up from his paper again, and stared at his son.

“I fed her this evening,” You said, trying to work out what kind of mischief Alistair was getting up to now. “Ali, is everything okay?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t it be?” The six year old replied, and well, it was a fair response. You and Maxwell exchanged a glance before getting back to your business. About ten seconds passed.

“Daddy, can you make me some warm milk?”

Maxwell sighed, this time dropping his newspaper completely and rubbing his tired eyes. “You don’t need warm milk Alistair.”

“But I’ll struggle to sleep without it.”

“I’ll go get you some,” you told the child, but Alistair quickly extended his arm, stopping you before you could get out of bed. 

“No mommy, you’re sick. Besides, I asked daddy.”

You blinked, taken slightly aback. Alistair was a sweet child with wonderful manners, that  much you knew, but even his decorum right now took you by surprise. He was speaking like a fully grown gentleman. Processing his words, you simply shrugged your shoulders before shuffling back into bed and getting comfortable.

Yeah, you’d been throwing up the past few days, in the mornings mostly, but you’d drawn it down to food poisoning. It was sweet how Alistair was seemingly looking out for your health. Maxwell’s gaze flicked between you both but, in defeat, he got out of bed and padded downstairs, into the kitchen to prepare his son’s bedtime beverage. Once he was gone, and you could hear him begin to steam the milk, you snapped your fingers to get Alistiar’s attention.

“Alright Ali,” you sighed, folding your arms across your chest. “What’s going on? Why have you been trying to get your dad to leave the room for the past...” you checked the time on the alarm clock which was positioned on Max’s nightstand. “Half an hour.” Gods he was persistent. Just like his father.

“We need to do something special for daddy’s birthday.” Alistair announced, and as he uttered the words, you already knew that there was no room for questioning him. He and his father were similar in that sense too.

“What do you have in mind?” you wondered out loud. You knew Maxwell’s birthday was approaching, despite your husband never talking about it. You hadn’t even thought of what to get him yet, which was a problem. 

“A party. But not like the ones daddy has for work,” Alistair explained, referring to the many galas Maxwell had hosted in attempt to gain sponsorship and investments for his company. “Like, a small tea party. Just us. All his favourite snacks and the birthday cake granny used to make him when he was a kid. I know it’s his favourite. And balloons and banners and streamers. I can draw a picture. And music. And—“

“Okay okay baby slow down, I see where you’re coming from,” you smiled, pulling Alistair into your lap. “And I like the idea. Do you know if your dad has ever had a small party like this before?”

“I don’t think so.” Alistair replied softly and you nodded in understanding.

“Well, we’ll have to make sure it’s perfect. We can start planning tomorrow morning when he goes to work, okay? But keep your mouth zipped tight Ali, it has to be a surprise.”

———

The day of Maxwell’s birthday started like any other. He left for work at 7:30, his driver waiting for him outside. He graced you with a quick peck on the cheek and told you he couldn’t wait to see you tonight. Now, Maxwell hadn’t uttered one word about his birthday in the past week, but even today, he hadn’t mentioned it. You’d planned on giving him his present this morning when he woke up, but your nerves got the better of you. 

You’d waited to give him this gift for a week already, you could at least wait a few more hours until he got home from work. 

At 9am, your best friend arrived with an abundance of helium balloons, birthday banners and streamers. At 9:30am, you tried to help Alistair pick out a smart outfit, although he was begging to wear one of his new Star Wars Ewok costumes. 

“How can you eat all the cake if you’re dressed as a massive teddy bear?” you asked the boy. He sighed, knowing that you had a point. 

Alistair looked adorable in his button down shirt and pants. You even fished in Maxwell’s closet to find a bow tie, hoping it would complete the look.

“I look like dad.” Alistair mumbled, fiddling with the wonky tie that you’d haphazardly wrapped around his neck.

“Exactly. You look wonderful.” you grinned, enveloping him into a massive hug. 

At 12, you figured it was the best time to begin baking the cake. But to do that, you needed the recipe. When you called Ms Lorenzano, your heart blossomed upon hearing the excitement in her voice.

“Oh darling! Hello! It’s so lovely to hear from you.” she spoke into the phone, and you could just imagine her smile on the other end of the line. It was identical to Maxwell’s. 

“Hello Ms Lorenzano,” you greeted, nervously curling the telephone wire around your finger. “How’ve you been?”

“I was just packing away my groceries. I got the bouquet of flowers you and Maxwell sent me yesterday. They look beautiful on my dining room table. Thank you, darling. They really lighten up the room. How is my son? Is he there?” Ms Lorenzano quizzed.

“Max is great, actually. He’s working at the moment but we were thinking about flying out to see you this weekend. If you weren’t busy? Alistair misses you very much.”

“Oh that would be wonderful! I’ve missed my little cherub so much. Let me guess, a big party planned tonight for my Maxwell’s birthday?” She beamed.

“Not quite. It was Ali’s idea to plan something small - a tea party of sorts. He was telling me about this vanilla frosting birthday cake you used to bake when Max was younger? And I was hoping you’d share the recipe with me. I’d love to try and recreate it… although my baking skills are nowhere near as good as yours.” you giggled. 

“That recipe has been passed down our family for generations,” Ms Lorenzano explained and you felt your heart sink into your chest. By neither law nor blood, you weren’t family. Would she really not give you the recipe? You’d been dating Maxwell for years now. And Ms Lorenzano did always say you were like a daughter to her… “Of course you can have it.” she smiled and you felt  a wave of relief wash over you as she began to list the ingredients.

“Thank you Ms Lorenzano, it was so lovely to speak to you. Max is gonna give you a call tonight. Take care, okay?”

“Okay darling. I send my love. Give Alistair a kiss from his ol’ granny. I will see you Saturday.” 

Now, the smart thing would’ve been to call over the house chef and have her prepare the birthday cake. At least then, it would be void of any errors. But this was strictly a Lorenzano family recipe and the last thing you wanted to do was to disrespect Ms Lorenzano and immediately give it to the house chef. So, you figured you’d give it your best go. At least then it would be sentimental. 

Maxwell was a fussy eater, only eating the most delicious and well presented foods. You weren’t sure if he’d even step a foot near this cake. As you stirred together the ingredients, something wasn’t right. It was lumpy and bubbling and -- no matter what, you just couldn’t seem to fix it. You called Alistair in, who had been colouring in a family portrait he’d drawn, to take a look, but of course, he didn’t know any better.

When the cake came out the oven, it was lop-sided and slightly burned. You figured it would be okay if you just covered it in the vanilla frosting and placed the sliced strawberries intricately on the top. But no. Luck wasn’t on your side today. The strawberries slipped off and the icing was uneven. At least you managed to put the cake on one of the fancy ‘special occasion’ plates. You could just tell Maxwell that it was made with love.

Ali helped you decorate downstairs, which proved to be a challenge. The rooms in Lord manor were extensively sized and tall, but you did your best. 

“Ali, I’m going to quickly get changed okay? Would you do me a favour and bring down your dad’s presents from upstairs? You could place them on the dining room table.”

Alistair nodded obediently and did as he was told. You went up to yours and Maxwell’s shared closet and looked around, trying to decide on what exactly you should wear. You opted on a beautiful, fitted champagne coloured dress that glittered in the artificial lighting. It was one of your favourite gowns and you had worn it last summer at one of Black Gold Cooperative’s charity fundraising events. You knew how much Maxwell loved it too. If Alistair was dressed in his father’s bow-tie, and Maxwell always looked presentable, there was no reason you couldn’t make an effort to look good too. Besides, you didn’t know how long you’d have left before you wouldn’t be able to fit into these dresses anymore.

You didn’t have long before Maxwell was due to finish work. You quickly style your hair and adjust your makeup, before padding downstairs and into the dining room. Just like you had requested, all of Maxwell’s presents were neatly piled on top of the table, courtesy of Alistair.

“He’ll be home any second Ali,” you said, handing Alistair a party popper and adjusting the cone shaped party hat on his head. Alistair was absolutely beaming, his big brown eyes twinkling like starlight as he anticipated his father coming home from work. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Alistair grinned.

“Okay. Good. Let’s go find a place to hide.”

Ducking down behind the stack of gifts, you waited for about five minutes in silence, until you heard the front door unlock. Alistair squeaked excitedly, hearing his dad come home and you bit your lip, quietly shushing him but unable to contain your own smile.

Maxwell was surprised when he came home. He wasn’t greeted like he expected to be. Normally, every evening after his shift, you and Ali would run into his arms and envelope him into a hug. The lack of running and hugs concerned Maxwell. The house was dead quiet, and he even found himself wondering if either of you were home. 

When he padded into the dining room and switched on the light, you and Ali jumped out and screamed in unison; “Happy birthday!”

Maxwell froze, his jaw dropping open and his eyes going comically wide. He was presented with an abundance of gifts, a decorated dining room, his son and girlfriend all dressed up, and a questionable looking cake with a wax candle stuck in the top. You and Alistair ran into Maxwell’s arms and hugged him tight.

“Daddy! Daddy! It’s your birthday! Look! We planned a surprise tea party all by ourselves!” Alistar squealed, tugging on his father’s arm.

“I- I- wow!” Maxwell gasped, genuinely speechless. You bit your lip and swayed your hips as you lovingly gazed into his brown eyes. You didn’t know what it was, maybe the fact the whole day was leading up to this moment, or perhaps just an imbalance with your hormones, but you had missed him so much. Just seeing him again made you want to weep in his strong arms. You loved him so much.

“Happy birthday.” you whispered, raising your hand to cup his face. He nudged his nose against yours and you kissed him sweetly. 

“You did all of this for me?” He asked after reluctantly pulling away, still in genuine shock.

“It was Ali’s idea.” you replied, letting your body lean against his. You rest your head into his chest so much so that you could hear the rhythm of his heartbeat.

“You look… breathtaking, darling.” Maxwell hummed, his hand resting on the small of your back.

“Come sit down,” you said, taking his hand and guiding him over to the dining room table. “You have all these presents, and we have cake and music…” 

“The cake…” Maxwell pointed and quirking an eyebrow. “Is that… it can’t be…”

“It is, I called your mom for the recipe.” You confirmed with a nervous smile. 

“I-- don’t believe it. I haven’t had this cake since--”

“I know. Again it was Ali’s idea,” you informed him. Alistair looked bashfully proud as he anticipated the cake cutting. “I know it doesn’t look the best…”

“Are you kidding?” Maxwell asked, cutting you off. “This is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“Would you like to try some?”

“Would I like to try some?” Maxwell repeated incredulously. “Of course!”

You lit the candle and held hands with Alistair and Max as the two of you sang happy birthday. As Maxwell blew out the candle, you told him to make a wish.

“I don’t need to wish for anything. I already have everything I could ever want. Right here.”

Maxwell got a variety of miscellaneous gifts for his birthday. A porcelain statue of a dog, a small desk flag with his company logo on it, a basket filled with biotin supplements, and of course the artwork that Alistair had created earlier in the day. It was a beautiful crayon illustration of you, Max, Ali, and of course your cat, Lady Lord. Maxwell promised to frame it and put it on his desk at work. Little did he realise though, the best gift was yet to come.

Once Alistair was tucked into bed, you and Maxwell decided to settle down and have an early night. All the eating and dancing had exhausted you both. 

“Thank you for today,” Maxwell mumbled, pulling the zipper down your dress. His warm breath fanned over the shell of your ear and you immediately felt butterflies in your stomach. “Why don’t we go to bed, hm?” he asked, peppering kisses down your neck and along your shoulders. 

You knew what he was hinting at, and you wanted it too. Of course you wanted it too. But there was something you had to deal with first. You were so nervous but you knew it was now or never.

“I didn’t give you your birthday present.” you announced, turning around to look your boyfriend in the eye.

“Wh-- what do you mean? You didn’t need to get me anything. This was enough. You-- you, my love, are enough.”

You smiled, rubbing his bicep and finding yourself once again getting lost in his eyes. You took a deep breath and pulled him into the en-suite bathroom. Although confused, Max didn’t say a word, and instead, he watched you in silence as you unlocked the drawer under the sink. It was where you usually kept your cosmetics, but Max’s gift had been waiting in there for the past week, wrapped up in tissue. You took it out and handed him it.

You anxiously watched as he unravelled the tissue, only to be presented with a positive pregnancy test. Your positive pregnancy test. His eyebrows knotted together and you watched his Adam's apple bop in his throat as he swallowed. But then, only seconds later, his face softened and his eyes became glazed with unshed tears. “You’re… we’re…”

“We’re pregnant, Max.” you confessed, confirming his thoughts.

Maxwell choked up and wrapped his strong arms tight around you, squeezing you hard. “Oh my God, we’re really pregnant?”

“Mhm.” you giggled, as Maxwell pulled away and cupped your cheeks with his hand. He kissed you passionately and when he pulled away, his grin was ecstatic.  

“How long have you known?” He quizzed.

“A week.” you admitted.

“A week?!”

You swatted his arm playfully and shushed him. 

“I wanted it to be a surprise. We have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, to confirm it and everything. But with the sickness and… I can feel it, you know?” You took his hand and placed it against your stomach. “I can really feel it.”

“I love you so much,” Maxwell smiled. “I love you so, so much.”

“Happy birthday my dear.” you replied, guiding him back over to the bed. “I love you too.”

--------x---------

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[fanficshiddles]

Mission Gone... Right?, One Shot

Thank you for the prompt! I totally thought of Darcy for this prompt so decided I had to do tasertricks. Hope you like it: starrynight3724 submitted: Can you do one where it's Loki and character (anyname) have a love/hate relationship where everyone is like, just kiss and  sleep with eachother already. So the team makes a plan and they get sent on a recon mission where they have to spy on a random guy. They realize after a few days. But during their time, they are stuck in a one room one bed situation and the both keep goading the other to see who breaks first and initiates sex, from glances, 'accidental' touches, where characters pj's are green Lingerie and they discover Loki sleeps in the nude. Until something breaks the camel's back and they just go at it. And after a week of the mission being nothing they go back home as a couple to a banner that's just says congrats. 

-

‘Right, we have to get Loki and Darcy together somehow.’ Steve said.

‘Together? But they hate each other?’ Tony asked, confused.

‘Jesus, Tony. For a smart billionaire you can really be so stupid sometimes.’ Natasha shook her head.

‘What? They do!’

‘The tension between them is high. They just need to sleep together and get on with it. They’re always bickering but haven’t you noticed they always seek one another out? They do it on purpose.’ Bruce commented.

‘Well, if that’s the case… I might just have an idea.’ Clint grinned.

-

Loki and Darcy were so thoroughly pissed off that they had to go on a damn mission together. To spy on some dude who was possibly working for Hydra. They needed to watch his apartment and communicate his comings and goings back to the team.

‘Remind me why I had to go on this mission with you?’ Loki drawled.

‘Hey, this is going to be no fun for me either, buster. But you’re a loose canon on your own, someone needs to keep an eye on you. And they picked me, so you’re stuck.’ Darcy snapped at him.

Loki rolled his eyes and his jaw was clenched as the lift pinged at the top floor.

‘It’s this one.’ Darcy said pointing to a room.

Tony had booked them into a hotel that was right across the road from their target. He got them the room that was directly opposite his house. So it was perfect.

But not so perfect for Loki and Darcy. To their horror, there was just the one bed. An uncomfortable looking sofa and a small fridge with a desk.

‘Oh god.’ She groaned as she dropped her bags at her feet.

‘Well, this is going to be the longest mission ever.’ Loki drawled.

‘At least we won’t be sleeping at the same time. I’ll take first watch, you get some sleep.’ She huffed, deciding to jus take charge.

‘You are not the boss of me, Lewis. I do what I want to do.’ Loki said, appalled that she would even think to try and boss him around.

Darcy rolled her eyes. ‘Alright, you take first watch then!’

‘No. I want to sleep.’ He grumbled.

‘For god sake.’ Darcy face-palmed. This was going to be so infuriating, she could tell.

Before Loki went to sleep, they called in takeaway to get some food and refreshments. While Darcy set up as comfortably as she could at the window with the chair and binoculars.

When Loki was about to get into bed, Darcy looked over and she cried out. ‘LOKI! Put some damn clothes on!’

Loki smirked and put his hands on his hips as he glared at her, in the total nude. ‘What? You can’t possibly be telling me that you sleep with clothes on?’

‘At least put boxers on.’ She snarled and tried not to look at that.

‘Why? Surely I am not repulsive to look at?’ He said cockily.

‘Fuck sake.’ Darcy huffed and just turned her back on him again.

Loki chuckled and climbed into bed. Getting a few hours snooze. Darcy was so focused on just staring at the door opposite the road, eating crisps mindlessly, she never heard Loki get up and sneak up behind her. Until she felt his breath on her neck.

‘Anything?’

‘FUCK! Loki!’ She screamed at him as her crisps went flying.

Loki chuckled. ‘You wish you could fuck me.’

‘Pfft, yeah, in your dreams.’ She snarled at him. ‘Put some damn clothes on, twinkle toes.’

‘Twinkle toes?’ He glared at her and had his armour appear onto him. Much to Darcy’s relief.

‘Shut up. I’m going to sleep.’ She whacked his chest as she stood and handed him the binoculars. Loki couldn’t resist giving her ass a pat.

‘Good girl, I’ll take over from here.’ He said mockingly.

Darcy had to resist the urge to punch him. Or pounce on him. Both would be a bad idea.

She decided that two could play at this game. Instead of wearing her comfy pjs that had little pandas all over it, she fished through her bags to find her lingerie to wear. That just so happened to be green. She knew it would get a rise out of him.

When she walked out of the bathroom in nothing but her green lingerie set, she certainly got a sort of rise from Loki. His cock hardened almost instantly upon the sight of her luscious breasts practically spilling out of her bra. But he composed himself quickly.

‘Now who’s the one wishing to be fucked?’ He grinned.

‘You dare touch me, you won’t be able to piss for a month never mind fuck anyone.’ She warned him before getting into bed.

Loki just chuckled and turned his attention back to the job, instead of a half-naked Darcy in bed.

Their bickering and slight flirting continued over a few days. Loki deliberately tried to get her to break, to beg him to fuck her. He knew she wanted to. But she knew that he wanted to, too. Neither of them wanted to snap first. To admit they lusted after one another. Both as stubborn as each other.

Darcy had just had her chance of sleep, when she got up she stretched directly behind Loki, knowing he would see her in the reflection of the window. He clenched his jaw and tried not to look at her.

‘Well, what are we doing today?’ Darcy said jokingly as she went over and perched on the window ledge just next to him and stole one of his chocolates.

‘The only thing I will be doing today is murdering you if you take another of my chocolates.’ He growled low, trying to keep his eyes locked on the door across the road.

‘Don’t you think it’s suspicious, there’s been no sign of any movement at all in this house. It’s weird.’ She commented.

Loki just grumped in response. Darcy lifted her foot up and poked his knee with her toes. ‘Hey, don’t just ignore me aaaaaaah.’ She gasped as he suddenly grabbed her ankle and almost yanked her off the window ledge.

‘Do not poke me, Lewis.’ He hissed, narrowing his eyes at her.

Darcy smirked. ‘Or what?’

‘Believe me, you don’t want to find out.’ He said darkly, but was still holding onto her ankle. And the both of them realised that he was lightly brushing his thumb back and fore against her soft skin absentmindedly.

‘Well maybe I do.’ She said and stuck her chin out defiantly.

Loki moved so fast she nearly got travel sickness as he stood and grabbed her, then tossed her onto the bed and was over the top of her within a second.

He grabbed her face in both hands and kissed her roughly, she wrapped her arms around his neck in reciprocation as they kissed fiercely.

While still kissing, tongues battling together hungrily, Darcy slid her hands round to the front of him and started trying to remove some of his armour he wore. She swore he always wore it just to try and remind everyone he was a God.

And she wasn’t far off it.

Loki chuckled against her when she started to get frustrated with all the leather and metal. He took pity on her, but also because he was just horny and desperate too, so he had his armour vanish off him completely.

He reached down and tore at Darcy’s lingerie, she whined in annoyance when he tore them off. But he just shrugged at her in response, then buried his face into her breasts, making her laugh.

Loki squeezed and fondled them, he’d been wanting to feel them for a long time. When he rubbed across her nipples, she moaned and bucked up against him.

‘Oh just fuck me, Loki. Come on!’ She coaxed.

Loki grinned at how eager she was. But he wanted to just get right to the good bits too. So he moved between her legs and stroked himself a few times, then as he lined up with her, he found she was soaking wet already.

So it made things much smoother as he slid into Darcy, the both of them moaning and whimpering at finally getting it on.

-

The rest of their week of spying was pretty much spent in a sweaty mess together. Fucking almost constantly. Once their initial hyped up energy was out, the sex was a lot slower and gentler, not as rushed. Both of them took the time to get to each other in a very close manner, learning what each other liked and disliked in the bedroom.

They barely even spent time spying on the man across the road, the mission having gone pretty much forgotten…

When they were called back to base at the end of the week, Loki said to her to let him do all the talking. Since for all they knew, the object of their mission could’ve been in and out of his house plenty of times and they wouldn’t have known any better.

As the two stepped into the compound together, holding hands, Tony threw his papers in the air and cheered. Natasha and Thor looked delighted. Clint and Steve were just grinning from ear to ear.

‘Congratulations, at last.’ Banner clapped.

Loki and Darcy shared a look together, before the penny dropped for them both that it had been a set up all along.

[yoonjinkooked]

Kitchen Confidential | Jin (2)

banner: @casuallyimagining​

PART 2

PART 1 

Pairing: Seokjin / Reader

Rating: 18+

Genre: Enemies to lovers, chef AU

Warnings: slow burn with explicit sex later, cursing 

Word Count: 5k+ (Part 1 - 5k+) Summary: After years of annoying the life out of you, your rival, Kim Seokjin, pushes you a step too far and he knows it. As angry and resentful as you are, you don’t realize that something has been brewing under the surface for years. This weekend, that will change.

Last night was not nearly as bad as you had thought it would be. The drive to the lake was long, but you were carpooling with Jungkook, so it wasn’t dull for a single moment. Getting there in the late afternoon, all you’ve had time for was dinner and drinks. A dinner which you did not make, for a change. With every single staff member of both respective restaurants, it was very easy to avoid Seokjin – not like he was looking for you either. Drinking wine and reminiscing your school days with Jungkook, Taehyung and Yoongi took the bigger part of your night and made time fly. For a few hours, you thought this weekend teambuilding getaway might not be so bad after all.

That changed this morning at ass crack of dawn, when Namjoon knocked on your door to wake you up and give you a schedule for today. As you read through all the activities listed, your eyes still sleep crusted, you have realized that today was going to be torturous.

“You have got to be shitting me.”

You have tried, you truly did. Kept an open mind and all of that, ready to put your best foot forward and do what is best for your team. But 10 minutes into the group meditation, you’ve had enough.

“Shush,” Mina hisses at you from your left side, her eyes closed. “You’re making me lose focus.”

“Don’t you think you’re losing focus because there are 15 other people in the room pretending not to hear each other breathe? This is ridiculous,” you sigh, but still keep your voice fairly low when talking because you don’t want to make anyone else lose focus. Meditation requires peace and doing it with a bunch of people kind of kills the point.

“Come on Y/N,” Jimin chuckles from your right. “Don’t you want to become one with your team?”

“You will become one with my fist if you don’t shut it,” you whisper back.

“I will sauté both of your asses if you don’t zip it,” Jeongguk warns from in front of you, obviously annoyed by your bickering. “The sooner you shut up, the sooner this shit will be over and we can go outside and grab a damn beer.”

“Please remain quiet!”

You lower your head in shame – as ridiculous as it is, you did not want to piss of the instructor or whatever the hell she is. Judging by the glare directed towards you, you did just that. So, you close your eyes and shut up and let your mind wander over nothing and everything all at once.

With fall around the corner, you’re going to have to update your menu. Seasonal menus are a joy to work on, giving you an option to rebrand everything every couple of months. With all the fresh fall produce you’re going to have at your disposal, the next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun.

Your tricked worked – you were still on the appetizers by the time meditation was over.

“Remind me to never listen to him again,” Yoongi cracks open a beer as he sits down on the grass between you and Jeongguk, with Jimin and Hoseok following him. He has been complaining about Namjoon ever since you guys left the hall where the group meditation took place. “I’m all for teamwork and shit but how the hell is group meditation going to help with that?”

“You know how these things work,” Hoseok shrugs. “Someone makes a plan, sells it as an experience that will unify your team and most people don’t ask questions. Meditation is good, but it has zero to do with teamwork.”

“Paintball makes more sense,” Yoongi mumbles, pausing to sip his beer. “Sure, it’s an unusual choice but if we work in teams, which we obviously will, at least we get to exercise teamwork.”

“Or violence,” Jeongguk chuckles. “If I were Seokjin, I wouldn’t want to be around Y/N with a gun.”

“Easy there, you moron,” you hit him over the shoulder. “Just because I am angry doesn’t mean I’ll turn to violence.”

“What, you’re going to spare him?” Jimin laughs and your eyes narrow at him, remembering that he is on the opposite team. Sure, you don’t know how you’re going to be divided in the actual game but he is one of Seokjin’s best friends. The same way Jeongguk would come running to you with information, you can imagine Jimin doing the same for Seokjin.

“Oh, if he’s on the opposite team, he’s going down,” you sound sure of yourself, which may or may not be a result of having a best friend who is an adrenaline junkie. Despite it not being your thing as much as it his, you’ve accompanied Jeongguk on many paintball, bungee jumping and zip line adventures.

“Here’s to Seokjin’s balls and whatever will be left of them later,” Yoongi raises his can of beer.

“Here, here!”

It is a disaster, a complete and total disaster and the only reason why it’s like this is because Namjoon refused to listen. Taehyung and Jeongguk, who were chosen as team leaders, both tried to explain to him that it would be best if we go restaurant against restaurant but the man did not listen.

And that ended in pure and utter betrayal left and right.

Hoseok, who was on Taehyung’s team, straight up shot Catnip’s waiter, who was on the same team as he was. Jimin, who was supposedly on your side, ended up chasing you for god knows how long before Jeongguk shot him, sacrificing his own team member for your sake. Poor Mina didn’t even bother trying as she stood behind Namjoon, who was standing in the middle of an empty field and yelling at you all to at least try to be loyal to your temporary teams. Someone shot him in the shoulder, and although you have no proof of this, you have a feeling that it was Yoongi.

And you? You were out for blood, specifically Kim Seokjin’s blood. Once Jeongguk got Jimin of your back and the two of them started yelling at each other, you were free to run and chase after that all, wide-shouldered son of a bitch.

You could see him from a mile away – it was tunnel vision, with you blatantly ignoring both your team members and your opponents as you run through the woods, hoping to catch up with him. None of it made sense anymore anyways, with no one even being sure which team they are actually on, despite the blue and red vests that were supposed to differentiate you.

You were not even close to him when the inevitable happens – with your eyesight solely on him, barely registering your surroundings, you trip and fall into a ditch – an actual ditch, meant to be a hideout. And it was, to one of the commis chefs who was on your team by vest, on Seokjin’s team in reality. You ended up rolling into the ditch and falling on top of the poor guy, hurting your ankle in the process.

It hurt, it really did – the only reason you did not wail is because you didn’t want that bastard to hear you. You found the little dignity you had left and you grab a hold of your injured ankle with all the strength you have.

“Are you okay?” the guy asks you once he finally managed to move around and free himself from the weight of your entire body.

“No,” you shake your head. “Are you?”

“I’ll live,” he sighs. “Let’s get you some help.”

Bless him, he truly is a sweetheart. Even though you obviously didn’t fall on him on purpose, he still could have gotten pissed. He did not hold it against you – in fact, he helped you get up and once he realized your right ankle is the source of your troubles, he let you lean on him as he struggled to get the both of you out of the ditch. One minute that felt like an eternity had passed with the two of you still struggling to get up before someone in a blue vest showed up.

Of course. It just had to be him. Out of all the people around you, it had to be him.

“Are you okay?” he asks and before either one of you could answer, he was diving down, offering you a hand. The last thing you wanted to do was to accept his offer but with the way you and the boy have been struggling for the past few minutes, you knew that you did not have much of an option.

You don’t answer his question but you do take his hand and you let him drag you up from the ditch, with his commis chef pushing you from behind. The moment you stood up, you realize that you can’t do that – your right ankle cannot handle the pressure of your body weight. You flinch and crouch down, with Seokjin trying to keep a hold of you – it doesn’t work but it does annoy you. With how close he is, you can smell the cologne he uses.

It’s ridiculous. How can one smell good after running in protective gear for half an hour? How?!

“What happened here?” he asks you as you give up on everything and simply sit on the ground, bending your leg so that you can try and take your shoe off to see if there is any visible damage.

“What the hell does it look like – I fell!” you snap at him in annoyance, taking a deep breath while you remind yourself that even though he’s an ass, he’s not the one to blame for this. “Thanks for your help, you can leave now.”

“Do you need me to carry you back or-?”

“Go away before I shoot you,” you are tempted to throw your shoe at him but you hold back the urge. “The game is still going on, I have a gun and I’m pretty sure that a paintball shot at close range will hurt like hell. Just leave.”

You can see the annoyance on his face as he gives up on you completely. He walks away, leaving you with a very confused guy who by now must be feeling very uncomfortable. “I’m going to go get some help,” he tells you and you nod – his help you are ready to accept.

“Fucking hell,” you examine your ankle for the hundredth time, shocked by how bloated it has gotten. The hotel doctor has assured you that there is no fracture but he also promised that you will be in pain for the next few days. Being bedridden for the rest of the trip didn’t seem like a bad idea but come Monday, you’ll have to be in the kitchen again and you don’t know if you’ll even be able to stand.

“Does it hurt?” Mina asks, looking slightly appalled at the sight of your swollen leg.

“Yeah,” you nod. “I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to work next week.”

“I’m going to get you more ice,” Jeongguk sighs, looking at you in worry. “You’re going to rest that leg as much as possible. I’ll keep you company and we can watch a movie or something, but you’re not leaving this room,” he orders. Not that you needed someone to tell you that. It’s a perfect excuse to avoid Namjoon and his hippy movement, as well as Seokjin and his stupid face.

“I’ll be here,” Mina reassures him and with one final look of worry, Jeongguk leaves the room. Two seconds of silence later, Mina snaps back to life and turns to you. “Y/N, I need to ask you something.”

“Huh?”

“I need you to do me a favor,” she tells you, looking back to the door, as if she is expecting someone to burst through it in the middle of her telling you some state secret. “Can you please make Jeongguk join us tonight? Like… tell him to not stay with you? If you’re okay with being alone, of course,” she backtracks almost immediately as she realizes that you might actually need someone to keep you company. “Ugh, just forget I said anything,” she shakes her head.

“Mina, chill,” you chuckle. “I hurt my leg, I’m not dying. I can be alone. But… why?”

You can guess, but you still want to hear it from her. It’s pretty common knowledge that Mina has a crush on Jeongguk, and after all this time, you are pretty sure that Jeongguk has noticed it too. He’s not always the brightest cookie in the box, especially not when it comes to women and their subtle flirtation tricks, but Mina has been getting more and more obvious lately.

“I just want to talk to him one on one,” she sighs, looking at you like a kicked puppy. “He’s not going to figure out anything on his own, he’s dumb. I have to draw it and explain it and if that’s what it takes, that’s what I want to do. I’ll never have a better chance than tonight.”

“Not a problem,” you smile at her, willing to help. “I’ll just tell him to join you guys because I want to get some sleep. He’ll listen to me. But hun, it wouldn’t be fair of me to not warn you. Jeongguk is not a passive guy. He can be dumb but if he’s into someone, he won’t hesitate to make a move. If he hasn’t made a move yet, it’s likely that he doesn’t see you that way.”

You feel horrible, but you have to warn her. Jeongguk is a go getter by nature and you’ve seen him not hesitating with women ever since you could remember. Yeah, he’s dumb but he’s not that dumb. You don’t want to see Mina get her hopes up and then have them crashing down because he’s not into her.

“I know,” she sighs. “I also know he’s still a bit hung up on his ex,” you shiver, annoyed at the very mention of that bitch. Mina would have been a much better choice than any of his exes, if you’re being honest. “But I need it over and done with, one way or another. I will tell him I’m into him and he’ll either reciprocate or he won’t. By the end of the night, I’ll either write a new chapter or close the book.”

“Then go for it,” you encourage her. “Get your closure. I’ll kick him out as soon as I can.”

“Thank you,” you let her hug you, even though she leaned on your injured leg a bit too much.

  Kicking Jeongguk out was more of a challenge than you had originally expected. Being an amazing friend that he is, he just didn’t want to leave you alone and miserable, not to mention unable to walk. You had to insist multiple times that you want to be alone, that you will not move around unless it was absolutely necessary and that you will call him if you need his help.

Once alone, you were left with a bad selection of movies and thoughts about the telenovela going on downstairs. Mina and Jeongguk would truly make a good couple, you think. But Jeongguk… he is hard to predict. You can only hope that whatever happens, it doesn’t end in tears.

Halfway through a pathetic Lifetime Christmas movie and two steps away from sleep, a knock on your door rouses you from your daze. “Come in,” you call.

You expected Jeongguk, maybe Mina, coming to inform you of what had happened. Maybe Namjoon, who would be worried sick about whether or not you’ll be able to do your job in the days to come. Hoseok even, coming to check on his friend. The last person you had expected to see was Kim Seokjin.

“What are you doing here?” you’re too surprised to sound defensive.

“Hi,” he lifts his hand up in an awkward wave. “I just… I wanted to check and see how you were doing. And bring you some food,” it’s only then that you notice that he does have a plate of food in his hands.

“Is it poisoned?” you ask, and although you were joking, it wouldn’t be the first time that Kim Seokjin added a bit extra into your food. Before, he’d go overboard on spices and serve the food to you with an angelic smile. After the events of the past few days, you wouldn’t be surprised if he raised the stakes.

“I did not poison your food, Y/N,” he tells you and you notice that there is no humor in his words. Normally, when you accuse him of doing something you definitely won’t like, he teases and pretends you’re right, whether or not he actually did it. Now, he is as serious as you are. Another instance of him showing you that he knows he took it too far. “It’s atrocious, though. I hate hotel food.”

“Ugh,” you scrunch your nose in disgust, almost tasting the overcooked scrambled eggs that you’ve had this morning. Last night’s dinner was passable but this is not a fine dining location, that’s for sure. “What did you bring? Does it have any-“

“Peanuts? No, I checked,” he pipes up. You are left dumbfounded for a moment, wondering how his memory is good enough to remember your allergy. “How do you go about being an executive chef if you can’t eat a certain kind of food though?” he asks as he approaches your bed, handing you the plate of food. Steak, asparagus and mashed potatoes. One look at the steak is enough for you to know it’s most certainly going to be too well done. Seokjin moves away from you, choosing to lean on the wall as he waits for your answer. Well, it looks like you’re on talking terms now.

“It’s not that bad,” you tell him as you start cutting the food. “Worst reaction I ever had was a strong rash. I carry an epipen with me at all times and if something that has peanuts in it needs tasting, Jeongguk gets a go at it.”

“You trust him a lot, don’t you?” he asks, making you stop mid-chew.

“Of course I do,” you mumble with your mouth full. “He’s my best friend and my sous chef. He’s been my second in command for years, I’d trust him with my life. Don’t you feel the same about Jimin?” you ask, wondering if the friendship between them doesn’t run as deep as yours with Jeongguk, because you weren’t kidding – the dude has his moments, but you would trust him with your life.

“Of course I do,” he frowns at you. “It’s just that you and Jeongguk look like… two piece of a whole.”

“We are, we’re Dumb and Dumber,” you laugh, turning back to the food – at least the asparagus was grilled nicely.

“Are the two of you like… a thing?”

If your mouth was full, you would have chocked, without a doubt. Looking up at Seokjin, you find him looking away from you, almost bashfully. First he brings you food. Then he starts a civil conversation. And now he’s questioning your relationship with Jeongguk?!

“No, we’re not. Never were. Well, other than two days sophomore year, that is. But we realized quickly one of us would be murdered in cold blood if we upgrade from the friendship level,” you rant, wondering how it’s possible that you’ve actually forgot about having Jeongguk’s dick inside of you, once upon a time. In your mind, it just goes to show how your friendship truly is superior. “Wait, why are you even asking me that?”

“I’m just… trying to be friendly.”

“I’m sorry, but you being talkative and friendly is making me uneasy,” you tell him the truth. The last time the two of you have had a civil conversation… it was so long ago, you don’t even remember it. Was it freshman or sophomore year? And even back then, you never went past casual chit chat. With everything that has been happening recently, Seokjin being friendly is a huge red flag.

Whether it was malicious or not, it has become second nature for you to expect the worst from him. And in a very strange way, that is actually quite sad. A person who could have been a great friend or even just a colleague you enjoy working with, ended up being someone who annoyed you. Yes, at the beginning, it was funny, charming in a weird way too. It didn’t take long for it to turn sour and with the events from last week hanging above you, as much as you want to see the good side of your longtime rival, you just… can’t.

“I understand that you don’t want to be friends or anything like that,” he shakes his head and looks down at the ground, almost as if he’s frustrated with you but is too kind to show it. That has nothing to do with kindness because in your eyes, he’s holding back because he know he has messed up, big time. If you ever did something to him that could be considered mean, which you did not, it simply pales in comparison to him flat out stealing your recipe. “If I apologize as Seokjin to Y/N, you won’t listen,” it feels as if he’s talking to himself as he continues to avoid looking your way. “The only option I have is to apologize as a chef to another chef. You have every right to be angry with me. The recipe was not different enough for it to be considered my own creation. Had I known it would end up in the review, I never would have done it. But even if it did not, I shouldn’t have done it. And whether you can accept it or not, I truly am sorry.”

You don’t know him well enough to be certain whether his words are true or not, but he looks as if he is truly sorry. And while that definitely counts for something, it’s not enough, not really.

“I forgive you,” you sigh, choosing to move one lone asparagus around your plate instead of looking his way. “As long as it never happens again, I am willing to put it behind us. But that doesn’t change the humiliation I felt when I read that review,” finally, you muster the courage to look up at him, just in time to catch him swallowing a lump. “I can accept that you had no ill intent, but I have never felt more humiliated than I did the day that I read about someone else making my dish better than I did. And that’s not your fault. You’re a brilliant chef. That’s entirely on me.”

“Y/N, you know you’re an amazing chef, you know that…”

“I know,” you interrupt him, not exactly wanting to listen to him praising you. “I know I’m good. I don’t need your reassurance to be aware of that, but thank you anyways. I accept your apology and I’m willing to be cordial to you, if you can do the same thing. That being said… we’re not friends, Seokjin. We never were, you’ve made sure of that a long time ago.”

He looks dejected, and for a second, you feel like a bitch. You feel bad for not picking your words carefully, you feel bad that you’re the cause of the sad smile he offers you. The guilt doesn’t stay long, because as soon as you feel it, you remember the way you felt when you read that review. As much as you can forgive, your ego and self-respect will not let you forget.

“That’s okay,” he tells you, despite actually looking sad. It leaves you baffled because you can’t recall, not for the life of you, a time where he ever offered a friendly word or a helping hand. You know there were moments, you’re sure of it, but no matter how hard to try, none of them comes to mind. “I’m fine with it being a truce and not a friendship.”

“Okay,” you nod, wondering if you’ve ever felt this awkward in your entire life. There’s a fine line between being cold and plain rude and you feel as if you’ve walked very close to the wrong side of it. “Thank you for the food, that was very nice of you,” you add, wanting to at least appreciate the gesture.

“Don’t mention it. Have a good night, Y/N,” he says, giving you one final, small smile before turning around and heading towards the door. His hand is already on the doorknob when you speak up.

“Hey, I have a question,” it’s almost as if you had no control over the words that left your mouth. It’s too late to take them back now, because he turned around and is looking at you curiously. “Why?” you ask, feeling a complete idiot with asking him something so damn vague.

“Why did I make that dish?” he asks in confusion.

“No,” you shake your head, making an effort to sit up straighter, knowing you’ll be able to see him better from this angle, seeing as he’s still standing in the hallway. “You made the dish because it’s a damn good dish,” you say through a chuckle, feeling a little bit better about yourself when you see him grin and shake his head at your comment. “I’m just wondering how it got to this level of animosity between us. I can’t pinpoint when it started but at some point you took the regular teasing and jokes and just made it… too much. And I don’t really understand why.”

You normally didn’t think about it. You have a life, a job, a whole load of problems and your friends’ problems to take care of. You don’t spend your days wondering why Kim Seokjin could be such an ass sometimes. Now you are. Now, when you’re stuck here on the bed, unable to move because of your damn leg, you have more than enough time to wonder about his behavior. And with him being in your company, it’s easy to ask.

You’ve never seen Seokjin act this humble, shy even. Never before in your life, not even during the peaceful period between the two of you. You watch in amazement as his ears go red, him looking away from you and acting ashamed about you calling him out like this. You’re honestly baffled.

“I guess I just wanted to make you laugh.”

You’re too surprised to even come up with an adequate response. The middle school level pranks that turned into a full blow rivalry and competitiveness during your final years of school only to fully develop to straight up animosity in recent months? Because he wanted to make you laugh?

“Are you serious?” you ask, unsure if you should be angry or just stay confused. It makes zero sense.

“Sadly, I am,” he lets out a humorless chuckle. “I gotta get going. Enjoy your dinner, Y/N. Hope you recover fast,” he tells you and leaves without giving you a chance to say goodbye, although you’re not sure you’d been able to even say a single word. Staring at the wall in front of you, you are lost in thought when your door snaps open. Startled, you jump up, only to sigh in relief when you see it is Jeongguk.

“Did I hallucinate the whole thing or did Seokjin leave your room like a moment ago?”

“Nah, you didn’t,” you answer, still confused about the whole ordeal. “He brought me dinner.”

“You serious?” Jeongguk laughs as he plops down on the other side of your king size bed. “Your leg good?” he asks and you just nod, focusing back on moving around the sad little asparagus on your plate. “I guess tonight is just full of surprises. First Mina corners me to tell me she likes me, now Seokjin’s being nice… I swear there’s something in the water here.”

“Mina told you she likes you?” you ask, taking an opportunity to change the topic to something that isn’t about you. He nods, moving in to steal a piece of meat you’d cut up earlier. “What’d you say?”

“That I’m flattered but not interested,” he responds. Well, damn it. You can only hope Mina sticks to the mindset she had earlier: it doesn’t matter what the answer is, as long as her dilemma is over. “Don’t worry, I was very kind. She’s a friend for crying out loud, I’d never hurt her,” he adds, noticing the look of worry on your face.

“No, I know that,” you sigh, finally giving up on the food completely and leaning over to place the plate on your bedside table. “Why’d you say no? She’s a great girl. Smart, pretty, nice and hot. Full package.”

“She’s also a coworker,” he raises an eyebrow at you. “Don’t shit where you eat. I’ll never have anything with someone I work with, I promise you that. Plus, I don’t feel that way. I adore the girl but not like that.”

“No, I get it,” you nod. “It’s better that you were honest with her. It’ll hurt like a bitch, seeing as she’s been hung up on you for a while. But it’s way better than dragging her along.”

“You knew?” he gasps at you.

“Of course I knew,” you roll your eyes, deciding to kick him in the shin with your healthy leg. He whined, even though you didn’t kick him hard at all. “I think everyone knew except you. She was heart eyes around you, 24/7.”

“Well, damn,” he sighs. “If I had known I would have said something to her, to stop her for wasting time on me… I guess it is what it is… So, what did Seokjin want, other than to feed you?”

“Feed me?” you snort. “At least someone remembered to bring me food, thank you very much”

“I was gonna,” he pouts at you.

“Sure you were,” you ignore his whines. “He wanted to apologize for the recipe theft. And I did forgive him for it. I’m still pissed and I’ll probably be pissed for a long while but it’s not going to change anything, is it? I’ll just drown in negativity and that review will still be there.”

“True. But it’s nice of him to apologize. Maybe even too nice,” he adds, suddenly frowning in suspicion.

“Oh god, you’re not going to believe what he told me,” you laugh, going back to the end of your awkward conversation with Seokjin. “I asked him why he did the things he did over the past years and his response was that he wanted to make me laugh.”

“To make you laugh?” Jeongguk asks with his eyebrows raised.

“Yeah. I mean, I did laugh at the beginning, it was funny at first. Then it just… spiraled.”

“He wants to fuck you.”

“No,” you snort out, but the moment you see your best friend with his eyebrows raised, giving you a knowing look, you frown. “You think this was his version of ‘I like you so I’ll pull on your pigtails’?”

“I didn’t before but now I do,” he tells you with a shrug. “Honestly, that explains half the shit he did. If he’s not lying about doing it to make you laugh, he definitely has the hots for you. At least he did, back in school. That would also explain why Jimin teases him about you even when you can hear him.”

“You do have a point,” you mumble, remembering every damn time Jimin suggested that the two of you should fuck to solve your problems. Jimin is one of his closest friends, it’s not a stretch to think he knows something you don’t. “It sounds incredibly immature but also very Seokjin.”

“I know,” Jeongguk laughs. “You could recognize Mina’s behavior, I can recognize his. I’m honestly amazed that I did not figure it out sooner… I knew that it was an option but he never really gave me solid proof that my hunch isn’t wrong.”

“But it’s weird, isn’t it?” you ask, frowning at the thought. “Seokjin liking me? The two of us together?”

“Why would it be weird?” Jeongguk shrugs, as carefree as always. “He’s hot, you’re hot. You got along well before he pulled out his immature flirting tactics. Jimin might be onto something, with the two of you. Maybe you do need to fuck it out of your system,” he repeats the same words Jimin had used only a few days ago. Back then, it pissed you off. Now, they just confuse you.

“The guys hot, but his personality is shit,” you shake your head. “Not to mention that he failed to put two and two together when he did not make me laugh with the shit he pulled. Maybe he wanted something then but it’s too late for entertaining that option now.”

“If you say so,” your best friend laughs. “But if he’s suddenly acting this nice, maybe he wants to show you a side of him you might actually want to see.”

“You watch way too many romcoms.”

“And you don’t watch them enough,” he counters. “As smart as you are for some shit, you sometimes truly don’t see beyond what’s already in front of you. You’ll see it tomorrow. Now that it’s directly in front of you, you’ll start to realize that the dude just didn’t know how to flirt. Anyways, are you gonna eat your dinner or can I dig in?” he asks, looking at the plate of already cold food.

The man is an endless pit. “Knock yourself out,” you mumble, too last in your own thoughts.

Is this all your imagination or did Jeongguk have a point? If all he wanted was to try and flirt with you, Kim Seokjin is… dumb as fuck.

A/N: Hope you like it! Currently writing Part 3! Let me know what you guys think! 

[ggukcangetit]

Dreamcatchers Chap 1

Pairing: jungkook x oc

Summary: DI Jeon didn’t need a new partner. Unfortunately, his superiors felt otherwise; especially considering the extremely high-profile murder that had just taken place in the port city. Recent transfer, DI Choi Yuri finds herself confronted with a new cityscape, unfamiliar people, a hostile partner, and a homicide that is certain to bring back unpleasant memories.  

Genre/AU: fluff/action/mystery | detective! au | police!jungkook, police!oc

Word Count: 3.1k

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: mentions of violence, alcohol, blood, drugs, death. basically stuff you’d associate with a murder mystery/crime drama.

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Acknowledgement: shoutout to @stutterfly​ for designing this beautiful banner which i am completely in love with and stare at for no particular reason throughout the day

A/N: here’s the first chapter! i had originally planned on posting the entire story as one post but it’s way too long so i’m breaking it up into multiple chapters. the story features a named oc because i’m still very unfamiliar with writing second person reader inserts. i’m not aiming for strict accuracy in this story, and all criminal investigation/forensics knowledge i have has been gathered by watching crime drama/procedural dramas! my knowledge of geography is also not totally accurate so apologies for that. once again, one thing right by @hobios​ prompted me to write a police inspector! jungkook story. would highly recommend reading that because it’s probably one of my most favorite pieces of writing!

16th December

Mornings began early in the Yeongdo district of Busan. Yuri realised this on her first morning in town, as her fitful sleep was broken around 5 in the morning. Perhaps the quiet bustle at the crack of dawn shouldn’t have surprised her too much, given how this was primarily a seaside town with a small port. Her work did not require her to arrive before 8 am so she decided to talk a stroll around the town, acquaint herself with some of the shops and people, and perhaps even grab a bite to eat.

Yuri’s best friend from high school - Kim Ahreum, lived in this town, and this was one of the few reasons why Yuri hadn’t protested violently against her transfer. That, and she hadn’t been given much of a choice from her superiors. Ahreum had texted her excitedly about how beautiful the sea port of Yeongdo was - full of beautiful parks, quirky shops, exquisite food, and fascinating people. Coming from Seoul, Yuri wondered how difficult it would be for her to adjust to a world that sounded so different from the one she was coming from. Ahreum herself was a doctor in training, while her older brother - Namjoon, was in his final year of graduate school, just a few months away from his second law degree. Yuri didn’t remember much of Namjoon as he had left for college by the time she and Ahreum had become friends in their second year of high school. Her limited memory told her that he was very well read, quiet, and taller than the most other boys in school. 

“Hey! I haven’t seen you around before.” 

Yuri looked around for the owner of the voice - a little girl with two tight pigtails, a bright red dress, and a look of suspicion and curiosity lining her face. The woman beside her - presumably her mother - looked appalled at the little girl’s statement and shushed her before apologising to Yuri.

“I’m so sorry, miss,” she said, bowing deeply. “Nayeong here doesn’t really know how to talk to elders!”

“That’s alright,” replied Yuri, returning the bow. She squatted down in front of Nayeong and looked straight into her eyes. “Hello, my name is Choi Yuri. I moved here yesterday. It’s nice to meet you, and I hope we can be friends.”

The little girl seemed to hesitate in her desire to outcast this stranger who had seemingly no qualms about being truthful and friendly. Yuri could see the indecisiveness flitting through her features and decided to try a different tactic.

“I’m quite hungry but since I don’t know any of the shops over here, I was wondering if you could tell me where I could get some fresh bread and pastries.”

At these words, Nayeong’s eyes lit up and any indecision she previously held disappeared. She grabbed hold of Yuri’s hand and her mother’s, pulling them along in the direction of the town’s center. A few minutes later, they came to a halt outside a cozy looking shop.

“‘The Moon’s Post Office’?” Yuri read the sign out loud, intrigued by the name.

“Seokjin oppa makes the best pastries in the world! Eomma, tell her!” Nayeong exclaimed, looking at her mother excitedly. 

“Alright, alright,” her mother laughed. “Yes, Nayeong is right. Seokjin does make incredible pastries, breads, and desserts. It’s almost impossible to stop this one from visiting the shop every day.”

“Well then, I guess I’ll just have to go in and find out. Would you like to join me, Nayeong?” asked Yuri. She glanced at the older woman once, to make sure this request wasn’t out of line.

“Can I, Eomma?” asked Nayeong, excitedly.

“Of course! It’s always a good thing to help others out.” Nayeong squealed happily at her mother’s response and rushed inside.

“I’m Lim Seora, it’s nice to meet you,” said the older woman, once her daughter was inside.

“Choi Yuri,” Yuri responded, bowing deeply. “Thank you for accompanying me here.”

Once inside, Yuri felt her senses getting assaulted by a plethora of soft, sweet, refreshing smells. Nayeong was already at the counter, talking to someone about the different things she wanted. Yuri felt her throat go dry as she glanced at the person behind the counter. She had rarely seen anyone as handsome as the young man currently talking to Nayeong. His thick black hair kept falling over his forehead which he tried to remove with a gentle shake of his head, his plump pink lips pressed together in amusement as an oversized black and red cardigan hung off his rather broad shoulders. 

“So that’s three blueberry scones, one orange muffin, and a bag of peanut butter cookies?” asked the young man, to which Nayeong nodded enthusiastically.

“Anything else?” he asked.

“I’ve brought a friend with me today. She’s hungry so can you make something tasty for her, Oppa?” responded Nayeong, pulling Yuri forward.

“Is that right? Hello, I don’t think we’ve met,” he said with a soft smile. “Kim Seokjin, I run this bakery.”

“Nice to meet you,” replied Yuri, bowing in greeting. “I’m Choi Yuri, I moved here yesterday.”

“Nice to meet you too! May I recommend the Snow Croissant?” said Seokjin, sweeping his hand dramatically over the display case.

“The ‘Snow Croissant’? What’s that?” asked Yuri, chuckling at his enthusiasm. 

“It’s my take on the New Orleans Beignet and the French Croissant,” he replied, bringing out a golden flaky croissant dusted with powdered sugar. 

Yuri took a bite of the pastry and gasped in surprise. The light crunch of the savoury croissant blended beautifully with the soft sweetness of the sugar dust, along with-

“A hint of lemon?” wondered Yuri, biting into the pastry absentmindedly. 

“That’s fantastic! Not many people have been able to detect the subtle lemon flavour infused into the pastry dough,” replied Seokjin, looking extremely pleased. “Would you like anything else?”

“A coffee, please,” said Yuri, throwing the paper plate into the nearby dustbin. “To-go. And how much do I owe you?”

“It’s on the house,” replied Seokjin, with a wink. “Consider it a welcome present. Hope to see you around!”

“Oh…” Yuri flushed slightly at his generosity, but accepted it nonetheless. The clock inside the bakery chimed seven times, indicating that she had spent close to an hour with her new acquaintances. 

“I should get going,” she said, taking the coffee cup from the counter. “Don’t want to be late on my first day of work. It was nice meeting you all. I hope we meet again, Nayeong!”

xxx

“You can’t be serious! Why the hell are you doing this?!”

Chief Inspector Goh pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched one of his best officers fly off the handle. 3 years into the force Detective Inspector Jeon had proven himself to be smart, capable, and extremely reliable. The only problem was a recent case which had slowly come to take over his life. Which was why, when Chief Inspector Goh had called him into the office to tell him that they were closing the case, DI Jeon had taken it a little too hard.

��Jeon, you are, first and foremost, a homicide detective. Granted that this disappearance was linked to a homicide you were investigating, but you need to let it go. There are other, more pressing, cases that require your attention. We need you back on the force full time. Let Lee handle the disappearance - it's his department. For now, I’m assigning you a new partner to work with. Especially-”

A knock on the door interrupted Chief Inspector Goh, followed by the entrance of an unfamiliar face. 

“Right on time! That’s the kind of dedication we’re looking for over here,” said Goh with an appreciative nod. “Jeon, meet your new partner - Detective Inspector Choi Yuri. She’s just transferred here from Seoul. DI Choi, this is Detective Inspector Jeon Jeongguk - he’s one of our best men.”

DI Jeon scowled as he surveyed his new partner. She was tall, dressed in a plain shirt and slacks, her short hair tucked behind her ears. She gave him a small smile and bowed in greeting. In response, DI Jeon stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

“I apologise on behalf of him,” said Chief Inspector Goh. “He isn’t usually this impolite. Really glad to have you join our team, DI Choi. You’ve had quite a number of impressive cases in Seoul, and we hope that you can continue working hard with all of us here.”

“Thank you, Chief Inspector. I will do my best,” said Yuri, with a small smile.

“Glad to hear that. Now,” he said, pulling out a thin case file from under a large stack of paperwork. “I need the two of you to head over to Manor House right now. Some officers are already at the scene, along with the forensics team. The body was found early this morning.”

“Have they identified the victim?” asked Yuri, checking how far Manor House was on her phone.

“Hmm. Kang Eunwoo, son of Kang Kiwoo, who owns the largest chain of hotels in Busan. So you can understand the situation.”

Yuri gulped softly, tucking her phone away and nodding her head slowly.

xxx

The entire ride to the crime scene was silent. Not the pleasant or comfortable kind of silence Yuri had always preferred over meaningless small talk. No, this was the stiff, suffocating silence that made her want to pitch herself out the car window. She was currently regretting not having driven to work - although she was still a bit exhausted from the nearly 5 hour drive from Seoul the previous night.

She didn’t know what to make of her new partner. When she was working in Seoul, her partner had been a 43 year old woman named Hwayoung. She was separated from her husband with whom she shared joint custody of their three kids, only drank low sugar milk tea, and talked a mile a minute while on the job. Some might have found Hwayoung a tad irritating, but Yuri had found a caring older sister in the ruthless and chaotic world of criminal investigation in the country’s capital. DI Jeon, in comparison, had yet to speak a word to her. The couple of routine questions she had asked him about the exact location and identity of the victim were met with heated silence. 

The Kangs were incredibly wealthy - the type that could buy your family business in an instant and then gift it back to you without incurring any loss. The lavish mansion reeked of money, luxury, and carelessness that only accompanied an abundance of liquid cash. The victim had been found in the private meeting room on the ground floor. Being an extremely high profile case, there were already reporters trying to get a good picture from outside the mansion itself.

“Cause of death?” asked DI Jeon, kneeling down to get a better look at the body.

“Blunt force trauma to the back of the head. Death would’ve been instantaneous,” said the forensic doctor, removing her gloves and stuffing them into her coat pocket. She turned towards Yuri and gave her a small smile. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Dr. Ahn Seulgi. I head the forensics team at the precinct.”

“Choi Yuri,” replied Yuri, bowing slightly. “I’m DI Jeon’s new partner.”

“Is today your first day at work?” asked Seulgi, with a surprised expression.

“Yeah, I just got transferred from Se-”

“DI Choi, need I remind you that there’s a body lying here?” snapped DI Jeon. “It would be better if you socialize on your own time.”

Yuri was taken aback by the anger in his tone. Even though she had worked in homicide for nearly 5 years now, her colleagues had always been polite and friendly with her. She didn’t really know how to respond to her new partner’s accusations.

“Calm down, DI Jeon,” said Seulgi, a frown settling on her forehead. “This isn’t socializing - we’re coworkers and it's impolite to not introduce yourself to each other.”

DI Jeon didn’t say anything more after that, but Yuri could feel the anger radiating off him. She was grateful to Seulgi for sticking up for her, but it didn’t look like she was going to have an easy time working with Jeon. 

“Detective Inspector,” said another officer, approaching DI Jeon with a notepad. “I’ve just spoken to the staff. It seems there was a big party here last night. The victim had invited around 10-12 of his friends and they stayed till just before midnight.”

“Thanks, Jisoo. Ask Suho to get statements from all those who were present at the party last night. As well as where they went afterwards.”

“I will,” replied Jisoo, with a nod. “Mr. Kang is waiting for you in his office.”

Kang Kiwoo didn’t look like a seasoned businessman who had a 26 year old son. His face was young and his smile was extremely attractive, but, Yuri noticed, it didn’t reach his eyes. In fact, there was something inscrutable in his dark brown irises that disturbed her more than she liked to admit. Yuri had come to realise that a person’s eyes were the first to betray their true nature; and Mr. Kang’s eyes were almost vacant.

“My condolences, Mr. Kang,” began DI Jeon. “Please rest assured that we will do everything in our power to catch whoever is responsible for this.”

“Thank you, DI Jeon,” replied Mr. Kang with a smile. “I’m feeling reassured knowing that you are handling my son’s case. And you are?”

Yuri bowed once again and introduced herself. “DI Choi Yuri. I will also be working on your son’s case with DI Jeon.”

“Well then, how can I be of assistance? DI Jeon? DI Choi?”

“Could you please tell us more about the party that took place last night?” asked DI Jeon, not giving Yuri a chance to say anything. He had already sat down on one of the chairs, and Yuri decided that she would rather remain standing.

Mr. Kang frowned for the first time since the beginning of the meeting. “My son likes to- I’m sorry. Eunwoo liked to party quite a lot. I wasn’t fond of his lifestyle and I had told him of my views many times before. This isn’t the first time that he’s taken over an entire floor of our mansion to ‘entertain’ his friends.”

“You argued with your son last night,” continued DI Jeon, consulting the notes Jisoo had given him. “What was that about?”

“If you know that we argued, I’m sure you know what we argued about.” 

“In your own words, if you will,” said DI Jeon, a forced smile gracing his features.  

“I lost the use of my legs almost 3 years ago,” said Mr. Kang, leaning forward on his desk. “I expected my son to take over the company by the time he was 28. However, he didn’t seem in the least bit inclined to take any responsibility whatsoever. So last night, I told him I would disinherit him.”

“And how did he take that news?”

“I’m quite certain you’re not asking me to elaborate on the type of language my son used last night,” said Mr. Kang, with a slight smirk. “Because I’d prefer not to.”

DI Jeon stared at the man across from him who was proving to be much more difficult than expected. “Can you tell us what your movements were for the rest of the night?”

“I was in here, finishing some paperwork, until the party got over. I said goodnight to my son and retired for the night at around half past 12.”

“How did your son seem when you last saw him?”

“He was quite inebriated. I barely got a coherent reply from him. In hindsight, I should have stayed with him until he had fallen asleep. Maybe I could have prevented his death.”

“Why do you say that?” Yuri asked, speaking for the first time since introducing herself. DI Jeon shot her a glare before returning his gaze to Mr. Kang.

“If I had been with him until he fell asleep, he wouldn’t have gotten into a fight with the Park boy.”

“The ‘Park boy’?” asked Yuri, frowning slightly.

“Park Jimin. He came here last night. I heard his voice just before I closed the door to my room.”

“Are you saying Park Jimin killed your son?” asked DI Jeon. “Do you have any proof, Mr. Kang?”

“It is your job to find proof, DI Jeon. I’m merely stating what I know. The Parks are our long time rivals; I’m sure you’re aware of that. My son never got along particularly well with Park Jimin since they were in school. As far as I can tell, he was probably the last one to see my son alive.”

xxx

Yuri was currently at Ahreum’s apartment, having dinner in honor of her moving to Busan. 

“I had such grand plans of taking you to the street food market on your first day here,” whined Ahreum. “But given how completely exhausted you look, this is the best alternative.”

“This is great, Ahreum. I haven’t soba noodles in such a long time. You’re actually a pretty decent cook.” Yuri grinned at her best friend, before slurping some noodles.

“I still can’t believe that a high profile murder took place the day you moved here. You really can’t catch a break, can you?” Ahreum sipped on her wine, while scrolling through her phone. “Social media is blowing up with this.”

“I’m just glad I could leave in time for dinner. The way Jeon was treating me, I thought he would make me file paperwork at the station the entire night.”

“I don’t really get that. Jeongguk’s a pretty decent guy. Why’s he being such a dick to you?” Ahreum asked, tying her long brown curls into a bun. “Namjoon’s known him since before I moved here. He only has good things to say about him.”

“Beats me,” shrugged Yuri. “But more importantly, where is Namjoon? I thought he’d be joining us for dinner today.”

“He’s still at the library.”

“It’s almost 11 pm.”

“Yeah, the library closes at midnight. He’ll probably come home after that.” Ahreum stretched her hands above her head before stifling a yawn. “He runs on very little sleep anyway.”

“Nice to see that hasn’t changed since I last saw him,” grinned Yuri, slipping on her shoes and getting ready to leave. “Thanks for dinner, Ahreum. I really needed this today.”

“Oh shut up! You know I’m always ready to feed you!” she replied with a wink. “Now go home and get some sleep.”

Sleep. That was the problem. 

xxx

hope you enjoyed the first chapter! feel free to send me an ask if you have any questions so far. and don’t forget to like/reblog if you enjoyed the chapter!

[sweetlittlevampire]

Rima’s Wangxian Fic Rec

So I’ve compiled these specifically for @inessencedevided , but hey, we’re all here to spread the love, so please, share and reshare to your heart’s content! :D

I’ll start with “Personal Favourites” - there are many more that I would consider a Personal Favourite, but I’ve picked those specifically because I thought you’d enjoy them. AU fics will also be included, because there are some real gems out there, and some still take place in canon universe, but with a twist, so...yeah.

Main pairing is Wangxian; I somehow don’t tend to read much else. ^^;

This thing is going to be loooong, so please find everything under the Read More. And feel free to let me know if a link doesn’t work so I can fix it.

Personal Favourites

爱不释手; never let me go by yiqie

Rating: Explicit

Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Length:  68713 words

Chapters: 1

Status: Completed

Author’s summary: “Wei Wuxian has certainly hoped so ardently in his two lifetimes, for so many different things, in so many different ways, that he could have summoned the demon to his front door with his bare hands. His eyes wander to Lan Zhan, settle on the back of his head, the blue-black curtain of his hair. Oh, how he has hoped.”

A case fic! And one of my personal all-time favourites as well! It is so well-crafted, with an engaging and captivating plot, a TON of OCs who actually do contribute to the story, and a few scenes that are so beautiful I could weep. Got hyped up on twitter, and rightfully so. It’s a delight to read.

Rabbit Heart by  Suaine

Rating: Mature

Warning: N/A

Length:   56590 words in total

Chapters: 6

Status: Completed

Author’s summary: “ Wei Wuxian walks his lonely road, but he’s not going to leave Lan Wangji entirely alone. That would be boring. “

Another case fic! Set after the show’s ending, Wei Wuxian goes his way, but leaves the paper man behind to keep Lan Wangji company. I loved this one to pieces - it has intriguing subplots and will make your heart melt several times.

Those are actually thonly two case fics I’ve read so far, but for more, be sure to visit @wangxianfics ‘s Case Fic section. It has many more, and I am planning on reading several of them.

the earth remembered me by  remux

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warning: N/A

Length:  30321  words so far

Chapters: 2 out of scheduled 4

Status: Ongoing

Author’s Summary: “All around him, summer throbs like a heartbeat, undeniably alive. Wounds begin to heal. And Wei Wuxian, with sweat on his brow, feels ripe. Wei Wuxian, with his hands deep in the soil and mud between his toes, remembers something simple and primitive and utterly transformative: It feels good to make things grow. OR: Wei Wuxian’s travel guide to finding your place in the world.”

This fic changed me. Like, literally. It’s still ongoing, but I don’t even care. It’s not a case fic, but I’m 100% sure you’ll love it. It’s pure poetry and catharsis, and it hurts so much, but it’s so necessary. I think I cried several times while reading each of the chapters, and I’m eagerly but patiently awaiting the next one. It follows Wei Wuxian’s journey after he leaves the Cloud Recesses in episode 50 and tells the story of what he does and experiences before he returns back to Lan Wangji. So it’s absically only Wei Wuxian, Lil’ Apple, and the people they meet along his way.

Begotten by  ecorie

Rating: General Audiences

Warning: N/A

Length:   37279  words

Chapters: 6

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “He’s mine.” He echoed what had once been teasingly said in jest, and added, “This is my son.” Against all odds and without a choice, Lan Zhan brings A-Yuan back to Cloud Recesses. Xichen keeps his brother’s secrets, and shields the child when Lan Zhan could not.“

Also known as: Filling in the blanks with everything that happened in those 13 years. I loved this one. Wangji = Best Dad, Sizhui = Best Son.

Canon Universe

(not necessarily canon compliant though)

the soft animal by  cafecliche

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warning: N/A

Length:   5046  words

Chapters: 1

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “You don’t think that’s strange?” he says. His voice, his new voice, is familiar now. But sometimes it almost startles him, hearing it come from his mouth. “It’s been nine months. I’ve used them almost every day. I should know how long these legs are.” (Or: Wei Wuxian has a plan to train Mo Xuanyu’s body. The results aren’t quite what he expects.)“

A very interesting take on Wei Wuxian, and how he comes to terms with his new body. Something I had not seen previously explored, and I really loved how the author handled it.

Come let me love you (Come love me again) by  obsessivereader

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warning: N/A

Length:  9105   words

Chapters: 1

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “The notes from the dizi cut off as Wei Ying goes absolutely still. Over the quiet whisper of the wind through grass, Lan Wangji can hear the rapid beat of his own heart. Wei Ying's hands drop to his side slowly, so slowly, as though time has slowed down for both of them. He turns, a look almost of fear on his face. And then...And then, Wei Ying smiles—slow and beautiful and warm and relieved as though Lan Wangji standing before him is a treasured dream fulfilled. "Lan Zhan," he breathes.“

A “What happens after the end of the last episode?”-fic. I’m kind of a sucker for those. This one is very sweet and tender; I absolutely loved the interactions between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, and the gentleness of it all. I also adore the song it’s been titled after (”Annie’s Song” by John Denver, if you’re curious).

Death of a Ghost by  Gotcocomilk

Rating: Explicit

Warning: N/A

Length:   107397 words in total

Chapters: 30

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “There was a ghost that haunted the decks of Lotus Pier, it was said. If you stepped across the wooden planks at night, walked along the endless docks and flying purple banners, he would appear. He was always in darkest black, dressed as specter and shadow. In the emptiness where a face should be was a thick fog, features washed away and leaving behind only glimmering red eyes. He looked ferocious as a ghoul, it was said. Jin Ling thought he looked sad.“

Full disclosure - I am five chapters into this thing, and I am already recommending it, I am that intrigued. There is some serious Yunmeng Bros stuff in there which I think you are going to love, and the interactions between said ghost and Jin Ling are - aaaah! Cannot wait to continue!

wrap your name tight around my ribs by  sasukepositive

Rating: General Audiences

Warning: N/A

Length:   8728 words

Chapters: 1

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “ In true Wei Ying fashion, his return comes with a dose of mischief. “

Another “What happens after the end of the last episode?”-fic, with a good dose of Wangxian family feels. In fact. the whole thing is a huge chunk of feels. A very soft, delicate, and sweet fic, which will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.

please linger by  sasukepositive

Rating: General Audiences

Warning: N/A

Length:   5636 words

Chapters: 1

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “ When A-Yuan begins crying, Lan Wangji knows it makes sense. He understands that crying will not harm him — he logically knows that. However, A-Yuan’s little face turns red so quickly that it leaves Lan Wangji a little panicked.“Ah,” he begins helplessly, stepping forward in an attempt at — something. He doesn’t know what. “It’s okay.” or: sometimes the man you love assures you that his mysteriously acquired child will nap until he gets back from shopping. for sure. “

If you liked the Dad Date Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian had with A-Yuan in Yiling, then you’ll love this one. It’s a fill-the-gaps fic in which Lan Wangji returns to Yiling several times to see Wei Wuxian and A-Yuan. Still follows canon events though, hence the bittersweet ending, but it is still so so lovely.

I hope that you will come and meet me by  feyburner

Rating: Mature

Warning: N/A

Length:   28385 words

Chapters: 1

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “ The second time Lan Zhan said Wei Ying, come back, Wei Wuxian did. “

Another one of tehse post-show-canon fics. I love everything feyburner writes, and this was the first fic of theirs I came across. I love the feeloings described in it, and just how sweet it is. One of those fics in which the way the mature part is executed just makes the whole thing even sweeter.

Alternate Universe

(but sometimes within the canon universe?)

Merman Lan Wangji!AU by  FleetofShippyShips ( @fleetofshippyships here on tumblr)

- which is a series of connected fics, and not one long fic with chapters, hence why the formatting is different here. 5 entries so far; ungoing. Teen And Up Audiences

...which is definetely a personal favourite of mine, - you might have noticed, since I’ve been drawing a ton for this particular AU. But since I don’t know if yu’re into merfolk!AUs I didn’t list it up there with the personal favourites.

It is following canon so far, only that Lan Wangji is, as the title suggests, a merman - with secrets.

I adore the atmosphere of this series so much, and the way Zoe writes it is just so beautiful. It’s a story in which I could live, and if you’re in for the ride, I can assure you that there will be many surprises to come.

Welcome to Gusu  by  perkynurples ( @bilboo here on tumblr)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warning: N/A

Length:   30853 words so far

Chapters: 5 so far

Status: Ongoing

Author’s Summary: “ Deep in the lush forests of Gusu hides an aging resort that hosts dozens of children every summer for an unforgettable couple of weeks. It’s where Lan Wangji grew up alongside Wei Wuxian, and when his childhood friend (for the lack of a better term) surprisingly returns years later in the position of Senior Counsellor, seemingly hell bent on causing the same kind of mischief that got him kicked out of Gusu in the first place, but also taller, broader and tanner than ever before, Lan Wangji knows he’s In Trouble. Or, this fic has it all: longing looks over campfires, found family dynamics, ill-timed skinny dipping, teenagers inappropriately shipping their counsellors, LAKE MONSTERS “

Annie wasn’t lying when she said this fic has it all. What started as some kind of crack fic turned into something beautiful that completely owns my heart.  The interactions between the characters are so heartwarming, and while I sense that some major drama is going to occur soon, I also know that this will eventually have a happy ending. It’s delightful, and it does belong to my personal favourites as well.

Some of You by  tangerinechar

Rating: Mature

Warning: N/A

Length:   60640 words

Chapters: 7

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “Lan Wangji gets drunk and tweets a love confession, Wei Wuxian panics, and all of twitter decides to matchmake Lan Wangji and his mystery guy. “

A social media fic! And a hilarious one at that! If you’re in the mood for an extra panicky, extra obnoxious Wei Wuxian? This is the fic for you. It has one of the sweetest love confessions ever. There’s some background Xicheng too.

Window Shopping by  thunderwear

Rating: Explicit

Warning: N/A

Length:   18000 words

Chapters: 1

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “Lan Wangji didn't look out across the other apartment building often, but now, as he scooped up his escaped rabbit, he looked over only to see a piece of paper taped to the window of the apartment across from him. It was written on purple construction paper in big block letters, like a child had written it. WHAT'S YOUR BUNNY'S NAME???“

I did already rec this one to you, but WHO CARES? A Quarantine fic! The first one I came across, and I loved it! A friend of mine thought Wei Wuxian was OOC, but I disagree - he didn’t exactly grow up in the same circumstances as in canon, and his life situation isn’t 100% the same, so I still think it fits. A-Yuan makes an appearance, and the interactions between Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and the boy are just so very cute!

Home is Where the Heart is by  Alipeeps ( @alipeeps here on tumblr)

Rating: General Audiences

Warning: N/A

Length:  10036 words

Chapters: 1

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “Wei Ying’s expression is tight and unhappy, his entire body held rigidly away from Lan Zhan.He doesn’t look at Lan Zhan as he says, “You don’t have to worry, Lan Zhan, I’m never going to touch you.”The distaste in Wei Ying’s voice makes Lan Zhan’s blood run cold.“Just because our families have arranged this marriage, we don’t have to be together… like that…” Wei Ying’s mouth twists unpleasantly. “It can be a marriage in name only. A...” he swallows, looking like he might be sick, “...a business arrangement.”

Arranged Marriage AUs are also one of my weaknesses, especially if the two soon-to-be-married people are actually in love with each other but have yet to confess, This one does the trick. It’s modern era with no cultivation, and the mutual pining is REAL in this one.

what else is there? by  mme_anxious

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warning: N/A

Length:   12917 words

Chapters: 1

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “Did you hear the terrible news? Yiling Laozu Wei Wuxian has gone beyond the pale! He has murdered Hanguang-Jun!”This is the first thing the swan hears flying over Yiling, and it sets him to hissing. It’s the kind of sound he would never make as a human, but as a swan—a mute swan— hissing is the only form of communication available to Lan Wangji. So he hisses. -Jin Guangyao transforms Lan Wangji into a swan. Only an act of love will break the curse.”

A fairytale!AU based on Swan Lake. You might have seen my Swangji drawing; this is the fic it was drawn for. It takes place in canon universe and is super lovely and magical. I may have cried a bit.

all your life you’ll dream of this by  Attila ( @attilarrific here on tumblr)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warning: N/A

Length:  22668 words

Chapters: 1

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: “Lan Wangji should refuse. He should. He looks back down at the mask. Beneath it is the soft creamy paper of the invitation. He could present this at the door and slip into the palace and—“Go see him, Wangji,” Lan Xichen says quietly, and Lan Wangji feels his resolve crumble beneath him”

Another fairytale!AU - this time, it’s loosely based on Cinderella, with Lan Wangji as Cinderella and the forehead ribbon as glass slipper. Such a lovely lovely fic. May also have cried a bit; it’s heartfelt and magical and so warm and sweet.

Love wakes me by  dea_liberty

Rating: Explicit

Warning: N/A

Length:   42812 words in total

Chapters: 4

Status: Completed

Author’s Summary: "It starts with a bet. All mistakes, Wei Wuxian thinks, start with a bet. It’s starts with a bet and ends with Wei Wuxian losing everything. Nine years ago, Wei Wuxian made a bet with disastrous consequences. Now, he is part-owner of the popular and eclectic Yiling Cafe, years and miles away from his old life, making the best of things and trying to leave the past where it belongs. When Lan Wangji walks into his cafe by accident, Wei Wuxian finds himself doing what he thought he'd never do again; reclaiming some small part of his past, and hoping for a future he'd given up as lost.”

If someone had told me that I would fall head over heels in love with a Coffee Shop AU, of all things? I would have laughed...yet here we are. I’ve read this thing in one sitting and cannot stop thinking about it. I absolutely have to reread it; it’s slowly but surely becoming one of my personal favourites.

[shozaii]

Hello! I'm new to your blog and I'd like to ask for a transfer student (gn if its easier on you) from Texas to UA. Like class 1A is told that they're having a new student from Texas and they think to throw a wild west welcome party. Reader doesn't have the heart to tell everyone they're from the city so they just go along with it and maybe them and bakugou end up alone after the party and get to know each other some? Thank you!!!

(a/n):hello anon! thank you so much for the request!! this is really interesting and i hope i did my best!!🥰

p.s- so i read this over and over again and what i understand from here is that reader comes from the city; not from the wild west. i hope i got that right! :’’)

———————————————

texas beaut .

a bakugou katsuki x reader oneshot

“did you hear?! we’re getting a new student!!”

“a new student? cool! i can’t wait to meet them!”

“do you think they would give me their number? now i’m worried...”

“oh my god. shut up you idiots,” bakugou told his friends, having the last few bites of his dinner in the dorms.

“what’s your take on the new kid, man? pretty sure you have something to say,” his red friend said, ignoring the cue for them to quiet down.

“huh? i don’t know. heard they were from... Texas or something. damn deku was talkin’ about it,” he said.

he watched as his friends jump up and down, discussing on even bigger plans. he did hear a few - mainly a welcome party, showing them around school, so many things that he knew he could show interest in. knowing him, he was about to play the “chill guy who’s pretty nonchalant about the new kid thing.”

i mean, they’d probably be an okay person. he thought while zoning out.

“hey, bakugou! we need you for this!”

^^^

“settle down, 1A!” iida said for what seemed like the umpteenth time today, as everyone scurried to their seats. the discussion of the wild west themed party was still going on,and it’s halfway done.

in came aizawa-sensei with his sleeping bag. “now. i’ll make this quick. all of you have heard it - we do have a new student. come in, y/l/n,” he waved his hand to someone outside the door, as the class turned to the door, waiting for someone to enter.

as y/n entered, they received various ‘oohs’ from half of the class. 

bakugou turned to look at the whole scene unfolding, and when he did, he didn’t regret it. 

usually, when it’s someone new, he tends to look away from it as soon as possible. it didn’t seem to buy his time. but right now, it was the total opposite.

his palm which stayed on the jaw now went out of it’s place.

something about y/n pulled him into curiosity. they’re from a different country. they have decided to travel all the way from Texas to UA. of course there could be a reason. but to think that they transferred here - wow.

aizawa-sensei snuggled into his yellow sleeping bag, giving you the floor.

you adjusted your tie, taking in deep breaths. “hello! my name is (y/n) (y/l/n)! i’m so glad to be here! i hope to know much more of your school and also to be friends with everyone here!”

while talking, you took a good look around the classroom.

there was a green-haired boy, eyes gleaming with excitement. a red-haired boy with cute pointy teeth. a girl with pink rosy cheeks. a girl who has earphone jacks on her ears. a dual-color eyed boy.

a spiky blonde haired boy, with ruby red eyes, looking directly at you. something about it was very peculiar.

a few questions in and you noticed your homeroom teacher crawling out of his sleeping bag. “you done? alright. head over to your seat there. the next teacher should be here pretty soon. 1A, you know what to do,” he said, walking out of the door.

you made your way to your assigned seat, and sat down. moments later, a few of your new classmates turned to look at you, introducing themselves. you laughed. it was definitely a new kind of feeling.

especially when you felt the same bright red eyes looking at you.

“um, what’s that boy’s name over there with the blonde hair?”

^^^

“hey.” you heard him say as he approached your desk after a whole day of stealing glances. you weren’t weirded out by that either - considering the fact that you were curious about him too.

everyone talked to you during the school hours, except for him.

it was only the both of you left in the class. the class rep, iida, handed over the key to him. they left, saying sorry a number of times because they had lots of work to complete back in the dorms.

you did need assistance back to the place too. you weren’t used to the school just yet, so having one person as a company would definitely help.

“oh, hello! um, i’m still new to all this, but how do i address you?”

“king explosion murder.”

“woah! really?” you chuckled.

“no,” he snorted at first, but then looked away immediately. “bakugou. look,i’m gonna get straight to the point. i got a pretty tight schedule, ya know? now, put these on.”

“blindfolds? oh, they have cute little eyes on them! are they yours?”

“hah? no way. it’s dunce fa- kaminari’s.”

“okay... wait, but why do i need to put these on?”

“just put them on and....and trust me. hurry up.”

you obliged, sliding them onto your eyes. he then held your arm, indirectly telling you to start walking.

so you did. he was a great company, even though you didn’t get to see his face. he held you back in case you looked like you were about to fall/ hit something nearby. other times, he was quiet.

and it wasn’t like it was awkward silence, either. it was a pristine one, as there were small talks in between. him trying not to snicker with how you stretch your arms out to walk, and him giving you directions.

it was nice.

he then told you to stop, and you heard a large door opening. he brought you in, and you assumed that he closed it behind the two of you.

“alright. take ‘em off,” he mumbled.

the second you did, you saw party streamers flying everywhere, with balloons hanging. you saw the entirety of 1A wearing cowboy hats or boots, and bandanas either tied on their wrists or their necks.the decorative banners had little horses on them, with mini Texas flags, and basically what you would see in the wild west. kaminari was playing the harmonica with so much of passion.

it was cute, but this was all for you?

but how were you supposed to tell them-

“welcome to UA, y/n!” they screamed, rushing over to you, with some engulfing you in warm hugs and high-fives.

“oh my lord! this is amazing, thank you so much!” you smiled widely, clapping your hands. “and the decorations! this is amazing!! i really appreciate your hard work.”

maybe now’s not the time. a cake, self-made. and the decorations. some were handmade, you could tell by the adorable drawings. the setup itself was glorious. so no, you didn’t want to shatter their efforts.

this was still amazing, regardless.

“so, are you ready to cut the cake y/n?! sato and bakugou worked on it,” mina - the pink haired girl - pointed to the both of them.

“of course! i’m pretty sure it tastes so good,” you said, walking towards the wide table with the lovable bunch.

^^^

the common room was cleaned up really quickly. not a lot of mess was made but cleanliness is priority for sure.

“so... you were zoning out quite a lot lately. what’s up with you?”

bakugou looked into your eyes. you gulped a little, setting down your drink. “nah, it’s nothing-,”

“was the cake out of taste?” he raised an eyebrow. “pretty sure i used the right ingredients. sugar boy over there knows his ways with desserts. or was it the food?”

“woah, woah, chill out bakugou! no, the cake was perfect.i loved it a lot. like,i would eat it again.”

he cleared his throat, backing away. “damn it. okay, cool. then what was up with you? no one asked you up to this point, so there.”

“um... okay. you have to promise me not to tell anyone about this then.”

“i knew it.”

“wait! it had nothing to do with the party. absolutely nothing. but keep it a secret. promise me?” you held out a pinky finger, waiting for him to do the same.

he looked at it, hesitated; but gave in anyway. “whatever. i promise. what is it?”

“how do i say it... i’m not, um, from the part of where the wild west is? more like.... i’m not exactly from this part of Texas. yes, i am familiar with this type of culture, but i wasn’t exactly raised with it.”

he blinked a few times, and nodded. “oh.”

“and it’s not like i wasn’t hating it at all! this was already one of the best moments i’ve had so far in the academy; which makes me look forward to more! it just made me sad that i did have to admit it sooner or later. on the other hand, i was so happy.”

“geez, i told them about it,” bakugou placed a hand behind his neck. “gonna have to ask this again - was this whole party thing okay?”

“yes, don’t worry about it!”

“i’m not worried! i just didn’t want to think i wasted my time prepping for this!” he said. 

so he was worried.

“worried or not, this was very eventful. you’ve outdone yourself, bakugou katsuki.”

he smirked. “ha, you don’t seem bad yourself.”

“why, thank you. the same goes to you, good sir,” you bowed.

“hey. multiply that by 10.”

“no fair!” 

the talk went on for quite a while. the bakusquad were bewildered by how bakugou didn’t seem to complain to you about his bedtime, but then again, they loved seeing their friend - usually really worried about his schedule - finally beating it while making friends with the texas beaut.

———————————————

(a/n): beaut ; a fine example of something. it sounded really wholesome to me, so i went with this title. i hope you liked it! <3

[ionlyspeakinmyheroacademia]

Eyes Like Stars

masterlist

Pairing: Shouto Todoroki x fem!reader

Word Count: 1262

Type: Short Oneshot

Summary: You and Shouto have been dating since you’re third year of high school, and on the most improtant date of your lives, he asks you a very important question

Warnings: some very minimal language, but other than that just sweet fluffiness!

Author’s Note: Man, I am soft for proposals, especially if Todoroki is involved :) hope you enjoy my loves! Also, it goes from third person limited to third person omniscient so whoops hope you don’t get confused {story under the cut!}

❀❀❀❀❀

If there was one thing Shouto knew, it was that he loved you, so much it was unfair. You were his sun, the entity his world pivoted around. You shined, brighter than any star, guiding him along, as he stumbled blindly after you, trying to be near your light. Everyday, he thanked the universe that you were with him, wondering what on Earth he did to end up with someone so perfectly right for him in every way. 

“Hey babe?” you walked into your shared bedroom, cutting off his thoughts, your hair pinned up elegantly, small curls escaping in the back. “You ready to go?” 

“Yeah,” he replied, and smiled at you, taking in your figure, your lavender dress hugging your curves in all the right places, complimenting your features beautifully. Shouto kissed you on the forehead and the two of you walked out of your apartment, out into the warm air of summer. 

The two of you had been dating since you were third years, and had started an agency together right after high school, working together to build everything that you had now. Shouto was so goddamn thankful that you were his. And so tonight, he had a plan.

He wasn’t really good at the whole romance business, he hadn’t grown up with a very good example, but he was trying. Shouto did whatever he could to make sure you were happy, no matter how much you protested. He enjoyed making you feel loved and happy. He tried to make sure you knew how much he loved you, but he wasn’t the best at expressing his feelings. 

“Sooo, where are we headed Sho’?” you prompted as he closed his car door. 

“If I told you, that would ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it?” he teased lightly, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he gripped the steering wheel. You narrowed your eyes at him, but didn’t think anything of it. Shouto did this a lot. Whenever the two of you had a rare day off, he would take you on an impromptu date, and he always refused to tell you where. 

But just this once, on the most important date you two would ever have, he had a plan, one that would hopefully blow your mind. 

He pulled up in front of your shared agency, and you gave him a look from the passenger seat. 

“Why are we here babe?” you asked, setting a light hand on his arm and trying to get him to look into your eyes. 

“No comment,” he grinned over at you, kissing you on the cheek. He saw a flush creep up the back of her neck and felt his grin widen at the flustered look on your face. “Come on, let’s go.” 

❀❀❀❀❀

Shouto led you through the building, smiling over at you every couple seconds, and you thanked God that the inside of the agency was dark enough that he couldn’t see you blushing. You two had been together for five years, friends for three years before that, and in all that time, he never failed to amaze you. 

“Okay, I’m going to cover your eyes now,” he said quietly, holding his hands gently over your eyes, and he kissed your collarbone gently. You shivered, feeling goosebumps rising on the back of your neck. He led you forward gently, making sure you didn’t trip, and suddenly you heard the opening of a door, and felt the warm air wash over you. His hands left your eyes, but you kept them closed as he hurried around. You took a deep breath, taking in the smells of the city, and was that….. Candles?

“You can open your eyes now,” he whispered, and you opened them to see the most beautiful arrangement you had ever seen. You were on the roof, and he had set up a small dinner set, candles lining the sides of the rooftop patio, casting an odd glow on Shouto’s face as he watched you curiously. There was a vase of lillies, your favorite, on the table, and you looked around in awe, so happy that he did this for you. “Do you like it?” Shouto breathed, his cheeks flushed slightly.

“Sho’! I love it babe!” you exclaimed, grinning, and you walked over to him. He pulled you close and kissed you full on the mouth, a kiss that you happily reciprocated. The two of you pulled apart, and you lifted your hand to brush a stray hair out of his eye. He smiled shyly at you, his eyes bright. You turned your head to look out onto the view of the Tokyo skyline, the city lights calling to you. “It’s so beautiful,” you whispered, watching the lights while Shouto watched you. 

“They really are,” he said, watching the way your eyes lit up, brighter than all the stars in the night sky. He loved the way your face always lit up when you saw those lights, and that was why he brought you here tonight. God, you were just so goddamn beautiful. 

“Thank you for bringing me up here,” you said quietly, looking over at him briefly to flash him a warm smile, your eyes sparkling, the lights from the building reflecting in your beautiful endless eyes, before turning back to the city. If there’s ever a moment to ask her, it’s now, Shouto thinks, and reaches into the pocket of his suit, pulling the small velvet box out and holding it tightly. Slowly, he lowers himself to the ground, and you turn, your left side suddenly cold. 

Your hands automatically fly to your mouth, and your eyes are sparkling again, this time with unshed tears. 

“Y/N, there are a million things I could say to you right now. I could tell you how beautiful you are tonight, how your eyes sparkle like a million stars, I could tell you how I couldn’t be more thankful everyday that you’re with me. I could say so many things to you, because the love I feel for you is endless. I love you, more than I have ever loved anyone in my whole life, you’re the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with. So, Y/N Y/L/N, will you marry me?” he said, smiling shyly up at you. 

The tears that were pooling in your eyes spilled over, and you nodded, unable to speak. You threw yourself down, and he pulled you tight against him, and kissed you hard on the mouth. Before the two of you could get too wrapped up in each other, he pulls back, and gently takes the delicate ring out of the box and slips it on your finger, both of your hands shaking as your eyes meet. You knot your fingers in his dual-toned hair, and pull his lips to yours, meeting in a blissful inferno that you hoped never died out. 

“Yes, yes I’ll marry you,” you say, finally finding your voice when the two fo you break apart for a breath, tears slipping down your face, and he brushed them away gently with his thumb.

“Fuck, Y/N,” you have no idea how happy that makes me,” he breathes, and kisses you gently on the forehead. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too Shouto,” you whisper, and pull his lips back to yours, finding a home in him, the one person you would never grow tired of, the one man that was wholly, fully, and totally yours, until the day he died. 

❀❀❀❀❀

{banner base from pinterest}

[thorne93]

Unforeseen Chasm (Part 40)

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.

Word Count:7055

Warnings: this is a really long part, fluff, smidge of bickering, people passing out, fighting, things are going to fly from here on out. Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my novels). It’s a collaboration with the amazing @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​​. It started as a funny “What if…?” and it evolved and got huge. This took two years to write. We are both proud and happy and we hope you enjoy it. It follows from Thor 1 to Endgame in the MCU. Some of the timelines may be off in order to fit certain people, and some characters may show up earlier or in different ways than they have in the movie. But for the most part, it follows the MCU. It also has a bit of crossover with some other Marvel characters throughout the story.

Masterlist for Unforeseen Chasm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke up to an empty bed, touching the side that Shannon had been laying on, you felt that it was cold. You got up to figure out where she might have gone. Everything was cleaned up, it looked as if though the two of you hadn’t even been building things and moving things around. Frowning, you walked into the kitchen to get something to drink. There was a note on the table.

Be back soon - went to get breakfast for the two of us

                   -Shannon   XOXO

Reading the note you let go of the breath you weren’t aware you’d been holding. Getting your drink you headed back to bed knowing Shannon would be back with food and that the two of you would be heading to the tower for a big day.

As much as you wanted to be there when Loki was released, you had deadlines to meet and a real job again for the first time in years. You weren't about to mess that up.

So that you wouldn't stress too much, Shannon agreed to tell you when she was heading down to get him. That, at least, was some comfort to you.

You wondered how he would take the news, and take the news of being on parole, having to answer to an authority figure.

Shannon returned with bagels and iced coffee, and a hot egg sandwich especially for you. The two of you scarfed it down, even finishing it in the car on the way back to the tower. You thanked her for all of her help yesterday and she said it was no big deal. You assured her it was. With a tight squeeze, you bid her ado at the floor you worked on with Banner.

She had left to do work, while you went off and went to the lab to start your day. You were completely engrossed in your work when Shan and Tony entered the lab to tell you where they were about to go, and what the plan was.

“Hey guys, how’s it going?” Bruce walked over to Tony reaching for a pat of the shoulders. “What brings you down to our floor?” He motioned to you and him working on something at that precise moment.

“Well Tony and I were coming down to let Y/N know that we’re about to head down to the cell to give Loki the news,” Shannon said holding onto Tony’s hand. “Fury should be arriving soon so we can go over everything.”

“Shannon thought it would be a good idea to give her the heads up in case she were to go down there to visit him at anytime today,” Tony said, not really looking at you. “That way we don’t have any issues.” He groaned a bit when Shannon elbowed his side.

“Did you really have to say that?” She scolded him a little. “She already knew we were releasing him today.” She walked over to you and gave you a hug. “That's why we spent the night at the apartment for his arrival at his new home, isn’t that right, Y/N/N?”

“Right,” you said quietly, feeling awkward talking about your personal life in front of Tony and Bruce. Before the whole New York thing? No, this would’ve been totally normal. But now? It was exposing you.

Feeling your emotions, Shannon knew you were getting uncomfortable. “Well I’ll let you know how things go when we go see Strange, do you want a minute to talk to Loki?” She rubbed your arm hoping to calm your nerves with her empath powers. “Want me to relay a message?”

You looked up from your work. “Just that I love him,” you said simply with a soft smile. “I’m good. I need to stay here with Banner. Loki needs to be on his own for a day,” you joked lightly.

“You sure? We’ll be gone for most of the day.” She looked you in the eyes trying to find something. “The sanctum is on the other side of the city. I’m sure Bruce won’t mind if you leave for a bit right, Bruce?” She looked over at the quiet man who was showing something to Tony.

“Huh? Oh yeah sure go ahead. I’m gonna just show Tony the new advances we made for the arc reactor potential removal.” He opened up a holographic file.

You took a deep breath, looking at Shannon. “Alright. I’ll go see him,” you agreed with a half smile. What do you even say to him? Good luck? This is what we’ve been waiting for? Have a good day at parole-work? You had no idea what you should say. You hadn’t told Loki you knew about his release, hoping to keep it a pleasant surprise.

“It’s like I can read your mind sometimes!” She laughed as the two of you walked to the elevator. “Don’t worry so much. It’ll be new for him but he’ll get the hang of it.” She reaffirmed what she believed would happen.  “I’ll let Tony know he can come down directly with Fury when he gets here, that’ll give you two some morning time together,” was all she said as you two got to the floor.

You nodded, thinking. The doors slid open, and you exited through to three corridors before finally landing in the cell room. Swiftly, your feet carried you to the door on the side of the cell and you scanned your hand. As soon as the doors opened, Loki turned to face you, a bright smile reaching his face as he stood in the kitchen.

“Hi, darling. What brings you by?”

You quickly closed the gap between you two, your feet never stopping to get you to your beloved. In seconds, he was within your reach and you couldn’t help but plant a firm, passionate kiss on his lips.

“I just wanted to see you,” you stated.

Loki frowned at you. He could usually see right through you. He glanced to Shannon who stood back a bit, just outside the cell. “And you brought Shannon with you, to say hello?”

“Well, a little more than that. I got a break from work. I just wanted to say I love you and… well and I’m so glad you’re in my life,” you said. You weren’t sure if you could tell him he was on parole or if that was up to Fury and the Avengers to inform him so you kept it discrete and vague.

“I’m always happy to see you, darling. How is work?” he wondered.

You began to answer him, only a minute or two into your explanation when you heard the large metal doors slide open. You turned to look behind you. Tony and Fury were here. You pursed your lips and nodded, stepping away from Loki slightly.

“Dang it. Sorry, guys, I thought I could get you more time. Seems Fury got here early.” Shannon looked apologetic at you two. “Loki, if you could please come join us, we’d like to give you some news,” was all Shannon said as she welcomed Fury.

Loki peered down at you, slightly worried and confused but you just nodded and smiled. You wanted badly to hold his hand but you needed to speak with Shannon, quickly you made a beeline for Shannon, ushering her towards the wall, whispering.

“Hey, I get off of work at 4, what time does Loki get out?”

“Uh, five, why?”

“Okay, do you think you can stall him a little longer at work, so I can make dinner and get ready? Then bring him by the apartment? I want to be waiting and ready for him,” you informed in the lowest whisper you could manage.

“Oh, yeah, sure I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Loki is going to have a lot to cover on this first day,” she assured.

“Great. You’re a lifesaver.”

“It’s not a problem I’ll text you when we’re getting closer to the apartment,” she told you.

You kissed her cheek before bounding up to Loki. You gave his hand a quick squeeze before bidding goodbye to the two men and heading upstairs.

“Now if you would please step closer to the door, Loki,” Shannon requested.

He was still behind the glass wall and walked as close as he could get. Shannon walked to the panel and scanned her hand, letting the door open. She motioned for him to walk out.

“What exactly is this about? I’ve done nothing wrong these past two years.” He walked tentatively, not sure of what would happen next.

“That’s precisely what we wanted to talk about,” Fury said, ever so serious. “Since you’ve shown us that you can be a calm and civilized person, it took a lot of convincing on Shannon’s part,” he said, nodding his head towards her.

“With the approval of the council, you’ve been granted parole,” Shannon finished for Fury, showing some semblance of appreciation to him. “This would mean that you would be allowed to enter and leave the cell accordingly so as long as you keep in line while you work,” she said.

“And what exactly will I be doing?” he asked feeling a bit shocked that he was given the green light to leave the dreadful cell.

“Well you’ll be working with a close friend of ours across the city. Great guy. You’ll learn to do what he does and a few other things,” Tony told him, even though he’d rather be off someplace else.

“What's the catch? There’s no way you’d let me leave and just go work with this friend of yours.” He knew there was something else. There was always “something else” with people. People never acted out of kindness.

“Has anyone ever told you have trust issues?” Tony quipped, his head whipping to give the god his full attention.

“Yes, they have. Has anyone ever told you that to your face? Highly unlikely, given your fragile ego,” Loki snapped at the billionaire, his eyes never leaving Tony’s.

“Don’t start,” Shannon said in a low voice making the lights flicker s bit. “Not today, Tony. Neither you, Loki. Don’t make me regret giving you a chance at freedom.” She looked at both men with a stern look.

“I’m sorry, babe,” were the only words to come out of Tony’s mouth.

“As part of your parole, Strange will be your officer. Every so often if not because of work you are to report to him aside from that you’ll be given a driver to take you to work and back here.” She looked to Fury to give any details she may have forgotten.

“Seeing as everything is covered now we head to the Sanctum to meet your officer,” Fury said clasping his hands behind his back and heading to the elevator.

As the four of them headed to the elevator, Loki asked, mainly to Shannon, “Why can’t I be released to Banner, like Y/N?” he wondered.

Tony spun to face him. “Big fat no, Reindeer games. No way are you and Bruce ever going to be in a room together, again. I already had to remodel two floors thanks to you two.”

Loki narrowed his eyes at Tony. “I could care less about that. I only want to be with her.”

Shannon interjected before the fight could continue between them. “Actually, it’s because Y/N is doing physics calculations for Bruce, her area of study and expertise. Yours is magic, yes?”

Loki nodded.

“Then that’s where you’re going, for your expertise.”

Now, Loki was merely curious. Another sorcerer on Midgard? How curious...

“For how long must I be there?” He hoped it wouldn’t be for long hours.

“Well since you're just starting out today you’ll be there till 5. Granted, I’ll be there too as he’s doing some testing on my powers,” Shannon replied, seeing as neither Tony nor Fury would talk to him. “For the first few days it’ll be a bit of you learning your way around the sanctum, seeing as it’s constantly moving.”  She told Loki all about what would happen today and it seemed to put him at ease.

“Thank you,” was all he said to her and the rest of the ride was silent. He looked out the window, looking at everything he’d have to learn to get used to once he was able to leave the cell to do things on his own or with you.

The ride was shorter than Loki expected, thankfully. The last thing he wanted was to be trapped inside a moving box for an extended period of time. The team got out and escorted him up the stairs, where Shannon rang the doorbell. On the other side, a short Asian man answered the door.

“Hey, Wong,” Shannon greeted warmly, pulling the man into an embrace.

“So good to see you, Shannon,” he returned. He glanced to Loki then stepped aside, letting them all in.

“Alright, you’re going to be here from 7 am until 5 pm every day. You don’t leave this building without Strange, got it? You go where he goes and where he tells you to,” Tony informed sternly, pointing to the god. “You don’t even breathe the wrong way. If we hear anything sketchy, or anything about stolen relics, back in the cell you go, forever. No plea deals,” he threatened.

“You have my word,” Loki said as sincerely as he could to Tony.

Before either man could say anything further, Stephen descended the steps. “Already chastising my apprentice, Stark?” he asked in a joking way.

“Don’t underestimate him, Strange,” Tony half-warned in a low voice as soon as he reached him at the bottom of the stairs.

“And don’t do it to me either,” Stephen said to Tony with a slight warning look. “So! You’re the famous Loki.”

Loki narrowed his eyes and smirked in response. “And you’re Dr. Weird?” he assessed, one eyebrow raised.

Strange couldn’t help but smile. Tony and Shannon brought him a challenge. Fantastic…

“It’s actually, Dr. Strange,” he corrected.

Loki rolled his eyes and shrugged.

“So you’re the one who poses a great threat to Earth,” he said, sizing him up. “Well, right now, you’re just a sorcerer’s apprentice,” he said, laughing slightly. However, Loki did not understand the pop culture reference and just stared, one eyebrow perched up in confusion.

Stephen sighed. “You know what? Never mind. Shannon! How are you?” he asked kindly, turning to her.

The two of them chatted for a few moments before Fury finally stepped in. “Alright, you two can play catch up later. Loki, Imma put this in terms you understand. Don’t fuck up. Do what he says, and everything will be peachy. Got it?”

“Crystal clear,” he confirmed with a head nod and a smile.

“Great. Stark, come on. Let your woman handle this while you and I discuss that new treaty I proposed,” he suggested. And before anyone knew it, they had disappeared out of the Sanctum.

“So, am I going to learn some magic tricks?” Loki inquired, looking to Strange. “Perhaps I’ll learn to pull a rabbit out of hat, or maybe pick the only card in the deck?”

“For starters, you’ll learn to treat me with respect,” Stephen corrected. “I’m the Master of the Mystic Arts.”

“And I’m Loki Odinson, God of Mischief. Yet here we are,” he said with a gleam in his eye. “Besides I doubt there’s much you can show me. In fact, maybe I should show you some tricks!” he offered with a pretentious motion of the hands.

“Oh yeah?” Stephen asked, playing along for a moment. “Let me know if you can do this.”

In the blink of an eye, a hole formed under Loki and he was gone. Stephen smiled widely and looked to Wong and Shannon. “Tea? Coffee?”

Shannon stared at Strange. “Where… where did you send him?” she wondered, half worried.

“Oh, don’t worry. He’s falling endlessly in a black abyss,” he replied nonchalantly.

“I see this is going to be a challenge,” she murmured.

Stephen shook his head. “Not at all. He will learn to obey me. It might be the hard way, but it is effective.”

Shannon slowly nodded. “And how long do you plan on keeping him in there?”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“How hungry are you?”

She couldn’t help but laugh at the joke. “As much… fun as that would be, you better bring him back. I promised a few people he would actually learn while he’s here.”

“He is learning,” Stephen assured. “He’s learning not to be a massive prick.”

She pressed her lips into a line and put her hands on her hips. “Stephen,” she stressed.

He rolled his eyes and held up his hands. “Alright, alright.”

And just as he had disappeared with ease, he reappeared, falling quickly from a hole in the middle of space. He could be heard screaming until -- thud. He hit the marble floors with a rough thud.

“That’s your idea of job orientation?” Loki roared from the floor.

“Yeah, don’t tell OSHA,” Strange remarked, putting a finger to his lips. “Now, ready to play nice?”

With that, Loki stood and drew his daggers. “You really want to test magical abilities, sorcerer?” he challenged.

Shannon quickly jumped between them, taking his weapons and making sure he couldn't make more materialize. “You two are acting like children, now if you would please get on with the orientation.”

The two men glared at each other for a moment, before Loki finally relaxed and adjusted his clothing. “Fine, if you’ll be so kind as to lead the way, Mr. Strange--”

“Doctor,” he corrected, taking pleasure in the chance.

At this, Loki had no words. He merely sneered. Strange was eating it up while Shannon struggled to keep the power balanced between them. She was beginning to become impatient with their bickering, making the sky darken up a bit outside. Wong noticed and reminded Strange not to push it.

“Alright, alright. Let me show you to the lowest energy relic room. I know you have a reputation for, how do I put this?” he asked rhetorically. “Oh, yeah -- stealing shit with power that doesn't belong to you? Don’t do that here or I will kill you,” Strange warned in a sort of whimsical sense.

This prompted an eye roll from Loki. In that moment, he desperately hoped you didn’t have to deal with this at your work.

From there, Shannon followed Loki and Strange all over the Sanctum. Stephen showed Loki nearly everything, even though it seemed too soon to show him what some of these things did. Strange felt that trusting Loki would be the first step to getting him to trust him back.

For now, his job was to mainly monitor activity around ancient items, ensure they weren’t “awakening” and to keep everything dusted.

“So I’m an over glorified maid?” Loki inquired at one point, towards the end of the day after Stephen explained his role.

“Oh, no, of course not,” he assured him.

At this, Loki smiled, expecting a job with some real talent or skill behind it. He smiled appreciatively. Finally, someone was seeing his true worth.

“You’re not over glorified, you’re just a maid,” Strange corrected with a beaming smile. “Feather duster is down the hall in the closet. I like to see myself in the Vase of Eternal Life, so, make sure it sparkles.” Strange winked at Loki and left him alone with Shannon.

“Really?” Loki demanded, his face showing no sign of amusement at all. “This is what you have in store for me? I thought when you said I’d be dealing with a magical being it would be someone--”

“Less like you?” she interjected.

He closed his mouth, clenching his jaw.

“You have to admit, you two have a knack for tricks and sarcasm,” she remarked with a grin. But when Loki didn’t respond in the slightest, she tried harder. “Oh, come on, Loki. It’ll get better. This is your first day. Give it a week and I’m sure you and Strange can talk about all the magical, mystical elements you want.”

“I just don’t want to waste my talent or time on this,” he remarked. “If Y/N is contributing to society, being a physicist, I don’t see why I’m being forced to be subjected to this.”

“Y/N is in a very different boat,” she reminded. “She’s running mathematical calculations. You’re being given access to some of the biggest wonders and amazements of the world. Need I remind you that you invaded our planet with one of those things?”

He shot her a side glance, tinged with guilt.

“It’s because of that, he’s taking it slow. You’ll see, in a week, you’ll be doing magic to your heart's content. But you’ve got to walk before you can run.”

He muttered, “At this point, I can practically fly.”

Shannon smiled softly at him. She reached up and squeezed his arm. “I’m sure you’re a fine sorcerer. But maybe Strange does have something to offer you, you never know. And if you do end up knowing everything he has to offer, then you got really easy money to help support you and Y/N/N, right?”

He mulled it over for a bit. He didn’t like it. He was destined for greatness, a throne, to rule a kingdom, a planet, a world. Not reduced to dusting antiques inside a jackass’s house.

“Loki, breathe for a moment will you?” Shannon requested the empath powers she had that helped her keep things calm most of the time. She could sense his unease with his job. “Show Strange you’re capable of more and he’ll give you more to do, not just keeping things at bay. Show me that I won't regret giving you parole.”  She squeezed his arm one last time. “Come on, let's see if you and him can help me with my powers a bit?” she suggested, trying to keep things light.

“After you.” He motioned for you to pass first.

“Thank you.”

“Now, Stephen, the other reason for our visit today.” She motioned to herself.

“Of course, Shannon, if you’d please enter the sanctum circle and begin with what we left off last time.”

“Sure thing,” she said, closing her eyes and focusing her energy on one particular point. She could tell something was off today.

“Now I need you to project that power for me so I can analyze its original marking.”

“Okay.” She pushed out the empath powers that were currently still active.

“What exactly is happening?” Loki asked. “Is she having complications with her powers?”

“They’re a mutation of mine that had been given to me when they were unwanted.” She managed to respond. “This particular one has been attaching itself to other emotions and feeding off them causing me to become destructive.”

He nodded his head in understanding. Still curious, he remained quiet.

“Now, Shannon, I need you to step out of your body and read the energy of the room.”

She did as she was told and Strange noticed how the mutation was wrapped around her nerves and her other abilities.

“The energy in here has a tiny glimpse of annoyance but relatively relaxed. Loki think of Y/N for a moment please?” she asked him, thinking that it would change that glimpse.

“What will that do?” he asked, a bit curious, seeing how Shannon was projecting all the abilities she had. “Is there any way that each mutation can be labeled? I‘d like to know which is which, if you don’t mind.”

“Umm yeah sure let me get that, just remember to think of Y/N.” Shannon’s eyes started moving behind her eyelids rapidly and Strange could see that the rest of her mutations were appearing and they were all labeled with what they do. “There. Those are all of them the good ones and the bad ones” she said the latter rather ashamed sounding.

Loki nodded, scanning the mutations before he remembered what Shannon had asked of him. Think of Y/N. He nodded to himself, he could do that, easily. He often found himself doing this ever since your parole, when he started to feel down or worried or panicking… your smiling face came to his mind.

He mainly remembered your smile, and times he had made you smile. From teaching you magic in Asgard so many years ago, to your nights shared together when he made you laugh while you cooked. Above everything you did for him, or with him, smiling, due to his words or actions had to be the best. Your laugh filled him with warmth, and reminded him of a home he never really had. When he thought of you, he thought of everything he ever wanted: support, love, protection, a partner. He had grown up in a home that expected little of him, and when he delivered anything less, he was ridiculed.

But with you, it was different. Mistakes weren’t his downfall around you. You always forgave him, and said, “That’s okay, you know how to do it right in the future. That’s all we can learn from our mistakes.”

You were patient, kind, compassionate. Everything he felt he wasn’t, and that’s why he loved you. You were the other half of him, the light that filled his soul, that he never knew was missing, until he met you.

“Woah! I just got this energy blast of peace and love. Strange, do you feel it?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t just imagining it that Loki was giving off this massive wave or energy. “Loki, what exactly are you thinking of about Y/N?”

He felt strange answering her question, as if it were revealing a weakness, or showing how vulnerable he was, but he respected Shannon, so he obliged. “I’m thinking of… of how wonderful she is. How she completes me. How I’m not sure I would’ve survived the fall from Asgard if she wasn’t there. How… I don’t know how I ever lived without her in my life, and how.... How I wish she was there long before she was.” He slightly smirked, his eyes cast down as he thought. “I almost wished Mother had never sent her to Earth. But then, I guess she never would’ve met you, and that would’ve been a tragedy…” By the end of his declaration of love, he brought his eyes up to Shannon’s, settling on her gaze.

Hearing what Loki had just said changed a bit of how Shannon saw him, maintaining her concentration she opened her eyes to see he was watching her waiting for her reaction. “I didn’t think you felt like that about her. You already know that she feels the same too about everything you said and I couldn’t blame her.” Shannon’s eye softened when she said that. “Life would have been different for all of us but I’m glad that she and I met.” She looked over to the empath power and it was becoming radiant.

“Shannon, look. Seems to me that your powers are collecting your state emotion and storing it rather than using it. That’s rather odd. Let’s try getting you on the opposite side of the spectrum.”

“How are you going to do that?” she asked, looking a little concerned hoping things didn't go bad. “I think you should have Tony and Steve come back in case this might backfire,” she said.

“Of course, if that's what you think will help.” He walked away and returned a few minutes later with both men. “Now if you two could stand on either side of her at a distance, I will need you to  stop her when things go south,” was all he had asked. Steve instantly was on one side and Tony, a little wary, went the other side. “Loki, I need you to talk about the incident in New York, every detail about that day,” Strange requested.

Loki eyed everyone in the room quickly. “Are.. are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Yes, we need it done. If you’re worried about her hurting you, well… that’s a fair judgement, she very well could and I don’t know if I would stop her,” Strange noted with a smug smile.

“I second that,” Tony muttered before Shannon shot him a glare.

“Don’t worry, Loki I promise not to hurt you, I know they’ll stop me.” She looked over to Steve and he nodded.

“Very well, if it will help,” he said before sighing. He had to think back to that day. In one way, it was hard to recall it, he’d tried to suppress that and move on for a long time, trying to not let the guilt eat him alive. On the other hand, it invaded his dreams and thoughts more often than he liked.  “I remember it was rather… easy, to get into your apartment, Shannon. All Y/N had to do was show up, looking disheveled. You let her in without a second thought. Which made our plan of deceiving you and possibly killing you all the more easy,” he began. He had to switch back into a mindset he wasn’t comfortable in, but he was trying to do this for your best friend, so he had to push past the anxiety that came with it.  “I remember Y/N reporting to me that she had you tied up, that she stabbed one of my daggers through your thigh, without even thinking twice about it… and all for a man she barely knew -- me. It was rather easy to get her to turn against you, all of you really. She was willing to kill you, Banner, Stark, Rogers… anyone who stood in our way, just to conquer this planet. Funny, how love and power make one do strange things…”

Everyone looked over to see how hearing this was would have her react. It'd been two years since the accident. They looked over to the projection of her powers to see that the empathy had taken the energy that had been collected and had grown twice as big looking over to Shannon she was clutching her leg right where she’d been stabbed.

“She wasn’t thinking straight, she was scared about what she’d been dragged into.” She clenched one fist, her eyes squeezed shut. “If I’d been there none of that would have happened I could have helped her!” She opened her eyes and they were watery. “She had no choice but to follow the orders or die.”

“Or is that simply the lie we told you, so you would go on trusting her, and me? I mean, you have to admit, the bond you two supposedly share…” Loki made a face of uneasiness. “Rather fragile if a mere man of my reputation could get her to abandon such a trusted and hardy bond, wouldn’t you say? Let’s not forget, she threw your beloved out a window, ready to let him die, for me. She also tried to kill you, well, countless times. Even I haven’t tried to kill Thor that many times--” he laughed “--which is a hard record to beat, I must say.”

“You think she really wanted to do any of it?!” she shouted, making the room shake. “Her mind was washed clean, she’s trying so hard to remember everything we had together.” She wiped away the tears. “She never should have jumped after you!  She should have come back to me, to everyone here in the tower who love her.” Her eyes were red and swirling with purple. “All you did was make her lose who she really was. You cost her three years of her life to take over this planet.” She took a step forward.

“And it was worth it,” he said in a low, confident voice with a smug smile as he leaned forward towards her.

“What? What was worth it? Getting yourself locked up with her, never getting to see your home again?” She walked up closer to him leaving scorch marks on the floor. “Was it worth it knowing your mother died and you couldn’t save her?”  Her arms were lit with the purple and red haze she seemed to always have. Things had begun to float around her and she lifted her arms. “I tried to save her! You wouldn’t let her go. What else was I supposed to do?” She threw shards of glass at Loki. “If I could get rid of you I knew I could save her.” She threw larger objects but he evaded them easily. Getting angrier that she couldn’t hit him, she moved forward having him get cornered.

“Shannon, I need you to calm down for me so that the levels decrease,” Strange said.

“Why? Are you worried I’ll kill him? What about what he did to me! To Y/N!” The books began to fall from the shelves and the light began to shutter.

“Babe, I need you to calm down for me, please?” He tried walking to her but she stopped him. “I know you’ll regret this if you do hurt him.”

“Shannon, it’s me, the love of Y/N’s life, you wouldn’t want to hurt me, right?” he asked, trying to appeal to her. For a quick moment, he thought of you, getting Shannon to cool off a bit. Then, he laid into her. “I do hope you realize that if it weren’t for your stolen powers, then while we came to rule this rotten rock of a planet then you would be the very reason everyone you love would be dead. Stark, Banner, all of them would’ve died at my hands and Y/N’s. But you’re merely an overrated thief, siphoning powers that shouldn’t have belonged to you.” He stood his ground, not backing away from her. “And I’ve asked her before, she’s told me that if she had to do it all over again, she would, for me. All I would have to do is ask,” he hissed.

Tony knew in that moment that there was no going back. Loki had tipped the cup over. He looked to see that Steve had been thinking the same and they both got ready to feel the whiplash of what would happen.

“You think I wanted these powers?! To have the abilities of all the horrible people who’ve killed the innocent within me? To carry them with me every single day of my life never knowing when they’ll overpower me and cause me to be the person I never want to become?” She could no longer see what she was doing, she wasn’t able to control her actions. She lifted Loki up like he was a rag doll. All she could think of was how much she wanted all of it to end. “So yes, I am aware that I don’t deserve to have any of the powers at all, but you! You of all people shouldn’t deserve the love she’s given and is giving.” She started closing her fist, in that same moment Steve ran to her and grabbed her hand to stop her from choking the life from him.

“Shannon, stop this at once!” Came his Captain voice, full of concern and anger. “Stand down now,” even his super soldier strength couldn’t stop her.

“No! Not until he feels the exact same way I felt that day.” She produced a gun and a dagger from the air. Strange shifted the time so that they didn’t produce and made sure she couldn’t. She motioned for Tony to get to her and hold her head and have her concentrate on feeling his energy. “Tony? Please don’t let me hurt him,” she whispered when she felt their heads touch.

“I promise I won’t. I just need you to focus on me and on us. Do you feel my energy?” He slowly pulled down from floating in the air and motioned for Steve to keep her feet on the ground. “I’m right here and so is Capsicle, we’ve got you. Just slowly release Loki and hold on to my hand,” he said.

The flames seemed to dissipate from her arms and she stopped closing her fist, letting Loki breath again. Strange went to Loki’s side to make sure his vitals became steady and took him from the room. Once he was gone, Steve looked over to the energy showing her powers were slowly fading. Seeing her finally come down to the ground, her eyes weren't red and hazed. She looked empty and without any energy. Seeing how fragile she was, he caught her before she fell.

“Strange!” both men yelled knowing that Shannon would need urgent care.

“Doctor’s work is never done,” he muttered as he ran back in, rushing to her side. He immediately began checking her vitals. He glanced back to where the energy panels had been, but now that Shannon had become unconscious, she could no longer project them. “Damn,” he said disappointed.

“What the hell was all that, huh?” Tony pressed. “Did you even get anything out of that?”

Strange stood, facing Tony. “Yes, I did. We found out her body isn’t letting the mutations go. Instead of temporarily using the powers, like she was originally supposed to do, she’s become this sort of sponge…” He peered down at her. “We need to figure out how to wring her out…”

Tony nodded. “Is she going to be alright?”

“Yes. She needs to recover. Possibly a day or two. This was worse than last time. It’s almost like her fuse to get angry is getting shorter and shorter, and her power is getting bigger, much too big to control. Every time she loses control like this…” He trailed off, not wanting to say.

“What?” Steve urged, not in the mood for games. “What is it?”

“Every time the powers take over… she’s losing a bit of her life. I can feel it in her. Her body will shut down before it will hold all of this. Maybe it will hold on, maybe it won’t, but I can tell you her mind itself can’t contain it. She will literally go insane if we do not get these powers out of her.”

“So what do we do?” Steve inquired, his arms crossed.

“We find someone more suited to deal with mutations than me,” he answered simply.

Tony nodded, not sure he was accepting the reality of this. These powers being a cancer, feeding on you. “And Reindeer games? Is he--”

“He needs to recover too. She kept his oxygen off for too long and she put pressure on his body that’s not of this world. His organs are showing signs of distress.”

Steve piped in. “Does he need a hospital?”

“Right now? No. I don’t think so. I think rest will be fine, and fluid.”

“Well, I’ll get them back to the tower,” Tony said with a sigh. Stephen opened a portal, and he carried Shannon through it, while Steve helped Loki through it. All four of them landed in a med bay. “Jarvis, get Banner down here, now,” he ordered.

“Right away, sir.”

Shannon lay unconscious on one slab, while Loki lie on another. Bruce came in, seeing the two.

“What… what the hell happened?” he questioned, confused and worried as he immediately began to hook up electrodes and heart monitors.

Right behind him, you came in. You had no idea who was in med bay, but you were Bruce’s assistant so you followed. As soon as your eyes landed on the two, you gasped, fear slaying your chest.

“Are...are…” that was all you could get out before everything went black. Steve’s reflexes kicked in and he caught you before your head could slam on the floor. He gently placed you on one of the free beds.

“Is it Shock Saturday or what the fuck?” Tony demanded, suddenly exasperated.

“Tony,” Steve chided.

“So… we just not gonna tell me what happened or... ?” Bruce inquired.

Steve turned to Bruce and explained everything. How Strange needed to see all sides of your powers, how they used Loki as the catalyst, and how both of them were pushed far beyond their physical limitations.

“Why?” Bruce suddenly demanded, angry. “Why…” He clenched his fist, trying to get ahold of his anger. “Why does she continue to have her powers tested? Every time she’s pressed, she ends up in here. I can’t stand seeing her like this. Why does she do it?”

Tony peered down at Shannon, sorrow and adoration on his face. “Because… she doesn’t want to turn into a monster.”

“Yeah… I guess that’s the worst thing that could happen to someone, isn’t it,” Bruce muttered, half stung by Tony’s comment.

“Banner,” Tony started. “You know what I mean. She’s… she’s full of love and light, and these powers... “ He took a deep breath, recalling Strange’s diagnosis. “They’re a cancer.”

“A cancer?” Bruce echoed. “Like a tumor? Something we can remove?” he wondered, a little hopeful.

“Not exactly. According to Strange, they’re attacking her, the powers she’s acquired. The longer they’re in here, the more they deteriorate her mind. He said her body might hold out, or it might not. One way or the other, these powers are killing her.”

“But I thought they gave her strength?” he questioned, frowning.

“I did too, but we saw it today. Hell, you see it, you said it yourself. Every time she uses them, she ends up in the damn hospital.”

“So we need to get an expert on mutations to get them out of her, right?”

“Right. But she’s already been to Xavier,” Tony reminded.

“But he didn’t know how they were working. He saw them as a mutation before, a part of her genes, something that became attained during that lab accident.” Bruce started to pace, thinking out loud. “Now that we know it’s working like a cancer, like a mutation gone wrong, we can find it. We can locate the DNA that’s turned and work to eliminate it.”

“You mean like chemotherapy,” Steve suggested.

“Almost,” Bruce said. “Except it’s not radiation… We just need… a mutation killing power.”

“Where are we going to find that?” Tony asked.

Bruce shook his head, gazing down at her form. “I have no idea. But it’s somewhere to start…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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UC: @lokis-high-priestess​

[myaekingheart]

108. Starstruck

read the scarecrow and the bell on ao3 index | from the beginning | < previous | next >

               Konoha was abuzz with excitement as genin teams hung banners and balloons throughout the village. Truthfully, Rei found it rather ironic that they were assigned such a task. After all, the celebrity they were welcoming was not exactly child-friendly.

               Apparently Konoha’s financial situation had dipped during this time of routine and calm. As such, Lady Tsunade had invented the wonderful idea that perhaps the village should pour more of their efforts into promoting tourism. Rei was not brave enough to note how dangerous this might be with the Akatsuki a quietly approaching threat. Before she could say anything, Shizune cringed and swiped her finger across her neck, a warning. Tsunade had clearly been stressed. Protesting her plans would likely only anger the beast.

               The best way to attract visitors to Konoha, it seemed, was to piggyback on the village’s merit of being the birthplace of the great sannin, Jiraiya. There was nothing noble or respectable about this idea, however. He was not to be revered by tourists for his innate abilities but rather for his dirty books. Icha Icha was a hit the world over and so there was truly no better way to sell Konoha than to bring that fact to the fore.

               Clearly, they could not use Jiraiya himself as the poster boy. Tsunade had written him a letter mapping out her idea, to which he replied emphatically but apologized for not being able to partake himself. He mentioned that Naruto was progressing wonderfully with his training and they could not afford to stop for anything, but that they hoped Konoha would welcome them both back in a year with open arms. Regarding the tourism plan, however, Jiraiya instead suggested one of the actors from the film adaptation. After all, they were on the cusp of shooting Icha Icha Violence so a press tour was only natural. Promote the film while also promoting the village. There was no way Tsunade could say no.

               The first person she contacted, of course, was Koyuki Kazahana. Known by her stage name Yukie Fujikaze, she was the stunning lead actress and therefore was certain to garner lots of positive attention. However, Koyuki was not just an actress but also the princess of the Land of Snow. When she wasn’t acting, she was pouring her heart into her country. Her assistant, Sandayu, returned their correspondence with an “I regret to inform you…” and that was the end of that.  

               The only other option, and the one that eventually stuck, was the leading man. Keihaku Goman was charming and appealing with a lithe figure and a sparkling smile. Young adult magazines paid special attention to “eyes like pools of water” and “hair like sunshine.” He was, for all intents and purposes, a heartthrob. When it was announced that he was visiting Konoha, all the women went insane. Hair salons saw a significant increase in appointments and cute dresses flew off the racks of fashionable clothing stores. Anything to capture the attention of a sexy movie star.

               “I can’t believe how everyone is freaking out” Kakashi mentioned as he and Rei weaved through the mess. “I never expected everyone in the village to be so head over heels for some actor.”

               “Well, for what it’s worth” Rei replied, “he’s technically not just some actor. He’s an actor who just so happens to have a full-frontal nudity scene in a racy blockbuster. You’d be surprised what desperate women would do for dick.”

               Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. As big a fan as he was of the Icha Icha series, he just couldn’t wrap his brain around the absolute chaos erupting from this man’s visit. “At least you have a level head” he replied, wrapping an arm around his fiancée. Rei gave a definitive nod, rubbing the back of her neck and looking the other way. Her silence was enough to warrant suspicion. “You do have a level head, right…?” he asked slowly.

               “Hmm? Oh, yeah! Yeah! Of course!” Rei replied. She pasted a huge grin on her face and swatted at the air dismissively. Kakashi was not convinced. He stared her down for a long, silent moment before finally breaking.

               “Rei, please don’t tell me you’re googly-eyed for him, too” Kakashi complained.

               “I’m not!” Rei exclaimed. She rubbed her forearms and muttered, “I only like him a normal amount.”

               “God dammit, Rei” Kakashi whined, tossing his head back and groaning. And here he thought she wasn’t like other girls.

               “I’m sorry!” Rei replied. “It’s not like I’m going to lose my shit over this guy, I just think he’s kind of, I don’t know, aesthetically pleasing. You know, in that glittery film actor sort of way. That’s all it is! Come on, Kakashi. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

               Pouting, Kakashi muttered a halfhearted, “Alright” but it was clear he was bothered by this. And if he was bothered, then Rei was bothered. She stopped him dead in the middle of the street, taking his forearm to pull him closer to her. He watched as she cupped his face in her hands, stared him in the eyes.

               “Kakashi, believe me when I say this is not a big deal” she said. “I love you more than words can ever describe. There is no one else I would rather spend my future with.” She held up her left hand, her engagement ring glittering in the sunlight. “This should be proof enough of that.”

               Kakashi stared at her for a moment, searching her gaze for any hint of dishonesty. When he found none, his expression quickly shifted from anxiety to amusement. A satisfied smile spread across his masked face as he lyrically teased, “You have a crush on Keihaku.”

               Rei’s face immediately turned bright red. She removed her hands from his face and slapped him on the arm, turning away from him to hide her embarrassment. “Shut up! I already told you I do not!” she insisted.

               “Okay…” Kakashi chuckled, delightfully unconvinced. He plunged his hands into his pockets and began strolling back toward their apartment, humming to himself.

               “Kakashi, get back here!” Rei shouted, chasing after him. “I told you, it’s not like that! I don’t have a crush on this guy! Kakashi!”

               Keihaku Goman arrived in the Hidden Leaf a few days after, welcomed by a large crowd and sweeping processional. Women screamed and fainted at the sight of him—to think, a movie star here, in Konoha, in the flesh. They would give anything to earn so much as a glance or a wink from him. A team of ANBU escorted him to the hokage’s office where he was to meet with Tsunade about his itinerary. Among his bodyguards was Rei.

               In true movie star fashion, Keihaku hammed it up for the crowd as he ventured down the street, winking and waving at swooning women. Rei watched as she followed close behind and wondered how a human being could possibly be so charismatic. Every move seemed carefully choreographed and yet totally effortless. Was he playing a part, or was he truly this princely? She couldn’t tell. The longer she pondered it, however, the redder her face grew and she forced herself to remain focused. She could not let herself get distracted. She had a duty to fulfill.

               Once they had reached the hokage’s office, Tsunade welcomed him warmly. At least she seemed completely unaffected by his charm. Rather, she remained polite and diplomatic just as the hokage should be. Shizune, on the other hand, was forced to muster all of her strength in order to remain standing. From the other side of the room, a group of jonin—Kakashi included—tuned in for the briefing.

               Rei and Kakashi locked eyes with one another as Tsunade explained Keihaku’s tasks. He had a busy schedule ahead of him including photoshoots and even a commercial. Anything to amp up Konoha’s tourism. Meanwhile, Kakashi made discrete hand gestures to his fiancée—an overflow from his ANBU days—to communicate to her what he was thinking. And what he was thinking was that he was going to milk every ounce of her embarrassment. Her face turned bright red and she swatted at the air in a silent attempt to shut him up. Kakashi quickly dropped his eyes and stifled his laughter as Tsunade paused mid-sentence.

               “Is something the matter?” she asked harshly, glaring at Rei.

               Clearing her throat, Rei steadied herself and croaked, “N-no, Lady Tsunade. Just, uh…just a fly.”

               Tsunade narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, completely unconvinced. She slowly turned her attention back to Keihaku’s itinerary but Rei could feel a scolding waiting for her after Tsunade was done. Once her and Keihaku were yet again occupied with his obligations, Rei shot Kakashi a sharp warning glare. Even with her mask on, he could tell her expression was something fierce.

               Kakashi thumbed through Makeout Paradise as he waited outside the ANBU headquarters. It was that strange liminal period of dusk when the sky was growing too dark to read under and yet not dark enough to turn the streetlights on. And then there was a heavy shove of the door and Rei trudged out into the night air, fraught and fatigued. Kakashi tucked his book into his back pouch and waved with a grin, striding toward her. Rei knew just by the look on his face that she was in for a ration of shit. He was far too perky to not be suspicious. “So, how did your first day as Keihaku’s bodyguard go?” he asked, lacing his fingers with hers as they walked home.

               “It was fine” Rei replied bluntly. “Nothing to write home about.”  

               Kakashi was silent for a moment before teasing, “He tried to touch your butt, didn’t he?”

               “Kakashi! No! What the fuck?!” Rei exclaimed, swatting him on the arm. “Stop that! I already told you, it’s not like that!”

               “I’ll believe it when I see it” Kakashi sighed sleepily. He was so nonchalant, so unaffected, it made Rei’s blood boil. Grumbling, she quickened her pace with arms folded across her chest to further enforce her displeasure. They walked along in silence for a few moments more before Kakashi went in for the kill again. “So are you going to ask him on a date?”

               “What the fuck? No! Of course not!” Rei shouted. She shoved her left hand in his face. “Does this mean nothing to you, Kakashi?”

               “I don’t know” Kakashi joked. “Keihaku does have a lot more money than I do. Are you sure he wouldn’t be able to buy you something nicer?”

               Rei rolled her eyes and huffed her bangs out of her face. “Even if he did, I wouldn’t want it” she insisted. “It wouldn’t mean as much.”  

               He had to admit, hearing her get so heated about this was kind of affirming for him. He loved knowing that she was so defensively in love with him, that the thought of even considering another man made her furious. But at the same time, watching her get flustered about finding someone else attractive was far too fun. Besides, it was clear to him that he had nothing to worry about in terms of her faithfulness. He could tease her to his heart’s content and it wouldn’t mean a single thing.

               “So you’re saying that if Keihaku burst out of that window right there, with confetti and trumpets blaring, and got down on one knee and asked you to go on a date with him, that you would say no?” he asked, suppressing laughter. She glared up at him, tiny but lethal. Poking her puffed out cheek, he added, “Because that is a very tempting offer!”

               Rei swatted his hand away and shouted, “Maybe you should go on a date with him then, Kakashi!”

               Kakashi couldn’t help but laugh. “You know, if he ever did somehow ask you on a date, I think you should go for it.” It was that statement that firmly stopped Rei in her tracks. What was he insinuating here? First of all: if he somehow asked her on a date? Was he trying to say she would be undesirable to someone like Keihaku? Not that it mattered. She didn’t care either way. But was he trying to say she wasn’t fit to be seen with a celebrity? And more importantly, I think you should go for it?! Was her fiancé really suggesting she cheat on him? Her disgust and confusion were almost palpable. Kakashi, however, was completely unphased. Of all the women in Konoha, he doubted Keihaku would ever ask Rei out. It wasn’t that he considered her undesirable in the least sense—she was the most intelligent, beautiful, and talented woman he knew. And that was exactly the problem. Men like Keihaku had no interest in women of substance. All they cared about were breast implants and sex appeal. Women with lips soaked in gloss and hair permed to perfection and fake tans to rival the gods. Keihaku would never go for someone like Rei. Truthfully, Kakashi took comfort in that. If, for whatever reason, he did ask for a date with his fiancée, however, Kakashi was not going to protest. He wasn’t giving her up in the slightest. He knew even one dinner would never lead to anything serious. Celebrities were far too shallow for that sort of thing—Keihaku could never dream of having a relationship with as much depth and integrity as that of Kakashi and Rei. Rather, Kakashi’s reasoning was much more darkly funny: he would’ve killed to see Rei make a fool of herself in front of a famous movie star. He loved her more than life itself but he knew she was far too crass and clumsy for the likes of Keihaku. The two of them in a room together, candlelight and smooth jazz, was a recipe for disaster and Kakashi was far too curious for his own good. He only regretted not having popcorn.

               Rei’s glare hardened as she considered the situation. Finally, she blurted, “Then fine. Maybe I will go on a date with him then!”

               “Okay” Kakashi chuckled. He patted her head as they walked along, flattening the fluff of her ponytail in the process. Rei slapped his hand away and grumbled, pouting the entire way home.

               That night, she tossed and turned, restless. Thoughts of Keihaku swirled relentlessly through her head—a subject she did not want to think about. She was not interested in him. He was not going to ask her out. She was not imagining him asking her out. She was definitely not envisioning them sitting across a fancy table looking into each other’s eyes and having an incredibly in-depth and profound conversation with one another. No, Keihaku was useless. He was as profound as a cardboard cutout. She refused.

               The following day, Kakashi was lounging on the couch with a book when Rei returned home. Something was off about her, however. Somehow, her bangs seemed to hide more of her face than usual. What he could see of it was beet red. Sitting up abruptly, Kakashi asked, “How was work?”

               “It was…fine” Rei replied, voice restrained and cracking. Toshio picked his head up, ears perking at the squeak in her voice. Her tone was far too high-pitched to be normal. Something was wrong, Kakashi was sure of it.

               “Did anything happen today…?” he asked slowly. Rei kicked her shoes off at the front door, skirted around the kitchen table. She dropped to her knees on the living room floor so as to snuggle Toshio. Anything to keep herself preoccupied.

               “Um, well, I mean…” she stammered. “Kind of?”

               “Kind of?” Kakashi repeated. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “Like what?”

               Rei wiped her nose with the back of her hand, covered her mouth so that her voice was muffled. “You’re never going to believe this, but…” she started. The suspense was killing him. Kakashi didn’t think he could handle it. What the hell was she hiding? And then, unable to restrain laughter any longer, she said it. “Keihaku literally asked me the fuck out.”

               By the time the words spilled from her lips, she had fallen back onto the floor covering her face and laughing hysterically. Kakashi couldn’t tell if she was delighted with the prospect or merely thought it was so ridiculously stupid, she was reduced to deliria. All he knew for certain was that it very quickly felt as if someone had ripped his spine right out of his body and now here he was, hollow and unstructured. Suddenly the whole idea wasn’t so funny anymore.

               “He…he asked you out?” Kakashi repeated slowly, voice quiet and numb. Then, voice rising slightly in horror, he asked, “W-Well what did you say?! You didn’t agree, did you?!”

               Rei rolled her eyes and repositioned herself on the floor, fixing a wedgie and smoothing her dress down over her stomach. “What do you take me for, Kakashi? A whore?” she asked. Folding her arms back behind her head then, she added, “Of course I said yes.”

               The entire room was spinning. Kakashi couldn’t take this. He felt like he was going to be sick. He never should’ve teased her about this. He never should’ve encouraged her. Now he just felt like an idiot. The sickening realization made him uneasy and shaky: oh god, he was going to lose her. “I-is he blind?” Kakashi erupted. “Did he not see the ring on your finger? Does commitment mean nothing to him? To you?”

               Finally understanding the gravity of his response, Rei sat up and frowned. “Calm down, Kakashi, fuck” she groaned. “Were you not the one who told me to go for it if he ever asked?”

               “Yes, but I never thought he’d actually do it!” Kakashi exclaimed. “I don’t want anyone else to think you’re available, or that you don’t respect our commitment to each other. We made a promise, Rei. Does it mean nothing to you?”

               Rei narrowed her eyes, brows knitting in offense. “Of course, Kakashi” she said, her voice stone cold. “More than you even know.” She pressed her hand to her stomach, filing through all the thoughts she had been having the past few weeks. Of taking his last name, of becoming his wife, of wanting to conceive a child with him. He had no idea the things she had been considering, of how deeply and passionately she had been imagining their future together. Rising to her feet, she approached Kakashi and situated herself between his legs, holding his face firm in her hands. “Nothing is going to happen, I promise” she insisted. “The only reason I agreed to this is because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I have terrible ideas. Is that clear?”

               Kakashi frowned, trying to make himself believe in her words. Then, looking up at her with eyes soft and pleading, he asked quietly, “What kinds of ideas?”

               A sinister grin touched Rei’s lips as she straddled his lap, running her fingers through his hair. “Oh, nothing too serious. I’m just going to milk this for all it’s worth and at the end of the night, probably pull his pants down in front of everyone in the middle of the restaurant.”

               Kakashi let out an airy chuckle, shaking his head. “Are you sure that’s not just because you want his dick, too?” he asked.

               Rei couldn’t restrain her incredulous laughter. “Absolutely not!” she exclaimed. “No, it’s because I think the whole world deserves to know the truth: that he actually has, and I quote, an ‘immaculately tiny penis’.”

               Kakashi’s face burned at the prospect and he struggled to suppress the laughter rising in his throat. “Immaculately tiny?” he repeated. “Where did you hear that?”

               Shrugging, Rei replied, “I found it in a pamphlet about the movie’s production.” Leaping to her feet, she then rushed into the kitchen and began rummaging around the junk drawer. “They said it was so unexpected and wrong for the role, that they had to hire a dick double just for the full-frontal nudity” she continued. She exclaimed with pride then as she found the very pamphlet in question crumpled up in the back of the drawer, presenting it to her fiancé with a dramatic flourish. She climbed onto the couch beside him, drawing her legs up to sit cross-legged, as she watched him flip through it, equal parts fascinated and frightened. “You know, for a movie based on a bestselling book, you’d think all of these psychotic women would do a little more reading.”

               “I guess this explains his confidence” Kakashi replied. “He must be compensating.”

               “I’ll say” Rei agreed.

               Kakashi had to admit, Rei’s tone and her casual attitude were reassuring but there was still something nagging in the back of his mind. Something that still bothered him about all of this. He folded the pamphlet back up and placed it on the coffee table, then thought for a moment before turning to her and asking, “Is that a dealbreaker?”

               Dumbfounded, Rei blinked despondently. Did Kakashi really think Keihaku’s charisma and wealth alone was enough to make her leave him? A sly smile touched her lips as she reached out and abruptly took hold of Kakashi’s crotch. His entire face turned bright red as he looked back at her, studying the determination and certainty of her gaze. “Nothing can compare to you, Kakashi” she insisted. “As far as dicks go, I’ve won the jackpot. There’s no way in hell I would ever give that up, or more importantly the amazing man it’s attached to.” She could feel him begin to harden from her touch and that gave her all the confidence to know that he understood her perfectly.

               Kakashi watched with focused intent as she gathered her hair into the signature ponytail, an elastic around her wrist and a bobby pin cinched between her lips. He only took slight comfort in her rather business-professional outfit: a simple button down, a knee-length skirt. But the way the buttons strained at her breasts, the tight-fitting nature of the skirt…he couldn’t help but shudder. Friday evening had come way too quickly for his taste.

               All week, he had debated being upfront and honest, telling her that this was a bad idea and refusing to let her go through with it. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Despite everything, he did not own her. If she wanted to do this, then that was her choice and no one else’s. Rei shoved a few bobby pins into the underside of her ponytail, ensuring that the shorter strands would stay put throughout the night, then flipped her head down and and misted the underside with hairspray. Kakashi coughed into the crook of his neck, the cloud of noxious fumes only further enforcing his nausea. Rei turned toward him once she was finished, studying the discomfort on his face. “Are you going to sit around sulking like this all night, Kakashi?” she asked. Kakashi pouted and dropped his gaze. Rei set the bottle of hairspray on the bathroom counter and approached him, tilting his chin up to look her in the eyes. “If you really didn’t want me to do this, all you had to do was speak up, Kakashi.”

               “I’m not going to tell you what to do” Kakashi replied, but Rei could tell there was more that he intended to say. After a beat of silence, he cupped her cheek in his hand and firmly added, “I don’t want you to do this.”

               Quite frankly, Rei was starting to grow frustrated with his conflicted attitude. Sometimes, he would seem fine. Completely unaffected. As if he knew without a shadow of a doubt that this would amount to nothing, that her faithfulness could not be wavered. Other times, however, he was fussy and distant. Time and time again, Rei had told him that if he was truly against her doing this, then to let her know. And time and time again, he said the same thing: I’m not going to tell you what to do. She understood that this was a sign that he wanted her to drop out without him having to ask, but the truth of the matter was that she could not bring herself to pass up an opportunity like this. She wanted to enjoy the finer things for one night and make a famous man look like an idiot in the process. To absolutely disparage a wealthy heartthrob while sipping fine champagne that tasted like power. If Kakashi didn’t want her to go through with this, she needed to hear it straightforward. And now here he was, fifteen minutes from her restaurant reservation, telling her what he had held back all week.

               “Kakashi…” Rei sighed. She pressed her forehead to his chest in defeat and a surge of relief washed over the copy ninja. She was finally giving in. She was going to back out at the last minute and save him from certain destruction. She rested a hand upon his chest, caressed him comfortingly. “You had all week to tell me this. Don’t you think it’s a little late to turn back now?”

               Kakashi froze, his heart leaping into his chest. “S-so are you still going to go?” he asked.

               Pulling back, Rei looked him in the eyes and sighed, “Yes. Yes, I am still going to go.”

               “B-but—” Kakashi stammered. Before he could say anything more, though, Rei had slipped past him to retrieve her purse from the kitchen table. She slipped her shoes on at the door—the strappy sandals she always wore for more formal occasions—before turning to leave. Kakashi could feel his insides twisting and decaying at the sight, panic surging through his veins. He never should’ve egged her on. He never should’ve teased her and encouraged her. Oh god, he was going to lose her. He had felt so secure about their relationship and now he was going to lose her. All he could manage to say to her was a croaked, “When will you be back?”

               Rei paused in the doorway, looking up at him, and fed him a sympathetic smile. “I’ll be back before nine. Promise” she said. Then, her sympathy slowly morphed into slyness as she added, “Don’t worry, I have something extra special planned for when I get back.” Her gaze was sultry and tempting as she closed the door behind her and disappeared. Kakashi should’ve felt relieved—after all, she was promising him something supreme upon her return—but if anything, he felt even more defeated. Not only was she off to mingle with a millionaire, but now she was sexually riled up on top of it. Digging the heels of his hands into his eye sockets, Kakashi groaned and fell back onto the couch. It was going to be a long three hours.

               He needed to do something, to preoccupy himself. Toshio picked his ears up as he stared back at Kakashi staring into the kitchen. He knew he should eat dinner, but his mood had swiped any hope of hunger from him. Instead, he swung open the refrigerator door and began cleaning out the spoiled food inside. He tossed the stinking plastic containers into the sink, tied up the trash bag and walked it down to the dumpster. Toshio followed, as if in hopes of finding scraps. Upon their return, Kakashi washed out the containers as well as any remaining dirty dishes. He took his time with each, paying no mind to the scalding water on his hands. He dried each one thoroughly and individually and put them away in their respective cabinets. The sun had nearly disappeared, the room growing dark. Kakashi flicked on a light and checked the clock. 6:45pm. This was pointless. Kakashi dropped his head back and sighed.

               “Toshio, if we’re lucky” he started, “Maybe she’ll come home early.” Toshio huffed and rested his head on the floor in retaliation. Kakashi nodded, kneeling down to scratch behind the dog’s ear. “Yeah. You and me both.”

               By 7 o’clock, it was clear to Kakashi that the only thing he could stand to do was read. If he could get himself right in the proper mood, nestled into the sweet spot of his literary allure, he could lose himself in the words and time would race by. He reached for Makeout Paradise, almost disgustingly satisfied with how clever this plan was meant to be, but quickly found the situation had left him changed. The book no longer brought him the same pleasure as it always had. He focused hard on the sentences in front of him, tried to envision himself and Rei in the title roles, but as luck would have it he landed on a chapter in which the third corner of the love triangle enters the plot. And in that role, all he could see was Keihaku Goman. The dashing Keihaku bursting into the room and professing his love for the heroine, Keihaku kissing her hand and begging her to choose him instead, Keihaku wrapping an arm around her waist as he whisked her into the bedroom and—

               Kakashi heard the key turn in the lock and he immediately sat bolt upright. His eyes glanced to the clock. It was 8:30pm. She was home early. A hint of delight hitched in his throat. The date must have gone terribly. Perhaps it was so terrible, in fact, that Rei will never want to look at another man ever again. He hoped that that wouldn’t backfire on him, that she would not denounce all men, himself included. But now he was overthinking things. All he knew was that he needed to see her. One look and he would know exactly how things had gone. One look and it would all be over, for better or for worse.

               She stepped inside and his heart surged. There she was. Deep down, a part of him was overjoyed that she had even returned at all. She locked the door behind her silently, kicked her shoes off. “Well?” Kakashi asked. She met his gaze blankly. “How was it?”

               “It was fine” she replied, unbuttoning her shirt plainly as she stepped over Toshio and skirted into the living room. “Things went smoothly.”

               She was far too calm. This was a bad sign. Either things went too smoothly or not smoothly at all. Kakashi wasn’t sure which he would have preferred. He watched her with laser focus as she knelt down on the floor by Toshio, slipping out of her blouse to reveal the simple white camisole underneath. He wanted to kiss the freckles on her shoulders and the scars on her forearms. The delicate lace trim was so enticing, perfectly accentuating her breasts. Kakashi frowned and wondered if Keihaku had the same thoughts. It was then that he knew there was no way things couldn’t have gone well. Dejected, Kakashi turned away to look out the window. He attempted to sound as nonchalant as possible when he asked, “So are you going to run off with Mr. Billionaire and move into his mansion with his fancy gold couch and tiny penis?” The depression in his voice, however, was far too obvious.

               Knitting her brows together, Rei stared at him sharply. “You know I only have eyes for you” she insisted. “I wouldn’t want to spend my future with anyone else.” She finished unfastening the last button on her shirt and slithered out of it then, tossing it toward Kakashi from across the room. “Besides” she sighed rather dramatically, “Keihaku Goman is a total asshole, anyway.”

               In retrospect, this was not the least bit surprising but the way she said it, the look on her face as she pouted and tilted her head toward the window, struck something within Kakashi. Something anxious but protective. “Why?” he asked, leaning forward. “What happened? What did he say to you?”

               “It’s really nothing” Rei swatted at the air. “He just threw out some pretty petty and underhanded lines about he’s always liked ‘homegrown girls’ and shit.”

               “Homegrown girls?” Kakashi repeated. He wasn’t quite sure what that meant.

               Rei nodded, drawing her knees up to her chest like a small child. As cavalier as she appeared on the outside, he could tell in her eyes that something had cracked. “Yeah, you know, like local rough-and-tumble girls who live in the middle of nowhere and wrestle alligators and bake pies and shit. Anne and Scout and Jane, all that crap.” Kakashi blinked, trying to remember who, exactly, Anne and Scout and Jane were. Rei continued to speak before he could make the final connection. “Apparently Keihaku thinks that the ugly features like my scar and my crooked teeth and messy hair were ‘alluring’ in, and I quote, ‘a gross, kinky sort of way’.” Here, Rei made a face bordering both disgust and confusion. A casual acceptance of a harsh insult that deep down, she was clearly hurt by. And deep in the pit of Kakashi’s stomach grew a sharp, burning anger.

               How could anyone ever say anything so cruel? And to his fiancée of all people? Kakashi sucked in a deep breath and clenched his fists at his sides. Nothing about the date itself or his prior uncertainty mattered anymore. All that was important now was that Keihaku Goman had hurt the love of his life and Kakashi could hardly contain himself. “The audacity…” he muttered through clenched teeth. “I can’t believe he would say something like that.” Rei turned to him and saw the darkness in his eyes, the absolute fury. Her gaze softened, sympathetic and sad. She hated seeing him get so pent up like this. And then Kakashi stood, reaching for his shoes by the front door.

               “W-wait, where are you going?” Rei asked, scrambling to her feet.

               Kakashi sighed and shook his head. “Someone ought to teach that asshole a lesson.”

               Rei rested a gentle hand on his forearm, shook her head. Anyone else likely would’ve been far too intimidated to approach the infamous Copy Ninja in this way, but not Rei. She didn’t care. She knew better than to believe he would ever hurt her. “It’s not worth it” Rei softly insisted. “We’re never going to see him again. It’s fine.”

               “But Rei—” Kakashi protested, but she simply shook her head and guided him back to the couch. She sat beside him and rested a hand on his knee. They remained silent for a long while until Kakashi calmed down. When he had, he turned to her and asked quietly, “Are you okay?”

               Nodding, Rei replied, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m alright.” There was a sense of restraint in her voice, however, as if she was holding back tears. Kakashi tried to keep his cool. Forcing a laugh, Rei then added, "Honestly, I’ve heard worse from Sekkachi. Keihaku’s words mean nothing to me. He doesn’t know anything about me, so who is he to judge?”

               “Rei…” Kakashi murmured. His pain in seeing her not just upset but faking a smile was immeasurable. He reached out to caress her cheek, press his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes and inhaled, drinking in every ounce of her presence. “He doesn’t know a damn thing” he whispered. “Rei, you’re the strongest and most amazing and intelligent and beautiful woman I’ve ever known. I just...I can’t fathom how anyone can be so…just…” He groaned in frustration, struggling to find the proper words.

               “It’s okay” Rei assured him, studying his face and running her fingers through his hair. “I know.”

               Kakashi grazed the scar across the bridge of her nose with his thumb, combed her hair back and chuckled lightly when his fingers got caught in the tangles. “I just can’t stand anyone hurting you” he finally whispered.

               “I know” Rei whispered back, dripping with sympathy. “It’s fine, though. Really” she insisted. Kakashi opened his eyes and leaned back so as to better view her face. He searched her expression for the sadness he was sure he would find, but instead she now seemed at peace. She laughed softly as she added, “I think really, he’s just bitter because they recast his character in the next Makeout film.”

               Kakashi blinked in disbelief, trying to digest this new information. “They did…?”

               “Mmhmm” Rei replied, and now she was fighting a smile. Kakashi’s heart sang. She toyed with the hem of his shirt as she explained, “Apparently he was a total diva on set and was just an absolute nightmare to work with. I heard Yukie nearly quit on five separate occasions and insisted even she wasn’t this bad when she was a full-time actress. You can use that information however you will—I’m sure you’d know better than I would. But his attitude on top of the dick double debacle basically made for an absolute mess and they fired him two weeks ago right before filming began. I take it he’s milking whatever claim to fame he has left before the news breaks and everyone shifts their adoration to the new guy.”

               Kakashi scoffed and nodded. “Good riddance” he sighed. This new information brought with it a welcome sense of relief, something Kakashi had been desperate for all week. “Did you at least humiliate him?” he then asked.

               A sly, sickening smile then spread across Rei’s lips. “Maybe…” she said in sing-song. “Let’s just say that if all the swooning women didn’t know about his assets before, they do now.”

               “You’re terrible” Kakashi shook his head. He only regretted not being there to see it himself.

               “I bet that’s the last time he’ll ever try to mess with a ‘homegrown girl’” Rei replied. It was refreshing to see her use what was once an insult as a term of power and pride now. Keihaku Goman may not have seen the merit in a homegrown girl, but Kakashi certainly did. He wouldn’t have wanted her any other way.

               Sighing, Kakashi leaned back against the couch, taking delight in Rei automatically snuggling up against his chest. When she laid beside him like this, everything just felt right. Her head nestled into the dip where his collar met his shoulder, her hand firmly monitoring his heartbeat. Toshio followed suit, leaping onto the open cushion to snuggle up beside them. “So you really wouldn’t leave me for some fancy film actor?” Kakashi asked, toying with Rei’s hair as he held her close.

               Rei laughed and shook her head, looking up at him with a glimmer of ingenuity in her eyes. His heart swelled, he loved her so much. “And give up becoming Mrs. Hatake? Wife of the infamous Copy Ninja? I could never.” Toshio barked in stark agreement and Kakashi couldn’t contain himself any longer. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck so as to plant tiny little kisses all along her shoulder and collarbone. She squirmed with uproarious laughter, Toshio barking in amused spectatorship. It was moments like these, snapshots of the little life they had created together, that were all that truly mattered. The simple things. The things that money couldn’t buy. And that was enough. It was more than enough.

[ngame989]

“Brew” - TGG SVTFOE Fanfic Collection Ch. 6

Writing: @ngame989​

Art: @toxicpsychox​

Editing: @toxicpsychox​, @seddm​, an IRL friend

Alternate fic links - FFnet, AO3

Summary: After close to a year on Earthni, Tom's been dragged back into the princely life, and it's a lot less exciting than he'd expected. With Star and Marco away on urgent business, can Janna help him turn a boring errand into a fun adventure?

Comic Page

Masterpost

This one’s a nice change of pace from the last two chapters, I think. TGG’s still a Starco-focused work, expect these to be the exception not the norm, but I think it’s important to strike a balance. See below for the text, hope you enjoy!

“No results.” Huh? Three eyes narrowed at the screen in frustration. Maybe a different search term? “No results.” Alright Tom, no big deal, man. Maybe you just spelled something wrong. Annnnnd… there. “No results.” How could there be nothing?

Tom leaned back in the chair and sighed, exercising restraint over the little anger demons inside him as he’d trained himself to do. In the past he’d needed a physical bunny to pet if he wanted even a hope of keeping his cool, but at this point suppressing the urge was such reflex that most would think he just had a regular Mewman quick temper and nothing more in all but the most extreme of conditions, but he was getting pretty close to that point now. Grandpa Relicor’s study had everything, or so he thought, but this was the first time he could ever remember being here where it come up short. He’d checked every shelf, everything he could think in the computer, had even fireblasted a few of the shelves just to see if there were any hidden switches or anything. Even Relicor had been at a loss and had been screeching in distress on the floor for long enough that Tom’s brain had graciously tuned it out. What could be so important about this book his mom needed? He hadn’t even had time to change his casual graphic tee from a cartoon he liked, simply tossing his maroon jacket over it before heading out at his mother’s behest. He wasn’t one to say no to her, but it had been hours since he’d shown up here and he was no closer to figuring this out than he had been this morning.

Suddenly his phone buzzed, displaying the familiar beaming face of his ex-girlfriend close up to the camera. A toothy grin erupted as he picked it up, holding the phone up for a video feed. “Heya, Starship.”

“Hey, Tom!” Star beamed into the camera. “How’s it hanging? Long time no see. So,” she rambled out in one breath, “I may have a teensie weensie wittle problem.” She backed up to reveal her hair in complete disarray, sans horns, and black marks all over her light blue dress. Before Tom could even ask the question, her other hand held up charred fragments of her headband. “Someone still hasn’t learned how to use an Earth oven properly!” she forced out through gritted teeth.

“Look, gurl, I said I was like, so sorry! All the Cloud Kingdom kitchens are powered by glitter and horn blasts, like that’s just how ovens are supposed to be, that is all I am saying here,” Ponyhead’s indignant voice chimed in from behind, punctuated by a snort.

“Anyway, we just finished putting out the fires and I need a new headband and their website says they’re almost out of stock and I’ve wanted to show Marco around the Underworld for a while and- wait, is that screeching in the background? Where are you?”

Tom shuffled away from the elder demon still writhing on the floor and cleared his throat. “Just in Grandpa’s study trying to find something for my mom, she really wants it today. I don’t know if I can go- but I can still send the carriage for you guys, if you want.”

“Do you need help with that?” Marco inquired as he peeked his head into the frame, casually wrapping an arm around Star.

“Naaaah, no big deal,” Tom shrugged. “You two should go, though! I can just fly over whenever I finish this.”

Star and Marco looked at each other hesitantly. “Alright,” she said. “Carriage to our house in maybe five minutes?” A fire alarm went off behind her followed by a scream from Ponyhead and an even girlier one from Marco. “Maybe ten,” Star sighed, burying her face in her free hand.

“You got it,” Tom chuckled.

“OK, bye!” Star said with relief before hanging up. He rolled his shoulders from inside his jacket and ran his hands through his hair before stepping into the main foyer, taking advantage of the space to summon the carriage and its horses, the incantations coming effortlessly to him. Demons had been fortunate enough to retain their powers on Earthni, but the location underground and the relative lack of portaling methods available left them even more isolated than previously. While most of the other kingdoms had dissolved or integrated into a loose coalition of government covering all of the Echo Creek area, the Underworld had been content to stay completely under the banner of Lord and Lady Lucitor, and Tom found himself pitching in more and more in his role as Prince. In truth, he would have appreciated the company his friends were offering, but he knew how much it had meant to Star to be able to give this life up, and he didn’t want to drag her - either of them, really, considering Marco had earned an official title on Mewni himself - back into the boring thick of regal errands. Was Prince Thomas Draconius Lucitor really going to let some stuffy old book collection get the best of him? Hah, as if.

With a flick of his wrist, the half-demon shuttled the carriage to the surface in a pillar of flame, barely looking and instead pulling out his new phone. He was still getting the hang of the new and improved Reflectacorp’s Earth tech integration, but he’d at least learned how to open yesterday’s text conversation thread from its new message notification.

Janna: anti-gravity potion attempt 4 failed. affected bottle glass itself and launched into sky. note to self: work under roof. star and marco’s suggestions didnt work either. not all bad though, it went towards cloud kingdom lol

Tom: careful, don’t hit pony’s ego and make it fly even higher ·;) btw pony + starco are going shopping in underworld soon. im stuck working for mom though.

Janna: stores r lame. even in underworld. and srsly dude u gotta stop using starfans dumb name for them. otoh it bugs them so actually nvm go 4 it

Tom: it was mine first >·:( it saves letters when they’re together!

Janna: which is always

Tom: exactly. speaking of which, they’re here ttyl

Star stepped out of the carriage in a nice white polka dotted green dress, quickly followed by Marco, the pair’s fingers remaining intertwined until they gave him a hello hug, and Tom honestly wasn’t sure they’d stopped holding hands even then. Ponyhead burst out a moment later with her phone floating in front of her pointed at herself, and she was in the middle of a monologue to no one in particular.

“-so yeah anyway as you all can see we have now arrived in the Underwoooorld. So yeah this is, like, basically the best place on all of Earthni to go shopping as I’ll be showing you today. Oh yeah, I guess some demon boys live here too. Oh my goodness, say hello you guuuys,” she rolled her eyes as she butted in between Star and Tom, side-eyeing him for a split second before grinning back into the camera. After all this time Pony still hadn’t dropped the passive aggression over his and Star’s messy history; Tom had to admit it was a bit understandable, but did she really have to keep it up in such an annoying way? He rolled his eyes - it was Ponyhead he was thinking about here. “OK, the Ponyhead Experience will be taking a short break. Tune back in soon! Love y’all, buhbye!” She snapped the phone shut and caught it with her tongue. “Ugh, why do all of my vlogs with you dorks get like ten times as many viewers? Tom, you were in the shot for like three seconds and do you know what happened? 2000 more people tuned in! What the heck! It’s like, just because I have one less horn and one less eye I’m not exciting to you? But I can’t stay mad at my adooooring fans.”

“Must be the Lucitor charm.” He flashed a toothy smile and a pair of finger guns at her, accidentally flinging his phone across the room in the process. “Totally planned,” he blurted out with a much less authentic grin. Marco chuckled and picked it up, handing it back and patting him mock-sympathetically on the shoulder while holding back a smirk.

Star giggled but tapped her foot impatiently, looking around the room nervously. “OK, great catching up, but on the way here I checked the website and the headband shop is almost out of stock! We have to go, now! Let’s move it, people! Tom, can we borrow the carriage for the day?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Fine by me.”

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou, you’re the best!”

“You sure you don’t need anything?” Marco inquired again.

“You heard the girl, Marco, my audience wants to see us get our shop on!”

Tom blew a raspberry, pushing them towards the carriage. “Relax, it’s nothing. I’m practically done already! Tooootally almost done!”

Marco finally relented, nodding his assent. Star was bouncing up and down so much that she looked ready to launch around the room. He giggled as she wrapped both her arms around his middle and kissed his cheek before hauling him the rest of the way into the carriage. “C’mon boo, mama needs a new pair of horns. Plus we can get whatever you need, too! I saw a few things in the catalog that would look preeeetty good on you,” she sing-songed, walking two fingers up his chest to boop his nose after they plopped down onto the seat together. Ponyhead mimed vomiting at Tom, who silently laughed in response; they were so engrossed with each other that Tom was fairly certain they wouldn’t have noticed even if he’d shouted his laughter, though. He blankly stared at the spot the carriage had been for a few seconds after it exited in a blaze.

“Pretty gross, right?” Tom started and launched a fireball in the direction of the voice, hovering away from the intruder. A split second after, his vision caught up with his instincts and saw Janna in her usual green shirt and beanie and yellow skirt, sans jacket, nonchalantly sidestep the flame. “You do the same thing every time, you really need to work on that,” she chided with her arms crossed and a devious smirk on her face.

He rubbed his temple and gestured at her in sullen disbelief. “How did you-”

“Roof of the carriage.”

“Huh.” An eyebrow up in surprise, studying her expression. “You never usually, you know, answer that.”

She shrugged, kicking a boot into the hard stone floor. “Whatever, guess I’m just bored. Besides, half the reason I do that is to get a rise out of Marco,” she slyly snickered, and Tom couldn’t help but join in. “Alright, demon boy, what adventure are we going on today?”

Tom crossed his arms apprehensively. “Just trying to find a book for my mom, not really much of an adventure.”

“Like I said, dude, I’m bored and shopping is dumb. I don’t mind hanging out here for a study session or whatever, your family’s got great taste in decor.” She picked a skull off the ground and tossed it back and forth between her hands. He grinned back at her, grateful for the company. “So what kind of creepy curses are in this book?”

The pair started walking back into the study as their conversation continued. “Don’t think there are any. It’s called ‘Historia Homewnum’, according to my mom, so it’s probably a history book but that’s all I know.”

“Darn. Demon history’s bound to be pretty cool, though.”

“You’d be surprised how little actually happens down here, it’s just a lot of maintenance. Last month the most important thing I did was a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new boba cornshake shop, it’s really caught on here since the Cleaving. But man is it good! Marco was right, the little pearls are just so tasty, I like the creamed corn version best.”

“What is it with you and corn, seriously...” Janna shuddered.

“Don’t knock it ‘till you try it.” He knew he’d gotten distracted thinking about the delicious creamy beverage, but that didn’t seem like an adequate reason to look so horrified, especially coming from Janna. Not able to figure out any other reason she might be disgusted by his comments, he got his thoughts back on track. “Really don’t know why she wants this thing so much. Anyway, I already checked the entire study for it, and the search archives don’t have anything either. Oh well, what can you do, might as well just give up and-”

“Found something,” Janna piped up, somehow already in the computer chair with her feet on the desk.

“Really? How?” he asked incredulously, throwing his hands in the air for emphasis.

“OK, I didn’t actually find the book, but maybe we should check this place out.” He leaned into the screen to see a Mewgle search for ‘how to find weird book in underworld’ on the screen.

“I already tried that, Janna!”

“Yeah, but your antivirus was blocking this link to some place called the ‘Librarinth’.”

Tom slammed his palm into his forehead. “Of course, the Librarinth! How could I not think to look there, that’s where all the oldest books are. Why was it getting blocked?”

She clicked on the link and both recoiled at the sight: an abhorrent patterned background with almost unreadable randomly colored text and low quality cartoon images scattered all around the page. “Yeah, it’s awful,” she said in response to his obvious horror. “Seriously, whoever must made this website must be, like, a thousand years old.”

“Probably , yeah, but why does that have anything to do with-” His eyes widened in realization as he clapped his hands together in contemplation. “Right, humans and their lifespans. Go on.”

“Look.”

She scrolled past the despondent, blurry faces of demons of all shapes and sizes in the staff section until she arrived at the catalog, folding her arms triumphantly. Tom excitedly butted in, typing into the search box and being greeted with a loading wheel. “Uh, Janna? It’s not working.”

“Pfft, yeah, I might actually be dead by the time the search finishes. But that doesn’t matter because they have our book. It’s the header image for the whole catalog.” He squinted and brought his face closer to the monitor, and to his surprise the title was clear as day on the cover of the book, although all the other information was too difficult to make out. “Alright, let’s go. Main page says the Librarinth is on Floor 216.”

With a snap of his fingers, the demon elevator was summoned into a bookshelf much as it had been the day they had dealt with the Blood Moon. Relicor’s shrieking, which had slowed to a whimper since they’d left, resumed in full; fortunately they began descending, which quickly put them out of earshot. Tom awkwardly stretched his arms, unsure what exactly to say. She was his friend, yes, but he was never the best at small talk, and Janna being Janna didn’t make that any easier. After long, messy years of broken hearts and misguided feelings, he finally felt comfortable forging friendships, but even though they got along quite well there was something about Janna that made that vibe a lot less effortless than with Marco or even Star. Thoughts of his other friends reminded him of something. “Uh, by the way… how did you even know about the carriage earlier?”

“A girl’s gotta keep some secrets.”

“Pony was posting about it every 15 seconds,” he guessed, calling Janna’s bluff.

“Touché. Every 10, though,” she coolly responded. “Ha, now she’s just flipping out because Star and Marco have way more likes than her selfies.”

“Figured you’d have him bugged or something,” Tom chuckled as he scooted over to get a look at Janna’s screen, and sure enough there was a picture collage of Star sitting in Marco’s lap with tens of thousands of likes and comments already. They were laughing their butts off at themselves in a mirror in front of them with novelty sunglasses, fake mustaches, goofy props, and even a few absurd full-body costumes; Ponyhead joined the fun for a few but just as often butt in trying to take over the mirror by herself.

“Ew, no, I disabled it all months ago. Boyfriend Tom was already too cutesy for me, and you two just had a little flirty fling. Do you think I’d really want to see or hear whatever Star and Marco have going on? They’re, like, deeply in love, or whatever, and it’s gotten even worse in the last few weeks.”

He murmured in tacit agreement. Now that he thought about it, they had seemed even more affectionate than usual, but he wasn’t too keen on uncovering why that might be. The ding of the elevator saved him from any further speculation, and he and Janna stepped out of the elevator into the lobby, which was empty with cobwebs coating most of the weathered stone walls. Janna looked at him with a quizzical expression. “Anyway, so the Librarinth is basically a combination of a library and a labyrinth-”

“Right, I got that,” she curtly retorted.

“The legends say that some ancient librarian demons wanted to challenge any who sought knowledge, so they hid all the books in a giant maze that only the worthy could navigate. But everyone who made it still decided to organize it thoroughly for some reason, and you still had to check out the books and bring them back and all that.”

She ran a finger over the dust on the front counter, and the surface of the desk sizzled in response, causing her to pull her hand back before poking the bubbles that formed with a curious smile. “So why is it completely empty?”

Tom rubbed the back of his neck. “Weeeeeeell, after a few people went missing or insane, everyone realized it really wasn’t a great way to, you know, run a library. Grandpa actually started collecting books to try and get them away from this place. No one really knows what goes on in there, but as far as I know it’s still maintained even though no one uses it. The kingdom stopped staffing the lobby but they could never just shut it down because anyone who tried, well-”

“Went missing or insane. Sounds cool, I’m in.”

“You sure?”

“Dude, you brought me to a wicked hell maze filled with psychotic demon nerds. Maybe there’ll be bottomless pits or a wicked dungeon boss. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re flirting with me, Mr. Lucitor,” she purred, running a finger up his chest and flicking his nose.

“Haha, very funny. And it’s Prince Lucitor,” he sarcastically chided, poking her arm in response before crossing the room with her following, but he couldn’t help but hide that he was flustered. Seeing Star and Marco’s relationship in the past year had reinforced his already-firm convictions about romance: he wanted someone with whom he could be life partners in all ways, not just handholding and rooftop picnics. Otherwise, what would be the point? He’d made that mistake enough times, and even just a light jab at the notion of him casually flirting struck made him feel self-conscious about that past. Finally his reflection was halted when he found what he sought: a large wrought iron door furnished with ornate demonic symbols and various carvings of mythological creatures dwarfed them both. With a soft, steady flame for light, he brought his hand up and ran it over the rusty engravings. He jumped back with a gasp as the fire spread into the lines of the door, lighting up the patterns on it and causing it to creak as it slowly opened.

“Nice,” Janna muttered in awe before strolling inside, with Tom hesitantly following. She was the most eager of their little group to dive headfirst into the unknown, even more than Star most of the time, but he trusted her gut.

They started walking down the long, cramped hallways, hearing only the sound of their own footsteps on the cold floor. Janna peeked her head into a small doorway that appeared to their left, earning herself an explosive blast to the face and getting knocked onto her butt. Tom slammed the door shut and leaned in to read an inscription next to it. “Incinerator for any books too damaged or damaging for further use. Probably not the right place.”

Janna huffed, brushing herself off and finding scraps of paper among the char. “I can see that. Seriously, what kind of labyrinth labels its doors?”

“Maybe one run by book nerds,” Tom offered, gripping her hand to help her up.

“So it’s just as bad at being a labyrinth as it is a library. Neat. Great adventure.”

Tom pressed on, keeping his focus ahead of them. “Hey, I’m just here to help my mom. You’re the one that said you were fine with anything.”

“Fine, fine. Just saying, I could be working on my potions or something.” She pulled a glass bottle full of purple liquid from her skirt pocket and casually tossed it at a wall. Janna snickered at Tom’s yelp when it shattered, but found herself joining him in backing away when a chunk of stone quickly deteriorated and slammed into the ground at incredible speed. She went over and carefully kicked a pebble, finding it impossible to even budge. “See, this was just a stupid pro-gravity potion. Worthless.”

He leaned against the stable wall opposite the hole, sighing. “I’m sure there has to be something interesting here. What if we, I dunno, make it a competition or something?” His frustration with both the situation and Janna were there, yes, but he still wanted to try and get something fun out of the day.

“Go on,” Janna said, eyes flickering up from the bottle that she was tossing between her hands nonchalantly.

OK, maybe he should have thought further ahead. His arms flailed as he scrambled to come up with an idea. “OK, so, uh, whoever finds the weirdest thing in this place in the next hour wins. Just call them out if you think you found something. Or whoever finds the book, whichever comes first, yeah. Mom still needs it.”

“Momma’s boy. I respect that. You’re on, Tom.” Janna cocked an eyebrow, staring at him for a second before pushing off the wall into a sprint, opening the first door she could find. “Empty. Another empty. Three empties, dammit.”

Tom used his flight to travel more smoothly from door to door on his side of the corridor, but still found himself losing ground as he took the time to read the sign posted by each threshold. The ‘Demonic Studies’ room had a very ornately ghoulish aesthetic, with macabre skeletal models throughout. Definitely something to show Janna on the way out just for the aesthetic, and it’d have been weird for most humans, but it wasn’t any more abnormal than what the two of them were used to as a daily routine. Another room for astronomy had an exquisite planetarium dome, but it turned out to be rather useless as the Underworld did not, in fact, contain any stars since it was underground. There was, however, a plentiful selection of guides to stalactites stocked on the shelves. The next four whole sections were devoted to anger management self-help books, which only made him waste precious seconds cringing at old memories.

His pace picked up as he kept going from door to door finding nothing but normal library fare, although he had to admit it was certainly well-maintained. On any other day he might actually enjoy some of the things here, but today he was on a mission to get out of here so they could actually have fun elsewhere.

‘Bookworms’... now that had potential. What sorts of hybrid creatures could lurk behind the inches of wood? “I think I might have found something!” he shouted, throwing open the door only to receive a harsh shushing. Within were only elderly demons in cozy sweaters reading by candlelight, all now glaring at him with an intensity that reminded him of his mom’s own rare reprimands. “Never mind,” he loud-whispered back out into the hall as he gently closed the door and found Janna in a nearby corridor. “Ugh, why is there nothing interesting here?” Sparks trailed behind him from his mounting anger as he paced.

“Tell me about it, even ‘Wormbooks’ was just a bunch of regular novels, somehow,” she sighed. “I was hoping for a big long chain of open books slithering around on the ground, now there’s a party.” She slumped down against the wall next to the streak of flame he’d left on the ground, idly stamping it out with her boot until Tom sat down beside her.

“Wouldn’t a wormbook be the opposite? A big fat worm in the shape of a book?”

“Nah, it’d totally be a book made of a bunch of little flatworms all working together, duh. Still pretty lame.”

OK, now he knew something was up with her. “Janna, is- is something wrong?”

Her body slouched further down until she was almost horizontal on the cold floor, staring ahead of her like a zombie. “Being weird has just felt so pointless lately. Everything’s weird now, all the time! I’m wasting all my time trying to brew potions when there’s a shop that sells them on every corner. I got so bored that I even passed that same dumb test Marco did and now I’m done with high school, like, for real this time.”

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, that’s pretty impressive.”

“It’s easy if you know who to blackmail.” Tom blinked a few times, not sure why he’d expected anything different. “Everyone else is moving on with their lives, but I’m still feeding the same old possums and picking up the same old tennis balls. The whole point of my routine is that it’s different, it’s me, it’s my Jannanigans or whatever Star calls it, but it’s just not the same. I’m still into all that stuff, and Earthni’s actually really cool, but… ugh.” With that, her head fully sunk to the ground.

Tom brought his palms together over her head, opening and shutting his hands while wiggling his fingers around. “It’s a wormbook,” he said hesitantly, not really sure what he was doing. It was silly amusement, but perhaps that was just what she needed right now. Janna frowned and rolled her eyes, so he snapped at her arm with his hand puppet wormbook a few times.

“Alright, I get it,” she barked out, but her sullen demeanor slowly cracked under the onslaught of frivolity as she sat back up with an unusually ponderous look at him.

“Remember that time you took me bootsledding?” She nodded. “You told me that I needed to find a life outside of Star, and- and it was really great advice. Didn’t mean I still couldn’t like spending time with Star or anything, heck, I still do! But I just needed to get out of that rut of depending on it. Maybe you just need to do that, too. If doing your weirdness by yourself is normal, then adding something normal might be kinda weird.”

“That’s it.” Janna leapt to her feet, looking very suddenly invigorated. “That’s it!”

“Well, uh, glad you liked it. It was nothing, really, just trying to be a good pal-”

“Yeah, yeah, that too,” she waved dismissively, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit scorned. “If weird is normal then normal is weird. We were looking for the craziest things we could find here, but everything that should have been weird was normal, so we should be looking for the most painfully boring room here!” All three of Tom’s eyes blinked a few times as her words sunk in. Could it be…? “Tom, over here!” He hustled over to a particularly plain wooden door. Janna pointed at the plaque on the wall, which was far more faded than the others had been. “Look. ‘Government Records’.”

A burst of energy coursed through Tom’s blood, sparking life in him once more, and he could see the same reflected in Janna’s determined brown eyes. “And the book Mom wanted has something to do with history. Maybe it’s political history! Janna, you might be a genius!”

“Pfft, ‘might’. Now we just gotta…” She grabbed his arm, aiming it at the door, and he looked at her incredulously. “C’mon, dude, who knows what’s behind there. We’re gonna bust in with a demon blast, duh. Pew-pew!”

He rolled his eyes, but the corner of his lip turning up in a begrudging smile gave away his agreement. The pair aimed at the door and blew it off its hinges before charging in through the smoke.

“I see you two have finally solved the grand riddle of the Librarinth!” A deep, booming voice greeted them from the smoke. “Janna Ordonia, Thomas Lucitor, you certainly took your time. I expected you to book it here much more quickly. No matter, for this room shall be your tome!”

“How do you know my-” Janna stammered.

“Uh, don’t you mean tomb-” Tom started at the same time before realizing the wordplay and groaning in misery. Wait a second… Epic threats, an obvious personality quirk…

“Dungeon boss!” the teens cheered together, glancing back and forth between each other and the remainder of the room in front of them obscured by shadow.

“It is I, the bookkeeper of this place. I guard the most sacred treasure of all… knowledge!” Paper rustled loudly, echoed throughout the cavernous space, far taller and wider than Tom had noticed when they first entered with a massive array of bookshelves many times taller than him in a single row near the back wall. The ground beneath them began to shake and Tom tossed a puff of light in front of him, exposing the wide chasm that had just opened up in the ground, swallowing all the shelving in the room. Neither were prepared for the sight that greeted them: a coiled mass unfurled from the abyss and slithering with purpose along the ground, finally raising itself up to stand at fifteen feet tall, swaying back and forth with enough force to create an artificial wind within the space. A closer look showed that the body was made of some peculiar segments of… books, of all shapes and sizes. The volume at the top of the chain was much larger and far more ornately embossed than the others, and on the blood red surface of the cover Tom could make out a set of eyes. As the picture became more and more clear, he could finally see what they were up against. Now THIS is a bookworm.

“Aren’t libraries supposed to be, like, public and free?” Janna blithely inquired.

“You are correct, child, but perhaps try reporting that to your friend there! The Lucitor family is the sworn enemy of this great Librarinth! That fiend Relicor pilfered our collection for his own use for millennia, and the rest tried to shut this place down for good. But worst of all, in the most egregious display of contempt I have witnessed since the dawn of writing itself… Prince Lucitor and his ilk have amassed twenty-six dollars in unpaid fees!”

The tension in the room nearly evaporated in a heartbeat as Tom and Janna paused momentarily before bursting out into raucous laughter.

“Seriously, dude? I could just, like, repay it.” He fumbled in his pockets for his wallet for a moment before being interrupted once more.

“Do not condescend to me, children! It is far too late to make up for these sins with mere currency. Revenge is my fee most overdue, now prepare to meet… Overdoom! I shall harness the power of the written word to spell your demise!”

Books were hurled from the depths of the crevice en masse. Tom stepped in front of Janna to blast them away, but they had taken on a life of their own and homed in on him, covers flapping in the air like wings. Behind Tom, Janna snatched one out of the air to thwart a flank attack. She grabbed his left arm and pointed it up, tapping his elbow frantically. He spared a glance and saw the paper tornado coalescing, and understood her intention. Demon flames surged out of both hands with Janna calling the shots for the left side and Tom focusing on his right. They used the opportunity to back up to a wall, letting them cover every attack vector but creating a stalemate they were sure to lose in time as the seemingly endless offense droned on. Overdoom for the time being simply floated out of the abyss, glaring harshly at them as more and more papers kept emerging.

“Wait, Tom, look…” Still using his hand, she pointed to a shelf that had fallen at an odd angle and hadn’t collapsed into the abyss. There was a large, torn-up poster on which he could barely make out the word “Historia”.

“That might be it,” he breathed out, starting to feel the burn from minutes of nonstop vigilant defensive demon blasts. Oddly, none of the books in that corner were joining the assault. Almost as if...

“It’s making them magical in the chasm.” Tom’s heart leapt up in his chest at the revelation, hope and adrenaline mixing in his veins to keep him fully alert. But charging in was a suicide mission and they clearly couldn’t win on raw firepower.

“Have you had enough? Are you children yet ready to come scrawling on your hands and knees to a-tome for the sins of your forefathers?” the imposing figure growled, bristling impatiently.

“Did it seriously just use the tome pun again?” Janna griped, running her hands past her eyes and down her cheeks in disgust. “For a word nerd, that’s just awful.”

“Yeah…” Tom absent-mindedly responded. He knew she was right, though. Book, tome, scrawl… even if the creature’s summoning powers were off the charts, and it wielded them with calculated ease, its cocky wordplay taunts left something to be desired. It struck him then: what if they’d been approaching this all wrong? If the battle couldn’t be won by blows, then they had to find another option, and Tom was ready to put his plan into action.

He quickly shook off Janna’s rather tight grip on his arm and stepped forward, mustering up a confident expression masking any fears he still had left. “Nice try, Overdoom. Your words aren’t scaring us. Learn to read the room!”

Its “body” immediately began wiggling violently in the air as it crawled a bit forward towards them. Tom paid careful attention to its back end, which had climbed a few feet out of the ground in the move. “How dare you! Petulant brats!” Literary fire and brimstone rained down upon them with more fury than ever, and the two backed up into a corner which was the best they could do in a room largely devoid of any cover.

“What the hell-” Janna whispered through gritted teeth. Tom wriggled his tail out and waved it in front of Janna’s face momentarily. “Now is not the time to-” She was cut off when a barrage of index cards launched at them with enough force to somehow chip the stone behind them on impact. Tom forcefully nodded his head towards the worm’s tail, waggling his own once again. Her eyes lit up much like his had and she nodded in understanding.

“Come on, is that the best you got? I’ve heard them all before, at least give us something novel!”

Janna stood beside him, and her grimace even managed to spook Tom a bit. “I’d alphabet you couldn’t do better even if you tried!” Not what he would’ve gone with, but hey, if it helped tick Overdoom off then who was he to say no?

“You can talk up a storm all you want, but no matter what volume of air you blow, all I feel is a not-so-rough draft!”

“ENOUGH!” Overdoom’s tail launched out of the chasm faster than either could follow, crossing the room in a heartbeat. Tom shoved Janna out of the way before it wrapped itself around him, dragging him much more slowly towards the abyss. His jacket and jeans mercifully protected the paper edges pressing into him, but it was still a painfully tight squeeze that left him gasping for air. His arms were uselessly pinned inside the embrace as he was dragged headfirst, but their hypothesis had been proven correct as all the books around them had dropped to the ground lifeless.

“Tom!” Janna called out. He strained his head to see she’d removed her beanie and had something purple in her hand that she lobbed at that moment. Through the haze of pain he recognized it as another of her potions. The arc was due to miss until he summoned his energy reserves and redirected it with a weak burst of flame from his boot. Though the glass was durable enough to not melt or shatter, the demonic heat changed the potion into a bubbling olive green milliseconds before it contacted a random segment of the behemoth they were fighting. All at once, its hold on Tom and the rest of its body went limp as it began floating lazily into the air before bouncing off the ceiling a few times like a balloon. Janna ran over and helped Tom up as Overdoom screamed inarticulately from many feet above. They traversed the chaotic mess towards the pile they’d spotted previous. After some digging around, he found ‘Historia Homewnum’ miraculously unscathed and protected by a large, sturdy slab of mahogany that had fallen flat on top of it. “I got it!”

“Cool, potion is wearing off. We need to go.” Janna calmly stated. Twin jets of fire erupted from his feet as he swiftly passed the book to Janna and scooped her up in his arms, carrying them across the room towards the door. After setting Janna down, he hesitated for a moment as she stood in the doorway.

“Do you think I should still pay the late fee? I feel kinda bad and-”

“TODAY MAY HAVE BEEN YOUR VICTORY, BUT TOME-ORROW WILL-”

Tom sighed in resignation with a very unimpressed expression. “OK, yeah, never mind.” And with a quick slam of the door, they were both out scot-free. They didn’t stop running until they arrived back at the elevator. Once inside, they slumped down onto the ground as they began the journey back up to the main surface of the Underworld.

“Woo!” Tom was caught off guard by Janna expressing visible joy, and it was immediately infectious. “Now that’s an adventure. Of course, demon fire is what makes the potions work. Makes a lot more sense. Stupid ink smudge, I burned all those lemons for nothing.” He belly laughed, falling over to the floor and clutching his gut as Janna kicked him in the arm.

“Sorry, sorry, couldn’t help it.”

Her foot backed off after one last good hit. “So now you just have to give that book to your mom?”

“Yeah, should only take a minute. Want to come with?”

“Dude, she’s half a story tall and cries lava. I’d be honored. Oh crud, Pony’s current stream title is ‘WHY Y’ALL CARE MORE ABOUT EARTH TURD AND B-FLY THAN ME?!?!’” Janna showed him the notification on her phone. “That can’t be good.”

Tom pulled out his phone and called to see what was up. Pony picked up after only one ring and didn’t even bother with a greeting as she screamed so loudly that he lost hearing for a moment in his right ear. Her voice carried through the elevator car even without being put on speakerphone. “Yo Tom, why do all my Pony Pals just want to watch those two idiots kiss and cuddle? What is up with that? I even gave my fanbase a stupid nickname, they eat that stuff up, so why won’t they looooove meeeeee?” Business as usual with Pony, it seemed. “An-y-way, this whole shopping spree was amaaaazing, I am all kinds of extra fabulous now. B-Fly and Earth Turd took over the stream cuz the viewers, like, wanted a Q&A sesh but I’m only giving them twenty minutes! Hmph!”

“Might as well just make a whole show about them,” Janna chimed in, rolling her eyes a few times for good measure.

“Wait, demon boy, is Janna there? What the heck have you two been getting up to? Don’t tell me you too are getting your freak on too, I could not handle that T.M.I.-”

Yeah, there was nothing more to gain from that conversation. Tom flipped his compact shut, disconnecting the call. Wait, ‘too’? Did she mean- he shuddered involuntarily. You know what, nope, just not going to think about that one.

“So glad I turned off the cameras,” Janna mumbled, curling up into a ball on the floor, clearly not wanting to touch that whole situation either.

He opted to make contact with the other group via Marco instead - why he hadn’t just done that in the first place, he’d never know - and sent a quick text. “Marco wants to get dinner at the Waterfolk Kingdom in, like, an hour and a half. Apparently Star found some earrings she wanted at the last minute, and Pony got arrested for shoplifting three seconds after I hung up.”

Janna cackled in response. “Let’s just meet them there. My jacket got ripped to shreds by the possums last week, might as well get a new one while I’m down here. Been thinking about changing it up. I kinda like that style.” She lifted up his arm and poked at a button on the sleeve of his own.

“Uh, yeah, sure, I can show you where I got it.” He stumbled over his words, still caught off guard by this new normal-person-Janna. The elevator dinged and the teens began their trek through the Lucitor castle in search of the queen. “So, the Librarinth... we’re definitely going back there at some point, right?”

“Totally, bet’s still not over. We should do this more often, you’re not so bad a friend.”

“You too, and yeah, we should.” Looking back on the day, it had honestly been one some of the most fun he’d had in a while, despite almost dying at least once. Tom still wasn’t sure what to make of this friendship brewing between them, but if it meant more days like this to look forward to? Maybe he could get used to that.

[beccarooni]

First Smash

(A.N: huge thanks to @woahthisguy for helping me out with this! mild infinity war spoilers, totally ignoring endgame but keeping new Asgard because who needs continuity)

Thor stared out at the ocean from the cliffside, watching it broil and move under the power of the storm that was seething under his skin.

His fists clenched, fingernails pressing red shapes into his palms.

He was angry.

But it was more than that.

It wasn't a bright flash of lightning, a sudden spike in an argument that he was able to yell his way out of. It was a deep coiling thing in his gut, a parasite that gripped his dreams and brought a pounding headache between his eyes.

He didn't want to brag, but he was getting pretty good at the whole 'suppressing your feelings' deal. Hours of his childhood spent waiting for royal portraits to be painted had taught him to take any problems or temper tantrums he had and push them down where no one could see them. Because no one wanted to know. No one needed to know.

He had a job to do. And at the moment, that was more heavy lifting and constructing buildings than sitting and smiling, but it was still a job. Still a facade, albeit one of strength rather than congeniality. New Asgard needed a king. And he had to fill that role, whether he wanted to or not.

But that didn't mean he was good at that. He had the strength to lift, but not exactly the skill. One wrong move, one piece of timber slipping from his hands, and the entire roof of the hut he'd been constructing had collapsed around him. He'd been fine- well, physically he was fine- but something inside of him had just...snapped. The weather wasn't listening to him anymore, and it seemed the more he tried to put things together the more they'd break apart. He was furious at himself, but he'd given up. Resolved to think the matter over once his head had a chance to clear.

If it cleared. And this wasn't just who he was now.

And of course, he didn't tell Bruce, even though he was certain he was curious. He'd felt the scientists eyes on him, sensed the beginning of the dreaded question, 'are you okay' being asked, and he couldn't have that. He couldn't risk snapping at Bruce. The scientist had so much to worry about already, and Thor's anger tended to manifest itself in... particular ways. Ways that Bruce didn't need to be subjected to. Doors got slammed, dishes set down too harshly, and Thor would rather die than make Bruce feel unsafe in their own home.

Maybe he'd avoiding Bruce, a little. But it was for the best. The ocean wasn't going to get scared by a bit of emotional thunder

The cliff tops reminded him of where Odin had died, the place that he'd labelled 'home' before he scattered into dust. It reminded him of Odin in general, really. Cold stone, colder water. Could be unforgiving and cruel or be sunny and welcoming depending on how you looked at it.

He chose the latter. These days, golden tinged nostalgia was in short supply.

It was so quiet, out there. Until the storm had arrived, the storm that he-

"What Thor doing?"

Thor yelped at the deep rumbling tones and the heavy hand that suddenly clamped onto his shoulder. The shock of which conjured a blast of lightning. Which in turn, destroyed the clump of land he'd been standing on.

A few cold, and ever more anger inducing moments later he was climbing out of the water with an awful squishing sound in his boots. Hulk had apparently climbed down some time ago, and was standing on the gravelly beach, green eyes staring at him with an innocent curiosity.

"Thor wet." Hulk grumbled, poking him roughly in the shoulder.

"Oh, is he? Is he wet, Hulk? Because I hadn't noticed!" Thor yanked a strand of seaweed from his hair, throwing it onto the ground, the scowl on his face etching itself further.

Hulk narrowed his eyes, looking over him in a way similar to Bruce. He was connecting dots, linking the burning skies to the dripping demigod in front of him, and it eventually lead him to a conclusion.

"Thor angry."

"Of course I'm angry, I just got dunked in the ocean! In mid September!" Thor shook his head, using his fingers to twist the water out of his hair with little care or comfort. "You can't just sneak up on me like that."

"Not what hulk mean." The green giant moved closer, prodding Thor in the chest, but with a softer gesture than before. More of a careful placement of the finger, hovering over his heart. "Thor angry in here. Before Hulk."

Thor felt the momentary expulsion dying out slightly, although that was more Hulk's fault than his. He couldn't exactly maintain burning fury when Hulk was so clearly just trying to help. To figure out what was wrong with his friend and eventually right the wrongs.

It wasn't that simple. But, Thor had enough sense to keep his manners in check- Hulk deserved respect. Even if it was only a politely phrased way of declining any offers he'd make.

"I'm fine. You just startled me." Thor lifted his own hand, pressing it against Hulk's wrist with a smile that he hoped didn't seem forced. "My apologies, beloved."

Hulk grunted in response, standing still for a moment, watching Thor carefully as Bruce might watch an important experiment. Weighing up pros and cons, equations dancing before his eyes, figuring out a hypothesis. Whatever hypothesis he'd figured out, he seemed pretty eager to put into practise, as soon Thor's wrist was being dwarfed by a large, green hand.

"Hulk take puny god somewhere. Help him be angry." Hulk turned his face towards the roadside, starting to walk before Thor could even let out a response, his ruined boots dragging muddy trails behind where he was being pulled.

"I don't want to go anywhere, Hulk. Honestly, I just want to be left alone for a while." After a great deal of protesting, Thor finally yanked his arm free, taking a few steps backward down the path. "And I'm not angry."

Hulk gave him a look, a slightly arched eyebrow and an unimpressed curl of the lip that said 'we both know I can just pick you up and make you do this, so let's skip all of that nonsense and  go where I want to go'.

After a few seconds of this silent standoff, Thor sighed. He didn't fancy being tossed around like a sack of flour, so he limited his protests to rolling his eyes in what he hoped was a clear gesture that he wasn't going to enjoy this whatsoever, and offered Hulk his arm again. "Might I ask where we're going?"

"No." Hulk bared his teeth in a grin, a small sparkle of excitement dancing behind his eyes that put Thor's protests momentarily on hold, if only to give way to curiosity. "It surprise."

"You've been planning this, then?" Thor glanced up at Hulk as they walked, thankful at least that he was going as a pace that he could match.

"Thor avoiding Banner. Hulk thought of it then."

"Ah." He glanced down at the pavement, feeling the familiar tendrils of guilt begin to wind their way around his chest. "Is he upset?"

Hulk shook his head, large fingers subconsciously tightening their hold around Thor's wrist. "Worried. Both are." He paused in his speech, thick brows furrowing in an expression of intense concentration, carefully picking out the next few words. "But, Hulk think of surprise. Going to make things better."

***

Half an hour of walking, and a great deal of complaining from his part, they arrived at their destination. And Thor had to say, this was not what he was expecting. Or remotely hoped for.

He had imagined maybe a trip to some hot springs, or a nice piece of Nordic scenery.

Instead, Hulk had taken him to a garbage dump.

"Alright, you're going to need to explain this to me. Because I'm not exactly sure how this is going to make me feel better." Thor narrowly avoided tripping over a hunk of metal, wrapping his arms around himself to try and at least keep some of the biting weather at bay.

Hulk snorted, stomping back to where Thor was standing, and pointing to the large piles of wreckage. "When Hulk angry, Hulk smash. Now Thor try."

Thor blinked, turning his eyes back towards the landscape with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Firstly, I'm not angry. Secondly, even if I was angry, which I'm not, I wouldn't want to do...this."

"Thor not know how?"

"What? Of course I know how. I just don't want to do it." A few light spatterings of raindrops pattered onto his face, and he glanced up at the sky momentarily, watching as dark storm clouds loomed in the distance.

This wasn't working.

He ran a hand down his face, trying to find another excuse that maybe Hulk would understand. "Look, I'm freezing. Can we not just talk about this later?"

Hulk seemed to consider this second point, however the conclusion he reached wasn't really what Thor was getting at. Large hands pushed on Thor's shoulders, sitting him down on a fallen log. "Puny God watch Hulk. Learn."

The ground rumbled as Hulk made his way over to one of the larger pieces of wreckage - some kind of industrial metal. He glanced back over his shoulder, searching Thor's face for some kind of affirmation that he was watching.

He brought his fists down onto the scrap with a driving power, the pieces breaking clean in two with the force of it. He smiled, a toothy, wide grin that maybe lifted Thor's heart just a tiny bit, and looked back at Thor expectantly.

"Now Thor turn!"

Hulk said it with so much enthusiasm that Thor couldn't help but smile a bit, even if his answer remained a resolute no. "I'll be your spectator Hulk, but no more than that. You have fun."

"Thor boring! Puny God join in!"

"Hulk-"

"Please?"

Hulk's posture was suddenly unsure, big green eyes pleading at him in a way that he hadn't really seen since Sakaar, when the back of the quinjet was being torn to pieces while Hulk simply asked for his friend to stay. Now, Thor wasn't going anywhere, and that was kind of the problem. He was used to flying through the galaxy, to jumping down to Midgard to destroy the occasional foe. He was used to freedom. In all of that he'd forgotten how to have fun, and Hulk knew it.

So he was resorting to what he knew best. Smashing.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt…" Thor pushed himself to his feet with a small groan, feeling the bruises on his back really start to catch up to him which definitely didn't help his mood improve.

But Hulk was clearly waiting for something, and for once, Thor wanted to provide. He wanted to do the right thing, and if that meant smashing something to see his friend smile?

Then so be it.

His fingers crackled with lightning as he clenched a fist, looking for a suitable target. His eyes landed on the old remains of a vehicle, long since abandoned and stripped of anything worthwhile. And then, he let the anger fly. The arc of electricity spun out of his grasp, charring the metal black and spraying molten fragments out across the dirt, individual pieces still glowing red with heat when they hit the ground.

Hulk whooped, his large hand clapping Thor on the shoulder, teeth bared in a smile even wider than before. And Thor couldn't help but join him, a small laugh escaping his lips before he could stop it.

Because it did feel good. He'd been content to let the pressure inside him sit, to fossilize and whither with time, but this? It might have been wild, untamed, and definitely far from the kingly stoicism he was supposed to show, but this felt right. It felt true.

Hulk roared with the lightning, shoving Thor playfully to the side. "Blondie do the lights again!"

And, really, who was he to deny him?

He let the lightning surge again and again, and at some point the skies had split open and began pelting rain down onto the stone below, but he didn't care. His hair was a mess and his clothes were soaked and he couldn't differentiate between the tears streaming down his face or the rain - but Hulk was laughing, and he was laughing, and for the first time in a long while he felt happy. Like a weight had been yanked off his shoulders and ripped in half by giant hands the colour of emeralds.

Things took a turn for the considerably less serious when the dirt turned to mud, and Hulk decided it was a good idea to deposit a handful of it directly at Thor's back. Thor of course, being the warrior he was, retaliate tenfold. And then Hulk had returned that attack, and within the span of about half an hour things could truly be considered a mess. But a good one. One that harkened back to simpler times. To a sunny afternoon in Asgard, to fake duels in the courtyard with wooden swords and toy wands, to imaginary stories acted out through the looming castle corridors.

The two ended up sitting under a tree, taking shelter from the rain that hurled itself from the skies with such intensity that it looked horizontal. It had slipped out of Thor's control, and into the realm of the natural. The only thing left to do was wait it out, and as such, the adrenaline began to fade.

Hulk had been considered a hero of Asgard for quite some time after his defeat of Fenris, and that had called for those that could to band together and give him gifts of their thanks. One of these had been Asgardian attire, to cement his place among them, roaming from cloaks to full on robes that Hulk had politely accepted, but ended up wearing in completely the wrong way.

It was one of these cloaks that Hulk yanked off his own shoulders now, tucking the blue fabric around Thor's shoulders with an expression of fondness.

"Thor feel better?" He asked, almost nervously, watching Thor's face from the corner of his eyes, lifting his arm in somewhat of an invitation. A question- asking him to stay.

Thor nodded, huddling close into the Hulk's welcoming embrace, resting his head against the comforting warmth of green muscle and savouring the feeling of Hulk's arm around his shoulders, holding him close.

"A lot better, actually." He glanced upwards, twisting his head to press a shy kiss onto Hulk's side. "Thank you."

"Thor welcome. Puny God good at smashing- not as good as Hulk, though." Green features crinkled into a grin, and Thor felt the deep vibrations of his laughter against his cheeks, prompting a tired chuckle of his own.

Thor sighed, partly in contents but partly because of something...more. His brow creased in a small frown as an uncomfortably familiar feeling began to crawl its way back up, with the lightning not around to burn it back anymore.

Hulk's arm tightened around him, and the deep tones of his voice echoed from somewhere above. "Why Thor angry?"

The question was simple, but he knew it was much more than what it appeared. It didn't just mean why was he angry. It meant why the whole act. Why did he hide from Bruce, why didn't he just ask for help, why did he shut himself off from anyone for days on end?

Why didn't he stay?

"It was a year ago." Thor's answer was quiet, mumbled into the expanse of blue cloth that he really just wanted to draw over his head and hide, like a child from a nightmare. But he couldn't hide from this anymore. Hulk deserved to know. But that didn't make telling him any easier. "Heimdall, and...and Loki. They died a year ago. As did half of my people, and some of those from Sakaar."

"Oh." Hulk's voice was muted with understanding, and Thor felt a pair of large lips pressing against the crown his head before the rough voice continued. "Thor not angry. Thor sad."

"I'm both." Thor's throat was really starting to hurt now, but the second he'd started talking the words didn't seem to want to stop, continuing well past the point where he would normally stop. "I felt so useless- I feel so useless. I couldn't save them, couldn't even summon a spark, but the day before I rained thunder down from the skies. I should've done that, but I didn't, and I don't know why. And I never even got to apologise for it. And even now, with the village, I can't do anything and I'm useless and I just-"

Thor reached his limit not long after that, resigning himself to angry tears muffled by his hand. Hulk repositioned himself, holding Thor closer, tighter, with a grip that he was sure would kill a normal man. Fingertips the side of chest plates rubbed his back, puffs of breath hot against his ear.

"Thor not useless." Hulk rested his hands against Thor's shoulders, moving him until he was sitting cross-legged in his lap, making sure that the God was looking at him. "Thor help protect Banner. Help protect earth. Thor better than strong. Thor brave."

A small, bewildered, and tear stained smile found its way across Thor's face. He shakily moved to his feet, cupping Hulk's face in his hands.

"Thank you, Hulk." He pressed a kiss onto his cheek, grinning slightly as a darker green blush spread across the face in front of him.

"Hulk still stronger though. Puny God being soft." He shoved Thor back onto the ground, the God in question landing with a small 'oof' back into the mud they'd just escaped from.

"Oh, of course. How could I forget?" Thor stood up, trying to brush some of the dirt off himself before he realised that that task was going to be entirely impossible. "Now, I think I'm ready to go back home. Coming?"

Hulk grunted his agreement, beginning to step down the beaten path back towards the village, but not before picking Thor up single handedly and placing him over his shoulders.

"Do you mind? I do have a reputation to maintain. Y'know, King of Asgard, and all that."

"Thor being baby. Hulk also have reputation - strongest Avenger."

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"No." Hulk snorted, footsteps shaking the ground around him. "Hulk talk about it forever."

"Aw, you're going to think about me forever?"

"Shut up."

[mrs-dragneel-stark-solo]

Unforseen Chasm (part 16)

Part 16 of Unforseen Chasm

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together. Word Count: 2537 Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my other fic series). first major Collab with my best friend @thorne93​ what was first a simple “what if” moment turned into a two year writing session and I’ve never been more prouder of myself than when i started my first series. goes through most of the MCU plots there are some changes to accommodate for what we wanted and there is a bit of a crossover between the MCU and other characters. I hope you guys enjoy reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Loki’s plan was… complex. Convoluted. But it would work. It had to work. 

Before he left, you pulled him into the bedroom (a cold, small room that had a bed in it, and that’s all) that you two had made in the bunker/work area. 

You shook your head, tears already streaming down your face. 

“Loki, I don’t want to do this. I hurt her. I don’t want to hurt anyone else. If we let those things in...” you started, choking on your own sobs. Anger took you over and you began again, “If we let those things in, they’re going to attack people I love. People I work with. People I don’t want to hurt. I stabbed her, Loki. She didn’t deserve that. I don’t want to do this anymore,” you sobbed. 

Loki drew you into a comforting embrace, holding you tight as he soothed you.

“I know, darling.”

“Everything… Everything Thanos said was a lie. You know that, don’t you? That it was all a manipulation?” you asked, desperation in your voice.

“Of course I know that!” he hissed. “But does it matter? Does any of that matter? You and I both know the stakes if we lose. It will be far worse than some scrapes and bruises for your friends. They’ll kill all of them, including us.”

“Is there nothing we can do to stop them?”

“I’m afraid not, my love,” he said, sorrow in his voice. “You know how badly he will punish us if we do not do as he asks.”

Your heart shattered in your chest at his words. You knew this, you always knew it. That’s the only reason you could do what you did today.

Loki saw your pain and kissed your head as he put his hand on the nape of your neck. “Go… see her. I will tend to this.”

You peered up at him with stormy eyes. “Are you sure? I could help you here. I could--”

“Go. Don’t lose your family for him,” he instructed, referring to Thanos.

With a firm nod, you kissed him and then left quickly. Meanwhile, Loki and Barton worked on getting the eye for the Iridium for the portal to let the Chitauri in. 

All seemed to be going according to plan.

Loki had retrieved the eye. Tony and Steve had arrested Loki. This resulted in all the “superheroes” of the world uniting. Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, and Thor Odinson -- all together on one helicarrier. With Loki, trapped in a cage.

This should’ve worried you, but you knew this was the whole point, to get Loki alone, keep the attention on him, so they wouldn’t notice when Barton and the rest showed up to bring out the monster. 

Barton and the rest of the crew got on a jet, finding the helicarrier, and successfully got the Hulk released onboard. However, Barton had apparently been compromised, as he didn’t rejoin Loki back on the jet. 

Which meant Loki would be at Stark Tower soon enough. 

Funny coincidence, you were already there.

You stepped inside the lab. It was so familiar to you it hurt. This same lab where you’d been before countless times to watch Shannon work, to help on some projects, to fuck with Tony just to fuck with him. 

And of course, Shannon was working away, diligently. She had the noise cancelling headphones on you’d given her three Christmases ago, since she just had to have music on when she worked. 

You were sure Tony probably told her to stay on the lowest level of the tower. He probably told her to turn on every alarm. He probably told her to arm every door. 

Did she do any of it? No. She didn’t. This tower was just as exposed as it always was. 

You were careful to tiptoe up to her, the last thing you wanted to do was startle her. Just as you approached her though, the scars of your wounds from yesterday were an angry red, violent purple. Reminders of your cowardice. A reminder that you didn’t have the power to confront Thanos, to tell him to fuck off. 

But how could you? If you defied him, Loki would pay the price. Shannon would be killed. Thor would be killed. Everyone you loved -- killed. You had to obey him. 

And that’s all you needed to tell Shannon. She would believe you right? You two had known each other forever and she would have to know you didn’t do this on purpose. 

Just as you went to speak though, Jarvis’s voice came over the speaker in the room, a light blinking on the workbench, alerting Shannon of the call. 

“Yes, Jarvis?” she asked. 

“Mr. Stark is on the phone for you. He says it’s urgent.”

“Thank you, Jarvis. Put him on.”

Half a second later, Tony’s voice filled the room. “Shan, where are you?” he demanded.

“In the lab, why?”

“Leave, now. Y/N is there.”

Your blood ran cold as you stood behind her, perfectly still.

“What?” she asked. 

“Y/N. She’s at the tower. Get somewhere safe. I’m on my way. Loki might be there too. He has the Tesseract. He’s going to come there. I don’t know what he’s doing with it but I don’t want you anywhere near it. Okay? So get out of the tower. Now.”

“Tony, I’m not just going to leave,” she started to protest and a faint smile touched your lips. 

“Please, for the love of God do not argue with me. Not right now. Okay? We’ve got two total nutcases on our hands, headed for our house. Y/N is in the tower, but Jarvis can’t pinpoint where. So leave before she finds you.”

Shannon turned to leave, still talking to Tony. “Okay, okay I wil--” 

But her eyes caught yours as you stood there in front of her. Her eyes went wide as she stumbled back into the workbench, gasping. Her hand accidentally hit the hangup button on the phone call.

“Shannon, wait!” you begged, holding your hands up in defense.

“Wha-- What are you doing here? How did you get in?” she stammered.

“Shannon, you never locked this place down. I’m not surprised to be honest because you nev--”

Her eyes began to change color and you backed up.

“Wait! Wait! Don’t! I’m here to apologize! Please!”

“Apologize or distract me while your boyfriend sneaks in?” she asked, making her way around the table. 

“No, I’m here to apologize. Shannon, please, give me five minutes. I can explain everything,” you tried. 

“No. You snuck in here. Why? You could’ve called.”

“Would you have really picked up the call?” you challenged. 

“It’s still better than showing up behind me like a creep.”

You bobbed your head side to side. “That’s fair,” you granted. “But please, hear me out.”

Shannon wanted to help you. She thought she did. But now that you were standing here again, clad in an all black outfit, green and gold accenting your boots and robe, showing who your real alliance was with… Well, she wasn’t so sure Tony was wrong. Maybe you’re past help. The wild in your face, the edginess in your form… maybe you were lost. Maybe she had lost you to him. 

“Why? So you can stab me a few more times? Or are you just trying to get Loki in here?” she demanded through clenched teeth.

“Shan, please,” you begged as you stepped forward, your hands raised. You wanted to calm her down, to make her listen to you for five minutes, but every step you took was sending her closer to the edge. 

“No! I won’t listen to your lies!” she shouted as she backed up farther from you, the flashbacks of you chaining her to a chair reverberating in her mind. The sting of the knife you plunged deep into her flesh and muscle still very vivid. 

You tried to close the gap and that’s all it took. 

Shannon’s fear of you went into overdrive as she slammed a button on the table and a suit came flying out of the cabinet next to her, enveloping her. 

“Spare suit?” you noticed, appreciative. 

“Tony likes to keep one on hand, you know, in case any enemies come in and try to kill me,” she informed with a slight shrug.

“I am not your enemy, Shannon,” you swore as you stepped towards her. 

“Stop there. One more inch and I’ll open fire,” she warned, deadly serious. 

Just then, JARVIS’s voice came over the intercom. “Ms. Shannon, I don’t mean to alarm you but it would appear that Loki is on the roof with Dr. Erik Selvig.”

With that, Shannon looked at you for a brief second before rocketing out of the lab. 

With a low growl, you followed as best you could. You used the energy you’d picked up from Asgard as well as the power Thanos had bestowed upon you to fly up to the roof.

“JARVIS, inform Tony that I’ve found Loki on the tower roof with the Tesseract,” she told the Al as she got closer to Loki. As soon as Shannon landed on the roof, she told Loki to back away from the Tesseract. “Move away from it!” she ordered, sounding confident in her orders as she held one of the arms of his suits up. 

Loki’s tortured eyes peered up at her. “You must be the famous Shannon,” he cooed. “Hiding behind your boyfriend’s technology are we? I was told you had great power all on your own.” 

“Yeah, but I hear someone already scares you shitless with lightning. Thought I would make this more fun,” she said as you landed on the rooftop with them. 

“You’re outnumbered,” Loki commented, holding his arms out as if to taunt her. 

“But not outgunned.” Then she opened fire on him, blasting him away from the Tesseract and off the roof where he went tumbling until he hit the balcony ten floors below. 

“Loki!” you screamed, your throat burning from the volume. You ran to the edge of the roof, seeing he had fallen and landed, but he was still moving, trying to get up. You turned to her and narrowed your eyes. “You’ll pay for that.”

You launched at her, slamming into the suit and all, going over the edge with her.

“Are you crazy?!” she shouted from beneath the mask. 

“Depends on who you ask,” you said before trying to rip off the mask of the suit. But Shannon used the repulsors to send the two of you back into the building, breaking a window to get onto the floor, landing a few floors below the balcony level. 

“This is insane. Stop this, Y/N,” she demanded.

“Take off the suit and fight me. One on one,” you ordered, your voice quivering with anger. 

“I’m not going to fight you! I want you to end all of this and I can help you!”

“Take off the suit!” you screamed so loud your face grew red and the veins in your neck bulged. 

She sighed and obliged, the suit slowly disassembling off of her. The suit stayed on autopilot if needed. “There. Are you happy? Now what? You have no power. You can only conjure illusions,” she stated as if all hope were lost for you.  

A dark smirk came over your face as you raised both hands and held them in the air. Without warning, you used your birth power of bio-kinetic energy to charge some of the kitchen knives that were on the counter and propelled them at her. Using her own mutation, she conjured a small streak of lightning to deflect them. 

“Pick up a new trick?” she asked, cocking her head. 

“One or two,” you remarked as you stood at the ready.

“Oh yeah? Well so have I.” She looked at you and you could see her eyes begin to turn red compared to the white they turn when she brings in a storm. Red beams of electric light came out of her eyes, close enough to scrape your cheek. “Now I won’t repeat myself, stop it at once Y/N,” her voice boomed in the room but you were shocked to see she had new mutations. Who knew what else she might have acquired in your year gone. 

In a heaving breath, you replied, “I… can’t.” 

“Then I’ll end it myself,” she remarked as she shot the red electrified light at you once more but instead of dodging, you used the powers that had long been suppressed on your time on Earth. 

You put your hands up and captured the energy, something she didn’t realize you were doing at first, but once she did, she stopped her actions altogether. You kept your hands up, letting the power hit your palms before squeezing them together, pushing the power back into yourself. 

You took a deep breath and looked at her, releasing her own energy back on her, but in your dark form. The dark purple energy radiated to her at speeds she couldn’t comprehend and it knocked her on her ass. She leaned up and looked at you with perplexed and worried eyes. 

“I think you’ve forgotten,” you began, standing over her, you leaned down in her face, “I’m a god.” 

Shannon’s eyes narrowed as she frowned before she swept her leg out and kicked your feet out from under you. She jumped up, landing on her feet, with her standing over you as you tried to recover from the blow. 

“And I think you forgot that I’ve fought gods… and won.” She smirked letting her eyes be clouded a milky red. “In the year that you were gone, so much changed me. I’d been training with the X-men and the Avengers, there’s so much more to my powers than just this!” She spread her arms out and an array of colors began to filter out each one stronger than the last. To say you were shocked was an understatement. You had no idea that she’d begun to make her powers stronger rather than get rid of them. 

You tried your best to absorb the oncoming attack, but it was starting to become too much. You released the energy you had gained back at her. Throwing everything you had into one shot. It actually somewhat worked, pushing her back and off her footing. 

“It’s sad, isn’t it?” you mocked as the two of you circled each other. “That you spent most of your life trying to understand and use these powers and you still have no idea what they can do? But I--” You held up your hand, lighting it in the purple energy “--I was only away for one year and I can already beat your ass.” With a small scream you threw the energy at her but she dodged it. In a split second she was next to you, her hand on your arm and your heart raced.

“Always a quick mouth, huh, darling, Y/N, just never quick on your feet.” She seemed to have moved with heightened speed. 

Her touching you was the last thing you wanted. It was something you’d tried to desperately avoid. 

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[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Longest Day of School (Week 30)

Red Data Girl: My Longest Day of School By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

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Now that I’m back from Japan, I can enjoy a lazy summer vacation to the fullest!... Or maybe it won’t be so lazy. With all this free time on my hands, I’ve been translating like crazy. During the school year, I’m lucky to get 10 or so RDG pages done in a month. In the past two weeks, I’ve translated over 60 pages.

Lots of translating time means lots of material for me to post. Therefore, as I announced last week, I’ll be posting new RDG every Sunday this month. I’m excited to get back onto a weekly schedule after two years of biweekly posting.

Once September comes around and school starts, I’ll be returning to the biweekly schedule, but let’s enjoy the summer while it’s still around. :)

We’re getting really close to the end of this book! Including this week, there are only 2 more installations left! We’re finishing RDG 5 next week!!

Red Data Girl: My Longest Day of School By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Choice Part 4 (2 of 2)

It was decided that the student body would gather in the lecture hall. The guests who hadn’t left, as well as the parents and guardians, were directed towards the cafeteria.  

Apparently the stoves and other cooking appliances weren’t working either, but the day’s kitchen staff was luckily able to put together a meal that required no cooking. The students’ lunches consisted of premade bento boxes, bread, and rice balls—all foods that were easy to eat while moving. There was plenty to go around. The only problem was that no one could have imagined the entire school eating together in one place at one time.

It was chaos.

Seeing as the middle school students had also been gathered into the lecture hall with the high schoolers, there were many students who couldn’t find a chair to sit in. As a result, plenty of people had spilled out into the lounge area.

The Warring States era costumes were also causing problems. Many students found that they couldn’t sit down while maintaining good manners. Students were strewn across the floor eating their lunches. Flags, banners, and armor were haphazardly left everywhere. At a glance, the room really did look like a battle field. The scene had more of a Warring States era feel to it than the actual all school game had.

Many of the students had taken pieces of their armor off, but the teachers and student government were hesitant to cancel the second half of the games. Seeing as what had happened with the electronics was so odd, it might be dangerous for the students to disperse across the campus after making such a decision. There was a need to cautiously continue on with the original plan. After waiting for more information to come in, the adults went back and forth over what to do, taking up valuable time.

It was taking so long to decide what would happen next that Mayura and Manatsu went out to sit in the hallway. There, Manatsu was able to relay every last detail he had seen and heard since the games had begun. He talked about the man Miyuki knew, what had happened with Hayakawa, and Takayanagi’s surprising situation. He didn’t stop talking until he came to the end of the story.

The more Mayura heard, the more she couldn’t help but think that it had been a good thing Manatsu hadn’t gone with Miyuki into the alternate dimension. She knew that Masumi was there and that some sort of altercation was going on. She was just glad that Manatsu had come back to her. If something happened here, she would desperately need his help. It wasn’t just that she had wanted to see him.

“Sagara’s a better guy than I thought he was…”

As Mayura murmured this, Manatsu gave a small laugh and said quietly, “Didn’t I say that from the start? He even took dog Takayanagi with him. I wonder what Shinko was planning.”

“He was thinking about what he could do for Izumiko.”

“Yeah. I think Izumiko’s the one who turned Takayanagi into a dog, but I’m not sure.”

Mayura sat against the wall, her knees up. She gazed at her hands resting on the luxurious fabric of her hakama pants. Manatsu, in his loose kuroko outfit, had his legs spread out in front of him.

“…Tell me, Manatsu. Will I become the World Heritage Candidate? Is Masumi gone?” Mayura asked after a quiet moment. She continued after asking her question. “I thought this was the best way to do it. I thought becoming the Candidate would show our whole family that we have power even when we’re not together and we haven’t called Masumi. But do we not have that connection between him and us anymore? That promise we made when we were kids, the connection… if Masumi is gone for good, there won’t be anything left between him and us, will there?”

“When we got taller, so did he, right? Obviously we noticed that, but Masumi didn’t. That’s why our connection to him or between us won’t necessarily disappear. It’s just going to take a different shape,” Manatsu said, voicing the ideas he had mulled over countless times before. “I don’t think Masumi will disappear, never to be seen again. If I thought that, it would be the end, wouldn’t it? The next time he returns, he’ll be a little different from me. From you, too. That’s all. Those things happen, even to triplets, right?”

“I want to welcome him back… I hope I’ll be able to say that much to him. I want to see Sagara and Izumiko again, too. But I feel like I only have you and Masumi, right now.”

Mayura leaned forward, putting her chin on her knees. “I did something mean to Sagara today. It’s not a nice story. That’s why after hearing everything you just told me, I think Sagara’s capable of way more than I gave him credit for.”

Manatsu gazed at his sister, but he didn’t ask her to elaborate. “I like seeing you all upbeat and competitive, but I don’t really like it when you’re so busy. You get weird when you try too hard. It’s okay to do what you want to do. I’m not going to disappear that easily.”

“So you’re saying I should relax.” Mayura’s tone was sulky, but Manatsu still continued on.

“If and when I die, there’s other ways to go that are unrelated to my heart. It could be a traffic accident or a natural disaster or some other illness. What I’m saying is something has to happen eventually, so there’s no reason to worry any more than you have to. You should enjoy Grandpa trying to find a husband for you.”

“That’s not something I can enjoy…”

“But today you say Shinko in a new way. Our opinions of people are always changing. And it seems like there’s still time for us to change as people, too. As we change, it’s totally alright for us to check to make sure that the unchanging ties we have to other people are still there.”

After reflecting on her brother’s words for a moment, Mayura murmured, “If you think that, it’s alright, I guess. You seem so confident that we can fix everything, so maybe I shouldn’t worry. But if you really do think all those things you just said, we probably need to start making things right again now.”

Just then, the student president along with Hoshino and Okouchi appeared as they turned a corner into the hallway. Their eyes fell on the two sitting on the floor.

“Is this where you’ve been, Manatsu?” Hoshino asked. “Listen to this—you too, Mayura. The teachers decided to go on with the second battle game!”

Mayura and Manatsu stared at the two older students. They had been sure the game would be cancelled due to the time the electric problems had taken up. However, Honoka and the two second year boys would be putting their black, kuroko hoods back on much earlier than expected. Their faces would be hidden behind the veils, and they were ready to go back to judging.

“Can we still continue the game? Even with the current limitations?”

“The official decision is that it would be better to just get through the last game than to stop here,” Okouchi responded in what couldn’t be called a happy tone. “Giving the students free time would just cause their panic to rise again. Besides, there are rumors of ghostly happenings going around. We don’t know where that’s coming from, so we’re just going to let that be, though.”

“Ghost stories?”

“They’re a little more fantastical than that, apparently. People are saying there’s nothing beyond the school campus, and after today, the world’s going to end. There are people who wanted to prove that the stories were wrong, but apparently no one’s been physically able leave the campus. No one knows why, but they can’t do it.”

Even Mayura had to admit it was a scary story. However, she could see how such talk would occur when communication with the outside world had completely stopped.

“No one can seriously go beyond the gate?”

“I haven’t tried,” Honoka said, frowning. “The teams who were competing by the horse ring are more upset than the others. When we took rollcall there, there were also a few missing students. Some of the teachers went looking, but apparently they didn’t find them. They didn’t search all the way up the hill though, and there is a chance they may have left campus for some reason. But, Sagara and Izumiko are among the missing students. This is a huge blow to the student government.”

“There are a few rumors flying around about their disappearance,” Hoshino added. “For example, they fell in a hole into a different dimension, or got dragged away by the dead, or fell through time into the past. All delusional disasters, I’m sure.”

Mayura and Manatsu glanced at each other, and then Manatsu quickly stood up.

“Ah. Sorry. I have to get back to work.”

“Please do so. Even you first years are busy today,” Honoka agreed.

The student president was never one to be lenient, but Mayura couldn’t complain today. It was clear to see how overwhelmed Honoka was as she struggled through the day.

“If all the electronics aren’t fixed by the evening, everyone’s going to get even more frightened, and I think we’ll have a real panic on our hands,” Honoka went on. “We need to continue the game as soon as possible. We need to gather all the students who are willing to work as leaders.”

Okouchi was already calmer than he had been before. He cradled his precious, broken laptop in his arms.

“If it all broke without reason, there’s a chance it’ll all start working again without reason, too, right?” he asked. “There’s no reason to give up on the possibility that it’ll go back to the way it was before. We just have to wait.”

The final game was a simple matter. Seeing as it would be played as a melee, it was important that the judges took care in managing the game. They would use the open space in front of the classroom building, and would follow traditional “balloon popping” rules. The soldiers who were still “alive” would carry their team’s banners into the battle along with a balloon attached to the same pole. The balloons’ fates would be the fates of the soldiers. It would make quite a spectacle as the two teams crashed into one another.

According to reports, the attack and defense teams had received around the same points during the first game and still had about the same amount of soldiers remaining. The commanders in their restricting armor would carry the balloons that would determine the outcome of the game; theirs were worth more points than the regular soldiers’, and therefore the team who defended theirs the best would most likely win.

The third year middle schoolers, disheartened by how the day was going, roused themselves to protect their princess general. With the game beginning again, spirits rose and rumors were forgotten. However, when Mayura looked to find Takayanagi, the attack team general she was supposed to be facing off against, he was nowhere to be seen. In normal circumstances, she would have been happy about this, but today she found that she wasn’t pleased at all.

None of this really should be happening. Not when Izumiko and Sagara are somewhere dangerous instead of here at the game…

The clouds in the sky had grown thick without her noticing. It was only three o’clock in the afternoon, but it was dark and gloomy already as if dusk was approaching. Without the sun shining, the change from the morning’s weather was distinctly apparent.

It took much longer than expected to gather everyone outside, whether costumed or no. No one had considered how slowly people would move when they couldn’t hear directions over a loudspeaker. It was just like the Warring States era.

The students who had quickly moved into their armies eventually grew tired of waiting.

That’s when it happened.

An army made up of something completely other than students came down from the sports grounds on the hill.

Some students saw it immediately. Others did not see it at all. A murmuring of surprise and disbelief began to grow in the crowd.

At first, Mayura didn’t notice it either. However, the moment she saw it, she could not take her eyes off of what was coming. The wiggling human shadows looked so weak they were practically transparent, but they were definitely part of a Warring States era battle.

They didn’t look like anything from this world, though.

Knowing no matter what it was, it was bad, Mayura hurried to find Honoka. It wouldn’t be good at all if the person in charge of the entire game fell into panic over ghosts.

However, Honoka, located between the two student armies, was already watching the incoming forces, as were the students around her. Some of them were murmuring to each other, but as the seconds ticked by, the crowd steadily quieted. They stared blankly, their eyes glued to the scene. However, none of them seemed scared. Strangely, Mayura felt the same way. She had assumed she would be frightened upon seeing ghosts for the first time, but apparently, this was not the case.

The semi-transparent soldiers coming down the hill were certainly frightening enough. No matter how Mayura considered it, it was strange indeed that the entire school was silently watching the spectacle in front of them. If she had to choose which was the stranger sight, the approaching army of ghosts or the silent students, she was certain she’d pick the students.

…What will I do if we have to fight them?...

And what about all the other students around her, carrying balloons on their backs, ready to play a silly game?

Was this the same thing as a frog being unable to take its eyes off a snake? But Mayura was at a loss of what to do as well. It seemed like the only thing left to do was pray that they weren’t attacked.

Just then, she felt a familiar sensation beside her. When she looked over, Masumi was standing next to her.

“Huh?... Masumi?”  

“I’m sorry, Mayura. I was fooling around.” Masumi’s tone was cheerful.

“What have you been doing?” Mayura asked. “Where’s Izumiko?”

“Oh, Miyuki chased me off.”

“So Izumiko turned you down?”

“Nah. I don’t think she’s really decided yet. Anyway, I came to protect you.”

After letting out a long sigh, Mayura finally found the ability to speak. “Welcome back, Masumi. I knew you’d return to me.”

“I know. That’s why I came back,” Masumi said.

“Bring Izumiko and Sagara back soon.”

“Even I can’t do that.” He nodded his head in the army’s direction. “Look at that,” he urged, his tone still light. “It’s just all the ghosts of Hachiouji Castle returning home. You’ll understand after they’re gone.”

The deceased soldier ghosts passed right in front of the students. As Masumi had said, they did not give the crowd even one look as they went by. It was as if they didn’t even see the group pressed shoulder to shoulder in their own army costumes. The ghosts simply continued on to the gate, fading into oblivion as they passed through it.

The students watched silently as the spectacle went by like onlookers at a parade. The whole thing felt like a dream.

After the last soldier had passed through the gate, and the students had turned their heads back towards the campus, they found something else had appeared without their knowledge while they had been focused on the procession.

A half transparent woman was standing in the middle of the open space near the sports grounds. She was dressed in a Warring States era over kimono, performing a solitary dance.

Is that Izumiko?...

Mayura squinted to get a better look, but she wasn’t sure. Seeing as the dancer was transparent, she couldn’t quite make out the color of her clothing or the designs on it. All the same, it looked very much like the outfit Izumiko had worn at the kimono demonstration. There was an open fan in her hand. When she turned it around, Mayura could see that one side of it was white. The dancing princess’s hair flowed far down her back, and her face had a soft paleness to it. It reminded Mayura more of Izumiko than anyone else she had ever seen.

The other students were beginning to notice the dancer and murmur among themselves. All the same, the crowd was still encompassed in the silence of watching an event happen.  They all gazed on in rapt attention, holding their breaths.

“Tell me. Is that Izumiko?” Mayura whispered to Masumi.

“Quiet. You need to watch this,” he whispered back. “I bet you never thought you’d get a chance to see Izumiko dance.”

Mayura knew exactly what Masumi meant. Izumiko was not the sort of girl who performed in front of crowds to bathe in attention. She had never once heard Miyuki mention anything about her dancing, either. However, when she realized that this was Izumiko, something deep inside of her chest relaxed.  

Izumiko is special. She’s different from everyone else. There’s probably no one else like her…

The faint, goddess-like figure continued to dance alone in the one beam of sunlight that had made it through the cloudy sky.

As the slight figured continued her careful movements, her long hair and sleeves suddenly began to flutter, and the hem of her kimono gently rose off the ground. For an instant, everyone was blinded by the whiteness of her fan. Then she continued to silently move her feet…

Her movements repeated over and over. There were times when the onlookers could see her raise her hand to her lips, but she never made a sound. The students could not take their eyes off the simple movements. Watching her was like an invitation into a dream world.

“…Beautiful,” Mayura said, her voice quiet. “I think she’s letting you know that she doesn’t want to be with you.”

Masumi didn’t answer. However, he seemed to smile.

The students lost all track of time as they watched the unearthly girl’s dance. They had no sense of how many minutes had gone by. How many hours. But then suddenly, something snapped, and the end was instantly there.

Everyone heard a familiar mechanical sound began to fill the air; the beating sound of rotors. Up until now, no one had been looking at the sky. Now though, everyone raised their heads almost as if they were waking up.

A helicopter was flying above the school.

Keep reading!

[trueloveseyeroll]

When The Tide Turns (16/16) Epilogue

Summary:  The plan was to go to England, finish the case and head back home in a matter of days. Of course, nothing in Emma’s life ever goes according to plan. Not only does she end up travelling across Europe, looking for a Liam Jones in order to finish her case, she ends up travelling with Liam’s brother - an annoyingly handsome Killian Jones. And she doesn’t trust him one bit.

Rating: T, for language and some violence in THIS chapter! It’s nothing too major, but just so you know :)

Beta-reader: one last time, I’d love to thank @forget-me-not-s for being such a wonderful beta!!

Artists: and a last cheer for these amazingly talented artists: @theblacksiren - check out her beautiful artwork for chapter 1 here, chapter 7 here and chapter 12 here! @optomisticgirl created the beautiful banner - and check out @fairytalesandtimetravel ‘s stunning artwork for chapter 15 here!!!!

Word count: ~1251 (68k+ in total)

A/N: So this is the last chapter of this little adventure, and I’d love to thank everyone who made the @captainswanbigbang possible - it’s been challenging but also really fun to be a part of this project, and I’m so happy I signed up!! Also, I’d love to thank everyone who’s stuck with this story until the end - it means the world to me, so thank you so much!!!

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16

AO3

“We’ll see you in about an hour, mom.”

“I can’t wait! Love you, Emma.”

“Love you too.”

Emma hung up, letting her phone rest on her lap. Outside the train, fields with patches of snow whirred by. Not as much snow as Mary Margaret had hoped for, but perhaps there would be further north in Maine.

The long awaited weekend had finally come. Mary Margaret and David were getting married in the bride’s hometown, a quaint place called Storybrooke. Emma had visited the place a few times with Mary Margaret before, during summer breaks from college. It was a nice town, but the fact that everyone knew everyone had always scared her a bit. As far as she knew, Mary Margaret had invited the entire town to the wedding, plus a few more (including Ingrid). She’d always said Storybrooke was so romantic during the winter - after all, that’s why they had chosen a December wedding.

Emma smiled, thinking of how lucky she was her best friend had decided to get married on the date she had. If not, Mary Margaret would have been the one who had travelled to Willesby three weeks ago. She had been working the case before Emma - if it hadn’t been for the stress before the wedding, Mary Margaret would have been the one who got to travel around Europe, looking for Liam Jones and eventually discovering Neverland.

Emma was still half-convinced it had all been a dream. She certainly couldn’t tell anyone about Neverland; instead, the story went that she’d found Liam in Norway with Elsa. And then they’d been kidnapped by Gold and his thugs. It was a hard story to sell, but how else were they going to explain their sudden appearance in Willesby? And how else were they going to build a case against Gold?

It was one big mess. Emma’s head hurt just thinking about it. Gold was powerful and rich - getting him behind bars wasn’t going to be easy. But the accusations against him piled on the more press the case got as several of Gold’s previous under-the-table-dealings came to the surface.

Emma shut her eyes tight, willing to forget it all for a moment. This weekend was supposed to be about Mary Margaret and David, and she had promised herself she could relax for just two days. Forget about Gold for the weekend, forget that her work-life was in a sketchy zone right now, forget that one single week had turned her life upside down.

But not everything was terrible.

Emma looked down at the head resting on her shoulder. A nice mess of dark hair.

A part of her wanted to panic, saying it was too much for her to deal with right now. Starting a relationship in the midst of all this - especially a relationship built on such an odd first meeting - was the worst thing she could possibly do.

But the other part of her couldn’t help but smirk at the fact that finally Killian was the one asleep on her shoulder.

She couldn’t wait to tease him about it. After all, he refused to let go of the fact that she’d been sleeping on his shoulder when they first met.

Who would’ve thought this is where they’d end up after that embarrassing episode on the train three weeks ago?

When Emma had told Mary Margaret and Ruby the entire story (the believable parts at least) upon coming home twelve days ago, her friends had immediately insisted that Killian come to the wedding.

Emma hadn’t been so sure about it. Could she ask Killian to fly to America for a wedding? The long-distance-thing really didn’t help her doubts about whether or not she and Killian were a good idea. But ever since she’d left England, one thing was clearer to her than anything had ever been in her life before: she missed him.

Somewhere along the way, through lies and revelations, through stealing objects and travelling from country to country and at last finding Neverland, Emma had found a companion in Killian. Someone she understood and who understood her. Someone she could laugh with. Someone she could share adventures with. But also someone she could enjoy quiet moments with, like an evening in front of a fire or a shared drink by the sea. And that date Killian had taken her on in Willesby, well, Emma had never been on such a wonderful first-date ever.

They’d been texting each other every day since she’d left. And every day, Mary Margaret and Ruby kept telling her to just invite him to the wedding.

In the end, Emma gave in. She’d lost her plus-one when Walsh and she split up - why not let Killian fill in? He didn’t need to know that she actually just really wanted to see him again.

(He’d seen right through her when she called him, but had been more than happy to accept her offer.)

And so Killian had flown to New York the day before. The jet lag was getting to him, and having stayed up in Emma’s bedroom most of the night probably hadn’t helped. Not that either of them would complain though.

Killian stirred, slowly waking but keeping his head on Emma’s shoulder.

“Arewetheresoon?” he mumbled against her neck, tickling her.

“An hour to go. You’ve still got some time to catch up on that sleep.”

He sighed something against her shoulder but she didn’t quite catch it. She thought he’d gone back to sleep, but with a groan he pulled away from her, sitting upright. She tried not to feel too upset about the loss of warmth against her side.

“I should probably spend that hour waking up instead. Wouldn’t do to meet your family and friends for the first time looking like I’ve just woken up.”

“No, that would be terrible,” Emma said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Bad form to mock a just-woken man, Swan.”

Emma smirked at him, leaning back in the corner of her seat. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?”

Killian scoffed. “Now that’s just preposterous, love. Why should I ever be nervous? I’m a charming, handsome fellow, I’m sure I’ll have your loved ones won over in no time.”

“I don’t think your flirting’s gonna get you far with David.”

“I can always try.”

Emma chuckled, imagining Killian trying to smooch his way with David at the drinks table.

“Start with Mary Margaret and my mom - then move on to David.”

“What about that lovely Ruby? She sounded like joyous company.”

“Trust me, all Ruby needs is to see your face and she’ll be rooting for me to keep you around for at least a few weeks more.”

Killian’s eyes lit up at that; then quickly turned to his all-too-usual smoulder. “And what about you, love? How long are you planning to keep me around?”

Emma smiled. “Let’s make it through this wedding and the whole Gold-disaster and we’ll see.”

“Well, that could be a while...” he scooted closer, making her tilt her head up to meet his gaze.

“You think you can handle it?” Emma asked, voice dropping to a whisper.

“Emma, I’m in it for the long haul.”

The way his eyes turned serious, putting his feelings out on open display should have scared her. His words alone should have made her want to run far away. And maybe they did, just a little. But not enough for Emma to even consider leaving her seat.

“Good.”