#i just wrote a goofy thing about the sun and moon

[sleepy-frog-sleeping]

what

THE SUN SCORCHES WHAT IT TOUCHES

the moon reflects like a mirror

THE SUN IS STOPPED BY A BLANKET

the moon is cold

THE SUN SHINES BRIGHTLY

the moon is gone today too

THE SUN BLAZES BURNING SOLAR DUST

the moon is quiet

I’ve read this like 5 times and I think I like it but my only thought is that you’re in a hurt/comfort fic with the moon and this is the yearning mourning part

[asocialangel]

alphabet boy

NSFW alphabet for my time skip, pro striker Isagi !!

For some reason the more i wrote the more detailed i got haha, hope you like it, i reinterpreted some tropes cause i can, credits to the original owner for the template. You can ask in the comments or ask-box for other characters or other animes if u want ! 

Nice reading, you simp ;)

afab!reader / fem!reader x isagi. Smut, pretty vanilla tho

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Isagi is not the type to go straight for a shower after finishing. He will lay first, still breathless, hugging you tight. He’ll throw corny sentences around like “yeah, that was good” because he truly loved it and wants to thank you. When you get up to get cleaned up, he'll follow you and wash up too and he’ll tidy up the bed. When everything is settled he makes sure you fall asleep to his sweet words while he cuddles you. 

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

His favorite thing about you is your thighs. He adores how soft they are. It took him a while to admit it, but his biggest dream was to fall asleep head resting there. Now, he always gifts you short shorts or tight socks to highlight your beautiful thighs. 

About himself, he’s pretty confident in his arms. He knows you love them, how muscular they are, the way his veins kinda pop out when he crosses them. Therefore he puts on thigh shirts and works ‘em out with extra attention so they look perfect.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Isagi loves cumming on you. He was so happy when you told him you were on birth control. Because after getting both checked for STDs, that meant you could do it raw. He loves feeling his cum go inside you, inside your pussy or inside your mouth. He prefers it even more when he gets to paint you white. He loves cumming on your belly, your thighs and your beautiful face. He hates it when you put his perfect cum to waste when you spit instead of swallowing. 

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Once, you forgot panties at his place. And instead of, idk, smelling them, sending you a teasing picture, or even getting off to them, like a normal boyfriend would, HE TRIED THEM ON. I am not sure what went thru his mind but obviously, he broke some seams and just threw them away and never mentioned them again. That day he concluded he will never be into cross-dressing.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He learnt most of it with you. Before you started seeing each other, he had had a few one night stands -not surprising for a famous football player- but he hadn't really learnt the beauty of the arts. Let's say it was trial and error. With your experience and your feedback, he keeps getting better. Still has a margin for improvement tho ;).

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

It’s rather basic, but he loves to be on top. More precisely, he loves to pin you down while your legs are on his shoulders, you're practically folded in half while he goes at it. He loves seeing you rock back and forth to his movements, and towering you gives him a good view of your beautiful face. 

G = Goofy (are they more serious at the moment? Are they humorous? etc.)

Depending on his mood, he can be the sun and the moon. It’s 50/50, really. Sometimes he is pretty serious and intense, and sometimes he will crack jokes and laugh and have fun ! He knows how to read the room and goes for the mood you are in. You love getting such different sides of him, cause his concentrated vibe is just as good as when he wants to make you laugh. 

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? Does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Isagi will keep it simple. He trims his hair down there because he prefers it that way and finds it more sanitary. As for the rest of his body, he doesn't have a lot of hair. He prefers to have his armpits shaved. And he doesn't expect anything precise of you, just your own choices and preferences.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

He can be really romantic. Again, he’s gonna analyze the mood you want with his meta-eyes 😜 that was so corny i’m sorry. 😻 Back to business. 😹 He knows you love being praised as much as being degraded, so when he feels like it and when you feel like it, he will be really romantic, really sweet and reassuring. Thanks to him, you got to experience the iconic rose petals in the bathtub with candles moment. Even when he’s rough, he always loves to end it on a caring note. So imo, it’s 50/50, again. 

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

He used to do it… a lot… while thinking of you… Look, he didn't have a girlfriend and you were everything he wanted. But now, I mean, you do it for him. Honestly, it’s not the thing that turns him on the most, you just jerking him off. He prefers when you also get pleasure. Instead, he looves to finger you, seeing you at his mercy, begging for more. He prefers it that way, so he's in control ;) 

Once, he caught you masturbating. You were so horny and he was training -as always- so you just thought “it’s gonna be quick” and did it. Well he got let off earlier and just caught you in your shared bed, going at it. “Babe ?” you were so startled and screamed, you hadn’t heard him enter. Then you guys just both started laughing really hard, and he quickly came to help you. It’s a fun memory between the two of you. 

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

To me, Isagi is into multiple things, but it remains pretty tame. First of all, he discovered after a certain halloween that he really liked when you were dressed up as a nurse. Even if it was a nurse covered in blood, it just tingled something in him, the tight dress, the garters on your thighs, the cutest little cap you were wearing… Yeah he definitely needed your assistance that day. So now he will sometimes, very rarely cause he is shy about it for some reason, ask you to wear it again or roleplay as a nurse. 

Other than that, he lovesss restraining your hands. He loves it because you look at him with the prettiest puppy eyes that ask him to let go. But he keeps control. You can only look at him deeper while your body moves up and down, chest taking agitated breaths. 

And obviously, Isagi is BIG into praise. He just needs you to tell him how good he is, how amazing you are feeling thanks to him. It gets him so hard and keeps him going.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

For starters, he loves the bed. Basic but comfortable. When you are finished you can just rest for a few minutes before cleaning up. And he likes that the world of sweet sleep and sultry nights get mixed up in your common bed. It’s metaphorical to him, now you both share everything. Then, he likes the kitchen counter, it feels freakier to him. It rhymes with unplanned sex, because when you end up on the kitchen counter, your legs around his back, it’s often because he grabbed your ass while you were making coffee. Something about your domestic life getting spiced up makes him really appreciate the rare but precious kitchen sex. Finally, he loves shower sex. How he can perfectly see your wet body arching. The way your wet hair gets in your face, the way you only have his hair to grip because everything else is too slippery. He is always down for some backshots in a shower, no matter where you guys are. 

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Your positive words. No seriously he cannot get enough of your compliments and seeing you feel so good thanks to him. As for what turns him on, it’s simple: you in tight clothes. Something about being able to imagine your flesh under the fabric, seeing your underboob when you’re wearing an awfully cropped top, getting to see your ass in tight jeans… If you feel bold enough to wear his jersey and nothing else, you will have to endure his hands going over every inch of your skin. He loves seeing you in revealing clothes. 

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Isagi would NOT want to share you. Forget about threesomes and anything close to it. He is very selfish and it would absolutely shatter his ego to see you getting off to someone other than him. Egoist-da isagi yoichi 👹 (sorry again…). Also it turns him off when you do a baby voice, just sayin. 

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Ooh now he is a sucker (no pun intended) for you giving him blow jobs. You do it so well, very few things come close to how he feels when you look up to him, teary-eyed, and swallow. On his end, he is more than okay with giving you head, it’s just not his favorite. It doesn't especially turn him on, but he is more than happy to make you feel great. 

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Again, this really depends. If he is in his romantic act, he will go slow and sensual, making sure to caress you all the while. I think he does have a little preference for rough sex. But nothing too rough, like he will never come close to hurting you or handling in a way that isn't delicate. He likes it rude with it but he will hold you like you are made of glass. He loves to rock his hips back and forth quickly, and to finger you super fast. 

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Isagi is always down for a quickie. No matter where you are or where you have to be, he will make time for you (and for his needs but he always blames it on you being horny and not him being so hard you could see his bulge through his clothes). If you have time, he definitely prefers to take time and not burn any steps, but he also loves the highs of a quickie. 

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? Do they take risks? etc.)

Most of the new things you guys tried were because you brought them up. He is always down to try, but most of the time it does not procure him anything more special than what you guys were already used to. At the end of the day, he likes it simple. 

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He has such a high sex-drive oh my days. He could go for it every single day. The thing is, when YOU are in the mood, you want to do it time and time again, but he doesn't have the facilities to handle so many rounds back-to-back. So you guys are not always on the same page. For a single round tho, he has pretty highs stamina, he can cum rather quick but over time he learnt to delay it because he really loves to cum *after* you. I would say he lasts an average amount of time. When you guys don't do it for a hot moment though, he comes embarrassingly fast. 

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

This man gets jealous of an inanimate object. He does NOT want you using toys when, in his own words, “you have him”. Obviously it’s not a formal prohibition but he gets really pouty when you mention vibrators and stuff. Therefore it goes without saying that he doesn't really want extra toys to come between the two of you when you are having sex. And to be fair, you really don't need them, it’s good enough as is. 

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

SUCH A TEASER do not play around with him, HE ALWAYS WINS. He loves to tease you about everything ! He will turn you on in public then claim it wasn't on purpose and that he can’t do anything about it as there are people around. He will also make low-key jokes about you to his friends in front of you, but the innuendos are so subtle that only you understand them. It gets you so flustered that he tells his freaking friends about it but if you react you will make it a bigger thing than it is. He also loves to touch you around, supposedly innocently, like his hands on your hips to get you out of the way, pressing your ass on the counter to reach for the coffee from behind you, you name it… He knows your sensitive spots and plays around with them, only to claim it wasn't on purpose. 

Because he turns you on then leaves you high and dry, you have to BEG him to actually release the pressure he built in. Even in bed, he loves edging you, it makes him giggle to see you struggle and he loves thinking he’s the one to control when you cum and when you don't just yet. So yeah, biggest teaser. And don’t try to tease him back as revenge, he will tease you ten times harder if that's even do-able. 

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Low key (emphasis on the low-key) a whiner. To be fair, he doesn't really make much noise, but on lucky days you will hear him paint like the little baby girl he is. He doesn't really grunt either, he just breathes loudly in your ear. And he talks a lott. Like he is always saying something, asking you how you feel, teasing you, adoring you. After a bit, you put it together that he really, really likes hearing you moan, his name particularly. So you are kind enough to moan more, more sexily, more in his ear, and more is name. 

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Isagi told Bachira when he did it for the first time with you, as he should to his bestie. Thing is he disclosed pretty personal stuff about YOU to him. So the day after, bachira greeted him, accompanied by chigiri and other teammates, a cake that read: “congratulations on finding yourself a squirter”... Yeah… He never told you about it and it’s better like this, and since then he learnt to keep storytimes succinct.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Apart from his beautiful toned muscles, nun special. His underwear is so basic, like black and dark blue hues. Since he got rich and famous, he only buys luxury brands but the truth is he is not knowledgeable at all so he keeps it simple. He doesn't know jack shit about girls underwear either, but he is a simp for you in lingerie. So he gives you allowance money for you to go buy cute and sexy and expensive nightwear. He loves cumming on it so you often have to buy some new ones. 

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Pretty average honestly ! Maybe a little bit more than others, but he is not part of the ‘rabbit’ line of bllk (Aiku i’m looking at you). He can defo hold it in and would rather wait to see you again than to jerk off alone in a hotel room. 

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Never faster than you ! He loves to see you doze off, clinging to him, peaceful and tired. 

[thatsnoneofurdamnbiz]

RAGHHH I need to ramble about the Red Dwarf universe/world building bc it's just so GOOD and it just makes me happy-

LIKE- I adore the world that's set up for us. With the idea of human beings taking to the stars and terrorforming and building civilisations on the planets/moons across the solar systems. I desperately want to know more about what life is like on each planet, like we've been told about Io as it's where Rimmer is from, and we've seen like little snippets here and there. We've seen the Ganymede Hotel (I think) in 'Stasis Leak'. I feel like the one we really know the most about is Mimas, at the very least from the books, as it's where Rimmer and Lister first meet. We learn that it's a bit of a party planet, that they have an extra weekday so that people can recover from all the drinking. We know that they're famous for their bladderfish and fine dining - as well as their brothels, etc.

I love this bit of the Better than Life book, because of how much world lore we get packed in just one section, like it honestly speaks for itself AGH-

BUT I WANT TO KNOW MOREEE!! Things like calendars/years on each of the planets. They rotate around the sun at different rates, so how does their calendar adapt to that? Do they have any unique holidays or celebrations? So many little questions-

I'd pay good money to watch a show set before the accident, looking at the different planets in more detail, which I know we might be getting with Rob Grants little project, which should be interesting-

And that the different companies that are set up, like Divadroid and Crapola Inc. (where Talkie Toaster is from), what company made the holograms? What are the biggest/most popular companies in the solar system? Little things like this, that are completely useless knowledge but I just wanna know 👏👏

Not to mention Space Corp as whole- I wanna know so much more about it, like who is in charge, how much control do they have over the universe, and more importantly who the hell wrote the Space Corp directives?? bc they are so goofy- 😭

There is so much more I could say honestly, but I'm so tired rn lmaoo

[geographerdose]

Moon and Appearance, Pt. 4: Mercurial-ruled risings, Pt. 2

Mercurial Risings, Pt. 1

Moon-Ruled Risings, Pt. 1

Moon-Ruled Risings, Pt. 2

Gemini Rising/Pisces Moon

Clockwise⏰: Juliette Lewis, Christina Applegate, Olivia Munn, Regina Spektor

🍎Christina Applegate has literally ALL mutable placements, that’s wild. I think that’s the first time I’ve seen that. She has 5 planets in Sag, 2 in Pisces and 1 in Gemini. 😯 Also obviously her Ascendant is mutable too in Gemini.

🦄Not to mention, her MC is at 0 degrees of Pisces too. With its ruler in the 7th with Venus, Mercury and the Sun (of course).

🍼This is interesting Jupiter is associated with her MC, as she also had success as a child actress. She debuted in a Playtex baby bottle commercial at 3 months old.

🎶👮🏻‍♀️Regina Spektor wrote the famous intro to Orange Is The New Black: “You’ve Got Time”

🪞let’s talk about mutable beauty because all these women have Ascendant and Moon (ruling body) in mutable signs. First of all, these are the most difficult because of the nature of mutability!

👄 Okay they all have fairly full lips!!

🏐Middle of the face cheekbones, giving them that nice “cut” when they smile 😍

���🪩The first thing you notice about them are their eyes; each has a unique color to them. Also they’re probably medium sized

👃🏻Each of the noses are unique, which is 100% a Pisces moon thing!!!!

👋🏻👋🏻 talking with the HANDSSSS

🔮Also like not even being there, lol, each one of them in an interview sort of seems not fully there and in their own world. It’s wild how Pisces moons can do this— being in two places at once, never really here

🍏Christina has this more serious demeanor as well and is quite mysterious— she definitely does not give too much away and I think Saturn in her first house has a lot to do with that. I just wouldn’t expect her to be like that looking at her chart! Pisces is def the more introverted side of Jupiter and it makes sense she has her MC at 0 degrees with Saturn in a sign-based square to that. So even though she has the majority of her planets in Sag, it’s like she kind of comes across in a more restrained manner than you’d expect from the happy-go-lucky and loud extroverted Sag. Maybe it’s because they’re in her seventh house.

💏 Her husband is def very Sagittarius-like and even speaks Dutch. He is a musician and is part of the band Porno for Pyros (c. 1992) and has toured with Jane’s Addiction and Sarah McLachlan. So it seems bc this is in her seventh, this is more how she prefers partners. Even though ruler of her MC falls in Sag. Also proof that degrees matter, her Jupiter is in a Taurus degree and could play a factor in her coming across more restrained but “fixed”-like but probably mostly bc of that first house Saturn

🧸 can we talk about how ADORABLE Juliette is though?!!! So genuine, gentle and goofy 🥺her chart ruler is in Cancer, giving her that sort of “fun”ness. She also has Saturn in her first but co-present with the Sun- I think this is why she doesn’t come off as restrained or serious

🕴️Olivia has a more serious demeanor as well and I think it’s because of her Virgo stellium, as well as the opposition from Saturn to her Moon. She’s very well spoken.

🌎When I say they come off as serious/restrained, I don’t mean stuck-up or mean at all— there is still this sweetness and kindness to them that shines through

🐢Regina is also FREAKING ADORABLE, omg. She has her chart ruler mercury in Pisces with the Moon a mere 10 degrees away. This gives her this very cutesy and genuine way of expressing herself— so optimistic and just gracious. Her family immigrated here from Russia with nothing when she was 10 years old.

🦦Mix heavy-hitting Pisces and Cancer in a natal chart and you’re literally gonna have the sweetest, most adorable and gentle human being ever

🐶Every single one of them have this vulnerability to them though, almost like you would see with Venus-Chiron

Gemini Rising/Aquarius Moon

Clockwise⏰: Christina Hendricks, Sandra Bullock, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Jason Leigh

🫦Okay I will be the first to admit: I have a hardcore girl crush on Christina Hendricks. She is so HOT 🥵 omgggg. She’s legit like the Marilyn Monroe of 21st century

🪩Saturn in Cancer have the biggest boobs, istg, and you would think it’s the opposite but it’s not. I think for her— she has a sextile from Jupiter to her moon within 5 degrees. Also her chart ruler has a cancer degree, which somehow “connects” the two too//totally spitballing here

👸🏻Her moon is not in its domicile we look to Saturn since it rules Aquarius: it’s in Cancer, also at a Taurus degree. Her chart ruler Mercury is at a Taurus degree as well and is co-present with the Sun IN TAURUS. No wonder she’s absolutely drop-dead GORGEOUS. Those Taurus degrees are legit beauty indicators— CURVACEOUS & DROP DEAD GORGEOUS Okay im done being a creep. 🙂‍↔️ -sincerely, a Venus in Cancer and Mars in Taurus

🌕Having these two placements mean they have Ascendant trine Moon, even if in just a sign-based aspect, giving them this gentle look even if they don’t fully smile with their teeth

🦒Also they all seem to have really nice necks

⬜️Because the moon is fixed, the features/patterns are more discernible than mutable moons: def have a square jaw, medium to lightly thickened eyebrows with nice arches to frame those bewitching eyes 🧹🔮

🫖The cheeks are on the slimmer side (vs more luscious/voluptuous as seen with cancer moons) but still have nice definition

👃🏻The tip of the nose is prominent, playing off the flares of the nostril to reveal slightly visible nostrils; the sides of the nose almost perfectly align to the middle of where the cheek cuts— very attractive and melds well

👀Their entire faces are kind of small and quite petite, which would make sense with Saturn ruling their moon but their eyes are quite large in comparison (just not in photos but IRL in interviews). Okay it varies!! Aqua does that. Some of them have smaller eyes and some have larger eyes—naturally Uranus is going to switch it up

Air beauty though 🪭🪭

💄Sandra Bullock also has a Taurus degrees, both on her Ascendant and Mars (which is directly conjunct Asc). Venus is a mere 2 degrees away from the Ascendant too. Her chart ruler Mercury has a Cancer degree

🐂 What is UP with the Taurus degrees for these folks?! Helen Mirren has a Taurus degree on her Sun, which is in a sign-based opposition to her Moon (also at a Taurus degree) . Mercury is co-present with her Sun in Leo and has a Leo degree

🌸Both Helen and Sandra have Venus conjunct their Ascendant, within 3 degrees— as well as having Mars in their first house

🐠👽HOLY SANTA CLAUS SHIT— Jason Jennifer Leigh has EVERY SINGLE planet (7 traditional) IN AQUARIUS— this is wild and I think INCREDIBLY rare ; hella air. Air ascendant, chart ruler at an AIR degree (Gemini) then that massive air stellium 🫢 She is very authentic in her interviews and comes across as incredibly intelligent without being overly smiley

👑Very single one of them are SO ELEGANT and GRACEFUL

Gemini Rising/Capricorn Moon

Clockwise⏰: Dinah Shore, Amy Whinehouse, Loretta Young, Sarah Jessica Parker

[rainbowolfe]

A Deep Observation of the Daycare Attendant

Because I am very, very normal about them.

Were you saddened or otherwise put off by sassy, mean Sun? Then rejoice, you're gonna like this post.

Because as funny as it is, it's a sharp turn for this character to make. Even the cookbook calls out how "nice and helpful" Sun is (according to Freddy). While we don't know when it is, I think if Sun was super impatient and a perfectionist deep down, even with years of training him to tolerate children, it would still show subtly.

TLDR: The Sun we interact with in the Arts and Crafts section isn't "Sun" at all. It's Moon.

Overall

It's interesting how much Help Wanted 2 goes out of its way not to acknowledge Moon. And it's unlikely to be an oversight on Steel Wool's end, this game was being made at the same time as the Ruin DLC. Really, it's so blatant it has to be intentional.

The Carousel levels make no mention of how to keep him at bay in the tutorial. And in the Arts and Crafts Loft tutorial, the instructions are just "Use the flashlight if it gets too scary." When on every other level, it's upfront about what threats you'll encounter and how to handle them.

Speech Pattern

Half of Moon's dialogue in every game he's been in so far has been laughter. So we know he's a giggly, goofy little guy. But one of his new lines is captioned: "The merry-go-round broke down. (snickers)"

Which, not only reads like he's the one who caused it to break down (he doesn't bother you until you touch it after all), but that little snicker dotting the end of his sentence is a verbal quirk Sun's never had before. And yet, we hear it constantly during Arts and Crafts.

Something we also get to hear is his beloved "You're gonna get us in trouble" line. I wouldn't expect the exact same delivery, but it's significantly different. Gregory going behind the security desk is a far more severe infraction than eating crafts, and yet "Sun" sounds far less flustered. Nervous, because it actually is against the rules (and he physically can't go back there if something were to happen) but not so worked up he's stumbling over his words.

Body Language

A lot of thought is put into the movement of all the animatronics, not just Sun and Moon. And they each have a distinct way of moving.

Of the two of them, Moon has always been the acrobatic one. And when he's not doing flips or swimming through the air, he's contorting himself (like that weird helicopter thing he does) or miming.

Even the little details. Sun's limbs tend to flow together in big fluid motions. Moon's movements are jerky and fast (unless he's in the air). And his body parts move more erratically. His fingers twitch. His knees, waist, and elbows all bounce at different times like a cascade. He also spins his head completely around, something Sun almost never does.

Many of Moon's animations were cut, but you can see them all here.

Now, what's the first thing 'Sun' does when you do Arts and Crafts for the first time? The mfer cartwheels in.

Designs

The in-game models we're awarded give us a good look at the differences between Sun and Moon. Most notably is their eyes. Sun has completely white eyes without pupil-holes (they seem almost glassy). Moon not only has pupils, but has one white eye and one black eye (and both glow red).

When you trigger darkness too many times, naturally you're jumpscared by Moon. But when you simply run out of time, Sun jumpscares you... but he has Moon's eyes. Suspicious? Very.

Another odd detail is that in the Artist's Loft level, Sun is there in their Eclipse form. But when the lights go off, they fully transform into Moon.

Jumpscares

Honestly, Steel Wool made it easy for me. If I had started with this, it would've been the only evidence I needed! But alas, I already wrote the above when I noticed this. In Security Breach, Moon's jumpscare is the "menacing tickle-fingers". Sun doesn't have a jumpscare. Moon will do the same jumpscare whether in the daycare or doing the top-of-the-hour shutdowns.

[The mechanism of how these two actually switch is a bit unclear, so this covers my bases if there actually are two physical Daycare Attendant bodies]

In Help Wanted, he keeps this jumpscare, even when he's ruined. 'Sun' with Moon's eyes also does this jumpscare. Their jumpscare doesn't become an actual attack until the Cinder Carousel level with Jack-O-Moon. It's very similar to the way he attacks Cassie in Ruin.

Personality

Sun only has one rule. And it's to keep the lights on. (And to stay out of restricted areas). So he's the type to do whatever will keep the kids entertained. He even encourages chaotic, hyper behavior right off the bat, suggesting they "drink Fizzy Faz until we explode". A hyper child isn't a child that's going to sit still and perfectly do crafts.

But during Arts and Crafts, there are clearly a lot of rules. Do the Paint-By-Numbers in order. Do it exactly as the guidelines say. Don't eat the crafts. Don't move. Don't shoot him with the dart gun. Don't throw things at him. Don't make mistakes. Don't come into his loft while he's malfunctioning. Be creative on your own time. The rules are endless!

So why would Moon be averse to nap time/the lights being off? Well, he actually tells us outright. "You'll... hurt your eyes." Be it an intentional feature or a bug, but when Moon is the one in control of the body, being in the dark makes them hypersensitive to light. And it hurts. As we see in Ruin, enough exposure will make them lock up.

Plus if Sun is still in there (I suspect he's not during the first Arts and Crafts), it could just be that Moon doesn't want to switch at all. Something fucky had to have happened for him to suddenly be the one active during the day. That's probably why they're attempting to train him using Arts and Crafts. It clearly didn't work out and he lost speaking rights. Plus "switching" seems to forcibly put the inactive one to sleep (aka "in a nap").

It seems like the way they're programmed, one of them gets to use the "Sun" voice and one of them gets to use the "Moon" voice, and they can't just swap back and forth.

And that's my post! Can you believe I'm not even done? Next time I'll talk about how Eclipse isn't the combination of Sun and Moon, but the combination of Moon and Jack-O-Moon.

[bianconeri]

Girl we need a dusan chart reading like the fede one por favorr🙏🏻

okay deep inhale. I'm ready

again just focusing on the personal planets like I did for fede as those are really the core of someone's personality

sun in aquarius: this placement is pretty creative and intelligent. aquarius in general is known to be a pretty quirky/unique placement– the sign is ruled by uranus, which is the only planet that rotates on its side, which explains the quirkiness lol. aquarius is often mistaken for a water sign because of its name and constellation, meaning/representing the "water bearer" but it is an air sign. the water bearer is actually bearing "the water of knowledge"– air signs are all about the mind, intellect. water signs on the other hand are all about emotion. which is an amazing segway into... moon in scorpio: well if you read the fede posts you prob got a LOT of scorpio insight already lmao but again, the key words for this sign are mystery, passion, intuition. scorpio moon in particular is a VERY emotional placement...even if they aren't outwardly emotional, they feel EVERYTHING deeply. charming, understanding, and even described as being sort of "psychic" because of how in tune they are to the moods surrounding them. this placement is honestly rly cool lol mercury in aquarius: another aqua placement so I will try not to write too much (lord I already wrote the whole old testament atp). logical, intuitive, idealistic, and usually a humanitarian. this is probably the most extreme mercury placement because mercury is "happy" with this sign– the open minded nature of an aquarius fits perfectly with the planet that rules over intellect. definitely a bit of a rebel tho (that silly goofy uranus...) venus in capricorn: this is one of my favorite placements hehe (yes I have it too yes I am biased) this placement is all about commitment and yeah I know we're all already laughing because...dusan? but stay with me. ofc venus sign is most associated with love, but it also rules desire more broadly. venus in cap is looking at the long-term value of something rather than rushing into anything. this placement is also known for being concerned with money, even sometimes being called materialistic. very high expectations– so though this is a sign that craves long-term commitment, it is also hard to even get to that stage with them because their standards sometimes seem unreachable (damn I feel like I'm doing a #READ on myself rn). def comes off as mature. also secretly passionate finally...mars in pisces: oh this is fun. another passionate placement! a pacifist in conflict, a people-pleaser, compassionate– but also not very direct. in a lot of ways this placement is a bit of a contradiction, an enigma...mars is the planet of anger, aggression, physicality, while pisces is a sign known for being peaceful and intuitive. as a result, you get this kind of "go with the flow" type of person, although that's not to say they just never get angry– remember this is a water sign and they feel things very deeply. pisces is known to be a bit of a dreamer, so you can imagine this person to retreat into their own head when things get difficult, prefering to hide out in their magical fantasy world rather than confront the problem head on. I think this is a good placement to look at side by side with his moon in scorpio. while the scorpio moon (and scorpio placements in general) like to hide their emotions, the pisces mars has a difficult time controlling their emotions. the intuitive nature of both of these placements, the "psychic" nature of the scorpio moon, and the people pleasing aspect of the pisces mars, makes for someone who would prefer to help people with their problems than go to others with their own problems. this is someone who definitely should invest in a journal. LMAO

[asexual-spongebob]

The Waves That Lap The Shore - Chapter 9 - Kwazii, Peso, Dashi and Tweak and the moonstruck sea otter.

(I drew this as a joke) (dividers are by @/cafekitsune

Chapter Notes

Notes:

Lesson learned kids, never let Shellington look at full moons. also fuck yeah twashi <3 I love them sm the sillies! (Also just wanna add: Okay so I’d like to mention to that later in the chapter Shellington is intentionally out of character, in H2O when a character is moonstruck (which is when they stare at a full moon, see its reflection or if they see moonlight) they basically do and or say things they normally wouldn’t and the moon basically possesses them.)   (also sorry if this chapter is written kinda crackficy, I was feeling goofy af, I also wrote some of this instead of sleeping.) I hope y’all enjoy it though- I had a good time writing it though so I think that’s all that matters at the end of the day! Fic updates: I’m gonna finish up writing chapter 10 soon (I have a concept for it + some dialogue written) chapter 11 is almost complete, chapter 12 is complete and has been finished and read by me, chapter 13 has a scene written for it + a concept. And chapter 14 has a concept, it hasn’t been written much though and chapter 15 has been mostly written! (There’s gonna be a little time skip probably) I hope y’all will enjoy it :)

Kwazii and Shellington went to go pick up trash at the local beach, the sun was setting, they didn’t have much time.

“Hey Shellie, we gotta get back soon, I just wanted to let ya know” Kwazii reminded “got it!” Shellington replied, throwing some ziplock bags in a trash bag, knowing that if he didn’t a sea turtle or other creatures could’ve been harmed, the thought of that made Shellington quiver. 

However, the sunset began to diminish, making way for the starry, moonlight night. 

Soon the full moon was high in the sky, capturing Shellington’s attention, “hey Shellington we gotta-“ Kwazii cut itself off. Shellington had looked at the full moon!

•••

Later on: 

“Um… Kwazii… I think Shellington got moonstruck…” Peso mumbled, glancing at Kwazii “AH SHIT!” Kwazii bellowed “THIS IS MY FAULT. I LET HIM LOOK AT THE FULL MOON.”It admitted “what’s going on?” Dashi asked, glancing at the two.

“SHELLINGTON’S FUCKING MOONSTRUCK AND ITS MY FAULT!!” Kwazii shouted “Kwazii stop cussing! Tunip is right there!” Dashi scolded, pointing to Tunip, knowing Shellington wouldn’t be happy if he heard the Vegimals saying cuss words.

“Why is Kwazii screaming so much? What’s going on?” Captain Barnacles “I let Shellington look at the full moon…” Kwazii admitted, glancing down at his paws, ears flatted, their tail lowered in shame.

“What’s bad about that?” Captain Barnacles questioned “when merpeople look at full moons they basically become possessed and shit” Kwazii explained “ahem.” Dashi scoffed, pointing to the Vegimals “sorry Dashi..” Kwazii apologized.

“Okay. Good to know, we’ll need to keep an eye on him.” Captain Barnacles concluded before sitting down in one of chairs in the HQ.

•••

Peso and Kwazii had went to Shellington’s lab, which was a mistake. 

“KWAZII YOU CRAZY BITCH!!” Shellington screamed, holding up a foldable metal chair, who knows where he would’ve got it.

“Oh fuck-“ Kwazii meowed, giving Peso a glance of uncertainty “go get Dashi. I’ll deal with him.” Peso whispered into Kwazii’s ear “Shellington. Please put the chair down.” Peso requested in a gentle manner, “fine.” Shellington huffed, placing the chair on the floor. 

Peso knew he’d be one of the few people who could possibly get Shellington to calm down, well besides Dashi of course. Who’d been Shellington’s best friend since middle school.

•••

Kwazii scrambled down the hall to Dashi’s bedroom, he saw Tweak and Dashi watching some sappy romance movie that Dashi made Tweak watch. 

“DASHI!!! TWEAK!!! WE NEED HELP! SHELLINGTON IS MOONSTRUCK. HE ALMOST THREW A METAL FOLDING CHAIR AT ME AND CALLED ME A CRAZY BITCH!!!” Kwazii  yowled urgently, Tweak paused the movie and she had a confused look on her face, raising her eyebrow. 

“When mermaids look at full moons, come in contact with moon light or see the moon’s reflection they become possessed and shit.” Kwazii explained “yeah but what about the metal chair? Why did he do that? Did you upset him?” Tweak questioned, “i don’t think so..” Kwazii answered.

“Alright Kwaz, let’s go.” Tweak  directed, her and Dashi following Kwazii.

Shellington was yelling in gibberish, sitting on the floor. Peso not being able to understand, but at least trying it’s very best to help him, Kwazii, Tweak and Dashi bursted into the room.

Dashi sat on the floor with Peso and Shellington “hey Shells, how are you?” Dashi asked  “I feel like shit.” Shellington spat, turning away from them “maybe you should hug him. He might feel better” Dashi whispered into Peso’s ear, Peso giving them a thumbs up (penguin style) in response. 

Peso embraced Shellington in his flippers “Im only letting you do this because you’re my partner.” Shellington grumbled “now can someone take me to those fucking sea caves?” Shellington added as he had his head on Peso’s shoulder.

Kwazii glanced at Tweak “don’t take him to the sea caves alright matey? If you do he’ll be a fish for the rest of the night.” Kwazii whispered seriously “got it Kwaz.” Tweak replied, giving Kwazii a thumbs up.

“Sorry Shells, we can’t take you to the sea caves…” Dashi sighed “why not?!” Shellington demanded “because then you’ll be a fish for the rest of the night.” Kwazii mrrped. 

•••

Tunip and the vegimals could hear some talking from Shellington’s lab and were curious, they decided to investigate for themselves, Kwazii turned around to the door, only to see the vegimals peeping in. 

“Hey vegimals, you might not want to be in here right now… Your dad got possessed by the moon.” Kwazii advised, the vegimals looked confused but walked away.

“Alright Shellington, I think it’s time to get you to bed.” Peso concluded, dragging Shellington to its bedroom. 

•••

In the morning Shellington awoke, his memories from the night before scattered like puzzle pieces that had been dumped on a table. 

“Huh what happened ?” Shellington mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes 

“You got moonstruck. It got so bad that we had to get Dashi and Tweak to help us.” Peso explained 

“Yeah and you almost threw a metal chair at Kwazii and you called him a crazy bitch.” Dashi added 

“I WHAT- KWAZII IM SO SORRY.” Shellington pled “it’s okay matey. You were possessed by the moon.” Kwazii responded 

“This moonstruck stuff  is genuinely concerning” Tweak remarked, chomping on a carrot afterwards “anyway I think I have an invention that will help minimize it!” Tweak beamed “I’ll go work on it!” she smiled, going down the Octo-Chute. 

“I’m so sorry about everything…” Shellington began apologetically I wish I could control it damn it!” Shellington huffed “well hopefully we can find a way!” Dashi said optimistically.

[total-fandom-tr45h]

Punk!Au Luna

So my brain is hyperfixated on @kaleidoscopek9's Punk Au, and in light of an ask I recently sent, I will be writing a little something.

So, to get my creative juices flowing, I wrote up a little bit about how I would imagine my darling oc Luna Moth fitting in with the punk boys.

Luna remembers nothing from before the rebranding memory wipe except that she has this weird feeling she should always be up in the air dangling from things. (This is because she was an aerial performance animatronic at the pizzaplex before the rebranding)

Her voice is like a mix between Joan Jett and Taylor Momsen, and she wears the same style as Joan Jett.

Luna is a backup vocalist and guitarist

She tries hard not to outshine her fellow guitarist (aka Moon), and has a friendly 'rivalry' with him at some point in time

Tiffs between the two are settled by "riff-offs", judged by Sun

Luna ends up being really good friends with the two (and possibly more if I decide to go there in the future lmao)

Her synthetic hair is super soft, as is her collar of fluff. Once Moon finds out how soft these spots are and gets the (metaphorical) balls to ask if he can touch, she would let him play with her hair/collar whenever he wanted to.

Luna would ADORE all of Sun's little plants, and could often be found talking to them if she was having a rough day.

Though she wouldnt be any good at writing music itself, she would be one hell of a lyricist.

Whether she got her own bus or not, whatever area she had would be decked out with fairy lights and sparkly or shiny objects, specifically prisms, suncatchers, and stuff like that.

Her wings were shredded at the bottom to make them fit more into the punk aesthetic, and that really upsets her so she keeps them folded into their slots on her back unless performing.

Luna is an absolute goof around people she is comfortable with, and is very touchy. Once she is told someone is okay with physical contact, she will find every chance she can to hug them

As much of a dork as she is, she can be very protective of the ones she cares about, and will not stand for any kind of bullying or harassment. I would imagine this would get her in trouble with management a LOT.

Luna would LOVE to help Sun play pranks, and would cackle hysterically whenever one was pulled on her before retaliating with her own.

Luna's antenna are soft, but incredibly sensitive. They are a no touch zone, no matter how close a person is. (This applies to normal Luna, I just felt I should include it here)

Sometimes while performing her LED screen eyes will display symbols relating to the lyrics of a song or the emotion behind those lyrics, and offstage they react normally, showing goofy little symbols to portray her emotions or an action (like using the internet in her head)

Luna loves to interact with what few fans she has, always happy to sign autographs and whatnot.

More will probably be added as I think of it, so stay tuned if you care lmao

[lunarticxenia]

Moon Signs Pt. 1

My take on moon signs based off people I know! Now personally, I tend to have more strong opinions on my favorite moon signs than favorite sun signs. I feel like moon signs really indicate more about a person’s personality than their sun sign, imo. It does rule emotions and behavior after all. With sun signs I struggle with picking favorites because I do genuinely have people I like of every zodiac sign. I just go by the number of people I like from each zodiac sign. Anyhoo, here’s my view on each moon sign! 

Note: These are p long bc I have such strong thoughts on moon signs so I’m splitting it into two parts. :) 

🍂 Aries Moon: Ahhh, my moon sign. I won’t be biased though, I promise. So Aries moons based off other people I know is that we low-key got anger issues LMAO. Every single Aries moon I’ve met besides myself has anger issues, with the exception of one person and she still gets irritated easily. Aries Moons are also extremely sensitive, and they tend to be overlooked for that since they’re fire signs. I’ve found that a lot of what they get angry about has to do with their feelings, if they feel they’ve been wronged this really can make them angry as they are super sensitive. They also get angry when they feel like people aren’t listening to them, as they take this very personally. I’ve also noticed that Aries moons are EXTREMELY honest, they will tell it how it is and they are extremely blunt. They don’t like to beat around the bush, and they are very direct with how they feel about something. Aries moons are also extremely passionate and spontaneous especially in relationships; they’re the ones who wanna kiss in the rain and ride horses into the sunset, that is if you can get them to settle down with you LMAO. Nah all jokes, they’re picky about who they want, but once they really fall for someone it’s very hard for them to let go. They’re also so competitive, they will play dirty. My grandpa used to let me win in checkers as a kid, my dad (who’s an Aries moon) NEVER let me win. He said me losing would help build character LMFAO. He just didn’t wanna lose.They also have strong personalities and can be SUPER impulsive. Also, if they wanna do something, they WILL do it. No one is gonna stop them. If they wanna go somewhere at 3am, they’re doing it. Sorry. You can’t stop them. LMAO. Aries moons also love to be in touch with their inner child, my dad is an Aries moon and bought himself an arcade machine out of nowhere LMAO. I also like to collect shells and watch Disney movies to remind me of my childhood. They also tend to change their views and opinions on things a lot, and mind you they have intense emotions about these things. So it can be hard to keep up w them. 

🍂 Taurus Moon: Taurus moons are just so calm, it’s scary LMAO. I know a few of them, and even if they’re anxious about something you can never tell. They always have this calm demeanor and just seem so unbothered by everything. Taurus moons also LOVE money and the finer things in life. The male Taurus moons I know work a lot just so they can have a lot of money. One of them literally said to me “Money talks” after explaining to me why they work 7 days a week, 12 hours a day doing two jobs. The crazy thing is, despite doing all that extra work, he just seemed so unbothered about it LMAO. The female Taurus moons I know tend to love really expensive clothes and dressing up. This Taurus moon I work with has such nice clothes and always dresses like she’s on a Vogue cover. Like I said, Taurus moons LOVE money and the finer things in life like expensive clothes. If they aren’t the types to dress up or be workaholics, they desire comfort. They would rather lay in bed and take hot bathes than be bothered to do all that extra stuff. They also might like to eat out at expensive restaurants, and are “foodies”. They also might be big lovers of music and have lots of different music tastes. Also, Taurus moons? STUBBORN. Good luck trying to get them to change their mind on something. Also, despite them wanting all the luxuries and comfort of life, they are SUPER grounded. They do not live in a dream world, they see life for what it is, and prefer to be on the ground than have their heads in the clouds. Also, Taurus moons, I’m sorry, but y’all can be lazy. I work with three of them, and they can be lazy. They will not do more than the bare minimum. Also, their anger is low-key scary. Especially since it can come out of nowhere since they’re calm all the time, you never know when they’re angry and if you catch them at the wrong time... well, rip. They also tend to be introverted- even if they’re social, you will not know anything about them unless you’re besties with them or related to them. Doesn’t matter how well you know them, they don’t air their dirty laundry and keep their private life private. Also one last thing, omg these people sing all the time. They love singing to themselves, every single one I’ve met does that LMAO. Anyway, love my Taurus moons. 

🍂 Gemini Moon: Gemini moons love to make people laugh LMAO and love to just sit down and have good talks with people. Their minds NEVER stop working. Good luck trying to get them to stop talking once they know you. They can and will talk about anything for hours. Now, I do admire that, but sometimes I just wanna relax and they won’t stop talking to me LMFAO. My dad’s girlfriend is a Gemini moon and at family gatherings she loves to dance around and try to get everyone else to dance. I find that Gemini moons are very active and love to move around, and try to get everyone to have fun. Definitely the life of the party. They’re super amusing and also love to tell jokes and funny stories. Now not all of them are extroverts especially if they have an earth sun sign. So that is something to consider. My cousin is a Gemini moon and tends to be more introverted, however, once she’s comfortable around someone and knows someone she’s super goofy and loves to make people laugh. Gemini moons also love to learn, they’re always teaching themselves about something. My cousin who’s a Gemini moon just randomly started teaching herself how to do sign language (she’s good at it also)! These people are also SUPER adaptable, they can get along with any kind of personality and can adapt to any situation. I’ve also noticed that they love to playfully roast people and annoy them LMAO. I have noticed that they struggle with reading the room, they tend to just continue to annoy someone and can take it too far, which can get kind of annoying. They’re also extremely curious and are always asking questions. They love to ask random questions without any context. It’s a quirk a lot of them have. Trying to tell a story to them can be frustrating because if you mention certain terms they’ll ask you what they mean LMFAO. My dad was telling a story about how he used surfing to explain physics concepts in class and his girlfriend asked what the concepts were and what they mean. Also, they’re really good at giving advice. These people would make great psychologists imo. This girl I used to talk to (who’s a Gemini moon) actually is becoming a psychologist, so there you go LMAO. 

🍂Cancer Moon: Oh Cancer moons...you guys are so sensitive. They feel everything and anything. I haven’t met a Cancer moon that isn’t an empath. They are extremely good at reading other people and sensing their motives. My mother is a Cancer moon, and she’s always been able to tell who’s toxic in my life. She doesn’t even have to meet them either, just based off of stories I tell her, she can pick it up right away. Now, everyone always says Cancer moons are super close with their family and that’s definitely not always the case. The Cancer moons I’ve met have actually had a lot of problems with their family. Now the thing that I’ve noticed with these placements is that despite how toxic their family is, they always stick by them. Even if they’re not close. So I wouldn’t say they’re all super close with their families, but they always stick up for them, which can be an issue if their family is toxic. Also, Cancer moons, SUPER MOODY. I’m sorry but like I’m a Cancer sun and they’re ten times more moody than I am LMFAO. I’ve always said they act more like the stereotypical Cancer than Cancer suns. Also, this is a super underrated placement for humor. Every Cancer moon I’ve met has been super funny. Also, a super underrated placement for anger issues. Everyone says oh yeah Aries moons have anger issues, like yes, BUT HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN CANCER MOON ANGER?! Y’all Taylor Swift is a Cancer moon and wrote a whole album about how fed up she was about the media mistreating her and the whole Kimye thing (rightfully so) but y’all see my point. They can and will fight you. They also tend to be introverted, even if they’re social, (which I rarely see), they would much rather keep to themselves. I’ve also noticed that they’re very nostalgic a lot. My Cancer moon ex used to just randomly go through childhood photos and would show them to me. They’re also EXTREMELY protective over people they love, they will KILL for the people they love. They also love to talk about their dream homes and interior decorating a lot? My Cancer moon ex was OBSESSED with coming up with his dream house and would literally draw out diagrams for me to see. My mother too, she wants to redecorate her apartment and was showing me all the potential furniture that was gonna be put in. Oh Cancer moons, LMAO. 

🍂 Leo Moon: Oh Leo moons. You guys can be so dramatic LMAO. Every Leo moon I’ve met is so dramatic; these are the types of people who get up and move around when telling a story and also do dramatic hand gestures. These are the types of people who post a black screen in middle school on Snapchat saying “Don’t hmu.” LMAO. My Leo moon friend gets so mad when I make that joke, but it’s so true. These people are also naturally super creative, the Leo moons I know love to decorate and draw. Even if they don’t do any outright creative hobbies, they have a creative streak to them. It’s weird though because despite them being very dramatic when it comes to them being angry, they struggle with expressing their personal problems to other people. (This however can be changed with other placements, but I’ve found this to be true in many cases). They don’t want people to think that they’re weak, so they put up a tough front to hide that they’re hurting. Also, Leo moons, are indeed the hype friends. My Leo moon friends gas up my Instagram posts so much. They’re also extremely loyal and don’t like to leave people out, they hate that kind of shit. They’re also extremely accepting of others, my Leo moon friend was the first person I came out to, and they accepted me right away. They also love to take pictures of EVERYTHING. Like when you go out with them, they will make you wait before eating your food so they can take video of your food together LMAO. They love to capture every moment, I personally find it very endearing. Also, a lot of people say Leo moons are super cocky. I don’t find this to be true. They can come off that way, but I’ve found they tend to actually be pretty insecure and they try to hide it by coming off as confident. I feel like Leo moons tend to put on a show a lot to hide how they truly feel, which makes it hard to get to know them. It makes me sad because they truly are such kind hearted people and all they want is to feel validation. I also found that they love to go above and beyond to make sure everyone else is happy and tend to put themselves last. I wish y’all didn’t do that, you deserve to be happy too. ;( 

🍂 Virgo Moon: Workaholics. That’s how I’m starting this LMAO. My friend is a Virgo moon and works her ass off. She goes above and beyond in school for starters. For this anatomy course we had together, she sent me a whole diagram she made of the human brain on Notability and it was so intricately made. She also works her ass off at her job and takes care of her siblings. I feel like this falls into Virgo placements putting others before themselves. Virgo moons are definitely the types to be like this. They want to make everyone happy and they want to feel useful so they do all these extra things to feel that way. Virgo moons are also super smart, and have the best study methods. Low-key jealous. They have this incredible drive and are always on top of things and have a routine. Also Virgo moons LOVE animals. My friend who’s a Virgo moon, works at a dog sitting business and has 6 pets at home. They LOVE animals. They also like honesty and bluntness; they will provide you with that as well. They don’t like beating around the bush or lying to make other people feel better. You wanna know if you look bad in a dress? Ask a Virgo moon, LMFAO. I’ve also found that they struggle with wanting to be perfect all the time, and struggle with anxiety. As I said, they want to be the best at everything, and this can be a big source of anxiety for them. These people also find themselves attracting people who they want to “fix”. They also give amazing advice and are super reliable. Also, last minute plans? They HATE them. Want a Virgo moon to hate you? Try making spontaneous plans with them LMAO. Virgo moons also have great memories; they’ll remember every little detail about you. Also Virgo moons are the types to take charge in a group project and run the whole thing because they don’t trust anyone. Virgo moons also always appear to be calm and collected, even though many of them frequently deal with anxiety a lot. Also, they’re low-key underrated for humor. They have a very dry and self-deprecating sense of humor LMAO. They also go above and beyond in relationships because they enjoy seeing the people they love being happy. 

Anyhoo, this wraps up part one!  Also these are just my opinions, so don’t get offended I tried to praise and drag all of them equally <3 

Part 2 here. 

[catxtopia]

We’re Not In Kansas? 

Summary: It was turning out to be a relatively lovely end to a hectic day. So naturally the universe had to throw a wrench in there somewhere. Said wrench came in the form of a strange flying object shooting out of the sky.

(Or: Iron Man 3 AU, where Tony crash lands in Nebraska and meets a small town doctor by the name of Stephen Strange)

Pairing - Tony Stark/Stephen Strange

Word Count: 17,448

AO3 

NOTES: 

I completely forgot that this movie took place during winter/Christmas. I wrote half of this from memory before pulling the movie up and- look I can’t be fucked to change it!! I had this image in my head of corn fields and warm breezes so that’s what you’re getting goddamn it!

I left out a good chunk of the movie so it’s not a total rewrite. I am not good at action so a lot of that happens behind the scenes if you will, and I didn’t want to get into the whole Mandarin side of the plot so it's only mentioned once. Maya? Maya who? She’s off in some lab somewhere totally fine, no need to bring her into this.

Also I used Rose Hill as the town name for simplicity's sake, you can assume the towns look pretty similar just different nature settings lol.

I just wanted small-town-farm-boy Stephen to meet Tony, ok? That’s all you need to know! Please enjoy!

...........................................

The quiet chatter of crickets and rustling of late night critters milling about, buzzed over the wide expanse of corn fields and dusty roads. The sun had set hours prior, causing a quiet hush to befall the land. All other inhabitants had retired for the night or were at least on their way to doing so. The faintest of breezes danced through the looming corn stocks, making them sway too and fro gently.  

 It was calm and peaceful out here in the middle of nowhere. Just how Stephen liked it. 

 He was driving home from a long day of making house calls. Being the only doctor in town made his schedule pretty busy, hence his late night drive home. He sped down the back roads, tires of his rather rusty blue pickup truck coughing clouds of dirt into the air. His family's farm was the furthest out of town, a near forty minutes away, and the only way there was through dirt and rock. Despite the rough terrain, Stephen enjoyed it way out here where there was no traffic or overhead lights. Nothing but the moon and stars to guide you home.

 Stephen tapped his fingers along the edge of his opened window to the radio. Lukewarm air raced past, ruffling his otherwise perfectly kept hair. It was a beautiful night, the temperature just right to let the windows down. Fresh greens and the musty smell of dust was like a balm on Stephen’s tense shoulders. He could lean back and simply let the road take him. Bats, Stephen’s ever loyal companion in dog form sat with his head happily hung out the passenger side window. His floppy basset hound ears whipped all around in the wind, a big goofy smile lined his face. 

 It was turning out to be a relatively lovely end to a hectic day. 

 So naturally the universe had to throw a wrench in there somewhere. Said wrench came in the form of a strange flying object shooting out of the sky.

 It wasn’t entirely uncommon for shooting stars to make an appearance in the night sky but this thing was far too low and moving at an alarming pace. It was too small to be a plane and yet too big to be a drone, not that Stephen had ever seen such a thing way out here anyways. Whatever it was, it was on fire and hurting straight for an unsuspecting cornfield just up ahead.

 It cashed into the ground with a thud, sending dirt and broken stocks flying up in its wake. Stephen slammed on the breaks immediately, causing Bats to howl in alarm. He jerked the wheel to the side of the road and cut the engine. His instincts were kicking in and before he realized it, the doctor had grabbed his medical bag from the trunk and was dashing his way across the field. 

 He pushed this way and that around shoulder height corn stocks. He couldn’t see anything of the crash sight, just lazy smoke puffing up into the air. There were at least no screams or cries for help, perhaps it’d just been a harmless object. A few minutes of running and he was breaking through and finally getting a good look at what he was dealing with. Suffice to say the object was no plane. In fact it was a man- a suit of man rather. 

 Stephen stopped short of the device, his brain took in what little information he could around the adrenaline running through his veins. As he stepped forward to inspect the smoking suit, an arm shot up. Stephen faltered again, watching on guard as the arm grabbed at the face of the suit and plucked the plate off, revealing a blooded human beneath. That Stephen could work with. 

 “Hey, hello sir, can you hear me?” Stephen asked calmly as he knelt down beside the man. He leaned over the suit, searching his face for any recognition or sign he heard. The man was gleaming with sweat and had a handful of scrapes across his nose and forehead. He furrowed his brow and squinted back when Stephen got up close to him. “You’ve been in an accident, I need you to stay still for me, ok?”

 “Accident… that what they call falling outta the sky these days?” The man groaned. He closed his eyes briefly, seemingly collecting himself.

 “I wouldn’t say you stuck the landing so something must have gone wrong, therefore, accident.” Stephen hummed back as he assessed the suit and however the hell he was going to get it off. Engineering wasn’t really in his job description. 

 “Corn.” The man grumbled. 

 Alright a concussion was definitely on the books, note that. “I am sorry?” The doctor asked.

 “Field. Where are we, upstate?” 

 “We are about five miles out of Rose Hill, Nebraska.” A mechanical voice chimed, startling Stephen. He leaned a little away from the iron suit, a perplexed expression on his face. Finding a man in a tin can was one thing, hearing that tin can speak was entirely another. What the devil was going on here? And why did Stephen have to be the one burdened to deal with it. 

 “Why!?” The man shouted, confusion and terror flashing across his injured face. He began to fidget and look this way and that as if answers would be written in the dirt around him. Stephen placed a firm hand on the man’s chest to steady him. “Jarvis, not my idea! What are we doing here? This is thousands of miles away! I gotta get Pepper, I gotta…” His tangent died off as his breathing became erratic. 

 “I prepared a flight plan. This was the location.”  

 “Who asked you!?” The man shouted again, voice leveled with distraught. His brows were furrowed in a painful grimace as he breathed deeply. Stephen’s brain was firing off in alarm, knowing all too well the signs of shock and panic. But before he could reach out to snap the man out of it, a haggard command of, “Open the suit!” was yelled. 

 With a movement that looked far too sluggish for a machine of such power, the metal suit began unfolding like a torn apart lego set. The man immediately shot up into a seated position. He shuddered and groaned with each huff of breath. Ever so slowly he started looking around the little impact zone, taking in the burnt corn and piles of dirt around him. He grabbed at his left arm, rubbing circles near his wrist. It was at that point that he realized he wasn’t alone. 

 “No broken spine then, that’s good at least.” Stephen commented from where he’d finally given up his assumption this man was in a medical crisis and instead sat himself down on a mound of dirt. He examined the man’s face, followed his neck and down until he stopped on the glowing orb in his chest. Ah. Really it was rather disappointing how long it took Stephen to realize who he was looking at. What other billionaires flew around in flashy tin cans?

 “Uh- sorry who are you?” Tony pointed accusingly with his right hand, leaving his left cradled close to his chest. He looked curious but not really alarmed. 

 “Stephen Strange. I was driving by when I saw your little crash landing.” The doctor nodded towards the mess of machinery Tony still sat atop of. He looked down and pursed his lips as if conceding Stephen’s point.

 “And you just decided to investigate? For all you know I could have been the next big bad villain ready to take over this unsuspecting-” Tony paused and took another wary look around him before he settled on, “-field.”

 “I am annoyed that I can’t even take that as a joke anymore, all things considered. Such strange times we live in.” Stephen rubbed at the pinched tension between his eyes. “But no, I am a doctor. Figured someone might need one after hurtling out of the sky.” 

 That lit up the billionaire's eyes. He snapped his fingers, “Ah! A doctor you say? Well what’s your diagnosis, Doc?”

 Stephen leaned his elbows forward onto his knees, “A few scrapes and bruises, possible mild concussion. With a little Neosporin you might just live.” He shrugged. The adrenaline of before was finally wearing off. An aching weight was settling over the doctor's bones, making him abundantly aware of how late the hour was. Gods he wished he was in bed already.    

 “Don’t suppose there is a town nearby?” Tony asked as he slowly heaved himself up to his feet. “Hey J-”

 “I actually think I need to sleep now, sir.” Jarvis’s scratchy voice echoed from the sparking armor. 

 “Jarvis.” Tony turned to look down at his suit. An eerie silence was his only response. “Jarvis?” 

 Stephen suddenly felt as though he should look away from the stricken expression upon Tony’s face. Like a man realizing for the first time that he’s on his own. Lost in the middle of nowhere with no easy way of getting out. Later when Stephen goes over this encounter, he would realize that expression was the reason he intervened. 

 “Well, no use standing around out here.” Stephen slapped his knees and clambered to his feet. He grabbed his bag and then tossed it onto the iron man suit. Tony pulled his head out of its sorry state to watch the doctor move around him. At least he snapped out of it fairly quickly.

 Stephen leaned down by the feet of the armor and then begrudgingly lifted one after the other with a quiet groan. Christ it was good he had some amount of muscles from working on the farm, otherwise there’d be no way this thing was getting moved. “Are you just going to stand there or are you gonna lend a hand, Mr. Superhero?”

 A small grin started spreading over Tony’s crestfallen face, lighting into one of mischief. “Seems like you’ve got it handled, Doc.” He chimed and hopped off his suit towards the head. Despite his words he leaned down and gathered the shoulders of his suit into his grasp. “Lead on, cowboy.”

 “I resent that.” Stephen hissed through his strain to lift the armor. He shuffled backwards, testing his steps, before heading off towards where he left his truck.

 It took them a fair bit of time navigating around corn stocks, many of which broke off or were highly disfigured by their trampling. Stephen felt a pang of guilt for the farmers that’d have to clean up this mess, much less the stock they were losing. He’d be sure to apologize later. 

 Eventually, however, they made it to the road and after a little jimmy rigging, they managed to get the damn suit into the trunk. Stephen closed said trunk with a huff and then began dusting off his hands. 

 Tony leaned on the side of the vehicle, breathing heavily from the work. He wiped his hand across his brow and frowned at the dirt, sweat, and blood that came away. “If you could drop me off at the nearest town, I’d be mighty grateful, pard'ner.” He asked in a ridiculous southern accent. 

 “Firstly, Nebraska not Texas. Secondly, absolutely not.” Stephen turned without further warning to head towards the driver’s door. Tony’s eyes widened in alarm. He hurried to the passengers door, unsure if the man intended to just ditch him but he wasn’t about to risk it. 

 “Seriously? Then what the hell was all that? You just gonna run off with my suit?” Tony accused as he flung the door open. He was momentarily stunned into silence as a dog jumped straight into his face. “Shit!” He shouted, stepping back to get out of the way, but the door kept him close enough for Bats to hop his front paws onto his chest and begin his slobber filled assault.  

 Stephen grinned over the coughing and gagging coming from across the way. He lazily fished out his keys and started the truck. As soon as Fleetwood Mac started up on the radio, Bats calmed down and assumed his position of sitting front and center.

 Tony spat and huffed, rubbing aggressively at his cheeks to get the dog furr and other fluids off his face. “Gah!” He shouted and dropped his hands so he could throw a scathing glare Stephen’s way. 

 “Are you getting in or what?” Stephen asked from his very relaxed and bored looking position behind the wheel. His left arm was hanging over the window, fingers tapping at the top of the frame. 

 “Depends where you’re taking me.” Tony countered. He lifted one foot onto the truck and grabbed the handle of the door for support. “I know how horror movies start. You lure me into your car, take me out into the middle of nowhere, what’s a poor gal like me supposed to do with no phone or weapons?”

 “You very obviously do not know horror movies well, because you just gave away the information that you have no phone or any protection.” Stephen countered with a shrug. “Also, don’t know if you noticed but you’re already in the middle of nowhere. I could’ve easily killed you by now.” 

 “Which means you’re either into some kinky shit or you’re going to ransom me.” 

 Stephen hummed thoughtfully, “Either way, you’ll have to get into the car.” 

 Tony held his ground, staring Stephen down with a squinted gaze. He pursed his lips and looked to be really going over his options before he grinned and shrugged, “Good thing I am into kinky shit and am rich.” He then pulled himself into the truck and slammed the door closed behind him. 

 Bats wagged his tail happily at his new companion.  

 With a flick of his wrist, Stephen put the car in drive and sped off down the dusty road. It was minutes further down before he said, “Town is forty minutes in the opposite direction and I’ve had a long enough day as is. My place is just up ahead, you can crash there for the night. I’ll take you to town first thing in the morning.” He could feel Tony assessing him from his peripheral. 

 After a moment of silence Tony asked, “You got any tools at your place?” 

 “As much as one needs on a farm.” Stephen frowned. “Nothing fancy like your tin can back there.” 

 “Don’t need fancy.” Tony assured in that horrendous southern accent again. He grinned when he saw Stephen roll his eyes. “I just need some things to tinker with…”

 ……  

 “This is it!?” 

 “I told you it’s a farm.” Stephen sighed as he dropped his medical bag on one of the counters in his garage. He decided he would leave the sorting and restocking for in the morning. He was absolutely beat for the day. By the time they’d pulled into the property it was nearing midnight. The main house was dark, Stephen’s parents having already headed off to bed. Luckily for him, Stephen had his own loft apartment above the garage, which was a little away from the house. There was no need to sneak an extra person into a house with his parents, how utterly awkward that would have been. 

 Beverly and Eugene were used to Stephen coming and going as he pleased. He was an adult after all and he occasionally worked odd hours. He lived on the farm for the convenience of his parents rather than any true desire to stay there for himself. The land and the animals were a difficult job to deal with, one his elderly parents didn’t want to give up. They weren’t as young as they used to be and an extra hand went a long way for them. So he helped where he could and they gave Stephen his space when he was tired of it all.  

 Tony shuffled around in the cabinets of tools that in fact had very little. It wasn’t like they needed much outside of repairs and replacement parts for the machinery outside. This wasn’t a lab. Stephen didn’t know what Tony expected but he was obviously disappointed. 

 “I don’t think I can get my suit started with this.” Tony groaned as he held up pruning shears. 

 Stephen snorted at the put upon expression on Tony’s face. He looked like a child pouting, bottom lip pushed out and everything. He wandered over to examine the man’s findings and had to admit it was all pretty abysmal. He really didn’t want to deal with this right now. “I am guessing you weren’t out here for the view.” He suddenly commented with a resigned sigh. This wasn’t going to be an easy fix was it?

 “Afraid not.” Tony tossed the garden scissors back into the cabinet. “Kinda end of the world business actually.” 

 “Christ.” Stephen sighed again, this time louder and with more pain. He rubbed at his temples as he thought. “There are some stores in town you could rifle through tomorrow. In the meantime, standing here worrying about it wont help. Come with me.” He nodded towards a flight of stairs off to the far side. 

 Stephen propped the door at the top of the stairs open for Tony and Bats to slip inside. It was nothing grand or fancy, just an open loft space. A few steps away from the door was a decent sized bed and living room set up, and to the opposite side of the room was a kitchen and dining area. Stephen kicked the door shut behind him and lazily tossed his keys into a little dish near the door. He followed that by also kicking his shoes off. 

 “You can have the bed, I’ll take the couch.” Stephen yawned and made his way over to a dresser to pull out a change of clothes.

 Tony slipped out of his own shoes and carefully walked around the whole loft, taking in every nook and cranny. To the untrained eye it might just seem like perusing, but Stephen could tell the man was definitely checking his exits and the security of the place. He couldn’t blame him, stuck in an unfamiliar building with a stranger? He would have done the same thing. 

 “Here.” Stephen tossed a shirt and some sweatpants onto the bed. He was pretty sure they’d be too big, but better to offer something rather than nothing. With that, they both began an awkward dance around each other as they got ready for bed. Ten minutes later the lights were flicked off and they were both tucked into their respective spots, trying desperately to sleep.

 ……

 Beverly hiked up the stairs to her son's loft apartment above the garage. In her arms was a basket of fresh laundry. She knocked once and softly popped the door open once she got no reply. It wasn't too unusual for her son to sleep in on weekends after all, but she had a large breakfast marinating in the kitchen that she had every intention of sharing. They didn’t eat together very often, but she’d heard the boy come in rather late last night and knew a little food never hurt to liven someone after a long night. 

 "Stephen, honey." She called as she made her way into the loft. She made it only a few steps before faltering. She blinked once. Twice. 

 Lying face down with his arms and legs spread wide was an unfamiliar man in her son's bed. The sheets were tossed messily over his sure to be naked body. A pair of sweatpants laid to one side of the bed, looking like they’d been abandoned in the night. And a shirt that she knew to be Stephens was shoved up around the man’s shoulders. Curious. 

 Beverly took one look before gently setting down the basket of laundry and quietly making her way out again. 

 A quick trip into the garage led her to her missing son. Stephen was bent over his medical bag, replacing and organizing equipment. 

 "Breakfast is ready dear." Beverly gently laid a hand on her son's arm, giving a soft squeeze. 

 Stephen looked up with a smile. 

 "Your friend is welcome too. Preferably dressed of course." Beverly smirked over her shoulder as she made to leave. 

 Stephen couldn't even utter a word out before she was gone. 

 …..

 The table was quiet, aside from the scraping of silverware against plates. Stephen sat awkwardly hunched over his eggs and toast, trying to focus on eating and remembering what all he needed to get done today. This inopportune breakfast was throwing a bit of a wrench in his schedule, but he hadn’t the heart to turn down his mothers invitation. Not that she’d let him slip off without feeding his guest anyways.

 Said guest was currently sipping at the coffee that’d been prepared and scanning the morning paper without a care in the world. His brows furrowed every so often and his foot tapped an anxious rhythm but overall he seemed perfectly fine with this arrangement. 

 His parents on the other hand… Beverly was smirking nearly the whole time, shooting Stephen glances between bites of her muffin. She’d pointedly glance at Tony and then back to him with a raised brow, inviting Stephen to comment but the good doctor elected not to engage. His father looked rather annoyed with the whole affair, which wasn’t too surprising. 

 A rustling of paper jolted Stephen out of the glaring contest he was having with his mother. Tony smacked the folded up paper down onto the table and tilted his mug at it in an accusatory fashion. 

 “Apparently I am dead.” He grunted and took a swig of coffee. 

 “Oh that’s a bit of a bummer.” Beverly frowned.

 Stephen glanced down at the headline describing Tony Stark’s tragic demise. He hummed thoughtfully and took a careful sip of his tea. “I suppose that’s for the best.”

 “Well now that’s not very polite, Stephen.” Beverly chided. She swatted at her son with her napkin. 

 “Yea, have some respect for the recently deceased.” Tony grinned. He leaned towards Stephen with his chin cushioned against his hand. The display earned him an eye roll from both Mr. Strange’s. 

 The elder of the two rose from his chair with a grunt. He deposited his plate by the sink and made his way off towards the front door. It slammed behind him, leaving an ugly silence in its wake. Beverly was quick to sweep it away however. 

 “Oh don’t mind him, a bit of a recluse that one is.” She winked at Tony and then nodded towards the discarded paper. “That was quite something there, inviting terrorists to your house. What kind of a tactic would you call that?”

 “An idiotic one.” Stephen grumbled around a bite of toast. That earned him another stern look from his mother.

 Tony for his part did look a little chastised. “He’s not wrong. I wasn’t in the best place to be making decisions like that.” He admitted with a shrug. In fact he’d realized that not an hour after making said decision. He’d just been so angry, let the paparazzi get in his head while he was vulnerable to subterfuge. “A friend of mine was hurt in the last bombing. I was angry. I am angry. But putting myself and those close to me in danger wasn’t the solution.”

 Beverly nodded solemnly, her face was set in the perfect display of sympathy. She was a very sincere woman and made no show of hiding it. Stephen chewed slowly across from her. He pushed his plate slightly away and glanced towards the somber mechanic beside him. 

 That sure as hell didn’t sound like the arrogant playboy philanthropist Stephen had read about. It wouldn’t be the first time the media had gotten the image of a celebrity wrong. However, Tony had made quite a show of it all himself in the past. Perhaps the ending and saving of the world had humbled him. 

 “We all make mistakes.” Beverly smiled reassuringly. “Especially when grief is mixed in.”

 …. 

 The ride to town was a rather uneventful one all things considered. Stark didn’t make nearly as much a fuss as Stephen had expected him to. He kept mostly to himself, gazing out the window probably to get a better lay of the land now that it was daylight. Bats occasionally clambered onto Tony’s lap to get a good mouthful of the wind rushing by. The mechanic didn’t take too kindly to it at first but well into the drive he succumbed to rubbing at the pups flopping ears, a small resigned smile on his lips. 

 Fields of corn passed by in blurs for miles. Every once in a while a small house would pop up, its paint always chipped and driveway always dirt. They didn’t pass any other cars but Tony was a little startled to see a couple riding horseback along the road at one point. So very uneventful and boring, how did people live like this? It was another handful of miles before they started making it into town.

 They passed only a handful of buildings, most of them in rather rough shape. One particularly broken square of rubble caught Tony’s eye. A smattering of flowers and memorials lay solemnly around what looked to be a wall of a house, now nothing more than toppled over brick. “What’s the story there?” He asked, nodded towards the site.

 Stephen glanced over briefly before focusing back on the road. He was nothing if not a careful driver it seemed. “Chad Davis. He was ex-military, won a bunch of medals in the army. Some folks said he went crazy and made a bomb, then he blew himself up right there.”

 Tony watched the rubble growing further away in the side mirror. “Six people died, right?” 

 “Yeah.” Stephen replied.

 “Including Chad Davis?” 

 “Yep.” 

 Tony nodded slowly. He hadn’t caught a great glimpse at the site but he was sure he’d only seen five shadows. That didn’t make any sense. Six people and one of them didn’t leave behind a mark? The gears were turning in Tony’s head, clicking and clacking into various combinations that could solve this puzzle. “There were only five shadows.” He muttered.

 The doctor shifted beside him, his demeanor suddenly becoming a little antsy. He looked annoyed, or maybe not so annoyed but rather unsure how to tread here. He tapped his fingers against the wheel and sighed. “People have seemed to get it in their heads that the shadows are some celestial imprint.” He shook his head a little. “As if they are the marks of the souls that went to heaven.”

 Tony raised a brow, which Stephen met with a roll of his eyes. He didn’t seem like be bought any of the stuff he was saying. “Except Chad Davis. He went to Hell, so no shadow.” He finished the statement off with a dramatic spooky wiggle of his fingers as though he was casting a spell. 

 Tony grinned at the display. “I take it you don’t believe in all that?” 

 “Absolutely not.” Stephen scoffed. “I don’t partake in the religious rhetoric that festers in small towns.” 

 Tony hummed his agreement. But that still didn’t answer what actually happened. “Still begs the question.” 

 “His mother still lives here, she’d know more. She’s at the bar more times than not these days, we can check later tonight.” Stephen rested his arm against the open window, tapping his fingers on the rusted blue metal. It was at least worth a shot. Tony needed more answers before he could move forward with any of this mess.

 Stephen pulled the truck up outside a small general store and cut the ignition. 

 “That’ll be you over there,” He leaned over and pointed to the couple store fronts along the road. Across the street was a diner and further down the bar. “I have to go meet with a patient around the block. If you need me I’ll be at the red house.”

 Tony whipped around as Stephen climbed out of the truck. “Wait- you’re not coming with me?” He quickly followed suit out of the car, Bats jumped down after him. He didn’t wanna sound needy but he hadn’t a clue where to look for the things he needed. It’d be so much easier if the town resident at least gave him a hand.

 Stephen grabbed a hefty brown leather bag from the trunk, a very vintage looking monstrosity if you asked Tony. He remembered seeing it last night. That thing looked like it belonged in a medical museum. He half expected for the doctor to pull out a bone saw. The man rounded the car with a very unimpressed look on his face. He nodded towards the stores again. 

 “I am a doctor, not a mechanic. The only doctor here in fact so I am a busy man. Just because you decided to fall out of the sky and I offered - out of the kindness of my heart, mind you - to help you, doesn’t mean my schedule is any less full.” Stephen stated as he checked the time on his watch. Geeze even that poor thing looked like it belonged in the 50s. 

 “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go. Everything you need should be over there. I’ll be back in an hour.” Stephen turned to leave, he made it five steps before he stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. “Try not to cause any trouble, Stark.” He then resumed walking away.

 Tony scoffed and then looked down at Bats who sat at his feet patiently wagging his tail. “Is he always such an asshole?” 

 Bats barked happily in reply. He stood and trotted around in a circle a few times before looking back up at Tony and barking again. “I take it you’re my tour guide then. Lead on, Sir Bats.”

 …… 

 Roughly forty minutes later, Tony was shoving the last of the supplies he required into the back of the truck. There were a handful of boxes filled with tools and wires, things he hadn’t seen present at the Strange household that he’d need to fix up Mark 42. Hopefully he’d get this show on the road pretty quick, every minute of wasted time was another possible person getting blown up or worse. 

 Tony hopped down from the trunk and crouched to scratch at Bats ears. “Alright, should we go find your daddy?” He smirked to himself at his wording. Truly he was a child. 

 Like a drone zeroing in on its target, Bats trotted off away from the stores. Tony was quick to follow, a little amazed the creature seemed to know where he was going. His nose was down, sniffing left and right in a zigzag motion down the sidewalk. He turned the corner, heading towards a residential area. 

 Tony spotted the red house Stephen had previously mentioned he’d be residing. It was a decent size and even had one of those ridiculous white picket fences around the front lawn. Tony could just make out Stephen helping an older woman out onto the front porch. He steadied her arm and eased her down onto a quaint little bench swing. The woman was smiling pure sunshine and patted Stephen’s hand in thanks as he pulled away. Oddly enough Stephen was smiling just as kindly back. 

 By that point Bats had spotted his owner as well. He barked cheerfully and rushed past the jarred gate and up the steps to greet Stephen. 

 “Oh sweet boy!” The woman gasped. She leaned down to pat the excited pup. “I was wondering where you were, assistant Bats!” 

 Tony grinned at the nickname, of course the dog came with on Stephen’s house calls. Sick people loved animals, right? He shimmed past the gate himself but stopped at the stoop of the stairs, unsure how to tread here. Stephen was technically on the job, right? He probably should have waited in the car. Curiosity killed the cat and all that. 

 As if sensing his thoughts, the little old lady turned her gaze on him. She had big glasses that comically magnified her eyes. “And who’s this then, Stephen dear?” She asked with a voice made of honey. The doctor shifted beside her. 

 Before he could answer, however, Tony grinned and gave a wave. “Just a friend, visiting from out of town.” He brushed off easily. Really the less attention the better- which Tony never thought he’d be saying.

 “A friend, you say? Of Stephens? Why that’s something I’ve never heard of.” She cackled. The wooden swing created beneath her as she rocked back from the force of her laugh. 

 Stephen hardly suppressed an eye roll. He radiated annoyance, and yet his tone was still relatively kind as he replied, “yes well, stranger things have happened, Mabel.” 

 “Oh I jest, dear boy!” Mabel patted Stephen’s arm affectionately. She really was the embodiment of the stereotypical grandma figure. “Why, I can’t remember the last time Stephen left town. How ever did you meet?” She turned her attention back to Tony, the question obviously for him. Stephen looked again like he wanted to reply but the mechanic beat him to it. 

 “Oh ya know, my ride broke down out here and he swooped in like a knight in shining armor. He picked me up and put me back on my feet. You know what they say about doctors, catch yourself one of those and you’re set for life.” Tony gushed. So much for less attention. It was worth it to see Stephen struggle for control of the conversation.

 Mabel’s magnified eyes lit up and her smile grew tenfold. “Oh how romantic!” She gasped, hands flying to clutch in front of her chest as though she just witnessed a proposal. 

 Stephen, poor thing, was sputtering and very nearly red in the face. “That is-”   

 “Oh wait till the girls at the dinner hear! You know we’ve been trying to get this poor young thing to meet someone nice for ages. Of course fate would have to intervene. Dreadfully sorry about your car breaking down, but what a wonderful outcome!”     

 “Nooo,” Tony gapped, he could roll with the best of the gossips. “but he’s such a catch! I mean look at those cheekbones.” He paused to lean a little closer to Mabel. Cupping his hand over the side of his mouth he stage whispered, “Must be the personality, he can be a bit prickly.” And gave a cheeky wink.

 Mabel nodded solemnly. “He means well thought. Dear Stephen has been looking after me for years. Why if not for him I wouldn’t have made it nearly this far. He’s an excellent doctor, very sharp. I tell him all the time what an absolute blessing he is. Isn’t that right, Stephen?”

 “Yes Mabel, thank-”

 “But he does have a bit of an attitude.”  

 “-you…”

 Tony tossed his head back with a laugh. “I like you! Mabel, was it?” 

 “Oh yes, Mabel Witlock.” 

 “Alright! We should be getting on our way Ms. Witlock.” Stephen interrupted with a fierce clap of his hands. He still looked a little flushed in the face but it was undetermined whether that be from embarrassment or anger. What a fun game to play. 

 Mabel smiled knowingly at her doctor. She patted Stephen’s arm as he passed towards the stairs. “Oh take care, Stephen. It was a pleasure to meet you-”

 “Tony. You can call me Tony.” The mechanic grabbed Mabel’s outstretched hand in a gentle shake. They shared a smile and nod before Tony hurried off to catch up with his ride. Stephen had already marched himself to the road. Damn his long legs. 

 “And here I thought you’d have terrible bedside manners.” Tony cooed as he slowed next to Stephen. The man looked mostly recovered, but let it be known Tony doesn’t let things go. “That was really adorable back there. You, helping the little old lady. Very chivalrous and all that.”

 Stephen scoffed, “I was simply doing my job, Stark. Do you not treat your staff with basic forms of respect?”

 “I wouldn’t say I treat them like my nonna, no.” Tony swayed to catch a glimpse of Stephen’s eyeroll. He rocked back with a satisfied smirk on his lips.

 “Considering I’ve known her since I was a child, it’s not that big of a deal. You’re forgetting this is a small town, everyone knows everyone. In fact half the elderly population here probably babysat me when I was growing up. A city boy like you wouldn’t understand.”

  Now wasn’t that just the stereotype of the century! “Now you just sound like your father.” Tony just barely restrained himself from sticking his tongue out. 

 “He hasn’t said a single word to you yet.” 

 “Doesn’t have to, I can practically hear his internal monologue. Damn city slickers, get off my lawn!” Tony shouted in a butchered country accent. He lifted his fist to wave about and furrowed his brow to get a really good old man effect going. It all rips a laugh from the doctor. Which is a breath of fresh air to hear, Tony doesn’t think he’s heard anything sweeter. It brings a genuine smile to his face. 

 Stephen shook his head, laughter dying to a hum. “Don’t take it personally. You should have seen his expression when I told him I was going off to college. I might as well have stabbed him in the back, would have been less of a betrayal.” 

 “Don’t tell me you traded in your cowboy boots for loafers!” Tony gasped. 

 “How else does one get a phd?” 

 Tony paused, tilting his head to the side in thought. “I guess online school didn’t reach all the way out here?” He pondered aloud. “For all I know you guys just draw names from a hat and that’s the job you’re elected to do here. No phd’s needed.”

 Stephen looked to the sky as if trying to find the strength before he glared over at Tony. “I’ll have you know, I went to Columbia. Top of my class.” They rounded up to Stephen’s beat up blue truck by that point. He opened the door for Bats to jump inside, patting his head along the way. 

 “You don’t say… What the hell are you doing back here then?” Tony wondered aloud. Usually once people left their hometowns they didn’t come back. 

 “Long story. Did you get everything you needed?” Stephen inquired as he hauled his bag into the trunk, eyeing the boxes sitting nearby. 

 Touchy subject then, Tony noted. He patted one of the boxes with a nod, “Should have everything I need to get outta your hair.” 

 “Desperate for an escape, are we? Oh whatever would the world do without Tony Stark for a day.” Stephen grinned. He leaned forward to rest his forearms on the edge of the trunk, staring down the celebrity hero on the other side. 

 Tony moved to mimic the doctor's stance, “Probably go up in flames, given the state of affairs right now.” It was said in jest but Tony couldn’t help the seed of fear that slipped in there. No, the world could do without Tony but they needed Iron Man, and last time he checked they were the same being. Because of that, Tony wasn’t allowed breaks. He had to be on constantly, he couldn’t waste his time galivanting out here in the fields while people were dying back home. 

 “So that all falls on your shoulders? No one else can save the world?” Stephen frowned, the snark of before instantly taking the backseat. He might be an asshole on most days but the way Tony said that statement felt too heavy. 

 Tony shifted uncomfortably. “Not with this. This is my mess to clean up.” He admitted. His fingers drummed along the rigid metal beneath his hands. Taking responsibility for things, that’s what he was supposed to do now, right? Accept you made mistakes, own up to them, and fucking fix it before it grows any worse. He was trying. Goddamn it he was trying so hard.

 Stephen watched the mechanic squirm beneath his gaze. “You’re not responsible for other people’s actions.” He said sternly. He knew what self doubt and hatred sounded like and this man, who saved the world not months ago, didn’t deserve to be questioning himself. 

 “I am if they are in direct correlation to me-”

 “No.” Stephen held up his hand, stopping Tony in his tracks. The billionaire has explained the situation earlier to him. Something along the lines of this maniac blaming Tony for his lack of help years ago, and perhaps a bit of spite for being such an asshole to the guy. “Passing on someone’s science project is not a means for domestic terrorism. Even if you left them hanging. You’re allowed to say no. You’re even allowed to be an asshole if you want. None of that warrants all of this.” 

 Stephen sighed heavily and pushed his hand back through his hair. “You’ve saved the world from an alien invasion for gods sakes, I think you’ve well made up for any tomfoolery in your past.”

 That was… well. Tony was a little stunned into silence for the first time in his life. “That was probably better than anything my therapist tried to tell me… you sure you're in the right kind of medical field, doc?” He was obviously deflecting but what did Stephen want him to say? Geeze they just met yesterday and already Stephen was a better acquaintance than ninety percent of the people closest to him. Pepper and Rhodey excluded, of course. 

 “Oh shut up.” Stephen pushed away from the truck and moved to get inside. Tony was quick on his heels to follow.

 “Just saying, very inspirational stuff!” Tony called, chuckling as Stephen slammed his door shut loudly. “Hey all this trauma dumping is making me hungry, when are you going to feed me?”

 …….

 The breeze was rich with summer wheat. A squeak of plastic cutlery shifting against styrofoam to-go boxes is the only sound besides the rustle of nearby crops. 

 Tony and Stephen sat quietly on the trunk of Stephen’s rusty old truck. Sitting around them were various containers from a nearby diner. Stephen had sequestered his new marvel away to the outskirts of town. They parked atop the highest hill, which for Nebraska was really only that, a hill. You could just about see the whole town from up there. 

 After their morning running between Stephens clients and needing to get Tony's supplies, they were in need of a little break. Boxes of various electrical equipment sat beside them, a show of their hard work.

 Tony chewed his burger slowly, contemplating the surroundings. Fields and dirt, aside from the practically one road town. It was rather dull, but it had charm. He certainly wouldn't survive here but to each their own. 

 "So," Tony cleared his throat, tossing aside his empty containers. "How does a top of his class doctor end up staying in a place like this?"

 Stephen paused his chewing, pointedly narrowing his eyes at the tin man across from him. 

 Tony stared back, unfazed. "I googled you." He explained. "You have quite the list of hospital ears ringing. You could be anywhere, and yet you choose here."

 Stephen sat his utensils down slowly. He swallowed and put his things aside. "It's honest work. The people here, they don't have the resources-"

 "Your talents are wasted here." 

 Stephen squinted at the land around them, lips pressed together tight. There was a strain around his eyes. "You're a special kind of douchebag aren't you."

 "Thank you." Tony smiled. 

 "My sister." Stephen eventually summoned the words. "She passed suddenly just after my graduation. My parents weren't in any position to run their business and grieve at the same time. I'd just moved out of the dorms so I came back to help them take care of things."

 "How many years ago?"

 "Fifteen.” Stephen poked at a fry with his fork, he didn’t talk about this often obviously. It was hard to vocalize, but it’d been so long since he’d made any admission out loud that it felt almost therapeutic. Maybe he never actually had said it out loud. “They never really got over it." Stephen sighed.

 Tony nodded. Eventually he turned his softened gaze on Stephen. "Did you?" 

 Stephen was again quiet for a long while. His mouth twitched as though to speak a few times before he chuckled uncomfortably and moved to hop off the trunk. "Says the man with ptsd." 

 "Hey, we're talking about your trauma right now, not mine!" 

 Bats clamored off the truck bed after Stephen, barking cheerfully as the man dropped his leftover fries for the pup to gobble up. He started cleaning up their trash, piling it all in their to-go bag and tossing it into the back seat. While he was back there he grabbed a red rubber ball and meandered back to Tony’s side. By the time he was done, Bats had finished eating his treats and noticed what was in his owner’s hand.

 Stephen smiled as his trusty companion’s tail began wagging back and forth like a little propeller. He tossed the ball up and down with one hand, watching as Bats hopped back and forth with the motion. After a little teasing he eventually gave in and chucked the ball into the field. Bats took off after it with all his might.

 “Like a Bats outta hell.” Tony grinned. 

 Stephen rolled his eyes fondly and took a seat on the edge of the trunk once again. A comfortable quiet had fallen over them as they watched Bats tumble around in the long grass like a tiny lion hunting its prey. 

 Tony was the one to break that quiet, obviously not quite finished with their earlier conversation. “Do you have any other siblings?”  

 Stephen breathed in deeply and let out a long breath. “A brother.” He nodded. “Victor. He moved away pretty young, and doesn't want anything to do with me. Which is fine, the feelings mutual.” Jeez he hadn’t thought of his brother in a while either. After Donna, things got estranged in the Strange household. Last he heard, his brother was off with some Morgana lady. 

 “Cutting out the toxic family abscess, nice.” Tony hummed his appraisal. 

 “You know a lot about toxic family abscesses?” Stephen asked. 

 The grin on Tony’s face honestly said it all. “Boy do I! Although mine lie more in the Daddy Issues category.” He winked for further effect. Stephen shook his head, deeply regretting asking. “But he’s dead and so is mom. Water under the bridge.”

  Bats trotted his way over to the duo, proudly holding his rubber ball high in the air for all to see. His jaw clenched and unclenched to make the toy squeak like a little car alarm going off. They both smiled at the gleeful hound. Stephen leaned down to wiggle the toy from the pup’s jowls and threw it again into the tall grass. After a few more throws to wear Bats out, the trio started getting ready to leave.   

 Tony shoved the trunk closed while Stephen helped the tuckered out pup into the front seat. When Tony joined them he patted Bats head and rubbed at his floppy ears. “Who’s a good boy?” Tony sang. Bats woofed and wagged his little tail this way and that. Stephen was whipped relentlessly by the appendage as he stuck the car into drive.

 “Alright alright, calm down.” Stephen chuckled, batting Bats back. “Where to, Stark?”

 ….

 Dusk was just starting to touch as Stephen pulled into town. The streets were mostly empty, save for the local pub crawlers and late dinner takers. He pulled into a small bar off the main road and then motioned for Tony to follow him out. 

 Stephen walked in first with an air of nonchalance. A few rounds of “Hey Stephen!” were shouted from various corners of the establishment. He waved kindly and threw a greeting or two back on his way towards a table. Tony smirked at the man’s apparent popularity. He couldn’t blame them, hell he was drawn to the mysterious doctor just as badly. 

 It’d only been a day since his house was blown to smithereens and he’d face planted into Nebraska, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling of being glad he was here. Had any other doctor picked him out of that corn field, Tony wasn’t sure he’d be having as swell of a time. There was just something about Stephen. Maybe his wit or his charm, that inherent kindness just below his guarded exterior. It was all fascinating to the mechanic. He couldn’t help the bitter taste in his mouth at the thought of having to leave.

 Stephen guided the two to a small table off to the side. A waitress swung by to grab their drink order before disappearing again. As they waited for the drinks, Stephen took a sweeping glance around the room. He looked bored and uncaring but Tony could tell he was evaluating the crowd. His gaze faltered for all of a second before caring on until he returned to casually looking back at Tony. 

 “She’s the blonde in the navy sweater.” Stephen nodded his head ever so slightly in the direction he spoke of. 

 Sure enough Chad Davis’s mother sat by herself, nursing a glass of amber liquid. Tony didn’t look too long, but could see from there she had a file sat in front of her. Strange, expecting company was she? 

 “Guess that’s my cue.” Tony slowly started making his way over to her. He stopped short of her table with a polite smile and asked, “Mrs. Davis, mind if I join you?” 

 Mrs. Davis glanced up from her glass. She eyed Tony up and down lazily before shrugging, “Free country.” 

 “Sure it is.” Tony nodded and dropped down into the creaking wooden seat across from her. 

 As if preparing for battle, Mrs. Davis drew in a deep breath before sighing it back out again. She leaned back in her chair, looking tired beyond belief. “Alright, where do you wanna start?”

 “I just wanted to say I am sorry about your loss. I wanna know what you think happened.” Tony responded carefully. He eyed the folder lying close by before returning his full attention to the woman in front of him. He must have been right, she was waiting for someone. 

 “Look.” She sighed. “I brought your damn file, you take it and go.” She dropped the aforementioned document in front of Tony and waved him off. 

 Tony paused briefly before slowly flipping open the folder to take a glance. Pictures of Chad Davis in the army greeted him first, followed by a MIA document and various other paperwork. At first glance it all seemed straight forward. That’s when he noticed a series of pictures taken of fellow team mates, their names and status. A familiar name stood out. 

 Tony dropped the folder closed and glanced quickly towards Stephen, who was still sitting where he’d left him. He was twirling around a water and trying not to look Tony’s way too suspiciously. 

 “Look, Mrs. Davis I don’t think your son killed himself. I guarantee you he didn’t kill anyone.” Tony assured her seriously. “Someone used him. As a weapon.”

 Mrs. Davis stared at Tony for a moment as if she’d seen a ghost. It took her a minute to gather herself before she leaned forward and whispered in a broken voice, “You're not the one who called me here, are you?” 

 Before Tony could answer, a badge was smacked down on the table between the two. They both pulled away quickly, staring up at a woman in a black suit who’d suddenly appeared. Her lips were twisted in a sneer as she spat, “Actually, I am.” Then followed the statement by grabbing Tony by the arm and slamming him face down on the table. 

 From the corner of Tony’s eye he could see Stephen lunging from his seat. Around him voices shouted out, various “Wows!” and “Hey there’s!” but Tony could only hear his heart beginning to pound in his chest. All the noise of the bar blurred into a violent hum, pressure building at the back of Tony’s head. 

 Stephen was beside him before he could even blink, a vicious glare thrown at the woman currently manhandling him. 

 “What’s going on here?” Stephen asked sternly.

 “It’s called an arrest.” The woman answered as she cuffed Tony’s hands behind his back. Once sure that he wasn’t getting away, she turned to regard the nosey citizen. Her eyes raked over Stephen slow and calculating. She cocked her head to the side and asked in a curious tone, “Strange, is it?”

 If he was surprised by this stranger knowing his name, Stephen didn’t show it. He crossed his arms and leveled the woman with his best put-upon glare. “Doctor Strange. And you are?” 

 “Homeland security.” 

 Tony struggled against the cuffs quietly behind the woman. He kept his gaze locked on Stephen the whole time however, concern swelling in the pit of his stomach. This lady sure didn’t seem like she was interested in playing nice, and he’d be damned if he let Stephen get in the middle of it all. 

 “Are we good here?” Homeland security replied. 

 “Hardly. I am going to need more information than that.” 

 “That’s a little above your pay grade, doc.”

 “For an enforcer of the law you sure don’t know how said law works, do you? He’s entitled to know why he’s being arrested.”

 “Alright, I was hoping to do this the easy way here but-” The woman leaned in towards Stephen, a sinister gleam in her eye. Behind her back Tony watched as her hand began to glow a pulsing orange. His eyes widened and heart dropped. For a moment he feared he was going to have another goddamn panic attack, but he acted on the adrenaline before it could take hold. He kicked out the woman’s legs without an inch of remorse, causing her to tumble to the ground and land roughly on her glowing hand. 

 “Stephen, go!” Tony shouted, stumbling to his feet after the doctor. They pushed their way through the crowd and back out into the parking lot where Stephen’s truck still sat. 

 Bats perked up in alarm as the two men clambered into the car. Stephen struggled with his keys, his hands shaking ever so slightly. It took him a few tries to get the key to go into the ignition, but he eventually got the darn thing going. As he went to hit the gas however, a pair of glowing orange hands slammed upon the hood of the truck, leaving large indents in the metal. 

 “What the fuck?” Stephen gaped. “That- is she glowing?!”

 “Floor it!” Tony shouted. 

 “I- I am not gonna run over a human being!” Stephen shouted back. His hands gripped at the wheel so tight his knuckles were turning white.    

 Tony flailed about beside him, unable to gesture with his hands. “She’s barely human, it doesn’t count!” He argued. Bats barked loud and angry, Tony was sure the dog absolutely agreed with him. 

 Stephen took deep breaths and shook his head, “I cannot in good conscience hurt someone- I am a doctor! I took an oath!” This yelling back and forth was getting nowhere and the freaky lady was starting to- yep she was climbing onto the hood. 

 Fuck it.

 Stephen closed his eyes and let out a scream, mirrored by Tony as they jolted into forward motion. The tires screeched angrily as they ripped across the parking lot. Glowing lady held on for a good while until Stephen jerked the wheel, sending them onto the street. They could barely hear her yell over their own screaming as she went flying over the side of the car. 

 “Holly shit!” Tony shouted, head whipping back to watch Ms. Homeland Security barrel-roll along the pavement. She laid still once she came to a stop but Tony could tell she wasn’t done. Her limbs twitched and head turned slowly to watch the truck speed off.  

 …..

 Stephen was shaking. 

 The two had arrived back to the farm well into the night. The lights were all off in the main house, the Strange’s having all already turned in for the night. Even the lingering farm animals were all locked up safe in the barn. 

 They parked outside the garage, cutting the engine as soon as they came to a stop. Stephen hadn’t said a word the whole drive back, and the mechanic had been too tired - and preoccupied trying to get the handcuffs off his wrists - to break that silence. Not until Tony noticed the man had started shaking. 

 “Hey-” Tony started quietly. He was of course still handcuffed so he couldn’t reach out like he wanted to. Damn he was getting too comfortable with near death experiences. Of course Stephen was freaking out, any sane person would after being chased by a lady made of lava. He should have been more aware of the maelstrom building in Stephen’s nerves. 

 Stephen didn’t register dropping his keys to the floor as he leaned back, limp in his seat. They’d been too heavy for his unstable fingers to grasp. He stared out the front window at the handprints dented into the hood. 

 “I killed her.” Stephen whispered, voice cracking over the syllables. 

 Tony’s head whipped towards him, a struck expression crossing his face. “Hey no, no you didn’t kill her!” He argued. He shuffled to the side, letting Bats hop over him so he was sitting right beside Stephen. “I looked, she was moving, she’s fine.” 

 Stephen sucked in a shaky breath. His fingers gripped at his jeans for a long moment before beginning to rub along his thighs in a rhythmic motion. He closed his eyes and breathed out long and hard, and then repeated the motion of breathing in deep through his nose and out through his mouth several times. 

 “I still hurt her.” Stephen whispered, voice wavering with each careful breath he took.

 Tony resisted the urge to be snarky, his mouth tended to run off when he was uncomfortable. Or really all the time, let’s be honest. But he didn’t want to upset the doctor any further. To Stephen this lady was probably just some coocoo who snapped. Sure he had an inkling she was dangerous but to a pacifist doctor type like Stephen, he probably didn’t think violence was the answer. Stephen didn’t know this superheroing shit could get you killed.

 “She would have killed us.” Tony said with no room for argument. Stephen’s brows furrowed at his words. 

 “You don’t know that-”

 “Everyone wants to kill me.” Tony cut that train of thought off before it could fester. He shrugged as though being a target wasn’t a big deal. “Hell, I am technically dead right now and jacked up super villains are still after my head!” 

 That earned him a strained chuckle. Stephen was eventually able to slow his jittery hands and even out his breathing. Tony sat patiently the whole time, he could honestly learn to take some notes to help deal with his own recent panic attacks. 

 “Why do I get the feeling that pleases you?” Stephen shook his head, beyond done with this man’s antics. 

 Tony grinned all the while, definitely the cat who got the cream. He wiggled his brows playfully, “What can I say? A little danger keeps the blood pumping, doc.” 

 With a final huff of breath Stephen straightened his back and opened his eyes. He glanced over at Tony, feeling a pang of guilt for how worried the man looked. He hid it well around his usual cocky grin but the way he angled towards the doctor with his full attention hardly felt relaxed. He was facing Stephen, leaning his left side against the seat to counter out his awkward balancing act with no hands. He had his head tilted towards Stephen’s shoulder, mere inches and his chin could have been resting on it. He looked like a kicked puppy.

 Stephen leaned a little to meet Tony’s gaze. He felt the unbearable urge to do something lame like kiss his forehead. He settled for brushing a stray hair back into place upon Tony’s head. He smiled softly. “Let’s get you out of those handcuffs.”

 A cheeky little grin spread across Tony’s face at the comment. He tipped his chin the rest of the way forward to fully rest on Stephen’s shoulder and smugly replied, “Is that the only thing you wanna get me out of?” 

 “Insufferable.” Stephen scoffed and shoved Tony’s head back with a palm flat against his forehead. Tony tipped off balance and landed back against Bats, earning an annoyed bark and face licks in retaliation. 

 ….. 

 The soft patter of keys clicking away on a keyboard echoed around Tony. He was hunkered down in Stephen’s little kitchenette. All the lights were off around him, the only light coming from the laptop resting in front of Tony. He hadn’t wanted to wake the doctor, who’d just nodded off a few hours ago. He laid only a handful of steps away in the bed in the middle of the room so Tony was trying his hardest not to be too loud. Damn loft floor plans. 

 He’d just gotten off the phone with Rhodey, who’d given him passwords to access the AIM files he needed. He was now currently going through video after video of Aldrich goddamn Killian interviewing soldiers for his little stem project. 

 He grit his teeth as he looked through the Extremis Phase 1 Testing videos. Groups of people were being strapped down and injected with the product. Over the length of the video the patients began glowing orange, their skin darkened and cracked like rocks splitting across lava. Amazingly missing limbs began growing back, as if they’d never lost them to begin with. 

 “That’s incredible.” 

 Tony nearly fell out of his chair from alarm as he whipped around and came face to face with a sleepy looking Stephen. He gripped his chest and puffed out a hard breath. “Jesus don’t you know not to startle a man with heart issues!” 

 Stephen chuckled and leaned back out of Tony’s space, “It’s a good thing there is a doctor on hand.” He started making his way around the kitchen, grabbing two mugs and a box of tea. 

 “If you’re making the leaf juice, I’ll pass.” Tony grumbled. He focused back on the video still playing as Stephen scoffed in the background. The video resumed with the testing but it seemed as though something was going wrong with one of the subjects. Killian shouted for everyone to evacuate. The clip cut to the subject screaming in agony as his body glowed brighter and brighter, looking like he was about to pop. And just as suspected an explosion erupted from the struggling man, blowing the lab apart in the process. 

 Tony leaned back in his chair, stomach turning at the images. “A bomb that’s not a bomb.” 

 “Sorry?” Stephen yawned. He watched the kettle on the stove warm to a boil and then proceeded to pour the steaming water into the mugs. 

 “The bombs, they’re not bombs they are people.” Tony sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. 

 Stephen leaned his elbows on the countertop as he slowly stirred his steaming tea. His brows furrowed at Tony’s comment, not quite understanding what the man was getting at and honestly not awake enough to comprehend anything anyways. He took a tentative sip and then sat the mug back down but kept his hands wrapped it, savoring the warmth. 

 “Aldrich Killian thinks he can play god, make a chemical that can regrow limbs and cure any illness. Sounds like a dream, right? Except the side effects are walking jackolanterns blowing up town square.” Tony closed his computer and wandered over to lean on the counter opposite Stephen. “Chad Davis was the bomb. This chemical caused him to overheat like a hot pocket.”

 “Lovely visuals, thanks.” Stephen grimaced. He stared down at his hands in thought. “I’ve heard that name. Killian. Read some of his papers.”

 “Please don’t tell me you’re pen pals or something-”

 “It was one email, calm down.” Stephen rolled his eyes. “I just brought it up because I remember him living in Miami at the time, he was building up some facility down there. I assume you’re going after him, yes?”

 Tony regarded Stephen before conceding he had a point. “Yea, I have Jarvis working on it.” 

 ……

 “It’s totally fine, sir. I seem to do quite well for a stretch and then at the end of the sentence I say the wrong cranberry.” Jarvis cheerfully spoke from the head of Tony’s suit. 

 Tony blinked once, twice.

 “And sir, you were right. Once I factored in available AIM downlink facilities I was able to confirm Doctor Strange’s intel. It appears your next destination is Miami, Florida.” 

 Stephen, the smug bastard, grinned from across the room. He sipped loudly at his nearly finished tea. Strewn out between them were bits and pieces of the Iron Man suit connected to various wires and batteries that the two had managed to snag on their last trip to town. Tony had set up shop in the garage, not wanting to take up any more room in Stephen’s actual residence. 

 Tony clapped his hands together, “Alright, good work team.” He plopped down onto a nearby stool and began typing away at the laptop nearby. “What’re our levels at, Jar?” 

 “Minimal charging.” Jarvis replied solemnly. 

 Tony ripped his hands away from the computer and stood abruptly. 

 “The power source is questionable, it may not succeed in revitalizing the Mark 42.” 

 “What’s questionable about electricity!?” Tony shouted. A wave of unbridled unease began making its way down his spine. Like a shot of liquid ice trickling quickly through his vines and accumulating in a big twisted ball in his stomach. It felt like a physical punch to the gut. Tony staggered away from the table. 

 Goddamn it, it was happening again. How many times was he going to have to sit through one of these freak outs? Was once not enough? Twice? Christ when were they going to end! 

 Jarvis’s voice slowly muffled into nothingness. Tony’s ears felt stuffed with cotton, he could hear nothing but the ringing alarms in his head and the rapid thump thump thump of his heart. Pins and needles pricked at his fingers, slowly making their way up his arms. He was losing feeling, it was just fuzzy beneath his skin. Was he having a heart attack? A stroke?

 As Tony made his way to drop to the floor, he felt a pair of arms grab him around the waist. He was gently lowered to the ground rather than uncontrollably dropping like he had planned. He sat his hands against the arms around him, trying to make out the feeling of the other person. Stephen? Was it Stephen? Most likely. 

 His vision swam for minutes, speckled with black spots. He tried to breathe, knowing it was the only thing he could do right now to ground himself. It was just so hard when he could barely even make out if he was breathing at all. Over the pounding of his heart and the shaking of his limbs, he couldn’t tell. 

 Something cold was gently pressed against the back of his neck and in the next moment Tony felt his consciousness being ripped back to the present. He gasped and blinked several times, slowly taking in where he was and accounting for all his limbs. The needle like sensation dulled, the blurry vision cleared, but his heavy breathing and light shaking persisted. 

 “That’s it. It’s ok, Tony.” A gentle voice soothed like a balm on an open wound.

 Tony relaxed back against the hold around him. The cool press of a damp fabric against his neck shifted, rubbing carefully behind his ears and along the curve of his shoulder blade. Tony sighed and leaned into the touch. 

 After an unknown amount of time Tony felt well enough tethered to sit forward on his own again. He breathed a moment before peeking back over his shoulder at the man sitting behind him. Stephen was leaned up against a cupboard with his legs parted to fit on either side of Tony. He had a carefully calm expression on his face. A wet rag sat between his hands. He fiddled with it, obviously nervous. 

 “Putting something cold on the back of your neck helps.” Stephen explained. He looked adorable. “The uh nerves behind your ears pick up signals when you're having a panic attack, overriding those signals with the cold sensation can help calm you down…” 

 Tony slowly started smiling and eventually grinning at the silly doctor behind him. He was trying so hard to be helpful. God, when was the last time someone cared about him like this? Pepper and Rhodey were always there, always kind and wonderful and everything Tony needed. He would never discredit their worth. It was just that this, this thing with Strange, it felt different. This guy who he met only days ago had wormed his way into his heart like a thief in the night. Now he was listening to said man ramble on about medical facts Tony couldn’t give a single shit about but he’d kill for it to never end. 

 “Thanks, doc.” Tony eventually interrupted. 

 Stephen nodded. “Anytime, Mr. Mechanic.” 

 Mechanic, huh? Tony hummed thoughtfully as he glanced up at the mismatched bits of Iron Man laying across the table. He didn’t have time to wait for a full battery charge, but he could maybe bide some time. Guess he’d just have to build something if his suit was out of commission. 

 “Hey Stephenie, mind if I borrow your car?”

 …..

 “Here.” Stephen flipped the latch on his watch and pulled it from his wrist. “Use this, it’s got an alarm built into it. That way you’ll know when your suit is done cooking.”

 Tony took the time piece into his hands carefully. It was the same he’d spotted the doctor wearing earlier. The black leather strap was worn down, obviously a well loved piece of wrist wear.

 “It's a limited edition so I am obviously going to want that back.” Stephen crossed his arms. 

 “Obviously.” Tony grinned. “Or is this just your way of saying I have to come back to visit you?” He teased playfully. If he was being honest there might have been a shred of truth hidden somewhere in that comment. Cause who was he kidding? He wanted to come back for Stephen after all this was said and done. He just hoped that was something Stephen wanted too.

 Stephen rolled his eyes affectionately, “I should be owed compensation for all you’ve put me through, Stark.” 

 “And yet you want to see me again?” Tony stepped forward, batting his eyes. Say yes, please say yes. Gods what was he, some desperate lady in waiting? He’d not been able to shake the tight lump in his throat since he came to the realization it was time to go. He didn’t want this to be the end.

 The doctor pursed his lips like he was holding back a grin. He closed his eyes for a long moment, and then opened them to look Tony straight on. His face softened, “Yes, Tony. I want to see you again.”

 A gust of air rushed from Tony’s lungs. He immediately tried to play it off by nodding and looking down to fiddle with the watch still in his hands. “Good. Cool.” He couldn’t stop the smile that pulled at his cheeks. “Cause ya know, you’ve not even seen my real toys. You think Mark 42 is cool, just you wait till you see my lab- or well…” He paused, no house means no lab. “Shit no lab, right, um-” 

 Stephen gently brushed his fingers over Tony’s cheek, saving him from the stream of nonsense coming out of his mouth. “I think I’d rather spend a little more time with you than your bots, so don’t sweat it.” He froze as the doctor leaned in to lay a soft kiss against his other cheek. 

 ….. 

 It started shortly after Tony had left. The vans. They were black, unmarked, and most importantly never seen before around here. They sat parked in various places Stephen often frequented. At first he paid them little mind but as he kept noticing them, the further curious he got. 

 "Take care Stephen!"

 The doctor smiled and gave a wave over his shoulder as he left his clients house. He was heading to his truck when he saw it. A black van sitting across the street. He watched from the corner of his eye as he sat his bags in the trunk. 

 Bats barked cheerfully from the back seat, excited to be getting on the road again. This was their last stop so it was now time to head home. 

 Stephen hopped into the diver seat, giving a hearty head scratch to his faithful companion. "Ready?" 

 The engine roared and off they went down the road. Minutes later the black van followed. 

 It was only once they were out of town that Stephen really noticed. A sinking feeling sat heavy in his stomach as bright headlights flashed in his rearview mirror. He kept his hands steady on the wheel, speeding up gradually. The van sped up as well.

 Mere seconds later Stephen was lurched forward. The van rammed into his back. Before he could even react, the truck was flipping into the ditch and straight into an electrical pole. The only thing Stephen would remember is the soft whining of Bats and the slide of a van door opening. 

 …..

 Waking up zip tied to a rusty old bed frame was not written on Tony’s agenda for today, and yet here he was. It wasn’t even the oddest position he’d woken up in before, although it didn’t make the situation any lighter. At least the bed was standing up and he wasn’t subjected to lying down. That would have been a different kind of party. 

 Last thing he remembered was breaking into one of Killian’s AIM facilities. In retrospect taking out a mansion full of guards with a littering of hand made weapons from a hardware store probably wasn’t the greatest planning, but Tony thought he’d done pretty good all things considered. Now though? Now he was thinking he probably should have brought backup. At least he still has Stephen’s watch ticking away on his wrist. As long as he waited long enough, he could blow this dusty, rusty, popsicle stand.

 A quick scan of the room revealed a more or less dungeon vibe, with a mad scientist twist. There was a smattering of tables all lined with medical equipment, test tubes, and computers with various stats and readings on what Tony could only assume were Extremis samples. The rest of the room was dark and dingy, a concrete hole in the ground. 

 Tony rolled his eyes at the whole thing. How stereotypical could these villains get, honestly. He was interrupted from his musings by the echo of shoes on cement. 

 “You know what my old man used to say to me? One of his favorite of many sayings. The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” Killian announced as he made his way down the stairs and over to one of the few tables. He was wearing a ridiculous cream colored suit that really just made him look like a Bond villain. 

 Tony lolled his head to the side, tracking the man’s presence around the room. “Not still pissed off about Switzerland, are you?” 

 “How could I be pissed at you, Tony?” Aldrich grinned. He sat a briefcase down at the table before turning to give the mechanic his full attention. “I am here to thank you. You gave me the greatest gift that anyone has ever given me.” He gushed as he took tentative steps towards Tony’s hanging body. With a dark gleam in his eye, he leaned in and said breathlessly, “Desperation.” 

 Turning to pace in front of him, Killian professed. “If you think back to Switzerland, you said you’d meet me on the rooftop, right? Well for the first twenty minutes, I actually thought you’d show up. And the next hour I- well I considered taking the one-step shortcut to the lobby if you know what I mean.”

 “Honestly, I am still trying to figure out what happened to the first mouse.” Tony lazily replied. He refused to give this manic an ounce of satisfaction.

 “But as I looked out over that city,” Killian continued without missing a beat. “I had a thought that would guide me for years to come. Anonymity, Tony. Thanks to you it's been my mantra ever since. You simply rule from behind the scenes. Because the second you give evil a face, a Bid Laden, a Gaddafi, a Mandarin, you hand the people a target.”

 Christ. Tony’s brow twitched with annoyance. “You’re something else.” He spat. This monologue was getting dull, but a quick glance at Stephen’s watch said he still had too much time to waste. Willing himself to not lash out, Tony asked, “What’s next for you in your world?”

 Killian’s eyes lit up from where he’d taken a seat at the desk he’d laid his briefcase at. He turned slowly to catch Tony’s eye. “Well, I wanted to repay you the selfsame gift that you so graciously imparted to me. Desperation.” 

 Well that didn’t sound good. 

 As if on cue, the doors upstairs slammed open and a gurney was led down a nearby ramp. 

 "It really is wonderful, live test subjects." Killian hummed as he slowly rose to meet the party.

 Several men filed in around the body, that of which was outfitted with suspensions for the patient's hands to be elevated. The person was wrapped thoroughly in gauze and bandages, many of which were speckled with dried blood. 

 "Tragic really, a simple accident causing so much damage." Killian snapped on a pair of gloves, very dramatic like. The men around him moved a tray with needles and various tools within Killians reach. "But you know those back water roads." He continued casually. "One little bump and you're in the ditch. And with no hospitals nearby… well the damage could be irreversible." 

 Up until that point the scene was really only disturbing at most. Tony couldn’t see the injured patient around the various men, and as horrible as it was to witness some poor innocent lackey get pushed around for show, that’s all it was. A poor innocent lackey. Someone Tony didn’t have any ties to. At least that’s what he thought. Until Killian opened his goddamn mouth and ruined it all.

 Tony stiffened. The men continued to stand guard around the bed, preventing the mechanic from getting a good look. He needed them to move. He needed to see, to be sure. It couldn't be-

 The zip ties enclosed around his wrists strained with the force Tony put into yanking forward. He grit his teeth, heart pounding loud in his ears. This couldn't be happening. Stephen wasn't supposed to be here. He was a civilian, he was supposed to be home, with his fields and his dog. But no he was lying there wrapped in bandages and unconscious. And his hands, christ, what had they done to him… 

 "Stephen!" Tony called. The man laid still on the gurney, not a single twitch or hum of response. Perhaps it was a blessing he wasn’t awake to feel the most likely excruciating pain he’d be in.  

 Tony cursed internally, the boiling rage beneath his skin had him shaking from the force. Goddamn it, how could he let this happen. If Stephen died because of this, he didn’t know how he’d ever feel ok again. Guilt mixed with the rage until a toxic concoction of hate bubbled inside, oh how he was going to rip Killian apart. 

 Killian hummed as he prepared a needle. "Worry not Stark, he lives. Barely. You see I wanted to show you first hand what my little science experiment is capable of. And to do that I needed a truly damaged volunteer."

 "Volunteer." Tony spat. The metal of the bedframe he’d been tied to creaked angrily. 

 Killian chuckled. He flicked the syringe and then lowered the point to Stephen's arm. 

 Tony yanked viciously against his restraint. "Don't you dare touch him!" He yelled uselessly. His screams did nothing to stop Killian from breaking skin. He could do nothing but watch as Extremis made its way into the doctor’s blood stream.

 And that's when the convolutions start. 

 It was jerking moments every few minutes, as if Stephen was being startled awake without actually waking up. His eyelids would twitch and brows furrow but he wouldn’t rise from his slumber. The jerking eventually turned into full body shivering. The tell tale sign of the chemical working through his system was showing by the orange glow of his veins.

 Meanwhile, Killian had lazily snapped off his surgical gloves and started directing his men what to do and where to go. He appeared to be getting ready to leave, which should have alarmed Tony but the mechanic couldn’t pull his eyes from the beads of sweat forming on Stephen’s forehead. 

 “I am not sure if you can tell, but the body is trying to decide whether to accept Extremis or just give up.” Killian mused. He stopped next to Stephen’s head and ran the back of a finger along the moisture growing at his temple. A fascinated little smile pulled at his cheeks. “And if it gives up, I have to say the detonation is quite spectacular. But until that point, it’s really just a lot of pain.” 

 Tony jaw popped from clenching his teeth so viciously. He tried not to show the turmoil this was putting him through, but it was a tough thing. Standing there, unable to do anything was tearing him apart from the inside out.      

 “While this has been fun, I really must be going.” Killian sighed regretfully. He waltzed over to Tony with his hands tucked in his pockets. He looked far too smug for a man Tony planned to rip apart in the near future. He stopped just far enough away to not risk getting kicked.

 “You’re a maniac.” Tony ground out. 

 “No, I am a visionary.” Killian corrected eagerly. He leaned forward and patted Tony on the cheek like one does a dog. The mechanic stood still, not giving into the desire to bite.

 With that Killian turned away in a flourish. He made his way to the stairs, but stopped to look back at Stephen’s now withering form. His eyes raked over the man’s frame, and then glanced up to Tony. “He is quite the specimen.” Killian purred. “Perhaps when this is all over I should rekindle that connection we had.” He left that pondering thought with Tony, disappearing through the doorway soon after.

 The silence that lingered was mind numbing. 

 The men that were left to stand guard milled around the room at leisure. It was a small relief that they didn’t go near Stephen or mess with the tubes and wires he was hooked up to. Tony thought he’d go mad watching the doctor lay there panting and shaking as though consumed by a raging fever. A chime from his wrist, however, pulled him away from that dark path. 

 The alarm had finally gone off, looks like time had worn out. 

 …..

 “Come on Steph, you promised we’d go swimming!” 

 A soft crunch of tall grass snapping under barefoot rose from the otherwise undisturbed meadow. It was followed by giggling and the unmistakable chatter of children running, awakening the quiet land. The sun was high in the afternoon sky, blazing hot just like all sticky July summer days in Nebraska. A mop of brown hair bounced along the tips of the overgrown brush, heading for an opening to the river.

 Stephen breathed slowly, feeling sweat trickle down the back of his neck. He watched his excited sister feet ahead of him. He’d promised her a trip to the river and today she was cashing in. It was steaming with heat, really a perfect day to be relaxing in the cool tides. The air was hazy, rippling like a rock plunging into water. You could visibly see the hot thick soup that was humidity weighing heavy on the land. 

 Stephen gulped down a bout of nausea that wrestled in his stomach from the heat. It felt like being cooked from the inside out. He feared his insides would boil and explode before he’d make it to the water. 

 Donna was already gone from sight, damn her agility. Stephen sighed and hurried along, one foot in front of the other. It was vexing how tired and overwhelmed he felt. Perhaps a heat stroke was setting in? Although he’d barely been out here long enough. He trudged his way through the lanky grass, brushing his fingers over the tips of their blades. He jerked his hand back however as a sharp pain along his hands blinded him. It lasted only a moment but nearly knocked him over. He stared down at his hand, bewildered to find nothing out of the sort. Perhaps something bit him, or the grass nicked him just right… 

 “Stephen, hurry up!” Donna yelled, well within the cover of nearby trees. Stephen could just make out the sound of splashing and excited giggling. Well at least she was having fun. 

 “Coming.” Stephen tried to yell but the words stuck heavy in his throat. He breathed deeply, or tried to, finding it hard to gather air into his damp lungs. God what was wrong with him? It wasn’t like he was out of shape, he walked through brush like this all the time. It was just as though all the energy had been zapped from him, replaced rather with burning lead. He was weighed down, drowning.

 A scream rippled through the air, startling Stephen from his melting demise. He stumbled to a stop, head snapping towards the river bed where he knew his sister to be. 

 “Donna?” He called. 

 No response. 

 Mustering all his strength, Stephen quickened toward the trees. He gasped for air as he broke through the brush, eyes traveling the expanse of the rumbling stream before him. The river was rushing by, a strong current pulling anything and everything in its path. How odd, the water was always calm in this part. 

 “Donna?” Stephen called again, stumbling down to the bank where he saw his sister's few belongings. 

 “Stephen, help!” Donna cried from just down the way. She was gripping onto a slimy cluster of rocks on the opposite side, chin just barely above the water. The current pushed ruthlessly against her, splashing gulps of water straight into her face. 

 A bout of dread lurched hard in his stomach at the sight. “I am coming, hang on!” Stephen shouted back. He hurried into the tide but stopped suddenly as the water made contact with his ankles. It was hot. The water was scorching hot. Stephen flew back, landing hard on the muddy incline with a scream. His skin blistered and smoked, angry red and white bubbles puckered his exposed flesh. He went to grab at his ankles but the sharp pain in his fingers from before arose again, this time spreading along his entire hands. 

 “Steph please!-” A gurgle called from across the stream. Donna was slipping below the water line. Her eyes were wide with fear and fingers clawed desperately at the rock for purchase.

 Stephen watched in horror as Donna lost her hold. She was swept soundlessly into the current. Stephen rushed the water, burning be damned. He could feel nothing but sweltering pain along every inch of his body as he dove after his sister. He didn’t know how long he lasted, for before he knew it he was losing consciousness. The world around him blurred into darkness.

 …..

 The next thing Stephen knew he was jolting awake to the smell of fire. A black sky was high above him, clouds of billowing smoke rising after it. All around him were parts of building equipment and burning metal. Where the absolute hell was he? 

 A series of beams and broken bits of what looked suspiciously like iron man suits started raining down around him, startling him out of any sort of trance he’d been in. On top of that the king of dramatic entrances himself suddenly dropped out of the sky. Stephen’s throat caught as Tony, barely covered in a suit of armor, caught himself a foot off the ground with his one working repulsor. He flailed through the air and landed with a resounding thunk and clatter of metal on concrete. 

 All was still as Tony groaned and sat up. He looked in rough shape but at least he was moving. Stephen was just pushing himself to his feet when he caught sight of a smoking shadow lumbering towards Tony. The creature's body was badly mangled and burnt to a charcoal black. The skin, which was basically just ash at this point, was cracked in spider web like patterns, revealing a glowing lava like substance below. 

 As Stephen got closer he could just make out the burning man ranting. He was spitting in rage, shouting something about being the Mandarin all along. Stephen didn’t care what he had to say, all he knew was this walking smore was clambering at Tony with the intention of violence. Making a quick scan of the area, Stephen grabbed for the first thing that could be used as a weapon. He snatched up a metal pole and swung it over his shoulder as he neared closer to the man. Without further ado, Stephen rammed the pole as hard as he could into the fire hazard, sending him flying across the way. He landed straight into a collapsing scaffolding, causing a massive explosion. 

 Tony sat stunned around his pile of flaming robot parts. He blinked and slowly closed his dropped jaw. “Yea, I got nothing.” He said, stunned into silence. 

 Stephen turned in the direction, taking note of the aches and pains spreading slowly along his bones. “T-Tony?” Stephen whispered at the sight of the billionaire a couple feet away. Stephen shuffled towards the mechanic, desperate to close the distance between them. 

 The last thing he remembered before waking up was driving off the side of a road. Nothing around him was familiar, it was all highly disorienting. He just killed a man for god sakes! Or not a man perhaps but something sentient at least. Tony was the one drop of comfort in this pool of unknown, and he’d be damned if he didn’t reach out and grab it. 

 Tony staggered towards him, he quickly grabbed onto Stephen, halting his stumbling. “Easy, easy. I’ve got you.” Tony hushed. He wound his arms around Stephen’s waist, holding his shaking frame until the man managed to get a better hold of himself. Even then he kept his arms firmly in place.

 Stephen gripped at Tony’s shoulders, fingers clenching around the mechanics damp undershirt. He eased up only a little once he was sure Tony wasn’t going to move away. “What happened?” He managed to squeeze out around haggard breaths. As he started settling down, more questions started assaulting his brain. “Where are we? How did I get here?- Did I just kill that guy!?”

 Tony tightened his hands on Stephen’s sides, giving a little squeeze in hopes of grounding the man as he said slowly, “Hey, just take some breaths for me, ok? I will explain everything, I promise.” He nodded as he spoke, watching the doctor’s eyes carefully for signs he was registering what was being said. He gave a smile when he got a tentative nod in reply. 

 Stephen closed his eyes and did as Tony asked, taking in careful breaths. He focused on the brush of the hero's thumbs rubbing soothing circles just above his hips. He also started taking further note of how he was feeling. There were aches that lingered in his arms, legs, and especially his hands, that weren’t there the last time he remembered. His head was swimming in a fog, a fog that felt like scorching steam. Gods, was he always this hot? Or was it due to the fire blazing around them? 

 “That’s it. How’re you feeling, Stephen?”

 Stephen sighed. “Like I’ve been run over by a truck.” He laughed with no real humor. 

 “I mean, you’re not too far off.” Tony winced. “First, there is something I need to tell you.”

 “Well that’s not alarming at all.” Stephen frowned. 

 “What’s the last thing you remember?” Tony reached a hand up between the two of them to grab hold of Stephen’s cheek. He rubbed his thumb over the man’s tantalizing cheekbones and waited until Stephen met his gaze. 

 “I was driving home and some van drove me off the road. I must have been knocked out.” Stephen struggled to remember anything more but nothing came to mind. He leaned into the soft touch and Tony’s hand.

 “Right, ok.” Tony nodded. “So don’t freak out but you were hurt like- really bad in that crash, Stephen. Killian’s men took you and they gave you Extremis.” 

 Stephen jolted back like he’d just been slapped. He looked down at his relatively fine looking body, he didn’t look like he’d sustained any injuries. He tentatively pulled his hands from Tony’s shoulders and examined his shaking digits. He could faintly see what looked like scars along the backs of his fingers.

 “The majority of your injuries have healed from the chemical-”

 “But it’s still inside me.” Stephen finished nervously. “Am I gonna- What’s going to happen to me?” His brain very kindly started recalling those testing videos he’d seen Tony watching at the farm. Was he going to explode? Gods he really didn’t want to be a hot pocket. For all he knew he had hours before the fireworks would go off, maybe minutes. Did he need to back away from Tony? He didn’t want to hurt the man.

 As if sensing the oncoming maelstrom brewing inside Stephen, Tony moved his hand from the man’s cheek to rake through his hair. “Nothing! I promise. I’ve already got people working on a cure, you’ll be fixed up before you even know it.” He swore, tucking some stray hairs away from Stephen’s face.”You’re going to be fine.”

 Fine seemed relative. Stephen wasn’t sure he’d be completely fine anytime soon. How did hero’s do this all the time? This living on the edge, juggling your life for the sake of others, it was all so draining. This was honestly the most action he’s had his entire life, and he was pretty sure he was tapped out from here on. 

 “What happened to Killian?” Stephen asked cautiously.

 Tony lowered his hand from Stephen’s hair and placed it gently back on the man’s waist. He looked over his shoulder and nodded towards the scorch marks on the ground. “That guy you jousted into the building? Yea that was him.”

 Stephen followed Tony’s line of sight. There was nothing left but a blazing fire and broken equipment. Somewhere in that raging inferno was a rotting Aldrich Killian. “Is he-”

 “Probably…” Tony shrugged. He turned back to catch the doctor’s gaze again with a reassuring smile. “Don’t sweat it, Doc. The guy was a literal terrorist and about to rip my head off. I think I owe you one. Actually, I think I owe you many ones.”

 “You can start by getting us the hell out of here.” Stephen countered. He could also really go for a drink.

 “That- yea we should definitely do that.”

 …….

 It was a quiet afternoon on the farm. One of those breezy days where the wind rustled the leaves and grass just right, bringing about a little nature made melody. The sun played peekaboo around fluffy white clouds, warming the land just enough to not be unbearable. 

 Stephen sat far off in the field under a towering old oak tree. Laying on his propped up knees was a book and off to the side of him was a little basket covered by a checkered towel. It’d been a while since he had a moment of peace like this, left alone to his own devices. He could just sit here, breathing in the fresh scent of nature and just be. 

 Naturally the metallic hum of repulsors overhead had to interrupt the sanctuary Stephen had made for himself. It lasted only a minute before there was a solid thud followed by the shifting of metal on metal, and then all was quiet except for the soft crunch of shoes on grass. Stephen didn’t even bother looking up from his book when a warm weight suddenly dropped beside him. His shoulder was jostled as the peace intruder shifted against the tree and nudged their way closer. 

 Stephen eyed the hand that was sneaking over his thigh and making tip-toe like steps with each finger. They stopped a breaths width from his hand, then oh so gently started tracing lines along the back of his fingers. The touch brought a fond little smile to Stephen’s face. 

 It’d been a little over a month since Extremis had officially vacated the doctor’s body. It was by far not an enjoyable process, but Stephen couldn’t complain about the company he got through it. Despite having a destroyed house to deal with and all the business that came with being a superhero, Tony spent nearly the whole time by Stephen’s side. When Stephen wasn’t being poked and prodded in the lab, he was given free rein of Tony’s private quarters in the tower. Together they watched movies, ate nice food, and spent long afternoons just chatting. It was a nice change of pace to all the chaos they’d been through previously. 

 Now, a month later, and all that was left to remember the event was a slight tremor in Stephen’s hands. The nerve damage done by the car crash hadn’t healed properly and apparently never would. Tony was very conscious of this fact and took extra care around his hands. The man had tried to solve the issue numerous times but nothing had helped. Stephen had also looked into countless remedies but alas, no luck. 

 Closing his book, Stephen surrendered his hand over to Tony. Their fingers tangled together in a loose hold. “Hello, Tony.” 

 “Hey, Doc.” Tony greeted with absolute delight. He was giving Stephen a goofy little smile when the man turned to look at him. “Did you bring the goods?” He asked, wiggling his brows. 

 Stephen snorted at the display and reached over with his other hand to grab the basket he had sitting beside him. He plopped the wicker object onto the mechanic’s lap and had to press his lips together to stop from grinning at Tony’s beaming expression. 

 Tony’s feet rocked back and forth in front of him and fingers wiggled as he ripped away the cloth cover. “Yay!” He sang and scooped up a slightly wonky looking hazelnut cookie, courtesy of granny Mabel. What they lacked in appearance they more than made up for in flavor. 

 When news got out about Stephen’s “car accident” and subsequent recovery time spent with Tony, the residents of Rose Hill had started sending get well gifts the doctors way. One of those many gifts was a batch of Mabel’s finest baked goods. Tony had taken one bite and hadn’t been the same since. Now whenever the elderly lady knows Tony is going to be paying a visit, she makes sure to have a batch ready to go. 

 And that’s the thing isn’t it? Tony visiting. It’s happened at least once a week, every week since Stephen had returned home. The mechanic will hop into his suit and fly off to the farm at random intervals, much to the confusion of those closest to him. Often they’ll plan these meetings, a lunch here or a movie night there. But Tony has also gotten into the habit of just dropping by whenever he wants - as though he doesn’t have to fly across several states to get there. He always claims to be bored, but Stephen can tell beneath the aloof exterior, the man is just trying to escape his wandering mind.

 Sometimes Stephen thinks Tony is just paranoid of things happening to the doctor. That he just needs to check and make sure with his own eyes that Stephen hasn’t been tossed in a ditch or kidnapped by the latest baddie. Other times, Stephen thinks the man just misses his company. Either way, it is heartwarming to hear repulsors flying overhead. 

 Who knew one day Stephen’s heart would skip beats to the sound of Tony Stark outside his window. 

 Stephen watched in amusement as Tony scarfed down cookie after cookie with little to no restraint. By the time he’d had his fill, the man was looking a little green. “You’re a menace.” Stephen rolled his eyes. 

 In answer, Tony slid down to rest his head on Stephen’s lap. He sighed dramatically and dropped his hands onto his stomach like a satisfied cat stretching out in the sun. “You can’t expect me to stop at one.”

 “Five maybe.” Stephen argued. He settled one hand on Tony’s chest while his other began gently combing through the man’s hair. 

 “I did stop at five, so I am well within my rights!” Tony closed his eyes, taking in the lovely breeze and calming brush of fingers toying with his hair. He reached up to lay his hand over Stephen’s on his chest. “How’re you, Stephenie?” He asked into the quiet space between them. 

 Stephen hummed, he could tell the question was centered at his hands. Lifting a finger to run along Tony’s palm he said, “I might be onto something.”

 “Oh?” The mechanic quirked a brow but didn’t open his eyes. 

 “Only issue is it’s in Nepal.” 

 That got Tony to crack open an eye with a dubious expression, “Please don’t accidentally join any cults.” 

 Stephen honestly didn’t expect anything other than that response, even he was skeptical. “I think I’d make a great cult leader.” He mused.

 “Yea, you would.” Tony agreed easily. “That’s the problem. You’d get all these beautiful wives and have no time for me!” 

 “Ohh, so it’s not that you’re worried about me getting stuck in a cult, it’s that it would take up all my available time for you.” Stephen grinned. What a ridiculous man. 

 “Exactly.” Tony nodded. “I am just looking out for priority number one, me.”

 “You’re insufferable.” Stephen adored him.

 “You love it.” Tony shrugged as though it was the most common knowledge in the world. And maybe it was. Stephen wasn’t sure he could pinpoint exactly when that started being a thing. If he was being honest with himself he wouldn’t change their little back and forth bickering for anything in the world. He did love it. Gods, Stephen thought maybe he even loved Tony. And wasn’t that something?

 “Heaven knows why.” Stephen sighed. Knocking his head back against the tree trunk behind him, he looked up to the sky as if the answers would be written there. Meanwhile, Tony had gone back to closing his eyes and relaxing into Stephen’s hands.  

 “Some people say I am quite charming.”

 Stephen snorted and looked back down at his sleepy companion. It was a rare and beautiful thing to see the man so at ease, not worrying about the next meeting or alien invasion. The tension wrinkles were smoothed over and the pouty little frown he often wore was wiped away. He looked so peaceful. Stephen leaned down and placed a feather light kiss against the mechanic’s forehead. “You’re something alright.” He whispered against Tony’s skin.

 Always the opportunist, Tony tilted his head back to catch the doctor’s lips with his own. It was an odd angle, but they hardly minded, too caught up in the sweet sensation of being close. It lasted only a moment, but that’s all that was needed to warm their steady hearts. With soft smiles, they rested their heads together and let the delicate sounds of the farm envelope them.

The End.

[bcdwhcre]

That AOT fic u wrote for me was *chef’s kiss* expect many fluff Levi requests from me in the future. I want domestic man, Levi’s (secret) kids coming to visit him at the squadron 😔🤚🏻

“Family Man,” Levi x Reader

A/N: thank you🥺 I enjoyed writing it and I really liked the idea you requested!

Summary: where Levi is a family man and the scouts end up finding out when his kids randomly come to visit him.

Warnings!: none, season 1-2 Levi for ya

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Levi was a very hard nut to crack, no one really truly knows him and the soft shell he has underneath. It had taken a lot of time for him to even consider having kids, he honestly didn’t want to think about bringing a child into the world he looks at as hell and he didn’t want his children to carry that burden.

But one day it happened out of the blue, you were pregnant and it had taken Levi until the birth of your first boy for him to be convinced that he is now a father. Once his eyes laid upon his small child that slept in his arms, the baby barely an hour old and Levi completely fell in love.

You never seen Levi so over protective until your son was born. It was like he changed into a completely different person and with that, he suddenly became a family man. The long days of him being a prick to everyone was worth it to come home to laughter and smiles.

Two years after your son was born, you ended up birthing your second boy and Levi was over the moon to the point where he was definitely their favorite parent. Some nights you would find him sleeping in your bed with both boys cuddled up to him and some days you would catch Levi making fake car noises as he played.

But while Levi went to work, he had never told anyone about his personal life. About his wife nor his kids that he would leave back at home. It’s not like he wanted to keep them a secret or keep them hidden, he just felt like leaving his life private was the safest thing to do.

As years flashed by, both boys 10 and 8 years old, you noticed how much of Levi was in the both of them. They would go out, explore the town and always had you on your toes.

One day in particular, you had brought them out in the town to put up items you needed. In the past, you have showed them where their father would work but never have you stepped inside or bothered any of the scouts, especially Levi. You made sure to not let him see the three of you walk by.

The boys, however, remembered where exactly their father worked at. They were fascinated and they definitely looked up to Levi more than you could possibly imagine and that left their curious minds wondering about what the inside looked like.

As your back was turned for merely a second, both boys had ran off, hand in hand straight for their fathers base. When you finally looked behind you, you cursed under your breath and tried to run after them.

Levi was outside, he had his cadets lined up as he strictly gave them orders to do around the base such as cleaning, attending to the horses and more until he heard screaming laughter in the distance.

“Daddy!” One of the boys shouted, getting his attention quickly as the two kids happily ran over.

“Daddy?” Eren repeated, looking around and landed on the children as they ran up to Levi, instantly hugging his legs.

“What are you doing here?” Levi kneeled down, looking at both boys and their goofy grins, making him crack a small smile.

The cadets stood there, frozen in place as you finally caught up and tried to catch your breath. Levi’s eyes met with yours and he didn’t want to say it or look like it but he was upset underneath it all. He couldn’t believe you would be as careless as to let your two children run here let alone know what this place was.

“I’m so sorry, they ran when I wasn’t looking.” You tried to give a apologetic look and he nodded his head, looking down as the boys shot many questions his way about his work and what it was like.

“Since when was Levi a dad?” Armin whispered towards Eren and he shook his head, the look of confusion written all over their faces.

“You’re dismissed, cadets.” Levi shot them a glare, making them scatter off to do their jobs they were assigned to do.

Levi stood up straight, he tried not to be annoyed, his greatest blessings were standing before him and he tried to not let it bother him. This day would’ve happened sooner or later, he had to think about this as something positive.

“Come on, I’ll show you the horses.” Levi grabbed both boys hands and walked where the horses were, letting them both sit on his horse as he walked it around in a circle.

You had stood close by, watching and the smile on Levi’s face had proven that he couldn’t stay angry at the children for long. They would always make him smile towards the end of the day and as he watched them laugh and have fun riding his horse and seeing where their dad worked, he was more than happy.

The scouts ended up peaking out the window to look at Levi and the side of him that they were seeing before their very eyes had shocked them all. All their mouths were parted open and they all glanced at each other like they were in a dream or alternate universe where Levi was actually a happy man.

Once the sun started to set, you had to pry the boys away from their father to let him finish working. Levi was quick to kiss his sons goodbye, giving you a kiss on the cheek afterwards.

“I’m sorry.” You mentioned again, making him shake his head repeatedly.

“Don’t be, it was great having them here, it made my day.” Levi had reassured you, tucking the strand of hair behind your ear and gave you a small smile.

After that, all three of you were sent off to go back home so you could prepare dinner and get the kids ready for bed. The entire walk home both of them rambled on about them riding Levi’s horse and seeing the inside of the base.

You couldn’t help but feel your heart ache from the amount of happiness you felt. You had ruffled their dark hair that sat on their heads, letting them continue their story the whole way home.

Once Levi was now alone, walking into the base and looking around at all the scouts as they stared at him, all shocked and didn’t know what to say.

“I didn’t know you were such a family man, Captain.” Hange teased, nudging his side with her elbow and he rolled his eyes.

“Alright alright, you guys had your fun today but I don’t think I see this place spotless like I asked.” With that, all the cadets began to scatter again and finishing the cleaning they had to do.

Levi walked back to his office, a grunt leaving his lips but when he was alone behind his desk, he had glanced over at the small picture frame he kept on top of the four of them, a sudden happiness filling his heart.

.

.

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I tried my best 🥺 feel free to send in requestsssss, I’m also trying to get through the ones I have right now as fast as I can❤️

• Main Masterlist •

• AOT Masterlist •

[j-1z]

txt rising sign guesses

SOOBIN: Scorpio rising, maybe Capricorn

He mentioned somewhere he was born at dawn. I feel like across the board fellow astrology enthusiasts agree with this. Very introverted, Soobin has very, very intense and intimidating eyes that kind of feel like he’s staring right through you. I find that Scorpio placements look at you through their lashes, as if they’re looking up at you and I find that the Scorpio Moon line also does that to an extent (particularly Kai). Maybe this is something I’ve only noticed, but those with Scorpio and Pisces in their big three (more so Moon and rising) have this blank resting stare where they seem so spaced out with a little smile on their face, Soobin is no exception; there are a couple of group photoshoots I’ve noticed where TXT is doing some goofy stuff and Soob just seems so happy and blissed to be there.

This ASC would land Pluto in the 1st house, a placement that gives the quality of a Scorpio rising, so this effect is doubled in Soobin’s chart. His moon would be in Pisces in the 4th house; natives with this placement have a very significant relationship with their moms. Recently, I remember seeing that list of 20 things Soobin’s mom wrote about him and thinking to myself how that just makes sense according to his moon placement, it was just so. Sweet.

His chart ruler would end up being his Libra Mars in the 11th house, taking a bit of the edge off of his Scorpio rising and Pluto in the 1st. He seems to come off very polite and friendly once you get into talking to him, I think he’s a bit more approachable for that reason.

YEONJUN: Leo rising, Libra rising?

Also mentioned that he was born at dawn. I feel like Leo seems like the obvious choice - he has The Hair, the scowl and that fiery energy about him. I thought maybe if he had a Libra rising, it would make Leo Venus his chart ruler, which could give those characteristics with a fairy-like edge. But since he’s very scowl-y and that energy is so pronounced, I lean towards Leo rising. His resting face is very hard, not in a scary way, but it almost reminds me of a grumpy cat - very feline. The way he can change his expressions in an almost immediate, comedic manner is something I’ve noticed in Leo risings too, very animated.

This would make his chart ruler Virgo Sun in the 2nd house, giving him some Taurus qualities. I did a tarot reading for TXT awhile back where I had mentioned Yeonjun seems very Scorpionic to me and I think this is the reason. I’ve noticed strong Taurus placements are very similar to strong Scorpio placements.

BEOMGYU: Gemini rising

No confirmed birth time, but this would make his chart ruler Aquarius Mercury in the 10th house and I believe in Beomgyu Aqua Mercury Chart Ruler Supremacy. He says such odd stuff in the best way possible and the way he speaks is very meticulous and thoughtful. This would place the majority of his planets in the upper part of the chart, making him more extroverted and part of the reason why he’s the mood-maker.

Gemini risings are very quick moving with pointed gestures. Very dollish, kind of Barbie-eqsue proportions no matter the height or weight. Also a wider torso, all things I’ve noticed with Gyu. They’re also pretty chatty when given the chance.

TAEHYUN: Virgo or Gemini rising

No confirmed birth time but I think if his chart ruler isn’t his Capricorn Mercury in the 8th house I’ll quit studying astrology /j. I read something that those with prominent Capricorn/Virgo placements have these dead, but wide eyes and Taehyun is literally 👁👁. Very cerebral, the fact that he says that he thinks about his problems logically makes me think it’s more than just his Aquarius placements. He dresses very smart but comfy, which I notice among prominent Earth placements. Very clean cut features and comes off a bit more obviously reserved.

HUENINGKAI: Confirmed Pisces rising

7:47pm birth time. Such sleepy eyes, he always looks like he can fall asleep. Kai also has that blank resting face with the little smile that Soobin gets. Members have said he looks like he’s made of CGI, like a fairy. Pisces rising’s look like they belong in the Tinkerbell animated movie. Water signs in the big three give natives very prominent eyes; adding his Scorpio moon, I think the mesmerizing eyes comment Kai gets makes sense.

Chart ruler is Leo Jupiter in the 5th house - so incredibly Leonine and because the planet of his chart ruler (Jupiter) also rules his Pisces rising, I think he’s quite a bit more Pisces-like as well. Although Leo’s get the rap of being very outgoing, center of attention types, I find that August Leo’s are more reserved than those in July. Of course, other planets factor in, but I believe it’s because of the Virgo placements that start to move in. Kai’s Virgo Mercury is harshly aspected (which, btw, isn’t a bad thing, astrology is always a guide for how to help yourself and it isn’t something that makes or breaks you) and is opposite his rising. Add that to his 12th house placements, he’s actually much more reserved than he seems; his prominent Leo placements are what puts him out there. He probably gets told he’s a great listener and would like to keep it that way, rather than talk about his own feelings.

[skellebonez]

Happy Birthday Winter!

Hey @winterpower98 it's your birthday! I really hope you enjoy this, I know I had a ton of fun writing it for you! Actor AU is one of my favorite AUs you've made and coming back to play around with it again was a blast and a half!

Painter MK cackled, taking the brushes filled with bright pink paint into his fists.

“Yes, yes!” He exclaimed, brushing them against his cheeks and bringing another to run up the center of his face. “The art is-OW! OW, THE ART IS IN MY EYE!”

“Cut!” The director yelled, bringing the entire film production to a halt in an instant. “Xiaotian, what happened?”

The young actor dropped the paintbrushes into the hands of a stage worker to rushed over to help him, one hand covering his right eye as he tried to keep himself from laughing. “I think some of it splashed when I waved the brush at my face. I guess the art really IS-”

“Don’t say it,” Heshang said from the other side of the set, doing his best not to join his co-star in laughter.

“-seeping into my pores!”

The entire cast and crew groaned as Xiaotian cackled again, with a few added ows, before another stage hand came by with a bottle of water.

~3…2…1~

“Uh…” Xiaojiao pulled, attempting to pull the prop sword from above her head out of the wall only to be met with… a lot more resistance than should probably be there. “UH…? It’s stuck?”

She stood, attempting to pull it out normally only to be met with just as much resistance.

“It’s stuck!” She laughed, out, bracing a foot on the wall with no change.

“Let me try,” General Ironclad, or rather Red in the costume of General Ironclad for the episode, offered, attempting to do the same with the exact same result as his co-star. “What did you use to hold this in place? Cement!?”

“It should have only been stuck in with force!” A stage hand yelled as Xiaotian and Heshang joined in, both failing to pull the sword out from the false wall and Heshang nearly toppling over backwards with his additional costume pieces.

“Whoever stuck that in there needs to be moved to making sure the safety equipment stays connected!” Xiaotian offered, watching as even more people tried to remove the sword. “That is not coming out.”

~3…2…1~

Heshang held Mo in his arms, waltzing around the set as he waited for places to be called for with the shockingly content feline in his arms.

~3…2…1~

“You are selling beautiful vegetables today?” Pigsy said, leaning over the the display to give an awkward smile to the disguised Spider Queen.

Tang looked over the produce from where he knelt, looking back up at his companion with a concerned and confused look. “Are you… a-are-PFT-FUCK.”

Everyone on set burst into laughter as Tang did, both of his fellow actors holding back from laughing themselves.

“Why is it this line!?” Tang yelled in frustration as he continued laughing. “It’s not a hard line! I wrote this line! Why do I keep laughing at the last word!?”

“Maybe if Ganglie wasn’t making goo-goo eyes at me you’d keep straight face,” Zhi-Zhu Jing managed to get out through her laughter.

“That’d be the only thing straight about me.”

~3…2…1~

Dicky Cheung, or the actual Sun Wukong disguised as a human actor in full costume of himself, took a running leap and jumped onto the counter of Pigsy’s noodles, sliding to a perfect stop with a wink toward the camera.

~3…2…1~

“MK, there’s something I wanted to tell you…” Mei said, looking at MK with sparkles in her eyes before snickering. “Stop looking at me like that, it’s hard enough to keep a straight face during this scene!”

“Sorry!” Xiaotian yelled to the camera. “I can’t help it! How are Jin and Yin this wrong about these two in the show?”

“Himbos!” was the shouted answer from Tang at the other end of the set.

~3…2…1~

“One of the rare talents that no one knew the great Sun Wukong possessed…” Xiaojiao said ominously, camera panning over to Mr. Cheung in full costume. “Surprisingly good peach juggling!”

“Gotta keep myself occupied somehow!” The actor laughed out, catching two peaches in either hand while the last one was caught perfectly in his mouth to the applause of everyone watching.

~3…2…1~

“Thanks for the Key los-AH!”

Red flung his arms wildly, key flying into the air as Tie Shan rushed forward and caught him just before he face planted into the ground.

“Mine!” Mr. Cheung yelled as he caught the key mid air and rushed through the frame.

“YOU’RE NOT EVEN IN THIS EPISODE!”

~3…2…1~

“Thank you… for giving me all o-ooh, whoa!” Lui Er Mihou, or unbeknownst to nearly all Six-Eared Macaque in disguise much the same way as Sun Wukong was, yelped as the cable that was supposed to gently raise him and make him look like he was floating yoinked him as good 4 feet off the ground way too fast. “That’s too much power!”

“SORRY!” The line operator shouted, fiddling with the controls. “Someone loaded the weight setting for Xiaotian into your line instead of yours.”

“I already feel bad enough treating him like garbage and beating him up in this role, this is just rubbing salt in the wound,” Liu Er muttered, leaning back and swinging limply much to the amusement of everyone who couldn’t hear him before raising his voice. “When will my beloved friend Sun Wukong come to rescue me?”

“SPEAK MY NAME AND I SHALL APPEAR!”

Liu Er yelped in surprise as Mr. Cheung rushed in and grabbed him from beneath to hold him bridal style with a shit eating grin. He couldn't help the flush on his cheeks in response.

“HOW DO YOU KEEP SHOWING UP IN SHOTS WHEN YOU AREN’T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE YET!?” The director yelled with more than a little amusement in his voice despite the disruption.

~3…2…1~

“You!” DBK said, rounding on Red Son. “You have brought me nothing but failure! Time and time again! I keep telling you I… shit, I can’t remember the next line when you look that sad, I am so sorry.”

“Nothing but disappointment?” Red offered helpfully, immediately breaking out of his downcast somber gaze to the floor with a wide smile.

“It is scary how fast you get in and out of character sometimes, kid,” Niu Mowang laughed out, clearly resisting the urge to ruffle the younger actor’s hair lest he ruin the styling job that took far too long every time they got dressed.

~3…2…1~

The White Bone Spirit stood at the entrance to the Silken Web Cave, looking at the camera before far too much time passed from when she was supposed to say he line. She moon walked backwards out of the frame without changing her expression one bit as the other actors devolved into cackles.

~3…2…1~

“The Year of the Spider starts tonight!” Spider Queen proclaimed from her high vantage point before she muttered something under her breathe, narrowing her gaze and then looking off to the side. “Or next year ‘cause I don’t remember my line.”

~3…2…1~

Huntsman slowly lowered into frame, upside down and gripping the rigging holding him up like Spiderman.

~3…2…1~

“Oh yeah?” Sun Wukong said, appearing in frame as he walked down the wall MK was embedded in. He grabbed his staff, yanking it out of the wall and jumped down and smacked the wall with it.

… only for it to go through the wall once again and crack it. Or, rather, the false wall that was on a tilted angle to make it look like he was talking down it, rather than a heavily slanted floor.

“I’m sorry!” Mr. Cheung yelled, looking at the damage he caused. “I must have hit at weak spot!”

He hoped no one noticed that when MK offered to get the prop staff for this shot and put it into the wall… he grabbed the real one by accident.

~3…2…1~

Nui Mowang held the little bird that was Wukong’s transformation stand in for one of the final scenes, gently petting the little head with a big goofy smile on his face.

~END~

The entire cast sat around on various travel tables right outside the small Lunar New Year Festival set they had set up, various extras that had answered the open invitation for the shoot going about and getting the free food that was available at the functional stalls provided by the catering they had hired.

It was an odd sight to see Red Son and Spider Queen and Sun Wukong and everyone else sitting around together, but Liu Er Mihou being there outside of his Macaque costume broke the illusion a little bit.

It was the final day of shooting for the season 2 opening special to Monkie Kid, Revenge of the Spider Queen, and everyone was there. Even people who didn’t have to come in wanted to give a temporary farewell to Tie Shan, Nui Mowang, and Red before season 2 proper began shooting. There was still a chance they could bebcalled in for bit roles, the scripts weren’t entirely finished yet, but as far as anyone knew the Demon Bull Family wasn’t going to be returning properly any time soon.

Maybe in season 3, Tang had teased, holding the begun scripts for that in his little tablet away from prying eyes. And they were always welcome to help out in bit roles, background characters or voice over or to use their other talents to work other jobs that were needed around the set.

But even before then it would be a while.

And so that’s how Red found himself sandwiched between Long Xiaojiao and Qi Xiaotian, with the newly added member of their quartet in her full White Bone Spirit costume hanging over his shoulder to watch the compilation that Xiaojiao had expertly edited on her phone for them all.

“The director gave me permission to use whatever I wanted and I though that… maybe we could all have it for ourselves,” Xiaojiao offered, pulling up the wireless transfer option on her phone. “To watch when we miss each other being on set together. I know we’re going to probably be back together with Red Son eventually! But…”

“I’ll miss shooting with you too,” Red said smiling softly as he pulled out his own phone to accept the file. “Hopefully Mr. Tang isn’t just teasing us about season 3.”

[thatmexisaurusrex]

My SamBucky Fantasy AU Masterlist

So, I've been thinking about posting a series of masterlists for a while, since I've sort of been accruing a variety of fics lately, so I thought I'd start with my SamBucky Fantasy AUs 🥰

So, HERE IS THE LIST, BY LENGTH:

1) Golden is the Sun (M, 41,221) - "Sam has seven days to find a spouse out of hundreds of suitors before he becomes king. He has no clue how he's going to choose a spouse, let alone run a city-state. But at least he's not the biggest mess at this week-long event. That title goes to the very entertaining James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes."

Golden is the Sun is the beginning of my "If We Are Celestial Bodies" series and just a really fun story filled with elaborate outfits and sublime forces of nature, all wrapped up in a subversion of the Arranged Marriage AU. Some might even call it a Democracy AU 😂

It's sequel, Vibrant is the Moon, is a touch more serious in tone, but is also great, and the series also has a retelling of one of the folktales I made for it called "The Merman and the Baker" as well as a series of ongoing side stories that didn't fit within the piece called "Orbiting Satellites". It really is a fun universe 🥰

2) His Wingless Angel (M, 21,714) - "Sam Wilson found the most peculiar thing in the forest under his floating city: a wingless man."

His Wingless angel is an expansion of a ficlet I wrote for SamBucky Halloween 2021 called "The Wingless Stranger". It's a blend of retro future ideas and Hayao Miyazaki fantasy that tells the story of 1940s Bucky falling into a different universe rather than being captured by HYDRA and how his relationship with Sam grows as he stays in that world.

It's a sweet, wondrous tale about a man learning how to live in a new land and two people falling in love.

3) Passing Through (M, 1,381) - Mysterious Conjurer Bucky washes up on the shore of Sam's home island of Delacroix. Sam realizes what he's been missing in his life - adventure - and decides to go with Bucky and his ominous friend Steve to face off with dark forces threatening the world.

I'm planning on expanding this one at some point into a full-on piece, possibly calling the expansion "The Alchemist Coast", but Passing Through was originally created for the Samtember 2021 event going on under the prompt "Fireflies".

It's a short ficlet filled with mystery, magic, and slice of life moments.

4) Oh, Siren Song (M, 1,179) - The tale of Siren!Sam encountering Pirate!Bucky.

This one I'm definitely thinking about expanding into something a little longer, maybe just a miniseries, but it was also created for the Samtember 2021 event under the prompt "wings" since older myths involving sirens described them as birdlike and with wings.

It's a fun, little goofy story, that ends on a sweet note 🥰

I'll probably do an updated version of this at some point, but these are all my Fantasy AUs thus far! I hope you enjoy them! 🥰

[clubtuan]

Sorry, I couldn’t get to you

Pairing: Do Kyungsoo x female reader

Genre: The chilling adventure of Sabrina!au /witch!au /ansgt a lot of it/ mention of Swing Kids/ fluff / suggestive

Prompt : « I make my own happiness, and I hope you can too » - Sabrina Morningstar

A/N: I finish CAOS and I miss Kyungsoo. And I have Roh Kisoo feelings so yeah this happened, my first scenarios with EXO. And I totally wrote this listening to ‘’Say Something’’ by A Great Big World 90% of the time.

Word count : 5k

Rain was heavily falling that night, and your familiar, a black cat sitting next to you purring. Life as 24 year old witch in Seoul, but still a single 24 year old, life wasn’t that boring it was just that people were always asking you to introduce them to your boyfriend.. Hell who needs a boyfriend when their cousin is the king of Hell, or when your family is the known as the most powerful witches in this damn country ?

The smoke of your tea was long gone as the liquid turned cold, but a burnt smell came to your nostrils .. Park Chanyeol, the king of the under and your cousin.

‘’Hello cousin.

For the love of Satan, Chanyeol!’’ He laughed and take the place right next to you, taking off his crown. ‘’Hell is hella boring without you’’ he sighed.

The only thing you wanted to answer him was how earth was also a boring playground without him, and how Junmyeon wasn’t helping cause he probably was busy running the Academy of Unseen Arts.

You sighed, humans weren’t funny, working wasn’t funny, and plus your feet hurt, from working in Minseok’s small cafe. ‘’You’re a real drama queen Y/N’’ Said Chanyeol before readjusting his black oversized opened dress shirt. ‘’Go to a club, find a cute or bad boy looking guy and have some fun’’ He said picking up his bloody crown.

You couldn’t believe it, even your cousin was asking you to get .. well for the moment a one night stand, but still asking you to find a ‘someone’ ..

‘’Uh and before I forget honey, you may be a witch but black isn’t our only option here’ He disappeared before you could kill him or throw a pillow to his face.’’ -Unbelievable, was all you said after his exit.

You scanned your shelves full of spell books, ‘dark magic : a witchy way with demons’, other books about demons and others creatures you had to deal with, a big brown book caught your eyes and you smirk taking it in your hands. ‘’Boyfriend, here we meet’’ your cat meow looking at you ‘’I know buddy, but everyone says I should have someone so ..’’

To be real witches and wizards are known to have sex demons, and huge sexual orgies from time to time .. seriously what is the problem with witches and sex ?

Oh yeah Lilith was !

You find yourself in the bathroom that night, sculpting your future boyfriend in the wax of a few red candles. abs ? Check ! Cute looking butt ? Check ! Good look ? Check. Nice ?Also check !

‘’Let the doll sit in hot water for one to two days and your lover will be yours’’ you read out of the book.

The bathtub was full and ready, and your were casting the spell asking yourself the hell you were doing.

You clearly fell asleep, waiting to your full tub to see if anything would change .. but nope nothing really changed except the size of the wax doll, which was now a lot larger and not much looking like wax. Work was starting for another few hours but someone was ringing at your door at 9am. And the same someone didn’t wait for you to entered your apartment.

‘’Y/N? We know you’re here, the cat told us.’’ Aunties !

You exited your bathroom closing your door, they didn’t need to see your future love spell laying in hot water with rose petals !

‘’Aunties hi!’’ They both looked at you as if you were insane, well you totally looked like at the moment, your oversized black shirt, and dried mascara under your eyes !

‘’What are you doing ?’’

I’m creating my own boyfriend, cause people I work with, or I’m friend with ask me about my love life 24/7 .. nah you shouldn’t say that to your aunts or else they’ll kill you ..

‘’Nothing Aunt Zee ! I just need coffee cause I .. I .. Yeah coffee !’’

Both of your aunts looked at each other, but not in the suspicious way you tried to avoid, thanks Dark Lord ! ‘’Your cousin, ..’’ Aunt H started but you clearly were not listening to them. Looking at you bathroom door asking yourself a lot of question, does he has a name or you had to give him one ?

‘’Aunties, if you create someone out of .. never mind’’ you stopped yourself, they didn’t need to suspect you and your future « man »?

And the fact you wanted them out of here .. fast ! No need for them to see a stranger getting out of one of your rooms probably naked and confused !

You were bored to wait for anything to happen, and plus you received a text.

JUNMYEON:

You small witch, don’t forget about the Coven party in 2 days.

If you’re not here, I’ll kill u under the full moon babe xox

What a best friend ! You once again totally forgot about this little Coven thing at Minseok cafe he was hosting with Baekhyun.

Witches parties were always too much, even more if Byun Baekhyun was the one throwing the said party. Going back to the 50s (like literally), ghosts ..

To be honest you wanted your Saturday night to be a rerun of « Sabrina, the teenage witch » under a plaid on your couch with pizza, beer and tteokbokki, not a extravagant party with all your Coven.

BAEKHYUNIE:

Get ready for the night of your witchy spicy life, cause your god fairy mother (me!!)

got some friend who are single & ready to mingle !

YOU:

Baek, no more weird goblin or any magical creatures !

Plus you are late I’ve a date !

His only response was a few shocked emojis, and a few seconds later another text : I’m behind your door with food !

But Baekhyun, being Baekhyun he didn’t ring the bell and come into your home with a huge goofy smile on his lips.

‘’Don’t look at me like that, I’ve got your fav’’

Why everybody was coming to visit you today ? Normally your apartment was cozy and calm .. but not today ! For Satan’s love !

Baekhyun was one of your closest friend, but also a dark fairy and Chanyeol’s right arm.

And fairies loves to party way too much, it was in their personality ! But the cutest thing was his pointy ears.

‘’ So, my lil friend got herself a date ?’’

And fairy were all about gossips! You simply smiled and nodded at your friend. No need to say too much !

‘’Sooo ..’’ You tried to start another conversation ‘’ How is hell today ?’’

He lifted one of his eyebrow ‘’ Yeol was here last night, don’t try to escape my questions woman’’

Maybe you should have stuff your mouth with rice and onions !

Your fairy friend talked and talked, asking you a few questions about your date for the party. You nodded and made a few ‘’oh!’’ ‘’mhmm’’ but must importantly you were eating and trying to avoid his questions.

Until that one moment when Baekhyun suddenly stopped talking, and was looking behind you his mouth wide open.

‘’Sorry babe, I was a bit long’’

Babe ? You turned in your sit and your eyes dropped to a towel, one of your black towel hanging low on some hips, well defined hips to say, and as your eyes were going up to see who that was, you followed a happy trail, your mouth watered at the sight, happy trail being one of your weakness in a man. After his define stomach and sun kissed glowing skin. His heart shaped lips looked so kissable and full, his dark eyes hided behind tick black frame of glasses. God he was beautiful, more than that to be honest, his voice sounded like honey to your ears, his cute hand slowly scratching the back of his head. You watched a few drop of water running on his chest.

Next you saw a lot of beauty marks on his naked skin, a galaxy of beauty marks. The man got you hypnotized with one sentence, this spell was something !

‘’Hey, you must be Baekhyun ! Y/N told me about you’’ you were drinking his every words just like Baekhyun was. ‘’I’m Do Kyungsoo’’

Dark lord even his name sounded so heavenly (damn for a dark lord follower, you think a lot about heaven right now), after his introduction he excused himself to get dress.

‘’Is this your date ?’’ Murmured Baekhyun with too much excitement ‘’Damn girl you just hit the lotto !’’

Your first few days with Kyungsoo was surprisingly good, he already known a lot about you. Because to created him you dropped some drops of blood in the potion.

You asked silly questions to Kyungsoo, just to get to know him better: ‘’Bubble tea or Iced coffee ?’’ sure he was your creation but he still has his own personality. Your afternoon been filled with laughs, his hand in your hair, under your shirt, and finally you naked on top of him. His hands on your hips left some marks just like his plump lips and teeth drew love bites on your collarbone and others behind your ear. Your long black nails left marks on his back from the pleasure .. hell this man gonna be the end of your sanity !

‘’I’m glad you bring me to life’’ his arm was wrapped around your waist, and his lips continued their way in the back on your neck. You never expect anything with this incantation, you never expect the perfect man to came to life in your bathtub but here you were laying under your sheet naked, with Kyungsoo showing his love to you. Drawing abstract shapes on your skin, following your own moles creating a galaxy with his fingers.

Your friends and family were totally shocked to see him next to you, the Saturday night at the Coven party.

Even your aunt fell under his spell, and Chanyeol almost gave him his throne. Kyungsoo always had an answer to every questions about your relationship, his hand never left your side that night, or you find his lips on your cheek every other times.

Do Kyungsoo might be the result of your spell, but you totally were under his.

Days with Kyungsoo were sweet, full of adventures and funny. Sex was insanely good, (yes might be a witch thing but thanks Lilith) the feeling of his hand tracing your body, or even his lips on your skin. Or just his eyes on you were making you feel like the most wanted woman on the earth, Kyungsoo has his ways.

His moles were your favorite thing to kiss after his pillowy lips, but the must was the little mole on his top lip. And for Kyungsoo his lips found their home right under your breast, on ink saying ‘Witch’ he always said your tattoo was full of sarcasm.

Were you suppose to fall to your own creation ?

Your cat was laying on your bed, his head in Kyungsoo’s hand as his was caressing him. You watched him laying underneath your sheet, his chest on full display as your bedding was on his hips hiding a bit of his nakedness. ‘’You know I think he quite like you’’ you said to him ‘’Yeah he is purring, and I like him too .. he is like a part of you’’

You smiled looking at them, the sun was hitting Kyungsoo’s skin in all the right place making you craving him again, on the spot. His skin against yours, his finger interlaced with yours, his low groans .. he was hotter than hell.

Your black familiar exited the room as soon as you found a place on your mattress. ‘’You look cute with my shirt on’’ his hands traveled under the cotton of the shirt, tracing the shape of your chest. He smelled so nice just like lavender and woodland (a/n: if you ever smelled ‘autumn night’ by yankee candle this is the smell I’m talking about), everything about him was comforting, cozy and making you feel somehow safe. His lips right underneath your left ear, his right hand playing with the side of your black laced panty.

He was addicting just like a drug, now he was in your life you couldn’t imagine not having him anymore. Kyungsoo became a part of you, like a missing piece of puzzle and thanks to magic you finally completed the puzzle.

The way he made you feel was crazy, almost too crazy to be real. His breath hitting your neck made you moan even more than his hands running your body, and his length hitting every spots.

Days were brighter than before, spring was almost there cherry blossom were about to bloom, just like you now. And the night getting warmer but for once your bed felt empty and kind of cold without the raven haired boy sleeping next to you.

‘’Y/N ! ARE YOU ISANE ????’’

You woke up to Chanyeol screaming and tearing off his black hair. ‘’Yeol it’s 3 am, the fuck you want now ?’’ You asked, ready to kill him.

‘’Do Kyungsoo ? Huh ?? More like Roh Kisoo ! I can’t believe you invoke a freaking ghost to pretend to be your fucking fuck buddy’’

What ? A ghost ? Fuck buddy ? You were lost, totally lost and you cousin still panicked in front of your bed. ‘’ A ghost, what ? Who’s a ghost ?’’ He sighed loudly. ‘’Cousin, the aunties will legit kill you’’

Your only question was ‘who the fuck is Roh Kisoo ?’ He sighed once again before showing a beige folder (there’s folder in hell ? Anyway that is not the question)

‘’Cousin, he is dead, Do Kyungsoo isn’t real his name was Roh Kisoo, North Korean soldier. He used to tap dance, he was killed because he was about to kill an American soldier on stage’’

You couldn’t believe what Chanyeol was telling you .. you did not invoke a dead soldier, you created him out of wax. ‘’Chanyeol .. I created him. I do not fuck with dead’’

He stopped all his talking to look at you, dead in the eyes (no joke here). Your knees were against your chest as you sit on your mattress, ‘’He lied to me’’ you said softly. Your eyes filled with tears, you couldn’t believe you fell in love with your creation but he seemed so human, probably too human you were now thinking .. cause he been alive once.

Chanyeol wrapped his arms around you, even the king of hell could not bear to see his cousin and best friend crying. ‘’Love, do-does his heart beat ?’’ You looked up at him not really understanding why would it change if his heart was beating or not ? ‘’ If his heart beat, it means two things .. one he has feeling for you and second h-he .. he would become human, 100% human once again and believe his past life is just a dream .. Well his memories of the war and all being a dream’’

‘’And y/n..’’ He started again ‘’ you were in his past life .. his lover actually even if he never confessed or anything to you he loved you as Roh Kisoo .. that’s why he came to you as you created him’’

He put his hands on your eyes, and suddenly flashes of images, of him with shaved hair, kaki clothes, tap dancing, working on things, him stealing a kiss, stealing one of your kiss I the board of daylight, your death with two others persons you didn’t know and finally his own death.

The perk of being the king of hell was having ‘infos’ about people’s previous lives, and Chanyeol was shoving you Kyungsoo past life.

After your cousin exit, you didn’t sleep that night. You felt so small at the time watching the night lights by your window, thinking about everything that happened for the last two months of your life.. getting him, feeling happy and in love (a thing you never felt or lived before), how were you supposed to say all these things to Kyungsoo ?

Were you supposed to giving him up ? Send him back (yeah but were ?) ? Make him human ?

That morning Junmyeon made fun of you ‘looking like a panda’.

‘’ Y/N ?’’ He been calling your name for the last five minutes but your mind was anywhere but in Minseok’s cafe, jumping from memories to memories you created for the last 2 months.

The light was hitting your living room, a cup of coffee in your hand as you sit on your couch right next to Kyungsoo who was reading one your book. At the time everything felt right, as you were looking at him forgetting your cup in your hands, trying to find a single thing on him that was wrong .. but nothing was wrong.

‘’You know, I’ll not disappear love’’ you chuckled at his words, fearing that yes someday he’ll be gone.

His hand find it place on your knee, and his lips on your temple was comforting you and made you blush as a teenager.

At the time everything was simpler, you needed help .. but from who ?

You couldn’t bear to see Kyungsoo, not knowing how you’ll react in front of him, what to tell him, would you kiss him ? Let him make love to you ? Slap him ? Fall apart ? Break his heart ? (you didn’t know if his heart was beating .. if he was human or just the memory of his past life in wax)

YOU:

We need to talk aunties.

You were adult and you needed to face your mistakes, and you were finally doing it. The drive to your aunt’s was the longest it ever was and you felt heavy.

You spent a long time sitting in your car before entering the house, feeling a lot of shame, heartbroken, facing your mistake was harder than expected.

The second you saw your aunts you couldn’t keep your feelings together and start crying.

‘’ Chanyeol told us Y/N and even if your aunt wanted to scold you .. it’s not right to do now’’ started one of your aunt.

Aunt Zee was smoking but not saying anything, you knew she was disappointed. You felt totally out of place if you teleport yourself in a volcano you would to it right away.

‘’ I suppose Chanyeol explain you, the two options you have ?’’ Was Aunt Zee first worlds, you nodded.

‘’ If his heart beat or not, I could send him back or I can make him human.. ’’ your were stop by Aunt H ‘’ If you make him human, you know he’ll not remember you and what you both lived’’

Hearing that broke your heart even more, he couldn’t forget you if wasn’t right.

‘’ But he will kind of stay connected to you, as he has a part of you being your magic. So he is and will be a wizard.’’ Said your second aunt.

All you needed was time, a thing you didn’t have. One last time with him before choosing send him back or making him human and forget everything about you.

‘’But most important if his heart is beating, your trace will forever haunt him. Without him know why and who you are, love’’ said Aunt H, caressing your arm as comfort.

‘’ I can’t kill him’’

Yours aunties listened to you, telling them why and how to ‘created’ him, how happy he was making you, how human he seemed and now you knew why .. you told them everything, even wishing you had a last night with him.

Aunt Zee granted your wish, but tomorrow morning you had to say goodbye to love.

You never expected finding him dressed in his favorite black jumper and his ripped bleu jeans cooking in your kitchen with a glass full of white wine waiting for you next to his.

Your eyes filled with tears when his scent hit you, your head on his chest. ‘’ Let’s stay like this for a moment, please’’ you didn’t want him to see you like that.

The smile dancing on his lips broke you inside one more time, he looked so innocent in front of you, not knowing, almost like a child.

‘’You know babe, tonight there’s a shower of shooting stars let’s watch it’’ Yixing told him, even if he never met the Chinese wizard in real like they met on FaceTime, your friend was crazy when Baekhyun, once mentioned you had someone.

You simply nodded, even of shooting stars couldn’t help you this time.

The time moved so fast as if it was teasing you, your eyes never left Kyungsoo, too afraid to forgot him or to miss a beauty mark or the way his eyes were when he was smiling, looking at you.

Looking at him was the hardest thing you had ever done that night, you were giving up on him and you couldn’t say anything.

The view from the balcony of your appartement was incredible but the only thing you watched was him not the stars traveling the dark sky.

Even the moon seems ridiculous next to him, his glasses sat on his nose and his hair was a bit longer, his fringe hitting the frame of the glasses softly.

He turned his head to look at you, his hand caressed your cheek and his lips collided on yours, his kiss was full of passion, slow. Time stopped when his lips met yours, and you felt his heart pounded underneath your hand.

His heart was beating ..

‘’ .. I love you’’ His eyes were still closed and his lips still so closed to yours, and his thumb caressing your face.

Once again his lips crashed on yours, more intense this time. Yours hands holding the material of his jumper. ‘’Don’t ever forget about me’’ you whisper. His fingers slipped under the coton of your shirt, he pulled you even closer to him, as if no one else in the world existed. ‘’Never’’ you knew his answer was a lie but you needed it.

The time actually stopped at that moment the last time he made love to you, the stars and clouds were not moving and no sounds were heard, a spell to stop time was dangerous and only a powerful witch could to do but at the time it was your last priority.

It was the softest Kyungsoo ever showed you the way he loved you, he was taking his time with you that night as if he knew it was surely the last time. Looking at you his eyes were full of stars and his hands felt like velvet on your skin.

That night you refused to fall asleep, your head stayed on his chest listening to his heartbeat, his words playing over and over in your head, the way he confessed on that night was the hardest to accepted to you.

CHANYEOL:

I’m sorry cousin,

I tried to give a little bit more with him.

He make you happy I know.

You left your bed after reading the text to finally cried yourself to sleep in your bathroom, your hand on your mouth trying to muffled the sound.

The floor was freezing when you woke up, everything felt freezing in your house, in your body. Once you remembered, tears were running your cheeks and this time you didn’t shut yourself and screamed in agony.

He was gone.

He was gone and you were alone.

The first week was the hardest, you didn’t left your room and the last piece of him that was the shirt you wore that night.

The tissue did not smelled like him anymore.

Every day, every hour you were waiting for him to open your door arms full of bags from the grocery store ready to cook you something.

Chanyeol, yours aunts, Yixing, everyone tried to contact you, but you never answered them.

Every night Chanyeol wait for you to sleep and came, he was feeling guilty and you were his best friend. Every night he did the same, he tucked you and stroked your hair. Hoping one day you would be able to find peace with yourself, but that wasn’t the only thing on his plan !

You sat at your kitchen bar, you computer in front of you but all you did was staring at your window, your chin resting in your left hand.

You didn’t even watch Chanyeol sitting right in front of you searching something in one of his books. ‘’Cousin, aren’t you suppose to do mails stuff ?’’

‘’Chanyeol, aren’t you suppose to do king of hell stuffs?’’ Your sarcasm did in fact burn like hell !

‘’You know I became the king of underworld, so you selfishly could stay on earth and do selfish human things as the bratty witch you are’’

Why was Chanyeol even here at this point ? He wasn’t wrong, to be honest. All you did for the last few days was crying, sleeping, and being a brat to everyone who tried to help you what so ever.

‘’Cousin, life have so much to offer’’

‘’Fake, life sucks and I feel so done with it’’ He sighed loudly, feeling done with you.

Ignoring yours friends, cousin, aunts was purely selfish and you knew it but at this point you clearly didn’t give a damn .. but at the same time it was your fault and only your fault, if you didn’t use this spell, just to shut people and their needs to talk about your life.

It’s been 3 weeks, the first been the miserable one, the two second mark the start of the ‘new you’.

You were purely self-destructive at this point, losing Kyungsoo hurt you but what you did to yourself was worst. Invoking sex demons, trying spell to not feel anything, everything was good to ‘make you forget’.

‘’You know Sehun, fuck Satan and all that witchy shit’’

You were clearly drunk, and Sehun knew he shouldn’t give you anymore drinks but his pub had the best reputation with the witch population of Seoul, you lost the count of drinks you already drank.

‘’ You probably should go at home and sleep Y/N, I dont need the king of Hell to come and kill me’’

‘’Chanyeol ? He can kiss my ass ! Y’all can kiss my ass’’ your drunk behavior wasn’t a pretty sight.

After that Sehun didn’t understand a word you said, you were half crying, half mumbling. Poor bartender did not has the choice but to call Chanyeol to have an explanation and to get you back at your apartment.

‘’ Y/N you can’t live your life off ‘not feeling anything’ spells’’

Cold water woke you up, you stood in you shower fully clothed and your cousin holding the shower head.

‘’Why the hell are you doin’ that ?’’

‘’You asshole, needed a wake up call’’

Chanyeol was tired of seeing you being a danger to yourself, and decided enough was enough.

The heavy weight on your shoulders dropped suddenly and you body followed dropping in your cousin’s arms. ‘’ I just miss him so much Yeol’’

He watched tears rolling on your cheeks, not saying anything but his hand caressing your back.

Even if lives are connected Chanyeol couldn’t guarantee Kyungsoo’s comeback, your two souls might be connected since the beginning but the way they forced Kyungsoo into his human form couldn’t guarantee anything about their futur or life together. But he couldn’t tell you all that, like he couldn’t say he was following the man everyday.

And that you left your mark on him, he was now a wizard.

‘’ I’m here Y/N you can sleep’’

He laid you down on your bed, caressing your hair and projecting dreams in your head to give you a break, Chanyeol was the king of Hell, but he was hurt seeing his best friend and cousin living like that, he was ready to fight anyone so you could be happy again and to see you eyes full of stars just like when you were looking at Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol always knew that Kyungsoo’s heart was beating he felt it the first time he met him. And right after that he started his search about the man.

After that night you practically lived in the academy, teaching younger witches just like your aunts wanted. Reading books to perfect your magic. ‘’You know since you came to the academy everything seems simpler’’ Said your colleague Jongdae ‘’ Kids seems to like having one of the most powerful witch of the century teaching them stuffs’’ You nodded.

‘’Sorry Jongdae but I’m taking my cousin out for lunch’’

Chanyeol took you to Chinatown, celebrating one of his friend opening his own restaurant .. who were you to say no to free food ?

Lunch was nice, a private room for the two of you and all the best food on the menu. ‘’So the academy ?’’

‘’It’s good, kids are funny .. Yeol did you .. like killed someone for this guy ?’’

He laughed a bit too much ‘’ Not, it’s a guy a met not long ago and we became friends .. he is like us ‘magic’ he’ll come to see us’’

You nodded, finishing you plate and drinking a bit of the Chinese whisky that was left in your cup.

Chanyeol left you to go the to toilet, what type of cousin is he ? He need to go to the toilet when his friend was supposed to met the two of you ? Asshole !

The door opened and your phone vibrated at the same time a text from you cousin, why was he sending you a text when coming back in the private room ?

CHANYEOL:

I find him for you ..

Who did he find for you ?

‘’Chanyeol ?’’ You knew the voice, you once again felt the time stop when you turned around finding .. Do Kyungsoo in a chef attire.

Do Kyungsoo was the friend of Chanyeol, the one he wanted you to meet ..

‘’You are ?’’ Right he forgot about you. ‘’Oh yeah you’re Y/N .. Chanyeol told me a lot about you and you’re like the most powerful in our coven’’

A single tear rolled onto your cheek, you find him .. he was in front of you.

You finally find him, thanks to Chanyeol.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I was wondering if you could do headcanons for an MC (or reader? so it wouldn't be exactly the Yuu from the game, but they would essentially take their place) that's a character from one of Idia's favorite videogames? Would he try to approach them right away from love of the game or would he still be too shy to get close? How would he act if they gradually came to consider him a close friend? Would he help them "cheat" their way through the game when they went back?

Hello, Anon!

Thank you for the interesting request. I wrote a lot for it~ I had to resist SO hard to not make it end in angst.

I hope I interpreted it correctly in the following headcanons for you; there was one or two points of discrepancy in describing the situation in your request so I made some slight changes to make the logic flow a bit better.

Please enjoy.

Curiouser and Curiouser...

The Beginning

In truth, Idia Shroud is not really one for dating simulators.

But something about this particular one has caught his eye. It’s called Oh, My Goddess and offers several goddesses from Greek mythology a potential love interests. He really likes that aesthetic.

Persephone is the girl Idia simps for. She’s very sweet and gentle--a down-to-earth yet curious person that enjoys peace and quiet. It also helps that she is very, very cute--sun kissed and always adorned with flowers, befitting the Goddess of Spring title.

And her route is so well-written! Helping Persephone come out of her shell and rebel against her overbearing mother, Demeter...it makes Idia feel so proud of her, and of himself, when he clears Persephone’s route with the best possible ending.

Man, Idia dreams about his e-girlfriend and doing lewd things with her like h*nd h*lding. Too bad he can’t find a 3D girl like Persephone...

...is what he thought until he saw you for the first time through his tablet’s monitor.

The Middle

Oh god, you are a spitting image of Persephone from the game, down to your goofy smile and your clumsiness.

He’s starting to sweat, even though he’s just seeing you through his monitor and not in person.

Idia maneuvers his tablet over to say hello; he knows you can’t see his face but he’s still nervous all the same.

The longer he talks to you (he’s comfortable since he’s not talking to you in person), the more he realizes you’re exactly like his dream e-girl.

Idia feels more motivated by that first conversation with you to leave his dorm more, just to catch a glimpse of you in person. Ortho is overjoyed.

Idia hovers behind pillars and walls and stares at you from a distance--you’re just as pretty and sweet in real life as you had been over the monitor, but he has no confidence to approach you.

Ortho has to give his brother a literal push to send him crashing into you.

Idia mumbles an apology and starts self deprecating, but you cheer him up and smile. This makes him more comfortable and he says a few things (basically reciting corny dialogue options from Oh, My Goddess which makes you giggle).

After that, you slowly start hanging out and learning more about each other, just hanging out in his room and gaming or watching a movie, or maybe in the school courtyard or Botanical Garden so you can point out the wild animals and plants there.

Idia likes you.

He really, really likes you.

Ortho cheers his brother on and tells him he should confess and conquer the final “love flag”.

But the end of the game comes too soon for him, and he is not prepared for the final boss: the Fates themselves.

The  End

You tell him that the headmaster has found a way for you to return home--on the night of the next full moon, you will pass through a one-way special mirror portal into your world.

Idia is crushed and heartbroken. He asks you if you’re going to choose to go home instead of staying in Twisted Wonderland--with him.

“I have to, Idia. My friends...and my family--they’re waiting for me back home. They must be worried...especially my mother. I’m her only child.”

“I-I see. Then...you’ve made your decision.”

No, no, no. This was not how it was supposed to be...! This was not the happy ending Idia had envisioned.

He wallows for days, locking himself in his room and refusing to do much or say much, even to  Ortho or to his online friends.

Ortho goes to talk to you and ask if there is anything you can do for Idia. He basically blurts out that Idia loves you to your face and says that if you go away, his brother will be very, very sad.

You go to see Idia and tell him that you return his feelings, which finally gets him out of his emotional haze--but, you think, there is no way out for you two, the star crossed lovers.

The end draws near.

The Secret Ending

Idia is emboldened to find an alternate path for you two to have your happy ending.

He uses every single bit of his knowledge and technical-know-how to research and experiment on ways to reroute the mirror portal, even getting help from his friends (”But of course I can assist you, my chum,” Azul says with a smirk. “What kind of tabletop gaming companion would I be if I were to ignore my comrade in his time of need?”) to do so.

The night of the full moon comes, and Idia’s nervous because he never got to fully test the alterations he made. If it does not work, it is good bye forever.

You say your farewells and pass through the mirror.

One second passes, then two.

Idia holds his breath.

You stick your head back in through mirror and wave.

Idia collapses onto the floor and breathes a massive sigh of relief.

He sweeps you up in a big hug and starts bawling, not caring if his tears disturb his flaming hair.

Yes, this is it.

This is your happy ending.