#my only friends i know here i can ask fer help are super busy and theres still no eta for the guys to spray

[mspeevee]

oh yeah update on the shelter for my cat, they emailed me back but it's cuz they're moving locations so i won't be able to surrender her till mid january at the earliest.........

[thelastspeecher]

Best Revenge AU - Masks

I think like a week ago, I mentioned I was working on a write that featured Angie getting a bit more agency in the Best Revenge AU.  Here’s that write, finally finished.  Enjoy some of Angie’s backstory in this AU and her being more than just someone that things happen to.

——————————————————————————————

              Angie and Max sat high up in one of the tallest trees in the apple orchard.  It was the only place on the McGucket farm with some semblance of privacy.

              “So…” Angie started hesitantly.  Max looked at her.  His straw-blond hair had gotten shaggy recently, to the extent that Angie didn’t know how he could see through his bangs.  “I, uh, I heard back from West Coast Tech.”

              “And?”

              “I got in.”

              “You-”  Max’s jaw dropped.  “Angie, that’s amazin’!”  Angie smiled. “I actually just heard back from my first choice school, too.  University of Southern California.”

              “Where is that?”

              “Los Angeles.”  Max beamed.  “Which ain’t that far from San Diego.  We won’t be livin’ in the same city, but we won’t be that far apart.”  He suddenly looked down at the branch they were sitting on nervously.  “That- that is- if ya want to stay together.”

              “Of course!  I want to keep datin’ you!” Angie said.  She scooted closer to him.  Her fingers intertwined with his.  “Why wouldn’t I?  I’m in this fer the long haul, Sprout.”  Max grinned at his pet name, derived from how his abrupt growth spurt last summer had catapulted him from Angie’s height to almost a full foot taller than her.

              “Good.  ‘Cause I’m in it fer the long haul, too.”  He took a breath.  “And, actually, since the both of us don’t have plans on breakin’ up anytime soon, I wanted to share a secret with ya.”

              “Oh?” Angie said curiously.  “What would that be?”  Max pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Angie.  Angie looked down at the object.  It was a small rock.  Before she could ask why he’d given her a rock, it flew out of her hand and back into Max’s.  She stared at him in shock.

              “I’m a super,” Max whispered.  He held out an open palm.  The rock hovered above it.  “Specifically, I got geokinesis.”

              “…Wow,” Angie breathed.

              “And…”  Max swallowed.  “I want to use my abilities to help people.”  Angie’s excitement plummeted.  “I want to be a hero.”  The last bit of hope Angie had held onto, that she had somehow misunderstood what Max meant, crashed.

              Oh, no!  Angie’s breath caught in her throat.  A hero?  But... She thought back to the plans she and Lute had come up with to enter the villainy scene out west.  They were both eager to follow in their parents’ criminal footsteps.  I can’t be a villain if my boyfriend is a hero.

              “Angie?” Max asked hesitantly.  “Is somethin’ wrong?”

              “No, I just- this is a lot to take in,” Angie said quietly.  She looked down at the ground far below them, her mind still racing.  “Bein’ a hero is, it’s-”

              “Yeah, it’s dangerous.  But I feel like I was given my power fer a reason,” Max said. Exuberance colored his voice.  “I don’t want to waste it.  Y’know?”

              “Yeah…”

              Can I really give up on bein’ a villain fer Max?  Before Angie could think on it more, there was a loud crack.  The branch they were sitting on split in two.  Max let out a shout.  Angie quickly wrapped her arms around him, summoning winds to keep them aloft. They hovered a few inches above the ground for a moment before she carefully lowered them.

              “Yer a super, too,” Max whispered.  Angie broke off the embrace.

              “Yeah.”

              “That’s incredible!”  Max put his hands on the sides of Angie’s face.  “May- may I kiss ya?” he asked.  Angie nodded.  Max leaned in, planting a sweet kiss on her lips.  “I knew you were somethin’ special,” he said once he had pulled away. He stroked her cheek.  Angie leaned into the gesture, warmth spreading through her chest.  “We could be heroes together!”

              “No,” Angie said sharply.  Max seemed taken aback, but recovered quickly.

              “I understand.  It ain’t fer everyone.”  He smiled at her.  “I love ya somethin’ fierce.”

              “I love you, too,” Angie said.

              But do I love him enough to give up on bein’ a villain?

              “Now that I think about it, maybe it’s fer the best if yer not a hero,” Max said.  “I couldn’t bear to see ya get hurt.”  Angie stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

              Yes.  I do.

-----

              Angie landed in the backyard of the house she and her husband had bought back when they first got engaged.  She watched her flower garden mournfully for a few moments.

              I poured so much love into this place, this relationship.  And I’m ‘bout to leave it all behind.  The back door opened.

              “Angie, is that you?” Max called.

              “Yes.”  Angie walked over to her husband.  Max smiled at her.

              “I’m glad yer home.  I was startin’ to get worried ‘bout ya,” he said softly.  He kissed her cheek.

              “I can take care of myself.”

              “Angel, I know yer very capable.  But even the most prepared person can get hurt,” Max said. The familiar words sparked Angie’s simmering anger.  She brushed past him roughly.  “Angel?”

              “Don’t call me yer angel,” Angie spat.  Max followed her inside.

              “What’s wrong?” Max asked, closing the door behind them.  “I thought yer walk or flight or whatever would’ve cooled ya off.”

              “It did.”  Angie turned to face him.

              “Good.”  Max sighed. “I hate when ya storm off all angry fer some reason.  And it’s been happenin’ so frequently lately-”

              “‘Fer some reason’?” Angie demanded.  “Max, I have told ya each and every time I’ve left why I’m doin’ so.  So, either ya aren’t listenin’, or ya don’t think my reasons ‘re valid.  And quite frankly, I ain’t sure which one’s worse!” Max walked up to her.  He stroked Angie’s cheek.

              “I’m sorry.  I’m sorry, okay?” Max said soothingly.  “Angel, I don’t want to fight.”

              “I don’t want to fight either,” Angie said. She took a shaky breath.  “Which is why I can’t do this no more.”

              “What do you mean?”

              “I’m leaving.”

              “Wh- but you just got here.”

              “Not-”  Angie met Max’s gaze directly.  “Not like that.  Max, I want a divorce.”  Max’s amber eyes widened.  One of Angie’s favorite ways to get Max to blush was to say she wanted to drink him in, just like the cream soda his eyes reminded her of.  Her heart broke at the memory of all the times she’d turned him red and stuttering.

              “What?!  Angie, no! No, we can- we can work through this!” Max desperately reached for Angie’s hands.  “You don’t- we-”

              “We can’t work through this,” Angie said softly.  “It’s clear to me now that what you want and what I want contradict each other.”

              “That ain’t true!”

              “It is!” Angie insisted.  “You want a baby right away and a wife who’ll stay home to take care of him or her.  I don’t want to leave my job, I don’t want a baby right now.  If we stick together, only one of us will wind up happy, and the other one ‘ll be bitter.”

              “That’s not- Angie, please!” Max begged.  He squeezed her hands.  “Remember the first time we danced!”

              Freshman year of high school.  Yer friends dared you to dance with me, mine dared me to dance with you.

              “Our first kiss!”

              Under the mistletoe during Christmas break, when ya came over to play games with Lute, but wound up helpin’ me bake treats in the kitchen.  You tasted like the sugar cookies we made together.

              “When we went to college!”

              We spent every weekend together, stayin’ up late and wakin’ up early just so’s we wouldn’t waste a single minute with each other.

              “Our wedding!”

              When you lifted my veil, ya looked at me like I was the sunrise. A single tear traced its way down Angie’s cheek.  Like I was the most beautiful woman in the world, and the only thing in yours.

              “Don’t you remember?” Max asked.  Angie choked back a sob.

              “I do remember.  That’s the problem.”

              “What- what do you mean?”

              “You aren’t the person you were when we made those memories together.”

              “What?” Max whispered.  Angie pulled her hands away.

              “You’ve changed, Max.  The memories I hold most dear are all from when ya encouraged me to be adventurous, when ya followed me into trouble without a thought, when ya asked ‘fore kissin’ me.”

              “Do you want me to ask before I kiss you?  I can do that.”

              “It’s just an example.”  Angie looked away.  “An example of how ya used to care about my opinion.  Ya don’t anymore.”

              “That’s not-”

              “Don’t lie,” Angie snapped, suddenly driven to her breaking point.  “If ya cared ‘bout my feelin’s or thoughts, we wouldn’t be havin’ this conversation!” She turned away.  “I’m grabbin’ a bag to stay at Lute’s fer the night.”

              “No!”  Max grabbed Angie’s wrist.  “Don’t leave!”  Angie let out a soft gasp of pain at the strength of his grip.

              That’s goin’ to leave a mark, ain’t it?

              “Let me go,” she whispered.

              “No.”

              “Let me go,” Angie repeated firmly.  “Or I’ll make you.”

              “How?” Max asked.  Angie ground her teeth.  She stomped on Max’s foot, making him yelp in pain.  Using the moment of surprise to her advantage, she ripped her hand free of Max’s grip and grabbed his arms, twisting them behind his back.  She shoved him to the ground.

              “That’s how,” she spat.  “All those times ya told me I was too fragile to walk down the street at night, I was actually capable of takin’ down a trained superhero.”

              “Where did you-”

              “It ain’t yer business where I learned how to fight.  If I planned on stayin’ with ya, maybe I’d tell ya.  But since I’m leavin’, I won’t say a word.”  Angie let Max go.  He stayed on the floor, still in shock.  “And since ya can’t behave yourself, I’m goin’ to Lute’s now.  He’ll drop by later to pick up some things fer me.”  Max slowly sat up.  He looked up at Angie with plaintive eyes.

              “Angel…”

              “Eat shit,” Angie snarled.  She stormed out through the door she had entered not even ten minutes ago.  Before she took flight, she looked down at her wrist.  Like she’d feared, the skin was already turning purple.  Bile rose in her throat.

              “Angie!” Max shouted.  A gust of wind blew the back door shut, then lifted Angie into the air. Tears streaming down her face, she looked back at the house one last time.

              “Goodbye, Sprout.”

-----

              Angie and Stan sat on the roof of Stan’s apartment complex.  From their spot on the ledge, they could see the city bustling far below.  Angie idly kicked her legs, which, like Stan’s, dangled over the edge, high above the streets.

              These shoes better not fall off ‘n hit some poor pedestrian.

              “I like the view,” Angie said idly.

              “Yeah.  It’s kinda weird, actually,” Stan said.

              “That ya like the view?” Angie asked.  Stan nodded.  “Why?”

              “When I was a kid, I was afraid of heights.”

              “Really?”  Angie stared at her boyfriend.  “Ya don’t seem the type to be easily spooked.”

              “Flattery, huh?”

              “No, truth.”  Angie tilted her head, smiling.  “Yer a rather brave feller.”  The compliment got her intended reaction.  Stan immediately blushed.  “So, what made ya stop bein’ afraid of heights?”

              “Well…”  Stan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.  “I stopped being afraid of heights when I realized I could use my powers to fly. No point in being scared of falling if you won’t ever hit the ground.”  Angie opened her mouth.  “Yeah, I’m, uh, I’m a super.”  Stan held out his hand.  Fire crackled into life above his open palm.

              “Oh, I knew that,” Angie said.  The fire disappeared.  Stan stared at her.  “I was just goin’ to say that now I know yer at least a level two, if not level three pyro.”

              “How- you- what-” Stan stammered.  Angie smiled.

              “Not to insult you or anything, but pyros ain’t exactly rare.  I know how to spot one.”

              “Oh.”  Stan grinned. “Makes sense you’d be able to spot a super, since you’re one, too.”  Angie’s jaw dropped.  “Don’t get me wrong, you’re pretty good at hiding it.  But there’ve been a few times where you get worked up, and suddenly it’s really windy, even though we’re inside and all the doors and windows are closed.  You’re an aerokinetic, right?”

              “Yer more clever than ya claim to be,” Angie commented, still reeling from Stan’s revelation.  “Especially since aerokinesis is a pretty rare power.  Most folks don’t even realize it exists.”

              “My mom knew an aero,” Stan said with a shrug. He took a deep breath.  “But me being a super isn’t the only thing I need to tell you.”

              “Oh?”

              “I’m also a mask.”

              Shit.  Angie’s blood ran cold.  It would be just my luck if I’ve only ever dated two people and they were both heroes.

              “If ya don’t mind me askin’, which, ah, side do ya fight on?” Angie asked carefully.  Stan winced.

              “The illegal side.”  He held up his hands.  “I know you’re probably the kinda person who doesn’t like the…law-avoidant community.  But-”

              “I don’t mind none.”

              “Wait, really?”

              “Ya don’t do any of the really bad stuff, right?” Angie asked.  “Just things like theft?”

              “Mostly, yeah.”

              “Then my statement stands.  I don’t mind,” Angie said, struggling to keep her response mild.  Stan gaped at her.  “Yer a good man, whether ya steal or not.”

              He’s a villain!  He’s a pyro villain.  Angie searched Stan’s face.  Oh, he’s prob’ly that coworker Lute likes.  What’s his name?  Flamethrower.

              “You really don’t care I’m a villain?” Stan pried.

              I prefer it.

              “Nope.”  Angie smiled sweetly.  “I care ‘bout who ya are as a person.”  Stan smiled back.  “But I do have a question.”

              “Shoot.”

              “Why are ya tellin’ me this?  We’ve only been datin’ fer a month.”

              “My gut said I could trust you,” Stan said with a shrug.  “My gut’s never been wrong.”

              “That’s why ya felt comfortable tellin’ me,” Angie said.  “Not why ya told me.”  Stan eyed her.  “If ya don’t want to share, ya don’t have to.  But don’t dress up an answer I didn’t ask fer as the one I did.”  Stan managed a crooked grin.

              “Damn.  There’s no fooling you.”

              “My folks raised me right.”

              Any villain worth their salt has to be good at controllin’ a conversation.

              “Well, you figured out I was trying to get out of telling you, so I guess you’ve earned the answer,” Stan said, rubbing the back of his neck.  He sighed.  “My mom was a hero.  But she didn’t tell my Pops until she already had three kids with him.  She didn’t even tell him she was a super.”

              “Really?  That seems…” Angie paused to search for the right word.  “Ill-advised.”  Stan snorted.

              “No shit.  Pops woulda liked some warning before I burst into flames while he was holding me.  That’s how my powers manifested.  Pops was drying me off after a bath.  I caught on fire.”  Stan snickered.  “Luckily, he hadn’t drained the tub yet, so he chucked me back in and shouted for my mom. Mom had to come clean after that.”

              “Does pyrokinesis run in yer fam’ly?”

              “Nope.  Not even close.  My mom’s got your basic ESP package.  Shermie’s a normie.  And Ford’s got some weird teleportation thing.”

              “Who are Shermie and Ford?”

              “Shermie’s my older brother.  Ford’s not important.”  Stan looked away.  His voice suddenly became mournful.  “Not right now, anyways.”  Angie put her hand on his shoulder.  He looked at her with a weak smile.  “But, um, back to the stuff with my parents.  Shermie says that their marriage wasn’t exactly ideal before, but after Pops found out she was a superhero and kept it from him, it got worse.  I like how things are going, Ang.  I don’t wanna keep a big thing from you and risk you leaving me.”  Angie reached for Stan’s hand and intertwined her fingers with his.  “This is the best relationship I’ve ever been in.”

              “I’d say the same, but it ain’t as great a compliment, since I only ever dated one person ‘fore ya,” Angie said.  Stan chuckled.  Angie squeezed Stan’s hand.  “Thank you fer tellin’ me.”

              “Like I said, my gut says I can trust you.”

              “Yer gut is right.”  Angie grinned deviously.  “I ain’t no snitch.”  Stan laughed again.  Angie leaned against him, her head on his shoulder.  “I love you,” she whispered, for the first time since she’d left Max. Stan rested his head on top of hers.

              “I love you, too.”

[vgckwb]

ML: Are They Worthy? Chapter 28: Kindred Spirits!

Vlad spent some of his free time during the school day manning a little booth he set up to sell Pride flag pins and sign people up for Paris Pride. Juleka and Rose were some of the first to stop by. “Hey Vlad.”

“Hey Juleka. Rose” Vlad replied.

“Hi Vlad. I love that you’re helping out with this event” Rose said.

“You can too. All you gotta do is sign here” Vlad said, displaying a piece of paper.

The two of them signed it. “So, does this also allow us to walk in the parade as well?” Juleka asked.

“No” Vlad replied. “For that, you need to sign THIS piece of paper.” He presented a second piece of paper. “If you want to walk together, you only need to take up one slot.”

“Ooooo. How fun!” Rose said. The two of them signed that one as well.

“Now, can I interest you ladies in some pins?” asked Vlad.

“Of course! That’s why we’re here!” Rose said.

“I’ll take a lesbian one” Juleka said.

“I’ll take a bi one!” Rose said.

“Sure thing” Vlad said.

After school, Marinette was walking out when she saw Adrien’s car. “Um, I thought Adrien had fencing after school,” she said.

“I do” said Adrien appearing behind her. “It’s for you.”

“Me?! No. I couldn’t, I-”

“Relax Marinette” Adrien said. “Father is helping you in any way he can. This is him trying to help.”

Marinette paused. “O-OK then” she said. She walked up to Adrien’s bodyguard. He opened the door for her. “Thank you.” She said Adrien’s bodyguard was caught off guard by this. He looked away and blushed at the compliment. Marinette got in, and then the bodyguard got in, and they drove off.

Adrien’s stare lingered a little bit. “Isn’t Marinette cute when she gets nervous?” Vlad asked from behind Adrien. “Or is it cuter when she’s confident?”

Adrien turned around. “Vlad” he said. “I’m not fully over Ladybug to admit what I think yet.”

“Well, you don’t need to be fully over her, you just need to be over her enough” Vlad said.

“Is this why you’re here Vlad? To get me to maybe ask Marinette out?” Adrien said.

“No, that’s just a bonus” Vlad said. He went to whisper into Adrien’s ear “I actually need to talk about some hero stuff.”

“Well can it wait? I’ve got fencing” Adrien said.

“No problem. I can watch” Vlad said.

Adrien was surprised. “I’m not sure if Mr. D'Argencourt will allow it.”

“No harm in asking, right?” Vlad said.

When they asked, Mr. D'Argencourt said “I will allow it.” Vlad and Adrien got excited. “IF you can beat one of my students.”

“Sure, I’ll go against him” Adrien said.

“Part le fer! If Vlad is to face off against anyone, it’s someone who won’t let him win because he has a vested interest in it” Mr. D’Argentcourt.

“I get it. Fencing is serious business” Vlad said. “So, who am I taking on?”

“How about Kagami?” Adrien asked.

“She wouldn’t happen to be in on this” Mr. D'Argencourt said. “I know how close you and her are.”

“No sir. They haven’t even met yet” Adrien said.

Mr. D’Argencourt stared Adrien down. “Well, since I know you wouldn’t lie to me… KAGAMI!”

Kagami ran over after wrapping up a practice match. “Yes sir” she said, lifting her helmet up.

“This young man is named Vlad. He wants to watch today’s practice. Please see to it that he earns that spot” D’Argencourt said.

“Yes sir!” Kagami said.

“Is that all you know how to say?” Vlad said.

“Vlad. Don’t antagonize her” Adrien said.

“He’s right. I don’t play nice” Kagami said.

“Oh ho ho. Interesting” Vlad said. “Wanna know something? I don’t play nice either.” Kagami lowered her helmet. “Anyway, where do I suit up?” Adrien led Vlad to the locker rooms.

A few minutes later, Vlad and Kagami were squaring off. “Pret… allez!” Mr. D’Argencourt called. Vlad and Kagami were going against each other really hard. Their movements were aggressive, yet elegant. Eventually though, Vlad got a hit on Kagami. Mr. D’Argencourt was shocked. Still, as a gentleman and a lover of the sport, he signaled Vlad and declared him the winner.

Vlad lifted his helmet and said “Still got it.”

“Young man, how did you become such a good fencer?” Mr. D’Argencourt asked.

“I was the top fencer back at my school in Toulouse” Vlad explained.

“Well, if you are interested in joining, we could certainly use a talent such as yourself” Mr. D’Argencourt said.

“Unfortunately, I can’t” Vlad said.

“Why not?” Kagami asked angrily.

Vlad sighed. “Because I was eventually kicked off the team,” he explained.

“What happened?” Kagami asked.

“Well, as I said earlier, I don’t play nice” Vlad said. “When I don’t like someone I am very clear about it. One person I didn’t like just happened to be on the fencing team. He gathered a bunch of other students, and tried to ambush me. Lucky for me, I can hold my own. They however could not, and things got messy. I explained to everyone what had happened, and he promptly kicked both the orchestrator of the attack and me off the team. Although, mine was supposed to be temporary, I made it permanent. I didn’t feel like I could work well there. I really only liked one other person on the team. It just wasn’t a good fit.”

“Well, if you change your mind, my invitation stands” Mr. D’Argencourt said. “Although, I do want to check on this incident. What was your instructor’s name?”

“Mr. Renaud” Vlad told him.

“Renaud? As in Bernard Renaude?” Mr. D’Argencourt said.

“Yeah. Why?” Vlad said.

“I used to go to school with him” Mr. D’Argencourt said. “Anyway, you may watch. Everyone else. ALLEZ!” Vlad went to sit on the sidelines while everyone began practice. Kagami looked at Vlad, concerned. She eventually went to practice as well.

Meanwhile, Marinette was busy working on her designs in Gabriel’s home work station. “Your design looks great Marinette” Tikki said. “I’m sure Vlad and Adrien will love them.”

“Thanks Tikki” Marinette said. “I sure hope so. It’s nice of Mr. Agreste to let me use this room and his supplies. It gives me the confidence that I need to finish these.”

“Marinette you need to have to be confident in yourself” Tikki said.

Marinette came back with “Yeah, but-”

“Trust your instincts, Marinette” Tikki said.

Marinette smiled. “Thanks Tikki.” The door was opening. “Tikki, hide!” she whispered. Gabriel entered the room. “Mr. Agreste?”

“I thought I would keep you company” Gabriel said.

“Um, aren’t you busy?” Marinette asked.

“Not at the moment,” Gabriel said. “Besides, I know it can get kind of boring working on something alone.” He sat down next to Marinette. Marinette continued to work. “So, you like Adrien huh?”

Marientte was shocked by this sudden topic of conversation. “Well, of course. I mean, I like all my friends.”

“Marinette” Gabriel said in a tone that indicated he knew.

Marinette looked down. “Is it that obvious?” she asked.

Gabriel chuckled. “Relax. I don’t think he knows yet. I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Marinette turned to Gabriel and said “Well, I’m going to have to tell him eventually.”

“I suppose that’s true” Gabriel said.”But you know what I mean.” Marintte giggled. “You know, he speaks highly of you.”

Marinette was curious. “He does?”

“Yes” Gabriel said. “I’ve heard him refer to you as your class’s ‘Everyday Ladybug.’ You must be impressive to earn that title.”

“Well, I just do what I think is right,” Marinette said.

“Wouldn’t it be right to tell him how you feel?” Gabriel said.

“Oh. Well…” Marinette said. “Whenever I try, I get all nervous, and I freak out super hard. I mean, Adrien is just so perfect.”

“No he isn’t” Gabriel said. Marinette looked confused. “Well, at least that’s what he told me. He hates being seen as perfect. I’d agree with you, but after we spoke, I began to see his flaws. In his heart, he’s just as much a child as anyone his age. Maybe even more so.”

“In what ways?” Marinette asked.

“Well, this is his first time going to school. Meeting people outside of social events.To him, it’s like being in a candy store, and he’s allowed to pick whatever candy he wants” Gabriel explained.

“Oh. I didn’t know. He seems to be so calm about everything” Marinette said.

“It’s alright” Gabriel said. “You know, he gets that from his mother. She was such a calm, caring person. She loved seeing what the world had to offer, yet she remained calm. To be honest, sometimes I worry that I might be a bit too distant and Adrien gets nothing from me.”

“I don’t think that’s true” Marinette said. “I think he gets some of your kindness from you. I mean, you came here to keep me company apropos of nothing. Plus, I think you both function better with other people around.”

“What do you mean by that?” Gabriel asked.

“Well, it’s just that Vlad told me the story of how he and Adrien met” Marinette said. “He said you told Adrien that Nathalie is helping you maintain your sanity after your wife’s disappearance. I think it’s the same with Adrien. While his presence does light up the room, I think the room lights him up too.”

Gabriel was aghast. “I had never thought about it like that before. But you’re right. Having someone there certainly helps me. I don’t understand why I didn’t see why it could help Adrien as well. Especially since he has his mother’s ability to socialize. She was a social butterfly. Me? I’m more of a moth. Still, she knew when someone was sincere or not. Wanna hear about how we met?” Marinette nodded.

“Alright then” Gabriel said. “It all began when I had won a design contest. My prize was a ticket to a high class social event. I had trouble socializing, but I managed to keep a low profile. Or so I thought.”

“Hi there” Emilie said, reaching her hand out. Gabriel looked at her. “I thought when people do that, the other person was supposed to shake their hand.”

“Oh, uh..” Gabriel said, nervously. He reached out and shook Emilie’s hand.

“Thank you” Emilie said. “Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you the talented young designer that won your way in here, correct?”

“Well yes I am, but…” Gabriel stuttered. “I...don’t do well at parties.”

“Wanna know something? Me either?” Emilie said. “Don’t get me wrong. I love meeting people, but these events just seem so overwhelming. I mean, there’s just so much I have to do to keep up appearances.”

“I more have trouble with the people aspect” Gabriel said.

“So, why did you enter the contest?” Emilie asked.

“Well, I’m an aspiring designer” Gabriel said. “I wanted to get my designs out there, simple as that. Tell me to talk to a stranger and I turn to stone. But if you ask me what their ideal outfit should be, then I’m your man.”

“So, what would my ideal outfit be?” Emilie asked.

Gabriel was taken aback. Nevertheless, he accepted the challenge. “Well, I think it would be an elegant yellow dress with one shoulder, a pair of white pumps, and a green necklace to match your eyes.”

“Wow” Emilie said.

“But, I also love what you have on currently” Gabriel said. She was wearing a white tank top, a yellow coat, a black fluffy skirt, white and black striped stockings, and a pair of white flats.

“You think so too? My friend Audrey designed this for me” Emilie said. She pointed her friend out.

“Wait, you’re friends with Audrey Bisset?” Gabriel said.

“Yeah. You know her?” Emilie said.

“Not personally” Gabriel said. “But she is the up and coming name in the world of style.”

Emilie took Gabriel’s hand. “She won’t be the only one.” Emilie dragged Gabriel to meet Audrey. “Hello Audrey. I just thought you would want to meet the young man who won the design contest.”

Audrey turned to Gabriel. “Well it’s about time you make yourself known. Just so you know, I was the deciding vote on the committee. So, you better thank me for letting you in here. And you should have met me first” she said.

“Audrey. Don’t be like that” Emilie said. “He doesn’t do well at parties.”

“I gathered that from when you had to drag him to me,” Audrey said.

“Thank you, Miss Bisset” Gabriel said.

Audrey handed Gabriel her business card. “If you have any more good ideas, let me be the first person you call.” She walked off.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Gabriel said.

“Nah, for Audrey, that was a great first encounter” Emilie said.

“I take it she’s not as personable as you” Gabriel said.

“Nope. But she’s really sweet once you get to know her” Emilie said.

“I’ll take your word on that, Miss…?” Gabriel said.

“Oh. Right. Emilie” she said. “Emilie Blanchet.”

“Gabriel Agreste” he responded.

“Enchante” she said.

“We spent the rest of the evening together” Gabriel said, telling the story to Marinette. “We laughed. We ate. We learned about each other. It was a magical evening. By the time the party was winding down, I found myself having a great time.”

“So, Miss Blanchet?” Gabriel said.

“Please, call me Emilie” she responded.

“Fine. Emilie” Gabriel said. “I had a great time with you tonight.”

“Me too, Gabriel” Emilie said.

“I don’t suppose we could meet again sometime. Could we?” Gabriel asked nervously.

“Of course” Emilie said. “Here, do you have a pen?” Gabriel handed her a pen. “Now, can I have Audrey’s card?” He gave that to her as well. Emilie wrote her number on the back of Audrey’s card. “Here you go.”

“Thank you, Emilie” Gabriel said. “I should give you my number” he said, trying to find something to write on. “You know? Because I’m not the best at socializing. Especially with someone as pretty as you.” Gabriel then blushed when he realized what he had said.

Emilie giggled. “You know? A lot of boys say that about me, but this is the first time I believe it.”

“Why is that?” Gabriel said, nervously.

“Partially because I didn’t tell you exactly HOW rich I am” Emilie began. “But more importantly, because I want to.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Oo. Here.” Emilie grabbed a napkin. Gabriel focused as he wrote his number down. He had never been quite as flustered before. “Thank you” she said. “Well, I’ll see you later then.” She walked out the door.

Audrey was waiting for her. “Really? You wanna go out with that guy? You just met him” Audrey said.

“Well, when you know, you know. I have a good feeling about this guy” Emilie said.

“If you get bored, or he breaks your heart, I have a number of gentlemen callers. I’m sure one of them would like you” Audrey said.

“And yet, you always go back to Andre” Emilie retorted. Audrey scoffed and walked off. Emilie giggled, following her.

“And that’s how we met” Gabriel said.

Marinette was on the verge of tears. “What a beautiful story.”

Gabriel smiled. “Mind if I look at your designs?” he asked.

“Uhhhhhhhhh” Marintte said.

“It’s alright” Gabriel said. “I’m sure you did a good job. You’ve impressed both me and Audrey Bourgeois before. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

Marinette stared at him. “Well, OK,” she said, grabbing he sketches. She handed them to him. Gabriel looked over them. “I wanted to keep the design simple because I only have so much time to work on it but I also wanted it to be bold.”

“Well, I’d say you succeed in both of those” Gabriel said. “These look good Marinette. I’m sure you’ll have a bright future in the world of design.”

Marinette blushed. “Thank you, Mr. Agreste.”

After fencing practice wrapped up, Adrien met up with Vlad. “Ready to go?” Vlad asked.

“I need to change, but then I’ll be ready” Adrien said.

“Sure thing” Vlad said. Adrien walked off.

“Hey! Kagami called out. “How did you get so good at fencing?”

“Practice” Vlad said.

“That’s it?” Kagami said.

“Yeah” Vlad replied. “Although I’m a bit rusty. If I were battling you for the heck of it, you probably would have won. But because there was something I wanted, I tried harder.” Kagami looked perplexed. “What’s wrong?” Vlad asked.

“It’s nothing” Kagami said. “I just come from a family of fencers. I hate to be embarrassed. It reflects poorly on my mother and my grandfather.”

“Nonsense” Vlad said. “I’d say you have something worth fighting for there. That’s half the battle in my opinion. You’re an excellent fencer. You just gotta learn how to move forward after a loss.”

“I’ve been trying since I’ve got here…” Kagami said. “Sometimes it’s hard.”

“What happened?” Vlad asked.

“The day I arrived, I challenged Adrien to a match. It got really intense” Kagami explained. “It got so intense that we moved around, and the only person who was witnessing the event was this girl, Marinette.” Vlad’s eyebrow raised. “She called the victory in favor of Adrien. I was so upset that I was eventually Akumatized.”

“Sounds rough” Vlad said. “But it happens to the best of us.”

“Have you been Akumatized?” Kagami asked.

“No. But I’m new here. Give it time” Vlad said.

“I’ve been Akumatized twice” Kagami said. “Three times if you count Hero’s Day.”

“You know what that tells me?” Vlad asked. “It tells me your emotions are strong. You just need to not let them get the best of you.”

Kagami stared at Vlad. “Thanks” she said.

“OK. I’m ready” Adrien said. “Kagami?”

“I was just here talking to your friend,” she said. “He seems really nice.”

“I’m surprised” Adrien said.

“Why’s that?” Vlad said.

“It’s just that both of you can be hard-headed at times” Adrien said. “I was worried that it would turn ugly if you two met.”

“Well, if I were to fight him, you might be upset with me, and I don’t want that” Kagami said. “Even though I believe you are also worth fighting for.” Adrien smiled.

“We just had a lovely chat about fencing” Vlad said. “I didn’t want things to turn south either. Especially since you recommended I fight her in fencing.”

“What makes you say that?” Kagami said.

“Well, knowing Adrien, he wouldn’t let just anyone fight me” Vlad said. “He’s a little too nice for his own good sometimes. He wouldn't recommend someone who would lose to me in a heartbeat. He’s not that under-handed. No, he selected someone who he thinks could be a fair fight. And that scares me a little. Seeing how much he trusts you to do your best made me think ‘I don’t want to get on this person’s bad side.’”

Kagmi was shocked, and then blushed. “Thanks.”

“What can I say, Vlad? You can read me like a book” Adrien said. “Oh, by the way, Kagami.” Kagami looked up. “I have been thinking of switching targets recently. Would you mind giving me pointers?”

“Oh. Uh, sure” Kagami said. “Just give me a call.”

“Thanks” Adrien said. Kagami walked off to change.

“Boy, you are really bad at this, aren’t you?” Vlad said.

“Bad at what?” Adrien said.

Vlad giggled. “You seriously can’t see it? Boy, you’re hopeless.”

“Hey, come on. What’s this about?” Adrien asked. Vlad started walking off. “Vlad. Where are you going?”

“The exit” Vlad said. “Your ride is almost here, right?”

“Uh, yeah. Vlad, can you tell me what’s going on?” Adrien said.

“Maybe when we get in the car” Vlad said.

Back the Agreste’s, Marinette was wrapping up her work for the day. “Alright, that’s a good place to call it for now,” she said. “I should get going.”

She walked out of the room and was about to leave. “Finished for the day, Marinette?” Gabriel said.

“Oh, yeah” Marinette said. “I just wanted to get home before it’s too late.”

“My driver should be back any second. He can drop you off” Gabriel said.

“Oh. Thanks” Marinette said.

“You know, if I had known someone like you was out there, I might have let Adrien go out sooner,” Gabriel said.

Marinette blushed. “Oh. Thank you, Mr. Agreste.” Marinette walked out the door. Adrien’s car pulled up. The bodyguard walked out and opened the door. “Adrien? Vlad?”

“Oh, hey Marinette” Adrien said.

“You leaving?” Vlad asked.

“Uh, yeah. I didn’t want to stay too late. It is a school night, after all” Marinette said.

“Well, my bodyguard can take you home” Adrien said.

Marinette giggled. “You father told me as much. But thank you anyway.” She got in the car. “See you tomorrow?”

“Of course” Adrien said. The bodyguard got back into the car and drove off.

“Hey father” Adrien said. He was getting used to seeing his father more. “Vlad’s going to hang out for a little bit. He needs to talk to me about something. We’ll just be in my room.”

“Of course” Gabriel said. After all, he’s your friend, right?”

Adrien smiled. “Right.” The two of them went to Adrien’s room.

Gabriel walked into his office. “What’s on your mind, sir?” Nathalie asked.

“I was just thinking. If Emilie were here, she would have gobbled Marinette right up” Gabriel said.

Nathalie looked at her boos. “She will, Mr. Agreste. Just give it time.”

“Of course, Nathalie” Gabriel said. “Now I have another reason to get her back.”

In Adrien’s room, Adrien asked “So, you’re saying Kagami likes me?”

“Yup” Vlad said.

“I knew that” Adrien said, setting up Ultimate Mecha Strike III

“Really? Then why’d you play dumb?” Vlad said.

“Because I only know it as Cat Noir” Adrien said. “I didn't want to raise suspicions of anyone there by saying something I shouldn’t know.” He started playing.

Vlad was confused. “It was fairly obvious from the outset.”

“I don’t know about that” Adrien said.

Vlad sighed. Beyyo popped out. “Can we please talk about the matter at hand? I’m getting a headache hearing all of this love talk!”

“I second that” Plagg said. “Also, where’s my Camembert?”

“Vlad, can you get Plagg some cheese? It’s in the safe” Adrien asked.

“Sure” Vlad said. He went to the safe and grabbed some and gave it to Plagg.

“Thanks” Plagg said.

“Sure thing. Just stay far away from Beyyo” Vlad said.

“In a room this big, it should be manageable” Beyyo said.

“Whatever” Plagg said. He began munching on his cheese.

Vlad reached into his coat. “Here’s something for you too, Beyyo” he said, handing him some jerky.”

“Thanks” Beyyo said, munching down.

“So, what’s the problem?” Adrien asked.

“Well, last night we tested Chloe, and things got a little intense” Vlad said.

“In what way?” Adrien asked.

“Well, we asked what would happen if everyone listened to Chloe” Vlad began. “It ended with her stopping the world and crying.”

“What happened afterwards?” Adrien continued.

Vlad went on. “I stopped the dream and I had a chat with Chloe. She told me that she felt like she couldn’t be herself in front of people, so she came up with a mean persona so that when people hate her, at least it will be genuine, instead of hiding behind fake appreciation.”

“Did Chloe tell you why she couldn’t be herself?” Adrien inquired.

“No. But I assume you know” Vlad said.

“I’m not telling” Adrien said.

“I wouldn’t expect you to” Vlad retorted. “Anyway, Ladybug is worried about leaving Chloe alone for too long. So I came to you because you know Chloe so well. How would you recommend speeding things up?”

Adrien smiled. “Well, if it is what I think it is, I don’t think Chloe will be ready until she admits that secret to people. And you can’t force that. However, it seems like Chloe is at least ready to change. So maybe we just need to keep pushing her in the right direction.”

“I see” Vlad said. “Say, if I were to learn her secret, would you agree to meet with her about it with me as Judgement Wolf?”

“Sure, but how do you plan on doing that?” Adrien asked.

“I think I’m going to run some more tests,” Vlad said. “If that’s alright with you.”

“Of course. Just don’t push her too hard. Maybe give her a break” Adrien said.

“Fine” Vlad said. “I’ll put it off until tomorrow. But Ladybug would like an answer sooner than later. For Chloe’s sake.”

“I know” Adrien said. “I want one too. She’s my oldest friend. Of course I want to protect her.” Vlad smiled.

“Double K.O.” the game said.

“I think I’m getting better” Adrien said. “Come Friday, I should be able to win.”

“Let’s hope so” Vlad said.

[thebibliomancer]

50 More Days of Comics! 26/50: Alpha Flight #89 (1990)

This book’s marketing strategy: “HEY ANYONE LIKE THE ORIGINAL GUARDIAN? ANYONE? OKAY DAMMIT WE HAVE A WOLVERINE FOR YOU PLEASE BUY THIS BOOK! oh and Puck is back if that’s what you’re into…”

I know next to nothing about Alpha Flight.

I really should.

They’re the X-Spinoff that doesn’t put an X in the title. Someone on tvtropes was liveblogging it and I picked up a few unfortunate tidbits from that.

Recently Alpha Flight has gone from being my second favorite Canadian super-team to being Captain Marvel’s space team. Or Earth-orbit team. Since I happen to think, BENDIS, that a space team should be in space.

The bits of Alpha Flight I’ve read with them in this role I’ve liked. Although I can’t help but wonder if Carol just bought the team from Canada.

Anyway, I wish I knew more about the iteration of the team that’s in this book because it has the one-two whammy of being both continuity heavy and snapback heavy. Not only is current continuity a big thing, previous continuity is a big thing because its being returned to. Also part three of a four part story.

Which has several ongoing plot lines.

Eesh.

I know I say this a lot but this is what recap technology was designed for.

So in one plot line, Shaman, Talisman, Aurora, and Sasquatch are searching for their missing teammate Puck, who was taken by the self-titled Master of the World.

And, uh, they find him. He’s been given a kind of gross makeover with exposed veins and tentacle fingers. But they found him alright.

Sasquatch immediately suggests mercy killing Puck because I guess that’s what he jumps to but thanks to Aurora’s “cleansing burst of light” Talisman and Shaman are able to mystically touch his mind and discover what happened.

In a flurry of continuity, Puck was apparently a dwarf but then it was retconned that he was a dwarf because his body had a demon sealed inside it because of magic but he was injured by the Dream Queen but was healed through supernatural means but on Earth his body rejected the magic so he was dying but the Master of the World wanted to test the limits of the human form and also get revenge on Alpha Flight so he secretly had Puck injected with a genetic compound made of former Alpha Flight foe Scramble and a blood sample of Puck taken years ago when he was still a dwarf so the compound reshaped Puck into a dwarf again but did a bad job of it.

Phew!

Comics that are attempting to retcon things in always have too much information per panel.

Anyway, since Sasquatch used to be a biochemist he understood all of that and also poked around in the Master’s computers and discovered that the compound is still in Puck’s system. So with a little bit of reprogramming, Puck could be put back to normal but dwarf normal because that’s when the DNA sample was from, not whatever normal he had been recently. Sssssnapback!

Also, the strain of having his body restructured might kill him but Puck says to go for it.

So Puck is thrown into a science tube and Sasquatch lays down some technobabble that basically amounts to ‘hey y’all Puck will be a dwarf again and this will be permanent, swearsies.’

Just as the process is started, the Master of the World bursts in with his Remnant Men and scolds Alpha Flight for coming in without knocking, very rude, now gtfo and stop touching his things (explicitly including Puck in that).

Master (of the World): “I do not see this as a degradation then, but rather the contrary… I see this as a reaffirmation of my faith… Faith in pain.”

I know the Master (of the World) from two places: Carol Danvers shanking him during Kurt Busiek’s Avengers run and his run-in with the new Champions where he was rebuilding the melting glaciers by using human suffering. Or something. It’s a bit unclear.

Anyway, he’s a creepus and he’s sending his creeper army to attack the present Alpha Flighters.

But thankfully, just as they’re getting overwhelmed, Puck bursts healed, naked, and spread legged from the science tube with a convenient splash of censoring water.

Puck: “I’m back, eh? Now let’s make short work of this loser!!”

He gets to make short jokes.

Anyway, that’s the end of this plot thread in this issue but if Puck isn’t kicking the Master’s ass while bareassed in the next issue, comics as a medium have failed forever.

In the second plot thread, Vindicator and Wolverine are trying to track down someone named Wild Child who broke out of jail.

Wolverine manages to track Wild Child down to a run down Roxxon gas station bathroom and squats by the toilet to get some good whiffs (which most be horrible with his enhanced sense of smell) and determines that Gamma Flight was here with Wild Child.

Which presents a problem as Gamma Flight is a team and Wolverine and Vindicator are two people.

Vindicator: “Are we up against all of Gamma Flight?”

Wolverine: “Yup. Gotta give ‘em credit fer stickin’ together through this.”

Vindicator: “Credit? They were formed for all the wrong reasons and disbanded for all the right ones. Oh, what am I getting so upset for? I’m so tired – of everything… Why has this team become such a mess? Why am I doing all of this?”

But Wolverine believes in the him that believes in her, or something, and they continue on. At the very least, punching some people will be cathartic. Which I believe is at least 50% of how superheroes work.

Four hours later, they track Gamma Flight down to an abandoned factory. Wolverine immediately leaps into an ambush that he probably suspects is an ambush to force the issue and maybe as an application to the Teen Titans who never met a trap they didn’t waltz into.

Anyway, things get chaotic and incomprehensible for a bit, befitting an ambush. But Team Wolverine and Vindicator Is There Too handle the ambush with something resembling aplomb and when its over Gamma Flight lines up in a row so we can get a team shot and their leader Nemesis (who looks like a Lady Deadpool with a cape) monologues.

Nemesis: “Hello, Vindicator… Wolverine… What is it exactly that you’re looking for besides your own funeral? I hope it’s not Wild Child. I hope you don’t expect us to give him up after all the trouble we went through breaking him out of prison. Because if that’s the case then you’re going to have to answer to us. GAMMA FLIGHT – protects their own!”

Vindicator’s response? “I’m not going to disappoint you, Nemesis. We are here for Wildchild. And we’re going to get him… even if we have to roll over each and every one of you idiots to do it!”

Way to be outnumbered nearly two to one with also aplomb, Vindicator. But as appears to be the trend, if twice is a pattern which it probably is, we don’t get the fight this issue. That’s next issue’s deal.

There’s a loose page that roughly fits into this plot thread. Northstar and Persuasion (a daughter of Purple Man trying to be not a dick like him) are watching their friend Laura in the hospital. Laura was hurt badly by Wild Child which I guess explains why Vindicator is cruising to bruise him.

And Persuasion is sad because not only is her friend hurt but her stupid mind control powers couldn’t do anything to help her only friend.

And Laura is in bad condition. She’s lost a lot of blood and needs a new kidney.

But for arbitrary reasons, even though Laura is O-positive, because she’s a mutant she has weird blood and they need compatible family blood. But Laura sent her only known family, her sister Goblyn, to another dimension. For her own good.

JUST THEN, people claiming to be her parents walk in and ask if they’d be a suitable match. DUN DUN DUN! Dramaaaaaa!

And in tonight’s final plot thread, as the cover promised, the weird return of the original Guardian. His death was apparently one of the earliest big events of the book, happening in issue 12.

So why is he coming back after 77 issues and two in-universe years? God only knows but this is a hard snapback. And this is a hell of a retcon.

They played at bringing Guardian back before. For Reasons, in issues 25-28 per the editorial captions, a robot disguised itself as Guardian and claimed that the explosion that killed him had ripped a hole in time-space and threw Guardian through it. And that he was then saved by aliens and sent back to Earth and had to sleep for ten thousand years during the voyage.

Obviously, this was all a lie.

Samuel Higgins, Roxxon guy: “Ahem. Yes, well. A lie. Hmm. Ahem… well… that crazy story that the robot came up with? About Hudson getting thrust back in time and waking up on Jupiter’s moon – Ganymede – then sleeping cryogenically and getting sent on a spaceship back to Earth? That crazy, whacky, kooky story? Well… it was all true.”

I mean, that’s one way to do it. I wouldn’t personally but it is one way.

Once you start getting into “the lie was a lie!” territory you’ve convoluted a book up fierce. See also: Spider-Man’s Clone Sage 2: This Time Its 90s And Nobody Knows What They’re Doing.

Forge is on scene with Roxxon guy Windshear and Alpha Flighters Box and Diamond Lil and I think Forge puts it best.

Forge: “In this business, death has a habit of making a liar out of the truth.”

Anyway, the not-dead James Hudson aka Guardian is wired up underneath a Roxxon research facility and he’s putting out potent hacking waves that are causing the mechanisms of the facility to go haywire and attack people. And also causing Box to malfunction because he’s a guy in a suit who is a suit. Or something.

I’m not entirely sure. But he fuses with Forge so that Forge can override the hacking and reconfigure the Box suit to overcome Hudson’s various stratagems.

And with enough technobabble, it works! They close in on James Hudson’s cybernetic weirdly crucifix posed nearly naked body.

A lot of beefcake in this comic for people into that.

Box (Madison Jeffries) separates from Forge and attempts to monologue Hudson back to his senses.

Box: “Hudson – Jamie – it’s me – Madison Jeffries – you remember, right? You got me outta the V.A. hospital – told me what had happened in ‘Nam was cool – told me that sometimes things hit the fan and that’s the way it is. Well, I’m here t’tell you the same thing, Jamie.

“Mac – wake up, man! You’re messing things up bigtime here! C’mon – remember who you were – are – ‘member when you recruited me for Department H – I was only in Beta an’ you loved havin’ me hang around – cos’ we had one thing in common – we both loved machines… Guess we both took it sorta to extremes don’tchu think? Well, guess what? We have somethin’ else in common now… maybe we took that to extremes, too…

“Heather. Remember Heather? Yeah. I see your mental imaging. That’s how she looked when you first met her, eh? She looks so young, man… So innocent… beautiful… Uhm… I think I love her, too, now, Mac. She’s a special lady. She never gave up on yer dream when we though you’d died. She kept Alpha Flight goin’ – no matter how rough it got – all ‘cos o’ her faith and belief in your dream, Jamie – in you…”

And being reminded of his wife in short shorts and/or emotional appeal works because Hudson comes out from his stupor and tearfully and droolfully proclaims that he is alive!

Awww. I still don’t know who was clamoring for this character to be returned after so many issues but I’m a sucker for a big in-universe emotional appeal.

Still though. Trying to retcon the book back into shape is not a good environment to attract new readers.

But speaking of sexy Heather, she was drawn with nipple poking through her Vindicator costume in several panels so I’m going to side eye Michael Bair and Mike Manley super hard. It may be a spandex costume but there’s like twelve pounds of circuitry underneath, geez.

Though I guess they also gave the reader Puck lunging crotch first at the reader and Hudson hanging out in only his underwear. So an Attempt Was Made to be fair-handed, I guess?

[mowseries]

Allies Obstruct

=INTRO B: COLLAPSING PEACE=

((Courtesy of @codedhopes & @super-tired-robot))

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

{June 20th, 20XX}

[The Mighty Numbers had spent months abroad.]

“-Whines- Won’t this dumb car go any faaaaaasterrrrr?”

“Not in traffic, it won’t, and you know it.”

[But now, at last, they were home.]

“Hey, is someone gonna wake snipebro up, or—“

“Ah’ AM awake, ya bunch a’ yappers…”

“Temper, Eight! Don’t get snappy at your sister!”

[They’d gone out to tournaments time and time again, but the saying held true: “there’s no place like home.” It was always a relief to come back… and this time, more than usual.

After a near solid month of time in recovery dodging questions from the press, INTERPOL, MI6, VIN, and other agencies, everyone was ready to be back in their own beds and eating a home-cooked meal.]

“EEEYYYYY I CAN SEE OUR HOUSE FROM HERE!”

“No duh, planebrain! It’s one of the taller buildings in the city!”

[Unfortunately, being cooped up in airplane rides for the past few days and then cramped into a travel vehicle had left them a bit…

…restless.]

Avi: I mean I can see the front door now! :D -Freedommmmmmm—-

Pyro: Don’t open up the roof— No flying out of the car—

Avi: D^: But—but awwwww, come onnnn! It’s right over theeeerrrrrre— only a little hover awayyy…

Bat: We return home as a unit, Six, not in pieces!

Mic: Give Six break. -W- Happy to be home.

Avi: YEEAAAHHH it’s so good to be home—gosh I can’t WAIT to get back to my radio tower—

Cryo: I’m sure you have some ICE stories to tell the viewers, kyaha~

Shade: -Growls at the pun-

Avi: DON’T YOU KNOW IT—

Pyro: Inside voice, Avi.

Avi: —buuuuut it’s too bad I can’t explain what happened…. Did we, uh, ever decide on a story of what to say if they asked about Toby?

Dyna: -Haughty hairflick- Juszzzt szzay that I fried that naszzty biker to a core. Completely true, after all. They can aszzzume the reszzt. -Sparks briefly-

Shade: -Flinches at this- (Ugh, can ya not while we’re cramped in the car, Sis…)

[The smallest of the Mighty Numbers was distracted, pressing his face against the window. It was good to be home: to see the familiar sights, to be where he belonged…

…Well, at least when it came to his family. He wasn’t much of a fighter, so he always felt out of place. Especially considering Pyro had him benched for the time being…]

Beck: (I hope she’s okay…. There weren’t any more “accidents,” so she kept her promise, but…)

Brand: …Are you okay there, otouto?

Beck: ! O-oh, yeah, I, uh…

Beck: I-I was just thinking about Tobias. He… he was really out of it for a while, huh…

Avi: -Thumbs up- Don’t you worry about Toby, bro! He’s up and running now, and he’ll be right as rain! That’s what Doc C said, at any rate…

Pyro: … When did you talk to Mikhail? -Confused-

Avi: Oh, just the other day! He was asking about the watch, actually, but I didn’t exactly have the instructions…

Bat: Watch?

Mic: Birthday present. Missed birthday, Shade sent present. E|

Shade: Mnnrgh. …Glad it got through.

Cryo: -Poooookes at her little brother with her nozzle arm-

Shade: | [

[The sniper remained in a grumpy mood as they finally pulled into the parking lot of Sanda Enterprises.]

Avi: WOOOOOOOO WE’RE HOME

Cryo: LAST ONE IN’S A FROZEN PUDDLE

Shade: Will y’all shut it fer just two minutes—

Cryo: Oh, stop being such a wash-out, Shadey!

Shade: Ain’t in the mood fer puns—‘m gonna go sleep through Sunday, thank yew—

Pyro: -Grabs him by the shoulder before he vanishes, keeping a firm grip- Oh no you aren’t. You’re carrying in your luggage, same as everyone else.

Shade: -Grumpy data- -Grumbles about something under his breath-

Pyro: What was that? | /

Shade: …Ah’ said, all that work an’ this is the thanks Ah’ get…

Cryo: Quit being a drama llama, Shadebro! We’re home now! -Grabs at luggage, gimme-

Dyna: Ugh, I’m too fabulouszz for thiszz. -Grinning, obviously not 100% serious- Earthbro iszz more than capable of carrying in everybody’szz luggage, right~?

Mic: OWO

Shade: …What she said—

Pyro: Enough, you two. <_<

Shade: … -Nah Imma go nap an’ ya can’t stop me— -

Pyro: -Not if my grip has anything to say about it-

Cryo: -Flings herself at Pyro, eager to get in on the conflict- FIGHT ME—

Brand: Cryo—! Now’s not the time!

Shade: Fer Xel’s sake, just give it a rest—

Avi: EYYYYY good one—

[The sniper had reached the end of his patience.]

Shade: -DAMMIT Ah’ did NOT mean t’ pun—- Avi, Ah’ swear if there’s one more pun outta yew…

“You want a hand with that? BJ”

Shade: !

[The commotion stopped momentarily, with the sniper looking down in surprise.]

[Sure enough, there he was: the one and only songbird. He was grinning up at his taller friend, giving off unfiltered gleeful data.

And just like that—]

Shade: -nEVERMIND, NAP CAN WAIT— -

[Cardinal laughed and gave his friend a proper hug. He didn’t even care that he was letting someone that close to him, or that he was showing such a strong sign of friendship.]

[It had been a long two months since they had last seen one another, and it had felt like ages. The old prototype Robot Master had done a lot of waiting in his time, but very rarely had he ever felt the sense of separation so poignantly.

He’d made an effort to drown out his sorrows by keeping busy, and had much to tell them… but that could wait.

For now, he was happy just to see his best friend alive and well again.]

Beck: Cardinal! :DDD You’re here!

[He ran in for a hug, and Cardinal pulled him in. Each of the three of them seemed to be savoring the moment.]

Bat: What are you doing here, Private? It’s 0400 local!

Cardinal: -Gleeful pings as he messes with Shade, the latter using him as an armrest- I had to come in person, Major! I failed to be up in time to see you off—it took all my self-control not to meet up with you at the airport in New York, instead!

Brand: That would have raised more questions, yes. -.-; Might I suggest that we continue this inside?

Shade: If you say so, ya stick-in-the-mud. B]

Cardinal: B]

[He broke into chuckles at that, though, shoving Shade off before going over to pick up his bags.]

Pyro: -Oh, you were being serious—- There’s no need for that, Cardinal. You’re our guest. Shade can carry his own bags in. ¬_��

Cardinal: Nah, it’s fine— watch this!

[Cardinal used SUPER ARM!]

[And just like that, he’d grabbed all of Shade’s luggage effortlessly. Bat gave a whistle of appreciation.]

Cryo: NICE, Looks like he LIFTS, bros—

Cardinal: -Laughs- It does come in handy! C’mon, let’s head inside.

[Once all the Mighties were inside, the luggage was put to the side and everyone headed for the kitchen. It may be 4AM local, but they were still suffering from jet lag: it was about lunchtime in London. Even though he was a bit worn out from the travels, Pyro set about to preparing a proper meal for the family.

There was the usual chaos around the kitchen as Cardinal also prepared some coffee for himself and Countershade. When the prototype sat down, however… he immediately became subject to questioning.]

Avi: So what have you been up to, Cards? Got any new songs for us?

Cardinal: Ha, I wish… -Something of an empty half-smirk as he slides a mug of coffee over to Shade- It’s all run together a bit for me, actually. It… hasn’t been easy, to be honest.

Brand: …? What do you mean?

[Shade sipped at his coffee silently as his friend explained himself.

Despite the distance and the time difference—not to mention the risk on Cardinal’s end—the songbird had kept in touch with him and buzzed in every so often. So he was in the know on most of it.]

Cardinal: Well…

Cardinal: When days don’t have any specific value of importance assigned to them, multiple days of memory that are much the same usually cause identical cross-reference creation redundancy, and it becomes difficult to differentiate one day from another. It all becomes a blur….

Brand: …That’s not the only reason, is it.

Cardinal: Heh.

[He gave something of a wry grin, leaning against the table. The data he gave off was subtly more tired than before… and just as tense.]

Cardinal: You noticed, huh? Not much gets by you.

Beck: Nii-san is really good at that!

Cardinal: -Long sip of coffee- Yeah… I’ll admit that we didn’t take it very well at all, first. And me most of all.

Avi: Aw, we missed you too, buddy!

Bat: You seem to have held up well, soldier. You’re being too hard on yourself, as usual!

Cardinal: -Shakes his head- I was upset. I stayed Offline for a while, and then, well…

Cardinal: Tried to busy myself in work. Had to… do something, just keep moving forward. -Looks off into the distance- Figured we should make progress with repairs… needed certain resources. We had to go out and raid a lot for them: it really was rather hard.

Pyro: That would explain that one series of alerts we got…

Cardinal: Yeah, they’d brought more firepower than I had bargained for. I made it out alright, but  I wouldn’t want any of you to go to such places, that’s for sure. There wasn’t much to find as it was.

Beck: Sorry I wasn’t there to help…

[Cardinal grinned and patted Beck’s shoulder.]

Cardinal: Nah, we really just needed more of specific metals, and any source of certain energies we could find. I got my hands on more E-tanks—which is good, but there still aren’t very many. Siamini’s been trying, but we haven’t made that breakthrough just yet. He thinks he might be getting close, having run the search on the database for months now.

Cryo: Uuugh, don’t tell me it was all work and no play! -Pbbbtth-

Cardinal: Sorry there, Ice Queen, but without you guys around, we didn’t have many people to play with, to be honest. Snow was often off doing his own thing, but he’s the only one who really gets out and about.

Dyna: Well, we’ll fix that now that we’re baaack~

Mic: Why need special metals? ?W? Ones Mic and Felix mine not enough?

Cardinal: -Gives a relaxed sigh, running his fingers through his hair- …Well, we needed to get samples from stuff related to the Second Generation. The only place that has that is that one old lab that’s been completely trashed several times over. It was time for us to strip that place to the bone anyway, before— well, before what happened… would happen.

Cardinal: Only it DID happen.

Bat: You’re referring to the WMD that got pointed at you?

Cardinal: -Grim expression- Mmm… it was more than that. There was… someone a bit like Mic, and definitely someone like Avi… though we were shot at long-range from someone like you, Major. The compound was destroyed.

Pyro: -Places some bacon aside- But no one was injured, right?

Cardinal: Most everyone got out of there in time, but I had to draw them off. Needless to say, that place won’t be offering up any more resources, and that’s one mainframe down. Luckily we have the one in the Meadow—and here, since the two are synched.

Cardinal: Though—it would still be putting you in danger to use your mainframe for our own devices. -Looks up- We don’t want to subject you to that if it can be helped.

Shade: -Puts his coffee down- M’ sure Dad would be fahn lettin’ ya use the mainframe if y’all really needed to, Cards.

Beck: Yeah! We’ll all help! ouo

Cardinal: Heh…. Thanks, but… -Trails off- …

Cardinal: …Well, at least we got some important data and schematics.

Brand: … -Raises an eyebrow- Such as?

Cardinal: I know what you’re thinking, Brand, but we didn’t find anything related to Shadow in there. Sorry.

[The Xel ninja said nothing, but it wasn’t hard to see (by his VISIBLY mildly unamused expression) that he was slightly disappointed to hear this.]

Shade: -Quiet ping of sympathy to his older brother- Ya woulda thought that somethin’ like that’d be in there.

Cardinal: You'd think a lot of things would be in there, but I’m pretty sure that Wily must have kept stuff like that written down on notepads, not stored in the RMD.

Beck: Why?

Cardinal: He lost things that were really important to him due to serious problems with the database once, you know—and he always was really, REALLY old school.

Cardinal: -Leans back in his chair a bit- Maybe it WAS in there once, but—y’know, it’s been a long time since the end of the Gamma incident. (Like, what… nine months or so?) He’s had time to delete that stuff, and he was really adamant about making sure Shadow was… quote-unquote taken care of, if you catch my drift.

[Brand clenched the knife he was holding a bit harder at this.]

Avi: -Aaaaaand distraction time—- So… what WERE you able to get?

Cardinal: Good question, Avs; we haven’t reviewed it in full as of yet. I think it was retrieval of the blueprints for the Second Generation, at least. I know that I went out and managed to get my hands on 020’s data.

Shade: -Nice-

Pyro: -Hopeful data- That’s the boxer, correct?

Cardinal: Yup.

Bat: Ha! Good work, soldier! No man left behind!

Beck: That must have been awfully scary, though! ono

Cardinal: -Grins- Well, it wasn’t easy! And yeah, it was a pretty big risk. But hopefully it’ll be worth it, in the long run.

[His smile fades.]

Cardinal: Tobias, though…

[The murmur of conversation died down at that. Avi fidgeted.]

Avi: Mikhail said he was okay, right…?

Cardinal: He’s… he’s alright.

[The Robot Master in question had been Offline for quite some time following the scene in the sands. And what a scene it had been…]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

SKLLLKTTKRRRSHHHLLLRRRKKT—

[Oil and cooling fluids spattered all over Bladeblaster’s hands and weapon, as if they were blood….]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Cardinal: We never did explain what happened, did we…

[He presses a hand to his face and yawns.]

Cardinal: Well, maybe Mikhail can explain it tomorrow or something.

Beck: What is there to explain? :c He’s… he’s okay, right?

Cardinal: Yeah. He was asleep for a while, but that’s pretty common for any Robot Master after they get sent Offline in a traumatic fashion. Especially if they blame themselves. That data is really difficult to process, you know.

Dyna: -Awww, Tobyyyy…-

Beck: Sorry we couldn’t help out. D:

Cardinal: You guys had your own worries. We pulled through alright.

Cardinal: Besides, you’ve done a lot of good work with those molds you made for us! The new coolant systems make all the difference in the heat of battle.

Shade: -Snorts into his coffee despite himself-

Avi: EEEEYYY nice one :^D

[Cardinal gave a brief soft laugh.]

Cardinal: It’s good to be like… like this again.

Cryo: SOOOOooooo… now that you're home… what do you want to do next?

Brand: Something that doesn't end up in the headlines. -~-;;

Cardinal: -Laughs at this-

Shade: -Devilish grin, worth it-

Pyro: Are you kidding, Seven? I swear those two could go out for groceries and end up in trouble.

[The two in question snicker at this.]

Brand: -Mildly annoyed glare at Cardinal-

Cardinal: -Amused- You really need to chill out, Sev.

Cardinal: You should try meditation, I hear it works wonders~

Shade: -Almost chokes on his coffee at this-

[Brand narrowed his eyes coldly at his younger brother as the cowboy coughed briefly, grinning as he sat shaking in silent laughter.]

Shade: -Error X04: srs not found, BWAHAHA-

Cardinal: -Just gives a cheeky grin- ~~~

Bat: We could deploy him to Kalos. Maybe some training there will get him to clean up his act!

Shade: -Aw, not you too, bro— Ah’ trusted ya…-

Cardinal: -Laughs a little- Actually, that's not that bad of an idea, Major. I taught Baron some new tricks by utilizing the moves he has in expressive ways.

Pyro: >_>;

Cardinal: Don’t suppose you can come with?

Shade: -Pings and sighs, nostalgic about their previous adventures- Ah’d love to, but—

Pyro: -Brings pancakes over to the table- We have a match tomorrow morning. We have to rest, I’m afraid.

Cardinal: Aw, come onnn…. Not even for half an hour?

Brand: Cardinal, the last time you and Shade went there, you got chased by a swarm of BEES. -____-;;

Shade: -Pokes at the songbird sharply- Ah' still blame yew—

Cardinal: That was BARON'S idea, not mine!

Pyro: Alright, alright! Settle down!

Shade: -Fine, fine…-

[Everyone started chowing down as Pyro divvied out the food.]

Cardinal: I’m just glad you guys are back. We really missed you.

Shade: S’ good to be back. B]

Avi: By the way, did our gifts ever reach you guys—

Cardinal: -Cutting designs into his pancakes- Yeah, and Mikhail was very happy you all got him the watch. Just one thing, though…

Shade: Hmm?

Cardinal: …You didn't include any instructions, so you're going to have to show him how it works.

Shade: Ah, right—there are several functions, heh…

Mic: -Going through an entire stack of pancakes all to himself- How is Felix?

Cardinal: -Smile fades- …Sick.

Brand: … -Concerned- Sick?

Cardinal: Yeah.

Beck: What happened? D:

Cardinal: As he would put it, “It’s A Long Story”…. Something to do with visions and high energy things. That's what Piers said, anyway.

Dyna: Who iszzz that, again?

Cardinal: Mmm. That would be the captain from Lemuria; he’s Felix’s best friend. He came over to help monitor Felix after he fell ill. Echo probably asked him to do so.

Bat: Any idea as to what caused it? That man is as sturdy as they get. Haven’t ever heard of him being under the weather since we’ve known him.

[Cardinal lowered his utensils for a moment, frowning.]

Cardinal: He was doing research into what might have happened with those stupid crosses, from what I understand. B/

Pyro: Mmmnnngh…

Mic: :c Mic not get it. Felix not a ‘bot?

Cardinal: He was researching something similar from his world. Pretty dangerous material, from what I understand. He was either careless or else underestimated the potency he could reach by refining the material…

Beck: But he’ll be okay, right? D:

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: -Slowly- He’s bounced back from worse before. He’ll be fine.

Beck: -Whew…-

Cardinal: Enough about us, though. What about you guys? We barely got to see any of the matches—

Avi: NOT TO WORRY, we recorded everything in HD! :^D

Cardinal: Fair enough, but. Tell me about England. -Pours syrup onto more pancakes, only to find Beck had taken most of the syrup already- Tell me about what it was like for you guys.

Shade: Hmm…

Shade: It was… rainy.

Cardinal: -Snrk-

Cryo: -Flails- We’ve been there before, you know! Came back champs, natch. Those guys couldn’t hold a candle or a hose to the team SUPREME!

Brandish: The teams were very good. They were simply outmatched, that is all. I’m sure Speedy would have enjoyed seeing some of them… were you really unable to watch any of the matches?

Cardinal: We picked up a few radio broadcasts, but the only one we got to see was the last one. And we all know how THAT went…

Shade: Tsk… real shame. ‘least Avi got the content t’ show after the fact…

Cardinal: Oh, dude, I’d love to marathon watch the whooooole thing. B]

Bat: For your analysis program?

Cardinal: -Smirks- Maaaybe.

Pyro: Heh.

Dyna: -Points and cackles- Don’t think you can pull a faszzzt one on uszz, Card-i-nalll~! Analyszzisz didn’t help them much, after all~

Cardinal: -Amused- Fair enough point.

[Shade twitched an amused smile, before privately pinging his friend.]

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: You’ve got more to say, don’t you?

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >Let’s just say that you haven’t seen what I can really do when I’m serious.

[His grin faded after a moment, and he gave off tired data again.]

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > …Though… I hope you never have to…

[Shade used what was left of his right arm to swish his cloak a little, brushing it against the short prototype. This served to distract him out of the grim cross-references of recent battles—not matches, but true clashes of machines of war.]

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: S’ok. Things will be fine now.

Cardinal: -Blinks a little bit, coming out of his private thoughts to Avi’s ongoing description of the lunch with the Queen- …

Cardinal: … -Decides to zone back out, focusing on his breakfast-

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > What about you, Shade? Did… did we make things rather hard for you?

Shade: …

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: …The whole thing was a mess. S’ not y’all’s fault. Got hammered pretty hard with demands from just about every agency you can think of, all wantin’ answers for what Bladeblaster was up to…

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > …And how Tobias got past security?

Shade: | / -Sighs and nods-

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > Geez, that sounds rough. What were they expecting, that just because you guys were both assassins that you knew what he was up to?

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Mnn. Somethin’ like that, I guess. More like they expected me specifically t’ have been keepin’ an eye on him… since he was a competitive threat and not publicly on good terms…

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > …

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Ah’ know, right?

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > Man… if they were that hard on you, I can only imagine what they put Jack through…

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Nah, don’t worry ‘bout him. Kate’s got his case.

[Cardinal smiled softly at that.

“Kate”—also known as Shade’s distaff counterpart—had developed a fast friendship with the unfortunate CherryDyn fighter. It came as little surprise that she had managed to find a backdoor to the system that allowed her to protect the still-recovering victim.]

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >How’d she manage to pull that off?

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Heh heh… God only knows; haven’t had a chance t’ compare notes yet. She was real careful about not being seen communicating with us much. She kept a tight patrol ‘round the hospital when she wasn’t actin’ as his case handler. She even wrote a report to submit to the CAL: managed to take off with some of my blank documents while I was nappin’ r’ somethang, y’know.

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >Well, as long as she’s looking out for him. I’ve got a bad feeling about what could happen to him now…. He surely knows too much, and as for his boss…

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Rumor has it that he’s dead.

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > …

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > What?

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Kate thinks it’s a cover story. Kinda inclined t’ believe her.

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > …

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > -MnnnNNNnng-

Cardinal: -Pokes at his pancakes, deciding to change to subject-

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > How… how bad was it, with them asking about Tobias?

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Eh. That was the easy part. Just said that he wasn’t a Xelbot I’d ever seen in the ring before, must be some fan a’ Dyna’s. B]

[Cardinal grins at that, biting down onto his fork.]

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > Nice. Technical, misleading truths are my absolute favorite.

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Heh. Figured you’d get a kick outta that. Thankfully, they really didn’t press the point, ‘cause they were havin’ trouble finding him in any of the databases to begin with… making it even less likely that a star family like us would know him.

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >Yeah… thanks for putting him as an Industrial. He really isn’t developed for Combat.

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Maybe not, but—

Shade: -Whistle of appreciation-

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: After seein’ him in action, can’t say he wouldn’t fit in.

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > You could say he—

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Aw c’mon, don’t—

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > —punched BB’s lights out—

Shade: -Snickers and thwacks Cardinal with his cape-

Cardinal: -CHEEKIEST GRIN-

Pyro: What’s going on down there?

Cardinal: Oh, nothing~

Shade: Just enjoyin’ a jest, heh heh…

[The two share a laugh, and Pyro lets the matter drop. It was good to see Shade back in a good mood again, and neither were out causing trouble, after all—at least, not yet.]

Pyro: (I don’t doubt that they’ll find plenty of mischief to do as time goes on.) -Shakes his head slightly- (Truly as “thick as thieves”, those two….)

[Cardinal, for his part, seemed to slip back into a weary melancholy. He’d stopped just short of finishing off his pancakes.]

Shade: …? Oi—you full, or…?

Cardinal: Hmm?

[He looked up, coming out of his thoughts. His eyes glowed slightly brighter for a moment before they dulled again: though it was hard to tell behind his sunglasses.]

Cardinal: Oh, I…

Cardinal: -Looks down at his plate- …I guess it’s more that I don’t want to leave.

Cryo: What’s THAT got to do with breakfast?

Cardinal: Well… you guys said you have a match tomorrow, and you’ll have to sleep most of the day to truly rest while readjusting your internal clocks to fix jet lag…

Cardinal: -Clearly reluctant- I really should get out of your way.

Brand: Nonsense.

Beck: We do have to rest up, but! Maybe Dad will let us have a sleepover!

Cardinal: -Looks up hopefully- You think so?

Bat: Affirmative, provided you don’t cause any trouble.

Cardinal: -Gives a slight smile at that- I’ve just returned from active combat, sir. Led my men in battle and brought us all home alive. I have enough thrills from the enemies at my heels; right now I just want some peace and quiet before they carry out the brunt of the storm.

Shade: … (Haven’t seen him like this in a long time. Gotta be something I can do t’ help keep him outta that sea of hopelessness…)

Shade: -Gets a sudden idea- !

Shade: -Slowly grins- Gee. That’s too bad.

Cardinal: -Looks up- I’m sorry, Shade. I’m just really tired right now. You know how that is.

Shade: Yeah.

Shade: Was just thinkin’ maybe…

Shade: Maybe after spendin’ the night, y’ could come to watch the match tomorrow?

Cardinal: !

[The others immediately chimed in.]

Mic: -Deep PING of approval- ^W^ As Digger say, “yes good!”

Bat: Solid idea!

Beck: Yeah! That would be great!

Avi: Now why didn’t I think of that?

Dyna: Yee, you’ll get to szzee a FABULOUS diszzplay!

Brand: You really ARE overdue to see a match in person…

Cryo: Hell yeah, [glitches]! Watch us totally DOMINATE those losers!

Pyro: We’d love to have you come. Why don’t you go ask?

Cardinal: -Warm smile- …Thanks, guys. You’re the best.

[Beck beamed as the prototype wandered off to go find the Doctors. Best friends, reunited! What a wonderful thing!]

Beck: -Hums a little, licking syrup off his plate while Pyro isn’t looking- (I can’t slip away tonight, but maybe tomorrow I can go see her, too…. I should see if I can get extra Xel ready for her. Maybe I could say it’s stuff for the molds…)

Beck: (I really hope she's been doing well since I left—I know! I'll make a nice gift for her too, maybe add some chocolate—a gift basket! That'll cheer her up. And maybe…)

Beck: (Maybe after the match, I can finally talk to her about some important things…)

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

[buckyscrystalqueen]

Other World Love: Part 3

Pairings: Bucky x Reader (SPN Crossover)

Warnings: Swearing I think

Word Count: 7,349

Part 1 / Part 2

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

“Well if it isn’t my good pal, Loki.” Crowley called out as the three of you walked out of the bunker.

“Of course you know him.” You groaned as you looked up at the two Gods that had joined the rest of the Avengers in front of the bunker. You heard everyone else in the group groan as the two trouble makers caught up and you quickly locked the door to the bunker, pausing for only a moment to listen to all of the different locks settle into place.

“Enough, Loki, we are here for one thing and one thing only.” Thor said as you and Bucky walked over. Crowley held up his finger with a smug smirk.

“Actually with him here only THEY will need your assistance.” Crowley looked back at you for only a moment before he headed toward the Gods. “Enjoy purgatory, kitten. See you on the other side.” You, Thor and Steve lurched into action as Crowley reached out toward Loki but before any of you could get to him, Crowley simply touched Loki’s arm, snapped and disappeared. Loki’s smile fell instantly when he realized the demon had left him behind and he began to grumble as Thor glared at you.

“We must leave now. I don’t want him out of his cell longer than necessary after that.” Bucky grabbed your hand and the two of you nearly ran the short distance to the center of the circle that had been burned into the ground in front of the bunker. You could barely register the Avenger’s halfhearted well wishes and shouts of good byes as the excitement of finally going home made your heart race. “Hold on to me.” Thor instructed you. You began to turn toward the God before Bucky spun you to his chest and lifted you off the ground.

“I’ve got her.” Bucky said protectively as you wrapped your arms and legs around him and he held you tight to his broad chest. You heard Loki laugh as was forced to grab ahold of Bucky’s arm. You barely had enough time to grab ahold of the straps of the duffle and register the idea that this was all going really fast when you were suddenly airborne. You could feel Bucky stiffen beneath you as a literal rainbow tunnel of light surrounded your bodies and you couldn’t help but giggle and pull yourself closer to him.

“This is insane!” You nearly shouted in his ear as the Earth zipped away beneath your feet. He didn’t say a word in response and you began to worry slightly until everything suddenly went black. You felt completely weightless for a moment and you felt Bucky cling to you even tighter as gravity kicked back in and the world around you exploded in a burst of color.

“Nearly there.” Thor shouted and you felt Bucky dip his head against your shoulder at the same time as you landed on hard ground. “Heimdall, they need to go to purgatory on Earth now; see to it.” Thor demanded without another word to you as he dragged a now struggling Loki toward an archway. Bucky stood up a little straighter as the arch you had just come through began to shift from a bright rainbow color to a deep grey.

“Can we never do that again?” Bucky asked and you leaned back to look at his very pale face. You smiled and giggled.

“We got one more baby. Try saying the alphabet backwards over and over again.”

“Step through.” Heimdall said as he gestured toward the now grey arch. You could feel Bucky groan as he hiked you up in his arms a little and headed for the arch.

“I hate space travel.” He groaned as he stepped into the arch and suddenly you felt like you were falling. You let out a slight squeak, squeezed your eyes closed and clung to Bucky tighter as his arms crushed around your waist. It took almost a full minute of freefalling before you finally felt a jolt as Bucky landed upright on hard ground.

“Are you (Y/N) Winchester?” a voice asked from behind you. Bucky put you down quickly and you spun around in front of him to come face to face with three monsters.

“Depends on who’s asking.” You replied as you pulled out your angel blade and another knife from your jacket. The werewolf in front of you smiled wickedly to show off his teeth and clucked his tongue.

“So the rumors were true. Baby Winchester has decided to follow in big brother’s footsteps.” The three men lunged at you and you reacted taking off two of their heads almost instantly before impaling the one who spoke in the chest.

“Y’all have underestimated Baby Winchester.” You said with a smile as you plunged your knife into his skull. The body dropped to the ground and pulled your knives out it.

“How did you do that?” Bucky asked with a chuckle as you stood up and you took a look around and shrugged before turning and reaching for the duffle.

“Years and years of practice. They will be a lot easier to kill down here but since word is apparently already out that I’m here, we gotta find Benny and get the hell out of here quick. We have a huge target on our back.” Bucky nodded as the two of you loaded up with knives and blades. “Just kill everything you see except me and a Cajun vamp.”

“What, you don’t want to go toe to toe with me?” He asked as he slung the duffle back onto his shoulder so the strap rested across his chest and you gave him a half mouth smirked as you stood up and spun the two angel blades you chose to work with in your hands.

“Darlin’ you may be super strong but you underestimate how quick I am on my feet.” He laughed as the two of you headed into purgatory to find the family friend who was going to get you back to your brothers.

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

You sat on a thick log by the fire keeping watch with your back to the only water source you had so far and you sighed as your eyes frantically danced through the dark woods surrounding you.

“We are going to find him tomorrow, babe.” Bucky said and you looked down to where he was supposed to be sleeping against the log right next to you. You had been in purgatory a week and neither of you had gotten much sleep as you unsuccessfully searched for Benny and your way out.

“Yea, well he better pray I find him sooner over later because I am at the point where I want to start filleting…”

“Well now honeychile, that ain’t no way ta go thankin’ the man that’s suppose ta help ya.” A thick familiar Louisiana accent said from the brush off to your left. You head whipped in that direction and you scowled despite the smile that spread across your face.

“Yea well, you know if you keep a Winchester waitin’ we get a little stab happy.” Benny laughed as Bucky scooted to sit up next to you protectively. You could tell he didn’t like the fact that he was on the far side of you and you reached down and put your hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “You dealt with Dean so you should know that by now.” Benny smiled as he finally emerged from the shadows with a giant handmade blade of his own.

“Well (Y/N) I cain’t say it’s good ta see ya heyah.” He claimed as you stood up a bit to give your friend a hug.

“Like wise but I appreciate you helping us out. Benny this is... my boyfriend?” You said questioningly as you sat back down and you peered at Bucky. He glanced up at you, shrugged as he pursed his lips slightly then nodded at the title. “Yea… boyfriend, Bucky. Babe, this would be the pain in the ass we have been looking for for the past week.”

“Awe mon cher! Yuh found luv… ‘bout time one o’ yuh Winchesters found yuhselfs a beau.” He shook Bucky’s hand and sat down on the ground across the fire.

“Yea well I had to go to a whole different world to find him.” You said as you looked down at Bucky once more. You could see his slight blush through the dirt on his cheeks as he looked up at you with a smile and you smiled back before getting back to business. “So portal; how far away is it and is it still there? Please tell me I can get the hell out of hell soon because I miss my freaking bed!” The men laughed with you and Benny nodded.

“Portal’s only a days walk; been since day yuh touched down. Purgatory ain’t likin’ live ‘n’s. It’ll pop open like it did fer yuh brotha.”

“You’re 100% sure it’s going to be there?” Bucky asked and Benny nodded.

“Yessa, I’m sure. Been dead down heyah fuh yeaahs ‘n I pay close ‘ttention to shit ‘round heyah. I made Dean a promise ta get his baby sistah home and I’mma man a my word.”

“So we leave when the sun rises?” You ask as you looked toward the sound of a tree branch breaking in the direction Benny had just come from.

“Yes ma’am.” Benny said as he jumped up and stalked toward another vamp that came running out of the woods. You didn’t move at all as the two men struggled for a minute before Benny decapitated the man. “Best ta get yuh outta heyah fast.” He said as he tossed the severed head into the river behind you. You swallowed a bit and shook your head at your next question as Benny sat back down.

“Am I giving you a hike out?” The vamp remained silent for a moment as he watched the fire before he slowly shook his head.

“’fraid I don’t belong up der no more, (Y/N). No mattah how much I wan’ be down da bayou, I ain’t wanna put y’all in da same spot to haf ta send me back down the crick when I fly crook’.” You could see the pain in his eyes and you nodded as your heart went out to the vamp in front of you.

“He’d be proud of you.” You said softly and Benny shrugged.

“I ain’t doin’ much ta be proud ’a, honeychile.” You both dropped the conversation and you scooted yourself down the log to close your eyes.

“Got eyes for a bit? We haven’t gotten much sleep.” Benny nodded and shifted around the dwindling fire as Bucky threw his metal arm around your shoulder and pulled you into his side. He placed a quick kiss on your forehead as you got as comfortable as you could and you could feel him smile against your skin.

“We’re going home tomorrow.” He said softly and you smiled and kissed his chest.

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

It felt like you had just closed your eyes when Bucky was gently shaking you awake. You groaned and stretched in the dirt as Benny kicked dirt over the fire.

“If I never sleep on the ground again it will be too soon.” You grumbled as you grabbed your angel blades and the duffle from the ground.

“It isn’t that bad babe. Just like war conditions.” Bucky said as he gathered his knives and Dean’s blade.

“Yea well I guess it’s good thing I’m a girl and won’t be going to war then because this sleeping on the ground shit blows.”

“I feel ya on that sistah.” Benny said as he picked up his blade and headed toward the portal. The hike through purgatory to your exit took nearly all day; only running into a dozen or so monsters that were dead set determined to go after the youngest Winchester despite the fact that you were traveling with two protectors. By the time the sun had started to set, you began to feel the pull of your brother once again and you knew you were getting close. As you came up to a ridge, you could hear the activity picking up and Benny turned to you.

“Head up dat ridge there an’ be quick na; I’ll hold’m off.” You nodded and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Bucky pushed you toward the rocky mountain just as monsters began to almost pour out of the woods.

“Go baby go!” Bucky demanded as the two of you scrambled toward the blue hole that appeared above your head as the shouts of dying monsters and Benny’s loud taunting and encouragement rang out from below you over the loud winds that picked around you. You suddenly began to panic as the portal began to apparently swirl faster and you forced yourself to climb quicker. Every sore and tired muscle in your body screamed in protest as your boyfriend nearly dragged you the last 5 feet toward home. When you finally reached the top of the ridge, you glanced back over the edge.

“Thanks Benny!” You shouted as Bucky grabbed your hand and the two of you stepped into the portal. You were instantly surrounded by a blinding white light as the winds picked up even more then suddenly you were plunged into an almost deafening silence. The two of you looked around the woods you found yourself for a second before Bucky finally spoke as he held his blade out in front of him.

“Did it work?” He asked and you shrugged.

“Cas?” You called out tentatively and you both jumped as the angel appeared in front of you. You dropped both your angel blades and threw yourself at him with a burst of ecstatic giggles.

“Let’s get you home, (Y/N).” Cas said. You nodded and took a step back. Bucky handed you your blades and pulled you into his side. Cas stood in front of you, gave you a small smile and you wrapped your arms around Bucky’s waist and held your breath as Cas touched both of your foreheads. You felt slightly weightless for only a blink of an eye before you came to a stop in the library of the bunker.

“Sam!” You shouted as you pulled yourself away from Bucky and the two of you started dropping a barrage of weapons on the table. “Dean! You two idiots better have pizza!”

“Here’s to hoping because I’m starving!” Bucky said as he realized it had been a while since either of you had eaten. You could hear the loud stomping of boots echoing through the bunker and you spun toward the sound just as Sam rounded the corner. You let out a laughed sob as you dashed across the room and jumped into your twin’s arms.

“I vote no more fucking witches for a while, sound good?” He teased as he put you down and you nodded as you moved to give Dean a hug.

“I vote you assholes quit using me as bait to test new theories on inter-world travel. I think Bucky would appreciate never having to ride that rainbow elevator again.” You said as you stepped back and looked at your boyfriend. “Alright, official introduction time; Sam and Dean Winchester, I am pleased to introduce you to Sgt. James Buchanan Barnes aka Bucky. And I want the official record to show that no one in this house will ever be speaking Russian for any reason whatsoever.” The three men chuckled as the shook hands and Dean smiled and clapped his hands together.

“Alright, you two go shower because no offense but you freaking stink. I’m gunna run into town and get pizza…”

“And I stocked a bunch of ice cream in the freezer and there is a bag of chocolates and Swedish fish and gummy bears in your room.” Sam said as he started collecting knives off the table.

“Come get us in my room when the pizza gets here.” You called out as you grabbed Bucky’s hand.

“Wait, hold on! He’s not staying in your room!” Dean called after you. Bucky chuckled as you paused in the door way and looked at your older brother.

“You really think you are going to stop the man with the metal arm and super human strength and your sister from being together?” You challenged and Sam laughed as Dean frowned. “Yea… that’s what I thought.”

“I’m a respectable gentleman, I promise.” Bucky said as he pushed you toward the bathroom and you squealed as he swept you up over his shoulder and carried you the rest of the way down the hall.

“This isn’t over, young lady!” Dean called out as the two of you headed into the bathroom and your reply to him was lost by the bathroom door shutting.

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

You leaned against the door of the Impala with Bucky lying in between your legs, only half listening to Dean go on and on about hunt safety while you slowly pulled your boyfriend’s long hair into a bun. You were starting to wonder if rolling your eyes multiple times in a short period of time could do serious brain damage when Bucky shifted his head to look up at you.

“Is he always this long winded?” he asked softly and you couldn’t help but giggle and nod as you wrapped a bright pink hair tie in his hair.

“I heard that.” Dean said and you shrugged as you continued to gently scratch your nails against Bucky’s scalp.

“Dean, you have literally said the same six things like fifteen different ways. We got it.” You claimed as you looked at your older brother in the rear view mirror.

“You may have it, but he hasn’t heard this before.” He retorted as he pointed at your boyfriend through the mirror. You rolled your eyes again and you thought you felt the muscles behind them strain a bit.

“Sam, make him shut up.” You wined as you continued to scratch at Bucky’s head and Sam looked up from his book.

“What am I doing?” He asked as he looked back and forth from your annoyed expression to Dean’s aggravated one. You and your older brother began talking at the same time and Sam held up his hands as Bucky began to chuckle. 

“Alright, enough you two; (Y/N) stop… lay off and Dean… stop being annoying, I guess… I don’t know, work it out.” You groaned at his lack of help and Dean scowled slightly as the GPS tells him to make a turn down the road the old asylum was on. 

“You’re so annoying.” You whined as you pushed Bucky gently off your lap.

“Well that’s how you stay alive.” Your jaw dropped as you gestured to Bucky. “Hello? Super soldier for a boyfriend. Think I’m gunna be just fine without your nitpicking.” Dean scowled as he stopped in front of the asylum and put Baby into park.

“Fine. You and the super soldier can go one way and Sammy and I will go the other. Ghost counts at the end and loser has to do winners laundry for a month.”

“Remember, I like my delicates hand washed and my laundry now includes his too so you have fun with that.” You said as you pushed open the car door and got out of the car.

“I’m guessing this is normal?” Bucky asked Sam as he got out of the car behind you. Your twin nodded.

“They bicker harder than my dad and I used to. You get used to it.”

“That’s cuz she’s a pain in the ass.” Dean said as he joined the rest of you at the trunk. You couldn’t stop yourself from reaching out and pinching his arm like a child. Before Dean could retaliate, Sam grabbed you around the waist and moved you to his other side.

“Stay.” He said as he pointed his finger at you. You saw Dean peek his head around Sam and smile victoriously.

“Dick.” You grumbled as you grabbed a container of salt and a tire iron and handed them back to Bucky.

“Cry baby.” Dean mocked.

“I will hit both of you with this tire iron.” Sam said as he held it up between the two of you before passing it to you. “You’ve been back less than a day and you’re both already annoying the shit out of me again.” You shrugged as you grabbed another container of salt.

“Yes, but you love us all the same. Keep him honest on his count, Sam.” You said as you headed toward the front door with Bucky at your side.

“Why do you let him get to you?” He chuckled. You simply smiled as you stopped at the padlocked door to wait for your brothers.

“It’s not that he gets to me it’s more like we have been in each other’s back pockets for nearly 30 years and we have nothing better to do any more. So we pick. It’s only turned into a physical altercation once…”

“Which you cheated on.” Dean said as he used his bolt cutters to cut the chain. 

“We do it out of love.”

“Which is also why I say you get used to it.” Sam said as the chain fell to the ground. Dean tossed the bolt cutters back toward the car and took his tire iron from Sam.

“Losers go right?” Dean snarked as he pushed open the door. You shoved your brother to the right and stuck your tongue out at him as you and Bucky headed toward the left. The four of you were looking for a single china doll that had a single spirit tethered to it. That spirit, however had a couple dozen others trapped with it and they were all supposedly trapped in this building.

“It’s too quiet.” You said after a few minutes of walking down the halls and not seeing a single spirit. “Something’s not right.”

“So what does that mean?” Bucky asked as you turned down yet another hallway. You shook your head as you started searching rooms for anything at that point.

“I don’t know. This doesn’t seem like a place that is haunt… Shit!” You said as you glanced through a door and came face to face with Crowley. You leapt back and scowled as the King of Hell snapped the door away.

“You should have gone right, kitten.” He said in a mocking sing-song voice. With a swipe of his hand, you and Bucky were thrown back against a wall and pinned in place. Crowley chuckled as he pulled a comic book out of his jacket pocket. “I told you you would pay. I need to… take him off your hands .” He said as he flipped through the pages. Your heart stopped as you saw the cartoon version of your boyfriend on the pages. You screamed and fought against the invisible force to get free as Crowley cleared his throat and began shouting words you didn’t understand.

“желание.” (Longing)

“CAS!” You screamed as Bucky growled. The angel appeared before you and looked around confused.

“No, stop!” Bucky shouted as he fought against Crowley’s powers.

“ржавый” (Rusted)

“The boys are in the East wing; it was a trap! Get them out of here and come back for me!”

“Babe, go!” Bucky growled through his teeth and you shook your head as Cas disappeared.

“семнадцать” (Seventeen)

“I won’t let you turn!”

“рассвет” (Daybreak) Crowley shouted over you. Your stomach turned as Bucky nearly arched off the wall in pain. You could hear the plates of his metal arm scraping across the cinderblock behind him as his hands balled into fists.

“печь” (Furnace)

“James, stay with me!”

“Девять” (Nine) Cas finally popped up in front of you as Bucky finally fought against the force holding him to the wall. He fell to his knees on the floor and screamed as Crowley took a half step back.

“Доброкачественная” (Benign)

“I need to speak fluent Russian now!” You shouted at Cas over the torment screams of the soon to be Winter Soldier.

“Возвращение домой” (Homecoming) Cas looked at you stunned and you shook your head. “Now Cas!”

“один” (One) Cas reached up and touched his fingers to your forehead and you felt an ice cold chill rush through your head. He pulled away and nodded to you.

“грузовой автомобиль” (Freight car) You looked up at the word that you now understood as the room went quiet. Bucky… The Winter Soldier slowly stood up and looked straight ahead.

“Ready to comply.” He said in Russian. You saw Crowley smirk as he looked back at you.

“Hurt him.” You shouted fluently; the words sounding so foreign to you. You watched Crowley’s face drop as he looked toward the soldier. The Winter Soldier charged and grabbed the demon by the throat and threw him against the wall with such force, the wall crumbled and Crowley slammed into the ground one room over. With the snap of his fingers he disappeared and you collapsed to the ground. “Wait.” Bucky looked over at you to wait for your next instruction and you looked at Cas.

“Can you cure him if I try to do the reprogramming?” You asked.

“I have no idea but now is as good of time as any to try.” You nodded as you looked back at Bucky and sighed.

“OK. Go tell the boys to meet us at the bunker. We gotta get him to the dungeon and try I guess.” The flutter of wings signaled his exit and you looked at Bucky.

“You're going to be OK, soldier.” You said to him in his programed language. His brow furrowed ever so slightly as you walked up to him slowly to test the waters. “Close your eyes and count to 20 slowly.” He gave you a small nod and began counting in Russian as Cas came back into the hall. With a small nod, you grabbed Bucky’s shirt and held on tight as Cas sent the three of you back to the bunker. As Bucky finished counting, you pointed to the chair.

“Sit down and wait for further instructions. Do not move, do not speak. Sit.” You felt terrible for having to control him like this but you had no other option. As he sat down on the chair, you grabbed ropes and chains and held them in front of Cas. He used his grace to secure Bucky as tight as physically possible to the chair and ground. Once he was satisfied, he stepped to the side and nodded.

“General reprograming is telling him the exact opposite of what he currently believes is real. This is gunna take a while. I’m sorry, it won’t be pretty.” You nodded as tears welled in your eyes. You kneeled down on the floor just out of reach and in Russian, said the first thing you could think of to bring your boyfriend back.

“Your name is James Buchanan Barnes. I call you Bucky and you are my boyfriend. The Winter Soldier program is done. The words longing, benign, freight car, seventeen, one, furnace, day break, nine, homecoming and rusted no longer mean anything to you. You no longer work for Hydra. You are not a killer. You are free.” He continued to look straight a head as his brow furrowed and you nodded at Cas. He placed his finger tips to Bucky’s forehead and they began to glow bright blue. Suddenly, Bucky grit his teeth in pain and screamed as his whole body tensed; straining against the ropes and chains that held him down and you couldn’t stop the tears that poured from your eyes.

“Again.” Cas said gently as he pulled his hand away. You nodded and scooted forward ever so slightly as you repeated your statement. The process seemed to take forever, but every time, you thought you saw a little more ‘Bucky’ in the Winter Soldier’s eyes. It took Sam and Dean an well over hour to get back from the asylum but even when the came back, you refused to stop. At the five hour mark, as Cas removed his fingers, Bucky finally looked down at you.

“Again… in English.” He said softly as he stretched out his fingers to reach for you. You moved and kneeled right in front of him and started again as you held his hand.

“Your name is James Buchanan Barnes. I call you Bucky and… and I love you.” He stretched as far as he could to kiss you and you met him most of the way. You cupped his cheek in your palm and he pulled back to look at you.

“I love you, too doll. Keep going; I can hear you.” You nodded as you sat back on your heels and continued through your tears. As Cas placed his fingers on his forehead, you forced yourself to pull back, just incase.

“Few more times; it’s looking good.” Cas said as he pulled his hand back. You nodded as you took Bucky’s hand in yours and continued on. By the start of hour six, Cas believed from what he could see, the pair of you had successfully overridden the Winter Soldier program. You asked Cas to go and get Sam, knowing his pronunciation would be a little more reliable than Dean’s. As your brothers walked into the dungeon you stood up and stood along the wall.

“Alright. Time to try it.” You said as you stood next to Sam. You pulled him down to your level and whispered the Russian words in his ear one by one. You kept your eyes on Bucky, who only cringed on the final word but remained completely sane.

“I can understand what you’re saying but they don’t physically hurt anymore.” He said as you stood back and looked at him. You huffed a laughed and shook your head.

“Well how about that. The Winchester’s just managed to hijack a super soldier.” Dean said as you walked over and started untying and unchaining Bucky.

“Can we all agree that we should never consider doing this again?” You asked as you got one arm free. Bucky grabbed your wrist and pulled you onto his lap with a smile.

“Not gunna lie, listening to you speak Russian is kinda sexy.” You rolled your eyes as he gave you a chaste kiss and gently pushed you off his lap so you could finish.

“What the hell happened, anyways? ‘Cause we were just looking for spirits before Cas came and told us we had to leave because you two were in trouble.” Dean asked as he began to help you. Cas waved his hands and the ropes and chains disappeared and both you and your brother startled a little bit at the suddenness.

“Crowley happened.” You said as you helped Bucky up. “And I’m gunna kill him for it.”

“He had a comic book. Read off the words that snapped me into the Winter Soldier.”

“I had Cas teach me Russian while Crowley was distracted and commandeered him before Crowley could do damage.” You said as you headed into the kitchen to get something to eat and drink. “Buck sent Crowley flying through a wall before he tucked tail and disappeared.”

“Can you remember it?” Sam asked as he helped Bucky, who was a little weak, to sit down at the table. He nodded as you slid him a glass of water.

“It’s kind of like a dream but I remember it.” He finished his water in two gulps and looked at Cas across the table. “Thank you. I don’t know how you did that but I can almost feel a weight lifted off my shoulders now.”

“It was absolutely nothing. Basic reprograming we would have done in heaven.” Bucky nodded with a small shrug.

“I also forget you’re an angel sometimes. I’m still not used to that.” You and your brothers laughed as you took a seat on Bucky’s knee.

“It took us a bit too. You’ll get used to it. Now, we have to deal with Crowley… again.” Dean said with a groan.

“Yea, after a nap please? My knees are killing me.”

“So that means no blow job?” Bucky asked you in Russian. You blushed as Cas hid his face. Sam looked at you quizzically as if he partially understood what you were saying but couldn’t place all of it.

“Nap first. I’ll blow you later.” You responded with a giggle.

“Whoa! I thought we said no Russian?!” Dean snapped as Cas said a hasty good bye and flew off. You shrugged with a knowing smile as you got up and pulled Bucky along after you.

“I changed my mind now that I can speak it fluently. Sorry bro.”

“So not fair!”

“You should have the angel teach him Russian. That way when I choose to tell you in detail what I plan on doing to you in bed, he’ll learn real fast that it’s probably for the best we are speaking in Russian.” You laughed as you headed out of the kitchen away from Dean’s protests and nodded.

“Sweet torture from a little sister. One one hand he has no idea what I’m saying and it drives him nuts and the other…”

“He knows how crazy you drive me in bed.”

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

“What do you guys want for dinner?” You asked as you walked into the library and looked at the three men. Bucky was helping Sam translate a Japanese lore book your twin had found years ago in the library as Dean played a game on his phone.

“I don’t know. Let’s just go out. I’m sick of this place.” Dean said as he tossed his phone on the table. “We need a case or something.” Out of no where, a voice you recognized called out through out the bunker.

‘Initializing Stark technology dimensions program.’ 

You stepped further into the room as Tony, Natasha and Steve walked into the library.

“So you’re hijacking our bunker now?” Dean asked as he stood up from the table.

“Checking in on our friend.” Steve said as looked over at Buck.

“He’s been reprogramed… if that’s what you’re getting at.” You said as you took a seat at the table across from your boyfriend. Your visitors all grabbed chairs and joined you.

“How did you manage that?” Nat asked as Dean sat down across from her. You could almost see him drooling out of the corner of your eye at her low cut, tight fitting suit and you bit your cheeks so not call him out on it.

“The angel. We had an incident where I got turned. (Y/N) learned Russian, commandeered me and her and Cas reprogramed me.”

“Ten bucks says they aren’t here just to check up on your well being.” You said in Russian as you looked at Bucky as if to prove a point.

“You’re right, we’re not.” Natasha responded as she crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. You wanted to face-palm yourself for forgetting Natasha was raised in Russia as you looked up at the assassin and mimicked her posture.

“Then what do you need?” You asked.

“Can we do… whatever this is in English please?” Dean asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“What do you need?” Bucky asked as he glanced between you and Natasha with a small smile on his face.

“Your demon friend is sending demons over to our world in an attempt to bring something back to yours.” Tony said. “And handling demons is a little outside our pay grade.”

“Son of a bitch.” “Oh, shit.” “Jesus Christ.” The three Winchesters grumbled in unison.

“Alright. We got it.” Dean said as he pushed back from the table.

“What do you plan on doing?” Steve asked as you stood up to grab summoning spell ingredients.

“Put an end to his petty bullshit. This is most likely between him and me.” You groaned as you stepped around Tony’s hologram and headed toward the stairs to get to the laboratory on the second floor.

“Is this because of the thing he asked me?” Bucky called after you. You nodded as you headed into the war room.

“Like I said… Мелкая чушь.” (petty bullshit) You heard Sam ask Bucky what Crowley said as you walked up the stairs and you sighed.

“He doesn’t belong in your world. He would have been much happier with me.” You heard Natasha say in Russian behind you as she followed you up the stairs.

“I guess it’s a good thing you don’t make the rules on what he does then, isn’t it?” You snapped.

“I could have fixed him, you know. He didn’t…” You spun on your heel in front of the lab door and pointed at her.

“Look, he made his choice to come back with me. You’re making it beyond obvious that you’re jealous that he chose me over you. Sorry to break it to ya, sweetheart but he did. Back off. Be grateful you’re a fucking hologram to me because I would shove your ass over the fucking balcony, you jealous bitch.” She growled and lunged at you, sailing through your body and landing hard on the floor behind you as footsteps ran up the stairs.

“Get her out of here, her jealous rage is showing.” You said to Steve and Dean as they turned down the hall. You dipped in to the lab as Natasha began screaming at you in Russian. You grabbed the things you needed quickly as her voice disappeared down the hallway. You rolled your eyes at the childishness of it all as the door opened behind you.

“You OK?” Sam asked softly and you shrugged as you began to hand him bottles of ingredients.

“She’s butt hurt he choose me over her. Boo hoo.” You said as you grabbed a bowl, threw some candles in it and headed out of the room. “We need to figure out a way to seal the doors in the other world.” You headed down stairs to see Steve talking to Dean and Bucky in the War Room with Natasha and Tony no where to be found.

“You OK?” Bucky asked you as headed down the stairs.

“You and I need to talk about why she is so jealous of the fact that you came back here with me. I’m assuming your dick has something to do with it.” You snapped in Russian as you walked past your boyfriend.

“My dick has nothing to do with it, thank you.” He retorted as the group followed you toward the dungeon. “Well, not directly at least. She wanted it, you got it. Simple as…”

“English, please!” Dean groaned you paused in front of the swinging cabinets.

“Shut up, De.” You grumped as he pulled the doors open. You watched a shiver of memories flood through Bucky and your brow furrowed. “You gunna be OK?” Your boyfriend looked up at you and nodded.

“Just… don’t leave me alone in here.” He said in Russian, to hide his slight weakness. You nodded as you stepped into the room. Sam quickly began to set up the summoning spell as Dean drew the necessary sigil on the floor and lit the candles. Steve watched in awe as your brothers mixed ingredients from memory for a spell the three of you had done so many times it was almost second nature. You stood over almost in front of Bucky, his flesh hand gripped tightly in yours as his metal hand rested on your hip.

“You’re gunna wanna be outside of the circle.” You said to Steve as you pointed to the devil’s trap on the ground. “Even though you’re in a different world who knows what this idiot is able to accomplish.” Cap nodded and took a side step out of the circle. He stood in between the metal shelves as Dean moved out of the circle and leaned back against the wall. Sam sat back on his heels and pulled his knife out of his pocket; slicing his palm and holding it above the bowl. As the blood dripped on top of the ingredients, you handed your twin a match book.

“Et ad congregandum...eos coram me.” Sam said as he dropped the match in the bowl. A puff of smoke filled the room and you sighed.

“What the bloody… bollocks.” Crowley said as he spun in the devil’s trap and looked at everyone.

“So what’ve you been up to, Crowley?” Dean said as he pulled his demon blade out of his back pocket and began spinning it between his fingers. Crowley crossed his arms over his chest.

“Nothing. Running hell…”

“Cut the shit, Crowley. We know you’re looking for something in the Marvel world.” Crowley glared at you and as quickly as he could, prattled off the words to turn Bucky into the Winter Soldier. You felt Bucky tense behind you as Steve began shouting. You glanced up at Bucky, prepared to quickly intervene if necessary as he relaxed when the words did nothing.

“Should I just pretend?” Bucky asked in Russian as he looked down at you and you snorted in a failed attempt to hold back your laughter.

“What do you want with the Winter Soldier?” Steve demanded as Crowley scowled at you and your boyfriend.

“That’s my personal…”

“It’s now ours. Your causing problems in other worlds; shit ends now.” Dean said as he walked forward with the demon blade gripped in his fist. “I don’t know what your issue is but cut it out.”

“I don’t know what your issue is…” Crowley mocked, childishly. Dean swung his arm out and cut Crowley across the cheek. The King’s eyes grew wide and he gasped.

“Well, I never!”

“Can it, Crowley. What do you want from Marvel?” Sam asked as Crowley looked at the tiny drop of blood on his fingertips. The demon rolled his eyes as he sat down on the chair.

“Nothing.”

“Oh, for the love of all things unholy…” You grumbled as you tilted your head up and looked at the ceiling. “We really don’t have all day and I’m perfectly content with simply exorcising you.” Crowley glared at you, challengingly.

“You wouldn’t…” You crossed your arms over your chest and cocked your eyebrow as a cocky smile spread across your face.

“You left my ass in purgatory for a week. Don’t tell me I wouldn’t.” Crowley continued to glare at you and you squinted your eyes at him. Your smile got even bigger when he looked away, indignantly. “Fine. Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus…”

“Alright!” He roared as he glared back at you. “I want him!” He said as he gestured to Bucky. “But since I can’t have him, I was looking for another similar to him.”

“There are no other super soldiers, Crowley.” Dean said as he threw his hands up in the air. “The other ones were killed in the comic books; didn’t you think to read first?”

“Seriously, De? You’re asking the King of Hell if he read comic books?” You said as you glanced over at your brother. He flipped you off but continued to look at Crowley.

“Well I realized that now, obviously.” Crowley said as he crossed his arms and legs. “You Winchesters always go and spoil the fun.”

“You’re an idiot.” You grumbled.

“Quit sending goons to the other world!” Sam demanded. “They will be prepared to kill everyone of them off from here on out including you.”

“Why do you always have to cause trouble, huh?” You asked as you gestured Steve out of the room to teach him how to handle the supernatural.

“You know you love me, kitten!” Crowley called after you as your brother’s finished up their chat.

“One of these days, I’m gunna send him through a wall… again.” Bucky said as he followed you back into the library.

“And, I’ll let you.”

[t-khalynn-random]

At the Heart of the Matter, Part 1

- On the Care of Owlets and Little Things

“Kalen, ya gotta stop! Yer gonna make ‘im sick!” Tala groaned at her taller friend reproachfully.

“But Tala, he seems so hungry! Are you sure he’s eating enough?”

The tavern wasn’t too crowded today, and the other patrons ignored the pair’s antics.

The scholar was already busy handing the tiny owlet another handful of treats, seemingly delighted in the creature’s cute enthusiasm. Tala tried not to think too much about what the treats were made of. Pickles had concocted the recipe himself, and while she trusted the other lala to not (intentionally) make her feathered charge sick, another detailed breakdown of the ingredients (“…ground etf bones for calcium, and a natural binder… genuine top-grade marmot meat and by-products, including nutrient-rich viscera and organs… fiber to aid in both digestion and regurgitation…. and super-secret formula ‘x’ to give him super-secret mind control powers!”) would likely turn her stomach.

“He eats fine!” she insisted defensively. “But Rowley is a LITTLE owl, so he gets fed LITTLE bits atta time! Feedin ‘im too much is bad fer 'is digestion!”

“I’m sure he would know to stop, before making himself sick?

She just gave him an incredulous look, and shook her head. “Ya’ve never babysat li’l kids, have ya? ‘Cause li’l kids an’ silly critters NEVER know better. Some of ‘em will eat, an’ eat, an’ then yak it all up on ya, only ta start eatin’ again, if ya let ‘em.”

The miqo'te only chuckled.

Despite the laughter, the implication that she wasn’t properly caring for the small owl was irksome. Lingering feelings of guilt and regret pulsed through her at the very idea.

When Rowley had been found, both his right wing and leg had required tending. His wing recovered completely (amazingly, the bones in the wing had healed true), but despite her best efforts, his leg never healed right. While he could fly well enough, and even put some weight on the leg, the irreversible damage made hard landings difficult, if not impossible. And without the ability to reliably catch prey unassisted, it was unlikely Rowley could survive alone on his own.

So instead of flying in the woods freely, he became yet another member of Tala’s slowly growing collection of cute, cuddly, yet slightly crippled critters.

It made her sad, sometimes. Looking at them all, all injured or maimed, or just too incapable of living without help. Like Stumbles, the cross-eyed dwarf raptor - as a baby he had tried to bite Stalwart’s leg near Camp Overlook, which resulted in a powerful chocobo-kick to the head. While she couldn’t really blame Stal, she also couldn’t in good conscience leave the baby creature to die of a concussion, so she had taken him in and nursed him back to health. But sadly, somehow the concussion had damaged something beyond repair, and he never really grew up. Even today, he was small, and clumsy, trapped in perpetual babyhood.

They were all like that. Red the lesser panda, found near the entrance of the Aery, was partially blind. Whiskers, the exotic “coeurl-breed” kitten, was skittish and scared of everything, even his own shadow - the aftermath of being left in a small cage with his mother’s corpse for weeks, stuffed into a cramped smuggling compartment hidden in a transport wagon.

And Scout… well technically Scout was supposed to be one of her successes. The young griffin had been found suffering of hypothermia and malnutrition. After being nursed back to health, and checking to make sure the youngster could hunt on it’s own, they had released the beast back into the wild. But one day out of the blue, Tala had found Scout back in her old stall in the stables. Clearly the griffin had done well on her own: fully grown, hale, healthy - and gravid, as they quickly discovered. After a few days, they found her nesting a single egg.

And that was how the lalafell found herself the foster-grandmother of a rambunctious youngster named Scooter, while also trying to train Scout to fly with a rider.

And while she was fond of them all, sometimes it was all just a little depressing. It felt like she’d failed them all, because of her inadequacies as a healer. But the price for her failure was their freedom. Although as Kory pointed out, it wasn’t as if the little beasts resented her less-than-perfect results.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she’d told the despondent healer. “They don’t care. They’re simple beasts. You gave them a chance at life, where they would have died. If they weren’t happy with their lot, they would have run away a long time ago. Even that runty lizard that bites everyone. You care, and they know it.”

Still, perhaps it was no wonder she’d been spending more time brandishing her sword than tending the wounded. Her confidence as a conjurer had definitely taken a few hits, here and there. At least when she made mistakes in a sword fight, she and she alone was the one to suffer for them.

Usually, anyway.

Tala shook away her stray thoughts when she saw Kalen reach for more owl-treats, and stood on her chair to block his hand with an irritated grumble. Before she could launch into another lecture, a soft cough interrupted her. She looked up to an unfamiliar face.

“Miss Tahl?” the young conjurer asked, uncertainly.

Tala winced at the use the name, and nodded reluctantly, steadfastly ignoring the curious look Kalen shot her. “Yes?”

He looked relieved. “I’m glad to have caught you. Brother E-Sumi-Yan has asked to speak with you.”

Tala blinked, surprised. “Of course. Please tell the Guildmaster ‘m on my way, an’ will be there shortly.”

The youngster nodded, and hurried out the door. She watched him go, then turned to Kalen to make her apologies. The miquo’te was cuddling a very sleepy-looking Rowley. She sighed, reluctant to wake the tired avian, but her friend waved her off.

“Go, Tala, I can watch this little one for a while.”

“Thankee, Kalen. If he gets ta be too much, ya can drop ‘im off at th’ Brat headquarters,” she offered, while discreetly leaving a pouch of Rowley-supplies, just in case. “Horatio knows how ta care fer him.”

He nodded at her, as she made her own way out, headed for the Conjurer’s Guild.

[t-khalynn-tales]

At the Heart of the Matter, Part 1

- On the Care of Owlets and Little Things

“Kalen, ya gotta stop! Yer gonna make ‘im sick!” Tala groaned at her taller friend reproachfully.

“But Tala, he seems so hungry! Are you sure he’s eating enough?”

The tavern wasn’t too crowded today, and the other patrons ignored the pair’s antics.

The scholar was already busy handing the tiny owlet another handful of treats, seemingly delighted in the creature’s cute enthusiasm. Tala tried not to think too much about what the treats were made of. Pickles had concocted the recipe himself, and while she trusted the other lala to not (intentionally) make her feathered charge sick, another detailed breakdown of the ingredients (“…ground etf bones for calcium, and a natural binder… genuine top-grade marmot meat and by-products, including nutrient-rich viscera and organs… fiber to aid in both digestion and regurgitation…. and super-secret formula ‘x’ to give him super-secret mind control powers!”) would likely turn her stomach.

“He eats fine!” she insisted defensively. “But Rowley is a LITTLE owl, so he gets fed LITTLE bits atta time! Feedin ‘im too much is bad fer ‘is digestion!”

“I’m sure he would know to stop, before making himself sick?

She just gave him an incredulous look, and shook her head. “Ya’ve never babysat li’l kids, have ya? ‘Cause li’l kids an’ silly critters NEVER know better. Some of ‘em will eat, an’ eat, an’ then yak it all up on ya, only ta start eatin’ again, if ya let ‘em.”

The miqo'te only chuckled.

Despite the laughter, the implication that she wasn’t properly caring for the small owl was irksome. Lingering feelings of guilt and regret pulsed through her at the very idea.

When Rowley had been found, both his right wing and leg had required tending. His wing recovered completely (amazingly, the bones in the wing had healed true), but despite her best efforts, his leg never healed right. While he could fly well enough, and even put some weight on the leg, the irreversible damage made hard landings difficult, if not impossible. And without the ability to reliably catch prey unassisted, it was unlikely Rowley could survive alone on his own.

So instead of flying in the woods freely, he became yet another member of Tala’s slowly growing collection of cute, cuddly, yet slightly crippled critters.

It made her sad, sometimes. Looking at them all, all injured or maimed, or just too incapable of living without help. Like Stumbles, the cross-eyed dwarf raptor - as a baby he had tried to bite Stalwart’s leg near Camp Overlook, which resulted in a powerful chocobo-kick to the head. While she couldn’t really blame Stal, she also couldn’t in good conscience leave the baby creature to die of a concussion, so she had taken him in and nursed him back to health. But sadly, somehow the concussion had damaged something beyond repair, and he never really grew up. Even today, he was small, and clumsy, trapped in perpetual babyhood.

They were all like that. Red the lesser panda, found near the entrance of the Aery, was partially blind. Whiskers, the exotic “coeurl-breed” kitten, was skittish and scared of everything, even his own shadow - the aftermath of being left in a small cage with his mother’s corpse for weeks, stuffed into a cramped smuggling compartment hidden in a transport wagon.

And Scout… well technically Scout was supposed to be one of her successes. The young griffin had been found suffering of hypothermia and malnutrition. After being nursed back to health, and checking to make sure the youngster could hunt on it’s own, they had released the beast back into the wild. But one day out of the blue, Tala had found Scout back in her old stall in the stables. Clearly the griffin had done well on her own: fully grown, hale, healthy - and gravid, as they quickly discovered. After a few days, they found her nesting a single egg.

And that was how the lalafell found herself the foster-grandmother of a rambunctious youngster named Scooter, while also trying to train Scout to fly with a rider.

And while she was fond of them all, sometimes it was all just a little depressing. It felt like she’d failed them all, because of her inadequacies as a healer. But the price for her failure was their freedom. Although as Kory pointed out, it wasn’t as if the little beasts resented her less-than-perfect results.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she’d told the despondent healer. “They don’t care. They’re simple beasts. You gave them a chance at life, where they would have died. If they weren’t happy with their lot, they would have run away a long time ago. Even that runty lizard that bites everyone. You care, and they know it.”

Still, perhaps it was no wonder she’d been spending more time brandishing her sword than tending the wounded. Her confidence as a conjurer had definitely taken a few hits, here and there. At least when she made mistakes in a sword fight, she and she alone was the one to suffer for them.

Usually, anyway.

Tala shook away her stray thoughts when she saw Kalen reach for more owl-treats, and stood on her chair to block his hand with an irritated grumble. Before she could launch into another lecture, a soft cough interrupted her. She looked up to an unfamiliar face.

“Miss Tahl?” the young conjurer asked, uncertainly.

Tala winced at the use the name, and nodded reluctantly, steadfastly ignoring the curious look Kalen shot her. “Yes?”

He looked relieved. “I’m glad to have caught you. Brother E-Sumi-Yan has asked to speak with you.”

Tala blinked, surprised. “Of course. Please tell the Guildmaster ‘m on my way, an’ will be there shortly.”

The youngster nodded, and hurried out the door. She watched him go, then turned to Kalen to make her apologies. The miquo’te was cuddling a very sleepy-looking Rowley. She sighed, reluctant to wake the tired avian, but her friend waved her off.

“Go, Tala, I can watch this little one for a while.”

“Thankee, Kalen. If he gets ta be too much, ya can drop ‘im off at th’ Brat headquarters,” she offered, while discreetly leaving a pouch of Rowley-supplies, just in case. “Horatio knows how ta care fer him.”

He nodded at her, as she made her own way out, headed for the Conjurer’s Guild. __________

A.N. - Thank you to Kalen for permission to use his characters in my story!

[thelastspeecher]

I’ve been reading the books that the Olympian Falls AU is based on (well. reading the new ones; the earlier ones it would be re-reading).  and they’re so great and it got me all pumped and I wrote more for that AU today.  so here, have Stan and Angie reuniting after not seeing or talking to each other in years.  naturally, their reunion involves knives and punching, bc that’s what the best reunions all have to have.

              Stan silently approached the small semi-circle of demigods sitting around the campfire.  He couldn’t make out any chains or other methods of keeping the kids hostage, but that didn’t mean anything.  Threats could be just as effective as physical bondage.  He carefully tapped on the shoulder of the closest teen.  The teen let out a small yelp.

              “Shh,” Stan hissed.  The teen looked at him with wide, gray eyes.  Stan recognized those eyes.

              A kid of Athena, huh?  Good.  I can explain things fastest to him.

              “I’m here to rescue you,” Stan continued.  The demigod frowned.

              “What?  But-” An arrow zipped by Stan, nicking his shoulder.  He jerked away from the teen instinctively.

              “Leave him alone!” a commanding voice said.  Stan looked around.  He could see a shadowy figure standing a short distance away, bow drawn and an arrow ready to fire.

              “Like Hades I will,” Stan growled.  The person holding the demigods hostage fired another arrow.  This one scratched Stan’s calf.

              “That’s my last warnin’ shot, bud.  If ya don’t leave us alone right now, I’ll start aimin’ more lethally.”

              “Oh, screw you,” Stan snapped, drawing his sword.  He charged at the stranger.  The stranger dropped their bow and drew a dagger from somewhere just in time to clash with Stan’s sword.

              “I hate melee fights,” the stranger muttered.  Stan grinned.

              “Good.  ‘Cause I love ‘em.”  He knocked the dagger out of the stranger’s hand, forcing them to take a step back. “Now, I’m gonna take these kids to safety, and you’re gonna either run away or die.  Doesn’t make a difference to me, really.”  He advanced on the stranger, who continued to back away. There was a faint splash. Suddenly, Stan’s sword was grabbed out of his hand by an unseen force.  Stan blinked. “Huh?”

              “Mighty nice sword you’ve got here,” the stranger said idly.  They were now holding Stan’s weapon, looking it over.

              “Hey!” Stan protested.  “How- how did-”

              “That’s fer me to know, not you,” the stranger said.  Stan gritted his teeth.

              Fine!  I’m better with my fists, anyways.  Stan rushed forward, prepared to punch the daylights out of this hostage-taker, only for his outstretched fist to be caught by the stranger. He froze.  That- that never happens.  No one can catch my punches.  Avoid them, maybe, but stop them?  He could feel water beginning to soak through his shoes.  We’re standing in a puddle.  Gears started to turn in his head.  But before he could finish his thought, the stranger kicked him in the chest, and he went flying backwards, landing on the dirt dangerously close to the campfire. The demigods closest to him scrambled backwards.  Okay.  There’s only one person I’ve ever met who likes to pull that shit.  The stranger advanced on him.  Light from the campfire illuminated their face, flickering in familiar sea-green eyes.

              “Angie!” Stan yelped.  Angie froze. “Shit, kid, if you’d told me it was you-”

              “Stan?” Angie said, aghast.  She let out a short laugh.  “Gods, Pines, yer goin’ to get yourself killed one of these days.”  Stan couldn’t help his grin, now that he recognized the attacker as one of his oldest friends.

              “Yeah.  I hear that a lot,” he said dismissively.  Angie held out her hand.  Stan grabbed it and allowed her to pull him up.  He idly dusted off his clothes.  “Good thing it rained earlier today.  Otherwise I woulda kicked your ass, instead of it being the other way around.”

              “I don’t leave that to chance anymore,” Angie said.  She tapped a canteen clipped to her belt.  “Always keep some water on me, in case I need a boost.”

              “She cheats,” Stan translated for the teen demigods, who were watching Stan and Angie banter.  Angie scoffed.

              “It ain’t cheatin’.  It’s gettin’ the most out of my abilities.  I can control water and get super-charged by it, so I make sure to have some on hand.”  Angie punched Stan playfully.  “Never know when I might run up against a master boxer like you.”  The son of Athena Stan had noticed earlier cleared his throat.

              “Uh, who is he?” the teen asked.  Angie beamed and clapped Stan on the shoulder.  Stan stifled a grin at how she had to reach up to do so.

              She never did get that growth spurt she kept saying she would.

              “This is one of my friends from camp.  Stan Pines, son of Hermes.”  Stan bowed extravagantly.  “I guess you got sent by someone to help escort these kids?”

              “Yeah.  But no one said that they’d already have someone helping them,” Stan said.  He raised an eyebrow at Angie.  “Especially not a girl who claimed she was leaving the whole Greek world behind her to go to ‘college’.”  He put air quotes around the last word to emphasize how he felt about secondary education.  Angie rolled her eyes.

              “Come on, I got you a bit beat up.  Kiddos, keep doin’ whatever ya were doin’ while I get Stan cleaned up.” Angie led Stan away from the campfire, to a small tent.  She ushered Stan inside.

              “It’s dark as fuck in here.”

              “There’s a lantern.”  Angie crawled in and rummaged around.  There was a small click.  Light filled the tent.  “See?”

              “Now I do.”

              “Oh, you.”  Angie opened a small first aid kit.  As she grabbed bandages and antiseptic, Stan watched her.  She looked different from the last time Stan had seen her.  It wasn’t just that she had cut her hair into a short bob.  It was also the way she held herself.  More confidently.  She seemed a bit paler than usual; her always present beach tan was washed out by the harsh light from the lantern.  Angie tucked a strand of caramel-colored hair behind one ear.  Stan realized he was staring.  He cleared his throat.

              “So, uh, how was college?” Stan asked quietly.  Angie shrugged.

              “Decent.  Majored in oceanography with a minor in zoology.”

              “Really?  Oceanography?” Stan said.  Angie glanced at him.

              “Yeah.  What about it?”

              “That’s cheating.”

              “Oh, please.”

              “Your dad is the god of the oceans.  Getting a degree in the study of the ocean is like me getting a degree in thievery.  You’ve got an unfair advantage.”

              “I like to think of it as an innate talent,” Angie said.  “A gift.”

              “If that makes you feel better.”

              “Yer awful rude to the person patchin’ ya up.”  Stan grinned.

              “Nah.  I’m just teasing you, kid.”

              “You’ll have to stop callin’ me that at some point.  I’m in my twenties now, y’know.”  Angie began to dab at Stan’s shoulder wound with a cotton ball.  “What have you been up to?”

              “Not much,” Stan said.  “Got a job and a place in the city.  I help out at the camp whenever I can.”  Angie’s mouth twitched.  “What?”

              “Yer havin’ a rough time movin’ on from Camp Half-Blood, huh?”

              “It’s not like I have much to fall back on.  You’ve got your siblings and your smarts.  All I’ve got is Ford.  And he’s-” Stan cut himself off.  Angie paused.

              “Did the two of ya have a fallin’ out?” she asked softly.  Stan shrugged.  Angie tsked.  “Don’t move like that.  I’m tryin’ to clean ya up.”

              “Right.  Uh, it’s- it’s a long story,” Stan muttered.  Angie didn’t pry further.  Instead, she changed the topic.

              “Don’t ya have yer mom and older brother to spend time with?”

              “I haven’t talked to them in a while, either.”

              “Why not?”

              “They’re mortal.  I don’t wanna put ‘em in danger.”

              “Oh, Stanley,” Angie sighed.  She stroked Stan’s cheek fondly.  “Ya were always a lot sweeter ‘n ya claimed to be.”  Stan could feel a flush starting to spread across his features, starting at the skin directly underneath Angie’s warm, soft hand.  He coughed, trying to disrupt the tension.

              “How’d you get roped into escorting a buncha demigods to camp?  You said you were gonna leave all of this stuff behind.”

              “I did say that.”  Angie’s hand fell away from Stan’s cheek.  “And I meant it.  My senior year of high school and all of college, I stayed out of things.  I didn’t seek anything out.  Only dealt with things what came after me.”  She busied herself with something in the first aid kit. “But after I got my degree, I took a gap year.  I felt like there was somethin’ missin’.  And I didn’t want to get my graduate degree with that feelin’ hangin’ over me.

              “I was walkin’ ‘round campus when I saw ‘em.  A pack of teens, all of ‘em carryin’ weapons of some sort, bein’ escorted by a satyr.  And right behind ‘em was a big ole snake.  Naturally, I intervened.  Sliced that snake ‘fore it could hurt those kids.”  Angie shrugged.  “Ended up joinin’ ‘em to protect ‘em.  And here we are, now.”

              “Here we are, now,” Stan repeated quietly.  “Mind if I join your little group?  There’s a lotta kids here.  Seems like you could use an extra hand.”  Angie smiled at him.

              “I can always use an extra hand, if that hand is yours, Stanley Pines.”

[uraharashouten]

Get To Know The Mun

Tagged by: @adelha-mathilde  (thank yooooou!)

Tagging: Whoever wants to! (I never know who to tag anymore, lol)

B A S I C S:

NAME: *adjusts my serape as I watch the tumbleweeds roll by* I go by “Silk” ‘round these parts, partner.

AGE: *covers my mouth and mumbles a three-syllable number starting with F and ending with X and containing an R somewhere*

PREFERRED PRONOUNS: *kicks toe of my boot at the dust and spits*   She.

SEXUALITY: Breeder with a couple o’ young-uns to show fer it.

ZODIAC SIGN: Scorpio

TAKEN OR SINGLE: *pulls at the brim of my hat and squints at the sun*    Been wearin’ a ring ‘round my finger fer over a score o' years now.

THREE FACTS:

OK I don’t know how I slipped into Western mode there, but I did grow up in Texas. It’s never that far from me.  I’m a Californian now.

I operate a cake-decorating business from my home kitchen, having turned my back on my former career in the computer tech industry.

I don’t use vulgar language in my speech. The strongest word you’ll hear me use is “damn.” Not passing judgement on those who do, I just… don’t. 

E X P E R I E N C E :

HOW LONG (MONTHS/YEARS?): I’ve only been doing online roleplay since July of 2015.

HOW’D YOU START: I’ve only been on tumblr since June of 2015. I stumbled across some online RP threads and remember thinking “What the heck is this? Collaborative storytelling?” I was instantly intrigued.

PLATFORMS YOU’VE USED: tumblr

WORST EXPERIENCE: I have never shared this story publicly here before, but there’s enough water under the bridge now, so here goes:

When I first arrived here, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I was so excited to join the community and make friends. But I was also incredibly timid and insecure at the time, and I guess I was looking for someone to lead me. One of the very first blogs I followed was another Urahara blog, and for awhile we had a pretty good rapport. I was enthralled with their portrayal and we chatted a lot OOC about Bleach meta and Kisuke in particular. I was so new to roleplaying I didn’t even know the mechanics, and still so new to Bleach that I hadn’t even read the manga yet (I’d only seen the anime). I had such a learning curve! They really helped me get started and broaden my knowledge. But my excessive fangirling and overdependence led to some rookie roleplay etiquette mistakes. I followed the same people, made nearly identical icons, sought out nearly identical interactions, and adapted some of my headcanons based on information I gleaned from them.  And I guess I made this person uncomfortable enough that eventually they ceased all contact with me. And that hurt because I had invested more in the “friendship” than I should have. I carried a lot of guilt for awhile believing I’d committed some unforgivable roleplay sins and ruined the good rapport I had with someone, and that shook my confidence for a long time. It took me the better part of a year and a lot of encouragement from friends – one in particular – to stop beating myself up over it. I realize now that I misread them entirely and misinterpreted their helpfulness and willingness to chat as friendship.

BEST EXPERIENCE: By contrast, without question the highlight of my roleplaying experience has been the development of a deep and genuine friendship with @flashkitty. I would not have met my best friend without stumbling into this hobby!  There have also been a number of others who have encouraged me and continue to support me and make me feel welcome in this community, and I have them to thank for still being here. And roleplaying-wise, nothing makes me feel more included than when participating in a verse with multiple players.

M U S E  P R E F E R E N C E S :

FEMALE OR MALE: If this question is asking which I prefer to play, I’m not sure how to answer that! I guess I can enjoy both equally.  But I would be turned off at the prospect of playing a typical “feminine” woman. Nor do I find it a challenge to adapt to Kisuke’s male mind. My personality type is INTP, which accounts for 2.5% of the population in general and only 1% of women, which tells you how much of a typical woman I am.  (It also happens to be, I very much believe, Kisuke’s personality type!) So gender notwithstanding, I enjoy playing atypical people, I suppose.

ORIGINAL OR CANON: Both have merits. Canon characters are recognizable, usually get a lot of interaction, and present a special challenge to portray well. And I love a challenge! But OC’s are tabula rasa, blue-sky creations that allow for complete imaginative freedom and world-building. And that’s appealing in its own right. I like both!

FAVORITE FACE: For Kisuke, It’s probably this:

There’s the humble shopkeeper bringing out just a hint of his roguish charm.

W R I T I N G   P R E F E R E N C E S :

FLUFF, ANGST OR SMUT: I love angst. Fluff’s OK as long as it doesn’t get boring. (I do struggle with that.)  I do enjoy writing slice-of-life threads, though, and I’m not sure if that’s synonymous with fluff? In my mind they’re different. I like casual banter between friends. I don’t generally write smut here. When things do get steamy, it’s only with one ship and one other writer in particular. I’m not comfortable writing it in any other context or with anyone else. And I haven’t gotten super-detailed with it on the blog.

PLOTS OR MEMES: Both!

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: Depends. If I have inspiration, I can write four or five paragraphs. Sometimes I can only think of one sentence.

BEST TIME TO WRITE: Whenever no person or project in my home is distracting me and my brain is working, lol. Which is both rare and random.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE: I would give this a definite yes! I believe that personality-wise, we have a lot in common. Physically, no, except for the hair which is really, really similar, especially when I roll out of bed in the morning (lol). But I think we approach people and situations in very similar ways, love wordplay and speak indirectly about things, and share the same sense of humor.

[seniorbrief]

52 Little Compliments That Will Make Your Friends and Family Smile

Charlotte Hilton AndersenNov 05

Because “You look great for 50!” is so NOT a compliment.

iko/Shutterstock

“I really love your… thingy!” Awkward. We’ve all been there: You want to give someone a genuine compliment and yet the thing that comes out of your mouth is, at best, super weird, and at worst, so off-putting your neighbor/co-worker/child’s friend’s parent avoids you from now on.

Don’t give up on giving compliments though—they’re great for both giver and receiver! Getting a compliment feels just as good as getting cash, according to one study published in PLOS One. And you benefit too. Complimenting others makes you feel instantly happier too, boosting your mood and increasing your confidence, according to separate research.

To help you go beyond the basic “you look nice” and “you’re the best” (and avoid things like “I used to only go after pretty girls so now I’m looking for the nice ones”), we’ve come up with 52 fool-proof compliments, guaranteed to bring a smile to their face, and yours!

For a stranger whose day you’d like to brighten

“That is a fabulous purse.” Commenting on a stranger’s body really isn’t a good idea—their weight, height, or bra size isn’t any of your business. But complimenting something they personally chose, like their jewelry or shoes, that says something about their style or personality, is almost always welcome.

“You have such a kind smile.” The one exception to the no-commenting-on-people’s-bodies rule? Their smile. As long as you’re not commanding them to smile or being creepy (avoid things like saying how plump their lips are), it will likely make them smile even more.

“I appreciate how patient you were with that child.” Sometimes just being a person in public is enough to fray your last nerve and seeing someone go out of their way to accommodate another—like a child kicking a seat or an elderly person counting out exact change—is worthy of recognition, even if it’s just a smile and a nod.

“I’m so glad we met!” Even if you just exchanged polite greetings in the check-out lane of the grocery store, letting someone know that they made you feel happy is an instant way to brighten both your days.

“You’re really good at that.” Whether it’s the barber cutting your hair, the hotel clerk, or an instructor at your gym, let people know that you notice how much heart and talent they put into their work. They’re doing it because they want to make a difference (and earn a paycheck but helping others is the icing on the $$ cake).

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day!” Did a child tell you a joke? Did a fellow bus passenger share an interesting piece of news? Did a coworker tell you about her dog having puppies? The wonderful thing about this compliment is that applies to so many different people and situations!

For the people who make getting through your workday bearable

“Loved your input in the last meeting, you have such creative ideas.” This shows that not only were you paying attention at the meeting but that you were paying attention to what they said. Bonus points if you can name one of their ideas you really liked. Check out the 18 nicest things people have ever been told.

“Things run so much more smoothly when you’re here.” Who doesn’t like to know that their work is noticed and actually making things better? A little compliment like this can make a person wake up with a little more pep the next morning.

“You deserve that promotion, you worked so hard on that project.” Watching someone else succeed, especially if it’s a goal you were trying to reach too, can inspire some pretty painful feelings. But acknowledging your coworker’s success and what they did to achieve it won’t just make them happy, it will help smooth over any jealousy you’re still harboring.

“You’ve got great leadership skills.” It’s one thing to be good at your job, it’s entirely another to be good at your job and to be able to help others be good at theirs as well.

“I hide my good chocolate in the bag of broccoli in the freezer.” There are some coworkers you’d trust with your computer password or your office key but only a select few get to know where you hide the good treats!

For the amazing people who gave you life (and a trip to Disneyland)

“I love my nose—which was your nose first!” The great thing about complimenting your parent’s kid (you!) is that you’re also complimenting them. It’s a feel-good two-fer! Need more ideas? Try one of the 13 best compliments you can give a parent.

“You inspire me to try new things.” Children who feel secure with their parents will feel more secure exploring the world—and that’s just as true for adults as it is toddlers. Acknowledge everything your mom and dad have done to give you wings.

“Thanks for birthing me (or adopting me). Tell me the story again!” Mothers especially love to relive the glorious (and often harrowing moment) they first met their sweet baby—not to mention it’s often one of the hardest and most defining experiences of their lives. Asking to hear all about it will make their whole day.

“Your hugs feel like bubble wrap—protective and fun to squeeze.” Depending on how puberty treated you, you may or may not be bigger than your own parents now but regardless of size, they probably still want to wrap you in a big bear hug every time they see you. You’ll always be their kid, no matter how adult you are!

“I see how hard you work for our family.” Dads and moms sacrifice a lot to take care of their kids and so much of that work happens behind the scenes. Once you’re all grown up—or even a parent yourself—you can see how much time, money, and love they put into you.

“You are such a great example to me.” Every parent hopes to leave a positive legacy for their children but often all they hear about are the ways they failed. Telling them you want to be just like them is the ultimate compliment a parent can hear!

“I’m naming my baby after you.” OK, so this is a compliment you can really only use once (if that) but is there any higher compliment than naming a brand-new human being after your favorite older human?

For the child you love so much you let them sneeze in your face

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

“You are good enough.” Kids desperately want to please their parents and so, from toddlers to teens, they need to hear that you love them more than you love their potential. Just make sure you avoid these “compliments” we need to seriously stop giving kids.

“You are the most perfect you there is.” As a parent, you’re in charge of teaching your kid everything they need to know about the world but sometimes that can feel like a laundry list of changes you want. Take time to remind your sweet kiddo that they are unique and wonderful and you love them, quirks and all.

“I didn’t think I could love Harry Potter more—that is, until I read it with you.” Experiencing the world through your child’s eyes is like seeing everything like brand new. Let them know how exciting it is to do these things with them.

“My heart fills with bubbles every time I see you.” Every child, regardless of age, looks to see if their parents’ eyes light up when they enter a room. Make sure your kid knows that even if you’re not happy at that exact moment, you’re always happy to see them.

“This ramen is the best meal I’ve ever had.” OK, so taste-wise, your child’s fledgling attempts at cooking probably aren’t the best you’ve ever had. But love makes everything taste better and they’ve got enough of that seasoning to be a 5-star chef.

“You are one of the bravest people I know.” It’s easy to forget as an adult but being a kid takes a lot of bravery! Recognizing this gives them permission to feel a bit nervous sometimes but also shows that you appreciate how hard they’re trying.

“You’re my phone wallpaper.” Children love nothing more than to have you take their picture and then love it so much that you put it as your wallpaper or lock screen.

“You have great taste in music.” Even if you don’t love actually your child’s music, you love the fact that they’re developing into a real person who has passionate opinions about things beyond candy and nightlights.

For the friend who was there for you through the good, the bad, and that time in high school that will never be mentioned again

“You glow.” There’s beautiful and then there’s beauty that radiates out from the inside. Your best friend needs to know when you can see their soul shining through.

“I set your text notification to a special tone.” Technology gets a bad rap for driving people apart but it can also show how much you care about them—like when you set a special sound for their incoming calls and messages. It shows that their contact is more important than almost everyone else’s!

“I can always count on you.” Being there for you when you need them is a best friend’s job but it’s one they don’t see as a chore. Let them know how grateful you are for their reliability and care.

“You are a gift to this world.” Your world is a better place because your friend is in it, right? Let them know!

“Talking to you is the best part of my day (after eating cookie dough).” There’s not much that’s better than eating chocolate-chip cookie dough off a spoon but if there is something, it’s definitely a funny text or an excited call from your best friend!

“You’re the only one who really gets me.” Seriously, does anyone besides your best friend know that you like to smell your own belly button lint, that you once wore your underwear backward all day, what type of toilet paper you prefer, and how you pee every time you sneeze—and love you all the more for it?

“If all I get done today is hanging out with you, it’s been a good day.” Work can wait. You’ve got movies to dissect, people to talk about, cake to eat, and jokes to laugh at.

For someone you’re hoping will see you as relationship material

XiXinXing/Shutterstock

“I’d show you my childhood secret handshake.” You and your second-grade best friend worked so hard to perfect the ultimate secret handshake and you vowed you’d never share it with anyone—that is until you met this amazing person who is totally worth a high-five-salmon-slap-double-clap. Pro tip: Make sure you’re avoiding these 16 compliments that are actually insults.

“You have such unusual eyes!” People love to be seen as unique and fortunately eyes are like snowflakes—no two are alike! So you’ll definitely be able to find something interesting and beautiful in their eye color or pattern and the eye contact will strengthen your bond.

“Your laugh reminds me of glitter!” Laughing together is one of the best ways to increase other good feelings too (including the kind that leads to feeling each other, ahem). Comparing their laugh to something fun and memorable shows that it’s not just a hollow compliment and, if done right, gives you another thing to laugh about. It doesn’t have to make a lot of sense or even be a sound—other suggestions include chocolate, balloons, a new book, a cozy fire, or snow falling.

“My favorite color? Whatever you’re wearing.” Sometimes you don’t realize how much you like something until you see someone you adore wearing it. Turn this slightly cheesy pickup line into a true compliment by pointing out how the color compliments their hair, skin, or other feature you find beautiful.

“You light up a room like a sparkler.” Ballroom or boardroom, some people add a little spark no matter where they are. Point out how their presence brings you joy and watch them light up even more. Not sure? Try these tips to give better compliments.

“I love how kids just love you.” Dogs and children are great judges of character and can often see through a fake act. It’s not a perfect test of course (especially if the person happens to carry candy or beef jerky in their pocket) but the fact that toddlers or your pup are drawn to someone is never a bad sign!

“I would totally win trivia night with you.” Everyone is an expert in something weird. Acknowledge their talent for always knowing a celebrity’s real name or being able to name every John Grisham novel or all the French swear words.

“The only thing better than hanging out with you would be hanging out with a talking dog.” And since life isn’t a cartoon movie, you’re the best!

“I wouldn’t change my phone passcode if you happened to see it.” Nothing says trust like sharing the password to unlock your phone or get into your email. OK, so you might not actually be ready to give them your passwords but if they so happened to see it you’d let it ride.

For the person you think is adorable even after they’ve thrown up

“I need you to be a better me.” Relationship math is different than the schoolbook kind and when you’re with someone you really love. 1 + 1 = a lot more than two.

“Every year I love you more.” Routine and apathy are a death knell for a relationship, so keep things fresh by reminding your loved one of not just how much you love them but how that love has grown as you’ve gotten to know them better.

“Your outside is gorgeous but it’s your inside that is truly stunning.” External beauty only captures hearts for a moment—it’s what’s on the inside that relationships are built on.

“You’re perfectly imperfect.” Perfection is boring. Not to mention unattainable. Loving the flaws and the features lets your loved one know that you see them for who they really are—and love them all the more for it.

“You are so beautiful to me.” Everyone (except, perhaps, some celebrities) accepts the basic fact that as we age we get less conventionally attractive. But just because your significant other isn’t turning heads on the street quite as much these days doesn’t mean they still don’t turn yours! Remind them of how beautiful or handsome they are.

“You’re my muse.” When you were dating you probably took a lot of cues from each other but that shouldn’t stop just because the initial rush of romance has cooled. Telling your loved one how much they inspire you is a great way to keep the spark going.

“Seeing you is the best part of my day.” Nothing brightens a bad day like coming home to someone who is genuinely happy to see you. Do you know these 11 phrases that used to be insults but are now compliments?

“You’re weird like I’m weird.” Quirky socks, comic fandoms, movie quotes, ’80s songs, and Nicholas Cage memes can totally form the bedrock of a really solid relationship. Embrace the weird!

“You make laundry fun.” Chores are called chores for a reason. So if someone makes even dishes or mopping entertaining then you know they’re a real gem. For more, check out 10 little compliments you can give every day.

Original Source -> 52 Little Compliments That Will Make Your Friends and Family Smile

source https://www.seniorbrief.com/52-little-compliments-that-will-make-your-friends-and-family-smile/