#phases of the moon series

[stevesbestgirl]

Phases of the Moon - Part 1

Steven Grant x f!Reader, eventual Marc Spector x f!Reader

2796 words

Warnings: poor imitations of British speaking habits, not much else in part one, maybe a few curses but I’m not sure

A/N: This was my attempt to write a slow-burn. It’s long, self-indulgent, and obscenely fluffy. Reader is specified as American, but mostly so I can avoid pretending I know anything about living in the UK. Steven and Marc are aware of each other and trying to find balance in their relationship in this fic, but keep in mind that I am not a system and am not an expert. All of my information about their relationship comes from the Moon Knight show and I use that as my reference point. 

*Bold type is spoken by Marc when Steven is fronting.*

Masterlist

“Go talk to her.”

“Well I can’t, can I?” Steven sent a furtive glance at you, toying absently with your phone while you examined the glyphs inside a display.

“Why can’t you?”

“She’s got earphones in.”

Marc scoffed in the glass of one of the display cases, “Always an excuse.”

“I can’t just interrupt her, that’d be rude!”

“Not if she’s interested.”

Steven’s reply was cut short as a pair of boys came rushing around the corner, laughing and shoving each other- Steven wouldn’t have placed them at older than twelve. He watched helplessly as one firm push sent the smaller of the two reeling into your backside. Completely oblivious to their noise, you went sprawling, headphones disconnecting as your phone hit the ground and was sent skittering across the polished floor, coming to rest at Steven’s feet.

Inhibitions gone, Steven scooped your phone up and rushed over, offering a hand to help you up, “Are you okay?” You nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. “You lot,” he called out, locating the pair sidling off behind a diorama, “C’mere.” 

They looked like they were considering bolting, but the smaller of them located Steven’s badge and took a reluctant step forward. By the time they stood in front of you, they were looking rather cowed, like puppies who’d been caught gnawing a slipper. 

“Shape up, you hear? You could’ve really hurt someone.”

“Sorry.”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Now listen, down that corridor there, there’s a bunch of old weapons; spears, cudgels, daggers, the like. How about you go give it a look?” You watched him speak to the two boys; his enthusiasm seemed very genuine, not the fake kind adults often used with children.

The taller boy hesitated before leaving, “What’s a cudgel?”

Steven smiled a little, “Why don’t you go on and find out?” Then the two rushed in the direction he’d indicated and he called after them, “Slowly, hm?”

Once they were out of sight, you finally spoke, “Are you sure that was a good idea? Sending them in there with a bunch of weapons?” You couldn’t help but smile as he unconsciously smoothed his dark, nearly sleep-tousled curls back from his face.

His intent had been to chuckle, but it came out as more of an empty puff of air, “They’re all under glass- should be alright.” He added, “Maybe I’ll pop in to check on them, just in case.” Nervous now, he looked down at his hands, still holding your phone, “Oh, there you are.” Your expression fell and only then did he notice the spiderweb of cracks in the bottom corner where it had hit the floor, “Oh no.”

You shook your head, accepting the phone and dropping it to your side, like putting it out of sight would make him forget, “It’s alright. Just a screen protector. I’ll get a new one eventually.”

“Sorry about that, love,” he insisted, his earnest gaze finally meeting yours just in time for your face to go warm. You’d thought you’d been ready to hear the term of endearment used so casually when you came to England, but apparently not.

“It’s alright,” you rushed to speak. “Definitely not your fault. Thanks for helping me-” you glanced at his name tag, “-Steven.”

“No problem- it is my job after all,” he cracked a halfhearted smile.

“You were great with those kids too.”

Rosy warmth tinged his cheeks and his gaze shifted away, “Thanks.” A small pause, “Your accent- you’re American?”

You nodded, “Needed a change of scenery, so I’m staying with some family for a while. Just got in yesterday, actually.”

His gaze eagerly lifted to yours again, but flicked away over your shoulder and he went slightly pale. Glancing back, you saw a stocky woman with dirty blonde hair gesturing impatiently at him.

Returning his gaze to you, he looked a bit panicked, “I’m sorry, I’ve gotta go. I- ah-” He tripped over his words and almost tripped almost his feet as well, veering around you and backing away toward the woman beckoning him over. 

You raised your hand in an uncertain farewell as he stammered his way backwards, gesturing faintly over his shoulder with his thumb in a faint attempt at an explanation. Once he was within range, the woman seemed to be lighting into him a bit, though his gaze hadn’t yet left you. It wasn’t until she snapped her fingers that he looked at her. 

Not wanting to spy, you turned away, checking your phone for the time. When Steven glanced your way again, he only caught your retreating form disappearing out the entrance. For once, Donna’s criticisms didn’t affect him since he was already kicking himself for not asking you out. Or getting your phone number. Or even your name. He’d blown it. 

*

The following day, you had a bit more time to explore the museum, so you returned. And you noted with dismay, when the cabbie called you “love”, you didn’t so much as blink, let alone blush. Maybe it had been a one-off thing. Now you would be immune. 

Walking in and spotting the woman from before at the front desk, you plucked up a bit of courage and approached. Her name tag read “Donna” and she prompted with visible disinterest, as though she were reading off a script, “Welcome. Is there something I can direct you to?”

Deciding to push forward, you said, “Actually, I was just in here yesterday. I ran into a bit of trouble with a couple of young boys and one of your tour guides helped me. I wanted to let you know that Steven was very polite and just lovely with those kids-”

“Stevie? He isn’t a tour guide,” Donna interrupted, wrinkling her nose. “In his dreams, maybe.”

“But he does work here?”

“Yeah, he’s the gift shoppist.” She was still being very flippant; it was clear that she’d barely had interest in this conversation to begin with and now that it was about Steven, it had dwindled to none. 

“Right. Thank you.” You forced a smile and nodded before heading off in the direction of the gift shop.

The counter was empty when you first walked into the room, sending a tiny shoot of disappointment into your chest. You wanted to thank him, since it didn’t appear that you could score him any points with his boss.

You wondered for a moment if you should come back later, but then a shaggy, brown mop of hair sprung up from behind the counter, triumphantly brandishing what appeared to be a large, amber-colored marble with a bone inside it, “Got ya, you little bugger.”

His gaze fell on you and he tucked the marble behind his back, like it was something to hide, “You- you came back.”

You reached into your bag, pulling out the brochure you’d picked up yesterday, “I was only passing through yesterday.” You unfolded the brochure and showed him the notes you’d taken on the map, detailing where you wanted to go first and which exhibits had caught your eye, “I like to plan a little bit.”

He followed the line you traced with your finger intently, raising his gaze to your face when you pulled away, “That’s a good way to go about it. The tour is pretty good too.” Steven’s heart skipped as your lips pulled into a slight frown; had he said something wrong? 

“Speaking of the tour, I tried to put in a good word for you with your boss- as thanks, for yesterday- she doesn’t seem to like you very much.”

“Oh, yes. Donna and I have got a bit of a rocky history.” He added quickly, “Not a history, mind you. More like a boss/employee history. I’ve got a bit of a bad track record with my punctuality, actually,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well, I think you’d make a lovely tour guide, for what it’s worth.”  

There was another one of those long pauses; you were about to offer a meek “Thanks again,” and cut your losses when he spoke up, “If you like, I’m on a break in ten minutes. I could show you around.”

You’d insisted to yourself that this wasn’t why you came back here, but you found yourself nodding, a faint smile on your lips, “I’d like that.”

Steven seemed even more surprised than you were, nodding quickly, “Great- that’s- great.” He nodded again, “I can meet you in the ‘King’s Tomb’ exhibit.” He pointed, “Right over there-” He checked his watch, “-in nine minutes.”

Your smile widened, “See you in nine minutes then.” You moved off in the direction he’d indicated, the temptation to look back gnawing at you. 

“Wait!” he called after you. You turned back, “I haven’t got your name.”

“You haven’t needed it, have you?” 

Now you were teasing and you knew it. But you could feel his eyes on you as you disappeared around the corner and you smiled to yourself. So much for doing your own thing. The whole reason for coming to London was to get away from men- although you supposed it was more one man than men in general. But something about Steven just caught your eye.

So you waited out the impossibly long eight minutes remaining until Steven walked in, looking in a bit of a rush. You watched him scan the exhibit, almost like he’d expected you to have left by now.

You raised a hand, “Steven.” He positively lit up at the sight of you, relief visible in the heavy exhale he released- like he'd been holding his breath. 

You met him in the center of the room, clasping your hands behind your back in anticipation. Steven still had the remnants of a grin on his face, though he mirrored your posture, a bit of enthusiasm escaping as he bounced on the balls of his feet, just once, “What do you want to see?”

“You’re my tour guide, you tell me,” you teased. 

Almost instantly, his face flushed, “Well, I wasn’t sure if there were specific displays you wanted to look at or certain subjects you were interested in, you know? Since I've only got fifteen minutes on my break.” 

“Well, I’m interested in everything, but since we only have fifteen minutes; how about you show me the way you’d start your tour if you were a guide?” His cheeks darkened further and you had to bite the inside of your cheek not to smile again. But he surprised you, recovering quickly and placing his hand on your arm. He steered you over to one of the displays and you glanced at him, “The Ennead?”

The Ennead,” he corrected your pronunciation. “The Egyptian Gods.” He wheeled around so his back was to the exhibit, his gaze meeting yours with ease. “Everything about Egypt comes back to the gods one way or another, so to understand Egypt, you have to understand them.”

He walked you through the exhibit, one god or goddess at a time, his hands moving animatedly as he talked. And he was good at it, in a different way than you’d expect. He had such a wealth of knowledge- you felt comfortable asking questions because you expected him to have the answers. And he answered many of your questions before you could even ask them; his explanations were pretty comprehensive. 

It was all strangely charming, actually. His enthusiasm was so genuine, it was as though he invited you inside it with him. It was a nice place to be- like sharing a secret. It was also putting you in dangerous territory; a magnetic field that would be hard to pull yourself from.

Once you were about halfway through the eleven, you tentatively raised your hand. Steven faltered slightly, giving you the chance to speak up, “Two things- I just want to check the time, I’d hate for you to be-”

“Late-” he checked his watch faster than you could pull out your phone.

You grabbed his hand, pulling him back toward the gift shop, “Well, come on then, I don’t want you getting into trouble!”

Steven’s long strides quickly outpaced you; you had to hurry to keep up, a laugh at the ridiculousness of it slipping out. Steven glanced back- nearly shouldering a display case. Right before impact, his back straightened a bit, like he sensed it coming, and he just twisted out of the way. It was so smooth you wouldn’t have noticed the deft movement if you hadn’t been anticipating the collision.

By the time you skidded to a halt in front of the gift shop counter, you were full-on giggling; you couldn’t remember the last time you’d laughed so hard over almost nothing. “Sorry about that,” Steven offered meekly.

You took a breath and collected yourself a bit, though you still felt the warmth of the laughter in your cheeks, “Don’t be- it was fun.”

“What was the other thing?” he asked, shuffling back behind the counter.

“Hm?”

“You said there were two things, the time and what else?”

“Oh! Well that exhibit was called the ‘King’s Tomb,’ right? Why are the gods in that one?”

He leaned on the counter, some of his timid demeanor vanishing, “Well, the pharaohs were considered to be gods by their people. So they put them in a room together. And since the mummies are what brings in the crowds, they get the-” he clicked his tongue, framing a little marquee with his fingers, “-title spot.”

“I suppose you know quite a lot about those too?”

He gave a chagrined smile, “Did I go on a bit much then?”

You shook your head, “Not at all- I wasn’t teasing. I wish we’d had time to do the whole exhibit.”

“I’d wager with me giving it, that tour would take all week,” he joked, feeling like he’d done too much talking during your time together.

You shrugged, “I’m on vacation.” Smiling, you added, “Or holiday, you’d probably call it.”

He smiled weakly at the joke, seeming to be working out what you’d meant. He scanned your face, as though nervous he was misreading you, but you just smiled at him. “I’m scheduled again on Thursday, I could- if you like, I mean- I could show you some more. Of the exhibit. Obviously. If you want.” 

You were here for freedom. You’d come all the way to another country so you could do what you wanted, when you wanted, no strings attached. But, you reasoned, this wasn’t dating. This was an exclusive tour, on Steven’s break. It wasn’t like he was taking you out to dinner.

You were bargaining; whittling away your rules to nothing because they no longer suited your purposes. You knew that. And you also knew that you only did so because Steven was, very clearly, a large string. A large string with lovely, brown, puppy eyes and enough passion for Egypt to make a pharaoh blush. But you nodded anyway, “I’d love to come back. Same time?”

He seemed stunned by your acceptance, but he nodded rapidly to overcompensate for the moment of hesitation, “Yeah. My break is at three.”

You smirked, “How many minutes from now?”

He stared at you for a moment- you almost wondered if he was trying to do the math, but then he flushed and gave a weak chuckle, “Right, I’ll work on that one.”

You pulled out the brochure you’d picked up yesterday and a pen from your bag, “Since I won’t be needing this anymore-” You scribbled down your name and number and slid the brochure across the table, “Text me when you figure it out.” No strings, you reminded yourself.

He gave another hurried nod, “Okay, I will, I-” 

You got a sense of deja vu as Steven glanced over your shoulder and paled in nearly the exact same way he had yesterday. “Is it Donna?” You quickly scanned the counter, grabbing a stuffed hippopotamus, “Because I’d like to purchase this.” You deliberately moved it across the counter where Donna would be able to see and pulled out your wallet.

Now Steven looked back to you, “You don’t have to do that. Most of this stuff if junk-”

“I want to. This one is kind of cute.” You held out the money, “And you’ll tell me all about it next time?”

He nodded, a small smile returning to his face, “Yeah, I will.” He handed back your change and the plush, speaking up so Donna could hear, “Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”

You smiled, “Same to you.”

You left the other way so Donna wouldn’t see your face, hoping she wasn’t descending on Steven for being late from his break. You held the little hippo plushie to your chest and thought ahead to Thursday.

[sushigal007covet]

Last one in the series, and I got my prizes!

[mr-ys-phantasma]

🌙 Moon Phases 🌙

Agatha Harkness X Fem!Reader

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Words: 1279

Chapter 2:

You stood there, watching at her for what felt like hours, but it was only a few seconds. Your mind was overtaken with thoughts, scenarios, and all kinds of answers you could give to Agatha.

The majority were a polite way to decline such an offer and simply go on with your life; putting a stop to the countless times you got hurt when she left you behind.

But the yearning to be in her present was still there. The need to try for once and walk down the path with her instead of watching her go alone. The chance that you might actually be able to do something more this time.

And the hope that when this is all over, you might find yourself pressed against her body; inhaling her intoxicating scent as she gently passed her fingers through your hair, whispering praises for your obedience.

In the end, you managed to extend your time and let your mind process it better; the imbalance between the two answers was making you go crazy.

"We barely survived it the last time" you said, bringing up your little adventure all those centuries ago.

Back then, both of you were young and easily influenced. You had persuaded a few other witches to join you on the quest, only for you and Agatha be from the only ones to make it to the end.

You were rewarded with what you both wanted, or at least Agatha did. You had joined because you wished to help her and to fill some darker part of your never-ending curiosity.

Yes, you did feel the change by the time you returned, and you knew something had changed, but it was not as drastic as it was to Agatha.

Your words picked up the boy's attention. "Wait, you also walked the road?" He questioned, allowing you for the very first time to hear his voice. "She was with you?" He asked next. This time, the question was directed at Agatha; who tried not to snap back at him running the moment.

"Yeah, she did. Now be quiet. Adults are speaking, " she told the boy, ignoring his hurt and upset expression.

Agatha did not like when people interrupted her, especially when she was doing her very best to be the winner of this discussion. In addition, she did not want the boy to start digging more; for there were certain things she would have much preferred to keep hidden.

The witch walked towards you, her steps slow and confident while her bright blue eyes never left yours. They were always so expressive, deep, and mesmerizing that you could stare at them for hours and never get tired of it.

"Come on, Sugar" Agatha said, her tone having a much sweeter tone than before as she came to a halt right in front of the desk, the wooden furniture being the only thing keeping you at distance... for now. "We made it through last time. You and I, no one could stop us. It will be like old times"

Agatha extended her hand, placing it on the wooden desk as she leaned slightly forward. Her head tilted to the side, giving a more taunting look that kept you fully focused on her.

Despite her sweet words and her attempt to win you over, you could see right through it; just like you could every single time. You had recently learnt of what happened to Agatha, losing the fight against the Scarlet Witch.

By the lack of blackness on her fingers and her extensive need to persuade you into joining, you realised it was all true. She was currently powerless and you knew that meant her time on earth was limited.

Your expression softened, and a deep sigh left your parted lips. "Who hunts you, Agatha?" You asked, your voice soft, and so was your gaze.

She held back the need to place your hand against her own, emotions fighting between them on what should prevail. Your hand ha extended faintly but did not dare to move further away, as if an invisible force kept it back.

For a moment, Agatha felt the need to scoff and lie. Hide the vulnerability behind sarcastic comments and a cocky attitude, like she always did.

Then, though, she saw the deep look you gave her. Despite the passing years, despite the many times you two took separate paths; your gaze for her did not change. It was always soft, caring, and warm; a guiding light in a very dark night.

You had always been her light, the guiding force in her life. You were always the one she went when she needed someone, even temporarily, and always could sense where to find you. Like the moon on the sky, somehow you were always visible to her; forever there, even when not physically present.

She heard your honesty, showing your vulnerability and the emotions you still had for her; alas at bay, but they were still there. Only she was truly blessed to witness all your sides.

From the rising tides that made you volatile and sensitive to the dark periods of the new moon that made you cold and apathetic. She truly loved you when you were in your Waxing Moon phase; where the fire of passion burnt so bright it was almost ethereal.

In the end, Agatha gave in. "The Salem Seven" she mumbled, glancing down for a moment.

Hearing that name made you realize how serious the situation was. You had helped Agatha and protected her in the past, though never from a threat of such scale.

However, that did not mean you would stop now.

You looked at the boy, who was trying to observe some dream catchers you had for sale and pretend he was not heavily invested in whatever you and Agatha seemed to have.

"Give me the adess, kid," you said, trying to hide how defeated you sounded.

One day, Agatha would be the death of you, but you could not help it.

Like the waters forced to obey the glowing moon, your emotions were not yours to control. The tranquil waters of your souls always responded to how close Agatha was with you, rising like a tide or calming down when she was top far away.

The kid seemed happy to hear that you would join them, choosing to keep any questions he had for later. He grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket, not once questioning how you knew he carried that peper on.

"There you go. I also wrote the time, " he said existed, coming to stand next to Agatha; whose eyes were always on you.

You took the paper gently from his hands, not failing to notice the black nail polish he had chosen to wear. You glanced at the paper for a moment and then at him before finally settling back to Agatha.

She offered a sweet smile and gently let her fingers caress your lower arm in an all too familiar and seductive way.

"You are a true angel, Sugar. I will see you soon, " she said and slowly dragged her hand away, never faling to notice how your hair stood on end just by the ghost touch she had graced you with.

You were always very sensitive to her physical touch, just as she was sensitive to your tempting voice; especially when you begged whispers in her eat in the middle of the night.

You watched them leave the shop, the paper still in your hands while you stood like a statue. You still questioned if you had made the right choice, but it was too late to turn back now.

Chapter 3

[mcudc616]

steven grant.

[velvet4510]

I’m not even including Secret Invasion because I trust that we all have good taste.

[age-of-moonknight]

“For Now,” Phases of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2024), #4.

Writer: Fabian Nicieza; Penciler and Inker: Moisés Hidalgo; Colorist: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo; Letterer: Cory Petit

[marvelsgirl616]

moon daddy come back to meeee

[guardianjameslight]

Do you agree with this?

Because I don't about those "unlikeable", especially Moon Knight and Shang-Chi.

[stevesbestgirl]

Phases of the Moon - Masterlist

Summary: After her breakup with a toxic ex, Reader went to London to take a break from men. But Steven Grant makes it so easy to trust, can she keep herself on track? No, she can’t. But Steven does have a secret; neither Marc or Reader is sure their relationship can survive it.

Steven Grant x f!Reader, eventual Marc Spector x f!Reader

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Series Playlist

[sushigal007covet]

And as one series ends, another one continues.

[theglassesgirl]

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13th NEPHRITE DIES TODAY!!

This isn’t a hate post btw I love this episode to BITS and am glad I can finally liveblog about it lol

It’s so masterfully done. From Naru’s confusion and desperation of being in love with someone everyone is saying is a bad person to trying to help him with nothing but her honesty and effort

If I HAD watched sailormoon utterly devoid of spoilers, I would have absolutely been convinced that Naru could’ve possibly been the moon princess, if only in the red herring sense:

Naru is genuinely so selfless and pure that the Dark Crystal reacts to the sincerity of her love. She has this tragic love w one of the villains, and even when everyone doesn’t THINK she should be able to be of any use to him, her first impulse is always to help Nephrite despite the odds, and she usually pulls it off. She even almost got the thorns out before everything went to shit (and in shows like WITCH, I feel like she inspired the side character friend having a power moment, because you almost expect Naru to succeed for a minute before Nephrite has to sacrifice himself)

Nephrite is my favorite. It’s very obvious that to him, he’s still very much unattached. But Zoicite knows he’s being honest even if it’s not to himself. It’s suuuuuch a classic and staple romance trope 😩😩 if you’re not introduced to it here, idk what to tell you, I’ve never watched another anime that does it as simply yet poignantly as sailor moon did 🌙

[mr-ys-phantasma]

🌙 Moon Phases 🌙

Agatha Harkness X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1365

Chapter 24:

The sky was beautiful at that time, and you let Teen in charge of the broom as you fell on the stars and the bright red full moon.

Your eyes closed, and you spread your hands, feeling the intense power of the full moon heating you with invisible waves.

A red full moon was rare and was the most powerful of moon phases, capable of even thinning the veil between living and dead.

Ironically, it was when your magic was also the most volatile but you still took pleasure in it's beautiful shade and that feeling of power that was bubbling inside of you liked a filled cauldron above a powerful fire.

"Mmm" you moaned faintly.

"Okay, this is creepy," Jen commented, watching your moon bathing with the ominous red mood.

You opened your eyes and looked at her, feeling amused, and it showed by the twinkle in your eye and that smirk you gave... one that definitely made Jen question your sanity for a moment.

The moment was interrupted by Teen, who had gotten the handle of controlling the broom.

"Why haven't we been doing this all along?" He asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

Before anyone could answer him, the world started to spin literally. As if someone was turning everything upside down, you all felt the gravity pulling you down and fast.

"It's's The Road. It's forcing us down." Lilia shouted amongst the screams of fear and shock.

"I don't think it's the Road," you exclaimed as suddenly you all started to fall straight for the ground, the brooms no longer able to fly.

"We're going to crash..." Alice exclaimed.

Screams followed, and only Rio cackled like a true evil witch from a children's fairytail; enjoying the ride and the thrill of adrenaline.

You leaned forward against Teen's back and grasped his hands, helping him steady the broom.

"Everyone pull!"

By your order, everyone did their best to pull the brooms, and somehow, you managed to avoid crashing. You kept flying, the ground far closer now to you, but at least you were alive and unharmed.

Up ahead, you all took notice of a wooden cabin with lighten lights in the middle of the dark woods; your next trial.

However, before you could reach it, one of the Salem Seven appeared and blocked your path. They opened their mouth, letting ouf a swarm of bees.

More screams followed for as you passed through the cursed witch, hundreds of bees tried to sting and blind you; causing you all to fall to the ground.

Left with no choice, everyone rushed for the wooden cabin while trying to push away any bee too close to their faces.

You entered last and closed the door with more force than intended, panting heavily as the adrenaline was slowly leaving your body.

Agatha groaned, making you glance at her.

"Oh, my God!" She exclaimed. "Okay. All right. Okay. Okay. We're okay."

Jen did not agree, not that it surprised you. "No, we're not! The entire Halloween aisle's outside waiting for us."

"And it doesn't look like they can get in, does it?"

You turned your back on them and placed your ear against the wooden door, trying to listen. There was no sound outside, and you did not sense any magic whatsoever; making you leave a sigh of relief.

At least for the moment, you were safe, and you could breathe.

Agatha took your silence as an answer. "See, all good. So all we have to do is complete the trial and continue on before they can reach us. Okay?"

"How? Kiss, Marry, Kill?"

Her rhetoric question made you focus on the others, seeing their latest outfit change, and this time, you did not hide your stare.

Everyone was wearing some sort of pyjamas or night clothes, though you were uncertain from what era and for what age it was meant to be.

Everyone looked like teenagers in a sleepover, with their bright and funny outfits; not to mention the odd choice of hair styling.

You glanced at Rio and Agatha, seeing them, both, for the first time dressed in something like this.

Agatha had an oversized shirt that passed little after her waist, and you wondered if she had shorts beneath. Her legs were exposed, and she had white shocks, buggily pooling around her ankles.

Rio had a matching set of t-shirts and shorts, both revealing enough skin to make you stare; unwillingly.

You swore the road was doing it on purpose, to test how long you would hold without making a move; or perhaps testing if you could prevent yourself from staring.

So far, you had lost twice, and you felt you would not win any of the future ones; especially if Agatha and Rio had the most extreme of outfits.

"Aaaww, look at you," Rio said in a mocking voice, and for a moment, you thought she was commenting on your staring and roaming eyes. However, you soon realized her words once she moved behind you; handing holding your outfit. "Isn't this cute on you?"

You dared to glance at yourself, and it was immediately clear on your face that you did not share hers or the Road's humour.

"Seriously?" You exclaimed as you observed your chosen outfit.

It was a matching pyjama set consisting of long pants and a buttoned up long sleeved shirt. What irked you was, actually, the design in it. White crescent moons, yellow stars, and was that some sort of cow?!

"I think it's fitting," Rio commented, gently tugging the side of your pants, but you pulled yourself away.

"This is humiliating," you groaned, ignoring Teen who had lost his spellbook somewhere on the crazy flight with the brooms.

Left with no choice, you all started to explore the cabin; taking notice of how everything was styled like a teenage slumber party.

It had games, posters, light decorations, and pretty much everything else screamed teenage girls. All that was missing was fresh popcorn and maybe some hot cocoa, if not a projector for a movie.

The place did not look that bad, though you were not sure you would like to sleep in such conditions. Something about it felt odd, keeping you on edge.

"Whose trial is this?" Teen asked, wondering if perhaps this was his for he swore he saw some things he also had back in his rooms.

Suddenly, Rio chuckled. "Agatha's."

"How do you know?"

"A blood moon." Lilia informed him. "When the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest."

The boy was confused for a moment, evident by the deep frown on his face. "Wait. I thought talking to the dead was your department." He focused on the older witch.

"Oh, common misconception. I read people, I read time. But talking to spirits was just a con. And who better to commune with the dead than someone who's put so many in the grave?"

Agatha held back her tongue but did not hide her glare towards Lilia, clearly not happy with the comparison.

Like she was the only one having killed people.

Teen turned to you. "Shouldn't that be your expertise?"

"Hmm?" You exclaimed, drawing your attention from some unlight black candles to the boy. "Oh, no. I am a moon witch. I can dab in spirit magic, but I prefer not to. Don't like meddling with the dead"

Just then, a fake cough was heard, and you immediately knew who it was. You sent a side glare at Rio, who was amused.

"So, if it has to be your trial; what would it be?" Jen asked as she eyed you and Rio carefully.

"A new moon most likely," Rio answered for you, earning another glare that she brushed off like it was nothing.

"Why?"

"Long story," you commented. "Let's focus on this trial first,"

Just then, Teen spotted the next clue... an Ouija board.

"We have to, Ouija!" He exclaimed.

The watches on your wrists beeped, a count down starting the moment those words left his mouth.

"Guess we found out what we have to do," you said, trying to keep the focus on the new clue and not on what Rio said about your trial.

Chapter 25

[shironezuninja]

I listened to the rest of The Pogues album on Sunday morning, getting into the Irish Spirit during the holiday.

[thebeautifulfantastic]

describing each mcu disney+ tv series in one word:

wandavision: introspective

the falcon and the winter soldier: reconstruction

loki: redemptive

what if: hypothetical

hawkeye: nostalgic

moon knight: revolutionary

ms marvel: joyful

she-hulk: forced

[age-of-moonknight]

Phases of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2024), #1.

Writers: Erica Schultz and Benjamin Percy; Penciler: Manuel García; Inker: Sean Parsons; Colorist: Ceci de la Cruz; Artist: Rod Reis; Letterer: Cory Petit