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monaisme · 2 months ago

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Sicktember: Day 28

#28- Pulling a ‘Ferris Bueller’

“Are you sure it’s safe for you to be out in public? Pepper would never forgive me if something was to happen to you and you were recognized.”

Peter’s anxiety had been amped up something awful since he’d been dosed with that mysterious fear gas that the Avengers had finally traced back to that pit of a town in Jersey while on patrol a couple of months earlier. As such, it was pretty easy to tell what was triggering him now as he asked his question for the umpteenth time that day.

Tony slung his new arm around Peter’s shoulder and tugged him close even as they moseyed down the street. “Kid, I promise you, we’re fine. And even Pepper would be fine if we did end up getting caught out. We’re not doing anything nefarious.”

Peter seemed unconvinced.

“Aw, Petey, come on! I even had FRIDAY coordinate with the admissions office to get your campus tour scheduled for the day with the fewest students on the tour and on campus to reduce the risk of “tourist” interference,” because we could see how worried you are. Trust us. It’s okay.”

They walked past an artisan bakery; its patio packed while a server bustled to take multiple orders in the middle of the fray, triggering yet another thought, “But what about the locals?”

“Pfft. I’m practically a local myself. Come on, Pete,” Tony tried to reassure him. “We’re good. I’m in Cambridge as a guest lecturer at least twice a year and I’ve never had an issue.”

Peter leaned away just enough to give him a sceptical side-eye. “You don’t really expect me to believe you, do you?”

Happy snorted from his position a few feet behind him.

“Hey,” Tony called over his shoulder, “Kindly refrain from influencing the opinions of my mentee, please and thank you.”

Happy chuckled a little louder, “I don’t think I’m the one that influences him, Tony. Trust me on that.”

Tony stopped walking while still keeping ahold of Peter, then turned them both around to address his asset manager. “Excuse me? Are you implying that I’m a bad influence?”

As naturally as breathing, Peter’s jaw dropped in shock and horror as he caught on to what was being implied. He looked from one man to the other, “And are you both implying that I’m a bad kid?”

Tony and Happy exchanged looks of both shock and delight as they finally—FINALLY caught their first glimpse of their Peter since leaving the city early that morning.

They’d almost missed this.

When Spider-Man had staggered into the penthouse, weeping and hyperventilating, they’d initially had no clue that the vigilante had been exposed to a mind altering drug so potent that even Dr. Cho’s eventual antidote only barely pulled him back from the veritable edge.

The trip had almost been cancelled.

The swings between anxiety, depression, and terror had been so extreme in the beginning and sitting with him as he struggled, restrained in the med bay at his worst, had been hard for them all. While Cho and Banner had worked together to find a solution, none of them were certain it would ever be an option to leave the monitored confines of the tower again.

Thank goodness for understanding teachers as they tried to maintain some sense of normalcy. Homework became the great distractor.

And then the antidote breakthrough came, and shortly after, the medical staff realized that they were approaching the drug’s half-life. The two events coming one after the other, were a miracle, the light at the end of the tunnel... and Peter finally improved.

And didn’t a change of scenery sound like the best idea ever?

Yes, there were still moments where Peter felt obviously out of sorts, his worries a tad too unreasonable, but he’d worked hard to recover, and was safe—they were making sure of it.

“Come on, squirt,” Happy reached out and ruffled Peter’s hair. “I’m feeling like we’re about to get trapped in a Stooges bit and I personally would rather we find that pizza joint Tony is insisting is on this street. I’m starving.”

Tony finally let go of Peter to throw his hands up in frustration, “Seriously, Happy! A guy gets turned around one time and suddenly everyone thinks you can’t find your way out of a box. Ridiculous!”

Peter smiled at the dramatics. This felt right— like the world was resetting itself and—

“Oof.” The skateboarder knocked Peter’s arm, but corrected his own stance before he could fall and carried on down the sidewalk. “Sorry ‘bout that!” He called back over his shoulder and disappeared into the crowd—

—Leaving Peter to deal with the consequences of his carelessness.

“You’re okay, buddy. You’re okay,” Tony reassured him where they stood while Happy grumbled in the background about kids and no respect for others.

And Peter was going to work his way through. He could do this... he’d felt glimmers of absolute normal in the past weeks and days, but this? Taking a walk with his pseudo-dad and new uncle had felt about as close to perfect as he could imagine. He couldn’t—no. He wouldn’t allow this to be taken away because of some yahoo with a fear fetish and a chemistry degree—or a skateboarder that got too close.

Peter closed his eyes and drew in a deep, shaky breath.

“That’s it, bambino. That’s it.” Tony soothed. “You’re safe. You’re fine.”

Peter nodded, maybe a little manically, but that was okay. They understood.

He inhaled again, a little steadier.

“Good job, sweet boy.” Tony sounded a little closer. “Are you okay with my giving you hug?”

Nothing had ever sounded so good, so Peter’s nod was a little more desperate as he opened his eyes and lunged into Tony’s arms. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry...” he couldn’t help himself. He was so tired of the lows, and then lower lows. He needed to be done with this. “Can we do something? Anything? Please?” Peter practically pleaded.

“Of course, we can, Pete. Anything you want—just say the word.”

Happy cleared his throat then.

“Okay, maybe not anything. Uncle Grumpy Pants over there may have some input of a security persuasion regarding certain suggestions...” Tony sighed. “Honestly, he’s a bit of a buzz kill, Pete.”

Peter couldn’t hold in the snort-laugh. “Nah, he’s just being responsible. Someone has to be, right?”

Then Happy was behind him, placing a warm, solid hand on his shoulder, too, even as he sought refuge with Tony. “Well then, maybe I do have some influence on the kid after all?”

Peter laughed again and pressed into Tony’s chest a little more before taking one last deep breath and stepping away. “Man, I’m such a mess.” He wiped his face clear of the tears he hadn’t even noticed falling until now. “I’m so sorry, guys. I can’t even—”

“Nope. You can stop whatever you think you have to be saying, bud. We get it. We know. Just—” Tony looked lost for a second, then asked, “Tell us what you need?”

“I—I, uh, I’m not sure?” And then it hit him. Maybe it was the fresh air, the change of scenery, or his newfound resolve, but for the first time in what felt like forever, Peter wanted to do something silly and there was only one person to ask. He turned to face Tony, “What did you do for fun when you were living on campus?”

If that hadn’t come out of left field—Tony blank-screened for a hot minute as his brain flashed to the drugs and the booze and the all of the nameless, faceless partners, but that was a different life, and Peter would never— “I, um, well—” How could he answer Peter truthfully and not have it change how he felt about him?

“Why don’t we talk about it over lunch, huh?” Happy, seeing the panic on his friend’s face, interrupted Tony’s weak attempt at a response. “Towns like this always have brochures and the like scattered all over the place—and if we can ever find it, I’m sure that Tony’s pizza place will have ‘em, too.”

Tony plastered on his ‘media’ grin, and followed the breadcrumb trail Happy had left for him. “Oh ye of little faith,” He pulled Peter back under his arm and they were on their way again, “Have I told you about the tomato sauce on this pizza, kid? Just wait till we get there... it’s magical, I tell ya’. Magical.”

/-/-/

The greatest benefit to trying to make plans over lunch with a seventeen year old boy with a super-metabolism was that seventy-five percent of the meal was spent with him shovelling his face with pizza and wings while everyone else just stared in awe.

“Are you sure you can breathe there, Pete?” Happy had to double check.

Peter nodded back happily as he swallowed. “Maybe the cure for that dumb gas was this pizza!” he said, then, “Tony, you were right! I think this is the best pizza I’ve ever had!”

“I’m tellin’ ya,’ kid. New York, Chicago, Boston—it doesn’t matter where you are, if a pizzeria has a good family recipe and good ingredients? You’re golden.”

“Agreed,” Happy chimed in. “I’ll give it to ya,’ Tony. This is definitely a top three contender.”

“Yes!” Tony fist pumped. “I’ve been redeemed.” He tossed his wadded up straw wrapper at Peter, then figure there was no point in delaying the inevitable, and grew serious. “Hey, Pete. I’ve gotta say, I’ve been sitting here pondering my ill-gotten youth and I’m afraid I can’t think of anything we’d be able to do now that I did then that wouldn’t get me arrested—or worse, you expelled from MIT before you’ve even started.” He cleared his throat. “But, uh, I’d love it if we could start some of our traditions—like maybe eating here whenever I’m in town for a lecture... or whatever?” He scratched at his beard nervously, waiting for Peter’s reply.

Happy, however, caught the little asterisk in his tone. “Hang on a sec? Or whatever?”

Tony’s cheeks pinked up, “Yeah. Like picking him up for holidays or,” Tony’s voice got quieter, “Or when I miss my favourite teenager-slash-young adult.”

“Awww, Tony! That’s so sweet!” Peter cooed.

And THERE was the grin the everyone had been missing for the last months. Tony could have wept with relief.

“Well,” Tony fussed with the dirty napkins on his plate, “It’s not like it’s that far.”

“It’s almost five hours!”

“That’s IF Happy’s driving. It’s only thirty minutes in the suit... if I’m dawdling.”

Happy snorted at the dis-invite. “Nice, Tony. I spend most of my adult life devoted to you, and this is how you repay me.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “What!? You’re busy being all doe-eyed with May!”

“Whoa!” Peter threw his hands up in protest, “Let’s keep Aunt May out of this!”

“Agreed!” Happy exclaimed.

Tony sighed. “Agreed. Regardless, let’s get back to the issue at hand. I’m afraid my sixteen year old self is not going to be much help with planning the next day or two, bud. I’m sorry.” He glanced toward the restaurant entrance, “Happy was right, though. If you wanted to go grab some brochures from the entrance, I can see them there. Maybe we can track down a museum or something?”

Peter just sat there, though, suddenly deep in thought.

“Pete?” Mr. Stark asked hesitantly. Things were going so well.

“Oh, sorry,” he offered, “I just was thinking how sad it is that you missed out on so much when you were my age.” Not that anyone had ever said that out loud to Tony, ever, “I couldn’t imagine not having Ned and MJ with me, and you didn’t get that, is all.”

And Tony’s heart warmed. “Oh, kid. Don’t sweat it. I got my Rhodey eventually, and he definitely helped me to finish strong.”

Peter was not mollified. “I know. It just sucks.”

“Yeah, it does,” Tony had to agree, “but I can never regret a path that ended up with all us of here, now can I?”

“I guess.”

The mood was souring, and they’d had such a great meal. “Hey, why don’t you head over to the brochures and see what you can find? We’ll do your tour tomorrow morning and then hit the ground running after lunch—what do you say?”

Peter still seemed hesitant, but nodded and excused himself from the table, pulling his phone out as he weaved through the tables.

Tony shook his head in disappointment. “I fucked that up royally, didn’t I?”

“Nah, the kid has a good heart, you know that, and you’re like a big ol’ puppy dog. Let’s just head back to the hotel and relax. Then we’ll all be fresh and ready for tomorrow”

Tony pulled his wallet out, tossed cash for the meal and tip onto the table, and stood up. “Yup.” he stared over at Peter, distracted by whatever he was reading. “Tomorrow is going to be great, we’ll make sure of it.”

/-/-/

“... and with those parting words, we, the faculty and staff, are excited for you to be a part of the MIT experience. GO ENGINEERS!”

Peter, Tony, and Happy clapped politely as the final presentation ended then rushed for the door before another professor or administrator could come up to shake Tony’s or Peter’s hand in welcome.

“So,” Tony was the one to break the silence once they cleared the masses. “What do you think? Are you excited? Are you changing your mind? Have you decided to move to commune and take up pottery?”

Peter just grinned and shook his head. “It’s awesome, Tony. I’m excited- not changing my mind- and I was feeling like maybe gardening would be more my speed.”

Maybe Peter was a little subdued this morning, but he still giggled as Tony shoved him playfully, “Alright, smart ass.” Tony said. “Be that way. Now! I know we just had “lunch,” Tony air quoted, “but are you still hungry? We can stop somewhere before we—move on to whatever you’ve decided we’re doing today?”

Peter had stayed quiet after dinner, then focused on something on his phone for an hour or so before finally deciding to call it an early night. Tony had noticed Peter staring at him at a couple of points in the evening, but it made sense for the brief conversation they’d had, he guessed. Or maybe Tony was just being paranoid and Peter was honestly making plans?

“I’m not starving, but we’ll need to stop at Walmart anyhow, so maybe I’ll just check out the deli, too.” Peter announced.

Happy took over there, “Can I ask why?” he asked.

And then the smile Tony was afraid had disappeared came back, “We need snacks!”

Both of the men had, at one time or another, decided that Peter’s only purpose in life was to confuse the hell out of them, and here he was, doing it again.

“Snacks?”

Peter nodded. “Yup. Aunt May gave me some play money, so I’ve got cash in my wallet. I’ll run real quick and then we’re going back to the hotel for a bit, ‘kay?”

No one argued. “Okay,” Happy shrugged. “You’re the boss.”

Tony opened his mouth to playfully disagree, but Happy caught him before he could. “No. I said Peter’s the boss.”

And Tony had to agree, so they all shut up, and walked to their car.

They were going on a snack run.

/-/-/

Happy was fuming by the time they made it back to the car. “I told you to wait in the car! Peter was worried about Pepper, but now I’M worried! What am I going to tell her? I have one job, but I can’t leave you alone for a damned minute! She’s gonna murder me!”

“Shhh. Stop yelling.” Tony whispered back as he lowered himself into his seat while keeping pressure on the fresh wound set at his hairline. “How was I supposed to know that Walmart would try to kill me?”

“Don’t you mean, how were you, a grown ass man, supposed to know that you don’t ride bikes inside of stores like a moron? And then crash into end caps?” Happy leaned in to do up Tony’s seatbelt since his hands were busy. “How have you made it this far? I don’t understand.”

Peter slid into the back, clutching his bags and the heavy duty first aid kit he’d just retrieved from the trunk. “They were really nice about it, at least—and I don’t think anyone got photos?” Peter chewed on his lip guiltily. “And if you’re worried, we were going to stay in at the hotel for the afternoon anyhow. Maybe you’ll be feeling better later and we can do the rest of my plan?”

“Ah, the elusive plan,” Tony said wryly. “At this point, if it can involve extra strength over the counter pain medication and an afternoon of lounging, I’ll do about anything.”

Peter smiled, “It does.”

“Perfect. Then we’re set. To the hotel then, Happy, Daddy needs a new set of stitches.”

/-/-/

Once Happy had gotten everything sanitized and Tony frozen up, the stitches were done fairly quickly. Tony had even managed to take a couple of Tylenol to help with the mild headache. Peter, however, was still fumbling with his laptop and some cables at the back of the hotel room television when the two came into the room proper.

“Oooh, did you set up a secret camera so we can listen in on what May and Pepper really think of us?” Tony joked as he eased himself onto his bed.

“Don’t be weird, Tony,” Happy scolded him.

“Yeah, Tony, don’t be weird,” Peter mumbled in agreement as he finally emerged from behind the electronics, then grew shy as he fussed with a couple of laptop keys and then finally, it all became clear.

But not?

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? The big secret was a movie?” Tony had to ask.

Peter flushed as he explained. “No, well, yes... I mean—I was thinking about how sad it was that you didn’t get to do the whole teenager experience after dinner last night and it got me wondering about what exactly you missed...”

“Okay?”

“And then I thought, you were sixteen in 1986, right?”

Tony was getting nervous, “Right?”

“Right!” He was getting excited as explained his thought process. “And then I tried to google, but that ended up with me trapped in Pinterest purgatory for some reason, so I shifted and found that the year you turned sixteen, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was one of the top ten highest grossing movies, and the only ‘high school’ movie that felt appropriate—” Peter hesitated. “So, I thought we could watch it and see what it was like to be my age back then, and see if we could plan something for tonight or tomorrow before we leave to be funny, you know?... if you wanted...”

Tony was speechless.

“... Unless you think it’s dumb.”

Tony just stared. This kid—they’d been so worried about him, and here he was—

Happy, of course, recognized that look. Even after years with (and without) the kid, Tony still had those moments when he couldn’t believe his luck—couldnt’ begin to process it in a way that made sense to him.

Sometimes Happy really hated Howard Stark.

And so Happy spoke up, “Let’s give him a minute, ‘kay?” He walked over to the bags of junk food and—a rotisserie chicken? Happy just shook his head and started unpacking. “We’ll get these snacks organized. Getting the bags cheddar popcorn was a great idea, by the way. I’m telling you, Peter. There’s a special place in hell for people who microwave popcorn in hotels and staff rooms, kid. That’s a life lesson for you right there. Got it?”

“Got it.”

Once done, Happy glanced over to Tony, still pale, but that could have been the shock of surprise, but still, “I’m pretty sure Tony doesn’t have a concussion, but give me a sec to get something pulled together before we start. I haven’t seen this movie in ages and would hate to have to pause it to change sheets or something.”

They both shuddered.

“I’m not concussed,” Tony suddenly spoke up, “Just had to take a quick brain break, but I’m back. And, believe it or not, I’ve never seen this movie at all.”

Peter’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Awesome. This’ll be fun then, right?”

“Right,” Tony declared, “Now hand over my milk duds, bud. I am totally not sharing.”

/-/-/

The ride home the next afternoon was pretty uneventful. Granted, Happy did make a point of getting them home in four hours twelve minutes, thank you very much.

By morning, Tony’s headache had dissipated and the bruising wasn’t too bad—and he’d managed to not puke the night before.

And, after a couple of calls from their PR guys to clarify the events of the day previous, Pepper wasn’t nearly as upset as Peter worried she’d be about Tony getting caught on camera... at least not with him.

“Honestly, Peter. This is nothing compared to the early 2000s.” She explained as her voice came through the car’s audio system. “I’ll take this gladly and call it a win.”

Peter breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe the last dregs of that toxin were finally out of his system?

“But, sweetheart? Tony? Happy? While I have you all on the phone...”

“Yes?” They all seemed to reply in unison.

“Would you happen to know why I’ve been getting all these restaurant reservation confirmations for a—hang on. I wrote it down somewhere—” The papers shuffled on her desk. “Oh. Here it is, for an Abe Froman?”

There was no way to pretend that all three of the men hadn't busted out laughing as they drove along the highway.

“Boys? What did you do?” Pepper’s confusion made it all the better, “And who the heck is Abe Froman?”

#Sicktember 2024 #Day Twenty-eight: Pulling a 'Ferris Bueller'#MCU #Aftermath of fear toxin #oops! Gotham reference for kicks #Hurt/Comfort #Fluff #MIT Peter Parker #Irondad & Spiderson #Uncle Happy Hogan

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dulichquocte365 · 2 years ago

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[A - Z] Kinh nghiệm du lịch Chicago - Mỹ

Du lịch Chicago là chọn lựa lý tưởng của nhiều du khách khi đặt chân đến nước Mỹ. Nằm dọc theo bờ hồ Michigan, Chicago được mệnh danh là “thành phố gió” với bầu không khí mát mẻ, lộng gió cùng quan cảnh thiên nhiên đẹp tuyệt vời. Bài viết này GUUTRAVEL sẽ tổng hợp đến bạn những kinh nghiệm du lịch Chicago hữu ích nhất!

Tổng quan về thành phố Chicago - Hoa Kỳ

Chicago được biết đến là thành phố nổi tiếng với các công trình kiến trúc độc đáo, các điểm đến du lịch đặc sắc và nhiều hoạt động giải trí lý thú. Thuộc bang Illinois miền Tây, Chicago là thủ phủ của bang này đồng thời là một trong các thành phố lớn nhất của Hoa Kỳ.

Những điểm du lịch nổi danh tại Chicago

Chicago có gì nổi tiếng? Thành phố này được mệnh danh với rất nhiều điểm du lịch để khám phá, trong đó nổi tiếng là:

Willis Tower

Willis Tower là tòa tháp cao nhất tại thành phố Chicago đồng thời là một trong các tòa tháp nổi tiếng nhất tại Hoa Kỳ. Tòa tháp này được xây dựng từ năm 1970 và hoàn thiện vào năm 1974. Đứng từ đây, du khách có thể thưởng ngoạn khung cảnh toàn thành phố sầm uất và đầy chuyển động. Du khách cũng có thể trải nghiệm The Ledge - hệ thống thảm kính từ tầng 103, cho phép nhìn xuống bên dưới qua lớp kính trong suốt. Willis Tower cũng là nơi tổ chức của nhiều hoạt động và sự kiện nổi bật của thành phố.

Millennium Park

Millennium Park là 1 trong các công viên cổ điển nổi tiếng tại Chicago. Nằm gần hồ nước Michigan xanh trong, công viên cũng sở hữu một môi trường xanh và cảnh quan thiên nhiên tuyệt đẹp. Nổi tiếng nhất tại Millennium Park là bức tượng Cloud Gate với kiến trúc độc đáo và lạ mắt. Đây chắc chắn là điểm đến không thể bỏ qua với những du khách yêu thích thiên nhiên và nghệ thuật.

Navy Pier

Navy Pier có thể được xem là một trong những trung tâm giải trí và du lịch hàng đầu tại Chicago. Nếu có dịp du lịch Chicago, bạn đừng quên ghé thăm cảng biển đặc sắc với nhiều tiện ích này nhé! Navy Pier mang đến cho du khách nhiều trải nghiệm thú vị từ: những hoạt động giải trí, hệ thống nhà hàng cho đến khu vực mua sắm. Tại đây cũng tổ chức rất nhiều sự kiện, đặc biệt là các hoạt động mùa hè như: các phiên chợ hay chương trình biểu diễn nghệ thuật,... Đây chắc chắn sẽ là điểm đến hoàn hảo cho chuyến du lịch Chicago của bạn cùng người thân hay bạn bè.

Buckingham Fountain

Buckingham Fountain là 1 đài phun nước nổi tiếng tại Chicago, nằm trong Grant Park và được biết đến là đài phun nước lớn nhất thế giới. Nhìn từ xa, đài phun nước to lớn này tựa như đóa hoa hồng rực rỡ. Đặc biệt, vào ban đêm, khi ánh đèn chiếu xuyên qua dòng nước lại tạo nên hiệu ứng cực kỳ đẹp mắt. Đến với điểm đến nổi danh này, du khách có thể thưởng thức quan cảnh xung quanh hoặc tận hưởng buổi trình diễn của đài phun nước Buckingham Fountain.

Những hoạt động giải trí đặc sắc khi du lịch Chicago

Khi chọn du lịch Chicago - Mỹ, bạn có thể tham gia nhiều hoạt động giải trí hấp dẫn cùng bạn bè hoặc gia đình. Một vài hoạt động đặc sắc nhất phải kể đến:

Chơi bóng chày tại Wrigley Field - 1 sân vận động bóng chày lớn nằm ở phía Bắc Chicago.

Trải nghiệm những tour du thuyền trên sông, nhìn ngắm cảnh đẹp và nhiều công trình nổi danh như: Willis Tower, East Bank Club và Wrigley Building.

Ghé thăm các quầy hàng để mua sắm, chọn quà lưu niệm cho chuyến du lịch Chicago.

Tham gia những trò chơi ly kỳ, hấp dẫn tại các khu vui chơi giải trí.

Du lịch Chicago nên ăn gì ngon?

Khám phá ẩm thực là một phần không thể thiếu nếu bạn có dịp du lịch tại Chicago. Thành phố này có nhiều quán ăn và nhà hàng phục vụ đầy đủ những món ăn từ truyền thống cho đến hiện đại. 1 Trong số các món ăn nổi danh nhất tại đây phải kể đến Chicago-style pizza (Bánh pizza kiểu Chicago) và hot dog. Ngoài ra bạn cũng có thể thưởng thức các món ăn truyền thống như Italian Beef và Gyros.

Lời kết

Hy vọng các kinh nghiệm được GUUTRAVEL chia sẻ trên đây sẽ giúp bạn có chuyến du lịch Chicago thật trọn vẹn. Nếu bạn đang quan tâm đến các tour du lịch khám phá Chicago - Mỹ, hãy liên hệ ngay với chúng tôi để được tư vấn sớm nhất!

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mediocre-daydreams · 2 years ago

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pov: your camera roll if you were dating bucky barnes

when bucky first returned from wakanda, he was overwhelmed by the food options. you took him to get pizza, claiming "everyone likes pizza!" from then on, he proclaimed it his favorite food. (not that it had anything to do with the fact that he got to spend more time with you everytime you'd tag along to get a slice.)

natasha had dragged you and yelena out for a girl's night at a vineyard, where the three of you took advantage of stark's black card and got absolutely smashed. you'd called bucky to pick the three of you up, and he'd tried to take a picture of you, laughing at how carefree and adorable you looked while drunk. unfortunately, he'd flipped the camera to selfie mode.

you'd asked bucky why he only took his coffee black. he revealed that it wasn't because of a preference, but because he'd never had coffee any other way. scandalized, you dragged him to a café the next day and caught a picture of him mid-laugh as he marveled at the latte art on the drink you'd ordered him.

bucky never attended any of tony's parties, claiming there was no reason to since he couldn't get drunk. once he met you, though, he "suddenly" became quite the party animal. that night, thor had brought asgardian liquor and bucky went a bit overboard. you and sam got a kick out of an inebriated bucky shamelessly showering you in compliments and clinging onto you all night like a lost puppy.

bucky was exhausted after a long meeting with senator ross, where he was belittled and passive-aggressively patronized the entire time. he was ready to sulk in silence; instead, you cut him some fruit and brushed his hair, whispering sweet things to him until he fell asleep. that was when he realized he loved you.

maybe it wasn't the smartest idea to ask tony if you could fly in one of his suits. so what? it's not like you broke any bones. bucky could never find it in himself to be mad at you, but he did grumble the entire time he carried you to dr. cho's office, insisting that you shouldn't be walking on a sprained ankle. (once cho cleared you, bucky administered his own medicine: kisses to make the boo boos go away.)

you'd never listened to sam and wanda every time they told you how bucky looked at you with the stupidest lovesick eyes, like he was worshipping a deity. it was only until you captured the look on camera that you believed it. that was the moment you realized how far you'd fallen in love with him.

you and bucky had gone on a double date to coney island with sam and his girlfriend. maybe it was the cotton candy sugar crash or simply a sleepy delirium, but on the way back to the tower, you caught a rare picture of bucky, completely relaxed and laughing unrestrained. you blamed it on the leftover excitement from the day, but steve had told you that ever since you entered bucky's life, he'd never seen his friend happier.

after returning from a long mission, all bucky wanted to do was take a long bath with you and use the new pink bath bombs you'd bought him. instead, he was dragged to a debriefing meeting where he'd sat at the table all broody and grumpy. he glared at you, thinking it was sam coming to bother him again, but when i saw it was you, he peppered your face in kisses until tony had called it disgusting and kicked the two of you out. bucky was more than willing to oblige.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

moodboard made by me (i do not own any of these images)

taglist: (comment to be added)

@yourallihave @bambamwolf87 @im-a-slut-for-fluff

marvel masterlist | main masterlist

#bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes moodboard #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes camera roll #dating bucky barnes #bucky fic #bucky barnes x y/n

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ceilingfan5 · 2 years ago

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🛒blupped jeans!

“So we’re, you know, two grown adult scientists,” Barry says, staring into the refrigerator. He could easily make a list of the things that are inside. It would not be a long list. “You’re even a really good cook.”

“Ya-huh,” Lup says, not looking up from the delicate Jenga-fication of the shit making their dining room table unusable. They’ve had three living room floor picnics in a row. Honestly it’s been nice to have dinner with her so…consecutively. “What’s the flattery for?” She slips with one of their bills, and the whole tower comes down, squashing a brown bag that might or might not have some kind of specimen in it. “Balls.”

“Not balls, no, not that I’m opposed,” Barry says thoughtfully, squatting, like maybe his perspective on the empty fridge is the problem.

Itemized list:

Pickles

Mustard

Kimchi that might be super, super expired, like chew through tires expired

Four kinds of energy drinks (should he list those separately? What kind of taxonomy is he working with here?)

One slice of ham

Limp zucchini, singular

The freezer is not much of an improvement:

Freezer burnt Ben and Jerry’s

Frozen meal Lup won’t eat (x4)

Slice of wedding cake (what’s the tradition supposed to be? Barry can’t remember and he’s too afraid to ask)

Shredded cheese

“We could make…ham…chos. Ham nachos. For one.”

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Lup winces, looking up from her playful disaster mess. “Like, bad bad?”

“Well, we still have… mustard…zucchini…bull. It gives you wings, but you’ll regret it.”

She laughs, and walks over to wraps her arms around his middle. She peers over his shoulder and sighs. “It’s time, isn’t it?”

He nods gravely.

It’s Saturday, and the grocery store parking lot is packed, and both of them can smell impending doom like a tragedy at the comically large vat of acid factory.

“We can do this,” Lup says. “Definitely,” Barry agrees. “We’ve got like, 5 degrees between us.”

“Five and three quarters.”

“We even have a list this time. And it doesn’t just say ‘Food’.”

“In and out. Just, just enough for two weeks of meals. We don’t have to feed an army. And we only need a few treats.”

“Minimal, reasonable amount of treats,” Barry echoes.

“We’re hot and smart and in love and this Safe-Way cannot defeat us.”

It’s one hell of a rallying cry, but does Lup immediately take the cart on a joy ride when they get inside? Of course. Does Barry overanalyze the produce to the point of overwhelm? If lottery tickets were that predictable, you could call them billionaires. Do they get three kinds of chips? Well, Barry mentioned nachos. It was unavoidable.

Sure, by the time they get to the checkout, they know they’ve done a disaster problem. And they’re going to hurt for it. But also, they’re winded and red in the face from laughing and kissing between the aisles, and they’ve held hands to the point of the cart crashing into shelves at least three times, and Lup didn’t panic about food security and Barry didn’t wimp out and order pizza for the umpteenth time and they can afford it, and everything is okay. Good, even.

“Every little moment with you is a sweet adventure,” he murmurs, kissing her hand. He’s still holding it tight.

“Gross,” Lup says, after giggling so hard she snorted, red and freckled as a strawberry. “What are you, in love with me or something?”

“Yeah,” Barry says. “Bag our fifteen kinds of chips so we can leave this beastly den of fluorescent lights.”

#blupjeans #blupjeans fic #taz #tazb #taz balance #the adventure zone #the adventure zone balance #fan5fics #thanks!#lup adventure zone #lup adventurezone #lup taaco #barry bluejeans

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no-gorms · 3 years ago

Note

Prompt if you want: The ways Tony have accidentally, obliviously, made Steve’s day

----------

Steve comes back to the Tower late from a meeting with Fury, when all the other Avengers have already plowed their way through a pizza dinner. There seems to plenty left for him, but before Steve can pick through the slices Tony pushes a box across the table at him all, "You like sausage and olives, right? Or do you hate it? Always get that mixed up, anyway if it's the second one don't yell at me", and even if wasn't the second one Steve would not have yelled at him, because he's too busy being surprised.

Post-mission and with medium injuries, Tony tries to sneak out from observation for a quick check of something in the lab, just a quick check, nothing strenuous, he promises! But after chatting up a storm in wheedling his way to get past Cho, he sees Steve in the corridor, sighs, and quietly goes back to medical. Steve didn't even have to glower at him!

There's a journalist in the Tower for individual and group interviews, and normally they'd all be more on guard but said journalist is a friend of Natasha's that's here because they need to get back some control over their public narrative. It's mostly policy questions intersperse with light banter, nothing too prying, and Steve happens to the on the floor when she's talking to Tony in the living area, and Steve happens to hear her asks Tony who in his opinion is the most good-looking Avenger and Tony immediately answers, "Me, obviously. Oh, I can't pick me? Steve, then." Steve's not supposed to have heard this, and it didn't make the final article, but he remembers.

Steve is reading in the common area when Tony appears and throws himself into the sofa, sighing dramatically. Steve asks if anything's the matter and Tony mumbles about not being in the mood for Steve's being judgemental at him, and Steve sighs, which somehow prompts Tony into a story about how he thinks he made a mistake with some of SI's research staff and has been second-guessing how to make it right. Steve puts his book down and they end up talking for like an hour? About the kinds of power they have over people and the expectations people place on them, and it goes into various tangents but Tony definitely relaxes as the convo goes on and seems to get what he needs, that he leaves looking confident and determined. It's only afterward that Steve realizes that Tony could have asked anyone else for advice -- Bruce is in the Tower, as is Natasha, but Tony definitely only came to him. Huh.

THEN there's the time when Tony's in the workshop brainstorming about an enemy that got away from them, and he apparently gets a EUREKA moment and comes storming down to the common area to yell at everyone about THIS THING that he has DISCOVERED and it's a long, passionate, sleep-deprived monologue, but mainly the issue is that Tony's giving said monologue while wearing a grimy workshop tank top with uhhhh GUNS OUT and WILD HAIR and Steve really does try his best to pay attention to what Tony's saying, but mainly it's a good thing that Natasha's around to ask the important questions for him.

#not really a fic but it is a thing!#scaramouche answers asks #anonymous #superhusbands

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rfxn-emulator · 6 months ago

Text

Just a smidgen of Cho posting this Tuesday (Chosting perhaps)

#pizza tower #pizza tower au #pizza tower: afterparty #pizza tower cho #pepperman #tuesday #something about tuesday or whatever #satow #i'm gonna keep cramming my goober down your throat and you're gonna like it

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weirdzano-and-co · 5 months ago

Text

Weirdzano's Whiteboard event: Pt 2

@rfxn-emulator

@rina7z

#weirdzano #coil tower #coil tower au #whiteboard #whiteboard fox #lunatheartist22446 #listard #weirdzano's whiteboard #weirdzano's whiteboard 1 #pizza tower cho

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hale-13 · 3 years ago

Text

Conditioned

By Hale13

For the Summer of Whump Day 16 - Touch Starved

“Can I take a shower?” Peter blurted out, shifting uncomfortably. He felt gross from the dried sweat and the bloody residue that was left on his scalp and around his hair line felt the intense need to get cleaned - broken arm be damned.

Words: 2084, Chapters: 1/1 (Complete), Language: English

Fandoms: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)

Rating: Gen

Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Helen Cho

TW: Literally None - Just Fluff

Read on AO3 or below the line break.

“Well Peter, I see no reason why you should have to stay here any longer as long as you promise to actually rest and allow yourself to heal,” Helen said firmly but with a smile toward him and Peter nearly sagged with obvious relief.

“Oh thank god,” he said he’d, already struggling in his attempts to climb out of the MedBay bed he had been sentenced to since the day before with some help from Tony. He flinched a little as he tweaked his sore arms, moving the wrong way, but trying to keep his muscles as relaxed as possible to prevent any further damage. His recovery is going to be annoying enough as it is without making it worse.

In his most recent fight against the Shocker the night before, he had caught a direct hit on his right arm which had successfully and cleaning broken his radius and ulna in two. In his haste to get away and then catch himself on a poorly shot strand of webbing he had dislocated his left shoulder. The pain had been so stunning he had barely been able to finish webbing up Shocker and get away before the police showed up.

It probably didn’t do much to help the injuries when he had swung back to the Tower but he had been numb and delirious by that point so he probably wasn’t really thinking straight. He does remember Tony not being super impressed with him when he nearly passed out as soon as he landed.

“I’m serious about resting,” Dr. Cho warned him as she helped him settle his, still sore and recently reduced, arm into a sling. “You need to take it easy for at least another few days or you’ll risk re-injury and possibly surgery.”

“Oh that shouldn’t be a problem,” Tony said breezily. “I have no problem cuffing him to a bed if I have to.”

“Mr. Stark,” Peter whined, trying to stand and balance without using either of his arms – it was much harder than he thought it would be – and already trying to edge toward the door. Tony just quirked up an eyebrow at him.

“Your aunt, definitely against her better judgement and with an amazing amount of misplaced trust, is letting you stay here with me so you don’t get into any more trouble during your convalescence so if you could just work with me for a couple of days here that would be much appreciated,” he told Peter very pointedly with a final wave at Helen as he herded Peter toward the elevator at the end of the hall.

Peter just rolled his eyes at his mentors dramatics but allowed himself to be directed – to tell the absolute truth, his arms still hurt pretty badly and he wasn’t really looking forward to his oral painkillers (that made him sleepy and emotional) and his anti-inflammatories (that made him into a right bastard if he was being honest) and trying to convince Tony that he didn’t need either. He wasn’t super confident about his success rate with that. “Can I take a shower?” He blurted out, shifting uncomfortably. He felt gross from the dried sweat and the bloody residue that was left on his scalp and around his hair line.

“You know that you can’t get your cast wet,” Tony reminded him holding up a hand when Peter opened his mouth to interrupt. “I mean, I suppose I can wrap it in a bag or something if you really want to shower that bad.”

“Yes please,” Peter eagerly agreed. Ever since the Bite all of his senses had been more sensitive but none more so than his sense of smell and he wasn’t a particularly big fan of the fact that he could currently smell himself. It made his skin crawl and was completely disgusting.

“Alright then,” Tony nodded. “Shower first and then a movie marathon slash prescribed nap directly after. Do we have a deal then Mr. Parker?”

“Only if we can get pizza for dinner later,” Peter bartered as the elevator opened up on Tony’s floor of the compound. “With pineapple this time,” he continued with a wrinkled nose, “the olives you got last time were disgusting!”

“You have astonishingly terrible taste but yes fine. Pizza later.” Tony nodded, herding both of them into the kitchen with a single-minded determination. The Wal-Mart and cling wrap cast protection apparatus Mr. Stark rigged together left a fair amount to be desired in the looks department but was completely functional when it came to water-proofing which was good enough for Peter.

It took some skill to slip away from his mentor but Peter was soon slipping into his room, struggling to get out of the sling on his own and finally succeeding. It made him wince from the extra pain it caused but it didn’t overshadow the relief of doing it on his own. He knew his limits from previous dislocations and knew that it was crucial to not overdue it while the joint was healing or he risked the chance of re-injury and, as Dr. Cho had reminded him earlier, surgery.

With a grimace, Peter rested that arm across his stomach and used his bagged up right arm to pull his shirt over his head. He was barely able to manage it when it pulled at his sore muscles and broken bones. Maybe he should use a button down or zippered hoodie instead.

Thanks to FRIDAY (bless her seriously), the water of his shower was already running and warmed up to his preferred setting of skin melting and he was quick to turn his back into the spray and luxuriate under it for an extended time. The high pressured water felt amazing on his back and shoulders, loosening up the knots and clenched muscles and providing relief.

“You doing okay in there kid? You drown yet?” Tony asked, knocking on the door and indiscernible amount of time later and knocking Peter out of his stupor.

“I’m good!” Peter called back, hurriedly reaching out for his body wash and cloth painfully and cleaning himself up to the best of his – limited – ability. By the time he was ready to wash his hair and hairline he felt exhausted and achy despite the excellent water pressure and all the good work it and the heat had done to relieve the pain in his shoulder and back. “Fuck,” he cursed, trying to lift his arm above chest level and spectacularly failing, finding himself unable to without making his muscles seize.

Peter was pretty bendy due to his powers so he attempted a couple different contortions to reach his head before just flat out giving up, turning off the water and taking his towel off the heated towel rack installed in the bathroom (rich people – seriously). It took longer than Peter cared to admit, but he was able to dry and dress himself in sweats and a zippered hoodie. He was even able to shuck the bag off his cast with little struggle so he was feeling pretty decent when he ventured into the living room with his hair sopping wet and dripping onto his shoulders since he wasn’t able to adequately dry it. Whatever. It would dry on its own eventually.

“And what’s all this supposed to be?” Tony asked, glancing up from his phone and wrinkling his nose but not moving from where he was leaned against the counter in the kitchen. “Why are you dripping all over my floor?”

Peter fought off a blush and tried to hunch his shoulders, stopping when it hurt. “I couldn’t reach up to get my hair,” he grumbled, failing to completely push down his blush.

“I guess that explains all the blood still caked in there,” Tony hummed, leaning over to move the dampened curls around to look at the blood still matting some of his hair together and crusting up around his scalp. “Well that’s pretty easily remedied. Welcome to the salon Underoos,” Tony said, pulling over one of the barstools and setting it in front of the kitchen sink, gesturing for Peter to sit.

“Uh… what?” Peter questioned, brows furrowing in confusion.

“I’ll wash your hair for you,” Tony clarified, looking pointedly between Peter and the stool again. “Just sit down while I go and grab some things!” And, with that, he took off in the direction of the bedrooms and associated en suites.

Peter, still pretty confused but (mostly) trusting his mentor, sat down unsteadily on the stool just as Tony came back around the corner with an armful of towels, shampoo and conditioner bottles along with a wide-toothed comb and an expensive looking hair dryer. He triumphantly arranged everything on the counter next to the deep sink and wrapped one of the towels around Peter’s neck. “Lean back buddy,” Tony said, using a finger to push on the center of Peter’s forehead until he gave in and let himself be pushed back to lean back with his head in the sink.

Doing his best to ignore the weirdness of it all (weirdness was pretty common around Tony Stark after all), Peter closed his eyes and crossed his arms across his stomach as the water turned on. He tensed up a little when he felt fingers start dragging through his hair but was quick to relax and release the tension in his body under the careful massage of his mentor’s hands through his hair and the warm water cascading across his scalp. He let out a little hum of contentment.

Tony let out a soft chuckle, squirting a healthy dollop of the shampoo into his hands and lathering it up before applying it to Peter’s hair, working through the snarls and tangles with care and scrubbing the leftover blood out of the curls. Peter went nearly boneless under his ministrations and Tony would definitely be lying if he said he didn’t milk the washing and conditioning portion at least a little bit. He knew that Peter had to be feeling pretty miserable and it settled something buried deep inside him to provide just a little extra comfort.

All too soon, though, he had rinsed out the last of the conditioner leaving Peter’s hair clean and dripping as he turned off the water. Peter made no move to get up or to open his eyes, breathing deeply and seemingly on the very verge of sleep, so Tony grabbed one of the towels and started to wring the extra water out of the kid’s hair, running the towel through it cautiously. “Just need you to sit up for a second here kiddo okay? Then you can nap, scout’s honor.”

Peter grunted and grumbled but did slit his eyes open and let Tony help him sit up, swaying back and forth and little on the stool and Tony ran the towel through his hair a couple more times to really get rid of the water as much as possible. He dropped the towel on the counter in exchange for the comb and the hair dryer. He ran the comb through the mess a few times before starting the hair dryer up. Peter practically melted as the warmed air fluffed up his curls. It didn’t take long to dry at all and, by the time he was done, Peter was listing forward nearly into Tony’s chest.

“Couch or bed buddy?” Tony asked with a fond smile, running his hands through Peter’s warmed and clean hair.

“Couch,” Peter muttered, leaning into his petting and making Tony’s chest warm up. This kid… god. He ended up supporting most of Peter’s weight but was able to quickly get him lying face down on the supple cushions with his head pillowed on one of the throw pillows resting on Tony’s lap, the ratty fleece blanket Tony kept draped over they back of the couch draped over him and a heating pad resting across his healing shoulder.

“Let’s start a Star Wars marathon FRI. Volume at thirty percent,” FRIDAY was quiet as she dimmed the lights and started the movie, the familiar logo and music making Peter relax even further into the couch, completely gone. As the opening theme ended and the camera panned to the shots of Leia’s ship, he felt Mr. Stark’s hand rest on his back, digging into the knotted muscles of his back.

It maybe wasn’t ideal to mess up his arms so much but, Peter thought, he couldn’t think of a better way to spend his recovery.

#summerofwhump #summerofwhump16 #Prompt: Touch Starved #irondad #spider man #Summer of Whump 2021

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dragonrajafanfiction · 3 years ago

Text

Yamata-No-Orochi: (Part 4) Erii

ITT: The Mic Drop Heard Round the World.

The sun woke you. Bright light shone through the windows, forming a halo around the curtains and projecting the shape of raindrops from the window onto the carpet. Mingfei had left shortly before you fell asleep of exhaustion and grief.

You’d fought hard and rebelled against the world, but this last rebellion had taken you too far. Z raised, saved, and safeguarded you. But you refused to play his love game, and that was all it took to discard you. Caesar had been at your side, encouraging you to live all this time. But now that the clouds had gathered, and the darkness of the world surrounded you, he realized that, like Chance, life was not in the cards for you. And Chu Zihang? Well, he always was a sword at your throat.

Once again the world was laughing, mocking you with its silent game of keep away. Love? Syke! Happiness? Syke! Companionship? Syke!

You hated this world. Mingfei went to Erii’s room with the Desert Eagle. What was stopping you from planting your mind in the ground and tilting Tokyo into a rift in the Earth, like it was the undersea Takamagahara? To watch its towers topple, and its buildings burn would be a fitting end to a Godzilla movie.

The hotel phone rang, insanely loud. You reached over and picked it up. “Pizza Hut,” you mumble.

Lu Mingfei stammered for a moment. Then he laughed. “Hey. You, me, Erii road trip. Right now. I left some clothes for you.”

His voice over the phone, it sounded like Z’s. You are silent, mind completely inert, spirit aching. “Sure whatever.” You hang up.

You shower and pull a comb through your hair three times, leaving it to fall over your shoulders. You don't bother with jewelry or make up. He left you a pair of skin tight jeans and a shirt that said Wild Thing across the front. White ankle socks and blue low rise canvas sneakers go over your feet.

The phone rings again. Mingfei sounded breathless. “Come now! We have to go!”

You hang up the phone and dash outside. Mingfei is waiting for you in a cherry red porsche. Erii waves with bright enthusiasm from the passenger side as he gets out and folds the seat down so you can get in the back. “Erii this is my friend, MC, She’s sick like you.”

You startle. Mingfei just went out and said it. You hold out your hand and she takes it, examining your fingers with her dark red eyes. You were lighter skinned, but this girl was near transparent. She scribbled on a notepad. “Nice to meet you. You are very pretty.”

“Guys buckle up!”

Your seatbelt had just clicked when Mingfei down shifted and floored it. The engine let out a mighty growl and the car took off like a rocket down the street. But Mingfei was relaxed, with an impish, ‘catch me if you can’ sort of look. Something in your chest stirred awake.

Erii held up her notebook. “Sakura is the best, right?”

Her smile was so sly, not something you expected to see. “Oh yeah, he's awesome!”

Her nod was sassy, like, Damn Straight.

You look at him again. He was smiling like he was angry. He was acting recklessly. The buildings were a blur outside the windows. The car rumbled like a beast underneath you as the accelerator didn't let up. You weave through traffic like lightning and soon the police are tailing you with flashing lights.

If you thought you were going fast before you were mistaken. The car dug deeper, and it felt like you floated over the road. The police car faded into the distance, unable to keep up.

He pulls into a service station and pays the attendant way too much cash. “Where are we going?” You ask.

“It's a surprise!”

“Does MC like gum?” Erii held out a piece and you helped yourself.

You lean forward. Erii was covered head to toe in clothing, despite the good weather.

“MC said that Erii is not stupid, that Erii is smart. MC was right, you knew a lot about yourself. But MC was sad so I wanted to take her too.” Lu Mingfei was saying. “Because she cares for Erii and understands her.”

Erii looks at you for a moment. Then she wrote in her notepad, “Cheer up. Sakura is very lucky. Thank you for caring about me.”

Her expression was so earnest and happy. Did she really understand herself? You hold out your hands for the notebook and pen. You write, “I'm too sick so my friends are scared of me.”

She takes one look at the notepad and her eyes widen. She snatches it back and writes, “Erii is not scared, Erii will be your friend.”

“Please be my friend.” You say softly.

Erii reaches out and seizes your arm. Her face is serious and she nods. When you stop at the supermarket, she drags you along, purchasing snacks and a gigantic stuffed teddy bear. Erii was not interested in herself. She wanted to cheer you up! She understood beyond words the lifelong loneliness, the constant rejection, and growing up in a world that feared you. She forcefully shoves the teddy bear into your hands. And pulls you along. It's so big you can't see around it.

Her image blurs with that of Renata. If Renata had a chance to grow up, she would be this bold.

The bear is so tall it folds against the low ceiling of the porsche. You squeeze in next to it.

“MC is from Siberia. Where she is from, the sun doesn't set in Summer. And in Winter, it doesn't rise and lights dance in the sky.” Mingfei says as you take off again.

Erii swivels in a full body, “What?!” expression and you laugh. “It is true. It's exactly like that.”

“That is AWESOME!” She turns the notepad to you and then writes, “I want to visit your home!”

You recall your promise to Caesar to go dog sledding and feel a pang of regret. But your mind has already replaced Caesar on the dogsled and put Erii there. “Let’s go dogsledding!”

She looks confused.

“Here give me your notebook.” You draw a sketch of a dog sled pulled by a team of panting dogs.

If Erii’s eyes got any bigger they would fill her face. She wrote, “IS THERE SANTA IS HE THERE”

“I… no Santas not there, but we can pretend to be Santa.”

“MC is awesome!”

Before dusk, Lu Mingfei and you two ladies arrived in the town at the southwest end of Shikoku, which is more than four hundred kilometers from Tokyo. The Porsche sports car ran for a full four hours. The whole time Erii peppered you with questions about life in Siberia while Mingfei drove. She had the impression of a magical frostland full of sky and sea. Her sparkling impression was free of brutal reality. For four hours you spoke only of the beauty and wonder of the north. Erii’s notebook is filled with sketches of white quail, snow geese, cute arctic foxes, bears, seals, and whales.

The open-air parking lot was empty. Lu Mingfei found a parking space to park the car, and opened the door to hear the tide. You could not see the sea. A large hill stood between you and the ocean. The waves sounded like reverberating between the sky and the earth.

"The sea?" Erii wrote to Lu Mingfei, with excitement in her eyes.

Lu Mingfei nodded his head as an answer.

Ah the ocean… maybe four hours ago you might have been upset to meet up with the water. Now you just laugh.

Erii looks at you curiously.

“Did you know I got to ride dolphins?”

Erii practically staggers.

“If you're lost in the ocean, sometimes dolphins will rescue you.” You hook her arm in yours. “They're big and strong and won't let you drown.”

“MC knows so much.”

“Erii knows a lot about Erii’s world. I know a lot about mine.”

Erii nods and smiles.

Lu Mingfei pulled out the compass, opened the long-prepared map, and took you to the town not far away. The sign in front of the town reads Umezuji-cho. At this time of the year, the streets of Tokyo must be bustling with people, but in this small seaside town, there are no people on the streets, only a group of elementary school students in school uniforms passing by.

Mingfei seemed to be in a rush, but Erii dallied with you, asking questions and marveling at the tofu shop, or the batik store. More than once, Mingfei had to come back and usher you forward. He clearly had some sort of plan in mind.

You find out that he hurried was so you could catch the last mountain tram, which was built next to the town's shrine and had a 45-degree angle track that made a staccato sound as you climbed.

On both sides of the track there are dense trees. These trees cover the track like thick clouds, and it is as if you are walking through a tunnel of ever-changing colors, a tunnel made purely of foliage and flowers.

Both you and Erii are stunned with wonder. You did not have such dense forests like this growing up. The air is full of birdsong and frogs and early season cicadas. You feel someone take your hand. Erii points to your face. A bright tear shone there like a pearl. You didn't know you had shed it.

"Sakura is not Japanese, right? How do you know such a beautiful place?" Erii wrote in her little notebook.

"I saw a drama made in Japan. This is a very famous scene from that drama. I saw that drama a long time ago."

"What was the name of that TV series?"

"Tokyo Love Story." Lu Mingfei wrote one stroke at a time.

"I liked that Japanese drama so much that I searched the Internet for all kinds of information about Ehime Prefecture, and finally learned that the ending scene was filmed in Umezuji Town, and that the school and the separate stations in the drama were real. I had always dreamed of traveling to Umetsuji-cho and had done a lot of homework.”

You and Mingfei did not really know each other. You did not think he was this level of a romantic so you didn’t understand why Caesar would want to pair you two. Now it made a lot more sense.

Lu Mingfei took out a handkerchief and blindfolded Erii: "You will see a beautiful view when you untie the handkerchief later."

When he handed one to you, your jaw drops. “I can’t believe you.”

He doesn’t say anything, just ties your eyes. You feel his hand close around yours. You can’t see Erii’s expression. “Erii, I’m so excited. This is fantastic!”

You’re smiling, you can’t stop. The memories of the events of the days before roared like angry hordes of monsters in your mind, but Mingfei and Erii have shut the gates on them. His warm hand in yours, the rhythm of the sun's rays between the trees, the crunch of your footfalls on the trail, the constant sound of birds. It was all so soothing.

You walk the decades old mountain mining path, a road with uneven stone patchwork. At the end of the road is a long closed mine. In order to commemorate the mine that raised the town, the residents of Umezuji Town donated money to build a wooden temple-style building over the entrance and exit of the mine. Each rafter is hung with carp flags for prayers, and various porcelain dolls are placed under the eaves. This is a local custom. If the town's family gave birth to a boy, they would come here to hang a carp flag, and if it is a girl will put a porcelain doll.

“It's exactly the same as the Internet says." Lu Mingfei said.

The tracks of the mine car had long been rusted, and weeds grew among the sleepers. You followed the track to the edge of the cliff, and Lu Mingfei helped you to climb a rock that protruded from the cliff.

He pressed his hands on you and Erii’s shoulders and said, "Now you can take off the blindfold."

You untied your handkerchief.

The sunset blooms full in your vision. The huge sun disc had touched the sea. Ten of millions of tons of seawater slowly swirled beneath your feet. The tide broke into white splashes under the black cliffs. The wind blew endless hectares of forest. The evening woods also look like the sea from a distance, a pale red sea, with thousands of treetops swaying with the wind, forming cascading waves.

Small towns are distributed along the winding coastline, Lu Mingfei names of them one by one -- below the cliff is the town of Umezuji, a little farther away is the town of Yamamae, Tsukishita Castle Town and Matsuron Town, and further is beyond his knowledge.

The town's small school was already empty, and the silent playground was empty.

The Ferris wheel spins slowly but does not carry passengers. The Ferris wheel in Umezuji Town is only a miniature version, but it is magnified in the sunset, its huge shadow cast on the undulating sea of trees.

On the track facing the sea, the yellow slow train rumbled through the small unoccupied station, which was enclosed by white railings with the signs "Umetsuji X" and "Tokyo X”. You wonder how long it had to wait for a nostalgic and romantic fan like Lu Mingfei. Music starts playing and you can't help but laugh in disbelief.

Lu Mingfei had pressed play on the theme song of Tokyo Love Story. His phone was the latest and the speaker was good. You couldn't believe it. This nerdy little parrot boy and scared raccoon had somehow managed to comfort you completely. Outside the shadows of Caesar and Chu Zihang, he shined bright. Maybe being on a boat with him would be fun.

Erii held up her notebook. “The world is gentle.”

You look at her, expressionless. She was right. The world in its natural state was quiet and peaceful. You’d fallen asleep in violence and awakened in violence and pain. You didn't get to experience the romantic world like this very much. In your mind, you imagine Renata in her patchwork coat, sitting next to you. In your ears, she whispers.

You open your mouth, “Make a wish!”

Mingfei turns to you in surprise but Erii follows along, pressing her palms together. You pray.

Renata. I am coming soon. Sorry it took so long.

You sat under the roof of the mine. Erii kept writing questions. Lu Mingfei answered one by one. This girl seems to have saved up a belly of questions, and now they all came out. Mostly they referenced Anime and Manga you have never heard of. That was Erii’s world, a world of cartoon fantasy. He confirmed or denied that reality, shaping and creating the world anew as you watched her listen intently. Lu Mingfei had taken to heart your words and was upfront and simple, not lying or trying to say things she wanted to hear. You nod in approval, your eyes serious.

The sun gradually sank below the surface of the sea, the last afterglow scattered on the water. Half of the sun and its reflection form a complete circle.

"So this is what the outside world looks like." Erii wrote to Lu Mingfei to see.

"Yeah, that's what it's like, no Britannia Kingdom and no Celestial Organization… disappointed?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"No, not disappointed, like this kind of world, this kind of world is very gentle." Erii used the word gentle once again. You repeated the word in your mind. Gentle. It echoes there. As if without the constant threat of death and adrenaline, there was just empty space.

"I really like this world." As the sun is about to disappear, Erii wrote to Lu Mingfei. "But the world doesn't like me." Erii went on to write.

You stand up and move to the other side of her. You scoot as close as you can and rest your head on her shoulder. She hugged the huge bear and lowered her eyes like a cat that had done something wrong.

"I'll be a problem for everyone and I've been a problem for Sakura." Erii wrote again.

"I was too willful. So I ran away from home."

"I should have gone back a long time ago but it's still a pleasure."

"It's beautiful here, I should have known I should have come here on the first day. Thank you Sakura, MC, thank you.”

You lower your hand over hers as she’s writing.

"No."

Erii froze for a moment.

"No." Lu Mingfei repeated.

Lu Mingfei cocked his head to look at her with a rare serious look: "Don't think you can know what the world is like by coming out to see it. I'm still confused after living in this world for more than twenty years. You've only run out for a few days and you think you understand?"

His eyes look at you too and you’re just as shaken as Erii. But he is right! You never set foot outside the Port of Black Swan and that was 20 years ago. You saw the whole world through that tiny lens and haughtily walked around like you owned the place. You judged others through that same view as well.

"How big the world is depends on how many people you know, and for every person you know, the world gets a little bigger for you. There are many cities in this world. There are Tokyo, Paris, Cairo, London, Istanbul... but many of them are just names to you, you haven't been there and there are no people there you want to visit, so they don't really belong to your world. There are many, many more people in this world, but you don't know them, and they don't belong in your world. There are also lots of good food and fun and nice things in this world, but the world that really belongs to you is actually very small, just the places you've been and eaten and seen the sunset and the friends who will care if you live or die."

"Whether the world likes you or not only depends on whether your friends like you or not. Everyone has a few really good friends. They like you, therefore, the world likes you."

The world… was not Tokyo, or Cassell or Hydra… The world was Renata, Caesar, Chu Zihang, Lu Mingfei, and now Erii. You turn your head back to Tokyo, unseen in the distance. How could you leave…?

“What is a good friend?" Erii wrote in her little notebook.

"It's the kind of friend that's so crazy about that he'll believe in you no matter what, and he'll be with you no matter what.” Lu Mingfei growled low. "If the world really doesn't like you, then the world is my enemy."

The moment these cold and arrogant words came out of his mouth, you seemed to hear a familiar cold laugh coming from behind you. The demon of the sad world sneering with all its mockery.

Together, you and Mingfei both jerked back, but behind you were only cherry blossoms mixed with fallen leaves swirling in a breeze, and there was no sign of Z. Lu Mingfei stared at you with wide eyes and you stared right back. His mouth opened. “MC. You… heard…?”

"Wanted: a good friend."

He turned back to Erii waiting for him with a small book up.

"I am your good friend, and you will have more good friends in the future." You say.

"But as long as we are your good friends, how can we not like you?" He said softly.

She slowly crawled towards Lu Mingfei like a kitten, vigilantly figuring out his look. Lu Mingfei looks petrified and you cover your mouth with one hand while silently cheering, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

What did he expect? Even your heart was moving and you don’t even like him! Lu Mingfei is sitting here putting Kazama level moves on this girl and now that her arms are around him and her head is on his chest, he looks two seconds away from shitting himself. You ball your fist against your lips and swallow your laughter.

Clouds gathered in the distance and the sun had set, It was time to go. You would have to get up bright and early tomorrow to get on the boat to China. Your heart was relaxed again about Caesar’s decision. After all, he was just doing his best. If you died, you would go to rest. Caesar would be tormented for the rest of his days. He wasn't sending you on the boat to die. He wanted you to live. You still believed the omniscient Z. Leaving Tokyo was a death sentence. But you also believed Caesar had his own parallel script.

It was raining by the time the train came. You stand shoulder to shoulder on the platform. “Call me to wake me up tomorrow.” You say.

Mingfei lowers his head and laughs.

“Oh you’re planning to oversleep? Once again I have to be the mature one.” You roll your eyes.

The train splashes up to the platform and you make sure Erii has her ticket. She sits next to the window and stares outside. Much to your surprise, Mingfei sits you next to her. He gives you a fond smile and passes you a note.

"Dear passengers, this train terminates in Matsuyama City. We are now about to leave Umezuji-cho station. The train is about to close......" A sweet female voice echoed in the carriage.

The doors of the train close.

You open the note in your hand. The words make you squint.

You have to live.

You and Erii gasp at the same time. Mingfei is not on the train. The doors have closed. And he is not on the train!

You leap from your seat and pound on the glass door in front of the smiling Mingfei. “Where am I supposed to go?” You will miss the boat. You won’t go to China.

Your hands slowly slide from the glass. Erii is pressing her notebook urgently against it.

Lu Mingfei tapped on the window, "Someone will pick Erii up when you get to Matsuyama City. MC, find Ruri Kazama.”

"Won't Sakura take me back to Tokyo?" Eriki took the small book and showed it to Lu Mingfei.

"Your family won't like me." Lu Mingfei said.

Erii hugged the furry teddy bear and lowered her head, her long hair like a colored cloak that enveloped both her and the bear.

"Sayonara" said Lu Mingfei.

Erii nodded, finally realizing that this was their parting. The train ride to Tokyo will take several hours, but Lu Mingfei will not accompany her.

Lu Mingfei's face was stern and he didn't say anything more. There was nothing more to say. This was the parting, his carefully designed parting. He NEVER agreed to the boat. He NEVER agreed to kill you. He had carefully pulled the wool over Caesar’s eyes and convinced you that he was going to dump you on the boat. You grinned and shook your head. But the train began to move before you could even think of a comeback.

#Dragon Raja

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