#she went to find sniffles and brought her to the communications tower

[predatoryseasnail]

An Easter Egg for Ezrabine/Sabezra shippers

So I was watching rewatching Rebels and noticed that in S1E15, it's revealed that the stolen TIE fighter that Ezra and Zeb "got rid of" was painted by Sabine.

Old news, but Ezra knew about it and Zeb didn't. You know blueberry boy showed it to her trying to impress, and it turned into hang out sessions where Sabine painted and Ezra...messed around with a wild Loth-kitten.

And of course it became their tradition whenever they were on Lothal and space mom and dad Hera and Kanan were being a bit overwhelming or whenever they just needed a break. They got to bond more, and Ezra named the Loth-kitten Sniffles because it was allergic to a certain kind of Sabine's paint and kept sneezing (that she totally didn't stop using as soon as she found out, she's a hardcore Mandalorian what are you talking about).

A TIE fighter is...pretty big. Painting all of it like that would take hours and hours of time, hours and hours of Sabine and Ezra hanging out, free from their parents Kanan and Hera and the Empire, and just able to be teenagers with joint-custody of a wild Loth-kitten.

[lord-of-gender]

A Small Problem - Part 2

Once again my inspiration comes from @deyageka

Word count: 1960

Syndicate Meeting

"Perhaps if we-" Phil was saying as Ranboo came into the meeting room, with Tommy right at his heels. It had been two months since they originally found him in the prison and Ranboo had volunteered to watch him that day, completely forgetting about the meeting. He knew he didn't have to come, but it was a good excuse to finally tell them about Tommy.

"Hi, sorry I'm late," Ranboo said awkwardly, knowing the other explanation that he would have to give.

"Hallo!" Tommy said cheerily, moving to stand next to Ranboo, some paper and coloring pigments in his arms.

"What the actual fuck," Phil said, he did a double take when he saw Tommy.

"Heh!?" Techno exclaimed, of all the things he expected, a young Tommy was not on the list. "How?! I thought you said he was dead."

"No, no, no, don't tell me that's Tommy," Niki said, shaking her head.

"Yes, he did die, but Dream revived him," Ranboo said, shifting from foot to foot, "I think that's what happened. Sam found him in the prison like this."

"So that's why you asked me, Tommy couldn't keep his mouth shut," Phil muttered, talking about when Ranboo asked about the old Empire. He knew Ghostbur wouldn't have remembered it, or else he would have mentioned it to him.

"I'm the Empire-er," Tommy went up to Techhno and held up a wooden sword, he also wore the paper crown he made. "Like you."

"Be quiet," Techno growled, Tommy backed away, this wasn't the Technoblade he remembered. The boy ran over to Ranboo and buried his head in his shirt. Ranboo could feel his shirt start to get wet as Tommy started to cry. What had he done wrong? Why was Techno mad at him?

"Oh my gosh, Tommy are you okay," Ranboo knelt down to Tommy's level, taking out a cloth so he wouldn't get wet from the boy's tears.

"Tech-no does-n't like me," Tommy sobbed, sniffling between words.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true," Ranboo said, he looked back at Phil and Niki, silently asking them for help. "He's just surprised to see you."

"I just want Wilbur," Tommy said, his cries starting to die down and reduce to hiccups. "Sam pwomised he would find him."

"He doesn't know," Phil asked, at this age Tommy had idolized Techno and Wilbur. He followed Techno around everywhere and wanted to know everything about him.

"Know, what," Tommy sniffed, using his sleeve to wipe off mucus. "What don't I know?"

"A few months ago," Phil came over and crouched in front of Tommy. "Something happened and-"

"It might be better to find Gho-Wilbur first to tell him," Techno said, the voices had been telling him one of two things. To protect Tommy as all costs, or to kill Tommy for being an orphan. "Who's watching him? Or is he an orphan?"

"I- uh- Sam is mainly taking care of him, so no, he's not an orphan," Ranboo stuttered, knowing a bit of Techno's history with orphans.

"I mean last time I checked I wasn't fucking dead," Phil chuckled, Niki started giggling.

"So what's the plan for today," Ranboo asked, he picked up Tommy as the boy kept pulling on his shirt.

"We're going to do some recon on the Egg," Techno said, "Phil received an invitation to some banquet so we're going to check it out beforehand."

"So I probably shouldn't have brought him," Ranboo said, talking about Tommy as he started to nod off.

"Can't we take him to Snowchester," Phil said, subtly asking if Tommy could stay with Micheal.

"I don't know, Tubbo's not going to be there for a while. He and Jack are busy doing something," Ranboo didn't know what it was there were doing, but it seemed important to Tubbo. And he didn't want Sam to get mad at him for leaving Tommy alone for a little bit.

"He'll be fine alone," Phil said, "We used to do that all the time when he was originally this age."

"You are a terrible parent," Ranboo said.

"Okay mate," Phil rolled his eyes, "you can't be speaking here. Especially not about that shit."

"I wanna stay here," Tommy piped in.

"We could talk to Puffy on our way," Techno said.

"Auntie Puffy!" Tommy said excitedly, bouncing in Ranboo's arms. At the mention of Puffy he had brightened up and got energetic again.

"I guess we have our answer then," Niki laughed.

"Are you good to stay here by yourself for a bit," Ranboo asked. Tommy shook his head and pointed at Niki, she seemed nice.

"Huh, he didn't mind staying home when I took care of him," Phil said.

"Well we think he might have vague memories of what happened in his past," Ranboo lowered his voice and put Tommy down to let him walk over to Niki. "Sometimes he'll just freeze when coming near lava or even a Nether Portal. We've noticed that most of the time he hates being alone."

"I want to stay wif you," Tommy said to Niki.

"I don't know, Puffy and I don't have the greatest history," Niki said, then looked down at Tommy's face as he started to pout. "But I can't say no to you. You are absolutely adorable. Okay, just this once."

"Go now," Tommy waved at them as he sat in the chair next to Niki.

"He does that alot," Ranboo chuckled, "see you later, Tommy."

"Okay Ranboo," Tommy pulled out Clementine from his inventory and made airplane noises as he moved it in the air. Ranboo, Techno, and Philza left the meeting room as Niki laughed with Tommy.

"I haven't seen him like that since," Phil started but trailed off.

"Well of course not, he's a little kid again," Ranboo said.

"Pogtopia," Techno finished for Phil, "he has that light in his eyes again. I remember when we were building that big obnoxious tower, but it made him happy."

"How long had Tommy been with you," Ranboo asked.

"I found him when he was four or five," Phil said, "Wilbur is my only biological son. I adopted Tubbo when he was five as well."

"It's still weird seeing Tommy at that age again," Techno said.

"Yeah, I can't imagine how much of a shock it was when I brought him in there," Ranboo said, he should have thought about it beforehand.

"Oh we were surprised for sure," Philza laughed.

After the trip through the Nether to the community portal they found Bad, Ant, and Punz waiting right outside of the portal. How were they supposed to tell Puffy now?

"Hello, Philza," Punz said, "I didn't think you'd only have two people coming with you."

"Our fourth member is on her way," Techno said, "don't try and threaten us. We have all the power here."

"Ranboo, go talk to Puffy," Phil whispered to him. "Gentlemen, there's no need to fight. We were just curious about the meaning of this invitation I received."

"Ah yes, the banquet," Ant said, "the egg has realized it over stepped a bit, so we've been cleaning up some of the vines and are holding a festival of sorts as a formal apology to the server. You are all invited, we just wanted Phil as a guest of honor."

"Well I'm pretty sure the last time I went to a festival, it didn't turn out well," Techno chuckled, but the voices had raised a good question. Why Phil?

"We swear it won't end like those," Bad said, "I mean we aren't L'Manburg after all."

"Maybe Techno would be more convinced if we saw this change ourselves," Phil said as he spotted Puffy coming towards them, then messaged Niki. Ranboo rejoined the group.

"Of course," Bad said turning around, allowing Puffy to go around them then enter the Nether.

"So uh, where's Skeppy," Ranboo asked, he'd heard from Sam that he had also been infected. "I haven't seen him around recently."

"We don't know," Punz said, "haven't seen him in a while."

"So when you say everyone is invited, who does this include," Phil asked, if they invited the whole server this could be a problem. Tommy couldn't just be left alone for a few hours, but the last thing they wanted was to take him near the Egg.

"Well everyone, except for Dream of course," Bad said, "but alot have said they'll be busy and unable to make it." They walked along the prime path where huge vines used to be, it appeared that they had been cleaned up. Soon Niki caught up with then.

"So what's going on," She asked, holding a cheerful expression to disguise the fact they were hiding something.

"We were just telling them about the banquet," Bad said, "you're coming, right Niki?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it," She said.

Something about the banquet and how similar it was to the L'Manburg festivals didn't sit right with Techno. To make matters worse he had just received a message from Quackity.

"I have to do something, you guys can fill me in when we get back," Techno said, he noticed Phil's questioning expression. "Don't worry it has nothing to do with my favor."

"See you later Techno," Ranboo said, he had been wondering the same thing but didn't want to say anything.

"Yeah, I'll say hi to the kid for you," Techno said. It was a throw away comment, but it seemed to interest Bad.

"Kid?" He asked, after checking that Techno was out of hearing range Ranboo responded with: "Yeah, me and Tubbo adopted."

"Oh, you mean Michael," Bad said, he'd heard about the young zombie piglin.

"We were going to Snowchester afterwards," Phil said, easily going along with Ranboo's lie.

"Yeah! You know, every member is important," Niki said, she had no idea who they were talking about, but she could use what they had said to play along.

“Well we should probably let you guys do that,” Bad said, he wasn’t sure if it was time to show them the Egg. No, it wasn’t, they had enough evidence from them to go to the banquet.

“Yes, you’re right,” Ranboo was getting uneasy, he didn’t like anything about the Egg or the Eggpire.

“See you the 25th!”

[perfectpaperbluebirds]

@sicktember #1

Prompt # 1: Fever

Title: Damn Nick Fury

Fandom: Avengers/MCU

To kick Sicktember off, I'm starting with some classic Avengers sickfic. This is actually part of a longer work that I posted many moons ago on AO3. Still one of my favorite whump fics that I've written.

Clint Barton breathed slowly and deeply as he drew back his bow, sighting in his next target. He was so far unnoticed by the cultists they were fighting, perched high in a tree as he was. Below, Natasha was baiting and dodging them with ease, dispatching one every now and then to keep them occupied. Clint's task was to pick them off as she did so.

Another arrow met its mark.The archer sniffled wetly as he reloaded while cold water continued to trickle down the back of his collar. He had made Fury aware a day or so ago that he had a mild cold, as was his duty as an assassin. If he wasn’t at one hundred percent, his commander needed to know. However, Fury had insisted he and Nat take this mission, since no one else was available. The soaking rain they encountered when they arrived was unexpected. However, it turned out the rain had actually made it easier to obtain the objective of this particular mission. Meanwhile though, it was making Clint thoroughly miserable. Compared to other missions it was going quickly, but the five hour stakeout leading up to the current fight had not been pleasant in the continuous downpour, even up in a tree.

Wiping his nose on his shoulder, Cint again loosed an arrow. Only five more cultists to go. Then they could loot the bunker, get the map they needed, and go home. A drip of water hit him right in the eye, and he growled to himself, inwardly cursing Fury. He had started to shiver an hour ago, though he made sure his hands were steady as ever. He couldn’t wait to take a long, hot shower and sleep for at least twelve hours. He only needed to hold out a little longer.

The tickle in his throat had gradually become a low, irritating ache. He coughed softly. The sound did little to make his throat feel better, but it did make the nearest cultist look up at him. Before the man could do anything other than widen his eyes, Clint’s arrow ended him expertly.

Hawkeye sighed wearily. Four more to go.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thirty-six hours later, Clint and Natasha were relaxing on the couch in Avengers Tower. Natasha had her legs tucked up under her and was reading a book while Clint had his head pillowed in her lap with his arm flung over his eyes. Suddenly, his breath hitched warningly. Natasha lifted her arm in a practiced way to give him room to turn and bury his face into a tissue:

"HehyYIIZSHHhoo! hihtESHHHiew!"

She looked down at him with an irritated sound. "That is the third time you've sneezed in as many minutes. I'm making zero progress in this book. You're going to be finding yourself a new pillow in a minute here. Plus I'll kill you if you get me sick."

He sniffled wetly and blew his nose before replacing his head in her lap with a weak cough. "Aww, you would ndever kill mbe, 'Tash. I'mb the only one who puts up with your crap. But I'mb sorry. I can'dt help the sneezing. It's mbaking mbe mbiserable too if that helps."

She sighed in an annoyed way, but couldn't help looking down at him fondly. "You're lucky I know you well enough to understand what you're saying. And you're also lucky that it just so happens to be true that we tolerate each other better than most, so you're safe from assassination for now."

"Blame Fury. This cold wasn't so bad until I had to sid oud id the rain for hours." He sniffled thickly again, barely turning his head away as he followed it up with a cough.

Natasha made a face, swatting his shoulder lightly. "You're gross. Cover your mouth when you cough. And I don't *have* you let you lay here, you know. You have a perfectly comfortable bed only a short elevator ride away."

" 'm cold though. And if I go ubstairs there's ndo one to mbake mbe tea." He swiped at his reddened nose with the tissue, trying to look extra pitiful.

"You're extra whiny when you're sick. Not a good look on you, Hawk." She carded her fingers once through his hair. "And you're just cold because you're a little feverish."

Instead of replying, Clint halfway sat up again and brought a tissue to his nose, breath scissoring and nostrils flaring.

Natasha groaned as Clint once more exploded into a sneezing fit:

"Gihh-ESSHHshuuu! hehKSHHHshuu!" He coughed, then sneezed again: "ERRSHHhuh! Hih'EZSHHyue! --guhhh." Clint miserably rubbed the space between his eyebrows, slowly lowering himself once again to Natasha's lap.

"Apparently my partner has managed to catch the world's sneeziest cold. How did I get so lucky?"

Once again Clint was kept from replying as Natasha's communicator began to ring. She glanced at the screen, then at Clint.

"It's Fury," she warned.

Clint quickly sat up. She answered the device, turning it so they could both see. Fury's single eye met theirs, looking as serious and commanding as ever.

"Good, you're both here. Barton… your nose looks red. How are you feeling?"

"Aboud the sabe I guess. Sneezy."

"And feverish," Natasha said with a warning look at her partner.

"How feverish?"

"Ndot very. One hundred or so," Clint mumbled.

"That's… not ideal. But I don't have any other option… if at all possible, we need you both out in the field again ASAP. We've discovered a small Hydra base, but it's a crucial one. Some of their brainiest goons are posted there, working on something big. From some communication we intercepted, it sounds like their project is almost finished. I need eyes out there immediately. Recon only for now. Think you can handle that?"

The assassins glanced at each other. "We're good to go," said Clint firmly, though the sore-sounding rasp in his voice betrayed him slightly.

"I hope so. Don't disappoint me. I expect you in the air in an hour or less." With that their director ended the call.

Barton and Romanov glanced at each other once more, this time with a weary sigh from Clint before they stood and went to get ready.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Barton! What's your situation?"Natasha's voice crackled over the com.

"Being... chased by three. Heading... to the roof… of the base," Clint gasped around labored breathing.The metal steps made a sharp clanking noise as the archer sprinted up them, nocking an arrow as he went.

"Can you handle them on your own?"

"We'll… see...," he panted, sweat rolling into his eyes. "Backup… would be nice...."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. I've got 4 of my own. Hang in there, Hawk!" The line went dead for the time being.

"I'm gonna … kill Fury…," he mumbled breathlessly as he reached the roof. He darted to the far side of the area and spun around, taking a knee and aiming his bow at the stairway he had just vacated. The sounds of the three Hydra agents sprinting up behind him were unmistakable, but he was as ready as he was going to be.

"This was supposed to be... an easy recon mission, but noooooo…. It's another... full-on assault," he continued to mumble, trying to catch his breath as the shouting on the stairs got louder.

As an extra stroke of bad luck, it was pouring rain here too. Clint flipped the water out of his eyes with a toss of his head, his hair and clothes hanging on him limply. He hadn't stopped shivering since they'd gotten off the jet. His teeth were now chattering and his fingers were blue with cold. His throat was absolutely burning now, raw and inflamed, the pain exacerbated from running. He couldn't suppress a hoarse barking cough just as the first baddie poked his head through the opening. Clint dispatched him immediately, but the two still coming up were not dissuaded.

The second goon got lucky. Clint's hand slipped on the bow a fraction, and the Hydra agent got hit in the shoulder instead of the heart. The archer knew he was in trouble now. With trembling hands, he managed to kill number three with a final arrow, but the one he had wounded, by far the biggest of them all, continued to advance menacingly.

Hand-to-hand combat was evidently imminent. On any other day Clint could have made short work of this, but this miserable, feverish cold had him operating at around fifty percent capacity and falling. Clint pulled out his knives with shaky hands and another rasping cough. When his opponent was a foot away, Clint tried to leap up to get in the first hit. Instead he slipped and staggered, and the Hydra agent's fist, with all of his weight behind it, caught him in the ribs. Clint heard a dull cracking sound as he was flooded with pain, but he couldn't pause. He spun and ducked, trying to avoid the worst of the blows while trying to get in some of his own. At least ⅓ of his opponent's swings met their target though, and in minutes Clint was battered and bruised, barely clinging to consciousness.

He knew he only had enough stamina for one more try. In a split second, while the Hydra agent was off-balance winding up for another swing, Clint leapt once more, and at last his knife met its mark.

As the baddie crumpled to the ground, so did Hawkeye, wheezing weakly, every breath agonizing. He activated his com as his vision threatened to gray out:

"Roof... clear. Good...Nat?"

"All clear down here too. Mission complete. Nice job, Hawk. Let's turn this bunker inside out and go home."

"Mmph."

"You good, Barton?" she asked, concern suddenly in her voice.

"Gonna need... medevac… Won't… make it down… stairs…."

If Natasha replied, he did not hear her. He let his head fall against the cool, wet metal and let the grayness overtake his vision.

~~~~~~~~~~

48 hours later found Clint lying on a bed in S.H.E.I.L.D. medical with broken ribs and and a confirmed case of pneumonia. He was drifting in and out of consciousness from the drugs they were giving him, but his ears perked up when he heard Natasha arguing with someone nearby.

"He's stable. Not on oxygen. Fever is controlled. He can tolerate oral meds. There's no reason he needs to stay. I promise you, he won't recover while he's here. You need to discharge him home."

The haughty-looking orderly she was speaking with huffed angrily, muttering about shortness of breath and heart rate and changing oxygen requirements.

Clint let himself drift off again to the sound of their voices, trusting his partner to deal with the situation. A cool hand on his cheek awakened him a little while later. He blearily opened his eyes to meet Natasha's, for of course it was she that had roused him.

"We're busting you out of here," she whispered with a little smile. "They're bringing a wheelchair now."

"Thangk god," Clint groaned. "And thangk *you*, 'Tash. You're a lifesaver."

"Eh, you've saved my life plenty of times too. I think we're pretty even."

It took some maneuvering to get a very breathless, battered, and achy Clint out of the bed and into the wheelchair, but they managed it with minimal damage. Once he was settled in the chair, Natasha wheeled him away to their rooms.

Inside Clint's suite, they again had to coordinate getting him from the chair to his bed. Natasha was grateful Clint's pain tolerance was high, because she knew the transfer was far rougher without the assistance of the medical staff. He didn't make a sound throughout the process however, though his face was drawn in pain. As soon as he was settled though, he let out the breath he'd been holding in a rush, which quickly became a nasty coughing fit. He had trouble catching his breath for several moments even after the fit ended. He gasped and wheezed and clutched his ribs, sweaty and reddened and miserable. Natasha could only watch helplessly, stroking his hair to try to help him relax.

"Damn Fury," he croaked weakly when he could finally speak. "This fugcking sucks. "

"Language, please. But I can't argue with you there."

"I'mb gonna kill himb for sending me od thad mission."

"I think he got his just desserts since now his best archer is out of commission for a few months. But at least it seems like the sneezy part of your cold is better."

"You h- had to s- hih- say sumbthing, dih- dn't you?" Clint croaked, gingerly bracing his ribs as his breath scissored and his red nose twitched:

"Gih'tsschh! Ghhnxt'chf! Oh Fugck. Ow! Ow ow ow...." Clint groaned, gritting his teeth, eyes squeezed shut in pain. "Not doing that again."

"Yeah, stifling is probably not wise. Poor sick guy," Natasha murmured, carding his hair with her fingers as they waited for Clint's pain to subside.

After a moment, Clint opened one eye, looking suspicious. " 'Poor sigck guy?' Who are you and what have you done with mby partner?"

Natasha smirked as she sat on the edge of his bed. "Would you prefer I call you a whiny asshole?"

"Yes. Maybe. I dunno," Clint mumbled with a weary sigh and a grimace of pain as he exhaled.

"Well too bad for you, because right now *my* partner is sick and miserable and I plan to baby him at least a little until he's feeling better."

"Guess I'mb nodt complainig," Clint mumbled, stifling a cough, which only made him clutch his ribs in pain. "Hurts whed I cough. Hurts whed I try not to cough. Fugck me."

"Language, seriously. But what can I do to help? You need water, food, drugs, anything?"

"Nodt hungry or thirsty. Too sood for drugs. I just want to sleeb, 'Tash."

"That sounds like a good plan. I'll leave you be then. But I'll be back to check on you soon." She stood up right away, fussing around and tidying up his nightstand area before moving toward the door.

" 'Tash?"

She turned expectantly.

" 'm still cold," he mumbled thickly, looking pale and weary now.

Her face softened affectionately. "Well you're still running a fever, hotshot. You're gonna feel cold."

He groaned pathetically. She moved to his side once more.

"Aww, you're shivering," she murmured, stroking his cheek.

"Told you, I'mb freezing…."

She sighed, looking at him fondly. "Is this you trying to say that you need some extra body heat in bed with you for a while?"

He looked at her pleadingly.

"Okay, okay, no more puppy eyes. I'm coming. But if you get me sick--"

"I know, I know, you'll kill mbe. I'll try ndot to share."

"That's all I ask." She kicked off her shoes and slid into bed beside him, doing her best to jostle around as little as possible. They carefully arranged themselves so that Clint was tucked against Natasha, most of his weight resting against her, while her weight was against the stack of pillows behind them. This position seemed to cause the archer the least pain, and in fact he relaxed against her right away, his breathing deepening.

" I'mb sorry I'mb so warmb. You'll probably swelter," mumbled Clint sleepily.

"It's not the first time I've slept with you when you're running a fever, and I'm sure it won't be the last. As long as you're warm enough."

"Am now," he breathed, nearly asleep.

"Then that's all that matters to me."

[pennamesmith]

Secret of the Skeletor

Skeletor sneaks out. Some less-prominent former members of the Horde receive community outreach. More Skeletor stories! 

*

Skeletor sat alone in the laboratory.

He had strict orders not to go anywhere or do anything. As one of Horde Prime’s drone bots, he knew the importance of rules. But ever since Entrapta had reprogrammed him with a name and a unique personality, he also knew the importance of breaking them.

Skeletor chuckled. He stood up, paused, then sat back down again and laughed some more as he pondered his options.

Just about everybody else in Bright Moon was busy. Even Wrong Hordak’s usual support group was canceled while he attended the queen’s cabinet meeting about Entrapta’s new interdimensional research findings.

This meant it was the perfect time for Skeletor to venture outside the kingdom. A community outreach day. He grinned. Pausing only to giggle again and leash his beloved robot puppy, Relay, Skeletor snatched up Darla’s ignition crystal and shambled out the door.

“Now for a little vanishing act!” he declared as he left.

It was going to be a good day.

*

Kyle braced himself as soon as he heard the ship engines come to a stop outside the window.

“Hey, guys?” he called to the other two inhabitants of their modest home. “I think —”

He was interrupted by the sound of splintering wood. “Strong, but not strong enough!” Skeletor yelled as he cheerfully kicked in the door. Rogelio, who had been going to open it, bristled in shock while Lonnie yelped and grabbed a frying pan from the kitchen, brandishing it like a club from behind the counter.

A long, stale moment passed.

“...It’s all part of the game!” Skeletor explained apologetically, as he turned and tried to replace the door on its hinges. “We don’t want to hurt anyone!” At his feet, Relay peered inside the room and barked, tail wagging.

All three of the former Horde soldiers relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief, though Lonnie’s battle-ready expression did not change.

“Do you really have to do that every time you come over?” Kyle asked, poking at the loosely swinging door.

“Yes,” Skeletor replied honestly.

Rogelio shrugged and growled something indistinct.

Lonnie quirked an eyebrow. “What? You asked him to come here?”

“We both did,” Kyle piped up. He reached for Rogelio’s hand in reassurance. “We… kinda wanted to get some more information on Wrong Hordak’s support group.”

Dutifully, Skeletor produced a sheaf of pamphlets and papers detailing schedules and services and handed them over to the two young men. Rogelio accepted them all with a brief roar of thanks.

Lonnie shook her head, still frowning. “Oh no. I already told you, I am not interested. Going over there for wellness day was one thing, but there are too many people there that I still just… can’t be around. And he’s nice and all, but I don’t think Wrong Hordak really gets me.”

“Running away. So impolite!” Skeletor scoffed.

“That’s okay!” Kyle hastily added. “You don’t have to come with us. We’d never force you into something like this.”

“Running away sounds like a terrific idea!” Skeletor said.

Kyle looked at Rogelio. “It’s just, we’ve been talking, and I think we want to give it a try. Even if it doesn’t work out, we might be able to learn some stuff that could help. Taking the first step can be really hard, even when it’s the right thing. And we’ll be here if you decide you’re ready, but we’ll be here if you don’t, too.”

Lonnie’s expression softened, slightly. “Thanks guys,” she said, and meant it. She went to hug the other two. “Now, let’s see about making this robot fix our door.” She pounded a fist into her palm meaningfully.

“I think it’s time for me to leave and take care of another matter!” Skeletor squeaked, and beat a hasty retreat.

*

Darla hovered serenely above the water on the Salinean coast. While Relay napped in the captain’s chair, Skeletor strolled unhurriedly along the docks. He stopped in front of a small, shabby storefront and looked curiously at the sign above the door.

Sea Hawk’s Ship Disposal and Firewood Emporium, it read. You Crash ‘Em, We Burn ‘Em!

“I think I’ll make him my court jester, if he’s funny enough!” Skeletor proclaimed, and walked inside.

However, it was instantly apparent from the lack of off-key sea shanties being sung that the shop’s namesake proprietor was currently absent. This suited the skinny robot just fine. The real subject of his visit was the new part-time hire, who sat slouched at the register behind a gossip-scroll and an eyepatch.

Octavia brightened when she saw Skeletor enter. “Hey, I was wondering when you’d make it back here!” she called out. Skeletor waved in response and marched over, holding out a laden bag.

“I’ve brought you a present!” Skeletor announced.

Octavia’s good eye shone as she reached inside and pulled out a glittering, silver fishing net. “Oh, wow, Entrapta finished it already!” she gushed, holding the netting up to the light to admire it.

“That net is made of elastium!” Skeletor boasted. “It’s not only one of the hardest substances in the universe, it also stretches!”

“Hey, thanks for helping me commission this,” Octavia said, looking back. She smiled wistfully. “Entrapta really was the best part of the Horde when we were all there, you know? She was so nice to everyone, and Hordak was loads calmer, and all our maintenance complaints got fixed practically overnight!”

“That’s just peachy for you!” Skeletor said.

“Plus, it kinda took some of the sting out of having to take orders from the kid who did this when we were six,” Octavia added, gesturing to her eyepatch. “I had ambitions, you know? I was the first of our class to make Force Captain. I was going places! Of course, none of that matters anymore.”

Her sour expression melted as she looked back at the new net. “But that won’t stop me! With this I can make some extra money on the side selling seafood. Then I’ll buy this place from Sea Hawk — honestly, I think he forgets he owns it sometimes — and turn it into a crafting and antique shop, Octopus Cove or Mystic Isle or something. After that I’ll take over all the shops on the dock one by one, and then the beach tourism market will be mine! Ha ha!”

She cackled with evil glee. Skeletor joined in, politely.

“Too bad about the others, but at least I escaped!” Skeletor concluded, and left to continue his mission.

*

“Beast-Man!” Skeletor sang as the door opened.

“I still don’t know who that is, but it’s good to see you again too,” Grizzlor grinned. “Come on in, buddy!”

Skeletor followed the wolffish giant inside while Relay trotted happily at his heels. Grizzlor’s husband, fellow former Horde Commander Cobalt, was relaxing in their living room and waved when he saw the bot.

“Skeletor! How’ve you been?”

“Sitting down on the job?” Skeletor barked. “I’ll help you, if only to be rid of you!” He offered Cobalt a thick folder of paperwork. “Here, here it is!”

Cobalt accepted the folder reverentially. “Really? I knew it was a long shot asking Hordak for help, but all the red tape was getting to be such a nightmare that I just didn’t know what to do anymore.” He sniffled and wiped a tear from his eye. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re crying for Hordak?” Skeletor huffed. “I don’t believe it!”

“I can’t believe that worked,” Grizzlor admitted. “I mean, I always thought Hordak hated me,” he added sheepishly. “Especially after that thing with the two neckties.”

Cobalt shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think Hordak ever really hated anybody. He just didn’t know what to do with anyone. Now, Shadow Weaver on the other hand…”

“Most unpleasant!” Skeletor muttered.

“Exactly. But I think Hordak did care, in his own way. He saw how scared we were of combat during the early days, in the Scorpion uprising. I think that’s why he kept me teaching the cadets and you on the easy patrols, Grizz.”

Grizzlor chuckled. “Aw, I can’t imagine you being scared of anything, big guy!”

“Oh, I wasn’t always like this!” Cobalt demurred, flexing his shoulders. “Back in my cadet days I was so skinny everyone called me ‘Mantenna’! Used to joke that I’d fall through a crack in the floor if I wasn’t careful.”

“Another piece of the puzzle!” said Skeletor.

Cobalt slung an arm around Grizzlor. “But listen, Horde or no, I’ll always be there for you.” He held up the adoption papers Skeletor had delivered. “And now, we might have something else to protect together.”

*

Skeletor’s last stop was a recently-refurbished tavern just inside the Crimson Waste. He nodded approvingly at the osseous architecture and then pushed his way through the curtain while Relay ran ahead, yapping.

Inside there was a wide, smoky space filled with outlaws and ruffians of every species imaginable. They all turned to look as Skeletor entered.

“That’s it! Kneel before your new master!” Skeletor bellowed.

Everyone immediately went back to what they had been doing. The chatter and plinky piano music returned. Relay found a small lizard and began to chase it around the floor.

“Skeletor! It’s good to see you back, friend!”

An enormous purple hand clapped the robot on the shoulder. Skeletor looked up into the smiling face of a towering barbarian.

“Can I get you anything?” Huntara asked, conversationally. “Minions to yell at? A ribcage chair to sit in?”

“Unnecessary! Because we’ve already found you!” Skeletor replied.

“Good, I was hoping you’d say that. Zed! Sunder!” Huntara called out. Two Horde clones who were staffing the bar — one seeming slightly shorter than the typical clone brother, and the other a bit older and wrinklier — glanced up at the sound of their names and hurried over.

“Keep an eye on the door, willya? I need to talk to bonehead here for a bit. We’ve got… business to discuss.”

The two clones nodded seriously, and Huntara escorted Skeletor to a secretive back room behind the bar. Inside there were many potted cacti, two comfortable chairs, and a little table with a miniature sand garden on top. It had a tiny, handheld rake for making soothing patterns in the sand.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Huntara sighed in relief, dropping into one of the chairs. Relay jumped into her lap and she patted his head gratefully. “I have so much to talk about! You know how last time I was telling you about Grox and all the things she was saying to me? Well…”

“Easy, don’t overexert yourself! It’ll only cause you to weaken more quickly,” Skeletor cautioned. He settled into the other chair and leaned forward, listening intently.

“Yeah, I know. It’s just nice to have someone to talk to, Huntara said. “I don’t feel comfortable in big groups and I can’t always open up to the people around here. So thanks for stopping by.”

Skeletor nodded. “I’m right here, old friend! Release the shadow beast!”

A weight seemed to leave Huntara’s shoulders. “All right. Now, like I was saying…”

*

Long after the stars had come out, the laboratory door finally swung open again. Entrapta and Hordak, looking exhausted but accomplished, strode inside with their arms full of rolled-up diagrams and data sheets from that day’s presentation.

“...And they listened to everything I said!” Entrapta exclaimed as they came in. “I can’t remember the last time anybody besides you paid attention to me for that long. It was kinda scary, but it felt kinda good, too!”

“They were fools if they never attended to you before,” Hordak purred, smiling proudly. “And I cannot imagine they would disregard you now. After all, you are talking about the prospect of rescuing —”

“Sounds like we’ve got company!” Skeletor interrupted, welcoming the couple back to the lab. He was sitting, hands primly folded, in exactly the same spot as he had been when they left. “I’ve been expecting you!”

“Oh. Hello, Skeletor,” Hordak sighed, reluctantly looking away from Entrapta. “Did you follow my instructions to stay put today?”

Skeletor crossed his fingers and nodded.

“Did you follow my instructions?” Entrapta whispered, after Hordak had gone on ahead. Skeletor nodded again, much more enthusiastically this time.

“Good robot!” Entrapta replied, with a wink and a smile. “Thanks for helping out!” Then she scampered away to keep up with her lab partner.

“Ha! My plan has worked perfectly!” Skeletor gloated. “Now I have the power!”

[emmelineparker308]

Father Dearest Part 3

Fandom: Harry Potter: Golden Trio Era

Pairing: Harry Potter x reader

Summary: Your third year at Hogwarts is about to start and with it come a lot of new changes. Harry, your best friend and crush, is in trouble from some man named Sirius Black. You try desperately to keep Harry safe but what happens when you find out some heartbreaking, mind shattering information about your father?

Warnings: angst, self-deprecating thoughts

A/N: Enjoy! Please like and reblog if you like it!!

“Alright class, today we will talk about Boggarts,” Lupin’s voice was commanding and immediately all the side conversations died out. Looking around you could tell that some of the girls were clearly drooling over your father, a bit disgusted and oddly proud you paid attention to the words that were coming from his mouth. He pointed to a ratty wardrobe that was occasionally quivering as if the thing stuck inside was clamoring to get out. “Can anyone tell me what a Boggart looks like?”

 “No one knows,” Hermione answered after a pregnant pause. Ron jumped slightly at her answer not realizing that she was sitting behind him. “The Boggart changes its shape to whatever the person in front of it fears the most. Therefore, it is a shapeless creature.”

 “Excellent answer Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor,” he joyfully exclaimed. Seeing Moony genuinely happy almost brought tears to your eyes. You knew of the struggles, the self-hatred and the sadness that plagued most of his life. In your view he deserved the world and more, however this world was often times crueler to the innocent. “Alright everyone, put your books and quills away and stand in one line, we are all going to have a practical lesson.” There was some confusion etched into everyone face, in the three years you have been at Hogwarts never had you ever had a DADA class that was practical. There was the whole incident where Lockhart released a bunch of pixies on the classroom, but other than that this was going to be quite a new experience.

 “Now remember children, the spell the repels the Boggart is ‘Riddikulus’, and you must have a happy mind. The spell only does half of the work, laughing is what does the boggart in. You must make the boggart take on a shape that which you find most humorous. Repeat after me,” Remus taught.

 “Riddikulus,” you all repeated after him, slightly nervous and excited.

 As you were lining up Draco made some comment about the whole class being ‘Riddikulus’ “Mr. Malfoy since you seem to think that this class is a waste of time you may leave.” Remus stated without skipping a beat.

 Draco suddenly went very red in the face and grabbed his bag while muttering that that’s not what he meant. No matter how ridiculous he may think a class is everyone knew that Draco Malfoy strives to be the topper in each class.

 “Alright Neville. Why don’t you go first?” Remus called Neville forward after Malfoy left. Poor Neville who was trying to hide behind other students went up to Lupin with wide eyes. Before he opened the wardrobe, Remus whispered something into his ear. “Okay now, wand at the ready.”

 As the cupboard was opened, to no one’s surprise, Professor Snape came out, however before it could say anything Neville yelled “Riddikulus!” A deafeaning Crack sounded through the classroom and Professor Snape was wearing a green skirt and jacket with a hat decorated what looked like fake squirrels. Laughter filled the room, as Remus called Ron up to face the boggart next. Soon the room was filled with music and laughter. Dean, Seamus, Hermione, and Pravati faced the boggart successfully. As Harry faced the boggart it changed into a dementor. Just when you thought it was going to get Harry like it did on the train, he yelled the spell changing the dementor into a clown. Before you knew it, it was your turn. Remus watched you intently, you knew that he was dreading what your boggart would be, he obviously thought it was going to be a werewolf. It took a moment for the boggart to take form but when it did, it surprised all of you.

 A man that looked very closely to what you’ve always imagined your biological father to look like was standing in front of you. “I’ve never wanted you, you worthless piece of scum.” The boggart came stalking towards you with a knife in hand. You stood frozen in fear, forgetting all about the spell. Had Remus not stood between the boggart and you there would have been some serious damage done to your body. Remus was quick to yell ‘Riddikulus’, capture the boggart and dismiss class.

 You stood still, even as the classroom was emptying you were staring at the spot the boggart used  to be, your breathing was slowly getting out of control and your eyes were filling with water. “Come on (Y/N),” Harry placed his hands on your shoulder and turned you around forcing you to walk with him out the door. He, of course, knew not to ask any questions right now. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the only ones in the school that knew of your past of how your father and mother had left you when you were a baby. They never thought anything less of you. In fact, Harry made it his mission to make you feel like you were worth the world. Something Remus very much approved of; Remus who had watched your interaction with the boggart was filled with guilt. He knew that you had some anger towards your birth parents for leaving you, but he had no idea that the little girl he raised like his own was suffering through this much. Tears filled his own eyes as he remembered the promise, he made all those years ago when he first held you. The promise he made that he would never let you feel unloved, that he would love you as a father and a mother, giving you all the care and love the fates cut you off from.

 The boys and Hermione got you to the Gryffindor Tower but even then, they weren’t able to make you talk. In fact, you hadn’t uttered a word since you saw that boggart. Hermione and Ron sat next to the fire, arguing about homework half hoping that you would speak just to intervene, but no such thing happened. Soon the students loitering around the common room made their way down to the Great Hall for dinner. Though Hermione tried to force you to come, you refused to get up from the armchair, she gave up the fight and promised to bring you some food. After double checking the common room to make sure that no one else was there, and for the first time since facing the boggart you allowed yourself to show emotions.

 The wall you built around your emotions exploded under the pressure. You wailed, pain coursing through your entire body. Without even realizing it you ended up on the floor, sobbing until your body gave out. However, you didn’t lay on the floor for long, because a warm, strong arm raised you from the floor and brought you into a hug. The overwhelming scent of vanilla and pinecones calmed you down almost immediately. He just held you not speaking, and more importantly not forcing you to speak. When your wails withered down to just sniffles, he let go of you, you wiped your face and sat in silence for a bit more.During this time Harry looked at you intensely and you looked at him. To others watching the scene unfold, it might have looked like two teens starting awkwardly at one another. But the truth was sometimes Harry and you didn’t need words to communicate. All you two had to do was look at each other and you would know what the other was trying to convey. This is one of the many reasons Harry was closer to you than any of your other friends. In this case Harry was desperately telling you that you were worth the world and that you shouldn’t let what the boggart said get to you. When you broke eye contact Harry couldn’t help but take his hand to your face and force you to look at him.

 “Don’t you think for a second that anything that boggart said is true,” he enforced. “I know that it was hard, I know that it still is hard for you to realize your worth. And I swear on Godric’s name, that I will spend a lifetime convincing you if that’s what it takes. Because (Y/N/N)  you are worth the world, to me you are worth more than anything this world has to offer. You’ve saved my life more times than I can count, you’ve made me feel loved and cared for, I trust you with my deepest secrets. I trust you with my life. When I’m with you, the pain of not having my parents around subsides. Do you really think that someone who is ‘scum’ and ‘not worthy of love’ is capable of making me feel this way?” he poured out his heart.

Neither of you realized it but with each word that Harry said you both drew closer and closer until your faces were but mere centimeters apart. And not only that tears were falling slowly from both of your eyes. You brought your foreheads together and stayed like that for a couple of minutes. Neither of you wanted to pull away, you saw Harry’s eyes dip to your lips as you pulled your forehead away from his. He looked into your eyes as if asking for permission, which you gave him immediately. His face was drawing nearer, but right as you felt his breath on your lips the common room swung open and just like that the moment evaporated.

Taglist: @missmulti​ @may-machin​ @magicalaquarian​ @junkersandroadies-son​ @prongsyy​ @cute-but-weirdo​ @lozzybowe​ @minecraftlover444​ @selmeuuh​

[elisaphoenix13]

Baby Misery

Hydra and alien tech again. They obviously would never learn, but it happened so often that the entire team didn't even bother coming out. The fighting team consisted of the Stark family, Bucky (they always brought him if they knew Hydra was involved for his personal revenge), Wanda, and Vision. Tony had lost sight of Stephen at one point, but the faint crackle of the man's whip was enough to keep him from looking for his wife. That and the fact that FRIDAY could easily pinpoint his location, as well as Peter's. He didn't make them suits for shits and giggles after all.

Okay...maybe it was part of the reason.

The main, important reason was that if he couldn't put a shield around the world, he would put one around his world. Especially when one part of his world yawned over the comm in the middle of a fight while lazily webbing a Hydra agent against a nearby wall.

"Underoos, that better not have been a yawn I heard."

"It was totally a yawn. Look, I'm doing it again." He was. The little shit. All while punching the lights out of the last agent.

"What have I said about sass on the battlefield?" Tony asks over the comm and watches as Peter swings around the streetlight he's perched on before jumping down.

"It better be clever?"

"Yeah, and that wasn't it."

Peter sniffs. "Agree to disagree."

"Stephanie! Are you hearing this blasphemy?!" Tony pauses in his walk toward Peter and allows his helmet to retract when Stephen doesn't respond. "Babe?"

Nothing. The others were looking around for the missing sorcerer, and Peter had truly swung into action. The cub went looking for Mama Bear, and it didn't take long for the silence over the comm to be replaced by Peter's side-splitting laughter. It was nice to know that Stephen was unharmed, but Tony still didn't know why the laughter was warranted. Bucky had followed the Spiderling and his laughter rang through the communicators as well. That was enough for the engineer to go find out what was so funny.

When he found the rioting duo, whom were actually holding their sides from laughing so hard, Tony looked past them and groaned loudly at what he found.

Stephen was unharmed...but he was a fucking baby. Levi was swaddling it's infantized master, looking as confused as a piece of outerwear can. Damn alien tech.

"Stop laughing or I'll put you both on diaper duty."

Peter only laughed harder, his face red. "Duty."

The insinuation had Bucky laughing harder as well, and Tony did the only thing he could think of. He smacked them both upside the head, armored hands and all, before stooping over to pick up his miniaturized wife. Tony had to hand it to Stephen though. He was a cute baby.

Who was also looking far too pleased with his situation.

"Stop smiling. I hoped this would never happen and you had to go ahead and complete the circle. What do you have to say for yourself?" Tony asks the babbling infant. His only answer was Stephen blowing spit bubbles that did not have the billioanire's heart melting.

At least Peter was spared this time.

"Aww. He's so cute." Wanda coos at the infant in Tony's arms and the man sighs heavily.

"Hey, Red Riding Hood...could you not? This is really weird for me."

Wanda laughs. "Sorry, sorry. We should get him back to the tower."

"He must have been hit with alien tech. This is something we will have to wait for to wear off." Vision mentions softly.

"Yippee." Tony drawls as his helmet reforms over his face. "Levi, come protect him from the wind while we head back."

The cloak rewraps itself around Stephen just before Tony flies off with him, leaving the others to follow. Wanda and Vision could fly back, Peter could swing, but Bucky couldn't travel by air. He had joined them by motorcycle, and he would be taking it back to the tower. Peter would probably jump at the chance to forgo swinging to hitch a ride on the bike. Tony wasn't worried though. The soldier wouldn't let anything happen to the teen.

Once he makes it back to the tower, Stephen was almost instantly snatched from him by Natasha, who holds out the babbling baby at arms length.

"Cute." The assassin places Stephen on her waist as Tony's nanotech armor fully retracts. "Alien weapons?"

"Yep." Tony confirms with a pop and grabs a bottle of water out of the fridge.

Wanda and Vision had arrived moments after Tony, but Bucky and Peter took longer, confirming the engineer's earlier assumption that Peter would go with Bucky. It took them longer than usual though, and just when he was about to call Peter, he and the soldier stepped off the elevator with bags of food. A lot of food. Tony wasn't really sure how they managed to hold onto all of it on the motorcycle, but he wasn't going to complain. They brought Chinese food for everyone and Tony was starving. He was glad he had the mind to give Peter his own debit card that was connected to the family funds. Of course the teen had his own money, but for moments like this? Feeding the Avengers was pricey. Still chump change for Tony though.

"We practically cleaned out the restaurant!" Peter announces as he walks into the kitchen and pitches forward, only for Bucky to throw his arm out and catch the teen by his shirt. The teen grins and dumps his armful of bags on the island. "We got some stuff that Mom can eat--holy crap...is it weird to call him Mom right now?" Tony opens his mouth but clamps it shut when the teen continues. "Yeah totally weird."

Peter continues to ramble and Tony turns to look at Bucky with a raised eyebrow. "Did you give him sugar or caffeine?"

"No." He replies as he sets his own burden down and starts pulling out food.

While Peter and Bucky unload the food and pull out plates for everyone, the billionaire looks to Stephen when he starts to cry. He watches as Natasha tries to gently bounce him and soothe him in Russian, but she stops when Stephen starts clenching his hands just to cry more. Natasha grabs one of his hands as gently as possible, earning a whimper, and she whips her head up to look sharply at Tony.

"His hands."

Tony rushes over to her and examines the baby's hands to find that they were still scarred. Which meant that Stephen's hands still hurt him. Now that he was a baby, he had a very low tolerance for pain, and Tony could see lots of time with warming pads and gentle massages in the near future.

"Oh baby..." Tony takes Stephen from Natasha and very carefully starts a gentle massage on one hand. "I'll make it better tesoro."

Stephen sniffles into his shoulder. "H-Hurts."

"I know honey. Are you hungry?" The mini sorcerer nods as Tony continues his massage. "Okay. Barnes will get you some food, and after dinner we'll go lay down in the bedroom with the hot pads if you need them."

It was a plan. Stephen seemed to be able to relax for a little bit since the massage seemed to help with the pain, but then everything spiraled downward when it came to actually eating. His hands still trembled when he tried to feed himself, and Tony had to motion everyone toward the living room so he could help Stephen without the sorcerer feeling completely embarrassed. If anyone wanted seconds, they had waited until Tony and Stephen were finished and hidden in their room to go back into the kitchen.

The baby sorcerer had been miserable the entire time. His hands constantly hurt and he couldn't control the shaking enough to do things he used to be able to manage (like feeding himself), he of course couldn't control his bladder so diapers were a necessity, and Tony hated seeing him upset. The worst part about all of this besides his hands still being mangled? Stephen was aware that he was a baby. Tony and Peter were lucky enough to either not remember, or in the case of the first time for Peter; not aware at the time.

Natasha had checked in before heading back down to her own floor after everyone had finished with dinner, and Peter had thankfully caught onto Stephen's misery and shame that he just told Tony to call for him if he needed help. It was hard to see Stephen visibly relax when the teen didn't walk into the room. The sorcerer had the thought in his head that he couldn't let Peter see him in need if help, because he was supposed to be Mom. Peter shouldn't have to worry about his care. Tony kind of understood where he was coming from though. He wouldn't want Peter to worry about him either.

It took a couple of hours, but Stephen was finally able to relax enough to keep himself distracted from the leftover pain in his hands with a movie Tony had put on. As long as he had one hand on a heating pad and another in the engineer's hands while he continued the endless massages, the pain was somewhat bearable. The tears never really stopped though. Stephen couldn't seem to turn those off, so they were always running down his face, even if he had audibly stopped crying. Sleep was wishful thinking. His hands bothered him too much to be able to fall asleep.

It all broke Tony's heart.

So he thanked whatever entity that being a sorcerer meant he was somewhat resistant to the power behind the alien tech as well. Stephen had turned back to normal around midnight and the first thing he did was wrap his arms around Tony. He had been hurting badly. Physically and emotionally, that he craved some proper affection from his husband. He understood why Peter always wanted to be held after a bad day.

"I'm sorry." Stephen finally whispers after a few silent moments of cuddling.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. You were miserable babe." Tony kisses the top of his head before laying his cheek on it. "Were you always aware or was it gradual?"

Stephen tightens his hold around the engineer and nuzzles the man's collarbone. "Gradual I think. Why?"

"That would explain the spit bubbles." Tony turns off the movie when it's over. "Do you need anything? More heat? Painkillers?"

"...just keep holding me."

"I can do that. Let's get you into some pajamas though."

Stephen agrees with a nod and allows the other man to help him change. His hands were still sensitive, so this time he wasn't bothered as much by his need for assistance. He just wanted to crawl into bed, be held, and get some sleep. Pain was exhausting, no matter what kind it was.

The doctor gets back into bed as Tony gets into his own 'pajamas' (which was just a tank top and boxer shorts; Stephen's usually consisted of a t-shirt and pajama pants) and then crawls into bed next to Stephen before pulling him into his arms. Instead of wrapping his arms back around his husband, the sorcerer kept his hands safely tucked between their bodies, the natural heat soothing enough to balm the pain.

Being a baby sucked.

[chyornaya-vdova]

Soul Trade

Here’s my fix-it fic!

Spoiler for Endgame! Steve brings back the Infinity Stones to their times, but something unexpected happens on Vormir.. .

AO3  ff.net

“Let me go.” She told Clint who’s still holding onto her tightly. He won’t fall, she made sure of that. And if they wanted the Soul Stone she needed to die. Of course she wouldn’t let Clint die, he had a family to come back to. Natasha only had the team as a family, but it’s okay. Not to mention that this would clean of her ledger completely. They just had to save everyone. Whatever it took.

She was slowly slipping through his hand, but he still held her up, looking at her desperately. “It’s okay.” She said, smiling at him sadly. Nat couldn’t take this any longer though. They knew he wouldn’t let her go anytime soon, so she pushed herself off the wall and made him let go.

And then she’s falling. She could faintly hear Clint calling her name. The fall took quite a long time. At least for her. She let herself loose consciousness before even hitting the ground.

Nat opened her eyes. That was…weird. She’s supposed to be dead. Did it not work? Or was this some kind of after life? “Natasha…?” Said a familiar voice then. It wasn’t Clint. Or Red Skull. A hand cupped her cheek and turned her head, making her look at the person behind the voice. “Steve…” The blonde grinned at her, trying to hold back a sob. But then he was openly crying as he pulled her into his arms. It took her a moment to get the control of her body back and when it returned, she hugged him back. “What happened?”

“I thought you’re dead…”

“I thought I’m dead, too.” Then she pulled back enough to look at his face. “So what’s going on here?” They’re both in a little pond, the water wasn’t even deep at all. Nat couldn’t remember there’s water at the bottom of this mountain…“I brought back the stone. And then found myself here. With you. Nat, you can’t believe how happy I am to see you!”

Nat needed a moment to process his words and frowned at him. “Wait…you brought it back? Why?” She asked, but could already guess what he’d say.

“We won, Nat. We won. We beat Thanos and brought everyone back.” He answered, smiling brightly at her. The redhead couldn’t help but smile back, but it brought more questions than it answered. “Wait, you beat him?” Nat asked, frowning again. “We already killed him.”

“Yeah, well, something went wrong and the Thanos from the past came to us and attacked. Bruce used the new gauntlet to bring everyone back. The battle was as tough as the last one…But then Tony used the stones to snap him and his army away.”

“Wait, Bruce and Tony used the stones? Are they okay?” The stones were crazy powerful, even Thanos was damaged while using them. How much damage would it do to two normal guys? Okay, one normal and one green guy.

“Uh, well Bruces arm was burned. Tony…” The pause Steve made didn’t sound good at all. “Just tell me he didn’t bite the dust.” Steve wasn’t saying anything and it answered her question. Nat didn’t sacrifice herself to let anyone else die! That was so Tony, though. But what’s gonna happen to his family now?

“Don’t worry about Pepper and Morgan. They’re gonna be fine.” Nat just hummed, but not quite beliving it. She knew a lot about loss and the last five years were one of the worst in her life. Will they really gonna be alright? Steve obviously didn’t want her to worry too much though and changed the subject. “Can you go back?”

Nat checked her suit. There should be enough Pym Particles there to bring her back. But...the glass broke and this meant she couldn’t return home. “Shit...” She mumbled, holding up the broken tube. Just as she wanted to ask him if he could give her some, he spoke up. “I had a little talk with Red Skull up there.”

“Guess he was happy to see you?” She asked, giving him a little smile, but still mildly confused about the subject change. “Oh yeah. He was very excited.” Steve joked, before becoming serious again. “He told me time’s different here. Slower. Kinda like the Quantum Realm.”

“That’s...good to know?”

“Look, I need to go and bring the other stones back. And I don’t have enough Pym Particles for both of us.”

“I see.” So what now? She’s gonna stuck here forever? But hey, at least she knew everything’s fine back home again. Except that Tony died. “Hey, don’t look like this.” Said Steve, earning her attention again. “You still have your time travel suit. Do you think you can get in contact with the Guardians?” That made her thinking. Rebuilding parts of a time travel suit into a better communicator...“Could work.”

“I know you can do it. You’re like McGyver.” At this statement Nat raised an eyebrow at him but smiled, asking silently ‘You watched it?’. Steve just returned the smile as an answer. “If you want to know if you reached the right time, just ask one of the guys if Thor’s with them. He decided to join them.”

Natasha nodded, before shooing him away. “Okay, go now. Do your thing. I have some work to do and you’d just distract me.” They shared another hug, but Steve wasn’t done yet. “Nat, I decided to stay in the past and live my life there. I wish I brought enough particles with me to bring you back right now, but I intentionally didn’t bring the ones to go back.”

“Well, shit, Steve. You’re an idiot.” Nat shook her head, but she was still happy with him. She knew exactly how he’d spent his time in the past. Also she didn’t have to wait too long for her rescue. “Good luck.”

Then they parted. Steve took a few steps back and let his suit appear. “Now it’s your turn.” He said, before vanishing into another time. Nat knew exactly what he referred to. Now it’s her turn to find happiness, since he’s going after his own right now.

Sighing lightly, she went to work using everything she’s learned from Rocket to modify her normal communicator enough to reach the Guardians from a bigger distance. That’s all she had to do, plus staying alive for as long as possible.

Even though the time outside this stupid planet moved faster, it wasn’t going fast enough for Natasha. After all she had 'nine years' to kill here. But there was absolutely nothing to do here. If she wanted to stay in shape, she just kept climbing up the mountain. Skull told her where to get food and water.

The food was terrible —which were the creatures living there— but she needed everything to survive. She just had to keep waiting...About three months later Nat began to try to get in contact with anyone. From the few clues she got, she could roughly calculate when the nine years passed on earth. It took her another month, though, till she made contact with the Guardians. A guy named ‘Star-Lord’ answered and just as Steve advised her, she asked for Thor. When he said he’s with them she asked him for help and gave him the coordinates to this planet.

It took way too long for her again to wait, but when they finally arrived she was happy beyond believe. Rocket was happy to see her alive and Thor gave her a bone crushing hug. ”Natasha!! I knew you’re okay! Barton said it can’t be unmade, but here you are!” The god of thunder had picked her up while hugging and shook her around to make her dizzy. “It’s okay, Thor...You can put me down now.”

After squeezing her one last time, he finally let her go. As she tried to catch her breath, the blonde pushed her towards the ship. “Now, let’s get you home!”

“Wait, hold on.” Said Star-Lord and blocked their path. “I’m the captain here, okay? I’ll decide what to do next. Who are you even?” Thor put an arm around her shoulder and replied. “This, Will, is the mighty Black Widow!” Nat raised an eyebrow at the word ‘mighty’, but she couldn’t say she didn’t like it in a way.

He frowned at Thors words and corrected him that his name’s Quill, but Thor obviously didn’t care. “She’s from the Avengers, Quill, do you ever listen?” Said Rocket, who went to her. “Hey, good to see you alive.”

“Thanks, raccoon.” Replied Nat teasingly and got a playful glare from him in return. Then the little animal turned to Quill. “Without her you’d still be dead, you know. The last thing you can do is bring her back.” With that said Rocket and Thor led her into their ship. There she met the rest of the gang: Mantis, Groot and Drax. The whole team was...something. But not that different from her team. Quill couldn’t argue with Rockets point and so they took the fastest way back to earth.

The Guardians didn’t stay after bringing her back. The facility was completely destroyed and they told her that Pepper bought back the tower, so that the team could stay somewhere. They just said their good-bye’s —Thor did it by hugging her again— and left her on the roof of the tower. The ship’s arrival brought some curious teammates out of their holes. Nat couldn’t even recover from Thors hug, before she was surrounded by her boys hugging her half to death and crying manly tears.

The first was Clint. Of course. He was surely the happiest of them all. Then came Sam and Rhodey and she was practically sandwiched between the three boys. “Nat...How’s that possible?” Asked Clint, who still held her even if Rhodey and Sam let go. “Steve brought the stone back.”

After squeezing her one last time, he let go of her too. “So that means there was a way to bring you back the whole time?” The archer asked in disbelieve.

“Looks like it.” Clint tried to wipe the tears away, but there came more. “You’re such a pain in the ass.” He said halfheartedly and smiled at her. The redhead returned his smile and turned to her other friends. “Good to see you back, Sam.” She said and only got a smile and sniffles from him in return. A moment later she found herself in yet another hug by Pepper, who was also crying her eyes out.

Wanda was there too, and greeted her with teary eyes as well. The last ones were Fury and Hill. Hey hugged her as well and Nat couldn’t remember a time where she’s been embraced so many times. Or when so many people where that happy to see her.

Of course not everyone was there, she did notice that a certain person wasn’t there with them. Everyone kept her too occupied to look for him and she had to explain what exactly happened on Vormir and how she managed to escape. At some point they all dispersed to give her a little space. It’s been a rough couple of months and Nat couldn’t wait to eat something good for once.

Clint didn’t leave her side, though, as if he’s afraid she’d disappear again. “Do you know where Bruce is?” She asked eventually.

“Uh...He should be in his old room. We’re not yet done with the furnishings, so he can’t lock himself in a lab all day yet.”

“Hey, could you get me something to eat? I’m starving.”

The archer raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of topic, but when smiled when he understood her plan. “Oh yeah, sure. Any wishes?”

“Just get me anything, I really need something that’s actually tasting good.”

“You got it. But don’t complain later.” He joked, before leaving slowly. “Good luck, Nat.”

Natasha knocked on Bruces door, but didn’t get an answer. He was either too upset or he’s wandering around. “Bruce?” She called out then and a moment later heard something break inside. So he was in his room. Then the door opened and Nat was quite surprised at his appearance. He was himself again. Not big and green anymore and his hair was tousled as if he lay in bed the whole time. He didn’t even bother putting on a shirt.

Bruce stared at her in pure shock and for a long while no one said anything. Just when she was about to break this awkward silence, he put a hand on his forehead and went back inside, mumbling “I lost it...”. He didn’t even bother shutting the door again, so she let herself in.

“Not yet, doc.” By hearing her voice Bruce immediately turned back to her, startled. “I’m really here. You can ask Clint when he’s back with my food.” Still, he kept staring at her as if she’s a ghost. “Nat...?” The redhead came closer and reached up to cup his cheek. “I’m here.” His hand came up as well and grabbed hers.

Realizing that this is true, his wide eyes quickly filled with tears and the next hug awaited her. He held her just as tight as the other boys, but his was more desperate. The redhead just returned the hug and put her head on his bare shoulder. “I came back when Steve brought the stone back.” She explained, knowing that he’s also trying to figure out how she came back in his smart head. “The Pym Particles didn’t survive my fall and Steve didn’t have enough for me to return. Had to wait a few months till could come back.”

Then he pulled back enough to look at her eyes, but not letting go yet. “Months? But you were nine years in the past...”

“Yeah, but we didn’t know time’s different on this planet. I guess I just waited around five months.”

Natasha could practically see the gears in his head working, trying to figure out how this is possible and calculate how long a day on Vormir was compared to their home. “Hey, why aren’t you green anymore?” She asked then to pull him out of his thoughts.

“Oh, uh...well I’m still experimenting on things. You know, to change whenever I want. Being big isn’t always handy.” Nat just nodded in agreement. She knew he had certain problems in the five years after Thanos snapped half the population away.

“Sounds nice. So it works?”

“It’s not perfect yet.” He replied and shook his head. It was clear that he wanted to say more, but it also looked like he couldn’t believe she’s here -which is understandable- and even somewhat afraid. Nat waited patiently, just returning his stare, till he eventually spoke.

“Nat, I...I’m sorry it ended this way. I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry for leaving you alone in the facility. I’m sorry I didn’t see how upset you were. I’m sorry I let you do this all alone. I’m sorry...” He kept apologizing and the tears were falling once again. Then he pulled her into a hug again, burying his face in her shoulder.

“Hey, it’s okay.” She patted his head to sooth him, but he just shook his head. “Nothing’s okay. I should’ve noticed how you felt. I should’ve stayed at the compound and help you. I was so fixated to to fix my problems that I didn’t see yours. And then, when you didn’t return with Clint...”

Well, Nat would be lying if she said Bruce is wrong about this...Didn't mean she couldn't forgive him, though. “It's fine, really. You had more important things to take care of.” But he disagreed again.

“That's no excuse to shut you out completely. I know we already talked about this...and you said we should stay friends...But the truth is I don't wanna be just friends. I wanna continue where we left off before Sokovia.” Actually Bruce wasn't talking much then. Nat has tried to move on and thought Bruce did, too. Or that he was still too mad at her to run with it. And now he told her that they wasted another five years.

“You could've told me sooner.” The redhead grumbled, before pulling away from his embrace. “I thought that's what you wanted!” Wide brown eyes stared at her again.

The scientist groaned and held his forehead. “We're so bad at this...” And Nat could only agree.

“We are.”

Then he looked at her with a certain determination. “Then I'll just say it. To prevent any misconceptions. I love you, Natasha. And from now on I'll make sure you won't ever be alone again.”

Natasha knew she's gonna ruin the mood, but she had to say it. “Sounds like a proposal.” And she got the exact reaction that she wanted. He became all flustered and blushed. “But I love you, too.” Bruce looked like the happiest person on this planet but before he could say anything, she cupped his face in her hands and pulled him down to kiss him. He didn't waste any time —not anymore— and kissed her passionately as soon as their lips touched.

“Don't let me down.” Said Nat, when they parted for air. Bruce kept kissing her along her neck. Well, they did have a few years to catch up to. “Never.” He mumbled against her skin, when things became more heated between them. “Don't you wanna put on a shirt?” She asked then, but already knew the answer.

“Too late for that.”

[tyson-berry-blog]

Auston Matthews #2 - Game Six

@memz-elizabeth- asked: Hi can i get an imagine please? Can i get an Auston Matthews one about the loss of the Stanley cup? a lot of fluff and cuteness please! thanks

So sorry this came out much later than expected. I think I caught a cold from a friend of mine who neglected to tell me she was sick and that I shared a drink with. This was super fun to write because who doesn’t love fluff? I know I do. I hope you enjoy this! 

The great thing about game six of the playoffs taking place at home was that you got to see your boyfriend Auston play live. What wasn’t so great was them losing and you having to watch first hand as they skated heartbroken off of the ice. When all of the parents and significant others gathered to meet them outside of the locker room you went as well but hung towards the back. You wanted Auston to see his parents first since he would likely be riding back with you. It had been Mitch’s turn to drive the carpool and by you bringing your car it gave Auston the room to decide if he wanted to be alone or not.

Your phone buzzed with condolences for Auston from your friends and you answered a few as you waited for your boyfriend to emerge. Auston was one of the last ones out likely because the media wanted to pester him with questions and he made a beeline for his parents, not noticing you. Though usually towering over people with his broad shoulders and 6’3” frame, the way he hunched in on himself gave the impression he was much smaller. You made no attempt to move from your spot against the wall. This was a private moment for Auston and his family and you didn’t want to interrupt.

He must have asked about you though because his mother gestured over his shoulder to where you were standing and when he made eye contact with you some of the tension released from his body. He exchanged a few more words with his parents, hugged his dad goodbye and kissed his mom’s cheek before walking over to you with his eyes cast downward. Auston’s normally confident demeanor dominated any room he walked into but judging by the nervous fidgeting of his fingers you knew he wanted to leave as soon as possible. The walk to the car was longer than normal because you had to park in the regular visiting lot though Auston offered to lend you his extra pass if you ever needed it. After you unlocked the trunk for Auston to put his bag in he slipped his arms around you and pulled you into a tight embrace. You were so startled by his actions that you dropped your keys which landed with a small clink.

You didn’t know how long the two of you stood there but you would do so for however long he needed. He would, and has done the same for you. Eventually he extracted himself from your arms and with a sniffle went to the passenger door. You picked up your keys from where they had fallen and mentally went through if you had a change of clothes at his place. There was no way you’d leave him alone that night and reminded yourself to text your roommate that you wouldn’t be coming back so she wouldn’t worry and wait up.

The parking lot was next to empty when you finally pulled out and you reached to turn the radio on so you wouldn’t think about the silent tears coming from the boy beside you. He had always been open with you about his emotions but it still felt right to let him have his privacy.

Auston’s house was located in a small gated community about a twenty-minute drive from the rink. It was one of the smaller ones in the neighborhood but considering he was a teenager it was still extravagant. When the two of you first started dating and you visited his place for the first time you weren’t sure if someone actually lived there. It was minimally furnished and you soon found out the food supply was in a similar shape. He had sheepishly admitted that most of the food he ate was made by an older player or take out. The cold Toronto weather had thrown him for a loop in his ability to cook for himself which consisted almost entirely of grilling. He could make protein shakes for after workouts but there were only so many meals you could drink before it got old.

You let him unlock the door and wordlessly followed him inside. He stopped just inside the door and you nearly ran into him.

“Auston?”

He was silent except for a small sniffle and he let his bag fall off his shoulder onto the floor.

“Oh honey,” you pressed your face into his chest and hugged him.

With your face this close you could feel the irregular breathing as he tried to keep his crying in check. It was absolutely heart wrenching to listen to, let alone watch so you knew you had to take action. He was still in his suit so you urged him to walk further into the house and into the bedroom. Rummaging through his drawers you sought the comfiest pair of sweats and shirt. Both articles of clothing you had never seen before but they were obviously well loved judging by the fading of the logos.

When you turned back to the bed he was perched on you saw he had managed to kick his shoes off and was struggling with unknotting his tie. You pushed his fingers away and deftly picked it apart. You left it hanging untied around his neck in favor of running your hands through the sides of his hair. He had stopped crying but his eyes were still bloodshot.

He let out one last sniffle, “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

You were taken aback, “Excuse me. I don’t think I heard you right. Did you just apologize to me?”

He nodded, “I’m sorry we- I let you down.”

It took everything in you to not let out a laugh. You weren’t amused at his expense but at the absurdity of the conversation.

You looked down at him from where you were standing between his legs, “you have no reason to be sorry.”

“We could have won but we didn’t and you were there to witness it. I feel bad you have to go home with a loser.”

This time you let out a short, humorless laugh, “that’s funny.”

His expression closed off, “I wasn’t trying to be.”

You hurried to clear up the obvious misunderstanding, “Aus, honey, no. I’m not laughing at you. No, I’m laughing at the fact you think I had to come home with a ‘loser’,” you put air quotes around the words.

“You went first in the draft! You scored four goals in your debut game for crying out loud!” he scoffed and you ignored him, “you are such a good role model for the kids in non-traditional hockey areas. No scratch that, kids everywhere. You managed to make it to the playoffs in your rookie year! I am so unbelievably proud of you that I don’t even know what to do with myself.”

This brought a small smile out of him. It wasn’t the large smirk you were so used to but it showed that at least some of your Auston was in there.

You handed him the change of clothes that had been discarded during your little pep talk, “go change. I’m going to explore the depths of your kitchen and see if I can find something for us to eat.”

He nodded and took the clothes from you and started unbuttoning his dress shirt. You forced yourself to look away and get to the task at hand. The kitchen was not nearly as empty as you had assumed and managed to find a frozen pizza which would have to do since all delivery places would be closed at this hour. Next to where the pizza had been in his freezer were three pints of ice cream, two of which were flavors he hated but you loved. Leave it to Auston to not properly feed himself but to be sure to have your favorite ice cream flavors in case you came over. You put the pizza into the oven and set the timer before going into the living room. Auston wasn’t out of the bedroom yet so you went about setting up the chairs and couches the perfect distance away from each other to lay a blanket across. As you put the finishing touches on what you were deeming the best blanket fort ever your boyfriend stood beside you to admire your work. You pushed him in the direction of the pile of pillows and went to check the timer. It went off just after you walked across the threshold and you pulled it out to let it cool. You could hear the television turn on and the “Friends” opening theme began playing through the house. You cut the pizza into unequal slices and piled them onto a plate before grabbing the ice cream as a last thought. In your experience nothing couldn’t be fixed with junk food and good cry and he had already completed the sadder part. You padded over to the fort and wiggled in until you were laying comfortably against the couch and into Auston’s side.

You quoted lines from the episode to each other and you tried to force him into trying a bite of your ice cream. He kept his mouth firmly closed against the push of the spoon so you leaned in for a kiss and caught him when he was least expecting it.

He glared at you and said around the ice cream in his mouth, “that wasn’t fair. You caught me at my weakest moment.”

You simply winked and ate another bit of the rapidly melting dessert. By the end of the sixth episode the last trace of sad-Auston was gone and you were glad. There was no doubt that in the morning he’d be reminded of what had happened and likely spiral again but until that happened you enjoyed his laughter as Monica entered the room with a turkey on her head and knew you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.