#thunder strikes and we go undercover

[jolalibrary]

Hello sweet Jo 🌷, I discovered your work through Nowhere to run on ao3 (a year ago or so) and then right after, Arepas my beloved. I knew that i couldn’t miss out on any of your work so I crossed the bridge towards Tumblr when Late Night Texts came to life.

Best decision ever because you create beautiful stories and characters that I love so much. I think i might be addicted to your blog.

Sending you love 💕

dana, my love. thank you so much.

i'm forever grateful that you found me through nowhere to run, it was such a deeply emotional one (i didn't realise how much until i neared the end) but i'm glad even the long wait didn't put anyone off. and then i love that you crossed over for LNT, so i could speak to you and hug you (can you feel me bear hugging you rn??)

you're making me blush, and ily and I'm just going to hold you for another second or two. thank you so much, (somehow thank you also doesn't feel enough?)

tell me what fic brought you to my peppery-blog

[kashi-prompts]

Prompt: (Above)

Pairing: Kakashi x wife!reader

Wordcount: 3,450

A/N: Hope you enjoy! :) 

In the distance, the sound of a rolling surge of thunder passed through the clouds. You listened, hearing it echo in through the hills and beyond the horizon. 

"Guess we'd better get a move on," you noted, looking up at the clouds that had rolled over your heads while you both traveled in conversation.

"We'll be alright," Kakashi told you, his fingers laced with yours, "how are you feeling?"

"How many times are you going to ask me that?" you asked him, your hand instinctively caressing your round belly. Eight months had passed since you had discovered you were expecting. 

"I just want to make sure you are okay," the Hokage admitted, his profile set for the horizon. Despite the trace of irritation you had felt creeping up on you when he asked you the same question for the - what was it - fourth-time this afternoon, you knew he meant well. Sensing the drip of annoyance in your tone, his fingers squeezed yours to remind you he was just caring for you.  

Even so, he was correct. You had hardly slept last night, your body feeling heavier than usual. As you had risen from bed, you felt your stomach contract in what you assumed to be false labor pains. They seemingly continued throughout the day, but you brushed them off. The doctor had reminded you to expect these. Certainly, the baby wouldn't be coming this early. 

After all, this hadn't exactly been an easy pregnancy. The first and second trimesters had been saturated with successive days of nausea, vomiting, and high blood pressure. For the most part, the nausea and vomiting could be controlled, but the high blood pressure was worrisome to the doctors. 

You rubbed your belly again, frowning as you felt the tight squeeze again. It quickly passed, and you hid it well. The pain was familiar. Your mind slipped back to the moment where your world had stilled at the question of whether or not you were having a miscarriage earlier in your pregnancy. The sudden pain and spotting were surefire signs of such. Kakashi had kept himself composed for the most part, but you had seen in his eyes how shaken he was by the situation.

"You're a high-risk pregnancy due to your blood pressure, Mrs. Hatake," the doctor had told you both that evening in the emergency room. "Take this medication and check in with your doctor every few weeks." 

Orders had been obeyed, but the underlying threat of a miscarriage certainly shook you to your core until you finally reached the third trimester, where the chances of it decreased. Despite that, you still were high-risk. Kakashi watched you like a hawk. 

"Thank you for this birthday gift, [y/n]," Kakashi interrupted your thoughts, bringing you back to the present day. You rubbed your round stomach more. "I'm excited to spend the next few days with you." 

You nodded, smiling over at him. In his backpack were two gift certificates for the new hot spring the citizens of Konoha had been raving about recently. It was a bit of a hike, but Kakashi would never pass up a moment of peace to walk with you next to him. You squeezed his hand again and leaned into his shoulder, rubbing his forearm. 

"I'm glad you like it," you smiled, "I hope it's everything people have been saying it is."

"I'm sure it will be," he said, lifting his chin to observe the darkening sky above. He hesitated for a moment, and as the profile of his lips opened to say another word, you felt the first raindrop hit your forehead. 

"We still have some ways to go, don't we?" you asked, frowning as you lifted a hand to feel more rain falling onto it. 

"Yes," he frowned, stopping on the path to turn to you. You looked up at him, watching his mind think. "This will set us back if we stay undercover until this passes."

A crack of lightning hit behind you in the distance, loud enough to cause you to jolt and take a step towards your husband. He lifted his hand protectively over your shoulder, knowing there was nothing to be afraid of but calming you anyway. 

"Let's just find some shelter, for now, okay?" you asked, looking up at him from his chest. The outline of his jaw clenched in thought before nodding.

The storm continued to draw closer. The beats between the lightning and the thunder strikes continued to shrink as the rain began to fall harder. Eventually, the two of you settled for a slight indentation on the side of a mountain that one could barely call a cave. But it was enough to cover you both and then some as you huddled close together. 

He smiled at you, laughing suddenly as he pressed your shoulders to his chest, "how typical. The one time I have a few days off, and it has to storm like this." 

"I'm sure it'll pass soon," you reassured him, your hand stroking his knee.

"You feel o-"

"I'm fine, Kashi," you told him assuredly. "I just want to enjoy your birthday." 

Twenty minutes passed, and the sheets of precipitation didn't seem to be letting up. His fingers danced on your shoulder, tapping in rhythm with the drips of water on the outside of the cave. You rested your head on his shoulder, your eyes feeling heavy. The crackling of lightning every few minutes caused you to brace your body for the rumblings of the thunder.  You felt tense, waiting for it each time. 

"At this rate, we'll have to travel into the night," Kakashi frowned after an hour had passed. 

Sitting on hard ground, your body began to ache. Was the pressure building up in your lower back simply from sitting here? It felt different like someone was pressing down on your back from the outside. You took a deep breath, rubbing your chest to calm your anxiety that was beginning to bubble up unexpectantly. Above you, you felt Kakashi glance down at you. 

"I've got to stand up," you told him abruptly, "my back hurts." 

The silver-haired shinobi stood quickly, taking his wife's hand to help you up from the ground. Your round belly was prominent as you tried to balance yourself. Something was wrong, you surmised gravely. Or maybe you were just tired from the journey. 

You had insisted on accompanying him after he had told you they would use the gift certificates at a later date. They didn't need to be used right now, he had told you. But again, you had insisted. He needed a vacation, and this was the perfect opportunity to do it before the baby arrived. 

Now, you looked out the cave opening at the rain that was slowing. You stretched your back, bending your spine awkwardly in a crude attempt to alleviate the pressure. You grimaced, feeling your heart rate heighten with anxiety. 

Another wave of thunder echoed in the mountains, loud enough to feel as though the ground had rattled beneath your feet. The tidal sheets of rain continued, the mist soaking your sandaled feet. 

"Come sit back down," Kakashi advised quietly, touching your shoulder. For a few moments, you felt like time had warped, your eyes transfixed on the buckets of precipitation raining down on the ground a few feet away. 

You felt your lower body seize, your organs feeling like they were being pushed out of your body through your skin. You inhaled slowly, swallowing hard as your eyes remained on the horizon. Your jaw clenched.

"[y/n]?" 

His hand was on your arm, his face close to yours to try to meet your gaze. He could tell something was wrong by the way the muscles in your jaw moved. The breath in you had taken at the initial shock to your system finally let itself out through your mouth with a shaky exhale. His hand fell to your stomach.

Reaching over, you placed your fingers over his.

"[y/n]," Kakashi began as you looked down, leaning against the cave's rough wall. He let go of your belly as you closed your eyes, trying your best to control the chaotic, out-of-control feeling your body was producing. Your heart was pounding. 

A calloused palm touched your jaw, pushing it up to meet his troubled gaze. You looked down, staring at the pulse beating at the base of his neck. You focused on that, feeling yourself slipping into a panic at the thought of birthing a baby in a cave miles away from a hospital. His hand dropped back down to the side of your belly, his palm radiating heat to your cold skin. You put your hand atop of his again. 

"Are you okay?" He dipped his chin again to meet your gaze. You finally looked up, meeting his wide eyes. A sudden intense wave of pain hit you, and you gritted your teeth, clutching his fingers against your stomach as you began to slide down the side of the cave wall. 

"[Y/N]!" The obvious, intense panic in his voice transmitted through your body. One of the many qualities you loved about him was his knack for remaining calm in situations that needed it. Yet, the sight of your water breaking as your knees buckled in pain undoubtedly shook your husband. 

"What's going on?" He asked, his voice drenched with concern.

"It hurts," you managed. 

"Contractions?" He asked, exasperated. You nodded frantically, panic rising. 

"I can't have the baby here," you managed through hitched breaths, "it's too early. They're a month early, Kakashi." 

"Dammit. I know, I know," he assured her, pushing his palm against the top of your forehead and moving your damp hair from your eyes. His eyes searched yours, the magnitude of the situation dawning on the both of you. 

"Come, come back over here," he lifted you gently from under your armpit and guiding you away from the cave's entrance. Quickly, he took off his uniform jacket and placed it on the floor for you to sit on. Kneeling beside you, he let you rest your head in his lap, brushing his fingers across your forehead as he stared off into the distance, thinking with a furrowed, sweating brow. 

"Stay here," he said suddenly, putting your head under his backpack. 

You grasped his hand frantically, squeezing it as another wave hit you without warning. 

"Please don't leave," you told him desperately, his fingers losing circulation with the amount of pressure you were transmitting from your body to his. 

"I have to; it'll only be for a little while. I have to get help," the man who remained calm in every situation he faced was manic when met with the possibility of losing both his wife and unborn baby at his hand if he were to mishandle even the smallest of requirements to birth a baby. He was certainly not qualified and had little to no medical experience, barely enough to mend himself on a battlefield, let alone bring a baby- their baby - into the world. 

"Please," you pleaded, riding out the same wave of pain through gritted teeth. A crack of lightning landed at the front of the cave, the sound jolting you and spiking your anxiety. Kakashi knelt beside you again, taking a deep breath. You took a few shallowed breaths as the pain dissipated. He weaved his fingers between yours. 

"I have an idea," he said abruptly, turning to the entrance again. "I promise, I will only be a minute." 

You nodded, rubbing your stomach again as you watched him run out into the sheets of rain. Your body felt heavy like there was no way you could even manage to pull yourself up if you had to. You were going to have this baby in this cave - you knew it. Kakashi couldn't carry you that far, and you wouldn't let him if he tried. You felt your throat constrict, angry with yourself. You shouldn't have ignored the signs. Your baby was coming, and you missed it. 

"Okay," he said breathlessly, jogging back to you. "I have Pakkun heading towards the nearest village to get medical assistance." 

"Kashi," you managed, feeling your eyes well with tears. "This is my fault." 

His damp hand caressed your forehead, drips of rainwater falling from the tips of his hair onto your arm.

"No, it's not," he assured you quietly, "it's okay. I'm right here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you or the baby." 

"I'm sorry," you managed, a tear falling through your temple into your hairline. He leaned down, pressing his lips to your forehead as his other grasped your hand. 

"It's okay," he murmured against your skin. "It'll be okay."

"Oh gosh," you squeeze his hand again, feeling the unbearable pain trickle back into your system. It's unrelenting pressure causing havoc throughout your spine. 

"Breathe," he reminded you, his lips against the shell of your ear. You listened, trying to calm your breath that had since become a chaotic mess of hiccups and yelps. 

"What if-"

"Just breathe," Kakashi told you, gently placing his forehead against yours. His damp hair tickled your skin—the cooling rainwater a relief to your sweating body. 

Twenty more minutes of unrelenting pain passed. The intervals between them growing smaller and smaller. The rain outside let up, the thunder rolling casually in the distance. You cursed at it. 

"When will Pakkun be back?" you panted out, your jaw clenched. 

Kakashi's eye was consistently on the opening of the cave, just as much as it was on you. You had seen his Adam's Apple bounce in his neck nervously at your question.

"Soon," he responded, "I'm sure he won't be long. The nearest village is-"

"Ahh-ohhh, no," was all you could manage. You could see stars in your vision, the pressure building in your whole body. You let out a cry, squeezing your husband's hand as he remained steady next to you. He gripped your hand back, his gloved fingers squeezing at your knuckles. 

"This can't be happening," you cried, shaking your head. 

"It's okay. Please, [y/n], it's okay. Just breathe." 

"I have to push," you managed, your face shone with sweat. Stricken with anxiety, you heard him exhale next to you. You opened your eyes to look at him; his two charcoal eyes fixated on you. 

"I'm so sorry," you managed breathlessly. 

He shook his head, pressing his lips to your forehead again, this time more firmly. "Don't be sorry. I love you. Everything will be okay. Let's do this." 

Wriggling your way out of your bottoms, Kakashi nestled himself between your legs, propping them up as they had taught him in all those birthing classes you had both attended. 

"Oh," you heard him say, "Oh gosh. I see their head!" 

Everything felt like it was on fire in your body: every nerve ending, every piece of skin, every ounce of your every being. Kakashi looked up at you, his gaze a mixture of worry and determination. 

"You have to push," he told you calmly, rubbing your leg reassuredly. 

"I can't," you breathed, trying to catch your breath. 

"You have to. Remember to breathe. I'm right here; just breathe."

You gritted your teeth, pushing so hard you felt your ears block out. Heat rose up your neck as you let out a gritted yell. The pain was unbearable. 

"C'mon, baby, just a little more!" You heard him say. The world felt surreal.  

"Please, I can't," you whimpered, exasperated and exhausted. He leaned forward over your belly, grasping at the back of your head. Pulling his mask down, he pressed his lips firmly to yours, the sweat from both of your upper lips mingling. 

"You're almost there," he whispered, staring directly into your eyes. "You're almost there. Just keep going. I'm right here." 

You nodded, your eyes focused on his as he leaned back down. You took a deep breath in, gritting your teeth as you pushed as hard as you could. A small source of pressure was relieved as you heard your husband laugh joyously. 

"Oh gosh," he laughed, his mask still pooled around his neck. You looked up, a baby covered in blood and mucus in his arms. The beaming smile on his face, the one you didn't often see, as he gazed down at your baby, was enough of a pain reliever if there ever was one. 

"It's a girl," he looked up at you, his eyes glassed over with tears, "you did it, baby." 

You leaned back, feeling delirious with joy and physical pain. Kakashi came up to you, your eyes never leaving the baby as he put her near you. The bottom of his shirt wrapped around the little bundle, a peak of his skin showing beneath it. Tears streamed down both of your faces at the sight of such a little thing. Clearly, she was small. But her mighty cries were loud enough to echo in the cave. You leaned up, touching the meager turf of white hair on her head. A joyful whimper bubbled up in your chest. 

You felt his lips on the top of your head as you played with her tiny fingers. You felt him chuckle against your hair as the little one let out another wail. 

As you stared at her, you were beginning to feel nauseous suddenly. The perception of the world slowly fading around you became evident. Like you were dreaming and waking up from the dream. 

"Boss!" Pakkun's voice filled the cave, "I'm back! I have help!" 

You tried to hold on, blinking as you held your daughter's tiny hand. Something felt wrong. Multiple people in nursing uniforms bustled into the narrow cave, their faces calm until they looked to you. 

"Kashi-" you managed through ragged breaths. You looked up at your husband as his beaming face handed his baby off carefully to a nurse. As he looked back down, his smile vanished as your eyes closed. 

"[Y/N]! [Y/N], are you okay?" you heard Kakashi's voice, pungent with anxiety. 

"Move aside, Hokage-sama," a voice commanded. 

The world lulled between darkness and reality. The pain increased while your head felt heavy, falling back to the earth below. 

"Her blood pressure is dropping," someone called out. 

"What's wrong with her?" 

"We have to get her back to a hospital."

"What's wrong with my wife?"

"Please, Hokage-sama! Stay back!" 

**************

You woke up a few hours later. 

Your body ached, and your confusion was high. Groaning, you reached down to feel your belly. Realizing it was significantly smaller than usual, your eyes shot open at once.  

You were in a hospital room. A blood pressure cuff wrapped tightly around your arm, and an IV stuck in the crook of your elbow. Your confused state only heightened your anxiety. Frantically, you looked around the room as you uncomfortably sat up in bed. Your eyes landed on the opposite side of the room near the window. 

The rustling of bedsheets had startled him, turning around to see his concerned expression gaze over at you. In his arms, a small bundle of pink blankets was tucked across his chest. 

Carefully, he walked over to you, his gaze softening as he leaned down to kiss your forehead.

"I'm so glad you're okay," you heard him whisper, his voice cracking slightly. You looked up at him, the images of earlier flooding back to you. His eyes were full of love and admiration, smiling at you. 

"Can I hold her?" you asked, looking down at the little bundle you had heard him coo at. 

"You're her mother; why wouldn't you?" he chuckled, gingerly transferring the baby to your arms. 

Looking down, you felt tears begin to flow freely down your cheeks. Kakashi leaned over, his chin resting at your temple as he wrapped an arm behind your head. 

"She's so beautiful," you managed, your fingers touching her rough baby cheeks. Her squinted eyes slept peacefully in your arms. You had never felt such an overwhelming sense of love towards anything. 

"Like her mother," Kakashi murmured, nuzzling his nose fondly against your temple. You felt wetness near your hairline, realizing he was also crying. 

"Have you thought of a name yet?" You asked quietly, gently tracing your daughter's white eyebrows with your fingertip. 

"I did," he said, looking back down at the child, "but if you don't like it -"

"What is it?" you laughed gently. 

"Suki," he offered. 

You thought about it, smiling as you looked down at this little thing you and him had created. Through such turmoil you had both gone through to finally get to this moment. You smiled. 

"Yes," you said quietly. "Suki." 

Beloved one. 

[midnightactual]

@mysteriousshopkeeper submitted:

“Yoruichi-san! I’m glad I caught you. I… thought you might be on a beach somewhere by now, since you just hosted a significant holiday party. In any case…” His fingers were idly tapping on something clasped between them as a subtle change came over his demeanor, like curtains being drawn open. “There are some… things I���ve been meaning to say. And considering my track record… I thought it best to let someone else say them.” His hands moved forward, and before she could object, he’d captured one of hers and pressed his gift into it.

Once she’d unwrapped it, she’d find herself holding a vintage, authentic Sony Walkman WM-D6C, in perfect working order, pre-loaded with a cassette – not just any commercial label, no, no – but a genuine, bona fide, old-fashioned mixtape. He’d invested considerable time and effort in selecting songs that suited his sentiments, first building a playlist on Spotify. He hadn’t even known all of them before he started searching, but he certainly did know them when he heard them. A tentative smile encroached on his lips. “At first it didn’t have tangible form, but as you can imagine, it proved difficult to wrap, so… I made this.”

The exercise had presented him with a delicate balance to maintain. His relationship with Yoruichi was… complicated. Lately, he’d come to the reluctant realization that what he’d been giving her was not what she needed from him, at least not here, not now.  But disillusionment had proven a sticky, time-consuming process. Would-have-beens and could-yet-bes clung like lint to an old sweater; every time he looked, he found more, and some were nearly indistinguishable from the knit. He’d begun the process at the outset of what had become an unexpectedly eventful couple of weeks, but it had been time well-spent; the effort had had a clarifying — and surprisingly calming — effect. Each day was a process of refining and crafting, loosely following a rubric laid out in a movie he’d seen once. As a finishing touch, he’d even added liner notes, just to arrange specific lyrics into a unified narrative. The result was a musical, emotional journey that moved through a spectrum of humor, introspection and encouragement.

Because there was still, at the base of it all, that deep and abiding foundation of their friendship. The pedestals and shrines he’d erected in her honor weren’t serving either of them; it was time for a little iconoclasm, a little restructuring.  Perhaps they could begin afresh and he would, again, be dependably her friend. He was aware that this playlist may not reflect her musical tastes, but it wasn’t so much about winning her heart as revealing his —she’d long deserved that much from him. Besides — at this point, what had he to lose? He’d quit castles in the sky for solid ground.

“Happy birthday, Yoruichi.” His face met hers with a soft, bright smile. “If you go, you’ll have something to take with you. And if my company would be welcome…” And here, the smile grew a bit dubious. “—I’d offer to go with you. I’d even make the arrangements; I could use a change of scene myself. You’d get good massages given on good behavior, with no lip service—” He smirked grimly, realizing how difficult it was for him to suggest without selling. “That is to say, I’d enjoy giving them. Quietly. But should you choose to stay, and celebrate your birthday here with us this year, I wouldn’t min—" Again, he caught himself; his face clouded for an instant, then cleared, transparent and a bit wistful, as he half-turned to make his graceful exit. “Rather, I would very much like that.”

Liner Notes

Listen on Spotify!

We Go Together / David Tennant & Catherine Tate - Lyrics We go together like the news and the weather / We fit like hand in glove! It’s All Been Done / Barenaked Ladies - Lyrics And if I put my fingers here, and if I say / “I love you, dear” / And if I play the same three chords, / Will you just yawn and say ‘I’m bored’ / It’s all been done Partners in Crime / Arkarna - Lyrics  As I feel, we are, we must go on, I will stand, with you, forever / Ever more / But without you it’s a bore, It’s no fun breaking the law / Anymore, anymore, my partner in crime True Colors / Justin Timberlake & Anna Kendrick - Lyrics Show me a smile then / Don’t be unhappy, can’t remember / When I last saw you laughing / If this world makes you crazy / And you’ve taken all you can bear / You call me up / Because you know I’ll be there Paradise Valley / Honey and the Sting - Lyrics  Take what you want from me / I bring it willingly / The paradise valley  Got Your Back / Mike Taylor - Lyrics If you need a friend to party - I got your back / If you wanna get naughty - I got your back / Just tell me where to hide the body - I got your back

Somewhere Only We Know / Keane - Lyrics And if you have a minute why don’t we go / Talk about it somewhere only we know? / This could be the end of everything / So why don’t we go / Somewhere only we know?  We Belong / Pat Benatar - Lyrics We belong to the light / We belong to the thunder / We belong to the sound of the words / We’ve both fallen under / Whatever we deny or embrace / For worse or for better / We belong, we belong / We belong together

I Won’t Give Up / Jason Mraz - Lyrics And in the end, you’re still my friend at least we did intend / For us to work we didn’t break, we didn’t burn / We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in / I had to learn what I’ve got, and what I’m not / And who I am  Clear the Area / Imogen Heap - Lyrics You find your way back down. / And I’ll keep the area clear…please clear the area. /  When you find your way back down…in one piece / Then I’ll just be waiting here…right here. / Slowly…darling…nobody means any more to me than you. Fortress Around Your Heart / Sting - Lyrics And if I’ve built this fortress around your heart / Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire / Then let me build a bridge / For I cannot fill the chasm / And let me set the battlements on fire

Undercover / Pete Yorn - Lyrics And we held and we tried / There was hardly lust between us / I will love you / I won’t let go / ‘Cause we are one inside these walls / Undercover

Black Heart Inertia / Incubus - Lyrics You’re a mountain that I’d like to climb / Not to conquer, but to share in the view / You’re a bonfire and I’m gathered ‘round you / Set this old black heart inertia aflame Invincible / Muse - Lyrics ‘Cause there’s no one like you in the universe / Don’t be afraid / What your mind conceives / You should make a stand / Stand up for what you believe / And tonight / We can truly say / Together we’re invincible

Yoruichi was actually a bit surprised when her hand was taken and the classic piece of audio kit was pressed into it, not having expected such a forward approach. For want of any other recourse—it was her birthday, and it was a gift, apparently given very sincerely considering his affect… what else could she do but take it?—she willingly grasped the Walkman and heard him out.

She was in for another surprise at how little he had to say, comparatively. Sure, some of the usual banter and salesmanship eventually filtered in, but the facade was cracked and the underlying sincerity streamed through the act like sunlight through mist, burning it off right before her very eyes. It was striking, and she stared at the spectacle of it, growing increasingly uncertain.

And then, just like that he… left? She was sufficiently taken aback by what he’d said—and how he’d said it—that she hadn’t yet had time to formulate a reply when he was turning and departing. Her mouth opened, but no sounds came out of it, and by the time she thought of something to say—even just, ‘Wait’—he was gone.

She stared after him for long seconds before shutting her mouth and looking at the Walkman that’d been handed to her. She considered it for several moments more before going to a closet drawer. She already owned a pair of vintage Walkman headphones with orange foam earpieces; they seemed the most appropriate thing to use to listen, and listening seemed to be the only thing to do.

Considering both components, she put the headset on, plugged it in, and clicked play. There was a delightfully mechanistic moment as the button sank in, giving that chunky, electromechanical experience you simply couldn’t get with fully digital electronics. It made her nostalgic as the first song began, and she listened, at first just standing where she was. The first song was a bit cornball, and she wondered if the whole mixtape would be that way, eventually sitting on the edge of her bed. But by the third song she was up and pacing about as she listened, a pit growing in her stomach.

By the seventh, she had retreated from her bedroom entirely, going to her bathroom almost on autopilot. Some part of her knew it was even farther away from scrutiny—harder to reach, harder to be heard from, even if her rooms and the building itself were very well soundproofed. Some other part of her felt almost ill. And then there were her eyes.

Crying had never been acceptable. That had been made abundantly clear to her from the very beginning. She didn’t cry. She hadn’t since she’d been a toddler. She’d watched her kōhai have a breakdown without crying. She’d torn off her own arm without crying. She’d cradled her little brother after he’d been shot through the heart three times without crying. As she leaned on the wall beside the tub, she almost didn’t recognize the pressure around her eyes. Her motions were automatic, and she clambered into the dry basin while she fought to keep herself under control. Things started getting blurry as a titanic clash raged within her.

Yet the music kept going, and she refused to stop it. Trembling with held in sounds, she finally punched the stone tiles before her. The strike wasn’t very hard by her standards, although it pushed her gigai—but it wasn’t enough to even chip the rock. Her arm stayed extended and she ground her knuckles into the rough surface, before retracting and striking again. And again. And again and again and again, until the stone was smeared with her blood and her hand throbbed and ached in protest.

The pain wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to compete with what was already filling her, and she gasped as it became overwhelming, hot tears spilling down her cheeks as she lost and it became entirely impossible to see. Her sobs were silent at first, wracking her whole body, before she smacked the bottoms of both fists against the wall, leaning forward to put her forehead on it as she finally let out a noise, something between a growl and a low wail.

She beat against that wall ineffectually, clenching her jaw as she still tried to keep it all in, trying to refuse this, but it was no use. ‘Volatile’ was wholly inadequate to describe the mixture of emotions flowing through her—it was a hypergolic cocktail that was already ablaze and demanded venting. And so, finally, she tipped her head back and screamed. Agony. Frustration. Despair. Self-loathing. Rage. Sorrow. Regret. It had all built and built, not just lately but for far, far longer, and she had no choice but to let out all the fruits of her failures at once now, like some kind of ravening nuclear death beam rendered in sound.

What her reiatsu did in response, she had no idea and no care to know. Presumably the gigai kicked in to contain it, but she was caught up in the maelstrom, a billion light years away from such concerns. She cried out and pounded at the wall until there was nothing left, until she was hoarse, until she was empty, until she was panting from the intensity of the chemicals unleashed, until her tears carried away enough of their torrent that she could breathe.

Spent and dazed, she slumped back, then outright toppled back against an edge of the tub, sinking down and shivering. Still, the music played, and it drew her back to the moment. She could think of doing nothing but flopping onto one side and curling up in a fetal position, desperately hugging herself and simply trying to be small, wishing to just disappear entirely. She stayed that way for a long time.

[grimgrinningghoul]

Phandom Pairing Master List

      Here it is, folks! An updated/updating list of ships from Danny Phantom!

(Updated Mar. 25, 2020)

      The purpose of this list is documentation and, more importantly, reference. Have a ship that you want to share, but don’t know what to tag it as? Well, this list is for you, so you can tag your pairings appropriately! Is there a ship out there that you despise, or are just uncomfortable about? Check this list to see if it has a name, and you can blacklist its tag!

      Here’s how it’s set up: the list is divided into 3 categories. These categories are the Humans, the Ghosts, and the Ghosts/Humans; each category goes through in alphabetical order. Every pairing is either marked with [P] or [R] to indicate platonic or romantic.

      You may notice that there are a decent handful of unnamed pairings; this is simply due to me being unable to find a pre-established name and/or coming up with one at this time. I hope to update this list over time until everything has at least one name.

      Suggestions are more than welcome! Think of a pairing you didn’t see? Got a ship name? Throw them at me, and I’ll add them to the list.

      Now, without further adieu, enjoy!

HUMANS (70)

Dani x Danny [P]: Double Trouble

Dani x Danny [R]: Sue Killer

Dani x Dash [R]: Carbon Copy Quarterback

Dani x Lancer [P]: Copy Grades

Dani x Tucker [R]: Cloned Romantic

Dani x Valerie [R]: Sweet Substitution, Vengeful Babes

Dani x Vlad [P]: Generic Brand, Oatmeal

Dani x Vlad [R]: Cream Cheese

Dani x Wes [R]: Clone Conspiracy

Danny x Dash [R]: Locker Bruise, Swagger Bishie, Teddy Ghost

Danny x Eliot [R]: Nu Goth

Danny x Jack [P]: Family Business

Danny x Jack [R]: The Wrong Sick

Danny x Jazz [P]: -

Danny x Jazz [R]: Sibling Secrets

Danny x Kwan [R]: Phantom Fumble

Danny x Lancer [P]: Assigned Care

Danny x Lancer [R]: Literature Lovers

Danny x Maddie [P]: Family Bonding, Maternal Instincts

Danny x Maddie [R]: Mama’s Boy, Motherly Love

Danny x Pamela [R]: Restrained Romance

Danny x Paulina [R]: Pink Astronaut, Shallow Sapphire

Danny x Sam [R]: Amethyst Ocean, Fake-out Make-out, Going Goth, Lovebirds, Violet Haze

Danny x Star [R]: Astro Physics, Phantom Satellite

Danny x Tucker [P]: Cyberspace

Danny x Tucker [R]: Savant Par

Danny x Valerie [R]: Gray Ghost

Danny x Vlad [P]: Badger Cereal

Danny x Vlad [R]: Endangered Species, Pompous Pep

Danny x Wes [R]: Unidentified Flying Ship (UFS)

Dash x Jazz [R]: Brain Over Brawn

Dash x Kwan [R]: Tight End

Dash x Paulina [R]: Makeup Honor

Dash x Sam [R]: Dumb Founded

Dash x Star [R]: All-Stars

Dash x Vlad [P]: College Fund

Dash x Vlad [R]: Go Packers

Eliot x Sam [R]: Gothic Ruse

Eliot x Tucker [R]: Nu Geek

Freakshow x Danny [R]: Pitched Tent, Publicity Stunt

Freakshow x Jazz [R]: Ghost Envy

Jack x Maddie [R]: Moronic Genius, Brain Cookies

Jack x Jazz [P]: -

Jack x Vlad [P]: -

Jack x Vlad [R]: Pac-Man

Jazz x Lancer [R]: Teacher’s Pet

Jazz x Paulina [P]: Miss Perfect

Jazz x Paulina [R]: Pretty Little Psycho

Jazz x Sam [R]: Kith Kin

Jazz x Tucker [R]: Techno Smarts

Jazz x Vlad [R]: Obsessive Meddler, Psycho Cereal

Kwan x Sam [P]: -

Kwan x Sam [R]: Jock Goth

Kwan x Star [R]: Sports Satellite

Kwan x Tucker [R]: Quacker

Kwan x Vlad [R]: Not So Useful Distraction

Lance Thunder x Lancer [R]: Lance Lancer

Maddie x Pamela [R]: Maternal Rivalry, Posh Scientist

Maddie x Vlad [R]: Spurned Affection

Paulina x Sam [P]: -

Paulina x Sam [R]: Evil Alliance, Fake-Up Make-Out, Goth Princess

Paulina x Star [P]: -

Paulina x Star [R]: Famous Satellite, Shallow Orbit

Paulina x Valerie [R]: Hunter’s Façade

Sam x Tucker [P]: Techno Goth

Sam x Tucker [R]: Ghost’s Absence, Veggie Burger

Sam x Valerie [R]: Hide N’ Seek

Sam x Vlad [R]: Gothic Vampire

Star x Tucker [R]: Twinkle Techno

Tucker x Valerie [R]: Hunter Silly, Tracking Device

Valerie x Vlad [R]: Misplaced Faith, Secret Disaster

__________________________________________________

GHOSTS (52)

Amorpho x Ghost Writer [R]: Tricky Pseudonym

Amorpho x Walker [P]: Undercover Cop

Amorpho x Walker [R]: Tricky Prison

Aragon x Dora [P]: -

Aragon x Dora [R]: Girl In The Tower, Royal Bloodline, Timeless Love

Aragon x Pariah Dark [R]: -

Bertrand x Spectra [R]: Melancholy Assistance

Box Ghost x Lunch Lady [R]: Packaged Food

Box Lunch x Youngblood [P]: -

Box Lunch x Youngblood [R]: Pirate Food

Clockwork x Dan [P]: - House Arrest

Clockwork x Dan [R]: Meddling Minutes

Clockwork x Ghostwriter [R]: History Books

Clockwork x Nocturne [R]: Bed Time, Dream Time

Clockwork x Pariah Dark [R]: Dark Ages

Clockwork x Walker [R]: Doing Time

Dairy King x Lunch Lady [R]: -

Dan x Ghost Writer [R]: Blood Red Ink

Dan x Nocturne [R]: Worst Nightmare

Dan x Pariah Dark [R]: Dark Dark

Desiree x Dora [R]: Royal Wishes

Desiree x Ember [R]: Hot December

Desiree x Pandora [R]: Mythical Wishes

Desiree x Skulker [R]: Traps Desired

Desiree x Spectra [R]: Painful Desires

Desiree x Technus [R]: Talkative Treacherous, Talkative Treachery

Desiree x Walker [R]: Guard Granter

Dora x Lydia [R]: Dragon Tattoo

Dora x Pandora [R]: Dora^2, Panned Doras

Dora x Poindexter [P]: -

Dora x Poindexter [R]: Retro Movie Do, Retro Movie Faire

Ember x Ghost Writer [R]: Burning Pages, Punk Poet, Written Memory

Ember x Johnny [P]: Rebel Youth

Ember x Johnny [R]: Flame’s Shadow

Ember x Kitty [P]: Girl’s Night

Ember x Kitty [R]: Pussycat Dolls

Ember x Skulker [P]: Punk Metal

Ember x Skulker [R]: Hunter’s Flame

Ember x Youngblood [P]: Pirate Sitting

Ember x Youngblood [R]: Punk Rock

Fright Knight x Pariah Dark [R]: All The King’s Men

Ghost Writer x Johnny [R]: Unlucky Author

Ghost Writer x Nocturne [R]: Goodnight Moon

Ghost Writer x Skulker [R]: Gun Magazine

Ghost Writer x Technus [R]: Science Fiction

Ghost Writer x Walker [R]: Penslammeter, Prison Journal

Johnny x Kitty [R]: Black Cat

Nocturne x Pariah Dark [R]: Delusions Of Grandeur

Skulker x Technus [P]: -

Skulker x Technus [R]: Electric Hunter, Generator, Sparks

Spectra x Walker [R]: Insane Asylum, Psyche Ward

Walker x Wulf [R]: Esperanto Code Of Conduct

__________________________________________________

GHOSTS/HUMANS (77)

Amorpho x Danny [R]: Anonymity Park

Aragon x Danny [R]: Royal Pain

Box Ghost x Danny [R]: Boxed Phantom

Clockwork x Danny [P]: Lost Time

Clockwork x Danny [R]: Temporal Trust

Clockwork x Jazz [R]: Timely Intelligence

Dairy King x Vlad [P]: Cheese Head

Dairy King x Vlad [R]: Lactose Intolerance

Dan x Dani [P]: -

Dan x Dani [R]: Young Bloodthirst

Dan x Danny [P]: New Beginnings

Dan x Danny [R]: Enslaved Exemplar, Haunted Past

Dan x Freakshow [R]: Control, Dark Side

Dan x Maddie [P]: -

Dan x Maddie [R]: Oedipus Complex

Dan x Paulina [R]: Pitiful Delusion

Dan x Sam [R]: Evil Goth

Dan x Valerie [R]: Dark Gray

Dan x Vlad [P]: The Imperfect Son

Dan x Vlad [R]: Bitterly Broken, Doubly Evil

Dani x Ember [P]: Kid’s Bop

Dani x Ember [R]: Platinum Punk

Dani x Youngblood [P]: Play Date

Dani x Youngblood [R]: Young Love

DannyF x DannyP [P]: Oreo Cookie, Phriendship, Pitch Pals

DannyF x DannyP [R]: Pitch Pearl, Photogenic Narcissus

Danny x Desiree [R]: Haunting Desire

Danny x Dora [R]: Phantom Dragon

Danny x Ember [P]: Baby Pop

Danny x Ember [R]: Phantom Rocker

Danny x Fright Knight [R]: Halloween Phantom

Danny x Frostbite [P]: -

Danny x Ghost Writer [R]: Iambic Prose

Danny x Johnny 13 [R]: Lucky Accident

Danny x Kitty [R]: Phantom Feline

Danny x Lunch Lady [R]: Ghostly Menu

Danny x Nocturne [P]: Restless Spirit

Danny x Nocturne [R]: Teenage Dream

Danny x Poindexter [P]: Locker Buddies

Danny x Poindexter [R]: Noodle Nerds

Danny x Shadow [R]: Phantom Shadows

Danny x Skulker [P]: Cat and Mouse

Danny x Skulker [R]: Callous Query

Danny x Spectra [R]: Phantom Psychology

Danny x Technus [P]: Voltaic Potential

Danny x Technus [R]: Cosmic Cyborg

Danny x Walker [P]: Space Cadet

Danny x Walker [R]: Ghostly Prisoner, Jailbait, Jailbird

Danny x Wulf [P]: Howling Moon

Danny x Wulf [R]: White Fang

Ember x Freakshow [R]: Dark Fire, The Freak Behind Blue Eyes

Ember x Paulina [R]: Perfect Pitch, Pitch Perfect

Ember x Sam [R]: Indie Rock, Somber Sear

Freakshow x Johnny 13 [R]: Hypnotic Shadows, Spaghetti And Meatballs

Freakshow x Lydia [R]: Circus Freaks

Fright Knight x Vlad [R]: New Master

Ghost Writer x Jazz [P]: Mindful Fiction

Ghost Writer x Jazz [R]: Classic Cliché

Ghost Writer x Sam [P]: Poetic Tale

Ghost Writer x Sam [R]: Purple Prose

Ghost Writer x Vlad [R]: Tireless Dedication

Jazz x Ember [R]: Hypno-Therapy

Jazz x Kitty [R]: Feline Grace

Jazz x Spectra [R]: Psycho Analysis

Jazz x Technus [R]: Techno Babble

Lancer x Spectra [R]: School Spirit

Lunch Lady x Tetslaff [R]: Butch-ers, Steak Sit-Ups

Sam x Undergrowth [P]: Gothic Garden, Green Thumb, Over Goth

Skulker x Vlad [P]: Bounty’s Reward

Skulker x Vlad [R]: Hunter’s Gains

Spectra x Vlad [R]: Misery Motivated

Technus x Tucker [P]: Tech Buddies

Technus x Tucker [R]: PDA, Techno Geeks, Technological Advancement

Technus x Vlad [R]: Mad Scientist

Vlad Masters x Vlad Plasmius [R]: Striking Fear

Vlad x Walker [P]: Tax Evasion

Vlad x Walker [R]: Bail Money

[malenkayacherepakha]

PROMPTSSSSSSSSSSSSSS FROM THE AMAZINGGGGG RACHELLLLLLL😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱 how about Draco who somehow can't find any normal jeans anymore and thus shows up to work in super tight leather trousers meant for clubbing/shorts/a skirt from pansy/a dress (whatever you prefer) and Harry NOT handling it well

Thank you for such a great prompt! I changed it a little bit but I hope you enjoy ❤️❤️❤️

                                                      ~~~

Harry had coped with a lot since he and Draco had been paired up together at work.

On the one hand, working with an unspeakable as talented and clever as Draco had made his life at work a lot easier, and his case solve rate had increased significantly since they became partners.

On the other hand, Draco could be a complete nightmare at times.

Draco was a genius, yes, but he was scattered, his mind racing a million miles ahead of Harry’s and his desk always covered in piles of notes and reference books. He always stole the food Harry bought from the shop down the road from the Ministry, even when he said he didn’t want Harry to get him anything. He had also developed a disregard for rules that managed to shock even Harry, who wasn’t exactly well-known for being a rule follower himself. Draco would happily bend the rules if it helped them solve a case, and would regularly rock up to work hours after their agreed upon start time, giving Harry only a cursory explanation for his delay.

But he was brilliant, so Harry put up with it all.

He didn’t say anything about the mess, just subtly pushed it off his desk when it began to encroach on his space. He started to order extra food when he went out, slightly changing his usual orders to take into account Draco’s preferences. And he never said anything about the late starts, knowing that Draco worked hard enough that he deserved to take a few hours back here and there.

And yes, maybe Harry was being overly lenient. Maybe if his partner had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have excused those behaviours.

But his partner wasn’t any old Unspeakable; it was Draco.

And if Harry was being really honest with himself, at this point, Harry would let Draco get away with anything.

But that didn’t make it okay when Draco turned up to the office one day in sinfully tight leather trousers, his eyes outlined ever so subtly with black kohl.

Harry nearly choked on his tongue when Draco walked in, earning him a raised eyebrow from Draco.

‘Please don’t choke, Potter, I’ve only just started to cope with having you as my partner, and I’d really rather not start again with another unbearable Auror,’ Draco drawled.

‘What on earth are you wearing?’ Harry managed to croak out between coughs.

‘Clothes, obviously.’

‘But why those clothes? Not really your usual style,’ Harry joked weakly, the sight of Draco’s long legs wrapped in such tight leather playing havoc with his ability to come up with witty comebacks.

‘Have you actually forgotten, Potter? This a new low, even for your terrible memory.’

‘Forgotten what?’ Harry was racking his brain but for the life of him couldn’t come up with a reason for Draco to come to work looking like that.

‘Oh, Merlin, I don’t know if I can deal with this.’ Draco sighed, exaggeratedly rubbing his temples as if to dispel a Harry-induced headache. ‘The raid, Potter. The raid we’re going on tonight. To catch the potions dealers we’ve been after for months. Please tell me you haven’t forgotten all about it?’

Oh. The raid. Harry remembered now.

They’d been working on a case focusing on illegal potions for months now. Whoever was making the potions had somehow managed to mimic the effects of hard Muggle drugs, including their addictive nature, and the potions were flooding the Wizarding club scene. After weeks and weeks with no breakthroughs, Harry and Draco had finally managed to convince their bosses that they needed to go undercover to try and make contact with a dealer, and hope that they would then provide them with a lead that could help them track down the mastermind of the scheme.

They’d agreed that tonight would be their first attempt at making contact with a dealer. Harry fully blamed Draco’s outfit and the way that the eyeliner made his grey eyes even more striking for his momentary forgetfulness.

‘Now you’re all caught up, shall we go through the final plan? Can’t have you cocking this up at the last minute because you’ve forgotten the details, can we?’ Draco said pointedly.

They spent the rest of the day going over the plan for the raid with a fine-toothed comb, discussing how they would respond to a variety of situations and clarifying exactly what they were going to say to the dealer to avoid letting it slip that they were undercover.

Normally Harry would be brimming with excitement in the hours leading up to a raid. He was much happier out actively chasing the bad guys than being stuck behind a desk, so he was usually chomping at the bit to go undercover.

Today though, his mind was all over the place. The sight of Draco looking like that, like he belonged in a dark club, all eyes on him as he danced rather than in a stuffy Ministry office was doing strange things to Harry’s insides.

The feelings that he usually managed to control so well in Draco’s presence were bubbling up to the surface, breaking free from the cage that Harry usually kept them in, locked away until late at night when he could leisurely explore them on his own.

It only got worse when Draco began pacing around their office as he often did when trying to puzzle out a case. The sight of his long legs striding around was too much for Harry on its own, but then Draco reached the end of the office and had to turn round to pace back to his desk, and then all Harry could see was Draco’s arse, so clearly defined in the tight leather.

Merlin.

Harry wanted to drop his head down on to the desk and scream, the desire building in him almost too much to bear. Draco was going to kill him. They hadn’t even got to the club yet; Merlin only knew how much worse it was going to be when Harry had to watch Draco dance dressed like that. There was no way he was going to be able to concentrate on the mission.

At one point, it all became too much for Harry.

Not even caring about the strange look Draco gave him when he croaked out ‘Be right back, bathroom,’ he dashed out of the office and down the corridor to the loos.

Once he was safely locked in a stall, he sank down on to the closed seat and dropped his head into his hands. He’d thought he had these feelings under control. Thought that he could just keep working with Draco as if nothing was different, keeping his inconvenient little crush tucked out of sight. But clearly things were getting out of hand. He didn’t know how Draco hadn’t noticed anything, considering how weirdly he’d been behaving all day.

He needed to pull himself together. Just get through the raid tonight and then he could have a breakdown in the privacy of his own home.

‘Get it together, Harry, for God’s sake,’ he muttered to himself as he splashed his face with cold water.

He returned to their office to find Draco still pacing, leafing through papers detailing their plans for the evening.

‘There you are, Potter. Where have you been? It’s time to get ready to go,’ Draco said in one breath, a sure sign that he was getting psyched up for the coming raid.

‘Sorry, sorry,’ Harry said, deflecting the question about his whereabouts. ‘I’m ready to go when you are.’

‘You most definitely are not ready to go,’ replied Draco. At Harry’s questioning look he continued. ‘We’re going to a club, Potter, not a bad clothes convention. You can’t go looking like that, they’ll spot us coming a mile off.’

And then, completely ignoring Harry’s spluttered protests, Draco pulled out his wand and began casting spells at Harry. He could feel his clothes shifting, changing fabrics and tightening in various places as Draco worked. Harry stopped complaining and let Draco get on with it, knowing that nothing Harry could say would convince Draco that he didn’t need this makeover. And, Harry grudgingly admitted, Draco was probably right. Harry was definitely not dressed for clubbing.

Harry fell into a sort of trance as Draco worked, letting the feel of Draco’s magic wash over him, each spell making his skin tingle and the hairs on his arms stand on end.

Soon, too soon really, Draco was done.

Harry opened his eyes as he felt the magic dancing across his skin disappear. He looked up to see Draco standing just a few feet away from him, a strange look on his face.

‘What?’ Harry said, worried that he must look stupid. He never could pull off fashionable clothes, and definitely not as well as Draco could.

‘Nothing,’ Draco said, shaking himself out of whatever weird mindset he was in. ‘It’s just strange seeing you look like that.’

‘Look like what?’ Harry asked, unsure whether that was a compliment or not.

‘Like- like-’ Draco said, uncharacteristically stuck for words. ‘Like someone you’d see out and want to pick up,’ he said finally.

Harry’s heart flipped at the words. Could that mean what he thought it did?

‘Ah, thanks,’ he said hesitantly, and then, taking a deep breath, he decided to take a risk. ‘So do you.’

For a long moment they just looked at each other. Harry’s heart was thundering in his chest as he watched Draco, waiting with bated breath for his response.

Just as Harry was about to turn away, his heart sinking in his stomach, Draco stepped forwards.

‘Harry,’ he said as he closed the distance between them. ‘Are you sure about this?’

‘No,’ Harry said honestly, letting Draco see how scared he was that this could go wrong, that everything could change between them, ‘but I want it anyway.’

And with that, Harry reached out, eliminating any space left between them. He revelled in the feel of that soft leather finally under his fingers as he pulled Draco against him, as he leaned in and gently kissed Draco.

Butterflies flooded Harry’s stomach and desire pumped through his veins at the feeling of Draco’s soft lips on his, at the sensation of Draco’s lean body pressed against his. It was better than he could have ever dreamed.

They kissed for what felt like hours but surely could only have been minutes, lost in the feel of each other.

When they finally pulled apart Harry was panting, trying to catch his breath, and Draco’s hair was mussed up from Harry running his fingers through it.

‘Fuck,’ Harry laughed weakly.

‘Yeah,’ Draco said, a stark contrast to his usually wordy self.

Harry leant in again, dropping small kisses on Draco’s lips and nose, unable to believe that he could actually do this.

Finally, Harry pulled back properly, resting his forehead against Draco’s as their breathing gradually evened out.

‘We should go,’ Draco said.

‘Go where?’ Harry said, mind filling with visions of Draco taking him back to his flat.

‘The raid?’ Draco said incredulously. ‘Have you seriously forgotten about it again?’

Harry really had forgotten about it, all the planning for the upcoming mission completely wiped from his mind by the amazing kisses they had shared, a fact that Draco was still laughing about as they got ready to leave the office.  

‘It’s all your fault that I forgot, you know. You and those damn leather trousers.’

[escapingreality1992]

Secret Pen Pals Ch. 4

Keira’s POV

           Weeks passed too quickly. My parents came up the weekend after my birthday and we had a fun time eating sushi and talking. Of course, they asked how my love life was doing and I noticed disappointment cross their features when I said I wasn’t seeing anybody. Not yet anyway.

           ‘I’m not getting any younger. You need to find someone soon so I can have grand-children,’ Mom had told me that night.

           ‘Mom. I thought you’re too young for them,’ I stated.

           ‘But honey, don’t you want someone to spend the rest of your life with? Start a family?’ she argued. You have no idea how much I want that. Maybe I’ve found that one person. Steve, I thought.

           ‘Mom. Please,”

           ‘She’s right. You’ve been in New York for two years. Surely, you’ve found people to go out with?’ my dad chimed in.

           “Dad? Not you too. I’ll find someone when I’m ready. I’ve been too busy with work,’

           ‘I don’t think watching dogs keeps you that busy. What about your friends? Can’t they set you up with someone?’ Dad stated. There it was, the disappointment of what I did for a living. I could’ve told them about Steve and the letters, but I knew I’d get the same reaction as my friends.

           ‘I don’t want to talk about this anymore. If that’s all, then I’ll see you for Thanksgiving. Love you. Bye,’ I had stated. It had been all they wanted, leaving me alone in the apartment once they left. That night I had cried myself to sleep, clutching the framed picture of the doodle Steve had sent me.

           After the discussion took place, I stayed busy watching dogs, the furry companions bringing me comfort. Too bad Steve couldn’t bring me comfort by being here with me. I could write to him, but it wouldn’t be the same as letting him hold me as the pain drifted away. I got to enjoy the company of Jamie and Sherlock, my favorite of the regular clients I had. Don’t get me wrong. I loved all dogs, but something about the goldens made me happier and comforted in a way that no other dog could.

           You’re probably wondering about my friends and if I hung out with them. The answer is, I did, at a special event at the hospital where Jana worked. I wore a long silver dress with skinny straps and silver heels to match. I thought it’d be a great night until Jana had tried to set me up with someone. I say tried because it didn’t go well. She brought him over and he immediately struck me as someone who was only interested in sex and himself.

           In the brief conversation we had, he had told me his name – David Clayton – and quickly dismissed the idea of reading, claiming it was a waste of time and ‘who would want to spend their time reading when they could fuck?’ Yeah, those exact words. He proceeded to hit on me after that lovely sentence and grabbed my ass thinking he was charming me into sleeping with him that night.

           My reaction? Removing his hand and stomping on his foot, slapping him across the face, to which he called me ‘bitch’ causing me to walk away.

           “Keira! What the hell? I thought you two might hit it off. If it’s about the reading-,” Jana shouted at me. I didn’t expect her to be mad about it, which only made me furious.

           “No, I can deal with someone who doesn’t read or doesn’t like reading but he’s dismissed it altogether. He doesn’t think anyone should read saying it’s a waste of time. By the way he’s only interested in having sex. If he wasn’t then he would have hit on me straight away or grabbed my ass. Jana, you have poor taste in men when it comes to setting me up with someone. I don’t need or want your help. I’m going home,” I snapped.

           Turning on my heel, I strode out to the lobby, grabbed my thick red trench coat I always wore during the colder November days and walked into the chilly New York night air. Normally, I would’ve taken a cab back to my apartment, but I wanted to walk, not caring if my feet bled from the heels. I needed to breathe; my heart hurt, and I wanted someone to hold me and make the excruciating pain go away. Not just anyone. I wanted Steve. I wasn’t aware he happened to be at the same hospital in an undercover mission or that a friend of his would investigate me.

           Now on this present day, I had no dogs to take care of due to the oncoming storm in a few hours. To prepare, I decided to head to the local grocery store to get supplies; bread, peanut butter, batteries, two flashlights, water, matches, candles, and a couple of lighters in case the power went out. I even decided to pick up several bags of chips as snack if I wanted one. The store was packed, and I patiently waited while checking out, eagerly waiting to get back home to start reading.

           Thanks to Steve, I had picked up a copy of The Haunting of Hill House and the storm provided the perfect day to devour it.

           “Can you believe this weather has people all in a frenzy?” A voice asked me. I turned to find a woman behind me with long, auburn red hair and green eyes.

           “Yeah, though I’d think they’d be a little more relaxed. Especially after what happened with that alien attack a couple of years ago. Still, it doesn’t surprise me. Back in my hometown, people went crazy whether it stormed bad or snowed,” I answered.

           “You’re not from New York?” She asked.

           “No. I’ve been here for two years. I’m from North Carolina. You know what I don’t understand?”

           “What’s that?”

           “Why people buy bread and milk? I mean, sure bread is fine if you want sandwiches. But milk? What are they going to do with it besides drink it? Are people going to make soppy milk bread sandwiches?” This got her laughing and she shrugged, a section of hair falling on her shoulder.

           “Maybe. I’m Natasha. You look like you’ve got the essentials. No perishables. Smart. I’d eat peanut butter sandwiches too,” She told me, gesturing to my basket.

           “I try. I love storms. I like to watch the lightning in the dark. They’re sort of tranquil to me. I’m Keira by the way,”

           “Nice to meet you. Tranquil? A storm?” She asked.

           “I know. Ironic isn’t it? Tranquil with all that chaos? They’re beautiful, though. Even if they cause destruction,”

           “You sound like a friend of mine. Look, you’re next. Be careful getting home,” She told me. I placed my basket down on the cashier’s shelf and walked up to the counter to pay once everything got rang up.

           “What friend? I…oh, she’s gone,” I stated, turning back and finding that Natasha had disappeared.

           “Okay then. She seems nice,” I muttered. For someone I just met, she and I appeared to get along great. We had a better conversation than my usual friends, I’ll tell you that. Grabbing my purchases, I walked back to my apartment and unloaded them; I set up candles in the living room and the bedroom, not lighting them unless I had to. I placed the peanut butter and bread next to each other and kept one flashlight in the living room and the other in my bedroom.

           The case of water I kept near the fridge in case of an emergency and the matches I stuffed in the utensil drawer. I also shoved the bags of chips in the pantry for later. Satisfied with everything, I sat down to read.

              At the first crack of thunder, I looked up from my book and checked the time. 5 p.m. Perfect timing. I marked my place in the book and fixed a cold cut sandwich – ham and cheese with mayonnaise and added pepperoni – before the power went out or if the power went out in this case. As I ate, carrying the sandwich with me, I opened the curtains to my windows to watch. It was dark, the ending of Daylight Savings Time, making it get darker earlier.

           Lightning flashed and another crack of thunder sounded, bringing a smile to my lips. I stood at the window in the living room, enjoying the storm and chewing on my sandwich. Around the fifth lightning strike, the power flickered, and I grabbed the flashlight did it, shrouding me in darkness, the calming night beginning.

 Steve’s POV

           Astonished by the time that passed by, I managed to stay busy. Missions and meetings took over my days and left me without time to write to Keira. I hoped things had cheered up for her after her birthday. I secretly hoped I had been the main cause for it with my gift and words.

           Thankfully, Natasha hadn’t pestered me about her, but I feared what it might mean since she hadn’t. She could easily be conducting her own under my nose. I tried not to worry about it and focused on the tasks given to us. After all, there was the gala we had been sent to, undercover to watch a target who wanted to cause trouble.

           It took place at a hospital and we dressed out best, mingling among the crowd as normal people. I found it ironic that this gala was taking place at the same hospital where Strange used to work but decided not to bring Bucky in case it opened up some wounds with what was happening. As I was mingling, a woman with short brown hair and hazel eyes approached me.

           “Hello, handsome. I haven’t seen you around here before. I’m Jana Elliot. What brings you to this event?” she greeted me.

           “Security,” I answered and continued surveying the crowd.

           “Security, huh? Maybe we should go back to my place and you can secure my bedroom. What do you say?”

           “No thanks, Ma’am. I’m very busy. I don’t have a lot of time to spare,” I commented. Jana was pretty, sure but my heart began to yearn for someone else. Keira.

           “I-,”

           “Bitch!” Some guy shouted, cutting her off. I turned towards the sound but only saw the head of a guy bending down to cradle his foot, too many people blocking my view of the source of his distress.

           “You’ve got to be kidding me. Excuse me,” Jana stated, and she took off across the room.

           “Did you turn down someone?” Sam’s voice came over the ear comm.

           “We’re not here to flirt. We’ve got to this job done. Does anybody have an eye on our target?” I ordered.

           “She was cute. Steve, you really need a girlfriend, or at least-,”

           “Natasha, not now. We’re not discussing my love life in the middle of the mission,”

           “Fine. I believe he was the one shouting. Some woman crushed his foot and slapped him. Serves him right. He grabbed her ass,” Nat stated. Oh great. Another asshole, I thought.

           “Keep your eyes on him. Nab him if you get a chance,” I ordered. About an hour later, we had him cornered and arrested for trying to run a scheme for an organization that was once close to HYDRA. He wanted to get it started again and we put an end to it before he could even try. Back on the jet, I got questioned more about my social life.

           “Seriously, when are you going to date? You need someone to love again,” Nat stated.

           “I’m not ready for a relationship,”

           “Bullshit. I know you’re ready when you look at the couples around you. You even look at Wanda and me with a longing to be with someone. You’ve got to put yourself out there. What about the new acquaintance of yours?” Nat stated, leaning over to whisper the last part. So, she didn’t want anyone to know it either, I thought. I shrugged and withdrew from the conversation. A common thing I did when I wanted the discussion to end.

              At the present time, we were getting prepared for the storm rolling in. Naturally, everyone thought it was Thor’s doing but he laid no claim to it.

           “Are you sure? Maybe you’re still angry at me for pulling that prank,” Loki stated, grabbing his book and plopping down on one of the couches in the lounge.

           “I’m sure. It’s a normal storm. I have nothing to do with it. Steve, where’s Natasha?” Thor answered, turning his attention on me.

           “She went out to grab a few things before the storm hits,” I commented. She had been gone a half hour, coming back with nothing in hand, confusing me.

           “I thought you needed some supplies,” I stated, gesturing to her empty hands.

           “I have everything I need here. I did meet someone interesting at the store though. You’re in trouble Steve. She’s lovely,” She told me, her lips twisting in a knowing smile. I frowned and pulled her aside into another room, so no one could hear us.

           “Natasha, you didn’t do what I think you did? Please tell me, you’re not investigating Keira?”

           “Don’t worry. I’m only seeing what she’s like. Maybe see if she’s got any dark secrets,”

           “No, don’t do that. I don’t need to do this. If you’re trying to deter me from writing to her, please stop. Stop this now, Natasha,” I snapped at her.

           “Steve, really? You don’t want to find out more about her before you meet her. I’m not trying to deter you. I’m just making sure she’s someone you really-,”

           “I should be able to decide that for myself. I don’t need you investigating her because she’s some threat. She’s not. I don’t get that from her. Stop investigating,” I argued. She looked shocked at my tone and I walked past her to my room. I was angry she had decided to dig around in Keira’s life. I should’ve known she’d do it ever since she had discovered my secret pen pal. I wanted to be the one who got to know her on my own, in my own time.

             Around 5, the first crack of thunder sounded, and I clambered off my bed to draw back the curtains to watch, despite the lights still on in my room. It was only a matter of time before the power went out and I patiently waited when it did. The seventh flash shut things off and I grabbed a flashlight, exiting my room to grab a bottle of water and fixed a peanut butter sandwich to eat, returning to the silence of my room.

           I sat watching the storm, a calmness sweeping over me. I hoped Keira was watching with me, wherever she was. Finishing my sandwich, I moved to the windowsill, watching the rain patter against the glass, illuminated by the lightning when it flashed. I sighed, wrapping my arms over my knees, thinking about her. What was she doing while watching the storm? Or if she wasn’t watching, what was she doing instead? Could she be wrapped up in blankets reading?

           All these thoughts were enough to motivate me to pen a letter to her. I climbed off and went downstairs to find candles and matches. While rummaging around in the drawers, I heard someone approach me.

           “Steve. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry, but you’ve been keeping this girl a secret for a while. I didn’t know what else to do. Maybe you thought by keeping her secret, we wouldn’t look into her. She could’ve have been someone who writes to you to get to us. I needed to find out. Turns out she’s harmless and I like her,” Nat’s voice told me.

           “It’s fine. I still wish you hadn’t staged a run-in with her though. Before I’ve had a chance to meet her. I don’t believe Keira’s a threat. I just…I don’t know. I feel different every time I get a letter from her. Seeing her words on paper, it brings me joy. I…”

           “My god. You’re starting to fall for her. After only a few letters. Will you ever ask Keira to meet you? If so, when?”

           “I want to. You don’t know how much I want to. I’m not sure when would be best to meet her. Maybe after the holidays. Start a new year with her. Maybe fate will bring us together earlier. I’m honestly not sure. It scares me. I’m worried that she’ll treat me different when she finds out I’m Captain America,”

           “You’ll have to trust that she won’t. She’s writing to Steve Rogers, not Captain America. She’ll see past the hero and see you because you’re being yourself. I’m sure everything will work out the way it’s supposed to,” Natasha reassured me, giving me a hug.

           “Is she…when you saw her…was she…?” I said, stumbling for words. I wanted to know if she was truly beautiful, if she had the same beauty I imagined, despite my heart telling me so.

           “She’s lovely. Funny and sweet. At least, that’s what I got from our short conversation. I think you’re in trouble with this girl. You’re in danger of falling in love with her. Especially once you’ve met,” I nodded and retreated to my room to write my next letter.

  Keira’s POV

           As I watched the storm, I wondered if Steve was somewhere watching as well. I had lit up the candles and started reading as well. The book was creepy indeed, sending chills down my spine. It drew you in and I finished it with a shaky sigh, dreading to go to sleep.

           The storm had a way of keeping me invested in watching it for hours, forcing me to stay wide awake until it ended. Since I was already up and alert, I decided to pen the next letter, throwing in details of the last few days, wincing when I knew I was sending him more rants. I kept them in, wanting to get it off my chest. I asked about the storm in case he had been watching it with me, two souls connected in a magical way.

           Being silly, I took a few Polaroids of myself and slid them in the envelope, only to pull them back out. Should I let him see me now? Should I send him these? I thought. Deciding against it, I shoved the pictures away before taking a picture of the framed doodle on my desk, telling him I kept it there, drawing inspiration from it. I placed the letter on my nightstand planning on sending it out in the morning and went to sleep dreaming of us sitting together watching a magnificent storm.

   Three Days Later

           Nothing exciting happened after the storm, work returning back to normal as I had picked up another dog for a few days. A German Shepherd named Frank, who liked going for walks and playing ball in Central Park. I wrote up the review for Hill House and waited for the day I’d get a letter from Steve.

           Today happened to be the day when I opened my mailbox and saw his letter sitting on top. Running upstairs, I sprinted into my apartment and stretched out on my couch to begin reading.

              Keira,

           How have you been? I wonder if you’ve been as busy as I have. More meetings and events have kept me from taking a break. I even attended a gala as part of work and got approached by some girl who attempted to flirt with me. You know what’s interesting? The whole time I thought about you. My friends teased me about it for the rest of the night when they saw me turn her down. They’ve been pestering me about my love life lately, wanting me to start dating again. They’ve even gone so far as to trying to set me up on dates, which I’ve refused to go on.

           I need a deeper connection with people to date them. This connection with you, though we’ve only been communicating through letters, makes me feel things and the more I write to you the more connected I seem to be getting to you. I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a long time. Not until these letters from you came.

             You too huh? Something we can both relate to, I thought. I smiled at the confession a feeling connected to me. Truth be told, I felt connected to him even if we hadn’t met.

             You’ve been occupying my mind and I can’t seem to stop thinking about you. I have an image in my head of what you look like and I think you’re absolutely beautiful. I know you’ll be perfect when we meet for the first time. I’m sorry to hear you spent your birthday alone. I hope you got some joy out if though. Even if you did dance around and drink wine. I hope I brought you some as well. I’m pleased you love your gift. I wasn’t sure if you would. People are picky about what they like. I should know, my friends can be like that sometimes.

             To your request of my favorite colors for a blanket, I like blue, like the sky and green. If you can find a shade that matches the color of your eyes, then that’s what I’d love. If you need an additional color, you’re welcome to include a crimson if you’d like.

           In other matters, did you watch the storm tonight? Maybe we were watching it together. It was quite calming. Tranquil, almost. I wanted you beside me in my arms. Keira, I think…I believe I’m…

             I sat up reading the next line, my heart hammering in my chest. Could he be developing feelings for me? Like I was for him?

             I find I’m having difficulty writing the next sentence. Please forgive me if it crosses a line. Here goes. I believe I’m starting to fall for you. I’m aware we haven’t been corresponding for very long, but I don’t know how else to describe how I’m feeling. Every time I receive a letter, I can’t help but smile and be excited by what you’ve written. I’d love to meet you sometime. Maybe after the holidays, if that’s alright with you? Perhaps fate might bring us together before then.

             Again, sorry if it crosses a line. I just needed to tell you before it’s too late. You don’t have to answer yet or at all if you don’t want to.

           Here’s a list of some of my favorites to bring this off the subject if I’ve made it awkward or weird.

             “You’re not crossing any lines. You’d be surprised about I how I feel about you,” I stated, dropping one hand to scratch the ears of Frank.

             Movie – Currently, it’s The Goonies. It’s funny and full of adventure. A great watch.

                       Music – Anything soft, laid back. Classical. You said you love Country. Tell me some I should be listening to.

             Book: The Shining by Stephen King. It messed with my head a little more than I’d like. Very spooky. Very psychological.

 I already gave you my favorite colors earlier. I don’t have any musicals I love either. I plan on watching Rent and any others you think I might be interested in.

             Season: Winter. I love snow and sitting by the fire with a book or movie. Maybe cuddling with you. There I go again. Sorry.

             Ideal date? Dinner and a movie. Old-fashioned, but it’s still romantic to me. Second idea? Coney Island, maybe.

             Ideal day? Like yours. Rainy day. Sleeping in. Buried in blankets, a book. Someone to cuddle with. Someone to kiss.

             Hoping you’ll write to me after my confession. Patiently waiting for you,

Steve

              I smiled, my lips stretching as far as they could. More tears of joy filled my eyes. I thought about crafting another letter but waited. He didn’t need to get two letters at nearly the same time. Plus, I needed time to think about his request of meeting.

           If we did, then maybe after the holidays would be best. It’d give us a start of a new year, new beginnings. But what happens if we met and didn’t like each other? It could happen…

           No, don’t do that to yourself. You already like each other on paper. You’re being yourself. I’m sure he is too, I thought. Besides, we could get to know each other more after we met.

           Still, I chose to wait until the next week to write to him with my answer. Instead, I went out and picked up the colors of yarn to begin creating his gift, his blanket. A perfect gift for Christmas.

  Steve’s POV

           Not risking anyone else finding out about the letters, I waited by the mailbox close to the time it’d be delivered each day. I was sure she had sent one the same time I had. The only difference being it wouldn’t contain her answer to my request. A good thing if she needed time think things over.

           Today, I stood by the mailbox, pacing until the truck arrived, the mailman stuffing the box full of letters or bills and driving off. I grabbed the medium stack, going through each piece until I found the one, I was looking for.

           I threw the other pieces of mail on the kitchen counter and found somewhere quiet to read Keira’s new letter.

              Steve,

           I have a lot to tell you. I debated on whether or not to say anything for fear that you only read complaints or rants, but I don’t know who else to turn to.

           First, my parents visited me, and we were having a good time until they pressured me into dating. Sometimes, I get too busy to go out and most of the people I’ve met are jerks. Dad thinks my job doesn’t take up a lot of time, but he’d be surprised. After they left, I cried myself to sleep holding onto your doodle.

Oh, the Polaroid shows you where I keep it. I framed it and it stays on my desk to help me draw inspiration.

  To make matters worse, I attended a gala at the hospital where my friend Jana works. She tried to set me up with a guy named David Clayton. He dismissed the whole idea of reading, hit on me and proceeded to grab my ass.

           My reaction, maybe an overreaction. I stomped on his foot and slapped him. He called me a bitch before I walked away. Jana got mad and I left, going home after a long walk. My heart hurt so much, I needed to take a walk to breathe.

             A tingle went down my spine as I realized we were at the same gala at the same time. We were only a few feet apart and I didn’t see her because people were blocking my view. I didn’t see her the whole night, too busy surveying the crowd to notice her arrival. Natasha had seen her when she slapped our target Her friend has poor taste, I thought. A chill went down my spine as I knew who had flirted with me at the gala. Another thought occurred to me. I wouldn’t be able to write to her about it because I’d have to explain what I was doing there. She’d know I’m Captain America. I wasn’t planning on keeping it from her forever, but I still didn’t want her to know yet.

              On a happier note, I met someone today who I had a great but short conversation with. Her name is Natasha. Thought I get the sense she might be a ghost. I turned away for a minute and turned back to find her gone. I could see myself being friends with her. She made me feel comfortable unlike my other friends. I met her at the grocery store before the storm. Isn’t it great? The storm? I hope you’re watching it with me. I know you’re a fan of them too.

             Keira likes Nat. I’ll have to tell her she made a good impression despite her plan to investigate Keira. I made no mention of it in my letter, afraid of driving her away. Leave the explanation until we meet. I smiled; glad we had been watching the storm. I felt connected to her by some great force I couldn’t see.

              I finished Haunting of Hill House tonight. You were right. It’s super creepy. It made me want to check all the doors in case they opened on their own. Poor Eleanor. Everyone was so cruel to her towards the end, only feigning being nice when they feared she’d do something crazy. The ending though, shocked me. Wonderful recommendation. Allow me to tell you one of mine. You might like the Dresden Files. It has a wizard and magic and all sorts of supernatural creatures. Tell me what you’re doing the next time you write, while you write. Tell me more about you friends. Who’s your oldest friend? Tell me your fears. Pull me deeper into your world.

           Tell me a story so warm, I can feel your arms around me. So, I can see it vividly in my mind. I’ll write to you on Thanksgiving. Don’t be alarmed by the address from North Carolina. I’ll be at my parents’ house.

Waiting for you,

Keira

             I released a deep sigh when I finished reading, my fingers brushing over the words again. I held the Polaroid in my free hand, a small smile tugging my lips. She drew inspiration from the drawing, and it made my heart grow fonder for her. I needed to meet her, to kiss her. Natasha was right. I was in danger of falling for her once I met her.

[weirdsciencecomics]

Here are the February 2020 Marvel Comics Solicitations for all Avengers related comics!

FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER #1 (OF 5)

DEREK LANDY • FEDERICO VICENTINI (A)

Cover by DAN MORA

Variant Cover by BENGAL

VARIANT COVER BY BUTCH GUICE

CHINESE NEW YEAR VARIANT COVER BY ZIYIAN LIU

An office of dead government agents. A gifted new killer. Two ex-Captain Americas…

When a dramatic attempt on the life of Bucky Barnes reunites him with Sam Wilson, the two old friends are plunged headlong into a race to uncover the new leader of Hydra before a mass casualty event announces the terror group’s resurgence to the world. The clock is ticking…

Derek Landy (BLACK ORDER, SECRET EMPIRE: UPRISING) and Federico Vicentini (ABSOLUTE CARNAGE: MILES MORALES) team up for a pulse-pounding action spectacular!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ANT-MAN #1 & #2 (OF 5)

ZEB WELLS • DYLAN BURNETT (A)

Covers by EDUARD PETROVICH

ISSUE #1 – Variant Cover by MARCOS MARTIN

ISSUE #1 – VARIANT COVER BY JOHN  TYLER CHRISTOPHER

ISSUE #1 – REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY HERB TRIMPE

ISSUE #2 – Variant Cover by SUPERLOG

SWARM APPROACHES!

ISSUE #1 – Scott Lang is back and doing better than ever! Er, at least according to him, but his daughter, Stinger, and the anthill he’s living in say otherwise. Desperate to raise his daughter’s opinion of him, Scott takes a job from local beekeepers only to uncover a global conspiracy that could topple the world order! No time to call the Avengers, this sounds like a job for – ANT-MAN?! Join the explosive creative team of Zeb Wells (NOVA) and Dylan Burnett (X-FORCE, COSMIC GHOST RIDER) as they take Ant-Man to all-new heights in this epic adventure!

ISSUE #2 – A global conspiracy uncovered! Ant-Man faces off against a new host of villians unlike anything we’ve ever seen before – and they’re not falling for any of his tricks. With his back against the wall, will Ant-Man be able to stand his ground or end up squished beneath their heel?

32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (EACH)

THOR #3

DONNY CATES • NIC KLEIN (A)

Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL

Variant cover by RYAN BROWN

GWEN STACY VARIANT COVER BY DALE KEOWN

THE BATTLE OF TWO STORMS!

It’s Mjolnir versus Stormbreaker as Thor’s old ally Beta Ray Bill makes a thunderous entrance! But what has put the two friends at odds — and can the King of Asgard convince the Korbinite to let him continue his bloody mission to save all that is?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

  CAPTAIN AMERICA #19

TA-NEHISI COATES • JASON MASTERS (A) • Cover by ALEX ROSS

GWEN STACY VARIANT COVER BY JUNGGEUN YOON

THE LEGEND OF STEVE Concludes! 

Cap comes face-to-face with the Dryad and learns her game-changing true identity!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AVENGERS #31

JASON AARON • GERARDO ZAFFINO (A/C)

GWEN STACY VARIANT COVER BY J. SCOTT CAMPBELL

CHINESE NEW YEAR VARIANT COVER BY TIANQI HU

THE TEMPTATION OF ANTHONY STARK!

Special Oversized Issue! Trapped in an icy cave at the dawn of time, Tony Stark has lost most of his armor and a good chunk of his mind. And tonight when the sun goes down and the devil comes round again, Iron Man may very well lose whatever’s left of his soul. A dark tale of hell and ice and iron, unlike any Golden Avenger story you’ve ever read, featuring the gorgeously gritty visuals of guest artist Gerardo Zaffino (CONAN THE BARBARIAN).

40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

AVENGERS OF THE WASTELANDS #2 (OF 5)

ED BRISSON • JONAS SCHARF (A) • Cover by JUAN JOSÉ RYP

Variant cover by Riccardo Federici

HUNTING FOR DOOM!

DANI/THOR, DWIGHT/ANT-MAN, and HULK, JR. set off on a quest to save the Wastelands from DR. DOOM’s reign of terror! But can they succeed where OLD MAN LOGAN left off? And what does the return of CAPTAIN AMERICA herald for the team?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

  MARVEL’S VOICES #1

Vita Ayala, Roxane Gay, Brian Stelfreeze, Geoff  Thorne, Anthony Piper, Kyle Baker, Evan Narcisse, Method Man, Rob Markman, Chuck Brown, David F. Walker

Brian Stelfreeze, Anthony Piper, Kyle Baker, Sanford Greene, Damion Scott, Ray-Anthony Height, Alitha E. Martinez, Natacha Bustos, LUCIANO VECCHIO (A)

Cover by RYAN BENJAMIN

Variant by Brian Stelfreeze

Variant by DAMION SCOTT

THE WORLD OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW!

Marvel’s acclaimed podcast series focusing on telling the stories of diverse creators and their unique perspectives becomes a one shot of brand new adventures! The X-Men find their place in the world after declaring a new nation! Killmonger strikes! Moon Girl and Devil Dino return! 40 PGS./ONE SHOT/ RATED T+…$4.99

  TAROT #3 (of 4)

ALAN DAVIS • PAUL RENAUD (A/C)

VARIANT COVER BY ALAN DAVIS

VARIANT COVER BY KEVIN NOWLAN

As the chaos and madness continues to spread, the Avengers and the Defenders find themselves confronted by the most unlikely characters in Marvel history! Would you believe – THE UNBELIEVABLES?

40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

  STAR #2 (OF 5)

KELLY THOMPSON • JAVIER PINA (A)

Cover by Carmen Carnero

Variant cover by Kirbi Fagan

TWO REALITY WARPERS COLLIDE!

As Star struggles to master her powers, she gets a visit from one of the world’s greatest — and most dangerous — reality warpers. But is the Scarlet Witch here to guide a fledgling, would-be hero…or put down a deadly villain? Either way, Star better learn fast — because heroes aren’t the only ones watching the new wielder of the Reality Stone.

32 PGS./Rated T+…$3.99

  MARVEL’S AVENGERS: HULK #1

JIM ZUB • ARIEL OLIVETTI (A) • Cover by STONEHOUSE

VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM

VARIANT COVER BY PYEONG JUN PARK

HULK STARS IN THE SMASHING PREQUEL TO THE UPCOMING VIDEO GAME, MARVEL’S AVENGERS!

The adventure leading to MARVEL’S AVENGERS rages on, with an all-new story leading directly into the events of the highly anticipated video game! As the incredible HULK, the monstrous alter ego of scientist BRUCE BANNER, he’s done good for the world.  But with the virtually uncontrollable, gigantic green rage monster always bubbling under his skin, Banner has teamed up with an inquisitive scientist in an attempt to regulate the beast once and for all.  As their experiments go deeper, a catastrophic event may spell the end for more than just Banner’s curse!

Witness crucial incidents and intrigue in the saga tied to the earthshaking events in the MARVEL’S AVENGERS game next year!

32 PGS./ ONE SHOT/Rated T+ …$3.99

MARVELS X #2 (OF 6)

ALEX ROSS & JIM KRUEGER • WELL BEE (A)

Cover by ALEX ROSS

VARIANT COVER BY WELL BEE

David’s arrival in New York doesn’t bring the safety he had hoped it would.  And while he does indeed find some heroes, he also finds that they don’t know what to do in a world where everyone they ever fought to protect now wants only to blame them for the hell the world has transformed into.  Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Well-Bee continue the amazing prequel to the EARTH X trilogy.

40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

ATLANTIS ATTACKS #2 (OF 5)

GREG PAK • ARIO ANIDITO (A) • COVER BY MICO SUAYAN

VARIANT COVER BY TBA

VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM

CHINESE NEW YEAR VARIANT COVER BY MoNa

THE EARTH WILL SHAKE AND THE WATERS WILL BOIL!

NAMOR versus BRAWN! A team torn asunder! SWORD MASTER and SHANG-CHI undercover! Wave caught between the surface world of her birth and the undersea glories of ATLANTIS! And who are the SIRENAS? The epic clash continues and the AGENTS OF ATLAS — both old and new — will never be the same!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

HAWKEYE: FREEFALL #3

MATTHEW ROSENBERG • OTTO SCHMIDT (A)

Cover by KIM JACINTO

As things around him are getting more dangerous, Clint Barton is being pushed to make some tough, and probably really bad, decisions. Meanwhile the mysterious new Ronin is waging war against The Hood and Hawkeye is caught in the middle of it. The Web of lies our Friendly Neighborhood archer finds himself caught in will have Spectacular ramifications when he is confronted by our Amazing secret guest star… (It’s Spider-Man. Shhh.)

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

DOCTOR STRANGE #3

MARK WAID • KEV WALKER (A) • Cover by PHIL NOTO

VARIANT COVER BY KEV WALKER

Tattoo removal isn’t in a surgeon’s job description, but when one man’s heavy metal tattoos begin coming to life Doctor Strange will have to make an exception! With the clock ticking down rapidly, will Doctor Strange be able to save his patient—or himself? Find out as Doctor Strange gets drawn into the diagnosis—literally!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

IMMORTAL HULK #31

AL EWING • JOE BENNETT (A) • Cover by ALEX ROSS

Variant cover by GEOFF SHAW

GWEN STACY VARIANT COVER BY DAVID NAKAYAMA

There’s a new monster in town. He’s cuddly. He’s lovable. He’s down with the kids. And he’s available for your corporate retreat. Yes, there was another Hulk, once – the one who made all those nasty threats to end the world. But who needs him? THE LIVING HULK is here. And he’s going to save us all – or your money back.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

  CAPTAIN MARVEL #15

KELLY THOMPSON • LEE GARBETT (A) • Cover by MARK BROOKS

CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY INHYUK LEE (4 OF 5)

CHINESE NEW YEAR VARIANT COVER BY ZILI YU

GWEN STACY VARIANT COVER BY Ema Lupacchino

“THE LAST AVENGER” PART 4: DESPERATE MEASURES

Captain Marvel had 24 hours to kill five Avengers — and she’s dangerously close to failing. Carol’s plan was always flawed, but as she nears the endgame, those flaws are becoming fatal. As Vox Supreme’s true plans for five dead Avengers emerge, it’s more important than ever that Carol not fail today.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SAVAGE AVENGERS #0 

GERRY DUGGAN & CHRIS CLAREMONT

GREG SMALLWOOD & JOHN ROMITA JR. (A)

Cover by GREG SMALLWOOD

VARIANT COVER BY PHILIP TAN

The looming threat of Kulan Gath reunites Dr. Strange and Magik on Krakoa. The fate of the world will rest in what they discover. Re-presenting a pair of classics, UNCANNY X-MEN 190 & 191 by Chris Claremont and John Romita Jr, in the context of a great new sequence illustrated by the impeccable Greg Smallwood.

64 PGS./Parental Advisory …$4.99

SAVAGE AVENGERS #10 

GERRY DUGGAN • PATCH ZIRCHER (A) • Cover by Valerio Giangiordano

Dr. Strange, Dr. Doom and Conan the Barbarian set out to kill Kulan Gath before he grows stronger! The team-up you never knew you couldn’t live without concludes. We hope you’ll be okay.

32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

  VALKYRIE: JANE FOSTER #8

JASON AARON & TORUNN GRØNBEKK • CAFU (A)

Cover by Mahmud Asrar

GWEN STACY VARIANT COVER BY PEACH MOMOKO

ODE TO THE DEATH OF MIDGARD!

When Earth erupts with a cancerous contagion, it’s up to Jane to find the cure. But it’ll take more than her medical knowledge to fight off this infection. The source is buried deep in Asgardian legend — the sort only a king would know. Valkyrie finally joins forces with the All-Father of Asgard in a fight for the entire planet!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

  MARVEL’S BLACK WIDOW PRELUDE #2 (OF 2)  

PETER DAVID

CARLOS VILLA (A)

THE HUNT FOR THE BLACK WIDOW!

Follow the trail of NATASHA ROMANOFF’s exploits in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! As the facts are considered, the question remains: is the BLACK WIDOW really a threat? Get ready for MARVEL STUDIOS’ BLACK WIDOW solo film with the conclusion to this prelude story!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

    Avengers February 2020 Marvel Comics Solicits Here are the February 2020 Marvel Comics Solicitations for all Avengers related comics! FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER #1 (OF 5)

[crying-over-spilled-feels]

When the World Comes Crashing Down

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the canon characters; they belong to Marvel and Stan Lee. If I did own the characters, well, I would make several changes, notably what happens to the Avengers and Loki during the battle to stop Thanos and reverse the destruction.

               He thought it was a game at first; the boys loved to play hide-and-seek.

He thought it was a trick of the light.

He thought it was a trick of his eyes as an after effect from all the combat he’d seen in his life.

He thought it was only a hallucination.

He thought it was only a dream.

He though it was only a nightmare.

He never thought it would be real.

Clint Barton screams as he crashes to his knees in the middle of the park, his face already completely soaked with tears as he curses loudly.

               Clint finds out he isn’t the only one. He isn’t the only one who lost family in the ‘Snap’ as the news and the Avengers are calling it. However, he is the one who lost the most family in the mad Titan Thanos’ destructive, genocidal plan to wipe out half the universe. The numbness that travels through Clint’s body as he returns to the farmhouse, what was once his safehouse, chills him to the core. Cooper and Lilah were in high school, and Nathaniel was barely in elementary school. All of his children deserved a better life. None of them deserved to vanish away into dust before their father’s eyes while spending a summer day at the park as a family. And, Laura… Laura, his doting, amazing, beautiful, and intelligent wife who stood by his side beside everything. She had his back when he was a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, even at the potential danger to her own life. When Clint returned home from Budapest with a potentially life-threatening injury, Laura didn’t demand he quit trying to save the world. Instead, she nursed him back to health and let Natasha stay over as the redhead’s injuries healed as well. God, he loved her; Clint doesn’t understand why his Savior couldn’t stop Thanos from killing half the universe. Perhaps the Infinity Stones were too strong for even Him to wield, though Clint knows that the very idea of that is blasphemous, so he strikes it from his thoughts. Perhaps God knew the Avengers could find a way to solve the crisis presented by Thanos. However, that is no comfort for the grief-stricken man known as Clint Barton as he comes home to an empty house, devoid of laughter, happiness, and sense of purpose now that he is a family of one.

Natasha calls as soon as she gets back to the United States from Wakanda. She tries to understand her best friend and partner’s grief, but no one can really understand what it is like for Clint. Not even Thor could understand, and the God of Thunder lost his entire family from countless wars and Thanos’ greed. However, Thor did not have to suffer the loss of a wife and three children, some of the purest bonds that exist in all of the galaxies. And for that, Clint believes that the Norse God of Thunder should be extremely grateful.

“Clint?” Natasha gasps as Barton picks up the phone, his breath shaky on the other end of the phone as he tries to regulate his breathing.

“Natasha?” Clint chokes out a sob, glad to hear his friends’ voice, even if it is just over the phone.

“Hey. Is everyone---?”

“They’re all dead, Nat!” Clint screams into the phone before quieting himself and realizing that Natasha is not to blame for this crisis. “The Snap or whatever in Hell’s name we’re calling it killed my entire family! Lilah, Cooper, Nathaniel, Laura,” he continues, his voice cracking after each voice before tears consume him as he breathes out Laura’s name. “I had to watch them fade to dust in front of my eyes! If I ever find that genocidal maniac known as Thanos, he’ll regret ever messing with the Barton family!” Clint growls, and Natasha has never heard her friend sound so animalistic in nature before.

Granted, he has never lost his entire family, and Natasha merits that he could never talk again and that would also have been an acceptable response to this tragedy. So, in order to spare her best friend the pain of describing the scene the occurred at the farmhouse, she sticks to telling him of the battle against Thanos. She tells him how Tony is trapped in space with Thanos’ recently converted daughter Nebula. In addition, she tells him of all of their fallen comrades who perished in Wakanda. When Clint says nothing about the death of their friends and comrades, particularly Wanda whom he took under his wing after the battle in Sokovia went south, Natasha begins to worry. 

“Are you there?” Natasha inquires, concern lacing her voice as she finds it eerie that Clint wouldn’t even make a peep, not even about his family.

Surely, he, too, didn’t disintegrate into dust. The Snap wouldn’t have a second wave of casualties, would it? Was that even possible?

“No, I’m not. The Clint Barton you once knew is dead, Nat. He’s gone just like his family.”

Clint hangs up on Natasha, and the Black Widow’s resolve breaks. She allows a single tear to run down her face, not even bothering to wipe it away when Steve comes to tell her goodbye and good luck.

                 When Clint makes his plan for revenge against the genocide of half the world, he emerges from the farmhouse, sporting a new haircut to mark his transition from Hawkeye to Ronin. To mark a superhero’s descent into lawlessness and vigilante status, one must change his or her hair. At least, that is the story Clint has always heard from the other agents at S.H.I.E.L.D. during his time at the Academy and when he mentored the younger agents.

“How’re you holding up?” someone asks Clint when he emerges from the house nearly a week later to buy food and other rations for himself for his journey to rid the world of other genocidal maniacs.

“Children don’t deserve to die in Thanos’ Snap,” Clint mutters through gritted teeth, setting his supplies on the counter where the clerk can check them out. “Least of all, not mine,” he whispers, taking his bags of supplies and settling them in his undercover backpack Fury had gifted him after basic training at the Academy.

Oh, how long ago that had been. That had been before he met Natasha for the first time. That had been before he became a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. That had been before…. Before he met Laura, the love of his life. The backpack was not only practical; it was meant to transition Clint back into a life of isolation, recklessness, and overall secrecy. If he was to become a shadow of his former self, so be it. There would be no one around to witness the fall. 

When the world comes crashing down, sometimes even heroes add excessive amounts of red to their ledgers in order to soothe the pain of guilt and anger surrounding the innocent lives lost at the hands of madmen.

Author’s Note: And there it is! This is my first Endgame fic, so I hope everyone enjoyed this little look into Clint’s mind. Clint has always been one of my favorite Marvel characters since I first started watching Marvel in May of 2018. Captain Marvel was actually my first superhero film I saw in theaters with Avengers: Endgame as my second. My friend AJ and I went to see them both on my day off, and we absolutely loved them! I nearly broke down into tears during the first five minutes in the scene with Clint’s family, because I just love the Barton family so much and I didn’t want anything to happen to Clint’s world. You can imagine how upset I was. Anyway, expect more Endgame stories from me; I was really inspired through much of the movie, especially with a certain Clint and Natasha scene. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Anyway, I have to prepare to go to work soon, so I’ll cut this Author’s Note here. Happy Memorial Day, everyone; bless all the soldiers who gave their lives to fight for what they believe in. Thank you for your service. Until next time, dear readers. Have an amazing day, afternoon, or night!  

[jareau-prentiss]

Collision Course - Chapter 1

A/N: Hi, lovely readers! This is a mostly fluffy Jemily fic, with a lot of angst. It is set around season 5. Hope you enjoy! 

Warning: This chapter does have some brief depictions of violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this story.

Emily walked into the conference room, her eyes immediately going to her teammates who were gathered around the table in various stages of distress. She glanced quickly at the source, the screen mounted upon the wall that was filled with images of seven women, broken beyond repair. Seven heads of blonde hair, matted with dried blood. Seven families, to whom these women would never return.

Below the screen stood Garcia, vibrant as ever in a bright blue and yellow dress. A flower clip adorned her curled blonde hair. Her eyes were downcast, as if that could protect her from the scenes of horror that were playing out above her. As if she stared at the ground long enough, everyone would be safe Morgan, Reid, Rossi, Hotch, and JJ all sank into their seats, grabbing copies of the case file as they did so. Emily snapped out of her daze and quickly made her way to the last seat at the table - next to JJ. Her Jennifer.

She didn’t know how it had happened, how the mask she had crafted from years of diplomatic excursions had cracked. She had always been forced to be stable and calm, so as to present a good image for her mother, and then again in her undercover work for Interpol. But Jennifer goddamn Jareau had thrown her off her balance and left her spiralling in a sea of doubt and hope. The way she handled relatives of the victims from their cases, with such raw empathy and compassion. How fierce and powerful she looked, as she fought for justice and for the protection of those victims. Emily had fallen, and fallen hard. The blonde had never been reserved about her bisexuality, but Emily couldn’t seem to find a way to overcome her fears and ask for what she so desperately wanted. She couldn’t risk losing their friendship, and if that meant every time JJ bit her lip in concentration, or tugged on a strand of loose hair - that the brunette internally lost her mind? Then so be it.

She was snapped out of her daze by Hotch rising from his chair. “We have to be in Florida as fast as possible. The time between the murders is shortening. Garcia, you can continue briefing us on the plane, wheels up in ten.”

The team strode out of the room towards the bullpen, grabbing their go bags from their desks at different paces. Emily slung hers over her shoulder, glancing upwards to see JJ mirroring her actions across the desks. JJ met her gaze as she rose, allowing a small smile to spread across her face. “Hey,” she murmured, as they walked towards the elevator together.

Emily’s heart skipped a beat. They’d worked together for years, but JJ never failed to have that effect on her. “Hi,” she responded, playing with the hem of her shirt with her free hand, as to resist the urge to reach for JJ’s. “Ready for this case?”

JJ sighed. “I think we have to be. Seven women? I can’t believe the local P.D. hadn’t informed us before this.”

“You know how it is. A lot of police departments are reluctant to get the FBI involved, or think they don’t need us. At least we’re going now, and hopefully we can solve the case and find this bastard as soon as possible.”

JJ nodded, adjusting the bag on her shoulder as she pressed the button on the wall to call up the elevator. She gave the other woman a grim smile. “Let’s do this.”

~

A few minutes later, the team was piling onto the jet. Emily slumped into a seat by the window, JJ slipping into the one next to her and handing her a copy of the case file. Rossi sat across from her with Hotch next to him, Reid settling into the couch across from the four of them. Morgan stood in a relaxed stance next to him. Garcia’s image appeared on the screen, her fingers ready to fly across her keyboard.

Hotch cleared his throat, jolting them all to attention. “Here is our case. Seven murders over the last four months. All blonde women, between the ages of 25 and 35. They appeared to have been held for around twelve hours from when they were last seen to when they were killed, shown by witness testimony and ligature marks on the wrists and ankles. They were each stabbed over 30 times each in the abdomen, and they were all dumped in lakes in the area.”

Beside her, Emily felt JJ shiver. As they all flipped through the pictures, the blonde couldn’t help but notice that all the victims bore a striking resemblance to her. That sent a flash of anger through Emily. No one was going to hurt Jennifer, not while the other woman still lived.

She was snapped back to the present when she became aware of Morgan’s voice filling the room, “Thirty stab wounds? That’s definite overkill, could be related to a hatred of women. Babygirl?”

“Yes, my sculpted god of chocolate thunder?” Penelope quipped from the screen.

“Can you do a preliminary search for males in the Naples area, likely in the 25-40 age range as well, that have a history of violence towards women or even animals?”

“Of course. Crime fighters commence! I’ll check back in with you guys once I’ve narrowed down some of these prospective suspects. Garcia out.”

“Thanks, babygirl,” Morgan replied, right before Penelope’s pink, fluffy pen descended onto her keyboard, and the screen went dark.

“We’ll be there in a few hours,” Hotch said. “We should split up when we arrive. Morgan and Rossi; head to the latest crime scene after we get all the information from local P.D. JJ, Prentiss; the families of the two most recent victims are coming in. We need you to interview them, and find out as much as you can. We need to know if there was a connection between these victims, their daily routines, whether our unsub watched them before they were taken. Reid and I will stay at the station, and build the profile by working with Garcia and the Naples police. Remember, our unsub is devolving. The time between his kills is shortening, and we have to work as fast as possible to minimize deaths.”

“We’ll figure out how much we should tell the press once we form the profile,” Rossi added.

“Oh, and one more thing,” He said with a slight smirk. “There were barely any vacancies in hotels in the area, so we could only book three rooms. Aaron and I will be sharing, Emily and JJ as well, so that means Derek -” he turned to face the two men on the other side of the jet, pointing his finger for dramatic effect, “you’re sleeping with Reid.”

Derek grinned and threw his hands in the air in mock frustration. “Come on!”

“You better be kidding, Derek, or else I’ll spend the rest of the plane ride annoying you by reciting every fact I know about hotel rooms. One, -” Reid retorted.

Spencer grinned too as Derek leaned down and punched his shoulder playfully.. “I’m just kidding, Pretty Boy.”

JJ laughed, the pure sound like music to Emily’s ears. That beautiful noise made her laugh too, and even Hotch cracked a smile. It was moments like these, Emily realized, that made it all bearable. The love she felt for her teammates was beyond words, and the time she spent with them was more precious than she would ever let on. Especially with Jennifer.

Then, what she had been distracted from before hit her. Tonight, she would be sharing a room with Jennifer. Jennifer, whom she was incredibly attracted to, and found it hard to control herself around. Jennifer, whose blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight and hair framed her face in soft waves and lips that were so soft and….. wow. Emily sounded like a lovestruck fool. Which, she reasoned with herself - as she glanced over at the blonde, whose features were still lit up with a radiant smile - she supposed she was.

A/N: Hope you all liked it! This story will be continued. Sending all the love! 

- Alexandra

[tech-chloe-decker-blog]

Arrowverse: 5 Best Metahumans and 5 Worst

Arrowverse has lots of metahumans and skill combatants, but not all of them can be considered best. In this article, we are going to rank the top 5 best and worst superhumans of the Arrowverse TV franchise. Most of the extraordinary people are linked with DC’s popular TV show The Flash, but these Arrowverse superbeings are known for their unique power and abilities. Some have great and useful abilities, but some have really weird and almost useless powers that are not impressive at all. We are going to separate them on behalf of their unique abilities.

Source:- Arrowverse: 5 Best Metahumans and 5 Worst

So what’s the wait? Let’s fire it up!

Top 5 best Metahumans of the Arrowverse TV Franchise

Kid Flash

Team Flash

Dinah Drake

Firestorm

Black Lightning and Thunder

Let's dive in some briefing:-

Kid Flash

Made by Flash Point in reality, Wally West also is known by his alias Kid Flash. he is also known as Central City’s speedster superhero due to his cool ability to access superhuman speed. When Barry resets the timeline to its rightful place, the Kid flash again becomes a depowered flash or just a regular kid. But he didn’t stay normal for that long, and soon he gets his powers back due to an explosion of dark matter when Barry attempted to get his powers back.

Team Flash

Team Flash is an alliance of various metahumans who chooses to become a superhero and help others form the baddies. The member of the Team Flash gets their powers from a special event in which an explosion of the dark matter and Speed Force hits their bus. Due to that unique explosion, Ralph Dibney transforms into Elongated Man. Other passengers of the bus also get various abilities, and this makes them adopt the title Team Flash, who thinks that being a hero is not a destiny, but it’s a choice.

Dinah Drake  

She is also known as Black Canary, and her main power is to make sonic-screams, which are too lethal. Before she got the power of producing sonic screams, she was working for the Central City Police Department as undercover. One day, she suddenly hit by an explosion of the particle accelerator, which fills her with dark matter. Her sisters gave her a device, and with the help of that device, she can now make an iconic Canary Cry, which is way better than her standard screams.

Firestorm

Doctor Martin Stein team-ups with the meta-human Ronnie Raymond, and then they both become a single personality called Firestorm. He has Pyrokinetic abilities and can produce and cast fire in an offensive way. When they fitted into each other, it caused a lot of friction in the beginning, but then they started understanding each other while staying in one personality. The Firestorm is indeed powerful and interesting superbeing in the whole Arrowverse.

Black Lightning and Thunder

Jefferson Pierce received powers to manipulate the electricity when he was injected with an infected vaccine. He got his powers when he was just a kid, but as he becomes older, he starts utilizing his powers to help others and to defeat baddies. His daughter also received some powers, such as metahuman strength and indestructibility. They teamed up and fought from their community side.

Top 5 Worst Metahumans of the Arrowverse TV Franchise

Hazard

The Turtle

The Weeper

Livewire

Pied Piper

Let's dive in some briefing:-

Hazard

She is known for controlling the luck of her own after she was faced dark matter due to the speed force experiment, which was done in the hope of acquiring Flash. Once she faced that experiment she gets the power to transfer her bad luck to other people and by doing so, she can get rid of her own bad luck. Whenever she sends her bad luck to others, she gets her own good luck. However, we all know that luck is just a perception of people to observe the things of their own life, but actually, it is the time and situations which cause a good and bad time of a person’s life.

The Turtle  

He got the power of absorbing kinetic energy from his surroundings, which allows him to slow down his environment as well as Flash’s super speed. he always uses his powers in a pity way. For instance, he forced her wife to stay in a slow-motion state, so that she can’t leave him even when she wanted to do so. later he used his powers to make her ex-wife’s former office storage for his treasures that he stole.

The Weeper

He also becomes a metahuman when he was traveling on a bus that was hit by dark matter. When that explosion hit him, he initiated crying so weirdly and then turned into a superbeing. Due to his crying at the moment when the dark matter affected him, his tears become abnormal, and now whenever he cries, his tears contain the psychoactive drug. Most of the baddies want to make a bad use of his unique tears for controlling someone. On occasion, he was caught by DeVoe, who took his tears as much as he can before killing him.

Livewire

She is superhumanly strong and has the power to manipulate electricity. She gets her power from a certainly weird accident. When the Supergirl was rescuing her from a bad storm, Supergirl hit by a lightning strike, which also hit Leslie. This electricity bolt transferred SuperGirl DNA into her, and then she became Livewire.

Pied Piper

When an explosion took place in the S.T.A.R Lab, he also hit by the explosion and get his unique and pity powers. His powers are tough to understand and unknown; that’s why he is the worst metahuman in the whole Arrowverse TV series. He can control the Ant-life equation using his sound.

Chloe Decker is a self-professed security expert; she has been making the people aware of the security threats. Her passion is to write about Cybersecurity, cryptography, malware, social engineering, internet, and new media. She writes for Norton security products at norton.com/setup.

[ilosttrackofthings]

4. things you said over the phone / biospecialist please

The other end of the line picks up after one and a half rings. “Hey, baby. You need something?”

Jemma winces. The endearment may warm her, but it only gives greater power to the others listening in. She dares a glance at the face of the man holding her phone out; the lines around his mouth have deepened. Behind him, the short man’s cloudy expression has grown downright thunderous and the man beside him has taken to resting a restraining hand on his shoulder. It’s all evidence of what she already gathered: these people know Grant and they don’t like him at all.

The last of the men, the frightening one standing behind Jemma, gives her shoulders a nudge. There’s a script, one she’s meant to be keeping to. She is to ask where Grant is and encourage him to return home as quickly as possible so that these men can … can do something terrible, no doubt.

They may have been almost kind with her - aside from taking her captive in her own home, they haven’t openly threatened or harmed her - but she thinks it might be worse this way. Promises of injury, she could handle, but there’s an ambiguous cloud hanging over these proceedings, something dark and sinister these men understand that she does not. For all it’s a familiar feeling, Jemma’s fought hard to rid herself of it - she can now can go entire days without feeling lost and fetterless as though she lacks some key quality, the absence of which prevents her from truly being part of the world around her - and she doesn’t like being made to feel that way again.

“Jem?” Grant asks, worry coloring his tone. She can practically see the way his forehead must be wrinkling, the frown that pulls at his lips. She glances to the door. Outside, in the hall, she can just see a pair of limp paws and a tail sprawled on the hardwood floor. These men shot her dog. What more will they do to her soulmate if they get their hands on him?

“I’m here,” she says. “I was thinking.”

“Something bothering you?” His tone is lightened by relief. He’s used to this kind of behavior from her and never judges her for the troubles she sometimes has pulling herself out of her thoughts or for the odd questions that spring from those same thoughts.

“Who is Coulson?” she asks. The man holding the phone doesn’t strike her as the sort to startle easily, so she takes the slight relaxing of his carefully blank expression as a win. She’s surprised him.

If she expected this deviation from the script to earn her a real threat, she’s disappointed. Far from angered, Coulson appears pleased.

“You know him,” Grant says, his voice going soft and muffled like he’s moving into narrow spaces to ensure no one overhears. Something heavy slams, but Grant makes no sound of distress. “He’s the director of SHIELD.”

She meets Coulson’s eyes squarely, searching her memory for more. The director of SHIELD is dangerous; he managed to pull the organization out of the ashes HYDRA rose from, make it a real threat again. He’s also the agent largely responsible for bringing the Avengers together, his death-

His death. He died. 

The GH-325. 

The Centipede project. 

The lab. 

The Bus.

Jemma drags in a breath that stings in lungs that feel too small.

They don’t feel like memories, more like distant facts read in a book she’d forgotten about. But they do fill in some of her blank spaces, making her feel slightly more like a flesh and blood person.

“He was on the team,” she says. Coulson smiles. The gentleness of it is so much like the way he spoke to her and touched her, guiding her to this chair when she was terrified of him and his people. She thinks she understands now why he didn’t threaten her.

“Yeah,” Grant chuckles. “He was our CO.” The faint sound of a car engine revving comes over the line. He’s on his way home.

As it often does when she comes out of one of her aimless episodes, fear grips Jemma’s heart. She knows enough of Grant’s history with the team to know that there’s plenty of bad blood between them. She thinks, given the way he talks about them, that Grant might be willing to look past it if not for her. Whitehall is dead, Bakshi imprisoned, much of HYDRA on the run after that disaster in San Juan, and Grant needs someone to hate for what was done to her. The man who sent her undercover and the team that failed to rescue her are as good a focus for his anger as any.

And then of course there’s the hatred these people hold for Grant. He’s made no secret of what he did - choosing John over them - and after handing him over to his brother for execution, they can’t be too pleased he’s still alive. How many times did Grant evade SHIELD in the weeks after his escape? And now they’ve found him, and in her they have all the leverage they need to keep him from fighting back.

“Anything else pressing or can it wait?” he asks. “I’m almost home.”

“No,” Jemma says as around her the faces of her captors light up in anticipation. “But I forgot to tell you we’re out of bread.”

Those eager faces freeze in confusion. This is even further from the script than asking about Coulson.

“I thought we had enough to last the weekend.”

She makes a noise of disagreement in her throat. “King got into it. Apparently he’s a fan of potato bread.”

“Jeez,” Grant mutters. “Okay. I’d better go now before the after school rush. Love you.”

“Love you too,” she says, and is impressed by how little like a goodbye it sounds.

The line goes dead. Coulson lowers the phone to his lap. His expression asks his question for him.

“I’m not going to let you hurt Grant,” she says. “Whatever revenge you have planned for him, it can’t be worth half of what my willing compliance would be. I’ll come with you. I’ll work for SHIELD. I understand I’m quite the valuable scientist.”

Slowly while she speaks, Coulson’s mouth turns up in a pained smile. “As much as I would love to bring you home, Simmons,” he says, “I’m here because I need his help.” Between them, her phone lights up as he repeats the call.

“Don’t tell me he drank all the milk too,” Grant says in lieu of a greeting.

“No,” Coulson says, “I’m afraid King is taking a dendrotoxin nap in the hall. You should probably come home.”

Jemma’s heart sinks. While instructions and threats are exchanged, she considers yelling out for Grant to stay away but knows that will only bring him home faster. She can only sit in silence and hope that together she and Grant will be able to figure a way out of this.

[clauscrayon7-blog]

The Best Men’s Trainers Released In 2018

It’s been a big year for trainers, both literally and figuratively. Building on the chunky styles that set 2017’s Richter scales racing, in 2018 platform-esque stompers made way for nineties-inspired dad shoes.

We also saw technology come on in leaps and bounds with innovations like Nike’s React cushioning system and the rollout of Adidas’s 3D-printed Futurecraft model, making the footwear market easily one of the most exciting sectors of menswear.

Elsewhere, we were treated to see-through uppers and the emergence of trail-running shoes as a fashion item (neither of which we saw coming). But even among all the madness, this year has also given us some solid gold classics.

With so much going on, you’d think it’d be difficult to pick the best trainers of 2018. (And it was.) But that’s what we’ve done. Here are they are, and the reasons why they stood out from the crowd.

Nike Epic React

Even if the product had been terrible, Nike’s expertly executed marketing campaign at the beginning of the year would’ve been enough to make us want it. However, it wasn’t terrible. In fact, Nike’s Epic React was the most revolutionary running shoe we’ve seen in a long time, utilising a cutting-edge sole unit that’s softer, lighter and bouncier than the brand’s previous top-end cushioning material.

As a result, this year’s marathons were a blur of React soles pounding streets and pavements across the globe. The biggest drop of 2018? Quite possibly.

Adidas Yung-1

This was the year the ‘90s resurgence really took hold of menswear. And trainers were no exception. One of the most memorable #throwbacks came courtesy of Adidas in the shape of the Yung-1 – a chunky retro trainer serving as proof that the 20-year trend-cycle clock is still ticking to the second.

Rewind to 1998, and Three Stripes had just released the Falcon Dorf, a bulky tricked-out kick that would go on to become one of the most recognisable silhouettes of the decade. The Yung-1 is a reincarnation of that style, brought bang up to date for the digital age.

Nike React Element 87

On paper, the React Element 87 doesn’t sound particularly appealing. It’s got a big lumpy outsole, a V-shaped tongue and perhaps most bizarrely of all, your feet are visible through it. Yet somehow all of this comes together to create one of the most handsome shoes we’ve seen all year. And it’s not all good looks. These bad boys use the same sole technology as Nike’s flagship running shoe the Epic React, only it’s been reinforced at key pressure points.

If you like to go sockless, though, best leave this one well alone. Don’t worry, there’s also the React Element 55, which is the same shoe minus the translucent upper.

Puma Thunder Spectra

Puma’s most iconic shoe is without a doubt the unapologetically minimal Suede Classic. However, this year the brand’s been putting itself on every sneakerhead’s map for a very different reason. This was the year Puma made itself the king of tasteful maximalism. The sort that even your mate who shields his eyes and hisses anytime there’s a pair of Balenciagas in the vicinity can get on board with.

The Thunder Spectra is the shoe that started it, using sharp flashes of colour set against a moody, black leather backdrop. It proved a huge hit, with several followup colourways released since, each one every bit as handsome as the last.

Balenciaga Track

Just when you thought fashion couldn’t get any more ridiculous, someone turns to you and says, “trail running shoes are going to be the next big thing”. At first, you may not have believed them. But then, unless you spent the year blindfolded, you were met with the release of Balenciaga’s Track shoe.

This overengineered cross-country runner sprinted onto the market in September to all the hype you’d expect from the brand that single-handedly kickstarted the biggest trend of the last couple of years.

Nike Air Max 98 ‘Gundam’

For the uninitiated, Gundam is a Japanese franchise consisting of several anime series, games, toys and more. At its core, it’s about massive robots, but you don’t need to be into those or any of the above in order to appreciate one of the most low-key hyped releases of 2018, the Nike Air Max 98 ‘Gundam’.

The shoe’s colourway was inspired by the RX-78-2, the original Gundam robot first introduced in 1979. Whether you care about that or not is irrelevant, the fact remains: this is one seriously fine piece of footwear.

End x Vans ‘Vertigo’ Slip-On

If you were to drink three quarters of a bottle of gin and glance down at your feet while wearing a pair of checkerboard shoes, it would probably look a lot like this. Respected fashion retailer End joined forces with Vans to put its own stamp on two of the iconic California skate brand’s most recognisable silhouettes: the OG Slip-On and the Old Skool.

For us, the Slip-On is the one that stands out. It was the first model to bear the brand’s signature checkerboard pattern, and as well as featuring a psychedelic reimagining of it, the End version also boasts premium materials including fine leather and 6 oz canvas.

Puma RS-X Toys

German sportswear Stalwart Puma showed us all once again why it’s the best brand out there for bulky, colourful kicks that won’t break the bank nor your style credentials when it released the RS-X Toys.

This bold, colourful model was inspired by the vinyl toys of the 1980s and ‘90s and is bound to evoke some serious nostalgia in any red-blooded millennial. Of course, it’s not all about aesthetics. Believe it or not, this beast was built for running, meaning it’s feather-light and as comfortable as they come. A definite ‘Marmite’ shoe, but a masterpiece in madness and future collector’s item all the same.

Nike Tailwind

Nike’s Tailwind runner was nothing short of revolutionary when it first hit shelves in 1979. So it’s little wonder that it’s one of our favourite re-releases of the year.

This simple-looking (by today’s standards) shoe was the first piece of footwear to incorporate the Swoosh’s now-famous ‘Air’ technology, and at the time whipped runners-up into an undying frenzy. A legend was born, and to mark 40 years since, we were treated to a limited batch in the original understated colourway. There was even a pair of socks to match.

Asics x Kiko Kostadinov Gel Delva 1

Everyone knows Japanese sportswear label Asics makes some of the best running shoes on the market. How could they possibly get any better? Easy, just add one up-and-coming Bulgarian fashion designer to the creative process.

Kiko Kostadinov may not be a name you’re immediately familiar with, but it probably will be soon. The 29-year-old is currently creative director at Mackintosh (the coats, not computers) as well as helming his own eponymous label. Even with all that on his plate, he somehow still found the time to collaborate on this moody technical runner.

Converse x Undercover 70 OX

At the beginning of 2018, renegade Japanese designer Jun Takahashi’s brand Undercover whipped Pitti up into a storm by parading some particularly spicy Converse All Star high tops down the runway. Every fashion-savvy man and his equally stylish dog wanted a pair. On September 25th, they got the chance.

The shoe released in four striking colourways, each with contrast detailing and the words ‘order’ and ‘disorder’ printed on the left and right toe respectively. Speaking of order, that’s exactly what we did when we first set eyes on them.

Nike x Sean Wotherspoon Air Max 1/97

This year has been a phenomenal one for trainers by anyone’s standards, but even with such stiff competition, this corduroy belter from sportswear don Nike and famed trainer collector Sean Wotherspoon stands out.

There’s just so much to like: the beautifully contrasting layers of colour to the upper; the little wave motif on the tongue; the tactile fabrication; and, of course, the fact that this is not one but two shoes in one. For the less observant among you, its an Air Max 97’s body, sat on an Air Max 1’s sole unit. So wrong, but so right.

Adidas Spezial Lowertree

If there’s one man who knows what goes into making a great Adidas trainer, it’s designer, collector and all-round Three Stripes connoisseur Gary Aspden. His Spezial line is based around the brand’s archives, taking classic and historic models and updating them with contemporary touches. This usually results in some seriously good-looking footwear, and this year was no exception.

The Lowertree SPZL owes its silhouette to the iconic Marathon Competition model from 1985. Only where the original was beige with hits of red, this version has been reimagined in a vivid nineties colour palette to pay homage to the acid house scene of which Aspden is so fond.

Converse x Golf Le Fleur One Star

If you’re a fan of shoes that will burn your retinas if not viewed through sunglasses, then you’re probably already well acquainted with Tyler The Creator’s collaborations. The founder of hip-hop collective Odd Future is known for his Golf clothing line as well as his rapping, and in the past has had hypebeasts frothing at the mouth with his neon Vans.

This year, he turned his attention to another low-key skate classic, the Converse One Star. Redesigned with a flower motif to the side and released just in time for summer in a range of tempting vibrant colourways.

Puma x Santa Cruz Suede

It’s fair to say 2018 marked a big year for German sportswear don Puma. It was the 50th anniversary of its most iconic shoe, the Suede Classic, and what better way to celebrate than with a completely unexpected collaboration?

To mark the occasion, Puma joined forces with Californian skate brand Santa Cruz. The result was a pair of beautifully simple suede kicks, adorned with some of Santa Cruz’s famous artwork, Including the iconic screaming hand designed by artist Jim Phillips.

Nike ISPA React Runner Mid

You may not be familiar with Nike’s ISPA subdivision, but chances are you’re going to become very well acquainted over the coming years. This renegade team of designers is pushing footwear design in bold new directions, utilising technical fabrics, futuristic aesthetics and incorporating the Swoosh’s latest and greatest tech at the same time.

ISPA stands for ‘Improvise, Scavenge, Protect, and Adapt’, and this React Element-based mid-top was the first shoe to be created by the program. It featured a round-the-ankle lacing system, reflective detailing and boasts water-repellent uppers to keep the weather sealed out.

Common Projects Achilles Low ‘Rust’

Luxury minimalist sneakers may have been sidelined by the sort of shoes The Spice Girls would have worn circa 1996, but it’s only temporary. Stripped-back kicks are still out there, waiting for the chunky trainer’s reign to end. If this handsome new Achilles Low is anything to go by, they’re passing the time by playing with some new colourways.

Common Projects call this new shade ‘rust’. Whether or not that’s a deliberate metaphor for what’s been happening to its brand over the last two years is unclear. What’s certain, however, is that if the NY brand keeps lining releases like this up, chunky trainers might be toppled from their throne sooner rather than later.

Air Jordan x Levi’s Jordan 4

Okay, shoes made out of jeans are far from something we’d typically advocate, and these are far from the easiest shoes to style. However, from a design and brand perspective, 2018’s Jordan x Levi’s tie-up is easily the biggest of the year.

Nike’s Air Jordan subdivision is the biggest name in the game. If it hadn’t have been for designer Tinker Hatfield and his future-shaping basketball shoes, the modern sneakerhead as we know them may not even exist. Meanwhile, Californian brand Levi’s is the king of denim. Bring the two together, and naturally, you’ve got something rather special.

Adidas Alphabounce Instinct

If disturbing psychedelic painter H.R. Giger had designed a shoe, it would probably have looked a little something like this. Looks-wise, the Alphabounce Instinct is so odd that you can’t help but stare at it, and the more you stare at it, the more you think, ‘actually, that would look pretty sweet on my shoe rack.’

It’s not all aesthetics, either, there’s a lot going on under the hood here. Designed with athletes in mind, the Alphabounce Instinct takes cues from the movement of the human body and its adaptive design is supposed to allow the wearer to move more instinctively while running.

Reebok x Overkill Club C

Berlin’s favourite sneaker shop Overkill is no stranger to a juicy joint partnership. This year, its focus was the iconic Reebok Club C, which was treated to a makeover in premium, off-white leather with green corduroy accents and Overkill-branded satin insoles.

The inspiration behind the shoe comes from 1985 East Berlin, taking its colours from wallpaper, tablecloths and floor patterns that were prevalent in the former communist district at the time. A fine piece of footwear and one of the best versions of the Club C we’ve seen to date.

Source: https://www.fashionbeans.com/article/best-trainer-releases-2018/

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Arsenal (2016)

Summary  "Arsenal" tells the intertwining stories of the Lindel brothers, Mikey and JP, who had only each other to rely on growing up. As adults, JP found success as the owner of a construction company, while Mikey became a small-time mobster, mired in a life of petty crime. When Mikey is kidnapped and held for a ransom by ruthless crime boss Eddie King, JP turns to the brothers' old pal Sal, a plain clothes detective for help. In order to rescue his brother, JP must risk everything and unleash his vengeance against King's relentless army of gangsters. Genre : Thriller Country : USA Cast :  Nicolas Cage : Eddie King

Adrien Grenier :  JP Johnathon Schaech : Mickey Director : Steven C. Miller

My opinion

“Oh, you think we’re even you and I? I know of  way we can both earn what we deserve.”

Nicolas Cage is known for his wayward choice in terms of films recent years. His career had some ups and downs. As a result, the opinions on his acting talent in the world of film lovers are rather divided. His performance as Eddie King, a manic, coke-snorting, aggressive underworld figure, who's also not afraid to handle opponents in a rough and cruel way, is an exceptional case. At first sight it isn't a thunderous acting performance that he delivers and it tends to be rather ridiculous. A kind of cartoonish character whose tantrums and neurotic behavior comes across as exaggerated. At first glance he looks like a parody of Tony Clifton (an Andy Kaufman impersonation) with a weird wig, a walrus-like mustache and glued on fake nose. Let him wear some oversized sunglasses on his fake nose and you'd swear it's Roy Orbinson. But at the same time I thought he was incomparable. In other words, it's hard to define Cage's acting as being woefully bad or masterfully brilliant.

Unfortunately this isn't sufficient enough to assess "Arsenal" as an excellent film. The story on its own isn't really brilliant or innovative. To be honest it's mostly boring and meaningless. The main characters who actually carry the entire film, with Cage in the background acting as an accessory to flare up the tension with bloody and highly aggressive scenes in slow motion, are JP (Adrian Grenier) and Mikey (Johnathon Schaech). The beginning shows how the two experienced their childhood. A not so rosy picture of two future-less teenagers who spend their time hanging around in an arcade, because it isn't so pleasant to be at home. One day Mikey comes home and makes a shocking discovery. That's a crucial moment. From there on their path go into opposite directions. As you can witness when they are adults. JP is the person who walked the honest path. He's the owner of a successful construction company. Mikey on the other hand, has chosen the side of Eddie King and ends up as a small-time gangster. After being robbed and losing a package of valuable drugs and not being able to pay of the money he owns Eddie, the latter has this masterful plan to arrange the matter. Now the truly honest brother must pull out all the stops to save Mikey. And that's what this movie is all about.

The whole movie revolves around the loyalty between the two brothers. Even if Mikey is a loser whose life is a concatenation of making wrong decisions and crime, yet JP remains faithful to him and he does his utmost to free him. And this with the help of Sal, a sort of undercover agent played by John Cusack who's wearing a  bandana and holding an e-cig. The only purpose he has is to provide JP the necessary clues so he can track down those who are responsible. Trust me, it sounds more fascinating than it looks. The initiative to fill the film with bloody, raw violent scenes with lot of blood flowing freely out of inflicted injuries from the victims, won't ensure that "Arsenal" rises to an acceptable level. And may I also inform the sports fans for a moment? There's a lot of kicking around, but the film has nothing to do with the famous soccer team.

Ultimately, "Arsenal" didn't become the thriller it intended to be. The story was too simplistic, the violence too excessive and the characters too one-sided and uninspired. Strange but true, the only bright spot in this film is the exorbitant and crazy role played by Cage. Normally, the failure of a film is mostly due to the failure of Cage's contribution. "Arsenal" is in my opinion a low-budget movie with kinda sounding names participating in it. Yet another proof that this isn't a guarantee to get an excellent end result. Finally, the most striking fact I saw in this film. Despite 23 years passed and the two brothers grew into adult men with graying hair and beard, Eddie King still had the same appearance. Apparently sniffing hallucinogenic drugs has a preservative effect.

My rating 4/10 Links : IMDB

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