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a-chuffed-floating-panda · 2 days ago

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A love in the eye of the hurricane ch50

(Originally posted 15 June 2023. Slightly better edited version)

… Jamyang winced in discomfort as Gawa put the last needle into her leg. “And there, finished.” She got up and turned to her. “No major discomfort, right?”

Jamyang shook her head. “No, just the usual.” She said. Acupuncture had become a norm after training. Some of the nerves in her legs weren’t fond of the hard training she’d started. “When did you learn that, anyway? I wasn’t aware that you knew how to do it.”

“Oh,” Gawa sat down at her bedside. Jamyang scooted over to make extra room for her. “Healing is mandatory to learn and within that subject you choose something to immerse yourself in. I chose acupuncture because needles are interesting,” ‘of course,’ Jamyang smiled. “And I’d found old texts and engraved stones while exploring the caves from the healers of old.” She said, “And you haven’t injured yourself to the point where you needed acupuncture but anyway-They used these techniques that I still haven’t figured out that apparently sped up and like, prepped the nerves and chi paths for strenuous activity. The old warriors would go to the healers for acupuncture before battle.”

Interesting. She’d never heard about that before.

“What would they do?” She sat up. “You can try it on me.” Gawa looked reluctant, but eventually moved down, so she sat beside her legs. She hovered her hands over her legs. “They would sync their chi’s together,” Jamyang felt Gawa’s warm familiar chi enter her system and then something just…clicked. It’s a weird feeling. She couldn’t explain it.

They looked at each other, Gawa with surprise and Jamyang with curiosity.

“You felt that, right?”

Jamyang nodded. “I did.”

Gawa looked back to her legs, “then they’d do this,” and started moving her hands in circles. It’s… warm. Tingly. Again, an odd feeling she couldn’t explain. The ache in her legs melted away. She felt small sparks come through the needles, the nerves in her legs twitched in response.

“Is it painful?”

“No, it’s okay. I can’t really explain the sensation, but it’s okay.” She answered. Gawa let a tiny smile slip as she worked. “I’ve never actually gotten results when I’ve tried this.”

“No?”

“No,” Gawa shook her head. “I guess it has something to do with that thing that happened earlier.”

“Maybe.” Okay, now it was getting really hot and the nerves in her legs twitched harder. Uncomfortable, but durable.

Tiny blue sparks left Gawa’s fingers as they circled above her legs. That had them both for a pause. “What was that?”

“I-I don’t know. It’s never happened before.” She retracted her hands and looked at her. “You’re okay, right?”

“I’m fine.” And that’s her being honest. “The twitches are uncomfortable, other than that it’s just really hot-,”

“Sister Jamyang! I found a baby- oh,” Tashi stopped in the entryway, holding hands with a baby girl that Jamyang was sure hadn’t lived for a year yet. “Is it boar-q-pine legs today?” Tashi and the baby girl approached the bedside. Quite a feat. The baby girl wasn’t leaning much into Tashi as she walked. Good balance.

“Today and tomorrow.” Gawa answered. “The nerves in her legs are angry at the training she’s doing.” Tashi and the baby girl frowned hard at her legs, challenging them to cause her more pain.

“You found a baby?” Jamyang decided to redirect the conversation back to the important matter. Tashi blinked and then nudged lightly at the ‘baby.’ “Oh yeah, this is Gya’chen.” And now it was their turn to blink. What? “Gyaltsen?” Gyaltsen(?) seemed to respond to the name, turning to her and blinking expectantly. Such a serious-looking baby.

Oh Chenrezig, her look gave Jamyang flashbacks of her younger self…

… Gawa laid her ear against her stomach after the children left with Gyaltsen’s caretaker when they came looking for her.

She spooned her fingers across her scalp and into her hair. “What is it?”

“Is it here yet?” Her fingers faltered at the implication.

“… no, not yet.” She answered. “I’m still unsure about how to go about getting something in there, anyway.”

“Be upfront and ask someone is always a way, but you don’t have to do that now, though.” She said, “you have training to complete and we’re still young. I’m just practising.” ‘Practise,’ also involved Jamyang’s mind wandering to what the result of said ‘practise’ would look like.

“Get on the bed, then. You’re going to have a bad neck in the morning if you’re going to continue sitting like that- and before you start, yes. My melted butter legs can take it.” Gawa got up and laid between her legs, laying her ear against her stomach.

Jamyang thought about it often. Did Gawa think about it as well?

“What do you think our family would look like?”

Jamyang completed the training at twenty one, within two years and with a month and a half to spare. Pema and the two elders who’d been teaching her these past two years tried to throw the oddest of curveballs at her.

A volley of shuriken came flying at her in the hallway once. Coincidental tripwire traps set up in the rooms she was walking to. A date and playtime with Tashi got interrupted by ‘suspicious looking individuals’ who were too close to comfort for her to ignore. Oh, and there were the suspiciously coincidental and controlled explosions that were set off whenever she was deep in a book or around the children she’d befriended through Tashi and Gyaltsen. (Who, for all her quiet seriousness as a toddler, was friends with everyone.)

Totally not trying to see how she’d react in those situations. Uh-huh, totally not. Jamyang rolled her eyes, picked Gyaltsen up and nudged Tashi behind her legs before continuing on with whatever she was doing.

What was so bad about finishing a month early? Gawa wrote about celebrating, but wasn't sure if it would work out with all that's happening.. “Why they do that?” Gyaltsen shifted in her grip toward her, blinking curiously. “It’s for a test, I think.” It was the only conclusion she could come up with. “Oh,” Gyaltsen shifted back around and put her arms around her shoulders. “Okay.”

They might be related. Gyaltsen was too similar to her for Jamyang to just discard the idea. She knew of distant cousins at the Western and Southern temple, and Gawa mentioned how she and Gyaltsen’s ama looked alike.

She needed to ask ama when she got here.

“Is Sister Gawa going to be here soon?” Tashi asked with a pull on her robe. “She is,” Gawa also mentioned bringing surprise guests outside of Yara. “I thought of going to greet her. Do you want to come with me?” She should be here soon, anyway. Spending time with the kids before wouldn’t hurt.

Tashi wrinkled her nose at her. “You’re going to be all gross, aren’t you?” Jamyang rolled her eyes fondly. “I’m just showing affection.”

“I know, but I still don’t get it.”

“You’ll get it when you’re older,” she patted her head and then realised- “Or maybe you’ll get it with certain people or not at all. People have different attractions.”

Tashi frowned and her brows furrowed in a way Jamyang recognised she got her thinking hard. “No one finds it out right away. If it’s any comfort, I still don’t know.” Tashi didn’t answer her outside of a questioning look, but she joined her to the bison stables to the east outside of Kushidera’s temple walls.

And Gawa was already there, grabbing her bags out of Asahi’s saddle. Huh, there were three more bison there than she anticipated.

“Here, Sister Gawa,” that was Dorje. “I’ve got your bag.”

“Oh, thank you, Dorje.” Jamyang saw his beam all the way from where she was. Other figures emerged from Asahi’s saddle. One of them being a familiar tall muscley figure that Jamyang often found her eyes drifting to whenever he was around. It was stupid of her to expect Dorje to come without Chigen.

Was her neck getting warmer?

Gyaltsen shifted in her grip again and frowned at her in her peripheral vision. Then she prodded at her cheek with a pudgy finger. Not that she minded the pokes, they didn’t hurt, but- “what are you doing?” The question stopped the prodding. “You’re weird now.”

Were her reactions that noticeable now? Elaborating on her current feelings to a toddler wouldn’t be smart. She’d caught Gyaltsen falling down the same lop-eared rabbit holes she did when she was younger, when her caretakers skirted around a topic. She could hold out on that a little longer.

“I guess so.” Being weird was okay, now at least. She stood there a little longer, watching other figures emerge from the three other bison, until Gawa turned and noticed her watching.

The bags hit the ground and Jamyang stumbled back, her arms full with Gawa and a slightly annoyed toddler, whose mood brightened when Gawa moved her arms so that she wasn’t squishing her.

“Hey,” Gawa pulled her down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then, she turned to Gyaltsen and kissed her forehead too.

Gyaltsen blushed, put her hands on her forehead and grinned. Jamyang remembered having the exact same reaction once, and it had sent the nuns into fits of giggles.

“I didn’t expect the three other bison.” She said, and Gawa nudged her with her fist. “I said we were going to celebrate.”

“I know, but I didn’t expect for it to be this many.” She didn’t. Honestly. Gawa looked unimpressed. “Many? This is the normal- eh, maybe a little under the normal amount for celebrations. When they join the others, it will be normal, just like the celebrations back home.” Tashi ran past her legs, screeching as she threw her hands around someone her height- was that who she thought it was?- and sent them tumbling to the ground.

“Chesa!”

“Tashi!” Sister Tsewang stood a ways behind them awkwardly, with a bag slung over her shoulder and a smaller one clutched in her hand, unsure of what to do with herself.

It surprised Jamyang she even came. Monk Jinpa and Monk Mangal weren’t too far behind her. Gaden and Tenzin appeared from behind their legs and raced toward Tashi and Chesa and threw themselves at them. They’re a laughing dog-goat pile, with no intention of moving at the moment.

“I’m surprised you got them to come.” This time, Gawa moved close to her, put her hand on her waist and stood on her toes to kiss the corner of her mouth. “There are always exceptions when it comes to celebrating. Always.”

Jamyang had never been one to celebrate like they did at Taktsang or the other temples. She preferred the more quiet affairs- that could be debated- that she grew up with. Large, everyone knew, but they weren’t loud.

Sometimes being loud was a good thing- bragging, being proud of having accomplished something- despite how much it went against her nature.

The assassins- no, more like Pema and two other elder teachers, presented her with a ‘modernised’ version of the hidden blades Gawa had made for her; the design was close to eight hundred years old, from Grandmaster Apang of Karchu’s era or in Jamyang’s history knowledge, somewhere in Avatar Imaq’s era, not the past waterbender avatar, but the one before that, eight or nine avatars ago.

And along with that, they’d gifted her a long hooded gray robe, similar to the one Pema wore, but slightly different. It fit perfectly. Jamyang grinned down at herself when she got the robe on.

A familiar pair of footsteps approached her. “I got you something too,” Gawa expressed her love through gifts she noticed, and she handed her what evidently was a sword wrapped in white cloth. She looked at her and Gawa stared back expectantly.

Jamyang slowly unwrapped the cloth to find a shiny black jian sheathe, covered in air swirls and lightning patterns. The handle was golden like a druk’s scales. Looking closer at the handle, she saw a small carving of a sky bison. She was hesitant to unsheathe it because of how expensive this must have been.

“Gawa,” she said, her voice lost within a gasp. “This must’ve cost a fortune.”

“Go on,” Gawa said, not answering her. “Unsheathe it.” She was almost bouncing on her feet. Jamyang could tell she was holding something back.

She eyed her for a second before picking up the sheathe, grabbing the handle and pulling-

Distantly, she felt her mouth drop. A shiny gray blade, engraved with- wait, those were-

“Yes, those are the Druk and Kyo murals I mentioned in the letters as I explored the sanctuary.” Gawa had her hands behind her back. “Do you like it?”

Jamyang was careful when she put the jian back into the sheathe. She was even more careful when she put it into her waist sash before she picked her up and peppered her face in kisses. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou-,” Gawa wrapped her arms around her shoulder as she twirled her around, laughing.

Jamyang put her down on her feet, put her hands under her jaw and swept her up into a long kiss. “Thank you.” She said against her lips, leaning her forehead against hers. Gawa smiled and grabbed her waist. “Of course, anything for you.” She smiled, the words bringing about a new gooey warmth in her chest. It must’ve cost a fortune, Jamyang began thinking of something to give her back. Could any gifts of hers reach such a level of intricacy?

She brushed her thumb pads against her freckled cheeks, breathing her. “I love you.” Gawa’s hands and covered hers, holding them there. She’s so warm. “I love you too.”

Before Jamyang could carry her off and do anything her imagination desired, Yara broke them up with a light shove and threw her arms around their shoulders. “Hiya, lovebirds!” She grinned. “You’re all adorable and I’m sure it’s giving others cavities like it is me, but remember the children!” Jamyang flushed at her suggestive tone and brow wiggle.

“I know you.” She said, her eyes twinkling. “Twin energy and all. But we’re celebrating you today. Come dance!”

Even as they danced, ate the delicious food, the kind nuns and monks in the kitchen prepared for the celebration. Her eyes continued to subconsciously drift over to Chigen, who had a grinning Dorje on his shoulders as twirled and swayed to the music.

“Rain, rain from the blue sky, rain, rain from the blue sky-,” Dorje laughed and sang along with him, swaying his arms in the air.

Gawa looked at her with that look in the corner of her eye. She was already way a head of her in understanding her feelings for him, wasn’t she? They conveniently swayed away from the crowd of people to the beat of the taiko drum. Jamyang grabbed a skewer of grilled komodo chicken on the way there.

She ate meat, but never went out of her way to consume it unless she had to. Jamyang wondered if her taste of meat- she ate it regularly here- would be questioned when she got back home.

Gawa leaned against her and wrapped her arms around her waist, and Jamyang wrapped an arm around her shoulder. It’s a nice moment, save for her biting and chewing her food. It was delicious though. They’d had many nice moments like this before, they could spare a few for delicious food.

And then came the question. “Do you like him?” Did she? Jamyang had visited Dorje at Karbandi during the break months and she’d come to know Chigen well. He’d woven a flower crown for her during her last visit and placed it on her head with a soft smile. They were newly bloomed flowers, according to him. Jamyang remembered the odd warming feeling she’d gotten.

Gawa stole her skewer sometime during her musings. “I’m- well I do like him, just not,” by the spirits, this was difficult. She frowned as she tried to word herself correctly. “Just not like this? I’m not sure. It’s lust at most, I think.” She said. “I mean, have you seen his muscles?”

Gawa chuckled and glanced over her shoulder. “He isn’t bad looking.” She looked back at her. “Have you thought about asking him?” Have you thought of asking him to be the father of your child?

Jamyang had. She definitely had.

“I have.” She admitted after a minute of silence. “Many times.” Although, she didn’t really know how to go about it when it came to men, though. From what Jamyang had read, testing the line of platonic friendship seemed to work, but from the other relationships between nuns she’d seen back home, simply asking worked just fine. The monks always looked happy to provide a child for a couple.

The idea of asking him now made her nervous. “You don’t have to do it now.” Gawa hugged her. A part of Jamyang’s mind wondered where the skewer of komodo chicken went. She wasn’t joking about how delicious it was, but she found the act of nosing at her hair just fine.

“Do so when you feel ready.”

When they were twenty and twenty three- well, the day before her birthday so still twenty two- Jamyang found out she was pregnant a month after coming back from visiting Dorje and Chigen at Karbandi.

Jamyang had practised the conversation in her head and a light calm settled over her when she pulled him aside to ask him.

“I, um- I want to have a child. And I want it to be with you.”

The request had surprised him, but he didn’t deny it. They’d come to be close friends after he’d taken Dorje into his care. Chigen wanted to have a conversation with both her and Gawa to make sure all of them knew what would happen, their stances, his stance in the child’s life, and where they’d send the child in the circumstance it was a boy.

“I thought of Jiming Linggu and Karbandi. But, as much as I’m not fond of the idea, I’ve also thought of possibly sending him to study at either the Northern or Southern temple.” She knew the monks well, and they knew what she’d do if something happened.

Chigen frowned from across them. “What’s wrong with the Northern and Southern temples?” She and Gawa looked at each other. “The Northern temple is Gelugpa dominated and some of them can be… vocal about their displeasure about the other temples. And there is an… eccentric grand lotus at the Southern temple and I’ve managed to get some of them to dislike me after an incident.”

Gawa chuckled. “You permanently disfigured Michewa and made it look like an accident.” Jamyang huffed. “Well, he deserved it.”

“Why send him there if there’s a possibility of estrangement or retaliation for something?” He asked. She’d thought of that, too. “I’m friends with the kagyupa monks there. Elder Sonam knows them too. They know what would happen if something were to occur.”

Jamyang was half tempted to stay at Taktsang during her pregnancy because some of the older nuns had started to look at her differently ever since she’d come back from her training at Kushi. Not that she didn’t feel safe, but it was… uncomfortable. And the thought of being vulnerable around some of their scrutinising looks made her want to punch them.

Ama convinced her to stay and assured her she and a select hand chosen nuns she trusted would be there to tend to her when the time for labour came.

“I experienced the same thing myself, you know?”

Outside of ama, she told Jaya about it first. Her best friend had shrieked with joy, picked her up and swirled her around before placing her back down and getting down to her knees and hugging her around the waist. Then her friends, having heard the commotion, came to congratulate her.

Jangbu came running and jumped at her, Sonam not that far behind him. “Ani-la!” He exclaimed, grinning. His small hands grabbed at her face. “A baby?” His joy was infectious and Jamyang found herself smiling. “Yes, a baby.”

Because there were people nearby, she used her preferred name to go by. “Jetsun.” Most knew that she called her by her first name, but Jamyang knew boundaries.

“Jamyang.” She said and put her hand on her shoulder, leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Congratulations on the pregnancy. A winter child then?”

She nodded and hugged her, careful not to squish Jangbu in the mix. “Yes, that’s what ama said.”

Tashi came running from her class when she found out about it. Jamyang smiled to herself as she attached her pre-written letters to Ketu and Nagpo and sent them off. If this happened some years into the future, her bedroom door would’ve gotten broken down.

“You’re pregnant?!”

“I am.”

Tashi stared at her with her mouth agape and, in the blink of an eye, was in between her legs with her ear pressed up against her stomach.

“Did you sneak out of Sister Dohna’s class again?”

Tashi pouted and looked up at her with all the seriousness someone at six could muster up. “It’s not like it means anything. You’ve already taught me what she teaches.”

Jamyang grabbed her brush and started brushing the tangles out of her hair. “You should remember to put your hair in braids to spare yourself from some painful brushings.” She knew from experience how painful it could be.

“I was!” she exclaimed. “I was braiding it, but then I heard you being pregnant and that was more important than my hair and the class.” Jamyang chuckled and Tashi winced when she brushed over some difficult tangles.

“Does Sister Gawa know?”

“I just sent a letter. I believe she will be here in a day or two.”

She’s almost correct in her guess. Both Gawa and Chigen came tumbling into her room in the middle of the night before the ‘first day’ even started, sixteen hours after she sent her letter.

Jamyang made room for them both in her bed as they fell over their feet to get to her first.

“You sure got here quickly.”

“I owe Asahi all the best hay and bamboo.” Chigen said. “For getting us here so quick.” She felt Gawa smile into her shoulder. “I think he’ll be asleep for three days, so you have time to prepare.” Surrounded by warmth, Jamyang fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes.

It’s an uneventful nine months. Jamyang had read enough books, so that she could predict, to a degree, what would happen and she took care of what she could to limit the upcoming labor pain. She’s tended to so much to the point where she had to usher them out to have a moment alone.

Tashi snuck out of her classes to listen to the baby, much to Sister Dohna’s dismay. Her other children came bearing gifts when they found out. According to Sister Tsewang, Chesa had gone on a strike to show her displeasure until the other nuns at the temple relented. Monk Mangal and Monk Jinpa said something similar. Gaden and Tenzin had started a maliciously compliant streak and annoyed the elder monks so much until they waved their hands and gave them permission to leave. Dorje joined Chigen whenever he could and sent small gifts to make up for his absence.

They didn’t need the permission to leave. They could’ve just talked to their caretakers about it, but they were ‘proper’ children, as quoted by themselves. Leaving without telling anyone else was rude. Jamyang, as tired and nauseous as she was, beamed with pride when they told her.

It was the second month of the new year when the baby came. She’d seen a spirit of a lōng outside of her window- the long horns and slim body gave her those clues- dancing and spinning around in the air, leaving behind a wobbly shape in the fire that suspiciously looked a lot like a small child.

“Tashi.” She said after she felt a build up of painless pressure disappear, and something wet leak down her legs. “Tashi, go get my ama. You remember her name, right?” She looked up at her with wide eyes. “I-uh, yes I do. I’ll go right now.”

It’s painful, yes, uncomfortable, extremely, but it’s… bearable to put it to words. She wondered how it would’ve been had she not prepared herself.

She still broke Chigen’s hand though, and punched an unsuspecting nun, rendering her unconscious. Probably the only time Jamyang could say she did that outside of battle with purpose.

It’s quiet. No particular cry like she expected. What she heard were soft sounds of slight discomfort and a ‘bah!’. Ama chuckled as she held it. “He’s quiet, just like you.” A boy. Ama grabbed a small towel before she placed him on her chest, covering his back with the towel. “Here, have him like this for a bit. It’s good for the both of you.” Yeah, she’d read about that. Up until the first feeding, then it’s bath time.

Ama and two other nuns left to get her and the two others with her-because they hadn’t eaten since the whole thing started apparently- some food and her other children came filing in. It’s the first time in a while she’d seen them be so quiet. They came up to the sides of her bed. “Is it a brother or a sister?” Was Tashi’s first words and Jamyang almost broke down in tears.

“A brother.” She said after composing herself and stroked his back. He’s so quiet, only squirming a little and weakly grunting. “What’s his name?” Chesa stood on her toes to see and it was in that moment he blearily opened his eyes. They were brown like hers. It’s also at that moment she heard the first sound from both Gawa and Chigen ever since her child was brought into the world.

A soft gasp. Other than that, they’re still quiet.

“I’m so tempted to name him Jamyang or Jamphel because he’s so quiet, but I know so many with that name.” She could literally go into a room at the temple and ask for a ‘Jamyang’ and at least seven heads would turn. If she went to a room filled with monks and asked for either of those two names, twelve heads would turn.

She could go the water route instead. Gyatso. Gyaltso. Paltso. Tsolha. Yutso. Yangtso…. There were more, but those came to mind first.

Yangtso stuck with her, though. A singing ocean. Not exactly a lake like ama’s Yutso, but the water connection was there.

“Yangtso,” she said after a minute. “Norbu Yangtso.” The nuns would give him a third name because of the spiritual activity they picked up on that day, but she had two names, at least. She looked at Gawa and Chigen, who still hadn’t said a word. “What do you think?”

They continued to stare at him with the softest eyes. “It’s perfect.”

In the span of two more years, Jamyang gained herself a tiny shadow. A very loving tiny shadow who would hug the back of her legs and stand on his toes because he wanted to hold her hand and couldn’t quite reach yet, insisting that she’d stand tall while he reached up.

Yangtso didn’t speak much either, preferring to observe with curious eyes instead, just like she did. He did speak though, when addressed to or simply too curious to keep himself quiet. Some still thought he was born mute. (Then, that happened to her as well. The nuns thought her to be mute for the first two years of her life, regardless of how much Yara said she wasn’t. They thought ama to have been both deaf and mute, but that turned out to be��wrong.)

He insisted on walking by himself when they got off of Uma at a small temple stop on Mt. Agari’s trail up to Taktsang. Uma flew off with a groan and two loving licks to a suzaku’s nest nearby.

“Ama,” he said, looking up at her. “Where are we going?” He grabbed onto her robe to steady himself as they walked up a steep trail. “We’re going to a cliff not that far from here.” When they reached an intercross, she guided them to the one to the right. “It has the view of the entire Paro valley and all the way to Karbandi.” His eyes lit up in familiarity. “Apa!”

“Yes,” he was so adorable. “We’re going to that cliff to meet Gawa.”

“Omma?” He’d taken to the Southern Earth kingdom term easily. Jamyang was ama, Gawa was Omma and Chigen was apa and sometimes ‘Ajusshi’ when he hadn’t tidied himself up in a bit. But he couldn’t pronounce it properly so it was something like ‘Achushi.’

“Yes, we’re going there to meet Omma.” He grinned and looked down, still holding onto her robe as they walked. When they reached grassy fields and forests, Yangtso gasped and waddled ahead of her.

“Ama!” He exclaimed. “Flowers!” And indeed there were flowers. She walked up to him and crouched down beside him in front of some white lotus flowers.

“Those are flowers.” She agreed. “Do you remember what they’re called?”

“Lo’dus. Apa say white lotus.”

“That’s correct.” His beam was adorable. “Do you want to pick them and bring them as a gift to Gawa?” He looked enthusiastic at the idea and with a loud gasp he said.

“Ama good! Good ama! Gift!”

Yangtso was meticulous when it came to any type of flower, pick it the wrong way and he’ll glare at you, pick it the wrong way and he’ll give you a big kiss. She knew what to do and picked the flowers with him.

He waddled up to her, planted a big kiss on her cheek and accepted the flowers she’d picked and made a small, uneven, bouquet.

“Come on,” she urged him on. “It’s not that far from here.” Gawa’s letter had been short. Meet me by the murals by the cliff, take the path to the right and bring Yangtso.

If this was what she thought it was, Jamyang didn’t really understand why she had to bring her son. She’d been in the area before. They’d looked for old murals and treasures together, just not… here. They continued up a hill and squeezed between two boulders. He went through with no problems while she had to take her time being careful to not rip anything.

“Go ama, go!” He cheered from the other side, waving his little bouquet around. That was from Chigen apparently. He was like her as a child, but would cheer anyone on regardless of how mundane the activity might’ve been. Jamyang smiled, said nothing regardless of how tempting it was, shook her head and guided him further ahead.

“It’s only straight forward now.” Yangtso took off running and laughing, Jamyang stayed behind at her pace, amused. That was always such a hit-or-miss sentence. She’d said that sentence before and he had burst into tears, hysterically crying multiple times and other times, like this one, he’d be all smiles and laughs.

Jamyang outgrew her toddler logic years ago. She didn’t understand.

“Omma!” she heard further up ahead. “Omma! I has flower- no, I have flowers. Look!” He was holding his little bouquet out to her when she got there and Gawa, so easily flattered and won over by anything Yangtso did, gasped and held her hands to her chest.

“For me?”

“Yeah!” Gawa smothered him in kisses and hugged him, picking him up and swinging him around; Yangtso’s peals of laughter echoed around them.

“Oh,” Gawa looked sheepish when she saw her there and put Yangtso down and brushed the wrinkles out of her robes. “I didn’t see you.”

“Of course you didn’t.” Yangtso waddled over to a couple of flowers nearby. Jamyang followed him with her eyes. It wasn’t close to the edge at all. Good. He was safe. She understood why he approached them. The flowers were pretty, such a bright colour.

Gawa hugged her with one arm, not wanting to destroy Yangtso’s bouquet. “I’m happy you’re here.” Jamyang pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “I’m always happy to come. Tashi was a little upset that she couldn’t come, but I said I’ll bring her gifts…” she eyed her. “If I think this actually is what it is.” Gawa didn’t answer her at first.

The energy in the air was heavy and loaded, sending tiny jitters across her skin. She had a feeling that someone was watching her and she’d heard laughter and rustling from behind the trees as they walked the trails.

“A love so strong and precious that it blesses whoever walks the path for kalpas to come.” She remembered reading once.

“The spirits of Dorjee and Kunsang live on at the lovers’ pass, and watch each couple come. You’ll know they’re there.” She heard one time during a story circle.

Jamyang’s fumble back when she was eighteen was finally getting officiated now when she was twenty-five.

She turned and looked at the mountainside where an old mural of two very familiar people was. She knew some of the marriage ceremonies around the Druk’s nest stemmed from Dorjee’s and Kunsang’s ceremony. White thread was common, sometimes red too, and was used by a monk or nun to, ceremonially, tie the couple together. According to legend, Dorjee saw two spirits link their tendrils together and the white thread was a substitute for that.

Jamyang glanced to the side. Bundles of white thread laid on top of towers of neatly stacked rocks. Who would be the one to tie them together?

“It is what you think it is.” Gawa said and grabbed a hold of her hand. “I’d like to go through this with you, if that’s okay.” Jamyang fell a little more in love with her when she heard those words. She didn’t know that was possible. She leaned down and kissed her right between her brows.

“Of course.” Jamyang let her forehead test against hers. “I don’t know what to do, though.” She knew that one of them would willingly free fall off the cliff and the other would catch them, but everyone knew that. It was common knowledge. She still didn’t know how Yangtso fit into this, though.

“You have to do very little,” Gawa chuckled and guided her to the cliff edge and motioned for her to sit. “We have to do very little, in fact.” She said as they got down on their knees, facing each other. Gawa fixed the bouquet a little before placing it on another tower of neatly stacked rocks. She grabbed her hands and looked at her with an exasperation Jamyang was familiar with. “Hush, I can hear your thoughts. Trust me, I asked you to bring him here for a reason.”

Right after those words, she heard Yangtso giggle from the batch of flowers he was admiring. She glanced at him to see him laughing together with the grayish silhouette of a monk. A handful of flowers levitated in the air beside him, carefully woven into a flower crown by invisible hands and placed on top of his head.

Yangtso grinned into the open space beside him. “Tuk-je che!” That spirit didn’t want to be seen… how many other spirits in the area didn’t want to be seen? Why didn’t she think of that? It was embarrassing how easily she didn’t think of it. It was the first things she learned as a spirit guide. Was the heavy energy just spirits not wanting to be seen, watching as they entered the area?

Gawa smiled, the mischief sparkling in her eyes. “Just wait,” she whispered, “just wait.”

Well, she didn’t have much of a choice now, did she? Jamyang brushed her thumbs over her knuckles as she waited, trying to count each freckle on Gawa’s face. She came to about forty or so when it became a bit too much as her heartbeat quickened and she had to look away.

“What?”

“It’s nothing,” she said. “you’re just very beautiful up close. I can only do a little at a time unless it’s under certain circumstances.” Jamyang wrote a poem about Gawa once, when she had a bottle of chang and the night to herself one time.

She’d never been able to relate to the people in novels doing that up until that point.

Gawa laughed, showing off the dimples she adored so much. Could she kiss her? Or would she break the ceremony suspense? What were they waiting on, actually?

“You’re sweet, Jamyang.” She tried her best to be. “I get nervous when I look at you sometimes, too.” It still felt a bit surreal that she had that effect on someone. A shrill laughter caught her attention again.

Yangtso floated in the air when she looked over, laughing and waving his arms. “Again! Again!”

She heard quiet steps behind her and heard robes rustle, then… something light touched her hair. She felt it circle the crown of her head ten times before she felt and saw it move onto Gawa. Soft arrow tattooed hands slowly laid the white thread in circles on top of Gawa’s head.

Jamyang risked a glance up at the person and quickly looked away. That had to be Kunsang’s spirit. Everyone with that name was exceptionally beautiful. The description she heard of Kunsang- long brown hair, a soft porcelain like face, soft gray eyes and a beautiful smile- was accurate. They couldn’t have been more accurate.

Gawa smiled at her and raised a brow, almost as if saying ‘I know.’

Something… changed in the air again while she watched Kunsang’s spirit slowly circle the thread on Gawa’s head. Jamyang couldn’t quite put her hand on it.

At last, with the leftover thread, Kunsang sat down on her knees, grabbed Gawa’s hand and tied one end of the thread to her pinky finger. Then she grabbed Jamyang’s hand and tied the other end to her pinky finger.

“May your love last for eternal life times.” Jamyang smiled so hard her cheeks hurt, and leaned in and kissed Gawa, too happy to wait. She felt her smile against her lips, a hand touched under her jaw. “Now, what?” She said the moment she pulled back.

“Now we wait for the water's blessings and then I’ll fall off the cliff.”

Flicks of water hit the left side of her face. “The secret to any relationship is to have more positives than negatives.” Of course. They rarely fought, but Jamyang made sure to do positive gestures she knew Gawa appreciated whenever they disagreed on something.

A second flick of water hit the left side of her face and robe. “Always listen to them and talk your problems out. Taking time to yourself to calm down is okay, but never avoid it.” Of course. It hadn’t gotten to that yet, but she made sure to always talk, at the appropriate times, when she noticed something wrong.

The third flick of water hit their hands. “When you’re arguing, always drink a cup of ara before you start resolving the problem.” That’s… a uniqueway of doing it. Unorthodox. She’d never gotten that advice before. A fourth flick of water hit their hands again, and the same person spoke again. “When asked for, always buy the cravings they want. Never wait, do it the moment they ask. And always, always straighten your shoulders when training.” That was oddly specific, but okay, she would do that.

“Will you have me go through training forms if I don’t get your cravings immediately?” It didn’t really sound like her, but she wouldn’t discard the advice. “I’m not sure.” Gawa answered, “Maybe when the time comes I feel ready to have a child because hormones are a thing, but other than that I don’t think I would. You’re already good at most forms.”

Jamyang noted it as a possibility in the future.

She waited another minute, but no other water flicks came, nor any relationship advice either. “And now we’ll do the fall?” She asked and Gawa nodded and helped her up. “It’s very simple and straightforward,” she said as they walked to the cliff edge together. Gawa turned to her. “I’ll fall and you have to wait five seconds before jumping after me. Then you have to catch me before I hit the water below.” Right, there were an odd number of lakes in the area.

Gawa grabbed the front of her robe and pulled her down into a quick kiss, rubbed her fingers affectionately against her cheek before taking two steps back and stood on the very edge of the cliff. She looked at her, smiled, closed her eyes and fell backwards.

The five seconds was an agonising wait.

One… two… three… four…five! The thread pulled at her finger and jumped after her. Jamyang watched in awe at how calm Gawa was. How relaxed she was, so sure that she’d reach her in time. Jamyang used her bending to speed up. She’s so close.

She spread her arms, reached out, used her bending to speed up a little more, grabbed around her waist and- splash!

The water was surprisingly cold for the time of the year, but she was with the person she cherished the most in the world. She still had her arm around her waist as they swam up together.

“Spirits! That’s so cold.” She said the moment she broke through the water’s surface and rubbed the water out of her eyes.

“It’s meant to shock.” Gawa said, rubbing her eyes as well.

“I know. I remember you said that, but still.” It was cold. “It’s still cold.” They looked at each other. Jamyang almost used her soaked sleeve to dry Gawa’s face, but remembered where they were and used her hand instead. It didn’t dry, but it got the excessive water droplets away.

Gawa smiled, which then made her smile. Gawa laughed and Jamyang joined in quickly after. The realisation of what had happened and what they just did had sunken in.

“We’re married now, right?” She asked and Gawa nodded, just as happy as her. “We are.”

Quickly approaching footsteps got their attention. “Ama! Ama! Omma!” Yangtso, with a red and white flower crown on top of his head, waddled toward them with his hands full of two beautiful flower crowns. And with a very familiar spirit who’d she’d came to know after her stay at Kushi followed behind him.

Mikoto’s long black hair was in a half up topknot instead of the low ponytails she’d come to associate with her. And instead of the orange two-piece robes, she wore a blue long robe that was tied around the waist with a black belt.

They got out of the water and Yangtso hugged around her legs, but quickly pulled away when he felt the wet robes. He grimaced up at her, upset that her robe was wet.

“Sorry,” she said, and patted his head. “We fell into the lake.” She gestured behind her with a thumb. Yangtso looked at the lake and then back up at her. “Hm, you haveta be careful, ama.” His expression softened, and he gave her a flower crown. “For you.” He said as he accepted them, “me and Miko made them!” He turned to Gawa and gave her the second one. “You too, omma!” Gawa gasped and fawned over the flowers.

“They’re so pretty! Did you choose the flowers?”

“Yeah!” He giggled when Gawa poked his cheek. “And Mikoto help me.”

“Mikoto helped you?”

“Yeah!”

Jamyang watched their interactions fondly and put the flower crown on top of her head before turning to Mikoto, who was already looking at her. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” She honestly didn’t. Jamyang thought she was linked to Elder Sonam, many who’d died the way she did often linked themselves to a person and refused to let go.

“Well, I didn’t either.” She answered and flipped some of her loose hair over her shoulder. “But I simply couldn’t miss this. I had to go all out as well,” she gestured to herself and twirled around. “The occasion called for it. Showing up in my usual robes would be an insult. Normally I would decorate my topknot with a headpiece of some kind, but you know, since I’m dead and all that,” what a flippant humour, must’ve come from Ashina. Elder Sonam mentioned something about rubbing off on her. “I couldn’t, so I hope the ribbon I died with and normally used before that is okay.”

Of course it was. She was silly to think she’d be upset over that. On the rare occasions she wore her hair in a topknot, it was never as neat as Mikoto’s.

“But in all honesty,” Mikoto said and put her hand on her shoulder, expression soft. “Congratulations, I’m happy for you. We all are.” And at that, a dozen more spirits came into sight around them. She recognised Ashina, Jigme, Torma and Gin out of the crowd of people, all in different robes than she was used to. Jamyang didn’t recognise the other people, but she didn’t recognise some of their robes.

Taktsang, Karbandi, Karchu, Wat Phra Singh, Tamshing, and… were those monks and nuns from Kurjey Lhakang? That was to the north of here, near the Yara Lhatse peak, wasn’t it? Brown billowy robes were the only thing she remembered from her trip there.

“Ama,” there was a tug on her robe. “I’m hungry.” Yangtso pouted at her and he back tracked when she made to pick him up. Right, her robes were still sopping wet. Gawa’s too.

Before she could use her bending to dry herself off, a light layer of fire spread across her robes. It didn’t burn, nor did she really notice it at first. The layer of fire spread out in both directions from her torso, down to her legs and up to her arms, evaporating into tiny puffs of smoke when it reached the edges of her robe and leaving her robe dry.

The same happened to Gawa as well. A light layer of fire spread itself across her robes, went up to her arms and down her legs, and evaporated into smoke when it reached the edges of her robe.

It wasn’t the first time it had happened to her, but it appeared to be Gawa’s first time with how startled she got at the sight of the fire.

Mikoto winked at her a ways behind them before she and the crowd of people disappeared the moment she blinked her eyes.

Yangtso looked amazed as he watched the fire. “I see that when I sleep.” He reached out and, before her better judgement, let his fingers lightly graze against a small part of the fire on Gawa’s robe before it evaporated. “Fire warm, but doesn’t hurt.”

Gawa and Jamyang shared a look. Was he having spirit dreams?

Gawa crouched down and picked him up. “Do you see dragons without wings in your dreams, too?” Yangtso let an arm rest behind her head and shook his head. “No, only dancing people or warm fire.”

They started walking. “Why didn’t you tell me you were having dreams like that?” Jamyang asked, and Yangtso looked confused. “Why? Is just fire and dancing.”

Well, he was right, in a sense.

“Fire that doesn’t burn is special, few know of it.” Yangtso blinked. “Dancing people is more common to dream of, but not in connection to warm fire.” Gawa had sent her entire reports describing ritualistic dances with gentle flames and words from the oldest Kyo and ryeong she found residing in the sanctuary. Along with those reports came passages describing how there were people from the tribes they researched who survived, and lived on in the sanctuaries. And along with that, came more passages describing why dual-bending animals or anything connected with an element often reached out in dreams.

A strong connection between spirituality and their element made it easier for whoever they reached out for to listen to what they said. There were one of three reasons. One, he’s a chosen child, like the famous Venerable Dao Guang. Two, he’s chosen as a keeper of their existence and was allowed to know their secrets. Then that animal comes and goes into their dreams as they please; like the lóng who appeared in her dreams, inquiring why she wished to know more about them at the Eastern temple. (That lóng at a later point, also appeared in Gawa’s dreams as well, rarely talking, only showing images of ruins of holy sites that the people from those tribes left behind.) Or three, he’s a descendant of someone who lived with those animals, who’s reaching out because they wish to teach him.

“Oh.”

Gawa nudged him. “Can you tell me about your dreams? I research fire that doesn’t burn. It comes from dragons without wings. And there were some people who lived with those wingless dragons long ago and they would dance as the dragons flew.”

It was as if someone had removed the dam of a river. Yangtso prattled on about quick dances, slow dances that looked-

“-like the trees in the wind!”

- The shadows that danced in fire and the unmoving long shadow behind the dancing shadows with amber eyes that looked happy that he was there. He also spoke very fondly of how a dancing shadow reached a hand out to him and pulled him along to dance.

“Omma, the fire was so pretty.” He said in between a bite of kimbap and wonder in his eyes. “I danced with them and the fire flew across the sky.”

Jamyang understood the look Gawa sent her. ‘Can I take him with me?’ And with all the research they had done, having someone experiencing the dreams they’d read of so closely, she wasn’t against the idea.

They went on a trip to the Earth kingdom three weeks after their ceremony. Yara teased them and urged them to have fun on their honeymoon as she held a sleeping Yangtso in her arms.

It was sort of a honeymoon, but also not. It was all referred to very loosely. Jamyang was just happy to be spending time with Gawa.

“You know,” Gawa started, rolled over and put her chin on her stomach. “I found writings from General Wei in that Kyo sanctuary.”

“Oh?” The name was familiar.

“Like the General Wei? Ancient and tragic general who never appreciated what he had and only wanted more. Declared war against an impossible enemy and fell at sea?” It was familiar. Jamyang recalled reading something about it. “What about it?”

“Writings from someone in the Earth kingdom, much less a general, doesn’t just end up on the islands and hidden in a sanctuary no less.”

“We can visit Ba Sing Se’s university. They have collections open to all if you want to figure out General Wei’s connection to the island and that sanctuary.” Jamyang knew the moment Gawa started thinking of something that didn’t make sense in her eyes, it would be the only thing she thought about for the rest of the day.

Gawa moved, so she laid on top of her and Jamyang rested her hands on her back. Gawa stared at her. “What?”

“Can I give you a new tattoo?” She asked. “I know it’s sudden, but I can’t get this image of a lotus flower out of my head and it would look good right here,” she put her hand over her heart. “Or here.” And her hand moved to the underside of her breasts. “And I need to know.”

Jamyang already had a handful of extra tattoos after her stay at Kushi, but she wasn’t against more. Much less in those locations? She’d heard it was a painful spot, but she couldn’t help being curious.

“As long as I get to tattoo you, too.” She had ideas as well. “We’ll do it tomorrow.” Gawa wiggled happily at her words, dragged herself up, pressed a kiss to her lips before rolling over to her side.

“Good night.”

Jamyang hugged her arm around her and nosed at her hair. “Good night.”

So.

Apparently, getting ink for tattoos in the middle ring was a bit of a luxury. Tattoos weren’t all that common in the middle ring. Some had small designs Jamyang had caught the sight of on the rare occasion a gust of wind flew by.

But the ink and needles themselves were valuable in a small black market connected to medicine and incense. (Apparently, if you boiled it long enough, it created a drug of sorts.)

People in the middle ring were decently well off, give or take some. It varied from household to household. But one thing she didn’t expect was to find themselves cornered and attacked by people who looked like they came from the lower ring.

They came with rope and two benders. Two. They weren’t half bad at that. It would’ve been better if they used another style. But before she said anything, she found herself high in the air with the help of an air spout, ropes around her forearms and torso and four men holding on for dear life.

It was taboo to steal from a monk or nun. They were truly desperate if they resorted to that. She lowered herself to the ground, trying to be mindful of them and not be drastic. They still ended up unconscious somehow when she got her feet on the ground. It didn’t look serious. There weren’t any injuries. Shock was her first guess.

“How come your air spouts are so good?” Gawa said. “Mine are far from as refined and elegant as yours. I’m envious.”

“Oh,” it was a bit of an embarrassing story. Sister Tsering adored it, though. “I saw Sister Tsering do it once when I was little and I was mesmerised.” She still remembered that childish, awestruck feeling now. “And after I saw it, I decided I’d learn it myself.” She said and turned to her. “I was like… five? Yeah, it was in the early summer months. I’d just turned five.”

Gawa watched her, jaw agape. Jamyang saw the amusement dancing in her eyes and continued on before she got teased. (She knew Gawa.)

“I almost fell into the canyon the first time I tried it, so like any resourceful child, I went to the library.” Gawa choked on her laugh and Jamyang bit her teeth together to not smile. Few children were resourceful. She knew that. “I found out that my chi paths weren’t developed enough to attempt something that required such good control of my chi, so I bastardised it.” It wasn’t half bad either. It impressed Sister Tsering when she caught her.

“Instead of doing a cyclone, I would like, create a big circle, almost a square half my size and push myself up.”

“You jumped?”

“No, I’d push myself up with my bending and with the help of the circle. It works.”

Gawa looked sceptical.

“Come, I’ll show you-” a weak groan interrupted her. Right… “let’s get these to a healer first and then I’ll show you.”

She couldn’t just leave them there. That was rude. The healer gave them a bewildered look when she came in, carrying two people over her shoulders. And looked even more bewildered when Gawa came in with two people over her shoulders and two other people under her arms.

Jamyang put a small pouch of coins in, what looked like, the leader’s hand. They would get in trouble if they came back empty-handed, wouldn’t they? It wouldn’t be right for them to go through all that effort and achieve nothing.

She had enough to spare, anyway.

“So you basically made yourself a circle and shot yourself up, then? At five? I wished I’d known you sooner. That sounded cool.” Jamyang had blushed when Gawa leaned up and kissed her cheek after showing her the bastardised version of the air spout.

A group of earth kingdom civilians had looked when they noticed. Jamyang couldn’t tell what their emotions were. Curious? Judgemental? Was the one in the tall hat happy? She didn’t care. Gawa side hugged her afterwards and pulled her in the direction of where they were staying at.

“I want to get started on the tattoo before the day is over.”

“I think I’ll need a little more than one day for my idea, if you have the patience for it.”

Gawa squeezed her hand. “Oh really? I’m curious now.”

Jamyang had dreamt of tracing a druk tattoo that hugged around her rib cage.

And when it came for her to tattoo, she spent almost an hour outlining it by hand with blue paint and she spent another six hours tattooing. It might’ve been a little longer because of the kisses she stole while working, but they were energizing kisses, so it was okay. The skin on her chest stung as she worked so it was deserved.

Gawa was sluggish when she was done, part pain and meditation. But when she saw the tattoo, she had enough energy to hug her and profusely thank her with kisses.

Jamyang chose to forgo wearing her outer robe when they traveled to Ba Sing Se’s university; The extra robes irritated her freshly tattooed skin.

They went in with a group of enthusiasts, from the conversations she heard, and people who’d wanted to study here.

Gawa linked their pinkies together and took a step closer to her. It was tempting to wrap her arm around her, but the Earth kingdom were far from as open minded as they were back home.

They stood out of the group of people with their tattooed foreheads. Jamyang felt their stares against the back of her head and torso. There’s no ill intent. The most she could feel was curiosity. She’d much appreciated it if they just asked their questions instead of staring. If they wanted blessings too, that was fine, if they asked.

Jamyang was helpless the moment she got in and relied on Gawa to pull her where she wanted to go.

“Where are we going?”

“Things about General Wei isn’t that much of a popular study topic. Like he is studied, but it isn’t like Lü bu back home.” They stopped in front of a small section of open scrolls, books and old paintings.

“The paintings look a bit like those back home, no?”

“They do. Isn’t this close to the… Southern style of painting? Doesn’t Gewa paint in this style?” She knew the bare minimum about the painting styles of the other temples outside of what she’d seen displayed while visiting. Gawa giggled as she pulled a notebook out of nowhere and started writing, periodically glancing up at a displayed scroll. “Reminded me to take you on a tour of the other temples.”

“Why?” That was not a whine.

“You know way too little for someone who’s known me for that long, but you’re right.” She said, “It’s the Southern and Western style who look like that. Although this looks like someone on the outskirts made it. It’s rougher around the forms, see?” Gawa gestured to the details around the face and clothes of a painting.

“It’s very like ‘look! Here’s the clothes and face! Look!’ And yes, ama does paint in that style and that’s how she explained it to me.” Gawa sketched something when she looked over. It looked like a…boat?

“That’s an odd boat.”

“I know. It’s a predecessor of the geobukseon. The fire breathing turtle ship that’s being tested in the Ryeong��s cave navy.” Huh. “It’s cool that they thought of it all those thousand years ago.”

A rapid pair of footsteps approached from her left. Jamyang glanced over to see a grinning man coming closer. Was he a student or a professor?

“Tashi delek Sisters!” Even Gawa looked up at that. Few knew that outside of the temples. “That was correct, right? I didn’t accidentally offend you did I?”

“No no, it’s right.” He let out a big sigh of relief and visibly sagged.

Very expressive.

“Oh, goodness I was so worried but anyway- “he clapped his cheeks twice. “You’re interested in my research then?”

“Ah, that’s mostly her.” She gestured to Gawa who rifled through the pages of her notebook, stopping on a page and held it up to sketches of runes. She frowned and tilted her head. Something caught her attention. Jamyang turned back to him. “But I’m not going to lie and say it’s not interesting.”

He grinned again. “That makes me happy. He’s such an interesting figure that many disregard as tragic at first glance and take what’s known about him at face value. But they don’t see all the richness before his fall.” Jamyang glanced over at Gawa again, who’d pulled another notebook out and rifled through the pages.

“Gawa?” She rifled through the entire book and cursed under her breath. “Spirits. That book is back at home.” Gawa angrily flipped over the pages before she turned to them, showing the drawn image of an odd-looking symbol and three lines of ancient runes that she couldn’t read with a translation underneath. A possible translation going by the questionmarks.

‘To want is to have nothing.

It’s lonely to die alone.

The mighty fall in the end, like the dust in the wind??’

“Do you have anything with this symbol on it?” She asked. He grabbed the book out of her hands with a thoughtful frown as he studied the images. “I’ve seen something similar, but they’re not as clear as this.” He looked at Gawa. “What is it?”

“It’s a seal from a well-known navy general back home. Yue Fei.” That’s another familiar name. “The symbol is supposed to be a unity between water and earth. The actual hand seal given to his soldiers had an animal on the back of it.” That seemed to spark something in him.

“Does it look like an odd eel-hound by chance?”

“It does!”

He gave the notebook back. “Follow me, I have something that might interest you.” Gawa grinned and threw her arms around Jamyang in a side hug.

“Thank you for coming with me.”

“Of course,” she wrapped her arm around her and they followed the student? Professor? History enthusiast. “Do you have the connection you were looking for?” Had it not been for the people around, Jamyang would have kissed her when she saw how her eyes lit up.

“Yes- well, I think so at least.” She said. “Most of it is in my other notebooks and scrolls, but the gist of it is that there was this old trading route from Lónggui-,”

“Lónggui?”

“You know, the earth island.” She said with a nudge. “Earth island, water island, air island and fire island. Lónggui, Ryeong caves, Druk’s nest and the red badgermole mountain.”

“But I remember a different name.”

“It has multiple names. Lónggui is the easiest one and most common.”

“Oh, okay.”

“… what was I talking about again?”

“Trading routes and Lónggui.”

“Oh right! There was this trading route from Lónggui all the way to a town in the southern earth kingdom were General Wei was born,” she looked around, “allegedly. A town he was allegedly born in.” Wink. “And Yue Fei sailed on those ships as a child with his father….”

… Multiple tea cups and written scrolls later, Jamyang was close to dozing off. She felt bad. She didn’t understand everything they talked about, but she knew the general gist of it through Gawa’s rambling study trip letters. The topic was interesting and Professor Song was nice. He had a way about him that made you listen.

“You wouldn’t happen to be an archaeologist, would you? Do they do that at the temples? These notes are impeccable.” He looked over at her notes before writing something down in his own scroll.

“I consider myself more of an explorer and history nerd, really.” She said sheepishly. “But I read up on some archaeology to properly examine and dig up a site.” She said, “And to answer your second question, not at the temples you know of, although they study more than enough to qualify. It’s more common where I’m from.”

“Where you’re… from?” He said slowly. Jamyang caught him staring at the both of them through bleary blinks. His eyes narrowed as he looked between them. “Your tattoos are different.” Song said and leaned across the table. “Is that a snake?”

“It-itsa sea serpent.” Jamyang said between a yawn and leaned into Gawa’s shoulder. “They are similar, so I get it.”

“A sea serpent?” He sat back. “Like those statues in front of memorials?” They were in front of memorials in the earth kingdom? Huh.

“Yeah, as in the protectors of sacred places.” She answered. Song folded his arms and tilted his head. “So,” he gestured to his own forehead. “The tattoos are, in a symbolic sense, protecting you?” Literally too, though Jamyang didn’t say that out loud.

The skin where her new tattoos where wouldn’t pierce. Gawa’s collarbone tattoo protected her skin from the shoulders up. It was incredibly hard to pierce, if at all.

“In a sense yeah. They’re painful and one of the longest processes to go through. You get a lot of respect if you have them.”

“Is it like a hierarchy thing?”

“Not necessarily. Some sects do that, but mine doesn’t. You’ll get more respect and maybe a title of guardian, but they don’t treat you differently.”

Song grabbed his cup. “Fascinating…” he made to drink, but stopped abruptly and stared into his cup. He grabbed at the teapot on the table, testing the weight. “Oh,” he got up. “I’ll go make more tea.”

Gawa shifted and moved her so her head was laying in her lap. “Are our conversations boring you?” She brushed some of her hair away from her face.

“No, it’s interesting. I always like hearing you talk about things you’re passionate about and I like those things too, but I’ve had a long day.” She was tired, and she had to interact with too many people. Jamyang was tired. Gawa smiled softly. “You can sleep. I’ll take notes for you to read what we talked about.” She always left tiny encouraging doodles when she did that. Fingers cradled the back of her head, and a kiss landed between her brows, then her nose, and then a short one on her lips.

“I’ll wake you if something happens, okay?”

“Okay.”

She stroked a finger across the bridge of her nose. “I love you.”

“… Love ya too.”

Jamyang tried her best not to fall asleep immediately because it was interesting and she was supportive. Gawa thwarted her attempt when she stroked her hair, when she heard the quiet steps of Professor Song coming back.

Jamyang drifted off to the smell of jasmine tea and mumbled conversations about tattoos, ‘eel-moles,’ and old friendships that were never mended in their lifetime.

She opened her eyes to darkness, and a pair of golden eyes looking at her.

“Little keeper…” they rumbled. A small burst of fire got her a glance at who it was. Long horns. Incredibly long horns. A slimmer face than what she expected. It was the first time a cousin pulled her into this dream realm.

“Yes?”

Amusement danced in the lōng’s eyes, with another burst of fire, longer than the last. She got to look at them longer. They looked familiar. Oddly familiar. Where had she’d seen them?

“I have something that might interest you…”

Notes:

HELLO HAI WHATS GOING ON:) Please refer to the earlier note if you wish to know where I've been:) I know I have to write more to fill in the gaps and I certainly will, but I'll finsh the Tsering centric story, take a break to not burn myself out and then start posting again. The how Jamyang and Aden met story might be posted in that period, fyi. I'm tempted to write something about Professor Song, now too. And something about Yangtso's dreams. I might go and do that as soon as possible. I speed ran edited this because I wanted to get it out, so mistakes will likely be here. This is literally named 'epilogue?' in my google docs because to me, this is a chapter with epilougish tendencies. If anyone has visited my Tumblr, Gyaltsen is mentioned in one of the three early snippets of baby yangchen stories. They're the same. Think like distant cousins or something. For the work as them as adults, it will be a quest to find a lost ruin or something like that. Biggest sanctuary ever? idk. I got inspired while watching expedition unknown at the gym. That's the plan at least. Something like the city of gold or the Inca mummy. Their marriage ceremony is inspired by the traditional thai marriage ceremony. General Wei here comes from the Avatar generation game. He's regarded as ancient by that time, so I ran with it. SO many ideas came to in my head when I saw his tomb. SO MANY POSSIBILITIES. Lōng and Lóng, different entities. Think of them like cousins or siblings. I am always on Tumblr if anyone wants to reach me!:) Words: Ryeong: Korean water dragon Kyo: Korean earth dragon Chenrezig: compassion bodhissattva Kalpa: eons in buddhism terms Omma: korean for mother Ajusshi: korean for old man Tukje-che: thank you in tibetan I think those are the words, I need to get my lenses off have a good night

#a love in the eye of the hurricane #aliteoth original chapters #oc fanfiction #atla oc fanfiction #oc centric #airbenders & airbending #pre Yangchen era #stories from people at ordinary temples #stories from people at ordinary temples series #ao3fic #unedited fic chapter

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quazartranslates · 4 years ago

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Welcome to the Nightmare Game II - CH50

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

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Chapter 50: Purgatory Reunion (II) {cw: misgendering}

Qi Leren slept for eight hours, and when he was woken up by the alarm clock, he roughly pressed it off, wishing to close his eyes and fall back into the darkness of sleep.

His head was still aching, and the blood vessels near his temples were throbbing, making Qi Leren wonder if they were going to burst open. As well, his body felt uncomfortable. It was like he had been curled up in a narrow box all night, and none of his parts were intact.

This shouldn't be. When he was training with Chen Baiqi before, he’d woken up alive and kicking. Why was he so tired this time?

Away from the borders of the Village of Dusk, the outside world changed between day and night. Now it was morning, and warm sunlight shone through the window pane. Qi Leren sat up and stretched, and his bones made a frightening crack sound, startling him.

"You up? Come and have breakfast, then," the Illusionist said with a dull tone from behind the curtain.

Qi Leren got up and took two pieces of bread coated with jam from the Illusionist: "How long before we can get to the Underground Ant City?"

"Landing in three hours, then walking into the Dragon Ant Queen’s sphere of influence. If it goes well, it will take two days," said the Illusionist lazily.

"It’ll take that long?" Qi Leren was in a hurry. Today was the 25th day since completing the Holy City task. In the game, Ning Zhou had been on the 29th day when...

Even if they crossed the desert smoothly, that would leave him with only two days!

In the huge Underground Ant City, amidst the vast crowd of people, this was too little time.

Fortunately... Fortunately, he wasn’t without any leads.

Qi Leren recalled the information gathered from the game and his dream. He knew where the flowing red magma was. It was a lake of fire in the depths of Purgatory. Legend had it that it was a projection in the human world of Hell’s own lake of fire. On the last day of Ning Zhou's life, he would be there...

Qi Leren couldn't think. When he thought about Ning Zhou, his mind would become blank from the uncontrollable fear. He didn't dare to think about what kind of mood Ning Zhou was in as he was gradually awakening to his demonic power. He didn’t dare to think about how whose death had led to this. He didn’t dare to think about whether he was full of disappointment and despondency with the world at the last moment of his life, and whether he... whether he remembered his dead lover?

Qi Leren tried to find a reason for why Ning Zhou still lingered in this world. He had suffered too much in his life: his only relative had died long ago, and his lover whom he had not yet had time to confess to was buried in the Holy City. His holy land had exiled him and no longer recognized his piety, and even his last faith could not be preserved—he became the devil he hated most.

Perhaps for the present Ning Zhou, death was a relief.

"Hey," the Illusionist suddenly called.

Qi Leren turned to look at him: "What is it?"

The Illusionist looked at him with a strange and slightly disgusted expression: "Your expression just now… I really can't stand it."

Saying this, he exaggeratedly rubbed his arms.

Qi Leren: ???

"I think being in love is too hard for you. It's better to be single than to chase after your husband to Purgatory." The Illusionist, dressed as a professional woman, pushed the women's glasses up the bridge of his nose as he spoke.

"It's good to be single, but what's the difference between being single and being widowed?" Qi Leren said. In the days before he’d met Ning Zhou, he had lived very well. If he hadn't met Ning Zhou, this kind of life could be regarded as happiness. But after meeting Ning Zhou, he missed him, and he couldn't let go for the rest of his life.

The Illusionist felt that he had been gloated to.

Qi Leren couldn't feel the Illusionist’s resentment. He continued to flip through the information about the Underground Ant City. When he saw something he questioned, he asked, "’The Dragon Ant Queen’s field.’ Is the Underground Ant City also a field?"

"Oh, yes, it's the same as the Village of Dusk... You don't know, do you?" The Illusionist gave him a disdainful oblique look.

In fact, Qi Leren, who had only learned about this during the last copy, could avoid making a fool of himself. He calmly asked, "I know, but why are the Village of Dusk and the Village of Dawn so similar? Is it because the original force of these two fields are both time?"

The Illusionist changed his expression and asked angrily, "You know too much. Who told you that? Chen Baiqi? She shouldn’t know this information."

"It wasn’t her." Qi Leren knew that Chen Baiqi didn't have this information. When she had learned that Su He came from the Village of Dawn, she’d respected him.

"Don't ask, this isn’t something you should know," the Illusionist said, glancing at him.

Qi Leren still has a lot of questions, but the Illusionist stated that he wouldn’t reveal any information to him, so he had to forget about it. The two people then talked about some things about the Underground Ant City: there was the Dragon Ant Queen's sphere of influence—although it was also a field, it was not a normal field. The dragon ant queen was not an individual person, but a name passed down from generation to generation.

Every Dragon Ant Queen would choose her successor after she grew old, and pass on the Underground Ant City’s field to the next one through a special means. This inherited field was different from other fields, and had natural defects inside it.

In the ancient legend, the original Underground Ant City was created by a group of queens who had led their people. In the giant cave deep within the Sea of Tranquility desert, there was a natural gap between the two worlds, which connected the underworld and the human world. However, the seal was still firm at that time, and most demons could not pass through this gap. Only the dragon ants gnawed through the gap with their own talents and were able to move between the two worlds.

The demon queens, who had been excluded by the underworld, were very satisfied with this underground cave which had accumulated water for millions of years. They led their people to settle here and decided to create the glory of dragon ants here.

The initial establishment was very difficult, but they soon gained a firm foothold. Once the external crisis was lifted, the queens began to fight cruelly for power. Finally, a powerful queen killed her competitors and became the Dragon Ant Queen.

After the first Dragon Ant Queen ascended to the throne, she led the dragon ant demons to expand wildly, and brought the Sea of Tranquility desert’s parish under the demons’ rule. This move angered the Holy See, which surrounded this group of unscrupulous demons. Finally, the Dragon Ant Queen decided to retreat back to the underground of the Sea of Tranquility desert—a huge underground cave with an underground network extending in all directions, just like ants' nests.

The wonderful thing was that the entrance to this nest was narrow and led straight down. The army couldn't enter here without having to parachute down at the mouth of the cave. This terrain blocked the Holy See and allowed this group of demons to thrive in this area.

After weighing the losses, the Holy See decided to give up the encirclement and suppression, and the two sides signed a peace treaty. The Dragon Ant Queen promised not to slaughter human beings, and to never leave the Underground Ant City’s sphere of influence, and ensured that all intelligent life such as human beings and demons would be treated equally in the Underground Ant City.

So this time, the small-scale conflict subsided. Before the death of the first Dragon Ant Queen, she passed on her field to her successor in a way that has not yet been declassified. Since then, the Dragon Ant Queens had passed on this ancient field in the same way. Until 22 years ago—when the first war of demons invading the human world had broken out, and the Destroyer led the demon army to break through the gap between the two worlds and come to the peaceful and rich human world...

"The Dragon Ant Queen is still alive?" Qi Leren asked, looking through the information.

"Yeah, but she's almost dead," the Illusionist said.

"Generally speaking, the Dragon Ant Queen represents the neutral force among demons, which is determined by her original force... But the Dragon Ant Queen has an obvious tendentiousness..." Qi Leren said. His eyes fell on a certain line of words in the data, and she looked at it for a long time.

"She’s a follower of the Lord of Destruction, but her own strength is contradictory to him. We also don’t know why she would follow a Devil King who was contrary to her own original force. Maybe the new Dragon Ant Queen will change her allegiance. After all, 'power' is the most worthy for 'order' to follow," said the Illusionist.

It was no secret that the Dragon Ant Queen’s original force was quite neutral, and could even be assumed to be on the side of the holy camp, because she represented "order".

However, even though this demon’s original force was order, she had followed the Destroyer without hesitation more than 20 years ago.

Qi Leren still knew little about "original force". Before he left, Chen Baiqi had given him an urgent remedial lesson, but couldn’t say too much because of the limited time. He only knew that the precondition for field condensation was to condense a half field, and before half field condensation, he had to find his own original force first.

Qi Leren was very lucky. Although he had had a narrow escape… No, he really had died once, but at the moment before his death, he had found his original force and received the law’s reward, which pulled him back from the edge of death.

This power was called "rebirth".

Thinking carefully, he had actually been reborn countless times. Every time he saved and loaded S/L Data, he was reborn. Otherwise, how could he explain the countless tombstones on the Undead Island? Those tombstones were born perhaps because every time, he really was "dead", but he was born again and returned to the moment he had saved.

In this regard, Chen Baiqi said to him: "The door to the new world has been opened to you. Take a peek at the magic of the other side from the gap. It’s great luck to see the wonder of that realm with your own eyes, because most people are too weak to push this unique door open."

Qi Leren could read a kind of faint loss and melancholy from her face. He couldn't help but wonder about Chen Baiqi's experience of condensing a half field only to break it. When she stepped up that step, how high-spirited was she? How painful had it been when she fell down? And Ning Zhou... His half field was also broken.

Was it different? Once upon a time, Qi Leren hadn't even thought about it.

He had always felt that he was a very ordinary person, with the advantages and disadvantages of ordinary people, and that human weakness and compromise are equally indispensable to him. He didn't have much initiative, and he didn't want to make a huge leap, but just wanted to live his life in an ordinary way.

If he had stayed in the real world, maybe this ordinary and mediocre ideal could be realized, but here…

It was doomed to be impossible.

"What if… What if I say I want to push this door open?" Qi Leren had suddenly asked.

Chen Baiqi paused for a cigarette, and the flame of the match shone a little light in her hand blocking the wind, which lit up her slender eyebrows. As if she had seen him for the first time, this woman carefully examined his expression. Qi Leren looked at her without shying away, eager to get an answer from her mouth.

"Oh, why?" Chen Baiqi asked.

Qi Leren laughed, firm, but shy, and his earnest eyes seemed to shine.

"Because I want to protect him."

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wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

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Stark Spangled Banner

Ch50- I Got My Second Chance Right Here

Intro: After talking with Scott, Steve and Katie find themselves facing the possibility that there may be a way to undo Thanos’ actions and bring everyone they lost back. Only Tony isn’t on board with the idea and once more Katie finds herself in the middle of the two most important men in her life...

Warnings: Bad Language words

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

A/N: As always, huge shout out to my reposting partner- @angrybirdcr

Chapter 49

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

“Man am I glad to see you.” Scott clasped Steve’s hand in his as soon as the gate was open, pumping it up and down furiously.

“We thought you’d been snapped.” Steve took a deep breath, frowning as he looked the man up and down. “You are really here right? This isn’t’ some kind of weird mind trick or…” “Yeah, I am now. I mean, not that I wasn’t, but well, no I kinda wasn’t.” Scott took a deep breath. “It’s really hard to explain but…”

“Well we got time to listen.” Steve smiled, reassuringly “Come on.”

Scott nodded, fired up his van and drove through the gates whilst Steve locked them again, before he climbed in his car, spun it round and drove, Scott following, round to the parking area. Steve led Scott through the facility and into the room they had been sat in where Katie was settling Jamie on the sofa at the other end of the room.

“You stay here, okay?” Katie smoothed Jamie’s hair softly with her hand. He nodded and pulled on his headphones, tablet clamped in his hand as he began to watch Dumbo for what must have been the nine-hundredth time. Casting one more look at him over her shoulder, Katie walked over to where Steve and Natasha were stood, watching a very distressed Scott pacing in front of them, mumbling to himself.

Steve and Natasha shared a look, before Steve looked to his wife and she nodded her head in Scott’s direction, encouraging him to open the dialogue.

“Scott?” Steve spoke.“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine” Scott said in a tone that indicated he was anything but. He opened his mouth to speak but shut it again, before he pressed his fingers into his eye sockets clearly struggling with what it was he needed to say. Eventually he took a deep breath and looked around the room. "Have you ever studied quantum physics?”

Katie shook her head, as did Steve.

"Only to make conversation,” Natasha shrugged.

Scott pointed to Natasha. “Alright, so, five years ago, right before…Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she’s my… she was my…” He took a deep breath, struggling to quell the emotion that was brewing in his voice. “And then Thanos happened, and I got stuck in there.”

“I’m sorry.” Katie shook her head, sympathetically. “That must have been a very long five years

"Yeah, but that’s just it. It wasn’t. For me it was five hours.”

Steve frowned.

“See, the rules of the Quantum Realm aren’t like they are up here. Everything’s unpredictable.” Scott continued as Steve looked from Katie to Natasha, both of them wearing expressions which were a cross between curiosity and contemplation.

“Is that anybody’s sandwich?” Scott asked, pointing at the plate on the table “I’m starving.” As he strode over to pick up the remainder of Nat’s peanut butter sandwich, Steve shook his head slightly, still not understanding what this had to do with anything.

"Scott, what are you talking about?” he asked, prompting him to get back on track.

“What I’m saying is, time works differently in the Quantum Realm.” Scott spoke trough a mouthful of peanut butter and bread before he hastily swallowed “The only problem is right now, we don’t have a way to navigate it. But what if we did?”

He began to pace again and Katie cocked her head to the side slightly, watching him as he gestured wildly with the hand holding the peanut butter sandwich.

“I can’t stop thinking about it. What if we could somehow control the chaos, and we could navigate it? What if there was a way that we could enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time but then exit at another point in time? Like…” He paused taking a breath as he looked at the 3 faces in front of him. “Like before Thanos.”

"Wait.” Katie held up a hand to stop him, her voice laced with scepticism. “Are you talking about a time machine?”

“No. No of course not. No, not a time machine, it’s more like a…” Scott trailed off and looked down before he shrugged. “Yeah like a time machine.”

Steve took a deep breath and shared a glance with Katie, both of them raising an eyebrow. Steve let out a small sigh as he had been hoping Scott had something that they could actually use.

“I know, it’s crazy, but I can’t stop thinking about it. There’s gotta be some way. There’s got to be some-” Scott looked at Steve’s face and sighed. “It’s crazy..I know, yeah…”

"Scott,” Natasha cut him off, “I get emails from a raccoon. Nothing sounds crazy anymore.”

Steve looked at her and had to concede maybe she had a point. The things they had seen over the past eleven years, none of it he would have ever believed possible. So who was to say this wasn’t? But time travel? Really? Was he stood there, actually thinking it could be a possibility?

“So who do we talk to about this?” Scott asked, looking between the three people stood in front of him.

Natasha looked at Katie meaningfully and she shook her head, instantly understanding.

“Uh-uh. He’s done with all this, there’s no way he’ll help.”

“Who?” Scott asked.

“My brother.”

“We should at least try.” Natasha implored, her eyes bright at the possibility that there could be a way to undo everything. Katie really wanted to feel the same level of excitement but all she could feel at that point was a horrible sense of foreboding. And she had no idea why.

“Nat’s right.” Steve looked to Katie. “We should talk to him.”

Before Katie could respond she saw out of the corner of her eye that Jamie was sliding off the sofa and walking towards them. Scott who hadn’t noticed the small boy up until that point gave a start of surprise before he watched him hurry over to Katie.

“Momma.” He asked and she crouched down next to him.

“You okay?”

“When’s dinner?”

“I’m gonna make it soon, sorry baby.” She kissed his cheek as she picked him up, turning back to Scott. “Jamie this is momma, daddy and Auntie Nat-Nat’s friend, Scott. Wanna say hello?”

Jamie looked over, smiling, not a shy bone in his body, as he waved his little hand. “Hi Scott.”

“This…you…” Scott was looking between Katie and Steve and Steve gave him a small smile. “Wow, that’s great. It’s nice to meet you, Jamie.” Jamie held out his hand for a hi-five and Scott let out a laugh, obliging. “So, you guys just got the one, or…”

“No, we also have an older daughter.” Steve smiled, as he watched Jamie in his wife’s arms.

“Older?”

“She’s adopted.” Katie explained. “Currently away with friends.”

Scott nodded, swallowing a little as his gaze dropped to the floor. The room fell into silence and Katie took a deep breath.

“I’m gonna go make dinner.” She smiled, before looking at Scott then to Natasha.“See if we can do better than a peanut butter sandwich.” “Scott, why don’t you go with Natasha and she can fill you in on anything you need to know.” Steve offered. “And vice versa of course.”

“Okay.”

Natasha gestured with her head for Scott to follow her as Katie placed Jamie on the floor and looked up at Steve.

“Do you really think there’s anything in this?” Steve sighed. “I dunno, Sweetheart. I mean it sounds crazy, a time machine, but then so does a mad man wiping out fifty percent of all living creatures on the planet with a click of his fingers thanks to some cosmic stones.”

“Just promise me something.” Katie looked at him, “if Tony refuses to help, you won’t go kicking off and falling out again. Because if he does say no, he has his reasons for doing so.” “I promise.” Steve assured her.

Satisfied, Katie smiled and looked down at Jamie. “Wanna come help me make dinner or go with Daddy and talk to Scott and Auntie Nat-Nat.” Jamie pondered and Steve smiled at his face. The three year old was torn, and Steve knew why. Part of him wanted to go and talk to his Auntie and the new man he had met a few minutes ago because he was naturally inquisitive, or a “nosey parker” as Emmy called him. But the other part of him knew that if he went to help his Mom he’d be getting sneaky little tit-bits along the way.

Eventually, the curiosity part won out and he grabbed Steve’s hand. “I go with you Daddy.” Katie rolled her eyes good naturedly. “Traitor.”

Jamie grinned as Steve picked him up, leaning over in his Father’s arms to place a sloppy kiss on Katie’s cheek.

“Love you Momma.” He beamed as Steve smiled at his wife. She stuck her tongue out at her son making him giggle and do the same, then she picked up the bag off the table and headed down to the kitchen.

******

Tony smiled headed out of the house and across the lawn towards Morgan’s little tent. He clapped his hands along to a well-known famous beat.

“Chow time! Morgoona.”

No answer. Tony rolled his eyes, it was just like dad trying to deal with Katie when she had been that age. She’d ignore everyone unless she decided paying attention was of any benefit, well, almost everyone. She’d always come running when it was him who called. Something Tony had always been secretly smug about.

He sat on the small chair by the side of the tent and looked around him, taking in the gentle breeze coming off the lake.

“Morgan H Stark, you want some lunch?”

“Define lunch or be disintegrated.” She spoke, her voice slightly distorted as she emerged from the tent and he felt his breath catch. She was wearing the silver and blue helmet that belonged to the suit he had been working on in the garage, and she had the play Iron-Man glove that he had made sets of for her and Jamie on her hand, holding it up as if firing a repulsor beam.

“You should not be wearing that, okay? That is part of a special anniversary gift I’m making for Mom.” He pressed a kiss to the side of the helmet before he took it off. His daughter’s face emerged, smiling mischievously.

“Okay.” She grinned as Tony brushed the hair back off her face and smoothed down the fly-away strands that had risen up.

“There you go. Are you thinking about lunch? I can give you a handful of crickets on a bed of lettuce.”

“No.” Morgan giggled

“That’s what you want.” He teased before he glanced at the helmet in his hand. “How did you find this?”

“The garage” She said simply, as if it was obvious. Which in fairness, it was, because that’s where he had left it.

“Really?” Tony looked at her, narrowing his eyes slightly in suspicion. “Were you looking for it?”

“No.” She said, but the look on her face that told Tony she had totally been looking for it. “I found it, though.”

“You like going to the garage, huh? So does daddy” Tony stood, picking her up in one arm, the helmet still held in the other, heading to the house. He glanced down at it again and chuckled to himself. “It’s fine, actually. Your mom never wears anything I buy her.”

He had just reached the top of the steps to the porch when his attention was caught by the sound of a car heading up the drive. He turned round to see Kiddo’s grey Audi pulling to a stop a few meters away. He paused for a moment, because he hadn’t been expecting them, but then he smiled and waved before he frowned a little. There were other people in the back seat of the car, but he couldn’t quite make out who.

Katie was out of the car first, opening one of the back doors and Jamie barrelled out of the vehicle, running over to his Uncle.

“Uncle Nee!” He called gleefully as he ran up the steps to the porch.

“Hey!” Tony placed Morgan down and bent to give his nephew’s head a kiss. “I wasn’t expecting to see you guys to-“

He trailed off as he caught sight of exactly who it had been in the back. Natasha raised her head in a greeting which he returned and he then glanced at the man, Scott Lang, who he had last seen in The Raft

A man who had been snapped was now stood on his driveway.

What the fuck was going on?

“Morgan,” Tony looked down, “take Jamie inside will you? Tell your mom we have visitors, I’ll be in in a moment.” “Okay.” Morgan said, and Jamie took her hand, the two of them heading off round the porch.

“Hey.” Katie greeted her brother as she walked up the steps. “Sorry to spring this on you but…”

He gave her a hug and when she stepped back he looked over her shoulder. “S’Up Lang? Thought you got turned to dust?”

Steve winced slightly at Tony’s blasé tone, but he could tell from his brother-in-law’s face, he was anything but. His eyes were burning with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

“It’s a really, really long story.” Scott nodded as he rounded the car, looking at Tony

“Which is why we’re here.” Steve slipped his hands into his pockets as he stopped at the porch steps. “Tony, there might be a way we can bring everyone back.” Tony took a deep breath. Five years. Five years it had been and still they couldn’t simply let things lie. Did he want to get involved? No, absolutely not. But he should at least hear them out, right? It could be simple. Maybe not dangerous, either. Maybe.

He looked at his sister and she shrugged, and he could tell by her expression she was torn. Probably from the same fears he had.

“Take a seat.” He gestured to the chairs and sofa on the porch area. “I’ll grab us a drink.”

Katie looked at Steve and jerked her head towards the house and Steve nodded, understanding she was going with him. She followed Tony inside and greeted Pepper who had seen the gang outside the house.

“What the hell?” Tony frowned and Katie sighed.

“He turned up at the compound last night. Apparently he was in something called the Quantum Realm when the Snap happened. He re-emerged a few days ago and drove over.” Katie bit her lip. “The thing is Tony, for him it was a matter of hours not years.”

Tony took a deep breath and reached into the fridge for the tall jug of iced coffee and placed it on the counter before pouring in a generous helping of vanilla syrup. Still without a word being spoke he pulled five glass tumblers from the cabinet, and handed them to his sister. “We’ll be outside.” He said, giving Pepper a kiss. “How many should I expect for lunch?” She asked, giving him a small smile “Set it for eight.” He shrugged, walking away. “I’ll decide whether they can stay or not after I’ve heard what hair-brained scheme Rogers has come up with this time.”

Katie rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “In his defence, this isn’t his idea.”

“No but I bet it was to come here.”

“Wrong again.” Katie arched an eyebrow as Tony opened the door. “That one’s on Nat.” “Pain in my ass.” he mumbled, as he walked back to the porch.

He placed the jug down on the small coffee table and plonked into a chair to the right of it, looking up at Steve who was leaning against the wooden rails of the porch, Nat to his right.

“Alright,” He watched as Scott sat in the chair at the other side of the small table, Katie leaning up against the side of the house. “Explain.”

So Scott did. About where he had been, how long for, and his theory about how they could, potentially, use the Quantum Realm to navigate time. Tony listened, and for the most Steve was surprised to see the man’s face was passive, no sarcastic quirk of the eyebrow or quip. Nothing. Instead, he reached over and began pouring the drinks into the glasses.

“Now, we know what it sounds like.” Scott stammered out before Steve cut him off, keen to understand what was going on in the Inventor’s head.

“Tony, after everything you’ve seen, is anything like this really possible?”

Tony looked up from pouring the drinks, handing one to Katie who smiled a thanks to him.

“Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck scale, which then triggers the Deutsch proposition, can we agree on that?”

Scott, Steve and Natasha all looked blankly back at him. Steve had no idea what he was talking about but he saw Katie out of the corner of her eye stiffen slightly.

“As in David Deutsch?” She asked. “The Fabric of Reality?”

Tony nodded before he handed Steve a glass. “Thank-you.” Steve said, he quite liked Tony’s iced coffee, he had certainly drunk enough of it whilst sat in the spot that Scott now occupied over the past few years.

"In layman’s terms, it means you’re not coming home.” Tony finished, and Steve let out a sigh.

“I did.” Scott said almost immediately.

“No, you accidentally survived. It’s a billion to one cosmic fluke.” Tony shook his head, his voice even “And now you want to pull off a, what do you call it?”

Scott shrugged, searching for a term to describe what he had been thinking of doing. “A…time…heist?”

“Yeah, a time heist. Of course, why didn’t we think of this before?” Tony asked, looking up at Steve “Oh, because it’s laughable? Because it’s a pipedream.”

"The stones are in the past.” Steve spoke softly. The fact that Tony hadn’t dismissed the fact that it was a possibility to time travel was spurring him on, there had to be a way they could do this safely, Scott was living proof of that. “We could go back and we could get them.”

“We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everybody back.” Natasha added.

“Or screw it up worse than he already has.” Tony instantly replied.

“I don’t think we would.” Steve shook his head.

“Got to say, sometimes I miss that giddy optimism.” Tony shot, and Steve took a deep breath, raising his eyebrows. “However, high hopes won’t help if there’s no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist.” Tony leaned back further in his chair. “I believe the most likely outcome will be our collective demise.”

Natasha walked from where she had been stood leaning against the wall of the house besides Katie to the rails of the porch, looking out over the grounds for a moment as Scott spoke again.

“Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel.” He said, almost eagerly, “No talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events-”

“I’m going to stop you right there, Scott.” Tony raised his hand and leaned forward. “Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back to the Future?”

“No?” Scott said, embarrassment flooding his tone.

“Good you had me worried there, because that’s not how quantum physics works.”

“Tony, we have to take a stand.” Natasha spoke, turning to face him, her voice sad, almost pleading. Katie watched her for a second, before she looked to her brother. Tony stared up at Nat, almost apologetically but Katie could see his mind was made up, and his answer was just what she had suspected it would be.

“We did stand.” Tony’s voice was soft “And yet, here we are.”

“I know you got a lot on the line,” Scott spoke again, “you got a wife, a daughter. But I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did.” His voice began to gather pace and volume as he tried to sell his desperation to Tony “We have a chance to bring her back, bring everyone back. And you’re telling me you won’t even-”

“That’s right Scott. I won’t even. I got a kid.” Tony cut him off with absolute irrevocability as Scott stared at him in disbelief.

Steve took a deep breath and glanced at Katie, who had remained silent pretty much all through the discussions. She was looking down at her hands, twisting her engagement ring around her finger, the way she always did when she was worried or thinking. But before he could say anything, the door to the house opened and two sets of small footsteps clattered across the wood. Morgan ran up to Tony, who picked her up as she placed her arms round his neck and Jamie ran to his mother, who swept him up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Mommy told us to come save you.” Morgan said to her dad. Katie gave a soft chuckle as Tony looked at her, grinning.

"Good job. I’m saved.” Tony told his daughter as he gave her head a kiss before he stood up, Morgan in his arms. He turned to look at Steve, Nat and Scott. “I wish you’d come here to ask me something else. Anything else.” He sighed, before looking directly at Nat. “Honestly, I missed you.” She gave a small smile as he turned to head to the house. “Oh, and the table’s set for eight-“

As he went to pass by Steve, the Soldier gently stopped him with a hand on his arm and Katie watched, Jamie perched on her hip, his small hand playing with the diamond studded star shaped necklace she wore, a gift from Steve many Christmases ago.

"Tony, I get it, I really do, but this, this is a second chance.”

“I got my second chance right here, Cap.” Tony looked at his brother-in-law before he nodded over to where Katie was stood holding Jamie. “You did too. And I can’t roll the dice again, and frankly neither should you.”

Steve took a deep breath, bristling slightly. Was Tony seriously implying that he thought he was going to gamble with his kids’ lives? That was the whole point of them coming to talk to him, so that they didn’t do anything that would jeopardise what they had.

“If you don’t talk shop, you can stay for lunch.” Tony headed towards the door.

“I think we should be getting back.” Steve spoke, his words coming out a little harsher than he had meant. Tony turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged, before heading into the house. Katie watched her brother go and then turned to Steve as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked at her and she stared straight back, her face stony. She’d warned him how this would turn out and he’d promised her he wouldn’t get mad at Tony. And whilst he hadn’t got mad per-se, he had to concede that his last comment had been said with a bit of a shitty tone.

“Momma?” Jamie spoke and Katie’s attention turned to her son. “I want lunch. Auntie Pepper was making meatballs.” “Your favourite?” Katie smiled at her son “Wow!”

Jamie giggled and Katie turned back to her husband “You go, we’re gonna stay.” Her statement was accompanied with a look to say that this wasn’t up for negotiation so Steve took a deep breath and nodded.

“Okay, give me a call and I’ll come get you later.” He dropped a kiss to her cheek, before he did the same to his son and then gestured for Scott and Natasha to follow him back to the car.

“He’s scared.” Natasha turned to Steve once they were clear of the porch steps.

“Well, he’s not wrong." Steve sighed because, despite his disappointment, he understood Tony’s fear and reticence, he really did because he felt it too. They couldn’t do anything that would undo the events of the past five years. But there had to be a way to make sure they didn’t. He looked back at the house where he could just see Katie was stood inside the kitchen, smiling at Pepper.

"Yeah, but I mean what are we gonna do?” Scott asked, his tone desperate again. “We need him, are we gonna stop?”

“No, but I wanna do it right,” Steve said thoughtfully, as an idea suddenly came to him. He opened the driver’s side door and glanced over at Natasha “We’re gonna need a really big brain.”

"Bigger than his?” Scott asked incredulously, pointing to Tony’s house.

Natasha quirked an eyebrow as she understood what Steve meant and she smiled gently before turning to Scott.

“Good job we know exactly where we can find one.”

****

Inside the house, Katie watched the car pull away before she turned and accepted the glass of wine Tony was offering.

“Lunchtime drinking?” She quirked an eyebrow and he shrugged.

“Figured you might need it after that, I do.”

Katie sighed and made her way over to the table, where Pepper was sat dishing out the food onto the kid’s plates.

“Fankoo Auntie Pep.” Jamie said, grinning and she beamed at him.

“You’re welcome, Sweetie.” They ate together, making general conversation about anything other than ‘time heists’ and two helpings of meatballs and spaghetti later, Jamie and Morgan asked if they could go outside to play. Tony headed out to supervise them whilst Katie helped Pepper clear the table before she went to find her brother.

“So we gonna talk about the elephant in the room, or on the lawn?” Tony asked, looking at her.

Katie shrugged. “That’s not why I stayed, Tone.” She sighed, her green eyes locking onto his. “You know, I told them you wouldn’t want to help.” “It isn’t a case of not wanting to, Kiddo.” He sighed. “I just can’t…”

“I get it.” She nodded with a sad smile. “There’s a lot at stake…”

"So why doesn’t Spangles see that?”

“He does. He just wants to see if there’s any possible way we can do it. You know, bring everyone back.” “And what about you?”

“Honestly?” Katie looked at Tony and shrugged. “If you told me there was a way we could do it, and not change anything out of the last five years I’d jump at the chance, because that’s what we do, we’re the A-vengers remember, not the Pre-vengers.”

“Used to be.” Tony corrected her with the glimmer of a smile.

“Well, I don’t remember quitting.” Katie looked at her brother. “We just kinda…stopped.” “Say there is.” Tony sighed. “Say you suddenly find a way that guarantees that nothing from the last five years will change, and you do it. You pull off the Time Heist, reverse the snap…Kiddo, you open up a whole can of other worms. People have moved on in the past five years, and suddenly you’re bringing back husbands, wives, daughters, sons, mothers, fathers who were long gone and-”

“I know.” Katie cut him off, nodding. “It would be extremely naïve to think things could just simply go back to how they were. There would be a lot of other issues and shit to deal with, I get that, but at least everyone would be alive.”

Tony sighed “I can’t gamble on this.” He gestured to the kids who were now playing

“Like I said Tony, I’m not trying to change your mind.” Katie shrugged. “And I won’t be gambling on anything either.”

******

It was getting late, and Steve still hadn’t heard from Katie. He was just about to give her a call when he heard the security system announcing the gate had been unlocked. Frowning, he made his way to the door, opening it to see Tony’s car pulling onto the driveway. He stopped not far from the door and Katie stepped out of the passenger seat.

“He’s fast asleep.” She nodded to the rear as Steve headed out to greet her, peering into the back of the car. He gave his wife a quick peck on the lips before he reached into the rear, and gently picked Jamie out of the back, the child only stirring long enough press his face into Steve’s shoulder, grabbing a handful of his sweater in his fist.

“Thanks Tony.” Katie leaned back into the car over the passenger seat to give her brother a kiss on the cheek.

“No problem, Kiddo.” As his sister stepped back, Tony hesitated for a moment and then climbed out of the car, looking over the roof at Steve who was heading back up the steps to the house.

“Cap.” He called. Steve stopped and turned to his brother-in-law. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you what you wanted to hear.”

Steve took a deep breath and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. We’re meeting Banner tomorrow.” “Banner?” Katie frowned.

“Yeah.” Steve nodded. “Nat called him before, he’s gonna hear us out. See if he can help.”

Tony remained silent, his mind whirring. “Just promise me one thing, please.” He sighed. “You can’t, the kids, I mean…”

Steve frowned. “Tony, if you think I’d gamble with our children’s lives, then you really don’t know me at all.”

“I guess not.” Tony’s mouth set into a thin line and at that point Katie shook her head.

“Stop it, please.” She sighed. “I can’t cope with you at each other’s throats, not again.”

Steve licked his lips and turned to his wife. “Sorry.”

“Just take Jamie inside, I’ll be with you in a moment.” She looked at him, Nodding, Steve turned and headed inside. Katie glared at her brother who held his hands up, palms open.

“Like I said before, I get why you’re scared, but Steve’s right. All we’re doing at the moment is gathering facts, maybe understanding what we’re looking at a little more. If by doing that we come to the conclusion that we can’t guarantee what we have isn’t safe then we stop.” Tony took a deep breath, before he nodded back to the house. “Just make sure he understands that.”

Before Katie could reply he hopped back in his car, reversed slightly before he spun round and headed off through the gates. Katie walked straight into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine, grabbing a beer for Steve before she sat down at the table, head in her hands, she was exhausted.

The problem was, she could see this from both sides. Whilst the possibility of being able to bring everyone back was simply too good to not explore, the chance that they could lose either of their kids if something didn’t got to plan was enough to put the fear of God into her. She looked up as Steve returned having settled Jamie in bed, and she slid the beer across the table to him as he sat in the seat next to her.

“You okay?” He asked, and she looked at him.

“I’m scared Steve. Tony is right. We can’t risk what we have.”

“We won’t.”

“You don’t know that for sure, none of us do.” She sniffed, and Steve wasn’t surprised to see the tears in her eyes. “Tony before, when he talked about the Deutsch proposition, that was a reference to a guy called David Deutsch. He wrote a book called The Fabric of Reality and one of the chapters talks about how time travel would really work if it proves possible.”

Steve nodded, telling her to continue. He knew when she was on a roll explaining something like this he had to let her finish, plus he wanted to understand her concerns.

“His view of time travel is that if you went back in time and killed your Grandfather, say, you’d simply create an alternate universe and timeline in which you are not born. But the version of yourself that went back in time came from a different universe, so you wouldn’t suddenly cease to exist, like in Back To The Future or whatever, you’d still be there in that new universe.” “Okay, so, according to this Deutsch guy, Scott’s theory about simply not changing anything in the past isn’t quite right?” Steve frowned, thinking he understood. She smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, which to be fair is only what everyone believes because of films anyway. They depict time travel in a single universe. But, if you accept that there are actually many universes that are constantly branching off of one another, then…” She sighed.

“But surely that’s a good thing?” Steve implored. “Iwf hat you’re saying is that we can’t alter our future by changing the past then…” “What I’m saying is, that none of us know for sure.” She corrected, her voice almost a whisper. “And even if we successfully navigate the whole going back in time think, what if when we undo the Snap we jump back five years in our own time line and…”

She trailed off and Steve reached up to wipe away the stray tears that had fallen down her cheek. “Baby, look at me.”

She obliged, and he held her gaze. “Nothing scares me more than losing our kids, or you. Which is why we need to do this right. I get why Tony doesn’t want to help, he’s scared too, but….” he trailed off. “I’m doing this for Jamie, for Emmy. I want Emmy to be able to see all the things she knew before the snap, and Jamie to see things he never has.”

“Like whales in the Hudson?”

“Like whales in the Hudson.” Steve nodded with a smile. “Although I’d never seen that before either, but the point still remains. I want them to have the best possible life that we can give them.”

Katie looked at him, and sniffed. “You swear to me, right now, that the moment we start to see things going sideways, if we can’t be certain that we won’t impact anything that’s happened in the last five years, we stop.”

“Hand on heart, I swear to you.” Steve took her face in his hands, driving his message home “Kitten, I’d die before I let anything happen to any of you.”

“Yeah, that kinda worries me a little too.” She sniffed and he chuckled slightly, before dropping a soft kiss to her lips.

“Let’s see what Bruce has to say tomorrow.” Steve said gently, his thumbs skating over her cheekbones. “If he doesn’t believe we can control the outcome then, we give up. It was a stab in the dark, but nothing more.”

Katie nodded, and he pressed his lips to hers again, this time the kiss slightly deeper.

“I love you.” He moved his hands to lace into hers before he raised her left to his lips and placed a soft kiss over the top of her rings.

*****

Bruce was already waiting for them at the diner the next morning. Scott’s shocked and puzzled reaction to seeing the Hulk-Sized Bruce Banner was understandable, after all it was the same reaction Katie, Steve and Natasha had all had when they had seen him like this for the first time a few months back. In fact, the only person that hadn’t batted an eyelid was Jamie.

“Hi Dr Brucie!” Jamie grinned, reaching over Katie to hi-five the man, Banner grinning a the boy’s nick name for him.

“You’re getting big, tiny person!” He boomed as the simply ridiculous amounts of food started to arrive. Brue wasn’t shy about digging in, and neither was Jamie, as always. Katie dished out some eggs, sausages and bacon onto his plate and poured him a small glass of the orange juice whilst, in turn, Steve poured her and Natasha some water.

“Come on, I feel like I’m the only one eating!” Bruce pushed a plate forward. “Apart from Jamie that is. Try some of that. Have some eggs.”

“I’m so confused.” Scott looked at Bruce, his face blank as he shook his head.

“These are confusing times.” Bruce nodded with a serious smile on his face.

“Right, no, no that’s not what I meant…”

“No, I get it I’m kidding.” Bruce grinned, dropping the act. “I know, it’s crazy! I’m wearing shirts now!”

“Yeah…wh…how, why?” Scott stuttered, his eyes wide as he looked at Bruce.

“Five years ago, we got our asses beaten. Except it was worse for me. Because I lost twice. First, Hulk lost, then Banner lost. Then, we all lost.”

“No one blamed you, Bruce.” Natasha said softly.

“I did.” Bruce stated simply “For years, I’ve been treating the Hulk like he’s some kind of disease, something to get rid of. But then I started looking at him as the cure. Eighteen months in a gamma lab. I put the brains and the brawn together. And now look at me. Best of both worlds…”

He was cut off by a group of three children, one of which tapped him on the shoulder. “Excuse me, Mr. Hulk?

"Yes?” Bruce asked, turning to face them.

“Can we get a photo?” the little girl beamed at him.

“100%, little person. Come on, step up.” Bruce said, taking the phone which was handed to him and leaning across Natasha to pass it to Scott. “You mind?

“Oh, yeah.” Scott shook himself out of his thoughts, accepting the phone.

“Thanks,” he said before he turned to the kids. “Say ‘green’!” “Greeeeen!” came the collective chant before Bruce looked at Scott “Did you get that?”

Scott leaned forward and held the phone out, before he gestured at himself, “Don’t you wanna grab one with me? I’m Ant-Man.”

Nothing.

Katie hastily picked up her glass of water and locked eyes with Natasha, the red head trying also not to laugh.

“It’s alright they’re Hulk fans, they don’t know Ant-Man. Nobody does.” Scott shook his head.

"Wait, no, no, he feels bad. No, he wants you to…he wants to.” Bruce looked at one of the boys “You want to take a picture with him, right?” The boy shook his had vigorously.

“He’s even saying 'no’ he doesn’t.” Scott snapped. “I get it. I don’t want it either.”

Katie looked at Steve who was now staring down at the glass of water in his hand, his fingers trailing round the top. He was getting frustrated, Katie could tell. She reached behind Jamie, who was nestled in-between his parents and gently gave his neck a soft tickle with her fingers and he looked at her, smiling softly.

“Just take the goddamn phone.” Scott called time on the ridiculous exchange that had been going on, and Steve took a long drink of his water.

“Thank you very much!” Banner called smiling “Hulk out!”

“Bruce.” Steve looked at him, deciding to bring him back to the subject in hand. Bruce ignored him.

“Dab!” he grinned, making the action as the kids all laughed.

“Bruce.” Steve spoke this time again in his Captains voice, but to no avail. He rolled his eyes as the man continued.

“Listen to your mom. She knows better.”

“About what we were saying?” Steve tried once more as Bruce finally, and Katie suspected rather reluctantly, turned back to them.

“Right, the whole time travel do-over.” Bruce leaned back in his chair. “Guys, it’s outside my area of expertise.”

“Well, you pulled this off.” Natasha looked him up and down before she smiled.“I remember a time when that seemed pretty impossible too.”

Bruce nodded slightly, before he took a deep breath.

“In suppose, in theory you could do it.” He scratched at his chin. “You could go back in time, get the stones and come back without changing anything that’s happened in the past five years.”

“How?” Katie looked at him, her arm dropping round Jamie’s shoulders as he continued to scribble on the colouring pad they’d brought for him.

“Well,” Bruce said, looking at her. “Thanos was already on his murder mission way before he got the stones. He harnessed their power and got them to work together to do exactly what he wanted.”

“So,” Steve looked at Bruce, “if we tell the stones what we want, exactly what we want…”

Bruce nodded. “Everyone comes home, and the past five years remain untouched.”

Katie and Steve looked at one another, before they glanced over the table and Scott and Natasha smiled.

Everyone comes home…

**** Chapter 51

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #Katie Stark #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fic #mcu #mcu fanfic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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chidoroki · 4 years ago

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..You already know what I’m gonna ramble on about, right? What’s got us manga readers feeling a little bit like this? Yeah.. I have words.

Yes, I’ll be chatting about possible future spoilers, so scroll past now if you wish, but if you frequently check the usual tpn tags anywhere today (or over the next few days), I’m sure you’ve become quite familiar with this guy already, so.. here we go.

Let me start off by saying that I was beyond excited when we first found out we were getting a second season to this series. Having read the manga, I had high hopes that the anime would do so well, given the first couple arcs that follow the escape from Grace Field. From the very beginning, most of us figured it would touch upon the demon forest, the B06-32 shelter, Goldy Pond and quite possibly Cuvitidala. Of course, that was before we learned that this season had an episode count of 11 and would include some anime-only scenes, so we started to have some doubts. The new opening threw us through a loop as well, as a bunch of us speculated exactly how much this season was going to cover in terms of story and what chapter it would end off on. I was still a bit skeptical, but I put some belief in thinking we might be able to at least reach Goldy Pond. The more I thought about how many chapters this season could adapt, I remembered that Fire Force (another shonen series that has its fair share between action scenes alongside some calm, lighthearted ones) managed to fit 90 chapters into it’s first season, which was a total 24eps. I then thought it was possible for TPN’s second season to reach ch96, or maybe even ch101, since the total ep count for both s1&s2 would be 23. The upcoming arcs (GP especially) are undoubtedly more fast paced than the entire first season, which was very dialogue heavy, so naturally these action scenes would take up less time and require fewer episodes to show off. I won’t bash the second season for leaving certain scenes out and/or changing them (as the first season did this as well, albeit less noticeable), but the obvious ones come to mind. The full snakes of alvapinera scene? It was good to see the escapees overcome their first outside world obstacle on their own, sure, but overall it isn’t too important. Isabella’s scene at the gate with Grandma Sarah? Disappointing yes, but I figured they could always include that sometime later in a future episode.. at least, that’s what I’m hoping for. I can forgive the anime for those changes at the moment.. but after what episode 3 decided to pull? Oh no.. now they’ve done it!

I’m sorry.. but who exactly thought this change was a good idea? The anime-onlys must think we’re going crazy right now but c’mon, CLOVERWORKS! Are y’all for real right now?? Yeah they never even announced his voice actor beforehand like they did with Sonju & Mujika before their debut, but damn it! Also, don’t take my word for this, as I only just heard and not completely sure about the credibility, but apparently after ep4, the rest of the season will be like.. original? And I’m not sure how to feel about that if it’s true? I’ll take whatever content we get because yes, I love this series to pieces and want it to last as long as possible, but after waiting almost a full two years to see these wonderful kids animated again.. I just wanna continue on with the story we all know and love, darn it. I know Shirai is overlooking this season and giving his approval or whatever too, so that’s comforting at least.. but still, I just wish we knew this a little sooner, rather than have us find out this way by cutting out one of the most anticipated characters of this entire series! (for the time being anyways.)

Yeah we didn’t see him this episode, but he’s around.. somewhere. No one else is around to write on the walls like that, let alone get into the shelter without a pen. (i also noticed it doesn’t say “poachers” anywhere, so that’s a bit odd too..)

I just hope that whenever our man does show up, whether it be this season or not, that it follows the manga because his introduction is fantastic and his interactions with the kids are so amusing. Honestly, he’s too important to cut out entirely. The same goes for the Goldy Pond arc, which I saw some others worried about too. It’s at Goldy Pond (ch73) where Emma and another man, who we’re also anxious to meet, both find out about how to cross over to the human world via the four premium farms, the supporters, and project lambda7214.

I also saw some people concerned about Mujika’s goodbye to Emma this episode and how upon giving her the necklace, our demon friend didn’t hint at The Seven Walls at all, which is why Goldy Pond suddenly becomes that more important for us to see because it’s also there where the place is mentioned, not only by the many secret files from the pen’s cap, but from Minvera himself (ch72).

Come on now, Goldy Pond arc also does wonder for Emma’s character and appearance. It’s here where we see just how serious she is about changing the world and saving everyone she possibly can. Even if she has to fight crazy, killing poachers, she’ll do it. (also one of those poachers becomes very helpful much later in the story, so there, yet another reason we can’t skip this arc.) Though this all gets me wondering if GP will still get blown up on Jan 29th.. oh season two, you raise so many questions.

Now, could this season completely change some of those scenes even further? Of course, they’ve already done so with other bits of information. Ray figuring out the demon’s weakness in ch62 during the trip to Goldy Pond? Sonju already explained it.

The letter from Minvera that we learn about in ch56 which was originally hidden in one of the manuscripts from the shelter’s archive room? Conveniently pinned to the wall in plain sight!

I didn’t notice this when I first watched the episode but remembered just now while skimming through the manga yet again, but the episode didn’t have Gilda list off the coordinates to Goldy Pond that Minerva noted in his letter.

So how will the duo find their way there? Well, you already know.. and since GP is such an important arc, that’s another reason I believe our beloved man will show up.... eventually.

Going back to the changes now, but it’s Dominic who reveals the secret room behind the piano instead of our favorite father figure.

Although this room, which is supposed to be a full stocked armory, is completely bare..

Like.. hello? Where are all the weapons?? Are they gonna make these kids go out and raid a bunch of the other fake/dummy shelters for weapons or something? which.. actually sounds interesting and fun now that I think about it.

I also noticed that the conversation about the mass-production farms Sonju mentioned back in ch50 was also cut, but I can see the anime easily adapting it into a future episode somewhere, since said farms are mentioned again in ch56, courtesy of the shelter’s many books.

For now it just seems.. I don’t know, a bit easier? like I recently spoke about how Ray had to figure out how the pen worked in terms of coordinates and yet the anime just had the pen show a simple map, then Sonju flat out told them how to efficiently kill a demon, and the phone that allows them to contact the supporters? Oh, they found that instantly, whereas geezer had no idea such a room even existed in those 13 years he lived at the shelter..

Have I spoke too much by now? Probably. None of the changes bother me too much, aside from the geezer’s obvious absence, but I’m still looking forward to the rest of this season, as I’m sure it’ll give more spotlight to some of the other kids aside from Emma and Ray. Season one just did so well with sticking to the manga that I guess we all got caught way off guard, huh?

#the promised neverland #tpn anime #tpn manga #chidoroki used chatter

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hoe-doroki · 4 years ago

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ana reads bnha ch50

previous chapter here first chapter here next chapter here

I got a little preachy and I’m not sorry

Wow, I don’t know if this is different for other people, but all I can say is that, before I could drive, I didn’t know how to get anywhere that wasn’t in my town. The grocery store? Got it. Target? Got it. The movie theatre in the next town over? ABSOLUTELY DO NOT HAVE IT. Had to print out those old mapquest directions. Very impressive, Midoriya. You don’t just know hero things.

I titled this png “manual love” and that sounds like something else...

Can I just say how much I LOVE Manual? It’s amazing that he’s able to see what Iida is up to, first of all, and then having the guts to call him on it is no easy feat. And he does it in such a caring way! He really sees Iida as his ward and wants to take full responsibility for him. He just seems like such a sweet guy, and a good little hero. I wish we got to see more of him.

This immediately makes me think of Hannah Gadsby’s comedy special, Douglas, on Netflix where she says: “We are not preparing our boys for the real world.” I’m not saying that violent anger is purely a male issue, surely not, but, I mean, we know. That’s the full line, actually: “Know what “boys will be boys” means? It means we are not preparing our boys for the real world. It means we know.”

Look, I won’t pretend to be an expert on masculinity in Japanese culture. I won’t even pretend to be an expert in it in American culture. But we know a lot about Iida. We know that he has a strong affinity for categorizing things in the world in boxes and that he’s most comfortable when he can sort things into right and wrong in that way. And, since he comes from a legacy of heroes, I think it’s fair to assume that Iida has grown up with a lot of ideas about masculinity, justice, and controlling one’s emotions. All of that has led him to be the person who he is here when he can’t control his rage, and can’t see talking it out with any of the growing list of people who have noticed his pain and offered to talk as an option. I’m not saying that everything would be solved if we could socialize boys better to talk out their emotions instead of punching them out, but surely things would be better. I mean, we’ve got similar issues with Bakugou. Even Todoroki and Kirishima’s responses to Bakugou’s kidnapping, and Deku too!—I know that this is their ‘hero’ characterization, but these boys have had their minds trained to think that only action is good enough. Anything that isn’t direct action is the equivalent to not doing anything.

Also:

Same thing. Btw, I unironically love Arthur.

Okay, we need to have a talk. Native. That’s the name of this hero. And he’s obviously based off of Native Americans. Look, it’s not my place to hold a Japanese man responsible for knowing this is offensive. No, we Americans* need to hold responsibility for this. Horikoshi can easily look over at us and see our sport’s teams, our depiction of Thanksgiving, our treatment of indigenous people and think, oh cool aesthetic. They make neat Halloween costumes. I think I’ll make a hero like that. Why wouldn’t he think that?

But, of course, this is offensive. The costume bears a feather in the headdress which, I believe, typically denotes rank. Like, that would actually mean something to a tribe. But it appears to me that there’s kind of a hodgepodge of different tribal elements here, all combined to make kind of a generic “Native American” look. And, to add insult to injury, this character is here just to be nearly slaughtered. Not given any importance outside of his near death. When Native Americans already have to suffer through the legacy of being a people who were slaughtered. Yeah, it’s not good. But we have no one to blame but ourselves, really.

*Not only Americans, but also Canadians, Central and South Americans, and Australian/Oceanic people.

Overall: Yes, I realize that people on tumblr don’t appreciate all this discourse but, hey, these posts aren’t intended to grow my popularity or anything. At best, they open up conversation, at worst, they’re just me talking into the void. But yeah, this chapter is heavy. Everything that Iida’s going through is super heavy and, idk, we see so many extreme vigilante situations in fiction that I just need to call it out for what it is. The culture that it’s reflecting. Because media reflects culture, right? Not everyone’s gonna go out to try and kill their brother’s would-be murderer with their bare hands, but a lot of people are gonna be like that Arthur meme and punch their little sister for breaking a toy.

Aside from that…you guys know I’m excited. This is the fight I’ve been waiting for. I’m so psyched. This chapter, when it’s not pissing me off, gets me super hyped. I can’t wait for the next chapter!

#ana reads the manga #bnha #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero academia

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wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

Text

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch50: I Got My Second Chance Right Here

Intro: After talking with Scott, Steve and Katie find themselves facing the very real possibility that there may be a way to undo Thanos’ actions and bring everyone they lost back. Only Tony isn’t on board with the idea and once more Katie finds herself in the middle of the two most important men in her life...

Warnings: Bad Language words

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

“Man am I glad to see you.” Scott said, clasping Steve’s hand as soon as the gate was open, pumping it up and down furiously.

“We thought,” Steve took a deep breath, frowning as he looked the man up and down. “You are really here right, this isn’t’ some kind of weird mind trick or…” “Yeah, I am now. I mean, not that I wasn’t, but well, no I kinda wasn’t.” Scott took a deep breath “It’s really hard to explain but…”

“Well we got time to listen.” Steve smiled, reassuringly “Come on.”

Scott nodded, fired up his van and drove through the gates whilst Steve locked them again, before he climbed in the front next to Scott and directed the man round to the parking area, not that it mattered specifically as the place was practically empty anyway. He led Scott through the facility and into the room they had been sat in.

Katie heard Natasha greet him as she settled Jamie on the sofa at the other end of the room.

“You stay here ok?” Katie asked, smoothing Jamie’s hair. He nodded and pulled on his headphones, tablet clamped in his hand as he began to watch Dumbo for what must have been the nine-hundredth time. Casting one more look at him over her shoulder, she walked over to where Steve and Natasha were stood, watching a very distressed Scott pacing in front of them, mumbling to himself. Steve and Natasha shared a look, before Steve looked to his wife and she nodded her head in Scott’s direction, encouraging him to open the dialogue.

“Scott?” Steve spoke, “Are you alright?”

Katie shook her head, as did Steve.

"Only to make conversation,” Natasha shrugged.

Scott pointed to Natasha “Alright, so, five years ago, right before…Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she’s my… she was my…” he took a deep breath, struggling to quell the emotion that was brewing in his voice. “ And then Thanos happened, and I got stuck in there.”

“I’m sorry.” Katie said, sympathetically “That must have been a very long five years

"Yeah, but that’s just it. It wasn’t. For me it was five hours.”

Steve frowned.

“Is that anybody’s sandwich?” Scott asked, pointing at the plate on the table “I’m starving.”

As he strode over to pick up the remainder of Nat’s peanut butter sandwich, Steve shook his head slightly, still not understanding what this had to do with anything.

"Scott, what are you talking about?” he asked, prompting him to get back on track.

He began to pace again and Katie cocked her head to the side slightly, watching him as he gestured wildly with the hand holding the peanut butter sandwich.

“I can’t stop thinking about it. What if we could somehow control the chaos, and we could navigate it? What if there was a way that we could enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time but then exit at another point in time? Like…” he paused taking a breath as he looked at the 3 faces in front of him. “Like before Thanos.“

"Wait.” Katie said, holding up a hand to stop him, her voice laced with scepticism “Are you talking about a time machine?”

“No. No of course not. No not a time machine, it’s more like a…” He trailed off and looked down before he shrugged. “Yeah like a time machine.”

Steve took a deep breath and shared a glance with Katie, both of them raising an eyebrow. Steve let out a small sigh as he had been hoping Scott had something that they could actually use.

“I know, it’s crazy, but I can’t stop thinking about it. There’s gotta be some way. There’s got to be some-” he looked at Steve’s face and sighed ’it’s crazy..I know, yeah…”

"Scott,” Natasha cut him off, “I get emails from a raccoon. Nothing sounds crazy anymore.”

Steve looked at her and had to concede maybe she had a point. The things they had seen over the past 11 years, none of it he would have ever believed possible in a million years. So who was to say this wasn’t? But time travel? Really? Was he stood there, actually thinking it could be a possibility?

“So who do we talk to about this?” Scott asked, looking between the three people stood in front of him.

Natasha looked at Katie meaningfully and she shook her head, instantly understanding.

“Uh-uh. He’s done with all this, there’s no way he’ll help.”

“Who?” Scott asked.

“My brother.” she replied.

“We should at least try.” Natasha implored, her eyes were bright at the possibility that there could be a way to undo everything. And Katie really wanted to feel the same level of excitement but all she could feel at that point was a horrible sense of foreboding. And she had no idea why.

“Nat’s right.” Steve looked to Katie “We should talk to him, see if any of this is possible.”

“Momma.” he asked and she crouched down next to him.

“You ok?”

“When’s dinner?”

“I’m gonna make it soon, sorry baby.” she said, picking him up “Jamie this is momma, daddy and Auntie Nat-Nat’s friend, Scott. Wanna say hello?”

Jamie looked over, smiling, not a shy bone in his body, as he waved his little hand “Hi Scott.”

“This…you…” Scott was looking between Katie and Steve and Steve gave him a small smile. “Wow, that’s great. It’s nice to meet you Jamie.”

Jamie held out his hand for a hi-five and Scott let out a laugh, obliging.

“We also have a daughter, we adopted her, she’s older though.” Steve said, feeling the need to explain as he watched Jamie in his wife’s arms. “She’s away with friends.”

Scott nodded. The room fell into silence and Katie took a deep breath.

“I’m gonna go make dinner.” she smiled, before looking at Scott then to Natasha “See if we can do better than a peanut butter sandwich.” “Scott, why don’t you go with Natasha and she can fill you in on anything you need to know.” Steve said. “And vice versa of course.”

“Ok.” he said and Natasha gestured with her head for him to follow her

Katie placed Jamie on the floor and looked up at Steve “Do you really think there’s anything in this?” Steve sighed “I dunno, Sweetheart. I mean it sounds crazy, a time machine…but then so does a mad man wiping out fifty percent of all living creatures on the planet with a click of his fingers thanks to some cosmic stones.”

“Just promise me something.” Katie looked at him, “if Tony refuses to help, you’re won’t go kicking off and falling out again. Because if he does say no, he has his reasons for doing so.” “I promise.” he assured her.

Satisfied, Katie smiled and looked down at Jamie “Wanna come help me make dinner or go with Daddy and talk to Scott and Auntie Nat-Nat.” Jamie pondered and Steve smiled at his face. The three year old was torn, and Steve knew why. Part of him wanted to go and talk to his Auntie and the new man he had met a few minutes ago because he was naturally inquisitive, or a “nosey parker” as Emmy called him. But the other part of him knew that if he went to help his Mom he’d be getting sneaky little tit-bits along the way.

Eventually, the curiosity part won out and he grabbed Steve’s hand “I go with you Daddy.” Katie rolled her eyes good naturedly “Traitor.”

Jamie grinned as Steve picked him up, leaning over in his Father’s arms to place a sloppy kiss on Katie’s cheek.

“Love you Momma.” he grinned as Steve smiled at his wife. She stuck her tongue out at her son making him giggle and do the same, then she picked up the bag off the table and headed down to the kitchen.

******

Tony smiled at his wife and headed out of the house and across the lawn towards Morgan’s little tent. He clapped his hands along to a well-known famous beat “Chow time!” he said as the clapping finished “Morgoona”

No answer. Tony rolled his eyes, it was just like dad trying to deal with Katie again when she had been that age. She’d ignore everyone unless she decided paying attention was of any benefit, well, almost everyone. She’d always come running when it was him who called. Something Tony had always been secretly smug about.

He sat on the small chair by the side of the tent and looked around him, taking in the gentle breeze coming off the lake.

“Morgan H Stark, you want some lunch?”

“Define lunch or be disintegrated” she spoke, her voice slightly distorted as she emerged from the tent and he felt his breath catch. She was wearing the silver and blue helmet that belonged to the suit he had been working on in the garage, and she had the play Iron-Man glove that he had made sets of for her and Jamie on her hand, and she was holding one up as if firing a repulsor beam.

“You should not be wearing that, okay? That is part of a special anniversary gift I’m making for Mom.” he said, pressing a kiss to the side of the helmet before he took it off. His daughter’s face emerged, smiling mischievously.

“Okay.” she grinned as Tony brushed the hair back off her face and smoothed down the fly-away strands that had risen up when he had taken the helmet off.

“There you go. Are you thinking about lunch?” he asked, “I can give you a handful of crickets on a bed of lettuce.”

“No.” She giggled

“That’s what you want.” he teased before he glanced at the helmet in his hand “How did you find this?”

“Garage” she said simply, as if it was obvious. Which in fairness, it was, because that’s where he had left it.

“Really?” he looked at her, narrowing his eyes slightly in suspicion. “Were you looking for it?”

“No.” She said, but the look on her face that told Tony she had totally been looking for it “I found it, though.”

“You like going to the garage, huh? So does daddy” Tony said, standing and picking her up in one arm, the helmet still held in the other, heading to the house. He glanced down at it again and chuckled to himself “It’s fine, actually. Your mom never wears anything I buy her.”

Katie was out of the car first, opening one of the back doors and Jamie barrelled out of the vehicle, running over to his Uncle.

“Uncle Nee!” he said, gleefully as he ran up the steps to the porch.

“Hey!” Tony placed Morgan down and bent to give his nephew’s head a kiss. “I wasn’t expecting to see you guys to-“

A man who had been snapped, was now stood on his driveway.

What the fuck was going on?

“Morgan,” he looked down, “take Jamie inside will you, tell your mom we have visitors, I’ll be in in a moment.” “Ok…” Morgan said, and Jamie took her hand, the two of them heading inside.

“Hey.” Katie greeted her brother as she walked up the steps. “Sorry to spring this on you but…”

He gave her a hug and when she stepped back he looked over her shoulder. “S’Up Lang? Thought you got turned to dust?”

Steve winced slightly at Tony’s blasé tone, but he could tell from his brother-in-law’s face, he was anything but. His eyes were burning with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

“It’s a really, really long story.” Scott nodded as he rounded the car, looking at Tony

“Which is why we’re here.” Steve slipped his hands into his pockets as he stopped at the porch steps. “There might be a way we can bring everyone back.” Tony took a deep breath. Five years. Five years it had been and still they couldn’t simply let things lie. Did he want to get involved? No, absolutely not. But he should at least hear them out, right, it could be simple. Maybe not dangerous…maybe.

He looked at his sister and she shrugged, and he could tell by her expression she was torn. Probably from the same fears he had.

“Take a seat.” he said, gesturing to the chairs and sofa on the porch area “I’ll grab some iced coffee.”

“What?” she frowned and Katie sighed.

“He turned up at the compound last night.” she explained. “Apparently he was in something called the Quantum Realm when the Snap happened. He re-emerged a few days ago and drove over. Thing is Tony,” she looked at him,“for him it was a matter of hours not years.”

Tony took a deep breath and reached into the fridge for the tall jug of iced coffee and placing it on the counter before pouring in a generous helping of vanilla syrup. Still without a word being spoke he pulled five glass tumblers from the cabinet, and handed them to his sister. “We’ll be outside.” He said, giving Pepper a kiss. “How many should I expect for lunch?” she asked, giving him a small smile “Set it for eight.” he shrugged, walking away “I’ll decide whether they can stay or not after I’ve heard what hair-brained scheme Rogers has come up with this time.”

Katie rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “In his defence this isn’t his idea.”

“No but I bet it was to come here.” he looked at her as he opened the door.

“Wrong again. That was down to Nat.” “Pain in my ass.” he mumbled, as he walked back to the porch.

He placed the jug down on the small coffee table and plonked into a chair to the right of it, looking up at Steve who was leaning against the wooden rails of the porch, Nat to his right.

“Alright,” he looked up as Scott sat in the chair at the other side of the small table, Katie leaning up against the side of the house. “Explain.”

“Now, we know what it sounds like.” Scott stammered out before Steve cut him off, keen to understand what was going on in the Inventor’s head.

“Tony, after everything you’ve seen, is anything like this really impossible?”

Tony looked up from pouring the drinks, handing one to Katie who smiled a thanks to him.

“Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck scale, which then triggers the Deutsch proposition, can we agree on that?“

Scott, Steve and Natasha all looked blankly back at him. Steve had no idea what he was talking about but he saw Katie out of the corner of her eye stiffen slightly.

“As in David Deutsch?” she asked “The Fabric of Reality?”

"In layman’s terms, it means you’re not coming home.” Tony finished, and Steve let out a sigh.

“I did.” Scott said almost immediately.

“No, you accidentally survived. It’s a billion to one cosmic fluke.” Tony shook his head, his voice even “And now you want to pull off a, what do you call it?”

Scott shrugged, searching for a term to describe what he had been thinking of doing “A…time…heist?”

Yeah, a time heist. Of course, why didn’t we think of this before?” Tony asked, looking up at Steve “Oh, because it’s laughable? Because it’s a pipedream.“

“We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everybody back.” Natasha added.

“Or screw it up worse than he already has” Tony instantly replied.

“I don’t think we would.” Steve shook his head.

“Got to say, sometimes I miss that giddy optimism” Tony said, and Steve took a deep breath, raising his eyebrows. “However, high hopes won’t help if there’s no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist.” Tony leaned back further in his chair. “I believe the most likely outcome will be our collective demise.”

Natasha walked from where she had been stood leaning against the wall of the house to the rails of the porch, looking out over the grounds for a moment as Scott spoke again.

“Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel.” he said, almost eagerly, “No talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events-”

“I’m going to stop you right there, Scott.” Tony raised his hand and leaned forward “Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back to the Future?”

“No?” Scott said, embarrassment flooding his tone.

“Good you had me worried there, because that’s not how quantum physics works.”

“Tony, we have to take a stand.” Natasha spoke, turning to face him, her voice was sad, almost pleading. Katie watched her for a second, before she looked to her brother. Tony stared up at the Nat, almost apologetically but Katie could see his mind was made up, and his answer was just what she had suspected it would be.

“We did stand.” He said, his voice soft “And yet, here we are.”

“I know you got a lot on the line,” Scott spoke again, “You got a wife, a daughter. But I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did.” His voice began to gather pace and volume as he tried to sell his desperation to Tony “We have a chance to bring her back, bring everyone back. And you’re telling me you won’t even-”

“That’s right Scott. I won’t even. I got a kid.” Tony cut him off with absolute irrevocability as Scott stared at him in disbelief.

“Mommy told us to come save you.“ Morgan said to her dad. Katie gave a soft chuckle as Tony looked at her, grinning.

"Good job. I’m saved.” Tony told his daughter as he gave her head a kiss before he stood up, Morgan in his arms. He turned to look at Steve, Nat and Scott. “I wish you’d come here to ask me something else. Anything else.” he sighed, before looking directly at Nat. “Honestly, I missed you.” she gave a small smile as he turned to head to the house “Oh, and the table’s set for eight-“

As he went to pass by Steve, he gently stopped him with a hand on his arm and Katie watched, Jamie still held in her arms, his small hand playing with the diamond studded star shaped necklace she wore, a gift from Steve many Christmases ago.

"Tony, I get it, I really do, but this, this is a second chance.” Steve said gently.

“I got my second chance right here Cap.” Tony looked at the man, before he nodded over to where Katie was stood holding Jamie “You did too. And I can’t roll the dice again, and frankly neither should you.”

Steve took a deep breath, bristling slightly. Was Tony seriously implying that he thought he was going to gamble with his kids’ lives. That was the whole point of them coming to talk to him, so that they didn’t do anything that would jeopardise what they had.

“If you don’t talk shop, you can stay for lunch” Tony said, heading towards the door.

“I think we should be getting back.” Steve said, but it came out a little harsher than he had meant it. Tony turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Suit yourself.” he shrugged, before heading into the house. Katie watched her brother go and then turned to Steve as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked at her and she stared straight back, her face stony. She’d warned him how this would turn out and he’d promised her he wouldn’t get mad at Tony. And whilst he hadn’t got mad per-se, he had to concede that his last comment had been said with a bit of a shitty tone.

“Momma?” Jamie spoke and Katie’s attention turned to her son “Auntie Pepper was making meatballs.” “Your favourite?” Katie smiled at her son “Wow!”

Jamie giggled and Katie turned back to her husband “You go, we’re gonna stay for lunch.” her statement was accompanied with a look to say that this wasn’t up for negotiation so Steve took a deep breath and nodded.

“Ok, give me a call and I’ll come get you later.” he dropped a kiss to her cheek, before he did the same to his son and then gestured for Scott and Natasha to follow him back to the car.

“He’s scared,” Natasha turned to Steve once they were clear of the porch steps.

He looked back at the house where he could just see Katie was stood inside the kitchen, smiling at Pepper.

"Yeah, but I mean what are we gonna do?” Scott asked, his tone desperate again. “We need him, are we gonna stop?”

"Bigger than his?” Scott asked incredulously, pointing to Tony’s house.

Natasha quirked an eyebrow as she understood what Steve meant and she smiled gently before turning to Scott.

“Good job we know exactly where we can find one.”

****

Inside the house, Katie watched the car pull away before she turned and accepted the glass of wine Tony was offering.

“Lunchtime drinking?” she quirked an eyebrow and he shrugged.

“Figured you might need it after that, I do.” he took a sip of his drink.

Katie sighed and made her way over to the table, where Pepper was sat dishing out the food onto the kid’s plates.

“Fankoo Auntie Pep.” Jamie said, grinning and she beamed at him.

“You’re welcome sweetie.” They ate together, making general conversation about anything other than ‘time heists’ and two helpings of meatballs and spaghetti later, Jamie and Morgan asked if they could go outside to play. Tony headed out to supervise them whilst Katie helped Pepper clear the table before she went to find her brother.

“So we gonna talk about the elephant in the room, or on the lawn?” Tony asked, looking at her.

Katie shrugged “That’s not why I stayed Tone.” she sighed, her green eyes locking onto his “You know, I told them you wouldn’t want to help.” “It isn’t a case of not wanting to, Kiddo.” he sighed, “I just can’t…”

“I get it.” she nodded with a sad smile, “There’s a lot at stake…”

"So why doesn’t Spangles see that?”

Katie sighed “He does. He just wants to see if there’s any possible way we can do it. You know, bring everyone back.” “And what about you?” he asked.

“Honestly?” Katie looked at him, and he nodded “If you told me there was a way we could do it, and not change anything out of the last five years I’d jump at the chance, because that’s what we do, we’re the A-vengers remember, not the Pre-vengers…”

“Used to be.” Tony corrected her with the glimmer of a smile.

“Well, I don’t remember quitting.” Katie looked at her brother, “We just kinda…stopped.” “Say there is” Tony sighed “Say you suddenly find a way that guarantees that nothing from the last five years will change, and you do it. You pull off the Time Heist, reverse the snap, Kiddo, you open up a whole can of other worms. People have moved on in the past five years, and suddenly you’re bringing back husbands, wives, daughters, sons, mothers, fathers…”

“I know.” Katie nodded. “It would be extremely naïve to think things could just simply go back to how they were. There would be a lot of other issues and shit to deal with, I get that, but at least everyone would be alive.”

Tony sighed “I can’t Kiddo, I can’t gamble on this.” He gestured to the kids who were now playing

“Like I said Tony, I’m not trying to change your mind.” she shrugged. “And I won’t be gambling on anything either.”

******

It was getting late, and Steve still hadn’t heard from Katie. He was just about to give her a call when he heard the security system announcing the gate had been unlocked by “Tony Stark.” Frowning he made his way to the door, opening it to see Tony’s car pulling onto the driveway. He stopped not far from the door and Katie stepped out of the passenger seat.

“He’s fast asleep.” she nodded to the rear as Steve headed out to greet her, peering into the back of the car. He gave his wife a quick peck on the lips before he reached into the car and gently picked Jamie out of the back, the child only stirring long enough press his face into Steve’s shoulder, grabbing a handful of his sweater in his fist.

“Thanks Tony.” Katie leaned back into the car over the passenger seat to give her brother a kiss on the cheek.

“No problem Kiddo.” as she stepped back he hesitated for a moment and then climbed out of the car, looking over the roof at Steve who was heading back up the steps to the house.

“Cap.” Steve stopped and turned to his brother-in-law. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you what you wanted to hear.”

Steve took a deep breath and shook his head “Don’t worry about it Tone, we’re meeting Banner tomorrow.” “Banner?” Katie frowned.

“Yeah.” Steve nodded. “Nat called him before, he’s gonna hear us out. See if he can help.”

Tony remained silent, his mind whirring. Banner might know enough to help them, the guy was smart. “Just promise me one thing, please.” he sighed “You can’t, the kids, I mean…”

Steve frowned “Tony, if you really think I’d gamble with our children’s lives, you really don’t know me at all.”

“I guess not.” Tony’s mouth set into a thin line and at that point Katie shook her head.

“Stop it, please.” she sighed “I can’t cope with you at each other’s throats, not again.”

Steve licked his lips and turned to his wife. “Sorry.”

“Just take Jamie inside, I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Nodding he turned and headed inside and Katie looked at her brother who held his hands up, palms open.

“Like I said before, I get why you’re scared.” Katie looked at him, “But Steve’s right. All we’re doing a the moment is gathering facts, maybe understanding what we’re looking at a little more. If by doing that we come to the conclusion that we can’t guarantee what we have isn’t safe then we stop.” Tony took a deep breath, before he nodded back to the house. “Just make sure he understands that.”

Before Katie could reply he hopped back in his car, reversed slightly before he spun round and headed off through the gates. She walked straight into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine, grabbing a beer for Steve before she sat down at the table, head in her hands, she was exhausted. The problem was, she could see this from both sides. Whilst they possibility of being able to bring everyone back was simply too good to not explore, the chance that they could lose either of their kids if something didn’t got to plan was enough to put the fear of god into her.

She looked up as Steve returned having settled Jamie in bed and she slid the beer across the table to him. He sat in the seat next to her.

“You ok?” He asked, and she looked at him.

“I’m scared Steve.” She admitted “Scared because Tony is right. We can’t risk what we have.“

“We won’t.” he said firmly.

Steve nodded, telling her to continue. He knew when she was on a roll explaining something like this he knew he had to let her finish plus he wanted to understand her concerns.

“His view of time travel is that if you went back in time and killed your Grandfather, say, you’d simply create an alternate universe and timeline in which you are not born. But the version of yourself that went back in time came from a different universe, so you’d not suddenly cease to exist, like in Back To The Future or whatever, you’d still be there in that universe.” “Ok, so, according to this Deutsch guy, Scott’s theory about simply not changing anything in the past isn’t quite right?” Steve frowned, thinking he understood. She smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, which to be fair is only what everyone believes because of films anyway. They depict time travel in a single universe which is simply impossible. But if you accept that there are actually many universes that are constantly branching off of one another, then…” she sighed.

“But surely that’s a good thing?” Steve implored. “if what you’re saying is that we can’t alter our future by changing the past then…” “What I’m saying is, that none of us know for sure.” she corrected, her voice almost a whisper “And even if we successfully navigate the whole going back in time think, what if when we undo the Snap we jump back five years in our own time line and…”

She trailed off and Steve reached up to wipe away the stray tears that had fallen down her cheek. “Baby, look at me.”

She obliged, and he held her gaze. “Nothing scares me more than losing our kids, or you. Which is why we need to do this right. I get why Tony doesn’t want to help, he’s scared too, but….” he trailed off “I’m doing this for Jamie, for Emmy. I want Emmy to be able to see all the things she knew before the snap, and Jamie to see things he never has.”

“Like whales in the Hudson?”

“Like whales in the Hudson.” Steve nodded with a smile, “Although I’d never seen that before either, but the point still remains. I want them to have the best possible life that we can give them.”

Katie looked at him, and sniffed “You swear to me, right now, that the moment we start to see things going sideways, if we can’t be certain that we won’t impact anything that’s happened in the last five years, we stop.”

“Hand on heart, I swear to you.” Steve said, taking her face in his hands, driving his message home “Kitten, I’d die before I let anything happen to any of you.”

“Yeah, that kinda worries me a little too.” She sniffed and he chuckled slightly, before dropping a soft kiss to her lips.

Katie nodded, and he pressed his lips to hers again, this time the kiss slightly deeper.

“I love you” he moved his hands to lace into hers before he raised her left to his lips and placed a soft kiss over the top of her rings.

*****

“Hi Dr Brucie!” Jamie said, reaching over Katie to hi-five the man, Banner grinning a the boy’s nick name for him.

“You’re getting big tiny person!” he boomed as the simply ridiculous amounts of food started to arrive. Brue wasn’t shy about digging in, and neither was Jamie, as always. Katie dished out some eggs, sausages and bacon onto his plate and poured him a small glass of the orange juice whilst, in turn, Steve poured her and Natasha some water.

“Come on, I feel like I’m the only one eating!” Bruce said, pushing a plate forward “Apart from Jamie that is. Try some of that. Have some eggs.”

“I’m so confused,” Scott looked at Bruce, his face blank as he shook his head.

“These are confusing times.” Bruce said, nodding with a serious smile on his face.

“Right, no, no that’s not what I meant…”.

“No, I get it I’m kidding.” Bruce grinned, dropping the act “I know, it’s crazy! I’m wearing shirts now!”

“Yeah…wh…how, why?” Scott stuttered, his eyes wide as he looked at Bruce.

“Five years ago, we got our asses beaten. Except it was worse for me. Because I lost twice. First, Hulk lost, then Banner lost. Then, we all lost.”

“No one blamed you, Bruce.” Natasha said softly.

“I did.” Bruce said simply “For years, I’ve been treating the Hulk like he’s some kind of disease, something to get rid of. But then I started looking at him as the cure. Eighteen months in a gamma lab. I put the brains and the brawn together. And now look at me. Best of both worlds…”

He was cut off by a group of 3 children, one of which tapped him on the shoulder. “Excuse me, Mr. Hulk?

"Yes?” Bruce asked, turning to face them.

“Can we get a photo?” the little girl beamed at him.

“100%, little person. Come on, step up.” Bruce said, taking the phone which was handed to him and leaning across Natasha to pass it to Scott. “You mind?

“Oh, yeah.” Scott said shaking himself out of his thoughts, accepting the phone.

“Thanks,” he said before he turned to the kids. “Say ‘green’!” “Greeeeen!” came the collective chant before Bruce looked at Scott “Did you get that?”

Scott leaned forward and held the phone out, before he gestured at himself, “Don’t you wanna grab one with me? I’m Ant-Man.”

Nothing.

Katie hastily picked up her glass of water and locked eyes with Natasha, the red head trying also not to laugh.

“It’s alright they’re Hulk fans, they don’t know Ant-Man. Nobody does.“

"Wait, no, no, he feels bad. No, he wants you to,.he wants to…” Bruce looked at one of the boys “You want to take a picture with him, right?” The boy shook his had vigorously.

“He’s even saying 'no’ he doesn’t.” Scott snapped, “I get it. I don’t want it either.”

Katie looked at Steve who was now looking down at the glass of water in his hand, his fingers trailing round the top. He was getting frustrated, Katie could tell. She reached behind Jamie, who was nestled in-between his parents and gently gave his neck a soft tickle with her fingers and he looked at her, smiling softly.

“Just take the goddamn phone.” Scott said, calling time on the ridiculous exchange that had been going on, and Steve took a long drink of his water. He just wanted a damned answer.

“Thank you very much!” Banner called smiling “Hulk out!”

“Bruce.” Steve said, looking at him. Bruce ignored him.

Dab!” he continued, doing the action himself.

“Bruce.” Steve spoke this time again in his Captains voice, but to no avail. He rolled his eyes as the man continued.

“Listen to your mom. She knows better.”

“About what we were saying?” Steve tried again as Bruce finally, and Katie suspected rather reluctantly, turned back to them.

“Right, the whole time travel do-over.” Bruce leaned back in his chair “Guys, it’s outside my area of expertise-”

“Well, you pulled this off.” Natasha said, looking him up and down before she smiled, “I remember a time when that seemed pretty impossible too.”

Bruce nodded slightly, before he took a deep breath.

“In theory you could do it.” he said, scratching at his chin “You could go back in time, get the stones and come back without changing anything that’s happened in the past five years.”

“And the snap?” Katie looked at him, her arm dropping round Jamie’s shoulders as he continued to scribble on the colouring pad they’d brought for him.

“Well,” Bruce said, looking at her “Thanos was already on his murder mission way before he got the stones. He harnessed their power and got them to work together to do exactly what he wanted.”

“So,” Steve looked at Bruce, “if we tell the stones what we want, exactly what we want…”

Bruce nodded “Everyone comes home, and the past five years remain untouched.”

Katie and Steve looked at one another, before they glanced over the table and Scott and Natasha smiled.

Everyone comes home…

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #katie stark #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character

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