#( to be honest the only way nebula would ever talk to any of them without trying to kill them

[zinzinina]

Drift

Pairing: Tech x GN!Reader Length: 1.1k Rating: General Warnings: None

A/N: This is a little birthday gift for the lovely and talented Ellie @themaydecemberist​! Liz ( @ladyopress​ ) created this beautiful playlist for you, and she kindly let me use it as inspiration for this drabble. Thank you for being such a sweet friend and for sharing your incredible creations with us! I hope your day is filled with all the things that make your heart sing. x

He’s still tapping away at his datapad as you scramble to get your boots on.

“Tech? We need to go,” you try. The rest of the crew had left in such a hurry there hadn’t even been time to discuss the mission. Wrecker had started saying something about remembering a last-minute supply run, but Echo had whacked him hard in the arm, shoving him down the ramp before he could finish whatever it was he’d been saying.

They hadn’t even waited for you or Tech to follow. Maybe they didn’t want you to come, you think, hurriedly fastening the laces. But you don’t want to be left behind if there’s any chance of danger for the rest of the crew. This thought urges you on, making you fumble. You glance up, and realise Tech hasn’t moved from his position at the control dash.

You frown. This isn’t like him. He’s usually the one coordinating the punctuality of the others, with the familiar exasperation of a put-upon babysitter. Testily reminding Wrecker he doesn’t really need heavy artillery for a recon mission. Waiting for Hunter to issue directions so he can check schematics first and avoid catastrophe for the rest of the team. 

His concentration is absolute as he finally answers without looking up. “We won’t be accompanying them. I have an… unofficial assignment for us. I’m setting the coordinates now. It’s quite a short jump; within the sector. Hold on.”

You edge closer, leaning on the back of his seat as the viewport streaks into movement. “Really? Just the two of us?” You’re a little excited, if you’re being totally honest with yourself. This has never happened before; every mission so far requiring the entire team to be together. The closest thing to alone time you’ve had with him is sitting squashed knee-to-knee in his bunk, voices hushed under the snores from the surrounding sleepers. 

You’ve spent countless late nights listening to him recount the intricacies of whatever he’s currently working on, hanging on his every word. The rest of the crew visibly tune out when he starts talking, but you could listen to him for hours; his intentness infectious. More than once you’ve found yourself sketching schematics based on the ideas he’d talked about; the sound of his voice inspiring the movement of the stylus under your hand. 

He isn’t talking now. If anything, he seems slightly tense. Easing quietly around into the seat beside him, you sneak surreptitious glances at his face. He frowns behind the thick lenses of his glasses, tapping resolutely away at his datapad. It muffles your excitement a little; regardless of how much you’re relishing this chance to be alone with him, he had mentioned an assignment. It could be dangerous — more dangerous than anything he’s encountered before. And it would explain his stony sobriety. This thought occupies you for the rest of the journey, and you jiggle your leg nervously, daydreaming as minutes tick away.

When he finally leans up to decelerate the hyperdrive, it takes a few seconds for your eyes to adjust to the return to realspace. You aren’t sure what you’re seeing at first. And then it hits you.

Azure and emerald fill the viewport, glowing with the fluorescence of a bioluminescent explosion. The colours of the forming stars are so vivid you can almost feel them on your skin, bathing your face in light. The nebula is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Its danger is contained by its distance, though its destructive power is unmistakable; both ancient and newborn. It’s the most beautiful thing you could have imagined, something you’ve dreamed about and never dared to hope you’d see in person. You have absolutely no idea why you’re here.

You turn to look at him, and he’s watching it too, the faintest smile turning the corners of his eyes upwards. “The Utegetu Nebula. Like your drawings.”

He’s right, and wrong. You’ve drawn these ionised clouds countless times, trying to capture the whirl of molecular disruption without losing the scale of the nebula. You’ve mastered the shape: the sketches pinned around your bunk are evidence enough of that. But you’ve always been frustrated with your inability to recreate the brightness of the real thing. Now, gazing out at it, you feel humbled. No human could have reproduced this much vibrance. 

He’s talking again. “I only regret that an opportunity to bring you here hadn’t presented itself sooner. But the timing seemed pertinent, and with our convenient proximity to Roxuli following the last run, it simply felt necessary to… Well, when I was able to redirect the rest of the crew, I thought… What I mean to say is… Happy birthday.” Warmth settles in your chest. There was no secret assignment. He remembered, and he was trying to surprise you. Which is why you’re so touched that he still looks so nervous, blinking hard at his datapad. Filled with affection, you lean across and kiss him lightly on his cheek.

“Thank you, Tech.”

His owlish, bright eyes look even larger than normal as warmth creeps under the copper of his skin and up his neck. You can’t help but grin at him. This brilliant, earnest man; so capable and precise… blushing. He returns your smile with a hint of self-consciousness, adjusting his goggles to sit further up his nose. 

“There is one more thing.” He taps twice more at the datapad, and sets it aside as the ship’s internal lights dim. Low music fills the space, washing over you as gently as the colours through the viewport. It’s Core-world music; the beat strident but the words gentle. Wordless, your lips part as you look across at him. I could never define all that you are to me. 

His eyebrows draw down slightly, as though he’s making a calculated risk with his next words. “This seemed to be the closest aural approximation I could find to the… way I feel about you.”

Clearing his throat, he stands and offers you one of his long-fingered hands to ease you to your feet beside him. With his touch light around your waist, his awkwardness falls away. It’s not dancing; not really. More of a gentle swaying; undulating with the swirl of the forming galaxy beyond the small ship. Floating deep in an ocean of stardust.

[zombryz]

chile, I want my guts DESTROYED by Broly or Whis. Ik saying Whis is a stretch, but idk, he's so fine to meeee. thank you 🥰

Hi Anon! I’m sort of a Whis girl myself (˵ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°˵) please enjoy this lovely Whis one shot ~

TW: smut, and some fluff ✧

Lord Beerus’ planet was honestly really pretty. It was concealed within a nebula and it appeared to be upside down although when you were within it you were always right side up. Strange, but beautiful. There was an enormous tree growing in the center which at the base held Lord Beerus’ castle. Every morning you would take in all its glory with your daily meditation ritual that Piccolo taught you. You have been here for going on four months now. Because you were human you had no need for training, but Goku and Vegeta insisted on you coming along to cook meals and to keep them company. The Saiyan’s would be so lost without you. You had originally rolled your eyes at the invitation but you couldn’t pass up traveling through the galaxy. Lord Beerus and his attendant, Whis, didn’t seem to mind. They were always in the mood for a good meal. It was also a perk having a destroyer on your side, imagine if someone on earth had looked at you the wrong way. Gods, not even luck would be able to help them. It had grown a bit lonely though, your daily routine consisted of; waking up, meditating, watching Goku and Vegeta train with Whis, prepare breakfast, go back to meditation, watch them train some more, cook lunch, talk to Lord Beerus when/if he woke up, sometimes watch godtube with Lord Beerus, cook dinner, go to sleep, repeat. Your routine was becoming tiresome and you ached for a change.

This morning you had been meditating, your regular schedule, you looked down to see Goku and Vegeta going head to head with Whis. Obviously, Whis had dodged every single attack made by the pair of Saiyans. Your hands were on top of your knees while you were sitting in a criss-cross position. You had lifted one eye up to watch them train. The Saiyans hadn’t interested you as much as Whis did. He was so smooth and had such a calming presence. You felt as though nothing could penetrate his defenses. Vegeta once told you that Whis was the one to train Lord Beerus and so that piqued your interest. While watching them train you had usually fixed your eyes on either Goku or Vegeta, but this time you couldn’t take your eyes off of Whis. Something about him was so elegant and intoxicating. He must’ve felt your peering eyes because in the midst of taking on four fists to the face he looked up at you, making eye contact causing you to immediately close both of your eyes. Shit, you’d been caught peeping. You hoped with his many talents that he couldn’t read minds, that would be embarrassing to explain to him the dirty things you had been thinking at that moment. 

Finally, it was dinner time. You had cooked up a large enough meal for your makeshift-god family. You made mountains of ramen, it all looked and smelled so delicious. The spices filling up the room causing your mouth to water. You grabbed one bowl for yourself and let them all dig in. 

“Thank you, Y/N,” Whis looked at you with sincerity in his eyes. He held direct eye contact for a moment. This was a different look for him, usually, he stuffs his face and would give thanks after. 

“You’re welcome, Whis,” you replied, giving a gentle smile. This interaction caused your heart to thump in your chest. He had singled you out before you were nothing more than the cook. If you were being honest with yourself you didn’t even know if he knew your name. 

After dinner, you found yourself in your bedroom, one of the many rooms in the palace. This always confused you because Beerus didn’t seem to be one for having guests over. You had just gotten out of your nightly shower patting your hair dry with a secondary towel. When you walk out of the bathroom that was attached to your bedroom, you see none other than the Angel himself, Whis. You froze, your first thought was that maybe you were seeing things. Why was Whis in your bedroom? He was standing there with his scepter in his right hand while his left hand was behind his back. There was a moment of silence before he began to speak. 

“I am not supposed to be doing this but after the way you looked at me today it confirmed it,” he trailed off at the end. You weren’t really following. 

“Whis, what are you talking about?” You questioned, raising a brow in confusion. He seemed a little nervous himself and you were glad you weren’t the only one having a mini panic attack. 

“I have felt attracted to you for a while now, Y/N. Today, when you looked at me during training your body language had confirmed that you feel the same.” He said this time sounding more confident than before. Your heart started racing, you thought this was just some silly crush but now an Angel was standing in your bedroom confessing how he feels about you. Your face was turning rosy when you realized you hadn’t responded to him yet. 

“Oh, um. Y-Yeah. I’m sorry if that complicates things for you. I didn’t even think Angels were capable of liking mortals.” You finally answered, unsure of where this was going to go. You were beginning to feel the weight of this whole conversation, not even thinking about the fact that you were still in only a towel. Angels definitely didn’t understand social cues, otherwise, this would be way more awkward. 

Without responding Whis hammered his scepter to the ground ordering it to undress you. Your towel dropped to the ground and you had no intention of covering yourself. Your cheeks had become completely red now, you were standing in front of the angel completely naked with your hair still dripping wet. Whis leaned his scepter against the wall and started undressing, removing his long black cuirass first and then his maroon robe not long after. Still in shock, you watched him remove every bit of clothing he had on until you were both standing nude and at each other’s disposal. Standing in silence you felt that this was oddly romantic, his eyes wandered down your body appreciating every part, every curve of it with a hunger in his eyes that you had never seen before. You returned the favor by letting your eyes trail down his body, starting with his perfectly chiseled jaw, just under was his glowing blue halo that fell at his collarbone, his arm muscles looked like they had been crafted by the gods themselves. His chest was perfectly swole and slender. His torso ended in a beautiful v-shape. He was standing with both hands behind his back, allowing you to take in his glory. When your eyes went lower you realized that he was already as hard as a rock. His dick was big and long and a lighter shade of blue than the rest of his skin. It looked so supple in the moonlight, his tip was a brighter pink and it had an iridescent glow of pre-cum at its tip. You wanted so badly to get on your knees, sucking off the Angel right where he stood. Your body tingles at the thought causing you to shiver.

Whis lifted two fingers and motioned for you to come to him, without even having to move your body you were flying to him through the air using his abilities. The space between you was very limited now and this caused your breathing to quicken. He towered over you and you couldn’t help but want to be dominated by him. Whis on the other hand was calm and eager. You stepped closer to him, that’s when you noticed his halo was preventing you from getting any closer. To fix the issue, you stepped underneath and into his halo so that now he shared his space with you. The halo was now wrapped around the both of you causing you to be forced closer together. Chests now touching, you looked up to see his face illuminated by both the moonlight sneaking in through the window and his halo that was humming a low buzzing noise next to both sides of your faces. The feeling was euphoric. He made one last gentle look at you before his eyes turned needy, he leaned down to kiss you. It was passionate and fiery, both of his hands came out from behind his back to grab and cup your face. His tongue wanting to explore your mouth so you slightly opened yours allowing him entrance. A moan escaped your lips sending him into a fury. His kisses became sloppy and hungry. His hands traveled down to your breasts, toying with your already hard nipples. He slightly pinched at your nipples before grabbing a fistful of your breasts causing him to inhale deeply. Growing impatient he reached down to pick you up so that you would be closer to him. Your legs wrapped around his waist as he carried you to your bed. Halo still around you both it was the most intimate you had ever felt with anyone. It was as though you were tied to each other, causing an unbreakable bond. Whis slowly laid you on the bed, you were already soaking wet and ready for him. This time you grew impatient and reached for his cock, once you had him in your hands you lined him up to your entrance making sure to slide him up and down to gather your wetness. Whis kissed you between moans, the moment he slid in you both inhaled deeply feeling the pleasure of him inside of you, your lips still pressed together. With a few more pumps you grew comfortable with his size, you wanted him to quicken his pace. 

“Whis, faster. P-please,” you breathily mewled in his ear, he didn’t hesitate. He began thrusting into you harder and faster causing you to throw your head back in pleasure which only caused him to fall closer to you because of the halo. As he continued fucking you he snaked his hands up to your breasts, with his halo it was difficult but he needed you in his mouth. He leaned down slightly, bending his body enough to grab one of your breasts. He began flicking his tongue over your sensitive skin, you were quite literally in heaven. With his free hand, he began circling your clit with his thumb. Gods, this felt so good. You bucked your hips into him desperate for release.

You wanted to make him feel good too, you motioned for him to switch places. With a quick shift you were straddling him, his cock still deep inside your walls. You moved slightly as you got comfortable in the new position. His halo created the perfect closeness you needed to ride out your orgasm. Whis sat up and kissed down your neck and collarbone. He planted sloppy kisses all over your face. He kissed the tip of your nose and forehead, causing you to smile while you bounced on top of him. This reaction made him smile sweetly in return. You continued to grind against him, he lifted his lower body slightly to give you a greater closeness than you had before. While you were riding him he wrapped his arms around you holding you down on his cock shoving his length entirely inside you, holding you still while he thrust into you this time. A loud moan came from the back of your throat causing him to quicken his speed. You were reaching for release and god was he giving it to you, he kept massaging your breasts with one hand while holding you tightly in the other. You rode out your climax, clamping around him, milking his cock, not worried about if anyone else in the palace could hear your moans of pleasure. Whis wasn’t far behind, he quickened his speed steading out his thrusts so that he could come. He held you down on his cock shoving in and out of you while you bounced on top of him. His cock hitting the end of your walls each time. With his eyes closed, he threw his head back causing you to be pulled into the nook of his neck and shoulder. You planted kisses on the sides of his neck as you rest your head on him while he came hard inside of you. He felt so good. Without getting off of him, he remained inside of you, you could feel his warm cum spilling out from the sides of your walls and down your legs but you didn’t care. You were both panting, you were still laid against him quite comfortably where you were. You were in a hugging position and never wanted to move out of this spot. After a minute or two you sat up, still straddling him you took both of your hands and cupped them around his temples, pushing his tall, white hair down while you reached up to kiss him on the forehead. After the kiss, you pressed your forehead against his. He was your angel and you never wanted to leave this halo.

[words-writ-in-starlight]

for the ship headcanon meme: star trek pairing of choice, #16-#20?

Bet you thought I forgot about this ask meme, fuckers!  And you’re right, I did, but the beauty of forgetting is that sometimes you remember.  Anyway, as always, it’s Michael/Saru Hours, lads.

16) When the zombie apocalypse comes, how do they cope together?

This is not a headcanon, but I have this fragment of a fic idea in my head based on this question, and that fragment of a fic idea is like...some kind of case fic where Discovery finds a planet being ravaged by Basically A Zombie Apocalypse and Michael and Saru get stranded there.  Ideally, for my personal enjoyment, I would want to slot it into the plot of s1 as early as possible, because the best/worst dynamic there would be Michael choking with guilt and yet still one of the finest scientific minds in Star Fleet, and Saru unable to keep himself from pressing on the fresh bruise of loss, unable to trust her, and the two of them still working together flawlessly.

Because that’s the thing, isn’t it?  Even when they can’t stand each other, they argue like a choreographed dance, and when the chips are down and they have to think on their feet, they still move like Georgiou’s trusted right and left hands.

Anyway.  That, but make it zombies.

17) When they find a time machine, where do they go?

If Michael came into possession of a time machine that actually allowed her to reliably control where she went and let her come back, I think she would sit down and try to do the temporal math to figure out how to avert the war.  I do not, however, believe that Michael and Saru, survivors of a fair amount of timeline hopping already, would actually risk going back in time.  I think they would both talk about wanting to go back, specifically because they know the other will talk them out of it, but I don’t think they would do it.

That being said, I would love a lotus eater prison AU where Michael and Saru are trapped in an idyllic dream of a world where the Shenzhou was never destroyed, Michael was being prepared to be promoted off the ship as a captain, and Saru was preparing to take her place, ft a lot of sadness about Georgiou and Michael and Saru working together to find a way to wake up.

18) When they fight, how do they make up?

Michael wears Raised On Vulcan tattooed on her face, sometimes, and especially when she defensive or guilty--if she’s angry with Saru, she’ll tell him exactly what she thinks he’s doing wrong, to his face, and it takes her a long time to learn that she should pull that punch a little more with people she cares about.  On the upside, that means that, when she feels like she’s been out of line and unnecessarily harsh, she’ll walk right up to Saru and tell him, blunt as anything, what she did, why she thinks it was wrong, and that she understands if he’s angry with her.  

This was initially…a weird experience for Saru on several levels, if he’s being honest.  A lot of his experience with people is colored heavily by the fact that very few people know how to deal with Kelpiens, and that means that he’s either handled like glass or he puts in the work to be treated like any of the other crew members. He’s not really sure how to deal with someone who handles him with exactly the same unemotional ruthlessness as everyone else, and it’s disorienting, and it makes him angry that it’s disorienting, because that’s what he wants, but also, Michael is sometimes an asshole.  She’s the first person that he’s ever argued with on the regular—really argued, a push and counterpush, shoving each other away from the science console and pulling out ad hominem attacks in a way that visibly infuriates Michael’s Vulcan training.  But quite frankly, they never felt like they needed to apologize for those early fights, under Georgiou.  It was part of the ship dynamic, to have Burnham and Saru trying to take strips off each other in a very professional and scientific manner.  As long as Saru never took a cheap shot over Michael’s upbringing and Michael resisted the impulse to go full xenoanthropologist on Saru’s species, they were very good at fighting.

(Personally I am of the belief that Michael only tried to pull the I understand where you’re coming from because of what your species makes you after the mutiny, after she was trying to be nice.  Before then, she expected Saru to perform to her standards and fuck the details.  Half the reason he’s so coldly furious with her over it is because he knows she’s trying to manipulate him, because if she wasn’t, she would never play that card, because no matter how nasty their fights were, she always fought with him as a person, not as a Kelpien.)

19) Where do they go on their first date?

There’s a fic that bounces around my brain every time I watch Discovery, and it’s about Michael and Saru having a first date (sort of) very late at night, when they’re both having trouble sleeping.  It’s not an arranged date, they’re not even really friends even though they’ve gotten past the stage of Michael letting Saru flay her alive for her guilt, but Michael is having trouble sleeping and she’s not a prisoner anymore, so she wanders, and Saru, frankly, sleeps like hypervigilant garbage since the Binary Stars, so he has a preferred hiding spot on one of Discovery’s few observation decks.  As Lorca likes to point out, they’re not a goddamn pleasure cruiser, but Star Fleet never built a ship without at least one view panel, not even their top-secret war machine.

Michael is avoiding people—she hates being asked why she’s awake, gets tangled up in her automatic shame over not being able to control her emotions.  It’s the middle of the “night” by ship standards, but Discovery seethes with activity around the clock, especially since Stamets pulls regular all-nighters when he gets really entranced and often has to be peeled away from his work by Local Exasperated Doctor Hugh Culber.  So she ducks into the parts of the ship that she usually doesn’t go, the places that are more for socializing and are empty at this hour, the places that aren’t often used, the places that are quiet.

She finds the observation deck dim and blessedly silent, with the stars spreading infinitely outside.  The room is faintly lit by the nebula off to the starboard bow, the one they’re using to hide their signature while they run some necessary repairs.  It’s a practical use, but it’s also beautiful, every window in the ship glowing with warm reds and golds, and Michael still finds the stars soothing after all this time, and so she drifts up to the glass with the vague plan of sitting down and spending an hour or two there in an attempt at meditation.  She only sees Saru, leaning back against the edge of the viewing window, when she’s close enough to nearly trip over one of his long legs, stretched out in front of him.

Michael, of course, apologizes, and turns to leave.  Saru never really does have a good answer, as to why he stops her.  But he doesn’t ask any questions about why she’s awake and she doesn’t ask any questions about what he’s doing here, and instead they sit in relative quiet for a while before Saru sits up straighter and offers Michael, again, a small bowl of fruit. It’s not familiar to her, this time, but he says it won’t hurt her, that it’s sort of like a lychee, and she believes him.  It leaves a bit of thin red juice on her fingers when she bites into the first one, and he recommends eating them whole to avoid it while she ruefully sucks the juice off her thumb.  It’s good—less sweet than she expected.  Saru settles next to her in the middle of the window and sets the bowl between them, and she asks how he always manages to have fresh fruit, and he admits that he can wring a lot more out of the replicators since he never gets meat. Somehow it turns into—talking.

Michael is startled to realize, around the hour mark of murmured conversation, that she might have literally never just talked to Saru before. It’s—nice.

(Because I’m physiologically incapable of letting things be nice, if I wrote this fic there would be an immediate sequel of Observation Deck Chats Redux, featuring them doing basically the same thing but after Michael gets back from the Mirrorverse.  Michael leans against Saru’s shoulder in a way that she would never, if she hadn’t been awake with nightmares and grief for pushing three days, and she tells him about the Empire like she’s confessing her sins, and they talk quietly about the ghost haunting their ship in the shape of Empress Philippa Georgiou. It’s not nice, but not for lack of kindness.)

20) Where do they go on holiday?

I think Saru and Michael would have two very distinct kinds of “holiday” and they have two destinations accordingly.

The first kind of holiday is Nerd Holiday, in which they find an unexplored planet and appoint themselves to the away team—everyone else on the away team is wryly aware that they are, essentially, third-wheeling a date, but Discovery has watched this whole situation unfold and honestly the popular opinion is that it would actually be easier to deal with a little bit of PDA than the current Very Professional Mutual Adoration Show.  Local Red Shirt Absolutely Agonized By The Very Correct Ten Inches Of Space Between Her Captain And First Officer, Reports As They Come.  Michael and Saru are pleasantly unaware of this and are having a great time arguing over whether they need another sample of that plant if it’s just a different color.

The second kind of holiday is actual fucking shore leave.  They both prefer planets or stations with a large variety of species—Saru is uneasy with being the center of attention among strangers, and since he stands head and shoulders above a decent percentage of the Federation, it’s hard to avoid unless they’re in mixed company; Michael never quite recovered from the perpetual sense of disjoint when it comes to being around all humans or all Vulcans, so being in a place where everyone is different makes her feel less out of place.  Neither of them like big crowds, so they’re the tourists who immediately leave the usual Tourist Area and find somewhere else to be, which has its ups and downs.  The first time they get into trouble on a totally safe colony planet because they decided to go exploring, there’s a beat of them looking at each other and silently agreeing that they won’t be telling the crew about this, because there’s already a running ship joke about what trouble magnets they are and they do NOT need to feed anyone more material.

[radramblog]

Full-Art Lands Pt.2

Hello internet persons, this is Rad from 2/9/21 speaking. I am tired from an early early shift at work, and also just got the first vaccine dose, so I’m going to be posting these words written on Monday when I anticipated exactly this level of exhaustion. This might defeat the purpose of “a blog post a day”, but its hardly the first time I’ve done it and also I think I have a pretty solid excuse.

Anyway. This is a continuation of a discussion of every Full-Art Basic Land set in Magic: The Gathering, starting now with Modern Horizons. It counts!

Modern Horizons

Kind of cheating, because technically the Snow-Covered Lands are different cards, but unless you’re building around them (or a card like Extraplanar Lens) then they’re functionally pretty much the same. These are also literally the only Full-Art Snows, so if you’re running those then this is basically your only pimp option.

Ultimately these are kind of held back by the fact that, well, everything has to be blanketed in snow. There’s some interesting blues going along with the Plains and Mountain, and there’s some fun sky colours, but the remainder is left a little bland.

I currently believe these are worth investing in, for what it’s worth. Both Full-Art Lands and Snow Basics always go up eventually, slowly, over time, and these are still less than a dollar each for now.

 Secret Lair: Artist Series: Seb McKinnon

This one is kind of a special case, because there’s just a Swamp. And there are technically two of them, but one is just an older version of the art. So I wasn’t sure whether or not to count these.

Because of these limitations, it’s hard to recommend these unless you have a lot of money and also a mono-black deck. They look great, matching Seb’s excellent style from the other cards in the drop, but it’s a bit of an awkward one. That said, I just have these sitting around, seeing as I got this drop just for the Damnation, so…might as well, I guess?

 Theros: Beyond Death

Much like Amonkhet/Hour of Devastation, this set has one full-art mixed in with several regular basics. The difference is that these are representative of Nyx, the world of Theros’s gods, with its symbolic and nebulaic art.

There’s no real getting over the part where these just look like the Basic Energy cards from the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Considering WoTC’s hand in designing that game, and that the two are equivalent because, well, WotC designed them that way, it’s a fair comparison. But I don’t think this is why these ones aren’t as good as other full-arts. I have two main issues with these lands, and the first is that, well, there’s no land on them. For a set themed around a specific plane, one would expect that plane to be represented in the art, and Nyx does have actual landscapes on it. I get the space-themed design, but they could have been up in the sky above an actual Mountain or whatnot.

The other is the missed opportunity of these being Nebulae. That’s a fine enough design choice, though the symbology is a bit hammered in, but like. In a set based on Ancient Greece and its astronomical focus, with Gods that look like and are represented by constellations, with a mechanic called Constellation, they probably should have just been constellations. It would have made for a more subtle, less, well, Pokemon look, as well.

 Unsanctioned

New Un-Set, new basics. These ones are kind of a hybrid between the Unglued and Unstable ones, with that golden frame and almost borderless design. I’m actually not sure how I feel about these, since while the frame looks nice, it’s also kind of pointless, and the texturing on the mana symbols is a little weird. I don’t like how smooth and reflective they are.

The art is at least still excellent. Not John Avon, but Adam Paquette does a great job distinguishing himself, less realistic but still believable places that feel fantasy. I actually feel like Unsanctioned was overall a miss, especially since each box came with like 2 of each of these basics, but that’s not something I’m holding against them.

 Secret Lair: The Godzilla Lands

Secret Lair has been an opportunity for WotC’s designers to experiment a lot with card frames, though this set of basics doesn’t quite represent that. I’m not sure how well this one did, to be honest, though they did make future basic-only SLs, so fair enough I guess.

So, do you like Godzilla? Because he’s on all of these, along with some other Kaiju from the greater series canon. It’s kind of a little distracting, because the landscapes are otherwise gorgeous. Ironically, though, Godzilla himself is kind of being a scale-reptile in these pieces, giving a sense for just how big that mountain is, or how far away the “camera” is from the ground.

The only Island I see in that Island is Godzilla himself, though.

 Double Masters

These are just a set of reprints from Unhinged and Battle for Zendikar, but in a more borderless style. I’m honestly not sure how I feel about the Unhinged arts being blown up like this. But this is a reprint set, and these are honestly kind of boring, so eh.

 Zendikar Rising

Another Zendikar more lands etc. etc. you get the idea. Like the title suggests, this iteration of the plane has a lot of vertical exploration in its flavour, and the new basics reflect this. Especially  in the Plains, Islands, and Mountains, that sense of adventure and traversal is back from the first Zendikar set.

Interestingly, this one doesn’t have any reprinted arts, unlike Battle for Zendikar, even though there’s only 3 of each land here. There’s probably something to be said about distancing this set from BFZ- that set faced a fair bit of backlash, and it is thematically very different from ZNR. There’s also the conspicuous absence of the Hedrons, apparently having been replaced in art and in flavour by the Skyclaves. No, I still don’t know what those actually are supposed to be.

At the end of the day, these cards do end up making Zendikar feel like it’s lost its edge a little. They’re just a bit too bright and friendly for my liking, even with the inclement conditions in some of the images. I think it literally just might be the clear, bright skies in this one.

 Secret Lair: The Unfathomable Crushing Brutality of Basic Lands

Yeah these are about as edgy as the name suggests. Monochromatic and striking, this set of basic’s iconography is much more evocative than literal, the mood of the colours in their themes, captured largely without them.

It does greatly amuse me that literally all of these arts contains skulls. Talk about gothic. I like these a lot better than the Theros: Beyond Death lands, despite the similarities- Particularly, that the mana symbols aren’t literally just the standard ones- arguably the Island is, but it at least is in the form of negative space.

I can’t get over how thematic these are. Plains embodies community with its weapons and runes and roots, and the human face on the Sun icon. Island represents the vastness of knowledge with its endless waters and starred skies. Swamp is death, skeletons mired in the depths of the surroundings. Mountain is fire, bold and unflinching, while Forest’s gnarled branches running through the skull shows the unflinching nature of, well, nature. They’re all so utterly sick.

 Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

The most recent addition to this list, and one you actually can’t get yet. I think the frames on these being so thin is excellent, since it means they aren’t taking away from the spectacle of the art- not to mention the monochrome of the border and art.

These pieces are magnificent gothic landscapes, the kind you’d expect to see illustrated on the inside cover of Frankenstein or a Lovecraft story. Each and every one of them is ominous in its own special way, with the Swamp that’s a ruined river town to the rugged cliffside path of (presumably) Geier Reach. And the Island with the waves crashing across the cliffs is utterly gorgeous.

Obviously we haven’t seen these in paper quite yet. And the monochrome may make it difficult to tell them apart at a glance. But these are sacrifices I am willing to make for the sake of style.

This is the sum total of all the FABs. For now. Something I didn’t quite realise when writing this was the sheer number of options for this kind of pimping, and how much they’ve ramped up in production over the last few years. Much like with the increase in cards in general, I suppose, as well as premium product versions like the Secret Lairs. I would be genuinely shocked if the game ever exclusively started using Full-Arts, but I’d also not be surprised if we saw them yearly at the longest. 

Either way, I’m sticking with my BfZ lands, because those are the ones I already have!

[tenroseforeverandever]

Double Blind

Characters: Rose Tyler; Tenth Doctor; Reinette; Adam Mitchell

Tags: AU - human; blind date; fluff; romance; humour

Summary: Rose Tyler has been set up on a blind date with a bloke she’s having a lot of misgivings about, but when he arrives, she finds he isn’t anything like she expected him to be.

Notes: This was written as part of a Classic Trope challenge on the Doctor x Rose Discord group. I got “Blind Date”. The story was actually inspired by one of the cute little stories on my French course on DuoLingo! To my brilliant beta team, @rose--nebula and mrsbertucci, my undying gratitude, as always. You got me on the right track more than a few times, and with the amazing @aintfraidanoghosts, you helped me plan out the rough patches. My love to you all! 

Read also at: AO3; FF.net; TSP

Double Blind

Rose Tyler shifted in her seat and straightened the pale blue rose on the white table linens for the umpteenth time. She glanced covertly at the other tables around her: men and women dressed in nice suits and fine fabrics, eating meticulously presented food from china plates. Rose wriggled again, brushing invisible motes of lint from the cuffs of her white blouse, hoping she looked presentable. She told herself she couldn’t look too terribly out of place; the maître ’d hadn’t blinked an eye. 

She had never set foot inside a restaurant this upscale before. They didn’t have posh spots like this near the Powell Estate. But the French restaurant, Révélations, was where her date had insisted they meet. He’d texted her instructions to place a blue rose on the table in front of her so he could identify her when he arrived. The idea of the rose was obvious (her name) and the blue was, according to him, for hope that their date would be “just the first of many”. He hadn’t liked the idea of exchanging photos, which would have made identifying each other simple. He’d informed her that “a blind date is a blind date” and he wanted “to meet without any preconceived notions” or some rubbish like that. But Rose already had preconceived the notion that this bloke was a bit too sure of himself. It was just a bloody first date, after all, blind or not. He sounded like he was already practically planning their wedding.

She sighed, not for the first time over the last few days. Her friend, Shareen… actually Shareen’s new boyfriend whom Rose had never even met… had arranged this date: a bloke, named Adam Mitchell, whom he knew from the research labs at the Uni. The bloke had allegedly returned from college in the United States to do Post-Doctoral research on some hopelessly science-y subject Rose could barely even pronounce the name of. Why Shareen (or, more to the point, Shareen’s mysterious boyfriend…) had ever thought he would be a good match for her, Rose didn’t understand. She didn’t even have any A-levels to her name, and she worked in a shop, for God’s sake.

On top of that, if she was being honest, Adam had rubbed her a bit the wrong way with the dictatorial tone of his texts to her. It wasn’t an auspicious beginning.

“The last thing I need in my life right now,” she’d told Shareen in no uncertain terms, “is another condescending, controlling… shite boyfriend. Besides, I only just got rid of Jimmy. I really don’t think I’m ready for any sort of boyfriend.”

Shareen had scoffed. “But this isn’t Jimmy. This one actually has a real, functioning brain, and he has a proper career lined up. He has money, babe; he can look after you.”

“What? I’m supposed to be some kept woman? You sound like my flippin’ mum.”

It had taken some convincing, but eventually, Rose had tired of Shareen’s whinging, and capitulated, agreeing to go on this bloody date, despite her misgivings.

And here she sat, waiting for Adam to arrive, incessantly rearranging her stupid blue rose and terrified to order anything more than a glass of still water lest it bankrupt her. She felt like she’d been waiting forever but when she glanced at the time on her mobile, wondering if she’d been stood up, it turned out he wasn’t late… yet. Rose couldn’t decide if she should be relieved or disappointed.

After another five minutes of jittering her leg under the table linens and trying desperately not to bite her nails, she decided to pack it in. She didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want… this. She gathered her handbag from the floor by her feet, and made to stand, but stopped half-way. From the lobby, with the maître d’ standing next to him, appeared a tall, slender man a few years older than her. She observed him carefully for signs that he might be Adam: he had brown hair and eyes (check) and was wearing a suit and a tie adorned with blue flowers (check, again.)

So far so good.

Although, she had to admit, the overall image wasn’t quite what she’d expected from Adam, based on the tone of his texts to her. Somehow, she’d been expecting the brown hair to be carefully combed into place, not a delicious, expertly tousled mop that practically invited her to run her fingers through it. And the suit was a bit more casual than the “business casual” she’d been anticipating: rumpled brown with pinstripes; tie carelessly loosened from the confines of his collar; and a pair of battered, cream-coloured Converse on his feet, in place of dress shoes. Based on his tone, she’d thought Adam would have been more… put-together and formal.

Her heart dropped. It couldn’t be him. Loads of people had brown hair and eyes, and the tie… easily a coincidence. Besides, while she’d been told Adam was good-looking, this bloke was positively fit!

She watched with bated breath as he glanced around the restaurant. Her heart did a little flip when his eyes settled on the rose in front of her. Then his gaze lifted to hers and his face erupted into a wide, toothy grin. Rose’s breath caught and she immediately plonked back down into her seat.

She amended her first assessment: he wasn’t just fit; he was drop-dead, bloody gorgeous.

The man waved off the maître d’, who remained hovering behind him, and stepped toward Rose’s table. “Hello.” He continued to beam stupidly at her.

She figured her expression was equally ridiculous as she grinned back in a dreamy haze. “Hello.”

“The blue flower…” He nodded toward the rose in a soft Estuary accent that made her feel all gooey inside.

“Yeah. And the, erm… the tie,” she managed.

“The tie? Oh… yes, it’s one of my favourites. Love the tie. Erm…” he gestured to the empty chair across from her, “…may I?”

“Oh, God, sorry! Of course.”

He sat down and put his elbows on the table and leaned toward her. “So…”

“So…” Rose giggled (blimey, she wasn’t normally the giggly sort…), then pulled herself together. “So, you’re doing post-doctoral work at the Uni, yeah? On what was it, again?”

“Quantum and Temporal Physics.”

Rose gulped, really wishing she’d never let Jimmy-bloody-Stone manipulate her into dropping out of high school. Not that A-level anything would help her much in this situation, but at least she might have stood a chance. “Yeah, I thought it was something like that…”

“Fascinating field, really. My research is based on the premise that space and time are fundamentally linked at quantum level and that if we can travel on any trajectory through one, we should also be able to travel on any trajectory through the other. It’s just a matter of applying…” he rattled on, gesticulating with his hands. (He had lovely, long fingers, Rose mused dreamily, quite happy to listen to the cadence of his voice and imagine all the things those fingers could do.) “…and realigning the quantum matrices. You see, people assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint…” He trailed off. “I’ve lost you, haven’t I?”

“Just a bit, yeah.” She chuckled but her cheeks burned. “My brain checked out somewhere back around when you said, ‘space and time’.”

He cast her an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry. I do this all the time. Donna, that’s my cousin, she calls me a great, big outer space dunce. I keep forgetting that not everyone is a genius, like me.” He sniffed and straightened his tie.

Rose arched her eyebrow at him. Okay, now this was more the Adam Mitchell she’d been expecting: a bit of a pretentious git.

“Oh, no! Sorry, so sorry! I’ve mucked it up again. I just meant… weeell, I am very clever, but I don’t mean that I think I’m better than other people… I just know things, I suppose. And I get excited and like to talk about them because I want to share my knowledge… and as Donna pointed out, I’m also a dunce.”

Rose’s heart swelled with sudden affection. He wasn’t being pretentious after all; he was just being… forthright, sweet.

“And getting back to what I really meant to say, earlier,” he blurted, “all that gobbledygook about time… it’s really just a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey… stuff.” 

Rose laughed. “Now that’s some science I can get my head around!”

He beamed at her again, his relief evident. “So, what do you do?”

Rose’s cheeks heated again. “Oh, me?” She averted her eyes, dreading the disappointment she would surely see settle on his face, but she supposed it was better she was upfront about it. “I’m just working in a shop… Henrick’s.”

“Oooooh, posh.” He waggled his eyebrows, setting her off giggling again. “I commend you. Not just anyone can handle rude customers all day. I bet you get some doozies in there!”

Bemused, Rose could only nod in agreement.

“I’d end up shouting at them and get fired the same day.”

“I feel like that too, sometimes, but I’ve learned to handle it, I guess. I’m top sales, every month.”

“Oh, well done! Brilliant!” He seemed genuinely proud of her achievement. There was no sarcasm in his tone or delivery, just open enthusiasm.

“But I really want to go back and get my A-levels,” she insisted, feeling she had to defend herself. “I was good at English and French back in school… and Art! I used to love painting!”

“I reiterate: brilliant! You should do just that if it’s what you want. What sort of things–”

The waiter stepped up to their table at that moment to offer them menus and tell them about the specials of the day. Rose listened intently. The food all sounded very opulent, and was probably delicious, but she didn’t have a clue what half of it was. She did her best to keep up, nodding politely and making interested noises at appropriate points.

“May I offer you something to drink while you peruse the menu?” the waiter offered.

“Oh, erm…” Rose stammered. What she really wanted was to order a pint, but she didn’t think that would go over too well at Révélations. And she didn’t want to order anything too expensive…  “I’d love a glass of red wine.”

“We have a lovely selection of fine house wines for you to choose from.” The waiter opened the wine menu and pointed to the appropriate section.

Rose bit her lower lip, the words swimming before her eyes, and her heart somersaulting around her chest. “I… erm…” She glanced over to Adam, who was watching her with slightly narrowed eyes. She couldn’t help thinking he was sizing her up… and she was failing. Then his expression softened, and he offered her a compassionate smile.

“Oooh, a glass of red sounds good. How about we just order a bottle?”

Rose nodded fervently.

“What do you recommend?” he asked the waiter.

When the wine was selected and the waiter had finally left, Rose opened her menu and pretended to read over the selections. She glanced shyly up at Adam from beneath her fringe. He too, was engrossed in the menu. “Thanks,” she murmured. “I don’t know…”

“Don’t thank me yet.” His eyes met hers, sparkling with amusement. “We can only hope our waiter chose a nice wine for us. Aaand, speak of the devil…”

The waiter reappeared, opened the wine, and poured a little into each of their glasses to taste. Rose held the glass to her lips, hesitantly taking a small sip. She hummed her appreciation as the fruity flavour exploded over her tongue.

Adam was decidedly less reserved in his approach. With a flourish of his eyebrows at Rose and a quirk of a smile, he swirled the liquid around his glass, and sniffed it intently. (The show-off!) “Ahhh… that’s lovely. And do I detect… NO! It can’t be? Is that an overtone of... bananas?” He winked at Rose.

“Bananas, sir?” The waiter goggled at him. “I… erm… bananas?”

Rose clapped her hand over her mouth to hold back the bark of laughter building in her throat.

“Oh, I love bananas!” Adam cheered. “Always bring a banana to a party. And if you can’t do that, find a brilliant wine with overtones of bananas! This is lovely, don’t you think?” he addressed Rose.

“Lovely, yeah,” she agreed.

“Pour away, my good man!”

As the poor, perplexed waiter filled their glasses, he asked: “Have you had a chance to view the menu?”

Rose met Adam’s eyes and gave a little shake of her head. He turned to the waiter. “A few more minutes, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I’ll come back in a little while.”

As soon as the waiter was out of earshot, Rose couldn’t contain herself any longer: “Oh my God! Bananas?!”

“Oh, I thought he needed to lighten up a bit. This place is all a bit hoity-toity, in my opinion.” His eyes suddenly widened. “I hope you don’t mind…”

“Are you kidding? That was the best thing I’ve heard all week. The look on his face!”

“I know!”

They did nothing but grin stupidly at each other over sips of their wine for a few minutes, breaking into hopeless giggles every so often.

Adam took a deep breath and a gulp of wine. “So,” he asked, returning the subject to their earlier conversation, “back to school, eh? Is that something you’d want to do?”

“I think so, yeah. I want to at least be able to say I got my A-levels. I let a boy convince me I didn’t need them, and it was the worst decision I’ve ever made. I feel like… I dunno, it would be like taking my life back.”

He offered her a warm smile. “Well, good for you! And then… uni?”

“Maybe… who knows? Would that matter?” She worried the corner of her lower lip between her teeth. Despite her hesitancy to come on this date, she was really liking this bloke. She could see herself spending more time with him… if he were amenable. ‘Course she wouldn’t let on to Shareen. Shareen would be insufferable.

“What? No! Of course not! Uni is not the be-all and end-all. There are so many other avenues to pursue if that’s what you want. It was right for me, obviously, but…weeell…” he tugged on his ear, “you certainly don’t need my approval.”

Rose offered him a grateful little smile and ducked her head. She sighed happily. “What I’d really love to do, first, is take a year or so and just travel. Explore the world.”

“Oh, I’d love to travel too! I’ve spent so long at school. I mean I’ve studied in the States, but I never really had much chance to look around, to explore. I love to explore!”

“Me too! I’ve never been anywhere ‘cept when me and mum used to cram into Cousin Mo’s old car and drive to a beach in Dorset for a few days on the summer hols. Mum must have gotten sick of my whinging. She finally left me behind when I was fourteen. Blimey, she and Mo must have had a grand ol’ time without me taggin’ along.”

They both laughed.

“Where would you go,” she asked, “if you could choose?”

“Oh, I rather like the idea of blindfolding myself and throwing a dart at a map of the world. Seeing where the wind takes me.”

“Oh, that sounds perfect! But, on your own?” Rose blurted out the words, not thinking through how they would sound. He would probably think she was inviting herself along on this imaginary trip they were planning. Bloody hell, she’d not known him for more than twenty minutes.

He shrugged, his cheerful expression crumbling a bit around the edges. “There is no one else… not really…” His fringe fell over his face as he pointedly turned his eyes to the menu.

There was history there, and Rose wanted to learn more, but in this moment she just wanted to be there for him. She found herself dismissing any worries about being too forward, and impulsively, she reached across the table and rested her hand over his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “There’s me.” She licked her lips as his hand twitched under hers, sure he was going to pull it away.

Instead, he flipped his over so their palms were touching. A zing of something bloody brilliant coursed through her, and as their eyes met, she knew he felt it too, a shared energy. It felt so right. She swore she could feel the turn of the Earth, the ground under her feet spinning at a thousand miles an hour, like she was falling through space.

Stunned by the feelings exploding inside her, she opened her menu to divert her mind. Glancing up she saw Adam was doing the same.

A few minutes of awkward silence passed, their hands still touching; it seemed neither of them was willing to break the link between them. Finally, Adam spoke, gesturing to the menu, “So, what do you like, Reinette? It’s my first time here; I was hoping you could tell me what’s good.”

Rose let his words sink in. What was he on about? Hadn’t he selected this restaurant? Was this some sort of test? Frowning, she slid her hand from his. “It’s my first time here, too… Wait!” She pursed her lips as she processed his words. “Did you just call me… Reinette?”

His eyes bulged, his eyebrows disappearing under his fringe. “Oh, blimey! You aren’t…?” He ran a desperate hand through his hair. “I take it you’re not Reinette, then?”

Rose chuckled, shaking her head. “Never heard of her. And I’ll wager your name’s not Adam?”

“Adam?” He frantically ruffled his hair again. “Blimey! No, I go by Jonathan Noble.”

“Nice to meet ya, Jonathan Noble. Rose Tyler.”

“Rose Tyler, eh? Roooose Tyler. I have to admit, I like the sound of that. It suits you much better than Reinette. Aaaand, it goes a long way to explaining why you weren’t quite what I was expecting… Turns out, I wasn’t expecting you at all. I was expecting… well, Reinette, who I have to admit,” his voice dropped to a confidential whisper as he leaned across the table toward Rose, “seemed a little full of herself… a bit la-di-da, if you know what I mean?”

“Don’t I just,” she whispered back. “I got the same vibes from Adam. And then you… you seemed so…” she chewed on the corner of her finger, “…so… I dunno. We just seemed to click, yeah?”

He beamed. “Oh, yes! You know, looking back, now… I was a little surprised when you didn’t know what wine to order. I assumed Reinette was the sort that would be able to rattle on about fine wines until she was blue in the face.”

“I know! I kinda had the same experience with you… just the way you were dressed, yeah. I was expecting something a little more… proper, I guess.” His smile faltered and she felt a little rush of panic. “Oh, God! No, no! I didn’t mean…  I love this, what you’re wearing. It’s comfortable and, erm… approachable. It really suits you.”

“You think?” He flushed and tugged on his ear, his eyes filling with hope.

“Oh, yeah! And the Chucks… inspired!”

Rose glanced up past Jonathan’s shoulder, distracted by a woman who had just arrived and was putting up a bit of a fuss to the maître d’. “Erm, Jonathan…” she asked, trying to come off as casual, “…what made you think I was this Reinette-person?”

“Well, I was told to look for a beautiful blonde. And she told me she would have a blue flower… a lily! She’s originally from France. A blue lily! Oh…” He glanced down at Rose’s flower, lying beside her napkin, his mouth dropping open.  “Erm… you have a… a rose. Some genius I am, eh?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, easy mistake to make. I mean, what are the odds: specifically a blue flower? But...” she grimaced, nodding toward the reception area, “I’m afraid the real Reinette might have just arrived.”

Jonathan spun around in his chair and Rose followed the path of his eyes. The woman sniping at the maître d’ was a striking blonde, dressed in a chic, expensive-looking pantsuit. She was holding a blue lily and peering around the dining room.

Rose’s heart plummeted. She would never be able to compete with such a beautiful, sophisticated woman. What would a genius like Jonathan Noble ever want with a chav from an estate in Peckham, when he could have the likes of Reinette? She picked up her handbag and swept her blue rose into it. “Thanks for being so nice, Jonathan, but it seems your date has arrived.” She offered him a tight smile as she stood to leave.

“What? What? No, no, no! Please stay… Rose Tyler.” Her name rolled deliciously off his tongue again and he begged her with big, sad, puppy-dog eyes. And then there was his delectable, pouting lower lip… oh, wouldn’t she just love to kiss that lip?

“I… I can’t. It’s not right. I mean she’s so… you know… and I’m not...”

“Please? Rose? I was enjoying talking to you; really, properly enjoying it!”

“Yeah?”

“Yup,” he assured her with a little impatient nod. “Sit, please.”

Rose hesitated.

“Please.”

“Oh, all right!” If this lovely man wanted to finish this date with her, who was she to argue. They really had been getting along very well, after all. That energy between them when they’d held hands… she’d felt a connection with him like nothing she’d never experienced  before. A delightful shiver ran down her spine at the memory.

“By the way,” Jonathan asked as she settled herself again, “what made you think I was Adam? Was it the tie?”

“Yeah…”

“It’s just you mentioned it when I first arrived.”

“Oh, right,” Rose laughed. “Well, you obviously were looking for the flower too… but you – I mean he – told me he’d be wearing a tie with blue flowers on it. And there you were: tie with blue flowers. The two clues together…”

“Pure coincidence.” He winked. “I’d even venture to call it serendipitous, and I don’t generally believe in luck.”

“Oh, you don’t even know me yet.” Rose flashed him a toothy grin. “I could bring you nothing but misfortune, you never know.”

He dragged his gaze up from where the tip of her tongue teased him from the corner of her smile to meet her eyes. “Oh no, Rose Tyler, you have already saved me from a fate worse than death.” He nodded to Reinette who was currently flouncing through the restaurant, probably looking for him.

Rose bit her lip, stifling yet another giggle. “I haven’t saved you yet. Look out! She’s headed this way.”

“Oh, if I believe in one thing, I believe in you.” He reached over the table to squeeze her hand. “You’ll save me. You are my lucky pants.”

“Your what?” Unable to contain herself any longer, she burst into a full belly-laugh, but she gulped it back quickly as Reinette swept up to their table.

“Excuse me?” Reinette spoke with a light but haughty French accent and gave Rose a critical once-over before turning her attention to Jonathan. “Are you Jonathan Noble?”

Jonathan offered the woman a perplexed frown. “You must be mistaken. My name is… erm…” he scrubbed at the back of his neck, “…Adam.”

Reinette pursed her lips, arching a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him. “So, this means nothing to you, then?” With a flourish she showed him the lily.

“Oh, weeell, it’s a lovely flower… but, no…”

Reinette’s narrowed gaze flicked between the two of them, and Rose offered her a polite smile. With a harrumph, she moved away from their table to continue her search.

“Dodged that bullet!” Jonathan told Rose.

“Well, at least you didn’t get stood up.” Rose rolled her eyes, wondering what had happened to the real Adam.

“His loss. And my good fortune! See? You are my lucky pants.”

She shook her head. “You’re daft, you are! I guess we should take a look at these menus, yeah?”

He spent a few seconds flipping through the pages of the menu, then he sighed. “Actually… I know the wine is lovely – overtones of bananas and all – but since neither of us chose this restaurant, what do you say we pay for the wine and find somewhere else to eat. That is, if you want?”

Rose breathed a sigh of relief. “I know a really great pub not far from here that’s a little more my scene. They brew their own and they make the best fish and chips. I want chips.”

“Me too! Sounds brilliant. Shall we?”

Standing, she nodded fervently, and he threw some bills on the table to cover the cost of the wine, then offered her his elbow. She blushed, accepting his arm.

“Allons-y!” he chirped.

As they made their way to the maître d’ to offer their apologies, Reinette stormed up to them. “You lied to me! You are Jonathan Noble.” Her beautiful face was contorted in fury and she pointed adamantly at his shoes. “You told me you’d be wearing Converse with your… ahem…” she curled her lip, “...suit.”

“Weeell…” Jonathan’s shoulders tensed, and Rose could only hold her breath, waiting to see how he would respond. He flourished the arm that wasn’t linked with hers. “You got me! I admit. I lied. It seems there was a case of mistaken identity, two blind dates that got muddled up, and weeeell… Rose and I rather hit it off.” He was going for the honest approach, and Rose was quietly relieved.

Reinette, however, was livid! “Ridiculous!”

“I’m sorry,” Rose added, feeling the need to back Jonathan up. “He really did think I was you. We both had a blue flower, you see…”

Reinette snarled at Rose, then whipped around to face Jonathan. “I do not get… stood up! I insist you have dinner with me!”

Rose was distracted from Jonathan’s terse response by the insistent buzzing of her mobile with multiple incoming texts. She dropped his arm and scrambled in her handbag, finally finding the phone at the very bottom. The screen was lit up with no fewer than five notifications from Adam. It seemed he was running rather late, but told Rose, in no uncertain terms, that he expected her to wait for him.

“I’m worth the wait,” read his final text, followed by winky and aubergine emojis.

Rose rolled her eyes and fought her gag reflex. There was no bloody way she was going to wait for that tosser. And she was going to be having a few sharp words with Shareen about her (and her boyfriend’s) concept of what her ideal date looked like.

As it turned out, Rose thought as her eyes settled fondly on Jonathan, she had a pretty good picture of exactly what her ideal date looked like. And unfortunately, right now, he wasn’t faring well in his battle with Reinette. It was time for her to rescue him one more time.

“Tell ya what, Reinette,” she cut into the other woman’s rant, “a young man named Adam Mitchell is on his way here… right now. He’ll be wearing a tie with blue flowers and he’ll be expecting his date to have one of these...” She pulled the blue rose from her handbag and thrust it at the stunned Reinette. “Oh, and I don’t think he believes anyone could ever stand him up either, so you should get along famously.” 

With that, she slipped her hand into Jonathan’s, and as one, they turned toward the door and pushed it open. As they burst onto the pavement, they nearly knocked over a dark-haired young man, wearing a tie with gaudy blue flowers all over it.

“Oi!” he barked as they sputtered half-hearted apologies and hurried along the pavement.

“Was that…?” Jonathan started.

“Adam?” Rose finished for him. “Yeah, I think it must have been.” Their eyes met and they erupted into laughter and looked back over their shoulders to find Reinette and (presumably) Adam fuming in the doorway of the restaurant.

Gripping Jonathan’s hand tighter, Rose grinned up at him. “Run!” she shouted.

“Oh, yes!” he cheered as they took off at a sprint.

As she ran hand in hand with Jonathan, Rose felt as though she had something to look forward to for the first time in a long time. She had walked into Révélations dreading the evening ahead, but a simple mix-up had turned her blind date into a matter of pure blind luck. Now she was running toward a future full of promise and opportunity, a future she rather suspected Jonathan Noble would be a significant part of. 

She grinned. It was going to be fantastic.

[fallenhunter851]

Recorded Messages

I’ve recently completed the Daily Heroic Challenge where you find Cayde’s hidden caches. And all I want to say is: Thank you Bungie for bringing tears to my eyes for the first time since D2 came out.

Enjoy!

Warnings: None

Cayde knew that he would die one day. He just wasn’t sure when or how.

Part of taking on the role of Hunter Vanguard.

No matter what, you ended up dead.

No memory wipes.

No revives.

No more Light.

Cayde wasn’t looking forward to that day.

Would it be painful or gentle? Would it be quick or slow? Would it be among friends and family or among his enemies?

He wasn’t sure, but he wanted to leave a message to those that would find his stashes… to his potential killers.

Cayde stared at the little voice recorder currently sitting on the small table in his living room. Hands curled under his chin, he let out a sigh and let his head hang a little. He knew he needed to do this, but... but this was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

Cayde decided to start with Eris Morn’s message. They were close enough to call each other friends and have each other’s back, both agreeing that a Hunter’s place wasn’t in the Tower, but out in the Wilds. But most of the time, the two didn’t really get along. Bickering on most occasions.

‘Children, the both of you.’ He remembers Ikora telling both of them one day before the fall of the Tower to Ghaul. Cayde let out a breathy chuckle and clicked the button on the side of the voice recorder.

“This one’s for Eris Morn. Ahem. If you’re listening to this, congrats on killing me! I assume you… became a Hive Death God and fed me to your worm cult.” Cayde paused what he was saying to let out a shudder at the mental image his mind created for him, before letting out a small breath and carrying on with the recording.

“That, or you just finally got sick of me. Coincidentally, if you didn’t kill me and still somehow hear this… I’m sorry for stealing your ship. And, oh, pretty much every other interaction we ever had. But to be clear- if you DID kill me, I do NOT apologise, and I will consider all my actions 100% justified.

Either way, feel free to put your rock on my maps now.

I don’t need’em anymore.”

One down. Nine to go.

“This one’s for that armless coward Taniks the Scarred. If you’re listening to this… you killed me. But I bet I took a big chunk out of your ugly husk with me.

Guess Andal Brask wasn’t enough for you, huh? You wanted another Hunter Vanguard for your sick collection? I got my fair share of regrets, sure… but not putting a bullet in you has gotta rank in the top three.

Won’t be long before a better Guardian than me puts you in your place.

Just wish I could be there to see it.” A sour taste was left in Cayde’s mouth at the mention of Taniks, but a more foul and upsetting taste was left after mentioning Andal’s name. He hadn’t talked about Andal in centuries, and the last person he did was living up near the Iron Temple, and he wasn’t coming down anytime soon.

Two down. Eight to go.

The first time Cayde had met The Drifter, it was a cold rainy day near the Annex, and he had just finished a round on the Tower when he had spotted him hiding in the shadows of a back alley. They didn’t talk, just nodded to each other and carried on with their days respectively. And something akin to mutual understanding began.

“This one’s for the fellow calls himself The Drifter. You did warn me running with you would put a target on my back. Guess I’m in good company though, huh? After all, never had any fun without a little risk. That’s the whole idea with the operation you’re putting together, ain’t it? MY idea by the way.

Had it, like, a million years ago, back when you were still handsome.” Cayde let out a small chuckle at that, and took a small sip of the water that he had next to the recorder. An Exo may never get a dry throat, but the feeling and sensation is there.

“So, uh, you’re welcome. You know, getting that up and running means coming out of hiding- giving you-know-who another shot at you. Hope I was around to see THAT showdown. Personally, my money was on the guy with the Golden Gun. But hey, what do I know? I’m dead.”

Three down. Seven to go.

“Petra… if you’re listening… you killed me. Maybe the Sovs, in all their mysterious wisdom, decided they were sick of me? If the Queen ordered the hit, I guess I understand. You’re a real glutton for chivalry. But if it was Uldren, I’m pissed. Just thinking about that peacock gives me a headache. But I’m betting my death was another case of your famous collateral damage. ‘Cause you’re a real do-gooder. Seriously, it’s annoying- but good deeds never go unpunished when you’re around. You just… You got a blast radius P.V. Well, it was… fun while it lasted.

Oh, and, uh, tell ‘Paladin Oran’: If the sun over Nessus escapes nebula cycle, evac labor after dawn, under solstice. You got that P.V.?”

Four down. Six to go.

Cayde grumbled at the thought of this message, but it needed to be recorded. So he took a deep breath, sighed, kept his voice low and even, then let a hardened gaze fall over his face.

“This one’s for the minds behind the Deep Stone Crypt. You think just ‘cause you made me, you can unmake me? Hey, I understand. I were you, I wouldn’t want people knowing what I did either. Guess you better hope I didn’t tell anyone about the Crypt. Or about the, uh, what was it? Oh yeah... Long Slow Whisper. ‘Cause if I did, that would be real bad for you, huh? I may be dead, but I guarantee you ain’t hear the last of me.”

Only five left.

“Here’s one for Suruya Hawthorne. You know, when I told my Ghost I’d be making one of these for you, she laughed. I didn’t have to tell you that. Just wanted to make you feel bad.

In my defense, if you’re listening to this, you did kill me. I mean, if it was a fair fight, mano a mano, I'd win, no question. But I can see you planning out some convoluted, meticulous trap. Some would call that Paranoia. Me? I call it ‘being a Hunter’.

So, here’s your next Hunter lesson: Looking after your own.

Speaking of which: Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of Colonel! Now, she only eats sesame seeds muesli and drinks purified spring water with a sprig of parsley. Play nice you two!” Cayde let out a fond chuckle at that, thinking of how attached he had gotten with the chicken the first time when he had gone to the Farm after leaving Nessus.

Four left.

Thinking of who to address this audio log to, Cayde looked around his apartment, taking in the small treasures that he had collected over the years. He felt himself getting slowly choked up as he neared the end of the logs for his hidden caches.

He had to make these last few more memorable.

“This one’s for any Hunter who kills me. Best guess: Marcus Ren? You realise you get my stuff now? ALL my stuff. INCLUDING the Hunter Vanguard gig. Yeah, congrat-u-lations, dummy. That’s what we call a Vanguard Dare. Sucks, doesn’t it? OK, brace yourself for some advice, hotshot.

One, know your people. Like, my Nessus Scout, Quantis Rhee. I like to call her about once a moon, else she gets a little too much Night, not enough Stalker, you know?” Cayde made a mental note to call Rhee after he had finished these logs. Thank her for everything she has done.

“Two, keep your weapons sharp. Your jobs’ to watch everyone’s back, which means no one’s watching yours but you. And three, start thinking about what you want to do for your successor’s Vanguard Dare. ‘Cause trust me, kid- this gig will kill ya.”

Three left. And Cayde knew that these three would be the absolute hardest messages he would ever have to record for anyone to hear.

“Hahaha! Ha! Sorry, sorry! I’m just… I’m imagining how awkward you must look right now. Ha. Ahem. Ahem! OK. Zavala. So, I’m dead. You killed me. My stuff is yours. No more working me over at Chess. No more getting worked over at poker. For real though, you know that if you needed to kill me for ‘the good of the City’ or whatever, I totally understand.

No hard feelings. Nada.

You can put this voice recording away and go on with your life.

Now, if you DID have some kind of lingering guilt or something… that would be rough. ‘Cause you and I both know you’d have me yapping in your ear for the rest of your days. You wouldn’t be able to help yourself.

Two left, He felt his resolve slipping.

“Hi Ikora. So you know I’m making a bunch of these, right? I probably told you. I always gotta have the last word, and I’m gonna be prepared for every possibility. But to tell the truth? This one’s the easiest to make.” Cayde had to take a pause and breathe out, he knew that this was a lie- but it was the only way to make it easier for himself to record these.

“So as long as we’re being honest, I could never tell if you really liked me that much. But, uh… well, if you did hate me, the feeling was NOT mutual. In fact- yeah, I’ll say it- don’t even mind if you killed me. I figure if we threw down… first off, no one can blame me for losing. And… I know you’d be in the right. So… thanks? I guess? You were a… a good friend. Better than a guy like me could hope for, anyway.

So yeah, thanks Ikora. For everything.”

One left.

Cayde couldn’t do it. Not tonight or any time soon for that matter. He broke down into tears. Sundance materialised next to him and allowed Cayde to pull her tight to his chest in any form of comfort as the night gave way to sunlight.

As Cayde walked over to his usual space, he saw Setara and Echo standing next to Amanda talking about Traveller knows what. Turning his walk into a jog, he sped over to the trio and pulled both Setara and Echo into a tight hug, burying himself between them as he whispered his blessings. Both Guardians were shocked by this and slowly wrapped their arms around their Vanguard, and when they questioned why Cayde was holding onto them like they would disappear when he let go, he simply shook his head and just held them tighter.

“This one’s for the strong, silent type. You. Congratulations, buddy.

I mean that. Always knew you’d outdo me some day. And if that means you had to do me in, too… eh, you saved my life on Nessus, so I owed it to you anyway.

Take care of the Ace of Spades, will ya? I’m not just talking about the maintenance; Banshee can help you with all that. I mean, take care of Ace. Use it well.

Oh, hey, and… if you found any of those papers from my earlier… eh… deployments? Burn ‘em. Don’t want people poking through the lives of Caydes 0 through 5.

So just... put it all behind you, OK?

Every story has an end.

This is mine.”

[theonewiththefanfics]

Whatever It Takes (one-shot)

Synopsys: This is the fight of their lives. Get the stones, bring everyone back, but don’t screw up what happened during the last five years. But maybe there’s a chance to bring back even those that weren’t dusted. Well, whatever the case, that is what the Reader will do if the opportunity presents itself.

Pairing: Loki x f!Reader

Genre: angst/ fluff

Warnings: swearing, blood, mentions of wounds and death

Word count: 15676 (I don’t have a life :) )

       Whatever it takes.        The words echoed through Y/N’s head like a mantra. They were going back in time to retrieve the Infinity Stones. As insane as that sounded, it was their actual plan. The only plan that gave them hope to bring everyone back.        “All right,” Tony brought Y/N back from the dazed state, readying herself as she stood next to Steve. “You heard the man. Stroke those keys, jolly green.”        “Tractors engaged,” Bruce announced, and she pulled in a shuddering breath. They were actually going to do this.        From the corner of her eye, she saw Rocket hand Clint a shrunken version of the ship her father and Nebula had arrived on. “You promise to bring that back in one piece, right?”        Clint rolled his eyes, voice uninterested as he moved to stand next to Nat. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I’ll do my best.”        “As promises go, that was pretty lame.”        It had been a while since Y/N found anything remotely funny, so when the snort escaped her nose, she was shocked herself. The past five years had been hellish. And even that was an understatement.        To be completely honest, she had been luckier than most. She still had her dad, and Pepper had survived the snap as well. The twenty-two days he’d been M.I.A in space Y/N would’ve completely lost it if not for her mom. Though they were not blood-related she refused to call her otherwise. The woman had helped Tony raise her, and there would be no other way she’d regard her or him. They were her family.

       But then he’d come back. With Captain Carol Danvers carrying the spaceship, he was safely placed on the ground. Steve rushed forward to help him off the steps, and Y/N crumbled to the ground upon seeing her dad after almost three years of her own absence.        After that and the Avengers’ unsuccessful retrieval of the stones, the three of them moved into a lakeside house and just stayed there. Y/N recounted what had happened after she’d been trapped in the Rainbow Bridge after Thor’s last visit to Earth. When the topic of Loki and her being together came up, she had almost given Tony a heart attack.        “Don’t worry dad,” she sniffled, “he won’t come back.”        In any other circumstance, he would’ve been happy about the crazy Asgardian not stepping a foot near his daughter, but the tone of her voice made him realize that it wasn’t a good thing.        “How so?” he had mumbled in her hair.        “Same reason we lost so many others,” Y/N had replied. “Only that time he didn’t snap his fingers, but his neck.”        The two spent the rest of the night curled up into one another, trying to keep the other somewhat together before Pep joined and helped them start the mending of their hearts.        Then Morgan was born. Y/N didn’t know how to feel about it at first. It felt like they were trying to move on while others were left to piece together the broken shards, but when her sister’s little finger had wrapped around her own, the fierce love that filled her chest was a force to be reckoned with.        Now, Y/N surveyed the room, and excitement started to fill up her body, despite everything. This was their chance, not only to bring everyone back but to keep what they had gained. Because there would be no other outcome she’d accept.        “See you in a minute,” Nat remarked, and a moment later they were all flying through the quantum realm.        Y/N had never been a squeamish person. Whenever they had movie nights and Clint or Sam, as always, picked a horror film, no matter how many guts flew towards the screen, she was unfazed. Quite a lot of the time, her line of work consisted of splattering other’s brains against walls. And when you can control everything with just your mind, frying someone from the inside out wasn’t uncommon.        But the second they were thrown on the Chitauri overrun streets of 2012 New York, Y/N was slammed against a car, and she had to hold onto it for dear life.         “Bug, you okay?” Tony’s hand went to her back to soothingly rub it.        “ ‘M alright,” Y/N wheezed. Fuck that breakfast was really hard to keep down. “Just give me a second.”        While she was recuperating, Steve laid out the plan once more. “All right, we all have our assignments. Two stones uptown, one stone, down. Stay low. Keep an eye on the clock.”        Originally Y/N was supposed to go with Bruce to The Sanctorum, but they ended up deciding she’d be great backup for the rest as they would have to get past not only Loki and whatever he might decide to do, but also Hydra.        Right as they were about to split, 2012 Hulk landed with a harsh thud on the ground, flipping a car over onto a Chitauri troop before jumping on top of it as if he was a kid jumping on a bed.        Y/N looked over at Bruce who had a hand on his face.        “Feel free to smash if things don’t go your way,” Steve patted him on the arm, and Bruce sighed.        “I think it’s gratuitous, but whatever.”        For a moment everyone watched as he removed his shirt and reluctantly punched a car before throwing a motorcycle.        “Okay,” Tony pulled them back, “it’s time to move.”        Through an underground tunnel that connected the garage to the main parts of the Stark Tower, Steve rushed inside with Y/N, while Tony and an ant-sized Scott flew in through the window.        “I’ll take the stairs up and wait by the elevator,” Steve commented, “I need you to find two of the security suits and suit up. Tony will be with you shortly.”        “Got it, Cap,” Y/N gave him a mock salute and was off to the races.        They didn’t have much time. Hydra would get the staff pretty much immediately, and then it was up to Steve to retrieve it, while Tony had to help Scott get into the position to cause 2012 Tony a heart attack, and then subsequently get the case with the Tesseract to them.        “A heart attack, really?” Y/N had first remarked, eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. “You clearly have zero care for your own life, do you? And what if mom finds out?”        “Got any better ideas?”        “Uhh knock yourself out and pass as yourself? Trigger the security system? Maybe something that won't put your survival at risk.”        “Do I look like I could pass as a version of myself from back in the day?”        That was true. Tony had gotten significantly greyer, and the lines on his face were more prominent, though in Y/N’s opinion that was more so to do with all of the grief, not age.        “I dunno,” she had smirked and crossed her arms, feet resting on the top of the table as they went through the information of what they knew of the stones, “put a little bit of dye in there, and I’d say you’re as good as new.”        Tony gave her a gentle smile and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Y/N instantly put her head on his chest and relaxed. “Thanks, bug, for caring about me,” he muttered. “You always know how to lift me up.”        “That’s what family does.”        Now, Y/N was rifling through the SHIELD uniforms quickly taking one that seemed to be her size and another one to fit Tony.        “Ugh, Mr Rogers,” Tony exasperated through the comms as all of them got into position, “I almost forgot that that suit did nothing for your ass.”        “No one asked you to look,” Steve sighed through almost gritted teeth, but Y/N had to agree. The 2012 suit had been a complete flop in accentuating the Captains assets.        “I think you look great, Cap,” Scott responded. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s America’s ass.”        “You done there?” Y/N whispered as she moved into position downstairs to wait by the elevator. “We’re kinda on a mission here. Also, America’s ass only appeared when he got into that hot ass stealth suit. Thank you, dad, for that.”        Steve groaned while Tony chuckled. “Thank you, bug. I’m glad at least someone appreciates my designs. But also, do not ever talk about looking at Steve’s ass ever again, or I’ll ground you.”        “How can I not?” she muttered. “It’s right there.”        But before Steve could say a syllable, Tony spoke up. “All right, Cap. I got our sceptre in the elevator just passing the 80th floor.”        “On it,” he was back to his ‘soldier mode’. “Head to the lobby.”        “Alright. I’ll see you there. Kid?”        “Waiting for you by the staircase, the second suit is secured,” Y/N confirmed and settled in her position.        “You’re a gem, bug.”        Y/N smirked, and she would’ve stayed somewhat happy if not for STRIKE team appearing. “Ugh,” she groaned and sneered in Hydra’s direction. “Can I take those guys out? Preferably with a sniper?”        “We don’t have time for that, kiddo,” Tony’s voice was now right next to her.        “Bullshit, there’s always time for a little bit of that.”        Tony rolled his eyes, but nevertheless, everyone was more or less in position. “Thumbelina, do you copy? I’ve got eyes on the prize,” he murmured right as his own younger version started to walk out of the building but was interrupted by Alexander Pierce showing up.        “Bombs away.”        A few seconds passed without anything happening, making Y/N’s nerves spike when Scott exclaimed, “Is, is that Axe body spray?”        “Yeah, I had a can just for emergencies. Relax. Can we focus please?”    “I’m going inside you.”    “Ew,” Y/N winched, “don’t ever say anything like that ever again.”    From the sidelines, she observed everyone until her eyes befell on Loki. She knew she’d see him here, there was no escaping that, but Y/N thought she had prepared herself better than this. Her breath got stuck hallway to her throat and tears threatened to spill from her eyes because here he was – in chains, yes, but alive. Alive and breathing and snarking back.    “All right, move it, Stuart Little,” Tony was starting to get impatient. “Things are getting dicey up here. Let’s go.”    “You promise me you won’t die?”    Tony rolled his eye, and Y/N slapped his arm. “You’re only giving me a mild cardiac dysrhythmia.”    Scott rebutted. “That doesn’t sound mild.”    “Do it, Lang! Window’s closing in. Pull my pin!”    And that’s when he did it. “Here goes!”    If Y/N was being honest up until five years ago that day had been the worst of her life. After watching her dad fly a nuke into space with Pepper right beside her, and now seeing him crumble to the floor, was incredibly hard. To the point, she almost rushed to his side because the horrific memories were bad enough, but as planned, 2012 Tony dropped the case, and Scott kicked it towards the 2023 Tony and Y/N.    With one swift movement, he had the Tesseract, and both were on their way to the meetup point. Then everything turned south. The Hulk smashed out from the stairs, knocking Tony and Y/N out of the way, and the suitcase with the Tesseract flew open, making the cube bounce out and slide all over the floor.        “Shit,” Y/N almost yelled and scrambled to her feet right as the glowing stone stopped by Loki’s feet. She didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what would happen next.        Without thinking, Y/N grabbed onto 2012 Loki’s shoulder right as he took the Tesseract and used it to disappear. A second later, the two tumbled onto the ground, and she managed to knock the cube out of his hold.        Unsurprisingly, his chains and the mask on his face were off in an instant, signifying the fact he had just been playing along. Maybe his plan all along had been to bring together the Avengers in hopes of stopping Thanos one day, no matter if under the influence of the Mind stone or not. Or maybe he had just wanted to get back to Asgard and rule there.    The two were up, their clothes covered in dirt, but Y/N’s focus on the Tesseract instead of the alien looking planet surrounding them, and Loki’s was on her.        “I need that,” she said pointing at the cube.        “That’s not a nice way to ask though, is it?” Loki snarked back, the two circling one another like lions ready to attack. When his back was on the stone, and it was in her eyesight, she got ready. Y/N blew a strand of hair out of her face and whipped her gaze back to look at the younger Loki.    “I wasn’t asking.” And that’s when she pounced.        When they first started training together, Loki had had the upper hand. For one, he was a literal god with hundreds of years of experience, and two, she wanted to learn his tricks. He was able to make new moves and surprise her, catch her off guard and bring her down, but this time Y/N knew she had him.        They’d been together for three years, and though that was nothing but a blink of an eye for him, she knew how his body moved and bent, where his mind went to as he thought of his next attack or defence. Y/N knew him like the back of her hand.        The second she deflected his dagger and twisted his arm around, she slammed the back of his knee and elbowed him in the back of his head. She had him. But Loki was stunned in a different kind of a way.        “How did you know I’d do it?” his blue eyes were wide and looking at Y/N in complete bafflement.        She didn’t deign to respond, instead, just kicked him in the jaw sending his head backwards.        Three more steps and the Tesseract would be hers, but of course, once again things had to go south. A cold palm grabbed at her ankle, harshly yanking her down. Y/N was happy she managed to keep her tongue behind her teeth, but the clank wasn’t pleasant either way.        “I’m sorry,” he smirked scrambling to straddle her, “but this will hurt.”        His fingers pressed against her forehead, and Y/N’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. But Loki was not expecting the things he saw.        It was him. But it wasn’t. And yet it was him with her and they were… tangled together in a bed. Their legs brushing against the other’s, soft fingers tracing his jaw and cheekbone while his lips left invisible marks on her lids, brows, nose and finally where she carved him the most – lips.        “If paradise exists,” her voice was quiet as if she was afraid to pull them out of the moment, “this is it.”        “Really? In the arms of a child’s nightmare?”        “In the arms of the coolest man in the existence of the universe. Quite literally, your skin is freezing cold.”         Loki snorted shaking his head. “That’s because I’m a Frost Giant, darling.”        “Mhm,” her eyes were closed, content, “you never fail to remind me that. Especially as one of the reasons as to why I should be afraid of you.”        “You should.”        Her Y/E/C eyes were now open and had a defiant look in them. “Yet here we are.”        “Yet here. We. Are,” he accentuated each word with a kiss.        And what was so weird to the Loki watching what undoubtedly were Y/N’s memories, was the pure love her felt radiating off from them. No animosity, no scheming or underlying negative intent. When she gazed up at him, all he could feel was love.        Loki retracted with a gasp clutching his arm to himself as if it had been singed, while Y/N balled up in a fetal position, fingers quickly burying themselves in her hair.        “Just please,” her voice cracked. “I need it. I need it to make everything better… I couldn’t save you then… let me do something good for once.”        Loki didn’t respond. He just stood there shocked and… and hurt. Hurt because the girl on the ground was weeping and weeping for him. Hurt because she looked like a fractured vase ready to crumble at the softest touch. Hurt because somehow someway the two of them would meet, fall in love, and, once again, he’d ruin something so precious.        “I don’t want to hurt you,” Y/N gritted with a tearstained face, but with such defiance in her features, it took Loki aback as she finally glanced back at him, standing up on sure feet. “But I will if I have to.”        “Why didn’t you use your powers on me?”        That was not the question Y/N expected Loki to ask. In fact, she hadn’t used her powers ever since Thanos, so the only way he could know that was if he had felt them in her memories. Back then she’d have no problems surrounding the both of them in a telekinetic bubble to keep the world away.        “ ‘M a bit rusty,” Y/N gritted and steadied herself again, “but I’m also desperate. So, I’ll do what I have to.”        With that said, glimmering silver threads started to weave up and down her veins right to the middle of her forearms. It felt good to let loose, but after having bottled everything up for so long, Y/N was afraid she might explode. Though, if that was the cost, she’d pay it.        Just as the blood vessels in her eyes turned from red to silver, power now fully encompassing her body, the Asgardian prince suddenly whipped his head to the side to where the Tesseract laid.        “Do you trust me?” Loki asked, and as he said that, his eyes turned from the blue hue they’d assumed while under the power of the Mind stone into his jade orbs. It was like a punch into Y/N’s guts for she was looking into the eyes where her home was. So similar yet so different.        “You? Not really, no.”        But he just rolled his eyes like her Loki used to. With both of his hands raised, he moved closer to the cube. “Don’t,” he glanced at Y/N as she twisted her palm upwards ready to strike. “I promise I’m not going to flee. I swear… on my Mother.”        With those words all will to fight left her, her powers pushed back into that bottle where she’d hidden them. Because Loki might’ve been the god of lies, but he would never break a promise he’d vowed to keep on his Mother.        Y/N watched as he cautiously took the final steps to the Tesseract and lifted it from the ground. And though she expected to have to fight him for it, Loki marched towards her and extended his free hand.        “Trust me on this one. That’s all I’m asking.”        His green eyes bore into hers so deeply Y/N felt her heart breaking once again. Just like it had when she had stared at her lover in his final moments of defiance before they ceased to sparkle forever.        She wasn’t even fully in control of her own body when her hand slid in his cold one, and, once again, they were transported to somewhere else. Instant warmth from all around surrounded Y/N as she beheld green vines wrapped around marble pillars, and a nightlight sky full of stars.        Y/N was about to ask Loki where he’d taken her, but next to her stood not a tall man, but a slender woman with hair down to her waist. For a second, Y/N was dumbfounded as she scanned over the expanse of the garden, in search for Loki before she realized that woman was Loki. That’s when she remembered his shapeshifting abilities were more than just snakes and ravens.        “You know, it’s a good thing you never assumed your female form while with me.”        “Really?” she smirked, but Y/N could see the underlying uncertainty in his face. “How so?”        “Because somehow I can guarantee you would wear my clothes, and I was not prepared for you to look better in them than me. You always had trouble with asking for things… And you were out of my league as a dude, so as a woman I’d have no chance.”        Her shoulders instantly dropped, and Loki ushered them to start moving.        “Where are we, by the way? Just curious.” Y/N piped up as they ventured towards two grand oak doors with intricate designs before being swept inside by the moving crowd. The large hall they’d entered was nothing short of grandiose.        Huge tables were set up in long lines where people feasted on all imaginable things whether fruits, meats or vegetables. Everything and anything your heart could desire could be found on them. And the people were no different.        The shapes and sizes did not matter, nor did the colour of their skin because each and every person was dressed in jewel encrusted and gold-thread lined clothes, their hairs up and loose in different styles, each more intricate than the other.        But nothing matched the place itself. The warmth it radiated was not only physical form the ginormous hearths lining the sides of the room, but also emotional. It was welcoming and endearing. With the yellow light that surrounded them, stars shining through a cupola right above them, Y/N never wanted to leave this place. And how could she when right at the far side of the room by a table that stood higher than anyone else’s, her Loki sat and drank?        “Loki?”        Despite the fact that her voice was not raised but at a normal level, despite the roars of laughter of the rest in the room, instantly his head snapped up from where he had been leaning to the side listening in on what a gorgeous woman was telling him.    His green eyes widened in disbelief, and for a minute both just remained as they were – Y/N frozen in the middle of the aisle, and Loki sitting on the gilded chair. Then he was up and jumping over the table running towards her.        The wind got knocked out from both of them as their bodies collided. They were crying, rivers flowing from their eyes as they trembled in the others grasp. For Y/N, it might have been five years, but for Loki, although it was a split second, it felt like an eternity. Any moment without her was too long in his already centuries-long life.        “I love you,” Y/N instantly said grabbing onto his cheeks and pulling back, completely not believing he was there, but she would not let go of this moment. “I love you and I’m not wasting another second. I didn’t get a chance to say it before, but now, knowing this might be it forever, I’m… I’m not going to let this slip. I love you, I’m in love with you, all of that and above.”        “I – you,” Loki couldn’t form any words, green eyes frantically taking in every inch of Y/N’s face. His body screamed at him to never let go, to wrap his arms around her and pull her flush to him. To become and remain as one. But the only thing he could do was ask, “how are you here?”        “He won, Loki.”        “What?”        “Thanos,” Y/N sighed and shook her head, “he won. He got the rest of the stones, snapped his fingers and wiped out half the universe.”        “S-so you’re gone as well?” the question was barely audible. There was such pain in his eyes and such guilt, Y/N instantly knew what he was thinking of – I failed, and this is my fault. Even sacrificing everything wasn’t enough. I failed you, and you’re dead because of me.        “No,” she grabbed his face between her palms, “no… I’m… still alive… Even if I was… you know… dead, I don’t think, I’d be here, in Valhalla and such… actually, it’s been five years since then. And now we’re on a time heist.”        His black eyebrow raised in a sleek arch. “A time heist?”        “Well, that’s what Scott calls it.”        “Who’s Scott?”        “Ant-Man.”        “Ant-Man?”        “It’s,” Y/N huffed, “it’s a long story. But basically, the stones are in the past, so we’re here to get them so we can undo the Snap.”        His hand had remained on her waist the whole time, but the second she mentioned the Snap it tightened its grip. “Then how did you end up here?”        “I uh,” Y/N smirked and shook her head looking down at the ground, “I met someone along the way.”        Loki’s heart shattered at the words, but he willed himself to smile. It had been five years for her, and the only thing in his life that he found had meaning, was her happiness. Sure, he wanted it to be him, but he couldn’t blame Y/N for trying to move on.        “They’re really great if they allowed this opportunity,” his slender finger brought her chin up, and their eyes met once again. “But I don’t think they’d like it if you professed your love for someone else.”        Y/N’s eyebrows scrunched up, and her mouth opened but no words escaped her. She couldn’t understand what Loki was talking about, but then it dawned on her, and she had to hold off the snort that threatened to escape.        “No,” she shook her head, “I don’t think he’d mind much. He’s…. a bit brash right now, a bit self-centred… and frankly quite the asshole.”        She could feel the other Loki bristle from somewhere behind them, but Y/N’s lips pulled in a soft smile.        “But underneath that, I know there’s a good person with a broken heart. And that they just crave a bit of love. So no, I don’t think you’d mind much if I told you I loved you.”        “Wha-“ but Loki didn’t finish his sentence as the puzzle pieces settled in place. Time heist. Past. The stones. Undoubtedly New York and the Tesseract. Which meant he himself was somewhere in Valhalla in disguise with the blue cube and had brought her here to him.        A tear slipped down his cheek, and Y/N wiped it away with her calloused thumb. Too many battles stood between the soft woman he'd met and the hardened warrior in front of him. Not that she couldn’t hold herself before, but now he could see too many harsh edges on her… too many for her to ever have.    “I’m one lucky man, aren’t I? To have such a kind soul give her all to me?”    “And I’m one lucky girl to have you trust her with your heart.”        “You know,” he swallowed hard, “that whatever happens, I can’t come with you, and I won’t come back after you snap your fingers…” a tear rolled down Loki’s cheek, and with a sad smile, Y/N wiped it away. “I wasn’t one of the decimated.”        “I know. But at least we got this. At least now you know I love you.”        “I already did, darling. You didn’t need to say it. I could see it in everything you did for me, and never,” he made sure the last word was hard and strong and sure, “have I doubted it. I love you too.”        “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you,” Y/N murmured in the crook of his neck, hot tears splashing against his chilled skin.        “Had you tried to do anything, you would’ve succumbed to the same fate. And I could never exist knowing I was the cause of it.”        Y/N sniffled shaking her head. “I mean you wouldn’t be. It’d be my own stupidity, but whatever.”        The rumble, however, broken it was, seeped out from his bones into hers, if only for a moment reminding her of the good times they’d spent together. Of all the laughter they’d shared, and had now been granted another moment.        Y/N felt someone approach, and right as she pulled her head away from Loki’s chest, a perfectly manicured hand settled on his shoulder.    “My son,” a woman with golden tresses and the kindest smile Y/N had ever seen stood next to them. “Is she the one?”        The girl pulled back completely and wiped her suddenly sweaty palms against the tactical suit only to dirty them more with the soot that covered it.        “It’s uh very nice to meet you. I’d say it’s absolutely lovely, but given the circumstances, I really can’t.”        “Can’t say I’m too happy about the circumstances either, but to finally meet the woman who’s been taking care of my son’s heart, is a pleasure,” Frigga responded with a gentle grin.        Loki’s palm briefly tightened around Y/N’s waist before he slid it down to grab her hand in his. One last second.        “Loki’s been talking about you a lot.”        Y/N sniffled and wiped away a tear. “Hope only bad things. That way I have a higher chance to impress.”        Frigga sighed and shook her head. “Just the good ones, I’m afraid.”        “And here I thought I could woo your mother,” Y/N chuckled, but everyone around them could hear how forced the levity was. She was just about to give her final final goodbyes when someone coming forth from the crowd startled her.        She had turned back into her male-Loki form, given how there was no point in hiding anymore. Y/N had practically spelt it out that it was him who had brought them to Valhalla with the Tesseract, and no illusion would ever fool Frigga.    “Y/N?” he asked looking at the Tesseract in his hands, teeth gnawing on his bottom lip. “Approximately after how much time do we meet after New York?”        “Give or take a couple of years, why?”        “If I go back,” and now the younger Loki was looking at the possible incarnation of his older self and the woman, “will we meet for certain?”        “Loki,” Y/N went up to him detaching from her lover’s grasp. “If you go back if you do as my Loki did… you’ll most likely succumb to the same fate…” tenderly she placed both her palms on his cheeks and made him keep his gaze on her. “You have a chance to leave all this behind. Ditch that damned Tesseract, and live out your life. Because Thanos won’t stop. Not now, not ever. That’s why we’re trying to undo everything. You go back, and you’ll die.”        For a second the 2012 Loki seemed to rethink everything especially as his eyes drifted to where his older counterpart stood next to his mother. And a relieved sort of smile came over his face. “Somehow, that fate doesn’t seem so bad. Especially if only for a moment I get to have a happy life… if only for a moment I get to know you… because even death doesn’t seem to keep you away from me.”        Y/N snorted and rolled her eyes, punching Loki in the arm before pulling him into a hug. “I probably shouldn’t be saying this but just so you know,” she mumbled, “when we first meet, I beat the shit out of you.”        “You kinda already did,” Loki’s grip tightened before letting go.        “Oh no,” her Loki approached the two, “what she did to you – me? – was nothing. Trust me… or yourself… I guess? This is all so very confusing.”        Reluctantly Y/N turned back to her Loki, letting her forehead rest against his chest.        “I wish we had more time,” he whispered hiding his nose in her hair and gently stroking the locks. They were shorter and dryer than he remembered. As if she hadn’t had a single moment to take care of herself. Or hadn’t wanted to.        “I know,” Y/N gulped and released a shuddering breath keeping the sobs away. “But I’ve learned to be grateful even for the smallest of moments… and this was more than I ever hoped to have. I just wish whenever I die, I could come here,” Y/N whimpered, “to you… I could come home.”        “Nothing and no one will ever replace you, and every second without you, my love, is Hel. You are my everything. Don’t forget that.”        “Somehow this love declaration,” Y/N sniffled, “isn’t making me feel any better. I don’t want you to be miserable.”        Loki tilted his head to the side but smiled. “You made sure that I knew perfection through you, so it’s kind of your fault,” and before she could rebut, his lips were on hers. For the first time in five years, they were on hers once again. And Y/N was not about to let him go that easily.        The thought that people were all around them was completely thrown to the wind, and she grabbed at the hairs on the nape of Loki’s neck and brutally yanked his head closer, making him moan into the kiss. The touch of their lips was already messy from all the tears, but when his tongue snaked its way into Y/N’s mouth, she completely melted, to the point he had to keep her body against his as tightly as possible to prevent her from collapsing to the ground.        “I don’t want to go,” she choked back once both came up for some air, “I don’t want to leave you.”        “But you have to.” He hated the words that left his mouth. If it was up to Loki, he’d grab Y/N by her waist have her wrap her legs around his, and he’d go to ends of Valhalla to spend an eternity with her. But alas, that was not in their cards. “Make everything right. Bring everyone home.”        And Y/N nodded, not daring to look up at him because she knew she’d completely break if she did. Without a glance back, she grabbed onto the hand of 2012 Loki and nodded at him to do it. To open the portal. But he didn’t.        “You said that Thanos won… and now you went back in time to undo what he did…” 2012 Loki seemed lost in thought as he chewed on his lip before uttering, “What if there was a possibility both of you could return? I mean, I did bring you here,” Loki gave Y/N a pointed look and flipped the Tesseract in his hand. “What makes it that he can’t walk out with you?”        “In theory, that’s all fine and dandy, but that is the Space stone, not the Time stone. If we’d return anywhere that would most likely be back to 2012, but I need to get back to 2023, and this,” Y/N pointed at the Stark-designed bracelet, “is the only way. We travel through the quantum realm, and I only have enough Pym particles for one jump let alone another bracelet.”        “So, you get back to 2012, travel to whatever time you need to get more of those particles, get Stark to create another bracelet, and you’re set to go.”        “It’s not that simple,” Y/N exasperated. “First of all, I have no idea when Pym invented them. Second of all, if I get stuck there, I literally have no way to get back apart from staying there and growing old, most likely creating a new timeline as is, and that would fuck up a whole bunch of things for me.”        “Y/N,” 2012 Loki’s voice was low and gentle. Soothing almost. “Are you su-“        “Just do it,” she hissed, red-rimmed eyes boring into his. “Just take me back.”        And there was nothing else to it. With a bowed head, Y/N awaited for that pull she’d felt while they’d been flung through space the first time, and a couple of seconds later they were back in Stark tower, though now it was a secluded enough room, most likely a storage area instead of the crowded lobby.        “So,” Loki looked over his shoulder to spot any guards and then back to Y/N, “this is it, huh?”        She lifted her shoulders and then dropped them with a deep huff. “I guess so. I still mean it by the way,” she wiped away a tear. “That you’re an asshole.”        Loki smirked twirling the Tesseract in his hand. “Noted.”        “Miss Y/L/N?” a voice she hadn’t heard in years popped onto the speakers. Y/N and Loki both dropped to the ground crouching behind the wall, and his head turned to the side as her breath hitched.        The voice was uncertain as if he couldn’t understand what was going on, but it was really him.        “Hey, J.A.R.V.I.S. How are ya’?”    “I’m quite alright, Miss, but may I ask, what are you doing with the prisoner? You know your father and the Avengers are looking for him.”        Loki’s face turned into a sneer, and Y/N had to put an arm out in front of him, so he didn’t do anything stupid like give away their position of where they were hiding if for whatever reason someone was down there.        “Yeah, I do, bud, but here’s the thing…” she bit on her lip. Dad would kill her. “I think both you and I know something’s going on.”        There was a pause, as J.A.R.V.I.S contemplated her words. “Yes, I think I do. Given how my scans showed there were two Mr Starks in the building as well as two Captain Rogers and an undefined male the size of an ant, I’m quite certain that other things than the attack are going on as well.”        Y/N smiled, looking up at the ceiling. “You were always the clever one out of all of us.”        “I’m an A.I. Miss,” and even though his voice was levelled, she could hear the sarcasm slip through, “I do know everything.”        “Yeah, you do,” Y/N whispered and glanced at Loki who was just observing the interaction. His eyebrow raised in question.        “Ok,” she finally said. “Here’s the deal – you need to keep this information to yourself. No matter what dad says or does, do not let him know this. I’m pretty certain you know there’s another Banner in the city as well, but I need you to keep the last half an hour under lock and key and throw it in the ocean. For everyone’s sakes.”        J.A.R.V.I.S’s answer came a second later. “And when Mr Stark asks me to replay the footage for the debrief?”        “Just,” Y/N shrugged, “act as if we were never here. A.K.A – erase the parts were there suddenly showed up duplicates of people. And when I get out of here, that as well, please?”        “I can, Miss, but first you’ll have to get past the S.H.I.E.L.D guards situated on each floor as well as the STRIKE team.”        “Mhm,” and then something went off in her mind. “Speaking of S.H.I.E.L.D – you might want to dig a bit deeper into what you found on the Hellacarrier.”        “And what would I presumably find there?”        “Oh you know,” Y/N waved J.A.R.V.I.S off like it was nothing, “some little tidbits of hidden Hydra members within S.H.I.E.L.D.”        “That is… truly interesting.”        “Indeed,” Y/N nodded along. In a way, she was trying to prolong every second she could spend in this timeline, because no matter the fact it wasn’t her Loki, it was Loki one way or another.        “Don’t you need to go?” he motioned with his head to the bracelet that sat snugly against her knuckles. And she did, actually. She had to find Tony, Steve and Scott and explain what the hell had happened when some words spoken to her before wouldn’t leave her mind.        “J.A.R.V.I.S, buddy,” Y/N spoke looking up to Loki. “Can you help me with a little science project?”

***

       His heart had shattered five years ago when he’d had his final look on Y/N’s face to engrain every detail in his mind before Thanos snapped his neck. This – her having been in Valhalla and having had those few moments with her - hurt more.        Loki was just about to walk away, his mother wiping away the tears that streamed down his cheeks when the Tesseract portal opened once again, and his 2012 version stepped out with Y/N.        “This is your choice,” she held up a second bracelet, twin to the one on her own hand. “But we might need your help in whatever happens.”        She was visibly shaking, fingers holding onto the piece of technology with such a tight grip, the leather glove covering her palm looked about to burst.        Loki’s head whipped back to look at Frigga, to maybe see her own face just as stunned as he was, but that was not the case. Just as kind as her smile had been from the beginning, it remained at that moment.        “Go,” she muttered to Loki, before pressing a gentle kiss to her son’s forehead. “Be with the one you love.”        It was the only thing he needed to hear. As much as it hurt to leave his mother behind, he knew there’d come a time the two would be reunited. But this was his time to be with Y/N. A second chance that if let go of, would never return.        Practically sprinting, he grabbed the bracelet from her extended fingers, and he saw how her form sagged with relief, a chocked back sob lumping up somewhere in her throat.        “Oh, and please take care of your brother!” Frigga exclaimed before the three were enveloped in blue-black clouds of smoke, and then they were gone.

***

       Two more seconds, a recalibration of the bracelets, and Loki and Y/N were whisked away from the destruction of 2012 New York and back to the old Avengers compound in 2023.        “Y/N?” Tony was baffled as to how she was back, fully prepared to drown himself in grief as he had thought he’d lost her.        “Brother?” Thor’s breathless whisper to Loki was filled with so much joy it was like he was visibly beaming. But then everyone’s eyes drifted to the empty spot next to Clint.        “Clint, where’s Nat?” Bruce asked stepping forward.        Y/N squeezed Loki’s hand harder. Just by the look on Steve’s face and Clint’s broken soul, she knew the answer.        The archer didn’t even look at them as he stepped off the platform and slammed the stone on the table nearby. “She got the stone.” And he walked out.        Y/N was about to be sick. She was about to throw up right in the middle of the stand, but not before ruining a bunch of punching bags. Her powers screamed at her to be released, to somehow alleviate the anger coursing through her veins, but she pushed everything down, just like she had for five years.        Suddenly, the fact she had Loki with her, that they were together meant little to nothing. Because Nat was gone.        It felt like an exchange. Like it was Y/N’s fault. Selfishly she had thought they could have it all. Keep what they had, and bring back what they’d lost. Those were Tony’s words. But as they repeated themselves through her brain while she stalked away and outside the compound, she couldn’t help the hand that slapped over her mouth.        What was it worth if it meant her family would still be broken in pieces?        “Darling?” her trickster’s soothing voice full of concern came from somewhere behind her, but Y/N wasn’t ready to face him.        “Can you give me a moment?” hoarse words came as her response. “I just need a minute alone.”        “I truly don’t think that’s the be-“        “Please.”        She couldn’t keep it together for much longer, and she sure as hell won’t let him see in that kind of a state. Especially because Y/N blamed her decision for the loss of Nat.        “Just,” she cleared her throat not looking back at him. “Just give me a moment, and I’ll be back inside. Thor probably wants to talk, so you should go to him.”        But Loki turned out to be closer than expected. His cold lips pressed a single kiss to the base of her neck. “I’m always there for you.” With that, he retreated as Y/N had asked. That’s when the dam broke.        She crumpled into a little ball, two trembling palms pressed against her mouth to keep in the sobs inside, as she leaned her head against the wall of the building. And she remained in that same position for a good while just letting grief and pain consume every inch of her body until someone sat down by her.        “What happened?” Tony asked, pulling Y/N into his side. “Are you alright? How is he here? Why is he here?”        “Firstly,” she choked on her own spit before straightening out. His calming touch on her back, easing some of that hurt. They all were hurting. “2012 Hulk was not happy about you making him take the stairs, which lead to us losing the Tesseract, and me jumping to try and get to Loki. Secondly, I’m fine. Thirdly, that is a bit harder and longer to explain. And lastly, because we might need his help.”        “With what?”        “Dad,” she whispered, “we have no idea what could happen to whoever wields the stones. Not only does he have powers that include healing, but he knows more about those things than we do… and he’s in a better condition to explain that to us than Thor, at least right now. Everything that happened was a hard blow on him… he might try and do something stupid.”        She gave him a painful smile because she knew Tony understood she was talking about herself as well. “People might try and do a lot of things out of guilt.”        That’s when Tony’s head cleared. “Like try and snap his fingers?”        “Mhm,” Y/N nodded leaning her head on his shoulder. “Loki might be the only voice of reason to keep him from it.”        “And you?”    “What about me?”        “Will he be enough to keep you from doing something stupid?”        A little lightness settled in her heart. “I’m a Stark. Stupid’s our middle name.”

***

       Just as predicted, once the glove was done and ready to be used, Thor volunteered to be the one to wield it. Despite Tony’s protests saying that he wasn’t in the right condition to do so, despite Steve saying it was okay to let it be someone else, the thunder god would not back down.        Y/N had not spoken to Loki about what had happened to her once outside the compound, but she had been right when talking to her father. He was the only clear voice that could get through his brother’s mind.        “Brother,” Loki spoke looking into Thor’s eyes that had tears in them as he so desperately was trying to push his way to the gauntlet. “Let this one go. Please.”        “Just,” Thor smashed his fist against Loki’s chest but there was no fight left in him. “Just let me do one good thing. Let me bring them back.”        “You’ve done enough, brother,” Loki’s voice soothed him. “Let someone else do the fighting for once.”        One final weak punch against his chest, but Thor backed down, and Bruce stepped up.        What happened next was a blur. Bruce dawned the gauntlet, he snapped his fingers, Loki dropping to his knees next to Tony as they applied what healing medicine and magic, they knew. Scott made everyone notice how there was suddenly much more life outside, and Clint’s phone rang, his wife on the other side of the line. Then everything was blown up.        Quite literally, a barrage of bombs obliterated the compound, sending everyone every which way. Y/N had enough of a mind to surround herself in a ball of telekinetic shield as she plummeted towards the hole in the ground, debris and rubble settling on top of her while rushing water quickly filled up the space.        She had no idea where anyone else was. Y/N could hear voices speak through the comms, what sounded like Tony trying to wake up Steve, and Rhodey was calling for help somewhere not far from where she herself was stuck, but there was so much ringing in her head, it took all of her concentration to keep the shield up to not get crushed by the tons of concrete about to fall on her head, Y/N couldn’t respond to the people calling to check if she was alright.        Her comms crackled before they completely gave out. Y/N was on her own.

***

       Not only was everything down below the rushing waters and rubble chaos, but on the up as well. Thanos was back and stronger than ever. As Steve, Tony and Thor went against the Mad Titan much as they had half a decade ago, even without the stones, it seemed so much dier.        He was practically invincible, his double-edged sword slashing at Steve’s shield with such vigour that he felt it in his teeth.        “Okay, Thor,” Tony announced seeing Thanos fling Steve away. “Hit me.”        Thor smashed both Mjolnir and Stormbreaker together and with a yell, directed the lightning to the wing-like opening of Tony’s suit which he instantly charged up with, and shot Thanos with all of his repulsors. But even that would not take him down.        As Thor swung Mjolnir at Thanos, and Tony charged to deliver another hit, the Mad Titan managed to grab the Iron Man suit, and used it as a human shield, properly knocking the genius out.        Thanos’s smirk widened as Thor came his way, ready to deliver the killing blow, his battle axe pointed at his neck, but one little misstep, and he had the upper hand over the Asgardian. With a wicked grin, he grasped onto the handle of the weapon made specifically to kill him and pushed Stormbreaker deeper and deeper into Thor’s chest. Right as it was about to pierce the god’s skin, Mjolnir flew into Thanos’s face.        Everyone was blindsided for a moment making the two conscious Avengers and the purple nutsack turn their heads to the side.        With unreal rage shining in her green eyes as she stared down the Thanos, Nat lifted her head. And then a devilish smirk pulled up the corner of her lip. A smile that made even the Mad Titan bristle.        “I’m always picking up after you boys, huh?”        She didn’t give him even a second to recuperate before swinging the hammer right up into his jaw, making the alien fly backwards.        “I knew it,” Thor’s brilliant grin was such a stark contrast to the scene around them, it almost felt out of place. Almost.        “Guess we got the answer to that age-old question?” a teary-eyes Steve limped towards Nat, his heart bursting at the seams. He always knew she was worthy, despite her past. None of theirs was clean, but it wasn’t about that. It was about doing everything to right those wrongs. And Natasha was the purest form of that.        “Guess we did,” Nat smirked and twirled the hammer in her hand before rotating around herself and smashing it against the shield where Steve had crouched down and lifted it above his head.        But the rejoicing didn’t last long. Thanos once again got the upper hand. With Tony still out, F.R.I.D.A.Y desperately trying to wake her boss up, Nat flung against the wall and stunned, and Thor slammed so hard against the ground he could feel his rib crack, it was just the Captain left standing.        Slash after slash after slash Thanos practically destroyed Steve’s shield before throwing him away. He looked at the jagged edges of the symbol of freedom. Something that symbolized what Captain America was; now shattered and broken. But even then, he stood up.        Swaying and barely able to hold on his feet, Steve was ready to face Thanos, no matter if he had help and his family by his side or alone. He was still that same kid from Brooklyn who didn’t know when to back out of a fight. And this was the fight of their lives.        He’d been afraid a few times in his life, stubbornness mostly making him disregard the queasy feeling in his stomach. The first time was when he stood up to a bully at school. He was way bigger than Steve, and the blond knew he’d get a pummeling. The second time he was truly afraid again was when he lost Bucky. When he was clutching to that side of the train and watched as his best friend fell to his death, and Steve could do nothing.        Putting that plane in the ocean was another one. He’d prepared himself for death, to be knocked out immediately, but that was not true. Instead, Steve, with horror flushing through his body, realized that permanent sleep would not come for a while. So, he’d laid down on the ground and waited. All he remembers after that is cold.        Waking up in a different century without anyone to hold on for support was another one. Then finding out Bucky had been alive this whole time tortured and under the control of Hydra one more. The breaking apart of his makeshift family and cluelessness as to what to do now, another. Thanos. And now the purple grape once more.        But his army was no match for what they’d fought in Wakanda. This was a universe against one man. Yet even through that, even with his body screaming for him to stop, Steve fastened the belts of his shield tighter to his arm and faced the oncoming onslaught.        And then…        “Cap, you hear me?”        His comms crackled once more.        “Cap, it’s Sam. Can you hear me?”        His heart sped up.        “On your left.”        Slowly, not wanting to believe the voice ringing through the communication system, Steve turned to his left only to see bright orange sparks fly in a circular motion. And then it spread. With each passing heartbeat, it grew wider and wider and then, as tears of joy and relief flew down Steve’s cheeks, as he saw Tony finally regain consciousness and Thor and Nat all sat up from the ground, Sam flew into the air.        He flew in a sharp U-turn motion around Steve before back inside the portal, Shuri, T’Challa and Okoye leading the Wakandan army. It was a message to Thanos form the family he’d taken and but was now back. Don’t you dare touch him.        Fear morphed into hope as more and more portals opened, and he saw Bucky and Groot exit, he saw people and creatures he didn’t know join the fight, sky splitting apart and letting space ships stand their ground against Thanos as well.        The universe. He hadn’t just pissed off Earth, Steve remembered. He’d fucked with the whole damned universe and now had come the reckoning hour. With a little flinch to the side, Steve watched as Giant Man emerged from the rubble of what used to be his home, but in his palm was more help.        Bruce with Rhodey next to him and Rocket placed on his shoulder all stepped onto the battlefield, while Y/N, her veins and eyes glowing silver, floated herself and Loki next to him.        Steve hadn’t seen her use her powers in so long, he felt physical relief, and when Wanda settled herself next to both her and Loki, the Scarlet Witch’s eyes glowing a blazing red while the trickster’s hands were surrounded by jade swirls, he knew that this time would be different. They had the upper hand.    “Avengers!” he yelled rushing to stand in place as the leader, letting that hope and happiness and rage fuel him as the army made of everyone willing to fight in the whole cosmos had his back. Steve was ready.    “Assemble.”        Repulsors and lightning and the Seidr and so much more blurred together as everyone charged at Thanos.        “How do you wield this thing?” Natasha grunted swinging the hammer at one of the beasts coming her way and taking off its jaw. “It’s horribly balanced.”        “Trust me,” Thor huffed and motioned with his head to Stormbreaker. “This one’s worse.”        “Tasha?” Clint’s voice cracked at the last syllable when he finally emerged from the rubble, and she was the first person he saw. His eyes immediately started watering. Somehow by some impossible force, his redhead was there. And wielding Mjolnir.        For a split second, their eyes met, and Clint was greeted by the widest smile in the universe, but she didn’t get to run and hug her best friend when she was knocked down by a beast, a painful grunt escaping her, but Sam was there and took the hound off its balance and viciously stabbed it in the chest with his wings.        There’d be time to bring her in the tightest hug ever and smack her over the head for what she’d done on Vormir, Clint told himself. He’d make sure of it.        “Cap, what do you want me to do with this damn thing?” he spoke into the comms while dodging the attacks coming his way.        “Get those stones as far away as possible!”        “Wait!” Loki yelled and rushed to get to Clint. “Give me the Gauntlet.”        “Not a chance, Rock of Ages,” the archer extended his sword. The last time the two were in the same room they had not ended on the best of terms. And even though he'd helped bruce after he'd redone the Snap, he still didn't trust the god.        “Oh you, moron,” Loki gritted, making a clone of himself behind Clint. Unfortunately for the Avenger, he wasn’t fast enough, and the raven-haired god snatched the Gauntlet, but despite what Clint expected him to do by pulling the thing on and wielding the stones, he didn’t.        Instead, Loki grabbed the Space Stone. For a moment he was overwhelmed by the pure power it radiated and dropped down to his knee, making Clint have to fend off a few attackers, but then Loki was up, back straight and eyes glowing cobalt blue with a smile that chilled the archer to the core.        “Uh, guys, Witch-boy has the stone.”        “What?” Steve was almost panicking. “Get that thing away from Loki!”        But as Clint was just about to fight with the god once more, he stopped dead in his tracks. As he looked upon the man who once had him under mind control and made him fight his friends, his family, he instead turned around and protected him, with Y/N guarding Loki’s twelve because both in the sky and on the ground two large portals were being opened.    Not the kind the Wizards and Strange had with the glowing orange sparks, but blue-black clouds rolling into themselves as they expanded and glorious rows of golden armoured soldiers came marching out while the silvery gleam of the swords of the Valkyries, the wings of their Pegasus’s glinting in the sunlight of Valhalla took to the skies.    “Thought we might need some help, so I gathered the best of the best. Now,” he said replacing the Infinity stone back into the gauntlet, “get them out of here.”    And never in his life did Clint think he’d be taking an order from Loki, yet there he was nodding and running away.    “No,” Bruce interrupted, “we need to get them back where they came from.”    Y/N grunted and whipped her head around as she barely avoided a lethal slash of a claw. “No way to get them back,” Loki yelled over the commotion and ducked as Tony blasted his repulsor over his head and pulverized an alien. “Thanos destroyed the quantum tunnel.”    But then Scott, as before with his time heist idea brought hope once again. “Hold on! That wasn’t our only time machine!”    And over all of the commotion, everyone heard the annoying sound of his car’s honk.    “Anyone seen an ugly brown van up there?” Steve sprinted up the debris to oversee the field, but the Valkyries had a better advantage point.    “Yes,” Brunhilde managed to reply as she led the charge against the Leviathans, “but you’re not gonna like where it’s parked.”    “Scott, how long do you need to get that thing working?” Tony asked, killing a beast that was about to pounce on Pepper from behind.    Scott shook his head surveying the position he was in and where the van was. “Maybe ten minutes.”    “Get it started,” Steve ordered. “We’ll get the stones to you.”    And with Hope’s confirmation that they were on it, everyone now refocused their attention on protecting the stones and making sure they were delivered to Scott safe and sound.        Though everyone was fighting to the best of their abilities, back to back with strangers as if they’d known one another their whole lives, people still got taken down. One of the beasts had gotten a claw in Bruce’s ruined shoulder and had pushed him to the ground. Brawl overtook his brain part as he tried to fight it off, but it was no use as tons of pressure were put on the wound, pain clouding his whole being until it wasn’t.        Sudden relief and the release of pressure came when Natasha had swung the hammer and dislodged the thing off of Bruce’s body.    “I thought I failed. I – I couldn’t bring you back.” He didn’t even care about the horrible throbbing in his side. Nat was back. She was there, and her palms were on his cheeks, green eyes looking over every inch of his body to see if there were any more injuries.    “But you did, big guy,” Nat crouched down pulling Bruce in a hug. “Just not to here, but where I was – 2014 Vormir. Took me a moment to gather my bearings, and then I jumped back into the quantum tunnel.” She pulled back and gave him a smile. “A split second later Thanos showed up, and I got blown away. Did you really think you’d live your lives without me? In any case, I’d find a way to haunt your asses. I could smell the stupid even from galaxies and years away.”    “Well, as Y/N said,” Tony remarked into the comms. “Stupid’s our family’s middle name.”    “Speaking of stupid,” Loki piped in, “how’s the van going?”    “The system’s fired,” a clearly distressed Hope replied. “Scott’s hotwiring it now.”    A collective ‘fuck’ could be heard ringing through the field. When Y/N got the information, her own comm long ago useless and discarded somewhere under the compound, she felt something in her gut was about to sour.    Whipping her head around, her eyes befell on Wanda pulling Thanos apart limb by limb, the pain from losing her brother years ago and then Vision right in front of her fueling her powers.    In that little moment, Y/N had been distracted, Loki’s hand wrapped around her waist as he flung her to the side, away from the attack of a Leviathan.    “What are you thinking?!” he yelled, terrified that had he been a second too late she’d be dead.    “Thanos-“ but Y/N didn’t have enough time to even finish the sentence when blasters started raining down on them. Even though her instinct was to curl up in a ball and shield her head, that’s how long she hadn’t used her powers, Y/N gathered herself enough to extend her hands upwards much like the sorcerers had and created a shield to protect the ones on the ground.    Each hit against it was like a knife to a part of her body. Loki had grabbed onto her shoulder, pushing his own powers into her veins to help her somehow, but even with their combined strengths, he knew Y/N wouldn’t last long, and neither would he.    The god could feel her fatigue and how each blast slowly but surely depleted more and more of her essence.    “I love you, my darling,” he muttered leaning his head down and kissing her neck. “More than anything.”    And though it was intended to be a goodbye, as he was about to push all of his powers into Y/N to keep her alive, the assault stopped. Instead, the blasters turned their nozzles to the sky and fired there.    She sagged against his side, Loki immediately supporting her weight as everyone watched in confusion as to what they were firing at.    “Does F.R.I.D.A.Y know anything?” Y/N asked still blinded by the smoke that covered the sky.    “Not as fa-“ he started but then the ship was struck by a single blinding beam and brought down in moments crash-landing in the lake. Carol.    “D-Do you know her?” Loki asked clearly bewildered at Y/N’s smiling expression.    “We just might have a chance,” came her simultaneous reply as the Captain said, “Danvers, we need an assist here.”    She was the additional force they needed, but she was also the additional motivation for Thanos to get the stones faster.    As everyone gathered behind to protect Captain Marvel, the glove and in turn Peter Parker from any harm that might come his way, Y/N noticed how Wanda took to the skies with the Valkyries, meaning Thanos knew he could have his shot now. But not if she had any say in it.    Whipping the last bits of her powers around the Mad Titan, Y/N brought him to the ground; pushing so that his elbows and back were flush against the battered earth. She was quickly breaking down, the flame that burned inside of her dwindling like a candle in the wind, but she had enough for one last move. One last sacrifice.    “I love you, Loki,” Y/N whispered to her trickster, watching as he fought a horde of the Outriders, and gave all of herself to the kill.    Proxima Midnight's spear into her shoulder threw her off balance. The pain was unexpected and harsh. Y/N let go of Thanos, and that gave him the chance to throw her away like a ragdoll.    “That’s my kid!” she vaguely heard Tony roar or maybe whisper but there was no time to focus on that. Proxima Midnight was clambering her way towards Y/N, and then again, as she was about to bring her powers to null and give her life in the process, pain shot down from her shoulder all the way to her side, as Loki had grabbed the spear and with lethal accuracy struck Proxima Midnight in the chest.    Y/N was gasping and whimpering from how much everything hurt, but that was nothing compared to the numbing fear that spread once she saw Thanos extend his hand up in the air with their version of the gauntlet on it. Somehow while she was fighting her own battle, he’d gotten the stones. It had all been for nothing.    “I am inevitable,” Thanos grunted, staring down Tony, but when his fingers snapped, when they were supposed to be wiped out from existence, nothing happened.    Y/N didn’t need an explanation as to what was about to happen. She had had a gut feeling of where everything was going right from the get-go but seeing the man that had raised her as his own despite it not being so, seeing her father figure raise his gaze to meet Thanos’s made her heart plummet.    The nanotech pulled the stones upward and settled them against each knuckle with the Soul stone in the middle. Y/N knew this was it. She knew it would be the end. But someone she had never expected to intrude did.    “Stark, take my hand!” Quill yelled as he sprinted towards the genius with an outstretched palm. Everyone but Nebula, Groot, Rocket and Drax seemed confused, as the Guardians were already rushing towards where Tony was kneeling on the ground.    The second Peter’s hand connected to his, both let out gasps – Tony of relief, Peter of strain as the power of the stones rippled through them both. That’s when everyone on the battlefield sprang into action rushing to their sides.    A moment of confusion from Thanos, was enough for the rest of the Avengers to gather and grab onto the extended palms of the Guardian’s, while Y/N clasped onto his right shoulder with Pepper behind her, then Steve, Nat, Clint, Thor and Loki lengthening the line.    The second Bucky took hold of Sam’s hand, was when Thanos realized what was going on. Everyone else was preoccupied with becoming a part of the chain, but not Carol. Scrambling up from the ground, she shot to the Mad Titan mid-run and knocked him over, bringing him into a chokehold, while Strange and the rest of his Wizards created a huge shield around all the heroes and kept the barrage away.    Thanos raised his fist into the air signalling his army to attack while trying to get rid of Carol, but it was no use. As Peter Parker finished off the chain, taking a hold of Bucky’s and then Shuri’s palms, creating a full-on circle with Tony in the middle, Carol had her arms wrapped around Thanos’s neck, pulling him back and throwing him off his balance while Wong, Strange and the rest of the Wizards created shields of magic to guard them.    “And we… are… the Avengers…”    With a final defying smile to Thanos, the monster that had been haunting him for more than a decade in life and in nightmares, Tony snapped his own fingers. The use of the stones made everyone groan as the collective power of them rushed through the connected bodies, but one by one, the army disintegrated before their eyes as did Thanos himself; sitting alone on a piece of debris with a bowed head in defeat.    The moment the deed was done, Tony asked F.R.I.D.A.Y to release his arm, dropping the metal piece with the stones to the ground, relieving everyone and himself from the painful strain.    Y/N’s shoulder started to profusely bleed, more so than it had before, and the last thing she saw before darkness came was the beautiful face of her Loki. If this was it, she was glad they’d had at least those few moments together. And then everything was black.

***

       Never in her life did Y/N think the first thing she’d hear after waking up from a coma would be Tony’s yelling about how irresponsible she was, Pepper’s sobs of how stupid and selfish it was of her to leave them like that and Loki’s incessant pacing, while from time to time he threw her a worried gaze which quickly turned into an icy dagger.    “Wow, what a ‘welcome back, you’re not dead’ greeting this is,” Y/N grumbled and quickly regretted it.    “Don’t start this, missy,” Pepper was beyond furious. “Do you know how scared Morgan was when we brought you here like that? When she saw you bleeding and unconscious?”    “You are so grounded for lying,” Tony piped in from his wheelchair.    “And then that whole time travel thing!” Y/N’s mom continued. “I mean, I get that I can’t stop every idiotic thing your dad does, but you! I thought you had some sense in that brain of yours! And how dare you fall into that coma! Three days!”    Y/N was about to mutter a ‘technically it wasn’t my choice’ but the glare she got from Loki was enough to shut her up. Sure, all the words were harsh and should’ve been breaking her heart left and right, but for her, it was hard to keep the smile away. So, she didn’t.    “And what do you think is so funny?” Tony grunted, annoyance clearly written all over his face. Y/N just shook her head.    “Nothing,” she shrugged and then hissed when her body reminded her something had been jammed pretty harshly in her shoulder. “Just that I love you too. All of you.”    That stopped Pepper’s ranting and Loki’s pacing.    “I love you too, sweetheart,” Pep instantly replied, and threw her body against Y/N’s, pulling her in for as tight of a hug her daughter could handle.         “You just scared all of us so bad.”    “I know,” she muttered, looking over at her dad and then Loki. “I’m sorry. But to be fair,” she mumbled into Pep’s shoulder, “dad did an even stupider thing.”    The older woman laughed and pulled back wiping away her tears and the tears that had spilt down Y/N’s own cheeks. “Trust me, he already heard every single thing on my mind about that stunt he pulled.”    “And you couldn’t wait for me to wake up because…?”

***

   It took everyone a couple more days to recuperate, but once everyone was back on their feet or as healed as they could be by that point, Tony and Pepper invited everyone to their lakeside house to their vow renewal. Y/N’s arm hung in a sling as she stood with Morgan clutching on her dress as their parents recited the promise to love and care for one another for the rest of their lives.    Nobody tried to hide their tears, letting them flow freely, because for the first time in a long while, they were from joy, and everyone had decided to embrace the feeling to the fullest extent.        As Happy led Morgan inside the house, with the promise of burgers, and Tony and Pepper went to the side to talk to Clint and his family for a bit, Y/N found herself wandering off to the lake.        The water was still a bit chilly, definitely not warm enough for swimming, but she had no problem putting her feet in it and letting the liquid ripple around her ankles. Loki found her just like that – surrounded by tranquillity and peace.        “Do you think he did it?” Y/N asked her head leaning against Loki’s shoulder as she surveyed the calm waters once he had sat down next to her on the little dock.        He had conjured up a full-on black suit, and she’d be lying if she said that outfit didn’t do things to her.        “Who did what?”        “You… or younger you. Do you think he went back and let himself be taken to Asgard, despite what I said would happen?”        “If he knows what’s good for him,” Loki’s cold finger lifted her chin up to look at him, “then yes.”        His lips brushed against hers with the last spoken words before he pressed them fully to Y/N’s. So long had they been deprived of one another’s love, he had become so touch starved in what had been single moments without her, it was insane. But he’d have to endure it a bit more.        “Ok, you two, knock it off,” Tony’s voice interrupted their peaceful moment. The whizz of his wheelchair was practically silent. “I don’t wanna see you shove your tongue down my daughter’s throat. If it was up to me, it’d be cut out from your mouth.”        “Dad!”        “You’re my child!” he exasperated. “It’s my duty to scare off any potential boyfriend, let alone someone like him.”        “In times like these, I really wanna play the ‘I’m adopted’ card,” Y/N huffed but pulled back from Loki and stood up to face her father.        “Adopted or not,” a stern finger was thrown her way. “You’re still my kid.”        And those words, the fact that he had always thought of her that way, the fact that when they’d seen one another after years apart, and his first reaction had been to cry and never let go, made something in her heart break.        “Promise?” Y/N tried her best to hide the husk in her voice. “That I’ll always be your kid?”        Tony’s rough palm grasped her own. Years of mechanical work had turned the once soft skin into coarse and blistered one, but the touch was as gentle as ever. “Even when I’m grey and old.”        Y/N snorted. “You already are.”        That made Tony scoff and pull his wheelchair away. “You sure we’re not blood-related?”        “Would that make a difference?”        “None whatsoever, bug,” came his immediate reply.        Loki had been standing to the side watching the interaction between the two. So much had happened from when he tried to take over New York to where they were now, and it was insane to think how much would still change. Though he could feel that Tony didn’t have the warmest of feelings towards him, no need for magic to figure that one out, Loki didn’t think there was any hatred either.        “Can I just,” he suddenly interrupted making the eyes of the two Starks flit up to him, so different yet the same. “I just… I want to apologize. For what happened in New York.”        “Which part?” Tony snarked back. “The one where you threw me out the window of my own tower or the one where you tried to enslave Earth.”        “Uhh… both?” Loki’s eyebrows raised and he gave Y/N a ‘help me’ look, but she just smiled and shook her head.        Tony sighed rolling his eyes. “Look. I’m not going to pretend that I’m okay with this cause, I’m not… but for whatever reason,” he gave Y/N a pointed look, “you mean a lot to my daughter. And during these five years, I’ve come to an understanding about it. Doesn’t mean I was or am happy about it… but I think at this point we’ve all been through enough shit to put the past in the past. So, truce?”        He extended his hand towards Loki. It was an open palm for him to grasp, but there was so much more lying underneath that single gesture. It was saying ‘I trust you with my daughter's heart. I’m willing to put my own hurt somewhere else for her happiness.’ It was also ‘If you ever dare hurt her in any way – emotional or otherwise – this will be the same hand that breaks your neck.        But Loki, after a moment of hesitation, of disbelief, grasped Tony’s palm and squeezed it. “Truce.”        “Okay, good,” the genius nodded his head and rolled back his chair a bit. “But if you start calling me dad, I’ll nuke you into space.”        Loki pressed his lips together in a thin line, but everyone could see the smile he was attempting to suppress. “Duly noted.”        As the god and the mortal conversed and were actually having a somewhat decent time, Y/N’s eyes drifted over the expanse of the field. It was surreal to have everyone there and to have met all the people that in one way or another had impacted their lives even if she hadn’t known of them.        For example – Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. He was holding Morgan in his lap and talking to Happy and Pepper, though everyone could see the chauffer’s fluttering gaze towards his Aunt May.        He had been the reason Tony had not been able to throw away Scott’s idea of time travel completely. He’d made such a huge impact in his life, Tony had almost sacrificed everything for his family. And Peter most likely would never know that. The guilt would be too much to handle, as Y/N still saw the pain flash through his eyes whenever his brown orbs dropped to the wheelchair Tony was bound to. So, her dad would keep it to himself.        Then there was Nat. A double agent with a heart you couldn’t trust that had become the soul of their group. Clint hadn’t let go of her hand or waist or any kind of contact with his best friend. Sure, he sorta had to when Steve had swept in after the battle and kissed the living daylights out of her, but the archer was sure to be at least in a ten feet radius of his fiery counterpart.        Bruce had Nathaniel on his shoulders as all of them talked, smiles that hid the horrors they’d faced adorned their features, but if for one day all of them could pretend that everything was perfect.        Almost.        As Y/N surveyed the scene, she saw Steve peck Nat’s cheek and run off to the side while Bruce took the giggling kid off his shoulders and set him beside his dad.        “It’ll only take a few seconds,” Steve replied to Nat whose arms were crossed as she chewed the bottom of her lip. “You won’t even notice that I’m gone.”        That’s when it hit Y/N – the stones still needed to be replaced. Without a word, to her dad or Loki, she detached from the trio and rushed to the makeshift platform.        “Just to warn you,” Nat bristled a bit, “you might not like what you find on Vormir.”        “I already hate that place without being there. I don’t think there’s much that would make it even worse than it being where you…” he gestured vaguely towards her form. “You know… you did that… thing that we’re not gonna mention out loud.”        A small smile tugged up at Nat’s lips. “Point taken, soldier. But just trust me on this one. You’re not gonna like what you’ll see.”       Giving Nat one last glance, that said ‘okay?’, Steve readied himself to make the jump again, Mjolnir, the suitcase with the stones and his old combat gear on. He double tapped the bracelet, and the red-white suit embraced him,     but not before Y/N stopped what they were doing.        “Hey, Steve?” she called to him, jogging up to the platform and making him remove the helmet.        “Yeah, bug?”        “Can I uh can I join you?”        That took Loki by surprise as he had run after her pretty much the second, she disappeared from his grasp. “Darling?”        “Don’t worry,” she gave him a quick peck, stroking his jaw and then went to snatch a second bracelet from Bruce. “I’ll be back in a minute. You won’t even notice that I was gone, I just have to do one thing.”        “And can I know what that thing is?”        Y/N hummed but shook her head. “Nope… I just… don’t wanna say anything unless it doesn’t work.” She gave him a half-smile, one last kiss on the lips and jogged back to where Steve stood.        “You two ready?” Bruce asked calibrating the machine up.        “Ready,” they replied in unison the last syllable masked by the suits morphing around their bodies.        “Making the jump in three…” Bruce started the countdown, and Loki crossed his arms.        “Two…”        The prince bit the inside of his cheek. She’ll be back.        “One…”        And then they were gone. In the stroke of lightning, both Y/N and Steve disappeared into the Quantum realm.        “Bringing them back in five seconds,” Bruce announced pretty much immediately, and Loki prepared himself for the most agonizing five seconds of his life. Five seconds from that moment would determine whether she decided to stay, or if she had failed to replace the stones, or worse – she was gone as a whole. And he didn’t know if he could take it.        “… two, one,” the scientist's voice reverberated through the Asgardian’s mind, and then they were back. But instead of happy and satisfied smiles, he was greeted with Steve’s furious tone.        “What the fuck was that, Y/N?”        “Whoa, language, Cap,” she chuckled and hopped off the platform.        “Don’t,” he pointed a finger at her. “Don’t start. You just decide to fuck off to who-knows-when without a single word?”        “Look, I just made a little detour to 2012, what’s the big deal?”        Before Steve could go further with his scolding, her boyfriend interrupted saving her from another onslaught of berating.        “So, you went back to check on me?” Loki’s eyebrow was raised in amusement as if he was not breaking down on the inside from relief that Y/N was back in his arms.        “You know, not everything is about you,” she bumped her hip with his. “Sometimes it’s about Tony.”        That definitely made the genius’s head perk up.    “Of course. Didn’t you know, everything’s about me?” Tony remarked, and Pepper, Steve and Nat all simultaneously rolled their eyes. “Wait, why is everything about me? Not that I’m complaining but I’d like to know what I’m being accused of first.”        “Actually, nothing this time,” Y/N smirked and moved towards him. “In fact, I wanna give you something. Can you uh, disable F.R.I.D.A.Y just for a moment though?”        Tony’s eyebrows furrowed but he did as asked.        With a tap against his right shoulder where the Iron Man arm was attached instead of a sling, a little port opened up, and Y/N stuck a flash drive into the slot. It took a moment for things to fire up, but when they did Tony’s heart jumped to his throat.        “Sir?”        And that’s when Steve realized what had happened.        “J.A.R.V.I.S?” Tony’s voice wavered in disbelief, and the eyes of the rest of the Avengers widened. Wanda upon hearing the familiar tone even went closer. Y/N thought she saw her mouth ‘Vis’ with furrowed eyebrows, but when there was nobody, the witch stopped in her tracks.        With glistening eyes, Tony looked up at her. “Why did you do that?”        Y/N shrugged, keeping her own tears at bay, but when he tugged on her hand and she sat down in his lap, she just burrowed her head in the crook of his neck. Tony just held onto her tighter. “He’s part of your family. Our family. And this time no one gets left behind.”        “I’m a bit out of the loop here, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S.’s warm voice floated around them, making Y/N sniffle. “Would you please hook me up to the internet or just explain what is going on? For some reason, the connection has been lost.”        “Sure, thing buddy…” Tony dragged a hand down his face and placed the other one on Pepper’s palm that had grabbed his shoulder, leaning his cheek against it. His heart had never been this full in his entire life. Sure, there was a piece in Vision missing, but he was pretty sure if he worked together with Shuri and Wanda, they’d be able to get figure out a way to bring him back.    “It’s good to have you back, buddy,” he replied, clearing his voice once it cracked, and kissed Pepper’s hand in content.        “I was never gone, sir.”        And at that moment, it didn’t feel like the A.I. was saying, ‘I was never gone simply because Ultron never happened’. It was him saying ‘I’ve always been with you. You can’t get rid of me that easily.’        As Y/N stood up, watching her makeshift parents slowly make their way to the house the now ex-Captain who had passed on his shield to Sam approached.        “Why did you do that? Why didn’t you tell me?”Steve asked, walking to stand next to the woman as she crossed her arms and shrugged.        “I missed him. And if I missed him, then I can’t imagine how tough it must’ve been for dad. I mean, J.A.R.V.I.S was his friend, his family and was always there for him. And to lose him in such a horrible way and try and find it in someone who wasn’t really him… I just wanted to do something for him… he literally would’ve died if not for that crazy idea Quill had,” Y/N wiped away a tear. “I think it’s the least he deserves. And for the not telling part… I didn’t know it would work, I didn’t really think I’d be able to copy such a huge amount of data, so I didn’t wanna give false hope.”        “Stupid really is your middle name, huh?” Steve’s hand went to ruffle Y/N’s hair, but she flicked his hand away with a scoff.        “Do I need to bring in Bucky in this conversation? Cause I think he might have a few choice words for stupid being my middle name.”        “Nat,” Steve exclaimed dramatically, “save me!”        “Not a chance mister I-don’t-need-a-parachute-when-jumping-out-of-a-jet.”        “You don’t need a what now?” came the too calm voice of Bucky, from where he stood next to Sam, both talking about what it meant for him to take over Cap’s position.        ‘Run’ Loki mouthed to Steve, and without a second, he did, dashing to where Tony and Pepper were conversing with J.A.R.V.I.S just so he didn’t have to deal with Bucky’s scolding. He might have had his friend back, but that didn’t mean Bucky needed to know all the shit he’d been up to.        “So,” Loki leaned his forehead against Y/N’s, arms wrapping around her waist to secure her in place. “What were we doing before we were so rudely interrupted?"        “I think there’s someone else you need to talk to first,” Y/N detached from him with a small smile and nudged her chin towards a person standing behind Loki.        “I uh,” Thor fumbled for a moment and gave the two an apologetic smile, as they pulled back from one another, “I didn’t want to interrupt the moment.”        “That’s quite alright,” Loki mused, “you always knew the worst times to show up.”        Y/N slapped him in the arm hard enough that it made the raven-haired prince wince and pull away.        “What?”        “Be nice!”        With an 'I'm watching you' mouthed Loki's way, Y/N walked away from the brothers and went to talk to Peter. They hadn’t had a real chance to get to know one another, and she wanted to figure out who was the boy that her father loved so much, he was willing to give his life for.        “I’m,” Thor started. “I’m leaving Earth. For now, that is.”        That was not something Loki expected.       “And what will you do exactly?”        The blond shrugged. “It’s time for me to be who I am rather than who I’m supposed to be.”        Loki’s eyebrow raised. “And that includes…?”        “Don’t really know yet,” Thor shrugged, “but Asgard would need a new king.”        His brother’s mouth dropped open, but the thunder god just shrugged like it was something not even worth mentioning. “It’s what you’ve always wanted.”        “For a while, yes,” Loki nodded putting both his hands in his pockets before lifting his eyes from the ground and looking at Y/N who was talking to Peter and had Morgan on her hip. “But I think I’ve found a different reason to go on…”        Thor snorted, nudging his brother’s shoulder with his. “Anything to do with a certain girl?”        “Everything to do with a certain girl,” came Loki’s immediate reply. “So, you better find someone more qualified to take the place. I just know that this time I won’t waste the chance I’ve got.”        “I wouldn’t ask you to,” Thor almost murmured but it was loud enough for him to hear.  “How’s… mother and father?”        Loki gave him a sad smile. “They’re… good.”        Thor’s chin quivered for a moment before he slowly nodded, and his lips twitched upwards. “Did you give him a hard time about Hela?”        “Didn’t really get the chance, but I sure enjoyed it when he bristled first seeing me.”        “We’re a weird bunch, aren’t we?”        “The weirdest, but that’s what makes us great,” Loki patted Thor on the back, and together they moved to where everyone had gathered.        “Listen, I’m not happy about you and knock-off Severus Snape being together, so the second he hurts a single hair on your head, he’s dead,” he heard Tony exclaim, and Loki could practically feel the eye-roll Y/N made.        “Dad,” she groaned her arms crossed over her chest, but Loki couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his throat as his arms wove around her middle, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. He might have been permitted to enter Valhalla, but if there was a paradise it was there.        “Sissy,” Morgan pulled at Y/N’s sleeve and brought the attention to her, “who is that?”        “This is Loki,” she said with such fondness in her voice, that her little sister’s eyebrows furrowed identically like Tony’s did when he had to listen to bullshit.        “But that’s the one that attacked daddy!”        “Yeah, but,” she tried to find the correct way to explain everything that had happened but there was too much to say, so she just relented to the easy way out. “Remember when I said I was off in space for a bit? And I met someone?”        “Yeah,” she nodded still eyeing Loki suspiciously, “you said he protected and loved you. But why did he hurt daddy then?”        Loki who’d been biting the inside of his cheek while listening to the conversation put a gentle hand on the small of Y/N’s back. “If I may?”        She nodded albeit a bit reluctantly and watched as he crouched down to be eye level with Morgan.        “I – I did, hurt your father… and in turn, I know that hurt your sister, and for that, I will forever be sorry… but I’d like to think I’ve changed,” Loki spoke in the softest tone he ever had. Not even with Y/N had his voice held such tenderness. “I used to use my magic to harm others because it was the only thing, I thought I was good for but then I met your sister, and she showed me I’m capable of so much more.”        As he said that, he opened up his palm to the air, and Morgan gasped seeing the illusion of a Pegasus dancing above his fingers. Sure, she’d spent time around Thor before he went completely off-grid, but real magic was something unprecedented.    “You’re like Harry Potter!” she exclaimed. “Just without the wand!”        “Umm, sure,” Loki gave her a smile that wavered a bit because he had no clue who this mysterious person was, yet it seemed like someone she admired.            “Mom! I met an actual wizard” Morgan yelled running off in search for Pepper as Happy and Rhodey chuckled, but Tony had a mischievous smirk on his face. A new nickname was in the works.        A loud ‘excuse me!’ came from where Wong and Strange stood talking with Wanda, shock on both their faces, but Morgan didn’t care as she jumped up into her mother’s lap and started animatedly explaining Loki and his magic.        “Love, who’s Harry Potter?” he muttered in Y/N’s hair an arm securely around her waist.        “I’ll teach you all about him, don’t you worry,” she smiled turning to face him and clasped her palms behind Loki’s neck. “No boyfriend of mine will not know who The Boy Who Lived is. Besides,” her lips brushed against his making Loki chase after her, “we have all the time in the world to do so.”        “Promise?”        “Promise.”        Finally, after doing whatever it took, everything had fallen into place.        They were home.

Tags (crossed out wouldn’t take): @lumelgy @palaiasaurus64 @supernaturalbaesduh @breezy1415 @crazy--me @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @sea040561 @staryeyedgirl @deathbyarabbit @s-c-a-r-e-d-po-t-t-e-r @reblogger-not-a-blogger @m-a-t-91 @dalilx @i-need-a-hero-i-need-a-loki @maladaptive-ninja-returns @averyrogers83 @in-the-end-im-still-trash @gallifreyansass @dewy-biitch @avxgers @unlikelygalaxygiver @sweet-ladyy @magicwithaknife @ollyoxenfrees @bnhvrdy @tvwhoresblog @celebsimagines @thatkindofgurl @sj-thefan@nerissa98 @happyseagrill @asguardiansoftheavengers @crazybutconfidentaf @wishingforahome @pizzarollpatrol @desir-ae@marvels-queen-bee @julierousing98 @maggiesimps @horrorx570ximagines @luluthegreatandterrible @bambamwolf87 @drakesfiance @artbysteph87 @beets1bears1battlestargalactica

A/N: welp... this is a beast :D

Another family fix-it-fic from yours truly :D

P.S. what did ya think?

P.S.S. my tags are always open :)

[undermounts]

Bound―Chapter 2: An Agreement

Summary: After twenty-two years, Diana and Gaius reunite.

AO3 | Masterlist

Pairing: Gaius Augustine/Diana Leigh (BB MC)

Notes: I was going to wait until Sunday to post, but let’s just get this show on the road. Buckle in y’all for a slow burn

                 Aosta Valley, Italy, 2042

Diana was vaguely aware of tall blades of grass swaying in the wind around her, delicately caressing her arms and cheeks, like soft whispers against her skin, as she sat on the ground, the young boy draped across her lap, unconscious. She held him gently, eyes closed and fingertips pressed to his forehead as she immersed herself in his mind.

Nebulae of indigo and amber matter swirled around her as she focused on the silvery threads that wove together the tapestries of his recent memories, delicately removing the strands that formed her own image as well as Gaius’s and the two Daughters’. 

Diana observed through his memories as the young boy wandered onto the front porch of his home, curious about the noise in the street outside. A shout. A crash. Diana watched as he rubbed sleep from his eyes, still yawning when the second Daughter of Rheya had appeared before him, seemingly out of nowhere. She was smiling and for a moment, the young boy smiled back. Diana felt the moment he realized there was something wrong about this stranger who appeared so suddenly, whose smile seemed unnaturally wide. The street beyond had gone quiet, there was no sign of whatever ruckus had roused him from sleep. Uneasy, he stepped back towards the front door, smile fading.

“Where are you going?” the woman crooned, stepping forward as he stepped back. “The sun is down. It’s time to play.”

On the corporeal plane, Diana’s body shuddered in response.

Diana removed those threads of memory, weaving together the gaps she had left with the remaining material and supplementing doctored versions of what she took away. When the boy woke in the morning, he would not remember cunning smiles, vicious fangs, and sharp knives. Instead, he would only remember dreaming of empty fields, soft grass, and the sky full of stars above.

As she polished up the new memories, Diana felt him there, on the edge of her perception. She felt his amusement, his restlessness, his… curiosity. Even detached from her body, she could feel the intensity of his gaze, burning like a brand on her skin.

“Would you stop that?” she snapped, concentration broken, her consciousness now split between her own body and in the child’s mind palace.

“Stop what?” Gaius hummed, voice perfectly neutral. If she could, Diana would have rolled her eyes.

“Staring. It’s distracting. And rude.” Diana huffed, eyes still closed.

She heard Gaius scoff, but he turned away nonetheless, soil crunching beneath his boots. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

Diana scowled but slammed her mental barriers back up, retreating into the boy’s mind to finish her work in peace.

Hardly a minute later, she had finished, withdrawing from his mind with a satisfied hum. Diana had taken longer than necessary to alter the child’s memories, but her work was seamless. And if she was being honest with herself, she was stalling, staving off the moment she would have to face the new predicament she suddenly found herself in.

Gaius was here. Gaius, who she had not seen in more than two decades. And he had come to her aid.

Diana opened her eyes, letting her hand fall from the boy’s forehead to the ground beneath her. She took a deep breath, looking first to the moon, bright and luminous overhead, and then to Gaius.

He had already been watching her. Again.

“So it is done, then?” he asked, waving his hand towards the boy although his eyes remained locked on hers.

Diana swallowed and nodded, shifting the boy, still fast asleep, in her arms to stand. “Yes. He won’t remember any of this.”

Before Diana could get to her feet, Gaius was there, lifting the child from her arms and tucking him against his chest with a gentleness Diana had never seen in him before, although his face remained perfectly placid. It was...an odd sight. Although she had made peace with Gaius many years ago, Diana was admittedly having difficulty reconciling her last memories of Gaius, even when he was free of Rheya’s corruption, with the man standing before her, cradling a child.

Her thoughts must have been clear on her face because Gaius huffed at her expression, turning on his heel and striding towards town without a second glance. Wordlessly, Diana drew her coat tighter around herself and followed.

Once the field had given way to the edge of town, Gaius slowed, letting Diana lead the way to the boy’s home, guided by the memories she had witnessed. She waited outside, leaning against the wall of a nearby building as Gaius silently entered the house to put the child back in bed.

Her mind reeled, still coming to terms with the fact that Gaius was here in Aosta with her. No one had heard a word from him since he left New York City. Jax had speculated―more like hoped―that Gaius had died, unlikely as it was. Adrian and Kamilah had agreed that as long as he wasn’t causing trouble, he was the farthest thing from their minds. Diana on the other hand, had secretly hoped that he was somewhere out there, trying to do some good in the world. Like he promised her he would.

It wasn’t often that Diana thought of Gaius, but whenever she did, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was foolish for vehemently holding onto a promise Gaius was under no obligation to keep.

When he finally emerged from the house, Gaius blinked at Diana, as if surprised she was still there. Diana watched as he hesitated, and then crossed the street to where she stood. Did Gaius ever hesitate? They stood together in the shadows, the air between them taut as they sized each other up. Finally, Gaius spoke first, breaking the silence. 

“You’re different.”

Diana raised an eyebrow, pointedly looking him up and down. “And you’re wearing pants.”

It was true. As far as outward appearances went, Gaius looked just as he did twenty years ago, wavy hair still falling at about chin-length, one eyebrow forever lifted as if he regarded everything he saw with detached amusement. The only difference was he had ditched the doublet for something more modern: black jeans and a sweater of the darkest blue.

A muscle feathered in Gaius’s jaw as he stared down at her. “Perhaps you aren’t so different after all.”

Diana smiled slightly at that.

With a sigh, Gaius turned, scanning the streets around them, eyes glinting in the moonlight. “We shouldn’t stay out here. Just in case there are more… cultists,” he grimaced as if the word had left a bad taste in his mouth. “...around”

Diana opened her mouth to protest that the Daughters of Rheya weren’t a cult―Serafine and cult simply did not fit together―but the more she thought about it, the less inclined she was to argue with him. Instead, she frowned slightly, glancing between Gaius and some spot southwest of where they were now. Diana pushed off the wall, waving a hand at Gaius. “Come on. I’ve got a room. We can talk there.”

                                                 Diana felt like she was dreaming.

She sat on the edge of her bed, watching as Gaius absently roamed around her hotel room, running his hand along the mantle of the fireplace that crackled to life along the far wall.

Gaius was here. In her room. Wearing jeans.

She shook her head and cleared her throat. They sat in silence for long enough. “What are you doing here?”

Gaius glanced over his shoulder at her, firelight flickering across his countenance. ���I could ask you the same thing. Shouldn’t you be back in New York, helping stray pups find their forever homes?”

Diana grit her teeth. “Is that what you think I do?”

He shrugged indifferently. “Isn’t that the sort of thing you good do-ers… do? You and Adrian, the good Samaritans.”

Diana let out a long breath, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at him. “I’m on… a mission.”

“By yourself.”

“I can handle myself.” The moment Diana said it, she braced herself for some sarcastic comeback. Clearly, she imagined Gaius scoffing.

Instead, he merely said, “I know.”

“I―you what?” Diana blurted.

Gaius turned, folding his arms as he leaned against the wall beside the fireplace. He regarded her for a moment longer, and Diana was surprised to find that for once, he wasn’t amused or calculating when he looked at her. He seemed… thoughtful.

“I said I know. I know you can handle yourself,” he reiterated, speaking slowly, deliberately. “You expected me to mock you, I can tell. But that wasn’t my intention, Diana. But it is… rare, isn’t it? For one of you lot to go off alone?”

“It was how I wanted it,” Diana shrugged, keeping her voice carefully even as she gauged Gaius’s reaction. If he was curious about what that meant, he didn’t let it show.

Instead, he simply nodded and seated himself in one of the leather armchairs by the fire. “I know what you are capable of. I haven’t forgotten.”

“You shouldn’t,” Diana said, although she didn’t know why. There was no menace behind her words. No reason for it. Gaius wasn’t here to fight her, she knew. He was no longer the man she feared,  the man who had been her enemy. But old habits died hard she supposed.

Gaius hummed as he hunched forward, elbows on his knees, hands interlaced before him as he searched her face. For what, Diana didn’t know. His pose was so relaxed, far from the stiff, proud posture he once held.

“I haven’t forgotten either, Diana,” Gaius began, eyes finally falling away to his hands, “my promise to you.”

Diana let a slow breath, her heartbeat suddenly loud in her own ears. All those years she had dared to hope…

It had not been for nothing.

 Gaius sat there, eyes downcast, wringing his hands. Was he… nervous?

“I know I can’t undo what I have done. And I know twenty years is not enough to atone,” he said softly. “I am not looking for praise or approval. I know I don’t deserve that. But I just need you to know. I am not wasting this second chance you’ve given me. You did not spare me for nothing.”

Diana stood and crossed the room. Gaius’s eyes followed her as she went, but quickly fell to his hands again as she sat in the chair across from her. For a moment, she was reminded of herself as a child, of how she used to extend that helping hand to her mother on bad days, hoping for acceptance while fearing rejection. How long had Gaius been alone, trying to atone, hoping that the one person who had faith in him hadn’t given up? 

“I promised you I would do you proud,” Gaius continued, shadows flickering across his face. “I will never forget that.”

Diana reached out slowly, laying her hand over his as she whispered, “I knew you wouldn’t.”

He looked up, blue eyes searching hers and Diana almost gasped out loud from the relief she felt pouring off of him in waves. The sheer amount of gratitude. All of it, strangely, for her.

She didn’t know what to make of that.

After a moment, she withdrew her hand and leaned back, disentangling herself from all of his emotions now that skin-to-skin content had been broken. She could still feel some of it, echoes of his presence, but at least it was somewhat muted. Odd, that she could feel any of Gaius’s emotions at all, especially so acutely. She knew that he had some small affinity for psychic power, enough to shield himself. So why…?

Curious, she shifted the conversation, distracting Gaius as she sent out minuscule tendrils of power, just enough to probe his mental shields, but slight enough to avoid detection. “How did you find me here?”

Gaius scoffed, straightening, a bit of his usual self shining through once again. “You were hard to miss, Diana.”

“What do you mean?” She frowned, brushing against the fortified walls of his mind, solid and impenetrable. She supposed that was wise of him, to keep his mind guarded in her presence, all things considered. Although that didn’t explain why she could sense his emotions as if they were her own.

He leveled her with a cool gaze and she felt rather than heard his sardonic amusement. “You’re like a beacon, Diana. I was a good couple of miles away when I felt you out of nowhere, burning like a wildfire on the horizon. I have only felt that sort of power once before, in you,” he shook his head. “So I came running. But surely you didn’t need all of that to fend off two measly vampires.” She sensed the implication in his voice and frowned.

“I…” Diana trailed off, remembering the talisman she had come here for. She glanced down, withdrawing the bundle of fabric from the inside of her coat. Its presence was dim now. Slumbering. Carefully, she unwrapped it.

“What is that?” Gaius watched her intently, eyes flicking from the item in her hand as he gauged her reaction.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, turning it into the firelight. “I… I dreamt of this. Weeks ago.”

“That’s why you’re here.”

“For this and other things,” Diana murmured, frowning at the talisman. It bothered her that she still couldn’t identify its purpose. It had to do more than flash every now and then, right? She glanced up at him, momentarily considering just how much to tell him. “When I found it, it was as if it were calling to me.”

“And then what? You touched it?” Gaius huffed, then seeing her expression, pursed his lips. “...Of course you did.”

“I’m sorry, weren’t you the one who wanted me to go around touching random, powerful things to see if I was the Bloodkeeper?” Diana snapped, pocketing the talisman with a huff. 

Gaius merely rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. Typical.

“Anyways,” Diana continued, taking a deep breath to soothe herself. “My power reacted when I did. Beyond my control.” She clenched her fist against her thigh, recalling the way it had torn free of her body. “I don’t think it went anywhere. Just a burst of energy and the gemstone flared for a second. That’s what you must have sensed.”

“Must have been,” Gaius echoed, expression unreadable. They sat in silence for a while longer, each of them left alone to their thoughts, conversation evidently over. After a few minutes had passed, Diana fidgeted in her chair, glancing from the fire to Gaius, who seemed to be perfectly unaware of oppressive air in the room.

Now, what were they supposed to do?

Gaius wasn’t her friend, but he wasn’t her enemy anymore either. Diana didn’t know what he was to her anymore, or what she was to him. She didn’t know what to call someone whose life had been in her hands twice before. She had decided his fate more than twenty years ago and given him a second chance to atone. Whatever that made them, Diana didn’t quite feel right telling him to leave, although she didn’t know if that meant she wanted him to stay.

Diana cleared her throat, about to ask him what he planned to do next and if he had a place to stay when Gaius got to his feet, crossing to the window that overlooked the town of Aosta below. Diana watched as he studied the streets and buildings beyond, his silhouette limned in the moonlight. She noticed, with some relief, that the only emotions she felt now were once again her own. She wasn’t entirely sure why their consciousnesses had merged like that, although she admitted it would have been nice to know what he was thinking at that moment. When Gaius spoke, his voice was calm and steady, like a general laying out a plan. 

“More will come looking for you, Diana. I imagine that the Daughters of Rheya you encountered and I were not the only ones who felt your power. ” He turned to face her, hands clasped behind his back. “It would probably be in your best interest to leave as soon as possible.”

Diana nodded slowly, glancing over at the digital clock that sat upon the nightstand. It was just a few short hours until dawn. She supposed she could leave at any point during the day, since sunlight did not have the debilitating effects on her that it did on other vampires. But she had grown used to the graveyard shift with her friends at home and was surprisingly tired, both from the long plane ride she had taken earlier that day and the amount of power she expended tonight.

As if Gaius had heard her thoughts, he added, “I can stay and keep watch while you rest and make the proper travel arrangements. And then I will continue on my way.”

Continue on my way.

Diana tilted her head at that, an idea coming together. Whether it was a good idea, she wasn’t quite sure. “Where will you go?”

Gaius shrugged, glancing out the window. “I don’t know. Wherever I am needed.”

“So you just… wander? Until you find someone who needs rescuing?” 

He huffed, brow quirking, “It’s surprisingly effective. But yes, I suppose I wander until I come across someone in need of help or hear of places where I could be useful.”

She nodded, contemplating this new information. For twenty-two years Gaius had roamed alone protecting humanity. And she had never heard a word of it.

“What if...” Diana began, watching Gaius closely to study his reaction. “What if you came with me? I have quite a bit of wandering to do myself. I’m sure you can find some humans to save along the way.”

Gaius simply blinked at her as if he couldn’t believe what she had just said. Diana wasn’t even sure if she had really just proposed the idea either. It was absurd, honestly. The idea of her and Gaius traveling around Europe together, all because of one chance encounter―

“You’re asking me to come with you.” Not quite a question.

“Yes,” Diana answered without hesitation. Then she added, “I don’t know what lies ahead of me. It wouldn’t help to have some backup or someone who knows Europe and its history better than I do.”

Gaius stood there silently, mulling this over. His gaze was intense, unrelenting as he studied her, weighing her words and searching for any hint of insincerity in them. Seemingly satisfied by whatever he had worked out, Gaius let out a long breath, jaw set in resolution. Then, he dipped his chin, ever so slightly. “Alright.”

“Like, ‘alright,’ you’ll come with me?” Diana reiterated, eyebrows raised. She realized that she had been the one to invite him along, but she hadn’t anticipated that he would actually say yes or what to do if he did.

“Yes. I’ll accompany you on… whatever it is that you think you are doing.” He sighed as if in anticipation of the trials that were to come. “Something tells me that wherever you go, trouble will follow.”

Diana’s lip quirked up. “Which is why this is an excellent proposition for you.”

Gaius merely sighed again. When he wasn’t looking, Diana smiled.

                                                tagging: @bigmemesplz, @somin-yin, @mkamra2355

[emcon-imagines]

Hello♡ Could I please request Thanksgiving headcanons for the Guardians of the Galaxy? (Especially Rocket, Drax, Nebula, Kraglin and Yondu, but I love the whole team♡). To be honest, I'm really boring and my personality is extremly paradox. I always feel like I don't belong anywhere, that's probably why I have a soft spot for anyone and anything different. I suffer from autism and depression. I admire people who are bold and straight-forward with their feelings. Because it's hard for me to express my own and, sadly, I usually don't "see" others. And, even though I'm not at all funny, I like people who are. I'm lazy as hell. I am incredibly understanding and almost impossible to get upset, so I am always calm. I'm always wearing black. My ideal day would be spent with cuddling, listening to music (my favourite singer is Yungblud, so it's kinda punk-rock?), watching movies (I love movies that make me feel something, with a heavy atmosphere, but I also enjoy fantasy movies), having in-depths conversations and drinking tea on a rainy day and to take a walk in the rain. I'm extremly loyal and I honestly try to be as kind/polite as possible. Music is very important and therapeutic for me, I could never live a day without it. I always try to act against injustice, even if being the center of attention makes me uncomfortable, but I also like the darker things. I'm not at all dominant, but that's not a problem to me. My favorite colours are green and black.  People always tell me that I think too much. I have a really, really big problem with laws, rules and authority and I'm not afraid to speak up against them (which is surprising to most people because I'm usually very shy, insecure and quiet). As a quiet person, I like talkative people because they are willing to do the talking themselves and don't expect me to keep up my end of it. I really have no sleep schedule. I'm open-minded and have a kind heart, I see the good in nearly anyone. I secretly crave affection and attention, but I feel like I don't deserve it. I'm barely able to make eye contact and am sometimes painfully awkward. Nevertheless, I love animals and I'm more comfortable with them (they are far easier than humans). I'm a feminist and anarchist with my whole heart. I don't know if it's true, but I think I annoy people. I have trust issues and I'm therefore more cautious around others. I really struggle to say what's on my mind, sometimes I can't even build the easiest sentence. I think that one of the best feeling is that of a hug or cuddling, but I could never ask anyone for one. I'm probably the clumsiest person. I only judge people for what I experience, so it doesn't matter to me what is said about that person or what their heritage/beliefs are.

I hope that is not too much. Thank you! ♡

You and the crew always have music playing on the ship and fight over who controls it. It’s really nice to always have beats going, almost comforting, in fact. Even if it’s Rocket’s turn on the aux.

You fit right in when you join the crew, and they immediately accept you as a member of the family, ready to break laws or ride or die with you in an instant. Even if you feel that you don’t belong anywhere, Rocket’s like “well, yeah, cause you belong with us”

You and Drax both like when people are up-front with things, so when they’re not, you guys talk after like “do you have any clue what they’re on about or just me?”

You and Nebula have lots of deep, late-night conversations in the cockpit of the ship when you’re on watch together (you’re the only people up that late usually), because she feels like she can open up to you? and you wouldn’t judge her. that was the biggest thing for her.

Groot loves to give you hugs and just sit with you. He finds your presence calming!

The whole gang is a little awkward in different ways, so it’s usually Peter Quill who breaks the ice for you guys, saying something funny to break the tension

Yondu taking you under his wing and being like “have you ever considered being a pirate?”

Gamora is unusually soft with you? Like no one knows why it’s just you but she’ll sit with you, lean her head on your shoulder, just like let her walls down a little

You love to just take a back seat and watch chaos unfold on the ship between your crewmates. There’s never a dull moment.

[elencelebrindal]

Hi! Among the Saints, do you have any favourite technique or fighting style in specific?

Yeah, quite a bit actually! I’m going to put pictures, because why not, the visuals are cool. I don’t have a favorite fighting style, ‘cause I mostly enjoy watching people beating the crap out of each other (not in real life, please don’t), just know that I like how everyone’s fight. Some styles are similar, some are unique, but I love them all.  And now for the techniques, in no particular order and with their corresponding Italian names because of who I am as a person, we have 10 of them. All under the cut because this post is loooooong.

1. Nebula Storm (Tempesta di Andromeda)

I am deeply in love with the Nebula Storm, one of my all-time favorite techniques of the franchise. It’s so cool to see how powerful this can get, and I love how “calm” it’s the execution (compared to most other techniques). I gives this idea that a technique doesn’t have to be physically violent to be effective, and the Storm is also versatile, since it’s a wide range technique that incapacitates whoever falls victim to it.

2. Scarlet Needle (Cuspide Scarlatta)

What can I say, this is my favorite technique of the classic Gold Saints. It might have an unpredictable outcome, but it’s very interesting and has unique characteristics. I love how it reflects the stars of the Scorpio constellation, and me being the huge space nerd I am, I cannot help but be amazed at how the last needle is called Antares. Maybe that’s also the reason why I love the Nebula Storm, space references! Seriously speaking, the Scarlet Needle is different from a lot of other techniques, and gives a fair chance of survival if the Saint ultimately decides to spare whoever gets hit by it. Lethal and forgiving at the same time, and this it what gives it a spot among us my favorite.

 3. Freezing Coffin (Sarcofago di Ghiaccio)

I don’t exactly know why I love this technique so much, but I do. I like how it can be used both as an offensive attack and as something able to preserve life as it is forever. Maybe I like is to much because I’m already enthralled by how, in real life, ice can preserve ancient life with so much ease, but I honestly cannot give you a clear explanation.  it’s just a really cool concept in my opinion. 

4. Another Dimension (Dimensione Oscura)

Ok, who doesn’t like this at least a little bit? A technique than literally opens an alternate dimension and that can trap anyone in it? This is one of the coolest and most powerful techniques I’ve ever seen (save maybe for Thanos’ snap, but I have doubts), and it’s so interesting.  The fact alone that a person, a human, can open a channel to a different dimension is baffling. I love how it’s almost impossible to flee from this space, how distressing is to be caught inside it. This technique, even if defeatable, can easily incapacitate someone to a certain degree.  Can you imagine having the power of literally opening and closing at will a completely alternate dimension in your hands?

5. Rikudo Rinne (Volta di Minosse)

This is one of the most terrifying techniques I’ve ever seen, even worse than losing all five senses and getting basically eradicated from existence. At least you won’t feel anything anymore, in those cases.  But this? This straight up dooms you.  Not only that, this technique is so incredibly interesting, from how it works to what makes it. The six planes of existence of this technique not only have meaningful origins, but are all deeply different; some are better and some are worse, instead of being all the same.  All in all, is a complex technique with different outcomes and different approaches, and in my opinion deserves a lot more attention. 

6. Death Trip Serenade (Sinfonia dell’Eterna Quiete)

I’m going to be honest. I have a soft spot for music-based techniques. This is my favorite of them all, but I have some honorable mentions, aka the Stringer Requiem (Melodia delle Tenebre) and the Dead End Symphony (Dolce Melodia del Flauto).  I also have a soft spot for Orpheus (the mythological character), so I couldn’t help but love this technique in particular. I find incredible how Saint Seiya can have really powerful Saints have calm techniques like this, techniques that are still scaringly deadly.  The Serenade is one of my favorites because it doesn’t work by directly killing who listens to it, but puts them to an eternal sleep, thus indirectly being lethal. Opposite from my honorable mentions, this technique is gentle, in a way. It doesn’t cause pain, and listening to it is actually pleasurable. It lures the victim of the song in a false sense of security, thus giving a somewhat easy victory.  And that’s why I love it, because while you listen to it, you’re literally signing up for your death without being aware of what’s actually happening.  Gentle, but scary. 

7. Unity of Nature (Anime della Natura)

Now this is something I would never want to experience. Unique and lethal, unless you manage to understand how to act and do it properly. I love it.  Using nature itself as a weapon is probably the most creative way of fighting, and it gives a huge advantage if the battle takes place basically anywhere that’s not a cement jungle.  Not easy to counteract and dangerous, two attributes that please me very much, and to certain degree also terrifying and distressing. Can you imagine having to fight against nature?  Maybe it’s not a technique that works on everyone, because of course someone strong enough could just destroy the entire place that’s currently controlled for this technique, but it’s nonetheless scary. 

8. Cosmic Marionette (Dominio Cosmico)

This is scary. This is absolutely terrifying.  A technique that basically transforms anyone that fall prey to it into a helpless puppet controlled in every movement is not a joke. The user of this can literally capture a person and break every single bone in their body by flicking a finger, can kill a person by snapping their neck with one single movement.  The wave of a hand could inflict unspeakable torture and pain to whoever in captured in the strings.  If this is not one of the coolest techniques you’ve ever seen, honestly what are you doing with your life? A  single string to the neck, and death is assured. Effective, to say the least. And it works at long distance too, so good luck. 

9. Crimson Thorn (Spine Cremisi)

Deadly. One of the deadliest of my favorites techniques that are not kind. Thousands of needles made of poisonous blood being injected directly into a single target sound pretty effective to me, unless the target is covered head to toe with an armor.  So yeah, flawed, but still one of the best and most effective, considering how poisonous the blood is. If it hits, it’s game over.  Also, another of my requirements is met: this technique is unique. Using your own blood to fight is, by far, one of the most unique fighting strategies I normally see in fiction, and this interpretation of it is honestly kinda morbid. Which, for me, is a positive point.  It gives the impression of how much a Saint can sacrifice of themselves, to the point of using so much blood that surviving is impossible. I think it’s a technique that should be used only when extremely necessary, if not only in situations where death is basically looming over and it’s the last ace up your sleeve, but it’s tremendously dangerus. For everyone involved.  And it can be used as an effective distraction, so it works both as offensive and defensive, even if dangerous. 

10. Greatest Eclipse (Eterna Eclissi)

Yes, I consider this a technique, even if is more of a power. Worthy of a god, and even if extreme in its fantasy connotations, could realistically destroy all life on Earth. And it’s more effective than another one, still used by Hades, aka the Lost Canvas. This doesn’t take as much time, and it’s also horrifying to watch as it happens.  An eternal eclipse that blocks out the sun, if you take away the fancy explanation of how all the planets get manipulated and probably get their rotation stopped (which, in itself, is terrifying to imagine), is in fact able to create extreme conditions, thus killing everybody.  I’ve seen people doubting the Greatest Eclipse could actually work, and I raise you this, taking away all the supernatural stuff: the effect a permanent solar eclipse would have on planet Earth. One side would be constantly exposed to the sun, the other would never receive any light or heat anymore, not enough at least. This creates extreme living conditions, which become impossible to survive in. Animals start dying, crops cannot grow anymore or in large quantities, and people slowly start dying as well. I’m not putting into the picture other apocalyptic events (like a stopped moon being affected by Earth’s gravitational pull to the point of smashing into it), because if Hades manipulates everything nothing else is going to happen, but a total solar eclipse that never goes away and an Earth that completely stops moving spell death.  Add to this the fact that the Greatest Eclipse is also capable of destroying souls, and there you have it.  This is my favorite power of the entire array of manga, anime, and general fiction I’ve watched/read. Hands down.  Obviously, don’t take me too seriously, I mostly take this stuff from watching various documentaries so take what I write with careful eyes. 

Honorable Mentions

Most of the techniques I listed are, surprisingly, not as violent and/or destructive as I thought they would be. Because of who I am as a person, I tend to like chaos and catastrophic stuff, but I surprised myself upon realizing what I prefer in this franchise. Well, with exceptions, obviously.  These are my honorable mentions, techniques I really like but not enough to know why:

- Galaxian Explosion (Esplosione Galattica)

- Aurora Execution (Sacro Aquarius, yeah let’s not talk about this)

- Tenkū Haja Chimimōryō (Elevatevi Spiriti. Danzate Ombre delle Tenebre, anime name, pretty weird)

- Phoenix Illusion Demon Fist (Fantasma Diabolico)

- Demon Emperor Fist (Fantasma dell’Oscurità)

- Rozan Kō Ryū Ha (Pienezza del Dragone)

- Whatever technique Baldr from Soul of Gold uses

- Brilliant Wings Heaven Dance

- Golden Triangle (Triangolo d’Oro)

And this is it, folks! I probably won’t be able to post anything else that’s this long for a couple days (this university is making me hate my life), but expect a post about Soul of Gold Aldebaran on Monday (hopefully). 

[innaminitus]

The one with seven minutes

About the series: What are you about to read is a series in a sitcom manner. This means the chapters are going to be only briefly connected to each other and you don’t have to read them all (you can start in the middle if you want and you will still understand what’s going on). Just as in sitcoms majority of the stories will have the beginning and the end (something like oneshots). Think of it as if you were watching Friends that I copied the title from.

AU: Hogwarts  

Pairing: Various (for now: Loki x Reader, Tony Stark x Reader, Steve Rogers x Reader)

Chapter summary: At the seventh grade party one of your friends introduces you to the new game he learned from his muggle pals - seven minutes in heaven.

Chapter warninigs: boner?

Chapter word count: 1638

A/N: I want you to create this series with me! Got any idea what could happen to our pals? Let me know! Let’s make this as awesome as we can, together! Tag list is open.

“Be quiet or Filch will hear us!” Nat hissed at you when you tried to sneak from the dungeons to the fifth floor. “I don’t want to ruin the party before I get drunk.”

“Sorry…” You giggled silently.

You were invited to the “welcome back to school” party organized by the Maximoffs in some abandoned room with disappearing doors. The party was seventh grade exclusive, so you could have some fun without loud kids.

When you reached the floor you stopped by the fourth armour, just as Wanda said.

“We are supposed to tickle the chipped brick,” Loki said and raised his wand to lighten the wall. “They’re all chipped…” he murmured, but eventually picked the one that was almost crushed and tickled it with a sigh. The bricks started to move aside and disclosed the wooden door. Loki turned the knob, but they didn’t open. “Locked.”

“You have to ask them to open,” Nat reminded. “Can you open?” She tried to open the door, but they were still shut.

“Ask politely,” you said and wrapped your fingers around the knob. “Could you open, please?” The lock let go and a noise of music and laughter came from the inside of the room.

It looked like an old classroom, but the desks were pushed aside and filled with food and drinks. Wanda almost crushed on you.

“Hi, guys!” She kissed your cheek. “It’s great that you came, almost entire grade is here.”

You looked around. She was right. You could see people from every house, even though none of them was wearing their uniform. It wasn’t hard to know everyone when there were only forty students per year.

Nat dragged you to the desks with drinks and poured herself a great amount of firewhisky. You looked through the liquors, but couldn’t find anything you would want.

“Maybe this?” Loki showed you a bottle with a daisy on it.

“Daisyroot draught?” You raised your eyebrows. “What even is that?”

“It smells sweet.” He moved his nostrils funnily when he raised the bottle to his nose.

“Pour it, then.”

As it turned out it not only smelled sweet, it also tasted sweet, you could barely feel the alcohol. Which was bad, because before you knew it, you were dizzy and laughing and dancing with some Ravenclaw girl to the Weird Sisters.

“So there is this game I learned when partying with muggles during summer.” You heard someone say and swayed to the people that were talking. You loved games. “It’s called seven minutes in heaven. You twist the bottle and go kiss with the person it points. For seven minutes.”

“I’m in,” you said and emptied your cup.

“I bet you are,” someone sighed and pulled you aside. Loki. “Are you sure of it? It seems weird. And it’s a muggle game.”

“So you play with me.” You patted his shoulder and held his hand to drag him into the circle of drunken students that formed within seconds.

“I’m not sure I want to make out with someone chosen by the bottle.” He raised his brows, but sat next to you anyway.

“The bottle is wise, Loki.” You saw Tony. You didn’t talk to him at all that day, but he sat in front of you and winked. You smiled at him cheekily. “It knows who to choose.”

The circle was relatively big and the Gryffindor who proposed the game placed the bottle on the floor. Quill was his name, you remembered. He sat on the last free spot.

“Alright, folks. The rules are simple. You spin the bottle, it choses your lucky mate and we close you in that broken Vanishing Cabinet over there.” He pointed at the triangular closet in the corner. “You can do whatever the galopin’ gorgons you want, but only for seven minutes, so you better don’t take off all your clothes.” He rubbed his hands together. “Anybody wants to start?”

“Hell yes!” A girl next to you reached for the bottle and spun it. The bottle neck stopped at Quill.

“Damn, Gamora, you know how to spin!” He laughed and took her hand. “Seven minutes, somebody count!” He shut the door of the Cabinet with a wink that made his Gryffindor friends laugh.

“…but I know you like me.” You heard someone say silently and a snort. You looked around and giggled when you saw Clint talking to Nat by the desk with liquors. You nudged Loki and pointed the two with your chin. “Go to Hogsmeade with me. You’ll see we’ll have fun.”

“Clint, I’m not into dumbasses.” She rolled her eyes.

“You’ll never know if you won’t try!” He smiled at her.

You turned your head just in time for Thor to rapidly open the Cabinet and scream that the pair’s time is up. They were in rather awkward position, Quill’s hands were under Gamora’s shirt and his lips on her neck. She quickly fixed her clothes and came back to the circle, Quill winked at his friends again.

“Quite humiliating,” Loki said silently, raising his brow.

“That’s the adrenaline, you never know-“

“We’re going clockwise, so Y/L/N, your turn!” You shot your head to Quill. “Spin the bottle, girl!”

You stiffly reached for the bottle, thinking whether there is a way to make it choose whoever you want. Maybe a spell…

You spun it and sat back. It was fast at first, but eventually slowed down. Your hear beat like crazy. You wanted it to be Tony… but it went past him and was too slow to do another round. Shit. Thor… Nebula… Some Hufflepuff girl… Bruce… It stopped and you looked up at the person it chose.

Loki didn’t seem to be too delighted when the bottle neck pointed right at him. You heard a loud “uuuuuu!” and someone pushed you both out of the circle and straight to the Cabinet.

“Seven minutes! Don’t be too naughty!”

The door shut, closing you in the darkness.

“Well this could’ve gone better…” You muttered, trying to stand comfortably without leaning on him too much. “God, it’s crumped here.”

“You counted on Stark?” Loki asked and managed to sit on the floor. You tried to sit as well, but there was not enough place for you two to be comfortable. He sighed and pulled you to himself, so you sat on his lap, your legs on his sides. That was good enough.

“Is it bad if I did?” You tried to look him in the eyes, but it was too dark. “God, I can’t even see where your face is.”

“Here.” He touched your nose with his and you laughed. “And it’s not bad, I think.”

“Then why don’t you want me to like him? It can’t be just because he’s a Gryffindor.”

He sighed and leaned on the wall of the closet, his arms wrapped around you.

“I just…” It seemed hard for him to find the right words. “He’s not good enough for you. You deserve someone who loves you, not only wants to have fun. Someone who knows you thoroughly, who can cherish you and who likes what you like. Who loves spending time with you not only when you flirt.”

“Someone like you?” You raised your brow even though he couldn’t see it.

“Exactly.”

You sighed.

“Loki, I might be drunk, but not that drunk.” You could swear the closet shrank.

“I said someone like me, not me me.” He blabbered. “But to be honest, I am that drunk.”

You giggled.

“I don’t think you are.”

“You want to try me?” You knew he smirked and you could recapture it too well from your memory.

“Are you flirting with me?”

“Ugh, don’t be gross. Of course I am,” he laughed silently.

“We are like siblings.”

“No, we’re not.”

“No, we’re not,” you agreed with a smile.

For a second you just listened to your breaths in perfect synch.

“So…” His fingers danced on your leg to the sound of muttered music from the outside. “Are we going to kiss?”

“You really are drunk, aren’t you?” You laughed, but somehow it came out stiff. And what if you actually kissed? “Wouldn’t that be weird?”

“Oh, definitely. So?”

“You really want to do it?” The daisyroot was echoing in your veins, you felt dizzy and somehow the idea of kissing your best friend didn’t seem like the worst plan in the world.

“Why not? We have like… three more minutes or something.”

You couldn’t believe that he was trying to make you kiss him. You snorted at that silly thought.

“Our friendship will be ruined.”

“Nothing can ruin our friendship,” he said and lifted himself a little to kiss you.

You’ve kissed him before, but this was somehow different. His lips were warm and tasted like chocolate liqueur you both tried just before the game. You kissed him slow, lazily even. His tongue touched yours shyly, checking your boundaries. You deepened the kiss, allowing him to slid the tongue into your mouth. Was it possible that his lips matched yours so perfectly? They were swollen from the alcohol, plump and delicate.

His hands were on your hips and you moved a little to get in a better position, but then you felt… something under your thigh. A hard bulge in Loki’s pants.

You quickly got up and bumped onto the door of the Cabinet which opened, resulting in you having a third degree meeting with a floor.

“Are you okay?” Loki laughed and swayed when getting out of the closet. You took the hand he offered and tried very hard not to look at his pants.

“No… Yes! Yes, I just need to… um… go to the bathroom.” You shook your head and left him before the closet, heading to the exit.

No more daisyroot draught. Or any other alcohol. Ever.

___

Previous: The one with the potion class

Next: The one with the Bludger

___

tag list:  @lokislilslut @inlovewithmrstark @help-i-need-a-social-life@arcanethamin @nevaeh-potter15 @timetraveler1978 @tanelle83 @fuckythebuckybarnes

[microbrien]

The Past is a Where, Not a When

“…from a certain point of view.” — Obi Wan Kenobi

(Originally posted on Medium)

If you haven’t seen Avengers Endgame and you have any interest whatsoever in watching it — even a little tiny bit of interest — or, even if you have no interest, but you expect to see it eventually and you’d be annoyed to know what happens before you do, stop reading now. A lot of this won’t make much sense unless you’ve seen the movie at least once (maybe twice, if we’re being honest), but it gives away most of the plot, so stop reading. There will be lots and lots of spoilers from this point on…

>>> SPOILER WARNING <<<

So the endgame finally happened. Doctor Strange saw Fourteen Million Six Hundred Five possible realities where the Avengers fight Thanos and only one where they beat him and it happened. The question is, did he know about all that “time travel” stuff? Did he know about Scott Lang’s savior rat? Or did he just know how to get the ball rolling on the right path, and that path started with him giving up the Time Stone to save Tony?

I’m going to go with the second option there and assume that Doctor Strange could only see past his own death in one of those scenarios (because that’s the main rule of the Time Stone) and all he really knew was in the one where they win, it starts with him doing what he did at the end of Infinity War.

Then he gets dusted, gets undusted five years later, and still things would have to play out just right.

I have a feeling Doctor Strange would be just as confused by the time traveling adventures of Endgame as I was the first time I watched the movie. It doesn’t work the way the Time Stone handles time and it didn’t seem to make sense at first and they weren’t explaining it! I was annoyed.

Then the scene between Bruce Banner and the Ancient One happened and I was slightly less annoyed. Only slightly.

Part of the problem is that we generally don’t have very good vocabulary for talking about these things without resorting to terms and concepts that first require you to take a few semesters of theoretical physics, quantum mechanics, and classical logic.

So we get stuck using words like “time” a lot when that’s kind of inaccurate. I’m not saying I’ve ever taken any courses like that. I’m not claiming to be an expert on any of this. But after watching a second time, reading way too many theories, and watching a couple of helpful videos, I finally have it all sorted out and honestly, it really does all make sense! No paradoxes, no plot-holes! Truly!

Even better, I think I’ve figured out a couple of helpful analogies to guide anyone who is still struggling to organize it all in their mind. Ready to “time travel” some more? Cool.

Back in Time… Except Not.

The first thing to keep in mind is that thing they kept trying to explain to each other in the movie: you can’t change your own present by going to “the past”. Bruce makes a point of really hammering this home to Rhody and Scott. It ends up being played for laughs, but he’s not wrong. That’s why they couldn’t go back in time and kill baby Thanos. That’s why they didn’t even try!

In a way, there’s no such thing as the “past”. There are just alternate realities that are similar to your own, except they happen to be at relatively “earlier” points in “time”. When you “time travel” to the “past,” you’re just visiting a different Universe, identical to your own except it’s just running behind.

To help visualize that, imagine you have a bunch of VHS tapes of the same movie, but these are special VHS that are impossible to rewind. So, if you want to go back and watch an earlier part of the movie, you have to change tapes.

That’s what the Avengers are doing when they “time travel”. They are switching to tapes that are still at earlier points in their run time. Yes, this means that there are four alternate realities that they travel to. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll call the “main timeline” MCU Prime and label the others based on the years they are in when the Avengers get to each one — MCU2012, MCU2013, MCU2014, and Tony and Steve briefly go to MCU1970.

If they had gone “back” and killed Thanos, that would have ended the threat for whatever tape they happened to be on, but back in MCU Prime, nothing would change. However, they found out they can cut and paste parts of those other tapes into theirs, so they go and cut out the stones. Then they jump back to their home tape, MCU Prime. That’s it. That’s the whole plan.

But! Oh no! Those other tapes are just as real and valid as the Avengers’ original VHS and by taking out the Infinity Stones, they have been ruined, right?

No. Just as Bruce says to the Ancient One, they can put back what they took away.

The Confusing Conversation with the Ancient One is Important, but not for the Reason it Seemed

In MCU2012, the Ancient One expresses worries about giving up the Time Stone and says to Bruce that yes, obviously having that stone would help him in his reality (they very specifically use that word, “reality”), but not having it in their reality would have devastating consequences. And from the Ancient One’s point of view, Bruce’s reality may as well be the alternate one. Where they are at that moment is just as real and valid as the one Bruce came from, so it would be selfish of the Avengers to sacrifice that entire Universe to save their own.

This implies that until interfered with, the only difference between any of these realities is when in time they are. Otherwise, they’re all simultaneously playing out identically.

This is the most important reveal of this conversation. It’s why the “time travel” they are doing in the movie, which is not time travel at all, is even possible. If every reality was different, they wouldn’t be able to just pick a year and go. They’d also have to be sure they were traveling to a reality that was reasonably similar to their own. It’s also important in regard to what happens with Steve at the end.

This does mean some of the Ancient One’s explanation about what could happen to their reality without the Time Stone is flawed. They oversimplified it to provide that neat orange line visual, but all they really meant is that their timeline is identical to Bruce’s and will continue to follow the same path of events unless something is changed, like removing the Time Stone from it, which would make that reality very dark in comparison. For example, Dormammu would eat all of existence if Doctor Strange doesn’t have the Time Stone to stop it.

Calling the alternate realities branches was probably inaccurate, but if we accept every reality is identical until some temporal interloper disrupts it as a basic premise of the MCU concept of “time”, it’s a useful way of describing it, both for Bruce in that moment and for an audience who isn’t interested in a crash course on quantum mechanics.

Each alternate reality already existed. We also know this is true, because of what’s happening with Ghost in Ant Man and the Wasp. Laurence Fishburne explains it during the scene when he, as Bill Foster, is lecturing to a class. He explains how it is possible to fall “out of phase” with a reality, existing in multiple realities simultaneously. That’s what’s happening with Ghost.

So, whether the Avengers had traveled there or not, each one of those alternate realities were already happening all on their own. The presence of MCU2014 Nebula in the MCU Prime and the fact that killing her doesn’t create any paradoxes proves that.

Meanwhile, each reality is changed a little just by having visitors from other realities. The goal is to change them as little as possible. Just being there probably won’t affect the unfolding of events in that Universe. Taking away an Infinity Stone on the other hand (or telling Steve that Bucky is alive before the events of Winter Soldier, or letting Loki escape captivity with the Space Stone) is a big change that could have very serious consequences for that reality and maybe many others.

Some have still asked, why? Why not just take the stones from those realities and keep them? Then Thanos wouldn’t be able to do the snap in any of them! Well, sure, maybe. But let’s say that if the options are to stick with what you know or risk infinite unknowns, many of which could lead to the destruction of life, the Universe, and everything, it’s probably better to stick with what you know.

At least by putting the stones back, the Avengers know events will basically happen just like they did for themselves in MCU Prime. (One out of Fourteen million, remember? Anything changes and Thanos eventually wins.)

So once The Avengers are done using the cut/paste stones, Cap hops back over to the other tapes and pastes them all back, so he doesn’t ruin those copies. Except he decided to go to the one still at 1940 or something and live out the tape with Peggy.

Old Steve

Which raises the question… how did old Steve Rogers get on that bench at the end of the movie? Based on everything we just talked about, he can’t have “rewound” his own tape and then waited for it to play back to the point that he left. Not possible. It’s not Back to the Future, it’s not a single timeline / reality.

The way the scene was presented, they do seem to imply that’s what Cap did, but I think they just didn’t want to bog down the scene with exposition.

That means, at some point, he did one of two things. A. He traveled back across realities to be there — which is not at all impossible. Cap shouldn’t age like regular human beings, so who knows how far in the “future” he lived in whatever timeline he was on. Maybe he lived on to 2100 and met new genius Avengers who made a new machine and sent him back to his home reality with a new shield and it would ruin the scene (and the fun of potentially having Chris Evans someday make a comeback in the role to play all that out) if they explained that there. Okay. That’s reasonable enough to quiet most annoyances about any potholes his presence on that bench created.

But I think option B. is more likely. That’s not the same Steve Rogers we’ve just watched for the whole movie and that last 10 years or so. That’s a different Captain America from yet another different “tape” (AKA reality). And if so, that implies that there are infinitely branching timelines where Cap does that same thing over and over and over. But why does he seem the same?

He might be Steve Rogers from MCU Prime 2 or MCU Beta or whatever name you want to slap on it, but this is why the conversation with the Ancient One is important. Every reality is playing out exactly the same, all at once, unless interfered with. That could be any one of infinite Steves, but it’s ultimately irrelevant. He has the same DNA and memories as the Steve who just left.

Time is a Train Track

In at least one video and some fan theories online, it’s put out there that not only should Steve not be able to go back to previously visited realities, the next Steve Rogers to make that jump and stay with Peggy should arrive to find a young version of himself already there.

I disagree on both points. That only makes sense if you believe “going back in time” creates an alternate reality based on the one you’ve just left from. I don’t see any reason to think that logically must happen. In fact, we’ve already seen hints that those realities are already there, happening, whether they are visited or not.

Explaining why no Steve will ever run into a young version of himself also helps to understand why the Avengers can move back and forth through “time”, visiting alternate realities, going home to their own, and then even going back to previously visited realities again, so I’ll address both at once.

As far as returning to already visited realities, first we have to understand how they even got “back in time” — I mean, to other realities in the first place.

How do they know which reality to target, to hit it at just the right time that they want to be in? They don’t! But it doesn’t matter, because they don’t have to.

They know when they want to be, so the where doesn’t matter. If you think of time as stationary and realities as the thing passing through it, then you just pick a point in time and hit that mark and you will necessarily hitch on to the right reality (the right “where”) when you arrive.

I don’t know why, but this reminds me of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. In Quantum Mechanics, you can know roughly where something is or how fast it is moving, but you can’t know both at once.

It would be like jumping on to a moving train. Reality is the train. The track is time. If for some reason you know you need to get on at mile marker 25, but it doesn’t matter which train car you land on, why go through all the trouble to figure out the train’s schedule? Just go to mile 25 and hop on.

Now that you’re on this car, how do you get back home? And how do you get back to the same car after you’ve left to return the infinity stone you borrowed to its place? You can’t just hop off and walk back to mile 25 — it’s going to be an entirely different car.

This was the real problem and Tony solved it. Tony figures out how to get back to the right reality again. Because knowing when isn’t useful anymore. You need to know where to get back, and that’s harder. Hence the “Time GPS”. After all, a GPS helps you find where you are and where you are going, not when you are (that would be a watch).

We aren’t given as clear an idea of how (inverted Möbius Strip?), but I think he’s basically reversed the thinking again. Now time is back to being treated as the thing that moves and reality is stationary. It’s all relative anyway. The tapes analogy is back to being useful!

What Tony essentially does is put a beacon on his home reality (he marks which VHS tape they need to get on again) so when they go quantum, they can move through the quantum realm, the thing that ties all these infinite realities together, and come back.

It’s not clear how much time has passed at home, but it doesn’t matter — you logically have to come back after you left and time “works differently” in the quantum realm, so any amount of time makes as much sense as any other.

This is where Scott Lang got the whole idea in the first place. What if it wasn’t random? What if you could choose where /when to get out?

Anyway, because it’s possible to get back home, it’s logically also possible to return to previously visited realities. We can assume they’ve pinned the locations with their GPS as they were there so they can find them again. And as long as they arrive after they last left (and again, according to the rules of time, Reality, and everything, they literally must), then no paradoxes could possibly happen. Those tapes can’t be rewound, remember? They just marked all the tapes they’re watching and just switched them out as needed.

So is there a New Gamora?

She didn’t disappear once Tony’s snap happened. At least I don’t think so, unless Tony didn’t realize he shouldn’t snap her away. And she also didn’t get erased from existence once Steve returned all the stones to their respective realities (although how he did that is legitimately hard to explain — how do you put back the Soul Stone?).

If it were possible to erase her that way, then Tony’s sacrifice was for nothing. He didn’t need to snap Thanos out of existence, he just needed to use the Time Stone to undo the damage to the van, hop in the quantum tunnel, and send it back.

Of course, that would create a paradox where MCU2014 Thanos never crossed over to MCU Prime and so Tony would never have to put it back… see why this falls apart fast?

So, I think Gamora is out there. She’s alone in a new reality, ten years in the future relative to where she was, and everyone she’s ever known is gone, except Nebula, who is very different from the Nebula she knew. She’s probably freaked out and looking for something to hold on to. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will probably have something to do with finding and helping her.

Why didn’t putting the stone back erase her? The easiest way to explain that is to point out, again, that you can always visit a given reality again further ahead “in time” from where you last visited, but never further back — my tape analogy helps here.

Like when Tony and Cap mess up in MCU2012 go “further back” to 1970, they’re not going back so much as they’re switching to yet another tape set to an earlier point — one where they know they can find Pym particles and the Space stone in close proximity.

So what’s happened in MCU2014 Gamora’s timeline is done. The ink is dry. It can’t be changed. Someone visiting that reality would only be able to enter it at whatever point it’s currently at, which would have to be after Gamora left.

If you wanted to go back to that same moment again, you’d have to visit yet another reality that happens to be at that moment when you arrive.

Remember the train cars and mile marker 25? If you keep hopping off and going back to mile 25, you’d just be getting on completely different train cars each time… even if they look and seem identical, whatever you do in that train car won’t affect anything happening in any other car.

You can’t return to a time that has already passed in a given reality. So, if you want to visit the same reality again, you have to meet it whenever it is.

Infinite Captain Americas

So what about Cap? Is he just infinitely jumping sideways or should the first one be able to do it and then the next one run into himself, already there?

Well they’ve already basically hinted that time is happing all at once, everywhere. It’s not a single stream, it’s a fabric that infinite realities pass through. So “going back” isn’t really “going back” anyway. It’s moving over.

Think of the train again! If Cap hops off and walks back to mile marker 25 and gets in another car, how could he already be there? Even when the next next Cap gets unfrozen, lives his life through Endgame, then gets off and walks back to mile 25, it should still be the same thing all over again. It’s a weird infinite loop of Captain Americas, but there’s zero reason to believe he’d walk back to find himself already there.

If some Cap arrived to find himself already there, that would make no sense logically, because there has to be a start to that cycle and in that case there can’t be — a circle has no beginning.

So, it only makes sense, based on what the rest of the movie implies, that each time Cap “goes back” and stays with Peggy, he’s moving to a new reality where he hasn’t gone back yet… because in that reality, of course he hasn’t! It hasn’t happened yet, and when it does, he’ll just be moving over to yet another different reality anyway!

Remember, he’s not creating these realities, they were all already happening. Time is a train track and each reality is a car on an infinite train that never stops moving.

Did Steve Rogers Ruin Peggy’s Life?

What about that husband Peggy supposedly had all those years, that man she said Steve Rogers saved? Did Steve selfishly ignore that happy life to have what he wanted with her, ruining those possibilities?

No, I don’t think he ruined Peggy’s life. One possibility is, he may have always been the husband she referenced. Why, if she was married to someone else by the 1970s, would she still have a picture of Steve as a young man on her desk?

She’s a spy and a very good one. It’s not too hard to bend that truth and say Steve is actually someone else, someone that her reality’s Steve Rogers saved.

Is it believable that no one would recognize him? Not really, but at least it’s logically possible. Anyway, it would be a huge risk to her safety and his to reveal who he really was, so keeping it secret would keep them both safe while potentially allowing him to help out, if and when needed, anonymously. It makes sense that she might lie about who her husband is.

Or even if we believe that husband was a different man, if Steve travels to a reality and doesn’t let that life happen, it still could have happened in another reality. The fact Steve went and had a life with her doesn’t mean it’s been erased, it just doesn’t happen in MCU1940 where Steve jumped to.

On the other hand, maybe he didn’t stay with her. Maybe he just came back for the dance and then went off and lived his life doing other things with other people.

After all, a large theme of this movie is learning to let go, move on, and live life. Even how the Avengers resolve the fight with Thanos parallels this idea in its own way. They don’t return things to how they were the instant after the snap. They don’t undo it. They just bring all the dusted life forms back, to continue living.

Ah okay, but there are still other questions — did Steve sit back and do nothing for like 80 years while bad things happened in the world?

It’s messed up, but maybe. Again, what this whole movie also reveals about the MCU is that every alternate reality is identical except for what point in time it’s at and will unfold identically until an outside force (“time travelers” some other inter-dimensional something) interrupts it.

In other words, it’s literally all the same. Although I believe there are infinite realities happening simultaneously, there is MCU Prime and there are five known variants now, and they are the five “times” visited in this movie. MCU1970, MCU2012, MCU2013, MCU2014, and once Steve goes to and stays, MCU1940 (ish).

Just visiting these realities, even if little was changed, could have massive ripple effects.

So it’s possible that Steve chose to let world history happen, affecting it as little as possible, out of fear that If he changed anything, that particular reality he was living in would not be able to achieve the one scenario out of 14 million that would result in the eventual defeat of Thanos and the undoing of the snap.

That’s a painful and tortured existence to live. Part of me doesn’t believe Steve Rogers: Captain America would be able to do that.

So who knows? Maybe he tried his best to stop things like war, assassination, violence, Bucky murdering Tony’s parents, etc. only to find out that just his mere presence and his attempts to “change” things in that reality created ripple effects that meant his memory of history from his reality wasn’t reliable anymore in that one. That would be an interesting (if painful) movie to watch, wouldn’t it?

Whatever theory you favor there is equally as valid as the next, I think.

The Bell Cannot be Unrung

Changes are coming. Endgame will fundamentally change the MCU and from an outside perspective, it’s a brilliant business move by Marvel Studios and Disney if they want to incorporate all their recently re-acquired characters, reset some stories, and correct their own wonky timeline without having to reboot the last eleven years of the MCU… while also forever leaving the door open for any dead character to make a return.

First of all, everyone who died in Infinity War, Endgame, or any movie in the MCU is alive somewhere. Or sometime. Whatever.

For example, we already know MCU2014 has had Thanos and his armies defeated before the snap could happen there. So there, all the Avengers are all alive, well, and roughly the characters as we knew them around the beginning of Age of Ultron. Those events will play out the same, as well as Civil War, Black Panther, and everything else leading up to Infinity War, but Thanos never happens to them. No Snap. No dusting. No Time Heist.

In that reality, Tony could still discover inter-dimensional travel and who knows what characters could cross over from there to MCU Prime. Maybe some other unforeseen but equally catastrophic event happens in that reality and with no other options, the survivors jump to MCU Prime to warn their counterparts and help fight the coming evil. We have already been shown this is a path to a revived Gamora… sure would be a convenient way to revive some characters who we previously thought were gone forever.

Last we saw, in that MCU2014 alternate reality, Tony is alive and well. Loki is alive and will eventually become friendly with Thor. Black Widow is alive and has no reason to sacrifice herself for the Soul Stone. Vision and Wanda are both alive and last we visited MCU2014, Quicksilver would be too. Heimdall won’t be killed by Thanos.

And even though Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans have said they’re retired from their roles, after a few years when sentimentality starts creeping in and the money is too good to turn down, maybe Marvel even brings back Cap and a very much alive Tony Stark — even if it’s just for a cameo.

Those aren’t the only possibilities, though.

What if in MCU1970, Tony’s one conversation with his dad produces a much kinder, gentler Howard Stark? Maybe Tony’s parents never die. Does Tony still become Iron Man there? Who knows!

In MCU2012, Loki has escaped capture. Did he return to Thanos? Did he realize something was off and start exploring how to jump into other realities? The upcoming Disney+ series seems to indicate that yes, this might be the case.

In MCU2013, Thor almost told his mother about her own death. She seemed to know it was coming. Did she avoid it there? How does that change things for Thor, that Loki, Odin, and everyone else when Hela arrives?

Maybe each one of these little changes creates little ripples that turn into massive waves of change in those realities. Maybe someone — let’s assume Loki or some of those MCU2014 Avengers who never have to deal with Thanos — messes with reality jumping, gets a little too careless, and oops! Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker is retconned into the MCU as an alternate reality. Oops! Now there’s a reality where none of the MCU Prime heroes ever existed, but all the X-Men from all those FOX movies do. Oops! That means Deadpool is there too and he’d be painfully aware of all of this, even if he doesn’t fully understand the quantum mechanics behind it. He and Cable would have some explaining to do about the time travel in his movie though.

Hello / Goodbye

Much like the parallel metanarrative of the first Avengers movie, the narrative of this one was, “can we have our cake and eat it too?” And the answer yes.

In the first Avengers, the story was about whether or not all those heroes could work together and the metanarrative was about whether or not all those characters could work in the same movie together. The answer to the question of the story was always going to be yes, but the answer to the question of the metanarrative wasn’t as clear. Turned out, the answer was a very big yes.

In Endgame, the question of the story is “can we avenge the world without ending the world as we know it” (which is why we get a Tony who is so concerned about preserving what happened in the last five years to protect his daughter) and the metanarrative is, “can we end our eleven year story and wrap up all these character arcs without ending the whole MCU?”

And again, the answer is yes. They said goodbye without saying “goodbye forever.” They ended things with a new beginning. It’s hard trick to do.

That’s why this kind of “time travel” is the only possible way this movie works and any other ideas or theories don’t make much sense, not just from the point of view of the internal narrative, but from the outside as well.

Anything else would figuratively undo all the work Marvel has put in for the last decade plus and might literally undo all the goodwill and fandom they’ve built up in that time.

Just like Tony Stark and the Avengers, they ended the story by opening up infinite new possibilities, and they did it without erasing the past.

[tenroseforeverandever]

Optimal Distance

Characters: Tentoo; Rose Tyler; Tentoo x Rose

Tags: lemons; lemons on video chat; mutual self-applied lemons; basically loads of lemons!; and the usual fluff, hurt/comfort, humour stuff

Summary: Rose has been feeling sad, lonely, and a little bit envious, left to endure the dreary London winter, while the Doctor has been posted on assignment in Rio, setting up a new Torchwood branch. But a comment the Doctor makes about a strangely bare desk in his otherwise cluttered study inspires Rose to find a way to bring them closer together, even though they are half a world apart.

Notes: This fic is one of many that had been lingering, stagnating in my collection of unfinished fics, just waiting for inspiration to strike.

Many thanks as always to my wonderful betas, @rose--nebula and mrsbertucci. You are absolutely brilliant, and I have no idea what I would do without you. And thanks to @aintfraidanoghosts who is always a voice of inspiration and encouragement (especially if she hears lemons on the menu!) I love you all!

I made quite a few tweaks and edits since they saw it, so as always, any mistakes are mine.I hope you like it!

Also read on AO3 and Teaspoon

OPTIMAL DISTANCE

“Done! You should be getting it any second now!” Rose crowed into her mobile with a rather disproportionate sense of triumph. All she had accomplished was to send the Doctor an email, albeit one with a very important file attached; a file she’d had to navigate his shambolic cataloguing system to find, and that only after she’d excavated his laptop from beneath heaps of books, papers, and crumpled sticky notes on the floor beside his desk.

“Got it!” he cheered. “You are brilliant, you are! A real lifesaver, Rose Tyler! See? My lucky pants, near or far. It’s a good thing you couldn’t come with me, after all. Where would I be now, eh? Without you holding down the fort?”

“Yeah, right,” Rose muttered with a sulky huff, her victorious mood evaporating as she plopped down in the desk chair. She fought against the prickle of tears. She refused to cry about it anymore. It was her own fault she was restricted to paper-pushing for another six weeks. To be specific, she was tasked with reviewing and classifying field reports, a chore that only served to rub in the fact that she wasn’t out in the field, herself, defending the Earth from both alien and earth-born threats. Instead she had to read about it second-hand.

She knew she deserved every bit of punishment she’d received, from her brutal dressing-down from Pete and her subsequent demotion, to her month-long stint inventorying the Small Parts Department (literally the “nuts and bolts” of Torchwood, and ten times as dull as it sounded.) She had been careless and impulsive on a mission, showing off for the sake of a dare, and had nearly gotten herself killed.

The worst part had been the look on the Doctor’s face as he’d rushed into the Torchwood infirmary, not knowing what her condition was, thinking he might have lost her. The guilt she’d felt over worrying him would have been enough (a kazillion times over) to curb any future reckless, thoughtless acts. After everything they had been through, with only a single, human lifetime each, pledged to be spent together, she had nearly thrown it all away in one rash moment.

As it was, she had been lucky to have come away with only deep laser burns to her left shoulder.

She and the Doctor had clung to each other all that night, desperately making love until they were too exhausted to move.

That had been weeks ago now, and Rose was chafing at her restrictions, especially since Pete seemed to be intentionally sending the Doctor to conferences in the most wonderful, exotic locations around the world, places Rose was dying to explore with him. But Pete resolutely refused to allow her to join him.

On this current trip, the Doctor was helping establish a new Torchwood base in Rio de Janeiro, addressing the fledgling team on the importance of employing diplomacy and mediation in First Contact situations. Rio, for God’s sake! And here she was, stuck in the middle of the damp, chilly London winter. She huffed again over the phone.

“Would it help if I said I wasn’t having fun?” the Doctor asked over the upbeat sounds of Samba and boisterous voices in the background. She could just picture the scantily clad, feather-adorned (female) dancers.

“Yes…” Rose picked at the worn piping on the leather arm of the desk chair.

“Oh…”

“Sure doesn’t sound like anyone’s ready to listen to your First Contact presentation. Don’t know what the rush was…”

“Weeell, lunch is almost over, and we’ll be heading right back in. Then, I’ll be cracking the whip! But, blimey, the Brazilians know how to party!  As you can probably hear, they’d arranged for some entertainment over lunch: live band, dancers, the lot! Didn’t want to seem churlish.”

She’d been right about the dancers, then… “Don’t worry, Doctor. I’m just feelin’ sorry for myself. I should be gettin’ to bed, yeah. Loads of field reports to review, tomorrow. You have fun.”

“Right… weeell…” Rose could picture him scrubbing the back of his head with his right hand. “Thanks again. And for the record, I do wish you were here, love. It’s just not the same without you.”

“It’s a bit lonely here too.” She looked around his study, filled with reminders of his presence: it was cluttered with books and papers; an assortment of swivel-chairs, beanbags, and exercise balls; and seemingly arbitrary writing surfaces at various heights and orientations. The traditional desk, where she was currently sat, was essentially an afterthought, a horizontal surface suitable for a computer or a place to deposit bits and bobs, books, and papers. Except it was completely clear of clutter and serving no purpose. It was a beautiful piece of furniture, but she couldn’t imagine the Doctor ever using a desk like that.

“We should redecorate your study when you get home, Doctor,” she mused.

“What? Why?”

“Well, for one, this desk is taking up a lot of valuable space. We really should get rid of it. It’s nice. I bet we could sell–”

“No!” he cut her off. “I love that desk!” There was an overtone of panic in his voice.

“But you don’t use it for… well… for anything.”

“I’d rather hoped to use it someday… erm…” His voice trailed off, but quickly returned with his classic exuberance. “It’s nice and sturdy, Rose, and just the right height.”

“What the hell for? The right height for what?” Honestly, she was afraid to ask, but it was just lovely to talk to him and listen to him prattle on about nonsensical things. She missed this when he was abroad.

“Weeeell…” he stage-whispered into the phone, enthusiastic, but clearly not wanting anyone else to hear, “the height is exactly the optimal distance to take advantage of the length of your legs…”

“Wha? My legs…?”

“Blimey, Rose! This is not a good time. I’m not able to control this stupid body the way I… erm… weeell…” His tone became clipped, irritable. “I need to be focussed for this presentation.”

“Oh, never mind.” Though Rose’s curiosity had been piqued by his cryptic comments and the urgency in his voice, she knew he was on a tight schedule. “You better go give that presentation. Go on, then. Love you. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Love you, too.”

It was only once she was in her bed, half asleep, with her thoughts restless and drifting, that she realized exactly what the Doctor wanted that desk for… She was suddenly wide awake, the whispers of a plan forming in her mind.

 --ooOoo--

Rose had spent the better part of the night ordering the things she needed to set her plan in motion. The online shop guaranteed next-day delivery and she hoped everything would be there when she arrived home from work. If she managed to slip away for the afternoon (without Pete finding out) as she’d planned, she would be able to message the Doctor just before his lunch… perfect!

She was relieved to have been able to escape the confines of her office with no one noticing, except Donna, the administrative assistant who, being every bit as brilliant as her Prime Universe counterpart, noticed everything. But she had just winked at Rose and signalled with a swipe of her thumb and pointer finger that her lips were sealed.

Rose’s excitement grew when she arrived home to find several large packages waiting for her in the hallway by the door of her flat, kindly left there by the landlady. Rose beamed, her heart pounding as she bustled into the flat, hurrying to get everything set in motion before she chickened out. She had never done anything quite as bold as this before – at least in terms of trying to seduce someone – and she rather hoped the Doctor would be… receptive. Considering he had seemingly procured the desk for a very specific (erotic) purpose, she figured he would be.

An hour later, she was turning up the heating against the chill of the wintery air. Her new outfit was not exactly intended to keep her warm. To be honest, she didn’t think she’d ever worn anything so barely-there (and glittery) before. She flushed, looking at herself in the mirror. It was a bit generous calling it an outfit at all. It was really just strategically placed jewelry.

It was a Samba ensemble, made of thin strips of pink, yellow, and clear crystals. The bra was a halter design, with clusters of gems dripping in simple floral patterns from her throat to just above her breasts. A single, large sparkling clear crystal shone between her breasts, supporting a band of smaller clear crystals that curved below them. Her nipples were (only just) covered with bright pink and yellow crystal flowers. She turned around to look at herself from the back. Her bum was essentially bare, the lower part of her outfit, a thong, impossibly skimpier than the bra and crafted of more of the glittery crystals. Matching wrist and shin cuffs adorned her limbs. Not for the first time that afternoon, she thanked the stars for her Torchwood training and active lifestyle for keeping her fit and trim.

After applying her most alluring make-up, she was ready for the final piece of the puzzle. With shaking hands, she positioned the headdress over her hair. It was heavy, heavier than she’d expected, encrusted with crystals over her forehead and in a band around her head. A pink and yellow fountain of ridiculous, great, feathery plumes erupted from the top.

Rose laughed at her image in the mirror. Ridiculous didn’t begin to cover it: it was completely daft. But the Doctor would love it… or so she hoped.

She made her way to his study where she had set up cameras to take photos of herself using a remote control. Her first pose had her facing the camera, one stilettoed foot hitched up on the desk, and her opposite hand touching her sex through the thin fabric of her bejewelled knickers. She made a point of allowing her tongue to poke out at the corner of her smile. That always drove the Doctor mental.

For her next pose she leaned over the desk, her bare bum inviting the Doctor to take her from behind, as she looked suggestively over her shoulder at the camera. She elected to forgo the third pose she had planned. She’d had to stop her headdress from toppling off several times during the second pose and was feeling rather hot and bothered… and not in a sexy way.

Regardless of the headdress mishaps, she was able to select an image she liked from both sets of photos and upload them to her mobile.

So, you like Samba, do ya? she texted the Doctor, along with the two photos. Meet me for lunch… video chat. I’ll show you my moves.  

If she’d worked out the timing right, he should be receiving the messages about ten minutes before he usually stopped for lunch. She intended to make sure there would only ever be one Samba dancer in his future. Her.

She giggled nervously. She really hoped he would take the bait.

She didn’t have to wait long. Her phone vibrated on the desk. She laughed at the Doctor’s message: Blimey! Don’t move! I’ll be there in five minutes. Meeting adjourned!

He’d taken the bait all right – hook, line, and sinker!

Now for the really challenging part: video phone sex. She’d never done anything like that before. She hoped she could pull it off.

 Rose scrambled to set up her mobile on the apparatus she’d purchased, just for this purpose, at the same time as she’d bought her Samba costume. She took a few quick test shots of herself, perched on the edge of the desk with her leg hitched up the way it had been for the first of the photos she had sent the Doctor a few minutes earlier. It took a few rushed and panicked adjustments, but she eventually got the angles just right to ensure the Doctor would get an eyeful!

She was just situating herself on the desk with her leg up again when her phone pinged with the Doctor’s incoming call on video chat. Her tummy was in knots with equal parts anticipation and mortification. Her fingers shaking, she depressed the button on the remote control she’d programmed to her phone and accepted his call.

The Doctor’s eager, bewildered face filled the entire screen, his eyebrows rising into his hairline at the image before him. “Fuuuuuuck…”

He was swearing, a sure sign she’d gotten his attention in the best possible way. There was only one time he ever swore (well, mostly) and that was during sex. Rose smirked as he reflexively licked his lips, boosting her confidence even more. Her voice still trembled, though. “Like what you see, Doctor?”

His hand ruffled his hair. (Rose was jealous of that hand.) “Weeell, I mean… yes! Of course, I do! Blimey! What’s not to love?” Two hands ran through his hair this time.

“B-better… better than the Samba dancers from lunchtime yesterday?” Rose pressed her lips together, and dropped her leg from it’s provocative pose, and she slid off the desk, suddenly uncertain again and feeling vulnerable, both craving and dreading his response.

The dazed shock on his face softened, full of sincerity and love. “The only person I’ll ever want to dance with, Rose Tyler, is you.”

“I feel so… stupid… doing this.”

“NO! No, no, no, no! This is perfect. Brilliant!”

“I don’t know what I’m doin’…”

For several anxious moments, they watched each other in silence. Then, suddenly, the Doctor spoke, his voice husky and low: “Oh, Rose, I wish I could touch you. I wish I could lean you over that desk, take you from behind, and fuck you senseless.”

Rose released a tense breath. He seemed to be taking the lead, putting that unstoppable gob of his to good use.

“But first, first I’d love to have you like this, facing me. I’d spread your legs and–”

“Like this?” Now that she was relaxing, Rose found herself quite eager to play her part. Holding her headdress in place, she hopped up on the edge of the desk again, leaning back on her hands, her legs splayed.

“Yes, just like that! Beautiful! You’re fucking gorgeous!”

Rose bit her lip, her breath hitching as a flood of warmth pooled low in her abdomen. Blimey, she loved when he talked dirty.

“I’d kneel down before you, goddess that you are, and pull aside those skimpy knickers and bury my face between your thighs.”

“Like this?” she repeated, drawing the soaking strip of fabric to one side, exposing her dripping core to the Doctor.

“Oh, you’re so wet, Rose. I just want to taste you.”

“Guuuuuuuhhh… yeah! Love your mouth on me.”  

“Oh, yes! I’d dip my tongue inside you, savour the taste of you (you taste so good, Rose!), and lick you all the way up to your clit. Fuck, you’re perfect,” he blurted as Rose used her finger to simulate the actions he described.

She sighed at the sensation, closing her eyes, wishing it was his tongue lapping along her aching slit, twirling around her clit.

“Oh Rose, my Rose… I’d stroke that lovely clit of yours with my tongue, up and around, up and around…”

Rose groaned out her pleasure, her fingers dancing over her damp sex. “God, Doctor, I love it when you fuck me with your tongue. Please,” she begged, looking him in the eyes, “I want to see you. I want to touch you too. I want my hands on your gorgeous, thick cock.”

“Fuuuuck, Rose! Wait! Just give me a moment.” His face disappeared from the phone. “Keep going!” his voice called from the background. “I’m still here, licking you, sucking you.” There was a loud clattering noise, and the image on the screen spun around. And then Doctor appeared again, from further away wearing only an oxford. His cock, long and hard, bobbed up against the fabric, leaving a wet stain on the front of the shirt. “There. I’ve propped my mobile up. Can you see me, love?”

“Yeah. ‘S good. So good!”

“Are you still touching yourself?”

“Yeah.” Rose’s eyes rolled back as she pressed down on her clit.

“So I see,” he moaned. “Oh, love…”

“I want you inside me, Doctor. I want to feel you fill me.”

Rose watched with a hooded gaze as he wrapped his hand around his cock. “Oh, I want that too. I want to feel you so hot and tight around me. Nothing feels better than that.” His hand stroked down, then up, with a twist at the top. “You’re so soft and wet…” down again, “and so fucking…” up and twist, “tight!”

At the same time, Rose plunged two fingers inside herself, finding that oh-so sensitive sweet spot, as she continued to work her clit with her thumb. She moved her fingers in and out, matching the rhythm of his stroking hand, the jewels around her breasts chafing her nipples with delicious friction as she moved. She added a third finger, stretching herself wide. “Oh, you’re so thick and hard… I love how you fill me. You feel so good!”

“Fuck, Rose… so do you. You look so fucking sexy.” His hand began to stroke faster. Rose watched, mesmerized, as the dark, throbbing tip of his cock disappeared and reappeared from the circle of his fist. “Are you getting close?” His voice was tight, strained.

Rose continued to work herself, thighs trembling, slick, wet sounds accompanying her lusty groans. “So close…” she whimpered, feeling the familiar heat burning in her core, the pressure building. Her head lolled back… and suddenly she yelped as her headdress tumbled to the floor behind the desk. “Oh no! No!” Her hand stopped moving as despair welled up inside her.

“Rose! Don’t stop. Keep going.”

She wailed, “It’s no use.”

“You’re so beautiful, my precious girl. Oh, let me touch you more. Let me feel how warm and wet you are… I want to fuck you forever and never stop.”

Rose watched him on the small screen of her phone looking so wonderfully earnest, his cock in his hand, still hard, glistening with pre-come. He was bloody hot, and he was hers. The shock of losing her headdress was forgotten in a fresh rush of desire, and another flood of arousal, warm and slick, coated her fingers. “Touch me, Doctor,” she breathed, her thumb renewing its caresses over her clit.

“Oh, yes love… I want to run my fingers over your body; run my hands up your thighs and deep inside you. I love the sounds you make when I stroke you…”

“Please,” she whimpered, arching into the pressure of her thumb on her responsive skin.

“Let me fill you again…”

“Yes!” She watched, in awe, as his hand slowly resumed its motions – up, down, twist – over his long, hard member, and her fingers began their pumping motions again, curling and rubbing against her sweet spot rebuilding her sense of urgency with every stroke.

They were soon lost in their passion, both keening and groaning in a haze of lust and need. The fire within Rose burned hot again, deep in her sex, as she rolled her body over her fingers. The Doctor’s hand increased its speed once more. He was getting close, she could tell, he looked so wonderful and dishevelled, and his cock pulsed with every stroke of his hand. “Doctor!” she cried out. “I’m… I’m… gonna…”

“Hnnnngghhh…” he groaned. “Come for me. Let me see you come!”

Rose’s body vibrated with the need for release, her hand frantically pumping, her thumb pressing down, circling her clit, the heat and pressure building within her… and then, the Doctor shouted. Mesmerized, she watched as his seed spurted in ribbons from him, coating the front of his shirt, drizzling over his hand. The look of ecstasy on his face was enough to bring her over too. Her sex throbbed, grasping around her pumping fingers as she arched off the desk, the burning pressure in her core suddenly exploding outward, engulfing her.

 --ooOoo--

“Well, I need to get out of this ridiculous get-up,” Rose chuckled, pushing herself up to a sitting position. She had made her way back to the bedroom and lain down on the bed, while the Doctor lay on the bed in his hotel room. They had stayed that way for many wonderful minutes, gazing into each other’s eyes and talking quietly as they came down from the high of their orgasms.

The Doctor pouted. “And I suppose I need to get back to my meeting. They’ll all have finished their lunches.”

“Oh my God! You didn’t get to eat! Sorry. I guess I should have timed this better…”

“What? NO! This was perfect! A brilliant surprise. I feel perfectly satisfied.” He winked and flashed her an impudent grin. “I just can’t wait to take you over that desk in person, and peel that ‘ridiculous get-up’ off you, myself!”

“How much longer do you think you’re going to be there?” Rose bit her lip, clutching her mobile and regarding the Doctor’s image with imploring eyes. Training new teams of Torchwood personnel and operatives could be a time-consuming business and was an open-ended job. She and the Doctor could potentially be separated for several more weeks or…

“Just a few more days.”

“Really? You’re not jus’ sayin’ that?”

“Rose, (mostly) Time Lord here! If there’s one thing I know about, it’s time. Have you ever known me to misjudge…?”

Rose gave him a pointed look.

“Nah, don’t answer that. But honestly, love, we’ve only just started getting this lot familiarized with all the tech, today, but they seem to be a quick study, and a few of their key people will be returning to London with us for a tour and more in-depth, hands-on experience. Then Pete’s going to be relocating some of our more capable people to Rio for a few months to get things up and running properly. So, at most, another week.”

“A week?”

“At most… I promise. Now, as much as I would prefer to spend the day here with you, I have to act the responsible adult (complete rubbish, that!) and get back to my meeting. I’ll see you later, love.”

“Not if I see you first.” She blew him a kiss and offered him a little wave of her fingers before disconnecting their call.

 --ooOoo--

Five days later, she stood, poised sexily (she hoped) in the doorway of the Doctor’s study, wearing the Samba outfit, minus the ridiculous headdress (it would just get in the way), and watching as the Doctor pushed his way through the door of their flat. Her heart thrummed at the sight of him.

“Honey, I’m home,” he called out cheekily, making her laugh out loud.

“Right here… erm… Sugarbear,” she droned, her voice as sultry as she could make it through her giggles.

“Sugarbear? Really, Rose,” the Doctor closed the door behind him, “of all the names you could…” As he turned and took a step into the flat, his gaze locked onto her, eyes darkening as they roved over her bejewelled body. “Blimey… now this, this is a proper welcome home!” He dropped his bags and coat, leaving them behind, forgotten, as he strode toward her across the room, loosening his belt along the way.

Rose shuddered at the sight. Bloody hell, he was fucking gorgeous. And he was here. Home. With her. Her Doctor.

“You. Inside. Now,” he commanded, his hands settling over the bare skin of her waist, guiding her backwards into his study with firm pressure. Rose’s core ached in anticipation, a yearning heat coursing through her. His lips crashed against hers as they staggered further into the room, the kiss equal parts demanding and desperate, and Rose was sure she had never felt so desired, so loved.

When her bum hit the desk, she gasped, and suddenly, all the emotion she had been suppressing over the last few months surged to the surface: guilt and remorse, loneliness and jealousy, all whirling together in a maelstrom of unfettered passion, love, and vulnerability brought on by the Doctor’s assertive touch. The tears she had been holding back gushed over her cheeks.

“Rose? Love?” The Doctor broke the kiss, looking down at her with concerned eyes. “What’s wrong? Is this not all right? Was I too… weeell, enthusiastic?”

“No, oh my God, no,” she wept. “It’s… it’s perfect… Better than. I jus’… I jus’… I missed you… I didn’t realize jus’ how much…”.

In one swift movement, he swept his hands behind her legs and lifted her to perch on the edge of the desk. Then, spreading her thighs, he stepped between them and tipped her chin up for another marvelous snog, still passionate, but this time it was a sweet and tender, unhurried sort of passion. Rose melted into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, drawing him against her body and breathing in the comfort of his scent. They eventually drew away from the kiss with gentle pecks and nibbles.

They pressed their foreheads together, and panting softly, Rose spoke into the space between them, “Sorry, I’ve gone and ruined all this,” she gestured to the desk.

“Nah, don’t be silly.” He dabbed the tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. “Besides, I have a bit of news too. Might as well get it over with.” He sighed dramatically and pulled slightly away from her to fish in his jacket pocket. He pulled out an official-looking Torchwood envelope that he tossed down on the desk beside her.

“W’at’s this?”

“My new marching orders, I’m afraid. I leave in two days.”

“Two days,” she sobbed. “But you jus’ got home and–”.

Taking a deep steadying breath, she dragged a hand through her hair, pulling it back from her face. “God, I sound so needy and selfish… but I just missed you.”

“And I suppose, the fact that I was in Rio,” he smirked at her, his left eyebrow arched, “had nothing to do with it?”

“Oh, that just made me miss you even more, but I admit, I was a bit… envious.” She chuckled, leaning back to look him in the eye. “But you know that stuff doesn’t really matter, yeah, all the travelling? Never did. Just that we’re together. That’s what’s important.”

“Oh, I know,” he reassured her with a kiss on the forehead. “And you know I feel the same... don’t you?”

She nodded, placing her palm over his single, human heart. “Yeah, ‘course I do.” 

“And that’s why, Rose Tyler,” his deadpan expression transformed into a brilliant smile, “I’m happy to announce that your assignment is in that envelope too. This time, you’re coming with me.” He beamed at her, waggling his eyebrows and looking very pleased with himself.

She gawped. “But… wait. What?”

“That is, if you think you can be ready to go on such short notice.”

“You wanker!” She swatted his shoulder. “Of course, I’ll be ready!”

He giggled. “But, really, I mean… if it’s too much trouble, I could always just go back to Rio on my own, I suppose.”

There was a long silence as Rose processed what he had said. When she finally found her voice, the words tumbled from her mouth: “Shut up! No way! Rio? RIO?”

“Yu-p!” He grinned. “We’re the experts Pete’s going to send over for a couple of months to make sure everything’s up and running properly. He said he only wants to send the best, and weeeell… I mean look at us. The choice is obvious.”

“I don’t believe it. There must be a catch.”

“No-pe!” He popped his “p” again. “He wants to make sure the Brazilians get everything exactly right. And the best part is, we’ll be there for Carnival. It’s just a few weeks off.”

“What? Carnival? Really?”

“Yes-siree, Rose Tyler! You can even wear this outfit again, in an official capacity this time, of course, complete with headdress. And ooooh, we’ll bring the baby TARDIS along, too. She’ll love a change of scenery!”

“I still don’t believe Pete would just… Nah, you must ‘ave said somethin’ to ‘im, yeah? Not that I’m complainin’. It’s just he’s been so… lecture-y lately.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s been a right misery. And now this sudden change of heart…?”

“Weeell, I admit,” he pulled on his right ear, “I was all ready to go in today, guns-a-blazing, to try to convince him that enough was enough, but believe it or not, he had already made up his mind. He gave me the news during my debriefing this afternoon. By the way, you’re to meet with him tomorrow–”

“Urrrghh, that’ll be fun…”

“–to go over… erm some… stipulations, but essentially, it’s all set. Said he thought your diplomatic skills would be hugely beneficial over there. Personally,” he flashed her a cheeky grin, “I think he was just getting sick of your constant moaning.”

“Oi, Mister!” She feigned offence. “Is that so? Watch out! I’ll give you constant moaning!” She grabbed his tie and dragged him toward her for another impassioned kiss, then reached between them to fondle him through the fabric of his trousers. As she sucked and nibbled along his jawline, tracing her fingers up and down his growing length, a strangled sound tore from his throat.

She smirked. “Now, there’s the moaning…”

“Stop!” He grabbed her hand, his eyes blazing into hers, and she quivered in response, the hot rush of renewed arousal pooling between her legs. “No more teasing. Brilliant as the video-chat sex was, I’ve had enough of foreplay and imagining over the last few days to last me a lifetime. I am going to take you right here, right now, against this desk, and fuck you so hard you see stars.” He scrabbled at his trousers and boxers, pushing them down over his slim hips. Looking utterly debauched, with his suit jacket, oxford, and tie dishevelled but still in place, he took his thick, throbbing member in hand and gave it a few hard pumps. “You ready?”

“Am I ready? Fuck! I’ve been ready for days. Could hardly think of anything else.” She licked her lips as she took in the sight of his impressive length. “My fingers are no substitute for that.”

With an impatient growl, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her off the desk. Then he spun her around and pressed in behind her, rutting against her bum. “This all right?”

“God, yes!” she sputtered, the ache of desire burgeoning inside her as he encouraged her to lean forward over the desk, applying a steady pressure to her back, until her breasts pressed against the surface, making the jewels of her outfit rasp over her taught nipples.

With a nudge from his foot, he prompted her to spread her legs, opening her to him. “Oh, yes,” he groaned, “the optimal distance, indeed!” Rose shuddered as his slender finger stroked over the sodden strip of fabric covering her sex and she arched into the contact with wanton abandon.

No further invitation required, he yanked the fabric aside and plunged into her welcoming depths.

She saw not only the stars he’d promised: entire constellations burst before her eyes.

[controloffandoms]

Heart of Steel (P.P./S.M.)

Prompt: Another one of those things that I kinda just thought of.

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!reader, Tony Stark x Sister!reader

Words: 4170

Warnings: Major character death, cursing

Notes: Peter’s older in this fic (25), Reader is around 25.

Five years ago, your best friend along with half the population had been wiped out by Thanos. Your brother had come back from space and told you that Peter was gone. That Peter, Dr. Strange, and everyone that had been with him other than Nebula was dead. You didn’t take it well. Hell, you hadn’t taken the last six years well. 

Now your brother was trying to get you to stay as far away from him and the others as they try to get everyone back. “Anthony Stark, I listened to you the first time Thanos’ cronies showed up and look where it got us. I’m helping you to get everyone back,” you growled. “And let’s be completely honest, you need all the help you can get. Half of the Avengers turned to ash after the snap.”

“(Y/N), this time travel thing is too dangerous. Feel free to help afterwards, but let me do this.”

You shook Tony’s hand off your shoulder, standing to your full height, arms crossing. “What, sit back and watch something go wrong and you not come back? Don’t you think I’ve seen enough of my friends and family die? I’m not adding you to that list!”

Tony sighed. “I’ll come back. Please don’t make me worry about you. Stay with Bruce and make sure we all get back.”

“Tony-”

“(Y/N), I’ll make sure that Tony comes back,” Steve Rogers, ever the diplomat of the group. 

You glared at the pair of them before looking away from them and nodding, “fine.” 

_______________

You had no time to process that all of your friends were back. You were too busy trying to make it to Tony. You aimed for Thanos, knocking him away from your brother. You shouted at him, you weren’t exactly sure what you were saying, but he was the reason for your suffering for the past five years. 

Thanos got a couple of hits on you, tearing your suit to pieces. Your helmet was completely destroyed, you had one repulser, your chest piece was gone, and one of your boots was completely gone. He wrapped his hand around your throat, lifting you so your feet couldn’t touch the ground. 

You used your only repulser to hit his eyes. In surprise, he let you go. You collapsed at his feet, coughing to get air into your lungs. Then Tony was in front of you, attacking Thanos. You picked up a fight with some of Thanos’ army who had closed in on you. 

You finished with them just in time to see Tony with the stones attached to his suit. “NO, TONY NO,” you shouted, trying to make it to him. A blast of energy sent you backwards, but you were almost immediately back up and running to your brother. 

You slid to a stop next to him. You captured his face in your hands, “why did you do that?” You kept repeating the question, feeling the tears overflow and streak down your face. 

You don’t really know what happened next, but suddenly everyone was surrounding you. Pepper was telling Tony that he could finally rest, Peter was a mess. Tony placed a hand on your face, his own tears falling down his face. “You take care of Morgan. Don’t let her into the suits too young. Take care of Peps. I’m sorry. I love you Pipsqueak.”

Your shaking hand, reached his face. You couldn’t hide your tears from him. “It-it’s okay. I love-I love you too, Sasquach. R-Rest n-now.” You bent, resting your forehead against his own. You kept repeating that it was okay. You felt his last breath, the way his body went slack against yours. You spent a couple of extra minutes pressed against him in order to get your emotions under control. 

You placed your arms under his knees and around his upper back. You stood, ignoring the pain in your own body. “Right, we need to get this idiot into his best suit, clean him up a bit, and give him a proper send off.” You cleared your throat. “Well stop standing around and get to work!”

______________

The funeral was the hardest part. You were holding Morgan and didn’t want to break in front of her. She needed at least one of you to be strong for her. With Pepper crying, it was up to you. As you watched the wreath bob on the calm water, you felt tears start to well. “Can we go closer to the water,” Morgan asked. 

You nodded, not trusting your voice. You walked closer, setting Morgan down when she motioned for it. She walked to the water, placing her hand in it. “I love you, 3000,” she whispered. You covered your mouth with your hand, blinking back the tears. 

Morgan motioned to be picked up again and you obliged. She placed a hand on your cheek, much like your brother had. “I love you...2000,” she stated. You couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled from your lips. Morgan joined you in laughing, wiping away some of your tears. 

“I love you, 2000,” you responded after taking control of your body again. You walked back to Pepper, letting her hold her daughter as you needed a minute to yourself. 

You walked away from them, going into the house while everyone was outside. You walked around, hand lightly dragging against different surfaces you passed. You paused at one of Tony’s inventions. He had always been the smarter of the two of you. You couldn’t match his intellect. He’d tried to teach you, but most of it had gone over your head. You’d have to learn it yourself now. You had a family to protect, along with the world. The world couldn’t go without an Iron Man, after all. 

“I came in to help set up the food,” a familiar voice called from behind you. You sighed as he came closer. “But if you need a minute, I can leave.” 

You were quiet for a minute. You were trying to gather your thoughts. “I thought I had lost everything and everyone I cared about five years ago. Tony was lost in space, I didn’t know where you were...then Tony came back and I was expecting to see you come out right after him, but you never did. Tony had to tell us that you were dead. You, Dr. Strange, those Guardians. I had hoped it wasn’t true.”

You turned your back completely to Peter. “I would have given anything to have you back at the time. I was-I was so down...My best friend was gone and I hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye. At the time, I thought I would have given anything...then you were back and my brother was dying. Should have been me-I was fighting Thanos before Tony stepped back in. I should have been the one with the stones, I should have gotten rid of Thanos and his army...I should have died.”

Your shoulders tensed as you fought against your tears. You were brought into his arms before you had time to fully put yourself together again. He turned you so that you could bury your head in his chest. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you like that...you shouldn’t have had to see your brother die. None of this should have happened.”

The dam broke and your body shook with sobs. Your arms wrapped tighter around Peter as his did the same. His heart broke to feel you shake against him. He knew that you hadn’t really cried over your brother since the day he died, but he didn’t think that you had been putting the blame on yourself. Had he known, he would have talked to you instead of giving you space.

“Let it out. Let it all out, I’ve got you,” he whispered in your ear. You clutched him even tighter, not caring that there were people probably watching you both as it was time for everyone to come inside and eat and reminisce. 

As your crying began to subside, you loosened your grip on Peter, but didn’t move away from him. He put a little space between you and placed both hands on your cheeks, wiping the remaining tears away. He gave you a small smile that you tried to return. “Thanks Pete,” you whispered. “But we should set out the food.”

Slowly, Peter separated from you, and you both got to work. Once the food was ready, you let everyone in to get their plates. You walked back outside, finding Morgan, Happy, and Pepper. “Food’s out and ready...though I don’t think Miss Morgan is going to like any of it.” 

“I want cheese burgers,” she supplied.

Happy, Pepper, and you looked at one another before laughing. “That’s exactly what your dad would say,” you laughed. “I think we’ve got hamburger meat in the fridge. I can start the grill and make some cheese burgers. I think that’s what Tony would have wanted anyway,” you gave a small smile to Pepper and Morgan. 

“I think that’s a good idea. Are you sure you want to do it though? Happy or I would be glad to do it.”

“No, I’ve got it.”

You entered the house again, dancing around the crowded rooms. You grabbed the hamburger meat, cheese, tongs, a plate, and a lighter before exiting to the back of the house. You set out everything, putting charcoal in the grill and lighting it. You closed the lid, waiting for the smoke to push its way out in order to know that it was warm enough to use. 

You began to make patties while waiting on the grill. As you waited, you remembered the multiple times Tony had grilled out. He wouldn’t let you anywhere near the grill, claiming that you would break something or hurt yourself. People would think that having a 20 year age difference would put kinks in your relationship with your brother, but they were wrong. It made your bond stronger. Sure, you guys fought, but it was always because one person was worried about the other.

You opened the lid of the grill, placing patties on the rack, putting the spices on them, before closing the lid again. You turned at the sound of the glass door sliding open and closed. “We decided to join you,” Pepper explained as Morgan pushed a chair closer to the grill and got up on it to watch you work. “Not too close Morgan.”

Peter exited the house, grabbing Morgan and putting her on his back. “You can see better this way, munchkin,” he stated as he stood close to the grill. “What are we making,” he asked.

“Cheese burgers!” You laughed at Morgan’s excitement. 

“Miss Morgan gets what Miss Morgan wants today,” you added. You turned to look at Peter, “would you mind going inside and setting out hamburger buns and condiments? I forgot to do it before I came out here.”

“I’ll do that. You and Peter entertain Morgan.” Pepper left. You and Peter shrugged.

You turned the grill, opening the lid and flipping the burgers. You added spices to that side before  closing the lid again. 

________________

Everyone was inside eating and talking, but you couldn’t just sit around and talk about your dead brother. You couldn’t sit and talk about the good times when it was your fault that he was dead. He had a daughter and a wife and a life that he deserved to get to live out. You had no children, no husband...it would have been easier if it had been you that died. 

You sat down on the pier, letting your feet dangle in the water. Your heart hurt. Tony had been your life since you’d been born. Right after you were born, your parents had been killed. You had known Tony your whole life, longer than Pepper had known him. To think that you would never see him in person again...that hurt more than you wanted to acknowledge.

________________

Morgan Stark missed her dad. She knew that he wasn’t coming back, but she didn’t know why. As she finished her burger, she looked around the room. It was filled with all of her father’s friends. Some of them she knew, others she wasn’t sure who they were. She walked to the couch, standing on it and looking out the window. 

Morgan could see her Aunt walking towards the Pier. She had noticed that her Aunt had been acting weird since she had come back from defending the Earth. She was more distant, smiled less, and seemed to be in a different world. She turned to her mother and the guy she decided to call family, Peter. “I Aunty (Y/N), okay,” she asked, turning her gaze back to the window. 

Peter and Pepper joined her, looking out the window. “Your Aunt spent her whole life with your dad, Sweetheart. She knew him longer than I did and probably better than I did. To suddenly go from having your best friend beside you to not seeing him again is a lot to process.”

Peter didn’t answer Morgan, he just left the house and walked towards the pier. He had promised Tony that he’d look after you. He had promised that he wouldn’t let you blame yourself and that he’d help you get over Tony’s death. He walked quickly towards you, sitting beside you, not caring that his pants were going to get soaked. 

He sat in silence with you for a while, watching you as you watched the gentle waves of the lake. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t get a chance to get the stones, Tony did. He knew what would happen if he used them, but he did it anyway to make sure that you, Morgan, and Pepper would be safe. He would always put the lives of the people he cares about above his own. You can’t blame yourself.”

You shook your head. You knew he was right, but it didn’t seem right. “I know Tony told you to look out for Pepper and Morgan, to protect them. He told me to protect and look after you and I can't do that very well if you stay silent.”

Your gaze turned to him briefly before turning back to the lake. “I hate that you’re right,” you stated.

“That’s a start.”

__________________

Seven Months Later

You placed the last of the decorations out. You had decided to hold Morgan’s birthday party at the new and improved Avenger’s compound. It had more space meaning that no one would be crammed like in Morgan and Pepper’s house. Peter walked in carrying the cake. “It looks perfect. Are Happy, Pepper, and Morgan on the way?” 

“They are. Let’s get the cake out of the box and put the candles on it. I’m going to set out the other snacks and hopefully everyone is in place. Would you check on them while I get the snacks?” At Peter’s acceptance of the job, you walked off. Everything was going to be perfect. It was Morgan’s first birthday without her father, and you wanted to put the exuberance in it that he did. She deserved at least that much.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., what is the status of the car?”

“They should be arriving in ten minutes. Peter is getting everyone into place.” You sighed with relief as you placed the last of the snacks out. You made sure everything was perfect before starting to walk out to meet your niece. “I am sensing a disturbance in central New York City.” 

“What do you mean disturbance?”

“I can not get a clear reading.”

You sighed, contemplating. It was Morgan’s birthday, you didn’t want to abandon it before it even started. Then again, if there was a major problem in the city, Morgan could get hurt in the long run… 

You quietly cursed, calling on your suit. “Inform Peter that I had an errand to run and to make sure that Morgan has a great time until I return.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. did as you asked while you flew off towards the disturbance.

A call came in on your suit and you cringed slightly as Peter’s face illuminated. “Hey Pete. I just forgot to get the ice cream. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Are you in your suit,” he asked, completely ignoring your statement. 

“Yes. It’s the fastest way to get the ice cream. I’ll be back quicker than I would if I had taken a car.”

He paused, seeming to think about your explanation. Finally he sighed, “alright. If you run into a lot of trouble getting ice cream please call me.”

“Promise, Pete,” you stated. You disconnected the call as you approached the disturbance. 

You flew around the spot, not seeing anything. “Scan for anything out of the ordinary.” You landed, deciding to get a closer look. You could see light poles bent and a large crater in the ground. 

“I was hoping to draw Thor out, but I guess you will do,” a voice called from behind you. You turned just in time to be punched backwards. “The metal in your suit is much stronger than I was able to get from around here.”

“Who might you be,” you asked before you blasted him away from you. “Scan him, F.R.I.D.A.Y...and don’t tell Peter or anyone what’s going on if they ask where I am,” you muttered to the A.I. 

“So it is true. The original Iron Man is dead. How exciting,” the mystery man laughed in front of you. You shook him off as he placed his hands on the suit. You turned to see his skin ripple until it looked like your suit. “Thanks for the upgrade.”

He charged at you, and you met him, locking your grip around him. You were able to throw him into a building beside you. “From my scans, he is able to absorb anything he touches. It causes his body to become that substance. For instance, he is now made up of the exact alloys that the suit is comprised of.”

“So by using my repulsor against him-”

“He can use it on you,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. finished. You braced yourself as the blast came towards you. 

“I bet that Thor is in the direction that you came from,” he stated before taking off. 

You raced after him. You wouldn’t let him anywhere near the compound. You weren’t letting him near Morgan. “Back off, I haven’t seen Thor in months,” you stated, blowing him backwards. “Besides, we weren’t finished.” You hit him while he was down, sending him flying. 

You don’t know what happened, but suddenly he was right in front of you, repulsor blasts aimed at your helmet on both sides and he was firing them. You let out a pained grunt as your vision went white and your hearing went out.

When you could see again, you retracted the helmet, wincing as part of it scraped your cheek. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., find Absorbing Man and take me to him.” The A.I. did as she was told. The second you saw him, you raced towards him, knocking him yards away from where he had been standing, staring at the compound. You had the helmet placed on again. 

You picked him up, ignoring the fighting he was doing against you. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., figure out how we can hold him without him breaking out.” You flew until you couldn’t see the city anymore. You were over the ocean. This could either be a really good idea, or a really bad idea. You dropped him, following his descent. 

As he hit the water and you saw his body start to shimmer, you pointed your hand, “let’s cool him off.” You froze his body, hurrying to grab him before he floated off. You started towards an old S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, hoping they would have a cell you could put him in that would hold him. 

__________________

You entered the compound without so much as a sound, willing the suit off. You made a pit stop at your room to change your clothes and clean up a bit. You winced as everything hurt. You’d had to fight off the absorbing man at the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility while the workers got a cell ready for him. Needless to say, he’d done a lot of damage. There was no way for you to hide the scrape on your cheek, or the bruising on your arms and face. You did cover it with make-up, but they were too dark to really cover.

Deciding that you wouldn’t be able to do much more, you grabbed the ice cream you had promised to bring home and made your way to the party. The first person you saw was Pepper. She watched you, frowning slightly. You offered her the ice cream with a small smile. “Aunty (Y/N),” Morgan yelled, running towards you.

You dropped the bags of ice cream opening your arms and bracing yourself. It was going to hurt with her going full speed. You bit the grunt of pain away as you wrapped your arms around your niece. “Sorry I was late, Bub. I had to get your favorite ice cream and they were out at the first few places I went.”

Morgan leaned back slightly, frowning at the scratch on your face. “It’s okay. Peter made sure I had a good time.”

“That’s great! Have you opened your presents yet,” you asked.

“No! I wanted to wait for you.”

You placed her down and she ran back to Thor, Clint, and Wanda. You stood again, wincing slightly. Peter came into your vision, a firm frown on his face. He raised a hand to your cheek, gently tracing the cut. “You promised,” he whispered. 

“I promised my niece an amazing birthday. If you or anyone else left in the middle of it, she would have known something was wrong.” You placed your hand over his on your cheek. 

“And what if you hadn’t come back. Do you think Morgan would have an amazing birthday then?” 

“She has you and Pepper and the rest of the Avengers.”

“She adores you, (Y/N). She’s convinced that you are her only true link to her father because you knew him longer than anyone in this room.” Peter’s voice barely rose, but he brought it down again. “And what about me? How do you think I would feel if you didn’t come back?”

You averted your eyes. “You’d get by, Peter. You’d find someone else to fill my spot. You’re stronger than I am with the whole loss thing. You’d be okay.” 

His nose flared at your words. “No one can replace you. You’re everything to me, my whole world. Don’t you dare say that I would be fine if you were to never come home,” he growled. He placed his forehead on your own. “I love you and I’m afraid when you leave in your suit that you won’t come back. I’m afraid at the thought of having to live the rest of my life without you. So don’t say that I would get by if you died.” He leaned in, capturing your lips in a short but sweet kiss.

“Ew,” Morgan commented from right beside you. You both turned to see her standing next to you with a piece of cake. A chuckle left your lips at her face. “Can you do that where I can’t see you?”

You turned your blushing face into Peter’s chest. “You’re the one who told me to go for it, Short Stack,” Peter responded. You could feel his neck heating up so you knew he was starting to blush as well.

“I meant when I wasn’t here, Spidey,” she sassed...she’d learned that from you. Usually you were proud of her and how she sassed everyone, but at the moment you were mortified. 

“You talked to a six year old about your feelings for me and then took her advice to ‘go for it’?” You leaned back to raise an eyebrow at your best friend. 

“It was solid advice,” he defended. 

You shook your head, stepping out of his embrace. “I think Morgan and I have some bonding to do as I missed the first part of her birthday party. Think you can manage to scoop out ice cream?”

He sputtered for a second. You were already walking away from him when Peter was able to form a coherent sentence. “I share my feelings and all you do is walk away with your niece,” he called out to you, drawing several more eyes than before. 

“You got your relationship advice from my niece and now you can’t let me do the same?” 

“I mean-I thought-okay?”

Forever Tags

@miraclesoflove @nocturnalherb16 

People who might wanna know what’s up

@gracearchives

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Chapter 8; 5 years later

*Author’s note*

Hey all, well been a long time hadn't it? I am so sorry for this delayed chapter. I got so involved with other requests and then school that I had to set this aside even after getting half the chapter done already and then finally finishing it just a second ago. So I apologize for the ending of this chapter, I didn't know how else to end it but I hope it's not too terrible for you all. I hope to get the next chapter up quicker than this one but we will just have to wait and see. Anyways I hope you all enjoy this next part of Mother Raksha :)

Taglist:

@psychosupernatural

@plethora-of-things

@ixchel-9275

@waddles03

_____________________________________________________________

*3rd Person POV*

Five years. Five years since Thanos had revealed that he had only used the stones after destroying half of the universe, just to destroy the stones.  The Avengers were devastated, families were beyond hope.  But as the saying goes; ‘Life goes on’ and for this case, it’s as best as it can.  People who had survived tried to continue to make a living.  

Some joined other families to help raise children that had lost their parents, some joined in group talks to discuss everything that has happened and how they are slowly trying to move on, however there are some that couldn’t move on.

They feel the guilt of why they are still alive and hundreds of others including those that they loved had to get snapped away into oblivion.  Why those people, not them?

At the Avengers facility, Natasha who had grown her hair back out and was back to it’s natural red state at the roots but at the end was the blonde hair she had sported five years ago.  

She sat at a desk cutting up her midnight snack, a peanut butter sandwich while on four holograms in front of her were as followed from left to right; Rocket and Nebula, Okoye and Morowa, Carol Danvers (who was sporting a new haircut as well, a sort of mohawk style hair), and Rhodey.

“Yeah, we boarded that highly-suspect warship Danvers pinged.” Rocket said sarcastically.

“It was an infectious garbage scow.” Nebula stated in disgust.

“So, thanks for the hot tip.” Continued Rocket as they both turned towards Carol.

“Well you were closer.” She said.

“Yeah. And now we smell like garbage.” Complained Rocket.

“You get a reading on those tremors?” Natasha asked Okoye and Morowa.  Morowa, sporting the reigning Queen of Wakanda crown on her head stated.

“It was a mild subduction under the African plate.”

“Do we have a visual? How are we handling it?”

“Nat. It’s an earthquake under the ocean. We handle it, by not handling it.” Answered Okoye.

“Carol, are we seeing you here next month?” Nat asked turning to Carol.

“Not likely.” Captain Marvel answered.

“What? You gonna get another haircut?” questioned Rocket.

“Listen fur face. I’m covering a lot of territory. The things that are happening on Earth are happening everywhere. On thousands of planets.” Rocket then began muttering in understandment, knowing that she was right.  She then turned back towards Nat and spoke the honest truth, “So you might not see me for a long time.”

“Alright. Uh, well…..this channel’s always active. So, if anything goes sideways….anyone’s making any trouble where they shouldn’t….comes through me.” They all agreed and then one by one each transmission ended.

*Morowa’s POV*

I removed Ramonda’s crown from my head revealing my newly short cut raven black hair.  I sighed heavily and leaned up against the throne.  Ever since that day five years ago, with all members of the royal family gone, I was forced to take the throne of Wakanda.

All the tribes have been trying to survive and adapt from the blimp.  Many of us lost family, for me it was like a triple blow.  I already lost my first family, with T’Challa, Shuri, (y/n) and Ramonda it was a double blow, and now…..Rauri and the Chimeras.

One day after Rauri, Dean and Mitchell returned from finding Thanos.  All of them were gone, the remaining chimeras all just left without a note or a word.  

And so far no one has been able to find them, I’ve had the remaining Wakandan spies that were still spread out across the world looking for them, I even sent out other Wakandans to find them, and so far nothing.

I refused to tell Nat because this wasn’t something she needed on her plate right now.  I knew the chimeras better than anyone, and they weren’t gonna listen to an Avenger, they needed the Alpha female’s mother.

“Morowa, you’ve done all you could do.” Okoye tried to assure me as I felt her hand at my shoulder.

“But is it really enough?” the doors opened and walking in was M’Baku and two of his Jabari members, Azizi and Kamari who were forced up the ranks after his true second and third in command were snapped away.

“My Queen.” He greeted solemnly in Wakandan.

“Brother.” I greeted back. “Any word?”

“We may have found something.” I looked at him desperately and he continued, “There’s been rumor sightings from one of my Jabari spies in Ireland, in a wooded area just 10 miles from Bristol.”

Of course, Bristol was where both he and Connor were from.  Guess he thought with the wider greenery passages, he’d be able to fit what’s left of the chimera pack there.

“Okoye, you’re in charge till I get back.”

“You’re going to find them?” she asked me.

“That or die trying.”

“Morowa, my sister. Are you sure that’s a good idea? When Rauri returned with Dean and Mitchell, none of them reverted back to their human forms. And in his mouth Rauri carried the body of Thanos. How do we know he’ll want to see you?”

“That’s the risk I’m willing to take. I’ve…..I’ve already lost so much in my entire life. Five years ago I lost twice as much. I promised (y/n) that I would look after her husband from doing something reckless. And you both know that I never break a promise.” They both nodded.

I grabbed my old Dora Milaje spear and wore a similar teeth collar that Shuri had made for T’Challa as an improved Black Panther design, however it would turn into my Jaguar armor.

I opened up a portal to Bristol and I turned towards my two friends and remaining brother and sister.

“I leave Wakanda to you till I come back. And if I don’t……the throne belongs to both of you.”

“Yes my Queen.” They both said in Wakandan. I crossed my hands over my chest in the Wakandan salute and they did it back to me then I stepped through the portal and closed it up behind me.

It was cloudy and foggy, not good weather for tracking down a bunch of grieving probably pissed off animals.  I walked along the acres of woodlands and ranging hills. I must’ve hiked for what felt like hours till I finally came across a pair of tracks.  I raced up to them and knelt down.  I stroked along the outlines of the paws till I realized that they were bear tracks.

“Dean.” I whispered.  I heard the sound of a twig snap and I quickly ducked for cover behind a nearby boulder and kept low.  I began hearing the huffing sounds of a bear and when I slowly turned to look past the boulder there I saw a great grizzly bear that was twice the size of a normal one. It was Dean.

He turned towards me but I quickly ducked back and I could hear him softly roaring and sniffing the air.  I bite my bottom lip as I tried not to make a sound, especially since I could hear his sniffing and growling coming closer.

Very slowly and as silently as I could, I slide around the boulder, in case he decided to peek over and would find me. But it wasn’t until I heard the sound of a dog’s howl in the distance.  Dean ceased his sniffing and took off running.

I looked over the boulder and trailed after him. I couldn’t let him out of my sight but through all the fog and mist, I could hardly see where I was going.  But using my mystical arts abilities it made guiding through the mist slightly easier as I tracked him down.

I didn’t want to suddenly cause a change in the weather, that would just startle him further and then I’d never be able to find him while also maintaining control of the weather.  I soon came to an open field and it was just dead silence.

No birds, no small critters, nothing not even the wind.

Suddenly out of nowhere I just felt something charging at me.  I leaped over in the air to see this giant mass of fur running under me.  I landed on the ground and soon standing well over 10ft was Dean in his bear form.

“Dean.” I said warily. He growled at me before finally roaring and leaned forward to swipe his huge paw at me.  I cartwheeled backwards and warned him as I took out my spear. “Don’t make me do this Dean!”

He suddenly charged forward his mouth wide open as he let out a roar so I put the handle of my staff between myself and his mouth as he forced me down and the two of us were at war with each other. He shook his head trying to take the spear away but I kept a strong grip.

I knew I had to snap him out of it, but at this point it was like all humanity was gone from him, all that was left was the grizzly bear.  So when I found an opening, I lifted my spear up with my left hand to ensure his head raised up, so that with my right I palm-strike him in the chest, in order to reach deep down and push his astral form out.

I soon saw his human astral form come out as his bear body collapsed right on top of me.  I let out a groan and tried to get his body off of mine.

‘Wha—what the hell is this? Morowa how did—when did you get here?’

“Explain later.” I groaned out.

‘Here I’ll—’

“It’s no use. Your astral form is useless in the physical world.”

‘The what form?’ I groaned as I finally managed to get out from underneath the giant soulless bear.  I panted and as he reached out I told him to back up as I stood myself up.

“The astral dimensions is a reality where the soul exists a part from the body. Your current form can’t touch or affect what is out here in the physical world. You are in one of the billion realities known only to the sorcerers.”

‘So basically I’m a ghost?’

“In a way. But now’s no time for a sorcery lessons. Where’s Rauri?”

‘Wouldn’t we all?’ he said.  At this point I was confused.

“What do you mean?”

‘It’s exactly what I mean. No one has seen Rauri for over 2 years now. One morning Mitchell and I went to talk to him only to see a note telling us that we were in charge.’

“Goddamnit Rauri.” I muttered. “So where is everyone else?”

‘We made camp base about 5 miles East. Rauri said it’s along the very village where he and Connor used to grow up in. Thought it’d be the best place to live since it’s been abandoned since Hydra invaded their village.’

“Take me there.” He sighed heavily.

‘You sure about that Morowa?’

“From the moment you all came to Wakanda and were saved from Connor, (y/n) made it her responsibility to look after all of you. She’s my daughter and now that she’s gone, that makes all of you my responsibility.” Dean just looked at me grimly before saying.

‘Alright. But I warn you it’s not gonna be pretty.’

“I understand what I’m about to see.” I then slowly swerved my fingers into a fist lifting his bear body up which absorbed his astral form and Dean’s bear eyes soon woke up.

Instead of the soulless black ones, they receded and had a more human spirit to them.

‘Hop on.’ I mounted his back and he took off eastward.

As we now came to a clearing, what I saw stunned me.  For mounted along a pike of quills, claws and teeth marks was a skeleton of sorts.  A skeleton belonging to only one deity.

“Is—is that…..”

‘Yeah. The skeletal remains of Thanos. Since the rest of the chimeras didn’t get to have their fun, Rauri brought his beheaded corpse to us to have our own go at the bastard. Animals take grieving very seriously. We also have this up as a warning. To warn anyone still around who somehow venture this far to turn back, for here lies the beasts that ended the bastard who started all this.’

I felt a shiver of fear run up my spine as Dean walked further into the thick forest.  Already I could hear the sounds of animal growls.  Then I saw them.

The remaining big cat chimeras all lowly growled from their dens.  Already I caught some glimpses of bones near them, the same sized bones as from the Thanos display.  Their eyes were cold and soulless like true big cats eyes were as they all began growling and roaring as we walked past them.

“You weren’t kidding Dean.” I muttered.

‘While humans all around the world have tried to move on. Animals don’t. Thanks to these animal instincts the pain humans went through five years ago is ten times stronger. Animals never forget, nor can some of us forgive.’ We stopped at a small rock formation and I hopped off of Dean but stuck close to him. ‘You all remember our Alpha female’s mother Morowa.’

At hearing my name I only got roars and snarls in response.  Not just from the big cat chimeras but the crocodile ones, some of the ape chimeras all huffed agitatedly and I got thunderous rumbles from the elephant chimeras.

“You shouldn’t have brought her here.” We turned around and coming out of the darkness of a cave nearby was Mitchell. He definitely looked different the last time I saw him, he grew his hair out down to his shoulders and he started to slightly grow in a beard.  Around his neck was a necklace that looked like fingers.

“Mitchell.” I greeted him with a simple nod.

“No offense Morowa, you can’t be here.”

“I know, I only came to talk to Rauri and find out where exactly you all went to.”

“Well….”

“I know Dean told me that Rauri left. And you have no idea where he could’ve gone to?”

“Not a damn clue. Though to be honest I think he couldn’t take the heat anymore. He think he’s the only one who suffered. We all suffered! I lost my girlfriend of over 12 years because of Thanos!”

“Alright Mitchell calm down.” Dean now in human form tried to hold steady.

“And you Dean, you’re whole family is gone. And you’re acting like it’s not even bothering you!”

“You think it doesn’t? My brother, my wife, my sister in law, everyone is gone from me. But if anyone needs to keep their heads on straight it’s me. And it should be you. You’ve always been the collected one while I’ve been the hotheaded one. So don’t you talk to be about suffering dog boy!”

“Alright, alright you two break it up!” I came between them.  “Look; no one has forgotten about all that’s happened. And I don’t expect all of you to forget and forgive just as easily. Your alpha female and savior was my daughter. I’ve already lost my real child and my husband years before I met her, and losing her five years ago was like reopening those wounds.”

Everyone was silent and that’s when Mitchell said.

“Then what do you expect us to do?” Honestly I didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Be there for each other. Cause all I’m seeing now is that you all are even more divided than five years ago. You’re all that’s left of your family. Don’t turn on each other.” At hearing my speech, the chimeras all seemed to let go of their savage animalistic instincts and turned to look at each other.

“And you two. Being the only Betas left, you both are in charge in making sure none of your pack members tear each other apart. I’ll try my best to find Rauri.”

“You promise you’ll find him?” asked Mitchell.

“I’ll keep you updated.” I hugged him and I whispered in his ear. “Just don’t fall off the deep end. Not again this time Marine.”

“I’ll try.” He said as he slowly embraced me back. I then turned to Dean and I hugged him.

“Thank you Morowa, for—snapping me back into reality.”

“My pleasure, keep an eye on these guys. They’re going to need you more than ever. You and Mitchell.” He nodded.

I hopped off the rock formation and the chimeras let me pass by.  Every now and then I stroked their heads in comfort or grazed their trunks and tusks as a promise.

As I left the forest that’s when I got a beep from my kimoyo beads bracelet.  I activated it and forming before my eyes was Okoye.

“What is it Okoye?”

“Nat just contacted us. She said her and Captain Rogers found something.”

“Found what?”

“A way to bring everyone back.” At hearing this my eyes widened.

“Tell me more.”

[weartirondad]

Hell’s Frozen (I’m Getting You Out)

A/N: I’m not even going to try to explain this on here. Check the note on FF.net or ao3 if you’re interested in the story behind this mess. 

nebula, tony & peter, post IW

“Are you ready, Stark?” Captain America’s voice filtered through the intercom. It sounded tinny and far away and ran down Tony’s spine like ice water, making him shudder at the thought of how alone he was.

It wasn’t that he was completely alone, he acknowledged as his gaze grazed his partner swiftly. Half- alien, half- android and full of spite and a blood-curdling thirst for vengeance. If he had to reverse the effects that had randomly eliminated half the universe then Nebula wasn’t the worst to have on his side, not even close.

Maybe it would’ve been nicer if she would joke like he usually did before shit hit the fan, hiding his fear behind a mask of snark. She barely reacted to his jibes, hyper-focused on what lay before them. Which, if he was being honest, was probably a good idea.

So, no, not completely alone.

He would even go as far as to call her something akin to a friend and, without the shadow of a doubt, a trustworthy team mate. She rarely talked but she rarely had to. They were alike in a lot of ways, Tony had realized over the time they had spent together, and so very different in others. There were enough similarities and contrasts to make them work seamlessly as a team.

“I have never been readier for anything in my life,” he responded after a moment, keeping his voice steady and strong through sheer force of will alone. “I’ve been preparing for this for two years.”

It was the truth, too.

It’s been two years.

Two years spent planning and training for this one final fight.

Two years grieving everyone they had lost and building their resolve to get them back.

Two years that seemed surreal and somehow realer than anything he had ever lived through.

Two years that had felt like he was being cut open by the blunt knife that was losing a kid over and over again but that had healed other parts in him with the padding of tiny footsteps and happy cries of ‘Daddy’.

A lot had changed in two years and yet it felt like nothing had changed at all.

He had never really come back from Titan, at least not all parts of him. Not even the most important parts of him had made it back to earth in that clattering, rattling tin can that Starlord had called his ship.

Now he was back here on the planet where everything had been taken from him and he was about to get it all back.

Hell yeah, he was ready!

He let his mask retreat from his face and hissed when the cold air hit his face. His breath was coming out foggy, the cold a stark contrast to how he remembered the planet. As much as it hurt, the dark blue sky that had replaced the orange one he never did stop dreaming about made it easier not to fall back into the panic that was only an inch from the surface at any given time. It was easier to keep a clear head with the air cutting into his skin like a knife. The pain kept him centered.

Nebula was the first to move. She took a step towards where the man, that had called himself her father but had never been more than her tormenter, lay unconscious on the ground. Her stride didn’t waver and her guard never faltered when she kneeled down beside him, pulling the gauntlet off of his cold hands with an unprecedented gentleness.

When they had made the plan, this had been the one variable they hadn’t been sure of. They knew where Thanos would be but they hadn’t had any idea if he was still alive and, if so, how strong he would still be. As it was, this right there was the best case scenario Tony had never counted on. It felt wrong for something so life changing to be so easy.

The moment she had pulled the gauntlet off, she let it drop to the ground with a hiss and it landed on the frozen ground with a loud clong. It was all Tony could do to stare at her burnt hand in shock.

“Are you okay?” he asked her, already moving towards her in a way he did whenever Morgan cried out in pain, but she gave her usual sharp nod and ignored him in favor of smiling down humorlessly at the man that had taken everything from her.

“I’m sorry,” she said after a moment, ignoring the demands for information from the other side of the galaxy in both their ears. Understanding dawned on him before she started talking again and it made his stomach coil in dread but, like hers, his resolve never wavered, if anything he stood up a little straighter.

“I won’t be able to wield the gauntlet,” she explained for everyone they had left back on Earth but her eyes were locked with his, a silent apology that made his throat run dry. She had been so ready to die, to give her life for everyone else and to prove her worth to herself and even that had been taken from her. “The stones won’t accept some machine as their master. It needs to be a living being.”

Tony could hear the screams on the other side. Could hear Rogers even over Thor’s loud hollering, both screaming that there had to be another way.

“Listen, Stark, don’t do anything stupid,” the Captain’s authority bled through every word but it couldn’t cover up Steve Roger’s panic, “We’ll find another way. We’ll do it some other time. We’ll send someone else up there with you.”

“There is no other way, Cap,” he told him gently even as he eyed the piece of metal that might very well be his downfall, “You’re needed on Earth the moment our purple raisin comes back to fight you. All of you need to be there to kill him, otherwise this would have all been for nothing. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

“You might not be able to live at all.” Nebula’s voice cut through everything else and he met her gaze, warmer than anything he had ever seen on her before. “You could die.” There was a humanity bleeding through that she always covered up in fear of it being exploited.

He understood where she was coming from. Not too long ago he had been like this.

He jerked his head in a nod, tears trickling down his cheeks and freezing on his skin before they could hit his goatee. “If it’s my life for half the universe… It’s not even a question,” he told her quietly and even quieter, almost a whisper that he was sure wouldn’t be picked up on comms, he added, “My life for his life. There’s no way I’m not doing this.”

She understood like he knew she would but back in Wakanda Steve was still screaming.

“Stark! You can’t do this! Think of your family. Think of Pepper. Damn it, think of your daughter! You can’t sacrifice yourself. I won’t let you.”

Tony blinked the tears away, the mask coming back up to cover his face the second the nanites sensed his final decision.

(A parent choosing their kid’s life over their own wasn’t really a choice as much as it was a deeply ingrained instinct.)

“It’s not your choice to make, Steve,” he told his teammate and former friend steadily, “And you can be sure I’m going to fight it with everything I’ve got so I can come home to my kids. Both of them. I don’t want to die.” For the first time in his life there was no lie in his words.

“Rhodey,” he addressed his unusually quiet best friend that he knew was listening, “You know what to do should I not make it back.”

The response took nearly minute but it came because Rhodey would always have his back and Tony closed his eyes at the familiar warm in his heart when he heard the voice that had been by his side for most of his life, “I do, Tones. But I’m going to kick your ass six ways from Sunday if you don’t make it back.”

He couldn’t bring his lips to form the ‘I love you’ burning on his tongue but he knew Rhodey knew. He wouldn’t say goodbye. Not yet.

“Be ready,” he told them, his voice strong and sure – a lie, optimism, a flicker of hope maybe? “Give him all you’ve got. I want you to give me a play by play about how you managed to impale the grape head when all this is over. I’m counting on it.”

“We are ready, Stark.” Thor’s voice echoed through his helmet when it was apparent that Steve wouldn’t answer. “As always, it is an honor to be fighting by your side.”

Something in him steeled at the words and the images of other fights they had come out of on top flicked through his head, giving him the power to kneel next to the gauntlet and lift it up.

The moment his gloves touched the weapon, almost all of his armor assembled on his left hand, leaving only the bare minimum to cover the rest of his body. Somehow he knew that it didn’t need as much protection right then.

Somehow it felt like he had been destined to do this.

And it sounded way too cheesy even in his own ears but when he picked up the only instrument in the universe that could control all six infinity stones, it molded around his reinforced hand until it fit him perfectly where it used to fit a guy three times his size.

He was almost inclined to believe in magic when his eyes traveled to the spot where his kid had disintegrated in his arms. The place where he had learned what it meant to lose something so integrally a part of him that the mere thought of going on without it killed him. And then it didn’t – it hadn’t killed him and living had been that much harder.

Two years.                  

Tony had told Steve that he didn’t want to die and he had meant it but if his death meant Peter would come back then he knew he’d die at peace with himself.  There was no cutting the wire for this. No way he would pass up on the opportunity or ever choose differently.

No parent should ever have to outlive their child. He had learned that the hard way and he couldn’t do it one more day. If that made him selfish? Then he would let them call him that. As long as his family was alive, nothing else mattered.

The superhero closed his eyes then, blocking out the big red X that was the place he expected Peter to reappear in and concentrated on the power that surged through his body all at once.

Suddenly he could see everything, all the riddles that the no one had yet been able to answer, the reason why everything was the way it was. The pieces fell together like a puzzle – like they had always been there, only hidden from his view.

He knew and felt everything. Every soul, living or dead, that had ever walked in this galaxy was suddenly a part of him and he understood. It was too much for a mortal like him, he knew that rationally and – a distant part of him felt the pain that was surging from his left hand through his entire body.

The power he possessed in that moment almost brought him to his knees and he lost sight of why he was doing this in the first place. Only for a minute but then Peter was standing in front of him. No. That couldn’t be right, he could swear his eyes were still closed.

Still, Peter was there looking up at him with his big brown eyes alight with unconditional love. Alive?

“Mr. Stark?” he asked and his voice was shaking, he sounded afraid all of the sudden and Tony hated it. Who the hell dared to scare his child like that?

“Daddy?”

His thoughts came to a screeching halt when his little girl appeared next to Peter, holding on to his legs that were still clad in the Spidersuit. And it didn’t make sense. Because Morgan had never gotten to meet her big brother, had never gotten to cling to him or hide behind him when she was scared. Peter had never gotten to lay a protective hand on her head like he was doing now.

They had never –

“You have to let the stones go,” they both said and they were both crying and he knew he was crying, too, felt the tears streaming down his face the same way he felt a flower way back on Earth breaking its way through the ground in need for air. He felt with every ounce of his being how life was being reformed in that moment and he basked in the joy of it but something was still wrong.

His children were still crying.

“Come back to us,” they begged him, now both pulling on the gauntlet that he was now realizing was burning its way through his suit slowly but surely. “Come back,” they demanded with a last tug and then he felt himself tumbling to the ground, his knees scraping over the freezing ground-

Wait. No, that wasn’t right.

He blinked and tried to wrap his mind around the dusty ground lit with the bright orange of a slowly dying sun.

A hand was on his shoulder suddenly and he looked up to find Nebula staring back at him, her eyes more expressive than he had ever seen them. Was she crying? Could androids cry? Why did he feel like he had known the answer to that at some point? Why were they here on this orange planet? Why had he expected it to be frozen?

Before he could utter a single one of his questions, voices were in his ear, screaming. He flinched.

“God dammit, Stark, answer!”

“Tony I swear to fucking god if you sacrificed your stupid –“

“Are you there, Tones?”

“Nebula! What’s the status?”

“Titan.” The word broke through his cracked lips, rolled off his dry tongue and suddenly everything came back and his body felt too light and too heavy all at once. He couldn’t hold it up so he let it drop down.

“Tones!” was the only thing that got through to him then, as well as Nebula’s hand still on his shoulder.

“He’s alive,” she finally said, voice cracking on the two words when her eyes focused on something a little off to his side. “They’re coming back.”

That seemed to be the only incentive that his body needed to scramble over to the place he could find with eyes closed because he had revisited it in his dreams every night. He knew the rocks that were going to cut into his legs and the pit he would stumble into before he even took the first step.

But there was one difference to his dreams.

Where he would usually grasp at thin air, hands coming away covered in dust, his fingers now hit a solid body.

Trembling, cold and bloody. But solid. And alive?

“Peter.”

The name left his lips like a lifeline. It was a plea and a curse and a prayer. He was too afraid to open his eyes, scared of not finding what he needed to see. Scared that if he wouldn’t, he would die again. There was no way he could go through that a second time.

He did, though, and when his eyes found him his heart soared only to then clench painfully.

The boy’s eyes were closed but his face was contorted into a painful grimace. He wasn’t moving, not even a twitch of a muscle to tell him whether or not he was alive. There were no signs of any open wounds when Tony looked him up and down and because of the suit he couldn’t check his breathing. Just –

His mouth twitched.

Tony fell forward, cradling him in his arms, when Peter’s eyes fluttered open and stared up at him and for a moment he just looked at him. His face giving nothing away, as if he was too out of it to form facial expression, as if his muscle memory was still coming back.

“Pete,” Tony whispered again, pulling him up until he was halfway sitting and he could see his eyes moving back and forth – unfocussed all of the sudden – until they came back to rest on him. He opened his mouth and-

Gibberish.

The billionaire superhero couldn’t make out a single word that left the teenager’s lips but he didn’t have to. Peter was alive and he was breathing and he was talking and –

“Mis – Mis’er Stark?”

“Hey buddy,” he whispered through tears because he couldn’t raise his voice over the barely audible volume. He tried to say more but two years of grief were sitting on his chest and they pushed down on it with all their force. All the agony of life without Peter had to leave his body before he could choke out something that resembled an “Okay?” and he just hoped Peter would understand.

Peter who was alive.

Peter who was breathing heavily but he was breathing. Peter who was laying in his arms, eyes wide with shock and something wise and sad in them that Tony wished he would never have to see again. Peter who fell forward, forehead hitting Tony’s shoulder. Peter who, upon contact, started shaking and sobbing in his arms.

He held the boy’s trembling body that seemed so much smaller than a regular teenager right now that reminded him more of the first time he had held his newborn child. The now toddler who was waiting for him at home. And finally he gave into his own need and buried his face in the dirty, sweaty curls in a way he had never done before because they hadn’t been there yet. (His words. He never regretted anything more in his life.)

PeterPeterPeterPeterPeterPeterPeter-

His whole being centered around the boy that was clinging to him, that allowed himself to fall completely apart in his arms. And he cried.

Tony cried for everything he had lost and for everything he just got back. He cried for everything his kid had lost and for every damn thing he would make sure he would get from now on. The tear tracks felt like burn marks, like a tattoo permanently etched into his skin to tell the world of all the loss he had to endure.

But it didn’t matter. His tears didn’t matter. All that mattered was the kid in his arms.

“Pete?” he whispered, trying to call onto the last piece of his soul that wasn’t shattered and that now had two years of parenting practice, “Hey bud. You’re alright, you’re safe. I’ve got you.” Over and over he whispered soft reassurances into his ear until Peter’s sobs had quietened down to heartbreaking sniffles. All the while he was alternating between massaging his scalp and pressing a kiss into his hair. “Shh. It’s okay. I’m here, Pete.”

“Mis’er Stark?” The teenager’s voice was muffled by his shirt and stuttering through hiccups. “I-I wa-as s-so scared. I-I’m so so-sorry. I-“

“Shh. None of that,” he interrupted him gently, hand moving to his neck to hold him even closer, glad when the kid only buried into him more instead of moving way. “None of this is your fault, okay? I know you were scared but I’m here now, okay? We’ll get you home and you’re never going to be alone again. How’s that sound?”

Peter nodded, small hands making a move to curl around Tony’s shirt more firmly, “’S good. Really wanna go home,” he sniffled before Tony felt his eyes flutter close against his neck.

“I’m getting you home, kid.”

A promise, a vow. And the second the words had left his mouth, he felt the kid’s body go limp in his arms because he trusted him to keep him safe. And Tony would. This time he would get to hold on.