#I feel like fox might suit them best? we shall see

[sparkypantaloons]

I Protí Forá

Bruce loves his kids, he just really doesn't know how to say it. So he shows it instead, usually with ridiculous displays and gestures of affection. Because he's a billionaire, ya know? And also a massive dork.

Eleven year old Jason comes to realise all of the above, from the middle of the Aegean Sea.

The first time Jason gets on a plane he's eleven.

Bruce is taking them to Greece for a vacation. He says it's because work has been hectic, but Jason's pretty sure it's because he (Jason) has been reading The Odyssey. Bruce might be the whole big boss of Wayne Enterprises, but every meeting Jason's ever overheard from the study starts with Bruce saying "Hello!" all cheery before going "But let me hand you over to the most important man at Wayne Enterprises", and then Mr. Fox takes over, so it can't be all that hectic.

Besides, Bruce does stuff like this sometimes. Like once, Jason told him he'd never seen a basketball game and Bruce took them to see the Gotham Guardsmen versus the Chicago Bulls the very next week. They sat courtside, and Jason had the biggest load of nachos he'd ever had in his whole life, and Bruce even let him try a sip of his beer (which was gross, by the way). And then after the game Jason got to meet both teams and try and shoot some hoops with Michael Jordan, who just "happened" to be there (yeah right, Bruce) and he got a tour of the entire stadium.

So, when Bruce looked over the top of his paper one evening, with the same look he had when he asked if Jason wanted to be adopted, and said "Shall we go to Greece next week?" Jason's pretty sure it's 'cause he (Jason) was reading The Odyssey. And nothing to do with work.

They fly from Newark to Athens, in the first class suite on Etihad. They have their own mini apartment on the plane, with two wide-screen TVs and a double bed, their own bathroom and a shower. It's almost as big as Jason's old apartment in the squat he was living in before Bruce found him, but not quite. It's a lot nicer though and Jason can't quite believe all this is on a plane.

The air crew greet them with a smile and give them bags full of expensive 'amenities' and stuff and hand Bruce a glass of champagne. He tells them he used to have a private jet, but that they're terrible for the environment and he's trying to reduce his carbon footprint. He says it in that stupid voice he does when he's pretending to be what Dick calls a "himbo billionaire" but there's the secret grin at the corner of his mouth that's just for Jason, that makes Jason feel like he's with the best man in the world.

When they're somewhere over the Atlantic, the lady looking after their section asks if Jason would like to see the cockpit. It's not normally allowed, she says, but Mr. Wayne is such a good customer (and man, she adds, batting her eyes at Bruce over Jason's head, as though Jason wouldn't know what she meant) that the Captain has agreed to make an exception.

It's dusk, and the sky from the cockpit is bigger and more brilliant that Jason has ever seen. A glorious canvas of pastel pinks and purple hues, stretching up into a deep dark blue where stars are slowly beginning to blink into life. The Captain greets Jason with a smile and Bruce with a handshake. Explains what all the different lights and buttons and switches mean, and let's Jason wear her hat for a photo.

By the time they land in Athens, Jason is pretty sure this is the second best day of his life. (The first best is the day Bruce adopted him).

They're spend the night at a fancy hotel, in a room on top of a cliff over looking the Saronic Gulf, which Jason has never heard of but is apparently part of the Aegean Sea. They have their own private swimming pool and two huge beds - one each, though Bruce says Jason can still share if he wants to.

The air is warm and thick, even as the day begins to fade, and though he's not that good at swimming yet, Jason is desperate to jump straight into the pool. "After some supper," Bruce promises, sounding a lot like Alfred. But he keeps his word and the two of them lie on their inflatables as night falls. Above them, in the dark, there are more stars in the sky than Jason has seen in his whole life.

~

The first time Jason has been on a boat he's still eleven.

He and Bruce wander down to a little dock below the cliffs wearing matching boat shoes and shirts. Jason is wearing his Gotham Guardsmen cap and Bruce has a white strip of sunblock under his eyes.

"Technically it's a catamaran" Bruce tells Jason, explaining the difference between hulls of the two as they step aboard. "Kalimera George!" He says, "O gios mou, Jason. Jason, this is our skipper, George."

Later, many years later, Jason will know enough Greek to realise Bruce introduced him as his son, but as he steps aboard the cat all he can do is wonder what Bruce said, smile shyly and shake George's hand.

They sail south from Athens, passing the Temple of Poseidon in coastal Sounio and onto the Aegean Islands. Jason has finished The Odyssey by now, but has moved onto other Greek myths, Theseus and the Minotaur, Artemis and Apollo, Icarus and Daedalus. The sea is a brilliant, turquoise blue, diamond bright under the warm Mediterranean sun and by the time they reach the island of Kythnos, Jason is itching to jump in.

They find a secluded cove, with a small rocky beach and George drops anchor.

"Last one in is a Green Lantern fanboy!" Jason crows, and he leaps from the back deck into the crystal cool water.

It's his first time in the sea, any sea, and he can taste the salt on his lips. The water is calm and he bobs lightly, laughing as Bruce makes a strangled cry and leaps in after him.

"You love Green Lantern!" Jason teases, giggling with his head thrown back to keep it above the surface. He's not so good at treading water yet.

Bruce drifts over to him, pouting. "I wasn't ready, no fair." He says, pulling Jason towards him and onto his back.

Jason closes his eyes to the sun as Bruce swims them round the cove a little.

"Let's swim back to the cat." Bruce says, and Jason chews his lip because it's a little far. "I'll be right beside you." Bruce promises and they swim back to the boat, together.

That night they lie out on the deck and Bruce points out all of the constellations from the Greek myths; Orion and Cassiopeia and Hercules, though obviously Herakles is the proper Greek name for him.

"Whose your favourite Greek hero, B?" Jason asks, his head on Bruce's stomach.

And because he's corny like that, Bruce says "Jason."

~

Jason's first crush, the first one where it feels like something, he's eleven still, and he and Bruce are on a tiny island called Nykterides. It's a nature reserve for bats and other animals and, honestly, sometimes Bruce is such a nerd, because of course he owns the island too. And of course it's a bat-island. Bat species in the Aegean are vulnerable to habitat loss and climate change (apparently), so the island offers a safe refuge. He tells Jason all of this with a very serious look on his face and all Jason can think is what a huge dork Bruce is. There's a tightness in his chest as he listens to Bruce explain, but it takes him a little while to realise the feeling is fondness.

Only a few local families live on Nykterides, Bruce says, as they sail up to the tiny harbour. The buildings are square and white, with some blue domes but mainly flat, low roofs. Conservation staff also live on the island, scientists and biologists too, and there's a small taverna on the shore where they can eat and drink together.

A boy, no more than 19 greets them as they approach. "Kalispera, Mr. Wayne." He flashes them a smile and Jason feels a little breathless all of a sudden. The boy's skin is a glowing golden bronze, his hair falling in dark, rich waves.

"Kalispera, Giannis." Bruce says, a hand on Jason's head. "This is Jason."

"Ah, like the Argonaut?" Giannis asks with a wink, and something in Jason's stomach flips. He thinks about Apollo, most beautiful of all the God's and tries not to blush.

Giannis serves them lunch, and they sit with George and the others on the island, in the shade of a few palms. They eat fresh caught mussels and clams, with salad of tomatoes and cucumber and olives. Fresh cheese with honey, and rice and vegetables wrapped in vine leaves. Jason feels like he's living in a dream, grins up at Bruce and smiles shyly at Giannis as they clink their glasses and say "Yamas!".

As the evening wanes, Giannis tries to teach Jason a few words of Greek.

"Efcharisto," The words roll off Giannis' tongue and Jason finds himself staring at the older boy's mouth.

"Eff-ha-rist-oh" Jason repeats, and Giannis laughs and says it's close enough.

That night Jason goes to bed giddy and breathless and dreams of Apollo.

~

The first time Jason realises he loves someone, truly loves them, other than his Mom that is, he's twelve. Just.

He and Bruce have been sailing for a week or so now, island hoping across the Aegean and the Cyclades. The sea breeze is just enough to keep away the mid-August heat and Jason is sure there isn't a more beautiful part of the world to be found.

Bruce has been promising something special for Jason's birthday. He's spent a lot of time on a ridiculous satellite phone (because there are zero bars in the middle of the sea) trying to sort whatever it is out. If he thinks too much about it, Jason's stomach flips with excitement, because what could possibly top all of this? Bruce is ridiculously rich, and just plain ridiculous, so it's probably a helicopter up to Mount Olympus or something totally crazy, which to be fair, would be beyond cool.

But when the night before his birthday Bruce comes to him looking forlorn, Jason is worried.

"I'm sorry Jay," Bruce says, and it looks like he's in physical pain for how sorry he is. "I really wanted to do something special for your birthday but it isn't going to work out."

"That's okay," Jason says, but before he can continue Bruce speaks again and says,

"I wanted to take you to Themyscira, and Diana thought she could get you in, but Hippolyta said no."

For the briefest of moments, Jason thinks he might be disappointed, but instead there's a rush in his chest and he laughs, head back and heart full. "Bruce, you big boob!" He says, shoving Bruce's arm. "Men aren't allowed on Themyscira."

Bruce slips his arm around Jason and pulls him in close for a hug. "Yeah, but you're just a little man, not a whole one. I thought they might make an exception."

"It would have been cool," Jason muses, from where his face is squashed against Bruce's chest. "But then I couldn't have spent my birthday with you."

Bruce makes a noise in his throat and hugs Jason a little tighter.

"Love you, B." Jason says, and it's the first time he's ever said it to anyone that wasn't his Mom.

Bruce grunts again, and hugs Jason even tighter. "Happy birthday, lad." He mumbles.

The air is warm, and the catamaran bobs lightly in the water. Waves lap at the hull and Jason grins.

He and Bruce sit and watch the stars together.

[bastardcherub]

oh god what are they planning now-

[comm-caribou]

Chapter Twenty-Five: Belle of the Ball:

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: none (let me know if I missed any!)

————

“Stay still. I only have one good hand.”

“Just let me do it, Mirage.”

“No way, Dabbler. You picked her dress, her shoes, even her nail color. Hair is my department.”

Juliette giggled as the two men verbally fought as Frenzy and Tag handled her makeup.

“Your fighting is making her laugh,” Squirrel teased.

“We wouldn’t be fighting if Dabbler would let me work,” Mirage elbowed Dabbler. “Go pick out her perfume or something.”

“Eyes closed,” Tag instructed. “Frenzy, hold her head still.”

Frenzy gently caressed her face, “just one second, Juliette.”

As nervous as she was to be doing this again, she believed she’d always love this part. Her pilots fawning over her and making her feel like a princess while Mirage did his magic in making her hair have more life.

Cold liquid brushed over her eyelids, and she kept her eyes shut until Tag instructed her it was okay to reopen them.

Someone knocked on the door, and she heard Baby get up to get it.

“Is she ready?” She heard Hardwire ask.

“I don’t know,” Baby grumbled.

“Almost, Commander,” Tag called, “open your eyes.”

They gently caressed her chin, looking over their work with a smile.

“Beautiful,” Tag complimented. “Squirrel, did you pick out the lipstick?”

Squirrel held out a mauve pink, “is this okay?”

“Perfect,” Frenzy took the tube, uncapping the lid.

Hardwire fiddled with his cuffs, “and here I thought this suit was a pain.”

“Would you like some makeup, Commander?” Mirage teased.

“Will it hide these dark circles?” He asked.

“Don’t be silly, Hardwire,” Juliette giggled, “you’re perfectly perfect.”

“Perfectly perfect,” Frenzy chuckled. “I like that.”

“Done,” Mirage said. “It’s half up, half down. A lot easier to take out than my last masterpiece.”

Dabbler scoffed, “I did all the work last time. All you did was stick a lot of bobby-pins in her head.”

Squirrel hopped up, extending his hand to her, “may I?”

She took his hand, giggling as Frenzy brushed her side fixing the yellow fabric as she stood.

“Do I look pretty?” Juliette asked Hardwire.

“I’d rather use the word beautiful,” he held out his arm. “Shall we go discuss food and clothes with the occasional mention of war?”

“We shall,” she said over her shoulder, “have fun boys.”

****

Despite being calmer than last time, Hardwire could see she was pulling on her fingers on the lift up to the meeting.

“It’s okay,” Hardwire whispered. “We’ve done this before.”

“I know,” she exhaled. “They just make me nervous.”

A Coruscant guard—despite knowing he wasn’t suppose to—leaned forward, “Fox is on the balcony.”

The other snickered, “rumor has it he switched with Stone to be here.”

Juliette smiled, “I guess it won’t be too bad then.”

Hardwire thought for a moment, then shrugged.

Must be because he calmed her down last time. Good ol’ Fox.

She took Hardwire’s arm, and as soon as those doors opened, they stepped off just to be swept away by Senator Organa.

Hardwire was handed a drink that smelled rich of alcohol, and knew he’d be holding it all night. Juliette also had one, which he knew he’d be holding eventually too.

He honestly wished they weren’t here, making small talk and exchanging smiles.

Four days ago, they got the news that a madman was creating torture devices that’d be used against the Republic. Instead of hunting him down, he was kissing up to keep his best friend as his General; his favorite General.

“No, Senator Amidala,” Juliette said. “I’ve never seen Mandalore in person. Is it as beautiful as the pictures show?”

“It’s gorgeous,” she gushed, “but considering they’re neutral and try to keep violence out, you might have to leave your gear behind.”

“I heard of that,” Juliette sighed, “it’s a shame the culture I know of was rewritten as it was.”

“Well, Duchess Satine doesn’t like you much either,” said Senator Taa, “she thinks it makes Mandalore look bad.”

Juliette exchanged a look with Hardwire, looking a little hurt by his comment.

“In her defense,” Hardwire spoke, “Juliette is not affiliated with Mandalore nor Death Watch.”

Juliette rolled her eyes, “ugh, Death Watch is still around?”

“Unfortunately,” Senator Organa sighed, “I’m sure if you meet with General Kenobi again, he can tell you about his encounter with them.”

Hardwire leaned down and said to her, “we are working with 501st and 212th tomorrow.”

“Ooo,” Juliette lit up, “I was hoping to work with Commander Cody again.”

Senator Amidala smiled, “he is very wise like his General.”

Senator Chuchi entering the conversation blinked, “what are we talking about?”

“I suppose we’re praising the clones for their bravery,” Senator Organa turned to Hardwire, “the Republic couldn’t have asked for better soldiers.”

“Just… doing our jobs, sir,” Hardwire offered a small smile. “There’s other battalions that deserve more praise though.”

He saw Fox passing by doing a perimeter sweep of the room.

“Such as the Coruscant Guard,” he commented, “they’re the last line of defense when it comes to your safety and they protect the heart of the Republic. If it weren’t for them, Coruscant would be lost.”

Fox snickered, “but 952nd is the backup for everyone who needs aid, including Coruscant. And they keep good relations with the people. Such as on Ryloth?”

Hardwire felt his face burning just as much as Juliette’s face flared up with a shy blush.

Senator Taa laughed, “yes! That was you who was playing with the kids and making those wildflower crowns!”

Juliette shyly smiled, “guilty.”

Fox continued on, head a little higher.

****

The night was winding down, and Juliette found her way outside to the balcony to look over the shimmering city and all its lights.

The door opened, and Fox slipped out, “sorry, ma’am. Can’t let you be out here without a guard.”

“Oh no,” she giggled, “am I in trouble?”

“Absolutely,” he stood by her, “I will need you to come by HQ to answer a lot of questions on why you’re violating safety protocol.”

“For real?” Juliette leaned on the stone banister.

Fox made it very obvious he was looking her up and down, “yes.”

She giggled, “Fox, one day I’m actually going to get in trouble and I’ll think you’re playing until you cuff me.”

“Even then, I’ll try to be nice,” he stood at attention beside her, “since you brought me caf once.”

“I might do it again,” she smiled.

He chuckled lightly under his helmet.

Juliette turned back to the speeders passing overhead, “how have you been since the last… whatever you want to call these?”

“Busy,” he sighed, “always busy. You?”

“My men went stir crazy and started fighting each other,” she frowned, “they’re better now, mostly.”

Fox sighed again, “I’m not going to lie, I feel awkward right now talking to you with all of them. Do you suppose you could really come down to HQ for a quick visit? Less people looking.”

“On one condition,” she smirked.

“Yes?“ Fox tilted his helmeted head.

“You have to do that thing again.”

“Could you clarify what thing?”

Juliette brushed her cheek, “you know…”

Fox snorted, “got it.”

Juliette straightened up, fluffing her skirt, “I think Commander Hardwire and I will be heading out now.”

“I believe I’ll be wrapping up here momentarily,” Fox’s hand brushed her’s. “Until then.”

She got butterflies, loving the subtle attention.

She smiled as she headed back in, finding Hardwire straining a smile as Senator Taa ranted about the Freedom Fighters of Ryloth.

Gently holding her Commander’s arm, she said to Senator Taa, “I apologize, Senator, but we must prepare for tomorrow aiding the 501st and the 212th.”

“Of course!” he boastfully laughed. “You come back for our meeting next month with some good stories to share. Your Commander is too quiet.”

“I know,” she smiled, “he’s a man of few words.”

Hardwire nodded maintaining his awkward smile as they got to the lifts.

As soon as those doors shut, he dropped the smile groaning.

“You chose to have an unconventional General,” Juliette teased. “Now you have to pay for your right to keep me.”

“Tag’s good at makeup,” he lit up, “do you think they could recreate my burn on someone else?”

Juliette shook her head, “you may be a clone, but no clone is as bad at socializing with Senators as you.”

“It’s true,” one of the guards snickered.

“See,” Juliette grinned, “even Gen agrees.”

Hardwire pouted, “how come you know our names better than the Senators and Jedi?”

Juliette shrugged, “I know the important names and that’s about it.”

A smirk pulled on the corners of Hardwire’s lips as he turned to the two Coruscant Guards on the lift. “You caught that too, right?”

“One hundred percent,” Lucky fist bumped Gen.

****

Unlike the last time they rode in a cab, Juliette was a lot more responsive and lively.

Hardwire had his arm wrapped around her, smiling as she chatted with the cab driver. The only thing he found odd was they were going to the Coruscant Guard’s headquarters instead of home.

They pulled to the curb, and Juliette slipped the driver a tip despite his protest that the bill was already paid.

“Nonsense,” Juliette smiled charmingly, “it’s just enough to get you a caf to make it through the rest of your shift.”

“You’re too kind,” the driver said.

The door opened, and Thorn held out his hand while doing a stuffy accent, “madam, may I escort you in?”

“Why, of course,” Juliette copied his overly proper accent as the cab drove off.

“Radiant as ever, my dear,” he kept up the bit as he turned to Hardwire, “my my, how nicely you clean up, good sir.”

“Did you hit your head recently?” Hardwire chuckled.

Thorn swatted at him, “you’re no fun.”

“Come on, my dear,” Juliette held out her hand. “Play with us.”

Hardwire rolled his eyes, doing a poor attempt of their silly accent, “why are we here?“

“Visiting our favorite boys here,” she answered.

Thorn snorted, “you’re here to get one-on-one time with your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Juliette elbowed Thorn.

Boyfriend? She’s dating aga… FOX!

Hardwire turned to her, “you’re dating Fox?”

Juliette’s face flushed, “it’s only been one real date so far, and a few late calls.”

“But you’re dating Fox?” Hardwire pressed, “why?”

Thorn laughed, “I was thinking that too.”

“He asked,” Juliette shrugged, “and he’s nice.”

“Yeah but…” Hardwire collected his thoughts, “I don’t know, Juliette, when I thought of you moving on from Fang, I thought it’d be with one of your pilots. Like Dabbler or Baby. Heck, even Squirrel!”

“They’re sweet and all,” Juliette sighed, “but… I don’t really see myself with Dabbler, Baby and I are just friends, and Squirrel… I never thought of him as boyfriend material.”

Thorn cleared his throat, “if I may interject, I think Fox and her are good together. However, I think they both know this is just a fling.”

Hardwire shook his head as they entered the compound, “that’s not what I meant. I meant I just didn’t see you doing long distance with a workaholic.”

“It is hard,” Juliette sighed, “and Thorn is right. When I’m away, I miss him. When I’m here, I feel awkward like I don’t know how to talk to him without us being lightyears apart.”

Thorn lead them to Fox’s office, “for what it’s worth, we all like it when you come by, Juliette. He actually smiles.”

“They’re back!” Someone called.

“It sucked!” Someone yelled, “why do you keep making me go?“

“I thought you liked it Levy!” Someone else laughed as they all went by.

Helmets began coming off, followed by smiling and laughing at dumb jokes from the event.

Hardwire didn’t even notice Fox until he was next to Juliette, brushing his hand under her chin.

She smiled as he nodded to his office.

“I’m going to go check on Commander Stone,” Hardwire pretended he didn’t notice, “will you be okay, Juliette?”

“I’ll be fine,” Juliette entered Fox’s office, and the door shut.

I really hope that wasn’t totally harsh of what I said. She knows I meant well. I hope.

Thorn nudged him and they began walking off.

“I kind of got what you were saying,” Thorn took off his helmet, “I’m not a fan of long distance either.”

****

The minute they were alone, Fox lowered his head down. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, hugging her as he tiredly sighed.

She wrapped her arms around him, running her hands through his graying curls.

“I just wanted to hold you,” he whispered, “all night, I had to contain myself from not stealing you away.”

Juliette moved her head, sighing into his hair, “you’re too sweet.”

She inhaled his scent, smelling the ocean scent that all the clones seemed to have lingering in their skin.

Fox straightened up, “how have you been?”

“Fine, I guess,” Juliette felt her chest tightening. Am I suppose to break up with him now? Before we both get too attached? We’re not an official couple though, right?

Fox brushed her cheek, “hey? Why are you shaking?”

Juliette looked up at him, and said, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Fox softly smiled, “Juliette, you don’t need to stress.”

“But I really do like you,” Juliette felt tears building up, “you’re just too far when I need you, and I want you near me always.”

Fox gently dabbed his thumb under her eyes, “sweetie, you don’t need to explain yourself.”

“I don’t want you to hate me,” Juliette choked on a sob. “I like visiting you and holding your hand and-“

Fox kissed her cheek, stopping every thought running through her brain.

“Juliette, you are still my friend,” he smiled, “don’t cry because we can’t be anything more. Who knows? Maybe when this war is over, we’ll find each other again. Or you’ll find someone else and I’ll find someone too. Is that okay?”

Juliette nodded, “I’m sorry, Fox.”

“It’s alright,” he wiped away a stray tear, “I’m just upset I didn’t get to take you on a second date. I had it all planned out.”

“Really?”

“Yup. Was going to take you on a leisurely stroll, show you the best sights, and maybe ask for a kiss.”

She felt her skin burn, “you want to kiss me?”

“I don’t want to overstep your boundaries,” Fox smiled, “but, yes.”

She opened then closed her mouth, feeling her skin burn hot.

Fox took her hand, “come on, you need to rest your feet. You’ve been standing all night.”

She pulled him back, “wait.”

He turned back to her, “yes?”

“Would you wait for me?” Juliette asked.

“Why?” Fox asked, “do you need to go now?”

“No,” she shook her head, “I meant, would you wait to date me?”

“I…” Fox paused, then guiltily looked away, “I wish I could say yes. I still like you greatly, I just don’t see myself waiting more than a year to be with someone I really want. And, unfortunately, we’re almost a year into this war with no end in sight.”

Juliette managed a smile and said, “I appreciate your honesty, Fox.”

Fox took her hand again, “can I still take you on a leisurely stroll sometime? As friends?”

She nodded, “as friends.”

****

The cab ride home was a different experience than the ride to the Coruscant Guard’s base.

Juliette held her head, groaning in frustration.

“You didn’t have to dump him today,” Hardwire rubbed her back.

“It wasn’t a dumping if we weren’t together yet,” she whined, “and I didn’t want to lead him on.”

Hardwire pulled her into his chest to cuddle him, “you’re very sweet.”

“Or am I bad person?” Juliette gasped. “Maybe I moved on too quick and this is my punishment? Maybe Fox is my soulmate but because we found each other too quick we have to suffer.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Hardwire stroked her cheek.

“I’m going to die alone,” Juliette leaned into him.

Hardwire lifted her chin, “if you’re not married by the time you’re thirty, I’ll marry you.”

“That’s not fair to you,” Juliette pouted.

“Yeah,” he shrugged, “but to be fair, I don’t know when people are flirting with me anyways.”

****

Entering the ship, Hardwire gave Juliette her usual forehead kiss goodnight and went off towards his quarters to bed.

She proceeded onward to her room, pausing outside the door to comm Cosmos. After the events of tonight, she was going to need her best friend to help her get enough sleep for the upcoming events they were already heading off to.

As she scrolled, she ignored the doors opening and closing in the distance and murmur of voices floating in the echoing halls.

Her thumb was about to tap his name, when someone softly let out a tiny gasp.

She lifted her head, and turned her head meeting a face she never seen before.

While she found all the clones handsome in their own right, this was different. This trooper’s nose wasn’t straight, as if it had been broken a few times before. His hair was trimmed short, but pushed back with maybe gel or for all she knew it could naturally just do that.

He smiled a lopsided smile, “sorry, didn’t mean to stare.”

“It’s okay,” she managed to smile back. Who is this? He seems… familiar?

“It’s just… you look really good in my favorite color, Angel,” he said looking her over again.

Angel? She looked at his armor, realizing how she knew him, this is Digger! Without his helmet!

“How was your night?” He asked like he didn’t want to leave. “I’m sure you had every Senators’ eyes on you looking like the belle of the ball. Probably tripping over themselves to talk to you.”

Juliette giggled, feeling flustered suddenly, “yeah… well… you know how they are!”

“Not really,” he chuckled, “but I’ve heard stories.”

She could feel her whole face burning, her cheeks pooling with all the blood she had in her body.

“I should…” she fumbled with the door, “get to rest… I mean bed! Get to bed because we’re doing big things tomorrow! Super important things with… others.”

Digger leaned close, smiling.

She could feel her heart pounding in her ears. She wondered if he could hear it as he loomed close to her.

Her door opened, and she realized his finger was on the button she was struggling to press.

“Goodnight, Angel,” he took her hand, kissing her knuckles, “sweet dreams.”

“I…” she backed into her room, “you too, Sergeant.”

His gaze shifted past her smiling, “goodnight, Cosmos.”

She whipped around as her door closed.

Cosmos sat on her bed, jaw tight and eyes wide.

“I…” she shuttered. “Were you waiting for me?”

Cosmos slammed the book in his hands shut, “I kriffing warned him.”

“Cos?”

He got up, gripping her shoulders, “Juliette, that soldier is a good soldier. However, he is the last person you want to be catching feelings for.”

“I didn’t!” She protested. “…but why?”

“Because!” Cosmos exclaimed, “he dates people and dumps them about a month in, and in between those partners, he is hooking up with anyone who even looks at him at 79’s. There isn’t a patron there who hasn’t been with Digger at least once.”

“Oh.” Juliette frowned. “He’s a player?”

Cosmos sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear, “Starlight, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to talk down at you. I just don’t want him hurting you.”

“I understand,” she faked a smile. “Thank you for having my back, Cos. I’m going to go put on my pajamas now.”

She excused herself, disappearing into the refresher. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she looked more like a tired wreck than a belle of the ball.

Her gaze fell to her neck, where a glint of purple sparkled on its silver chain.

She held the stone, rubbing her thumb over the smooth gem. Her only connection to Fang she had left other than her fleeting memories. She had nearly lost it, but that ARF found and returned it. He even fixed the clasp with a better, more secure latch.

Cosmos is probably right that I should be wary, she thought, but he can’t be as terrible as he says if he went through all that trouble.

She gripped the stone, closing her eyes.

“Fang?” She whispered, “if you’re out there still, can you help guide me? I don’t know what I’m doing now. I don’t think I ever did.”

A chill ran over her bare arms, and she decided it was time to change out of the ball gown and get out of the cold refresher.

****

Against better judgement, Hardwire sat at his desk in his fatigues and opened his comm.

He hadn’t really socialized with his fellow Commanders, other than face-to-face when circumstances brought them together. He decided tonight was the night that was going to change. No more being aloof and distant from his siblings, he was going to reach out.

He hit the call button, at first expecting no answer, until the blue hologram lit up his desk.

“Yes?” Fox tiredly grumbled.

Hardwire sighed, “she told me what happened. She was pretty upset.”

Fox covered his mouth, looking troubled.

“Are you okay?” Hardwire asked.

Fox sighed, rubbing his forehead, “I’m okay. I’m sorry for sneaking around, but I wasn’t sure if I could tell you.”

“I get it,” Hardwire frowned, “I just wish you trusted me enough to clue me in.”

Fox kept his face in his hand.

“Fox?”

“Hmm?”

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Just tired. I’m overworked and hardly sleep.”

“I know.”

“Now I have nothing to look forward to.”

Hardwire thought for a moment, then smiled, “what if I do daily check ins with you?”

“That sounds stupid.”

“Maybe,” Hardwire shrugged, “but I thought you were my favorite Commander.”

Fox cracked a smile, “fine. If it makes you happy.”

“It would,” Hardwire grinned. “So, I’ll talk to you soon, vod.”

“Talk to you soon,” Fox answered, “good luck with the 501st and 212th.”

“Thanks, I’ll need it,” Hardwire hung up.

[justafairytailofinnocence]

Hi,can I please get a Sirius black x slytherin fem reader, where Sirius gets jealous, because Lucius was flirting with the reader. And they end up cuddling.Thanks ❤️‍🔥

Hello dear💖, thanks for your request.

Sirius Black x Slytherin reader x Lucius Malfoy🐺💖🐍

Padfoot and bushtail🦊🐺

I was walking down the halls of Hogwarts, everyone kept to themselves, I don’t blame them not everyone in my house is confident or adoring like the Gryffindor’s. I was the oddball that hung around the other houses because we’re alike and no one should be excluded based on their blood status. Hogwarts was my only home and not only that I had met one of the greatest Gryffindor's to have ever lived the marauders.

Gaining the confidence through friendship was a main point for me and even more I had learned family was what you make of it. The marauders were my only friends and not to mention more like a family to me, we all became Animagus’s through a pact for Remus. Padfoot, Moony, prongs and worm tail then there was me bush tail. I was a small fox, sly and cunning while yet witty.

I had no realisation of where I was going, of course I bumped into someone because I was that clumsy. “Ah! Are you truly that dim-witted that you can’t see where your going” a boy’s voice boomed out to me “I’m sorry sir, oh wait” I thought it was a professor but boy I was dead wrong, he was a prefect.

The boy’s golden, blonde hair sat neatly on his shoulders and his grey, cold eyes glared directly at me. “Sorry fellow Slytherin, I’m in a rush” I got up to brush myself off “do you think you can just bump into me without merely apologising” he held a snake like cane that grasped into my shoulder. “I did” I wasn’t in the mood to have house points taken off me “If you insist girl, might I have your name” the boy sneered “y/n, y/n from Slytherin”.

He came up close “Pleasure miss y/n, might I add your not terribly hideous nor are you a mud blood”.  “And you are?” my eyebrow raised, he seemed prissy even for my taste. “My word where are my manners, Lucius Malfoy” the boy kissed my hand. “Ah great hey, aren’t you the boy that got my friends in detention” he seemed surprised. “By friends I assume you mean those rotten Gryffindor's, I don’t understand why you hang around such fools”.

I looked bewildered “as if you would know a thing about family”. Lucius sneered at my comment “Oh dear girl but I do, you see my family takes pride in our purity” he seemed rather proud. “I would offer something for you, but your poor friends do have no manners”.

 “Instead, how about I avoid punishing you if you’ll allow me to court you to my manor” he stood up tall. “You see I’m rich, I can provide you a life style that no other wizard can offer, you’ll be with a name so powerful that no mud blood shall touch you” he smiled.

Lucius offered an arm out to me, “I can be that man in your life to give you that power”. “Malfoy!” I could hear a familiar voice shout out from behind me “Well, well Sirius Black, the boy who betrayed his bloodline”.

“She’s taken, don’t you have any other girls lined up, oh wait you don’t” Sirius smiled “cocky for a boy who has no family nor a home” Lucius sneered. “I actually have a family, that girl happens to be apart of it” Sirius wasn’t the type to back down, he was protective of me. “You think a girl of her status would be after you, a fool has more eye sight then the likes of you” he sneered.

“Nah because If I were a fool, I would be friends with you” Sirius held my hand. “You best watch that tongue of yours Black”. “Y/n admit it, the mans not worth your time, a blood traitor doesn’t suit you” I had to choose the boy I had feelings for or a boy with riches. “I think I can tell the right sort for myself thanks” I glared at the boy “this won’t be the end y/n, just know you’ve made a very powerful enemy” Lucius stormed off with no hesitation.

I turned to Sirius, his arms wrap around my waist “Don’t worry, I didn’t think peacocks were your thing anyways”. I shook my head “I know where my loyalty lies” my head tucked underneath his.

We both hugged in the halls of Hogwarts, padfoot and bush tail.

Anyways that's all I have for now:

Ta Ta✨

[thebadgerclan]

The Dragon and The Fox: Chapter 3

Chapter Summary: Receptions and honeymoons...

@autumnbabylon

Last chapter, thank you for reading!

The reception was being held in the ballroom just across the hall from the one in which the ceremony was held.  All the guests had made their way into the reception, leaving Nikolai and Zoya alone for the first time all day.  He looked at his wife, Saints, he thought, my wife!, taking in her radiant, unearthly beauty. Zoya’s face was dusted with a faint pink blush, her lips turned up in a smile.  Her wedding ring, which she and Nikolai had exchanged privately after the ceremony, was silver, a dragon and a fox engraved in the metal, a matching one on her husband’s left hand.

“I love you,” she said, making Nikolai smile.  “I’ve never been happier than I am right now.”  Nikolai pulled his wife into his arms, kissing her deeply, chest flush with hers.  “As I love you, my darling.  I love you more than any words could possibly hope to convey.”  Zoya giggled, taking Nikolai’s offered arm, walking with him across the hall into the reception.  Guards stationed outside the door bowed to the royal couple before opening the double doors, which now bore a golden dragon rather than the Lantsov double-eagle.

“Her Royal Highness, Queen Zoya Nazyalensky!” an attendant announced as they entered.  “And His Royal Highness, Prince Nikolai Lantsov!”  Their guests rose and applauded as they entered, Zoya waving and smiling, Nikolai doing the same.  The newlyweds made their way to the table at the head of the ballroom, which was intimately set for two.  Nikolai pulled Zoya’s chair out for her before taking his own seat, taking his wife’s hand in his, pressing a kiss to it.

Servants swarmed the room, serving a meal of roasted quail, vegetables with herbs, freshly baked bread, and Kerch wine.  Nikolai held Zoya’s hand through the meal, his gaze more on her than on his plate.  He pressed kisses to her cheek every few minutes, whispered in her ear, making her smile and laugh into her glass.  Anyone with eyes could see how in love their monarchs were, how deep their devotion to one another ran.  When most of their guests had finished their meals, Nikolai rose, and the room fell silent.

“I want to begin by thanking you all for being here today,” he said, smiling.  “Zoya and I are so happy you all could be here, your presence means the world to us.”  Nikolai turned, looking at his wife, whose cheeks pinked yet again.  “Zoya Nazyalensky: my general, my queen, and now, my wife.  If I would have told you three years ago that I would be your husband, you would have laughed in my face, and probably slapped me.  And yet, here we are, and I have never been happier, never been more in love than I am in this moment.

“You saw me at my worst, at my weakest, and yet, you never shied away.  You stayed by my side and helped me when I needed you most.  Zoya, milaya, you are my strength, my comfort, my other half.  I love you so much, my darling, and I will love you for the rest of my life.”  The guests let out a collective “aww”, and Nikolai offered Zoya his hand.  “Might I offer you a dance, my bride?”  Gracefully, Zoya rose to her feet, taking her husband’s hand.  She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him, making him flush.  “I’d be offended if you didn’t.”

Nikolai led his bride to the dance floor, bowing to her.  Zoya laughed, curtseying in return.  “You, my love,” he said, taking her hand in his, his other arm winding around her middle, resting on the small of her back.  “Are the only woman I will ever bow to.”  “And you are the only man I will ever curtsey to.”  Zoya took his hand, her other hand on his shoulder, looking at Nikolai with all the love in the world.  The small orchestra began to play, and Nikolai and Zoya began to dance.

Swaying in time with the music, gazing into each other’s eyes, the rest of the world faded away, leaving only Zoya, Nikolai, and the love and adoration they had for each other.  Zoya released Nikolai’s hand, wrapping her arms around his neck, and he put his arms around her middle, pulling her closer to him.  “Your necklace,” he said, noticing the wire ship for the first time.  “Is that…?”  “Your ship.  Yes, it is.”  Nikolai’s heart squeezed.  His wife, his perfect, beautiful wife had taken an absentminded creation and made it into something beautiful.  She always did.

The song ended, and Nikolai tipped Zoya’s chin up and kissed her, long and sweet.  For once, she didn’t care that her affection was on display for all to see.  It was her wedding day, and if she wanted to kiss her husband, then that’s what she’d do.  Nikolai led her back to their table, offering her a flute of champagne, which Zoya took with a smile.  Cocktails were being made and handed around now, the guests thoroughly enjoying themselves.  When the musicians struck up a traditional Ravkan folk dance, Zoya beamed, practically dragging Nikolai back onto the dance floor.

Other couples had reacted similarly, pulling their partners onto the floor, laughing and smiling.  Zoya had learned this dance when she first came to the Little Palace, and Nikolai had learned it while at the front.  The steps were fast paced, involving spins, twirls, and jumps, but both the bride and groom were smiling ear to ear as they danced.  It was a sight to see: the queen spinning around the dance floor with her people, her white skirts fluttering along with the rainbow of silks of her guests.

The dance came to a close, and Nikolai decided to put his own twist on it, pulling Zoya into his arms before dipping her, making her squeal in shock.  When he righted her, he kissed her, smiling against her lips.  “That was fun,” he said, and Zoya nodded, kissing him again.  The orchestra continued to play, a mixture of slow and fast songs, but the queen and her prince retreated back to their table, where various nobles and dignitaries came to greet them, all offering congratulations.  Dessert came and went, a luscious chocolate cake with raspberry filling, and when the orchestra began playing a final slow song, Nikolai pressed a kiss to Zoya’s forehead.

“One last dance, liymibaya?”  Zoya smiled and stood, following Nikolai back onto the dance floor.  This dance, while slow and romantic, was different from their first dance: Zoya’s head rested on Nikolai’s shoulder, his arms tight around his waist, Nikolai’s chin rested atop his wife’s head, hand rubbing up and down her back, the other resting on her hip.  This was more intimate, the couple hardly moving as they gently swayed back and forth.  In her husband’s embrace, everything in Zoya’s world felt right.  She was happy, she was unreally in love, and she knew Nikolai felt the same.

Guests were filtering out, back to their suites or coaches, but Zoya and Nikolai remained in each other’s arms, the queen’s eyes shut contentedly.  Nikolai pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, heart feeling like it could burst.  When the orchestra finished the song, Zoya lifted her head, eyes meeting her husband’s.  “I love you, sobachka,” she said, pulling him down into a kiss.  “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”  Those five words brought tears to Nikolai’s eyes, and he bent to kiss his wife yet again.

“Zoya, I am yours, and I will be for the rest of my life.  I love you, I love you so much.  My Zoya, how I adore you.”  She pressed herself into Nikolai’s chest, and he held her close, kissing the crown of her head.  Genya appeared at their side, clearing her throat softly to get their attention.  “I hate to interrupt, but the coach is ready.”  The newlyweds smiled, and Zoya stepped back from Nikolai.  “I’ll be back,” she said, pecking his cheek once more before leaving the ballroom with Genya.  Nikolai smiled, making his way back to the guest suite he’d stayed in last night to change.

His dress uniform was neatly hung in the wardrobe, replaced by comfortable yet formal travelling clothes.  Once he was changed, Nikolai went to wait for his bride in the entrance hall to the Grand Palace.  Zoya appeared moments later, her extravagant gown swapped for a simple silver dress, her blue kefta overtop.  Her tiara was gone, and her hair fell in loose curls down her back, but the ship necklace remained.  Soft leather boots adorned her feet, and when she was near enough, Zoya pulled Nikolai down for a kiss.

“Are you ready?”  “I am,” the queen replied, taking Nikolai’s hand and exiting the palace.  The royal coach was ready and waiting, a team of 6 white mares whinnying where they stood.  Genya embraced her friend, a wide smile on her face.  “Have a good time,” she said.  “Be safe.”  “We will,” Zoya promised, Nikolai coming to her side.  “Don’t ruin my country while I’m gone.”  Genya laughed.  “I’ll do my best.”  Nikolai helped his wife into the coach, sliding in next to her, shutting the door and rapping the roof twice.  They were off, Zoya resting her head on Nikolai’s shoulder, heart light in her chest and a smile on her face.

Three days later, the queen stood on the coast of the True Sea, her husband at her side.  The Volkvolny sat waiting in the harbor, its flags fluttering proudly in the breeze.  The Lantsov double eagle still flew, but alongside it was Zoya’s dragon, and she felt her heart leap.  “Captain,” his lieutenant greeted.  “My queen, a pleasure to see you.”  Zoya smiled, shaking the offered hand.  Nikolai shrugged the familiar teal coat on, a wide grin forming.  “She’s all set for the journey, sir.  Have a wonderful honeymoon.”  

Nikolai beamed, shaking his lieutenant’s hand.  “We will, thank you.”  “Your majesty,” he said in parting, leaving Nikolai and Zoya alone.  He looked at his wife, the sea breeze playing with her hair.  They were headed to the Wandering Isle for two weeks, letting themselves forget their royal duties and simply enjoy themselves.  “Shall we?” the prince offered, and Zoya smiled, nodding.  “Let’s go.”

He swept her into his arms, carrying her bridal style onto the ship.  “Nikolai!” she cried, eyes shut as she laughed, kicking her legs as she was carried aboard.  “Yes, my darling?”  “Put me down!”  He did, setting her on the deck, at the bow of the ship.  “As you wish, dearest.”  Zoya spun around, pulling her husband into a deep, passionate kiss.  “You are a menace,” she teased, and Nikolai smiled.  “Yet you married me.”

“I did, and I love you.”  Nikolai kissed her, arms around her neck, hers around his waist.  “And I love you, my dragon.”  “Sir!” came the shout of one of the crew.  “Are we ready to depart?”  “At your queen’s command!” he called back, and Zoya laughed.  She turned to face the body of the ship, the crew waiting on her orders.  “Ready for departure!”  They scattered, raising the sails and lifting the anchor, the Volkvolny gliding from the harbor.  Zoya turned to face the sea, Nikolai behind her, his arms around her middle, chin on her head.  “I love you,” he said, kissing her temple.  “I love you too, sobachka,” the queen replied, her eyes on the horizon.  The rest of their lives was ahead of them, much like the open sea.  The dragon queen and the too-clever fox, hearts and souls bound as one, forevermore.

[rosesgonerogue]

I didn’t so much fall in love - It kicked me in the face Chapter Seven

Tim shouldn’t have felt nervous about his fitting, but his stomach had been in a state of unrest since the moment he walked in and saw her in the kitchen. Just seeing her brought a whole barrage of emotions he didn’t know what to do with.

“Listen to Alfred,” she reminded her son as she pulled off her apron - not that he would need the reminder. 

“Shall we?” Tim asked, offering his arm. Marinette didn’t miss the blush dusting his cheeks, but she also did her best not to draw attention to it, thanks to the matching one she was sporting. 

They walked for a few moments in silence until he said, “So do I need to be blindfolded, or do I get to see the suit so far?” 

“You get to see it. Now is when you tell me if you want me to change anything. It’s not done, by any means, but you’ll get the general idea.” 

He had practically spent his entire life in suits at this point, so in theory Tim should have known what he wanted, or even had some idea of what he was looking for - and he did, if he was just picking one off of a rack. But this was MDC. Of course it would be per-

“Um, I know you’re the fashion expert, but don’t most suits have a lining? Or something like that?” 

“The lining is going to be a surprise. Right now we’re looking at the fit, the style… Basically this is when you tell me if you hate it,” she said, handing him the garments before leaving the room. 

Obviously the clothes were unfinished. The pant legs were unhemmed, the suitcoat’s seams were exposed inside, and there was untrimmed thread everywhere. But as Tim put it on, there was a warmth that accompanied it. Something about the suit just felt right. He wore a stupidly satisfied smile when he let Marinette back in. 

She immediately began circling him, eyeing the whole thing critically, occasionally commanding him to raise his arms, or sit down, or something similar. Finally her face cleared. “I only see a few minor adjustments that need to be made. Do you have any requests, or notes?” 

“Well, I would like it to be lined,” he teased. “But other than that, this is the best suit I’ve ever owned.” 

“That’s what I like to hear,” she said with a smile.

Tim deliberated for a second before saying, “Listen, Marinette. I don’t know if Bruce brought this up to you, but I - we would like to invite you to the Wayne Gala. Childcare is provided for any who wish it, and it’s a masquerade, so you could potentially meet some new clients without compromising your anonymity.”

It wasn’t what Tim wanted to say - the words “date” and “plus one” kept pounding through his mind. 

“I’ll have to figure out a dress, but I would love to,” Marinette said with yet another smile. She was quiet for a moment, looking down before she met his eyes again, hers filled with resolve. “Before the gala, though, would you… You can say no, and this will stay strictly professional. But would you like to go on a date with me? It would just be to coffee, since I don’t have anyone to watch Leo, but-” 

“Yes!” Tim said eagerly, too eagerly. He cleared his throat before saying in a more subdued tone, “That would be wonderful. I would love to join you.” 

If Tim thought her smiles were bright before, now they were positively blinding. “Perfect. It’s a date.” 

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

Marinette couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit shy after that, but as her hands deftly pinned his suit, every fiber of her being sang with excitement. She had to keep it professional, though! At the moment she was on a job. 

Before she could say something and promptly put her foot in her mouth, she sensed a presence, confirmed by the sharp sound of a backpack hitting the floor. It seemed Damian was back from school, then. In a way she appreciated the presence of someone else in the room, but any relief he supplied was killed when he had to go and open his mouth. 

“So you’ve decided to use Alfred as a babysitter now?” he asked in that cold, superior tone of his. 

“Sir Pennyworth offered, and I gratefully accepted,” Marinette said, carefully pinning exactly where Tim’s suit coat needed to be taken in. “I can assure you that my aim is not to take advantage of anyone.” 

Based on her research, Damian Wayne hadn’t had an easy life. There was little to no information on what his life had been like with his mother, but he resembled a wild animal, suspicious, snarling, and scarred. He may finally be comfortable with his family, but it was clear he felt that Marinette was a threat, and it was doubly clear that he would use whatever means necessary to drive her away. 

But that was no excuse for what he said next. 

“He’s a valuable tool, isn’t he? People probably jump at the opportunity to give more than the asking price to the poor single mother with the adorable child. Or were you legitimately unable to keep his father? You-”

Damian was cut off by Marinette’s hand slapping loudly across his cheek. She shouldn't have moved so quickly, it was almost beyond the average human’s capability, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. 

“I don’t care what you say about me, I’ve heard it all before. But don’t you dare bring Leo into this. Since you’re so hell-bent on tormenting me with this, I’ll tell you. Leo doesn’t have a father.” 

Tim felt his heart stop at the look in her eyes, equally feral and wounded. Meanwhile Damian seemed… confused. It had to be at that very moment that Jason and Dick stumbled in from taking care of a hostage situation. Dick made to greet everyone, but Jason stopped him, taking in the icy atmosphere. 

“That’s nonsense, one way or another he has to have a father,” Damian sneered, losing a bit of his icy facade. 

“No, Leo does not have a father. There was a man once that took more from me than should be allowed - he took until he broke me. Leo is not that man’s son, he was the only thing the universe could have possibly given me to make up for what was lost. That man has nothing to do with Leo.” 

“Damian, you need to apologize to Miss Dupain-Cheng,” Dick said, face stormy now that he had somewhat of a grasp on the situation. 

Marinette simply held up a hand. “There’s no need, Mr. Grayson. I’ve been called everything he insinuated before, and that was just by people who were supposed to be friends.  But mark my words, Damian Wayne. If you ever insult my  son again, there will be hell to pay.” 

The silence and tension in the room was palpable, and Marinette fought to push down the little part of her that found their fear both satisfying and amusing. Instead she straightened her cardigan and said, “Each of your suits are over there. Go try them on.” 

If she had to hide her smirk from seeing all three of them fleeing with their suits, well, that was her business.

Taglist: 

@ii-fox-demon @queen-in-a-flower-crown @novaloptr @saphiraazure2708 @iamabrownfox @smolplantmum @redhoodedtoad @loysydark @slytheringinger300 @finallyaniguana @brokenwordsarehard2 @abrx2002 @mystery-5-5 @zalladane @moonlightstar64  @marinettepotterandplagg @black-streak @purplesundaze @maribat-is-lifeblood @the-fusionist @river9noble @chocolatecatstheron @darkthunder1589 @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @dast218 @k-poplunardreams @meanids @changelinggarden @ladybug-182 @pawsitivelymiraculous @zotinha456 @tumbling-down-hills-and-stuff @somebodyspersephone @spider-person95 @zestyzealot @toodaloo-kangaroo @kokotaru @kurogaya913 @tis-i-beanbandit  @annapointone

Note: We're getting closer and closer to the end, but this might not be the last that we see of Leo! I keep getting more and more ideas about what he would be like when he was older, so don't be surprised if this fic becomes a series. Last chapter I had an issue with the tagging, so sorry if that was an issue for y’all. As always, just let me know if you want to be added to the list! Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought! 

Edit: FYI, I really debated on whether or not to put in Marinette’s little scuffle with Damian, but I ultimately decided that it’s a good character building moment, blah blah blah. (It’s self indulgent, like this entire fic. I thought it was an interesting moment, so it stayed.)

[midnights-light]

Ladybug and the Hound

So before I begin I need to say a few things

This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic so it’s most likely going to suck and all that jazz

I do not own any characters in the DC or Miraculous universes (if i did everything would make little to no sense so yeah)

Can we all agree that  @ozmav is an amazing writer?

If you don’t like Daminette, don’t read it’s that simple

I am also going to use “Dogs are a Ladybug’s best friend” by @kelelamentia for some inspiration on this cuz I love that idea

All characters are going to be OOC so just be prepared

If ya’ll like it I might write more just let me know if I should write more or if I should never think about writing again (I have low self-esteem so if it look like I am hating on myself it’s because I am but I’ll get over someday but if you criticize me please at least try to be constructive criticism)

Now onto the terrible thing I decided needed to exist

LB-Ladybug

CN- Chat Noir

M-Marinette

Di-Dick

D-Damian

B-Bruce

T-Tim

J-Jason

A-Alfred

The Meeting

It was a normal Tuesday, ya know? Birds are singing, the sun is shining, the Eiffel Tower collapsed, ya know the usual. Well usual for Parisians who had to deal with this for 4 almost 5 years now but for those who just wanted a vacation like the Waynes... well let’s just say they were unprepared to see the Eiffel Tower come crashing down just a few blocks ahead of them as they were walking to get some pastries from Tom and Sabine Boulangerie patisserie for a afternoon snack and to walk Titus (they brought Titus because Damian refused to leave him alone in the mansion for two weeks while they are on vacation so Bruce reluctantly agreed to bring him with them). So them being them ran towards the fallen tower and see a few people dead and some injured. They help the injured, but just as they are about to get the remaining few out of the wreckage a girl in a clearly ladybug themed suit comes crashing to the ground creating a few cracks to form on the ground. She gets up with a groan just as a dog in a fox themed costume came running up to her and helps her steady herself. “Thanks, Hound.” says the spotted girl and as the batfam are about to check if she’s okay a... IS THAT A GIANT BABY?! Well the giant baby comes walking towards the girl and the dog when a voice shouts “If you go on a date with me Ladybug I will come help you just accept your feelings for me already!” 

Damian's POV

As soon as the spotted girl heard that she looked towards the owner of the voice and low and behold it’s a guy in a leather cat suit and on the outside I look indifferent to what is happening but on the inside the only thing I can think is ‘What is going on in this city!’ because I was just expecting a boring two weeks of ‘required’ vacation in the ‘city of love’ I hate the nickname of the city because as Father has shown love is a weakness. But apparently the city of love is not as boring as I thought it would be. The girl (ladybug I think is her name) now has a look of murder in her eyes and the dog (hound is what she called him) growled at him as ladybug said “Chat, you can’t be serious! You just caused the Eiffel Tower to fall and kill and injure people!” CN-“Yes because you can’t realize that we are meant to be together!” LB-”No we are not now either help or shut up so I can focus on gigantitan!” CN-”Fine then i’ll just sit here and enjoy the show” That one interaction makes me question if this is how it is everything something like this happens.

*Time skip because i can’t write smart plans or fight scenes*

Dick’s POV

After ladybug got his watch thing off his wrist she and hound tore it apart which released a black butterfly and the giant baby was now back to a normal sized baby. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?1 I’M SO CONFUSED! After I stopped questioning reality I realized that ladybug was comforting the kid (HE COULDN’T BE OLDER THAN 4 YEARS OLD!) she picked him up and was about to throw her spotted thing up in the air for some reason but was interrupted by the cat boy saying ‘Pound it!’ and acting like he actually helped her and didn’t just sit there on a roof watching ladybug and hound do everything. What the heck? Ladybug walks over to me and asked if I could hold the kid for a sec and I said sure because she looks ready to murder. After she hands me the kid she walks over to cat boy and started yelling at him about how he can’t just be reckless like that but it seemed to just go over his head as he replied saying something about how she owed hit to him to date him but I quickly stopped listening when the kid started crying because of all the yelling going on so I started to talk and play with him to cheer him up until he pointed to ladybug as she yelled miraculous ladybug and tossed the spotted object into the sky. I was confused about what she was doing until I saw a swarm of ladybugs appear and start fixing the damage, healing the injured, and even bringing people back to life. Then she came back over and was about to ask something but then a shrill beeping noise came from her earrings causing her to ask if we could watch over the kid until his mom came and picked him up. Titus and Hound were playing until she called him over to her and then they jumped, yes JUMPED, up to the roof and left. “What the hell was all that and does anyone else want to kill a cat boy?”

Tim’s POV

“So that all really happened, huh? It wasn’t really just a coffee dream?” I say and then look at everyone else has a different reactions to what just happened: Jason is looking at where dead bodies had been but now they were alive, Bruce is trying to understand what just happened, Alfred looks concerned, Dick is keeping the kid happy, and Damian is trying to keep Titus from running after Hound. I notice other civilians just walking around like nothing just happened and I’m just thinking ‘How long has this been happening and how have we not noticed? WHAT IS LIFE!?’

Jason’s POV

I look at everybody that was dead just walk away like nothing happened and I am about to ask Bruce if he know what that was when I feel someone bump into me. I turn around to see a girl around Damian’s age on the ground picking up the stuff she dropped while rapidly apologizing while a dog, presumably hers, was sniffing her making sure she was ok and had what looked like a glare on his face when he looked at me. M-“I’m so so sorry Monsieur! I wasn’t looking where I was going.” J-”It’s alright little lady, but if you don’t mind me asking, what’s the rush?” M- “Well you see I’m supposed to be helping in my parents bakery after I finished walking Captain but we got caught up in the akuma attack so I’m running a bit late. My names Marinette by the way. I don’t think I’ve seen you before are you visiting?” What’s an akuma? I’ll file that away for later for replacement to look at but for now. J- ”Yeah we are here for a family vacation to take a break from work. Would you mind if me and my family follow you to your parent’s bakery? We were heading to one for a snack but it seems we got turned around during the attack.” M- “Sure just tell me your names first so I at least know you to some degree cause I’m not supposed to talk to people I don’t know. I hate life but I’m not ready to die just yet.” She laughs and I swear it feels like the world just got a whole lot brighter, J- “Of course where are my manners name’s Jason. I have a feeling my family is going to love you and your dog.” I say as I hold my hand out for Captain to sniff and after he does he stops giving me what I swear looks like a glare but he’s still standing near Marinette when I notice my family looking at me and Marinette and Alfred asks me, A- “Master Jason are you going to introduce us to the young miss?” J- “Oh right, guys this is Marinette, Marinette this is Alfred he’s our butler/ grandpa, the one who looks like he’s about to pass out is Tim, the one playing with the kid is Dick, the stern one is Bruce, and the  one with the dog is Damian.” I say.

Damian’s POV

I hear Todd talking to someone and introducing us and as soon as I turn to glare at Todd I see the most beautiful eyes in the whole world. they look like sapphires and her hair is like the midnight sky. She looks like an Angel... wait WHAT!?  I only zone back in as soon as Todd told the Angel my name so I did what not even I  was expecting, I took her hand, gave the back of it a kiss and said, D- “Nice to meet you Angel.” I was not smiling when I saw her blush and I for certain do not want to make her blush again... but if I have a chance to then I will take it. Then I hear a low growl and I then notice that she has a dog (yes she loves animals to!) that is looking at me like he’s going to rip me to shreds and I will forever deny that I was a little scared. M- “Sorry Damian, Captain’s just a little protective of me and doesn’t like strangers being around me.” D-”I understand.” I say then I hold out my hand for her dog (Captain I think it was) to sniff and after he does he still growls at me but doesn’t look ready to tear me to pieces so progress towards getting to know the Angel before me. And then my good mood is ruined by the sound of my idiot brothers and father, the traitor, snickering behind us. I turn and scowl at them but they don’t seem to care. Meanwhile Titus and Captain appear to have met and are now chasing each other around making me and the Angel laugh. Her laughter sounds amazing and her smile makes it feel like the world brightens up just a little. M- “So shall we start walking to the bakery?” A chorus of yes comes from my family and then we start walking. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

BONUS

*Whispering* J- “Am I going crazy or did Demon Spawn just laugh and smile at Marinette?”

Di- “No I heard it to *gasp* do you think he has a crush?”

J- “Are we sure he’s capable of having a crush?”

T- “Well I’m sure she will be good for him, but what I’m confused about is how she doesn’t recognize who we are. I mean how does she not know us she didn’t even seem to recognize our faces.

A- “I think Miss Marinette will do Master Damian some good.”

And Bruce is just looking at his youngest son with pride. His first crush and he’s able to witness it.

So as I said in the beginning this is my first fanfic and It’s most likely terrible so let me know if I should never write again, if you want another chapter, or if I should just reevaluate my life choices.

Chapter 2

[templeofgloom]

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken

Summary: Young Lara Croft is at the crossroads in her life. Meeting an elderly archaeologist gives her some insight on what she should do. Based on the original 90's version of Lara Croft and her backstory.

Lara Croft took a deep breath.

This was fine.

Before her father had time to say anything more she turned around. "Sorry, Father. I think I should go and mingle."

She stepped to the door and opened it. If her father wanted to say something more he'd have to cause a scene.

But he was too much of a coward to!

Lara stepped out, her heels clicking on the marble floor. She was trembling and didn't want her father to see it.

"Lara!"

She turned to look at the blonde man. "Oh, there you are. Dear." She spat out the last word out like a curse.

The Earl of Farringdon paused for a moment, before smiling again. "Yes. Had a good talk? With your dad?"

"Absolutely."

God, he was so... Boringly pleasant.

She had known Thomas Farringdon since she was ten, and had been as unimpressed by him when their parents had made them play together.

Lara wanted to spat on the polished floor. Of course, even then, her father had wanted her to marry the boy one day!

Her father's words echoed in her mind.

"You would be a fool to turn down an earl, Lara! Don't be a child!"

She was in her twenties! She had experienced things her father had no idea of!

She turned to glare at the man next to her. Or him.

He reminded her of a dog. And not even one of those sleek racing greyhounds, or feisty hunting dogs that would disappear into the undergrowth, running after a fox. If he was like that at least Lara could have respected him.

No, the blonde young man was like a Labrador, kind and friendly and loyal.

And so very very boring.

He offered his arm to her. "Shall we go?"

"Yes," Lara told him.

Instead of taking his arm she started to walk towards the main hall where most of the quests were.

Thomas walked after her. "Um, so. About the wedding..."

"Wedding?"

"I thought you talked about that with your father? I mean, my parents think, my mother told me to ask you when you-"

When Lara had gone to talk with her father it had been with the intention of telling him she was breaking off the engagement. But she hesitated now to tell it to him.

"I'll see-"

He was still following her. She looked around the room full of quests, trying to think of an excuse.

She felt like she was suffocating at the sight of aristocrats talking to each other, exchanging superficial greetings.

Her eye caught something.

An old man who looked completely out of place, standing up the stairs, apart from rest of the people.

He was not, apart from his battered old fedora, dressed untidily as such. But the quality of the tailoring on his old-fashioned suit and bow-tie set him apart from the other quests who would not have been seen dead in anything but the latest haute couture.

Lara started walking towards him. He seemed to be examining the stained glass window.

"I see someone I know," Lara lied.

The earl looked up. "Oh?"

"Be a dear and go get yourself some refreshments. I am going to catch up with him."

"Who?" He looked at the old man. "Doctor Jones?"

The name was familiar somehow.

"Yes." Lara turned to look at him. "So?"

Finally the earl took the hint and walked off.

Figuring out she might as well talk to the weird old guy, Lara stepped to the man.

Doctor Jones turned to look at her, and Lara noticed he had an eye-patch covering his right eye. He glanced at the earl. "Was that boy giving you trouble?"

So, nothing wrong with his hearing, at least.

"That boy is my fiance," Lara informed him. "Also yes."

"Long story I take it."

He turned to point at the window. "Wonderful work. 13thcentury, I believe. It might be even be older. Unfortunately it's hard to track that down, I believe it was moved to this mansion from a French church some time in the 19th century."

"Are you here for the windows?"

"Yes, actually. I heard this mansion was very interesting architecturally, so I managed to get an invitation. I did a favor to the count some decades ago."

Lara gave him a look. He looked old, at the very least in his 70's.

And the name was familiar...

Then it clicked. "Doctor- You are Indiana Jones!"

Indiana gave her a look and tipped his fedora. "The one and only."

"You wrote the adventures of Henry the Cat!"

Indiana gave her a surprised look before a pleased smile spread on his face. "Yes, I did indeed."

Lara blushed. "I mean, I read them when I was- very little. I did read your traveling books later, of course, and some of your historical novels."

"I hope you enjoyed them. Henry the Cat especially."

"I did."

"I did write them for kids. I wanted to write something children could read, or their parents could read to them, and it would teach them about history and different cultures in a child-friendly way. And maybe get them interested in actual archaeology and history and languages when they got older."

"It definitely worked with me."

She had treasured the books depicting the adventures of a smart little cat with a suddenly-familiar looking fedora. He had gone on adventures and traveled to different countries and learned new languages and discovered treasures in mysterious ruins. At the time Lara had not fully appreciated the way the author had woven real facts and lessons into the books, but they had first gotten Lara fascinated with mysteries and ancient civilizations, and when she had discovered the author had written books for older kids and even adults, she had been delighted.

Indiana smiled. "That's the best feedback you could give me."

Lara nodded. "Of course, just sitting behind the desk, writing, that's easy."

She couldn't keep the bitterness from her voice.

She shifted her weight slightly. Her side was still bandaged, and there was pain when she moved her body in certain ways. She couldn't have worn her favorite dress because of it, and had gone for something far more baggy than usual.

Indiana gave her a curious look. "It's a big world out there. I know you probably feel like an adult but trust me, I did think I had seen everything too when I was your age."

"Really? Had you? Had you watched your friends die in front of you?"

"Dear child..."

There was something more in Indiana's look now. Suddenly his gaze seemed sharper as if Lara was just some interesting historical artifact for him to examine.

He took Lara's hand and examined her fingers. "Frost bite."

"Yes."

"It should heal fully... You were lucky."

"Lucky, huh?"

"You are alive."

"And for what?" Lara turned to look at the party. "For this? For a marriage with some... Man who has never set foot outside England except to go on a beach holiday."

"You are still young."

Lara turned to look at him. He had to understand.

So she told him everything.

How she had been returning from a skiing trip with her friends. How the plane had crashed on the Himalayas. How she had been the only survivor, and fought to stay alive.

When she had set eyes on the small mountain village she had felt like she was saved.

But now that she was back home, she would have rather died.

"Or not died," she corrected. "Disappeared into the mountains. I was... I felt alive."

Indiana, who had been listening without a word, nodded. "But you lived to fight an another day. There is nothing stopping you from going back into the nature, to the unknown."

"There is."

Lara took a deep breath. "My father. Lord Henshingley Croft. I told him I couldn't... Even if I stayed, I can't live the life he wants me to."

It was easy to tell Indiana all this. Perhaps it was because Lara was convinced they would never meet again after this. She could finally put to words what she felt. What it was that felt so especially suffocating.

"I can't marry the man he wants me to. I don't think. I can't see myself marrying anyone. Definitely not someone picked up for me like we were two pedigree horses to be bred."

"And your father is... Old-fashioned like that?"

"I told him I was going to break off the engagement, and he told me I was free to do so. But that he would cut me off financially."

He would do it, Lara was certain of it. No more skiing trips to Switzerland, or holidays in exotic places. He would do his best to clip her wings.

"Ah. I know a thing or two about unsupportive fathers."

"What did you do?"

"I left home. Joined the Belgian army."

"To fight the Nazis?"

Indiana patted her shoulder. "First world war."

"You're old!"

"And I have seen a lot. Known many people. Believe me, you have it better than many people do. If you make preparations, and have at least some family members who will support you, you can do it. You can walk away."

"Maybe I will," Lara told him. "But I could marry the earl. Old Tom is very dull, but kind. I could wrap him around my little finger. Would it really matter I don't love him? Most of the marriages here are not based on love as much as being able to tolerate each other."

"That's not true. Well, not all of them. But want a piece of advice from an old man?"

"Why do I get the feeling you are going to give it to me whether I wanted it or not?"

"Fair. But indulge me. At my age it is sometimes fun to play the wise all-knowing sage." Indiana raised a finger. "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

"I think I have seen that on a greeting card," Lara mumbled.

She turned towards Indiana. "Anyway, once I'm back home, I will find my old Henry the Cat books and send them for you to sign.

Indiana tipped her hat. "It would be a pleasure."

Lara felt better now. There was clarity. She had clawed her way through both a Girls boarding school, and icy wilderness. She could find a way to support herself.

Be herself.

Be free.

[darkmindsotome]

Risque Rouge pt13

Tagging: @umbralaperture​ @otome-smut-queen @silver-fox-of-azuchi @tsundere-mitsuhide @jennacat84

General warnings for the whole fic: Angst, some fluff, Mental health issues, emotional things, trauma, blood, death and possible triggers. Please read responsibly. 

Darkmindsotome Masterlist

---

Chapter 13

He hated this place. Actually, that was wrong, he passionately despised it with every fibre of his being. It was bad enough his latest task had been dragging on for so long, but the fact he was subjected to living in such circumstances whilst he worked grated on him.

Housing in this area was packed so tightly there was hardly enough room between the dwellings for even the light to pass them. There was a putrid stench in the air from the accumulation of so many people. Thanks in large part to the new network of sewers throughout most of the city, a lot of their waste was buried underground, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still smell it. 

He had been in several cities in his time and found that the smell of excrement and waste was overpowering for everyone, the added curse of supernatural senses didn’t help. He supposed he should have been thankful for the passage of time and its leadership for the changes to basic sanitation, even if it did little to prevent the prolific gatherings of cattle.

The small room was not much larger than the simple single bed. It all smelt of damp and the mattress was like sleeping on boulders. It dredged up memories he would have preferred remained forgotten.

Humans had a saying that depicted time as some great healer. Latour had never seen it as anything but a slow reminder of his own position in the world. He had been a charming youth his good looks and charisma had won him many favours and turned more than a few hemlines. He had been smart. Smart enough to know who to target for the best benefits.

Becoming a manservant was as high as he was likely to achieve on the social ladder. He could copulate with any number of noblemen and women but he would never reach high status, doomed as he was to always remain a dirty little secret.

He paced around his shabby room like a caged animal. Returning to France after his exile didn’t feel so much like returning home as putting his neck in a noose. His hand went to his collar and his fingers ran along his own nape. He had thought that the feeling of his master’s fangs plunging into his soft skin would never leave him.

Latour had been a pitiful, desperate human. Struggling to survive after being cast aside by a man who hired him. One that had treated him as something of an equal whilst he worked as a willing accomplice to a libertine’s whims and dangerous fancies.

In his solitude, he found himself regretting his promiscuous lifestyle and that it had left him with more than scars. His body was ravaged with invisible diseases that were slowly and painfully killing him. The memory of lying alone in the cold streets waiting for his pathetic body to give out on him rose in his mind as he remembered his master’s voice.

“Are you afraid of death? Agree to be mine, do everything I say and I shall heal you. Steal you from the hands of death and revive you, better than you once were. What will it be?”

The new life, the second chance provided all he had been promised and also showed him so much more. The years that passed saw much of what he thought of as his human self disappearing. A quiet rage he had not noticed in his own mind began seeping out, poisoning every thought and tainting everything he saw. The beauty of the world sucked dry and replaced with burning hate. Humans were no longer a source of comfort they were only sustenance. Any kindness he once thought they had vanished the night he accepted the offer of salvation from his master.

What humans called progress and a bright future only cast more shadows on the darkness, removing even the glimmer or of light at the end of the eternal night. The world was rotten, cursed and the ones that would complain were the ones making it so.

Latour blamed humans for so much. He blamed them for who he was, what he did. The temptations he had taken part in and how his own body reacted to it. He blamed them for their pathetic instincts to avoid him when he looked like a monster begging for help in his time of need. How he watched them run away thinking that the real monsters of the world had pretty smiles and beautiful faces. Monsters… Cattle.

“You will wear a hole in the floor pacing like that.”

Latour turned to find his master squatting on the window-sill of his squalid little room. His hooded leather jacket wrapped around him and draped off his body giving him the appearance of a creature with wings as he perched.

“Lord Amos!” Latour abruptly stopped and watched as Amos chuckled, extending one long leg to easily step from his perch to the floor and enter the space.

“We have preparations to make.” Amos remained standing by the open window, leaning his shoulder on the peeling whitewash of the wall.

“What would you have me do, my Lord?”

Thin light held them both in partial obscurity as they made plans befitting the night and the mocking moon that smiled down on them.

---

The sunlight felt far too bright when the comforting embrace of sleep finally let her slip out of its grasp. Evie lay with her eyes shut wishing in part that she could just return to her unconscious state and remain removed from reality a while longer. It was a fool’s errand as the fact she was already thinking how much nicer it would be proved how awake her mind had already become. Her hand padded around on the duvet as she scrunched her eyes against the light searching for the hand of the man who was no longer there.

She missed… what exactly? Before she had met the man, she had never once felt as she did now. Her life might have been sheltered and small but she had never once felt the loss of someone. It was curious really for all the times she had been spoken to by people after discovering her origins she had remained strangely numb to the feelings they thought she should possess. She had no memories of her past that might trigger such emotions and it always made her feel a little out of sorts wondering how she was supposed to act.

Yet here was someone who had not changed how he looked at her even knowing her past. He had not once shown pity in the same way that others had only a sincere desire to support her. She wondered if that was what she missed? The comforting warmth that held her after all heat had left her. Anchoring her to something tangible in a storm of unknown terrors.

After groaning her complaint at the bright sun, she stretched like a cat and pealed herself from the bedding intent on taking a shower to try to better prepare herself for the day.

---

The decanter of Rouge sloshed as the flow of crimson abruptly stopped and settled once more in the container. He looked at the crystal glass in his hand wondering what would happen today. The thick viscous liquid clung to the sides of the glass like a metaphor for life itself. He had seen many people in their last moments and found a simple choice that stemmed from the time they had already spent separated them easily into two categories. The ones that had fulfilled all their wishes and the ones that regretted having done too little.

He had heard and earned various names in the past for what he was and the things he suggested to those lying on their death bed. He had been called a devil, demon, monster, strix, draugr, a pishachi and Motetz Dam. The names he had worn in the eyes of the centuries numbered more than he cared to count and yet it was a cross he wore that weighed heavily in his chest allowing him to forget nothing.

Comte sat in his room watching the sand fall in the hourglasses as the clock on his mantel ticked. Evie had already shown him how affected by her natural instincts she had been. He found it both refreshing and heartrending to find a pure blood so affected by the natural order of vampiric acts. Her emotional distress swung like a pendulum balanced over the precipice of the void.

There was no avoiding what was to happen he only hoped it would not destroy her in the process. It was strange after everything he had said and done, all the time he had spent living. He was not arrogant enough to say he had no regrets but the thought crossed his mind that the biggest and most unbearable one would be if he hurt her.

“That face doesn’t suit you mio amico.” A voice that should not have been there called out and a sweet smell of tobacco filled the room.

“Leo? Who gave you permission to simply walk into my room?” Comte held his glass in one hand balancing it on the arm of his high-backed chair without turning to see what he knew would be Leo in all his unperturbed childish glory.

“I wouldn’t have had to walk in if you had answered when I knocked. Besides the door was open.” Leo selected a glass from the table in front of Comte and poured some Rouge for himself before taking up residence in the chair opposite his friend.

“It was?” Comte may not have turned for Leo’s entrance but he did turn in his chair now to look towards the door wondering if he really had forgotten to close it.

“You are not yourself. It wouldn’t have something to do with la signorina would it?” Leo watched the uncharacteristic manner of Comte. He had known the man for so long it had been a while since he had seen such obvious glimmers of the man he knew before he was thought of as such a refined gentleman.

“If you are here then you already know.” Comte ignored the question knowing it was Leo’s way to ask questions he already knew the answers too. It reminded him a little of Arthur or perhaps it would have been better to say Arthur reminded him a little of Leo in that regard. Both were highly perceptive and intelligent, drawing on keen observations and making connections easily.

“I could hardly ignore it. Pure bloods sense others more easily after brief interactions, I imagine what I sensed last night was nothing compared to you.” Leo drank some of the Rouge in his glass. A knowing smile was pulling on Leo’s lips in a way that irked Comte who felt it was far too early to be playing games.

“There are times I am glad that the ones that have been sired and turned can only sense their own master’s malaise when it is at an extreme.” Comte sighed taking a mouthful from his own glass hoping the nourishment would bolster his mental will to maintain his composure. His mind and body felt like they were at odds lately he wanted to very much to act in one way and found himself naturally moving in another. “I have to do something that might hurt her in order to stop her from hurting.”

“Better to be prepared for a fight than to never know it was coming old friend.” Leo responded to the latter part of Comte’s speech as if it had been a question. Which only prompted Comte to realise he had perhaps sounded more despondent than he was aware.

“What did you want to see me about yesterday?” Attempting to change the subject Comte decided to steer the conversation away from the topic of his latest guest.

“Oh, that? I can’t remember.” Leo shrugged, tipping the last of his Rouge into his mouth and then stood up to leave.

“Are you going senile?” Comte chuckled.

“If I am then so are you.” Leo placed one firm grip on Comte’s shoulder giving it a squeeze before leaving the room.

Comte sat for a while looking at the used glass next to the decanter thinking of the man who was rather like a passing storm. One of his oldest friends, one he would trust and one who showed up out of the blue to help without ever being asked. It was nice to have at least one unchanging variable when so much was unclear.

---

At first glance the pale lilac dress she found in the back of the wardrobe seemed rather plain compared to the other flamboyant and intricately patterned outfits. After she pulled it free from the railing she marvelled at the multiple layers of tulle fabric on the skirt. The varying shades of purple gave the appearance of flower petals. It was such an interesting dress she couldn’t help but want to wear it.

The heels of her shoes clicked happily as she crossed the entrance to go to the dining room. Her mood felt brighter today and she was determined to try to keep it that way. She was reminded of Uncle and how he used to tell her that no one wanted to see a maudling girl. He had never intended it to sound so cruel it was only ever intended to remind her to smile when she could. Uncle.

Evie thought about the guardian she left behind wondering how he was and what happened with the performing house. She made a promise to herself that she would go back soon and visit. They might not be related by blood but they had taken her in and raised her, he was the only family she really knew.

“Genevieve”

Before she reached the doors of the dining room she heard Comte call her and she returned his call with a happy smile.

“Bonne matain Comte.”

“I was hoping to catch you before breakfast and ask for a favour.” He walked up to her with a soft casual smile on his face that did not reach his eyes.

“If it is in my powers to grant your wish then I would be happy too. You have done so much for me I wouldn’t feel right in refusing.” Evie nodded wanting to help if it meant that whatever was causing his eyes to look so uncertain would be solved.

“I find myself in need of assistance. If you would accompany me into town and give your opinion on gift choices I would be very grateful.”

“Of course.” She smiled hoping it would bring a more natural expression to his own.

“Bien, merci. I shall call for a carriage and take you to a cafe in town. Unless you would prefer to eat before we leave?” Her idea didn’t exactly work but he seemed a little less tense. It was as if he were somehow reading her mind because he seemed to be schooling his own expressions now. She didn’t want to push after his kindness last night and once more showing him such a pitiful side of herself causing him to worry, she wanted to do something even if it was to not mention her observations and allow him to avoid having his actions called out.

“No that’s fine.”

“Un moment then ma cherie. Be a good girl and just wait for me.” Comte patted her head his fingertips brushed lightly over the edge of her ear that made her question if he was somehow made of electric.

After he left the entranceway he turned a corner and vanished from sight. She thought she would have a few moments to catch her breath but it seemed today was set to be another with a packed schedule.

She lost herself looking at the sky outside wondering if it was weather that called for a coat or not.

“Such a good hondje.”

A man spoke from the stairs in a dutch accent loud enough to grab her attention and when she turned she noticed he was not alone. If she thought that one man was like the sun then this one was his opposite. He had brown hair that was styled in a slightly smart but wild manner. A light coloured jacket over the top of blue knitwear and blue trousers with a pair of braces that were visible as he moved. The scarf hanging loosely over his shoulders was of a similar pattern to his companion.

“Theo that is not any way to introduce yourself.” Vincent smiled sheepishly after abolishing Theo. “I’m sorry Genevieve, mijn broer can—”

“You have no reason to make excuses on my behalf Vincent.” Theo came to an abrupt halt in front of her, his blue eyes were so close in a way that was intimidating and made it almost seem as if he were about to pounce.“Theodorus Van Gogh, art dealer and Vincent’s brother. Don’t confuse me with him.”

Theo didn’t wait for a response, he brushed past her and walked into the dining room leaving the door open behind him clearly out of consideration for Vincent. He was coarse, abrupt and had an air of no-nonsense about him that further added to the idea of him being Vincent’s opposite.

“Well, he is a delight.” Evie said tactfully not really wanting to jump to conclusions on a very brief first encounter.

“Sorry, my little brother can be like that with new people. Actually he is like that with people he has known for a while too.” Vincent said everything with such a pure and honest deadpan expression it caused her to burst out laughing. She quickly covered her mouth feeling a little bad for her reaction to something that was not intended to be a joke. “You’re smiling again.”

Vincent’s blue eyes were almost the same as Theo’s except they felt so much brighter, like a cloudless sky and both were looking at her now from fairly close. She froze unsure what she was supposed to do in the situation as it was not exactly obvious what he was thinking.

“Genevieve?” Comte called to her from outside breaking the spell between her and the human sunbeam.

“Ah, Oui! Pardon Vincent.” She gave him a quick smile and dashed away to meet Comte. Vincent watched her go imagining her to be like a pale wildflower. There one minute to be gone the next, beautiful and fleeting. It made him want to capture it on canvas, all the emotions and feelings layered in oils frozen in time.

“Fijne dag Genevieve.”

---

[thegayfromrulid]

Hello! Congrats on 2k kudos!!!! I love your fic so much :) I’d like to request a YujiKiri one-shot (real life AU) where Kirito and Eugeo go on a date at a park. Kirito loves plants and he keeps excitedly babbling about all the flowers and Eugeo is just thinking to himself, ‘lol I love him when he talks about stuff he’s interested in.’ I’d also like to add an extra side of fluff with that. (P.S.: I really love your fic and you’re an amazing person)

Awwwe. You’re so sweet. You’re amazing, too, kiddo! This was very fun and cute to write! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! One-shot below the cut! 

           Certain places are the kinds of locations you’d expect to go on dates at—like sit-down restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters, or, for fancier folks, maybe a dine-in playhouse. In truth, a date could be just about anywhere. Kirito’s choice for a date location was neither a grand cliché nor somewhere totally unexpected for a romantic afternoon: a walk through the park.

           It was a casual outing; I picked out an outfit that would be comfortable for outdoor strolls while simultaneously looking a little bit dressed up. I wanted to impress my date with my sense of style, after all. He’d probably compliment me wearing just about anything, but at least he’d appreciate some outfit effort. I hoped he was thinking the same.

           I met him at the park just after lunch. He waited for me by the park gates. When I made it over to him, we shared a greeting kiss. Kirito smiled and complimented my outfit—in turn, I told him he looked very handsome today. He blushed a little, then started to rub the back of his neck. I reached over and grasped his hand.

           “I’m only telling the truth,” I said.

           His blush intensified.

           “Shall we?” I asked, nodding towards the park.

           Kirito perked back up. He suddenly tugged me along the path, clearly eager to show me something. I wondered what kind of thing might excite him in a public park. He always had his head stuck in some kind of computer or machine; a park might have seemed out of character for him to the average onlooker. But I knew him better than anyone else, being his boyfriend. There was one thing—one simple little precious thing—that Kirito might want right here in a lush, open-air park such as this one.

           He dropped down onto a bench suddenly. I plopped down next to him, still holding his hand in mine as if he’d disappear if I let go. He pointed across the pathway to a tree, smiling at me with a curious sparkle in his eyes.

           “Do you know the scientific name for the camphor tree?” he asked.

           I shook my head.

           “Can’t say that I do,” I said.

           Kirito shifted excitedly, clearly happy that I’d opened up the floor for him to talk about this tree. This was his surprising side to anyone who wasn’t close to him. He loves plants. I was certain that after he gave me his bit about this camphor tree, he’d drag me down towards the garden to talk about the flowers.

           “It’s Cinnamomum camphora,” he said. “It’s mainly used for oils and timber.”            I chuckled.

           “I was going to guess it was related to cinnamon,” I said.

           “You probably shouldn’t eat that,” he noted. “Unless you really want to see me try?”

           I shook my head again. He grinned mischievously and pulled me up off of the bench to dash over to the tree. He made a show of mockingly going to bite it. I playfully whacked his arm, telling him not to get caught taking bites out of the trees. Kirito diverted his attention away from the tree for a moment to steal a kiss from me.

           His kisses were always as sweet as the scent of the flowers he liked to share with me. As he pulled his lips away to give me one of the best of his smiles, I felt a tug in my chest. I wanted to kiss him again. But he was already dashing down the sidewalk like an excited child. I did my best to keep up with him, if only to ensure that our hands never separated. I ran after him, drinking up the fresh, spring air and his pleasant aura all at once.

           He finally came to a stop at the edge of the garden. Spread out before us was a vast bed of flowers, arranged in such a way that they were a perfectly blended gradient of reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks. Their scents wafted over to us on the gentle breeze. A few people were milling about the garden, pointing into the sea of blossoms and speaking quietly to themselves.

           “The gardeners really outdid themselves, didn’t they?” I said.

           Kirito nodded.

           “It’s breathtaking,” he said. “You think I could ever make a garden like that?”

           Back at his place, he was trying to raise a plant for the first time. It was a pretty blue flower that was shaped like a star. He’d become quite attached to the gardening habit, even if it was just for the sake of his little blue friend. He seemed to be seriously contemplating having a much larger garden when he got a house. I pondered about that for a moment.

           Kirito, with a cozy little house and a largish garden out front, would spend part of his day working on his mechatronics and the other part tending to his plant friends. I couldn’t help but insert myself into this little daydream about the future—we were side-by-side in the garden there just as much as we were now. Just thinking about it made my heart flutter. I squeezed his hand gently.

           “What are you blushing about?” he asked.

           “Oh, nothing.”

           He gave me a quick peck on the cheek and guided me over closer to the edge of the flower bed.

           “You see these orange ones on the left?”

           I nodded.

           “Those are tiger lilies,” he said. “Sometimes I wonder if the person who named them put a lot of thought into that or not. The brown speckles don’t make me think of tigers. I associate speckles more with leopards and cheetahs. But a cheetah lily might be silly, huh?”

           His comment made me chuckle. I didn’t think of any animals when just staring down at a flower, but someone along the line must have gazed down at this blossom and been reminded of a tiger in some fashion.

           “Well, if not a cheetah lily, what would you call it?” I asked him.

           Frowning in thought, he grasped his chin with his hand and stared off at some point in the distance. His forehead creased just a bit when he was in thought. The progression of him thinking to him stumbling across an answer was evident on his face in an almost cartoonish way. His eyes widened and his face lit up with a huge grin.

           “I’d call them fox lilies!” he said.

           I lifted an eyebrow at him and smiled.

           “Any particular reason why?”

           “Foxes are orange,” he said, “and keeping with the theme, they’re an animal.”

           When I started to giggle at his answer, he gave me a funny look.

           “What?” he asked.

           “I don’t think you had to keep with the animal theme,” I said, leaning over to press my shoulder against his.

           He raised his eyebrows.

           “Fair point.”

           I wrapped my arm around his so that our bodies were pressed up against each other. I skimmed over the flower bed, looking at all of the different shapes and colors. Kirito started to babble mindlessly about each and every one he could identify. I watched him with a warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest.

           This. This pure moment of Kirito enjoying something without a care in the world was what made me fall for him over and over again. He didn’t seem to know when his flip switched and he went from a cautious, on-guard person just trying to fit into the social setting to a carefree individual just excited to exist and share his love for something. Watching him pull down all of his walls and be himself without chains brought joy to my heart.

           Facts about flowers from seemingly out of nowhere spilled from his mouth. Some were about how they grew or where they preferred to be planted. He knew the histories behind some of their names, and wondered aloud to me about others much in the same way he had about the tiger lilies. He simple biology facts, flower meanings, and whether or not they were edible.

           He even tried to prove one’s edibility to me. I had to stop him. I couldn’t keep myself from laughing as he plucked one flower and stuffed it in his mouth to prove his point. Knowing I was already too late, I reached over and grabbed the stem that was sticking out of his mouth to remove the flower. He let me take it and toss it in a nearby garbage bin. When I turned back to him, he reached over and cupped my face in one hand.

           “Hey. Hold still a moment,” he said.

           I stood as still as I could manage.

           “What for?” I asked.

           “For this,” he said.

           He slipped a blue flower’s stem into my hair in such a way that it tucked behind my ear. I felt the weight of the flower in my hair and locked eyes with him. His smile was so soft. I wanted to lean forward and kiss him again. I didn’t have to ask, though. He took the liberty of touching his lips to mine without needing to be told. When he pulled back and gazed at me again, he brushed the hair on the other side of my head behind my ear and sighed.

           “That flower is a forget-me-not,” he said, in a voice like a whisper.

           His eyes looked slightly misty.

           “Is something wrong?” I asked.

           He shook his head.

           “No,” he said. “I’m just thinking about how well that flower suits you, both in color and in name.”

           I lifted my hand to the side of my head and contemplated touching the area where the flower was.

           “What do you mean?” I asked.

           He smiled, but it seemed different than before. This smile exuded a feeling that couldn’t quite be put into words. His fingers brushed along my bare cheek.

           “Undying love,” he said.

           He pulled me in to yet another kiss. When we parted, he started to talk more about the symbolism behind the flower. It was associated with lovers not just in the sense of undying love, but of growing affection, loyalty to one another even apart, reminders of one another, and a connection between two people that would last a very long time. His explanation made him sound like such a sappy romantic.

           “What kind of flower would you pick for me?” he asked.

           I thought about that. I wasn’t as familiar with flower facts as he was. There was one flower, however, that I did know the meaning of. While it wasn’t as deeply thought out as his example was, I knew it could still come across as meaningful.

           “I’d pick you a bouquet of salvia,” I said.

           He chuckled a little at the thought.

           “Is that because of the story of me and Suguha eating it?” he asked.

           I shook my head.

           “Salvia means healing,” I said.

           A curious expression replaced his laughter.

           “I’m pleasantly surprised you know that,” he said. “But now I’m even more curious as to why you picked it.”

           It suddenly seemed embarrassing to spout off what I’d been thinking of. His example had been romantic, for sure, but it was the kind of fluffy thing that one expected out of a casual romantic comment. My answer was much deeper than just flirting in the part. I felt my cheeks flush with heat just thinking about it.

           “Is it that embarrassing?” he asked. “I promise I won’t laugh.”

           I shook my head. He was right.

           “I…I just associate you with my own personal healing,” I said, staring down at the ground. “Before we met…before we were together…things were really hard. But then you came into my life and you take me out here, where it’s peaceful and beautiful…and I feel like the hurt and pain I was feeling have been healed just by you coming into my life and helping me to…”

           I paused and glanced over the flower bed. I took his hand and squeezed it tightly.

           “…to stop and enjoy the flowers.”

           He let out a small laugh and pulled me into his arms.

           “I’m glad I can share them with you,” he said. “You’re more precious to me than any of these flowers, and they’re even more special now that I can share them with you, Eugeo.”  

           I slipped my arms around his waist and buried my face in his shoulder. I don’t feel like I deserve Kirito. This boy who stepped into my somber, dull life just whisked me away to a garden every so often and opened my eyes to a world of color. I might never understand why he cared this much for me, but I am grateful. Because the colors didn’t just come from the flowers right here in front of us.

           They came from the garden in Kirito’s heart.

[imjustthemechanic]

The French Mistake

Part 1/? - A Visitor Part 2/? - The Kulturhistorisk Museum Heist Part 3/? - Cutscene Part 4/? - The Marvel Cinematic Universe Part 5/? - Breathless Part 6/? - Escape at Last Part 7/? - Fox in Socks Part 8/? - Things Go Wrong Part 9/? - Downey and Out Part 10/? - Road Trip Part 11/? - Temptation Part 12/? - An Awful Reunion Part 13/? - Unreality Intrudes Part 14/? - A Call for Help Part 15/? - Loki’s Guests Part 16/? - Stan Lee Cameo Part 17/? - Reassessment Part 18/? - Midnight Invasion Part 19/? - Elevator Fight Part 20/? - Courage

In which Steve thinks way too much

“So are we still going to California?” asked Hayley.  “Or is that plan off the table?”

“I think we have to try,” said Steve.  It didn’t look good, though – the Chi’Tauri would almost certainly be there ahead of them, and then what?  Would they lie in wait for Loki, or simply tear the place apart when they found he wasn’t there yet?

“I have definitely gone crazy,” Downey remarked yet again.  He programmed the destination into his GPS.

“I don’t think there’s more than four of them, at least,” said Steve.  They needed some good news.  “The one that first broke into the room was the same one Natasha smacked with the fire extinguisher.  It had a bruise on its chest.”

“That’s good news,” said Thor.  “We know the number of our enemy.”

“And we might know something about how they got here,” said Natasha.  “After the last time they fought on Earth you’d think they would want to send as big a force as they could – if there’s only four, maybe that’s all they could send.  If so that’s good news, because it means they can’t call for reinforcements.”

“They hardly need them,” groused Loki.  “All we’re doing is running away.”

Before they could properly set out on the twenty-four hour drive back to Los Angeles, they had to stop for supplies.  At seven AM a Wal-Mart opened, and they were able to run in for coffee, breakfast, and more first aid supplies.  It was Natasha and Hayley who did the actual running, since they were the closest to being properly dressed – Nat was still in the t-shirt and leggings she’d bought at the airport, while Hayley was obviously in her pajamas but made it a little more modest by putting Downey’s hoodie on over her camisole.  Loki, in his pajamas, Downey, in Loki’s spare pajamas, and Thor, in nothing but one sock and a pair of briefs, waited in the van with Steve.

After what seemed like an awfully long time, the women returned.  They were now fully dressed in t-shirts, jeans, sneakers, and sunglasses.  Natasha had a McDonald’s bag in one hand and a tray of drinks in the other, while Hayley was carrying several plastic shopping bags.

“Uh, we left without our wallets,” Steve said, as they climbed back into the van.  “How did you pay for all that?”  He braced himself for Natasha to say they’d stolen it.

“I memorized Bob’s MasterCard number when we stopped to buy gas yesterday,” Nat replied.

“You did what?” asked Downey.

“Eat your breakfast.”  Natasha handed him the food.  “You paid for it.”

In the bags Hayley was carrying there were clean clothes for everybody in pretty close to the right sizes – Steve knew he could probably thank Natasha for that, too.  There was also another first aid kit, bottled water and deli sandwiches for the road, and a few other miscellaneous things, including a brace to give Steve’s ankle some better support than the ace bandages they’d been using so far.

Steve managed not to actually complain as Nat pushed the brace over his foot, but he held on tight to the headrest on the seat and he could feel sweat rolling down the side of his face.  His ankle was badly bruised and swollen in addition to whatever damage had been done to the ligaments, and it was the most pain he could remember feeling in quite some time. Steve had spent some time in the hospital after crashing three helicarriers into the Potomac, and the doctors had expected him to need months of physical therapy.  He’d been back on his feet by the end of the week.  Now, here he was, laid up for the foreseeable future with a sprained ankle.

“If you want to say ow, say ow,” said Natasha.  “Nobody here is going to think any less of you.”

“I’m fine,” Steve grunted.  “I’m just annoyed that I was stupid enough to get hurt in the first place.”

He was annoyed about a couple of other things, too.  He was still angry with himself for getting distracted by the Q&A panel, and that Hayley had to come with them because of that.  He was definitely angry with Loki for getting them all into this situation, and angry that he couldn’t have done anything to save anybody during the attack on the hotel.  The thing he was angriest about, though, was… well, he wasn’t exactly angry about it.  He was more confused, and deeply troubled by the implications, and potentially angry, if any of those implications bore out.

Why hadn’t he gone to save Wendy?

It was true that Steve’s injury would have kept him from running, and he already knew he couldn’t fight the Chi’Tauri hand-to-hand in this universe even when he was perfectly healthy… but that skinny kid from Brooklyn who’d been so desperate to join the army, he would have done it.  He would have known he would fail, that he would probably be killed and Wendy with him, but he would have done it anyway, for the same reason he’d once jumped on a grenade – because it was the right thing to do.

What had changed?  Could it be that after years in which courage was easy because Steve knew he was more or less indestructible, he’d forgotten how to be brave?  Could he really have decided to just leave that girl to die, because saving her would have hurt?

“There we go!” said Natasha.  “Nice and snug!”

Steve realized he’d tensed his shoulders and gritted his teeth, and relaxed both.  Nice and snug was an understatement, he thought, looking at his foot in the brace.  He felt like his toes were about to turn purple from lack of circulation.

“Thor,” said Natasha, “you’re next – let’s have a look at your back.”

Thor pulled off the t-shirt he’d only just put on, and turned to the side so Nat could see.  His injuries weren’t deep, but they were covered in scabs and Steve knew from experience that shallow scrapes to the skin, where all the nerve endings were, could be far more painful than they had any right to.  Natasha tore open a packet of alcohol wipes, and started swabbing.

Steve had managed not to whimper as Nat put the brace on him, but Thor did make a soft hissing sound as she touched him.  “I am unused to such pain from so small a hurt,” he confessed.  “I wonder if this is why mortals do not live long – any injury causes them such stress that their lives are cut short.”

Loki was watching with what appeared to be grudging admiration.  “You bear it better than I expected,” he muttered, low enough that Steve suspected nobody else had been meant to hear it.

“It is unseemly for a warrior to complain,” Thor said.  “I shall have to take better care, though.  Little as I like fleeing from battle, I did promise Elsa I would return her husband to her whole and healthy.”

Maybe that was it, Steve thought.  Maybe the reason he hadn’t gone to save Wendy was because he knew this wasn’t his body.  He was going to have to give it back to this Chris Evans at some point, and he couldn’t do that if he’d gotten killed – Evans was probably going to be upset enough about the sprained ankle.  That seemed like a pretty compelling argument, and yet it hadn’t been what was on Steve’s mind as he’d watched the alien drag Wendy into the hotel room.  What he’d been thinking then was that he couldn’t save her.  If he tried, he would fail.  That was true, but it was most definitely not the point.

Along with the rest of their purchases, Natasha and Hayley had bought a copy of that day’s Calgary Sun, a newspaper that looked to be on about the same level of as New York’s Daily Bugle as far as sensationalism went.  The events at the convention had made the front page, with a blurry photograph of the fight and the headline Out of Control.  Below that was a quote from one of the convention organizers: this is why the Marvel universe has Accords.

The actual article began on page two and everything it said made Steve winced in guilt.  People were speculating that it was a terrorist attack – the rest of the convention had been cancelled and all the guests sent home for their own safety. Half a dozen other events that were supposed to use the damaged space had to be rescheduled or moved.  Repairing the damage was going to cost millions and several people who’d been injured were already threatening lawsuits.

A few pages further in was an article about the destruction in the hotel.  Steve was relieved to see a note that a young woman had been found alive in the bathroom of the royal suite, but again there’d been extensive damage and many, many injuries. Reading it made Steve feel so powerless. As Loki had said, they couldn’t do anything but run away.

Once they were all dressed, patched up as best they could be under the circumstances, and had eaten, they got back on the road.  Within half an hour they were out of the city, heading south through rolling fields of yellow canola, or green pasture with cows and horses grazing.  Downey needed a nap, so Hayley was driving.  Thor and Loki were in the back set of seats, Loki glaring out the window at the world going by and Thor sitting awkwardly sideways so his scraped back wouldn’t rest against the seat.  That left Steve and Nat in the middle set of seats, with the newspaper lying in between them.  Steve tried not to keep looking at it, but he couldn’t help it, and every time he did, he had to shut his eyes to make himself stop.  There’d been nothing he could do.

“They’re right, you know,” said Natasha.  “That’s why the Accords exist.”

Steve opened his eyes again and turned his head to look at her.  “Really?” he asked.  “You want to talk about that now?”

“Not really,” said Natasha, “but there it is.”

“If we hadn’t been there, they would have taken Loki and none of us would stand a chance of getting home,” Steve pointed out.

“I know,” said Nat.  “Innocent people still got hurt, and they didn’t need to.  We’re not very subtle, Rogers.”

“You wanna hear something funny?” asked Downey.

“Nothing about this is funny!” Steve protested.

“I want to hear it,” said Nat, who must have meant it when she said she didn’t want to talk about the Accords – although if that were really true, she shouldn’t have been the one to bring it up.

“Chris was totally Team Iron Man,” said Downey. “We can probably find you the interviews on YouTube.  He said if there were real Avengers, he would want them to have oversight rather than just letting a group of vigilantes answer to nobody but themselves.”  He chuckled – apparently he really did find it funny.  “Nerdist called him a traitor!”

It took Steve a moment to remember that Chris was Chris Evans, the actor who played him in those movies and the man whose body he was currently borrowing.  The one he’d sort of hoped would try to live up to the ideals of Captain America, even if he couldn’t do so in the way Steve himself had.  He agreed with Stark?

“What about you?” Steve asked.  Maybe if the actor who played Captain America was really on Stark’s side, the one who played Iron Man would be on Steve’s.

“I always thought watching the fans freak out was way more fun than explicitly choosing a side in a fictional argument,” said Downey. “I gotta say, though, the guy in the room in Civil War who was making sense was Rhodey.  To think you always know what’s best for the world is arrogant and dangerous.  Somebody’s gotta be able to step in and say yes or no.”

“The problem is,” Natasha said loudly, “that this is a philosophical argument, and the thing with philosophical arguments is that there’s no one right answer.”

“That’s not what you were saying a minute ago,” said Steve.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying the whole time!” said Natasha.  “The Accords aren’t a perfect solution because there are no perfect solutions in an imperfect world, but they’re an attempt, and since they exist we have to go either around or through them in order to get anything done.” 

“You know where that got us?” Steve asked.  “That got us here.”

“That was the great thing about the movie, actually,” said Downey, “was that you could see both sides.  Tony’s got a point about regulation being needed, but Steve’s also got one about how it can keep them from helping people who need help. And people can discuss it all they want because it’s not getting in anybody’s way in the real world… until now, of course,” he added.

“Well, maybe now some people will change their minds,” said Steve.  He wondered… if Evans were, right now, in Steve’s body and in the hands of the Chi’Tauri, how did that make him feel about the Sokovia Accords?  Or was he even thinking about them?  Would Steve ever get a chance to ask?  Probably not, due to the nature of exactly how they’d passed between universes.  But if he did ever meet Chris Evans, he would definitely have some questions for him.

[miraculousmongoose]

Miraculous:Athena

Chapter 6

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian was finishing her lunch, her mind still buzzing at Marinette’s outburst. Furthermore, she couldn’t help but think of Nathaniel. Suddenly, the doors burst open and Lila stumbled through.

“Akuma in the bathroom!” She yelled before collapsing on the ground, à la Professor Quirell.

The room burst into chaos. Everyone ran in separate directions. Not knowing what else to do, she followed Alya outside. “What’s an akuma?” She panted.

Alya stared at her. “You seriously don’t know what an akuma is?”

“Nope.”

“Well basically, there’s this evil guy, Hawk Moth, and he has these butterflies that can turn people into supervillains. For some reason he always wants Ladybug and Cat Noir’s-”

“Who are Ladybug and Cat Noir?” Lillian interrupted.

“How do you not know about Ladybug and Cat Noir? They were even in New York City at one point!”

“I lived in Alabama!”

“Well, anyways, Ladybug and Cat Noir are Paris’ superheroes, but they also get others to help out. So far there’s been Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, but she got demoted because she betrayed Ladybug and Cat Noir, Carapace, Pegasus, Viperion, King Monkey, and Ryuko. They all help defeat the akumatized villain, and they are totally awesome! But Hawk Moth always wants their miraculouses, which give them their powers.”

“Hey, where is everybody?” Lillian asked, noticing they were alone.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure everyone’s ok…” Alya sounded doubtful. “Hey, where are you going?” She called after Lillian, who had run inside.

The lunchroom was full of chaos. Lillian looked around. Some students hid behind tables, others, like Alya, had run outside, and in the midst of it all stood a girl in indigo robes that were sparkling with golden stars and silver moons. In her hands she held twin golden blades, and she was standing over a girl with blue-black hair in pigtails. Marinette. Lillian looked around and spotted a trash can lid and some tarp. She grabbed both and snuck behind the girl in robes.

“I am Hecate.” The girl proclaimed. “I have power over everything and everyone.”

“Yeah, yeah, keep talking,” Lillian mumbled softly. She was right behind Hecate and banged the lid onto her head. Hecate collapsed, and Lillian secured her with the tarp.

“I’m not sure how long it’ll hold, so c’mon!” She said, and helped Marinette up.

“Thanks, Lillian.” Marinette said.

“No problem.”

Then, the windows exploded.

Chapter 7

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Marinette ran, feeling guilty for leaving her friends, but she knew that she couldn’t do anything as Marinette. She ducked into an empty alley and opened her bag, letting Tikki fly out. “Tikki, spots on!” Ladybug hopped out of the alley and headed back to the school. While running, she called Cat Noir on her yo-yo. “Cat Noir! Akumatized villain at Collège Françoise Dupont! Meet me there ASAP!” She closed the yo-yo just as she heard a scream. “That can’t be good.” She muttered.

The scream had come from Rose. She was shaking her arm frantically as golden light spread up it. Within seconds, she was encased in the light. When it fell, Rose had been replaced by her akumatized form, Princess Fragrance.

Ladybug gasped. She looked around and spotted Hecate, who was holding her swords, one of which was tinged pink. Rose’s favorite color. She understood what had happened. The blades had turned Rose into Princess Fragrance. Before she could act, Hecate threw her swords like a boomerang, hitting various students and employees. Soon, Stoneheart, Horrificator, Reflekta, Evillustrator, Stormy Weather, Timebreker, Reverser, Zombizou, Dark Owl, Dark Cupid, The Mime, Copycat, Antibug, and Miraculer joined Hecate’s army.

Ladybug knew she had to act now. She readied her yo-yo as Cat Noir spoke behind her.

“So, where’s the big baddie that needs some talking to?”

“Cat! Stop sneaking up on me!” Ladybug exclaimed. “Besides, we can’t let Hecate, the one with the swords, reach the remaining students.” She pointed to a small group containing Alya, Nino, Lillian, and Max.

“They’re all that’s left?” Cat Noir asked.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” He extended his staff to the ground. “Climb on up!” He called down to the students.

Alya, Nino, and Max climbed up.

“Wait, weren’t there four of them?” Cat Noir asked.

“Maybe she made a break for it.” Ladybug said, though she wasn’t very optimistic.

“Let’s hope so…” He replied.

Chapter 8

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian was running as fast as her feet could carry her. Seeing nearly all of her friends turned into those villains had scared her. She ran aimlessly, searching for someone who could help. She burst into her home, hoping her mother would be home.

“Mom- oof!” She tripped on one of her books, sending the contents of her bag flying, including the box she had found the day before. She stared at the box and curiosity got the best of her. Lillian opened it, and suddenly a small ball of silvery-blue light flew from it. She dropped the box in surprise.

As the light faded, Lillian saw what had been inside it. It was a light blue creature about four inches in height. It had no toes or fingers, just paddle-like limbs. On its forehead it had a blue v shape with a white feather design on the end. Two antennae curled like braids behind its back. It had five blue tail feathers with a mix of light blue and white design.

“Hello!” The thing said with a distinct feminine voice. “I am Unna!”

Lillian chose that moment to scream.

“Shhhh!” Unna said. “No one must know I exist!”

“What are you?” Lillian asked after calming down.

“I am the owl kwami, also known as the kwami of resilience.”

“Kwami?”

“Kwamis are what power miraculouses.”

“Like Ladybug and Cat Noir? Because my friend Alya told me about them.” Lillian said, slowly adjusting to the situation.

“Exactly! To transform, say ‘Unna, wing it’ and to detransform you say ‘Nest time’.” Unna said. “Also, you’ll need to wear the necklace when you do so.”

“Necklace?” Lillian asked.

“Just look in the box.” Unna told her.

Lillian pulled out a necklace. It had a horizontal stone cut into a rectangular shape that looked like lapis lazuli, but had four silvery streaks, dividing it into fifths. On the sides there were identical silver wings, and the chain was silver too. When she put it on, the chain turned to gold and the wings disappeared. The stone became pure teal.

“Well, here goes nothing.” Lillian murmured. “Unna, wing it!”

The same silvery-blue light that Unna momentarily surrounded Lillian. When it fell she was in a completely new outfit.

She had a skintight suit that was white on the top half, and light blue on the bottom. The colors were divided by a curved v shape that laid slightly above her waist. On her shoulders, she gained silver-blue feather designs that looked like wings. A blue rope threaded with black was wrapped around her waist. The mask followed the same color scheme as the rest of the suit. The teal in her hair had become white, and her eyes turned bright blue. And, to top it off, five blue tail feathers identical to Unna’s were on the back of her waist.

“Sweet!” She exclaimed. “Now to help my friends.”

Chapter 9

Adrien Agreste

“We’re going to need reinforcements, no matter what.” Cat Noir told Ladybug.

“But Hawk Moth knows the identities of every wearer except us. We can’t risk it.” She said.

“We’ve risked it before with Chloé.” He pointed out.

“But how would we get the right miraculouses to the right people? We don’t even know who King Monkey is!”

“We’ll have to do without him then. Also, I’m positive they would love to be heroes at least one more time.”

Ladybug hesitated. “Alright,” She said after a moment. “I’ll get the Miracle Box. Make sure they don’t get the students.”

“You know I excel in purr-tection.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Just keep them safe.”

A while later, Ladybug returned. “I’ve got it.”

“Let’s have a look now shall we?”

Ladybug brought out the Fox, Turtle, Horse, Snake, and Dragon Miraculouses. She handed Cat Noir the Horse and Dragon.

“Get these to Max and Kagami, I’ll handle Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Viperion.” She said.

“I’ll find Kagami first, so I can think of a way to get Max from Alya and Nino.” He said as he vaulted off.

“If I were Kagami, where would I be..?” Cat Noir muttered to himself. “She might be practicing with her mother at Jardin des Tuileries!”

Sure enough, both Tomoe and Kagami Tsurugi were there. He landed nearby and cleared his throat. “Ms. Tsurugi? I’m Cat Noir, and there’s an akumatized villain close by. We need both you and your daughter to split up and hide.” He paused. “For your own safety, of course.”

How will I know if Kagami is safe, though?” Tomoe asked.

“Ma’am, we’re professionals.”

“Very well then.” Tomoe walked off to her self-driving car.

Kagami watched her mother depart. “Why is it that I don’t believe you stated the whole truth?” She asked, turning to Cat Noir.

He grinned. “Right as always.” He brought out the Dragon Miraculous. “Kagami Tsurugi, here is the Miraculous of the Dragon which grants the power of wind, water, and lightning. You'll use it for the greater good. Once the mission is over, you'll return the miraculous to either Ladybug or me. Can we trust you?”

“Yes, you can.” She put the choker on. “Longg, bring the storm!”

“We’re meeting up at Collège Françoise Dupont, but I need to make a quick stop on the way.” He told Ryuko.

“See you there, Cat Noir.” She lept away.

Cat Noir headed where the three students had been. Alya and Nino weren’t there, which made his job much easier.

“Hey, Max, catch!” He tossed the Horse Miraculous to him. “We’re meeting up at Collège Françoise Dupont.” He said and vaulted away."

Chapter 10

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Ladybug raced back to Collège Françoise Dupont with Viperion right behind her. Cat Noir, Rena Rouge, Carapace, Ryuko, and Pegasus were waiting for them.

“Alright, so this is what we know,” Ladybug began. “The only true akumatized person is Hecate, who is the one with the golden swords. Those swords can turn anyone into their akumatized form, so don’t let them touch you. Miraculer and Timebreaker are both very dangerous. Miraculer can steal our powers and Timebreaker can freeze us and go back in time. Stoneheart absorbs all damage, and it makes him stronger, so don’t attack him. Princess Fragrance can control anyone who smells her perfume. Zombizou’s kisses are infectious, and Dark Cupid can turn all emotions negative. Horrificator can trap anyone in her goo and she feeds off fear. Reflekta turns people into copies of herself. Evillustrator can draw anything, the Mime can mime anything, Dark Owl has an endless supply of weapons, Stormy Weather can control the weather, and Copycat and Antibug have identical powers to Cat Noir and I.”

“They do have weaknesses, though.” Cat Noir said.

“Yes. Evillustrator can’t draw in the dark, Reflekta’s beams can be reflected, the Mime can only mime one thing at a time, Princess Fragrance’s perfume is highly flammable, Antibug can only use her Anti Charm once, and same goes for Copycat’s Cataclysm.”

“So what’s the plan?” Rena Rouge asked.

“Lucky Ch- huh?” Ladybug exclaimed.

“Wooaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!” A white and blue figure hurtled towards the superheroes. “Oof!”

The figure slammed into the roof where the heroes were.

“Are you alright!?” Ladybug ran towards them, but froze in shock. Her necklace was the very same one that Cat Noir had lost. She had the lost Owl Miraculous.

[vesperlionheart]

Inheritance prompt 10 with the Uzumaki clan. >=)

Of course.

“Yeah, but it’s not a literal marriage, right? That’s insane, and probably illegal,” Sakura asked over the speakerphone while lining her eyes with black liquid until they were perfect wings.

“You’ll have to clear that up with the family in question. Those were the only lines pertaining to you in the will,” Kakashi droned on, likely reading something while he also spoke over speaker phone. “You’re meeting with them today, correct?”

“As soon as I hang up I’m heading on over there.”

Sakura pulled away from the mirror and blinked a few times. She liked the ritual of painting herself up if it was before something that made her nervous. A test was less stressful with the right lipstick. A job interview turned into a cakewalk with enough mascara. It was at times like these she missed Ino most.

“You need an escort?”

“You think I need one?” she laughed.

She looked like a princess but she knew no amount of make up would make her right hook any less lethal. Her phone slipped off the side of the vanity and started to fall. Before it could fall halfway she grabbed it also pinned the wet rollers that were starting to tip over the ledge. Her speed wasn’t anything to sneer at either. If she was one of Kakashi’s top students that should count for enough.

She heard his sigh on the other end and set her phone back down, making sure it was flat on the table top this time. “You’ll call after your meeting, otherwise I’ll show up on my own and make sure my favorite student’s not being forced into a literal child bride contract.”

“I’m hardly a child anymore.”

“Same difference to me.”

She changed out her studs for dangling earrings, almost finished. “Hey, you never know. I might end up taking advantage of the inheritance if they are cute.”

“You don’t even know who they are, or what they are.”

Sakura checked her hair once more in the mirror. It looked light and fluffy, perfect for a night in sock rolls. “Doesn’t matter to me. I’m heading out now. I’ll text you when I get more information.”

Kakashi sounded like he wanted to say more but she cut off the call and dumped her phone into her purse, keys already in hand.

The Uzumaki clan’s compound was actually pretty far north, up in the mountains where the hot springs were famous and roads were thin. The clan was pretty traditional from the sounds of it. They ran an inn famed for its own private hot springs that made it a local jewel for the village.

It took her over an hour to make it driving the way she did. Halfway there she knew she could never move so far north, she was too used to multi lane highways and plenty of space to speed on straight roadways.

She pushed her sunglasses up onto her head, pinning back her hair. She whistled low at the sight of the sprawling manor. Not bad if this was what she got to marry into. The idea still made her laugh. All her friends thought it was laughable as well, but a few had been concerned, taking it seriously.

‘If they’re really traditional they may stick to it,’ Hinata told her, speaking from personal experience.

Sakura’s plan had been to look as prissy as possible and be her usual self. That was sure to scare them off and make them want out of the deal as much as her. She wasn’t this old and still single without a reason.

On the first level there were stairs down to the restaurant part of the inn and stairs up to the rooms. A hallway led back to the springs. Sakura stopped at the receptionists desk and waved to the girl impeccably dressed like a woman straight out of history. ‘Cute.’

“Hello,” Sakura greeted, still cheerful and excited to see more of the inn before going back. “I’m Sakura Haruno. I have an appointment here I believe with Kushina Uzumaki.”

The woman nodded, wordless and opened the book to scan the list of names. She found one and glanced up at Sakura before reading whatever note had been beside the name. Sakura watched the girl swallow and stiffly raise her eyes again. “One moment, madam. I shall phone them now.”

Sakura grinned when she saw the old fashioned rotary phone that looked like it belonged back at the turn of the century. It was perfectly elegant, like so much of the inn.  Sakura took a step back and entertained herself with the wall art to give the girl the feeling of privacy while on the phone.

“Yes….yes, she is….is she-oh, um….yes, I think so. Of course. Yes.”

Sakura heard the ending of the call as the hand piece was returned to the cradle with a click. Sakura turned back around and waited to be addressed, noting a vein of nervousness in the woman’s posture now.

“Kushina Uzumaki is expecting you in the gardens. Follow this hallway out and turn left away from the springs.” The girl gave further instructs and Sakura thanked her for them before going off.

The hall seemed to go on forever. Sakura swore she saw that same ink painting on the wall before. It was so odd, because she knew she hadn’t turned left or right. There was something off about the hall.

She forced herself to stop and concentrate on her breathing. She felt her mental spirit mount with the determination to break through any spiritual barrier or illusion and opened her eyes again. She could see the end of the hallway but didn’t walk towards it. Cautiously, she turned on her heel and saw behind her a red fox.

“That how you welcome all your guests?” she joked with a wry grin. It tensed at her tone and she bared her teeth at it, sending it running off into the shadows.

No wonder Kakashi had been worried about her. The spiritual side of her training was not her strong suit, since she switched over her focus to the physical side of things three years back. Still, she was his best student, so illusions cast by demons of such a low level weren’t something she was concerned about, even if she didn’t come from a clan.

She found the garden, but it was empty. Her senses tingled and she carefully set down her purse on one of the tables before turning slowly and seeing the same fox from before, only this time it had more than one tail and beside it was a black forest fox.

“I’m not sure if this is worth it, but I’m here, so I might as well humor the family,” Sakura hummed, pretending to be more concerned with her nails. “You going to bite me or talk, kit?”

“You’re the one Tsunade sent?” a new voice hissed. Sakura glanced back over her shoulder to see a female fox, standing atop one of the tables.

“I’m the one she mentioned in her will. A matter which I wanted to clear up, because I thought it was absurd to come across such an odd inheritance stipulation. I’m guessing this is the part where you try to eat me, or was the story about Kushina being here a lie?”

“She’ll be here if you’re worth speaking to.”

“I’m really not. I’m nothing special and I just wanted to be polite before putting this whole misunderstanding behind us,” Sakura joked, waving her hands. “You wanna just let me go and we can pretend this never happened?”

“We would of if you didn’t break through the illusion. Now we have to…” the black one dipped his head before the fox beside him-a twin-finished the sentence.

“-See what kind of meat Tsunade left us!”

Sakura felt the fox fire behind her but ducked fast, snarling at the thought of her hair being singed. She hadn’t picked the right sort of shoes for this sort of nonsense. The tags were pinned to the garter under her skirt and she slipped a couple out with ease before throwing one like a dart at the female fox. It stuck her with a yelp and Sakura activated the seal that canceled out fire.

“No more of that, kit,” Sakura teased, using her banter as a way to ground herself in battle. It was the next best thing if she didn’t have sour candies to chew on. She hadn’t been expelling demons long enough to be able to manage without some sort of crutch, like Kakashi or even Might Guy. She was still learning, but she was confident she could handle three adolescent kits.

The black one lunged for her, inflating in size until he was bigger than a dog, but Sakura caught him by the throat and slammed him hard into the ground, knowing he wouldn’t get up, demon or not. That was the price of over estimating her.

“Menma!” the other fox cried, running towards his twin.

Sakura was fast and grabbed him by the tail before yanking him back and flipping him up onto his back. He tried to grow under her, suddenly thick with chakra, but Sakura supplanted her heel on his neck and bared her teeth, another paper seal between her fingers. The girl fox was still caught in the first one.

“Of dear, my precious babies were quite embarrassing,” a new voice cut in, followed by hand clapping.

Sakura stepped off the fox’s throat and turned to the woman with long red hair. Sakura released the seal binding the female fox and her fire down and as soon as she was free she dashed for the woman Sakura guessed to be Kushina. The one under her heel ran to his brother, whining and chirping.

“If I knew it was going to have been like this I would have traded in the heels for flats,” Sakura sighed, tone level as she turned her back to the woman and reached for her purse. When she turned around the female fox was a red haired girl wearing glasses and looking flustered.

“You looked superb regardless, Sakura chan. I’m so glad Tsunade recommended you to us,” the woman cooed, folding her hands and smiling brightly. “You’re adorable.”

In spite of herself, Sakura felt herself blush. “Ah, thank you. I suppose the marriage contract was just a farce to get me here and see what I could do?”

On the ground the two fox brothers had turned back to boys and the one she knocked down was starting to rouse, surprising Sakura. The Uzumaki were a hardy bunch if he was waking up so soon.

She had been right about them being twins though, the only difference between them was that one had dark black hair, but both sported whiskers. They looked to be around her age, which was surprising, since neither had more than two tails.

“Oh no, dear, that isn’t true at all. We fully intend on engaging you to one of our clan’s children.”

Sakura blinked, staring up from the boys. “What?”

Kushina kissed the girl in glasses’ head and pushed her forward. “This is my niece Karin. On the ground are my sons, Naruto, and the darker one is Menma.”

Sakura was still struggling with what was said earlier. “…What?”

“Oh, and my husband is out, but he’ll introduce himself later. He’s really looking forward to having another girl in the family. It’s been hard on Karin being the only one. Speaking of that, which do you prefer, girls or boys? Or do you not care?”

Sakura felt numb in her bones. “………What?”

“And I know the boys are close, so you could take one or both depending on how you feel.”Sakura felt her eyes widen. “Or just marry them all, that could work too. Mostly in the past it’s just been two spouses, but there have been a few that took three or four into the marriage. It’s better for the kits that way.”

Sakura couldn’t keep her voice from cracking. “…What?”

The woman clapped her hands again, eyes bright and shocking blue in a way they hadn’t been before. “You’re tired from the long drive here though, so we’ll get your room ready in the family suite. Karin, want to take Sakura’s bags?”

“She doesn’t have any.”

“Poo. You’ll have to share for the night then. You look to be almost the same size.”

Sakura took one step backwards, robotically turned on her heel, and walked the rest of the way out, down the hall, past the front desk, to the parking lot and into her car. She didn’t panic until her key was in the ignition, failing to turn the engine. Nothing responded, not even the lights.

Still stiff as a fawn, Sakura got out and popped the hood, realizing in horror that her car was empty. There was literally nothing under her hood. It had all been magicked away.

Sakura grabbed her purse from the front seat and started to walk down the driveway, back out to the main road. She walked for maybe fifteen minutes before realizing she was caught in another illusion. This time the spell was far stronger and Sakura felt herself rightly trapped. When she turned around Kushina was there and the pair of them were back in the parking lot outside the inn. The Uzumaki matriarch smiled kindly, as if she thought it was cute a human had tried to break the spell on an illusion cast by a matriarch.

“Lady,” Sakura stated, voice cracking, “it’s not going to work. Your kids all will hate me. I beat them up on our first meeting. They’re going to resent that forever.”

“I doubt that. You’re perfect for this family. Karin will adore you for your seal work, it’s not often someone can trap her or seal her fire with a hand drawn tag. And if you’re worried about the boys, well…” She smiled to herself slyly. “I’m afraid your beating had the opposite effect of what you’re claiming.”

“No, I know what this is. You’re just in it because you need a human with chakra in the bloodline. I’ve heard this story before. It’s no different then how it was with the Uchiha, so you can drop the act.”

Sakura might have imagianed it, but at the mention of the Tengu clan Sakura had tangled with in the past the bright blue of Kushina’s eyes flickered red. Still, her smile never faltered.

“You don’t have to worry about the Uchiha while you are here. You’re safe.”  

“I’m not marrying your kids.”

Her frown was more of a pout. “But you don’t even know them! Don’t you wanna get a little closer to my cuties before you make a decision?”

“Not really,” Sakura laughed, feeling on the edge of hysterical. “I wanna go home and wear my ‘worldly’ lace pajamas, eat junk food like french fries, gummy bears, and ice cream, listen to a music player that doesn’t use a needle, and watch Game of Thrones like any self respecting woman of the modern age. I’m not dressing up like a shrine maiden and cooking for a man for the rest of my life.”

“You wouldn’t have, we have plenty of servants for that sort of thing. We’re actually quite modernized, you’ll find. The boys read comics and Karin even has a Netflix account.” The woman’s smile stretched up. “Also, no one is going to complain if you want to wear naughty lingerie in this house.”    

“I’m not!” a voice called from back inside the inn. Sakura couldn’t tell if it was Naruto or his brother Menma, but guessed it was one of them and it made her blush.

“Still, it’s a marriage. I…I can’t. You need my help expelling spirits I would be willing to hang out and help, but I can’t… just marry into your family. Tsunade made a mistake. My name shouldn’t have been in that will.”

The woman seemed to wilt. “I understand if you’re really that opposed to the idea, but please stay the week with us. Just seven days at the inn, complements of the family. Get to know the kids a little and then make your decision at the end of those seven days. That’s fair, right?”

Sakura glanced up over the woman’s shoulder and saw the three kids all standing in the entryway. Naruto was smiling brightly just like his mother while supporting his dark haired twin. Menma looked up and met her gaze, only to blush and duck his eyes. Behind them Karin watched wordless, masking her expression.

None of them looked dangerous, and the situation was vastly different then when the Uchiha had breached the subject with Kakashi. No one was demanding she make any dramatic life changes or give up anything important. They didn’t sound like the type to force their way either, if Kushina really meant what she said about the seven days. There was really no way Sakura could break through the illusion on her own, so Kushina had all the power to demand more from her if she thought it necessary.

If she renegade on her deal after seven days Sakura would call Kakashi.

“I didn’t pack for an overnight trip.”

Kushina’s eyes lit up along with her smile. “We have anything you could possibly need on hand. Just tell us what you need and our fox spirits will run and grab it for you.”

Sakura let her purse slide off her shoulder to the crook of her elbow as she sighed and relented. “Fine. Seven days.”

“Of course,” the mother cheered, taking Sakura by the shoulders and leading her back into the inn building. “You’re going to love it here, though. It’s a life time of pampering you have to look forward to if you choose to make this your home.”

Naruto and his brother were quick to clear the doorway for them, but Sakura didn’t miss how they kept themselves close as Sakura was led on a tour of the estate. Karin watched critically and Sakura felt her every move recorded by the girl’s mind.

“So we can call you Sakura chan, right, Sakura chan?” Naruto cheered, hopping alongside the group.

Sakura could only swallowed and nod as they led her around and set up her up in a room. 

True to her word all the things she requested showed up in the hour thanks to the inn’s fox spirits. She went to bed that night, not knowing how well she would sleep, but surprised how soft the futon was under her.

“Is it done?” Kushina asked, looking up at her husband with a soft smile as he entered their bedroom that night.

Minato frowned, stripping off his outer layers. “As best I could, but Kakashi is not any average human. He’ll remember her before the month is up, and he won’t be happy to know I suppressed his memories. Sakura is precious to him.”

His wife waved a hand and rolled her eyes.

“He’s not the only one who understands her value. And I don’t need him to forget her forever, just long enough for Sakura to fall in love with one of the kits. Did you hear Naruto going on and on about her after dinner? Oh, you will. The boy is smitten if ever I saw it. He’s almost as bad as Menma, but there’s no saving that child from the love bug. One punch and he was sold! I knew Sakura chan would be perfect for my boys.”

“Oh, did you now?” Minatoa asked, sliding into bed beside his wife. “What about our lovely niece? What did she think of our house guest.”

“Her nature is to be weary, but she’s far too fascinated with Sakura to be safe for long. I hope it ends happy for all of them and no one gets their heart crushed, but it’s just all my hopeful wishing.”

Minato kissed his wife and turned off the lights. “We’ll see in the next seven days, won’t we?”

[storylocke]

Honey GLITched: The Grand Illusionist

Sap:

[Staring up at one of the odd green spires that's blocking the path.] Do you think we can trust him?

Honey:

[Thoughtfully] No. But it’s either this or go all the way back down the mountain to see if Blake is still frozen. We might as well keep going.

Sap:

[nods in understanding.] It just feels too easy.

Honey:

[Snickers and looks down at him in amusement.] I think you're just over leveled. But that’s good, right?

Sap:

I suppose.... [Looks up at her with uncertainty] You sure have a lot of faith in me, don’t you?

Honey:

[Hmmm… that was putting it lightly. She hated putting the pressure on him, but with the rest of their teammates already in no condition to battle, he really was all she had left. Kneels down beside him.] Of course I do. I know it’s a lot to think about, but I trust you more than anyone else I’ve met since we left home. We’re partners, right? We depend on each other. [A bit more somberly as she knows what she’s asking of him at a time like this.] I guess it’s not fair to you though…

Sap:

Nonsense! I just… I hate disappointing you. And whatever they have cooking in there….

Honey:

[Smiles at him. She knows how he’s been trying to evolve, maybe even for her, but he’ll come around when he’s ready.] I’m sure you’ll be great. Win or lose, we’re in this together, alright? [wraps her arms around his neck to give him a hug.]

Sap:

Thanks. [Looks to the cave exit just in front of them, the illusion flickering out of existence in the Delusifier’s presence.] Let’s do this!

=+=

[Honey wasn't sure if it she'd just gone numb from being in the caves, or if she was so far gone that the rain fazed right through her, but she didn't feel anything as she stood at the foot of the ruins. Blake had said that Team Fusion would likely be found at the ruins of Haunted Isle, but to actually see those stone pillars suddenly filled her with dread. Would there be another gateway here? Even if she did slip through again, it would still be better than being trapped in this half-way state, right? Right. Without saying another word, she firmly stepped up the stairs to where she could see the three Fusion members scouting the area.]

???:

[The middle man pauses at the back of the ruins, and gives a snap to catch the other’s attention.] We have an intruder…. [They all turn to look at the girl rather warily. Honey stops in her tracks to realize that this member is somehow different from any of the others she’s seen. The nice orange suit certainly makes him look of a much higher rank compared to the workmen. He gives a friendly grin at seeing this meek little mouse of a trainer, but the expression comes off rather sinister.] Ohohoho, well aren’t you a curious little thing? Are you lost, sweetheart? Just passing through?

Honey:

[There’s something in that tone that thoroughly digs into her core and she’s suddenly shaking under the man’s greedy gaze. She wants to say something, but it just doesn’t want to come out. He knows why she’s there. She tries to keep her stance as she holds up Sap’s Poke Ball to challenge them.]

???:

As I thought. I don’t know who you are, but I have no time to be meddling with kids right now. Grunts!

Both Grunts:

[In perfect sync, with almost mechanical precision] Yes, sir?

???:

I’m surprised you made it this far, but no matter. Sweethearts don’t last long in combat. Destroy her!

Grunts:

[Honey takes a step back with a slight gasp as the pair descend on her. Again in perfect sync] With pleasure, sir!

[As they try to flank her on both sides, Honey, for once thankful, slipped right out of their grasp and staggered back to where she could let out Sap. The disgruntled pair let out their own Pokemon, a Magmar and an Electabuzz! Due to the rain, or perhaps in spite of it, the towering brutes seemed they were little to no match for Sap’s fierce defense of his trainer. A flurry of leaves nearly knocked out the Magmar before the fiery Pokemon got in one good hit. The Electabuzz found itself almost at a loss for what to do as those same leaves cut through him. Sap was hurt… but he was still okay. The Grotle remained out as he stared down the now unarmed individuals with intensity.]

???:

[He watched that battle and still doesn’t believe it.] WHAT?! Fools! [marching down the steps in a fury] Can I not entrust you with the simple task of handling a mere child?! I’ll just have to do it myself! [The man and woman automatically back away as their leader motions for them to get out of his way. Before he even reaches the level where they’re at, he tosses down a Poke Ball to release a Zoroark.] I, Michael of Team Fusion, shall bring an end to you!

Sap:

[Is honestly intimidated by this thing, but gives a loud croak at it nonetheless] So you’re the ones behind all this?

Zoroark:

[Just snickers] Behind what exactly? I only do what my master tells me, and right now YOU have picked the wrong team to mess with! [The black fox lunges at him with claws of fury, tearing at his branches to get to the soft core underneath.]

Sap:

[Oh really now? As the battle gets underway, he proves that he really can be a jerk if he really wants to, and the battle is almost a joke as he tries to heal himself off of the easy opponent. The Zoroark was dismayed to find it only pulling handfuls of leaves before getting bucked off, and at last his opponent tried to take a stab to find his shell nearly hard as punching clay. Sap knows he shouldn’t get too confident though when they had no idea how many more teammates were left. Snorts at the fallen Zoroark.] Now what have you creeps done to Honey?!

Zoroark:

[Wheeze… wheeze...] IN OL if I know… I’m just… just his little helper… [Despite claiming to not know anything, there’s still that sharp, cocky grin as he gets recalled to his Poke Ball.]

Honey:

[Is pretty sure the Zoroark wasn’t aware she could hear that, but it’s not like he gave much information anyway. Glares at Michael with a huff.] Now, I want some answers!

Michael:

Tch, you may have won this battle, but I don’t owe you a thing! We got enough information to make this trip worthwhile, so I’ll be taking my leave. I give you fair warning this time, little pest. If you ever get in my way again, I’ll end you so fast, you won’t know what hit you!

[As the three Fusion members charge passed, she merely steps out of their way and watches them leave. She doesn’t have the nerve to pursue them, but shortly after they left, she can feel the rain starting to seep through her clothes once more. Curious, she starts to walk over to where they’d been studying to see if she can find any of this “information” they obtained.]

Honey:

[She feels a slight rumble as she places her hand on the wall, and freezes in slight terror. … Nothing happens, but even when she removes her hand, she can still feel something buzzing at her side.]

Sap:

What is it? Is something wrong?

Honey:

… Oh! My phone is ringing! [Frantically tries to get it out of her purse] H-h-hello?

Blake:

Honey, can you hear me? Where are you?

Honey:

Blake? [Heaves a HUGE sigh of relief as she takes the phone gingerly in both hands and caresses it to her ear] Oh thank goodness! You have no idea how happy I am to hear from you. I’m up by the ruins right now.

Blake:

And Team Fusion?

Honey:

Um... well… They’re gone. [She hears a sigh on the other end and assumes the worse] I’m sorry, I should have stopped them, but I don’t have the training or the authority or even know how-

Blake:

But are YOU okay?

Honey:

[She pauses to wonder about that, but if Team Fusion is gone, the Pikachu is gone, the world isn’t on fire, and Blake is able to speak to her, then yes it did seem she was. Smiles up at the rain as the thunder gives a low roar to her.] Yeah, I’m okay. I’m feeling great now.

Blake:

Good, that’s all that matters. Why don’t you come on down? I’ve managed to patch up the boat to the best of my abilities.

Honey:

I’ll be there as quick as I can! [hangs up] You hear that, Sap? We can finally leave this island~!

=+=

Blake:

[There’s a nervousness to his smile when he sees her come out of the cave] Honey! Perfect timing. I think I’ve got her up and running well enough to get us back to port.

Honey:

That’s wonderful! After all this, I just want to go home and sleep for the next week.

Blake:

You did spectacular. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what might have happened. [He can see how she blushes at the compliment, but it’s kind of cute as she looks more proud than embarrassed. His heart sinks as he hesitates to ask since she seems to be in such a good mood.] But… I would like to talk to you about that.

Honey:

About Team Fusion? Of course! I’ll try to explain everything on the way! [As eager as she is to board the boat, she looks up at him in surprise as he grabs her by her upper arm to stop her from moving passed him just yet.]

Blake:

This isn’t about them. [Is looking almost pale compared to how he usually did, which was a feat in itself after all the work he’d been doing.] Before we left port, you said you were prepared for something I wasn’t. If you know what’s going on, then please… What happened to me?

Honey:

[Hesitates as they stand there in the rain, her mind running blank from fear and exhaustion. Very softly.] I don't know. You’ll have to be more specific.

Blake:

Alright. [Straightens up a bit as he tries to explain in a calm, authoritative manner. Instead he goes on with rising distress at the absurdity of it.] I saw you suddenly step through the wall of the boat and just as mysteriously vanish right back through it. When I tried to go look for you in the cave, these huge malachite colored spikes appeared out of nowhere, about ready to impale me! And I step outside to find the skies lit up with the lighting frozen mid-streak?! You saw that too, didn't you? [She doesn’t look at him, but he can feel her shaking under his grip. Almost ashamed to think he was scaring her with such lunacy, his voice softens as he eases up on her.] I’m sorry, I’m a bit… out of sorts right now. I just want the assurance I’m not losing my mind.

Honey:

[That… that hits hard. She can only stare at him a moment with fear, sadness and disbelief. It seemed impossible as her and Luke had confirmed to each other that no one else was aware when the cracks in reality happened. For his own safety, she almost wanted to tell Blake it must be something about the island, as it was “notorious” for strange happenings, right? Instead she remembers how she had felt after the Milkshake Ruins, and how it still burned to have no real answers to the increasing number of questions. She couldn’t do that to Blake. Offering a soft, comforting smile at the Elite, she places her free hand over the hand holding her and gives him a gentle pat.] You’re not crazy unless we both are. Why don't we get out of the rain, and I’ll at least tell you what I know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Now... as much as I love just how hammy and over the top the Scarfed Pikachu can be, Michael is, well... when he makes a threat, he seems to mean it. It's a lot less over the top, but I like to think he's the kind of person who's actions speak better than his words. o.O;;

Previous chapters here

[devilishdewitt]

Ladies of Burlesque, June 2019

Short’n’Sweet, off we go!

First things first, the most important part of any review I shall ever write:

~The Eternal Disclaimer~

It is hereby declared that this little nook of the world wide web shall be devoted to the praise & critique of the art of burlesque, specifically in Russia.

Let it also be known that I am first and foremost a benevolent force, and every single criticism is documented solely for the purpose of evolution, growth and inspiration, darling.

Never forget - it is fantastic that the burlesque scene in Russia has grown so much in the last few years. Brava, ladies! As a fact and a statement, it is absolutely fabulous.

However, I volunteer to wear the heavy crown of expertise, having seen many a show in many a place, and having a keen eye for detail and a heart hungry for that wow factor. I always come with an open heart, am quite easily entertained, and know how hard the craft is - I can overlook many a fault when there’s stage presence, charisma and that fire of passion. Oh, and self-irony.

All is sickly without self-irony.

Now, onwards! To fabulousness!

Ah, Michel! Beautiful as you approach it, delightful as you step in, courteous waiters, excellent food!

The stage seemed a tad bit too small and a little bit too close to the audience (to my liking), and seemed quite stifling, really. However, certainly not the worst option in Moscow!

Our gorgeous swan-queen host, Anja Pavlova was on top form both nights. Her hosting excelled  - the marriage of her Moscow State University philosophy faculty, English teacher experience (hello, fantasies), European lady class and Russian intelligentsia wit provide endless charm, wittiness and grace. Brava!

The chorus line was better. The routine was polished, they had fun - and so they were fun to watch. But still, ladies! Waists! Synch! It’s not that hard! A little shape goes a long way!

You, dearest darlings, already know how much I adore Ladies of Burlesque.

However,  h o w e v e r, there is just one thing I can’t for the life of me understand.

The fascination with Marie Weinberg.

Is she sweet? Undoubtedly.

Is she talented? Sure.

Is she good in this show? No.

Her tone of voice is just not suited to the mood, the vibe, the occasion.

Or she simply doesn’t make it work.

She seems dead scared every time she walks on stage, she doesn’t own the audience, she doesn’t seem to enjoy herself - and the audience feels it!

Being harsh is never my intention, and I have a healthy amount of self-doubt (believe it or not, darling reader!), so I decided to ask a certain number of fellow spectators. An opinion in unison…bland.

She doesn’t feel the energy of the songs she’s singing, either. She seems to simply enjoy the sound of her own voice.

And don’t even get my started on the crumpled, non-ironed dress (girl! Get a steamer!!) and the ill-fitting gloves. Oh, Whineberg…

Blanche de Moscou. Excellent! She completely transforms on stage. The sparkle, the charm, the stories, the moves - it’s all there! This time she entertained us with her “Pink 60’s” and “Kinky” acts. Both were great, though the Kinky one still isn’t Kinky - and even inserting a fox-tail butt-plug into her belle-chose (instead of it’s derrière-destiny) at the Kinky Party didn’t help the cause.

Elisha Fox - excellent as always. Unfortunate that the video projector got in the way of his dance flow (a very low ceiling for a tall performer (especially in those heels!)). 

However, his magic is inextinguishable.

Especially the “My Little Pony” addition in the end of the “Magic Lamp” number…self-irony at it’s best!

I know what you’re thinking, darling. It seems as if I write about Elisha is every review. That’s because...it is the truth! He is indeed one of the few (ahem, two) performers who are invited to almost every event. All the cliques, groups and cults want a slice of his boylesque extravaganza. Of course it’s due to the fact that he’s really, really good - but also, he’s one of a kind, and being a boylesque performer in Russia is an act of bold, glittery rebellion.

However, Elisha does get elephantine bonus points for being, indeed, the first and only of his kind in Russia. So if I were to judge our luminary on an international scale, he wouldn’t shine quite as bright, and here’s why.

The marvel lends too much focus to the technique. Burlesque is about the magic of connection - that is what the tease does, creates electricity between the performer and the audience. The tease, the joy, the desire to inspire, the will to share the story...Elisha has everything. Now he has to let it go and enjoy his time on stage. The dancing is perfect, but it doesn’t have to be. Make eye contact! Make a mistake! Breathe! Allow yourself to be alive on that stage. Because the audience wants to be alive with you.

If I could make one wish on the lamp of our dazzling genie...it would be that Tanya, aka @konfetki​, would look the part. The producer of such a dazzling event deserves to look as brilliant as the show. Oh, did I say deserves? I meant should. This is in no way an attack on anyone’s freedom of expression, but there are fairly simple style rules that would amp up the full experience. It’s a question of atmosphere, of vibe, of team spirit! When the team spirit is brilliance, you dress accordingly, darling!

It’s a damn shame that Victoria Semmybird wasn’t able to come. Tales of her Dumbo act travel far and wide, and St Petersburg burlesque quite often offers a refreshing quirkiness. Moscow takes itself so seriously...perhaps we shall see a flourish of comedic acts sooner rather than later!

Tamasina Beansun was alright. Her Vaping Moon act was syrupy, sensual and full of deeply-set inner emotional drama, and her Butterfly act was syrupy... sensual...and...well, you get me.

She did expertly get rid of a naughty button - rip it off and throw it away! That’s the temperament that could make her future acts truly shine.

Her Siberian Prime inseparable, Katerina Sahara, was her usual fabulous self. Starting with her Heartbroken act, that suits any occasion with its elegant languid flow & elements of enticing percussion. But it was her second act that really made the room explode with excitement. Take a Russian jazz-pop classic, add a feisty tropical/Cuban costume, add rum, twerking and brilliant charm and you got yourself a treasure.

Masha Arzamasova, a journalist, sex blogger and all-round brilliant lady did a stand up act on night 2 - and it was excellent. Sassy, confident, hilarious - the room was buzzing long after she sat back at her table. Refreshing!

I have a feeling that the Ladies might be lending this modest little writing endeavour a pinch of their attention, as Elena the Stage Kitten had her moment to shine and it was delightful! You go, Lena!

Wish I could say the same about Jeva Noir.

I must say, it takes talent to take one of the most adored and vivid female comic book characters - POISON IVY!!, choose the deliciously malicious Uma Thurman version, make some fern fans…and make it so bland.

Girl.

Posture.

That corset does NOT fit. It’s supposed to SYNCH YOU IN.

The wig is tragic. I’m sorry, but it’s just a fact.

Actually, no. I am not sorry. The reason why I’m making these comments is because I want the quality of Russian burlesque to rise and conquer the world. Someone’s gotta tell the truth!

The choreography is awkward and doesn’t do anything. It’s just moving for the sake of moving.

You can’t take one of the most ironically sexy songs in the history of mankind and NOT make fun of it or at least ENJOY it.

Apparently there is such a thing as too much glitter  ( g  a  s  p )

Also, sticky jewels on one’s forehead stopped working since every single festival-going chick started sticking them everywhere.

Caught a glimpse of Eva out of costume - my God, how gorgeous she is! Her elegant bob haircut suits her flawlessly, she carries herself with poise…so what happens when she’s in character?

A perplexing addition to the pantheon of LoB elegance.

I have the antidote to the sadness of this last paragraph, darling reader - our paramount lady, Anja. The two acts she brought to us this time were “A Lady Loves” (the big fan one) and “You’re My Thrill” (the moon act), dedicated to her lucky Persian prince husband.  

Well, let me tell you, she was our thrill. 

The lady loves and oh, the lady’s loved!

What really makes her stand out is the grace, the raw emotion, the adoration of the music (we can feel it in her bones), and just how much she loves this show and burlesque.

Another thing I must mention is the costume changes. God, I love a good costume change, and Pavlova did indeed bring. it. on.

From her breathtaking golden iris Mucha Bond-girl fantasy to a vivacious green glitter tassel Christmas tree fantasy (sewn in one night with no sewing machine!), it was endlessly entertaining and captivating - much like the lady herself! Also, the new wig length worked superbly well. I daresay that a longer style suited her much better than her usual curly bobs.

“Burlesque is unapologetic”, she manifests towards the end - and god damn, the gal is right! Unapologetic in its confidence, playfulness, storytelling and celebration of being alive in those bizarre, beautiful bodies of ours!

Hoorah, ladies and gentlemen! (of burlesque and beyond)

PS

The Ladies of Burlesque Halloween show will take place on the 1st of November at the same venue, Cafe Michel.

[ramajmedia]

Peter Jackson's Movies, Ranked By Rotten Tomatoes | ScreenRant

Peter Jackson is one of the most renowned directors working in Hollywood today. He might be most famous for bringing J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth to life on the big screen (in true George Lucas fashion, he did it perfectly with one trilogy and then divided fans with a prequel trilogy), but he’s directed a bunch of movies besides that.

RELATED: 7 Things in Lord Of The Rings Canon That Peter Jackson Ignored

He actually got his start in the “splatter” subgenre of horror as a young filmmaker in New Zealand. Some of his movies have fared well with critics; others haven’t done so well. So, here are Peter Jackson’s Movies, Ranked By Rotten Tomatoes.

14 The Lovely Bones (32%)

Peter Jackson has only ever made one major misstep in his career, and The Lovely Bones is it. It’s about a teenage girl who is lured into a weird shrine by a pedophile (who couldn’t look more like a pedophile with the thick-rimmed glasses, greasy hair, and creepy smile) and then murdered.

She then wanders the Earth as a lost soul, watching her family as they reel from her death. It could’ve been a powerful work of teary-eyed young-adult coming-of-age drama in the right hands, but Jackson just didn’t strike the right tone and the movie failed as a result.

13 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (59%)

It spelled trouble the second Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema decided to adapt The Hobbit as an eight-hour Lord of the Rings-style trilogy, because the book isn’t suited to that. It’s basically a fairy tale.

The Lord of the Rings encompasses three giant volumes, but The Hobbit can be read in an afternoon – where did the producers get the idea to adapt both of those to the same length? (Well, of course we know where: the promise of billions of dollars.) The third Hobbit movie focuses on “the Battle of the Five Armies,” an event that has absolutely nothing to do with any of the main characters, leaving them to be sidelined.

12 The Frighteners (63%)

In this horror comedy, Michael J. Fox plays an architect who finds himself able to communicate with ghosts and spirits following his wife’s death. This leads to a run-in with the specter of a mass murderer and the Grim Reaper himself.

One critic has described The Frighteners as a cross between Ghostbusters and Twin Peaks, but it doesn’t have the heft of either of those projects. Tonally, that description is right on the money, but whereas those two can be watched over and over again and never become tiresome, this one runs out of steam before the end of the first viewing.

11 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (64%)

It wasn’t too long after The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hit theaters that fans started calling it The Phantom Menace of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth saga. As the first installment of a prequel trilogy to a beloved and almost perfect cinematic saga that overuses CGI effects, has too many cheesy comedic characters, and ultimately fails to live up to the original, it’s fair to say that that’s an accurate description.

RELATED: 5 Reasons Why The Hobbit Trilogy Wasn't As Good As The Lord Of The Rings (And 5 Why It Was Better)

Sitcom star Martin Freeman has too much of a cynical, wink-to-the-audience quality to carry the weight of one of these trilogies on his shoulders. The Fellowship of the Ring, this ain’t.

10 Bad Taste (68%)

Peter Jackson’s directorial debut certainly lives up to its title. It combines horror, science fiction, action, horror, and a healthy dose of its titular tastelessness for a delightful, if gut-wrenching romp.

Like most first-time directors tackling an indie feature, Jackson leaned into his low budget and made a big-budget movie on a low budget for a rough, messy, but endlessly fun moviegoing experience. The plot sees an alien fast food chain coming to Earth to grind up human beings into meat for their burgers, and it only gets more absurd from there. Surprisingly, Bad Taste put Jackson on the film industry’s radar.

9 Meet the Feebles (71%)

Moviegoers enjoyed the novelty of Jim Henson-style puppets appearing in an R-rated movie with tons of swearing, sex, and graphic violence a couple of years ago in The Happytime Murders. However, Peter Jackson had reveled in this gimmick – and with much more effective results – years earlier with his film Meet the Feebles.

The black-comic tone of the film might not be to every viewer’s tastes, but with catchy musical numbers and a perverse puppeteering style, Meet the Feebles expertly uses juxtaposition to its favor. It’s an adult-oriented delight for people who grew up on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show.

8 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (74%)

If The Hobbit had been adapted as a two-part film as Guillermo del Toro intended and not stretched out to a trilogy, it would’ve been another story.

In The Desolation of Smaug, scenes that last a paragraph in the book and never should’ve been included in a film adaptation in the first place, due to their lack of consequences and relevance to the plot, are dragged out into half-hour set pieces. In Peter Jackson’s quest to make The Hobbit films as grand and epic as The Lord of the Rings films, what we got are movies that don’t feel grand or epic, but are really lo-o-o-ong.

7 King Kong (84%)

Since the original King Kong is one of cinema’s most revered classics, Peter Jackson took on a practically Herculean responsibility when he signed on to remake it. Jackson has said that he was struck by how much the original made him care about the titular ape, so that’s what he strived to do with this remake.

And it’s fair to say, since he used the motion-capture technology he pioneered with The Lord of the Rings trilogy and cast his Gollum, Andy Serkis, to play Kong, he managed it. We’re never on Carl Denham’s side – we see that the ape is just a fool in love.

6 Braindead (86%)

In his early days as the “splatter” king of New Zealand, Peter Jackson made this hilariously gory horror comedy about a man living with his mother who gets into trouble when he beds the wrong girl and a rabid rat-monkey turns the town into a horde of the undead.

Although it wasn’t a big box office success on its release, Braindead quickly became a cult classic, and in Time Out’s survey of the horror genre’s foremost actors, directors, and writers, Braindead was determined to be the 91st greatest horror film of all time. Simon Pegg also noted it as a huge influence on Shaun of the Dead.

5 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (91%)

Peter Jackson was shooting all three Lord of the Rings movies back-to-back, so if the first one didn’t hit, he would’ve been in a lot of trouble. The first chapter had to make such a strong impression on audiences that they’d be willing to commit to two more movies over the next couple of years.

Thankfully, The Fellowship of the Ring made that impression. It introduced audiences to characters they could root for – Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, the whole gang – and successfully sold the weight of what was at stake with a stunning prologue and an ensuing narrative to back it up.

4 Heavenly Creatures (92%)

Heavenly Creatures was Peter Jackson’s cinematic dramatization of the Parker-Hulme murder case, which rocked Christchurch in 1954 and has continued to echo throughout the New Zealand consciousness – in books, plays, novels, and of course, movies – ever since. The shocking case saw a 16-year-old girl and her 15-year-old friend murder the 16-year-old’s mother.

Until then, Jackson was known as the “splatter” guy – this movie proved he was a real filmmaker. This was the movie that gave Kate Winslet and, to a lesser extent, Melanie Lynskey (best known as Charlie’s stalker Rose from Two and a Half Men) their big breaks, and earned Jackson and his co-writer Fran Walsh an Oscar nod for Best Original Screenplay.

3 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (93%)

The closing chapter of Peter Jackson’s big-screen adaptation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy ended things in such a satisfying way that the Academy gave it a record number of nominations, and then when it won every single award it was up for, it also set the record for most wins.

RELATED: Everything We Know (So Far) About Amazon's Lord Of The Rings Series

And bear in mind that it’s unheard of for the Academy to even consider awarding a fantasy movie. Shooting the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy back-to-back was a monumental and ambitious undertaking, but it’s clear from The Return of the King that Jackson was up to the task and then some.

2 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (95%)

The second part of a trilogy tends to be the best – The Dark Knight, The Empire Strikes Back, The Godfather Part II, The Road Warrior, the list goes on – because it doesn’t have to set anything up and wind anything down. It’s a stepping stone; it’s all action.

However, most Lord of the Rings fans would consider The Return of the King to be slightly better than The Two Towers, because it’s the epic finale and, against all odds, it’s actually a satisfactory conclusion to the story. But then again, The Two Towers has the breathtakingly cinematic Battle of Helm’s Deep sequence that the MCU attempts to top three times a year.

1 They Shall Not Grow Old (100%)

The most impressive achievement of this World War I documentary is the colorized imagery. Peter Jackson took grainy, black-and-white photographs from 1914-1918 and gave them a splash of color and a touch-up to make them look like they were taken today by an HD digital camera.

As a tribute to all the young men who fought in the First World War, many of whom gave their lives, They Shall Not Grow Old is a powerful and poignant study that more than earns its rare 100% rating. The fact that the doc was released in 2018, exactly 100 years after the conflict ended, is the icing on the cake.

NEXT: David Fincher's Movies, Ranked By Rotten Tomatoes

source https://screenrant.com/peter-jacksons-movies-ranked-rotten-tomatoes/