#I finally got to the handcuff ep and it was everything I could have hoped for!!

[kurokitsunei]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 銀魂 | Gintama (Anime & Manga) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Hijikata Toshirou/Sakata Gintoki Characters: Hijikata Toshirou, Sakata Gintoki Additional Tags: Handcuff ep coda, awkward meetings in the convenience store, Feat. Pudding; Mayo; and Meltykiss Summary:

After being handcuffed together for a whole day, Gin and Hijikata run into each other in FamilyMart <3

[yohangaontdj]

Fictober 2021 (Gahan) - Day 8

Prompt No Day 8 - "This is it, isn't it?"

Fanfiction Fandom: The Devil Judge (TVN), Gahan, Lawful Husbands, Kang Yohan x Kim Gaon

Additional Character: Kang Elijah

Warnings: Re-write of the bombing by Yohan in Ep 16. Canon Divergent and alternate happy ending.

(Everything is the same in the bombing incident until Gaon came barging into the courtroom. That's when the re-write of the ending began.)

Yohan grabbed Gaon’s shirt, pushing with all his might to throw the younger man out of the courtroom before the bombs exploded. But Gaon resisted with a strength born out of desperation and before Yohan realised what was happening, he had whipped out a pair of handcuffs, shackling the two of them together.

“Uncuff me at once!” Yohan roared, shaking Gaon like a rag doll. His eyes darted towards the numbers scrolling rapidly on the screen and he caught sight of Park Duman trying to escape while the two of them were distracted. Kicking him hard in the chest, Yohan sent him flying down the stairs before he returned his furious gaze back to Gaon, yelling at the top of his voice.

“Where’s the damn key!”

“There’s no key,” Gaon, in contrast to Yohan, was a sea of calm, “I threw it away before I came in here.”

And Yohan went pale, his heart clenching in fright at what the younger man had done.

“I can’t let you do this,” Yohan tugged frantically at the handcuff, “You should live your life as a hero and not go down with the devil!”

But Gaon grabbed his hand stopping him from hurting himself. The smile that he gave was resolute and determined.

“I’m going with you. And whether we stay or leave this room, it’s all up to you.”

In that moment, Yohan deeply regretted involving Gaon in his life. He shouldn’t have been curious when he first saw his photo and he should have rejected his application, letting him be transferred elsewhere but be in the live court show. What a difference that would have make. And Gaon would have lived a life without manipulation, without becoming entangled in affairs that got nothing to do with him.

But Yohan didn’t and it was too late now to undo all that had been done. All he could hope for was that the plan would still work even though it wasn’t meant for two. For he had no more tricks left to salvage the situation and this was really the end, the final act.

Dragging Gaon back to the spot he had not moved from until the younger man came barging in. Yohan pulled Gaon against him, not caring how it would look before a ‘live’ broadcast. Pressing his lips against Gaon’s ear so that their conversation wouldn’t be picked up by the cameras, Yohan whispered.

“Listen! You got to hold on tight, stay as close as possible. I don’t know if it’ll work for the space’s really small and...” Yohan couldn’t speak, fear robbing him off his voice.

He couldn’t just walk out of here. He would love to for it would put Gaon out of harm’s way but he couldn’t. His fate outside these doors wouldn’t be so kind and jail was definitely on the cards. And what would happen to Elijah then? Even if Gaon could take care of her, she would forever be marked as a criminal’s relative – judged and blamed for crimes that wasn’t of her own doing.

No, he couldn’t do that to her. And so Yohan chose to put Gaon in danger.

“I’m sorry,” Yohan whispered as the countdown rapidly approached that one fatal number. And he raised his hand, bracing himself for what was to come.

“This is it, isn’t it?” Gaon whispered, his right arm wrapped around Yohan’s neck, holding on as tight as he could without strangling the man.

“And there’s nothing to apologise for. It’s been a pleasure, hyung, knowing you and just in case...I love you.”

The smile that broke out was so bright and brilliant but Gaon couldn’t see due to the position he was in. It didn’t matter though for Gaon could feel Yohan’s heart pounding – a thrumming vibration fast and soaring.

And when the fatal number finally flashed non-stop on the huge screen before him, Yohan pressed the detonator, setting off the bombs that had been there all along, embedded in the walls.

The first to go were the ones at the far end where the judges sat as the presided over the trials. They wiped out the cameras located there – a necessity if Yohan’s plan was to be a success. Next to go where the bombs on the left and right, simultaneously going off and wiping out even more cameras that was trained in their direction. And when the ones in the ceiling finally went off, sending rubble and concrete raining down like on everyone, the trapdoor beneath Yohan’s feet finally sprang open, dropping them into the inky darkness below.

-

A week later.

Yohan spluttered out his coffee, aghast at what he had been reading on his new tablet at the dining table.

“Ewww....” Elijah backed her wheelchair away, face scrunched up in disgust, “You really have no table manners.”

Ignoring her, Yohan waved the tablet in the direction of the kitchen, “I can’t believe they’re doing this!”

That caught the interest of Gaon and he sauntered over, hands sliding down Yohan’s chest as he perched his chin on Yohan’s head, reading the article that had startled him so much.

Petition to Make Gahan An Official Memorial Day

Since the death of Kang Yohan and Kim Gaon in the tragic bombing of the Supreme Court, fans and worshippers alike had been mourning their loss, lauding them as Korean’s version of Romeo and Juliet.

And in the latest turn of events, a petition, started by a netizen who didn’t want them to be forgotten, had garnered a million signatures in a day. Dubbed the Gahan Memorial Day (though the couple had other names, depending on the fanbase), the petition is demanding for the Blue House to make the death anniversary of Kang Yohan and Kim Gaon an official memorial day.

Attempts had been made to contact the Blue House for their comments but was met with silence instead. So until there is any further development, it is now but a waiting game to see if the petition will reach the kind of numbers that will be too astronomical for the Blue House to keep ignoring it.

By the time Gaon was done reading the article, he was chuckling, a wide grin on his face.

“The kind of things people are willing to do,” Gaon shook his head before his smile turned impish.

Directing his question at Yohan, “Do you even know what Gahan means?”

“Gaon and Yohan,” Yohan muttered distractedly, already scrolling on to another article and was in the midst of reading it.

“And do you know that they usually put the name of the dominant one first?”

That got Yohan to stare at him, wondering what was the point of the conversation.

“So that means I’m the dominant one and you..” Gaon jabbed a finger at Yohan’s nose, “being the submissive one, must submit to me at all times.”

“Why must I submit to you!” Yohan suddenly stood up, making sure he tiptoed a little so that he could tower over Gaon, “I’m the experienced one so you should...”

Elijah quickly escaped to the balcony, sliding the glass door shut and cutting off the voices bickering inside. Leaning against the railing, a contented smile on her lips, Elijah admired the view laid out before her. The sky was a pale blue, the breeze warm and gentle, and the lake was calm with barely a ripple to disturb its surface.

Yohan was here, Gaon too, both doing fine after surviving the fall with minor fractures and a ton of bruises. Her surgery had been scheduled too, next Wednesday morning and even though it was a 50-50 chance, Elijah wasn’t fretting over it. Whether she walked or not wouldn’t change the fact that her life was more than great now that they were finally together as a family.

(For more Fictober 2021 (Gahan) - Read here.)

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here having just finished the latest episode myself and I will say, while I don't forgive them giving us a Marialess episode while also denying us Alex and Kyle (how does that even make sense after last episode??!!) I can't say this was a bad episode. Dallas continues to shine and the Jones/Max contrast was incredible (I owe Nathan Dean Parsons so many apologies, he's been phenomenal this season). The Michael reveals were interesting but I was disappointed there was no build up TBC.

The power reveal and Sanders scene in general would have hit so much harder if it had been hinted at/built up over a few episodes. Instead i feel like it came out of nowhere, and as much as I loved the Sanders talk, even the set up for that felt like it came out of nowhere. Anyway, also loved seeing Liz and Isobel kick ass in their own ways. Finally, if it's not Alex on the ground during the Michael/Jones showdown in the finale promo I'm suing this show for emotional damages.

I'm honestly a little baffled that everyone seemed to hate this episode? Maybe it's just because I have SUCH a hard time with m*ria and the way she was centered in everything but I would happily, easily watch this full episode in place of each of her individual scenes across this whole season. I do have some issues with this episode that I think stem from mistakes earlier in the season (not sparks joy post is coming and hopefully before the weekend this time!), but overall I enjoyed it! We got a battle of minds and wills with Liz and Jones and Liz really displayed some growth that Jones hasn't accounted for which was nice to see, Heath is now interesting because we know what he's fighting for, the Isobel/Rosa stuff was good as was Max/Dallas and Michael/Sanders, and despite some emotional beats that could have been hit that were missed, we did get a lot of information and I'm always asking for more info so I can't complain about getting it! And of course, Dallas, my beloved, is my new fave and he was so good this episode! My complaint is that we didn't get SO MUCH MORE of him sooner. Also, no m*ria this ep which means I was able to watch in peace with an unclenched jaw!

I've got some mixed feelings about the power reveal but I agree we should have seen some traces of that building up before the big reveal, and as I said in that other ask, we should have gotten this Sanders conversation along with him talking to Michael about Alex before and let this handcuff scene just be that, and with Malex. If only there was several hours at the beginning of the season that weren't being used, we could have had a better lead up to this episode and also not shoved ALL the information into it. 🙃🙃🙃

IDK about the person on the ground next week, I've got FEARS that it's Sanders, but I don't think he'll die, my money is still on Wyatt. I DO hope we get a VERY dramatic "Michael is impervious to fire" reveal with a desperate yelling Alex. I'm also holding out for a handprint healing though at this point with everything going on, I would settle for that happening next season when we can have the time and space to dig into that over an episode or two and maybe FINALLY earn that S-rating from 3x10 with some Malex handprint sex that is longer than .5 seconds.

Just one more week! I can't believe how quickly this season has flown by!

[letstalksymphogear]

Symphogear, EP. 2

Last time, on Symphogear!

An adorable little girl, stood up by her date for a reasonable explanation, jams it out with her favorite pop duo, caught unawares that they are also a monster-fighting syndicate experimenting with the power of sound (the power to make you dizzy) to activate an ancient historical relic. Shit goes south as the jams prove to be too powerful, guaranteeing tragedy amidst an otherwise baller concert. Hibiki is rescued by The Bigger Of The Lesbians before she self-destructs to make sure the entire threat is neutralized, leaving The Smaller Lesbian sad, yet still incredibly gay. Years pass as our protagonist goes to Music School, for Music, to bunk it up with her girlfriend as she tries to figure out what the hell happened. Her prayers are answered when she tries to rescue a little girl and is promptly cornered, activating the same outfit The Bigger Lesbian that saved her had on. Gungnir Dattos all around, The Smaller Lesbian loses her shit as everything goes downhill from there.

Now, where were we?

...right. The piss beacon.

And the person taking the piss.

Hibiki has nary a clue what to do. Symphogears don’t actually come with manuals, you see. They’re sort of a “close your eyes and wing it” kind of experience. In Tsubasa’s case, it’s quite literal.

“FUCK that was COOL AS SHIT, tight as FUCKING HELL”

Take pity on this face. This is the face of someone who’s last memories will be a confused lady wondering why she is suddenly part machine.

“imma save you widdle kid”

Something to note about this show is that all the fighters sing while fighting. Hibiki is no exception, even after being confused about what the hell she’s doing. It helps that her voice actress is a professional singer.

It helps that every voice actress here is some sort of professional singer.

This picture basically summarizes why Hibiki is cool despite being so goddamned dumb. She’s angry, and she’s gonna protect some kids even if she dies doing it. Kanade would be proud, if she wasn’t too busy being dead.

No shit!

Have you ever watched the original Sam Reimi’s Spiderman? Like, the very first one? You know all those awkward scenes about Spiderman learning how his powers work? Hibiki basically does that under crunch time. There’s a long segment about how she’s forced to figure things out while protecting a kid and Not Dying.

It’s going pretty great.

I can’t believe she’s secretly Steve Urkel.

“cannot FUCKING believe that girl my girlfriend saved managed to GET HER HANDS on her FUCKING CLOTHES that I WANTED to ENSHRINE IN A MEMORIAL to her how the FUCK did she do that cant BELIEVE i have to SAVE HER IDIOT ASS because she just CANT EVEN DO THAT-”

Tsubasa, preparing herself as a contender for the World’s Angriest Lesbian, barrels through the Noise in her motorcycle...

...which she smashes directly into the Noise. It does nothing.

Tsubasa has many a motorcycle to smash. It’s a testament to her dedication following her aesthetic.

She fueled the tank completely before smashing it in.

Tsubasa... is petty.

As Tsubasa t-poses to assert dominance (a woman ahead of her time, this first aired in 2012), she comes down ready to kick some ass and vent some frustrations. And frankly? She’s all out of ass.

“oh my god she’s even hotter up close i cant believe it”

“fucking knock-off outfit looks like it came out of a bootleg flea market”

You don’t need to know what happens next, because you already know what happens when someone shows up with a fucking sword ready to sing about their dead girlfriend and the conflicting feelings about seeing her armor pop up again on someone else.

Murder.

Lots... and lots... of murder.

“we’re so fucking useless why do we even exist”

After Tsubasa finishes what could only be described as a massacre, we’re treated to how people clean up the aftermath.

“hey, you know, make fun of me all you want, but at the end of the day, im the one holding the vacuum cleaner, and you’re literally turned to dust, so”

Even this little girl knows shit’s about the go down. Got the tea and everything.

This is one of the minor characters of the series. She works for the 2nd Division. Who is the 2nd Division? You’ll find out soon.

“i didnt die! fuck yeah. today’s a good day.”

“OH WAIT NO-”

Hibiki learns that her outfit unsets after a while, like bideo game. Who catches her mid-fall?

Her new best friend, of course. Don’t be fooled by this look. Tsubasa tragically suffers from resting angry face syndrome. It is, unfortunately, incurable.

“i hate how cute she is”

Hibiki reminds her that this is technically the second time Tsubasa has saved her, which in the large scheme of things, seems incredibly innocuous for someone who escaped a major tragedy many years ago. Unfortunately, time doesn’t move forward for Season 1 Tsubasa. Not for quite a while...

The funny part is it doesn’t even hit her initially. She never actually saw Hibiki personally during that moment, so she actually doesn’t even have a clue what she means.

Look at her. Look at this clown. How could you hate her. Look at that smile.

All the survivors are always forced to write NDAs about what they saw. This grows to comical levels at times, given the scale of what happens eventually. It might as well be the world’s biggest open secret by now.

“aight homies looks like i gotta go home, the wife’s gonna be lonely an-”

Oh.

“sorry holmes but you’re going to gay baby jail like the rest of us singers”

Hibiki’s face is riddled with guilt. The guilt of someone who just saved a little girl. How dare you, Hibiki. This is what you get for doing The Right Thing.

And so she’s taken to “jail.”

“sorry pal but you literally turned into a huge weapon and you have no idea how to use it so!”

And so, Hibiki was never seen again...

Alright, so she really isn’t going to jail. She is genuinely being taken into custody, though. To be honest, this kind of handcuff procedure is sort-of ridiculous for someone who literally just saved children, and you could probably bribe her to join them with a 10 piece chicken dinner, but hey, fuck it. 2nd Division has protocols, and that is to arrest people.

“i cant believe i was a fan of a narc all this time”

The school has a giant elevator that goes deep into the Earth. Also, look at that symbolism. Hibiki’s the only one looking at her own reflection. Deep.

Thanks, Tsubasa.

The interior decorator for this elevator is wild.

Tsubasa forbodes where they’re all going as some ominous, strange, and evil place where joy and happiness die. Where good feelings and innocence are destroyed, and hope is crushed and ripped at the seams.

As it turns out, Tsubasa is just an angsty piece of shit.

So here’s the situation:

The 2nd Branch, which are the people in charge of poking relics until they glow with the power of music to study and harness the power of as weapons to kill the Noise, live in a several mile deep high tech basement of an all girl’s boarding school dedicated to music. This is because, for the record, that the girls recruited to this school have the habit of being a little bit attuned to these relics. Hibiki, a newly christened Gear user, is now being recruited into this organized by Genjuro.

“i never got this kind of party when i was recruited”

“thats because nobody liked you, hans”

“im skipping my soaps for this”

“fucking hate my twin brother hans”

“she?????? gets a party??? SHE. gets a party. I DON’T GET A PARTY. SHE... GETS A PARTY? and i dont get a fucking party. i was literally BORN into this job. NOBODY gives me a damn party. this MORON who CLOWNS AROUND with her SUBPAR SONGS. gets a party. oh my god. oh my GOD. FUCK. FUCK!”

“if this is what its like to get arrested i gotta be gayer and do more crimes”

“I’m not actually surprised. I’m just pretending to be. I’m just really not good at pretending to be surprised.”

“fucking hate this family, im gonna eat all of hibikis cake and cry in my room”

Remember: This show first released in 2012. Ryoko? Trendsetter.

Ryoko’s screen is very dirty and foggy. Don’t ask why. Don’t even remember why I pointed this out. Just forget this point completely.

Hibiki understands that handcuffs just aren’t fashionable.

Genjuro casually explains that they’re the fictional japanese equivalent of the NSA, all while doing magic tricks. Truly a man of many talents.

Tsubasa is already plotting how to vent about all this in her diary, which she addresses as letters of Kanade every time she writes in it.

Genjuro and Ryoko introduces themselves as everyone else apologizes to her, except Tsubasa.

Ogawa also intro- yes, I’m recycling a picture- introduces himself. He’s pretty cool, too, and serves as Tsubasa’s ninja bodyguard, butler, and all around mentor. We never get a backstory on him, and likely never will. It’s best to keep it that way; it only adds to the mystery of who the hell this guy is.

“weird flex but okay”

Hibiki realizes she’s being recruited, after being told she’s being recruited. Given some brain cells remain in her head, she asks the obvious and wonders what the hell happened to her.

“ryoko, care to explain?”

“well, it’s simple. you’re the protagonist now.”

Ryoko, who has no sense of boundaries, subjects Hibiki to a medical inspection. As creepy as her tone is, its to inspect the state of Hibiki’s newly formed gear.

She’s finally freed from that long winded event and returns home to her wife.

“buddy you smell like shit. and french fries.”

“hibiki. you’re not dead, hibiki. come on, get up. i just cleaned this floor, hibiki. hibiki, please. this is genuinely unbecoming of you. hibiki, oh my god.”

“miku please i learned how to kick ass and im tired and please let me enjoy this nice floor”

Tsubasa does the thing real life Symphogear and all related products never actually bother to do.

“god she’s so gay for her but i know she’d never cheat on me so”

Hibiki ruminates on the day she’s had. This is where the really dumb angst comes in. You see, Hibiki can’t tell anyone about what happened, and Miku, now a civilian in her eyes, cannot know about her alter ego Symphogear antics. Hibiki feels bad about this.

“y u no trust me. y u no tell me troof. im wife.”

After a brief heart to heart Hibiki smiles and snuggles her girlfriend.

They’re gay.

“im gonna marry her knowing full well she’ll sleep through the ceremony. god.”

[imaginetonyandbucky]

Good Intentions: Season 3 Finale (Ep 6 of 6)

The road to hell may be paved with good intentions, but the way out is paved with good deeds. Also on AO3.  ~ Dracusfyre

When they landed on Earth, it was just Steve and Tony; Sam and Bucky's soul was nowhere to be seen. Steve must have seen Tony looking around for them, because as he made his way towards the road Tony could just barely see through the trees he said, "Sam is going to meet us.  There's a process to bringing a soul out of Hell."  Tony raised his eyebrows as he followed without comment, because to be fair, he had always been under the impression that it was a one way street.  Once they got to the street they saw a woman leaning against a car a few meters away.

"Hey, Steve," the woman said with a small smile, squeezing him on the shoulder as Steve leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

“I recognize you,” Tony said to the woman behind the wheel as he climbed into the back of the car.  “From that first night with Bucky.”

“Yeah, I was pretty shocked when I found out Bucky’s bullshit summoning spell actually worked,” the woman said as Steve climbed into the front seat and she threw the car back into drive.  “I’m Natasha, by the way, and I’ve been playing Q to this ragtag band of misfits.  I’m from the Men of Letters.”

“Men of Letters, huh?”  Tony took a minute to digest that.  “You’re the one who gave him the summoning spell?”

Natasha rolled her eyes as the dirt road became a two lane back road and she was able to accelerate.  “I watched him do it and I thought no way in hell it would work.  It shouldn’t have worked.”

“Well, it didn’t really work.  I was just curious.”

Natasha glanced at him in the review mirror, the look in her eyes unreadable. “You were curious?”

Tony shrugged, wondering why she was looking at him like that. “Yeah. Also, have you seen the man?” he said, ignoring the strangled noise Steve made in the front seat. “I may be dead, but I’m not…dead dead.”    

beware the read more

“Alright, well, when I write the official report on this, I’m going to make sure I note that the factor that led to this particular apocalypse being averted was one curious, horny demon,” Natasha said dryly, and turned on the radio. Tony considered asking more about what she meant by that but decided he might not want to think about the answer just yet so he just lay down and closed his eyes, letting the rhythms of the road soothe him into the meditative state that passed for sleep among demons.

The movement of the car on gravel as it slowed to a stop woke Tony some time later and he sat up and looked out the window at where Natasha had taken them, pretty damn ready to find out what happened with Bucky and how they planned to protect him from Azazel.  Protect all of them from Azazel, really, because when he saw that his precious had been stolen he was going to be one angry archdemon. “So, not to be that guy or anything, but why am I here?” Tony said as they climbed out of the car. “Wherever here is?”  He craned his neck up at the blocky, industrial building. It looked like an old power station, with two chimneys looming into the grey sky and the stained exterior with its barred, prison-looking windows.

“This is the Men of Letters headquarters for the Midwestern states,” Natasha explained as they came around to the far side of the building, where a couple of steps led down to a wide metal door.  “And one reason why you are here is because Steve refused to leave you behind.” She gave him a look as she approached the keypad set into the door, and Tony backed up to give her some privacy.

“But I wasn’t the one being held against my will,” Tony pointed out.

“Well, there were a couple of reasons why I insisted on it,” Steve said as Natasha swung the heavy metal door open to reveal a small elevator.  He gestured for Tony to step inside and followed him.  Natasha closed the old fashioned metal door and the grating behind it and pushed a button, and the elevator started to move with surprising silence, given its age.  “Some of those reasons had to do with Bucky.  We knew that he made a deal with you, because he left us a note.”  The look on Steve’s face said that he was going to have some Words with Bucky about whatever was in that note.  The elevator came to a stop, and when Natasha opened the grating again Tony found himself unable to leave.

“Devil’s trap?” Tony asked, not sure why he was surprised.

"The other reason is that I want to know just how much you had to do with Azazel's plot," Steve said, voice hard.  He rested a hand on the demon-killing knife strapped to his thigh.  

"So keeping your potential enemy close, then?"

“Yeah.  Just while we talk to Bucky and figure everything out," Natasha said and pulled a pair of handcuffs out of her coat pocket. As they dangled from her finger, Tony could see the runes etched on them. "You understand.”

“Yeah, fine,” Tony said with resignation and held out his hands for her to put them on his wrists. “I mean, you pretty much burned my bridges back in Hell by bringing me out, so. I hope you’re ok with me hanging out here until infinity.”

They led Tony down a wrought iron spiral staircase to hang out in the library while they had their powwow, and Tony happily wandered through the books lining the walls.  They had one whole bookshelf devoted to the engineering principles of magical inventions so Tony sat down on floor and forgot himself until he heard someone say his name.“Over here,” he called out absently, and looked up to see Bucky.  Suddenly he was glad he was already sitting down because the overwhelming wave of relief made him sag against the wall. Bucky looked great.  There was no angel superimposed over his form, which is what Tony'd been more than half afraid of, nor was there any sign of the time he spent in Hell. It was as if the past few months had never happened. "Hey, Bucky," Tony managed. "What's up?"

"Hey, Tony," Bucky said, running a hand over the back of his neck as he took a few hesitant steps closer.  When he saw the cuffs on Tony's wrists he made a face and knelt down at Tony's side.  "I'm so sorry, Tony, this is all my fault.  Are you ok?"

Tony shrugged, still running his eyes over the miracle that was Bucky alive and well.  "It's fine, no big deal.  How are you?"

"Um..." Bucky sat next to him on the floor and gestured towards the rest of the bunker.  "I feel like there's a lot of catching up to do? But otherwise, I feel great."  He smiled crookedly.  "From what I understand, I'm a brand new man."

"Yeah? I don't know, they haven't told me much.  I think they're still worried that I'm playing for the other team," he said, holding up his wrists.

"Well, about that." Bucky said slowly, and he leaned over until their shoulders were brushing.  He ran the back of his fingers shyly across the back of Tony's hand.  "That's another thing they wanted me to talk to you about."  When Tony met his eyes questioningly he said, "how would you like another chance at being human?"

                                                           ***

Had Tony known what the ritual was going to be like, he probably would have turned it down and just lived in the Men of Letters bunker for eternity.  If he'd ever felt this level of pain he had blacked it out; each injection of consecrated blood burned like holy water, like acid, through his veins and down to the very core of him.  By the third dose, he wasn’t ashamed to say that he begged for them to stop; by the fifth, Bucky’s resolve was gone, and Natasha had been forced to put him in a wrist lock and march him out the door.  She watched him, her brown eyes sympathetic, as he burned and sweated and cursed through the sixth dose, and after that the pain seemed to ebb.  By the last one, he barely felt the sting of the needle, he was so exhausted; he heard someone murmuring and felt the ropes around his wrists and ankles loosening and that was the last thing he knew before he gratefully passed out.

When he came to, gingerly testing his limbs for any searing pain, Bucky looked up from his book.  “Hey, Tony.  How are you feeling?”

Tony took a deep breath, feeling his lungs expand and his heart pump, his stomach growl and his head ache.  Things he hadn't felt in ages.

It was amazing.  He turned his head and smiled at Bucky.  “Hungry. Thirsty.”  

"C'mon," Bucky said and stood, holding his hand out to Tony.  "Let's take care of that and see what other human things you feel up to doing."

"Sounds good," Tony said as he let Bucky pull him to his feet.  "I mean, now that I've gone one again, I'd totally sell my soul for a sandwich and a good lay, in that order."

[agl03]

Well that first promo poster confirming space, ruined the very little anticipation I had left for this season :( All I loved about the show seems to be gone and with Fitzsimmons probably separated again -- I don't see a thing to keep me there.

Hi Anon,

I’m sorry to hear that.  

All I can offer is some of the other metas I’ve done on the poster HERE and HERE.  This is only our first bit of marketing and like other seasons the stories tend to evolve.  As I pointed out in those  metas the stories evolve all season, so last year at this time we were getting so much Ghost Rider stuff the fandom was pretty upset.  But then Ghost Rider turned out to be only part of the Season with Robbie himself only in 9-10 episodes.  Space could be the same thing.

This season has been more secretive than I’ve ever seen before…and that includes the Framework Arc which was really tough to get a read on until we got some more context.   So they are giving us what we pretty much already knew, which was similar to last season.   Since we closed Season 3 with Daisy on the run they didn’t at all try to hide that Chloe was filming away from the others.  They did hide anything and everything to do with what Jason was filming.   With AOS its often what we don’t see than is more important.

We have to wind up or see what is going on back on earth at some point, or earth has a connection.  They left too many pressing loose ends there not to address.  If you look in IMDB for Episode 5 Lt. Evans is back and she was the officer who was with Talbot when he was shot.  

I’m also excited to have Hunter back and while I hope its for more than one episode, but am braced for the that option.  Not to mention what other guest stars they are hiding from us and who Jeff is playing (really AOS can I have a hint?)

As for Fitzsimmons.  I don’t want them separated either but I accepted long ago the writers may have had no choice early on in order to cover Iain’s Overlord filming….and they may not be separated at all.   Fitz just needs to be isolated for a little bit (at least eps 1-3) to minimize the scenes Iain had to make up.   He could be Fitznapped or injured, we just don’t know right now.   

I honestly have no idea where either of Fitzsimmons are right now.   We haven’t had a picture of Lil in costume/on set since they were filming of the Premiere and nothing for Iain at all.   Which I am hoping means the promo team is going to wait until I leave my house and pull something like this.

If I had my way I’d simply handcuff to two together for Season 5 and all of their scenes would be together.  But that’s not going to happen.   While they are a great team their skills sets often call for them to be separated for something like a mission.   Over the past few season’s we’ve seen Fitz going on more and more missions while Jemma is the one who stays back.   

The Fitzsimmons Fandom was very vocal about how Fitzsimmons was handled in Season 4.   I’ve done a number of metas on this too.   I believe the writers realized even going into the finale last season that they’d gone too far and that what they thought was enough wasn’t going to cut it.   The Fitzsimmons Fandom has also been very vocal that the whole contrived roadblock thing is just too much now.

I’m still excited for the season but am very cautious at the same time.  I had such high hopes and expectations going into Season 4.  For the most part I loved it, had some major theories/predictions hit, but it was hard to get over the disappointment of what they did with Fitzsimmons.  Because after 3 Seasons of built up….what we got was not what I wanted or expected on that front.  

I urge you to give it at least a few episodes before deciding.  If I”m wrong and we are 100% in space and you don’t like it, then walk away.  For Fitzsimmons, I totally get its hard to get excited about something not only after it hurt so bad last season but we haven’t had anything to give us hope on that particular front either.  If the writers pull the same crap and have thrown yet another impossible, implausible, far fetched, you have to be kidding me contrived roadblock in there and Fitzsimmons are separated most of the time, then I’m done too.  I hear from a lot of non shippers that are totally over it too.  If the separation is short lived in order to cover for Overlord I’m good, I get it.  I’m also ready for smaller bits of separation due to things like missions.

[nothingeverlost]

An Apology (NCIS NOLA fic)

I am completely and utterly obsessed with Dwayne Pride right now.  And with the season 3 finale of NCIS NOLA.  It’s been a long time since I’ve connected with a character like this (we’re talking on a Rumpelstiltskin type level)

This is a post ep for Poetic Justice, and my first attempt at writing Loretta.  This is about their friendship but I’m playing with the idea of this being the start of a slow burn ship.

II

Her senses were playing tricks on her.  As she lay in bed, eyes still closed, Loretta could almost swear that she smelled sausage cooking.  CJ never bothered making breakfast, though, and even if he did eat more than cereal it wouldn’t smell like that.

“CJ?”  She slipped on a robe and walked down the hall the the kitchen; as she got closer she began to hear noises, and then voices.

“Now to do this proper you need a roux whisk, but your mom’s kitchen is a bit short when it comes to tools so we’ll make do.  We need the flour and the drippings to mix before we add the milk.”

“Dwayne?”  Pride stood in front of her stove, a fork in one hand, CJ at his side listening attentively.  He’d brought his own apron with him.

“Morning, Loretta.  Your timing is, as always, flawless.  Breakfast will be ready in about five minutes.  CJ can get you some coffee, can’t you CJ?”  

“Sure.”  There was, apparently, a pot already made.  Chicory, from the smell of it.

“Think we’re about ready for those eggs if you want to add them to the pan.  Make sure you stir them up again before pouring them in,” he directed.  On the other front burner was a pan of vegetables.  It was more cooking than her kitchen had seen since, well the last time he’d come over to make a meal for her and her boys.

“Not that I don’t appreciate this, Dwayne, but what are you doing here?  I thought we all agreed to take today off.”  They’d spent the better part of a week working on his bar.  The first two nights there had been more than a hundred people, which had made quick work of the cleaning, gutting, and reframing.  The outside was all but done, but the detail work inside called for a smaller group, mostly just the team and Pride’s employees.

“We did, and I’m keeping my word not to step inside the bar.”  She’d caught him sleeping there, the second night, slumped against the wall.  It was good for him to take a step back.  “CJ and I are going to take a look at that back porch of yours before it rots completely.  Thought a good breakfast before we started was important.  There’s biscuits in the oven for the gravy, and a fruit salad on the table. CJ’s finishing up the egg scramble.”

 “The porch can wait.”  She’d been avoiding the using the steps for months, ever since she’d tripped on a warped board coming in from the back yard.  Dwayne was pouring milk into his pan, and she watched his hands.  It was always interesting watching him cook but she was distracted by the scabs on his knuckles.  They were healing, but he was pushing himself too hard.  He’d jumped right into repairing his bar after days of being on the run.  She wondered how many hours of sleep he’d gotten in the last week.  Not enough.  “You need to let your body rest.  That’s not a suggestion from a friend, it’s an order from your doctor.”

 “I’m in a kitchen and I’m talking to a good friend.  This is resting.” The timer buzzed and Dwayne opened the oven to take out a tray of biscuits.  He smiled, and on the surface it was like many Sundays they’d shared.  But there was something more below the surface, a quiet desperation that still hadn’t faded.

 “Dwayne…”

 “Those eggs look just about right, CJ.  Why don’t you give them some salt and pepper and then take a taste.”  He turned off the heat under the gravy, ignoring her.  

 “CJ, sweetheart, why don’t you take the eggs out to the table.  We’ll bring the rest out in a minute.”  The man was frustratingly stubborn.  It was a good thing she was just as stubborn, if not more so.  “And don’t cancel your plans to meet Jaivon and Cody at the park.  You’re not working on the porch today.

 CJ looked at Dwayne for a moment before nodding.  “That’s okay with me.”

 “I didn’t think you’d mind.”  Loretta opened up a cabinet, taking out a bowl for the gravy and a basket for the biscuits.  “You’re not working on the porch either, Dwayne.  I see a hammer in your hand and I swear I’m calling Sebastian to borrow his handcuffs.  Forced rest is better than no rest at all.”

 “I need to do something, Loretta.”

 “Go home, Dwayne.  Call your daughter.  Take a nap.  Spend some time playing the piano.  Go out and walk around this city you saved and remember why you were willing to risk everything for it.”  She still had the letter he’d given her to hand over to the director.  While the rest of the team knew he’d been willing to risk everything she was certain she was the only one that knew he hadn’t thought he’d be coming back.

 “That’s not what I mean.  I need...” He stopped, wiping a hand over his face.  In the silence she could hear CJ tapping his foot on the floor.  “I need to be here.  I need to know that things between us are going to be okay.  I don’t know how to fix what I did.”

 “What you did saved lives and an entire community.”  She could almost see the weight of the city on his shoulders.

 “And I wouldn’t go back and change anything, because it was necessary.  And that makes it harder. How can I be sorry, and tell you how much I hated hurting you, scaring you, but admit that I wouldn’t have done it different?  When I think about how I treated you that night...  I grabbed you, Loretta.  Pushed you out of my way.”  For the first time Loretta saw the anger he’d been holding onto.  Not at Hamilton and those that would destroy people for profit, but at himself.

 “I was never scared for myself.  You didn’t hurt me.  I was scared of losing you and how certain you were that it was going to happen.”  And that would have been her last memory of him.  That fear, that grief, that helplessness.  It would have stayed with her the rest of her life.  “You know I know what it’s like to be afraid of a man, someone you should be able to trust.  Never for a moment have you reminded me of my husband, not even that night.”

 “I’m sorry, Loretta.”  His head hung down, eyes closed.

 “I know you are.”  She cupped his cheek gently with the palm of her hand for a moment before wrapping her arms around him.  “We’re going to be okay.”

 He held her tighter for a moment before letting go, and she hoped it wasn’t her imagination that a little of the desperation she’d seen in his eyes had faded.  “Now I believe I was promised some biscuits and gravy.  We’d better take them out to the dining room before we have a rebellious teenager on our hands.”

 “Yes ma’am.”  Dwayne took the gravy and she followed with the biscuits.  Anxious to meet his friends, or perhaps wanting to be certain that they weren’t planning any construction projects, CJ  asked to be excused after gulping down his food in typical teenage boy fashion, leaving the two of them alone to eat their breakfast at a more leisurely pace.  She insisted on helping with the dishes.

 “Why don’t you let me take a shower and get dressed, and we can walk down to the Quarter.  I’ll buy you beignets.”  She wasn’t quite ready to trust him to spend the afternoon alone.

 “I’d like that.”  He sat on the couch, probably not paying any attention to the medical journal he was thumbing through.  She left him to it.

 “I just need to get my purse.”  When she returned to the living room she found Dwayne Pride stretched out on her couch, a pillow under his head, sound asleep.  She took a blanket from the back of the armchair and laid it over him, lingering for a moment.  The scab next to his eye was gone, the fresh skin puckered and pink.  The signs of his fight were fading, but like he’d said more than once the scars were on the inside.

 “We’re going to be okay,” she repeated in a whisper.  It was a promise and a prayer.

[lifeistooshorttowasteyourtime]

Chapter 7

She didn’t know how long she had been cursing, casting defensive spells, running for her life. Maia saw Tina once and in another she saw the Scamanders together against five men, but she couldn’t stop to help them, because she wanted to maintain her promise to keep Queenie safe. Both women defended themselves as best as they could, and Maia's protective spells were of great help, but they knew their strength would falter at some point as that people, their enemies, were stronger than them.

The healer stumbled when she was in the midst of a duel with a small man of stature but with a force in his spells that made her retreat until her feet found a hole in the ground and fell on her back. At that moment, she closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting for the killing curse. Maia wondered if everything would become darkness or light, but she was not afraid, she had accepted since the war began that her life could end at any time. Her parents knew that she loved them and fought for their safety, and Scamy would learn to live without her, surrounded by other creatures in Newt's suitcase. Newt. She allowed herself a slight smile at the thought of his shy smile and his bright eyes on that face kissed by freckles.

-Maia!

The woman sat up to see Queenie in front of her, having created a protective field. Maia got up quickly and conjured another field that joined Queenie's. They saw how three exhausted people went behind them, protecting themselves with the field. However, an explosion in the middle of the battle caused everyone on both sides to fall to the ground and a thunderous silence seized the forest of Epping. Maia reached for Queenie's hand, but she was faster and Queenie wrapped her arms around Maia’s waist, calming her. Everyone present turned their eyes to the two figures who stood several feet from them. Queenie recognized Grindelwald while Maia did the same with Professor Dumbledore.

-At last…- the healer mumbled, making a field for those closer to them so           any attack could surprise them.

They heard both man talking, but they couldn’t understand their words. Nerveless, everybody stood up when the two men raised their wands and the light of both of them illuminated all the clear.

-HE’S MINE!- Grindelwald screamed to stop his followers to do something against Dumbledore.

While the two great wizards fought, Maia took the opportunity to look for her friends. She saw Tina standing beside Theseus, who had his arm around the woman's shoulders, but Newt wasn’t around and the terror settled on her chest.

The battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald didn’t last long, but everyone who was there would always remember it as a masterly, epic battle. No one acted during the fight, fascinated watching the two mightiest wizards fight because it was a superb class of talent.

Finally Dumbledore disarmed him, Grindelwald's wand falling to the ground for a second before Dumbledore blew it into his hand. By the time Grindelwald was disarmed and vulnerable, the aurors and other wizards who had come to fight, turned against the followers with renewed strength, defeating every one of them. The minister walked up to Grindelwald and arrested him with special handcuffs, all under the watchful eye of Dumbledore who seemed downcast and disappeared once his rival was with the minister.

Maia and Queenie got up gasping, letting the tiredness and adrenaline come out. The healer looked to the place where she knew Theseus and Tina were, but she only saw the woman running towards them, calling her sister’s name. Tina pounced on Queenie, hugging her tightly and almost knocking her down. Maia smiled at them for a moment before looking back at the crowd. Everyone was moving, arrests, reunions, smiles and tears. Then she saw the red-haired brothers appear, with some scratches, but safe and sound. Maia felt her tense muscles relaxed suddenly, causing her to almost fall to the floor. But instead of doing so, she ran to them and hugged them both breathing in haste. Newt and Theseus looked at each other with a small smile and gently returned the embrace. Seconds later Maia pulled away and wiped away her tears.

-Are you both okay?

-Yes, perfectly. And you?- Theseus asked while Newt looked her up and down to check if she was really okay.

Maia nodded with a small smile. Theseus put his hand on her shoulder and smiled before going to the Goldstein sisters. Newt and Maia looked at each other without saying a word and hugged again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes while he surrounded her waist, pressing her softly against his body. Maia sighed against his neck and mumbled:

-Thanks Merlin you are okay.

Newt raised one of his hand and stroked her hair softly. They didn’t say anything else, just stayed there hugging, blocking the noise around them. At least until Tina, Queenie and Theseus approached, making them to pull away. Maia took her wand and made healing spells on all of them, the scratches disappearing.

-We have to go back to the house, Jacob must be very nervous waiting news- Queenie said with her sweet voice.

-I’m not going back to the house- Maia announced with a small smile -I’m going to see my parents, I need to see them and hug them.

Theseus half smiled and nodded.

-Send us a patronus when you are with them, to know you are okay.

-Sure- Maia looked at Queenie -give Jacob a kiss for me, I’ll go back tomorrow.

Queenie smiled nodding. Finally Maia looked at all of them before disappearing and land in corner of her parent’s street. They got scared when someone called at their door at that hours in the night but Maia hugged them tight in the moment they opened the door.

-Darling, what happens?- Maggie Carpenter asked startled while Maia’s father, Richard, stroked her hair.

-It’s over, it’s finally over- she murmured starting to cry.

She hadn’t realized how much she wanted to cry until that moment, to release the tension, the adrenaline, the fear, the relief, all at once in the form of tears. Maia's father closed the door as her mother continued to hug her, whispering words of calm in her ear.

That night Maia didn’t sleep, that time not for work, but because she spent all night talking to her parents. She had not been completely honest with her parents, had protected her house, and told them roughly what was going on in her world, but she didn’t want to frighten or worry them. However, she needed to tell them the danger that the magical world had suffered, including her. Her parents, far from reproaching her what she did, understood and listened carefully during all her explanation.

She also ventured to tell them of her reunion with Newt and her new friendship with Theseus and three Americans. How much each and every one of them meant to her and the hope that someday, not very far away, they could know them. Finally, she related the loss of her house to the enemy, her parents didn’t hesitate to offer her return their home until she could afford a new one.

The healer finally fell asleep at 9 o'clock in the morning, waking up at lunch time. She sent another patronus to the house so her friends would not be frightened. She ate with her parents and before leaving, she promised to return as soon as possible because she imagined the work still to come.

Maia appeared in the house at 5 in the afternoon, being received by Scamy that made her fall to the ground while he embraced her neck. She laughed and stroked his silky hair as she apologized for not having returned home before. The rest of the adults appeared in the room soon after, laughing at the sight. Finally, when the woman got up, Jacob smiled at her and went to give her a hug that she gladly accepted.

-Thank you very much- he said with a smile.

-Why?

-For keeping your promise- he answered while he looked at Queenie behind him with a smile.

Queenie approached, standing next to her partner while looking at Maia with a big smile.

-How it was the meeting with your parents?

-I haven’t let them sleep that much, I want to be with them so bad…

Tina approached the too and wrapped her arm around Maia’s shoulders.

-We’ve been invited to a dinner celebrated by the ministry, to thank everyone who fought and honor all that we’ve lost in the way.

-Me too?

-Of course! Without healers we have been lost.

Maia blushed and nodded.

-Alright, at what time is it?

-Eight- Theseus answered -and it’s a formal one.

-I’m afraid I don’t have proper clothes.

-Don’t worry!- Queenie said wrapping her arm with Maia’s -I’ll make the perfect dress for you, trust in me.

Maia looked at Tia that laughed slightly, Maia looked again at Queenie and nodded with a smile.

-Alright.

-Wonderful!

Queenie pulled her softly to go to the rooms, when they walked past Newt, Maia and he looked at each other with a smile and she stretched out her hand to squeeze his before letting her enthusiastic friend take her.

Theseus looked at his brother and put his hand on Newt’s shoulder before saying in low voice:

-I think you so resume what you almost did in your suitcase yesterday- Newt blushed looking at his feet but didn’t say anything.

Two and a half hours later, Maia appeared with Queenie, both ready, finding Theseus and Tina sitting on the couch, holding hands and smiling. Queenie covered her mouth, trying to avoid giggling but both aurors heard her and turned to see the two women. Tina approached smiling radiantly, in her own dark dress that accentuated her eyes and hair as well as her skin that glowed like her marble. While Queenie chose lilac instead of pink, Maia had decided to proudly wear the color of her house, yellow. She let her hair fall in soft slings that fell on her shoulders.

-You look gorgeous Maia- Tina said hugging her.

-It’s Queenie’s work- she replied blushing.

-The dress is really beautiful, yes- said Tina taking Maia’s hands -but it’s not the dress which makes you gorgeous.

Maia laughed. Theseus approached and smiled, the biggest smile the healers has seen until then.

-I agree with Tina.

-Thank you Theseus, you look quite handsome yourself- he said looking at his suit with an approbation face -where are Jacob and Newt?

-Jacob is finishing of preparing himself, he’s nervous about being around that many wizards- Queenie replied.

-Newt had to go, a petition of the minister- Theseus commented.

That only made Maia more nervous, who was a bit insecure about what Newt could think after seeing her dressed like this. Queenie looked at her with wide eyes, but she didn’t want to say anything because she knew that she had been able to listen to her friend's thoughts because Maia had not made occlumancy to her mind that time.

A little later Jacob appeared, all dressed up and with a nervous smile. Queenie couldn’t help but giggle and kiss him in front of the funny look of the other three adults. The five of them appeared in the ministry instead of using the chimney by Jacob, who didn’t release Queenie's hand even when they walked through the great hall and greeted many wizards and witches in their way. Maia recognized many co-workers, several aurors she had met in the ministry, or those she had seen on the battlefield a day ago. But she couldn’t find the person she most wanted to see.

-Miss Carpenter.

Maia turned to see the minister approaching her with a smile.

-You look radiant, darling- he kissed the back of her hand -could I have a few words with you?

The woman nodded and looked at her friends letting them now she will join them later. The minister pushed her away and coughed before talking:

-Are you alright?

-Yes, perfectly. I haven’t suffered any harm that couldn’t be healed with a spell.

-I’m glad to hear that. I must ask you to join your coworkers tomorrow, as you know, there are a lot of injured ones after the battle of yesterday.

-Of course, sir.

-That wasn’t the reason why I wanted to talk to you, I know you are a great professional. I wanted you to know that there will be reconstructions of those structures affected by the followers of Grindelwald, including your house- Maia opened her eyes wide -when the incident with your house happened, Mr. Scamander made it very clear to me that whatever it would cost, we had to give you back your home and I totally agree. Your sacrifice for the cause must be rewarded.

-I… I, thank you sir.

-Don’t thank me. Now, let’s enjoy the dinner miss- he offered his arm.

Maia laughed and let the minister to led her to the great room where all had been reunited. When she reached her table, there was just one empty chair next to Newt, who stood up smiling.

-Forgive me- she said.

-Don’t worry- Queenie answered for all.

The magizoologist pushed her chair for her and murmured:

-Hufflepuff pride?

-Always- she answered sitting with a smile.

-You look beautiful.

-Thank you Newt- he sat next to her -you look really good too, though…

With both hands, she straightened up his bowtie. Newt blushed and looked to other side with a lopsided smile.

-Thank you.

Once the whole room was full, the minister gave a speech where he praised the work of the whole magical community, highlighted the work of some aurors among whom was Theseus, who nodded solemnly but Maia saw how he took the hand of Tina under the table. The minister also asked for a minute of silence for all those who lost their lives in the war, asked them to collaborate to rebuild their world and encouraged everyone to move forward. Then they all started to dine, chatting with each other.

Tina and Queenie announced that they would stay in England for Queenie and Jacob to have the opportunity to be together. The new was received with great smiles and applauses that attracted the attention of neighboring tables, but they didn’t care, they had to celebrate the good news after so much suffering.

-The minister has been really generous to lend us the house in which we are now until we can find one- Tina explained with a smile.

-Jacob will stay with you?- Maia asked –I mean, Queenie and Jacob are not married yet…

The couple looked at each other with bright smiled, blushing but they didn’t say anything.

-Tina will be moved from MACUSA to our office of aurors- Theseus announced smiling a bit to the oldest sister who smiled back.

Newt and Maia looked at each other trying not to smile, it was evident that the decision of the Goldsteins to stay in England it was also because of the new and growing relationship between the aurors.

-I have to announce something too- Newt said calling the attention of all –the minister has asked me to come before you to ask me for a favor, a mission. I must travel to Japan, there’s a dragon’s colony that has being trained by Grindelwald followers. They were going to be used against us.

-When are you going, brother?

-In a week.

Everyone began to talk about Grindelwald's strategy, how much harm he could have caused. Except Maia, who kept quiet thinking that in a week she would separate again from Newt and wouldn’t know when he would return. But then, she remembered the moment they had shared in the suitcase, how she had felt comforted, loved, and ultimately desired. That moment when they had both leaned in as if he had wanted to kiss her, but if it he did want to, he wouldn’t leave that soon.

 What happened in the suitcase was just a product of fear and uncertainty of not knowing if we would survive. He was just confused because we care about each other. He doesn’t feel anything for me.

 Maia swallowed and left the cutlery on the plate, in the opportune moment because the minister got up and he concluded the dinner, making the tables disappear o they could start the dance. Queenie tried to reach her, having listened to Maia’s thoughts, but the healer coughed to call the attention of all.

-I’m terribly tired and tomorrow I must go back to San Mungo to help. It’s the best that I go.

-But…- Newt started to say but she smiled shaking her head.

-If I stay I won’t be able to rest anything and I want to be 100% rested tomorrow.

She looked at her friends, seeing the sadness in Queenie’s face.

-Have fun.

Before they could say anything else, Maia walked quickly towards the exit and disappeared in the hall to go to the house, picking up Scamy before going to her parents'. She also gave them the same excuse of having to rest, but in the dark solitude of her room she cursed herself for having hoped for something that was not going to happen.

Meanwhile, Queenie approached Newt as he sat watching the rest dancing, especially paying attention to his brother and Tina, smiling at the bond they shared. The woman sat next to the magizoologist who smiled at her, but that smile faded when he saw the worry on his friend's face.

-What happens?

-Newt I know you ask me not to intrude but you must know Maia thinks you don’t feel the same as her- the man frowned –when you have announced your trip to Japan, she has thought that what happened in your suitcase, whatever it was, was a product of confusion and fear of an uncertain future.

-No, that is not true, I wanted to…

-I know- Queenie took his hand -but she doesn’t. You should be clear with your feelings.

-Do you think I’ve done wrong in accepting the mission?

-No, of course no. It’s your work and Maia knows that, it’s just that she doesn’t have all the information.

Newt sighed, thinking in a way to tell Maia what he felt, how to make her believe that what he said was true. Queenie smiled and squeezed his hand.

-Just tell him, she’ll know you are not lying.

She stroked the back of his hand and went back to Jacob in the dancing floor while Newt contemplated the words he had to tell Maia the following day, expose his heart how he feared since he did it in the past and it was broken. But Maia wasn’t Leta, Maia would never hurt him.