#a friend of mine has only seen clips of it and gen thought it was made by disney

[indigosabyss]

Oh yeah, that was one of the shows Netflix gave two seasons but called the seasons ‘Parts’ so they could pay the cast less. They did that a lot. Most notably with the ‘Sabrina’ reboot, before they cancelled it, and ‘Riverdale’ had to give it a backdoor series finale.

MOTHERFUCKER

I hate this bc no good nick was an insane concept. And it worked. It was the first sitcom-style show I ever watched, and couldn't fully appreciate the tropes and style of it back then. I'm watching it again. The laughtrack actually adds so much to it. A desperate girl just stole five thousand dollars from her fake foster family to give to an obviously fake lawyer and she is so happy bc she thinks she's going to see her father free soon, and ten seconds later the laugh track is back.

Fuck Netflix. Fuck them fr.

[alovesongshewrote]

Almost A Thousand Years - 1700/1800 | Hisirdoux Casperan

Plot:  You’ve known Hisirdoux Casperan for almost a thousand years.  You’ve hated him for almost a thousand years.  And for almost a thousand years, you’ve been cursed to feel each others pain.  But somewhere in that time, things changed.  [Hisirdoux Casperan x Mostly Gender Neutral but Probably Female Presenting Based on How Historical Men Treat Them!Reader]

Word Count: 3,898

Warnings:  jack the ripper, reader is called a whore and a wench

A/N:  tis my longest chapter yet!

Back | Next

You hid away for most of the eighteenth century.

You healed when you could, but what happened to Douxie scared you a little more than you’d like to admit.

So you hid.

You found ways to entertain yourself.  You read more, painted a little, continued your medical practice, and learned more about medicine whenever the knowledge became available.  You continued to keep tabs on other immortals.  It was pretty boring except for that time the Americans revolted.  You had to admit it was fun to keep tabs on the scrappy rebellion.  You couldn’t say it out loud as you still lived in England, but you gave a little cheer every time they fought off the British.  You didn’t like authority.  Neither did they.

On the other side of the continent, Douxie did the same things he always did.  Music, magic, work for Merlin.  He also read the book you’d given him.  He liked it.

It was a century of hiding, waiting, and having nothing much to do.  The next century would be the exact opposite. 

--

Jack the Ripper was a dick.

You really didn’t like him.

Douxie didn’t like him either.

And Archie didn’t like him.

So, like in every good piece of media that has a chapter in the nineteenth century, you protagonists teamed up to take down Jack the Ripper.  It was super effective!

You met up with your partners in the fog-filled streets of the White Chapel district soon after the second murder.  In your hands, you held a newspaper covering the recent events.  You approached the wizard and his familiar, but they didn’t see you.  They were caught in a conversation with someone you’d never seen before, a stocky man dressed in a dark overcoat and hat.  The stranger hadn’t noticed you either.  

Silently, you hid in an alley between two nearby buildings.  You couldn’t hear them, but from the stranger’s body language, he seemed a bit defensive, maybe even a little angry.  You sincerely hoped Douxie wasn’t doing anything stupid.

About a minute later, the man stormed off, leaving Douxie and Archie behind.  They still hadn’t noticed you, so you took the opportunity to sneak up on them.

“Hey!”

“Aaaaahhhh, jeez (Y/N)!  Don’t do that!  There’s a killer on the loose!”

“And he’s only killed prostitutes so far, so you should be fine.  Unless there’s something you aren’t telling me?” you joked, raising an eyebrow.

He gave you a small shove, too small to be malicious, “Very funny.  Have you learned anything new?”

“Mhmm, but first,” you turned to Archie, giving him a pat on the head, “Hey Arch, how are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you for asking,”

“That’s good!  That’s good, anyway, you know they think it’s a doctor, but they received a letter signed ‘Jack the Ripper,’”

“Very fun nickname,”

“Indeed, but it still isn’t much to go off of, the police already doubt it”

“(Y/N), remind me again what your sources are?”  the familiar was right to be suspicious, but you knew your sources were solid.

“I’ve told you Arch, a forensic doctor, he’s a friend of mine and he works with the police,”

“And how do you know you can trust him?”

“I don’t, but they’re publishing the letter soon, so you’ll see it then.  You guys got anything?”

“Not much,”

“Huh.  That isn’t great,” you took a moment before speaking again, “By the way, who was that man you were talking to?  He seemed angry,”

“Oh, him?  He’s just a resident of this area.  I’ve been talking to him for a while, I thought he might know something, but every time I even mention it he gets, well…”

“Like that?”

“Yes, like that,”

You looked out the way the man had gone, “You think he’s a suspect?”

“Oh yeah, absolutely,”

Archie nodded in agreement.

“Well then,” you said, returning the eyes to the face of your accomplices, “Keep an eye on him.  See you next Thursday?”

“Sounds good,”

By next Thursday, another girl was dead.

You met with your team in a (very) shady pub to discuss this development.  Thanks to some connections, you’d snagged a private room where no one else could hear your detective work.

“God DAMMIT, guys, how did we miss this?”  you said, pacing.  Your hands were on your hips, eyes fixed on the floor.  You seriously could not figure out how you missed this.  

On the wall behind you, you’d attached some photos and newspaper clippings to the wall, red yarn connecting them.  You were very ahead of your time.

“I really don’t know,” Douxie was sitting, upside-down, in a chair across from you.  He threw the ball of yarn up in the air, letting it fall, and catching it over and over again. Archie didn’t answer, he was focused too hard on the yarn.

You stopped pacing and glared at your conspiracy wall.  You followed the red string with your finger.  It lead nowhere.  You groaned and ran your fingers through your hair, something that Douxie found alarmingly attractive.  

Ever since you saved his life in the sixteen hundreds, he’d developed a bit of a soft spot for you.  It wasn’t something he was proud of.  But it was fine, you’d developed a soft spot for him too.

“Hey, it’ll be alright, love,”  he said, sitting up properly, “We’ll find this monster, so don’t worry yourself too much,”

You took a deep breath, leaning against your crime wall, “Thanks Doux.  I appreciate it,”

Your voice was slightly sarcastic, but you both smiled still.  Archie frowned, the yarn wasn’t moving anymore.

“So,” you said, turning again to examine the mess of photos and yarn, ”He isn’t an official suspect, but I think this guy, this James Maybrick, seems a little suspicious,” you pointed at his photo, “He’s going to be at this ball thing on Friday.  If we go, we can ask him if he plans on traveling, he lives in Liverpool, and-”

“I’m sorry, he lives where?”

“Liverpool, Arch, pay attention-”

“(Y/N), why do you think he’s coming all the way out to White Chapel to murder these women?”

“Well it isn’t his area, that makes him less of a suspect, and all of the murders have been on Saturdays and Sundays, which gives him time to travel,”

“You might be onto something,” Douxie said, standing and letting the yarn fall to the ground where Archie chased it around, thoroughly distracted, “We can go check it out, but how do we get in?”

You bit your lip, deep in thought, “My doctor friend, he knows the hostess.  He might be able to get us in,”

“Fantastic!”

“There’s just one thing,”

“Yes?”

“I’m pretty sure you’ll have to pretend to be my fiance,”

There was a moment of silence while Douxie considered this.  

You tried to explain yourself, “I-It’s not my first choice either, but high society doesn’t approve of-”

“I’ll do it,”

“And I know it’s inconvenient, but-”

“(Y/N)?”

“Yes?”

“I said I’ll do it,”

It was your time to consider, and you considered yourself super lucky to have an accomplice like Douxie.

“Oh my god, thank you!” you exclaimed, throwing your arms around his neck, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,”

You couldn’t see Douxie’s face, so he had no idea that he blushed before wrapping his arms around you softly.

“No problem (Y/N), no problem,”

--

Two days later, you were wearing fancy clothes, and freaking out a little.

This was nothing compared to Douxie who was freaking out a lot.  Mostly because you looked absolutely stunning, but also because there was a possible murderer inside the building.  You know, typical stuff.

The two of you stood outside the manor, looking up at the vast estate.  It was beautiful but intimidating.  You turned to your partner in crime-solving, “You ready for this?”

He nodded.

You closed your eyes, swallowed back your anxiety, and linked your arm with his.

“Let’s do it,”

The manor was, simply put, dazzling.  The size of it reminded you of the smaller cathedrals during the sixteenth century.  The floors were marble, the ceiling decorated with a mural, just like the cathedrals you now reminisced.  The room was lit with a large chandelier, the warm light covered the whole room in a glow the colour of honey.  Columns, the same marble as the floor, stood strong around the perimeter.  On one side of the space, an orchestra played.  The center was full of people dancing.  Some people stood at the side of the room speaking, others just observing everything else. It was a crazy party, but only by Victorian standards.  

The sheer amount of activity made you panic a little.  As if Douxie could sense your anxiety, he found one of your hands and squeezed it reassuringly.  You smiled a little, once again thankful for such an amazing partner in crime.

The two of you made your way around the dance floor, checking faces, looking for your suspect.  You didn’t see him.  You and Douxie made a full circle around the room, not seeing your guy.  You were about to suggest finding a higher viewpoint when the hostess of the party stopped you.

She was a plump, elegant woman, draped in the finest of silks.  Her hair shone, and her eyes sparkled.  She was perfectly gorgeous, and perfectly in your way.

“Ah, fuzzbuckets,”

“Oh, my dear (Y/N)!  It is so good to see you, darling!”

“It’s good to see you as well, my Lady,” you returned, bowing slightly.  Douxie followed your lead.

“‘Tis a pity the good doctor couldn’t be with us!  He works so hard, you would think he would come out and dance for an evening!  Just to relax!”  The woman laughed as if wishing the doctor was here was the funniest thing on the planet.  Maybe it was to her Victorian sensibilities.

You laughed an appropriate amount, plastering on a fake smile, and biting your tongue at the irony.  This was the least relaxed you’d been all century.

When the Lady stopped laughing, she noticed Doxie, “Oh, (Y/N), dear, you must tell me who this dashing young gentleman is!  How in heaven did you find such a match?”

“My Lady, this is my fiance, Mr. Casperan,”

“It’s lovely to meet you fair Lady, and might I say that the moon and stars dull in comparison to your eyes; even a goddess of beauty could not hold a candle to your visage,”

You tried to keep cool, but you felt your eyes widen a bit.  You had never heard Douxie speak like that before.  You weren’t sure how it made you feel yet, but clearly, the Lady enjoyed it.  A blush covered her face as she gushed over the wizard for another two minutes.  You spent that time subtly searching the crowd for Maybrick.

Clearly, you were not as subtle as you thought.

“Oh, dear, I see your partner is eyeing the dance floor,” the lady said, her face still painted with a blush.  Her words called you to attention.

“Ah, yes, my apologies my Lady,”

“No worries at all dear child, now go!  Dance the night away!”

“Thank you,” you said, once again bowing.

“It was wonderful speaking with you, my Lady,” Douxie said, following your actions before leading you to the mass of dancing guests.

“She’s watching us,” Douxie whispered to you through clenched teeth, “Can you dance?”

“Not super well, but enough to survive,”

“Just follow my lead,”

Douxie could dance pretty damn well, something you weren’t too surprised by.  He’d spent a lot of time learning music throughout the centuries, you’ would've been a bit surprised if he hadn’t known how.  He was so good, in fact, that you were almost certain he was making you a better dancer just by being near you.  You’d be lying if you said this wasn’t the most fun you’d had in a while.

“So, where’d you learn to flirt like that?”  you asked, your voice low so that no one else could hear you.

“I’ve picked some things up over the years,” he said, spinning you out and then back in again.

“I have to say, I was quite impressed.  I didn’t see that coming,”

He faked a gasp, “Why I’m offended!  You don’t think I can flirt?”

“Well, I didn’t until tonight.  But I stand corrected,” he dipped you, “You can flirt extremely well Hisirdoux Casperan,”

“Thank you, (Y/N) (L/N),”

You both smiled continuing the dance, scanning the crowd for the face of the killer.  And in between that, just staring at each other.

You almost regretted finding the suspect.

You hated to admit that a small part of you had hoped to just dance with Douxie for the next few hours, pretending that you were a couple and that you weren’t magic, and you weren’t immortal, and you hadn’t seen pain and suffering the world over, and he hadn’t been tortured two centuries before.  You just wanted to dance.

But you saw him.

And the good of the humans came before the things you wanted.

“Doux, I see him,”

“Where?”

“To your left and back behind you.  Don’t look at him.  We’ll get off the dance floor, and I’ll question him,”

“Are you sure?”  Douxie thought about elaborating.  About telling you that he didn’t want you to get hurt and that he too, wanted to keep dancing. 

But he didn’t.  And you were sure.

So, you left the dance floor and made your way to the suspect.  You made sure Douxie stayed far enough behind you for his presence to be non-threatening, and made your approach. 

“Wonderful party isn’t it Sir…?”  you waited for him to give you his name.

“Maybrick, Mr. Maybrick,”

“Mr. Maybrick.  A lovely name,” internally, you cursed God for giving Douxie all of the charm and leaving you none.

“May I ask where you’re from Mr. Maybrick?”  

“I’m from around here, Liverpool.  May I ask who's asking?”

“I-”

“(Y/N), dear!  Where have you put that lovely boy of yours!  I have some friends he simply must meet!” 

You could not believe that the hostess was interrupting you yet again.  This time, Maybrick actually ran from you.  You cursed under your breath.  The Lady was far enough away that you could pretend not to hear her.  You could still catch the suspect, you just had to run a little.  In the outfit you were wearing, it would be next to impossible, but you really didn’t want to talk to the hostess again, so you gestured for Douxie to follow, and you chased after Maybrick.

You ran through the ballroom, dodging patrons and maneuvering around dancers.  It felt almost like a fairytale; Cinderella if the princess had to chase down a dangerous serial killer instead of just flee the ball.  

The suspect ran out the front doors, and you followed him, Douxie close behind.  The night air was cool on your skin, a nice contrast to the warmth of the ballroom.  You lost a shoe, and your hair was slowly turning into more and more of a mess, but you didn’t care, you wanted to catch this guy.

You did not catch that guy. 

A horse-drawn carriage was waiting for him at the end of the lane.  There was no way you could compete with that.  Not unless Archie would shapeshift into a horse for the sake of catching a possible criminal.

A black stallion pulled up beside you.

It was Archie, shapeshifted into a horse for the sake of catching a possible criminal.  You manifested your hot girl mystery-solving arc.

“Get on!”  both Douxie and Archie exclaimed, Douxie offering you a hand up.  You took it, jumping onto Archie’s back, wrapping your arms around the wizard's waist, and riding after the carriage.

The night was dark, and the carriage moved fast.  Archie kept up pretty well for a familiar with two people on his back.  He went so fast that all you could do was cling to Douxie for dear life as the dark world blurred around you.  It was not for a lack of trying, but eventually, you lost them.

“You did good Arch, you did good,”

“Thank you, Archie,” you said, forehead buried in Douxie’s back.

“I appreciate the thanks, but it isn’t over yet.  We left all of our stuff back at the manor, so we should return,”

“That’s probably a good idea,”

The journey back showed you how far you’d gone.  Needless to say, you were super proud of Archie.  You’d have to remind yourself to get him some fish later.

When you arrived back at the manor, the party was still going.  You could hear the music from the outside.  You dismounted Archie and leaned against his side.

“All of this,” you groaned out, “for nothing,”

“Well it wasn’t exactly for nothing,” Douxie said, stretching his arms above his head, “Maybrick ran from us, that’s suspicious.  I think we can officially call him a suspect.  Here,” he threw your missing shoe your way, “You dropped this,”

You smiled, leaning on Archie for support as you slipped it back on, “Thanks,”

“My pleasure,”

You laughed.  The stars above you caught your eye.  They were so beautiful tonight.  The music was nice too.  Everything was so peaceful.

It reminded you of another night, centuries ago, when you’d been allowed to rant and rave, and the wizard just listened to you.

“Hey, Douxie?”  

“Yes, love?”

You hesitated, trying to think of something to say.  Eventually, you came up with, “We’re still enemies after this, right?”

He laughed a little.  It sounded kind of sad, “If you want us to be,”

At that moment, you didn’t know what you wanted.

That’s a lie, you wanted to kiss Douxie.

But you hadn’t figured it out just yet, so, for now, you just stared at his lips, wondering what that feeling was, and listening to the song end.

“We should head back,”

“I guess we should,”

Neither of you were satisfied with this outcome.

--

You wouldn’t be satisfied until you caught the killer, or as it turned out, killers.

You’d been back at the pub, obsessing over the crime wall, tracing the red yarn over and over again.  Doux and Archie were starting to worry about your health.  Then you cracked the code.

“What if,” you said, turning from the wall, “There’s more than one,”

“More than one?”

“Yeah, more than one killer.  There’s more than one person involved here,”

The wizard and his familiar exchanged a look.  Maybe you were sleep-deprived and in need of a nap, but maybe you were onto something, “Go on,”

“Think about it, we’ve got multiple leads, some doctors, some live in the area, some have the motive, some are just suspicious, but none of them have everything they need to commit murder.  What if they’re working together?”

“Keep talking,”

“Look, here,” you said, pointing at a photo of a suspect, “Johnson Druitt, he lives in the white chapel area and has the anatomical knowledge,” you moved to another photo, this one a sketch, “Barnett, his roommate works the streets, he’s in love with her and we know he hates her job.  If he killed those other women to scare her, he has a motive,” you moved on again, “And Maybrick,”  you stopped, trying to piece together his role in this grand conspiracy.

“He’d have the funds to cover it up, plus the interest in the case,”

You spun around to face the wizard, “Douxie, you’re brilliant!”

You took a step back from the wall, taking in your work, “So, what do we do now?”

“Simple,” Douxie said, resting an elbow on your shoulder, “We go after him,”

--

You didn’t mind being bait.  Really, you didn’t.  But you did find it boring.

You’d been walking around this general area for two hours now, this disguise was uncomfortable, and you just wanted something else to do.  Then your wish came true!

Two men approached you from the front, both short in stature with well-kept moustaches.  You hid a smile, the three killer theory proving itself correct.  You walked forward, your peripheral vision focused on the men.  

The three of you kept walking.

You passed between them.

“Lovely night, isn’t it?”

They stopped, you continued on.

“Excuse me, dearie?”

“Yes?”  you purred, turning to them.  

Then you were grabbed from behind.  Fortunately, you expected that little trick, grabbing the stranger and flipping him over your body.  The man landed on the pavement with a thud.  You grinned as the three men looked at you, faces full of shock.  Unfortunately, it wore off, and the three advanced.

The first one threw a decent punch, but you dodged, forcing him to punch one of his partners.  You swept the legs out from under the third.

The first two had recovered and were coming at you again, this time with blades.  It was this moment when you noticed the blood on their coats.  It wasn’t theirs, or yours for that matter.  Yep, these were definitely your guys.  

The first blade missed you, the second one just grazed your side.  You bit down a cry of pain, sincerely hoping that blade was clean.  You could see Douxie emerge from his hiding place; clearly, he’d felt the sting of the metal too.

But you didn’t have time to focus on Douxie, you had to fight.  

You threw a few punches of your own, knocking the duo back into the street and closer to the wizard.

“Gah, you wENCH!!” one of them exclaimed.

“Kill the whore!!”  

You could see the rage in their faces, but that wasn’t as important as the fact that you could see their faces.  Maybrick and Druitt.  Your theory was right!  Your excitement fell away as they advanced.

Then they both fell into limbo.  

The portal down glowed blue around them.  Douxie stood behind the gateway, looking very proud of himself.

You would have laughed at their misfortune and Doux’s pride if you hadn’t been grabbed from behind again.

You cried out in surprise, catching the attention of the wizard.

“(Y/N)!”

“Don’t come any closer!” you felt the cold of a blade on your throat.  This wouldn’t end well.

“Come on now, don’t make any rash decisions,” Douxie’s hands were raised in surrender, his eyes never leaving yours.

“I’ll kill the wench!  I’ll do it!”

“Hey, don’t-”

“My Mary is dead!  There’s nothing left!  I’ll kill her!”

“Wait, who's dead?”

“My girl,” the man sobbed, his grasp on you weakening, “My Mary Kelly, I’ve lost her!  She’s gone!”

You may have felt bad for this guy if he hadn’t been absolutely insane.  You took his distracted state as a chance and broke from his hold, pushing yourself away from him.

“Douxie!  Now!”

The portal to limbo opened under the man.  He had no time to react as he fell into the other dimension.

You looked down into the gateway, a blue pool in the middle of a dull cobblestone street.  You sighed with relief as the blue magic sealed itself shut, leaving the night dark again.

“Nice work,”

“Thanks,”

Lights came on in the windows around you.  In the distance, you heard shouting.

“We should get out of here,”

“Good idea.  See you next century?”

“Oh, absolutely.  Say goodbye to Arch for me,”

“Will do,”

And you slipped away into the night, excited by this latest adventure, but still wanting more.

[avengers-nextgen]

The Aftermath III

“Have you seen the headlines?” Tony asked, looking intently at his daughter. She hesitantly put the screw driver down sensing that something was obviously important for him to be bothering her while working.

“No...should I have?” Piper asked skeptically.

“Listen, before I show you just know that this is meant to be pure gossip. The media needs a story so they make one up off of thin strands of fact,” Tony pulled a folded sheet of newspaper from his back pocket and smoothed it out on Piper’s work bench. “I knew it’d happen eventually but I was hoping not for another few years.“

Piper took the creased paper with care and examined the headline: Young Stark With Girlfriend? Piper scanned the sheet with wide eyes spotting a picture of her with Gen at some science convention they’d been to for fun the past weekend. “This is real?”

“Yes,” Tony nodded, “and chances are it’s not going to stop there.”

“Well, what do I do?” Piper frowned. “We aren’t even dating. This is bullshit.”

“I’m not sure if there’s anything you can do,” Tony sighed, “and if you make a statement denouncing this they’ll either twist your words or make a big deal out of the denial.”

“So I’m just stuck?”

“Yes,” Tony nodded, “but having thick skin will help. I’m telling you about this so you don’t get blindsided by it later. A few pointers I can give you are laugh at the headlines, don’t take them personally, and if you can- confuse the reporters.”

“Whatever,” Piper grumbled, shoving the paper away, “it’ll probably blow over.”

Tony studied her for a moment and knew she wanted to be left alone based on the slump of her shoulders-it mirrored Pepper exactly. “Alright, but if you need anything...”

“I know,” Piper pressed her lips into a thin line.

— — —

She expected things to return to normal fairly soon and kept an eye on the headlines. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case, and with mild irritation she dressed for the day, made last minute touches to the presentation, and headed out to the Renewable Energy Conference.

She’d promised months ago to offer research and develop a small prototype device that would store energy collected by solar cells. If all went well the prototype would be developed into a large storage system that could very well change the energy industry and lead to a more eco friendly environment.

For most of the ride there Piper zoned out staring intently at the back of the driver’s seat. She felt nervous-well, more nervous than normal-and when they arrived her heart leapt in her throat at the sight of reporters.

With shaking hands she collected the device and the case holding its design prints. Gen had arrived earlier along with Piper’s mom to handle most of the paper work she didn’t understand and they now stood expectantly at the top of the lecture hall steps.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Piper bounded hurriedly up the steps to where they stood, “Let’s get this over with.”

“You know you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to,” Pepper frowned.

“I’ll be fine, besides this is more important than me. It’ll be helpful if everything goes well,” Piper pressed her lips into a thin line.

“Alright, well, they set up the stage so you could present and these are the notes you want to remember,” Gen held out a manilla folder that Piper struggled to take due to her full hands. At last, she resorted to taking it with her teeth.

“Very professional,” Pepper winced. Piper only rolled her eyes and rushed inside not wanting to be late. As promised by Gen, the stage was set with its pull down screen and projector already running.

Heading back stage, Piper quickly reviewed the notes she’d been given before giving the Okay to the manager. Out in front of the stage the crowd slowly quieted and with the manager’s cue Piper walked briskly to the small podium in the corner.

She was aware of the applause but it wasn’t only background noise to her thoughts. Taking another breath to steady her voice she began the rehearsed lines, “thank you all for coming, I would first like to say that it is an honor to be here with such intelligent and creative people. I know we all want to make an impact on the energy industry in a positive manner which also provides a safer choice for the environment.”

The crowd nodded and murmured in agreement. Piper waited for the noise to die down before continuing.

“After many trial and errors I managed to come up with something I think all of you will find interesting,” with a click of the button from her small slide show remote the screen shifted to an image of her prototype, “and hopefully a useful idea. This is a storage cell which can actually absorb not only currently produced energy but extra energy from solar cells. For a while it’s been a problem where energy is created but not effectively used due to the second law of thermodynamics. Well, this will combat the waste that we need to treasure. While only a prototype it’s proven effective under countless tests.”

Piper then switched to a slide showcasing all of the data she’d collected during the trials. She noticed some of the members in the crowd taking notes or exchanging ideas with one another and it seemed they were liking her design. With a bit of renewed confidence she pressed on.

“The material to make these is also relatively cheap and easily manufactured. This allows an overall lower production cost that benefits everyone,” Piper glanced at the screen to see her list of financial receipts. They were well organized and perfectly kept. She’d have to thank her mom and Gen for that later.

As she continued with the presentation all of her nerves disappeared and Piper felt at ease once more. She scolded herself for being so afraid when clearly there was no reason to be.

“Now, I would like to thank a few people for helping make this happen. One of those people is my father who has been very supportive along with my mother who makes sure I don’t lose my head in all of this, and lastly my assistant Gen. Without those three I probably would be up here in my pajamas,” Piper smirked earning a few laughs from the crowd. “With that being said I understand that there is a Q and A portion of this so let’s get at it. I am your source of info.”

At first the questions were relevant and Piper found herself enjoying the discussion clearly in her element. But as time went on the reporters gained more courage and began to drown out the voices of her colleagues.

“Is it true that you have a girlfriend?” One voice called out amongst the swarm.

“That question isn’t relevant to the topic at hand.”

“Do you in fact have an affair going on with your assist-“

“Once again not relevant. I’m not sure you people understand what science is,” the joke made her colleagues roar with laughter but it only seemed to egg on the piranhas with pens and notepads.

“How do your parents feel about this?”

“The device? They love it.”

“That isn’t what I was referring to Miss Stark.”

“You should learn to be more clear in your questions.”

“Are you or are you not gay?”

“That is one ballsy question- and so what?”

The more questions that came the more Piper was aware of how hot she felt. The stage lights seemed to be frying her like a fish and she wasn’t happy about it. The last thing she wanted was to sweat through her clothes but with all that was happening it was nearly unavoidable.

“We have to get her out of there,” Pepper sighed, passing her clip board to a dumb founded Gen. Piper watched as her mom wove through the crowd towards the wings of the stage. She wasn’t sure what the woman had planned but she was all too eager to let her mother take over the microphone.

“Alright, thank you for your useless questions and for ruining a perfectly wonderful presentation. The fact of the matter here is that you have no appreciation for the amount of work and intelligence in this building. The people you have cut off are here for reasons more important than your headlines, and we would like to get back to the discussion at hand for their sake and mine. I’ve had about enough of your repeated idiocy and would be extremely happy - and I believe everyone else would agree-if you took your cheap two dollar pens and left.” Pepper’s words received a chorus of applause and yells of agreement. The other scientists had enough of the pesky reporters and looked like they wanted to stone them.

Seeming to take the hint, the reporters slowly trickled out of the building completely flabbergasted.

“Well said!” Called a husky voice to which Pepper smiled.

“Thank you, now due to the unforeseen circumstances we are actually out of time but I will gladly provide contact information so you can ask Piper anything you wish. She will gladly reply. She’s been very excited over this and it’s an honest shame people ruined it,” Pepper glanced over her shoulder at the rather pale face of her daughter.

When the conference was over Piper sat quietly in the car the whole way home until she was finally in her room. Once there, she fired up her laptop and proceeded to respond to numerous emails from the men and women at the conference.

What surprised her most were the remarks of supporter and apologies on her behalf for the reporters. She didn’t quite understand why the community would feel the need to apologize for them but there was something reassuring about their reaching out.

A soft knock sounded on Piper’s door interrupting her work, “Come on in.”

As expected it was Gen. She seemed rather nervous about something before finally blurting out the words, “I think it might be best if I wasn’t working with you anymore. Clearly it presents some issues that get in the way of-“

“Gen, I’m not going to let some dumbass reporters make me fire my assistant and friend” Piper frowned, “they can go after me all they want but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re probably the only one who can handle the mess that is Piper Stark. If I fire you who else is going to keep up with my stupidity?”

“Piper, I don’t know...” Gen chewed anxiously on her bottom lip, “it just seems that this isn’t a good idea.”

“What isn’t?”

“Us.”

“Why do you say that?” Piper frowned, closing her laptop carefully.

“Like it or not we’ve been avoiding the obvious. And the longer we pretend certain things didn’t happen the worse everything is going to be.” Gen remained awkwardly by the door with her back against it like it was helping her stand.

“None of that meant anything, it’s fine,” Piper waved her hand and opened her laptop again ready to skim through more emails.

“That’s the thing, it did.”This caught Piper’s attention once more. “If I’m being honest, I do have feelings for you. They confuse me and don’t make much sense but they’re there.”

“Oh?” Piper pressed her lips into a thin line.

“Oh? What does that mean?” Gen worried.

“Nothing, I just didn’t know that’s how you felt,” Piper shrugged.

“So, you don’t have anything to say? You’re just going to shrug?” Gen’s timid voice took on a hint of irritation.

“I don’t know what to say,” Piper admitted. “I don’t know how one classifies feelings as romantic or not.”

“I see,” Gen nodded, “well, think on it I guess. I don’t know...”

Piper watched Gen leave looking uncharacteristically flustered. Sighing, Piper distracted herself with work until nearly an hour later someone came barging into her room.

“Piper Stark, you absolute jerk!” Alex frowned crossing her arms.

“Oh no what’d I do?” Piper worried.

Alex kicked the door shut behind her and crossed the room to pry the laptop free from Piper’s hands.

“When someone confesses their feelings for you you don’t just shrug and go back to work,” Alex glowered.

“I didn’t know what to say or do! I don’t even know how I feel,” Piper protested.

“Is it that you don’t know or you don’t want to know?” Alex arched a brow knowing she’d caught Piper off guard. “That’s what I thought. Listen, I get you’re in a tricky spot because of your family name and the media but don’t let it dictate important decisions like this. If you always let external factors dictate things in your life you’re never going to be happy.”

“How do I know if I like someone? You have a girlfriend! Help me out!”

“Oh wow, very observant of you,” Alex snorted looking seriously at her friend, “If Gen disappeared tomorrow how would you feel?”

“Uh, kind of confused, a bit lost, maybe even a little lonely?”

“If you had the chance to have someone else as your assistant would you take them?”

“No, I told her she’s the only one who can keep up with me,” Piper explained.

“Do you think life would be better had you not met?”

“No, of course not.”

“Do you want to take back any moments you’ve had together?”

“That would be dumb and it’s impossible.”

“So,” Alex narrowed her eyes, “You’re telling me you wouldn’t be able to live without her and apparently that doesn’t qualify as having feelings?”

Piper sat there for a moment processing all that she’d said and the more she did the more she realized Alex was right. Not having Gen around would suck ass and frankly Piper didn’t like or tolerate anyone else aside from her.

“I see your point.”

“Good,” Alex snorted, “now go find her!”

Clambering out of bed Piper was pegged on the back of the head by Alex and a pillow. “Dumby!”

“I get it, I get it!” Piper grumbled, wandering around the tower until she located the ever elusive Gen tucked under a car in the garage on a trolley. “Wow, look! I found some legs!”

“Ha Ha very funny,” Came the dry reply.

“Can I talk?” Piper asked setting her foot on the trolley and tugging Gen back out into view.

“I’m listening.”

“I was a jerk and I’m sorry. Alex beat some sense into me with a pillow,” Piper grinned, “so to make it up to you would you want to go on a proper date with me?”

“So you do like me?” Gen asked, arching a brow.

“More or less,” Piper smiled earning a glare in return, “I’m kidding! Yes, I like you.”

“I have half a mind to kick you in the knee,” Gen frowned.

“I probably deserve it, Piper admitted. “But seriously, I am sorry. I’m just a little scared. I’ve never been the center of direct national attention before.”

“Understandable, but it’s okay to be scared. I was when Killian tried to kill us, but you just have to manage it,” Gen explained. “Now, let me finish fixing this and I’ll decide on the date.”

“You think I can’t plan?” Piper scoffed.

“I know you can’t,” Gen smirked, rolling back beneath the car and leaving Piper as confused as she had been at the start of everything.

[avengers-nextgen]

Prometheus I

Enzo was waiting excitedly in the hangar. They’d gotten word that Thalia was on her way home with some people she wanted him to meet. He didn’t know who exactly, but he was eager to find out.

“You have been in here for hours!” James called down at him from the overhead scaffolding. “How are you not bored?”

“I’m excited. What if they’re really cool?” Enzo smiled, rocking back and forth on his heels. James rolled his eyes and smiled-Enzo was a piece of work.

After nearly another hour the hangar doors creaked open sending sharp rays of sunlight leaking in. Enzo let out a cheer of excitement, jumping up and down before running to greet the jet. The ramp lowered slowly, and it had barely completed its decent before Enzo was sprinting inside of it.

James watched expectantly until Thalia emerged holding Enzo in a bear hug. Her laugh was loud and boisterous much to his amusement, and Enzo was already rattling off series’ of questions. “If it isn’t the warrior herself, Thalia Odin.”

“Hello James!” Tucking Enzo under one arm Thalia waved happily at the older boy. “You look wonderful!”

“You too,” James snorted. Thalia had slimmed slightly, and she looked like she was made purely of lithe muscle. He watched in amazement as a few others hesitantly exited the jet, but they looked out of sorts. An odd group of people that James wouldn’t have pegged as Asgardians.

“Tell me everything,” Enzo insisted, tugging on his cousin’s arm, “all the details.”

“So, this is your youngest cousin?” Enzo looked over at a tan skinned woman who watched him with an expression of amusement. “Nothing like his father that’s for sure.”

“I like to think I have his better qualities,” Enzo informed her with a sly smirk.

“I love him. He’s mine. Sif, can I keep him?” Valkyrie ruffled Enzo’s hair affectionately. “Sif?”

James glanced over his shoulder to see Thor standing frozen in place with his eyes wide, mouth open, and eyebrows arched in disbelief. “Uh...you good?”

“Oh, oh yeah.” Thalia mumbled, “maybe should have warned dad about us coming by.”

“Hey uncle! Look at this!” Enzo cluelessly gestured to everyone. “It’s so cool! There’s so many of us.”

“Yes...I-well, I can see that.” Thor forced a smile. James gave Thalia a questioning look, and she made it clear now was not the appropriate time to explain. “For now, maybe we should get everyone settled.”

“Good idea.” Enzo decided as he ran off to find rooms for the visitors.

— — —

Alex was stuck on the treadmill for her physical testing of the month. Wires hung all over like a web, suction cups kept them in place, a mask measured oxygen intake, it also measured carbon output, a heart monitor was strapped to her chest, and she was determined to beat her old records.

“Bump it,” Alex breathed. One of the on hand doctors pushed the speed button bringing it down to 4:30 mile pace. She matched the acceleration with a bit of effort, trying to keep her arm swing normal, and her knee drive high.

Everything was going great until the Med Bay doors slid open. In an instant Alex ripped off all monitoring devices, wires, and timers to greet her friends. Sprinting to the entrance Alex tackled Nathaniel and Piper in a hug.

“Nice to see you too,” Nathaniel laughed.

“I didn’t know you guys were coming back.” Alex smiled giddily like a little kid.

“Turns out we had the same flight home,” Piper laughed, “I feel a bit bad for the flight attendants.”

“How is everything? What’s been going on?” Nathaniel held up a polite hand before Alex could ask anymore questions.

“I will tell you everything once I unpack,” Nathaniel gave the sweaty girl a quick hug before racing off to his long missed room.

“Never have I seen him run so fast,” Piper teased, watching him go.

“Only for doughnuts and juice.” Alex remarked. Both girls laughed and Piper slung an arm around her friend. “So, did you sort things out?”

“About what?” Piper asked in confusion.

“You know, you and Gen.” Alex shrugged.

“Oh, yeah...that.” Piper sucked in a sharp breath. “Not exactly. I think we both kind of pretended it didn’t happen.”

“Piper Stark!” Alex smacked her friend’s arm causing the other girl to wince. “You did not.”

“Well I didn’t know what to say,” Piper admitted, her cheeks turning a faint pink, “I mean it’s not like I can just say ‘thanks, that was great. See you at school.’”

“Well of course you can’t say that.” Alex chuckled. “Oh Piper, how I’ve missed your unfortunate antics and life crises.”

“Don’t patronize me you little shit,” Piper snorted, only to be playfully shoved in return.

— — —

The place was abuzz with excitement. Penny and Enzo were doing their best to get stories out of everyone. They took an immediate liking to Valkyrie and her theatrics. Chloe was secretly trying to scribble all of it down into one of her notebooks.

Arthur was more intrigued by Piper’s travels. He liked learning about other cultures and he’d never been able to experience much of them on his own. Not to mention it seemed like Piper had some pretty crazy adventures to share.

“Yeah, so apparently I have a niece,” Nathaniel sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Awe, come here.” Nat tugged him into a hug and kissed the top of his head. “You’ve got family here too, don’t worry too much about it.”

“I know,” Nathaniel nodded and smiled. Steve gave him a few words of wisdom before James came to tackle his long time friend. “Hey, dude. What’s up?”

“Nothing much,” James grinned, “you look tired as hell.”

“Jet lag.” Nathaniel winced.

“I bet.” James nodded.

Fox watched from the shadows like usual. She didn’t know any of them really, hadn’t bothered to get to know them, and when she had interacted with the group it’d been as an enemy. Still, it was good to see such excitement. It livened up the sulking place a bit, but she was sad. She’d never had that sort of reunion with any of her friends and family.

“Hey, I got snacks. You want any?” Enzo asked, with a cheese stick stuffed in one cheek. He held up a platter of assorted packages.

“I’m good, thank you though.” Fox pressed her lips into a thin line.

“No problem.” Enzo smiled and bounded off.

— — —

Around lunchtime Bucky called in with good news. He and Bianca were heading back home. It was strange seeing Bianca so lively and involved with the festivities, but Bucky said their mission had been fruitful.

Bianca set out a series of folders on the coffee table. With careful hands she rearranged the contents, and with a satisfied nod she stepped back. “That’s my mother right there.”

Bianca pointed enthusiastically at a picture. The woman was charming with straight brown hair the color of damp soil, her smile reached her eyes, and she looked young and full of life.

“She’s so pretty,” Nathaniel smiled. “Hang on, look at me.”

Bianca did as she was told, and the older boy studied her face with an intense scrutiny. “What?”

“You have her nose.” Nathaniel decided.

“And those glorious eyebrows,” Penny added.

“You think so?”

“Totally,” James nodded, “what’s her name?”

“Olivia Jackson,” Bianca said the name with a tone of affection. “She’s incredible. She used to renovate homes in places like Mexico for poor families.”

“How does a generous person like her end up with such bad people?” Alex asked sadly.

“She has a friend, she’s no longer alive I’ve been told-I suspect foul play- but her friend was having trouble conceiving. My mother offered to help, but...it wasn’t what she thought. At least the surrogate aspect of it. M.A.D used her contacts as a ploy.” Bianca chewed anxiously on her bottom lip.

“I can’t believe it,” Piper’s eyes looked sadly at Bianca, “why do good people get screwed over?”

“I don’t know, but before she died she wrote this.” Bianca gingerly picked up a piece of paper. A careful cursive was scrawled across the lines. “I hope one day you learn the truth about all of this. About me, about yourself, and I hope you do not hate me. Whatever the circumstances, no matter how I felt at the time, you’re still mine. It’s hard not to get attached to something you’ve loved and waited to hold for months. While this isn’t what I planned, or had in mind, I am your mother. Please, don’t lose your humanity to these people. You’re far too precious. Love, Mom.”

“That’s amazing Bianca,” Alex whispered giving the girl’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, “she’d be more than proud of you.”

“I hope so,” Bianca smiled.

— — —

The group of kids spent the rest of the evening looking through the documents with Bianca. Occasionally, Bucky joined in and explained a riveting detail of their journey.

From the parents’ perspective it was nice to see them all invested in one another. So caring, kind, and loved. They really were a small family in and of itself.

A buzz from Tony’s phone caught his attention. “Well I’ll be damned, if this day isn’t any luckier already.”

“What is it?” Pepper frowned, peeking over his shoulder.

“Little Scouty is on his way home.” Tony laughed. “Look at Wanda. What a dork.”

“Let me see!” Steve begged. Sure enough Wanda had taken a picture of Scout and Vision passed out in the rental car. “Awe.”

“He’s going to be mad when he realizes he wrinkled his book pages,” Nat noted slyly.

“We cross that bridge when we get there!” Tony scoffed in fake irritation.

While the kids had their own reunion the parents did as well. Wanda-the baby of the group-was greeted excitedly by everyone. Scout, shuffled into the room looking half asleep still, but he was woken up soon after by bone crushing hugs. “Hey guys.”

“The news has been showing clips,” Alex rambled, “sounds like you guys were doing some awesome work.”

“Awesome, maybe.” Scout shrugged, “it’s a bit gruesome if I’m honest. Definitely a reality shock.”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t think of anyone better for the job. I can’t imagine how many people must be thankful for you guys stepping in to help.” James clapped his friend on the shoulder. “It makes me proud.”

“Someone is awfully sappy today,” Piper joked, “good to see you Maximoff.”

“Likewise, Stark.” Scout nodded, “who else has come home?”

James patiently explained everything he’d learned in an attempt to get Scout up to speed. The boy took everything in with ease and shifted through it with little effort at all. “Did you get all that?”

“Yes, of course,” Scout smirked, “did you forget about my wit James?”

“Not a chance!”

— — —

Grand entrances were part of the Quill family tradition. Hence the loud music blasting from a ship descending into the hangar with Orion jamming out on the open ramp. “Thunder! Oh wha oh wha oh oh. Thunder!”

“AC/DC!” Piper cheered.

“Not surprised at all.” James laughed, too relaxed to avoid joining in on Piper’s spontaneous dance party. Soon the entire hangar room was full of dancing teenagers, and even Chloe was dancing though Arthur held her hands and made her participate.

“Fireworks!” Orion yelled pressing a button on some sort of hand held remote. Sparklers exploded from the sides of the ship, and he leapt down onto the hangar ground with his arms open as if to say ‘I have arrived’. “Confetti!”

“Oh my god!” Penny laughed hysterically. “I love this man!”

“Ladies and gentlemen I have returned,” Orion took a cocky little bow, flourishing his arms, “the fun can officially begin.”

It only took a sly little wink from Orion to have Scout tackle him in a hug. “It’s good to see you!”

“Like wise!” Orion shouted over the music. “I see the squad is back together?”

“More or less,” Scout nodded. A lull in conversation followed with both boys trying not to stare at one another. “This is really awkward.”

“You think?” Orion laughed.

“Well yeah. That’s why I said it!”

“You dork,” Orion rolled his eyes before grabbing the sides of Scout’s face, “you need to learn to stop thinking.”

“That’s literally imposi-“Orion pressed his lips against Scout’s forcing him to shut up. “-ble. Did you just kiss me?”

“Yeah!” Orion nodded.

Disgusting...do it again.” Scout decided.

“OH MY GOD! YES!” Enzo ran excitedly in place. He dissolved into a yelling mess and told anyone he could that they were kissing. Of course, everyone had already noticed by now. (End of Part I Part one 😂)