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thebibliomancer · 2 years

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Essential Avengers: Avengers #274: Divided... We Fall!

December, 1986

Hercules’ Last Stand!

Uh oh!

Hercules hates it when he dies! Hey, Masters of Evil! He’s not into being beaten to death so cut it out!

It’s been a whole week so I should contextualize the last times.

In secret, Baron Zemo has been gathering up villains that want to beat up Avengers so he could form a new Masters of Evil to beat up the Avengers. And not just any Masters of Evil. The biggest Masters of Evil. The most dangerous and most well-prepared Masters of Evil. New Baron Zemo isn’t going off half-cocked, he’s carefully planned for his Siege on Avengers Mansion.

Although, he’s already inside and in control of their base so is it really a siege?

Anyway, by keeping tabs on the Avengers and all their personal problems, Zemo found a moment when the mansion was unattended except for Jarvis and had his Masters storm in, tear through the defenses, and capture the place before Jarvis could get an alarm through the Masters’ preparations.

And now Zemo is going to destroy the Avengers. I mean, that’s the plan anyway. Lets see who blunders face first into danger.

Ha, it’s Black Knight.

Poor dolt.

Like I said, Zemo has been keeping tabs on the Avengers. So he suspects that Black Knight is too distracted by Wasp liking Paladin and not liking him to be too attentive as he returns to the Mansion.

And he is correct!

Partially correct!

Dane doesn’t notice that the front gate has been replaced because he is still dwelling on Wasp not paying enough attention to him. But he does eventually notice that something is amiss because all the lights are out.

Black Knight blocks an opening attack by New Yellowjacket but gets literally floored by Mister Hyde punching him through a wall.

And I mean that Hyde is the one who goes through the wall.

Then Hyde pounds Black Knight unconscious. And would have pounded him into chivalry jelly if New Yellowjacket hadn’t intervened and convinced Hyde to chillaxulate.

New Yellowjacket: “Hyde, no! We’re supposed to take him alive!”

Mister Hyde: “Hyde, yes! It is folly to let enemies live!”

New Yellowjacket: “But if we kill him, we can’t use him against the other Avengers!”

Mister Hyde: “Hmmph! True... alive, he does have his uses! One as weak as he, I can always kill later!”

Hyde ties up knocked out black and blue Knight with his own cape and the two villains go to dump him next to Jarvis on the Avengers meeting table.

But on the way, New Yellowjacket starts pondering misgivings. Hyde is playing ball now but how long is that going to last? How long is Zemo going to be able to control the group without it imploding in violent in-fighting when Hyde or another of the fighty boys decides he doesn’t want to follow orders anymore?

I’m going to put my money on this group either imploding or exploding by the end of the day.

After dumping the unconscious Black Knight on the prisoner table, New Yellowjacket hands over his sword and magic helmet, I mean his helmet and magic sword.

And then the Masters just crack wise on Dane’s entire concept for a while.

Wrecker: “Ain’t that sword s’posed to be indestructible?”

Baron Zemo: “Yes, Wrecker, there’s even rumored to be a sort of... enchantment about it.”

Piledriver: “A magic sword, huh? Too bad he didn’t have a magic head to go with it!”

Tiger Shark: “Maybe he does! Hey, Bulldozer, wouldn’t you say his face was magic?”

Bulldozer: “Yeah, Tiger Shark -- it’s turning into a giant bruise! Haw-haw!!”

Devastating.

If Black Knight hadn’t been beaten unconscious, he’d be feeling like a chump right now.

Moonstone points out that maybe they should save the comedy routines for when they’ve actually completely won and Baron Zemo actually agrees. They’ve seized the building, the butler, and the Black Knight. But the most dangerous Avengers are still to be dealt with.

Speaking of, Captain Marvel.

She’s sitting at home in New Orleans, reading the newspaper and tutting over a change in interest rates.

Then she receives a radio watch hail from “Wasp” who asks Monica to get to mansion as quick as possible, no time to explain, go go go.

Yeah, it’s a trap.

And Captain Marvel realizes its a trap as soon as she sees Jarvis and Black Knight tied up because Wasp wouldn’t send her into a situation like that without context.

But by the time she realizes its a trap, she’s already fallen for the trap.

Blackout gets her with the darkforce. And despite learning how to turn into neutrinos to combat this exact weakness, neutrinos don’t save her here.

The darkforce covers Captain Marvel completely and then compresses into nothing, blipping Monica out of existence.

Aw. Bye Monica. You were the light of this run.

Baron Zemo comes in and tells Blackout hey good job.

Then he complains that Black Knight is still unconscious! Zemo wanted to taunt him about being party to Captain Marvel being blipped out of existence but Hyde beat him too hard.

Ah well. Make lemonade.

Instead, he gloats to Jarvis who is a literal captive audience.

YOU SEE JARVIS, THE MASTERS ARE VERY SMART AND VERY PREPARED. Using a voice simulator they attached to the Mansion’s radio transmitter, they were able to broadcast orders with Wasp’s voice.

ALSO: Captain Marvel is gone. Black Knight is subdued. Namor is off the team because of his Namor drama. That just leaves Hercules, Wasp, and Captain America.

Or mostly just Hercules. Once Hercules is out of the way, wasp and Captain America will be easy.

Meanwhile, at the main computer terminal of the Mansion, New Yellowjacket is trying to break into the Avengers’ data files but the Avengers managed to safeguard those much more securely than they did the Mansion.

Makes sense, honestly. The security system has to worry about accidentally killing idiots off the street. But its harder for password protection on a computer to kill someone.

The Fixer offers to help since maybe a computer system designed by Second Best Engineer Tony Stark will be too difficult for New Yellowjacket. Maybe First Best Engineer the Fixer should give her a hand.

New Yellowjacket doesn’t appreciate the hand.

It does look like he was getting a little too in her space with it.

You gotta respect people’s face space, the Fixer.

But I’m going to go ahead and tally this up next to “Mister Hyde is definitely going to get antsy not killing people and become ungovernable” on the internal tensions list.

As soon as Zemo said the key to beating the Avengers was unity, the countdown started ticking for how long he could keep these people from each others throats.

And the Fixer seems like the type to not leave well enough alone.

Anyway. More Zemo. He wants to know how everything is looking. Fill his ears with sweet exposition.

The Fixer explains that the Fantastic Four are still out of the country in Fantastic Four #297, apparently dealing with... uh. Huh. Roger Stern is writing Fantastic Four at this time. Double dipping into two of Marvel’s big books. But the Fantastic Four are dealing with some feuding brothers and are going to accidentally dunk a planet into a vortex.

So they’re not going to be messing up the Masters’ plans.

And the Masters used the same Wasp voice simulator trick to send the West Coast Avengers off to Indonesia to hunt snipes.

I don’t think that incident reflects in the West Coast Avengers book. Kinda hope it does.

Point being, the West Coast Avengers won’t be the cavalry either. Nothing can stop the Masters from defeating the unsuspecting remaining Avengers!

SPEAKING OF UNSUSPECTING AVENGERS,

Off in New Jersey, the Wasp is just chilling by her pool thinking about her boytoy Paladin and how she’s so tempted to tie him down by recruiting him into the Avengers. If only all her ethics didn’t stop her from abusing her chairwoman position. And also if only it would even work.

When Captain America jumps out of a helicopter, does a flip off her diving board, and lands next to her for a chat. An urgent chat.

That was completely unnecessary, Cap.

Just do a cannonball into the pool like anyone else would have.

Cap(tain America) tells Wasp that he recently had an encounter with the Trapster and Whirlwind in Captain America #324, on sale then. He figured that Wasp would be interested, given that Whirlwind is a big creep with a big creepy obsessive crush on her.

He figured but when he called the Mansion to inform her, she didn’t seem very interested.

Which confuses her since this is the first she’s hearing of it.

Wasp: “Me?! That’s impossible! I haven’t been in the mansion for a couple of days!”

Captain America: “Whoever it was sounded exactly like you -- and I couldn’t believe you wouldn’t be concerned about Whirlwind’s activities. I knew I’d better contact you personally... and find out what was wrong.”

Pulling the loose thread.

Or the bait?

Given how Zemo has been obsessing over the Avengers’ persona lives, the better to manipulate them, it’d be odd that he’d overlook the connection between Wasp and Whirlwind.

But maybe its not public knowledge outside the Avengers and Whirlwind. Maybe Whirlwind hasn’t been broadcasting his obsessions to the world.

So Zemo overlooks and sends the one person he shouldn’t send to go distract Cap.

Since it sounded like Wasp when Cap called the Mansion, Wasp figures that either their communication lines have been tapped... or worse, someone has taken over the Mansion.

And Wasp quickly finds out its the second thing when she sneaks in through the ventilation at wasp size to scout the situation.

Wasp’s powers are great and I won’t hear otherwise.

Since the Masters of Evil are between Avengers to ambush, they’re filling the time with breaking the furniture and searching through the drawers for valuables.

They’ve got the heroes’ HQ, so why not loot?

Wasp returns to the ventilation and looks for signs of other Avengers or Jarvis and eventually finds the still unconscious Black Knight and the conscious Jarvis in the meeting room, on the prisoner table.

She ungags Jarvis and he quickly explains the situation to Wasp, including clarifying that the Baron Zemo they’re dealing with is the original Baron Zemo’s son and that the Masters of Evil team is the strongest and biggest roster its ever had.

Wasp wants to untie Jarvis and help him escape to safety but the ever-loyal Jarvis tells her its more important that she stop Hercules from walking into an ambush.

Not too much time later, Hercules is dropped off at the Mansion by his date Tanya Sealy.

After he leaves her car, she calls Zemo and tells him she drugged all of Hercules’ booze as he hired her to do.

Tanya Sealy: “I’ve just dropped your pigeon off in front of Avengers Mansion... full of enough drugged booze to knock out an elephant! I’m surprised he can still stand, let alone walk! You’re already deposited my fee in that Swiss account? A pleasure doing business with you, Baron!”

Dang, I can’t believe that the woman who lured Hercules away from monitor duty, leaving the Mansion underdefended, also would drug him and shove him towards an ambush.

For shame, Tanya Sealy. For shame.

Anyway, Hercules stumbles towards Avengers Mansion but tiny Wasp and “Stevie” intercept Hercules and pull him into an unmarked van.

“Stevie” is really Captain Steve America and the tiny Wasp is a normal sized Wasp who shrunk down.

Wasp explains that the Mansion has been overrun by supervillains and relates everything Jarvis told her about the attack.

Except that included how Captain Marvel got blipped out of existence. Now Hercules is mad. Drunk, drugged, and mad.

Even though Wasp tells him to chill until they can come up with a plan of attack and rustle up some reinforcements (and maybe for Hercules to sober up some so he’ll be more useful), Hercules decides the plan of attack is to attack RIGHT NOW.

He punches his way out the secretly technological van and marches towards the Mansion.

Hercules: Fool woman! When this is done, I shall demand new leadership in the Avengers!

Ohhhh Hercules. You and your mild misogyny. Now is not the time for it and also never is the time for it. But particularly now.

I still don’t know whether Zemo knew about the Whirlwind thing but Zemo getting the Wrecker to wind up Hercules about a woman being leader is paying off.

I don’t think Zemo did know. But as a precaution against Wasp managing to learn about the situation and attempt to organize a counter-plan, Hercules being too dumb to play in a group works out too well.

Well, Hercules isn’t actually dumb in a general sense.

He doesn’t just walk into an ambush. He tries to flank it.

The ambush will be waiting for him at the front door, so Hercules will just punch himself a new door where nobody is expecting him.

Problem is that Hercules is too drunk and drugged and wound up for much more critical thinking than that. Instead of caution, Hercules picks a fight with the first supervillain he happens to run into.

Tiger Shark. A guy that trades blows with Namor so not exactly a pushover.

But at least Hercules being in the mansion punching his guy does surprise Zemo. And to Fixer’s worry, Captain America and Wasp are charging the front door.

Zemo reminds Fixer that they’re in control of the Mansion’s security systems, duh. And also to send the beefiest boys to backup Tiger Shark and to have Moonstone have Blackout prepare to “seal off the Mansion.”

The team leader’s contribution to the team tends to be ‘manages to not completely lose their head at the first sign of trouble, suggests obvious plans’ and Zemo is solidly in the tradition of that.

Anyway, back to how dumb or not Hercules is.

Yes.

And by proximity he’s making Captain America and Wasp a little dumb or at least forcing their hand.

The original plan was to come up with any sort of plan but with their strongest dude rushing in they have to back him up or lose their strongest dude.

Here’s where the dumb comes in.

Hercules was smart enough to punch a hole through the wall to attack where they didn’t expect him. Wasp suggests Captain America to backup Hercules while she goes to free the hostages. But the two of them both rush towards the front door, the very avenue of attack that a drunk, drugged, pissed off Hercules rejected as dumb.

Ah well.

The Fixer turns the Avengers’ own security system against them.

While the security tentacles remain not really a big deal for people with any amount of superpowers, a sonic cannon that pops out from under the welcome mat is much more effective.

Captain America passes out from the sonics scrambling his brains shortly after telling Wasp to go for help. He gets dragged inside the Mansion by one of the turncoat security tentacles. Wasp barely escapes back to the street before collapsing.

When Wasp recovers her senses, she discovers that the entire Mansion has been hidden underneath a black cube rectangular prism created by Blackout.

Wasp is very alarmed that Blackout is capable of this. While inside the Mansion, Moonstone is very intrigued by how Blackout’s power has strengthened since she met him. She starts contemplating how to get Blackout back under her sway so she can wrest control away from Zemo.

Moonstone and her compulsive usurping. I love it.

Meanwhile, Hercules is beating the crap out of Tiger Shark.

Even a drunk, drugged Hercules is out of that guy’s league. Plus, Hercules smack talks while he smacks the amphibious adversary around. Since Tiger Shark is a Namor villain and since Namor is a guy Hercules has grown to respect, he tells Tiger Shark that he’s not fit to bathe Namor’s feet.

Do Atlanteans wash their feet? Their feet are almost always in the ocean. Do Atlanteans wash?

Anyway, Tiger Shark’s reinforcements show up. First, Mister Hyde who smacks Hercules with one of those... big, vaguely technological equipment pillars you sometimes see in comic book superhero or villain bases. Then he wraps Hercules up in it so the Wrecking Crew can start hitting him through his sudden... like he’s rolled up like a pig in a blanket.

It’s amazing.

Is this as funny as dropping a road roller on someone and then punching them through the road roller? No. Nothing can top that.

Is it still pretty hilarious fight choreography? Yes, very yes.

Also, wrapping Hercules up in a metal burrito and tenderizing his buns doesn’t actually knock him out of the fight.

He OH YEAHs out of the metal gyro, knocking Mister Hyde and the Wrecking Crew on their collective asses.

Drunk, drugged, PISSED OFF Hercules: “Did you jackals think you could overwhelm the lion of Olympus with mere numbers? Fools... I am no stranger to battle! Alone, I have braved the hordes of the Netherworld! I shall make each of you curse the days you were born!”

Except, there’s a NEW CHALLENGER!

And it’s Goliath.

Hey JOSTEN you’re mixing mythological idioms, dammit!

Also, dammit the West Coast Avengers! You were supposed to be watching this idiot!

Anyway, Goliath boasts that the bigger he is, the stronger he is but that he doesn’t even have to grow half as the biggest he can because Hercules is so drunkdrugged.

Then he grabs a Herc by the leg and bounces him off the scenery for a while.

And then he throws him to the ground so that the other villains can dogpile on Hercules.

This is what happens when your comic universe doesn’t have someone with FAIR PLAY printed on their clothes.

Anyway, elsewhere in the Mansion, Captain America is dragged before Zemo who kicks him in the face a couple times. Zemo is a big believer in the whole ‘kick them when they’re down thing.’

Zemo: “You have played the role of ‘Avenger’ for many years -- but vengeance is mine! Because of you, my father died... my family was torn asunder! Now, in return, your petty little team has been destroyed!”

Zemo, I’mma real talk with you.

Your dad was an idiot.

And I don’t know that you had a family to tear asunder because the man had already fled so he wouldn’t get persecuted for war crimes and so he could oppress an indigenous group to fulfill his racism kink.

Also, Zemo Sr killed himself like a dumb idiot after he lured Captain America into a confrontation. And also every fight between Cap and Zemo Sr after Cap dethawed happened because Zemo Sr started the fight.

Anyway, you’re dumb too.

Captain America: “It... doesn’t matter... what you do to me! You haven’t beaten the Avengers... not so long as one of us still lives!”

Zemo: “Really, Captain? The Wasp is the only member of your team left free, and she is no threat to us. Indeed, she was unwittingly a great help! The Black Knight’s infatuation with the Wasp made him a confused and easy target. And Hercules’ disrespect for her increased his natural recklessness."

Hey, I don’t love you blaming Wasp for her teammates emotions at her. You villain.

Meanwhile, outside the Mansion, Wasp has been trying to blast through the darkforce rectangular prism with her Wasp Stings. But even her power enough to blow up a small house isn’t even scratching this nonsense material.

The police offer to bring bazookas but she turns them down as it probably won’t work.

... Wait, why do the police have bazookas. What do they need to bazook?

Uh, anyway, Hercules is then ejected from the darkforce rectangular prism.

AND HE’S DEAD!!?

This is a very sad day for me, a person who usually likes Hercules even though he’s been a bit of a pill lately in this run.

;__;

Follow @essential-avengers and be sad with me about Hercules’ death. Like and reblog, its what he would have wanted.

#essential avengers #avengers #Avengers Under Siege #Masters of Evil #Baron Zemo #Wrecking Crew #Mister Hyde #Goliath #Yellowjacket II #Black Knight #Captain Marvel #Monica Rambeau #Hercules #the Wasp #Captain America #Edwin Jarvis #essential marvel liveblogging #the avengers have a bad day

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cybertronian-cupid · 3 years

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i Need tfa wasp/inator to get some comfort, please? a scenario where he's been on earth and human reader discovers him and it takes only one kind thing for him to get attached. just him healing as the reader loves him thru it. sfw and/or nsfw as you'd like!

One sfw wasp bud, coming up! Hope you like it!💥~Gregoria🏩

............................. ....................... ............................

When they first met Wasp they nearly got shot to bits. All things considered it was mostly their fault, since they were the one who decided to attempt sneaking around in the shrubbery. The poor guy looked on edge as it was and it took a lot of convincing that they won’t let him be sent back to the stockades or take him to “Bumblebot” and whoever the hell was his boss.

Relatively soon they managed to convince him it would be safer to stay somewhere with more stable shelter. And that’s how they found themself here, sitting inside of their small garage with Wasp wrapped in a tarp they had stashed away for their future car, him nursing an old motor oil jug that seemed like a juice box in his servo, while they listened to his story.

“Yeah that guy does sound like a jerk.” they look up at him and muster a smile.

“Look on the bright side though buddy. You escaped and you can stay here for as long as you want. Revenge or no revenge.”

“You call Wasp friend?”

They rub the back of their neck, looking away when they feel their skin turning hot. “I mean, yeah I’d like to be friends. No pressure though, I mean-”

“Wasp would like a friend.”

They look back at him, noticing how his cautious optics shine just a little brighter. They smile wide and wish their new buddy goodnight and let him know he just needs to call for them if he needs anything.

It’s been months since Wasp had made himself at home in their tiny garage. It was decorated with all sorts of trinkets and pictures from the places they’ve been or would like to visit some day and they eventually suggested that he might also enjoy exploring the planet. Most days when they had to work from home, they’d curl up on his lap, while he tries to solve puzzles they got him. The metal rings that should unhook, but didn’t no matter how much he tried are the ones that frustrated him the most and he insisted that his friend shows him how to do it over and over.

Eventually he realized his search for the bot that ruined his life will be easier if he can blend in better, so he and his buddy snuck out to figure out what would be the most forgettable car possible in case anyone tries to find him after he gets his revenge. It turned out to be a Buggy and the size allowed both him and his buddy to make trips to the city multiple times without raising too much suspicion. After a while though, they noticed he started acting weird. His words turned into buzzing more often when they called him “Their buggy pal” or whatever other nickname they came up with. And sure, sure they teased each other all the time, and they love how his optics twinkle when they show him a new trick or game, and how his laugh makes them feel all fuzzy and-

“Budz?”

“Wazzup, Wazp?”

They’ve been driving for a while, and they could see his nervousness by the way his windshield wipers kept twitching.

“Is friend all Waspinator will be to Budz?”

“What do you mean?” he was clearly having a hard time getting whatever was bugging him out of his system, and it took him a few attempts before he managed to stutter out.

“Wasp wants to be more than budz.”

They could feel their cheeks begin to heat up, their hands moving up to hide their face.

“Oh, Waspy,”

Wasp let out a frustrated noise, swerving into an empty parking lot and nearly jetting them out of their seat.

“Wha-”

“Forget Wasp said anything, bad idea, Wasp has to leave.” and so they were left behind hacking up smoke.

It was a good thing the store he left them at was where another friend of theirs worked, so after her shift ended they were given a lift. They found him huddled under the tarp in their garage, clearly ready to be mocked.

“Wasp?”

The tarp nearly tears under his shaking digits.

“Wasp not here. Wasp messed up and will leave soon.”

“Hey hey hey! No, stop that.” They walk up to him, and peek at his faceplate through a hole in the material.

“Listen here, mister. If you decided to listen to me instead of pretty much throwing me out of the seat, I could tell you that I- I’m willing to try this.”

The tarp lowers from his faceplate, optics squinting at them.

“Budz not funny.”

“I’m not trying to be funny you asshole! I wanted to ask you out for a long time, but didn’t want you to feel like I’ll kick you out if you say no.” They tug at the tarp, and it slides all the way down, resting on Wasp’s lap.

“If we do this, you have to promise me no matter what happens, you will always remember you have a place here, alright? You’re my buddy first and foremost. With or without all the lovey dovey stuff.”

Wasp shrinks in on himself a little, offering a palm for them to step on, and he brings them closer to his faceplate. “Thankz, Budz.”

They smile and pat his helm, pressing a peck to his chin, taking great joy in his frozen expression before he all but melts into their hands

“Thank me when I get you some flowers and some proper gas. My date is not drinking crude oil when I’m the one paying for drinks.” His engine gives a small rev, and they press another peck to his face. And another, and another, and so on until they fall asleep.

#tfa wasp #transformers animated #tfa wasp x reader #tfa wasp x s/i #tfa wasp x s/o #tfa wasp x human!reader #anon #He's adorable. And harder to write than I expected.~G🏩

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marvelous-space-nerd · 3 years

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My dearest Bee

Hi dear tumblr people! I wrote a thing and I quite like it,,

Summary: Time travel, is, well something. Who would've thought that you would get stuck in the 1800's?? Well here you are, part of the Van der Linde gang, ready to face the past.

First chapter can be read as a stand alone chapter. It takes place a few years after Isaac died. The relationship between the reader and Arthur is platonic. Enjoy!!

ao3

My dearest Bee,

So I hope these letters- I can’t call them letters if they’re in a book right?- Anyways, I hope these will find you, I hope you’re home, safe. I hope you saw your dog again, I miss her. I have a horse now though! Maybe I’ll name her after you, or just wasp. If I remember correctly you weren’t the biggest fan of wasps. But really, I’m not sure if we timetraveld or were transported to another universe where everything just started like 100 years later, the latter case making it a whole lot harder for you to find this. I just really hope you’ll find this against all odds, because I said I’d write to you if I made it. And I did! I guess. After the whole thing blew up some cowboys found me, I think they call themselves the Van der Linde gang? But yeah, they feed me and gave me a bed for the small price of doing some chores. I’d like to do more though, did you know that the 1800’s are really boring even though you can die at any second? It’s spicy but in the wrong way. I’d like you to know though that it’s not all bad here. People are lovely when they’re not trying to shoot you. You should see a campfire evening- hell any evening- here.

Yours always,

(Y/N)

“(Y/N) get off your lazy ass and do the chores we asked you to do!”

“Mister Morgan! No need to yell, I got it perfectly under control. I was just, taking a break, that's all. Everyone who works all day has the right to take a break.”

“Boy as much as we want it workers are exploited ‘till they fall to the ground face first. You however are not so-” He took a deep breath, closed his eyes before speaking agian. Softer this time than the louder tone he was using first. “get to work, please.”

“Fine fine, but-”

“There better leave something good out of that big mouth of yours.”

“Hey that's just rude! But I want one of you lot to teach me anything. I can’t even ride a horse for Christ's sake.”

“I still don’t get how you can’t kiddo.”

“I told you I lost my memory at the explosion, maybe I lost my skills too.” You said avoiding his piercing gaze. Nothing is better at covering up lies than staring at rocks being sad over the skills you’ve lost.

“And we all know about that blatant lie.” Fuck, maybe rocks aren’t good at covering up.

“It isn’t-”

“Boy I don’t give a damn, you could work on your handwriting though, you’re almost worse than John. But fine, when you’re done with your chores I'll teach you to ride.” He said, finally giving in.

“Yay!” You said while doing little hand clapping motion. “I won’t disappoint, I promise. I’m a fast learner!” You said with smiling eyes

“And how’d you find out you were a fast learner boy?” He spoke out as he raised his eyebrows, just enough for you to feel them piercing right through you, poking at all the holes in your lie. You thought you’d last at least a few months, well here you are, exactly one month deep in this shithole being caught red handed.

“Fuck” Is all you managed to cram out while your eyes lost all their focus. You being back in your own mind instead of the wild world.

It made the silence hard. The only sound that of the other gang members and the birds and the bees to give you something to focus on. It’s so hard out here, no amount of scouts will ever prepare one for the real wild.vIt’s much scarier out here. The real wild is the place where you die if you trip over the wrong rock. The scouts will make sure the rock isn’t even there. Every bird will just put down another rock and god I want the silence broken, just as broken as my lie is.

“I know there’s probably a reason you’re not telling us anything.” Athur said, as he moved closer, his eyes smaller. Like they could see right in his head “You can’t hide forever, not who you are.”

“...”

“Use your words boy”

“I’m sorry, Mister Morgan, I don’t know what to say to that.”

“You’ll figure it out, but first geT your ass back to woRK.” His voice became louder this time, I mean this was the third time he asked. He put his hand on your shoulder, shoving you away from your shared tent towards the hay bales you were supposed to move. A bit harder than anyone in the twenty-first century would’ve done, but for Arthur it was just a friendly push.

“I will, I will mister Morgan!” You said trying to act cheerful. Arthur made a “tsk” sound and waved you off, absolutely done, it seemed. You moved to the hay bales that were still in the wagon, ready to be fed to the horses.

The hay bales were heavy, yet they seemed lighter than they were a month ago. Your hands weren’t soft no more and being covered in dirt and dust wasn’t rare anymore. The luxuries that the modern world gave you disappeared the moment you decided that Bee was the one who should go home. One to run to the portal the moment it opens, one to pull the lever and jump through afterwards. Both of you knew that people don’t want you touching their stuff, let alone interdimensional portals or time machines. You knew someone would be quick to show up the moment you turned it on. It was surprising to see the portal become unstable, blinking in and out, in and out of existence. It left you with 2 choices. Option a: jump in it praying it would still transport you back home, back to all you knew not leaving you in the empty pocket of a closed portal. Or option b: run away for the inevitable explosion.

Gods you hated thinking about it. It played and twisted your mind. You couldn’t even talk about it, no accessible therapists in the wild west. And you’d prefer not to tell anyone you’re a helpless time traveler. Stuck in 1895 traveling with a gang of outlaws. A surely unique situation only you could get yourself in. You don’t even remember what you chose. You just remembered waking up surrounded by a bunch of cowboys.

“And how is our newest member doing?” The man's smooth and easy voice was easily recognizable. Dutch Van der Linde. Isn’t it ironic that he has a dutch surname and that his parents called him, well, Dutch. It’s a question that always on your mind, why his parents did that and if it’s iconic or just stupid. Dutch was one of the first people who introduced himself, right after Arthur- who was very inclined on being called Mister Morgan- and Hosea. The trio who showed you the wild west wasn’t all bad.

“Dutch! It is absolutely lovely to see you.” You said while putting the last hay bale down. A little bit of healthy sweat decorating your face. “I am doing absolutely great. Arthur- Mister Morgan is actually going to teach me how to ride a horse when I’m done.” You said while eyeing Arthur. Clearly not being amused with the situation. “Eh, he said yes, it’s his problem now.”

“I’m surprised you got through that thick skull of his!” He said with a smile, each word a little louder than the last. He clapped his hand on your shoulder as he let out a little chuckle.

“I think he likes me even though he won’t admit it actually.” You lied, confidence was half of the battle, as they say.

“I think I don’t you annoying little bastard.” Arthur said, joining the conversation. Dutch clearly talks loud enough to make sure any gossip subject will show up to the gossip. Definitely not the fact that you made eye contact with him “Now get to your horse before I change my mind.”

“Arthur! Oh shit- Mister Morgan! I’ll be there before they can even give me a speeding ticket” You said, maybe it was a bit too modern this time, but isn’t the wild west about living on the edge?

“You speak a strange version of english boy.” Arthur said. “You know how to saddle up a horse right?”

“Hosea taught me so I could help around with chores. And Wasp already had a saddle when we found her so I’m all good to go Mister Morgan!”

“Great, now go get her saddled up so we can go.” He said, motioning towards the horses.

“See you in a flash.” You said while snapping your fingers, forming finger guns to point back to Arthur. You dismissed the look of confusion on their faces, clearly not used to the finger gun motion. You walked off to Wasp and gave her a little pet and a snack. As you were putting her saddle on you overheard the rest of the conversation between Arthur and Dutch.

“We can both see you have a soft spot for the boy, Arthur.” Dutch said with a chuckle.

“And we both know youngins have great hearing and that he’s spying on our little conversation.” Arthur said in response, eyeing you. You kept saddling Wasp up as if you heard nothing. Let the deaf chicken inside of you arise and all. Hoping they’d say more.

“I know Arthur, I know.” Dutch said with a chuckle. About to walk away. “Oh before you go, he’s a kid Arthur, don’t be too hard on him and be carefull.” You didn’t think you were a kid, maybe not a full grown adult, but at least you were half an adult, no kid. But you weren’t going to say anything, you were eavesdropping after all. “He’s all yours, (Y/N)!” He yelled at you, before leaving for real. You turned around and gave him a smile and a quick wave. Arthur walked

“Take her by the reins, we're walking to an open spot first.”

“Shoar '' You said, absolutely trying to mimic the western accent you hear all around here. Apparently it was just bad enough to make Arthur chuckle.

“We’ll make a cowboy outta ya yet.”

Traveling in the wild was absolutely amazing for the most part. Abandoned camps are in fact disgusting. They leave their trash! And it’s not like they cleaned their cans so it smells. But besides that the mostly untouched nature was beautiful and the air was so clean. It all felt much more, how to put it, real. No factories everywhere, no house on every corner of the street, just, the world how mother nature intended it. It was peaceful. There was an open field about ten minutes walking from camp, and that’s where you arrived. Reins in hand.

“You ready to go (Y/N)?” Arthur asked. You put your hand on your hips looking at your horse with abosute pride and stupidity because how to fuck were you going to do this?

“Absolutely.” You said. “Remind me how do I get on again?”

The words were taken by the wind as they made room for silence. Arthur’s expression could be described as a mix between surprise, disbelief and the OhMyGodAreYouStupid emotion. Yet it all quickly made room for a smile, or a laugh. He could definitely be laughing at you.

“I didn’t expect to need to teach an 18 year old how to get on a damn horse.”

There was no fire behind the words, but as they say, fight (fake) fire with (fake) fire.

“And I didn’t expect to end up here for the life of so I did not think horse riding would be a viable skill to know. So get your pretty ass in the saddle so I can.. mimic you or something.” You said making a hand gesture at Arthur’s horse.

He gave you one more smile as he turned to his horse, getting on slower than usual. He got on on the right side of his horse so he put his right foot in the styrup. He lifted his body up effortlessly and as elegant as a western outlaw could get. And there he was, in the saddle, in full western glory.

“Looks easy enough.” You said, an absolute lie as it turned out. The stirrups were way higher than expected, and the getting on could be called anything but elegant or the cool western movies you saw. Turns out your own body is heavy and there’s quite a lot on a horse to get stuck behind. But you ended up in the saddle, full western glory.

The rest of the riding lesson went about the same. Arthur did something really cool looking and whenever you did it it felt like you were some old slime blob.

“Squeeze your lower legs to get her to move, (Y/N)!”

“I am this horse is just broken- OHMYGOD SHe’s moving!”

“Never blame the horse for the rider's lack of skill, boy. Now steering.”

He explained it all to you. How to properly hold the reins and how to use them, how to do it with one hand and how to do it with two. Western and English style he called it. He taught you how to move your horse around and what not to do. The one and most important thing being to have no doubts and no fear. The horse will sense it.

It felt odd at first, to have control over another living being. It wasn’t easy no, Arthur had to tell you how to correct your posture every 5 minutes. But after a while of correcting everything you started to get confident. It started getting easier to steer. Every muscle of yours was getting tired but it was so worth it. Maybe one day you’ll look like an actual movie star.

Once you got the basics down you could go a bit harder. From a walk to a trot, a canter and even a little gallop. And as the wind brushed over your face blowing your hair away, it felt like something the 21st century didn’t have a lot of. Galloping through the grass hearing every step as more and more grass was thrown into the air. Arthur still giving you instructions on what to watch out for, riding by your side in case of emergency. And the horse, Wasp, god she deserved a cooler name. Her big strong muscles moving beneath you, her breath as she was running, the heat radiating from her skin, gods it felt so great. No modern bike or car could ever top this feeling of freedom.

Cars and bikes could however top the feeling of falling off. You lost control quite a few times, losing balance, a rearing horse throwing you right where you belong. But nothing modern could beat that feeling of getting on again. Of it working when you tried it for a second time. Hell, maybe the third time. Arthur was there to make sure you were okay, and you could have another go. And another. And just one more for good measure. Lying on the ground trying to see if this time you did break something wasn’t a strange thing after today. Hell it happened at least every hour. But determining it as fine and getting on again, it felt like a lot.

You didn’t even realize it was getting late until the sky started turning orange. The normally so bright sun started becoming more yellow and stopped burning at your eyes. Instead it just seemed pretty. The clouds became yellow just like the sun, and the sky turned a bit darker with every passing minute. Yellow and orange were happy colours, maybe this was an good omen, maybe, just maybe, you wouldn’t think you’d die somewhere in a ditch. Bee would be proud to see you haven’t given up. You knew that for once.

“Time isn’t a real thing Mister Morgan, I swear.” You said looking at the sunset.

“Call me Arthur.” Said Arthur Morgan, though guy in the west in dire need of respect. Arthur “You call me mister Morgan boy” Morgan.

“Wait, did someone hide weed somewhere because this must be a hallucination! Can I really call you Arthur?”

“Wouldn't have said it otherwise boy.” He hissed, the mister Morgan just wouldn't leave Arthur.

“Well, Arthur, thank you. I’m happy I only have to say half the syllables now.”

“Shoar thing. Now let’s go back to camp before they send out a search party to see if you haven’t broken anything today.” He said jokingly

“I would never! I am obviously the best horse rider in the entire United states!” You said sarcastically, if you fake confidence long enough, it might become real.

Arthur laughed at that. “Well see about that boy. Now let’s go, we should be there soon considering you can ride now.”

“Of course, good plan. I can show off my skills now!”

“Shoar, go ahead boy. Don’t make your entrance too dramatic.”

“I will, I absolutely will. Oh and Arthur?”

“Hm?” He said, quite relaxed actually.

“Thank you, for everything today. I’m happy you let me bother you today.” You said with a proud smile.

“You’re welcome boy. Bother me all you want, we ain’t getting rid of you just yet.” He said as he ruffled your hair a bit. “Now let’s go home, I’m realll hungry.”

You absolutely couldn’t hide the smile on your face. “Hell yeah, I’m starving.” You said as you kicked the stirrups making Wasp move, you rode to camp in the beautiful orange sky. Maybe he did actually care about you, just a little.

Reblogs and comments are always appreciated!

#arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan x male reader #BUT LIKE PLATONIC #Idk how else to tag it #sorry hehe #Van der linde gang #pre canon #fluff #dutch van der linde #arthur morgan

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generic-hufflepuff1 · 3 years

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My Tma favorites (per entity per season)

In honor of the finale of Tma, I'm looking back and going through the seasons and picking out my favorite episodes. I'm sorting them by entity and Im gonna write a little piece at the end of each fear as to why I picked that episode. It is relatively spoiler free but still keep your wits about you.

Also this is only up to Mag 197

The Stranger

Season 1: 1 Anglerfish tied with 34 Anatomy Class

Season 2: 77 The Kind Mother

Season 3: 83 Drawing a Blank, with 96 Return to Sender as a close second

Season 4: 128 heavy Goods

Season 5: 182 Well being, but 165 Revolutions is very very good

Overall: 1 Anglerfish

So all the of The Strangers’ episodes are really evocative and well written and I have to say that it was a very, very close call for almost every single season and I still cannot really decide if I truly like Mag 1 more than Mag 34 but I have to say that Mag 1 is so very good at drawing you into the world and works as a stand alone piece.

The Buried

Season 1: 2 Do Not Open

Season 2: 66 Held In Customs

Season 3: 97 We all Ignore the Pit

Season 4: 132 Entombed

Season 5: 184 Like Ants

Overall: 2 Do Not Open

I love Mag 2 as the protagonist straight up did not have any of this bullshit. And they even got a mike drop moment with the frozen key. Like in this house we stan Joshua Gillespie. His determination to not have to deal with that shit is so incredibly strong that it sticks with you.

The Web

Season 1: 16 Aracnopobia

Season 2: 69 Thought for the Day

Season 3: 81 A Guest for Mister Spider

Season 4: 136 The Puppeteer

Season 5: 172 Strung Out

Overall: 81 A Guest for Mister Spider

Honestly Mag 81 is absolutely brilliant and serves to contextualise so much of season 1 and 2 and ends up being incredibly important to the world as a whole. That plus the delivery and excellent premise gives it a slight edge over Mag 172 that is a pure exploration of the controlling and manipulative nature of addiction

The Vast

Season 1: 21 Freefall

Season 2: 75 A Long Way Down

Season 3: 91 The Coming Storm

Season 4: 124 Left Hanging

Season 5: 174 The Great Beast

Overall: 174 The Great Beast

So the first half of season 5 does an amazing job of truely fleshing out each fear and the Vast is no exception. The split between the two protagonists makes it clear that The Vast is not just about big things or empty space but deep existentialism and the fear of the inevitability of life.

The Spiral

Season 1: 26 A Distortion

Season 2: 74 Fatigue

Season 3: 85 Upon the Stair

Season 4: 126 Sculptors Tool

Season 5: 177 Wonderland, tied with 187 Checking Out

Overall: 187 Checking Out

This one was difficult as Mag 177 and Mag 187 as both of them lingered in my head for literal weeks after listening to them. In the end Mag 187 was so completely mind boggling in how it completely changed my perception of the Distortion. And is a masterclass in writing a character twist.

The End

Season 1: 29 Cheating Death

Season 2: 70 Book of the Dead

Season 3: 94 Dead Woman Walking

Season 4: 155 The Cost of Living

Season 5: 168 Roots

Overall: 168 Roots

I have quite literally experienced some version of what the victims are describing. But more than that the realisation of the implications of this domain for the world as it elevates the episode much higher than any of the Ends other appearances as eventually the other entities will fear the End just as the mortals do.

The Flesh

Season 1: 14 Piecemeal

Season 2: 58 Trail Rations

Season 3: 90 Body Builder

Season 4: 131 Flesh

Season 5: 171 The Gardener

Overall: 171 The Gardener

Everything about Mag 171 just speaks to me. From the visual it conjures, to the brilliant use of botany metaphor to describe various body image issues, to Jared’s simple but weighty request. This episode lives rent free in my brain at all times. This is the first time that I have zero contenders for my favorite of an entity.

The Corruption

Season 1: 32 Hive

Season 2: 68 The Tale of a Field Hospital

Season 3: 102 Nesting Instinct

Season 4: 153 Love Bombing

Season 5: 164 The Sick Village

Overall: 32 Hive

Although Mag 164 does have a very particular place in my heart and in the history of literature due to its topic and the precise time it came out, but it does pale compared to just how brilliant Mag 32 is. As the first real mention of the entities it reveals just little enough to keep the suspense whilst providing just enough answers that it's obvious in hindsight. But once more none of that matters in the face of “There is a wasps nest in my attic” the shere delivery of this episode has placed it in many people's favourite lists.

The Slaughter

Season 1: 7 The Piper

Season 2: 42 Grifter’s Bone

Season 3: 105 Total War

Season 4: 125 Civilian Casualties

Season 5: 163 In the Trenches

Overall: 42 Grifter’s Bone

Mag 42 is very interesting. I’ve mentioned in some of my other posts that Im pretty sure that Jonny Sims finds some fears harder to write and the Slaughter is definitely one of them but I’ve only come to this conclusion by looking at how frequently they show up but listening to the show you would never be able to tell and Mag 42 is one brilliant example of this it is a brilliant way to expand on how the Slaughter manifests.

The Desolation

Season 1: 37 Burnt Offering

Season 2: 67 Burning Desire

Season 3: 89 Twice as Bright

Season 4: 139 Chosen

Season 5: 169 Fire Escape

Overall: 67 Burning Desire

I find Mag 67 so intensely interesting as it leads into one of the major themes of Tma, that love can and will defeat and overpower even the most gripping fear. The simple love of a simple man sowed just enough doubt to destroy an avatar of destruction. Tma is filled with similar moments but personally this one is my favourite.

The Dark

Season 1: 25 Growing Dark

Season 2: 63 The End of the Tunnel

Season 3: 86 Tucked In

Season 4: 143 The Heart of Darkness

Season 5: 173 Night Night

Overall: 173 Night Night

I remember the reaction to Mag 173. It was so incredibly powerful to watch most of the fanbase (myself included) react in exactly the same way the characters did to the reality of this domain. First with dawning realisation, then anger followed sudden confusion at where to direct that anger. It was quite eye opening to say the least.

The Hunt

Season 1: 10 Vampire Killer, with notable mention to 31 First Hunt

Season 2: 56 Children of the Night

Season 3: 112 Thrill of the Chase

Season 4: 133 Dead Horse

Season 5: 176 Blood Ties

Overall: 112 Thrill of the Chase

I absolutely love Mag 112. It is such a brilliant idea, and as a result I end up valuing it a bit more than Mag 133 or 10 which are particularly telling for me as it proves that the Hunt is weirdly the fairest of the entities and absolutely condones fighting back and even killing its avatars or that it just cares about the circular nature of the hunt.

The Eye

Season 1: 23 Schwartzwald

Season 2: 53 Crusader

Season 3: 82 The Eyewitnesses

Season 4: 138 The Architecture of Fear

Season 5: 183 The Monument

Overall: 138 The Architecture of Fear

Oh Smirke. Poor naive and enlightened Smirke. I love Mag 138 more than the other Eye related episodes because it is due to this character that we even have a metric through which to observe the world of tma

The Lonely

Season 1: 33 Boatswain’s Call

Season 2: 48 lost in the Crowd

Season 3: 92 Nothing Besides Remains

Season 4: 159 The Last

Season 5: 170 Recollection

Overall: 170 Recollection

Covid lockdown hit me quite hard and I have not seen a single piece of media that captures the feeling of having hours and days drift into each other quite like Mag 170 so along with Mag 164 it has a very strange place in my heart.

The Extinction

So this one is a bit of a different situation so im gonna simply list my top five in order

175 Epoch

149 Concrete Jungle

65 Binary

157 Rotten Core

156 Reflection

Mag 175 is another example of a statement that my mind will drift to if I leave it alone for too long. From the vivid visuals to the subtext of the descriptions to the delivery of every line it is easily one of the best episodes of Tma in my personal opinion.

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airi-p4 · 4 years

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Last chance - Chapter 4

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | AO3 This chapter is Luka's POV of what happened before day 6 and during chapter 3 (present time).

___________________________________________

Luka’s POV

6 days earlier - somewhere in United States of America

As soon as I reach the airport with Chloe, our private jet is already ready, with her loyal assistant (butler?) ready to take the controls of the plane. Who would have thought Mister Jean… what was his name again? Jean-Paul? Jean-Pierre? Jean-Pascal? Whatever. We have a pilot and we can reach Paris in a few hours.

The plan is to get there and use Adrien's private plane instead of Chloe's to go to Tibet: a safer plane for difficult flying conditions, that’s mostly it.

Adrien… it's been a while since we talked. I wonder if he hates me like Chloe used to. Was he even aware of Chloe's revenge plans? I can't deny I'm curious, but these aren't the thoughts that occupy my mind at the moment.

There's still a few hours left and I can't stop thinking about Marinette's messages.

'I love you'

Is it for real? This isn't some kind of hidden camera, isn't it? Can I trust these words? I certainly want to… but should I? I need to hear it directly from her to believe it. I don't want to keep my hopes up just to sink deeper.

No matter what, I need to arrive earlier than the time Alix created for us. I need to stop her from doing something stupid and unnecessary.

Please… let me save her. Let me make it in time. Let me help her find her happiness. That's all I've ever wanted… What can I do to help her? Am I really the one she wants? Can I really help her? What if I'm not enough?

A big sigh leaves from my mouth.

"Baby, you should rest. You haven't slept much tonight, haven't you? There are still some hours left. Try to get some sleep"

This… is unexpectedly considerate from Chloe. I'm relieved her attitude has improved after these years. Hell, I wouldn't have proposed to her if I weren't sure she had changed. But her plans against Marinette… Oh, that’s right. I still have some talking to do with her. But maybe I should listen to her advice and get some rest first.

"Thanks, ho- Chloe"

Stupid habits. I need to stop calling her ‘honeybee’ already. Ugh… it's not as easy as I expected… I'm the type of man who likes stability… habits are hard to break for me.

I don't need to see Chloe’s face to notice her heart song is now sad and remorseful. My eyes are closed, but I can't sleep. Worries about Marinette keep my mind occupied. But it seems at some point I had entered my dreamlands. I really was exhausted, no wonder. A music video recording plus wedding preparations with Chloe is some energy-draining combo.

"Where are we now? How much time until Paris?"

"Still a long way. You've only slept for 30 minutes. Get some more rest, baby, you’ll need it"

"No. I'm fine. I got enough sleep. Instead… We should talk"

I’m trying to sound serious and not scary, but I’m not sure if I’m accomplishing it… probably not.

"Oh… already? You didn't need to think much, huh? Geez. All this is ridiculous. Am I that easily disposable to you?"

"You know that's not it, Chloe. You know I care for you. But you also know my feelings for Marinette are… never going to fade. I don't know if she's still the same girl she was when we used to spend time together, but if she is… Then I know my heart won't hesitate"

"Yeah… I've always known that. Always Dupain-Cheng. I've never been good enough for you"

"Hey! That’s not true. Don't take it as if you're not extraordinary, Chloe, because you are. And I’m sure there's someone out there ready to notice and appreciate you. You deserve better than me"

"Well, I don't care about that 'someone out there'. All I want is you, Luka! Is staying with me even an option for you? Has it ever been? Why did you propose to me if you planned to throw me away as soon as you had the chance to?"

She's hurt. Horribly hurt. Still working her pride to cover how devastated she actually is. But the tears on her eyes are not doing a very good job to hide it.

I feel horrible.

And I have no excuse.

I never expected Marinette to return my feelings. But if she really does… I have to be honest with Chloe. She deserves the truth.

"No, hon- Chloe. I'm sorry. I never planned to use you as a rebound. I wanted to marry you, for real. I really tried to move on. I’ve wished for Marinette's happiness over everything, and... If I had known she wasn't happy… things would have gone differently, no doubt. I’m sorry for hurting you. You don’t deserve it"

"You would have run to her the instant she broke Adrien's heart if you had known about her feelings. You’ve never loved me like you love Marinette, not even close if you’re able to decide this fast to dump me even when our wedding is coming soon. You have no shame"

Wow, her words surely sting. Who is supposed to be the snake one here? Oh, well. I guess she wasn't a wasp for nothing…

"I wouldn't have met you if I had known she wasn’t happy. I don't regret the time we have spent together. I love you too, just in a different way"

"Do I have a chance to win you back?"

Straight to the point, huh? Typical of her. I don’t want to hurt her, but I need to be honest with her.

"I don't know. Probably not, I'm not going to lie. But I really wish for your happiness and I wish we could still be friends when everything is over"

Ah... I can feel that deadly glare pierces through my heart. Wow, she’s really angry. And hurt. Not that I can complain. It’s totally understandable and I deserve the hate. Anger over embarrassment, huh?

"Give me a percentage. What are my chances?"

What an unbelievable question. But it’s so Chloe. I blink a few times as I think of a proper answer. I like her, I can’t deny that. But if Marinette is ready to accept me this time… I’m not going to reject or ignore her and regret it forever. No more.

"Love and feelings don't work with percentages, hone- Ugh. Chloe. They're uncontrollable, beyond our understanding and wishes. But... if you insist on a number… a 2% maybe? I don't know. Almost 0% if Marinette's feelings are true and her heart song remains unchanged"

"That’s so low it’s ridiculous... Hmph! But it’s still not a 0, so I don’t have to give up yet. I'm not losing to Dupain-Cheng again. Not without putting on a fight, at least!"

I can't help it but giggle. She's adorable in her own way.

"Good luck, then."

To be honest, a part of me doesn't want to break up with Chloe. Even if her original reasons to approach me had evil intentions, I know she has changed now. But if Marinette's feelings are for real… if she really turned her heart towards me… that's all I've ever wished for. And I'm not going to run away from her.

Not again. Not anymore.

But first...

"Hon- I mean- Chloe. I want you to return me the ring I gave you”

"WHAT!? NO!! No way I'm giving it up! You're still my fiancée! At least until everything is over or until we get married. I really hope it’s this second option, let me tell you! I have no intention of canceling our Wedding!"

Stubborn as always, huh? I sigh again.

"OK. You can keep it for now. But you're returning it to me when everything is over”

Chloe seemed to be about to say something, but she stopped.

“Hmph”

Her face then buries on my shoulder and I hug her a little, patting her head. She’s mad and sad, of course. And her bawling starts, like a baby. I feel bad for breaking her heart like this and I’m sorry for her. I’m the worst... I wish she finds her happiness and someone who can fully love her as she deserves.

___________________________________________

My eyes open again at the sound of the PA message.

“Landing in 10 minutes”

Chloe has fallen asleep with me at some point. We exchange looks and a nod, preparing for the arrival to Paris. I look at Chloe. I know she’s afraid of landings, so I hold her hand, like always, and I notice her relax a bit, closer to me. Damn, she's cute when she’s scared.

And here we are: Paris.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been home. But I won’t be staying long. The Eiffel Tower looks as pretty as I remember it. Home... I wonder if I can go back when everything is over...

Adrien’s bodyguard (doesn't he have a name?) is waiting for us at the airport. He grabs Chloe's massive amount of luggage (when did she have the time to prepare it?) and guides us to Adrien's private plane.

The plane is definitely bigger. Just how rich is the Agreste family? Did Marinette really renounce owning part of this empire? I know she’s not interested in money or fame, but if she really gave it up for me, then I’m more than flattered. It still doesn’t sound real, though.

The Gorilla leads us inside and everyone is waiting for us there: Alya, Nino and Adrien. I can immediately notice the tension in the air when they see me. Wary of Adrien’s and my reaction. Nothing to be surprised about, I guess…

And there's Adrien, handsome as ever, standing in the middle of the plane and looking at me with his intense emerald green eyes. Before I can move or speak he takes the first step and hugs me.

"Luka!"

"Hey. Nice to see you, Adrien" I hug him back as I hear his friend's relieved sighs. What did they expect?

Adrien looks like he really wants to have a word with me. Something serious. And I'm quite sure I know exactly what it is. But before he opens his mouth...

"Hey, Adrikins! I'm here too, you know? Where's my hug?"

Chloe. She really doesn't know how to read the mood. Geez... Well, go on, I signal to Adrien, who follows Chloe's petition.

"That’s better. Now bring me my favorite drink and let me sleep for a while. Make it double in alcohol. I’ll be at the back of the plane. Don’t disturb me!"

And there she goes, disappearing through the aisle. I can't help it but smile. That's so Chloe: looking for an excuse to cry alone at her heart content. I’ll check on her later, but she'll have to get used to it.

I exchange some greetings with Alya and Nino before Adrien calls me again.

"Luka, come here. We need to talk"

"Yeah, I figured. Can I do something first?"

The plane is getting ready for take-off, but I make sure to grab the speaker first.

"Hello everyone. Luka here. First of all, I want to thank you all for coming. Sorry it's been so rushed, but the cause demands immediate action. As you may know, Marinette is trying to use some of the Miraculous for her own benefit and we can't allow that. Adrien may know better than me, but the universe’s balance could break because of that and we can’t let it happen. Since there's a long way until Tibet, we'll hold a strategy reunion when we get closer. Miraculous team: let's save Marinette, let's save Ladybug! Now get some rest and we'll discuss the strategy details later. Thank you for your attention"

After some claps, I return to my seat next to Adrien. Take off takes place without incidents and we can reassume our conversation.

"Luka… I-... I want to apologize to you. I'm sorry... Back then... I hurt you, didn't I? I didn't know you had feelings for Marinette and yet… all the advice I asked you for… whenever you joined our dates… you never looked sad and… Why didn't you tell me? I would have been more careful and-"

Yeah… Giving Adrien advice definitely hurt me. Seeing how happy Marinette was after he followed my indications to surprise or make her happy made it even worse. But Marinette was happy and Adrien was happy too and I convinced myself that it was enough for me to be happy too (for a while, at least…).

"I just wished for your happiness, Adrien. My friend's happiness makes me happy too”

"But Marinette's not a friend to you. Why did you leave? She’s never been the same since you left… I couldn’t fill in for you in her heart…”

“One-sided love hurts, Adrien. It’s like a double-edged blade. You can be happy for the one you love but lonely for not having them by your side as you wish”

“That’s- I see… It makes sense…” he pauses and looks straight to my eyes. “Luka, do you still love Marinette? Will I be able to understand your feelings better if you two get together? I still love Marinette but I’ve only seen her unhappy since you left and I hate it. Can you make her happy again?”

His green eyes are honest as usual. I keep holding my gaze, never breaking eye contact as I answer his questions.

“Adrien… I’ll be honest with you: I love Marinette, I’ve always had. Since the first moment she appeared in front of me, even now. All I’ve ever wished was for her happiness. I confessed to her and she never gave me an answer. She was in love with you. And I was happy for her happiness with you. That’s why I left: I didn’t want my feelings to interfere with your relationship. I had no chances anyway… You know: destiny is supposed to be unavoidable. I could have never imagined you two not getting a fairy-tale-like happily ever after”

“But it happened. Destiny didn’t work this time... Why didn’t you say goodbye? It broke Marientte’s heart the way you left, I was hurt too. I thought we were friends”

“And we are friends, Adrien. Wouldn’t you have asked me to stay if I had told you? That’s why I never did. And then there’s…”

“There’s what?”

“I don’t know if Marinette has ever told you, but I kissed her. The day before leaving. I know I should have been more considerate about you but I was selfish. I needed to move on and… Oh, but she rejected me immediately. ‘I hate you’, she told me. How could I stay after that?”

"That's- I see. She never told me that… That explains… many things, actually… But that doesn’t change the fact you weren’t there for her when she needed you the most”

“I left my contact open for her, Adrien, but she never contacted me. Hell. I thought you were married until yesterday!”

“Wha- Why? Didn’t you see the news? It was everywhere! The press wouldn’t stop following us around for a while… The gorilla even went to trial for punching one ‘journalist’ while protecting me”

“Wow, that’s rough. I’m sorry this happened to you”

“Marinette’s case was even worse… They even managed to sneak into her office. No chill. I think that was the start of her depression… Wait! Yours and Chloé’s news was what made them stop, now that I think about it… Maybe that was the true reason they left us alone… and the true reason after Marinette’s depression...”

“I didn’t know… Chloé made sure to hide all those news from me”

“Why would she do that?”

“She did it for you. And for herself. But you should ask her directly. Phew, I was scared to ask but I’m glad you weren’t aware of her plans”

“What plans?”

“You should ask her about it. I don’t know much about them, to be honest, but she wanted to get Marinette back with you and keep me out of your way”

I shrug my shoulders and Adrien makes a surprised face that makes me smile.

“Chloe… never learns, doesn’t she?” he says, and I chuckle at his words.

“Isn’t that one of her charms?”

“Maybe?”

It’s nice we can laugh together after all what happened. I’m happy to have Adrien back as a friend.

“Hey, Luka. I want you to be honest with me. Do you love Chloe? What do you plan to do when this is over?”

I’m not surprised at Adrien’s question. But I’m not sure what answer he is expecting.

“What would you like me to say?”

“Tell me your true feelings. Both Marinette and Chloe deserve to be happy. But they both love you and you can only be with one of them. I’m going to encourage you whatever your decision is”

Adrien has really matured, hasn’t he? I’m glad we’re on good terms, sincerely speaking, no hard feelings. Just like old times. I guess I missed him too.

“The truth is… I don’t know. You all keep saying Marinette has feelings for me but it’s still hard for me to believe it. I don't think I can believe it until I hear it coming out her mouth. But… If she really does love me the same way I love her… Then I’m never leaving her side again”

“So Marinette will finally get her happiness… that’s good, I’m relieved. What will you do about Chloe?”

“We’ve already discussed it. Our engagement is practically broken and, as much as it pains me, our relationship can’t go on. I’m sorry. I know she’s your childhood friend”

“She must be very sad and angry now... I’ve never seen her so in love before. You really mean a lot to her”

“And I care for her, too. But Marinette…”

“Yes, I know. Marinette is amazing, isn’t she? How can she be so cute and strong at the same time? How can one not fall for her? I don’t think I need to tell you this, though”

“Certainly not”

Funny how we can laugh together about loving the same girl. I’m glad I got to talk to Adrien from man to man, from friend to friend. I hope we can keep in touch from now on. But I won’t stop him if he ever wants to stop contacting me. Because I did the same at some point and I would understand his reasons.

“What are you going to do, Adrien?”

“Me...? Do I have a choice? Marinette has stopped contacting me after we broke up. I doubt she wants to see me anymore. But I can’t ignore her when she’s asking for help. And I want to help you too. I’ll wish her happiness from the shadows, like I’ve been trying to do for a while”

“Adrien… Don’t take it in a bad way, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. Look at me. I had to leave exactly for that same reason. I’m not saying this out of fear or jealousy, but as a friend: why don’t you try to move on? I’m sure you can find happiness. You’re young and handsome, and you have one of the purest hearts songs I’ve ever heard”

“How do you expect me to forget about Marinette, Luka? You should know that it’s impossible… It’s fine, I’ll live with it”

Well. I can't disagree with his words. He's totally right. But I still want to support him.

“Hey, you can count on me anytime, ok? I’m sure you’ll find the right person when you expect it the least, you’ll see”

“I don’t think so… but thanks for your words. I’m happy to have you as my friend”

“I’m glad too. Don’t worry, it will be fine. You deserve happiness, Adrien”

It’s only at this point when I notice the time.

“Oh, look at the time. Should we start our strategy meeting?”

“Sure, I’ll let Alya and Nino know. Can you get Chloe? I doubt she wants any of us to see her… you know…”

“Got it. Meeting in 10 minutes”

__________________________________________

As expected, Chloe is crying with her eye mask on at the back of the plane, lying down on her first-class like seat. The bottle of her wine is empty. Great...

“Hey honeybee- Chloe!” Damn habits! “It’s time for the strategy meeting. C’mon, show me your face”

Wow, her eyes are red and puffy as I remove her eye mask. Can she even stand up? She looks like she’s about to throw up. Great… I bring her a cold towel and a disposable bag and pat her back a little while I check her temperature. No fever at least. Good.

“C’mon Chloe, answer me”

“I’m not going… Let me sleep, snacky. Or kiss me and I’ll go. Yeah, kiss me…”

And there she goes, bawling again. That’s why I never let her drink… I guess she’ll have to miss the meeting.

“Have some sleep. I’ll explain you the plan when the discussion is over”

“No… Don’t go… Stay with me… Don’t leave me…”

Ah… honest Chloe is finally talking. I wish she didn’t need the alcohol for that. Crap, since when was her grip that strong? She’s not letting go of my jacket. I can’t help it but roll my eyes. I kiss her forehead to distract her and remove my jacket. Good thing I’m fast enough to avoid her catching my shirt next.

“Sleep well. See you later”

Ah… There she goes again- the crying. I wish the pain in my heart could finally end… I hate seeing her like that.

But what else can I do? If I have one last chance with Marinette, I’m definitely not going to waste it.

Wait for us, Marinette. We’re coming back to you.

_________________

The meeting goes on smoothly. We discuss the essential: how to reach the cave (Adrien has the Miraculous Compass that should lead us there), which Miraculous could be used and how to act in any case (keeping special attention to the absolute power of creation and destruction Miraculous used together and the rabbit Miraculous, which was most likely the one planned to be used), and finally, how to proceed if anything goes unplanned.

One more thing is decided: the team will be led by me. I’m not really comfortable giving commands, but I guess the cause requires some leadership, and with my experience with the snake Miraculous, Adrien, Nino, and Alya all agree I’m the best fit for that role. I have no choice but to accept. Failure is not an option.

There’s something more to take into consideration: Alya’s state. She has just had a baby and her body is not ready for harsh action, so I need to make sure she has a back-up role, nothing dangerous.

We come to an agreement that what we must try first is to stop Marinette from using the rabbit Miraculous. And, if we can’t stop her at step 1, stop her at step 2, before she can enter the time portal. It’s game over if she gets in.

No resets available- a one chance mission.

We can’t afford to lose.

And in case absolute power is called… We don't have much knowledge about it, but we’ll have to try to remove her Miraculous or make her pass out before she can ask for her wish. Nino, Adrien, and I should have enough strength to stop her and carry out the mission- if there are no surprises. And if it fails, Alya is carrying some chloroform to make her sleep in a few seconds - or at least that’s how it works in movies, according to Nino.

After setting the plan, I return to Chloe’s side and try to get some more sleep. I tell her about the plan, and she just nods “Why didn’t you give me a role?” she asks, but I have no answer to that. I guess I can’t trust her around Marinette… But I better not tell her that. I already feel bad. I really don't want to hurt her unnecessarily any further.

At this point, I’m not sure why I keep looking after Chloe this much. Is it because of love? Pity? Remorse? Worry? Habits? Ugh… Habits can really be bad, can’t they? Here am I, holding her hand at her sleep again. I really should stop this… but my eyelids are so heavy…

“Landing in 10 minutes”

I shake at the call and get Chloe on her seat, fasten our seatbelts, and get ready for imminent landing. Poor Chloe is not even awake, she’ll surely get surprised when we touch the floor.

“UaAh!!”

See? What a jump! I can’t stop laughing at her reaction. And now she’s angry and embarrassed. Cute.

“Stop laughing!”

Oh. She should know at this point this only makes me laugh louder. Chloé is funny. Not the same funny as Marinette, but still funny. Damn… I miss Marinette's laugh and funny actions… But maybe I shouldn’t think of her now that I have a deadly glare on me. I can feel a chill going down my spine. Chloe can be really scary when she’s angry...

______________________

And we finally arrive at the Temple of the Miraculous.

It's good Adrien's Compass is working well. And it's also a good thing Adrien can speak Chinese because we would be screwed otherwise. But Adrien's translation gives us some bad news.

“We can’t go to the cave…”

“What!? Why not, bro?”

“Only the Guardian can enter the cave… Unless the guardian is with us, we can’t go in. And they said Marinette is already inside… so the gate is closed again”

Silence surrounds us for a moment, until Alya breaks it to speak- shout.

“No! This can’t be!! What are we going to do now!? I’ve never heard of anything like this in my research! There has to be a way! We can't just stay here and do nothing!”

“I know Alya… But I have an idea… I don’t know if it will work but… It may take us at least one or two days too... but maybe…”

Adrien doesn’t look confident, but we don’t have any other ideas, so it’s worth giving it a try. I want to do anything to save Marinette. Hell. We must save her at any cost!

“It’s ok, Adrien! Tell us! We need to rescue Marinette!”

God, did I sound as desperate as I am? It’s difficult to keep my cool when it’s Marinette related stuff, even if I’m trying hard. Yep, Chloe’s glare confirms it… Desperate. Of course I am! What do you expect? Shit. Focus, Luka! I need to pay attention to what Adrien has to say.

“Listen. I know the previous guardian of the Miraculous, Master Fu. He’s the one that entrusted me and Marinette our Miraculous at first”

“Good, we have a guardian then. Where is this Fruit person?”

“Chloe, show some respect” I warn her. ”Tell us, Adrien”

“That’s the bad thing… He’s in London but… he lost his memories after passing the Miraculous box to Marinette. He doesn’t have his knowledge anymore…”

Everyone becomes quiet, pensative, and Alya is once again the one to break the silence.

“What are we going to do, then!?”

All looks focus back on Adrien and he starts talking again. Everyone is listening to him carefully.

“I have a plan. We’ll go get him anyway first. We’ll take him in front of the monks of the Temple, and explain the situation. Maybe… if anyone here recognizes him, an exception can be made for us. I would destroy that stupid door if I had my Cataclysm, but it seems Master Fu is our only chance. What do you say?”

“Well… it’s uncertain and risky, but we have no choice. We should leave as soon as we can. No time to waste”

“But we’ve just arrived! Don’t be ridiculous, baby”

“Nino, Alya and Chloe can stay here. Adrien and I will go get him” I tell them and they nod. Except Chloe… as expected.

“Oh no! No way! If you’re going I’m going too!”

“Chloe, don’t be childish. Stay and wait here. Try to find out as much as you can about the Temple, the cave and the miraculous meanwhile. Will be back soon”

“HEY!”

Chloe tries to follow us but is stopped by Nino, who wishes us a safe flight.

“Take care and good luck”

And there we go, Adrien and I rushing to the plane once again.

Next stop: London

______________________

It wasn’t easy to convince Master Fu to come with us when he can’t remember Adrien, but somehow we managed to after insisting for a whole two days. Well, Adrien did, as expected.

After using one of the Zodiac Miraculous, one of the monks recognized Master Fu, and lent him one of the Miraculous with memory-related powers.

And old Master Fu was back. Along with his knowledge.

The old man cried and apologized to the monks for his mistake when he was young, and then to Adrien, for leaving them alone against Hawk Moth. Adrien then explained the situation with Marinette to Master Fu but the shock of what was happening was too big for him and he passed out for some hours.

As soon as he recovered he rushed to the gate to open the door, but nothing: memories and knowledge weren't enough to open the gate. He needed to become the guardian again, so they started a ritual to give him the guardian status permanently. The ritual took a few days… and we finally made it. Just in time: day 6.

Finally! Waiting while unable to do anything was frustrating and stressful.

Will we make it on time?

We need to hurry.

And it looks like a joke how easily the Master could open the gate to enter the cave after having his previous status back. We had tried everything and nothing. And yet, with one sole finger, Master Fu could completely open it. The power of the Guardian is surely impressive.

I nod to the team and we hurry inside, each one of us carrying a torch. Nino is taking care of Alya, who at the same time is looking up for Master Fu. Adrien is slightly in front of me and Chloe is grabbing my jacket from behind, scared of the dark. We move deeper into the cold darkness that surrounds us, guided only by Adrien’s compass.

Here we go, Marinette. Please, wait a little longer.

Don’t leave us. Don’t leave me!

___________________________

Torches guide us through darkness and we finally arrive at the room the Miraculous rest in. My throat hurts like hell from the shouting, but I don’t care if I’m not able to sing ever again: Marinette is much more important than that to me.

And there she is, in her rabbit miraculous suit and in front of the time portal: Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

I can only see her from afar but she looks beautiful in that suit… long ears on her head and a cute ponytail. Wow. But now is not the time to admire her beauty. We must stop her before she disappears forever!

I'm so relieved we made it on time before she acts. It was a good thing Adrien’s plan about Master Fu worked. We made it barely on time, but on time, nevertheless. But we need to hurry. And I run, closer to her, still shouting.

Meeting Marinette’s eyes sparks something in me that seemed forgotten for a long time.

I love her. I love her so much.

How can I be without her now that I've met her again?

I can't.

My feelings are as strong than ever. My heart-beat is beating fast and is at this point when I want to believe she feels the same way the most.

I need to know. I’m ready to give everything else up for her. Can’t you see it, Marinette? I’ve never stopped loving you!

I can see how she's trying to run away from us, moving inside the time portal.

Shit! I won’t make it on time. I need to try to stop her with my words.

“Marinette… Marinette, please, stop! Don’t go in there, I beg you! Don't you have something to tell me? Let me listen to it from yourself, with your voice! Let me see your face so I can dare to believe it! Don't make me go after you across that portal or wherever you’re going to”

She seemed to be about to listen to me but her face suddenly lost her light. What happened? How could I let her become so sad? Is it my fault? I don't want her to go.

So I ran towards her, the fastest I can.

"Goodbye…" she says in an almost inaudible voice.

“NO!! Marinette!!!!"

And she slips through my fingers- just like the time we've been apart: lost forever.

No! No! No! DAMN IT! Was I late again? This can’t be! Please… I was so close!!

And just like that, all hope disappears from my heart. Broken again. Even worse than she told me ‘I hate you’.

I still wanted to apologize to her… To tell her so many things… To ask if it’s true I can have a future with her… but the portal in front of me is blank and my tears won’t stop falling like waterfalls. Any question is pointless now… I wish I could have apologized in front of her…

"Marinette… Sorry for being absent for so long. I’m sorry I left... I’m sorry for being selfish…I’m back now. Please… Come back… Is it too late...? Please… Please!”

I can feel the rest of the team sobbing with me, as I beg to Marinette to come back. I appreciate Adrien’s hand on my shoulder, in support, but the pain I’m feeling now is unbearable.

I failed… it's over...

I take a final hopeless look at the portal, waiting for something magical to come and erase us. But I find something unexpected instead: HOPE.

Marinette’s long rabbit ears from her magical suit are slightly coming out of the portal, which means- she’s still here.

It’s not over yet! I’m not giving up. Hell no!

NEVER AGAIN.

But I need to be careful with my words…

“Marinette… I know you can still hear me from the inside… Please, come out. We're here for you. Please… Come back…"

I’m not sure what the best words to convince her would be (I've never been good with words), but I have to try with what I’ve got. She’s not answering, as expected. Is she considering getting out or she’s already moving towards a new timeline? Her ears are not visible anymore, so I can't know. But I’m not willing to wait to find out. Yes, I can be impatient too- why does everyone seem surprised?

“You don’t want to come out? Very well, I'm coming in, then! I’ll get you out of here even if you don’t want me to. Excuse my rudeness, but you leave me no choice”

And her hands appear in front of me to stop my actions, just as my hand is about to touch the portal.

I hold a gasp when master Fu explains what happens to those who enter the portal without a magical suit.

I didn’t know that.

Not that I care about disintegrating- Marinette’s more important than myself at this point, and I don’t mind disappearing if her existence banishes from this world as well.

How I'm supposed to be happy in a world without Marinette, anyway? It's impossible.

And my heart gets filled with something warm the moment I can finally touch her hands. My long fingers find their way to lock with hers and I’ve never been more relieved than the moment she falls into my arms, after I pull her out of the magical time hole.

I missed her so much… Can I keep holding her forever? Can I be selfish this time? I'm so glad she's safe…

I thought I could feel her corresponding my feelings: love, need, comfort, relief… but I must have misunderstood again, because the sweetest dream becomes a nightmare the moment she speaks again…

“Plagg, Tikki, unify”

The darkest nightmare.

#my fic #fic: last chance #airipyon #airip4 #I hope I can finish this fic within this month #Ch 5 and 6 coming soon (I hope)

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sairenharia · 5 years

Text

Why Chloe Does Things

‘She doesn't do good things to be altruistic, but to receive recognition.’

Which is true, but framing it as solely bad thing is completely ignoring the fact what recognition means for Chloe is Validation.

Chloe is very much a product of how she was raised. She had a father who was very busy and would give into her every little whim. She had a mother who could barely remember her name and was the kind of person who would tell Chloe the only thing of worth about her was her mother. In front of people important to Chloe and on TV after it was obvious she was having a breakdown. A mother who taught Chloe love was not unconditional, that you had to be exceptional AS A CHILD to have attention and love.

Does it make it right she’s been malicious and cruel? No, but it explains why she does what she does.

Much like Adrien’s own childhood explains much of how he is. Adrien has a hard time standing up for himself and others because rocking the boat could make his father upset. So he let’s Chloe be a bully for so long, and let Lila lie because Adrien was raised to NOT rock the boat by a controlling father who expected his son to be perfect. And what it’s made is a boy whose willing to sacrifice himself for others to the point it’s deeply worrying. He can be overbearing and entitled to Ladybug because that’s what he learned from his father. He doesn’t understand when people like him unless it’s stated because he hasn’t been around people. These are all traits he gained from his own toxic home, but because none of these things make him ‘lash out,’ he’s forgiven for a lot of it. And since Emilie is said to be kind, Adrien at least knew how to be nice and kind despite these flaws.

Chloe, however, is someone who grew up in a toxic home who learned to lash out. If someone is competing with something for what she wants? Her father has taught her to destroy her opponent. If someone does something to displease you? Her mother taught her to tear them down and get rid of them if possible. If there’s an obstacle in your way? Throw money and influence at it. Unconditional love does not exist. Chloe’s parents taught her to be rude and overbearing and aggressive, and if that doesn’t work, be sneaky and underhanded.

And what happens if someone isn’t like that? If they’re nice and step back and don’t demand attention?

Then they’re like Adrien, constantly denied things he wants. Or they’re servants, ordered around.

Everything in Chloe’s life has taught her to be aggressive and mean or else she will be walked over and ignored. For all Bustier may not be a good teacher for the rest of her students, she is right. Chloe needs to LEARN how to be a better person and to do that, she needs people to SHOW HER.

And unfortunately, no one’s been truly following through on the lessons.

Despair Bear. Adrien puts down his foot and Chloe tries to be nice. She decides to bring Tom to the party On Her Own. No Mister Cuddly, no butler, no Adrien. She decided this was a nice make up thing herself. And yes, she gets mean after, but that’s also the moment where Adrien should have told Chloe ‘hey, no, calm down,’ and Chloe would have most likely course corrected.

But even with that, Chloe’s rate of Akuma’s went down DRAMATICALLY. After having her cause most of the Akuma’s in the first season, to have her only causing a few afterwards, is extremely telling. It means she’s pulled back her hostility, and aggression. And while absence of cruelty isn’t kindness, it’s still an Improvement and a good one.

We have Zombizou and Chloe was acting out because she didn’t get a gift for a teacher she liked and it was pointed out how her mother didn’t remember her birthday. We saw her forget Adrien’s birthday too, this is clearly a kind of trauma for Chloe. And she acted out because of it. Then at the end, she sacrificed herself, and she took responsibility, and she apologized.

And most telling.

She gave Bustier a present. Moreover, she gave her a present and HID THE FACT SHE DID THIS. Bustier would be the one to know and no one else or so was her plan. This wasn’t Chloe doing a good thing to be recognized. She did a good thing because someone gave her love and validation and she wanted to show she CARED.

With Style Queen, Chloe put herself in HARMS WAY for Adrien. She quick talked an Akuma, who she distracted and lead around to buy Ladybug time and safety. She tried to free Adrien. She had to deal with the fact her own mother may hurt her and she still did what good she could and was fairly effective at it. Because someone she cared about was in danger because she never even bragged about this. She didn’t talk about helping Ladybug, she didn’t even brag to Adrien. She didn’t seek recognition at all because it was about helping Adrien.

We have Queen Wasp and the whole ordeal is a mental nightmare for Chloe. We don’t even know what Chloe had PLANNED to do for the Miraculous. We don’t know if she always planned to reveal her identity, or if she planned to just show up at an Akuma attack, or anything. What we do know is she hadn’t planned to show herself then.

Chloe’s always had a problem with Marinette. For all Alya is the more aggressive of the two, it’s Marinette who gets under Chloe’s skin. Marinette basically gets everything Chloe wants no matter what she does. Which is nice from the viewer perspective to see, but Chloe sees it as Marinette stealing things that are her’s. To have Marinette in particularly get her mother’s attention, her admiration, to get an offer to come to New York to be her protege when Chloe hadn’t even been on a TRIP to VISIT...

Then to have her mother tell her she’s not exceptional at all, that she’s useless in her mind, of course she revealed she had the Miraculous because superheroes are exceptional. If she can be a superhero, then she has to be exceptional.

Chloe’s first run as Queen Bee wasn’t an attempt at fame and glory. It was a desperate plea to be loved, to be seen. She wanted to be approved. She wanted to be useful. To thing of note, Chloe has no growing pains. She knows to use the top, she doesn’t hesitate to run, she even knows her weapon works as a phone. She knew how to USE her powers which meant she learned what she needed to do.

And when she runs from Ladybug, we don’t see her mad once she’s alone. She’s sad. When she’s deakumatized, she’s sad. She begs to be given a chance. She’s in tears. Chloe’s mother hammers in that she’s not exceptional and she’s holding onto that Miraculous even more. Then Chat Noir and Ladybug show her kindness, they offer her understanding, and encouragement, and she hands it back and apologizes, even offering them a smile.

And when she’s alone, she’s upset and doesn’t want to see anyone because she’s hurt her mother doesn’t love her and she’s allowed to be hurt. It’s at this moment Chloe realized her mother wasn’t going to love her, but she had done the right thing. The heroes had approved of her even if her mother didn’t.

And what happens next?

Marinette brings Chloe to Audrey and then talks about how Chloe is exceptionally mean. Surprising Chloe then making her mad, saying she’s the worst person she’s ever met and a rock is more capable of love. So she gets mad.

And then Audrey finally acknowledges her. And she uses the fact Sabrina is her only friend as a bragging point, even though we know it HURTS her that no one likes her later. She’s doubling down on her behavior to get her mother’s approval and when she gets the hug, she looks so relieved to get it.

Chloe was ready to accept her terrible mother wouldn’t approve of her, but the superheroes did, and it could have been a moment to change, but then she’s encouraged to be exceptionally mean to impress her mother.

Much like the end of Zombizou where Chloe showed kindness to the one who gave her validation, after Queen Wasp, Chloe did what the person who gave her validation wanted. She became Exceptionally Mean.

Malediktator rolls around and while her documentary was vain and over the top, having her mistakes thrown in her face, and then having Marinette, Marinette who had HELPED WITH HER MOTHER, tell her off was probably a whiplash that Chloe wasn’t ready to deal with. Really, Alya and Alix had said just as much as Marinette, but it’s Marinette she focuses on. Then Chloe decides she wants to shut down the school and banish Marinette, which is extreme even for her. She’s usually for petty brands of nastiness and revenge, not life ruining levels. (Kung Food is the only one on that level, but it was also clear Chloe didn’t think it was a serious contest.)

And the fact she came in with Audrey, she probably complained to her, and they fed into a cycle of anger and meanness. Because Audrey gave Chloe validation, so Chloe listened and trusted her. But even when she couldn’t be mean, she just decides to leave. And when her father shows up Akumatized, promising her what she wants, she’s conflicted. Everything she wants, but her father is also an Akuma.

By the time she talks to Ladybug, Chloe gives in to tell the truth. It takes prompting, but she always struggles to admit the truth. Nobody likes her, she has no friends, she’s useless. Ladybug is a superhero and she serves a purpose. And by the end of the fight, she hands back the Miraculous without prompting, and is surprised by a fistbump. And the thing is, she’s not the one who goes out of her way to get the attention.

In fact, what she does do is decide she has to do things for herself. She has to clean up her lair.

Then Marinette throws a party together for Chloe. Chloe whose utterly shocked that she’s being celebrated. Chloe didn’t expect it, she didn’t arrange it, she didn’t do any of that, Marinette did.

And what Chloe learns is she’s given admiration, attention, and VALIDATION when she’s Queen Bee. Left alone, she would have cleaned up her lair, and feeling useful, like she helped Paris and her family. She was in a good place and I wouldn’t say the party hurt the progress she was waking on that front.

What it did do was encourage her bragging tendencies. She would bring up she’s Queen Bee more and more, she would brag, which had it’s pros and cons. On one hand, she was bragging a lot and seeking more importance than she really had. But on the other hand, she was also quick to act. She was getting protective of Sabrina and was quick to get somewhere that Ladybug could find her and recruit her. And when Chloe is Queen Bee, we see she’s on task and she’s quick to work with people.

When Chloe is being a superhero, she’s actually GOOD at the job. She adapts and focuses and is ready to do what she needs to. Braggy, sure, but she’s still doing GOOD.

And Miraculer happens and of course Chloe is hurt. Of course she lashes out. Because Ladybug doesn’t explain anything to Chloe. She let’s her hope longer and longer with no sign. Chloe is yet again ignored by someone she adores. She hopes that Ladybug still believes in her and will recruit her.

And Chloe says no to an Akuma. Because she believes in Ladybug. Because she wants to be a superhero. Because she wants recognition.

And this is where it’s a disservice to Chloe to treat recognition as a bad thing.

Because Chloe said NO. To an AKUMA. Because she wanted this recognition. This isn’t someone just wants to be popular, or have bragging rights. This is a need for recognition that overcame all of Chloe’s anger and resentment and fears. It was strong enough for Chloe to want to do this the RIGHT way.

This is Recognition in the need for Validation.

Validation is something humans need. Validation is necessary for humans to learn they have worth. Marinette in Origins needed Chat Noir to tell her she could be a hero because she’s already saved one life, he validated her as being able to do this by pointing out the positive effect she already had. She could only see her mistakes, she needed validation.

Adrien in Syren also needed validation. After having his partner lie to him and not explain anything, of course he doubted his worth, and he needed Plagg’s encouragement, for Plagg to say he had value before he started to believe he had worth. Adrien is minimizing his rebellion in hopes his father will validate him.

Chloe doesn’t have validation. Chloe sees herself as useless. Really think about it. It’s not that Chloe messes up or makes mistakes, it’s that she’s useless and has no purpose. That is a deep well of self deprecation there that Chloe covers up with hostility and arrogance because everytime she confronts those beliefs, she’s brought to tears.

She has a mother who barely paid attention to her. She had a father that spoils her rotten, and teaches her bad lessons. She learned to rely on that power to get what she wanted instead of earning what she got.

She never learned how to be a good person. She didn’t learn how to be empathic. She barely knows how to love.

But she wants to. She just doesn’t know how.

Because the people we see Chloe truly admire besides her mother are kind people. She adores Ladybug. We see her adore Adrien. Prince Ali is the only celebrity we’ve seen Chloe treat with admiration. These are kind people. These are the ones Chloe chooses to admire.

Chloe doesn’t do things with altruism because she doesn’t know HOW to. And no one is teaching her how to. Everytime she’s about to do something that would help her start to overcome emotional issues, things get in the way.

She is ready to give up on her mother and she’s encouraged to be exceptionally mean.

She accepts doing a good job as Queen Bee and is given a party. She’s given validation and appreciation that doesn’t depend on being mean.

Except then she can’t be Queen Bee. She tries to double down on that more then being mean because the only Akuma’s she causes after Queen Bee is Stormy Weather and Miraculer, and Stormy Weather reeks of her being terrified she can’t change. With arguably helping Animaestro and Gamer 2.0, but that was a fire already. Because what Chloe wants is to be Queen Bee.

Chloe wants to be USEFUL. And she uses it to gain attention because she can’t be Queen Bee, so she just has to convince everyone she’s still that awesome because if they believe it, maybe that will be close enough.

Chloe doesn’t have the tools to be altruistic. She doesn’t know how to do it, what it means, not really, and no one in her life is helping her. The only person to really push her to try is Adrien, but he isn’t enough of a force to try, and Ladybug is Marinette who still doesn’t want much to do with Chloe. Bustier and her Butler is too passive. Sabrina is a trashfire of a person.

The only way Chloe is going to change is because she gets the validation to encourage her to do so. Because humans NEED VALIDATION. Because validation is what let’s us learn how to think and relate to others. If a human doesn’t need validation, doesn’t need other people, then they see things just from what they want out of things.

Which may work if the person has a nice enough disposition, but more often it’ll result in a selfish asshole. Chloe tries to pretend she doesn’t need recognition or validation because she’s that awesome and amazing. A Chloe who truly does not seek out recognition just means Chloe is still Chloe except she doesn’t have crippling self doubts and a belief she’s useless.

Chloe does good for recognition. And once she’s given recognition, she repeats that behavior. When she repeats that behavior, she does good in the world. And if she does that enough, she will LEARN what is good, what is right.

Because right now, Chloe does one good thing, and then she’s left alone, or encouraged to do something directly counter to what else she’s just learned. She needs positive reinforcements, she needs positive influences, because no one becomes a good person in a void, especially if they were a bad person. They need good influences and no one is GIVING THAT TO HER.

She doesn’t need the Bee Miraculous back.

But she needs friends. Marinette may not owe Chloe to help her, but Adrien sure as hell does. Adrien has seen himself be a positive influence on Chloe and if he gave her encouragement, she’d improve. And if Marinette did commit more to helping Chloe be a better person, I think she could help to. Chloe was willing to work with Marinette. Hell, she let’s Marinette sit with her in the library unharrassed, there is potential there for Marinette to influence Chloe to help her learn.

Teasing her with a Miraculous and expecting her to suddenly know how to be a good person without any help is frankly unfair to a girl whose obviously extremely messed up and suffering extreme self esteem issues.

If she does good for recognition, then THERE IS STILL GOOD BEING DONE IN THE WORLD. And she is finally learning what it means to be good.

Saying Chloe has to be altruistic for her goodness to be valid undermines everyone whose ever struggled to be good because they didn’t know how to be. It tells kids that hey, if you’re not good for the RIGHT REASONS, then you might as well not even bother trying to be better at all. If you’re good because someone said good job, it DOESN’T COUNT, and you’re still a bad person.

No, that is not growth works. If you want Chloe to be good for the ‘right reasons,’ then you have to give her the chance to grow out of them and you can’t expect her to learn that on her own. She needs people for it. It’s like Bustier said, she needs the good examples because she’s responded well to those, only to have them snatched away before she had her feet under her.

LET CHLOE BE GOOD FOR RECOGNITION. Because she is desperate for validation and it’s a psychological human need. Then you build from THERE to make her a good person.

Because guess what, Thomas.

She’s goddamn fourteen years old and she has a lot of growing she needs to do and kids learn by being validated by the people they learn from.

#ml spoilers #ml salt #chloe bourgeois #chloe deserves better

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shineonmalcolmbright · 4 years

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Shine On, Bright: Chapter Twenty-One

Table of Contents

Past

There was a lot of nothing between Malcolm and the two ends of the hallway. The carpet was an eyesore that messed with his peripheral vision. Ainsley said something and she said it again in an attempt to get the better of his attention because while he looked both ways, there wasn’t anybody else around.

Malcolm looked right at Ainsley who whispered, “What?”

“Nothing.” Only the nothing around them was exactly the problem. “Why don’t we go for a walk outside instead? We can go look for different birds, I can go grab my book.”

“No.” Ainsley rapidly shook her head then jabbed her finger at nothing in particular. “They’re out there!”

“Who?” But Malcolm knew. He watched the Irish Elk crash into the world around him. Its branches dug up the ground while it went. “Let’s play somewhere else then.”

“Ainsley! We thought you were playing with us,” Two voices piped up in unison.

Malcolm was slow to give them any bit of his attention. He gradually looked with his thoughts all scrambled up on the family who was murdered in the hotel. And not too long ago. The past caretaker killed himself and his family. Two girls stood in the hallway. It wasn’t like they’d been there before and to be so close, they would’ve heard them approaching.

“Who is this?” one of the girls asked right before the other girl asked, “And why is he here?”

Ainsley rolled her eyes. “My brother.”

“He can’t play with us,” they replied in unison all over again. “You promised that you’d play with us.”

“Ains, we have to go, I think I hear mother calling for us.” Malcolm put his hand out to take his sister away from the two girls. Neither of them sat right with his brain. The thought sank into the pit of his stomach. Ainsley pushed his hand away. “She’s not! You’re lying! And it’s not even dinner time!”

“Ok, but we really do need to go.” When Malcolm glanced back at the two girls, they stood there, their chins jutting out while glaring at him. It��s weird to look at a person and know an ultimate single fact: The dead walk here.

Ainsley folded her arms over her chest taking a step toward the two girls. “Go away! You’re ruining it!”

“Just! JUST! Hold on a second!” First, he said it to Ainsley only to repeat it while looking at the two girls. “Just also you, too, hold on a second.”

Only Malcolm disappeared into the library unable to find what he wanted or needed. He pieced through other stories he’d found before. At some other point, he’d even found a magazine covering their story at the Overlook and notes underneath different photographs. Last known photograph of Alexie & Alexa Grady. Instead, his fingers brushed across different stories of girls gone missing and notes of his own confusion.

11/10: Is it possible to not remember falling asleep but waking up? Feels like haven’t slept for days. Ask somebody about it. 11/11: Woke up in bar, heard music, heard voices. Father found me, we talked, said to talk to him, didn’t hear all the noise. Ask him about it later?

“. . .Ainsley. . .!” Malcolm yelled as he left the library to find her waiting there scowling at him. “What?”

“Malcolm! They’re gone! Because of you!”

Malcolm looked around not spotting the girls anymore. They’re all gone. He froze up noticing somebody gouged plaster from the wall. Gutted by some sort of weapon with old brown blood stuck inside its crevices.

Ainsley harrumphed, dragging his attention right back to her.

“Why don’t we do something together? It doesn’t have to be outside.” Malcolm suggested.

Ainsley stuck out her bottom lip and huffed as she marched away. The hallways stretched onward into oblivion, not that she knew such a word. After all, she was such a small child. A small child with a brief grudge. Malcolm’s the reason her friends left her alone leaving her stuck with nothing else to do. Maybe she’d spit in his orange juice, if he drank orange juice at any point in the near future. Maybe she’d even ask mom for orange juice and then they could leave this place for a few minutes, get some fresh air, and she personally was a fan of orange juice. Although was Malcolm a fan of orange juice? She’d ask him first before asking their mom to go out and by the orange juice so she could spit in it.

“Pst.”

Ainsley almost fell into a wall, too startled to stay standing tall. Even though her heart ached as it hammered in her chest, she turned to face the noise. Nobody was there though. Just another door. Door after door after door filled the entirety of the hallway. The hallway that stretched into oblivion. It sounded more like a dad or Malcolm word.

“Psst!”

The sound didn’t unbalance her the second time around. She peered back and forth in the hallway noticing one of the doors was open. Somebody was there, she could spot their shadow fluttering across the crack.

A few times she spotted something strange and unnatural curtailing around the halls. Whenever she brought it up, Alexa and Alexie told her in unison, There’s nothing to fear, we’re all safe here.

“PST!” The shadow stopped swaying while Ainsley stared. “Ains. . .Ainsley!”

“Dad?” Ainsley replied. She headed down the hall toward the slightly ajar door. It opened a little more. Not her dad. Instead, she recognized the person there. Her father’s friend from when the wasps attacked. For some reason, Ainsley took a step away from him. He wasn’t a stranger yet felt like a stranger. Did that still count as stranger danger?

“You look sad, why are you so sad?”

Ainsley decided to go for a silent head shake as a response.

“Sorry to hear that.” He reached somewhere behind himself only to pull out what appeared to be an angel figurine. It looked as if somebody made it of clay only to smoosh it. “That’s for you, sweetheart, turn that frown upside down.”

“Oh! Thanks, Mister. . .” Wait, he had a name she couldn’t memorize. Ainsley looked him up and down as if it’d help her better understand his name. With no name tag in sight, she ended up blurting, “Boots.”

“Boots?” The man chuckled. “What?”

Ainsley pointed at his feet, he sure had on some muddy boots. If her mother saw them, she’d be mortified even though the carpet sure was hideous. “Mr. Boots.”

“Thanks for the nickname, kid.” He ruffled her hair while she looked at the smooshed angel.

Even with her hair now a mess, Ainsley hung out right there. She looked up finding the man gone as if he never stood around there. The door pulled shut in front of her. A good sign that he stood around at one point or another. Ainsley hid the little figurine in her palm before continuing her angry march back to their current home.

I don’t know if anybody is still here and reading any of this but if you are THANK YOU and also SORRY for forgetting to post for awhile.

This has been my little safe world with everything going on, which may or may not be messed up because there’s like murder.

#shineonbrightfic #Prodigal Son #Prodigies #Malcolm Bright #Ainsley Whitly #Spooky #The Shining #The Overlook Hotel #Overlook Hotel #Twins in Blue #Prodigal Son fic

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sparklyaxolotlstudent · 5 years

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More than 900 notes on the “Lila gets Exposed” ficlet? I love you guys.

And writting Lila liying stupidly and being caught stupidly is fun. so yeah, I might make this a series on different characters catching Lila lying. At least I have some idea on how Alya, Chloe, Nino, Rose and maybe Juleka might catch her.

These are meant to be unrelated and one shots, but I will try to kept characters other than Marinette and Lila out of the fic that aren’t their so they can still form a coherent narrative if the reader want to feel like Lila was caught by everyone.

———————-

Lila gets Exposed As The Lying Liar Who Only Lies

Marc and Nathaniel.

“Did you want to see me?”

Marinette got inside the classroom of the art club, where Marc and Nathaniel were waiting for her.

“Hiya Mari!” greeted overenthusiastically Marc, guiding her to a seat near a table where Nathaniel and he had been working. They had something covered in cloth, which Marinette found a bit suspicious, but was used to how theatrically dramatically extra those two could get.

“What’s this?”

“Well, remember our comic?”

“Which one? Where Super Nathaniel saves me from Stormy Weather and Lady Wifi and then we ki…”

“NOT THAT ONE!” reacted Nathaniel not so quickly, blushing so much his skin got the same color of his hair. “Ahem. The one where Might Illustrator and Reverser teamed up with Ladybug and Chat Noir for…”

“The double date one or the one where they fight Queen Wasp?”

“… Queen Wasp.” Marc turned to Nathaniel. “You told her about the double date one?” Nathaniel shook his head, both looked at Marinette confused, but she just smiled innocently and sweetly.

“Ha! You guys are so transparent. I was just guessing”

Marc made a face “meanie” he added a raspberry for emphasis. Nathaniel just kept his red hue.

“ANYWAY. The comic with us as heroes being heroes alongside the heroes of Paris” said Nathaniel very quickly. Marinette giggled at how easy was to push Nathaniel’s buttons.

“And you’re our Everyday Ladybug, so we decided it was only fair that you would join the team!”

“We actually wanted to say you’re the real Ladybug, but realized that would be a bit problematic… and Alya would freak out big time”

Marinette had never panicked and been relieved so quickly in her life.

“Yeah, right, clumsy old Marinette as Ladybug, who would believe a loser like me was a superhero?”

Nathaniel and Marc looked at each other.

“Marinette, sweetie…” Marc said, holding Marinette’s hand “We love you with all our hearts, brains and other internal organs, but if you dare to call yourself bad names ever again, I will be legally and morally obligated to slap you silly until you learn to appreciate the wonderful human being that you are.”

“Duly noted”

“SO! Since you have never been akumatized –kudos for that, by the way, you rock – we didn’t had anything to base your herosona with… so we started thinking, and your main forte is designing, but bringing stuff that you draw to life is sort of Mighty Illustrator gimmick…”

“It’s not a gimmick!”

“Right right… so, Nathaniel thought about the hat you designed and we basically took a peek at your sketchbook, and we decided that fashion was going to be your thing!”

They grabbed the cloth and pulled it at the same time, uncovering a series of illustrations of Marinette in several hero suits. Some very elaborate some more simple. The main one seemed to be a play on her normal clothes, with a dark pink bodysuit with white details, including a belt, a dark grey jacket, and a brooch that resembled the ladybug earrings, just in the same shade of dark pink as the body suit.

“We based her a bit on Ladybug. With the brooch she can switch between suits, and the brooch changes colors to match which suit she is using. Her standard outfit is the pink one, which we based on your clothes, and it gives her agility and strength. The other suits are more specialized, like the blue one allowing her to breathe underwater and swim more efficiently. We’re thinking a rainbow theme, with 7 suits plus the pink one. We might squeeze a black and white one too, although that is Reverser gimmick.” Nathaniel looked at Marc with a sly smile. Marc rolled his eyes.

“Touche. Anyway, we call her Fashionette, unless you want to be called something else”

Marinette couldn’t help but notice that they somehow had made the power of the suits match the power of the potions that Master Fu had given her. Still, it was different enough from Ladybug to throw suspicions… even though Nathaniel had made an illustration of Ladybug, ‘Fashionette’, Chat, Reverser and Mighty Illustrator. To Nathaniel’s credit, he had made Ladybug with longer hair, taller and more muscular than herself. She then wondered if that’s how other people saw Ladybug or if it was just Nathaniel’s artistic view.

“Marinette as a hero? Wow, you guys are so talented!”

They had been so focused on their explanation of Fashionette that they hadn’t noticed that Lila the lying liar who lies had entered the art room. Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Oh, and you did a drawing of her with Ladybug, my best friend.”

“Well yeah. We’re making a comic and including Marinette as a hero with us. I’m sorry, who are you?” asked Marc sincerely, as he had no idea who this girl with sausage hair was, but felt weird for how she was talking.

“Oh, you don’t know me? I’m Ladybug’s best friend, Lila Rossi”

“Isn’t Ladybug’s best friend Chat Noir?”

Lila’s eye twitched, but decided that Marc probably would question her if she kept that lie. Marinette smiled wide at that, hoping that Lila would go, but alas, she just approached the table and grabbed one of Marc and Nathaniel’s comics.

“Oh, a comic book. Cool. I know Stan Lee, he basically based Spider-Gwen on me. I might be able to get you to meet him someday.”

The three art kids looked at each other, a bit confused.

“Are you going to use a Ouija?”

“What?”

“Stan Lee died last year”

“And Spider-Gwen was created by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez, not Stan Lee”

“I… I was just testing you. I meant he based Spider-man on me, way before he died, of course.”

“Didn’t know you had a time machine. Must be awesome”

“What?”

“Lila, Spider-man was created in 1962, so either you have aged really well, or you have a time machine.”

“Ugh you guys, always misunderstanding me! I mean the spider-man from the movie! He’s my best friend!”

“Didn’t know you and Tom Hiddleston were friends”

“Of course, we are very close!”

“Hiddleston is the guy who plays Loki. Holland is Spider-man.” Lila was speechless.

Marinette was using all her power to not fall from her chair laughing. Lila trying to outgeek Marc and Nathaniel, comic book fans extraordinaries, was the funniest thing she had ever seen. Even more fun than when Chloe fell in a puddle of mud.

“Ugh, you suck!”

Lila threw the illustrations to the floor, without noticing that Mister Perrault, the art teacher had gotten in the art room just that moment.

“What is going on?”

“This girl who I am still not sure who is” said Marc quickly, as he could see Lila was going to respond something “started trying to impress us with her lies, but since we didn’t believe her, she just threw our work”

“They were being mean to me!” Lila tried to sob, while the other three teens were gathering the stuff she had thrown.

“Regardless of what they might have said, I caught you on the act of trying to destroy the work of art they had done for Marinette, and if there is something I will not tolerate in my club, is precisely that. Follow me to the Principal’s office… whoever you are.”

The trio smiled. Marinette couldn’t help but worry at Lila being akumatized yet again, but she also wanted to put some input on her “super hero” persona that Marc and Nathaniel had created with so much love for her.

——-

Art Teacher has no canon name, so I landed in “Perrault” after searching for french last names. If you don’t know who Charles Perrault is, I weep for your childhood.

And I do accept suggestions for “Fashionette” canon name, which would be also my Akumanette, should I ever write one.

#miraculous ladybug #ml fic #ml fiction #ml au #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #lila rossi #marc anciel #nathaniel kurtzberg #ml oneshot #ml Lila Gets Exposed #ml salt #ml salt fic

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sebeth · 4 years

Text

Fantastic Four #17

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

“Defeated By Doctor Doom!” by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

The issue begins where the previous one ended. The Four wave goodbye as Ant-Man launches from the building. Reed apparently built a “little launching platform” for An-Man. I hope it comes with a parachute or else Hank is going “splat” when he lands.

The Four recap the previous issue and Johnny unveils a bit we didn’t see: Johnny was knighted by Princess Pearla. He graciously doesn’t demand that the rest of the team call him “my lord”.

Shouldn’t Sue be the one that was knighted? She is the one that came up with the escape plan.

Reed has invented a gadget: “a highly sensitive radar set, extra sensitive to human flesh covered by steel”, in an attempt to track down Doctor Doom. Or Iron Man. Or one of the dozens of villains that wear armor.

The rest of the team decide to split up and search the city for Doom. Johnny uses “sonar heat waves” to detect “the vibrations of Doom’s steel outer covering”. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t work. How would heat waves even create sonar?!

The team meets up later in the night – they have a social engagement they need to attend.

The lobby of the Baxter Building is crowed with fans of the team. Ben refuses to descend: “I ain’t going down there! Some of ‘em may be the Yancy Street Gang, and I’m liable to get jugged for manslaughter!”

Ben continues: “I wonder if I could talk the mayor into declaring open season on the Yancy Streeters – just for one rip-snortin’ day!”

Yep, Ben’s true arch-enemies: the Yancy Street Gang!

An elderly janitor directs the team to a freight elevator to escape the adoring crowd.

The team leaves the building and splits to go to their respective engagements.

The elderly janitor reveals himself to be Doctor Doom. Reed’s fancy radar devise is a complete failure.

Doom sends “lighter than air robots” after the team. The robots have a marshmallow man-type appearance.

The robots attack Johnny who is on a date with Helen.

Helen is not impressed with these shenanigans: “If this is your idea of a fun evening, Johnny Storm, it isn’t mine! I’m walking home! Goodbye forever!”

Ben’s on a date with Alicia and battles a robot. Fortunately for Ben, Alicia has a calmer reaction and doesn’t stalk off.

Sue’s in the midst of a photoshoot for a U.S. savings bond and can’t ditch the robot – even when she turns invisible.

Reed accepts an honorary degree at a “dignified lecture hall” and is attacked by the robot.

Reed retreats to his lab at the Baxter Building while being pursued by the robot.

Reed regroups with the rest of the team at the Baxter Building and creates a device to deactivate the robots. He deduces Doom is behind the robots.

Doom pursues the next step of his plan: kidnap Alicia Masters.

The team doesn’t realize Alicia’s been kidnapped until it appears as the front-page headline on the Daily Herald. Way to pay attention, team!

Doom appears and warns the team not to interfere with his plans or he will “unleash an illusion-ray upon New York – a ray which will give the entire population mass hallucinations” or “I can drop fast-growing spores upon your unsuspecting city, spores which can grow into giant vines within minutes, vines which will choke off all traffic, all commerce, the very heart of the city itself” and finally, he can do bad things to Alicia.

An offended Reed proclaims: “Does he really think he can threaten us? Does he think anything will stop me from tracking him down, from ridding the world of the threat he poses?”

I can understand why Reed isn’t threatened by Doom. He’s been completely ridiculous up to this point.

Doom sends a “specially prepared tape to Washington, outlining my demands”. One of Doom’s demands is to have “at least a cabinet rank in the government”.

Since when would Doom settle for a cabinet rank? It would be President or nothing! It’s also clear Lee & Kirby haven’t created the country of Latveria at this point.

The United States government reject Doom’s demands causing him to create electrical failures across the United States including “America’s defensive missiles” suddenly “going out of control”. Said loss of control doesn’t seem to result in any actual damage or fatalities.

Reed’s plan of counter-attack involves a serum that temporarily transforms Ben back to his human form in order to penetrate “Doom’s disintegrator defenses”. That doesn’t seem like a great plan.

The team invade Doom’s headquarters, briefly separate, get ensnared in traps, and re-unite.

Doom witnesses this on his monitors. The only member of the team doesn’t see is Sue: “I do not see the girl, but she is unimportant!”

Poor Sue, she receives absolutely no respect.

Johnny reveals he can make “lifelike images” out of his flames and did so to fool Doom. Umm, no, fire doesn’t work that way. Did Stan Lee not know anything about science or just not care?

Sue frees Alicia from her imprisonment and brawls with Doom. She throws Doom across the room: “Don’t forget that I was taught judo by one of the world’s greatest experts: Reed Richards! And in my book, anything you can do, Mister Fantastic can do better!”

I love Sue, a Marvel Silver Age heroine, gets physical with Doom. DC’s most prominent Golden Age/Silver Age heroines – Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl – were super-strong and/or trained fighters that would brawl with the bad guys. Marvel’s early Silver Age heroines – Sue, the Wasp, Jean Grey, the Scarlet Witch, were all energy manipulators who would fight from a distance. Sue physically fighting Doom is a nice change of pace for Marvel. And Doom deserves it for the dismissive tone he takes with Sue.

However, I have a hard time believing Reed is one of the “greatest experts in the world” at judo. I can accept Reed having some hand to hand combat knowledge due to his time in the armed forces but an expert? I’m sorry but nothing can convince me Reed being dragged away from “science!” to devote the time necessary to become an expert hand to hand combatant.

The rest of the team rampages into the room and Doom bails: “I shall never suffer the humiliation of being captured by the likes of you!”

Ben and Alicia reunite, along with Sue and Reed. Johnny’s done with the sappiness: “What a lot of mush! I don’t blame Doctor Doom for jumping!”

Another medicore appearance by Doctor Doom. He’s appearing way too frequently in the early issues, and it diminishes his threat level.

#Fantastic Four #Doctor Doom #Reed Richards #Susan Richards #Susan Storm #Johnny Storm #Ben Grimm #Alicia Masters #Human Torch #Thing #Invisible Girl #Mister Fantastic #Victor Von Doom

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gumnut-logic · 5 years

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The Hero (Part Six)

Title: The Hero

Sequel/companion piece to The Joker

Author: Gumnut

21 - 24 Nov 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Thunderbird Two, with Virgil and Gordon aboard, is hijacked and stolen. With Virgil injured, it is up to Gordon to save his brother and his ‘bird. Sequel/companion piece to ‘The Joker’. Gordon is far more than he seems.

Word count: 2970

Spoilers & warnings: Violence, WASP!Gordon, Military!Scott, whump, language.

Timeline: Sequel/companion piece to ‘The Joker’.

Author’s note: For @corbyinoz because she has written some magnificent Virgil and Gordon fics and is a great inspiration. Thank you for all your wonderful words.

This fic continues to do as it likes. It would not behave in this chapter at all. Thank you to everyone who yelled at me for the last chapter. Sorry :D ::hugs you all:: You are so kind to me and give me such support :D There is plenty more to come, I promise. I hope you enjoy it :D

It started with ‘The Joker’. I got interested in WASP!Gordon and decided to explore his side of the story. Then PLOT happened. Now I have no idea what is going on.

Many thanks to @vegetacide and @scribbles97 for putting up with my crazy.

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

There comes a time in a soldier’s life where they discover whether they have what it takes or not.

For Gordon it came unexpectedly and early in his career. An underwater habitat was taken by terrorists. It was a residential facility for a scientific team and there were families and children involved. Gordon was deployed as part of the WASP force to take the habitat back. One of the terrorists was cornered and grabbed a child in order to threaten his way out of the situation. In the process he managed to shoot Gordon’s partner and damage Gordon’s air supply.

The child could have been no more than five and was absolutely terrified. Holding her by her emergency evac suit, the perp had a weapon pointed at her head.

Perhaps it wouldn’t have reached the decision level if it hadn’t been for the explosion on the far side of the complex and the accompanying WASP retreat call from his commanding officer.

Or the fact that the criminal grinned at him through his faceplate, knowing his group had won this round.

Gordon wasn’t willing to abandon the little girl.

And the guy wasn’t willing to let her go.

The report afterwards said necessary force, but the truth of the matter was that Gordon Tracy had been forced to take a life for the first time.

He wasn’t quite the same after that.

But he knew he had what it took.

To be who he needed to be.

-o-o-o-

Perhaps he didn’t want to do it. Perhaps he was fighting himself. But the sight of two brothers and his sister on the floor and a man who had been his mentor, his idol, a second father, standing there and threatening more harm...

Gordon came down hard.

And his teacher met him with an equal and opposite force, his body moving through form smoothly and without hesitation.

Lips thinned, brows tensed in concentration, it became a dance.

Gordon would feint and strike and Kyrano deflect, only to follow through with his own strike, which in turn was also deflected. Fists became elbows, knees feet and bodies a blur of motion caught only by subconscious perception. Concentration a writhing thing caught between them.

“I have waited for this for so long, Mister Gordon.” It was puffed out between actions, green eyes fastened on his opponent, Kyrano said it through gritted teeth. “Perhaps you can finally bring this to an end.”

Gordon spun, aiming an elbow for the man’s gullet only to have a fist land in his ribcage.

His stance suffered and his elbow hit a shoulder with a crack.

Kyrano didn’t even flinch.

“Why are you doing this, K?” The aquanaut flung himself out of reach for a moment, catching his breath and noting on his periphery that Virgil was struggling to sit up beside the bed. “You’re family!” It came out as a desperate yell as he had to contort out of the way of kick that would have broken bones.

He spun on one foot and returned the blow, catching his mentor on the hip and shifting his balance. A follow through fist caught ribs and Kyrano, in turn, was forced to fall away and regroup.

“Because I have to. I have no choice.” Heavy breathing. “You can end this. I taught you well. You can end this, Mister Gordon.”

The words distracted him enough for Kyrano and lash out and drive a fist into his cheek. A snap of bone and pain arced across his face, drilling into his skull.

His grunt spun him away and out of reach. Stars danced in his periphery.

A breath and the Malay struck again, a crack to Gordon’s shoulder spun him around and for a moment, his balance wobbled.

“No, you are stronger than this. Fight!”

The man’s voice was an echo of Gordon’s subconscious. The voice that told him he could keep going, that he would survive if he just tried harder. Its owner was an inspiration, a lead, a role model, a man...

...he loved.

A yell of anguish and he spun on his left foot, his right foot flung out at lethal force.

It connected.

Kyrano was thrown across the room. He collided with Virgil’s bookcase, collapsing the shelves and bringing a mass of art books down on his shoulders.

There was silence for a moment, broken only by Gordon’s harsh breathing. Why, K, why? His left eye was having trouble focussing and his face was a mass of pain. He moved in to take advantage.

He wasn’t fast enough.

A heavy book, Picasso, shot up and shoved into his gut, shoving any and all breath from his body in a strangled groan. The world tipped and he was going down.

He couldn’t afford to go down. Kyrano was inevitable as a rockslide. Any advantage and he would take it.

But spots danced before Gordon’s eyes.

A flash of Virgil still struggling to right himself.

No.

And Kyrano was on him, hands reaching for his throat.

No.

He twisted mid-air and the spots spun with him, but he rolled as he hit the floor. His foot kicked over Virgil’s desk chair with a clatter, but he was able to follow through and stumble to his feet, lungs clawing up his throat desperate for air.

Move.

He moved.

Kyrano followed.

And fell.

Virgil was wrapped around his legs.

His brother yelled his guts out, but it gave Gordon the moment, gave him the strength, to turn and bring a fist down hard enough to disable.

Kyrano’s head snapped against the floor once and was still.

The gasping silence returned.

“Restrain him.” It was little more than a parched whisper from Virgil. It got Gordon’s shocked mind moving.

The spots still danced, but he ignored them and stumbled to Virgil’s desk and a roll of framing wire. A pair of cutters and some secure binds later around both hands and feet, Kyrano was immobilised.

Virgil reached into the man’s tunic and pulled out the electroshock weapon and handed it to Gordon.

He held it in his palm, staring, as Virgil rolled off Kyrano with a groan and began crawling towards Scott, the closest unconscious family member.

A blink and Gordon moved to check on Tin.

On automatic, his hands moved with practise as he assessed his sister. A cut on her temple, likely caused by the window sill above her. Her vitals were strong. He rolled her into the recovery position and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

A groan from the other side of the room heralded his eldest brother’s re-entry into the land of the conscious. He stumbled over, his vision blurring as he moved.

He really needed to sit down.

“John.”

“I’m on my way. Docking in three.”

“Good.”

And then his body made him sit down, the world doing a fairground attraction around his head.

“Gordon?!” Virgil’s voice had about as much strength as Gordon had in his limbs.

“Virg...”

Large hands grabbed him, but the world just spun away and left him behind.

-o-o-o-

Virgil caught his brother as best he could, which wasn’t very well at all, but at least his head didn’t hit the floor.

Moving hurt like hell and it was so frustrating knowing he had the power to help his prone family, but being unable to act on it without screaming.

Beside him, Scott rolled over, curling in on himself, no doubt in as much, if not more pain than Virgil. The engineer clutched his little brother to him best he could, holding up his heavily bruised face. One eye was swelling shut and a distortion in his left cheekbone spoke of serious damage.

His familiar orange shirt of palm trees was speckled with blood.

Somewhat dazed himself, Virgil forced himself to focus. Vitals.

Heart strong.

Breathing.

Laboured.

Gentle fingers probed and Virgil found what he suspected.

Broken ribs.

Brains burst into the room and Virgil startled.

The resultant pain blurred his vision.

He and Gordon were going to be a pair for the next few weeks.

“Brains.” It was a word of relief.

“J-John called m-me.” His fellow engineer was assessing his eldest brother. “S-Scott?”

“God.” The commander pushed himself into a sitting position. “That hurt like hell.” He ground his palms into his eyes.

“S-sit quietly, S-Scott. John is c-coming and Alan has b-been r-recalled.”

Blue eyes latched on the still form in the middle of the floor. “Is he...?”

Virgil cleared his throat as best he could, but it still came out dry. “Unconscious.”

That gaze fixed on Virgil. “Who?”

He looked down at his little brother. “Gordon.” He brushed a stray hair off his brother’s brow.

“Why?” Scott’s eyes were like those of a child who could not understand why a parent had done something horrible.

Probably because that was exactly what had happened.

“I don’t know.” God, his chest hurt.

In more ways than one.

“He seemed to want Gordon to put an end to something, as if he had come here for this exact reason, to fight him.”

“What?”

“I don’t know, Scott.” Everything hurt.

Kayo groaned and Brains rushed over to her just as John burst into the room. Hover stretchers followed. Quiet words, calm words.

Reassuring words.

God, he wished John would sing more often. He had such a beautiful voice.

“You can let him go now, Virgil.” Turquoise eyes pleading quietly.

Virgil looked down at his unconscious little brother. He had to protect Gordon.

He hadn’t done a very good job.

He looked up at another little brother. “Look after him.”

“I will.” A gentle hand on his shoulder. “Rest Virgil.”

A blink and he surrendered Gordon to those caring hands. Lost for a moment, he slumped over slowly until he was lying on the floor, the carpet rough under his cheek.

He closed his eyes.

-o-o-o-

Thunderbird Two launched under Alan’s expert hands with her infirmary full. Gordon had woken at one point in order to puke on John’s boots. He had been in and out ever since. Virgil had had the privilege of witnessing the momentous event and despite all his rescue experience, had nearly puked in sympathy.

Kayo lay on the other bed, her only words consisted of various forms of profanity. Virgil would have been worried regarding Grandma’s reaction to such word usage, except her arrival back on the island to find half her family in need of hospitalisation was somewhat similar.

Scott didn’t comment either. The man was furious and determined not to be forced into a bed. Instead, he stumbled about Thunderbird Two with an arm wrapped around his gut while Virgil tried to nag him into bed.

Though Virgil had to admit, that if he could move, he would likely be doing the same.

So much betrayal.

The question of why was on loop in his head and, no doubt, his brothers’.

John and Alan had bundled their assailant into proper restraints and then doubled them and followed up with light sedation. Kyrano was as slippery as an eel and all precautions needed to be taken.

All.

At least until the Tracy brothers had the capacity to ask the questions that needed to be asked.

Thunderbird Two was fast, so the GDF flyer would have to catch up once she landed in Wellington, but it was on their tail nonetheless, Colonel Casey on board with more questions than Virgil had hairs on his head.

Virgil and Scott had already discussed it. They couldn’t hold Kyrano themselves, but at the same time, how could they trust the GDF to hold him for them?

-o-o-o-

The hospital was a mix of outraged doctor and caring hands.

“Mister Tracy, your prescription was extended rest, yet you come back with exacerbated ribs and a burn on your thigh, a day later.” The doctor was glaring at him, her hoverjets an aggravated hiss in the background.

He didn’t back down. “Was worth it. How are my brothers?” His voice was dry and ached.

Her lips thinned. “Attended to-“ And as if to negate her claim, Scott slipped through the emergency room curtains, arm still wrapped around his torso.

Aunt Val followed him, brown eyes piercing.

Virgil grabbed the bedsheet and yanked it up over his exposed chest. His aunt obviously didn’t miss the rainbow of colours on his torso as her expression went almost immediately from military to concerned aunt and back in a split second. He swallowed his embarrassment.

“Excuse me, this is a private consultation.” The doctor flared, her dark cloud of hair bouncing as she moved to intercept. “Mister Scott Tracy, you need to sit down.” She grabbed the plastic chair beside Virgil’s bed and shoved it in his brother’s direction.

Val Casey palmed it, and with a firm parental shove, deposited the Commander of International Rescue in its paltry confines. “Listen to the doctor, Scott.”

His brother sagged a little. “You can’t have him, Colonel. We can’t afford to lose him.”

It was a non-sequitur for a moment, but a flash of blue and Virgil realised that the GDF were trying to take Kyrano. Scott had come here for support. The fact he had done that only proved to Virgil his brother was flagging and needed to rest before he fell on his face.

Virgil pushed himself up in the bed and suppressed a groan. The doctor spun and glared at him. “Don’t you even think of moving.”

“Doctor...” Scott’s voice was so tired it hurt.

“You assured me that your brother would be appropriately cared for, Mister Tracy.”

“Unexpected assassin. My apologies, doctor.” But his brother’s guilt flickered across his face enough to fire Virgil’s anger.

“It wasn’t his fault!”

Scott reached out and placed a hand on his brother’s leg. “Doesn’t matter. We need to speak to Kyrano.”

Virgil eyed the Colonel. “Can you hold him?”

“We can.”

“No, you can’t.” Scott’s expression was bleak. “I’m sorry, Colonel, but the GDF’s record in this leaves much to be desired.”

“Give me twenty-four hours, Scott. Enough time for you to recover at least.”

“And what happens when he escapes and comes for us again?”

“He won’t.” Her lips were thin and determined.

Scott sagged just that little bit further and Virgil shifted to climb off the bed. His brother was screaming for help without saying a thing.

But a hand landed on his arm and a whirr of hoverjets saw Doctor Harris moving in on his brother. “Mister Tracy, you need a bed and an examination.” Virgil couldn’t see her expression, but he could see his brother’s and those blue eyes were suddenly vulnerable as they turned to look up at her.

A groan and Scott folded double, clutching at his abdomen.

Shit!

Virgil threw his feet off the bed as the doctor activated her comms and called for assistance. Within moments a team burst through the curtains and flocked around his brother. Sharp crisp words and he was carted out through those same curtains, Doctor Harris following.

Virgil struggled to get off the bed and follow, but his body screamed at him and his progress was stopped by a strong female hand. “He’s in good hands, Virgil.” The colonel was gone and all that remained was his aunt. He let out an agitated breath and suddenly her arms were around him, her perfume the same from all those years ago.

Memories clogged his brain.

A moment and he was pulling away. He couldn’t afford to lose it. Comms in his collar. “John.”

His brother answered immediately and Virgil gave him a sitrep. John moved to attend to Scott and reported that Grandma and Alan were assisting Kayo and Gordon respectively.

Virgil signed off and sagged where he sat. “You can’t let him go, Aunt Val. You have to promise me you won’t lose him.” He caught her eyes. “Please, he can’t do this to my family again.” A swallow. “And we need answers.”

“I promise, Virgil.”

He so wanted to believe her. “And don’t hurt him.” It was whispered.

“I will see to it personally.” Her hand reached out and rubbed his arm. “Now you need to rest.”

The curtains were disturbed again and John slipped through, his expression one of concern. “They’ve taken Scott to surgery.”

Virgil tensed, sitting up straighter. “What? Why?”

But Doctor Harris whizzed in behind his brother. “Because he is as stupid as you and won’t rest when he is told. Lie down, Mister Tracy before I tie you to the bed for your own good.” She was gruff, but it was a worried, kindly gruff. “Virgil, your brother has some minor internal bleeding. He will be well with some care and some rest. As you will be, if you will just lie down.”

Scott, you moron. God, the man just didn’t listen. The tension in Virgil’s spine ebbed just enough for his body to remind him that, yes, he was sporting multiple injuries and, yes, lying down was mandatory right now, no matter what his opinion.

He slid sideways and would have fallen off the bed if John and Aunt Val hadn’t grabbed him.

“Virgil, rest. I’ve got this.” He turned to look up at his brother as his head was lowered gently to the pillow. John’s face was tired and worried. He was still in uniform having hit too much gravity far too fast yet again.

Shit.

“Alan and I will see to Kyrano, Virgil. Do what the doctor says before you end up like Scott.” That last was firm, but worried younger brother, and he was right.

He let himself sink into the mattress. “Aunt Val?”

“You have my word.”

Doctor Harris moved closer, scanner in hand. Virgil caught his Aunt’s eyes, desperate to drive his urgency home. “Make it a good one.”

-o-o-o-

End Part Six

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Virgil Tracy #Gordon Tracy #Scott Tracy #Em Harris #Val Casey #the joker and the hero

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thebibliomancer · 3 years

Text

Essential Avengers: Avengers #252: DECIDING FACTOR!

February, 1985

Who on Earth is strong enough to smash Hercules? Hint: there’s two of them!

Well I have my guess but I happened to guess right so I won’t be sharing. Let’s sayyyyyyyy.... Más y Menos.

Its very rude of DCAU’s Más y Menos to be picking on Hercules. Maybe sí podemos but that doesn’t mean ustedes should.

Anyway.

Last times on Avengers, Vision walked through a null field created by Annihilus and promptly fell in a robot coma and had to be put in a tube. He regained consciousness and Starfox hooked him up to the Titan supercomptuer ISAAC after which Vision started behaving oddly. When half of the Avengers got back from Secret Wars, Vision convinced Wasp to step down as chairman and nominate him. He’s created a second branch of the team in California under Hawkeye’s leadership. He’s pushed the president into making the Avengers chair a member of the Cabinet. He hid Starfox’s secret sexy power from the rest of the team. And just last issue, it was revealed that Vision and ISAAC have built a take-over-the-world-for-its-own-good device with Vision only lacking the will to pull the trigger on it.

So, uh, stuff is afoot.

Vision stuff. And, oddly enough, Doc Sampson stuff.

Vision is very impressed on seeing what seems to be Doc Sampson’s demo reel and offers him membership in the Avengers.

Doc Sampson turns him down because he doesn’t see himself as hero material and he already accepted an offer to join the faculty of Northwestern University.

Vision: “That needn’t rule you out, doctor! What would you say to heading a new, Midwestern branch of the Avengers? I should think you’re make an excellent group leader!”

Wow, Vision. You’re coming on a little strong there.

Midwest Avengers seems like the kind of thing that would be made up to spoof the expansion team idea, kinda like the Great Lakes Avengers of later. But if Vision seems desperate to get Doc Sampson to join the Avengers, well I think he is desperate.

Vision talked to ISAAC of his frustrations on trying to spread the power and influence of the Avengers. He has his take-over-the-world-for-its-own-good device but he doesn’t seem to want to use it. So he’s trying to repeat the trick with the West Coast Avengers. Sign up more and more Avengers. If you told this era of Vision about the 50 State Initiative, he’d be all over it.

But Doc Sampson turns him down. For the best. God only knows who Vision would have finagled into being on the Midwest Avengers in Chicago.

Doc Sampson: I wonder if I made a mistake in turning down the Vision’s offer? Being part of such a team would have given me an opportunity to observe some highly unusual psyches up close. But, no... I could hardly maintain an impartial detachment in such a situation.

Yeah. A Doc Sampson led Chicago-branch would have been an implosion waiting to happen. And Sampson will get his chance to pick the brains of a superhero team later with X-Factor. He does not maintain an impartial detachment.

On his way out, Starfox very much wants to discuss this newspaper headline. As he’s from a more advanced space civilization that doesn’t have prejudice probably, this is very baffling to him.

He hasn’t been on Earth long enough to learn that “ANTI-MUTANT FEAR GRIPS U.S.” is Tuesday.

I wonder if it corresponds to anything going on in the X-books. I tried to look it up but the same month as this issue, X-Men was doing a Kulan Gath thing.

Anyway, Vision and Doc Sampson agree that anti-mutant fear gripping things is bad and could tear society apart.

So in case anyone was ever wondering: the Avengers officially think anti-mutant fear is whack.

Anyway, on the mansion’s back patio, Captain America and Scarlet Witch are just having some old friend hangout time.

It’s a nice moment, really.

Wanda is drinking tea and Cap is just sketching her because they’re comfortable enough friends to hang out in a tea sketch party.

Anyway, Cap is also familiar enough with Wanda to know that she’s well vexed.

And she admits that she’s well vexed by two things. Of course, by the new wave of anti-mutant phobia because it really seems like a cruel cycle where every time people seem like they’re chilling out or there’s a swell of tolerance, it just gets yanked back. A cruel yo-yo of intolerance.

Also, its happening when she’s having personal trouble with Vision. He’s keeping secrets and he has some really extreme moods.

Scarlet Witch: “One moment he’ll be friendly and open, and the next he’ll get so remote!”

I wonder if its possible for Hank Pym’s bipolar disorder to have skipped a generation and somehow been inherited by Vision. That’s entirely not how anything works but I dunno. That sounds like Hank.

Since Cap has been wondering about Vision’s behavior (he and Monica Marvel had a discussion about it in the previous issue, remember?), he agrees to go talk to Vision.

Vision is having solemn thoughts in the mansion’s library, having been upset by the Daily Bugle that Starfox was waving around.

Vision: The world is beset by so much strife. Humanity cries out for peace... Yearns for life and prosperity... but in the end it denies itself that which it most desires! Mankind might never put aside its prejudices. Too many have refused responsibility for their own actions. How can they be expected to save the world? And, yet, who am I -- a synthezoid, an artificial being -- to rail against men of flesh? My encephalatron command chair would give me the power to bring peace to the world... and yet I hesitate to use it! Can I find the courage... make the sacrifice necessary to use that power?

That’s when Cap wanders in to give Vision a talking to. A supportive, helpful talking to.

Since he assumes that what Vision has on his mind is the burdens of leadership, he confides that he knows how tough it can be to have to always make the right decision at a moment’s notice and that he’s here if Vision needs a sympathetic ear.

Vision admits that chairmanship isn’t what he expected. He’s not unaware of the strain that its putting on his marriage. Especially since he insisted that they rejoin the team when Wanda would have preferred to return to their civilian life in New Jersey.

Cap tells him just talk to her more, ya goof.

So this is a very nice conversation between friends and peers that Vision drops a bomb of a totally-a-hypothetical into.

Vision: “Cap, what would you do if you discovered that you could bring peace and prosperity to the entire world... but only at the cost of your personal well being, perhaps of your own existence?”

Cap: “What?!”

Vision: “We have all put our lives on the line many times to stop world-threatening menaces, but it occurs to me that we’ve seldom tried to do anything to cure the world of its ills.”

Cap: “We do what we can, Vision. There are no fast and simple ways to eliminate want or fear.”

Vision: “But what if there were a way to insure a lasting peace to the world, to bring about a new golden age? What if you could only bring it about by sacrificing yourself? What if you could make the world a paradise, but you could never enjoy it yourself? Could you do it?”

Cap: “It pains me to say this, Vision, but I honestly don’t know. I don’t believe I could know unless the situation actually presented itself. Life should never be given up lightly, but... if there were a way to truly save the world... I’d like to think that I’d make the sacrifice. But I’d have to be certain that it would work!”

Vision: “Yes... Yes, there could be no room for doubt.”

I do really like the slow unfolding of whatever Vision’s Supervillain Actually Its Well-Intentioned plan is. His doubts and how he poses a very specific hypothetical to Cap to see what The Iconic Avengers Leader thinks.

At this point my guess is that Vision is going to turn himself into a supercomputer like ISAAC to take over the world, for its own good. Since it was apparently inspired when he was plugged into a supercomputer and was running the mansion.

Anyway, Wanda runs in and interrupts the totally-a-hypothetical discussion with big, alarming news that their house from the Vision and Scarlet Witch series is on fire.

That’s rough.

By the time Wanda, Vision, and emotional support Captain America show up, the ire is unstoppable and the firefighters just let it burn down.

That’s rougher.

Later, Vision and Wanda pick through the smouldering rubble.

And worse of all, this wasn’t a random electrical or grease or magic fire. It was arson. And the arsonist even called the cops to make sure everyone knew it.

Scarlet Witch: “So! I should have known! The blind, unreasoning fools! Do I have to fight them for the rest of my life?!?” This is so maddening! Losing my temper won’t bring our house back... all I’ve done is frighten the neighbors. That’s always been the biggest problem in being a mutant... No one will let you act human.

Some random bystanders basically gloat that the “weirdies are finally leaving” causing Captain America to go off.

Captain America: “For your information, mister, those ‘weirdies’ have saved your hide a dozen times over! They’ve fought and bled so you could have a home!”

Bystander: “N-now hold on, Cap! Me, I don’t have anything against ‘em... but why’d they have to move into my neighborhood? I mean, all our houses coulda caught fire from that blaze! This never woulda happened, if they hadn’t moved here!”

Captain America: “Mister, today somebody decided that he didn’t like mutants. Tomorrow, maybe someone will decide he doesn’t like blacks... or jews... or you! We’re all in this together. The American dream has to be there for everyone, or it can never truly work for anyone! It’s our duty to do everything we can to make sure it works!”

I doubt Bystander is very convinced. Maybe momentarily shamed. But in an hour he’ll be like “am I wrong about mutants? No, its the tolerant people who are wrong.”

But Vision... Vision has made up his mind.

Vision: ‘Do I have the right to take over the world for its own good?’

Vision: ‘Moral quandary resolved.’

The next morning, Vision has exciting new terrible news for the team. The US Army Corp of Engineers have dug up Thanos’ secret base in Arizona from his first appearance in Iron Man #55. And despite Vision protesting how dumb it is to poke unknown alien technology in hopes of finding a cool new weapon for America’s strategic arsenal, the Department of Defense is having the army poking unknown alien technology in hopes of finding a cool new weapon for America’s strategic arsenal.

Captain America: “Blazes! I believe in a strong defense as much as anyone, but the hardware Thanos used is way out of the army’s league!”

Starfox: “Perhaps more than even you can imagine, Cap! My brother Thanos was a ravager of worlds... he coveted power and worshiped death! His hidden base could well hold the means to rip this planet asunder!”

Cool, cool.

Man, I hate it when the US Army blew up the world in 1985 by poking alien gewgaws.

Anyway, Vision did manage to talk the government into allowing a small group of Avengers to act as advisers.

Instead of rounding up scientific geniuses slash superheroes like they did for Bruce Banner’s lab, Vision just selects everyone he has handy.

He says he’d like to assign the West Coast Avengers (who in fairness do have two scientific experets - Mockingbird and Wonder Man, kinda) but they’re busy with an off-panel mission in the Pacific. Just because they don’t have a book doesn’t mean they stop doing stuff.

So instead Vision selects Captain America, Hercules, Scarlet Witch, and Starfox (who in fairness is a great choice since he knows space science and Thanos) and sends them off.

Yeah. Vision is totally going to get up to stuff while they’re gone.

This foreboding is enhanced when Captain Marvel shows up and Vision tells her he has a special assignment for her.

Vision: “Our deep space monitor has picked up some disturbing signals -- that seems to be emanating from Sanctuary II, the starship which once belonged to the mad Thanos! After the arch-fiend’s final defeat, we left his ship to drift beyond the orbit of Pluto!”

Since she’s the fastest Avenger he asks her to leave at once, fly out to the ship to check it out, and then report back.

So. Light is the fastest thing, the speed limit of the universe. Give or take tachyons which are FTL and also hypothetical. And I don’t know if Captain Marvel can turn into tachyons. Point being, the speed of light is really friggin fast but the universe is really friggin big. Even something as ‘close’ as our solar backyard where Pluto is located is 4.9 billion miles away and takes light 4.6 hours to get there from Earth.

He is definitely getting Captain Marvel out of the way where even her nyoom will take a while to get back.

The Vision slowly stalks through the corridors of Avengers Mansion. On the second floor, he pauses before the door of the quarters he for so long shared with his wife... recalling past joys and sorrows. And then, he moves on -- solemnly descending the grand staircase, as if for the final time.

O_O

Uh...... plus side is that he gives Jarvis the day off to take his mother to Montauk Point!

I just like seeing Jarvis in Avengers.

He’s always around but only occasionally seen.

My god. His vacation clothes though.

Of course, Vision being nice to Jarvis who deserves good things is only partially because Jarvis is a cool guy who deserves nice things.

Vision has managed at this point to clear everyone out of the mansion and he locks the doors behind Jarvis so that NO ONE CAN INTERRUPT WHAT HE MUST DO.

Meanwhile, team ‘prevent the military from doing anything stupid’ arrives in Arizona and at the site of Thanos’ former base.

Huh. I was half and half on whether Vision was just making shit up to get the Avengers out of the house but I guess something really is going on.

Makes sense. If they went there and found nothing, they’d return too soon.

I wonder if there’s something really going on with Thanos’ ship Sanctuary II too.

If so, was it just a great coincidence that Vision had two different emergencies he could divert the team with the day after he decided to go through with his plan or is it just the Avengers’ lot that there’s constantly emergencies going on and he had his pick of them?

Anyway. Colonel Farnam of the US Army is convinced that they have everything under control at Operation: Prize Package and don’t need any Avengers supervision.

Colonel Farnam: “If we can figure out how just a fraction of this gear works, the United States will never again need fear an enemy power!”

Captain America: “I’m told that similar sentiment was expressed following the development of the crossbow, Colonel.”

Nice sass, Cap.

But, like, the instant that the Avengers are escorted inside the base, Starfox spots some technicians messing with a machine to see what it does and they tell him to screw off when he tells them not to mess with things they don’t understand.

Starfox: “GET AWAY FROM THERE!”

Scientist: “What are you, crazy?! We’ve spent twelve hours trying to goose this transmitter to life... we’re not going to stop now!”

He has to drag them away from a sudden energy surge as the machine activates by itself with a programmed homing signal that will bring Something to the base.

Colonel Farnam: “Now hold it right there, Avenger! Only my men are authorized to monkey with these machines!”

Starfox: “Colonel, I was raised among machiens such as these! If I can’t fix these settings, your men don’t stand a chance!”

Colonel Farnam: “I don’t care if you were raised in... GOOD LORD!”

Geez. It may have been partially a ruse to get the Avengers out of the house but its a good thing Vision sent the Avengers here. The US Army was clearly going to doom the world unsupervised.

GOOD JOB RANDOM SCIENTISTS

NOW HERCULES IS GETTING HIS ASS KICKED

IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED, YOU MONSTERS??

Anyway, the Blood Brothers are some Thanos minions from early days. Weird that they never showed up for the MCU. Like, look, they didn’t need to be part of the Black Order. They don’t have the theme naming.

But these two dinguses would have made great antagonists in one of the earlier movies.

Though Starfox and Hercules get wrecked for being the nearest to the Blood Brothers when they appear, Cap and Scarlet Witch do better for being slightly forewarned.

Captain America can do the backflips to keep from getting punched and Wanda’s do anything powers are as helpful as always.

Meanwhile, back at Avengers Mansion, Dane Whitman (sometimes the Black Knight, sometimes just exhausted), arrives and tries to use his old Avengers ID card to enter.

The security system does not like that.

Anyway, back in Arizona, Starfox rejoins the fight. That’s good.

Wanda tries to do her patented ‘all oxygen play keep away from this guy’ move on one of the Blood Brothers but his super strength lets him slam the ground to break Wanda’s concentration.

The other Blood Brother tries to strangle Captain America who got knocked into a pile of rubble but Hercules emerges from underneath the rubble to do that greatest of comic book tropes.

Ah, grievous harm with a body. How I love you.

But though the Blood Brothers heads are hard enough to knock each other out, the fight did do some lasting damage.

TO MY PERCEPTION OF HERCULES!

When the Blood Brothers beat the shit out of Hercules at the beginning of the fight, they apparently tore his Hercules skirt.

And Hercules isn’t wearing anything under his Hercules skirt.

So the other three Avengers get to see Hercules’ mighty adamantine mace, so to speak.

That’s all well and good.

Except its not!

Hercules? Being ashamed of public nudity??

That doesn’t sound like the Hercules I know!

Tsk tsk, how retroactively out of character! Annnnd possibly not retroactively? Didn’t he compete in the original Olympics which were no pants allowed?

You’ve corrupted him, modern society!

Anyway.

Captain America starts yelling at the colonel because if the Avengers hadn’t been here, it would have been a major disaster.

Captain America: “You were warned -- Washington was warned -- that something like this could happen! But those warnings were almost totally ignored!”

But back at Avengers Mansion, Dane Whitman wakes up and sees this argument being broadcast on a jumbo screen.

Vision: “People never listen to those who know better! I shall have to change all that!”

Vision: “Hello, Dane. I’m sorry you had to be incapacitated. But your arrival was most unexpected... and I really can’t afford any interruptions now! You see, I have to save humanity from itself!”

Something about you seems different, Vision.

Did you become one with the universe? It’s a pretty popular move.

Follow @essential-avengers because whoa what huh? Vision what? Also, like and reblog. Its necessary to save humanity from itself.

#avengers #Blood Brothers #the Vision #Scarlet Witch #Starfox #Hercules #Captain Marvel #Monica Rambeau #Black Knight #essential avengers #essential marvel liveblogging

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triscribe · 5 years

Text

WELL THEN

I got an idea, and I absolutely rolled with it:

MCU/Into the Spiderverse Crossover time!

Despite the gunfire still going on, the distant sound of explosions telling him the fight was by no means over, Peter can’t help but stare at the other Spider-man and think, his suit looks so much cooler than mine.

(“Proper priorities, kid. You don’t have them.” That was what Tony liked to tell him a lot, anyway.)

“Uhhh-” The other Spider-man is staring at him, white lenses of his mask stretched as wide as they’ll go. “I can explain.”

Peter wordlessly points at the demonic-alien-monster dude lying prone on the ground between them - the one the other Spider-man had jumped over, tapped on the head, and apparently zapped into unconsciousness.

“How?” He demanded. “Do you have your own version of Widow Bite tasers in your suit or something?”

“Widow what?”

There’s another explosion, way closer than those previous. Close enough to make the ground shake, and a cloud of debris rain down on them. Peter ducks, and when he looks back up, the other Spider-man is gone, vanished.

Apparently literally.

An invisible hand shoves something into his own, and a voice whispers, “Tap the green button when this is all over and it’s safe to talk, I’ll come find you. Until then, I’m sorry, but I kinda gotta lay low.”

Then Peter is, supposedly, alone again. After taking half a minute to try and settle the multiple streams of thought running through his head, he tucks the little fob thing into a pocket on his hip and runs back to the fight.

-Spiders-

Once the dust has settled and all the demonic-alien-monster things are taken down, Tony pauses long enough to check on him before taking off to start coordinating with the Department of Damage Control people, and Rhodey and Vision take off for the closest hospital with the concussed Falcon and “lightly stabbed” Black Widow, and Captain Rogers is coordinating with Doctor Strange and Wasp and Captain Danvers to track where these things came from and whether there are more to be stopped - really, they were all busy enough Peter couldn’t have found a moment to tell them about the other Spider-man even if he’d wanted to.

And, oddly enough, he doesn’t really want to.

So, while Hawkeye’s busy checking over Scarlet Witch and Ant-man’s on the phone reassuring his daughter everything’s okay, Peter slips away.

“Karen? Can you let Friday know that I’m fine and just, hanging out of the way? In case Mister Stark asks.”

*Of course, Peter.*

“And, um, don’t mention anything about the- the other Spider-man, okay? Not just yet.” He jumps, fires a web, and swings up to perch on top of a partially scorched billboard.

*If that’s what you want, I don’t have to say anything. But I am obligated to warn you to be careful, in case he’s not what he seems.*

“Yeah,” Peter huffs, sitting down and letting his legs dangle. “No kidding.” And with that, he pulls the fob thing back out, finds the green button, and taps it.

A few minutes later, the same weird spidey-sense-but-not makes the back of his neck tingle. There’s a muted thump, followed by hesitant footsteps headed towards him along the top of the billboard.

Peter turns his head, and squints when he still can’t see anything. “Man, your suit is way cooler than mine if you’ve got a stealth mode that sophisticated.”

The other Spider-man flickers into view, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his head. “That, uh, that’s not the suit.”

Blinking, Peter tilts his head, studying the black and red patterns of the cloth, and realizes it really is just that - cloth. Shiny, probably reinforced, but without any of the little details that would indicate circuitry woven in like his own.

“...huh,” he says after a long moment. “So, wait, the invisibility and zapping thing - those were both you?”

Chuckling, the other Spider-man sits beside him. “Yeah. I’m weird, I got bonus powers along with the regular Spidey assortment.” There’s barely a pause to allow for that statement to sink in before he goes on. “Um, by the way - you’re a Peter Parker, right?”

What. The heck.

“Please don’t freak,” the other Spider-man blurted, holding up his hands in a wary gesture. “I saw what some of those friends of yours could do and I absolutely do not need you freaking out and bring them down on my head, so- please- don’t.”

Previously frozen, Peter’s breath suddenly seemed to whoosh out of his lungs all at once. “What. The heck.”

“I know, I know. But, I’m from another universe, where your secret identity was kinda, um, revealed? Ousted? Made known to the general public, anyway.” After a moment, he lifted a hand and tucked back his mask, revealing a dark-skinned face that was grinning awkwardly. “So, anyway, I’m Miles Morales. The, not-so one and only Spider-man.”

Peter continued to stare at him. “...well. Uh. Okay then? Can we rewind to the other universe thing, ‘cause I have a feeling that would explain a lot.”

And it does, just not in ways he was expecting.

-Spiders-

“Oh man, you got your hand stuck in her hair? Dude-”

“Oh, trust me, my day got so much worse from there.”

“Worse how?”

“Well, I managed to rip half my clothes off, fell out a freakin’ window and got stuck to the wall-”

-Spiders-

“Dead?”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t die, Mister Stark would kill me!”

-Spiders-

“Wait wait wait- there are other Spider-people too?!”

-Spiders-

Half an hour later, both Peter and Miles are sitting with their masks off, staring out across the rubble filled battlefield that had been an otherwise normal town just that morning.

“So how’d you wind up here, anyway?” Peter finally thinks to ask.

“Gwen’s multiversal watch thing works pretty well when she wants to go universe-hopping, but the replica she made for me? Not so much. It glitched, and I think I got swept up with whatever teleporter those freaky dudes you were fighting used to get here.”

“Do you need to fix it to get home? I could probably get Mister Stark to help, his lab’s the best there is-”

“Nah, man, I’m good - that goober I gave you? Which I kinda need back by the way, thanks - it’s a tracker. Soon as I push the red button, a distress call heads straight for Gwen, wherever she is, and she’ll come get me soon as she can.”

“Oh. Okay then. But, why haven’t you pressed it already? You could’ve done that first thing!”

Miles just shrugs at him. “I didn’t really want to leave you hanging with no explanation.”

Peter blinks, and then grins. “Well, thanks. You didn’t have to.”

“Hey man, with great power-” The other boy trails off, looking at him expectantly. When Peter only stares back, he straightens, clearly surprised. “Wait, do you not have that?”

“Have what?”

“The saying! Dude, every Peter Parker I’ve met in the last year has the same saying! The code, the creed, catchphrase, whatever you call it - with great power comes great responsibility?”

Mulling it over, Peter slowly nods. “That- huh. That sums it up really well.”

Miles nods too, a lot more firmly.

-Spiders-

Fifteen minutes after the red button is pushed, just as Karen is informing Peter that the Avengers are packing up to head back to the Compound, a portal bursts to life on the ground in front of the billboard. He and Miles jump down to land beside it, right as another person in white and black and pink comes darting through.

“Miles, I am so sorry, I promise I’ll fix whatever went- whoaaa, hold up, who is this?”

“Pete, meet Spider-woman - Gwen, meet yet another Peter Parker,” Miles grins. Peter waves, a little hesitant, because the girl that his new friend has told him about is just, staring.

“Um, hi there...?”

“Yo, Gwanda, you okay?”

Their concern seems to snap her back, and Gwen nods, almost frantically. “Yeah, yeah I’m good, just- I haven’t been face to face with a Peter our age, is all.”

Miles frowns, but it’s Peter who asks, “And that’s weird, why?”

“Ahh... because, in my universe, there was a Peter my age,” Gwen says slowly, pushing back her hood and tugging off her mask as well. She looks back up with watery eyes, and Peter knows where she’s going with this even before the words come out. “He was, my best friend. And then I got him killed.”

Well. He half knew where she was going.

It doesn’t entirely surprise him when Gwen suddenly darts forward, arms wrapping around his torso as she buries her face his shoulder. He tentatively hugs her back.

After a moment she pulls away again, swiping almost angrily at her eyes. “So, we’ve got to get going, but uh, do you want to stay in touch?”

“Sure,” Peter says, with an honest grin. “That would be really cool.”

“Okay, cool, then I will save this universe’s setting, and we’ll be back! At some point. Once I fix Miles’s watch.”

“Yeah, I’d appreciate not getting stranded again,” the other boy says in a deadpan voice. The other two laugh, and he joins in after a moment. “Seriously though, Peter, you hang onto this, and we’ll come back soon, okay?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m looking forward to it already!” He accepts the fob again, and waves as the two of them jump through Gwen’s portal. It crackles and fades away a few seconds later, and he’s left alone in the shadow of the billboard. “...man, Mister Stark is never gonna believe this...”

If, of course, Peter ever decides to get around to telling him.

-Fin!-

No idea if/when this will be posted to my fan fic accounts, I kinda want to see if I’m able to churn any more out before I loose that spark of inspiration. Anywho, thanks for reading!

(P.S. I have no idea if Spiderverse Miles gets his comicbook counterpart’s Venom Shocks or not, but for the moment I’ve decided my version of him does. So there.)

#fan fiction #Marvel Movies #Into the Spiderverse #Peter Parker #Miles Morales #Gwen Stacy #spider-man #spider-woman #avengers #endgame? what endgame?#I see no endgame here (or infinity war for that matter)#would you believe I churned out four pages of this in under and hour? Ha!

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staarcade · 6 years

Text

I’ll See You in the Morning

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Read This Fic on Ao3!

Fandom: Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto

Summary: “I wish.” It was flat, every ounce as bitter as his laugh. Izuku didn’t even get a chance to question it before Todoroki continued. “..I told him.” It was so soft, Izuku almost missed the statement. “You told him..?” “I told Enji I’m gay.” Oh. Oh . Suddenly things were making a lot more sense. And things were also suddenly making him a lot more peeved.

Word Count: 1.5k

TW: Referenced Homphobia (F-slur)

It was late at night, when Izuku found his friend of two years, Todoroki Shouto, at his door in a complete mess. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d had a late night meet-up (far from it, his heart reminded him with a flutter), but it was the first time he’d seen the boy so…downcast. Not even when Todoroki had failed the provisional license exam in first year had he looked so upset. Izuku would be boo boo the fool if he didn’t let the boy come into his room and wrap himself in the (limited edition, all might themed) blankets that were hap-hazardously thrown to the side of Izuku’s bed. The One-For-All user never wanted to hear the shuddering breaths of someone who had just stopped crying, at least, not after sad crying. What made it worse was that it was stoic, calm, rational Todoroki. He didn’t know what to do other than sit by the icyhot user’s side, twiddling his thumbs while he waited for Todoroki to say something, anything , even for him to just move a little. It wasn’t until Todoroki’s breathing completely evened out that Midoriya even chanced looking over at him.

And what he saw, well, he just felt guilty.

Even with tear stains rubbed red, and his usually focused, heterochromatic gaze staring lazily out the window, Todoroki Shouto was still stunning. That was an undeniable fact that he’d known since their first year Sports Festival fight. Mister IcyHot was beautiful, even (especially?) wrapped in blankets with his hair so worried that the usually clean part down the middle had red and white going in the completely wrong directions. If it were the time or place, Izuku would have chanced a snort. The serious nature of the visit made itself known again when Todoroki leaned on his shoulder with a heavy sigh.

“Are you okay, Todoroki-kun..?” Izuku knew it was a stupid question, the stupidest question he’d asked all year, even topping the ice-cube-melting debacle in June. He had to resist wincing when he heard- and felt- the bitter laugh that echoed against the rooms walls. Suffocating, in an odd way.

“I wish.” It was flat, every ounce as bitter as his laugh. Izuku didn’t even get a chance to question it before Todoroki continued. “..I told him.”

It was so soft, Izuku almost missed the statement. “You told him..?”

“I told Enji I’m gay.”

Oh. Oh . Suddenly things were making a lot more sense. And things were also suddenly making him a lot more peeved.

“And?”

“And?” Todoroki sounded offended. This time, Izuku did wince. “What else could have happened with him? He shoved my bag back at me and told me to not come back until I stopped rebelling by being a faggot .” Each word oozed venom, and Izuku couldnt stop the tingling he felt in his fingers. The itch he felt in his hands and feet that told him to leap over to Endeavor’s hero agency and deck him across his stupid flaming chin.

“You’re kidding me.” Izuku wanted desperately to believe that flaming trash can Endeavor wouldn’t stoop down that low. The look Todoroki was giving him said anything but.

“Would I ever lie about something Enji has done?”

He wouldn’t. Izuku trusted every word Todoroki said, he could even say something ridiculous like All Might and Midnight dating, and Izuku would believe him. The difference right now was that what he said now was much, much worse.

For the first time in months, Izuku is finding himself speechless. He can’t imagine what Todoroki is going through, which is saying something. Normally he can place someone’s situation, put himself in their shoes and walk a mile, but this is different. Todoroki has always been different. Gorgeous, strong, but not without his dark home life that Izuku can never imagine.

Izuku’s home was warm and inviting, the feeling of steaming katsudon after a day playing in fluffy winter snow. Izuku’s home was fatherless, but was more than made up for in playing Mighty Junior! and bedtime stories and forehead kisses.

Todoroki’s home, from everything Izuku had gathered, was dark and cold. It was watching the final embers leave your fire on a freezing winter night. Todoroki’s home was never a home, but a training ground, with his father hovering like a wasp that would sting at any sudden movement. Todoroki’s home was unknown faces and pain, and that was what Izuku couldn’t imagine.

He couldn’t imagine a life without support. So this? This was way out of his league.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he came back to reality, but he was aware he had muttered through it. Todoroki was eyeing him carefully, like he was watching to see when Izuku would snap from his thoughts. When he realized, his gaze snapped onto Izuku’s vibrant green, and he was finding it difficult to not get caught in the sharp blue and stormy gray that stared back at him.

“I’m so sorry, Todoroki-kun.” He started, quickly adding on when he saw said boy’s mouth begin to open. “It’s not fair to you. You can’t help who you’re attracted to. Just like how endeavor can’t help that he’s a giant asshole!” He hadn’t even realized he’d said it until he processed how Todoroki’s eyes were bugging out of his head. He almost wanted to be ashamed- he just called the Number One Hero (he scoffed internally) a giant asshole. Endeavour didn’t deserve the title. That’s when he’d caught it.

Izuku’s heart performed a little dance against his ribs at first. He thought he was hallucinating the sound, but he felt the shaking of Todoroki’s shoulders before the boy pulled himself off of Izuku and laughed. The freckled boy wasn’t sure if it was more nerves, or if calling Enji a giant asshole was just cathartic to hear, but that didn’t stop the jack hammering in his chest or the smile that spread across his sun kissed skin. The laugh tapered out as soon as it began, but at least Todoroki had one of his rare, soft smiles on his face when he leaned back against the wall. Izuku joined him, scooting close enough that thighs touched and if he leaned just a little bit, he could ret his head on Todoroki’s shoulder.

A thought struck him, and he cursed at its intruding nature.

“…What are you going to do now?” Slow and careful. That’s how he had to handle the subject. That’s how he’d have liked to been asked if his mom reacted the same way about him being bi.

He could choke on the tension that flooded their little bubble when he’d asked. Todoroki inhaled tightly, and decided that he’d rather look at anything but Izuku.

“Ask Momo to be my beard, I guess.” It was almost…too nonchalant for Izuku’s liking. “Enji wants me to find some girl to date, so why not the lesbian.”

“But is that what you want to do..?”

Todoroki turned to him, and it almost surprised him out of the moment. He saw those dual-hued eyes flick down, so quick that if he blinked he would have missed it. He pressed his (soft looking) lips into a tight line, and looked away.

“No.”

“So then-“

“There’s no other option, Midoriya.”

The finality of his tone shook Izuku to his core. The way Todoroki’s fists balled in the forgotten comforter made Izuku feel like his heart was the comforter.

“But you can’t just let him control you like this!” He tried scooting closer, but Todoroki tensed and breathed sharply through his teeth. “Todoroki-kun, this is wrong . It doesn’t personally affect Enji and he can’t just decide who you can and can’t love!”

“But he can decide what to do with my mother and siblings, Midoriya.”

Ah. Right. “Todoroki-kun..”

Izuku felt nothing but buzzing anger at Enji, and immense guilt

“I’ll ask Momo in the morning to help me. It’ll be fine.” Izuku didn’t miss the puff of condensation that left his lips, nor the dropping temperature in the room.

“Does-“ Izuku swallowed thickly, “Does the person who made you realize even-“

“No.” Todoroki made a point about staring out the window- keeping his right side pointed away from Izuku. It didn’t stop the sound of the ice forming, or the chill.

“But wouldn’t you at the very least want them to-“

“I don’t want any thing or any body else!” Todoroki whipped his head around to face Izuku. Izuku lurched back in response. “You can’t understand this situation.”

And Todoroki was right. But still, he wanted to try to understand. “I-“

“Midoriya.” Izuku flinched. “I respect you and your input and your decisions. That’s why I came to you tonight. But this?” He braced himself. It didn’t- couldn’t- prepare Izuku for the way his heart met the floor when Todoroki stood and stared down at him with clear irritation. “This really isn’t helping. I understand you’re trying to convey what you think is best, but right now i just think…” He sighed, “I just want some support. I apologize for bothering you this late at night, Midoriya. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

Izuku floundered for something, anything to say to stop him from leaving, but he was frozen. He just fucked up, big time. He just stared back meekly at todoroki, watching as he gave an irritated groan and left.

Even as he left, he closed the door softly- politely.

Izuku realized he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight.

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bevioletskies · 6 years

Note

Could you maybe write a fic about Mantis and The Wasp teamup (like Evangeline Lily said once)? Love your fics💜

Takes place post-Avengers 4 in a magical universe where everyone is alive and well except for Thanos, who is super dead. Cameo appearances by Scott, Hank, and Janet, with a few mentions of the Avengers and the Guardians here and there.ao3 | word count: 3.9k

Despite spending her entire life wanting to be a hero just like her parents, Hope was determined to stay as far away from the Avengers as she possibly could. Most of it was because of her admittedly shallow dislike of Tony Stark, purely for the way his father had treated hers; another factor was Scott skipping out of their partnership - and relationship - to go running around Germany with Captain America and without her. Then the entire universe was in danger, and Hope didn’t really have the luxury of choosing who to fight with. And well, she also sort of died, but that was beside the point.

Now that the universe was back to some semblance of normal, Hope’s priorities were as follows - continue strengthening her newfound good relationship with her dad, spend quality time with her mom and catch her up on everything she’d missed, restore the good name of Pym Technologies, and enjoy her budding relationship with Scott. She had no interest in mingling with any other so-called heroes, especially not with the government still nipping at their heels, wanting them to cut a new deal.

Then, one evening, the Guardians quite literally came crashing down to Earth.

“The Benatar never did have a great braking system,” Peter Quill had reportedly said to the swarm of SHIELD agents that came for them.

Thankfully, they landed in the vicinity of Avengers Headquarters as (mostly) planned. They were invited back to “Terra”, as they called it, for Tony and Pepper’s wedding, an event that Hope and Scott were also invited to and were attending mostly out of politeness (though Scott was genuinely excited to hang out with the Avengers off-duty, the fanboy that he was). Their ship caused minimal damage - a scuff across the lawn that made Tony bemoan the days that he only had to worry about Thor’s unorthodox method of transportation - but it was enough of a signal that it was time to summon all the heroes to upstate New York. And by “summoned”, it meant a Quinjet touching down outside of Scott’s place (and sort of Hope’s, too, now that they were giving domestic cohabitation a try).

“This is gonna be awesome,” Scott said brightly, carrying both his and Hope’s overnight bags out the door despite her insisting she could take care of her own. “You sure your parents don’t wanna come with us?”

“And have Dad come face-to-face with another Stark? I think I’ll pass,” Hope remarked wryly.

When they arrived at the Avengers complex, it reminded Hope somewhat of the old Pym Tech labs - bright white walls, long stretches of glass and steel, with agents, engineers, and scientists scurrying around with somewhere more important to be. She and Scott were settled in a guest room, then ushered to an expansive outdoor patio where they were suddenly faced with just about everyone who they’d fought alongside in the battle against Thanos.

After some awkward “hello”s and “how are you”s, the two of them lingered on the outside of the circle of people who clearly knew each other pretty well, laughing and swapping stories as they dug into the buffet spread of artisanal meats and cheeses, fruit, and tea sandwiches. “Hello!” Mantis suddenly popped up out of nowhere, carrying a plate laden with food, a sunny smile on her face. “Are you not eating?”

“I will in a bit,” Hope said, smiling in return. It was hard not to when Mantis was so infectiously cheerful. “How are you? I heard you had a rough landing coming back here.”

“I do not trust Rocket and Peter when they try to fly the ship at the same time,” Mantis whispered conspiratorially. “They fight so much. You are so lucky to be working in a partnership instead of a group. Then you do not have to listen to so many people talking and yelling at the same time.”

“Oh, I feel like Scott talks enough for three people,” Hope replied, knowing full well he was standing behind her.

“Hey,” he protested in mock offense. “I’m down to at least…two.”

“Can you grab me a plate?” Hope requested. Scott shook his head half-amusedly but went to do it regardless. “But you guys work in pairs sometimes, right?”

“Sometimes,” Mantis agreed. “Gamora has been teaching me how to fight, but I am still not really a fighter. I am most useful in missions where we have to mentally manipulate people.”

“Interesting,” Hope hummed, quirking an eyebrow. “So, say I were having trouble trying to convince someone of something…like certain members of the government who are still after me and Scott because we haven’t signed the Sokovia Accords…”

“I might be able to change their minds,” Mantis nodded. She paused. “Wait, are you asking me or telling me?”

“Well, it’s not the most…legal thing I’ve ever done, but honestly? I’ve been acting outside of the ‘law’ for a while now, mostly because I don’t agree with it,” Hope admitted. “I have a sit-down meeting with some Accord representatives in a few days. I’m supposed to turn in my suit and sign some papers so they can put me on probation before they ‘let me’ be a reserve Avenger.”

“I am staying on Terra for another week or so,” Mantis offered. “Do not tell anyone, but the only reason we are staying this long is so that Peter can take us to his hometown. He wants to propose to Gamora at his mother’s grave.”

“Who’s proposing?” Scott returned with two overloaded plates of food and the corner of a puff pastry hanging out of his mouth. Hope and Mantis simultaneously shushed him. “Oh, sorry. What’re we talkin’ about?”

“Hope was telling me about your troubles with the Sokovia Accords, and I think I can help,” Mantis explained.

“Really? That would be amazing,” Scott exclaimed, letting out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “They’ve been comin’ after us for the research, the equipment, the suits…they even started keeping watch outside of my house, even when my daughter’s home. It’s not cool.”

“I don’t want things to get too messy, though,” Hope added, patting Scott’s arm sympathetically. Nothing had terrified him quite as much as the time Cassie had shrieked from her bedroom at 3 AM when she noticed a strange man on the sidewalk, seemingly looking right at her through the window. “If this was just about knocking some heads around until I get answers, I could do it in a heartbeat. But for this…I want them to feel like they came to the right conclusion on their own, if you get what I mean.”

Mantis grinned. “Of course. So, what’s the plan?”______

The wedding went about as smoothly as expected. That is to say, a villain of the week popped up during the rehearsal dinner, making Pepper even more anxious than she already was, but once the bad guys were disposed of, courtesy of Peter Parker’s quick feet and even quicker mind, the weekend practically flew by. Hope even enjoyed herself despite her initial reservations towards Stark. The company was good, the entertainment was engaging, and Scott said something rather interesting while they were slow-dancing during the reception.

“I wonder what my second wedding will be like,” he pondered aloud.

Hope looked at him curiously. “Is that so?” He only grinned at her softly in his very Scott-like way, and she could only return it with a smile of her own, both flustered and pleased at the same time.

Then, Wednesday rolled around and Hope was back in a pantsuit and perfectly coiffed hair, feeling a little uneasy with the remnants of her old self. She knew she had changed quite a bit over the past few years, letting herself be happy and relaxed and open again after spending so long wallowing in grief and misplaced anger. Being reminded of her tightly-wound corporate persona made her all the more grateful for how much more comfortable she was with herself now.

“Thank you all for meeting me here,” Hope said diligently, settling down into her chair. The representatives that were sat before her glanced around the office, looking dubiously at their surroundings.

“I thought Pym Tech was defunct,” one of them commented. Hope’s smile tightened.

“My dad decided it was time to resurrect his life’s work,” she said cooly. “And I think it would be appropriate to reinstate him as CEO, don’t you?”

“From what I remember - and correct me if I’m wrong, it’s been a while - you were the deciding vote, Chairwoman,” another said mockingly.

The third one cleared her throat sharply, glaring at her companions in warning. “Let’s not get off-topic here. Miss Van Dyne, your suit?”

“My assistant is bringing it in,” Hope said, folding her arms neatly on the surface of her desk. “And if you don’t mind me asking while we wait for her to get here, is there a reason you asked to meet without my partner?”

They exchanged uncomfortable looks, almost like they were dreading answering the question. “Mister Lang has…a history,” one of them said carefully. “At this point, I don’t know if we can offer him the same deal as we’re offering you.”

“Scott and I are a team. You don’t get to pick and choose,” Hope protested.

“Actually, that’s exactly what it means, Miss Van Dyne,” the woman replied. “Once we’ve cleared both you and your parents - ”

“My parents? My mom wasn’t even here when the Accords were created. And she worked for SHIELD!”

“And we all saw SHIELD for what it really was, so who’s to say she was on the right side?” the second man said dryly, and it took all of Hope’s willpower not to knock him clean across the room.

“Don’t talk about my mom like that,” Hope said through gritted teeth. “My parents are not to be touched, and Scott and I are a package deal. I won’t settle for anything less.”

“You seem to think you have the upper hand here, Miss Van Dyne, and I can assure you that you don’t,” the first agent said, narrowing his eyes at her. “You violated the Accords multiple times - unauthorized use of a powered suit, interference with - ”

The door to Hope’s office suddenly swung open, and her assistant came striding in with an armored briefcase in hand, smiling beatifically. “Good afternoon, Miss Van Dyne, I am sorry it took so long.”

Hope let out a slow breath to calm herself down before she could really lose her temper. “That’s alright, bring it over here.” It was then that the agents looked at her assistant and did a double take in near-perfect synchronicity. “Is something wrong, agents?”

“That’s - ”

“Is there a problem?” Hope smirked. Mantis blinked.

“Alright, we’ll entertain you for a moment,” the woman sighed. “Are you trying to tell us that an alien from a…peacekeeping team of her own is now your assistant?”

“She’s staying on Earth for a little while and wanted to learn the culture, so I offered to let her shadow me,” Hope said, unlocking the briefcase and turning it towards them with the lid open. “Is this what you were looking for?”

“Yes, but - ”

“Wait, is that the right one?” The second man leaned in a little closer, trying to place whether it was really the suit they were looking for. “If you’re trying to con us, we have no choice but to search your office until we find your actual suit.”

“Are you sure? Look again,” Mantis said soothingly. She drummed her fingers in a precise pattern on the surface of Hope’s desk as she leaned against it. The three of them blinked slowly, almost like they were in a trance. “There is no need to be agitated. Hope is only worried about the well-being of her loved ones, that is all. Do you not worry about your loved ones like she does?”

“…yes.” The first agent settled back in his seat, looking remorseful. “I apologize for my colleague’s comment about your mother. I’m sure the work she did at SHIELD was very important to the world and your family.”

Hope glanced over at Mantis, barely daring to take a breath in case it gave away the ruse. “Thank you. It was.” She bowed her head. “I don’t mean to be hostile, I know you’re just doing your jobs, but I want to look out for the people I care about. And I appreciate the chance to be reserve Avengers, but Scott and I work best as partners, not members of a team.”

The woman pursed her lips. “When we spoke with Mister Stark and Captain Rogers, they vouched for you both. Are you going against their endorsement, then?”

“No, we just don’t - ”

“I can tell this isn’t your suit, by the way. I’ve seen enough footage and photographs to know every last detail of the real thing,” the woman concluded, getting to her feet with a disappointed sigh. “You know what? I can tell we aren’t getting everything we need today. Bring us the real one, and we can discuss your new terms another time. I have a feeling they’ve changed…again.”______

“I am sorry it did not work,” Mantis offered sadly about an hour later. She and Hope were now sitting in the lab, having lunch, watching Hank and Scott squabble over something mundane in the distance while Janet tried to mediate as best she could while also getting increasingly exasperated. “The woman’s mind was very strong. I could not appeal to her nature the way that I did with the others.”

“It’s not your fault,” Hope reassured her. “It was a stretch for me to think I could convince them in the first place.”

“You said something about ‘knocking heads’, right?” Mantis asked.

“I’m not going to beat anyone up, Mantis,” Hope chuckled, shaking her head. “There’s a time and place for it, and this isn’t one of those times. It’s not worth it. I’ve already dug a deep enough hole as it is.”

“But you want to get your suit back, don’t you?” Mantis persisted. “And you know where they took it. Maybe you can go get it, while I talk to the agents again and see if I can at least convince them to talk to you and Scott together.”

“That’s…actually not a bad idea.” Hope glanced across the room at her parents. “Should he come with us?”

“I’m telling you, Hank, I didn’t do it!”

“I swear to god, Scott, I saw you - ”

“Go easy on the boy, Henry, I’m sure he didn’t mean to.”

“That ‘boy’ is sleeping with our daughter, I wouldn’t exactly call him a boy - ”

“Never mind,” Hope sighed, rubbing at her temples; she could feel the beginnings of a headache starting to form. “But before we go, let me jump in there before Dad castrates him.”

An hour later, Hope and Mantis arrived at the storage facility, both unusually nervous given their usual demeanors. They stopped several feet from the gates, with Hope shrinking down and zipping through in search of an external vent, while Mantis tentatively approached the security booth.

“Hello, I am here on behalf of Pym Technologies and I have a meeting with some Accord representatives,” Mantis recited neatly, albeit loudly, causing the speaker to screech with feedback. The guard winced, waving her through after a brief glance at the ID badge Hope had given her.

“Not so loud.” Hope’s voice came through the earpiece, nearly invisible beneath Mantis’s hair.

“Sorry,” Mantis said sheepishly. “Peter took us to a drive-thru in Missouri where he had to shout to be heard. We ended up with three more orders of curly fries than we were supposed to. Are you inside yet?”

“Yes. Trying to follow the air conditioning system to figure out where their warehouse storage is located.”

“Mantis!” The moment she stepped into the lobby of the building, she was greeted by the three agents, who looked just as surprised to see her as she was startled by them. “You know, I really thought someone was pulling our leg when we got the call.”

“I would not play such a joke on you,” Mantis said, smiling politely. “I just wanted to talk.”

“My office, then,” the woman replied. They went into an elevator and through a series of hallways until they finally settled in a room, all while Mantis could hear Hope quietly muttering to herself through the line in fervent concentration. “So what’s this all about? Why are you really working for Van Dyne?”

“What she said is true. I want to learn more about the culture here. You see, my leader is like a big brother to me, and he came from this planet. It means a lot to him, and I want to understand him better. Hope seemed like the best candidate for me to follow around,” Mantis explained.

“Why is that?” the first man asked curiously.

“She is not a super spy, she does not have magical powers. She is a normal person who is very brave and strong, all on her own,” Mantis said thoughtfully.

“You really think that?” Hope sounded half-distracted, half-touched.

“She’s also violated a lot of laws,” the second man added.

“I do not know very much about these Accords. I have only heard about them from my friends.” Mantis glanced down at her hands, twisting her fingers in her lap. “I know that you think you have good intentions, but sometimes it hurts them more than it helps. I know that they have fought each other because they do not agree, and they have had to run and hide and help people from the shadows instead of in the light. I know that in some ways, they still have not fully forgiven each other for everything they have said and done. I also know that you have scared people who have had nothing to do with it, like Scott’s daughter.”

“We had no intention of - ”

“I do not understand Terrans very well, but I guess I do not understand much of anything,” she continued ruefully. “I grew up in isolation for most of my life, watching my master hurt children for not being what he wanted. He would only let them have one try before killing them where they stood. I think they deserved a second chance, don’t you?”

“Van Dyne and Lang have had plenty of chances if that’s what you’re trying to insinuate,” the woman said smoothly.

“But you have not let them explain themselves together,” Mantis pointed out. “I heard that you arrested Scott when he did not fully understand the consequences of the fight in Germany.”

“Is that what he told you?” Hope muttered in her ear.

“And Hope and Doctor Pym didn’t even know he was gone until you started chasing them, too,” Mantis added.

“Dammit, I see the case but it’s got a motion trigger. I’m gonna have to switch them out at the exact right time.”

“Like Indiana Jones?” Mantis exclaimed, her eyes widening when she realized what she’d done.

The agents stared at her like she’d sprouted even more antennae than she already had. “…I’m sorry?”

“Mantis,” Hope hissed.

“Peter showed me that movie once. I think there were chases in it, right?” She blinked innocently.

“…right.”

Hope shook her head, annoyed but still impressed that Mantis was well-versed enough to make the reference. The sight before her felt just about as foreboding as the golden idol. She could feel sweat beginning to form on her brow, feeling burdened by both the half-finished prototype suit she was wearing, and the case tucked underneath her arm, waiting to be traded for the real thing.

She swallowed thickly, flying closer to the spot where her suit was sitting, but not so close as to set off the alarm. There was a vague buzzing in her head of Mantis’s ramblings; she seemed to be on a tangent about her fascination with Terran pop culture and Scott and Hope’s predicament at the same time.

“You got this,” Hope muttered to herself, taking a deep breath. She braced herself, lifting both her arms up with her finger on the size trigger in her glove. In one fluid motion, she swept the real case under her left arm, shrinking it down until it was no bigger than a fingernail, grew the prototype case to its full size, and slotted it neatly in place. The motion trigger light flickered briefly, then continued on as if nothing happened. She exhaled. “I did it. Heading back outside now.”

“And that is why they are very under-appreciated compared to the Avengers. Just because they have not saved an entire city from an alien invasion on their own - also, I do not like the way you say the word ‘alien’ - ”

“Oh, Mantis,” Hope sighed with a relieved chuckle.

Mantis exited the building ten minutes later with an unusual amount of pride in her step, meeting up with Hope back where they had started. “You got your suit back?”

Hope held it up triumphantly between her pointer finger and her thumb, so miniscule that Mantis had to squint to really see it. “How did it go in there?”

“They agreed to meet with both of you next week,” Mantis said happily. “And they will stop surveilling Scott’s house.”

“That’s great! How did you manage to get them to agree?” Hope exclaimed.

“I told them I would not leave until they did.” Mantis chewed her lip. “And I may have accidentally used my sleep powers when that man got too close to me.” Hope groaned. “He scared me!”

“At least we got what we wanted,” Hope sighed. She reached out to squeeze Mantis’s arm. “Hey…thank you.”

“Of course,” Mantis grinned. “I do not like seeing my friends get hurt.”

“We are friends, aren’t we?” Hope smiled back. “And friends take other friends to dinner so she can learn more about Terran culture. That is, if you’re free.”

Mantis’s eyes widened. “I am! I think if I go back to my team now, all I will hear about is the engagement, and I have heard plenty .”

“Good.” Hope gestured towards the car waiting for them a little further down the road. “I hope you’ll like tacos.”______

Hope winced as the front door creaked open slowly, almost painfully - she needed to talk to Scott about greasing the hinges, along with another half-dozen home improvement projects they could really use - and kicked off her shoes, tiptoeing up the stairs. She briefly disappeared into the bathroom to change, brush her teeth, and wash her face, holding her breath while she slipped under the duvet, trying not to disturb him.

“Whashappening?”

She sighed in defeat. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you. Just go back to sleep.”

“No, hey, tell me…tell me how it went.” Scott yawned, rolling over to face her, blinking sleepily. She smiled, settling down comfortably into the pillows.

“Long story short, I got my suit back, and we have a meeting with them. Together.”

“How?” he mumbled; he was already starting to drift off again.

“Mantis went to talk to them while I shrunk down in the prototype suit - I didn’t have the same problems that you did, by the way - and went through the vent. She started off talking about how she wanted to learn more about our culture and somehow tied the Accords back to her upbringing, and…” She was interrupted by a snort, courtesy of Scott’s tendency to snore loudly and unashamedly. Hope chuckled amusedly, leaning over to briefly kiss him on the cheek before properly snuggling in underneath the blanket, warm and content. “Never mind. I’m sure this will make for an interesting story another time.”

#ask #Anonymous #hope van dyne #mantis #langdyne #myfic #marvel #i was gonna post this on friday but i finished early so why not haha #this week is kind of messy for me anyways so this might be for the best #hope you enjoy!

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