#i hope one day infinity train magically gets picked up again and finished

[flickering-nightfall]

[dreamingwithbts]

Demon (Boku No Hero) - Chapter 2

Warning: Swearing

It was the first day of school, the first day I will attend U.A., I was in the kitchen already eating my breakfast in peace. “MY DAUGHTER! IT IS YOUR FIRST DAY AT U.A!” All Might scream in my ear hugging me tightly. “I’m going to vomit.” I think being squeeze in his arms. “Air...”I try saying and All Might let me go. “How do you feel Aka?” He asks. “Nervous but excited.” I say smiling at him. “Also, who is my home room teacher?” I ask. “Not going to say!” All Might say still smiling making me sigh in disappointed. “Fine. I’m leaving now.” I say getting ready to leave. “GOODBYE MY DAUGHTER!” He screams making a pose with his thumbs up. “Bye Dad.” I say leaving the house laughing and going to the station. “I hope I don’t lose control.” I think nervous.

 I got to the entrance of U.A. “Here goes nothing.” I think and calmly enter the building, I walk slowly in the corridors trying to relax until I hear running behind me, I look, and I see a broccoli boy running towards me. “Izu-kun! ”I say smiling. “OH! Aka-chan! Good morning!” He says smiling big, and I see him sighing in relief. “Good morning. Are you ready?” I ask him. “Yes!” He says in determination. “Actually I was kind of lost, do you know where Class 1-A is?” He asks me. “Your lost? That doesn’t surprise me at all.” I say a little sarcastically making him smile nervous. “Anyway, of course I know where it is, Dad kind of made me memorize the school map, he was to worry I got lost. Come on, were almost late.” I say, and we walk to the classroom and I can almost hear his loud thoughts. “The door is huge!” Izuku says shocked while I also looked shocked not expecting it. “It really is.” I say. “Is it for accessibility?” Izuku asks looking at me confused. “Maybe.” I answer him. Then Izuku starts mumbling again making me almost laugh at his scared face. “You worry too much Izu-kun.” I say, but I think he was too scared to listen to me. Izuku opens the door, and we see and heard someone yelling. “Don’t put your feet in the desk!” A blue hair guy screams to a blonde guy who was seating on his seat. “It’s the hot guy who threat Izuku.” I think watching the scene, then the hot blonde looks at us and starts glaring at Izuku, I was too busy looking at the blonde guy that I didn’t notice Izuku trembling, but suddenly the blonde guy looks at me serious and I glare at him making him confused for a second but return the glare. The blue hair guy starts walking towards us talking to Izuku and I put my serious face and start walking away from them and look from my seat, I see Shoto already seated, so I wave at him, and he gives a little smile for a second, my number was 12, and unfortunately I have to sit beside the blond guy, so I sit ignoring him, but I could feel his eyes on me.

“Aka-chan...” Izuku thinks looking at her, not used to seeing her serious face. “Who is she? What is she to Deku?” Katsuki thinks looking at her black hair girl then glaring at Izuku again.

“Go somewhere else if you want to play at being friends.” We all hear the voice at the door. “Don’t tell me...” I think smirking. “I’m your home room teacher, Shota Aizawa. Nice to meet you.” He says. “Aizawa-sensei. Of course, it had to be him.” I think sweat dropping looking at the tired man, who looks at me nodding a little making me smile. “It’s kind of sudden, but put this on and go out onto the field.” He says showing us the training uniform, with this the class still confused gets out of the class and starts leaving towards the girls changing rooms, I smile to Izuku who smiles back nervous, laughing internally I follow the girls to the girls changing rooms. “Hi! I’m Mina Ashido! I love your ear piercings!” A pink skin girl says coming near me. “Akuma Aka. Thanks.” I say smiling a little at the girl. “What do you think were going to do?” She asks me while we enter the changing rooms with the other girls and start undressing and dress the training uniform. “Maybe were going to do something with our Quirk.” I say and she nods thinking the same.

Finished, me and Mina with the rest of the girls join the others at the training ground where Aizawa-sensei was waiting for us. I smile seeing Izuku talking with the brown hair girl. “I ship it!” I think to myself, looking around I observe my new classmates, I see Shoto looking serious as usual, suddenly I feel someone getting next to me, I look at my right and I see the angry Pomeranian who for the first time doesn't look angry, he looks at me and nods and I nod back, we were strangely comfortable around each other. “Katsuki Bakugo.” He suddenly says, not looking at me, understanding he was saying his name I also introduce myself. “Akuma Aka.” I say and we say nothing after.

“A Quirk assessment test?!” Everyone yells at Aizawa-sensei. “Call it.” I think smirking. “What about the entrance ceremony. The orientation?” The girl next to Izuku says. “If you’re going to become a hero, you don’t have time for such leisurely events.” Aizawa-sensei says. “U.A.’s selling point is how unrestricted it’s school traditions are. That’s also how the teachers run their classes. You, kids, have been doing these since junior high, too, right?” Aizawa-sensei asks. “Since I was five years old.” I think, and I feel Aizawa-sensei looking at me with knowing eyes and I also felt a three pair of eyes looking at me, Izuku, Shoto and Bakugo. “Do they know each other?” The three boys think.

 *11 Years Before*

“Dad? Where are we?” Five years old Aka asks hiding behind her dad’s big legs, looking around shy. “Were in a camp training! We’re waiting for one of dad’s friends!” All Might almost scream making little Aka laugh. “Why?” She asks innocently. “His going to help you train my daughter.” All Might say and with that the friend he was talking arrives. “All Might.” He says tired. “Eraserhead! Thank you for coming!” All Might scream. “I haven’t had much choice.” The tired man says making All Might laugh nervous. “Right.” “Where is she?” The tired man asks and then sees little Aka looking at him. “Introduce yourself Aka-chan!” All Might say. “I’m Akuma Aka, sir!” Little Aka says bowing to the man. “Aizawa Shota. From today onward I will train you to control your quirk.” He says getting even more tired. “So I can’t hurt anyone any more, right dad, Aizawa-sensei?” Little Aka asks sad. All Might and Eraserhead both look at her sad and impressed how she understood the situation. “So she knows what she did.” Aizawa thinks looking at the little girl.

*Present Time*

 “Bakugo, you finished at the top of the practical exam, right?” Aizawa-sensei speaks, and I look at the boy next to me. “The top 1 huh, not bad.” I think. “In junior high, what was your best result for the softball throw?” Aizawa-sensei asks him. “67 meters.” Bakugo responds with a deep voice. “Then, try doing it with your Quirk.” Aizawa-sensei says, Bakugo looks at me with the corner of his eyes before he goes inside the white circle on the floor. “You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle. Hurry up. Give it all you’ve got.” Aizawa-sensei says to Bakugo. Then Bakugo using his quirk he throws the ball. “Die!” He screams. “Really?” I think, sweat dropping of the chosen word. “Die?” Izuku thinks in shock. Aizawa-sensei shows Bakugo results making everyone impressed. “750 meters, I can do better.” I think smirking at Bakugo who looks at me serious, he comes to my side again and says. “Let’s see if you can do better, Extra.” “Oh, I know I can.” I say smirking at him making him angry. “Welcome to U.A.’s hero course!” Aizawa-sensei says with his creepy smile and I smirk at him ready for these 3 years.

“Last place will be expelled?” The brown hair girl asks shocked, and I look at a nervous, shivering, broccoli boy making me sigh. “He isn’t going to expel anyone. This year I mean.” I think still looking at the very nervous Izuku and knowing Aizawa-sensei expelled his last class. “I hope.” I think.

 ------Test 1: 50-Meter Dash------

For the race, Akuma went with Mina and some blond guy, so she decided to use her teleportation.

                                                     2.05 seconds

  ------Test 2: Grip Strength------

 Akuma uses her Chaos Magic to grip the machine, so a red mist involves the machine. “She’s so strong.” Izuku thinks sweating nervous.

                                                   150 kilograms

  ------Test 3: Standing Long Jump------

 Akuma uses her Hex Bolts as support (like Katsuki uses his explosives but more elegant).

                                                Cleared Sandbox

  ------Test 4: Repeated Side Steps------

 Akuma doesn’t use her quirk here, so she does the side steps normally.

  ------Test 5: Ball Throw------

 I could feel Bakugo glare all through the tests and I always smirk at him making him scowl and Izuku panic behind me.

The brown hair girl went first, Aizawa-sensei shows the result, infinity. “Wasn’t expecting that, but not bad!” I think hearing the other classmates scream and also not noticing Izuku panicking again. “I just need to be better than him.” I think looking at Bakugo who was already looking at me. “Aka Akuma, your next.” Aizawa-sensei says, and I walk to the middle of the circle. “Akuma? Red Demon? What kind of name is that?” I hear my classmates whisper making me grip my hand tightly, angry.

 “Aka-chan.” Izuku thinks. “Stupid extras.” Bakugo thinks glaring at them making them stop. “Hope she got better control now.” Aizawa thinks watching the girl breath, calming down.

 “Give everything you got Aka.” Aizawa-sensei says to me serious, assuring me everything would be okay, relaxing, with my eyes close I pick up the ball and concentrate, a red mist starts surrounding the ball, suddenly I open my hand and without moving I use the mist to through the ball. “Woah!” Everyone says seeing how fast the ball is going. “905.6 meters.” Aizawa-sensei says showing the score. “Yes!” I think showing my tongue to Bakugo who scowls at me and I leave the circle proudly and go stand beside Izuku this time. “That was amazing Aka-chan!” Izuku says excited. “Thank you Izu-kun!” I say smiling to the shy boy. “Why does she say his name like that?” Bakugo says looking at the pair.

 “Midoriya, your next.” Aizawa-sensei says making the boy freeze. “Don’t worry Izuku, you can do it.” I say slightly pushing him to walk making him walk to the middle of the circle. I hear the blue hair guy talking about Izuku to Bakugo, so I walk and stay beside Bakugo who is focus on Izuku to notice me. “He’s a Quirkless small fry, you know.” Bakugo says arrogantly. “Quirkless?! Are you not aware of what he did in the entrance exam?” The blue hair guy says to Bakugo screaming, almost making me laugh at the situation. “Huh?” Bakugo says confused. “Prepare to be surprised Angry Pomeranian.” I say smirking at Bakugo. “What the hell are you talking about Demon?!” Bakugo screams at me, but I only ignore him, watching Izuku prepare himself. “You can do it broccoli.” I think. Then Izuku throws, only for the ball to stop a few meters of his feet. “Eh?” I think very confused. “I erased your quirk.” I hear Aizawa-sensei, I sigh understanding now the situation. “Bullshit!” I say angry at him, preparing to give him hell only for a hand on my arm stopping me, Bakugo, I calm down still glaring at Aizawa-sensei. While Aizawa-sensei was talking to Izuku I felt a extra presence, I look behind us and I see Dad in his All Might form spying on us. “Really Dad?” I think looking at him, who waves nervous at me after noticing I caught him then I look back at Izuku when he was ready to throw again and this time he did it successfully. “705.3 meters.” Aizawa-sensei says making everyone shocked. “Told you.” I say to Bakugo smirking confident of my friend.

Note: Hope you like it! New chapter every Friday!

Tag List: @holaaaf​

[majorxmaggiexboy]

author interview tag!

tagged by la joie de ma vie, @f-ro-g

Name: ostensibly it’s Maggie but also Major but also whatever anyone feels like calling me as long as it’s not deliberately mean or something.

Fandom(s): as far as the ones i actually try/intend to make some content for, we’ve got BBC’s The Musketeers, BBC’s Merlin, AMC’s TURN: Washington’s Spies, The Grinning Man (Musical), Hadestown (Musical) Lazytown, probably Legend of Zelda if things keep going the way they are, uhhhh...I used to write for Ranger’s Apprentice, and am likely to do so again. I also have a Marvel (Mostly Bucky tbh) blog that was pretty active for a while before infinity war crushed my dre- OH RIGHT also How to Train Your Dragon. and a bunch of others that are just. dormant atm. pretty much anything i’ve ever enjoyed, ive got at least one fic for it. why did i forget to say Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, this is an outrage.

Where you post: 😂😂😂 when i make it that far, it’s usually on here? i have an ao3 but always get intimidated by the tagging system.

Most popular oneshot: oh god it was probably one of my Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time fics actually. Nothing recent, as i’ve not posted anything in forever

Most popular multichapter fic: i had a somewhat popular Ranger’s Apprentice story back in the day! I don’t recall if it was my most popular, or if that would’ve been one of my Musketeer fics, but the Ranger’s Apprentice one was one of my earliest fics and i remember being so surprised to be getting a lot of comments and consistent readers/engagement on.

Favorite story you’ve written so far: as far as Original Fiction, i’m still pretty attached to my unfinished saga that started out as a Short Story Writing Exercise and turned into about 18 separate stories within the same universe. Having recently looked back over the outlines for that one, it needs a lot of work and there are plot aspects that didn’t age super well, but i’m fond of the characters, settings, and premise and still think it could be salvageable.

as far as fanfic tho...i’ll have to actually finish and post some before deciding :3

Fic you were nervous to post: pretty much everything from 2014 onward has been accompanied by absolute terror immediately upon hitting ‘post’

How you choose your titles: ngl it’s usually either, think of a story and then find a song or song title/lyric that fits, or hear a song and go “Oh, i like that for a title” and make a story to suit. for fanfic, anyway. for my original fic...i don’t really know how past!me came up with the titles, and i haven’t made any new stories in quite some time. I think we just picked stuff we thought sounded cool and then found a way to tie it to the story. Except the ones that were like “This is an adaptation of The Grasshopper and the Ant. It’s called Grasshopper”

Do you outline?: obsessively.

Complete: i’ve never finished a story in my life negl

In progress:  so many. i’ve got 42 drafts on my Main blog alone

Coming soon/not yet started:  SO MANY.

Do you accept prompts?: YEPPERS, usually on my specific fandom sideblogs.

Upcoming work that you’re most excited about: probably The Manner of Things, which is a magic au of The Grinning Man. And then also A Moment to be Real, which is a Grinning Man au based entirely on one single scene in Treasure Planet. im also excited for all the Floydmadge shmoop i hope to write soon.

tagging the following people: idk who all this would be relevant for so, apologies if i tag u and it’s non-applicable! also if it is applicable and you’re not tagged, go for pls! @samayla, @midnight-reader-morning-sleeper ,@the-walking-pie

[mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea]

First lines meme thingie

I was tagged by @mcfiddlestan, and I rarely ever get tagged for things.  So here goes.  

Rules: Post the first lines of your last ten fics read or written and then tag others to do the same.

10. WIP: From Chapter 5 of Mission (Part 2, of Hemispheres): 

"Oh.  You're back, Stark."  

Tony stepped up to the cell just as Loki's honeyed voice greeted him from the darkness.  Behind him, Fandral continued to use what Frigga had given him – more daylily, it seemed – to keep the guards befuddled and forgetful about their presence.

"I am, Bambi.  And I see...well, hear...you're still awake.  Which is good.  I'd hate to think I was disturbing your sleep," Tony retorted, the corner of his mouth quirking into that smile that let anyone know he was amused, especially with himself.  

Tony had actually fallen asleep after navigating his way back to his room and crawling into the orgy-bed.  It was Fandral's voice hovering right over him, followed by a hand shaking him that had jolted him from sleep.  He couldn't be mad, though.  After all, here he was again, in Loki's presence.  

Even if he couldn't see him yet.  

As that thought entered Tony's mind, a candle silently illuminated the cell, and Loki sat on the edge of the narrow bed, dressed for sleep, his hair down around his face but not tousled yet to indicate any sleep.  Those stunning green eyes pierced through the glass to stare into Tony's.  

9. From Chapter 1 of Mission; “A spirit with a vision (Is a dream with a mission)”; (Part 2 of Hemispheres): 

"Tony, this is madness."

Tony finished his third cup of coffee and poured another for himself.  He turned to offer Thor a refill, but the God of Thunder covered the top of his ginormous mug with his hand to politely refuse.  Buzzing from the caffeine and distracted for length of a cicada's wing-flutter, Tony tried to remember which one of them had taught Thor to be polite about coffee.

"It's not madness, Thor.  I've just...had time to think about it, and...Loki should be here.  Not...wherever you put him," he hedged and tried to meet Thor's eyes.

"He threw you through the window of your own home.  He wrecked your city.  He killed..."

Setting the carafe back on its hot plate a little rougher than he'd intended, Tony took the three wide steps it took to land him right in Thor's space, and he glared up at him.

"And how many have you killed, Hammer Time?  You're the actual warrior, so how much blood do you have on your hands?  How much innocent blood, at that?"

Thor was taken aback by the acrimony in Tony's tone, the way those dark eyes flashed with a red-hot forge fire that burned the breath between them.  He lifted his cup between them, took a drink of what remained in it then set it down again.  He never took a step back or tried to push Tony away.

"That is not a discussion we're going to have, Tony.  You're upset with me, and I cannot fathom why," he told his friend, a hint of warning to his voice.  "The last I knew, you were glad to see my brother returned to Asgard for punishment.  You have nightmares..."

Tony stepped back of his own volition and waved a hand to dismiss the last thing Thor mentioned.

"You don't know anything about my nightmares.  They have nothing to do with your brother."  When Thor gave him a questioning eyebrow raise, Tony poked a finger into his chest.  "They don't.  Compared to what I saw in that wormhole, Loki was just a pissed off kitten."

8. From Part 1 of Hemispheres; Far away you were made in a sea just like me: 

It was the gray light that gently tugged him from sleep.

Tony squinted, and at first, he wanted to grouse and tell the cloudy morning to go fuck itself; he wasn't ready to wake up.  Especially when a warm body spooned against his, a creamy-skinned arm draped over his side, and the hand that belonged to it cupped his belly.  That was enough to make him smile and close his eyes again, his own hand slipping away from where it rested between his cheek and pillow to settle on that other hand.

This must not be one of his many flings that he picked up at a bar or conference because he felt no need to get out of bed and begin the Ritual of Escape.  He didn't have the urge to run and leave Pepper to 'take out the trash', as she so often explained it.

Wait.  Is that Pepper behind me?

Tony caressed the knuckles of the hand on his stomach, and while the hand was fine-boned and nimble, it was certainly not the hand of a woman.

Definitely not Pepper's.

Still, that body felt so good against his back; not bed-warm the way he would've expected.  It was cooler than most bodies, though not uncomfortably so, and Tony snuggled back against it all the same, feeling this lover's arm tighten against him.

He said fuck it to the outside world and responsibilities again, ready to drift off.  Ready to ignore the meetings lined up for him, the half a dozen projects in his lab, and the business luncheon he no doubtedly was supposed to attend that was Incredibly Important to Stark Industries.

"Mmm, if you keep squirming against me like that, ástin mín, you're not going to make that breakfast meeting you're supposed to be at in..."  Loki lifted his head to squint at the projected clock on Tony's nightstand.  "...an hour," he finished and took that moment to snuggle back down against Tony's back, rubbing his smooth cheek along that naked shoulder.

7. From Ghost of a Chance, a Steve/Bucky/Peggy prompt drabble.

December 1943; London, England

Scratchy tunes faded in and out from the radio in the training facility.  Bucky's eyes focused on the two men in the makeshift boxing ring, working in some training while the remains of the 107th continued to enjoy their break from combat.

Eventually, they'd have to get back in the fight.

Eventually, they'd follow the golden blond leader who barely matched the image Bucky went into combat with seared into his mind.

Eventually, he'd be chasing after Steve like he always did, but this time, they'd be equals against the mutual enemy.

Steve didn't even need him anymore, did he?

So, what the hell was Bucky supposed to do with himself anymore if Steve didn't need him?

"He's pretty amazing to watch, isn't he, Sargent Barnes?"

Bucky glanced over to see the pretty brunette whose heart Steve had managed to snag.  All on his own, too.  Bucky hadn't needed to set up a blind date or anything with this one.  He huffed and shrugged a shoulder.

6. From Behind Blue Eyes, Emma Frost/Loki.  With several twists.

Emma hissed as the cup burned her bottom lip, and she set it down with a scowl.  Yes, she’d wanted hot tea, but she hadn’t needed it to come out boiling or to bring back the moral condemnation that still echoed in her memories.  If Robert were here, she’d ask him to cool it down for her, but he wasn’t.  She knew what was in his thoughts, and she sincerely doubted that he would join her at a café for an afternoon drink.

Would any of them?

She almost laughed out loud to herself when she realized that one person who might was the one person who offered her some of the only comfort throughout the whole debacle.  Logan.  However, she was as aware as one of his claws punched through her chest that he was like the others, too busy wrapped up in a woman who could have prevented everything that had happened, if only she’d been thinking with her head and not jealous little heart of hers.

And everyone thought Emma was the ice queen.

5. From Supernaut; Eventual Loki/Tony but Loki + Nebula; Infinity War/Endgame Divergent.

Whatever pieces of Loki were left in the wreckage of The Statesman were intact enough that healing from death...again...took only as long as Thanos' snap that ended half of all life across the known universe.

Ironically, Loki didn't die in the snap.

He'd been cold after Thor's body floated to...wherever it had once his unconsciousness pried him from the Trickster's corpse.  Loki distinctly remembered that from his place at the gates of Valhalla; that alone told him that his death had come as an honorable sacrifice, and only after kissing his mother and father goodbye – for now – because he'd left unfinished business behind, did he wake up without Thor as his blanket.  

Through whatever grace of the Norns that still existed, Loki stood on that piece of the ship that had held his dead body.  He studied the stars, charted the constellations, found himself staring at Lokabrenna with a smile as it guided him.  It was difficult to breathe as if Thanos' hand was still around his throat, and it was good he didn't need to speak words right away to summon the pieces of the ship around him, soldering it together with what magic he could bring immediately to his fingertips.  His windpipe and voice box had been crushed, and it would take days to heal them unless he dug deep into the secret supply of golden apples he'd stored away ages ago in a dimensional pocket.  Or unless Eir could come to his rescue, but he didn't know where she was.  She and several chests of those apples had been on the escape ship with Brunnhilde, Korg, and half of the Asgardians.

Loki hoped they'd found a safe course and stayed out of Thanos' reach.

4. From We Were Never Boy Scouts; Loki/Steve Rogers.

*

A frost giant and a once-frozen centenarian walk into a bar...

*

That's where the joke ends.  That bar isn't really a bar.  It's the middle of nowhere in the North Siberian Lowland, and there isn't a structure or building or person in sight.

"Golly, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

Loki's eyes twinkle with mischief as he turns to see if his companion is as impressed by his Midgardian cultural reference as he is.

"I don't think we're anywhere near Yatutsk," Steve says.  He's braced his hands on his hips.  His breath forms ghosts.  The air bites his cheeks, nose, and ear-tips until they're red.  Loki's reference hasn't been missed by Steve, but he's not in the mood for a joke.  "I thought you could teleport us anywhere."

He closes his eyes.  Takes Thor's advice regarding a Midgardian calming trick by counting to ten.  Several deep breaths keep him from yelling at the good Captain.

"I can teleport us anywhere.  I did teleport us 'anywhere'.  But I'm not from Russia nor am I from your planet, so I can't get you to exact locations when I haven't been to them, especially not when they seem to be in the middle of Frost-Etin wastelands."

3. From A Warrior’s Wounds, a Kurt/Logan (Nightcrawler/Wolverine) ficlet part of a 130 prompt list, and the only one I actually managed to write.

In the near-two centuries since he’d been alive, Logan had been stabbed, sliced, gutted, burned, shot, survived grenades, canons, arrows, magic, inter-dimensional weaponry, Dracula’s bite, Sabertooth’s claws, Hulk’s smash, Black Widow’s knives, Cyclops’ eye-blast, Jean’s mind-punches, Hank eating his leg, Remy’s flying sparky cards, Rogue’s touch, Emma’s diamond slaps, Reed’s rubbery choke-holds, S.H.I.E.L.D removing his head, Mystique’s...everything, and sometimes, his own clumsiness.  

He’d endured just about every painful thing a body could endure.

And survived.

2. From Hey Jealousy, a Thor: Ragnarok ‘deleted scene’ short-fic; Loki and Bruce have a ‘conversation’ about Tony’s pants.

(skipping ahead from the first lines, which are replaying the canon lines from Ragnarok)

Before they split up to take care of their escape plans, Bruce tugs at the crotch of the pants again.

“How the hell does Tony wear these so tight?”

None of them notice the narrowed glare from Loki that could shoot magic daggers.

Instead, Loki changes his expression and speaks quietly, gently to the man who could rage-shift at any moment.

“Banner.”

The chains are off at last, and Thor’s busy staring at how much liquor Valkyrie keeps consuming.  Loki corners Bruce but in a not-as-threatening-as-it-could-be way.

“Just what are you doing in Anthony Stark’s trousers?”

Bruce stares up...and up...at Loki, his mouth quirks.  Eyes squint.

“What?” he asks, watching as Loki sheds the chains as easily as a snake sheds its skin.  “What does that even have to do with...”

Loki stares down into Bruce’s face, and there’s something in the Trickster’s eyes that gives away his disappointment.  His jealousy.

“What are you doing in Stark’s trousers, Banner?  Are you two...together now?  A...couple?”

1. From Sunset, an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ficlet during the Framework season of the series when the Framework is being shut down.

Radcliffe breathes a sigh of relief when Mack and Yoyo disappear from the Framework to return to the Other Side.

“Right then,” he says to no one.  “Time tae go.”

But first, he returns to the Triskelion.  There’s something he wants from Madame Hydra’s office.  Something he knows from Hydra-Fitz she keeps in there.

*

Tagging: @scottxlogan, @majorenglishesquire, @kleenexwoman, @mistressofmuses, @elvenferretots, @iamanartichoke, @gaslightgallows, @mypaopu, @jcrewguy, @mayphoenix

[transvavsquad]

title: infinity times infinity pairing: freewood, jerevin, jeremwood, jerevinwood au: skyfactory warnings: temporary character death summary: The darkness was painful, some had said, and without a torch to guide you and to warm you, then you would surely be torn apart by it. Some thought it was victory‒ the god of Night had won in his battle, and in celebration was wiping out the weak. Others, like Jeremy, thought it was sadness, or anger. The night god had lost his love, and the people had lost their light. The sun was gone. The Solar one had been taken.

read on ao3

first previous

chapter 8: the day

The next few days were slow, but a comfort to his health and his mindset.

Jeremy spent some time in Michael’s forest, glad to be beneath the trees while light filtered through their canopy. He’d known bits and pieces of botany and found it an easy task to point out the natural magic flowers that grew at the garden’s borders. In return, Michael showed him the portal he’d been lead to by the faeries, and explained their interest in his masks and cloth. Jeremy appreciated his company the most‒ it wasn’t that Jack and Geoff weren’t nice to be around, it was simply that conversations with them were so often about the state of his ascension, and his godhood, and the magic he didn’t seem to use.

Jack had caught him in the daytime, staring at the altar in the corner of the gardens.

“It scares us,” Jack had said, but gestured towards the knife at Jeremy’s belt. “Because we’re not meant for it. The way you look at it though? The way it calls? That’s yours, kid, all yours. Sometimes what we’re for is terrifying.”

Jeremy knew.

He knew the way the altar looked was threatening, and dark‒ because his magic was threatening and dark. To use the blood of another for the purpose of something selfish wasn’t a good thing, but Jeremy had been trained to do that. Had been raised to do that. Had lost his best friend to it. Had saved a god with it.

Behind him, Jack turned to where another dragon egg was cracking open violently.

“Turning mortals into gods is not an easy thing, I think.”

At night, he sat with ravens on the rooftop, and spoke to the moon while he drank orange nightshade tea, and watched the altar from the corner of his eye, how it shone unnaturally in the stars.

Hesitantly, he left blood in the basin before he went back to the cabin to sleep.

The next morning, the blood remained. A raven sat at the fencepost of the bridge to the altar, a pendant in it’s claws.

Geoff had built a house at the edge of his chicken coop, and Jack lived in a tent where the dragons were being raised. Michael had his treehouse in the forest, and quietly admitted to Jeremy one day that Lindsay was coming soon too. Jeremy had laughed, and looked out to the altar.

Behind it, there was just enough room for the entrance to a bunker.

Time passed, as it was meant to.

The amount of blood in the basin grew, and shrank, accordingly. If the others noticed, they said nothing, and Jeremy continued along, the runes in his staff stronger now, the dagger at his belt satisfied for once.

The bunker behind the altar had a bed and healing supplies, and a small stone with the initials M.B. engraved sitting next to a pendant with a red gem, still glowing despite the cracks. Someday, Jeremy thought, he’ll do it right.

He got bold enough to catch a few of the monsters that roam the untouched sections of Michael’s forest, and made a second part to the bunker that’s directly beneath the altar. It drained them of their energy, and Jeremy was only sorry for the people they used to be for a small time.

Geoff tended to his chickens, and offered Jeremy the iron and copper he needed‒ supplements, building supplies. He steered clear of the altar‒ they all did, of course‒ but he offered Jeremy his company anyways. The trips Geoff took are long, and Jeremy quietly understood the need to be in the world again.

Michael still asked for help with botany, especially when Lindsay finally came. She brought the strays, and a smile bright as a flame, and hair the same color, and a shine of magic that Jeremy recognized.

Michael grumbled about it goodnaturedly. His wife was, of course, a goddess of pure energy. Of chaos and of joy and the simplicity of fun.

Gavin and Lindsay really would get along well, Jeremy thought as he tied a shining flower to the fencepost nearest the cabin. Ryan and Michael might too.

But naturally, they weren’t here.

Jeremy thought about what it might be like if they were. What it must have been like in Etherium, right now, the two of them together and yet alone, as they always had been.

He drew blood for the altar and continued to work, and wondered if it was okay to wait for them to come back.

There was a stray Jeremy had taken a liking to, that had taken a liking to him as well.

His name was Booker, and he slept on the bed in the bunker, and sat far enough away from the altar to be affected by it when Jeremy was using its power. He was a smart kitten, if not lazy as all cats tended to be, appreciating the sunlight more than the rest of them at the doorstep of the old cabin.

Booker liked to curl on Jeremy’s chest where the pendant lay and purr in the night, kneading at the blankets and rubbing against his cheek. He was only affectionate with Jeremy, really, and that was fine with Geoff, who trusted neither the new strays nor the dragons near his chicken coops and was starting to make his trips longer than before, out to a little alcove away from the rest of them.

Jeremy had been working on spells- for Matt, and for other members of the academy that had fallen to long set plans of the magistrates there. And at some point, the day he finished his plans, he turned towards the cabin to get the gem and pendant, and saw someone sitting on the step, Booker curled happily in their lap.

“Oh my god,” he whispered. A second figure was knelt next to the first, and Jeremy felt his heart stop, wiping at his eyes. “You motherfuckers.”

Both of them looked to him with smiles, and Jeremy made an angry noise that had no real anger behind it.

“Hi again, love. I’m so sorry it’s been so long.”

Gavin’s tone was achingly sincere, and Jeremy felt everything drain from him, if only to be filled again with relief and hope, tangible at his fingertips‒ he felt like he was glowing, too. Ryan stood and took Jeremy’s hand in his with a small smile. “We wanted to visit before but... there are rules to this sort of thing, you know?”

“I guess,” he mumbled. He didn’t know, actually, but he didn’t mind not knowing. “I just thought you...”

There was a long silence after he trailed off, and then Gavin seemed to understand. “Oh, Jeremy...”

“Never,” Ryan swore. “You saved my life by saving his. We love you, Jeremy.”

Jeremy flushed a bright red and pushed forward to hide in Ryan’s chest‒ Gavin started laughing and stood, being careful with Booker as he set him down and pressed against Jeremy’s back. “From the day we met, you’ve done nothing but protect me despite barely knowing me‒ of course we love you.”

“We want you to come with us,” Ryan whispered, pushing Jeremy away to tilt his head up. “But I think you have something else to do, first?”

Jeremy sighed. “In a second,” he murmured. “Allow me this.”

“Always,” Gavin said quietly behind him. “For you, always.”

Michael lead them all past the altar, deeper into the forest, just beyond the barrier of the garden.

“What Jack’s done won’t allow you to do what you need there,” he explained, smiling grimly. “Be careful doing it, because whatever it summons won’t be contained by anything but you.”

“I know what I’m taking,” Jeremy said with a tight grimace. “He shouldn’t attack, but...”

“He won’t,” Gavin piped up beside him. “I know he won’t.”

In full glory, he looked radiant, as he should have been. His eyes were once again aglow, and his skin had returned to it’s warm tone, his hair made of pure gold and shining as bright as the rest of him. Instead of the robes Jeremy had met him in, he wore a loose white shirt with a green vest, and tan pants, all with golden highlights and adorations, runes written in thread in the cuffs and pockets. He looked calmer, and loose‒ a god of summer instead of sun, and it gave Jeremy a feeling of freedom and playful joy every time he looked over.

Ryan, on the other hand, looked relatively the same‒ his cape was now again a soft white-blue, untouched by the midnight, his hair a softer gold than Gavin’s, touched by moonlight to be a gentler, not as bright shade. His eyes were no longer storming, and he smiled often, hovering close to his lover’s side, like something would take him from him again in an instant.

Before they had left the cabin, Ryan had taken Gavin aside and pulled something from beneath his cloak‒ Gavin hadn’t said a word as his scarf was wrapped around him once more, just over the pale scar left on his neck. There was something about it that made Jeremy look away, with the feeling of intrusion on something incredibly private, but not before he saw Gavin reach up to Ryan’s face with a soft, sorry look.

As he had turned away, though, Gavin had tugged him back, smiling to him as well, before pulling away from Ryan and taking something from his pocket.

“Close your eyes,” he’d said, and when Jeremy had, he’d felt Gavin move closer and secure something around his neck.

Now, as Gavin smiled as him reassuringly, he reached up to his chest and touched the pendant, toying with the gold between his fingers. Michael gave his shoulder a hearty pat and a two fingered wave.

“Do what you gotta do,” he said, and the botanist disappeared into the trees again, little faeries following him as the flowers dimmed.

This part of the forest was emptied out of trees, a large flat circle of rocks and grass left alone. Jeremy picked up a few stones from the ground and laid them out in a small pattern‒ Gavin and Ryan watched from the side, smiling and leaning into each other. On each stone, Jeremy left a small amount of blood, a mix of his own and a vial he’d taken from the cellar at the mage school.

In the middle, he left a small ruby and an old skull.

“It may not work,” Ryan said quietly, but over the roar of his heartbeat, everything seemed silent and amplified all at once. “It usually never does, the first time‒ then again, though, it’s not exactly the first time, is it?”

Gavin hit Ryan’s chest and hissed, but Jeremy only gave a quiet laugh.

“If it doesn’t work,” he said, “I keep going. He deserves my best. He deserves a lot.”

No one answered him, but he took a deep breath and started the incantation anyways, letting his dagger blade draw across his palm. The ruby glowed as he continued, brighter and brighter by the second, by the word‒ the skull was lifted by the magic, and a form began to take shape, and Jeremy felt very, very tired, very quickly.

Before the soul was fully returned, Jeremy stumbled, and everything crashed to the ground again. He was caught by the gods, who looked down at him worriedly, but he only smiled.

“I can do it,” he whispered, and Ryan huffed when Gavin giggled. “I can do it‒ I need more time, and more energy, but I can. I can get him back.”

“I told you,” Ryan said, pulling him to his feet. “You’re going to be incredible.”

“And Matt would agree,” Gavin murmured, and Jeremy picked up the ruby and held it tight.

He took them to the peak of the mountain that night.

At the top, the garden was no longer visible unless one was to look straight down off the sheer edge of the cliff, but the view wasn’t lacking. The forest was spread across the hills like a blanket, and just beyond it laid the wasteland and grass fields, a silver sea-like horizon in the moonlight. Nestled among the trees was the trio of temples, glowing like a small beacon in the shaded leaves, but that wasn’t what he brought them to see.

Just on the cliff’s edge sat an overgrown weeping willow, it’s roots curled around the rocks and grass, deeply ingrained into the mountaintop, flowers blooming in the heavy branches, and when he parted the curtain of leaves, they saw. In the shadows, lit by the fireflies, they saw a small altar made of white stone, cracked and worn, overgrown with vines and flora, etchings and place in the world long forgotten.

Jeremy closed the branches again, and the gods looked at him in gentle confusion. He sat, resting against one of the larger roots, and gestured upwards, where the stars seemed to dissolve and multiply, streaks of faint color coating across them.

“I don’t know whose it is,” he said quietly, like speaking any louder would disturb the sky. “But I’d like to think it was theirs, once.”

Gavin sat to his right side and curled against him, humming his agreement. “They were known, once,” he murmured. “But the stars didn’t require any worship. Just for their stories to be heard was enough. Eternity was... always like that, even when I barely knew them. Everywhere and nowhere, and that was just fine.”

“Could you have been like that?”

“Oh, yes,” Gavin said, as Ryan sat to Jeremy’s left. “But I preferred to watch, and know that I was doing right by the world I was made for. In any case, I’ve ended up right where I need to be.”

“And the stars have quite the tale to tell now, I should think,” Ryan whispered, pressing a kiss to Jeremy’s head. “And we have plenty to show you‒ and the others‒ in the meantime.”

Jack’s dragons chitter from far below, and Jeremy feels both Ryan and Gavin curl closer to him as the three of them watch the stars put on their performance, writing the tale into infinity in the constellations.

end

[imagine-loki]

Could You Please Check This One IW Spoilers

TITLE: Could you please check this one?

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: ONESHOT AUTHOR: TomsRagnarok ORIGINAL IMAGINE: 

Imagine that after Infinity War, Thor starts bringing you green animals and asking if it’s his brother. You’ve always been able to see through his illusions and tricks.

Imagine him bringing one in and something feels different about it, but you don’t tell Thor at first, not wanting to disappoint him if your suspicions were unfounded.

So you keep the animal overnight and come the morning, you wake up to Loki laying beside you, still peacefully sleeping.

RATING: T for mentions slight mentions of violence NOTES/WARNINGS: 

This one has been sitting in my archive half-written for over 1 month, it’s my own little take on this awesome imagine, and I couldn’t get it out of my head until I finished writing it. It choked me up when I read the original post. So, hope you like it!

¨Sorry big guy¨ I morosely told him, handing him the rough-skinned animal ¨It was only an iguana¨

¨Don’t worry fair lady, if anything I’m very thankful for your assistance in these foolish endeavours,¨ he gave me a sad smile, taking the reptile in his hands.

I hated having to tell him that there was no trace of Seidr in the critters he kept bringing me, but he got such a hopeful glint in his eyes whenever he spotted any green animal, that I couldn’t NOT help him. If I’m honest, I also had faith that I would find some trace of magic from any of them. I had inspected everything from multiple Praying Mantises to giant reptiles and the occasional oddly colored green bird. I don’t even want to remember how it went when he brought me the Green Vine Snake, I have never been as thankful as that occasion to have Aseir resistance. Snake bites hurt a lot, I found out that fateful day.

¨It’s ok, ¨ Tears began to fill my eyes, ¨I miss him too Thor¨

He placed his arm around my shoulders, trying as best as he could to comfort me,¨I thought my brother was pulling one if his tricks at first, but now I don’t know if I’m so sure, is it absurd to keep hoping?¨

¨No you big Aseir goof,¨ I jested leaning into the brotherly embrace. ¨If anything, it shows just how much you love Loki¨

I dried my tears and walked over to the desk to continue my duties, ¨You better get the iguana back where you found him before he starts to pee on Starks equipment, this toy is almost ready for testing, and Tony will have my ass on the chopping block if Mr. Green over here ruins it¨

Thor looked at me with a smirk, ¨You’re really picking up on the Midgardians form of language¨

¨Of course, we are residents of such now, and thus we must adapt, now on you go, I don’t really wanna injure you with a gamma ray,¨ I gently shooed him from the lab, ¨ and feel free to bring any by any new green friends you make¨

I spent the next few hours readying everything for the next day, Tony was coming straight to the lab to run the tests, and I was as excited as he was, this was our biggest project yet, we had to make sure everything went smoothly. Deciding I had earned a good night’s sleep, I turned off the lights from the lab I made my way to my quarters.

Back in my room my memory got the best of me, my mind going back to the past couple months, after a long battle and reverting the mess Thanos’ had made, we were finally getting back on our feet. Mr. Stark had been gracious enough to let me reside in the tower and work with him, even going far as far as handing me a lab of my own. I was helping him with any experiments he needed, and my broad knowledge of science, history and Seidr made me a valuable asset to the team, he took kindly to me, even after he was told that my lover on Asgard had been the same man who tried to conquer the realms and threw him out of a window a few years back.

I still remember the first time Thor started bringing me these creatures. He came into the lab that day a tad too excited, with a small frog in his hands and had me check for Seidr in the little guy, stating that ‘it reminded him of Loki because of the look in his eyes’ and that 'only Loki would take the form of a green beast’, he was sure his raven-haired brother was still in disguise. I took the creature in my hands and let a stream of energy flow through to him, half-expecting to meet the energy of Loki’s own Seidr, only for the animal to run away; scared. Thor left the lab that day with a slump in his shoulders that created a metaphorical lump in my throat. We were near on 6 months of these 'experiments’, and the only thing stronger than the Hulk, were Thor’s hopes of somehow finding his brother. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I wanted to find Loki in an animal as well. Having seen personally what Thanos had done to him crushed me inside, but I’m glad I was part of the team that brought the evil Titan his well deserved downfall. Sleep overtook me quickly, dreaming that night of holding my beloved in my arms.

  It had been a couple of weeks since Thor had visited me with some weird animal in his hands, maybe he had finally given up on his dead-end search, I gathered, he could only get scratched and bitten so many times. To be honest, I would’ve believed that Loki had taken disguise as a lampshade if it meant I could have him back, but I knew the chances of him returning as anything were slim to none. On one hand I was grateful that I had a job to fill my time, Tony had praised me for my breakthrough and he really wanted to move onto the next big thing, and it was nice that the playboy / philanthropist was proud of my work. On the other hand, the memories were still there when I closed my eyes, Loki for me was never really gone.

It was near lunch time and by the Norns I was starving! I decided I desperately needed some sustenance, and I began to shut down the lab; I could afford to have an early release due to all the work I had put in these past few weeks. I was about to turn off the last of the lights when a tall figure appeared in the doorway, his hands behind his back and a look on his face akin to a child about to confess to some sort of mischief, scared of receiving a scolding from his mother. I halted my shutting down of the lab and motioned him to join me by the table, there was no need to say anything, we both knew why he was here. He walked over to me and looked at me sheepishly, holding out his hands. ¨I know I should stop doing this, but can you please check this one for Loki?¨

In his hands was a fascinating green Gecko, with a slight iridescence to his skin, faint yellow, almost golden marks on the tail, and wonderful black eyes which I could almost swear were staring into my very soul. ¨Where did you find him?¨ I asked, extending my hands to carry the small reptile.

¨In the training room, almost squished him after a romp with the Good Captain, and after he ran away it wasn’t easy to catch him, trust me,¨ he confessed.

I did my usual thing, touching the Gecko and calling forth my Seidr, not getting my hopes too high up, just in case it turned out to be another disappointment. Hoewever, the moment my Seidr went through him I met resistance, unlike other occasions where it would go through the subject and cause it to run away, seeking shelter from the foreign feeling. My mouth opened on a gasp, could it be? I pushed the magic energy a little further until the Gecko finally flinched and ran from my grasp, Thor catching him before he fell over the edge of my table.

¨What is it?¨ he asked after capturing the critter once again, handing him back to me.

I gave him a false smile, ¨nothing, nothing at all, it’s just that this creature is very exquisite, he has a very nice green color,¨ I told him, examining the animal in my hands once again. Truth be told, there was something odd about it that I couldn’t confirm yet, but I didn’t want to give Thor too much hope, I couldn’t bear building up his expectations only to bring them down. ¨Why don’t you go finish your training and I’ll take care of this little guy¨

¨Very well then,¨ he walked towards the door, ¨I promise this was the last one, it’s about time I finished burdening you and your Seidr with such menial tasks¨ he said, the disappointment clear in his voice.

¨It’s no foolish task to be looking for him, you know that,¨ I soothed, ¨go finish beating Rogers up, it’ll clear your head.¨

I dismissed a glum Thor out of my lab and sent him up to the training floor. I wanted to try out something else with the tiny beast before setting him loose, I had a slight suspicion that I wanted to follow up on.

I found a box that was lying next to my work area and huddled up some old newspapers to put the Gecko on. Truth be told, I had felt a tinge of energy coming from him when I first examined him with my Seidr, but since it was so weak, there was no way I could tell the blonde warrior this without him bringing out the welcome committee and rolling out a red carpet for the late second prince of Asgard, mainly because if it didn’t result as I was expecting, I would rip his heart out. I placed the Gecko on the bundle of papers and carried him out of the lab and to my rooms.

Due to the circumstances and I didn’t want Stark all over me for keeping the sticky guy in the tower, I figured an early dinner would be the best option, going up to my floor I called Friday to have my food prepared and brought over to the living area. Eating the hot italian food I kept hearing the papers rustling from the movement of the animal wanting to get out of the box, all the while keeping it next to me.

¨Sorry little guy, you’re stuck with me tonight¨ I consoled him. I could’ve sworn he understood me somehow.

After dinner I took the box over to my bedroom and placed it on my dresser, it had been enough stalling and I nedeed to get an answer now. I called forth my Seidr once again and put my hand directly on the green reptile. ¨Ok, this is gonna feel uncomfortable, but hang in there and I promise if it’s not you I’ll let you go in the morning, I don’t really want to explain to the team why I was leaving the tower in the middle of the night to let a random animal loose ¨ I told him, feeling him squirm under my hand, ¨look at me, talking to a reptile in my rooms in the dead of night, I must look really sane right now ¨

I once again felt the magic flow through me and to the animal under my hand, I felt him moving even more, trying to get away and scurry over to freedom. Suddenly I felt a very strong energy coming from him clashing with my own energy, promting me to hold him still with my Seidr. A small explosion of green light came forth from my palm which caused me to let go of the gecko in shock, who went and hid in the corner of the box, nestling himself under the papers as much as he could. I had never been able to call upon my Seidr like that, it was like it was being channeled TO me and not THROUGH me. But alas, my green companion stayed the same. ¨All right, you’re moving out tomorrow, rest as much as you want now ¨

I got ready for bed with a shower, teeth brushing and hair combing as was my routine. I lay on the bed looking straight up into the ceiling, contemplating how I would begin to cope with the fact that Loki was, in fact, gone.I knew on some level that he was gone, but Thor bringing me the specimens for inspection gave me a false sense of hope that I’d find him at some point. I felt the tightening in my chest and did nothing to stop the tears from falling out of the corners of my eyes, I cried freely but silently and let myself drift into a deep slumber, as sleep gently overtook me, I heard the gecko moving in the distance, the sounds of the papers rustling going to the back of my mind.

That night, as had grown to be the norm, I dreamt I held Loki in my arms. He smiled at me, in my dream we were in his chambers, the ones he resided in while living in Asgard. His ebony black hair cascading loosely around his shoulders, I could practically smell the oil he prefered to style it with. His nose brushing against mine, and the faint coolness of his breath mingling with mine, our lips barely touching. His own natural scent filling my nostrils with the subtle aroma of something almost cold, like mint. It was enough to send me into a delirious state, he always did have the best effect on me.

¨I miss you¨ I said, leaning my forehead against his.

¨I know, darling, I miss you too¨ he answered with a sad tone in his voice, ¨I’ll do what I can to be with you again.¨

¨Promise?¨

¨Promise,¨ he swayed me gently from side to side, ¨but you have to wake up, the world needs you and your beautiful mind¨

¨I don’t wanna go,¨ I told him with tears falling down my cheeks, staring directly into his green eyes.

¨You’ll be fine, you know I’m always with you¨ he soothed.

¨Shut up you cheesy fool¨ I joked.

He kissed me softly, it felt so real. His thin lips against mine and his arms around me, my own hands wrapping around his neck, not willing myself to deepen it, knowing in the back of my mind that upon waking the nostalgia would hit me like a fright train.

When I finally willed myself to let him go, he was grinning from ear to ear.

¨Come darling, I’ll walk you out¨ he ushered me towards the door, his hand resting on my the small of my back. Norns, it felt like he was there next to me, his natural musk filling my nostrils, his body next to mine. I walked out the door and where there was supposed to be a palace hallway, was Stark’s lab, before I turned around to see him, he had vanished.

I woke up with a slight jolt, my back turned to the rest of the bed and thus, the room; I had no reason to have such a big mattress, Stark was spoiling me a little too much. My dream replayed over and over in my head, Loki’s kiss still haunting my lips. Sleep reclaimed me quickly and while I lay on the bed, I tried as much as I could to recall the moments I spent with Loki on Asgard, memories flooding my mind. From the first time we met, to becoming friends, and when we both found out the other one could weild Seidr, something Thor was not too happy with, to becoming a young couple, sneaking kisses and caresses whenever we could, trying not to get caught by either of our parents.

Before long, I fell back into a dreamless sleep.

Come morning I woke to find that the other side of the bed was rustling. A hand wrapped softly around my waist, it felt terrifying yet also familiar, and also cold through my nightgown. I instictively leant into the embrace, not being able to pull myself away from it, I knew on some level that I was still dreaming and I would have to wake up soon but I wanted to cherish this moment with the figure lying behind me, holding me in his arms. He held me tighter, after a few moments I realized that the embrace felt extremely real. I soon came to the conclusion that I was not dreaming but this was, in fact, actually happening.

I quickly turned around and faced him, he was there. He was there with me, in my bed, his arms around me; and he was still asleep. His face was just as I remembered it, his eyelids hiding his beautiful green eyes, his regal and arched nose breathing in and out softly, and his mouth slightly open, it was like he had never left, he was pressed still against me, I was with him face to face once more.

¨You’re here? you’re real?¨ I asked faintly with tears in my eyes, my hands reaching out to nervously touch his face, as if afraid that he would disappear if I did.

He woke up, looking into my eyes with a big smile and speaking in a groggy voice, ¨I’m here¨ he answered, placing some of my hair behind my ear, looking at me with a tender gaze.

¨How? he grabbed you, I saw it, it was ho-¨ I declared, pulling slightly away from his arms and sitting up, now crying freely.

¨Shh darling, yes, it happened, but I’m here with you now, thanks to my big oaf of a brother, and I’m not going anywhere¨he soothed me, sitting up with me, wiping my tears away, his own eyes becoming watery.

He sprung forward and hugged me as tight as he could muster, tears cascading down both his face and mine, I couldn’t believe I was holding him once more, he was here, and he wasn’t going anywhere. Words weren’t necessary, we were together again, I pushed my lips against his and kissed him as passionately as I could, his mouth brushing against mine, his tongue finding mine not long after, gently massaging it, and moaning into my mouth, he still tasted like mint. I kissed him until oxygen became a necessity, and only then did I let go. We both laid back down on the bed, I couldn’t let him go for dear life, we stayed in each others embrace until I lost track of time, exchanging sweet caresses and kisses, there would enough time to get acquainted in other ways later.

Suddenly, realisation hit me like a brick wall, ¨Wait, it was you?¨ I pointed to the box where I had placed the Gecko, ¨you were the lizard?¨

He chuckled, ¨if we’re getting technical, darling, it was a gecko, and thanks to you transfering energy to me I was able to transform back into my old self¨

¨How did Thor know to look for you that way?¨ I asked, curiosity winning me over. ¨He spent months hunting out every green animal he could to bring them over to me, I never asked him why though¨

¨Don’t you remember? That time I turned into a snake and when he picked me up I transformed back and stabbed him?¨ he asked.

I laughed reminiscing back to that day, Loki earned himself quite an earful from his parents, ¨Makes sense,¨ Thor knew that old habits die hard.

¨But you’re here, you’re back¨, I hugged him, ¨not to mention that we’re gonna have a very happy Thor on our hands when he finds out, ¨ I declared.

Loki looked at me with a wondering look in his eyes, ¨he really spent months looking through every animal? I gotta hand it to my witless oaf of a brother¨

¨Like a madman, I must say I’m very happy he did so, I would’ve loved to find you sooner though¨ I answered.

He kissed me, ¨do you think I should’ve transformed and stabbed him again?¨

[crowkingwrites]

War Creatures (Ch.5)

Pairing: Loki X Reader

Summary:  In a crossover of the Nine Realms and Westeros, you find yourself in the dawn of a rebellion. Odin, Lord of Pyke, has made alliances with your family, House Grover of Highgarden. Your father’s army will join Odin’s army to overthrow the King and take the Iron Throne. There is just one cost to this alliance.You must marry the dark, young prince Loki.In a world where Kings do as they wish, where war is an oncoming storm, and peace is nothing but a dream, you are lost but brave. Loki is more powerful than he seems, and love will grow from the flames of war.

Words: 2184

Read on Ao3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11108748/chapters/25575504

Finishing the Rogue Prince was easy. I felt like I knew Loki more. Well, at least, I knew what he wrote. You cannot simply know someone by just reading their thoughts on paper. I set the book back to where I found it. I couldn’t settle for this. This was not how marriage is supposed to be. Even spouses who hate each other talk from time to time. Did Loki hate me?

No. No, that’s a silly thought. I shook my head. He couldn’t hate me. I have done him no wrong. I have done him no good either. We haven’t done anything. My foot started tapping against our marble floor; I needed something else.

I scanned the room. More of Loki’s books and scrolls were spread around in stacks and piles of no order. He hadn’t had the time to come to our room to sort it all out. That’s when I saw it. A leather bound book with a snake sigil. Two snakes weaving in and out of each other until they formed a mixture of an “S” and an infinity symbol. It wasn’t the symbol of any house I knew. Perhaps it was a new house that I wasn’t aware of.

The cover was torn and the binding was weak. It had been opened and closed many times. This must be a favorite. There was no title. No author name. I opened the cover, and there was no inscription. Frigga did not give this to him. I turned to the next page to see the same symbol again in print. The snakes looked oddly mischievous as if they knew the contents of these pages better than anyone else. I turned to the next page.

I suppose it has come to that time. Many intellectuals have kept their thoughts to their own journals. I must join them somehow. I am so far from Oldtown, and my oaf brother and his friends couldn’t be less interested in anything I have to say. Keeping a collection of these thoughts could be useful. Both for progress in my studies and progress in well-being.

Not much was done today. It had been a rather uneventful day. The storms were too rough to go out onto the sea for Thor or anyone. He is mostly walking around in boredom. I found a book to read, but even that became boring. The story was fictional, but unentertaining. Maester Mimir suggested that I start writing my thoughts down. That this could potentially pass the time. He may be right.

This wasn’t another novel. This was Loki’s journal. I closed it and immediately put it back, fearing that Loki would walk in any second. But would he? He hasn’t really been in this room since our wedding night. Even then, servants brought him fresh clothes. I don’t even know where he has been sleeping or if he’s been sleeping at all. I sighed and put my face in my hands.

My father would spend day and night figuring out the problems and concerns of Highgarden. He would lose sleep over it. He would become obsessed with it. I hoped Loki wasn’t the same.

I looked back at the journal. The snakes twirling and entwining with each other. Hissing noises beckoned me to them. My finger ran over the sooth cover again.

“No,” I said aloud to myself. “These are his private thoughts. You can’t. You can’t read this.” The words came out, but I didn’t believe them. His notes in the Rogue Prince were so enticing and fascinating. It felt so good to read what someone else thought, but reading someone else’s private thoughts—especially your husband’s—was a violation of privacy.

The two snakes hissed in my head again as if by magic. They knew I was there, and they sang to me. My fingers ran over the binding again. The pages were thick and uneven. It smelled of the sea and candlelight. I picked the book back up again gently. What if an alarm were to sound off? No, that would be ridiculous. Magic doesn’t really exist. Sillier thoughts have been had.

I sat back down with the journal in hand. I opened to where I left off. Reading a few more pages couldn’t hurt.

:Loki’s POV:

The waves.

They were crashing. No, not crashing. Just saying hello and kissing the sand.

She was there. She was so beautiful. I could see her fingers reach out for mine. I longed to touch them. My hand reached for hers until I felt something pulling my hand back. I turned to see Cecelia. Her (h/c) hair waving in the wind. Some of it went over her face. I went to brush it away, but then I heard her shriek. She was angry with me. She was angry I was touching Cecelia.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I said, but it did not console her. She only kept shrieking. The high-pitched sound rang through my ears and I felt the world shake. Sand moved to and fro aggressively. Waves were crashing down hard. The sky was turning gray and I could hear—

“Loki! Get up!” Fandral shook me. “Are you awake yet?” I took a hold of my surroundings. Scribbled notes were around me. The battle table had figurines of each house set on land and little landmarks decorated the small scale Westeros. No one else was there. I had fallen asleep in the battle room again. My hand rubbed my sore neck.

“Again. It happened again,” I said, cursing myself.

“Napping?” Fandral asked. He grabbed my dark green cloak and handed it to me.

“No, dreaming. I dreamt of both of them this time,” I admitted. “It never happened before. I mean, Cecilia has never shown up before.”

“Cecelia was there? What was she doing?”

“She stopped me from touching her. Her hair was in her face. I went to move it away and then…” My words trailed off. It was hard to say it in front of my mother, but Fandral knew. He knew very well. He nodded.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” he said. “There are more important matters. Lord Garth is gathering everyone in his throne room.”

“Everyone?”

“Everyone,” Fandral firmly said. “A raven came from King’s Landing.” I was standing, but I felt the floor being ripped out from beneath me.

“From King’s Landing? Are you sure?” I asked, giving Fandral the same worried look he was giving me.

“Yes, the official seal was on it. Loki, we need to go,” I saw Fandral’s eyebrows knit together. He left me. I struggled to follow as I swung my cloak over me.

“Is this a joke? Because if it is, it’s not a very good joke.”

“I wouldn’t joke about this, Loki,”Fandral kept his fast pace through the hallways. “This is not a prank or a joke. I swear to you. All I know is that we received it in the late night. Hagar the Mighty thought it was some kind of joke or maybe even a fake. Upon a closer look, we saw the hidden “V” on the wax seal. It’s from him.” My heart was racing. I couldn’t tell if it was from fear or anger.

Fandral and I entered the throne room. Many of Lord Garth’s men were here already, along with council officials and the rest of the court. My superior knights nodded at me as I passed by them. I exchanged knowing looks with Lord Garth. My eyes scanned the rest of the room. The windows were open to let in the natural light, but that did not make the room feel any lighter.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cecelia. She stood with her head down and her hands together. Her dress was made of the same dark green as my cloak, except her dress had intricate patterns weaving in and out of her dress. I should be standing with her.

I walked over to her. My boots clicked the ground near her and she became startled. She gasped and took one and a half steps back.

“Sorry,” she apologized to me. She looked so sad. No, not sad. Hopeless. I had given her every reason to hate me. I never gave her a proper greeting. I was rude on our wedding, and I haven’t spent a night with her since. I rejected her every invitation. I didn’t think she would be so affected by this.

I wanted to say that it hurt me. I wanted to say that seeing her like this was breaking my heart, but truth was, I felt fine. I straightened myself next to her, and she stood still like a stone.

:Lia’s POV:

He stood still so tall and protective. Is he protective? I never thought about that before. He wasn’t wearing any armor, but his demeanor was cold, but puzzling. As if he was a master of his own chessboard.

Still, I felt awful.

Here was a man who was only doing his best to protect my family, my people, and his people from harm, and I was going through his things. I read his personal thoughts. I should tell him. Would he care? Does he care about what I do?

I read enough about my husband to know that his childhood was not the best. Pyke was not a Highgarden. Pyke was full of vile, tough men. Thor was born to be their king. He would wake and go to the sea. He would train. He would fight anyone who would let him. Thor would beat a man to a pulp if they didn’t give up.

Loki was different. Loki was born with something. He never talked about it in his entries, but he was sick a lot. Loki found himself in his own bed on most days. His old maids would tell him stories and histories of the world around him. He read books, studied under maesters, and observed others. Loki learned and learned and learned until his intelligence gave him respect.

Because who would respect a sickly boy over a strong one?

My father always told me and prepared me for the idea of ruling over Highgarden one day with my husband. He never gave me any doubt, but now I see that I am very privileged. My father believed in me. Odin did not give Loki a single chance.

I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. I so desperately wanted to ask him all about it. I wanted to tell him that he is valued and that he works too hard. These efforts were fruitless. How could I tell him how I feel without giving away that I read his journal?

I watched Loki stare intently at my father. As he sat down in front of everyone, someone filled a goblet of his wine. This was not good news. Elise had brought me here and asked me to relay the news to her. Too many servants and maids had been spreading rumors. They were scared.

She told me late in the night a message came from the King. Does he know of Loki and I’s marriage? And of Thor and Sif’s? What would he say? What would we do?

My father clinked his glass several times before the room had settled down. The court turned to him. Once the room was silenced, he took a gulp of wine and exhaled.

“King Malekith has sent us a message,” he began. “There was a traitor at Thor and Sif’s wedding. He rode off into the night. Thor had sent some men after him, hoping he could stop him.” My father shook his head.

“He made it to King’s Landing, and the men never came back. The traitorous messenger told King Malekith and his court everything. Thor marrying Sif, and my daughter marrying Loki. He told them why and when and how. He knows about our plans to revolt.” At that time, a servant came forward with a scroll in hand. He handed it to my father, and he unfurled the scroll. My father began to read.

“I am coming for you. I am coming for your men in shined armor. Your proud men. Your coward men. Your men who pray, and your men who kill. I am coming for you false lords, false nobles, and your false kings and gods. I am coming for your women in labor. Your women who fuck endlessly and your women who never fucked at all. I am coming for your false women and your tiny children. I am coming for all of you, and you will die at my hands. I will burn you all.”

The words felt cold and stiff. I felt nothing and everything at the same time. You always think of death happening to someone else somewhere else far away. You never think of it happening to you.

The room was quiet. Everyone was digesting the words. I didn’t need much time. He was coming. He was coming here to kill all of us.

[giantpurplerabbits]

The World is Round - 18/09/16

///(((I’m just going to note that what follows is a rather intense piece of writing that I spurted out on a particularly godless journey on the aforementioned date. I’m fine now, really. - 03/05/17)))\\

I smell awful. Really awful. I should be a museum exhibit. It may be terrible, but I feel freed by my smell. I feel like the smell of my exterior may have finally attuned to my interior in a way that has finally freed me from general expectations.

I wonder whether other people can smell it? I believe they must be able to. But from what distance? 15 feet? 20 feet? I’m counting in metric because it feels a lot better at accounting for short distances. Or is that imperial? I must check later when I have an Internet connection.

I don’t normally write. I’m a very lecherous being really. It’s probably why the smell is helping. The warning people never normally get. I don’t really know how to feel about my ability to destroy people. They come to me. It must ultimately be what they want. I’m what they want. For no real good reason. A change of perspective I suppose. I guess that is what destruction is good for… A change of perspective.

One might wish that people had a better ability to judge their interests. But then, really, that’s not very high on the problem list of the human race. Really, anyone who’s not a genocidalist is really a saint. But then who am I to judge? I’m sure genocidalists have lives too. Long, long lives of seconds and minutes and hours and days and years and decades of moments that struggle to conjure up a human being. Who is anyone to judge? We’re fucked, really.

So it continues, boring and monotonous. I’m currently on the train. A world is falling past me. Many worlds in fact, but I won’t get into listing infinities again, I’m sure you get the idea. I just saw The Fat a White Family. Good band. Expressing so you don’t have to. I feel thankful to them really. In many ways they’ve sacrificed decent lives to provide what some might consider to be artistic meaning. They’re not very well people, that’s for sure. I think Descartes tried to do something similar. But in all honesty, everything he discovered was wrong.

The words are falling out of my head. Sooner or later this will all stop.

Tomorrow is a blank cheque. A blank cheque of my time, effort and money. I don’t want to talk about work. So I won’t. Other than to say that I work as a projectionist. Yes with film once. The world is becoming increasingly less isolated and increasingly more obsolete. Trains stopped. Anyway. It’s not fun. Not as much as it ought be.

Data.

I’m lazy, insecure, relatively hopeless, reliable (but not in love), , ,

To be honest I’ve kind of given up. I used to be happy, you know like that real kind of happy, where you know you’re miserable, but you know you’ll always be miserable, the truth is that this is practically as good as it’s ever going to get. I wish I wasn’t so accurate in my predictions. So after years of struggling with all that, I’ve finally given up. My life is sacrificial bread, now I’m just trying to figure out how best to give it away.

Everyone and everything /everyone is dying in 2016, it’s practically celebrity deathmatch./ sorry people on the train are interrupting my train of thought. Is telling me the same thing at the moment. Something along the lines of the past was good (that one comes to varying degrees, after all, the recent past was good, beyond that is…) the present is a transitional phase, the future will be complicated. Fairly straightforward.

I was quite thankful not to get shot by something extremists tonight. It would have upset my girlfriend too much.

Next station is the airport.

It’s only a matter of time till there is a terrorist attack in England/London, so say the experts. Culture is eating itself, with little seeming to flow in. The planet is invariably dying. We’re past the levels where our man made pollution was manageable. It’s really as apocalyptic a time as it has ever felt. I feel like in my more luxuriously bitter moments, one can count the number of generations left with a couple of half-severed fingers. When culture goes, so do the rest of us. And bring it on. The UK and the US are drowning in their own mistakes, the world is given to mass disaster, human nature is evil and the world celebrates mother Theresa. Just cut the chord, nothing is worth the suffering of so many, and no it’s not for any damn good reason.

Rant over. Life gets boring when one invokes too much emotion. I always quite liked the long-necked things in Star Wars episode II. I always felt like they were essentially what the human race would be if built slightly better, but hey, they were arms dealers and responsible for the death of everything, so who am I to judge?

Yawn yawn yawn.

Why am I so obsessed with being built to fail? Defective? It was only today I realised that was actually regarded a trait of being an INFP. How rewarding. Nice to know I’m on schedule.

One has to be very careful when one gains an interest and belief in the mystical not to let it damage your life to levels you’re not willing to support on a purely rational level. But then I’m a pretty rational person. I like logic too much. It’s why I’m not really to be trusted with people. I mean, I’ve got an emotional side too, it’s just, it’s quite well governed by the rational one, which means under bad influences I can become pretty well… Pragmatic, that’s the word I wanted. It also means that in the past I’ve thought that you could deal with people logically and that when they said they understood and agreed with you they meant you were on the right side of history. That’s not really how it works.

So the mystical is not a thing I can explain very easily (the justification comes and goes in my mind) all I can say is it starts with energy and fairly common things that one can easily witness, and comfortably spreads out beyond that. Magic does seem to be a thing. Some people seem attuned to it, some not. But that’s not a morality or value judgement, it’s merely an observation, but then I do a lot of that too. No wonder I ruin people.

My cigarette appears to be vomiting out tobacco of its own free will. I can’t blame it, I only smoke, like most people, as a form of long-term undetectable suicide. I wouldn’t mind getting stabbed tomorrow. But then maybe I would once it happened. There’s so much freedom in the inevitable, or maybe good will is a better word. People really enjoy the feeling (by which I mean on what would appear to be an instinctive level) of having lost control. I mean sure, enjoyment is a strong word, but then, emotions can be quite odd things. Enjoyment might be the least desirable one.

A little, long or middling time ago I dated a crazy girl. She was not very well. Times were tough. If she ever read this she might have a problem, so I’m going to stop.

Secret doors, morality calls. What is one to do. Try and care. Well. Caring is inevitable, for some anyway.

Did you ever see that film ‘The Act of Killing’? I’m not explicitly recommending it, because some people won’t enjoy it. There’s that word again… Enjoy… Misuse, or truly an odd emotion? Anyway, it’s not an enjoyable film. But it will show you something.

I hope you realise I’m an unreliable and deeply flawed narrator because otherwise you’re probably not going to enjoy this very much. Also, I’m not fishing for compliments, I’m perfectly happy to accept this is a really pointless, vain, unreadable (well now you’re being just a bit silly) boring and poorly written piece of writing WITH self-aggrandising statements, I mean… Semi-colons, I mean, colonoscopies, I MEAN ANGRY VOICE DEEP TONE LOW THROAT VOMIT IT OUT … eurgh…. Writers should leeArn to not … (Self-aggrandisement again, not fun) (invert commas? No) getting closer… It’s a stupid joke I’m sure you can finish it…

Now at Haywards Heath.

There was a man opposite me, that is at the table adjacent to mine, who was frowning I suspected (drowning by numbers) at my having my feet up on the seats. I took them down. As he left he took the bag of wrapping which I had left on that table when I had been previously sat at it and put it in the bin as he left. Would I have done the same? Maybe so, actually, as I left. I envisioned a situation somewhat like that one when I left the bag there in the first place. It was somewhat guilty of me I recognised, to not be taking full account of my rubbish, but then I know how trains are cleaned, at least partly, firstly people wander down the aisles and pick stuff up. I feel for these people I really(?) do, but it surely must be said without doing whatever the opposite of reducto ad absurdum is (y'know, butterflies and Hurricanes type stuff) that there will be nothing lost to that person by picking up that bag and putting it in the bin. The Karmic cost of the action, should there possibly be such a thing, surely can’t be that high if to be honest entirely existent, but then if karma exists then who the hell knows who’s fucked in the hereafter or not. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t balance out down here, but then these are old arguments.

No I’m not very educated, yes I’m aware, the occasional references to philosophical ideas, terms or really anything that to the wrong mind may be considered to be an attempt at learnedness should know I’m fairly in on the joke, an A-level in philosophy doesn’t count for shit, it’s merely a joke unto itself, and to be honest in the long run I didn’t even get a good grade. I like to think because I didn’t like the way the second year was graded as goes for my academic college life (or, the years I learnt I didn’t want to be an academic) but then that’s just inflation.

The next station is Brighton. Nearly home. Hipster twats here I come.

Split-infinitives… That’s the fucker.