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volturiwolf · 3 years

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Soulmates - A Demetri Volturi x Reader Imagine

A/N: This is the first imagine I finished and uploaded, and it came quite unexpectedly while talking with @volturidoll13 who suggested a Demetri Volturi one-shot where the reader would follow Bella and Alice to Italy and would accidentally say “wish he’d choke ME” out loud (see my post for reference). So, here it is. Also, I’m sorry if something doesn’t make sense. English is not my first langage. Enjoy :)

No of Words: 5749

Mentions of: Swear Language, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Dying/Death, Killings, Self-doubt, Self-consciousness, Kinky Choking, Sexual Arousal

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I think I had enough of Bella. No, I know I've had enough of her. She may be my best friend, the one who truly understood me the moment I stepped foot in Forks High School, beginning of last year, but this was just too much.

I have spent countless hours trying to support her when Edward Cullen left her, 5 months ago. I was there to be her emotional support, and even spent time with Jacob Black, an old friend of Bella's, who stayed at the Quileute reservation.

Jacob seemed kind of polite, although his attempts to flirt with Bella whenever he could were cringy, to say the least. But I supported her then too, trying to be sort of the third wheel / the one who tried to show Jacob she wasn't really interested in him that way.

His friends, Embry and Quil, were as nice and polite as they were beautiful. When Embry abandoned Jacob and Quil, Bella and I were there to support him. When Jacob abandoned Bella, I was there to support her.

Even when Bella was sad, angry and desperate to know what happened to Jacob, I was there to calm her down. I was there when she went to see him and he turned her away. I was there when she slapped Paul in the face. I was there when he turned into a huge wolf, and I couldn't help but scream.

Jacob explained everything about the wolves to both Bella and I. He told us how it's part of their DNA; how they are meant to protect the tribe from dangerous outsiders; how the metamorphosis from human to wolf can be somehow controlled over time, with practice and persistence. THAT I could understand.

What I couldn't understand was how vampires existed in this world! It wasn't Bella the one to reveal that secret to me, rather Alice, Edward's sister. Apparently, she saw Bella dying, the day she supposedly went cliff-diving, which I told her not to, having a severe fear of heights myself.

Bella took the risk, and if it weren't for Jacob, she would most likely be dead by now. That's what Alice said she "saw" - she explained to my incapable self that, as a vampire, she had a gift, the gift of predicting the future, based on others' decisions.

All this information was overwhelming me. I could swallow the harsh reality of wolves existing, but vampires, too? It seemed too much for me in such a short period of time.

Alice quickly explained some basics to me, like the fact that the Cullens were vegetarians, but the majority of their kind fed on human blood, as well as the fact that they even had a sort-of-government of vampires, residing in Italy, the Volturi.

She then turned to Bella to scold her about her recklessness and how she was prone to "life-threatening idiocy". I couldn't agree more with the short brunette right now. Bella has been nothing but reckless the last few weeks, and she was putting her life in danger for no reason.

They were talking about Edward or whatever, but I wasn't paying any particular attention until Jacob showed up. I decided to give them some space to talk, and Alice followed behind me, stepping out of the house.

Her face was a mix of disgust and worry, not paying any particular attention to me, probably trying to hear Bella and Jacob's conversation from the kitchen. After a minute or two, I heard her taking a sharp breath, her eyes fixating on nothing in particular; they were just staring ahead of her.

She took a sharp breath, as she regained consciousness, stepping quickly into the house. She walked in quite wide and quick strides, considering her miniature figure, and, though taller than her, I had some trouble following behind her.

She ran directly to the kitchen. "Bella. Bella, it's Edward. He thinks you're dead. Rosalie told him why I came here."

They both looked at Jacob; Bella practically screaming to his face, accusing him of not giving her the telephone to speak with Edward herself.

"Bella, he's going to the Volturi. He wants to die, too." The small brunette continued.

Within a minute, Bella made her decision: she was going to Italy to save her ex-lover. She promised us that she would just make sure he lived, and then, she would go back to her "boring" life.

Alice ran outside, starting her car immediately, as Bella was followed closely by Jacob, who tried to convince her not to go, pleading with her, all in vain. Bella was as stubborn as she could get, and nobody could change her mind.

I turned to Jacob, without really thinking about my next words. "Don't worry. I'll go with her. I'll make sure she's back safe, okay?"

All Jacob could do is nod at me, though his face was full of concern, frustration, and he was clearly distraught by Bella's decision to leave him and save Edward. As if all this time she, Jacob and, sometimes, I spent time together meant nothing to her.

I jumped in the back seat of the car, not waiting for either Bella's, or Alice's approval. I knew it would be a huge risk for me to go to the vampires' lair, but I also knew that Bella could use all the emotional support she could get.

As much as I hated Edward for what he did and said to her, I knew that he was everything to her, like her own little haven. Her own little oasis, which I guess felt more like a tundra, compared to Jacob's flaming hot desert. I rolled my eyes at my embarrassing thoughts, but I assumed that's how she thought of them.

The drive to the airport felt like a ton of weight crushing my shoulders. I had no place to follow them to Italy, as it was truly none of my business. But I promised Jacob, and though Bella could make me so frustrated with her lack of self-confidence and self-respect, I liked her company a lot, and I needed to make sure she was alive and safe.

In the couple of months that she came out of her apathetic state, we reconnected again, reminiscing about our unorthodox friendship, both of us being new to the town, shy and not particularly sociable.

However, Bella was the ideal friend to keep you grounded and connected with reality, which I, sometimes, had trouble with; my mind was running wild and free most of the time, while my mouth was staying shut.

So, I was willing to go across the ocean for her, to an unknown place, in a castle full of bloodsucking vampires. I wasn't pleased, but I was willing. Willing to help her save her stupid ex-boyfriend, and hopefully not get killed in the process.

During the flights, Alice tried, more or less, to explain the dynamics of the vampire world; the Volturi, being this sort of government-slash-royalty of the vampire kind, were tasked with imposing their laws over the other vampires. Their most important law? Don't expose your existence to humans, unless you want to die. Well, there goes that!

Alice had already talked to me about their kind; Bella knew through her association with both Edward and the rest of the Cullen family. The chances of any of us making out of there alive seemed slim to none. I was literally flying towards my death. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool.

I was trying to calm down my nerves, which did not work at all, when all I could think about were those Italian vampires. Alice told me that the vampire Kings, especially Aro, who seemed to be their leader, were interested in collecting talented vampires.

So, it was pretty obvious that he would, most likely, get rid of Bella and myself, and would gladly keep Alice and Edward, who, as Alice told me, has the gift of reading people’s minds. So, we were actually doing that Aro guy a favor there; bring him the “talents” and get rid of the “intruders”, the humans. Great. Just, great.

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We were currently on our way to Volterra. Alice had stolen a yellow Porsche from the airport’s parking lot, which neither Bella, nor I opposed to, for now. It was a fast way to get to Volterra, plus I’ve never actually been in a Porsche, and I felt pretty amazing. Alice seemed like a skillful driver, and drove pretty fast, which I liked, especially if I was the one driving. Bella and Alice’s conversation interrupted my thoughts.

“What? What do you see?”

“They refused him.” That was good, right?

“So..?” Bella knew there was something else behind Alice’s vision.

“He’s gonna make a scene. Show himself to the humans.” Why the hell, Edward?!

“No! When?”

“He’s gonna wait until noon, when the sun’s at its highest.” Bella seemed more and more worried and anxious, and I heard her heavy breath, which seemed like she was starting to go on panic mode. I stroked her shoulders lightly, trying to calm her down. As much as she deserved to get worried, given the events that led us here, this was not the time to panic.

“There’s Volterra.” Alice pointed to her left, at a beautiful, picturesque town that looked as if it had jumped out of the Renaissance era. The scenery of Tuscany was beautiful, and it had always been part of my bucket list to travel across Tuscany in a small rental car. That was not how I pictured that trip, or how I pictured my last day on Earth.

Alice was running through the city’s narrow streets by now, never stopping to honk at people passing by, who moved left and right, trying to avoid the “crazy driver who decided it was a good idea to drive a sports car through such a city’s small, narrow, occupied streets”; at least, that’s how I saw it.

Alice did not back down, and continued driving skillfully through the city’s small arteries. It was odd though, the fact that everyone around us was wearing red capes, red clothes, everything was red. Bella questioned it out loud and Alice informed us that today was the celebration of Saint Marcus’ Day, the day that the Saint expelled all vampires from the town. The irony.

Bella was experiencing a full on panic attack, as we were only 5 minutes away from Edward’s shenanigans. Theoretically, everything was in order, until the moment we were stopped by the local police who refused to let us go any farther. Bella opened her door. She would go on foot, to find Edward before he exposed himself. Alice would park the car somewhere outside of the town’s walls, and we’d then go and find them.

I turned around my seat, to watch Bella running through the streets, to the plaza where the clock tower, which Edward was going to expose himself from, was located. Alice left the car outside of the walls, but still, close enough to have easy access.

For me, it was quite easy to walk around now, as my skin was not sparkling like Alice’s was. Alice had to wrap herself around a coat, a long, thick scarf and gloves, and wear sunglasses to protect her identity even more. I was walking in the middle of the streets, watching around carefully, as good as my human eyes could see, trying to help Alice go unnoticed, as she pushed herself more towards the buildings’ walls, trying to avoid the sunlight.

That went on for a while, until we were close enough to the clock tower, where Alice took my hand on hers and, with long strides, walked towards the main entrance, which was, thankfully, shaded enough for her to walk through.

She must have heard the conversation inside the building, as the moment we stepped in - Alice breaking the lock that kept the door momentarily closed, she started talking to the others, who I mistook as being Bella and Edward. As another sign of my unluckiness in life, she was actually addressing two other vampires, a tall brunette and a shorter blond.

They both looked gorgeous, but they could probably kill me as easily as it was for me to blink. I instantly became stiff, and Alice must have felt it, but she kept on holding my hand, trying to play it cool in front of the others, while trying to get rid of her disguise with her free hand at the same time.

“Come on, guys. It’s a festival. You wouldn’t want to make a scene.” She tried to play it nice and cool, though I knew she was just as worried being here as the rest of us.

“We wouldn’t.” The brunette vampire responded, now looking at me, who, by now, I have lost all my confidence in coming to Italy to help Bella.

I caught the blond vampire looking me up and down my body, and felt rather self-conscious. I didn’t have the best relationship with my own body and my own self; I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror, most of the time. So, I made up for what I lacked in self-confidence with sarcasm, bad humor, honesty and snarky remarks. I would be really going off of him right now, if I wasn’t shaking.

Though beautiful, the blond vampire also scared me, just as much as his brunette partner. I stared back at him, looking at his confident stance, one hand behind his back, and a smirk across his face.

When my (Y/E/C) eyes met with his red ones, I started shivering even more, holding on Alice tighter than before. I felt my heart beating faster, my breath became both sharper and deeper, and I felt as if I would cry, right then and there, in front of everyone. I saw the blond becoming a bit stiff, his jaw clenching, swallowing deeply, but he still wouldn’t take his eyes off of me.

Alice and Edward exchanged some looks, as if they knew what was happening, but chose to not tell anyone else. The scene in front of me was interrupted by the clicks of heeled shoes, and a blonde girl came into our view.

“Enough.” Her voice was stern, and her stance was stoic as she came closer to us.

“Jane.” Edward recognised her and lowered his head towards the ground. He didn’t seem scared before, when it was just the two vampires in front of us, but the small woman now seemed to have him terrified.

“Aro sent me to see what was taking so long.” She looked between the two vampires of her coven, as if she was criticizing them for their incompetence to bring us all before Aro. Then, she turned to us, looking us straight in our eyes, or rather our souls, probably to warn and scare us at the same time, before walking back to where she came from.

Alice turned towards Bella and I, the only humans there, who clearly looked more terrified than she and Edward did. “Just do as she says.” She simply said and we followed behind the girl, with the other two vampires closely behind us.

The blond one was so close to me, I could feel the coldness radiating off his body, making me shiver. The brunette gave Edward the red robe I didn’t notice he was holding before, probably to cover himself in front of the Kings. The blonde girl moved between Bella and Edward, and Alice and I. Edward was trying to comfort Bella but I couldn’t exactly make out what they were saying, my mind making all shorts of scenarios about how the vampires would kill me and the others. The more I thought about it, the more I was shriveling on Alice’s side.

We reached an elevator - I never thought vampires used elevators, but maybe it was for the humans around? The brunette and the blond entered first, as the blond turned around to stare at us, turning his gaze at me afterwards, before fully stepping in. Then, it was time for Edward and Bella to get in, followed by Alice and I. The blonde girl stepped in last, before the elevator’s doors closed shut.

The elevator music, an operetta, was supposed to calm peoples’ nerves. Yet, in this tight box, it had the opposite effect. Surrounded by vampires, vegetarian and non, the music was just creeping me out.

The fact that the blond vampire was merely two inches away from me was making my knees weak and my heart pounding, though I, myself, didn’t even know if my own body was reacting out of fear or attraction towards the blond vampire. I felt him leaning closer to me and barely heard him sniff around, but I clearly saw Alice turning her head around and giving him death stares, to which he retrieved back to his original position.

The elevator stopped and we all stepped out. We walked past a receptionist’s desk, the woman standing up, smiling and wishing us a good afternoon - based on the few Italian that I knew. From what Bella and Edward said, the receptionist was a human, wishing to become a vampire, like the others.

“And so she will be.” Demetri smirked, looking at me, who I still haven't abandoned Alice’s hand.

“Or dessert.” Jane interrupted, and I felt myself losing consciousness for a split second, before I felt the blond vampire grabbing my arm to stabilize me. His hand was cold and his grip tight on me, not leaving me even after I looked at him with wide eyes. He just smiled and continued walking ahead.

Jane opened the doors in front of her, leading us to a massive room, made out of marble, and decorated with Roman columns and scriptures on the walls. Surprisingly, it was well-lit and bright, compared to the dark halls that we passed through just a minute ago.

“Sister. Send you out to get one and you bring back two. And two halves. Such a clever girl.” A brunette boy, a bit taller than Jane, called towards her, as she walked by his side.

The blond vampire let me go and walk farther into the room, still holding Alice’s hand like I was holding on her for dear life. The blond vampire now stood a few feet behind us, next to the tall brunette one.

A black-haired vampire, who seemed a bit too excited, started walking towards us. “What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all. Isn’t that wonderful. I love a happy ending. They are so rare.” He was talking with fake happiness in his face, as if he was reading from a script, grabbing Edward’s hand in the process.

“La tua cantante.” Your singer. The vampire seemed to know how much Edward craved Bella’s blood, and questioned how Edward could do so easily.

“Aro can read every thought I’ve ever had with one touch.” Well, that explained a lot. And now I placed who Aro was within the Volturi.

I now learned more about Edward’s gift, which was more similar to Aro’s than anyone else’s, but he couldn’t actually read Bella’s thoughts. Aro requested if he could test his own gift on Bella, probably hoping that he could read her thoughts and brag about it. But when Bella offered her hand, which he took too willingly, his face was unreadable and then, disappointed and angry, not being able to read her either.

Then, he turned towards me, still by Alice’s side. His red eyes were cold and hostile, and his face uninviting. I felt small and vulnerable, exposed, in front of his critical gaze.

“Dear (Y/N), excuse me for the waiting. Edward has presented me a very..intriguing image of you. Could you offer me your hand? I would like to get to know you, as well.”

My lips were trembling, not being able to say a word, and my eyes were glistening. Please, don’t cry. Please, don’t cry. I knew that whatever Edward had shown him I couldn’t avoid. So, I took a step forward, leaving Alice’s hand and extending the other one towards Aro. I felt a breeze behind me, as Demetri came to stand on my right side, looking closely between Aro and I.

The mind reader took my hand between his hands, and I felt my thoughts being examined and tossed around my head, like a small whisper trying to cast a spell on me. The vampire looked at me, deep in the eyes, and his face was filled with fascination for whatever he saw inside my head.

“Fascinating, indeed, dear. Your mind is just filled with thoughts and images, though they are not very distinct. You are not an easy book to read. I still haven’t figured out who you really are. Although…”. He looked at the vampire standing beside me, motioning for him to give him his hand.

The blond obeyed his master. Did he have any other choice? Probably not. Aro took the blond’s hand, and his wicked, sick smile came back.

“Oh, this suddenly became even better than I would have expected.” He turned towards the vampire sitting on the throne, looking sad. Marcus? The vampire in question nodded, and Aro turned around in an almost theatrical move, with open arms, for everyone to see.

“It seems that our dear Demetri has finally found his mate in (Y/N). I’m so happy for the two of you!” His face was smiling, but his voice sounded as fake as ever.

I didn’t know what “mates” meant. Alice didn’t have enough time to explain every “vampire term” to me, so I was clueless regarding this part. The blond, who I now knew as Demetri, must have seen the confusion in my face, as he leaned slightly towards me and whispered “Soulmates” in my ear. My eyes widened and he giggled lightly.

Whether it was how close he came near me, or his giggle, or the fact that we were “soulmates”, my heart responded immediately, thumbing faster in my chest, and I felt my cheeks burn - I was clearly blushing in front of everyone, as if I couldn’t be any more awkward than I was before.

Aro interrupted my embarrassment, as he turned once again towards Bella, wanting to test if she was immune to the others’ gifts as well. He turned towards the blonde girl, Jane, asking her basically to show off her own gift. Edward ran forward to stop whatever it was going to happen, only to end up in pain, writhing in an inaudible pain, as Bella was practically screaming to stop.

I honestly didn’t mind Edward suffering, even if it was for a few seconds, considering that Bella had it worse for over 5 months. He finally dropped to the floor, as Alice ran to his side, and the blonde girl’s brother ran to grab Bella, to stop her from going by her lover’s side.

I had no idea what was happening. I was just looking around, shocked and scared, as all these unfamiliar things were taking place in front of my untrained eyes. I felt a hand stroking my arm up and down. I turned around to see Demetri smiling slightly at me, trying to calm me down. I sighed a bit and felt my heart slightly at ease.

That was until the Kings decided that Bella was a liability - I wasn’t? - and Aro called out for Felix. I turned around and saw the tall brunette smiling evilly, while the shorter brunette turned Bella around and left her there, exposed, in front of the giant. Edward seemed to know what it would be happening, as he immediately stood up and ran by Bella’s side to protect her.

He immediately ran forward, attacking the tall brunette, and knocking him down. Alice ran towards Edward to help him out, but she was immediately stopped by Demetri, who I didn’t notice had left my side, grabbing her by her neck and immobilizing her, dragging her away from ever reaching her brother.

“Alec!” Demetri shouted towards the brunette boy, who had just left Bella at Felix’s mercy, pointing towards me with his eyes. The boy, Alec, came by my side, and practically dragged me farther from the scene that took place in front of me. His grip was a bit too much as he squeezed my arm, making me slightly cry in pain. Demetri growled at him, and Alec’s grip loosened significantly, but he still kept his hand on my arm.

Felix was pissed by now, as he immediately started fighting Edward, pushing and slamming him around the room. However, I couldn’t focus my gaze on them; not because they were fast, but because I was focused on watching Demetri, and how he was still holding on Alice’s neck tightly, never letting her go.

Watching Demetri’s hand around Alice’s neck should have made me feel appalled and sorry for the small brunette girl, but it didn’t. On the contrary, I felt rather aroused, watching his strong hand wrapped around the brunette’s neck.

Honestly, I felt a wave of jealousy and annoyance hitting me. That should have been me! Only I was worthy to be touched by this sort of demon who masked his true identity with the facade of an angel. It should be me! I couldn’t help myself, my jealousy building up inside me.

“Wish he’d choke ME!” I told myself, getting more frustrated by the minute.

“Patience, cara mia. All in due time.” Demetri smirked at me. I did not realise I said that out loud, until Alec started snorting beside me, clearly laughing cheekily, and Felix started bursting in laughter, his grip tight on Edward’s jaw by now.

I had embarrassed myself in a room full of vampires once again, the majority of them being part of the Volturi coven. If the Earth opened in half and swallowed me, I would pretty much welcome it at that point.

Bella brought me back to reality, as she was practically screaming, begging the vampires to let go of Edward, as she looked clearly distraught and upset. She even offered herself instead of Edward! Why, Bella? Just why? I have understood by now that they were mates and they’d do anything for each other, but she would sacrifice her own life for Edward?! That didn’t make sense to me.

Aro seemed to agree with me, but he thought more of the “soulless monster” perspective, while I thought more of Edward’s character, and how much his absence had scarred Bella. Alice told me, on our way here, that he thought he was doing everything to keep her away just to protect her, that being close to him put her in danger. But, from my own experience with Bella, she was suffering more away from him than he thought she would.

Aro looked disappointed between Edward and Bella, wishing he would give her immortality, which he did not seem willing to do. Aro moved menacingly towards the terrified girl, prepared to end her life. I fell forwards, attempting to reach her, to move in between them, but Alec’s grip tightened, keeping me back, both of his hands on my arms now. Aro was basically licking his lips, when, suddenly, Alice stopped him.

The small brunette confirmed that Bella would become a vampire like them, and that she would even be the one to change her, as she saw in her vision. Aro called her forward, and Demetri let her walk towards his Master.

He then moved towards Alec and I, replacing the brunette boy, but, instead of grabbing my arms like Alec did, he embraced me tightly, not letting me move away from my position. His cold embrace sent shivers down my spine, but, surprisingly, I let myself relax in his arms, feeling safe, and like that was where I belonged. I felt him smiling and relaxing, as well.

Aro seemed pleased with whatever Alice had shown him, and intrigued by her own gift of predicting the future. Alice had told me that her gift was subjected to the decisions people made, and the future could just change at any point. However, if Aro believed that her vision would eventually come true, we had no reason to tell him otherwise.

Aro turned to Bella. “Your gifts will make for an intriguing immortal.” He whispered as he touched her face, Bella clearly feeling uncomfortable under his touch. I would, too - Aro seemed creepy in his own way, his behavior and movements just as unpredictable.

He then told us to leave, and prepare for Bella’s transformation, and Felix let go of Edward. Marcus told everyone that a woman named Heidi would be coming soon and thanked us “for the visit”, as Aro said his goodbyes. Demetri walked towards the exit, me still in his arms. Edward grabbed Bella by her hand and Alice followed them behind.

As we were walking through the corridor, a beautiful woman walked past us, many people - they looked like tourists - following behind her. She had long, wavy brown hair and purple eyes, which could only mean that she was most likely wearing blue contacts over her red eyes. Her aura was full of confidence and power; she knew what she was doing and she took her job seriously.

“Nice fishing, Heidi.” I heard Demetri addressing the woman from behind me. So, that was the Heidi Marcus was referring to. Wait.. Nice..what?

“Yes, they do look rather juicy.” The beautiful woman replied, eyeing between Bella and I, as she continued leading the tourists down the hallway.

Demetri must have seen her reaction, as he brought me closer to him. I was in shock, and started trembling more than before. These people, these poor people would be the vampires’ snacks in a few seconds. Like Bella and I could have been just minutes ago. I tried to not think about it, but the screams that echoed through the hall would probably haunt me for the rest of my life.

Demetri opened another door as we approached the end of the corridor, and we found ourselves back in the reception area. The Italian woman greeted us once again, but I didn’t listen to what she said, still in shock, just waiting to leave this horrible place as soon as I could.

“Just wait here. You will be able to leave in a few hours, when it’s dark outside.” Demetri instructed Edward and Alice, and took his arms away from my body, turning to look at me. “Wait here, cara mia. I’ll be back soon.” I nodded, not being able to say a word.

Demetri turned and ran towards the throne room. I knew he left to feed, and I just couldn’t bear the thought of him killing innocent humans. I couldn’t keep myself from crying, as I started trembling and losing balance.

Alice came by my side, trying to stabilize and calm me down, while Edward tried calming down a hyperventilating Bella. We were both losing our sanity, not being able to keep up with the Volturi’s lifestyle, as it seemed. I was craving Demetri’s touch but, at the same time, I couldn’t stop the human in me, the logic, the sense that said that I should stay away from the vampires who killed people.

I heard Alice and Edward talking with the receptionist, but I couldn’t make out exactly what they were talking about. Alice, slowly and carefully, with her hands still on my arms, led me to a nearby bench, as the receptionist walked away. I was rocking back and forth, trying to calm down, realizing that we are still alive. I saw the receptionist coming towards us, offering a glass of water to both Bella and I.

“Grazie mille.” I thanked her, my voice barely audible.

“Prego.” She smiled at me, and walked back towards her desk.

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I didn’t realise how much time passed, until I heard footsteps coming towards us. I was way more calm by now. Lifting my head towards the direction of the footsteps, I saw Demetri and Felix. I shyly smiled at Demetri, and he smiled back, with a smile wider than mine, a smile that warmed my heart.

“Hello, again, amore mio.” I felt as if my heart stopped for a split second upon hearing the words he used to address me. I would still be weak to my knees, if I didn't already sit down.

Felix was the one to inform us that we were allowed to go now, being way past nighttime. I stood up, and attempted to walk forward, towards Bella and the two Cullen siblings. I intended to leave with them, but I was stopped by Demetri’s hand on my wrist.

“Where are you going, cara?” He looked at me, knowing why I was attempting to walk away.

“I.. I thought we’d.. be leaving? That I’d be leaving? With the others?” At least, I was hoping I would be leaving with them.

“I’m sorry, amore. I can’t let you go, not now that I found you. You’ll be staying here, with me.” Demetri sounded so natural and serious, and I could only stare at him, my mouth agape.

“But.. I thought it was okay for me to leave. I have a life behind, you know. I have a school to finish, I have my family, I have things to do.” I still looked at him dumbfounded, waiting for him to allow me to go, just for now, just for a few months at least.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N). But I cannot risk anything happening to you. I will make sure you are safe and protected here. We will arrange everything with your school and your family, and whatever else is needed. Please, stay.” Demetri’s eyes were pleading, and a shiver passed through my body, just by looking at him and hearing him talk.

It took me a few minutes to respond; nobody said a word all this time. “Okay.” I said faintly. “I will stay.. here.. with you.”

Demetri’s face lit up, and he leaned closer to me, wrapping his arms around me. He was careful to not hurt me, and I knew, at the moment, with my heart full of love and affection for that man, that that was where I was supposed to be. With Demetri. For as long as it lasted.

#demetri volturi #volturi #demetri volturi x reader #twilight #twilight saga #twilight post #twilight renessaince

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abundanceofsoph · 4 years

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SkyFire 3: Chapter 4

A week of the Late Late Show: May 2017

Word count: 4.1k

SkyFire 3 MASTERLIST

Sorry it's been 3 weeks since the last chapter but I'm back at work and with Christmas approaching I can't promise I'll upload frequently although I do have a lot planned out for the rest of this story. I'm going to aim for monthly chapter updates.

The songs written by Aurora and mentioned in this chapter are Perfect Color - SafetySuit, I'll Be There - Jess Glynne, and Feel Good - Gryffin ft. Daya.

Hope you enjoy and always please don't forget to comment and share :)

Aurora and Harry were smiling as they climbed out of their hire car and were instantly greeted by James Corden and ushered into his home. They had driven straight from the airport, not even taking the time to drop off their luggage at the Malibu Mansion where Tony had lived before relocating to New York after building the tower and meeting Steve. James led them inside where his wife Jules immediately pulled them into hugs and the children ran around their feet excitedly. It had been a few months since they had seen them, and Aurora was shocked by how much they had grown in such a short time. Max had recently turned 6, while little Carey was nearing her 3rd birthday and the pair were such perfect combinations of their parents that they melted Aurora’s heart. As soon as Jules released Rori from their hug, Max grabbed her hand, tugging her into the playroom to show her his new toys. She happily sank to the floor, crossing her legs underneath her and smiling enthusiastically as Max handed her one toy after another, chattering away excitedly about where he got them, and which ones were his favourites. Harry joined them a few moments later, Carey resting on his hip as she also babbled away happily. The young couple gave their full attention to the children for the net hour until Jules declared it time for bed. Both children were reluctant to leave the room but after both Aurora and Harry pinky promised that they would be in town all week and would definitely visit again soon, they finally allowed their mother to lead them upstairs to their rooms.

They joined James in the kitchen where he poured a glass of wine for both himself and Harry and some of Jules’ homemade iced tea for their wives. It was a nice late spring evening and they ended up sitting out on the back patio with their drinks as the sun was slowly sinking into the horizon. James asked about the album launch and the show they had played the previous night in London and Harry launched into an animated recount of the show. Jules joined them shortly after they sat down, sighing as she sank into her seat and announced that the kids were successfully asleep.

As the boys started discussing James’ plans for the following few days on the show, Rori turned to Jules, asking about what she had been up to in the last few weeks since she and James had attended the wedding. Aurora had always loved kids and was especially soft when it came to Max and Little Carey, so she happily hung on every word as Jules recounted stories of silly things the kids had said or done. Aurora laughed as Jules spoke about Carey’s new favourite saying, ‘I do it’; apparently, she had entered into her independent phase and was wanting to do everything for herself, much to the exasperation of her parents. It was stories like these, and the afternoons spent playing with the kids that made Aurora dream of the time when she and Harry would be ready to start having children of their own. She was in no hurry, knowing that now, at the beginning of Harry’s new solo career, was the absolute worst time to try for a baby. Despite not wanting children for at least a few more years, she was so incredibly excited for their future family, a sentiment she knew her husband shared with her. They stayed until well after the sun had set before saying goodnight and driving down the coast towards the Stark family mansion on the Malibu cliffs. Rori smiled as they stepped into the large foyer and was greeted by a flood of memories of summers spent there with her parents and late nights sitting down on the beach.

xXx

The following morning Aurora woke early to make breakfast for Harry, knowing that he would be feeling a little nervous about the day ahead. He smiled softly at the blueberry pancakes placed in front of him as he took his seat at the kitchen table.

“Thanks babe,” he said, kissing Rori’s cheek as she sat down next to him with her own plate of pancakes. They ate together, talking about their days ahead, and all the segments James had planned for the week ahead. Once breakfast was finished, Aurora walked Harry to the front door and kissed him goodbye and good luck before he climbed into the hire car to drive into the city to the CBS studios. The moment Harry disappeared at the end of the drive, Aurora headed back into the house, busying herself with cleaning up the breakfast dishes and then watched impatiently as the clock slowly ticked away the minutes, eagerly waiting for JARVIS to announce the arrival of her guest. As soon as James had invited Harry on the show, Rori had decided that she would make the most of the opportunity, given how infrequently they were able to spend time on the west coast. She let out an excited squeal as JARVIS announced the car's arrival and she was out the front door by the time it parked out the front of the cliff top mansion. The moment Louis stepped out of the car, Aurora had her arms around him, only letting go long enough for him to retrieve the gorgeous 16 month old from the back seat.

“Oh my goodness, look at you!” Aurora cooed excitedly as soon as she saw Freddie in his father's arms. “You just keep getting cuter and cuter.” Louis chuckled at her reaction, immediately offering his son for her to hold and she happily took him into her arms, bouncing him on her hip as she led the way back into the house. “You’ve gotten so big!” she told the baby. “Gonna grow up big and strong and handsome just like your dad.” She wasn’t lying when she told Freddie that he had grown given that she hadn’t seen him since a few weeks before his first birthday, when his mother had graciously flown over to the UK with him when Louis' mother had passed away. Aurora had made sure to sneak many cuddles with him during his visit and had immediately become obsessed with the little baby who looked so much like his father.

“I’m so glad the timing worked out for this,” Rori said as she lay on the floor a little while later, playing with Freddie. “Wish we could get out here more often to see him, you know?”

“I actually mentioned that to Bri when I picked him up this morning and she said you should visit when you’re back in town on tour. Don’t always need to have me around to go see him.”

“Are you sure?” Rori asked. “It wouldn’t be weird?”

“Course not love,” Louis scoffed. “You’re his family, I mean Harry’s his bloody godfather. Besides I know Bri liked you the couple of times we all hung out together so I’m sure she’d love to get together for a coffee or something.”

“We’ll in that case I might have to find more excuses to fly out here.”

Louis put Freddie down for a nap on the large sofa, with plenty of pillows surrounding him to make sure he didn’t roll off, and then he and Aurora make coffee in the kitchen and chatted about the upcoming tour and what Louis had been up to. After Freddie woke up and it started getting closer to dinner time, Rori text Harry to see how late he would be home.

◊Aurora: How’s it going babe? Lou and I were just starting to think about dinner, and I wanted to check in on your plans.

◊Harry: Wanna get Lou to drive you in and we can all get something to eat around here?

Aurora looked up from her phone to repeat the question to Louis. He quickly agreed and they headed out to the car, loading Freddie in his car seat before making their way into the city.

They pulled into the CBS lot about an hour later and after texting Harry to let him know that they had arrived, he quickly met them outside. Harry was just as excited to see his godson as Aurora had been and happily climbed in the back of Louis car to sit next to the little bub as he babbled away.

The three friends chatted excitedly throughout dinner, always happy to be back together again even if only for a short time. Freddie spent most of the meal in either Rori’s lap or Harry’s since neither wanted to miss out on a single moment with the adorable little boy.

“How long you in town for Lou?” Harry asked towards the end of the meal.

“Just till tomorrow evening,” Louis replied. “Rori and I are gonna take Fred to Griffith Park and take him on the miniature train and then I’m flying out after dinner to head back to Donny.”

“We’ll have to try and catch up over summer before the tour kicks off,” Harry replied. “Feel like we’re not gonna see you otherwise.”

“Absolutely,” Louis agreed. “When you flying back?”

“I’m heading to Manchester after the Troubadour show Saturday night and Rors is spending next week in New York before meeting me up there. Back in London in few weeks for a gig on the 10th.”

“Everything ok with Robin?” Louis asked, noticing the way Harry didn’t seem excited to be heading home for a few weeks like he usually would be.

“Mum said he’s not doing well,” Harry admitted, his voice soft and edged with the threat of tears. “Wanna try and spend as much time as I can with him.”

“You let me know if you need anything, yeah?” Louis said. “You guys were incredible for me last year, so anything you need and I’m there.”

“Thanks Lou,” Rori said.

“Anyway,” Louis said, obviously trying to change the topic in the face of Harry’s dark mood change. “What’s got you heading to New York? Just seeing the family?”

“I’m actually gonna be in Vogue,” Rori replied. “They interviewed me last week and the photoshoot is next week.”

“That’s awesome!” Louis replied. “What’s the story about?”

“Marriage in the public eye. Touring with a disability,” Rori answered. “Just kind of a bit of a bio piece on my life, I guess. I’m honestly not entirely sure. We talked about all sorts of things, so it’ll be exciting to see what they put together for it.”

Unfortunately, Harry’s mood didn’t recover as they finished the meal, and they didn’t stay much later, all heading to their cars and saying goodnight. Harry remained quiet as he drove along the Malibu coast and Aurora decided to leave him to his thoughts, her fingers laced with his as their hands rested on her thigh and she squeezed his hand occasionally as a silent reminder that she was there if he needed her.

“Been a long day,” he mumbled when they arrived back at the house. “Think I might just head straight to bed.”

“Ok,” Rori agreed. “I’ll be up soon.”

xXx

Harry seemed back to his energetic self the following morning as they shared breakfast once again before he left for the studio and Aurora got ready for her day out with the Tomlinson boys. Louis picked her up midway through the morning and the pair laughed and sang along to the radio as they drove to Griffith Park. Rori smoothed out her yellow sundress as she climbed out of the car after Louis parked, slipping a pair of sunglasses on and throwing her handbag over her shoulder. She scooped Freddie out of his car seat while Louis unfolded the stroller, cuddling the toddler close and tickling him while he giggled adorably. They headed into the park and the moment Freddie spotted the trains he began wriggling in Aurora’s arms, desperate to be put down so that he could run over to them. Louis laughed as he pulled his son into his arms after watching Rori struggle to maintain her one handed hold on him for a few moments.

“Easy mate,” he told the little boy. “We’ll get there in a minute.”

Rori took over pushing the stroller, watching fondly as the father and son interacted. She didn’t often get to see Louis as a dad, but the past few days had shown her just how perfectly he fit into the roll. She wasn’t at all surprised, given how protective and caring he was towards his sisters, but it was nice to be able to witness his parental side.

They rode the trains for a while, before settling down at a picnic bench for lunch and Freddie quickly fell asleep for a nap in the stroller, exhausted from all the excitement.

“He really loves trains,” Rori chuckled.

“Obsessed with the bloody things,” Lou replied. “Started bringing him here every time I’m in town and he just goes mental for ‘em.”

“Do you wish you spent more time out here with him?” she asked softly.

“Yeah,” Louis sighed. “But if I moved out here permanently, I’d miss my family and I’m all over the place for different gigs. I see him as much as I can now and when he’s a bit older maybe he can come stay with me for summer’s or something.”

“You’re amazing with him.”

“He makes it easy,” Louis scoffed. “You’re pretty great with him too. You and Harry feeling ready yet.”

“No,” Rori replied quickly. “We talk about it every now and then, but with the solo career just starting it’s not a good time. Maybe in a few years everything will be a bit more settled.”

“Glad you’re both on the same page,” Louis nodded. “You’ll both be great parents.”

xXx

Following their day in Griffith Park, Louis drove Aurora home, arriving shortly before Harry returned and the couple sat down to dinner together out on the back patio looking out over the ocean.

The next morning after breakfast, Aurora joined Harry on his drive into the city, spending the day in the studio with him before they went back over to James and Jules’ house for dinner again. The kids were excited to see them again and they spent some time running around the back garden with them before sitting down to dinner.

“I’ve got to say Rori,” James said as Jules cleaned away the dishes from dinner, “it was great having you hang out at the studio today.”

“I had a lot of fun,” Rori agreed.

“Should have spent the last two days with us too,” James joked.

“Sorry but little Freddie made me a better offer.”

“I guess I can’t really argue with that,” James laughed.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow though,” Aurora added. “I absolutely love Carpool Karaoke. Pretty sure it’s my favourite segment.”

“You know Harry actually mentioned that yesterday and I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it all day. We got a lot more filmed today then we thought we would so we’ve got a bit of extra time up our sleeves tomorrow and I was wondering if, after we film Harry’s Carpool, maybe you’d want to do one too and I can save it for an episode in a few weeks’ time. I always like to have a spare segment tucked away in case of emergency.”

“Really?” Rori asked, her face lighting up excitedly and causing Harry to chuckle. “Yeah, I’d love that.”

xXx

The following morning, after Harry climbed out of the black SUV, a large grin splitting across his face, Aurora bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet as James changed his shirt and prepared to film the second carpool segment. She was wearing a simple purple dress, her long dark hair curled softly and fanning out over her shoulders.

Aurora found herself a little nervous as she climbed into the car, smiling and chuckling as James thanked her for helping him get to work and asking if she minded if he played some music while they drove. She smiled excitedly as he queued up the first track for them, having no idea what 5 songs he had picked out and she was eager to see what he had pulled together, confident that Harry had also played a hand in picking the line-up.

The first song to play through the cars speakers was one that she had written many years ago and she let out a startled chuckle as the opening notes played out.

“I’m going to want the story behind this when it’s over,” James commented right before the lyrics began.

Yellow nice to meet you Do you know that you just blue my mind? It was the perfect conversation, I think that I red about one time And I told a white lie when I told you

I've never been green with envy, you You're the perfect colour

“Ok, so tell me,” James said as soon as the track came to an end. “I’ve been told the story behind this song is a good one, so spill.”

“Well years ago, when I used to join the lads on tour,” Rori began, smiling at the memories of touring with One Direction and how much fun they all had together during her summer breaks from Columbia. “On the days off in between shows, we’d often go grab dinner at a local pub and have a few drinks and we’d play this game where one person would come up with a challenge and on the back of a napkin we’d each write a verse or a chorus using the theme picked out and then we’d pick a winner. It could be anything like having to use a certain word or phrase, or not being able to use the letter A. One night the challenge was to use a different colour in every line, and I won the round with that chorus. Then while we continued on the tour, I couldn’t get it out of my head and eventually turned it into a complete song.”

“Did any other songs make it out of that game and out into the world?” James asked.

“Maybe a few,” Rori replied with a cheeky smirk, “But I’m not telling you which ones.”

“Spoil sport,” James huffed before moving on to the next song.

As Jess Glynne’s voice filled the car, Rori swallowed thickly around the lump in her throat and joined James in singing along. I’ll Be There had been released only a little over a month ago and had been a staple on every radio station since. When she’d first heard the final recording of the track, Aurora hadn’t been able to hold back her tears as she listened to her own words sung back to her so beautifully, but now after countless listens, she was able to listen without the overwhelming emotions and simply enjoy the track.

When all the tears are rolling down your face And it feels like yours was the only heart to break When you come back home and all the lights are out, ooh And you're getting used to no one else being around

Oh, oh, I'll be there When you need a little love, I got a little love to share Yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna come through You'll never be alone, I'll be there for you I'll be there, I'll be there for you I'll be there, I'll be there for you Oh, I swear, I got enough love for two, ooh, ooh, ooh You'll never be alone, I'll be there for you

They sang the first verse and chorus before allowing the song to fade out and James looked across to where Rori was sitting next to him.

“You know this is one of my favourite songs at the moment,” he said, “and I think I was signing along to it for about a week before I found out it was one of yours.”

“Really?” Rori laughed.

“Really,” James echoed. “It’s too bloody hard to keep track to be honest. At this point I should just assume every hit is one of yours unless told otherwise.” Rori blushed deeply and giggled awkwardly in response to his glowing compliments. “I’m always so interested in the stories behind songs and I know your fans are always eager to hear, so what inspired this one?”

“Ummm…” Rori mumbled. “I actually wrote this one back around New Years for Louis,” she admitted, instantly knowing that Twitter would explode at this revelation. “For as long as I’ve known him, music has always been this beautiful way for us to have the conversations that are sometimes too hard to have and like the chorus says I just wanted him to know that through all of it, I’d be there.”

“And it really is a beautiful message,” James agreed, recognizing that Rori didn’t want to sit in these emotions any longer and he quickly segued into the next track and away from the painful memories of losing Jay. “You have such a way of putting so much emotion into your lyrics and I honestly think this next one is one of my favourites and I selfishly picked it because I’ve always wanted to hear you sing the final chorus.”

Rori’s smile returned as the acoustic version of Feel Good by Gryffin and Daya started up and she happily sang along, breathing deeply and reaching for the very high notes towards the end of the track. Causing James to fall silent as he watched her belt out the notes until the track finally ended.

Take my hand in the middle of a crisis Pull me close, show me, baby, where the light is I was scared of a heart I couldn't silence But you make me, you make me feel good I like it

“So, like I was saying, there’s always such emotion in the songs you write,” James reiterated. “Do you find it difficult to trust other artists with songs about things that are so personal?”

“Sometimes,” Rori answered. “Every song comes from something in my life whether it’s something amazing or terrible and you leave a little part of you in your work, so it can be scary to give that away to someone else and trust them to take care of it, but I also love seeing what other people do with my lyrics. Sometimes they take it in a completely different direction and apply their own story and feelings to the song which changes it slightly and I always find that fascinating. Sometimes the song’s just too personal and I have to hold onto it for myself or Harry.”

James nodded as she spoke before queuing up the next song and happily joining Aurora in belting out the familiar lyrics to Fleetwood Mac’s Seven Wonders.

If I live to see the seven wonders I'll make a path to the rainbow's end I'll never live to match the beauty again The rainbow's edge

After a quick chat about how she was looking forward to the upcoming tour with Harry, they played the final song and Rori couldn’t keep the cheek splitting grin of her face as she sang along to Infinity. Harry’s voice filled the car and she joined him in the chorus as they both belted out the high notes.

How many nights does it take to count the stars? That's the time it would take to fix my heart Oh, baby, I was there for you All I ever wanted was the truth, yeah, yeah How many nights have you wished someone would stay? Lay awake only hoping they're okay I never counted all of mine If I tried, I know it would feel like infinity Infinity, infinity, yeah Infinity

By the time they pulled back into the studio lot, both Rori and James were a mess of laughter and giddy grins, climbing out of the car to be instantly greeted by Harry.

“How did go?” he asked as he wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist and walked them back inside.

“She was better than yours,” James joked.

“Don’t doubt it,” Harry agreed before placing a kiss on Rori’s temple. “Bloody talented this one. Can’t believe she’s settling for being in my backing band. Could be on a world tour of her own if she wanted to.”

“But she doesn’t want to,” Aurora added. “She would like lunch though.”

“Then lunch she shall have,” Harry laughed.

xXx

That night the final episode of Harry’s week on the Late Late show aired and the following evening he and the band played a gig at the Troubadour. Saturday afternoon the young couple said their goodbyes inside LAX before boarding their separate flights, one bound for Manchester while the other headed for New York.

NEXT CHAPTER

OR CONTINUE READING ON AO3

#skyfire fic #Husband Harry Styles #harry styles fanfiction #dad!tony #ptsd #domestic fluff #iron dad #step dad steve rogers #aurora stark #harry styles #tony stark

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rocohen20 · 5 years

Text

He Knew He Fucked Up- Part 6

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Series Update, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

~~~~~

At the summer, right after Emma and Tyler decided to give this marriage a chance, they decided on a game-plan. As a cause of that by the time Emma moved in with Tyler most of the logistical and technical issues had already been taken care of. In Tyler's case the most important parts were to let management know about the marriage and checking with the legal department how his marriage to an American citizen affected his work visa. In addition he and Emma made sure to set up a prenup with their respective lawyers.

That game-plan was efficient and helpful with all the logistical stuff. But it wasn't really helpful with making each of them get over their last relationship (which Tyler was surprised to find out was also because of cheating in Emma's case) and with helping them fall in love with one another.

In that regard they got to an agreement in which first they needed to become friends and only then try the romantic part. Their philosophy in the journey to friendship was to be joined at the hip and do as many things together. They watched movies and TV shows, dud joint meals, and every other activity they could think of. With each activity they tried to find as many talking topics as they possibly could. Just before them starting to forcibly hanging out together Tyler was sure they would fail miserably and give up after one week. But he was surprised to discover it wasn't a total fail. He and Emma had similar taste in movies so they mostly stuck to that. Plus with him helping Emma with the job hunt and her interest to learn about hockey he started to have a sliver of hope that this could actually work.

During the preseason, while Emma got to taste a mock version of the NHL season's schedule, she decided that once a week they would hold a date-night or skype dates for when he was on the road. Tyler had agreed to it, even to Emma's insistence on every week someone else would plan the date. They mostly stuck to easy-going dates where they had plenty of opportunities to talk. Tyler's favorite date was the one he was in charge of- miniature golf. Tyler mostly picked that one because it contained light-natured contest. However, during the game he found out that Emma had some serious golf game. Apparently she was used to golf and miniature golf with her mother.

+++

When the final buzzer was played at Colorado, cementing their three to nothing loss, he was done with the world. He felt like since the start of the season they hadn't really succeeded in playing consistently, too many losing streak-winning steak-losing streak for him to be happy and secure in their play. He hated that feeling. He wanted to find this stride for their team, for their play.

During the flight home he ignored the rest while playing too loud music in his earpieces and staring stoically out the window. It was a night flight so there wasn't much view to look at but it didn't matter to him. Sometime after the departure he felt so frustrated and agitated he couldn't sit steal at his seat. So, he tried to distract himself.

As he tried to think of a distraction he remembered that tomorrow was Emma's turn to plan a date, and he perked right away. The majority of her dates consisted of staying at home while doing some fun activity, so Tyler tried to guess what they'll be doing this time. Tyler didn't mind them staying at home, plus he wasn't oblivious to the fact that him being a somewhat public figure weirded Emma a bit. The first time Emma saw someone approach him and ask for an autograph she got kind of quiet and weird. Tyler couldn’t blame her for said reaction one bit, him being a professional athlete did have an impact on the relationship and she didn't sign up for it when she accidentally married him.

In addition she told him about her ex, about how he was smart, educated and worked at the same company of hers- in the HR department. In short the complete opposite of Tyler in every shape of form. When she told him about how they got engaged after two years of dating, he kind of feared to hear the rest of the story. Emma already had tears in her eyes so he reminded her that she didn't have to confess to him about what happened to her and her ex. Yet she insisted, mentioning how if they were about to live together she felt obligated to inform him of her damage. Then she continued to tell him about how she caught him cheating on her three months prior to the wedding. Tyler told her about his cheating story only to show her she wasn't alone, but he knew that what he felt wasn't even close to her hurt and betrayal from the person she was about to spent the rest of her life with.

+++

With him returning home so late at night he missed Emma the next morning, with her going to work. It was only her second week working at some tech company he hadn't really heard of before, and they were still at the transition phase where they hadn't aligned their schedules perfectly. It was an off day for Tyler and with only planned plan was for the evening. Tyler took his time and chilled around the house.

Around four pm he heard Emma's voice call out for him. She sounded kind of strange so he hurried to check up on her. Once he saw her he wasn't surprised of her voice. She was carrying lots of begs to the kitchen, to the amount that Tyler was caught starring incredulously.

"Don't just stare at me. There are still a few bags in my car, so go get them".

That did the trick and Tyler hurried to fill out her request. Once Emma finished stocking the fridge and freezer to the brim she was finally available for him to ask "Did you rob a grocery store?"

Tyler still felt one step behind, especially when Emma just shrugged and perkily said "No, I paid for it".

He was still left to stare at her when suddenly a thought occurred to him.

"Are you cooking us a homemade meal?"

Emma mentioned in passing to him once about her love of cooking, and indeed she cooked a few time since moving in. However it was never at that scale. Emma looked at him with a predatory look and replied with "No, I'm not cooing us a meal…"

Tyler felt a bit disappointed, well until he heard the rest of her sentence.

"…You're cooking us a meal".

With that Tyler couldn't resist himself and just burst out laughing. He was so out of it, laughing so hard he was crying and in passing missed Emma's displeased expression. That's why the second he recollected himself she started explaining herself with an undertone of anger.

"Yesterday I had some free time before your game so I went to YouTube. You know what I had in the suggestions?"

Emma looked at him expectedly so he tried to think of an answer that prevented her from getting angrier. Eventually he settled on "A cooking show?"

Emma shook her head disappointedly and Tyler couldn't stop himself from feeling bad, even though he wasn't a magician and couldn't read minds.

"Close but no. I was suggested the new episode of Puck personality".

She stopped once again for Tyler to connect the dots himself. However when he was filmed for the show he did like five or six episode in a row. So he couldn't name you which episode was uploaded now or his answer in said episode. He just decided to stare blankly at Emma until she would feel gracious enough to tell him what he told the makers of the video a few months ago. It did the trick eventually and Emma continued.

"The episode was about what's the best dish you could make. You know what you said?"

It was such an accusing question and he felt bad answering honestly with "I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich".

"Exactly! And this is why we are changing it. A grown man in his twenties needs to know how to make some basic things".

With hearing Emma's plan, and more accurately her determined and excited tone, something inside of him stirred. He tried to sound unaffected and cool while asking "You're going to teach me how to cook?" but he was pretty sure he failed miserably judging by the huge smile that happen to appear on Emma's face.

"You know it. So here's the deal- today's date in going to be a homemade meal which we cook together. I'm going to walk us through each step of the way and you're going to listen. Later we'll of course enjoy eating said meal. However, one cooking session would not be enough, so in addition to date night we're going to have a cooking night. As time would progress you'll be in charge of the meal solely. You accept the deal?"

Tyler waited all of three seconds to agree on it.

+++

At the end of dinner Tyler was stuffed to the brim. Emma let him be in charge of the mash potatoes and the chicken, which wasn't much but it was a start. It was late evening when they were done with the date so Tyler felt comfortable suggesting they'd watch a bit of television. They didn't really focus on the show, mostly trying to compare their schedules and find a proper time for a follow up cooking class. Emma told him that next time he was in charge of the main course. Tyler wasn't that confident in his skills, but he indeed was eager to try.

+++

The off day must've done something good because it led them to a five game winning streak, the biggest they had yet. During that streak he and Emma had a chance for the promised follow up. Emma was nice enough to write him a list of instruction for all the recipes. The main course was some kind of all in one pot so there were high stakes on his shoulders. In the end it turned out he messed up with the seasoning and overcooked it just a bit. It was still edible, just not as good as it could've been.

At the middle of dinner, once Tyler told Emma how he felt guilty for making them eat for the next few days his cooked meals Emma suggested the perfect solution- To invite some guys on the team to have dinner with them. Emma also wanted to make advantage of that setting to get to know the team and their significant others.

+++

After the first meal where he invited the rookies, figuring they'd be desperate enough to company and free meal that they would not have high demands, the rumor of him hosting meals at his house in an attempt to cook got to everyone on the team. After many of the older guys' first-hand experience with Tyler's abysmal cooking abilities, the only reason they booked themselves a night for those dinners (Rads made a sign-up sheet and forwarded them to everyone's mail of the team). Each of them tried to insist on their urge to cheer him on, but he wasn't fooled, it was for the prime chirp material. However Tyler didn't care, in the end of the day there were participants in the dinners and he was proud of himself.

+++

After yet another losing streak they were at New York, playing against the Rangers and the Islanders. They had an off day between the two games so the team went to a fine restaurant for team dinner. Jamie and Tyler ended up sitting side by side, which was fine with Tyler. The team laughed and talked until the food was brought up to the table. Then they spent the next five minutes quietly trying their respective meals. Tyler ordered salmon with rice and a salad, so he was enjoying the fish when from beside him he heard Jamie moaning on his bite from his stake and mash potatoes combo. That wasn't unordinary considering the fact that Jamie was a stake-loving person. What was unexpected was the fact that afterward he told Tyler, loud enough for the rest of the table to hear him as well, how he expected a nice rear stake with mash potatoes on the side on his turn of dinner meal at Tyler's house.

That remark caught him off guard, as of the fact that Jamie didn't sign up for any opening in Rad's signing sheet. However his confusion hadn't bothered anyone else at the table and it set them off for another chirp rant on Tyler's cooking and demands of their own. Tyler was a master of being the bigger man when it came to chirping, so he just laughed right back and proclaimed they needed to thank him for gracing them with his food. Afterwards he immediately turned to Jamie and told him frankly "For you to eat anything at my house you first need to sign up for a meal".

Jamie's cheeks turned red quickly but his smile wasn't affected by the statement. He just shot right back "As your best friend on your team you can't expect me to dine at the fine establishment whose also known as your house with other players of the team".

Tyler, and the rest, just doubled over from the silliness of this comment but he went along with it and told him that a personal reservation would be included at the establishment's log. From there the conversation took a turn for the game they had last night and Tyler happily returned to his meal.

When they finished with the meal some of the team decided to go explore the place a little more. They were a group of eight so they segregated to pairs and set of threes during the walk. Tyler was happy that he and Jamie were still side by side because he felt like it was a good time to ask Jamie about his house hunt.

Originally when Jamie told him why he was moving Tyler wanted to protest. He still believed that eventually Jamie would've returned to his bedroom and for go about the move. Yet he was supportive and not voiced his opinion. He also wanted to apologize for his reaction that faithful day. He was aware for the fact that if he hadn't fled the house and dropped out of the face of the earth Jamie would've been better now.

Tyler stepped out of his contemplation when Jamie started to tell him about the process. Jamie in general liked to be calculating and sure in every decision he made in life, and that decision was no exception. For the rest of the walk he went into a rent about how he still hadn't found what he was looking for, with many examples from houses he checked out. Also every couple of seconds he tipped off his hat and credited his realtor- Joanne.

At the restaurant Jamie may joked while telling everyone that he was Tyler's best friend off the team, yet it was true. Despite what happened in the summer Jamie was still Tyler's best friend and closest friend off the team. And Tyler was Jamie's best friend off the team as well (he was promoted to that position after Jordie's trade). So, Tyler knew the difference between Jamie being nice and professional to Jamie being nice and affectionate. Every time that Jamie would mention something she'd done there would be a soft smile on his face. Tyler knew from past experience that Jamie's "I like her" smile was involuntary so he didn't even bother to refer to it. However he was curious enough to ask "So, are you planning to make a move?"

To that Jamie stopped dead in his tracks, forcing Tyler to stop as well. They stared at each other for a few seconds, until Jamie opened his mouth.

"I literally don't know what you talk about, so no, I'm not planning to make a move or whatever".

Tyler took an assessed look at Jamie, focusing on his weak spot while lying- his shoulders. He saw how tensed they were and realized that Jamie was lying through his teeth. A flare of hurt made him lash out with a "Dude, I know you too well to not recognize when you're lying. If you don't want to make a move or whatever it's fine by me, but not pretend like I'm not aware of when you find someone you like".

When Tyler stopped talking he knew that Jamie deflection bothered him more deeply than he realized. He made a mental note to examine it once he returned home, maybe talking about it with Emma. Jamie apparently felt bad about it because he answered him much honestly this time.

"You're right. I shouldn't try to lie to you. I think that Joanne is intense and a bit scary but also kind of amazing. So I kind of like her, yet she is my realtor and it would be unprofessional to ask her out".

Knowing Jamie's morals and rules he knew there wasn't a point arguing about it. So he went with a different approach.

"Did you already talk with her about selling your own house after you buy the new one?"

He knew he caught Jamie off guard when he got a doubtful "Not yet, I wanted to find a new place first".

Tyler was happy to hear it because then he cheerily told Jamie "You can only use her service with finding a new place. And use another realtor, even one she recommend you of, to sell your current house. That's way once you bought the new house and all the paper work is done you no longer be using her services so you could ask her out".

Once Tyler finished with his suggestion he waited for Jamie's answer. He recognized how Jamie was a bit mind blown by the suggestion, one that was closed for him all this time. Eventually after a long while Jamie hesitantly opened his mouth. Tyler wasn't really eager to hear the answer, so he was quick to butt in.

"It's just a suggestion. You don't have to do something you feel uncomfortable with. However, I wanted you to know that it was nice seeing you happy again. It's been awhile since Julie and you're allowed to be happy. No pressure but think thoroughly about what you're going to do".

Jamie took those words in and just nodded his head contently. Tyler was satisfied with that reaction so he dropped the conversation entirely.

#hockey imagines #Tyler Seguin #tyler seguin imagine #jamie benn #jamie benn imagine #nhl imagines #dallas stars #dallas stars imagine

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tnystrk-exe · 5 years

Text

Learning to Live 3

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

“I’m going to be a ‘venger daddy,” Ro told him over their morning breakfast of Saturday morning cartoons and cereal.

“Are you?”

“Yep! I wanna be like you daddy.” She reached into his bowl and stole his star shaped marshmallows. “I’m gonna fight the monsters and keep you safe like you keep everyone else safe.”

The thought of that made Tony panic. He couldn’t imagine his little girl putting herself on the line. Hypocritical and probably a bit selfish, but the way he saw it, he risked it all so she didn’t have to. “You can be better than me, kiddo.”

Ro looked at him, the most confused look on her face. “But daddy, you’re the bestest! Ever!”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then who? Mommy?”

“Mom is definitely the bestest.”

She moved to sit on his lap, pressing kisses to his cheeks. “You and mommy are the bestest.”

Tony moved their cereal bowls, making sure a mess wasn’t made before, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “Thank you, sweetie.”

“I love you with all my heart.” She nuzzled into his shirt, his familiar cologne making her feel safe and warm.

“All of it?” He asked, some wonder leaking into his voice. “You sure?”

“Yeah!” She looked at him, “Daddy, me and the bots have a surprise. You can’t hang out in the lab until we’re done.”

“What?”

“We have a surprise for you. Go to your room Labrat.” Ro stood up, holding her hand out to help him stand up too. Tony complied, letting her drag him up the stairs to his room. “Don’t leave okay? You and Vis can do science with the blue lights.”

Ro ran to her room, finding the miniature Christmas tree she had begged you for, it wasn’t fair that the bots didn’t have a tree and daddy spent all his time there too. She pushed the box down the hallway and rode the box like a sled down the stairs. Repeating the process again to get the lab. “Vis, open the door please?” Dum-E rolled over, picking up the box. “I need to get the decorations but you and U can start taking it all out.”

She ran up both flights of stairs, grabbing the streamers, lights, and baubles. Carefully sneaking past your bed room door. Ro could hear Tony’s snores he must have been tired. She shouldn’t wake him up when he was sleeping, but she always got so excited to hangout with him. Then again she didn’t really know if her dad ever slept.

“I’m back!” She greeted the bots. “Vis drop my needle, please.” No clue what that exactly meant, but her dad said it and music always played afterward.

“Anything miss.” Jingle Bells coming on soon after.

“I’ll put them all on and you guys can put on the decorations. It’s really fun.”

Ro sang along to the songs, the bots watching her put on the fake branches and stretching them out like you and Tony had shown her. “Dum-E I need you to pick me up.” The bot complied, picking her up by her overall straps. She finished up, looking at her work happily. “Perfect! U, come on help big brother with the lights.”

Dum-E let her down and she started to thread the lights before passing it to U. She fit Dum-E with a Santa hat and a tinsel scarf, while the bot waited his turn. “Looks really good guys,” she said, encouragingly, “You’re doing great!”

When they finished off the lights she passed them baubles making sure they grabbed the hangers without trouble. A couple fell and shattered here and there but the crew wasn’t deterred. Dum-E wrapped tinsel around Ro, mimicking what she had done. She giggled in delight when the bot gave her a pat on the head.

“Vis! Let me talk to daddy.” She jumped up and down in excitement, broken baubles crunching under her shoes.

“Patching you through right now.”

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Ro yelled with each jump.

Tony whimpered in his sleep. Someone...something had just torn Ro away from his arms and he couldn’t move to get her. She screamed out for him, her arms reaching out. “Daddy!”

Tony shot up from the bed. His heart thumped against his chest almost painfully, he swiped at the tears on his cheeks. This was happening way too much. “Earth to Labrat, come in Labrat.”

“Hey, sorry, must have fallen asleep,” he tried to sound normal, calming himself down, “Is your surprise ready?”

“Yeah! Come down here already!”

“I’ll be there give me a second.” Tony rubbed his face. He was home. His kid was okay and very excited. You were at work. Repeat until his breathing became less erratic.

Down stairs, U pushed the star to Ro. “You can do it U.” Instead the bot pressed it against her palm. “What about you Dum-E? You wanna put it on?”

In response the older boy picked her up by the overall straps again. Ro giggled loudly, J.A.R.V.I.S. leaked the audio through the home, knowing the severity of Tony’s dreams and how the simple sound could do wonders to calm him down. Tony thanked the A.I. before walking down the steps to the lab. He was greeted by a sight that had terrified him the first go around, but became the norm. Dum-E had dropped many things. Many. But Ro never slipped from his grasp. Though when she had been six months the prospect had been terrifying. Soon enough Tony had attached a swing on the bot to entertain them both during projects he couldn’t stop working on.

Ro was being held up, attempting to get the star to balance on top. “J, take a snapshot of that won’t you?”

“Already have, sir. Multiple pictures have already been uploaded to the album.”

“Can always count on you.” He opened the door to the lab, “Okay, Rugrat what’s the surprise?”

“U! Hit the lights!” The bot plugged in the cord and Ro threw out her hands, “Tada!”

He laughed, the move was very him. Anyone tired of his antics by now wouldn’t know what would hit them come a few more years. “Sweetheart, that looks amazing. The three of you worked on this?” Tony asked, walking over to grab her from the bot still holding her in air. “How did you know I always wanted a tree down here?”

“We did the big big tree and you kissed and hugged me and mommy so much! I think you really loved trees and Dum-E and U needed one too because they can’t play upstairs. Look the hanging thingies are red and gold like you too!”

“You really did that for your old man?” He asked as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Thank you,” Tony patted both of the bots on their sides, “You three are the perfect team.”

“You love it?”

“I do.”

She smiled pridefully, hugging him tightly.

Ro and Tony had had a peaceful day in the lab with the bots. Later on he drove Ro over the the Herrera’s. The seniors missed the having the little girl around since Tony was home a lot more. Their grandchildren lived too far and Ro had basically been accepted as their grandchild as much as they had been around her. At least their little Christmas sleepover gave him time to take you out on an impromptu date.

You walked down to the lab, Tony was injecting himself in the arm. Probably that armor calling tech he had been talking about. He was taking the time to scold Dum-E and ignore J.A.R.V.I.S. safety briefing. Punching in your code, you walked into the lab.

He gestured to the suits, “Focus up, ladies. Good evening, and welcome to the birthing suit. I'm pleased to announce the imminent arrival of your bouncing, bad-ass, baby brother.” Tony turned on his heel, his eyes landing on you. “Hey, Cupcake. You came down at the perfect time. You’re in for a treat.”

You gave him a wave and leaned against the wall. Sometimes his test didn’t go to plan and like hell you were gonna get hit by a stray piece of suit.

“Start tight and go wide, stamp in time. Mark 42 autonomous prehensile propulsion suit test. Initialize sequence. J.A.R.V.I.S. drop my needle.” He danced, closing his eyes as he let the music hype him up. You laughed, zoning in on his hip movement. “I see you,” he winked at you, “I guess I know what my present will be come Valentine’s Day. What do you say?”

“I’ll look forward to it. Aren’t you going to show me Mark 42 yet?”

“Your wish.” He motioned to activate the suit. The pile in his desk doing nothing to move. “Crap.”

“Performance issues? Don’t worry honey, happens to the best of men.”

“Har, har, har, I’m getting a new girlfriend,” he teased, biting at his arm and hitting it for good measure, “You’ll miss my skills.”

“I’m sure.”

He gestured to the pile of parts. The left gauntlet and shoulder flew on to him. Tony laughed a heartbreakingly beautiful smile on his face when the right gauntlet went on without a hitch. “How’s that for ‘Performance issues’?” He asked smugly, “Alright, I think we got this. Send 'em all.” The left leg came on simply. A piece crashed into the Iron man display, another narrowly missed hitting his face. “Probably a little fast, slow it down. Slow it down just a...little bit.”

You winced as the crotch piece slammed into him, then the back. Even you had to duck to dodge a piece of the suit. Tony was pushed around by the pieces. Finally all that was left was his faceplate. It hovered. “Come on. I ain't scared of you.” The plate rushed toward flipping upside down in the process. Tony flipped to catch it, landing in a pose that would be fit for a poster. “I’m the best,” you heard the mechanical Iron Man voice proclaim.

A piece came loose from the Iron Man display and went crashing into his back. Tony was sent flying Mark 42 splayed around him. You walked over to him helping him up.

“That was a magnificent performance.”

“As always, sir, a great pleasure watching you work.”

You and the A.I. said in unison.

“The both of you have so many jokes.”

You pulled the helmet off of his head. Tony had a small cut running down the side of his mouth. “Let’s go take care of that Iron Man.”

“Are you gonna kiss it to make it feel better? Because the crotch plate really did a number there. It may be a bit bruised, may need some medical attention, don’t ya think Doc?”

“Not in your wildest dreams. Does something smell like it’s burning?”

“Only my burning hot love for you.”

Dum-E waved erratically, trying to the attention of either of you. “You got rid of his fire extinguisher?”

“He kept extinguishing me for fun,” Tony explained grabbing the fire extinguisher from under his work bench, “Doesn’t deserve that kind of power.”

You took it from him and handed it over to the bot, “Don’t listen to him. You’re doing great. Spray him some more for me.”

“Don’t encourage.”

“Come on, it’s too late for our date. Let’s make some food, get in the shower, and go to bed. You can take me out tomorrow.”

“So generous of you, allowing me to take you out.”

Tony allowed you to drag him from his lab and do with him what you wished. He knew you worried about him, he never did anything to exactly remedy the situation. So he’d go through the processes. You had more than enough stress on your plate. It wasn’t any trouble to hold you until you fell asleep or whisper some sweet nothings and earn himself a playful seat for not being quiet and making you laugh when you were so close to sleep.

When your breathing finally evened out he turned on the TV. That was a mistake. Didn’t he wish he had just fallen asleep with you.

The loud beeping of your pager and Sebastian calling your phone was what greeted you in the mornings. That annoying man. You’d caught him in the same position multiple times, but pay back was a bitch.

You got dressed and ready in less than ten minutes. The one of the highlights of moving into the mansion was that leaving Tony’s shaved thirty minutes off your drive. He was a pretty great add on too.

Making your way down to the lab, you found Tony in his usual tinkering position. “I’m sorry, honey, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Again?” He didn’t mean to say that at all. But his sleep deprived brain hadn’t given him time to think about his words.

“Yeah. Again.” Maybe another time you could let the comment pass, but someone’s kid was on the line here. Those always hit closer to home.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“We both have demanding jobs Tony. I don’t have time for this...I’ll see you later.”

“I’m sorry,” he called out after you. Tony sighed, watching you until you disappeared from sight. You’d know later it wasn’t done to purposefully jab at you. Right now you were just rushed and tired. “J, call Rhodey,” he yawned. May as well go on a date with Rhodey instead, he missed his friend.

The pair agreed on a burger joint. Tony was the later party. Mark 42 was being difficult but a test drive was still in need. Being in the air was weird. He felt like king of the clouds when he was up there. Nothing weighed on him it was just him and his suit. No danger. Nowadays there was an uncomfortable pang of panic when he rushed upward. He had learned to avoided test flights at night. They weren’t worth feeling uncomfortable the whole day.

“How’s paradise?” Rhodey asked as Tony took a seat next to him.

“Ro’s good, misses you. I’m fine. YN’s frustrated with me,” he answered giving a quick rundown.

“Tony, you’ve been a frustrating thorn in her side since you met,” he teased, “Shacking up wasn’t going to change that.”

“It’s good though. I like it.”

“The Starkster content and happy with being tied down.” Rhodey patted Tony’s back. “Good for you. I’m happy. You don’t know the intense relief I feel not having to watch and listen to the two of you pine after one another. I was getting absolutely sick of it. My niece was the only thing that kept pulling me back.” He thanked the waitress as she set their plates in front of them.

“Ordered for me? What a gentleman. Anyhow you’d never leave us,” Tony scoffed, his attention turning to the tv. Joan Rivers was mocking the suit’s new look. “I am Iron Patriot,” he mocked, grimacing at the change. The suit didn’t even look cool anymore.

“Listen, War Machine was a little too aggressive, alright? This sends a better message.”

“So what's really goin' on? With Mandarin. Seriously, can we talk about this guy?” He lowed his voice and scooted closer.

“It's classified information, Tony. Okay, there have been nine bombings.” Secrets weren’t exactly safe when it came to the pair.

“Nine..”

“The public only knows about three. Here's the thing, nobody can ID a device. There's no bomb casings.” Tony started to ramble about what he could do, offering different things to help. YN was right to worry about the man. He was pushing himself too and dealing with things on his own again. “When's the last time you got a good night's sleep?”

“Einstein slept three hours a year. Look what he did,” Tony brushed aside Rhodey’s comment. Mind racing on how to solve the Mandarin problem.

“YN is concerned about you, Tony. I'm concerned about you.”

“She...? Of course she did...You're gonna come at me like that?” He asked, looking offended.

“No. No, look, I'm not trying to be a dic...” two kids walking up to the table, drawings in hand, “...tator.”

Tony smiled at the girl and made a comment to the boy that looked like Ralphie Parker. Looking at the drawing of himself during New York, he began to make a simple customized chat bubble asking Erin for help.

“Listen, the Pentagon is scared. After what happened in New York... aliens, come on. They need to look strong. Stopping the Mandarin is priority, but it's not...”

“It's superhero business, I get it.”

“No, it's not, quite frankly. It's American business.”

“That's why I said I...got it.” The crayon broke in his hand. He felt sick. His heart was racing and he couldn’t breath. Covering his face he tried to figure out what was happening. Everything sounded so distant.

That is until, “How did you get out of the worm hole?” It felt like a tidal wave came down over him.

Tony shot up and got out of the restaurant as quickly as he could. He needed his suit. Breathlessly he apologized as he stumbled into people in his way. The suit opened up and he all but fell in. “Check the heart, check the...check the...is it the brain?

The suit was safe. He tried to calm down, but that felt harder than ever. “No sign of cardiac analomy or unusual brain activity.”

“Okay, so I was poisoned?” The only logical thing he could think of.

“My diagnosis is that you've experienced a severe anxiety attack.”

Taking a second to process before responding, “Me?” Rhodey tried to get his attention, but he needed out. Tony had to go home to figure it out.

Out of all of the things....anxiety? He was well to sound egotistical him. There wasn’t a shortage of people that hated him for his loud outburst. Since he was a child he was taught how to control a crowd. Never was he one to fear a fair challenge. Hell in Afghanistan he felt more anger and defiant than anything.

Now. Now it all changed. It flipped on him. There were topics that sent him to panic mode quicker than he ever felt. Dreams that just wouldn’t stop, keeping the memory of something he’d never forget. Each one showing him a different way he could fail to protect the people he cared about.

He needed a drink.

Walking down into the wine cellar, he stowed away the most recent add on to his collection before pouring himself a drink. God, he couldn’t be left alone with his thoughts. At least when Ro was around he had something to keep him grounded. It was a good thing she’d get to come home tomorrow.

Grabbing his phone, he called Happy. It had been a while. The man had quit claiming being Iron Man’s bodyguard was embarrassing and got himself a gig as Head of Security at Stark Industries. He had been a tyrant as described by Pepper.

The call went through, the screen lit up with the man’s forehead. “Is this forehead of Security?”

“What? You know, look, I got a real job. What do you want? I'm working, I got something going on here.”

“What’s going on? Fill me in.” He laughed at the man’s constant annoyance. “How’s being Pepper’s bodyguard?”

“Less stressful than you for one.”

“What can I say? Gotta keep you on your toes. You had some fun, didn’t you? I’m better than any 9 to 5.”

“Alright, so she's meeting up with this scientist. Rich guy, handsome. I couldn't make his face at first, right? You know I'm good with faces. Yeah. Well, so I run his credentials, I make him Aldrich Killian. We actually met the guy back in... where were we in '99? The science conference?”

Tony turned off his auto pilot of responses to think back. More so he was just enjoying Happy’s ramblings. If he was right, he had definitely been hammered but it had to be, “Switzerland...Killian? No, I don't remember that guy.”

“Of course you don't. He's not a blond with a big rack,” Happy answered, rolling his eyes, “At first it was fine, they were talking business, but now it's like getting weird. He's showing her a big brain.”

“His what?”

“Big brain, and she likes it. Here, let me show you. Hold on. See?” Happy held up the tablet pointing it to the pair in the office.

Tony’s view was very much still on the forehead he had become well acquainted with. “Look at what? You watching them? Flip the screen and then we can get started.

“I'm not a tech genius like you. Just...just trust me, get down down here.”

“Flip the screen, then I can see what they're doing,” Tony said, a slight authority slipping into his voice.

“I can't! I don't know how to flip the screen!Don't talk to me like that anymore. You're not my boss. Alright, I don't work for you. Now I don't trust this guy. He's got another guy with him, he's shifty.”

While Happy ranted, Tony pulled up files on Aldrich Killian. “Relax.”

“Seriously?”

“I'm just asking you to secure the perimeter. Tell him to go out for a drink or something?”

“You know what? You should take more of an interest in what's going on here. This is your family legacy. Your business.”

“Pep’s business,” Tony corrected, “I just have a couple of stocks and head R&D. Everything that happens is all Pepper’s ball park. A giant brain?”

“Yeah, there's a giant brain, there's a shifty character. I'm gonna follow this guy. I'm gonna run his plates and if it gets rough, so be it,” Happy said, seemingly working himself up.

“I miss you, Happy.”

“Yeah, I miss you too. But the way it used to be. Now you're off with the 'superfriends' and being Mr. Family Man, I don't know what's going on with you anymore. Ro and YN are good for you, but the rest of it? The world's getting weird...”

“Hey, I...I'd hate to cut you off. Do you have your taser on you?”

“Why?”

“I think there's a gal in HR who's trying to steal some printer ink, you should probably go over there and zap her.” He grabbed a wine bottle from the fridge and filled in the empty slot with his phone. Tony shut the door walking off with Happy still on the line.

Tony didn’t know when you’d finally get back home. So he made himself a quick snack, exercised, and researched the Mandarin attacks. Anything and everything to keep himself from sleeping. While he was at it, he could probably use Mark 42 to pick up some of Ro’s stray toys and get it moving around a bit more. Not too long after J.A.R.V.I.S. announced that you had made it back to the mansion. He made 42 sit on the couch as seductively as it could and waited up for you.

“What’s this?” You asked, laughing in surprise.

Great. You had a success in the O.R.. Tony made the suit tap it’s lap. “Oh, just breaking this new number in. Like it?”

Sighing, you rolled your eyes, but walked over. He always seemed to sooth the stress of your day easier than anyone else. “Aren’t you just ready to pick up the title of trophy?” You sat down on the suits lap. “I’m sorry fo-“ you cut yourself off, “Actually could you at least take off the helmet? I rather look you in the eye when I apologize to you.”

“Uh, can’t do that beautiful. I’m kinda stuck in here. But I can’t say this particular situation has never crossed my mind. Care to research it further?”

“I really rather have you out that shell.” You grabbed the suit’s hand off your hip and got it up, leading it down to the lab.

“Don’t know. I like it in here, it’s cozy.” Once you hit the point in the stairs were you could see into the lab, you let go of the suit’s hand. “Aw, look you made him sad, he liked that.”

“You let me straddle your empty suit.”

“I didn’t do anything. You did that on your own accord.” Tony let go of the pull up bar and took off the head device. “Now, I believe you were saying something.”

“I was gonna apologize for snapping at you, but now you get nothing.”

“It’s okay, I hear you loud and clear, but that was more on me. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that at all. What you do is immensely important and I’m not exactly proud that I even thought it.”

“It’s okay, but if you ever say it again, you just might have to find that other girlfriend you like to joke about. Right now, I’m more than certain I’m all yours for the rest of the day. No interruptions.”

He pulled you over for a quick kiss, “I really mean it, it won’t happen again.”

“I know sweetheart.”

“Now tell me you love me,” He half joked.

You shook your head, “Nope. Never.”

Tony’s smile faltered slightly, “Come on, just say it.”

“Mm, nope, don’t really feel like it.”

He glared at you, “Say it.” Tony kissed you possessively, hoping to sway you.

You laughed when he finally let you back up for air, “You know I love you dork, even if you are fucking annoying sometimes.”

“And I’m gonna annoy you a whole lot more.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Now what’s my date Stark? I was promised one.”

“Hmm...” he thought a moment, “No tech, for me, since you’re freed up. Something out of the way so we don’t get mobbed. You, me, a picnic basket, and a nice view?”

“Anywhere you are is already a beautiful view, especially when you’re walking away.”

Tony stared at you dumb founded before breaking out into a laugh, “Thought the cheap lines were my job? Okay, Cupcake go get out of those scrubs, I’ll make the sandwiches and pack up the basket.”

The two of you got sorted out quickly, pretty soon it was you, Tony, and the open road belting out old favorites at the top of your lungs. Why this had taken the two of you so long neither of you understood, but that’s just the way things happened sometimes. Things were messy and they would probably get messy again. Above everything the you had each other now and that was further than either of you had cared to imagine before.

Tony’s hand squeezed your thigh, he spared a quick glance to smile at you. It took you back to an easier time when it was just the two of you being kids and having fun with one another. No Iron Man. No responsibilities. No thinking fifty steps ahead and hoping you didn’t ruin this little human being the both of you adored. Nothing else except the two of you.

It wasn’t much longer until you reached your old hideaway spot. “We haven’t been here in forever,” you sighed, looking around as Tony set down the blanket.

“Yeah, we really ditched this spot too early. Still looks beautiful.” Tony tugged at your hand, making you sit on his lap. Truth was a small part of him had been jealous of the suit for getting all of the action.

“Imagine living in a place like this? Quiet, out of the way.”

“It’s too out of the way, don’t you think?”

“Maybe when you get tired of the flashing lights and adoring fans. Just having you and Ro sounds nice.”

Tony pressed a kiss to your shoulder, “Maybe. Wouldn’t hurt to see what happens one day.” He looked around, the setting sun making the view just that more lovely. It wasn’t the worst idea.

“How’ve you been honey?”

“Been good, can’t complain. Talked to Happy, met up with Rhodey...” he remembered their conversation, “You’re worried about me?”

You sighed, shifting so that you were face to face with him. “It’s my second job worrying about you,” you joked, tapping your finger against the arc, “You’re not exactly a talker.”

“We’ve talked.”

“I know, but you’re working yourself dry lately Tones and Ro’s said a couple of times now you’ve woken her up after a nightmares... I’m just concerned honey.”

“I hear you baby. I don’t want to make you worry, that’s the last thing I want. Though, I’m not exactly doing well in that area. Have you talked to Rhodey?” He asked, moving a stray lock behind your ear. You just shook your head in response. “Guess this is a good time to start talking...Well, I had a freak out today. These two kids walked up one had a drawing, the other asked about New York and honey I couldn’t think straight. My brain just went in panic mode and breathing seemed near impossible. J, said it was an anxiety attack. Which is ridiculous because, well as narcissistic as it sounds, I’m me.”

“You’ve been though a lot these past few years,” you said softly, taking his sunglasses off of him. “Anyone else in your place by now, who knows where’d they be. You’re strong.”

“I feel so weak.”

“You’re not. Tony if you’re weak I have no clue what strong is.”

He managed a small smile, “Rhodey.”

“Rhodey doesn’t count. That man’s on a whole other level.” You smiled at him, holding his hand in yours. “The point is, Tony, you’re strong. You know it. Every now and then you’re allowed to feel weak, don’t feel ashamed of it. You’re only human.”

“People depend on me. There’s so little between us and whatever’s up there. When something bigger comes, will we be ready? Can I get us ready by then?”

“It’s not all up to you. But you’re gonna take this on like it is, because that’s your nature. You can’t let this eat you alive.”

“You’re right. Obviously. I just can’t figure out to clear my head and move ahead....For now, can this conversation be paused? We haven’t had very many dates as of now and I don’t want this one to just be a therapy session.”

You nodded, knowing he told you as much as he could handle for the moment. “We’ll talk about it later,” you agreed, tracing his jaw lightly, “I’m here for you, through everything.”

His hand caught yours, he brought it up to press a kiss to your palm. “You always are. Do you realize how much you mean to me?”

“I have some idea. Your life kinda sucks when I’m not around.”

“That’s a definitely an understatement. Have you seen the shit that goes on the second you’re busy?” He laughed, “It’s fucking crazy.”

“Trust me, I’ve heard about it all.”

“Even that night when we were nineteen and I was black out drunk? When I tackled that tree.”

You laughed at the memory, it was a bit foggy you had joined his drinking game that night. “Mm, I’m pretty sure a tree got caught on my shirt. You screamed at it to let me go and when it didn’t you tackled that thing with a good running start. It took you a minute but you came back. I think we decided we wanted to eat, so we headed back to the place you rented out. There were cars lined up and you said ‘If I can run over all eight of those, you owe me a kiss’, so you proceeded to try and fell off the third one. Then you fell down a flight of stairs. And that night is exactly why you’re banned from drinking Everclear ever again.”

“And yet you stayed.”

“And yet I stayed. I sure as hell don’t have any regrets, you’ve given me some great stories.”

Tony leaned forward, catching you in a slow kiss. No rush just pure emotion. There wasn’t any doubt that it was you that helped keep him grounded throughout everything. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for defending my honor to that vile tree.”

“And I’d do it again.”

The two of you lulled into quiet conversation filled with reminiscing. It was hard to imagine how long it had been since you’d both been those kids that had met on a boat. As much as you had complained about having to go, you’d be forever grateful for Howard Stark’s mandatory boat trip. The three day cruise gave you someone invaluable to your life.

Hours later, you were curled up to Tony’s side, watching the stars. You stared up, marveling at how beautiful the sky looked when there wasn’t so much going on. Tony stared at you instead. Maybe he could deal with the stars again, one day, but for now you looked more beautiful than they ever could. He noticed you beginning to drift off in his arms.

“Come on baby, it’s time to head home.” Tony pressed a kiss to your head before standing to help you up. He made sure you were situated in the car before packing up the blanket and basket. “You can rest, it’s okay,” he assured you, when you started to wake yourself up.

When Tony pulled up to the home, both of you were ready to drop into bed. Once in the bed room Tony tossed one of his shirts over as he got dressed for bed. You pulled it on and jumped into bed as soon as you were situated. “‘Mere handsome.”

Tony joined you in bed, giving you a final kiss for the night. You fell asleep soon after. Tony, for once that month, actually fell asleep with you instead of sneaking out.

Your dreaming was interrupted when you heard quiet whimpering. “...Ro?” Sleep still diluted your mind until you remembered she wasn’t home. The jolt by your side took you out of your daze. “Tony,” you shook him gently. His quiet whimpers and gasp were the only sound filling the air. The moonlight that trickled in let you see enough that he had been crying. “Tony, honey, it’s just a dream you need to wa-“

The Iron Man armor caught your wrist and flipped you onto your bag, causing you to scream as it glared down at you. Tony stood up assuming the worst. He couldn’t feel anything but shame as he saw what had happened. What he had caused. “Power down!” When it shut off, Tony hit it on the neck, causing the parts to crash onto the floor. “I must have called it in my sleep. That's not supposed to happen. I'll recalibrate the sensors. Can we just...just let me...just let me catch my breath, okay?” He spoke, trying to reassure you through his fear. You stood, running your hands through your hair. Both of you were a mess of short breaths and fear. “Don’t go, please?” His voice sounded so broken.

You sat back down on the bed despite yourself. Yeah, you were scared, but your fear was over the situation had been handled. You were free from having to relive your trauma, the pressure, the guilt he carried, so you stayed and you waited for your heart to stop pounding so hard you could hear it. Tony had his face hidden in his hands, his shoulders shaking. He felt like a failure. Because he needed to feel protected, feel like he could protect his family at every second, he made something that nearly hurt you. Something that could have possibly hurt Ro. It was an accident but it weighed him down.

When you calmed yourself enough to think clearly, you got up and helped him get situated back into bed. Getting back in yourself, you pulled him close, his tears soaking through the shirt he lent you. “Tell me about it.”

“Who gives a fuck about my nightmares?” He said angrily, it was mostly disgust with himself. “It’s the same. Every time. Fucking New York or something else. Me dying I can handle that, it’s the name of the game right? Sometimes my head just gets these vivid pictures of you, Ro, Rhodey, Happy, Pep...and that’s worse that feels like absolute hell. I just want to go back to normal.”

You kissed top of his head, “It’s alright. Okay? We’ll get you there together.”

“YN everything is just shrouded in this layer of panic that I can’t shake,” he admitted, “I get happy, yeah, but as soon as the moment’s over, it’s right back. It’s constant. Just drilling in.”

“I know, I know. We’ll figure it out. Okay, Tony? You’re gonna have better days, we just need to figure out how to help you.”

“I feel like a goddamn monster. How many times is my own head gonna show me our daughter dying.”

“You’re not a monster. What happened was a lot. After Christmas we should get you to a therapist, get help and handle this together.”

“And what if we do that and I’m not the same as before. What if I’m not enough after all of that work? For you? For Ro?” He asked bitterly. “It would be like me to finally reach this with you and my head just...”

“Hey, look at me,” you tilted his chin up, “You’re the man I love. You’re the person our little girl adores more than anyone in this world. Which is really unfair by the way. You’re ours Tony, you’re more than enough in our eyes.”

“I really want to be. Neither of you deserve this.”

“We deserve you. Every part.”

A quiet settled over the room as Tony calmed down. He was grateful to have your arms around him to anchor him to reality. Most nights you were gone, either on the night shift or having been called in. This was the first time you really saw one and he was upset that it went that far. The phone ruined the silence. He suppressed the groan that wanted to come out. All he wanted was to have you around a few moments.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized as you reached for the phone, “Hey Seb, you need me?”

I need you, Tony thought selfishly. In whole he earned it.

“Oh god. What happened?” You listened as Sebastian filled you in, “Okay, yeah, we’ll be there.”

Tony lifted his head to look at you curiously when he heard ‘we’. “What happened?” He asked when you hung up, his voice rough.

Fuck this poor man couldn’t catch a break. “There was a bombing. Happy’s in the hospital,” you reduced it, “We need to get dressed and head over there.” You watched the click happen in his eyes, sadness turning to anger.

He had a mission now, a way to release the pent up things tinkering couldn’t suppress. Tony was gonna respect what Rhodey had said, but how could he help if the fight came to him?

Within the hour, you had made it to the hospital. Reporters and paparazzi were already crowding the entrance. Word must have gotten around that Tony Stark would be coming to check on his ex bodyguard. You held his hand and led him in through a secluded employee entrance. He hadn’t spoken a word since you had told him the news. If anything his quiet rage was leagues scarier than the suit’s glare.

Sebastian met with the two of you at the staircase. “He’s stabilized, apparently the closest to the blast, there weren’t any fragments. It’s just like it was a blast, from the sound of it the theater was wrecked. Knuckles on his right hand are bruised could have been from falling but most likely a fight. He asked for you Tony.”

“Yeah. Can we go up there?” Tony asked, needing to see Happy. Just a quick talk to know what had happened.

“You can see him. But he’s not conscious he hit his head pretty hard and the medications he’s on makes it even harder to stay up.”

“I still want to see him.”

Sebastian led you up to the room. Tony walked in and you stayed with Sebastian giving him time alone and reading over Happy’s file. In whole he’d be okay. No physically lasting damages. Looking at Tony, you were reminded about the mental side of things. “Thanks for calling Seb.”

“I figured it would be better for him to hear from you than whoever is on phones tonight.”

“I appreciate that.” You heard the tv turn on and Tony talked on his phone. From the sound of it he was calling in a security team. “You can go do your rounds. You’re good.”

“I’m taking over for you too.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Consider it your early Christmas present, okay? Don’t stress it. Ro’s gonna be upset and her dad needs you. You’re probably stressed to hell and back just with how work has been lately. Take a break, you need it.”

“You’re right there with me,” you told your partner.

“Yeah, that’s true, but I don’t have a family to worry about and I get decent sleep.”

You sighed weighing your options, getting to stay home a bit for now did sound good. “Thanks. What would I do without you?”

“Crash and burn,” he laughed, pulling you for a quick hug before leaving.

Tony pulled up files from his tablet, reading everything on the Mandarin. He was going to get the fight he wanted. This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t brushed Happy off. The man asked for help and Tony just made fun of him. He’d make it right, set the record straight.

Everything Tag:

Marvel Tag:

Tony Stark Tag:

Learning To Live

| @editsbyjenny | @vesta-ro |

#tony stark #tony stark x reader #reader insert #marvel fanfic #iron man

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a-bit-too-much-of-a-zelda-fan · 6 years

Text

LinkedUniverse Fanfic Ch. 12: Musings and Memories

Stop! You’ve Violated the Law!

So, you’ve stumbled upon this original post for my Linked Universe fanfiction. That’s okay, it happens to everyone. As of March 2021, I’ve uploaded the entirety of this fanfic to my Archive of Our Own page. Along with finally giving the story a name–Oops! All Links: A Linked Universe Story–I made substantial edits to some of the chapters. These range from minor stylistic revisions to fixing a gaping plot hole that kinda completely broke the character conflict in the earlier chapters. I also renamed and renumbered (but not reordered) the chapters. Specifically, this is now Chapter 14: Musings and Memories.

The AO3 iterations of these chapters are the definitive versions. So, if you would like to read this fanfiction, please do so on AO3, right here. With this embedded link. Hehe. Geddit? Link?

Note: My screen name on AO3 is FrancisDuFresne. Yes, that is me. I am not plagiarizing myself.

Anyway, for posterity’s sake, the rest of the original post is below the cut.

Next up in my @linkeduniverse fan narrative, the Links have made it through the worst of the forest and are finally on the way to their destination. Time is feeling a bit nostalgic, and Wild shares one of his own memories with his companions. Word Count: 2170

With the lightning of Urbosa’s Fury and the Thunder Spell gone, the forest returned to its gloom. Their lanterns still did little to help them. Wild took his Sheikah Slate off his belt and activated the map. Its blue light played across his face. After inspecting it, he put it back and pointed to his left. “This way. It’ll be three or so hours.”

“Let’s get going, then,” Four said.

They nodded and started in the direction Wild pointed. “Wild, are you going to keep that halberd?” Warrior asked.

The finely-crafted spear was fastened to their resident amnesiac’s baldric, next to his bow and Stalfos shield. The ax-like head of the weapon glinted in the dim lantern light. As weapons pulled free from half a fox’s corpse on a tree in the middle of a forest go, it was a nice find. “Yes, why?”

“Do you seriously just steal monsters’ weapons?”

Wild looked over his shoulder at his companion. They were both raised as knights, and Warrior certainly acted like it. He always kept his armor and weapons in tip-top shape. Wild knew how to do all that but saw no reason why not to just take weapons he came across. “Yes. I’m not going to leave a good weapon like this go to waste.”

Warrior shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat,” he said.

“It does,” Wild replied.

The Links walked in silence a while. After an uneasy hour in the dark, the tree canopy began to thin, letting more light in. Within another hour, it was bright enough that they could extinguish their lanterns. The patchwork of sunbeams piercing gaps in the leaves spilled light on the forest floor. With lighter scenery came lighter moods.

Time and Twilight felt a serenity neither expected, given recent events. They were both raised in forests, and this stroll reminded them of home. For Time, it tasted bittersweet. He was bullied by Mido and desperately wanted his own fairy, but overall, life in the Kokiri Forest had been kind to him. He cast aside his thoughts of regret and guilt. He whistled a tune he hadn’t in many, many years.

The song carried to the rest of them. It was a simple, cheerful melody. Its lightheartedness resonated with them deep down, like they had known it all their lives. A sudden, inexplicable urge to dance struck them. Wind looked up to the one-eyed hero walking by his side. Time didn’t seem to notice he was whistling at all. “What’s that?” Wind asked.

“Hm?”

“That song. What are you whistling?”

“Oh, that?” Time said with a chuckle. He rubbed the back of his hand with one hand. “My best friend used to play that song on her Ocarina all the time. She asked me to play it whenever I wanted to talk to her.”

“Do you?” Sky asked.

Time sighed. “Yes. I would give anything to hear her voice again.”

“What happened to her?” Hyrule asked. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

The oldest of the heroes looked up into the tree canopy. “She became a sage, one of the seven that sealed Ganon away. ‘Saria, the Sage of Forest.’ Has a ring to it, huh? Once I returned to my own time, I couldn’t call her anymore. Goddesses, do I miss her.”

Twilight sidled up next to Time and put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “If it’s any consolation,” he said, “I’ve got a friend I can’t talk to anymore.”

Most of them could relate in one way or another. Wind smiled, reminiscing on his adventures with the King of Red Lions, Linebeck, and Ciela. “Ha, try three.”

“Or try…” Wild began. He went silent, thinking better of speaking his mind.

After a moment of awkward silence, Hyrule tried to break the tension. “It’s not a contest, you know.

“Only people losing contests say that,” Wind said.

The nine heroes had a good laugh at that. As they walked, the woods became even thinner and more light came in. It was as if their surroundings reflected a positive turn in their journey. They entered a pitch-black forest, fought off seventeen Hinox, and were finally making their way to out into the brightness of day.

“Speaking of that halberd,” Sky started, “Wild, you were amazing with that thing! Where’d you learn to do that?

Wild kept looking ahead of them. “It was part of my knight’s training growing up. I’m also good with a claymore… and pretty much anything, really.”

“Anything?” Wind asked. His voice was charged with excited curiosity.

“Yeah, I guess. I’ve used three-pronged, razor-sharp boomerangs—those things are brutal.”

“Wait, seriously?” Twilight interjected. “What if you don’t catch it the right way?”

“Uh…” Wild trailed off. He frowned and crossed his arms. Thirty seconds passed before he shrugged and admitted “Huh, I guess I never considered that.”

“You’re kidding me,” Legend said, putting his hands on his hips. “There’s no way even a weapons expert like you can pull that stunt off. Hell, there’s no way that kind of weapon even exists.”

Wild stopped walking. He turned around to his friends. “You don’t believe me?”

Four raised his hand and waggled it, as if saying I mean, kinda. “Fine,” Wild said. “I’ve got proof.”

“Really?!” Wind blurt out. He didn’t doubt Wild at all; he just wanted to see whatever this proof was. “Do you have one?”

Wild was unhooking his Sheikah Slate from his belt as he said “unfortunately, no. I broke the last one.”

“Aww…”

“I do, however,” he continued, tapping the screen on, “have a video.”

This was met with looks of confusion. Heads tilted, eyebrows cocked, and brows furrowed, they clearly didn’t know what Wild was talking about. “You guys have no idea what a video is, do you?”

Time smiled and shook his head. “Not in the slightest.”

“It’s basically a photo, but it takes so many shots that when they’re played really fast, the image looks like it’s moving. It also records sound. Purah, my Sheikah friend who developed the camera rune on my Slate, eventually created this new rune.”

“Well, let’s see it!” Sky urged.

They all wanted to see this. Not only was it new technology none of them knew, but it was apparently proof of this boomerang. With a few taps, Wild brought up the video. He waved the others over to him, who huddled around him to get good a look at the Sheikah Slate. Wild tapped the center of the screen.

The screen lit up with the image of a vast field with rolling hills. The Links watched in awe as the clouds and grass moved. Before they could get over the shock of a moving picture, a miniature Wild walked into the frame. His hair was considerably shorter. His right hand was hidden behind his back.

“Come on, Link!” a girl’s voice called from out of frame. “Throw it already!”

“Okay, okay,” he called back. The real Wild knew it was coming but was thrown off-guard nonetheless by hearing his own voice. He was still getting over the fact that he sounded different to everyone else than to himself. He felt a pang of longing when he heard Zelda’s voice; another incentive for him and his other selves to finish this and return to their own worlds.

A gasp from his friends snapped Wild out of his thoughts and back to the video. His video self took his hand from behind his back and raised a Lizal tri-boomerang. The screen zoomed and focused on the lethal weapon; Zelda evidently decided a detail-shot would be a nice addition. Wild took a moment to appreciate her attention to detail.

The boomerang had three jagged prongs branching off a leather-bound handle. To the others, it seemed that just touching the blades would break skin. They weren’t far off. The hero shifted it in his hand, letting light reflect off the shiny, almost-black surface. Zelda zoomed back out to show Wild’s face. He raised it above his head and grinned.

Zelda zoomed as far out as possible now. “Three!” she shouted. “Two! One! Throw!”

The miniature Wild whipped his hand forward and let the boomerang go. The deadly weapon spun rapidly up into the sky. It cleaved through the air, flying in a wide ark. Zelda was having trouble following it exactly, but they could track it by the sunlight glinting off its blades. Nearly fifty yards out, it started to circle back.

The other Links didn’t know it, but they were all holding their breath. How could Wild possibly catch that? they thought. The real Wild smiled, knowing exactly how he had caught it. The boomerang was coming in hot, closing distance. There was something wrong, though. It hadn’t turned back far enough. It was heading straight for Zelda.

The Princess realized this crucial fact too late to get out of the way. She was paralyzed. The cruel weapon would certainly be the end of her. She let out a shriek. Just then, a rush of brown and blue whipped across the screen. THUD. The camera panned to the side to see Wild lying on his side on the grass.

Zelda was clearly rushing to his side by the way the camera was bouncing and shaking. “Link!” she cried. “Are you alright?”

Wild slowly rose to a stand, holding his right shoulder with his left hand. In his right hand was the boomerang. The monstrous weapon was gripped firmly by its handle. By the indifference playing across his features, Wild was only mildly surprised that he made the catch. Zelda was caught between thanking him and apologizing, neither of which coming out quite right.

“Don’t worry about it,” Wild said finally. “Your father did give me a job to do, after all.”

The Sheikah Slate suddenly went dark, then lit back up to show twelve tiny images laid out in a grid. The real Wild turned it off hooked it back onto his belt. He turned to face his friends. They were all dumbstruck. Their jaws had dropped. It took a moment before they let out the breaths they just realized they had been holding. “Did you…” Four whispered, “did you seriously do that?”

Wild gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah.”

“Whoa…” Wind managed. “How?”

“I didn’t really think about it,” Wild admitted. “I saw it heading for Zelda and knew I had to catch it, so I did.”

Shaking his head with a toothy grin, Legend said “Okay, I take it back. That was masterful.”

Sky was especially taken back. He had never thrown a boomerang in his life. Throwing a wooden one and catching it seemed hard already, let alone one with only a one-in-four chance you catch the end that doesn’t cut your hand off. He supposed his closest equivalent was his Beetle, but that only took moving his forearm to steer.

“That was crazy,” Four said. “You need a lot of coordination to be able to catch that properly.” Then, pointing his thumb at his chest, “and I know coordination.”

Their minds returned to the fight in the cave, when Four used his Sword’s power to split himself into four fragments of himself. They slew Stalfos left and right in perfect unison. Yes, the others confirmed, He does know coordination. “Still,” Four resumed, “I have to admit you were amazing.”

Warrior looked up at the sky. From what he could see between the leaves, it was getting darker. He wasn’t in the mood to be in this forest in the dark again. “We need to keep moving. It shouldn’t be much longer, should it?”

Wild consulted his map. “Yeah. One more hour and we’ll be out.”

A sigh ran through the group. It was about time. They were shocked that even after everything, they would hit their destination before sundown. This put a pep in their step as they resumed their walk. Before they knew it, they were leaving the forest behind them. After several days of walking, and more fights than were welcome, they finally made it. This town was neither burning nor illusory, for which the heroes were thankful.

“Friends,” Wild started, “after much ado, welcome to the Town of Selggog.”

“It’s about time,” Legend said. “Feels like we’ve been trying to get here forever.”

Four cocked his head. “Odd name for a town, huh?”

“Link is an odd name for a legendary hero,” Time joked.

“Hey!” the others objected in unison. They exchanged glances and burst into laughter. The Links were their own persons with their own lives, but something bound them all together. Perhaps their sense of humor was just one more thing that they all shared. For all their differences, it was this solidarity that united them in hardship.

Not bothering to stifle a yawn, Hyrule managed “well, what are we waiting for? We’re not going to get any shuteye just standing here.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Twilight agreed. “Let’s go on, then.”

So, they did.

#linkeduniverse #linkeduniverse fanfiction #my own #my writing #fanfic #Musings and Memories

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nln4 · 5 years

Text

two - a sidesteps parallel universe fic

In which @ratastrofiend‘s Paris and Mikoto pair up for some wacky villain hijinks Word Count: 2442 Rating: T for team, of which there is no “eye” in. TW: eye horror, death

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In the darkness of the secluded hallway, his armor glows bright enough that he has to crouch out of the way to avoid detection. He’s been relegated to look out duty (which he promptly grumbles about in his mind, loudly enough for you to hear) while you prepare your part of the plan - breaking into the security network of the tower that houses a treasure that he apparently needs.

How he ropes you into the plan is beyond you. It starts with a series of texts over a couple of weeks, which you oblige, since you were naturally curious.

[>Can you look for security exploits in X Tower??]

[>Why??]

[>I’ll pay you.]

It’s not like you need money. You’re not quite as obscenely rich as he is, but you live a comfortable enough life.

[>In ice cream. Lifetime supply.]

Fuck, he’s got your number.

But presently, the glowing gold pulsing lights in his armor are really throwing off the dark-vision of your helmet cams and you wave him further away so you can focus on the task at hand.

“You know, we’re supposed to be sneaking in,” you think, thankful that your powers provide a built in communications system. Frequencies can be dialed in to, conversations can be heard when spoken aloud. “You’re going to draw guards to us like moths.”

“Look at me,” he thinks, with a gesture to the gold and white armor that adorns his body, a beacon in the darkness. “Does it look like I sneak?”

“Maybe it’s something you should consider,” you retort in your mind, quickly unscrewing a metal panel. Behind it are ports, usually meant for on-site maintenance (a poor design choice that made this mission actually possible).

This particular panel is the closest from the rooftop entrance that you two entered and so far, the plan is working well. Sneak in, shut down security systems silently, sneak out. That’s your usual MO and the only way you would agree to his plan at all.

“You have nanovores,” he thinks viciously, pointing to the housing cage on your wrist. “Why not actually use them? And can’t you hurry it up? The second round of guards are coming soon.”

“First of all,” you think back, plugging in an ethernet cable into the port connected to a miniature laptop. “No one is supposed to find out we’re here, so a hole in the middle of a metal panel would be out of the question. And secondly, no, I can’t, these computer systems are slow as shit, they’re probably still running on last century’s operating system.” You’ve never quite understood how some of the world’s supposedly most valuable secrets were guarded by a computer running on decades-old software.

…ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ !! Don’t rush! the Rat King squeaks. It’s a chorus of voices, both yours and his, and behind your helmet, you grin at the fact that both sets have your back.

“You shut up,” he thinks, pointing at the containment unit on your helmet, absolutely annoyed.

“Don’t be mean!”

…ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ Yes, no mean!

He taps a booted foot impatiently, cursing up a storm in his head. But the back of his mind is running a series of numbers, almost like a clock ticking down; he must be keeping track of foot patterns, time schedules of when the next wave of guards are set to make their rounds. You have to shield to focus on the puzzle in front of you.

Finally the command prompt opens, cursor blinking and you start typing.

“What, no ‘Virus Uploaded’ screen?” he jokes.

“You know full well that’s not how it works, asshole,” you think, still typing. Your helmet helps you parse through lines of commands, making sure there are no mistakes as you work and you silently thank Dr. Mortum’s genius.

“They’re coming,” he thinks and your vision splits, half focusing on the screen in front of you, the other half watching him shift his position into one ready for attack.

“Give me two minutes,” you signal, holding two fingers up, almost a peace sign.

“You have one,” he snarls in his mind, head looking back over his shoulder at you before turning the corner to dispatch the oncoming security guards.

“Once again, not how it works!”

But 120 long, long seconds later, your rootkit is installed and you quickly unplug cables, screw the metal panel back into place. A few feet away, he leaps into action, with the grace and precision of a hunting predator. He drags four unconscious bodies away and sends a mental blast through their minds so hard you can feel it almost rattling your brain in your skull. They’ll have a blinder of a headache tomorrow and you don’t envy them one bit.

“Safe room,” he thinks and you nod. The rootkit lurks silently in the system already, and the first job was to record the last ten peaceful seconds and feed a loop to the CCTV cameras. Fortunately, the safe room is only one floor below and the two of you move silently down the stairs. You’re almost reminded of your old Farm days, back when you worked with the HIVE Squad. Certainly, your little ragtag mob don’t move in the same way as trained little soldiers do. The two of you move as one seamless unit, with him taking point and you keeping an eye (and a mental feeler) for anything following from behind. If just one of you can wreak enough havoc on Los Diablos on your own, two telepathic powered villains could dismantle entire regimes.

He holds a fist up and you pause, the both of you waiting before rounding the corner to the safe room. You try to pick up any waves, any presence lurking nearby but there are none and it seems like he’s satisfied with the current situation as well since he starts down the hallway to the safe room without you.

“Thanks for the heads up,” you think, walking fast to catch up to him, hoping your mental voice is tinged with enough sarcasm. Sometimes it doesn’t quite pick up; you’ve found that mental and physical inflections can vary.

He doesn’t look back, merely shows you his middle finger over his shoulder and you stick out your tongue, grateful for your helmet.

“I still saw it. We’re telepathic.”

“Dammit.”

The HUD on your helmet shows that it’s been a good five minutes since your plan has started, which means that the next step should start any…

...second…

...now.

One floor down, your helmet picks up the sound of electronic distress noises, computers alerting their human handlers of a massive DDoS on the tower’s servers, but the attack is just a smokescreen to turn their eyes away from the security breach that’s about to happen.

“Code?”

“875639,” you think and you watch as he takes out what appears to be an eyeball, complete with dangling optic nerve, from a compartment on his belt.

He wiggles it teasingly at you and you grimace. “Look.”

“Eugh!”

“It’s a Mod,” he clarifies and upon closer inspection (the optic nerve just a connective wire), it is, and you wince at the poor sap who has lost their sight twice now. The power from his armor is enough to bring the singular Mod back to life and he holds it up to the retinal scanner. The safe door blinks green, accepting the security measures and a pneumatic hiss issues as the metal door swings open.

For a second, your mind wavers, like a dampener being turned on too close by but you chalk it up to weird physics. Perhaps two Sidesteps are not mean to occupy the same space at the same time. You look to him to see if he notices anything but it seems like he doesn’t.

According to schematics, there should be motion detectors and alarms, but those have been turned off by the rootkit. Inside the safe is a metal briefcase and you have to wonder what it houses. Whatever it is, it’s valuable enough that he’d come all the way here to get it.

But since he’s preoccupied with the case, you see the gun before he does and you don’t get to warn him fast enough before he lifts it. The displaced weight snaps a rope and in turn pulls the trigger, like some fucked up Rube Goldberg machine. You shove him out of the way as the bullet streaks past and bite back a curse as it pierces through the joint of where the chestplate and pauldron meet, where your suit happens to be less armored. What are the odds, you think.

“Well, well,” a voice behind you says, with the signature click of a cocking gun. “Instead of one little mouse, I’ve caught two.”

You recognize the slimy voice, even without seeing the person - Javier Xuan, notorious business mogul. Corrupt as they come in these parts. He has a news segment where he extols the wonders of “his” inventions that makes you turn off the television every time.

“What do we have here?” Xuan continues. “Do you like my little trick? Old fashioned, but it works--”

Apparently Paris is a quicker draw than you are since he yanks the gun from the rudimentary rig and fires, point blank into Xuan’s forehead. You stare in horror as the man crumples lifeless to the ground, a marionette with its strings cut.

“Huh,” he muses coldly, staring down at Xuan’s body. “He was in his office in my world.”

“Paris!” you think in alarm. “What have you done?”

You look to him and his helmet may hide his face, but his thoughts are furious with rage, incoherent enough that you can’t get a handle on them. His Rat King chitters incessantly, trying to soothe him.

Klaxons blare and lights flash red around you, and you know you’ve done your job perfectly to turn off all of the security, so there must be a separate system - sure enough, Xuan’s Modded eye pulses red in time with the flashing lights and you have to hold back a bitter laugh. A Mod with a dead man’s switch. You suppose he must have dampeners installed as well, as he escaped your mind sweep earlier.

“You okay?” he asks, voice distorters turning it into a low growl.

“Yeah,” you reply. There’s blood seeping into your skinsuit but you’ll live; the nanomesh weave acts like a bandage until you’ll peel it off later. You’ve had plenty worse. You’ll live to see plenty worse too.

He crouches down and plucks out this Xuan’s modded eye as well, claws on his armor serving him well. There’s a sickening sound as he takes the trophy.

“Sorry we didn’t see eye to eye,” Paris gloats, waving the Mods in the dead man’s face before shoving both of them into the utility compartment on his suit.

“Paris, that’s disgusting.”

He shoves the body further into the safe room, locking it without even a glance back, and you have to marvel at the lack of remorse at all. Just another mission complete.

“Well then, let’s get out of here.”

---

“Did you really have to kill him?” you ask, leaning back in the ragged computer chair in your warehouse hideout. “Now there’s going to be an investigation, and guess whose ass the Rangers are gonna go after? Me!”

“He was already dead in my world,” Paris says loftily, taking a strip of gauze from the first-aid kit for cleaning. “Might as well have a matching set. Now hold still.”

He daubs at the wound (not terribly deep but still left a good angry tear in your arm) and deftly applies antibiotic with a cotton swab. He has to sit close enough to you to treat your shoulder and from this distance, you can see stubble growing along his chin. Dark eyes gaze from under long lashes and you have to begrudgingly admit it’s a good look on him. And you think he hears you, since he smirks, the asshole.

“Ow!” you yelp. His fingers move quickly against your skin but the ointment still stings like hell when it makes contact.

“You big baby,” he says, signature sharp-tooth grin stretched across his mouth. “Get over it.”

“Might I remind you that I took a bullet for you,” you grit out, fists clenched.

“Please, it barely grazed your shoulder.”

“Barely??” you say, indignant. “Look at it!”

“I am looking. Of course, I’d rather play doctor in a different way,” he says, taping the gauze in place. “If you weren’t being so difficult.”

You flip him the bird with your good hand, remembering his gesture from earlier and he lightly bops you on the nose in return. You take back everything you thought earlier about him looking good because he’s as infuriating as he is handsome.

“So, what’s in the case?” Although you think you might have an inkling, with Javier Xuan’s recent billion-dollar investment in GeniTech.

“Something one of a kind,” he says, placing the final pieces of medical tape to secure the injury. “But I needed two.”

“So you decided to hop dimensions to get another one?” you ask, incredulous. “Will that even work?”

“Who knows. Only one way to find out.” His grin is brilliant as he looks at you, obviously pleased that his plan played out well.

“I feel sorry for your Los Diablos,” you say dryly, sliding your hoodie on carefully and trying not to disturb your arm.

His eyes study your shoulder, and there’s an odd, almost tender look in them. How is it that the both of you are telepaths yet it’s so difficult to tell what he’s thinking?

“What?” you ask, and your tone is a little more caustic than you meant it to be. His eyes have moved from your shoulder to your face and you have to fight to keep from flushing.

“You get a new scar now,” he says. “That one will be our story.”

“Please go.” You pinch the bridge of your nose to stem off your headache. The entire mission has been a headache. “Back to your world. Now.”

He leans down to draw eye level with you, hyena grin on his face. “Aw, I was going to kiss it better.”

“Leave!”

He throws his head back with joyous laughter as he takes the suitcase and merrily walks to the doors but before exiting, he turns back. “Get some rest! I believe we have an ice cream date,” he says with a wink.

“I fucking hate you,” you call as he vanishes, and you sink back into the chair, adrenaline finally running out and weariness hitting your bones all at once.

But you smile anyways.

#fallen hero: rebirth #sidestep #mikoto uehara #jace paris #my writing

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imalifegen89 · 3 years

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A Legacy Left Behind - Chapter 1 - Initial Encounters - Part 4

Sheppard's going to SGC...

Defense Outpost - Antarctica

The next day

Determined to get his way before the dreaded military goon took the bona-fide Ancient away from his domain for gods knew how long, Dr. McKay strode into the dark alcove in the infirmary where they had hidden Sheppard. The pilot was still sleeping the day away peacefully; a tiny glitch which the scientist corrected promptly by the virtue of bellowing in the vicinity of his ear to “WAKE THE HELL UP RIGHT NOW! TIMES A WASTING MAJOR!!!"

He'd had enough painful experiences waking up slumbering military types with marginal ATA impressions by grabbing them; precaution saved him from the swinging left fist that went past where his jaw would have been otherwise.

Sheppard came blearily awake and Rodney did not give him a chance to have any coherent thought, let alone speech. He manhandled the Major out of the bed and through the infirmary, past the corridor and towards the Chair at the center. He had thrown some loud intimidating scientific jargon and veiled comments about impending catastrophes at the nurses who had tried to hinder the kidnapping of their charge on the way. He was feeling quite smug about the successful completion of the first part of his mission.

He pushed the still half asleep Major (really, didn't these military people train to get up at the crack of dawn at the tiniest noise and start running in the mud or something?) onto the Chair not so gently. The whole place lit up like a Christmas tree the moment the Major's behind made contact with the alien metal.

Since he was not the horrible bastard who ate subpar scientists for breakfast despite what his minions believed, he dumped a packet of juice and an apple on the Major's lap for breakfast as well. Besides he would never eat a subpar scientist for breakfast, he had standards and allergies. He would rather feed them to an unstable miniature black hole in a controlled environment and study the power fluctuations.

While the pilot drank his juice, he lined up the programs he had uploaded to his various waiting monitors and got them on standby to run on the Chair's command.

"Alright, I need you to run these for me. You should be able to see the programs through the link and I need you to start with the complete system archives back-up; push it to background and then start the full system diagnostic on the environmental setups. I'm pretty sure they are still calibrated to cater to the millennia-old inhabitants. It's about time we got some proper heating running in this place, now that the power levels are back to where they should be. Hey, can you tell me how you did that by the way? Maybe make a copy of the program and save it to my PDA so I can run it remotely when things go out of whack again?"

……….

John was sitting on the Chair sucking on his juice sulkily even as his mental link with the Chair blossomed in his mind, welcoming him like an old friend. It was amused at the antics of the dux physicus (lead scientist). Things were nowhere near as dire or urgent as the scientist liked to insinuate, it assured. But it would be more efficient if the programs he had created were to run as requested so that the control core could re-orient itself for John's people. So John did as requested by the Ancient interface; not the harping doctor who rudely dragged him out of his much needed and enjoyed sleep.

He also went through the basic operating directives the Outpost had as well. He realized that this was actually a landing platform belonging to a much bigger structure that was left behind as an independent point of defense or offense, depending on the need. He felt a deep sadness and longing that encompassed its whole being at the memory of the separation. It was as if the other structure left behind a part of its consciousness here as well, to wait for a long time, buried under the ice alone until it found its purpose and completed its part of the great and most important mission it had ever undertaken.

John inhaled a startled breath as his mind was flooded with the greatest and most beautiful architectural wonder he had ever seen in his life. He knew instinctively that none of this was on display on any other outlet connected to the Chair. This was private and for him alone. He was grateful that Rodney was too engrossed in tracking the progress of the programs he had initiated to pay any attention to John.

He continued to just stare in amazement at the elegant snowflake that looked delicate and fragile and was anything but. The majestic towers that rose towards the sky gleamed in the sun, reflecting light over the ocean it serenely floated on. It was built of the same alien metal like the Outpost and the strange copper and blue hues on the surface of metal dancing at rays of sunshine were giving it an ethereal quality. The dimensions that were streaming around the city told him he was looking at something roughly the size of Manhattan city.

"Atlantis, Urbis Navis." He felt the utter reverence and longing the core of the facility radiated at seeing the city where its parent sentient resided. John understood that this Ancient marvel contained a vast intelligence, an ancient and a primal sentience that, as humans, they didn't have a hope in comprehending. It had left behind a part of itself; a guiding hand to aid humanity when the time came.

The memory, for that was what it was- was withdrawn gently from his mind with a promise that John would know more when the time was right. He was directed towards a few other maintenance issues that were queued up for his perusal and approval. He spared a several seconds on available power resources and engaged the required systems and programs accordingly.

He mentally strolled through the intricate and complex web that was the control core of the Outpost while the mental link warmly accompanied him, giving him the comprehensive tour.

‘You can do a deep dive when you are ready and when it is required, but for the moment, just familiarize yourself about me and my abilities’ John interpreted what it was saying to him without words.

He felt vaguely concerned about the fact that he was able to do any of this, when the other people who had been here for much longer apparently couldn't. It's not like he had prior training about interfacing with ancient sentience and working with them before.

The presence in his mind huffed at him for concerning himself with nonsense. This was exactly where John was meant to be- this was where he belonged; he was the reason it was waiting for so long anyway. John chose not to overly examine the fact that this proclamation made him feel much less worried than it should have, as if he knew deep down already in his own mind the exact same thing.

He was gradually surfacing from his ruminations and sightseeing inside the virtual facility when he heard distinct arguing in the command centre. He was the subject of the argument and neither of the doctors even noticed that he had disengaged from the interface and was staring at them in amusement.

"Rodney you can't do this! You are going to be the daft lad who cried wolf if you keep up this sort of shenanigans- I will not trust you again when you come screaming at me to sit on the bloody thing when the General takes the Major away because now you resort to downright kidnapping so that you can run a bloody routine maintenance!"

Carson was waving his hands around in agitation and John idly wondered who told the good doctor about what they were actually doing. His money was on the Czech scientist with the crazy hair who was trying hard to stifle his giggles behind one of the work platforms.

Rodney was giving as good as he got with increasingly complicated scientific explanations about what he was doing, and so far Carson was mild-mannered having none of it. Then he noticed the mild mannered General leaning against the entrance to the Chair room, with his hands folded across his chest, seemingly enjoying the drama with a smirk on his face.

The General saw Sheppard looking at him and straightened from his post, inclined his head at John, indicating to follow him, and took off. John stood from the chair and followed the General out, hoping he was going to the commissary. He was hungry and tired. Neither doctor noticed his departure; too engulfed in their indignant argument.

The kind General did lead the way to food and they took their time having a leisurely breakfast. A beaming Elizabeth Weir came in and made way as if to join them but a look from the General persuaded her to change course; to John's great relief. He was not feeling up for another session with one of them.

"Get yourself discharged from Carson and have one of the Sergeants issue you a kit. I mean, you look dashing in your scrubs but I'm sure you will feel much more comfortable in a uniform and boots. And then come see me in that office over there. You should be able to avoid any more trouble there, and then we will leave this crazy place behind for a while!"

"Yes Sir."

After a moment of hesitation, he decided to take a chance with the General because so far the man had been quite accommodating.

"And, um, I can even fly the bird back to McMurdo if you want me to, Sir- I'm sure Lieutenant Richardson won't mind."

He had seen the vitals of the kid sky-rocket during the fiasco of their arrival and the unsteady way he continued the flight. John was cooped up for too long here and he was itching to get behind a joystick and fling himself to the sky. If the kid had any problem with it, too bad because John outranked him. It was the General he had to convince.

The General of course beamed at him as if he had just voiced the best idea ever and readily consented. By mutual agreement, they decided that Dr. Beckett did not need to know that bit of information.

Noon approached without fanfare and they departed the Ancient Outpost with a relieved and grateful Lieutenant Richardson manning the co-pilot seat in the Black Hawk. John felt the slightest touch in his mind from Terra Atlantus as it bid farewell and John reciprocated with a promise to return as soon as possible.

Area 52

Stargate Command

Cheyenne Mountain

Colorado

Arrival at the Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado was a relatively painless experience. The journey back had taken a little over 19 hours and John was grateful that General liked to travel in luxury.

The home of Stargate Command, code named "Area 52" was a stark underground facility with multiple levels deeper into the mountain and beneath the ground. Multiple levels of security controlled the access to various areas, that were housing all kinds of projects. As they got deeper into the sub-levels, which they were officially called, with obviously higher security clearances, John started to feel a wisp of that familiar warmth that cocooned his mind not too long ago.

He instinctively knew that the sharp note of recognition flitting through his mind belonged to the Stargate. All the other Ancient technology bits and pieces that were scattered around the complex in various stages of activation chimed in for the welcome, creating a beautiful mental harmony. He could feel it resonating down to his bones. John was leaning a bit heavily on the elevator wall and blinking rapidly at the sensation and General O'Neill sent a knowing smirk his way.

They exited at level 27, which housed the Briefing room and Commander's Office from where Jack O'Neill ran his controversial command. They were met by Master Sergeant Walter Harriman who proceeded to give the General a succinct update of base operations during his absence. Noting that nothing untoward had taken place while he was away, he continued towards the command center where the dialing station overlooked the prized possession the whole facility was converted around to secure and protect.

The massive Ancient metal ring made of the precious naquadah with seven triangular chevrons encircling it was an imposing sight even in its' dormant state.

"So, you know, this ring-thing- comes with this dialer. You hit the symbols, it spins around and lights come on and it kind of flushes sideways. Then there's this blue puddle that swooshes outwards and settles with a splat. Then it's all ready to step through to whichever planet we feel like stirring shit up in that day."

The introduction to this technological marvel that created stable one-way wormholes to other planets was delivered in the same tone one would introduce you to their favorite coffee shop, ‘down the road and the first left- best damn Kona you could find in this part of the town.'

"You can feel it, can't you? Even from the elevator? To me, it's like a buzz in the back of my mind. Used to drive me mad in the beginning, then I kind of got used to it and I hardly notice it anymore-"

"Yeah. It kind of was a bit overwhelming at first because I think I felt almost all the Ancient gadgets here in my mind at the same time. They all blended together into a sort of a chorus. It was a bit unexpected. I guess I'm kinda used to the gentle warmth from Terra Atlantus, but that is part of a sentience; so it makes sense that the stuff here wouldn't make the same impression. But the Stargate is a bit intense. Like it is doing a mental handshake with my mind even now, and making a two way connection, I think."

John knew he was taking a chance blurting out the extent of his connection to all things Ancient in this manner. It wasn't probably very common judging by the way the General boggled at him clearly astounded. But he was already here and he had already made up his mind that he was 100% in with both feet. He felt he could trust the General and he was going to need all the help he could get and they needed to know what was going on inside him to be able to provide that help.

"Yeah, okay." The General cleared his throat.

"That is well, ahem, that does sound intense. Oh boy, we are going to have to keep a tight leash on our geek squad when it comes to you." Jack shook his head and muttered mostly to himself. Then he rubbed his palms together and turned to the Master Sergeant who had followed them in. "Walter, why don't you take the Major up to 21 and introduce him to Doctor Lam? And then find him quarters and a full kit."

He addressed the rest to Sheppard.

"Consider yourself off duty for the rest of the day after your check up. We will meet up here on this floor in the Briefing room at 0800 hrs tomorrow to start your debriefing. If you are going to need some leave time to sort yourself out in the world outside we will arrange that afterwards. Marshall did practically snatch you away from the other side of the planet only a couple of weeks ago." Jack said before adding-

"Gotta go boss people around now. Ciao."

With that cheerful parting John watched his new CO walk away in a decidedly opposite direction to his office.

The medical checkup was every bit and more intrusive and thorough as the countless others he had been through in his career. And of course there were a couple of things that he manfully endured for the first time. Made sense they had some alien pokes and needles and other medical equipment seeing as they made trips to other planets for a living.

Dr. Lam was a pretty lady who gifted him with a warm smile that could have frozen the Sahara desert in a matter of seconds and released him to Walter's care with a stern warning to eat a proper meal and rest. John figured that Dr. Beckett must have got to Lam, ratting him out on his morning adventures.

The scarily efficient Master Sergeant already had a full kit in two duffel bags waiting for him inside, when he escorted him to level 14 where his quarters were located along with other base military officers. He also provided John with a map of the base along with a contact information list and left him with a friendly, 'call me if you need anything.'

John decided to heed Dr Lam's advice as he felt the day finally catching up to him leaving him feeling exhausted. He had another long day ahead of him tomorrow.

#stargate #stargate atlantis #john sheppard #steve mcgarrett #fanfic #ao3 fanfic #hawaii five 0 #crossover #adventure #alternate universe #m/m pairing #military #violence #romance

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bnha-hcs · 7 years

Text

Cat Cafe - Todoroki x fem!reader

I couldn’t really get myself to write anything else gomen. But I have more time this week to actually write?? I only have to work three days thank the gods ahhh. I meant to upload this waaaaaay earlier but I was freaking out bc my homework online was being stupid and I couldn’t find all questions I needed to answer. Rip, i guess I’ll die. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! (I swear my faves and cats are my aesthetic ahhh)

Words: 2,170

You were way too excited for your own good. And I mean, strangely excited to the point where you found yourself not being able to sleep the night before. You tossed and turned for what seemed like ages until you decided to play some sort of weird game of switching between the same three apps on your phone before you decided to just get up and accept your sleepless fate. This happened a lot, whether it was for a good reason or out of anxiety for a test, you never found yourself to be able to keep still and prevent your thoughts from straying endlessly.

After getting out of bed you found yourself stumbling into your kitchen and lazily flicking on the lights. It took you a second to contemplate the choices before of what to make yourself to eat. Looking at the clock you saw it to be roughly close to six in the morning. You wouldn’t be meeting your boyfriend for another three hours so wasn’t like you didn't have time contemplate what to do. To be honest you were seriously thinking of texting him to see if was awake, but knowing how much of a light sleeper he was you’d just be waking him up. You opted to just make yourself a cup of tea or really just anything warm at this point.

While waiting for your dumb drink to finish cooling down you shuffled over to the tv and turned it on. The blaring noise of the tv startled you considerably and you rushed to fumble with the remote to turn it down. Your face was flushed slightly from your own embarrassment despite the fact that you were alone and the feeling of adrenaline rushed through you. Well, there was no way you could go back to sleep now. You strolled back into the kitchen and got your drink along with some sort of snack before heading back into your living room and plopped down on the couch.

Just as you had gotten comfortable you heard a knock on your door. You squinted out of confusion but got up and made your way to the door nonetheless. When you opened the door you were surprised to see your boyfriend standing there, looking a little disheveled, or as disheveled as a pretty boy like him could look. His hair looked a little bit more ruffled and out of place than usual but it honestly made him look even more charming. You also noticed his eyes betrayed some sort of vague tiredness that you weren’t extremely used to seeing.

“Shouto? What are you doing here?” You asked quickly moving out of the way to let him in.

“I had a feeling you’d be up this early.” He replied in his usual tone. “Did you not get my text?”

“Uh… no?” You squeaked out before rushing to look at your phone on the kitchen table. Sure enough there were a few unread texts from your boyfriend. You felt a little embarrassed.

There was a groan from you as you locked your phone and rested your head against his shoulder. He gave you a quizzical look and went to comfort you by giving you a few reassuring pats on your back.

“Don’t worry about it.” He said with a small chuckle. “It worked out anyways.”

“It’s because you know me so well.” You said with a fake sentimental sniffle. “I’m so proud.”

You couldn’t see but he made a sort of lost expression on his face before he realized you weren’t actually about to cry. Sometimes he couldn’t tell with you… One time you had burst into tears after seeing a miniature fake cup of coffee in one of those new jewelry stands at the mall and it nearly gave him a heart attack. You were probably going to pull the same thing today since the two of you were going to a cat cafe after weeks of you trying to set up a day to go.

He felt you shift and go to give him a hug to which he went to return, although he was a little surprised by your sudden gesture. You buried your face in his shoulder and let out a small content sigh after inhaling his scent. He always smelled like something refreshing like mint or eucalyptus… It made you question whether or not you should start being one of those people who pretty much bathed in rose water so you could smell like some sort of spa goddess. But to be honest you didn’t have time to be the self care deity you’ve always wanted to be because of school, seeing how you barely had time to fit even this date into both of your schedules.

“It’s nice to see you this early without it being something related to school.” You murmured, squeezing him a little tighter. He returned your affection wholeheartedly before he pressed a kiss to your temple.

“Yeah, it’s been awhile since I’ve been able to hold you like this, too.” Shouto replied quietly.

The two of you stood like that for a little bit longer, trying to make up for lost time during the semester. But you’d need a different day for the other sort of attention the two of you had been craving. You parted and went to look at your phone again. A little time had passed, but not enough so that you could head out early. At least now you could chug the rest of your drink and scarf down our choice of snack so you could get out of your pajamas. You were sure you looked like a right mess considering you hadn’t changed or even washed your face. Walking over you picked up your now slightly warm drink and chugged about half of it. It didn’t really taste that great now that it had been sitting there for a little bit.

“You can change the channel, I need to get ready anyways.” You offered to your boyfriend while swirling the contents of your drink.

Shouto gave you sort of a lost look and you realized he didn’t really watch tv much. Habits were habits though and you always told your friends to change the channel if they wanted to to. Chugging the rest of your drink you hurried off to your room and picked out your outfit. A simple large sweater and jeans since it was a little cold outside this morning. You threw that on and then sauntered to the bathroom to take care of of your hygienic needs so you wouldn’t look like you just rolled out of bed. Not that you really cared if you did or not but you were sure your boyfriend didn’t want to walk around with goblin looking you…

You returned in record time to find Shouto messing with the ends of his jacket, looking a little sleepy himself. He could’ve gone with a few more hours of sleep and you felt bad for making him get up so early on your only days off. So you plopped down next to him on the couch and snuggled up to him. At least you could snuggled with him for a good while before you had to get up and go anywhere.

---

Time seemed to float on by precariously fast and you found yourself a little heartbroken to have to get up already. Looking over at your boyfriend you were even more saddened by the fact that you had to wake him up seeing as he had fallen asleep next to you on the couch. Luckily you moved enough so that it only gently jostled him awake and his sleepily rubbed his eyes. Too cute…

“We gotta gooooo.” You drawled sweetly, nudging his side softly.

He only hummed in response and you left his side to grab your keys and wait by the door. He trailed after you, obviously trying to kick of the remnants of sleep so he could keep up with your excited demeanor.You both slipped on your shoes before heading off on your way to the cat cafe. You were practically skipping you were so excited. You had always seen them online and in the news and such but you had never had the pleasure of going yourself. But now was the time! It was the ideal date for you and being able to go with your sweetheart was arguably the best feeling in the world right now.

It didn’t take long for you to get there either. The place was remarkably close to your house meaning you’d be able to stay longer. The second you walked in, hand in hand with Shouto, you nearly burst into tears right then and there. A lovely little calico kitty had greeted you upon entry and thrown herself at your feet. She meowed brightly and rolled around like a gleeful little slug. You cooed and called at the cat immediately as your boyfriend looked over the place for a spot to sit. You buried your hands into the plush fur of the cat before you which earned you a few playful swipes and meows.

“There’s a spot over by the cat tree.” Shouto informed you. You hummed and stood back up to look.

“Then let’ go, there’s so many over there…!” You chirped, practically racing over there.

A large white cat was sitting in a hammock by the window to which you stopped to pet. He was obviously sunning himself in the morning rays because he seemed a little perturbed by your sudden appearance. He let a out a gruff meow and sniffled at your hand before deeming it worthy of petting him. You personally felt honored and took the blessing in stride. Shouto approached and got the approval of the white cat as well, going to scratch the side of the cats face and then under the chin.

You Skipped over to your table afterwards and took a look at the menus- everything appropriately named and cat themed for the cafe. It was all a little too much and you felt the tears welling in your eyes.

“I’m going to cry it’s too cute.” You sniffled. Your boyfriend shook his head.

“You’re too cute…” He said.

“E-Eh?” You stammered out, “Since when did you become such a smooth talker?”

You puffed out your cheeks to try and distract from the fact that you were now a little flustered. Shouto didn’t comment on it, instead going to tuck a piece of your hair behind your hair to show your pretty face. The cats of the cafe were vying for your attention, but you could only pay attention to the duo colored hair besides you. It’d been awhile since your heart had started pounding like this in your chest and if it wasn’t for the insistent meowing of the cats then you were sure he’s be able to hear it, too.

“It’s true, you’re always cute.” He said. You felt your face flare up in another rush of heat.

Was he trying to kill you? You averted your gaze and nervously fiddled with your fingers, going to push them against each other over and over again. You had no idea what to say or do next. You spotted another cat, trotting over to you with all due haste and noticed something special about its eyes. You picked the kitty up, and held it over to the boy beside you.

“Look it’s you.” You said with a small smile.

Sure enough, it was a cat that looked very similar to him. Shouto seemed transfixed on the heterochromic eyes of the cat and went to hold it in his lap. He already seemed really attached to it and the look in his eyes told you he was unusually excited about it. You laughed and looked at the other cats in the cat tree by the two of you. There were so many cats…

For the rest of the time you sort of got into a competition on who could find the cutest cat and compare it to the other. You didn’t win, mostly before the whole gesture was too much for your poor little heart and you found yourself too flustered to continue. And you swore Shouto was enjoying himself a little too much afterwards. But it was nice, and afterwards you headed back to your house for a much needed cat nap. You found your lack of sleep had caught up to you about halfway through your second piece of coffee cafe and nearly fell asleep in a pile of cats.

Just before you fell asleep back on the couch in your house you felt a warm sensation on your lips and realized it was a kiss. The sensation made your heart flutter, although it was short lived. Not a second later you felt the grip around your waist tighten and a smile etched onto your face. Nothing was better than a day of cats, sweets, and your dear boyfriend.

#bnha imagines #bnha scenarios #bnha #todoroki shouto #mha imagines

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alexteltevskiy · 8 years

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Intro to blog & Nishika N9000 camera review

Hello everyone! Welcome to my very first blog post. I have big plans for this far-flung little corner of the internet: camera reviews, photo techniques, experiments in visual storytelling and more! Art, design, filmmaking, photography - all here. Let’s roll! (no pun or reference to 35mm film intended)

Intro

Today it’s all about photography - I’ll be taking a look at a rather obscure little imaging device - the Nishika N9000. A unique, highly specialized stereo camera that that takes 4 images at the same time from slightly different angles, which, when combined into an animation, create a miniature Matrix-like effect of the objects in the shot appearing three-dimensional. It’s a specialized camera and the only reason you use it is for its GIF-making capability. It is also a complete pain to use, totally unreliable and makes pictures of horrendous quality. Despite all this, it is a total blast and very fun. Read on to find out why.

This camera, along with the original Nimslo and the direct predecessor Nishika N8000 are responsible for the influx of countless animated GIFs on Tumblr, FFFFOUND! and other image blogs alike. I always found them a gleefully enjoyable exercise in lowbrow picture-making fun, something that could add real depth to the mood of a BTS, a casual project or just plain fun while hanging out. I denied these inner callings for a while until I stumbled upon @tkbmedia and finally bothered to look at the tags being used. “Nishika” it said. And here we are. Now, part of the reason I want to write about it is because its a genuinely fun little camera and the other part is because there is next to zero easily-digestible info online about this little plastic wonder, or even how it relates in quality and specs to its progenitor, the Nishika N8000.

History

The first quad-lens stereo camera was the Nimslo. Designed in the US, the camera was made overseas has solid metal construction, electronically controlled shutter, high quality glass lens and is pretty compact as well. If you read between the lines, you figured $$$. Then came along the N8000, made by a different US company called Nishika, which some claim blatantly knocked off the design idea, made it much cheaper and marketed the living daylights out of it, promising the next big thing in photography. There is much history written about both these companies and why they fell from grace, but that’s not the goal of this review. Both these cameras were originally designed for lenticular mail-order printing where you would take the photos and send the roll in, getting back lenticular prints. In its waning days, Nishika learned on their design mistakes and made the N9000 camera, hoping to renew interest in the franchise, but by that time the infrastructure was starting to fall apart along with the public interest for these items. Nishika went out of business and the overstock was silently decaying in warehouses around the country for decades. Prices went down to near-free and, with the advent of the digital revolution, the camera started seeing a resurgence when experiment-happy photogs figured that these can be used for great artistic effect.

Unboxing & tech specs

Prices bordering in the $10-$20 made this novelty a no-brainer, so I splurged and received a sealed, new-in-box N9000 in the mail not long after. Was a lot of fun opening the package - the whole process resembled an unearthing of a time capsule from a prehistoric age. Best I could tell by the chintzy design and fonts used (I’m an art director by day, I pay attention to these things), my particular specimen was from the early 90’s. The N9000 is made, save from the hotshoe, entirely out of cheap, ready-to-break plastic. Even the lens are plastic. Relatively compact, looks and feels like a beefy, cheeseburger-binging point and shoot. Weighs next to nothing. Small size and weight is a plus for anyone that wants to travel and take multiple cameras for multiple shot types. This one doesn’t take up much space. Each press of the shutter creates 4 tiny half-frame images spread across two regular frames of 35mm film. A 36-exposure roll gets you around 18 shots give or take. A 24-exposure roll probably takes around 12, haven't tried. Has a closable lens cover. Aperture selector between F8 and F16. Button. Rewind button and knob. And winding gear, yes, the winding gear. Reason I want to focus on it is because I genuinely hate it so very much, from the bottom of my usually very accommodating and forgiving heart. They cheaped out and replaced the lever from the N8000 with a finely-sharpened flesh-shearing winding gear to advance each frame and wind the shutter. I can live with it, but I dread every time I have to advance frames. The shutter speed is a fixed 1/60 sec. Has a tripod socket, an unremovable strap, and, well, that’s pretty much it. No batteries. Surprisingly small amount of foam in the back door, so even with vintage, less likelihood of light leaks. Has a little sticker inside recommending 200 film outdoors and 1600 film indoors. I'd personally load it with 400-800 film and tweak exposure with aperture.

Comparing to the N8000

The main reason I went out on whim and got the N9000 instead of the N8000 is size and weight. As soon as I saw pictures of the N8000 in hand AND read that they put a large chunk of metal inside just to make it feel more expensive and reliable than it is I knew it wasn’t for me, as my photo bags are always packed and space is at a premium. The N8000 is a very, very large camera, I’d say roughly twice the size and weight of the N9000. But, at the same time the picture quality looked to be the same (identical lens) and features are largely identical. The N8000 is also the very definition of gimmicky, with the fake LCD screen on top showing recommended settings for exposure. The "meter" built into it is just there to remind you when to use flash. And with today's film exposure latitude the f/11 is totally redundant. That's a whole lotta strikes out against the N8000. The only feature that I miss from the N8000 is the wind lever instead of gear, the rest of the playing field belongs to the sleeker, more modern and compact N9000. The best camera is the one you have with you, remember?

In use

Load film. Wind to 1. Set aperture. Point. Shoot. That's it. When you get to the end, hit the rewind button and crank that knob. Live life and be happy. They have a rather complicated set of recommendations for ideal positioning of foreground/mid/background elements, but in use I found that they correlate pretty neatly into my shooting style anyway so I just base a shot on instinct and click away. Just frame the subject either medium shot (waist up) to long shot (full figure) and try to compose stuff into the foreground and background for perfect harmony. Even when the rules are totally broken I still notice a 3D effect (works better for objects closer rather than further). When it gets even a little big (very, very little bit) dark - use flash. Theoretically, any type of flash should work, but my Canon 600EX-RT wouldn't trigger because the firing pin is a fraction of an inch off. Go figure. Had to MacGuyver a workaround with a coiled hot shoe extension to make it click. Even then, the flash wouldn't fire every 3-4 frames, killing the shots. Also, some films with a softer base (looking at you, Fuji Superia) tend to be torn at the sprockets when advancing the frame, renderings the entire roll useless. Reason for that is that there is only one film advance cog in the top of the body and winding pressure is applied unfavorably to the top sprocket holes only. Be very, very gently, or bye-bye roll.

Image processing

After taking the shots, what's next? Everybody has different procedures from here on out but the general goal is to develop the film, get scans and then combine those scans into an animated GIF. If I'm shooting B&W, I develop in my trusty D-76 concoction and after drying, proceed to scan on the Epson V800. Negs are converted in ColorNeg and the final images assembled in Photoshop. Obviously, there are lots of other substeps involved in each respective step, but they are outside the scope of this review. A bit later I am planning to write about my experience with developing your own film, scanning film and using ColorNeg and Lightroom/Photoshop to get the most out of your film shots, but for right now PM me if you would like advice/tips/tricks. Last step is to export an animated GIF or an MP4 video if you're planning on uploading to Instagram. Sounds like a whole lot of steps, huh? No fear, after doing this a couple of times it becomes second nature and many processes can be automated with Actions in photoshop.

Conclussions

So why do it all? Funny thing, I almost filmed a mock camera review where I smash the camera into moon dust against a brick wall. That's how frustrating it sometimes gets with all these inconsistencies and deficiencies in build quality. Would I bring something like this to an even remotely professional shooting environment? Absolutely not. The only camera capable of pulling that off is the Nimslo. Forget anything with a Nishika badge on it. But, if you are looking for a novel (and cheap) way of taking pictures and impressing friends, family and followers, as well as having the technical chops necessary to use film and assemble the GIFs, it's hard to beat the Nishika. The resulting images are what make all of the hassles worth it. It's like I sometimes describe the allure of film in general to people. Film is grainy, soft, full of imperfections and lacks the punch and pizzazz of digital. But oddly enough, that's exactly the way most of our memories work. Warm, somewhat vague,fuzzy. The Nishika just takes it to a new level by introducing depth. It's like a good old memory, animated.

Sample pics

#nishika #film photography #n9000 #n8000 #camera review #analog #black and white #bw #gif #ilford #hp5 plus #film #35mm #half frame #3d photo #stereo photo #kodak #tri-x #animated memories

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theonyxpath · 6 years

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This week we present Leath Sheales’ Unity, the opening fiction to Trinity Continuum: Æon, currently available for preorder via BackerKit.

The room beyond the open door was minimalist, but spoke volumes about Nippon. The desk to the left appeared to be molded from a single piece of unknown material. Its writing surface washed gently with images of waves against the shores of the Home Islands. To the right was a couch and two single lounges, all arranged around a low coffee table that appeared to be a younger sibling of the desk. Both the desk and the lounge setting were arranged facing each other, with the entrance on one side and window on the other. The man who inhabited the office could easily turn his head to see the UN building’s inspiring view of Olympus and upwards to the sky where Earth glittered like a multi-hued jewel. He could stare straight ahead, ordering the wall to transform into a single massive vidscreen to show whatever he wanted. Or he could see who was entering his sanctum. As he was doing now.

Amina, rather than entering, was staring at his personal assistant who was standing beside the doorway, gesturing her through. She studied the assistant’s face carefully, leaning in close for detail. The assistant stared back at Amina with a pleasantly neutral expression. She took no offence at the scrutiny; part of her purpose was to invite it. The man in the office also took no offence, but did shift slightly with impatience. Amina saw this from the corner of her eye and took the hint. She walked through the doorway, moving to the lounges; the man gestured for her to do so and stood from his desk to join her.

“Nakamura-san, my name is Amina Buhari,” she introduced herself as they both sat. Her voice was smooth, her expression and body language indicating appreciation but not subservience. This was a meeting of equals, and Nakamura was slightly taken aback, though he quickly covered his surprise. “May I compliment you on the quality of your servant,” she said, steering the conversation into compliments and pleasantries, aiming to settle Nakamura but also keep him off balance at the shifting conversation. “I’ve rarely seen a robot so lifelike, especially the skin texture. The artificial pores and fine hairs are incredible.”

“Thank you, Ms Buhari,” Nakamura replied, unsure exactly what was the purpose of their meeting. He stopped after this short sentence, letting the quiet of the office envelope them, aiming to take control of the conversation by forcing her to fill the silence. Amina smiled, undeterred, as she prepared to completely unbalance him. “I’m from Æon, and I’m here to help.”

• • •

Yamashita Sachi threw herself around the corridor’s corner so quickly that she tracked wide and bounced off the opposite wall. The collision twisted her balance, forcing her to make several quick shuffling steps to keep from falling over. Her shoulder ached from the impact. Sachi grinned at the thudding pain down her arm and the increasing burning from her lungs. Pain meant life. She was still alive, despite the seemingly endless run of bad luck she’d experienced on this job.

Catching her balance had slowed her momentum. She didn’t have time to rest — the clock ticked onwards despite her success or failure — so she turned the scrabbling steps into purposeful bounds, driving her legs like pistons against the cold metal floor, forcing herself onwards.

Sachi had a small but powerful build. The combination of dense muscle and short limbs gave her natural leverage that she used mercilessly whenever opponents underestimated her. It also meant that she had to push twice as hard to outpace larger, leaner opponents.

Though she was physically fit — beyond fit — she panted as she ran. Her fitness came from growing up in the officially unpopulated sections of the Nippon arcology. She did what was needed to survive and avoided the authorities when they deigned to acknowledge these areas of the city existed at all. Her natural aptitude was greatly magnified after she escaped Nippon and was found by the Vitakinetic Order. The Prometheus Chamber transformed gifted human into perfection.

The shoulder ache persisted, which told her she’d incurred a heavier injury than simple bruising. It would have been a moment’s effort to know exactly how she was damaged, and probably not much more to repair it, but she didn’t want to waste the time. Even before her training she would never bow to pain, refused to let it be her master.

She found the location she was searching for deep within the abandoned sections of Nippon. With her senses pushed beyond normal human limits, her keen eyes picked up traces of booted feet on the floor. She smelled faint traces of antiseptic chemicals and human sweat. The corridor ended in a hatchway guarded by a crablike, many-armed drone.

Sachi increased her speed and tackled the robot, using her momentum to tumble both and forcing a moment of confusion too difficult for the machine’s mind to calculate. Her right arm kept her body tight to the robot while her left grabbed a retractable cable protruding from the pocket on her thigh. She worked to shove the plug into the bot’s hardware I/O port before it worked out enough to send a wireless distress call. She’d been trained in physical guerrilla hacking by some of the best Nipponese outcasts food could bribe, and had practiced the art more times than anyone should. The crab kicked out, trying to regain control, knocking her hand out of the way, but she twisted and brought it down again, altering her grip and position to avoid being crushed under its chassis. She snagged the plug into the socket on the third try and slapped at the minicomputer in her pocket. The scramble code was uploaded in microseconds and the maintenance drone twitched and scrabbled in pathetic machine distress as its brain dumped into an endless loop executing meaningless commands.

Sachi lay on the ground for a moment longer, allowing herself to breathe and smile at her success. Celebration was short-lived; time was wasting and she heard the staccato march of reinforcements. Either the drone had managed a distress call or she hadn’t lost her earlier pursuers as she’d thought. She rolled into a seating position and grabbed a miniature pry-bar from another pocket. The bar made short work of the door’s access panel and she had the minicomp’s cable into the port before the panel clattered to the floor.

• • •

Amina waited patiently while the robotic assistant served tea. Nakamura wore an expression of forced calm, though flashes of extreme worry and anger crept through. Though she didn’t make a show of it, Amina watched every micro-expression carefully. She was developing an understanding of the man, even in the silence.

Finally, the servant finished pouring and left, closing the door behind her. Nakamura couldn’t completely mask the slight tremble as he took a sip from his cup.

“As I said, Ms Buhari, I have no need of your assistance,” he said. She heard the lie, and even the hint of desperation in his voice. He wanted her help, but he needed to be persuaded.

“Let us speak frankly, Mr Nakamura,” she said, her voice confident and reassuring, “We know that your daughter, Yuna, was kidnapped while vacationing in Makaro-Shima. We know that the kidnappers told you not to contact anyone, and we know they forced you to use your position to pass hardtech designs to them.” She paused and sipped at her tea.

Nakamura appeared dumbstruck, all stoicism and pretense of ignorance gone. “But,” he said, “How?”

Amina shook her head slightly. “The how isn’t important, Mr Nakamura. What is important is that we also know that the kidnappers haven’t honored their end of the deal, and have demanded more.” Tears welled up in the man’s eyes and he lowered his head, avoiding her gaze. Amina’s expression showed sympathy and understanding. “I believe they’ve sent one of her hands as proof of their seriousness, yes?” She pushed at his emotional triggers. “That can be reattached, of course,” she said. Nakamura looked up into her eyes, elements of anger mixed with his grief. “I understand your nation distrusts psions,” she continued, “But Nipponese medicine is quite advanced. I assume your doctors have preserved it? If not, you also have other options that are remarkably life like.” Amina kept watching Nakamura; his eyes strayed to the door where the robotic servant had retreated. “As I said, Æon wants to help. We will find your daughter, and return her to safety.”

A tiny signal of hope penetrated the cocktail of confusing emotions Nakamura struggled to keep under control. “What do you need from me?” he asked. Amina smiled and nodded her head encouragingly. Everything about her said that they were partners in this, and that she and Nakamura had bridged the distrust for the greater good.

“First, tell me everything you can about the people who took Yuna.”

• • •

Jack cast a critical eye over the room. This work was normally Sarah’s job, but she had tasks elsewhere. Obtaining the information they needed had fallen to Jack, and he was doing what he did best — improvising.

He looked at the man hooded and bound to the old-fashioned chair in the center of the basement room, and to the semi-circle of holodisplays a few feet beyond. Jack kept the room dimly lit for his own benefit. His captive wore a blindfold that looked like a pair of antique aviator goggles. The biotech kept a firm seal around the eyes, to keep moisture out while wicking away tears that could lead to condensation on the inner lens. Though originally made to help neutrals visualize the myriad energy wavelengths that suffused the world, they had another setting that Jack was using now. Complete blackout. Not even a stray photon could pierce the biotech/skin bond until Jack allowed it. When possible, Jack preferred to work in darkness. Bright lights just added a jumble of chaotic wavelengths that he had to filter out and ignore.

Jack moved around the room, adjusting the position and angles of several screens once more. He went back to the man, pivoting left and right to check that the screens were precisely where he wanted them. Finally, Jack nodded his head, satisfied.

With the tiniest flicker of concentration, Jack tapped into the ever-present wireless signals and checked the time. He sighed. He needed the man to be awake for this. For a moment, Jack toyed with the idea of sparking tiny pulses into his amygdala to increase the chance of provoking weird, terrifying dreamscapes. He decided against it. He wasn’t a torturer, although the man didn’t need to know that.

The man jerked awake, moving his head in blind confusion and unconsciously testing his bonds before he even realized he was restrained. He tried to yell his distress but only muffled grunts made it past the gag across his mouth. More biotech. Almost complete silence, and it monitored the captive’s vitals to ensure they received enough oxygen.

“Hey, Mr Williams, good morning,” Jack said, though it was just past 8 in the evening. Jack wanted to increase the man’s confusion, the worry at what had happened in the lost hours would help cut his resistance. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to show you images, ask some questions, and you’re going to do your best to answer them.” More muffled attempts at speech. “No need to talk,” Jack continued.

He stood close to Williams and placed his hand on the man’s head. Williams tried to shake Jack’s hand away, but his bonds held tight. Jack pursed his lips and frowned in concentration. “That’s it,” he murmured, “Just relax and this won’t hurt a bit.” Crawling sparks played across Jack’s hand, jumping excitedly to Williams’ scalp. Williams’ hair stood from his head as it charged with static electricity.

Jack shifted his fingers and narrowed his eyes as he psionically pushed. He felt some resistance — unexpected, intriguing — and shoved. Williams grunted against the sudden alien feeling.

“Fighting makes it worse,” Jack murmured. He gestured to the surrounding screens with his free hand and several flared to life. Garbled, static-filled signals filled them. They may have been people or places, but were too broken to tell. Jack saved them anyway for later analysis.

Jack tapped the biotech lenses, commanded them to project images. “Now,” he said, “Recognize that place?” Williams saw a picture of his home, and several of the screens flared in recognition. Neural networks fired tiny electrical fireworks, racing across the brain. Jack’s fingers picked up the faint pulses. He couldn’t understand them — he wasn’t a telepath — but he could translate mental impulse into electronic signal through his psi. Jack noted the positive response and adjusted his fingers for a clearer signal. “How about this?” The image changed to Williams’ wife and children. Another positive, with more of the peripheral screens flashing with what Jack recognized as stress. “Good. Cooperate, and they’ll be fine. If not,” the images vanished from the lenses. More stress response.

“You and your associates like to kidnap people for money.” Jack fed images through the lenses, too fast for Williams’ conscious mind to register them all, but his subconscious surged with a mix of signals. He recognized some, but not all. “One of those people was a young woman from Makaro-Shima.” Another image and recognition response.

“I want to know where she is,” Jack said. The lenses rapid-flashed images of different cities. Jack watched for positive responses and honed in on suburbs and locales.

Williams struggled, trying to avoid giving away what he knew. The biotech lenses revealed Williams had closed his eyes. Jack curled his fingers and held Williams’ hair uncomfortably tight. He resisted the urge to hurt the man. Though Jack hated Williams for what he did, kidnapping was as close as Jack would come to emulating him.

“I’m not in the mood for games, Williams,” Jack hissed into his ear. With his free hand, he touched the lenses and surged a pulse through them. Williams’ eyelids spasmed open and stayed that way. Painless, and temporary, but terrifying to someone whose knowledge of psions came from sensationalized OpNet dramas. “You’ve lost your blinking privileges,” Jack whispered menacingly, “When your eyes dry out they’ll itch so much you’ll want to claw them from your sockets. Eventually, they’ll shrivel and die from lack of moisture. If you’re very, very good, I’ll let you have eye-drops when we’re done.”

Jack touched Williams’ stomach and another pulse triggered intestinal contractions; Williams barely managed to stop from soiling himself. “If you’re not good, you’re really not going to enjoy the rest of your short life.”

“Now, let’s continue with location.”

• • •

“What did they want, Mr Nakamura?” Amina asked, “What was so important that they kidnapped your daughter to force your compliance?”

Nakamura looked increasingly wretched. His façade of control had crumbled. He shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. A lie, and one that Amina spotted easily.

“We often know more than we think,” she said, not directly calling him on his deception, but pushing him nonetheless. “When you accessed the files, you must have seen something. Some clue, however small, of what they took.”

“Maybe,” he said, “Maybe it involved medical research, a device that worked at the cellular level, some kind of genetic induction therapy?”

Amina nodded, “That’s good, Mr Nakamura, thank you.” She knew there was more information to be had, but she was patient. As upset as Nakamura was, he wasn’t a stupid man. He knew more than he was willing to say. Amina had time to work on him, to painstakingly draw the details out until she had the full picture.

• • •

Olivia stood at the computer terminal, mentally ticking through the instructions Sachi had provided, to access the command structures and take the corrupted files she’d provided. Olivia had a basic knowledge of hardtech operating systems but she lacked Sachi’s expertise. The display changed as Sachi had said it would and Olivia slotted the storage device into its socket. Though she faced the terminal, she wasn’t looking at it. Her head was cocked slightly to one side and her eyes were glazed with a faraway look. She straightened and backed away from the terminal.

A security guard opens the door, considering the control room. He thinks he heard something, and as far as he was aware, no one was scheduled to be working in here now. He can see most of the room from the doorway, and he can see one of the displays is active, running activity. He scans to the left of the room first, leaving his right side exposed.

Olivia pounced from the guard’s blind spot, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the room in a spinning motion designed to keep him off balance. As he stumbled she hooked her leg behind his and pushed his chest, sending him crashing to the floor. She quickly turned and shut the door to muffle any noise that could warn others.

The guard lands heavily, still unsure what was happening. Scrambling backwards, he grabs at the holstered pistol on his hip, drawing it and shooting at his unknown assailant’s back.

Olivia stepped to the right and ducked, as the laser’s beam burned a small, circular hole into the door. She dropped her left knee and rolled back in the opposite direction. The rapid changes were quicker than the still-shocked guard could track. He burned two more holes in the walls before Olivia was on top of him, striking quickly at his throat. He dropped the gun and gasped for air as she slid around behind him, locking him in a choke hold and pushing his head forward with her body to increase the pressure. He fell unconscious within moments.

Four minutes and 38 seconds after the scuffle, a routine patrol discovers an unconscious body on the floor of the control room. The guards quickly place the facility on alert and corner the intruder. She’s injured, but captured alive. Eventually she breaks under interrogation and reveals what she knows. By the time anyone comes looking, the illegal aspects of the operation have moved to a different location.

The terminal chimed in completion as the files finished installing themselves. Olivia grabbed the storage device and tucked it back into her pocket. She frowned and concentrated, sifting through the myriad potential futures, searching for the best outcome.

In four minutes and 38 seconds, a two-person patrol checks the control room. They miss the young woman who left the room minutes before, struggling to carry an unconscious guard in a fireman’s lift. They continue their patrol. Though they give the nearby washroom a cursory glance, they don’t think to check the cubicle farthest from the door where the woman holds the unconscious guard propped up on the toilet. They close the door and continue their circuit. The woman cuffs the guard with his own equipment and makes an impromptu gag from the torn sleeve of his shirt. When he is found an hour later, the woman has already escaped the building using the ceiling crawl space. The changes to the computer system aren’t discovered until it is far too late.

Olivia sighed and grabbed the guard’s arm, hoisting him up and lowering her shoulder to carry his heavy form. It was time to leave.

• • •

Amina took a minicomp from her bag and gestured to the wall. “May I?” she asked politely. Nakamura nodded and her Agent connected to the display. She sent several images across, some showing an illicit hardtech production facility, others showing a young woman missing her right hand being helped into an ambulance to be taken for medical treatment.

“I don’t understand,” Nakamura said, tears welling in his eyes.

Amina brought up other photographs. “We believe you do, Mr Nakamura. These show you meeting with the people who ‘stole’ your data. They were your business partners, were they not?” Nakamura shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He called for his assistant via cybernetic implant and was dismayed that she didn’t respond.

“The Nippon police picked up on your scheme and started hunting for you, didn’t they, Mr Nakamua?” Amina continued. “You got cold feet, but your partners weren’t willing to let you back out of the deal. They took Yuna, but it wasn’t enough. How many body parts were you willing to let them take before you’d admit your fault and seek help?”

Amina stood as the door opened and UN police entered, arresting Nakamura for his part in the criminal conspiracy. His expression turned from shock to fury.

“You witch,” he spat, “You read my mind, implanted information.” He snarled, “Illegal search, nothing will stand up in court.”

“I’m not a psion, Mr Nakamura,” Amina said with a sigh, “Not even a hint of latency. I took the test three times, to be sure. I’m as baseline as you, but I have been told I have a trustworthy face.”

• • •

“Come on, come on,” Sachi muttered as the door resisted her hacking. The door had its own minor Satisfactory Intelligence that didn’t want outsiders getting in — or insiders escaping. The SI’s firewall and countermeasures pushed back hard. Sachi pumped everything she had at the command systems, peeling back layers of control code, smashing the sides of peripheral awareness subroutines, searching for some way in.

Frustrated, she grabbed her pry-bar again and wedged it into the side of the door. She pushed hard, leveraging her entire body against it. She knew whatever additional security Nippon was going to throw at her would arrive soon. Metal screeched in protest and the door budged a fraction.

Sachi released the tension, took a breath, and flooded psi throughout her body. Bone density and muscle mass grew in seconds. Her skin rippled and bulged with the sudden increase. The fabric of her smart clothing resisted for a moment before relaxing fibers to meet new requirements.

She grabbed the pry bar and pushed again, this time her efforts reinforced by the sub quantum universe. The door moved further, opening a small gap between hatch and frame. The pry bar snapped. Sachi dropped the useless metal and drove both her hands into the gap, grinding her teeth together and pushing herself beyond her known limits.

The first droid rounded the corner. It was an old police interface model and looked mostly human, except for the perfect neutrality of its facial expression and the cold, dead eyes that saw Sachi. The lighter unit was slightly faster than bulkier models, and it blocked the path of the two clearance-and-destruction units that tried to round the corner behind it. Its original programming could barely have taken this situation into account, and the modifications made by the criminals who acquired it had slowed its processes. It sought additional instructions and that bought Sachi a few valuable seconds.

The door finally gave, snapping open and surprising Sachi. Her additional force threw it open so hard that it slammed back against the wall, denting it and twisting its hinges.

Sachi ducked inside and saw the combination hospital/laboratory/prison beyond. Dozens of malnourished, mistreated people lay strapped on wheeled beds. Some were barely conscious from whatever drugs the IV lines attached to the beds flooded into them. Others were barely alive, having been repeatedly subjected to hideous experiments. Two android nurses patrolled the room, ensuring none of the test subjects died before every scrap of data had been gleaned. Every victim wore a psi-inhibiting collar, keeping them from using their abilities except as their captors demanded.

Rather than immediately rushing to help the victims, Sachi scanned the room carefully, trying to ignore the noise of the security robots as they reached the twisted doorway with lethal intent.

I’m here, do you have what you need? She shouted silently with her thoughts.

Incoming, Sarah’s reply echoed inside Sachi’s head.

With a sharp buzz, a glowing circle flared to life to her left, and through it another room became visible. Five people hurried through it. Sachi felt Sarah’s mental link take hold and her brain processed the room from multiple angles, mingling her sensory input with the rest of her team.

As soon as the team arrived, Sachi ignored everything else and rushed to the teleporter. Rahmat knew what she wanted through the psionic link and held his hands outstretched to take hers. Their subquantum signatures mingled as the two psions combined their powers. To the Vitakinetic, each living template was distinct. To the teleporter, all space was one. Sachi pushed her healing though Rahmat and out into each victim at once. The effort was immensely draining, compounded by the reserves Sachi had spent opening the door. She slumped as her power faded, satisfied at the increased strength of life she could now feel within the room. Rahmat still held her hands — he needed the continued strength and sense of life — and steeled himself as he prepared to teleport everyone out and to safety.

The robots tried to react to the new situation but Jack worked faster. Lightning exploded from his hands, forking and jumping from robot to robot, overheating and melting their circuits. The lighter units simply stopped, their servos locked up. Instant emulated rigor mortis. The combat models seized for a moment, but they were built to withstand such attacks and their artificial brains kicked in redundant pathways while they rebooted primary function. These backup functions couldn’t keep Olivia at bay as she pressed the attack with pistol and taser in hand, not waiting to see the outcome of Jack’s assault. She already knew.

Standing back from the violence, Amina reached out and took the hand of the nearest ‘patient’.

“Who are you?” he asked, feeling stronger than he had in weeks. The air shimmered as Rahmat phased everyone out of the physical universe and translated them into subquantum particles.

“We’re from Æon,” Amina said as the room faded from view, “We’re here to help.”

Trinity Continuum: Æon and the Trinity Continuum core rules are currently available for preorder via BackerKit.

#Onyx Path Publishing

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jerseyisforlovers · 7 years

Text

Holiday House Tour 2017

I don’t know why I’m always compelled to start these holiday house tour posts by type-shouting “SMILING’S MY FAVORITE” but there I’ve already gone and done it. ‘Tis the season. Moving on. Here’s how we decked our proverbial halls for Christmas this year. As you may have heard in last week’s podcast, we’re continuing last year’s mission to simplify our holiday decorations. We still want our home to feel festive, but in a way that doesn’t feel too crowded and overwhelming (or take too crazy long to set up and take down). So the living room is pretty much just all about the tree and the mantle.

sofa / side tables / chairs / round marble table / blinds / ottoman / similar lamps & TV table

The tree is an artificial one that we’ve had for over five years. It has some of the most realistic looking branches we’ve laid eyes on when it comes to fake trees, but at this point most of its original light strands are burnt out (we had a good run!) and last year we gave up trying to fix them (Sherry spent 30 minutes hunting down the wrong bulb only to replace it and watch the entire strand blow out again ten minutes later). So at this point it’s mostly lit with these strands from Target.

It took a few tests to find lights that matched the warm-ish color temperature of the original bulbs (all the LED versions were too blue looking) so we’ve hoarded a few extra boxes for down the road. The ornaments are all a mish-mash of sentimental and homemade items we’ve collected over the years and I think this year was the most fun the kids have had helping us decorate it. Maybe because they’re finally both old enough that Sherry and I are shouting “BE CAREFUL!” and “DON’T TOUCH THAT ONE, IT CAN BREAK!” less and less throughout the process.

Christmas tree / similar rug / similar tree skirts / similar stocking / garland / similar mirror

Our typically colorful fireplace (which you can see in last year’s holiday house tour) is more subdued this year, thanks to Sherry’s greenery kick and this faux magnolia garland she bought a few months ago. She noticed it looked a little dark up there at first, so she added some ceramic white houses we’ve had for a few years (these are similar – ours are actually ornaments with the hangers cut off) and some battery operated fairy lights to bring some lightness to the mantle.

faux magnolia garland / similar stockings / battery powered lights / similar ceramic houses / similar mirror

We did pepper in some nods to the season on the living room bookcases too, but they’re easy to miss at first glance. I actually didn’t notice the mouse until I uploaded this photo (which I took!). Let’s play a little game of Where’s Waldo (Waldo the mouse, not that guy in the striped shirt).

Those small figurines are hand-me-downs from Sherry’s mom and it takes everything in Sherry’s power to not keep them out all year (miniatures are her true weakness in life). The holiday “terrarium” is a DIY project from a few years ago and we picked up the pink wooden trees at the gift shop of our local botanical garden last year during an office Christmas party (not our office – that would just be weird – it was for the ad agency where I consult).

pink trees / gold frame / holiday shadow box / our book ;)

The kitchen is also showing some holiday restraint this year. We’re using the area under the floating shelves to house the wooden house advent calendar Sherry picked up from the Magnolia collection at Target. I’ll be honest that we were a little perplexed as to how to actually use it as an advent calendar. Do you pull the “block of the day” out front as you count down? Move a little bow from house to house as you go? We decided just to turn them all around to hide the numbers and flip them to reveal each one as we go.

advent calendar / paper flowers / green candle / gold frame / shelf brackets

Hilariously enough, the description on the Target website doesn’t even seem to acknowledge that it’s an advent calendar – and weirdly suggests gluing them into their storage box (???). Guess there are lots of ways to use this thing.

Sherry did pepper some ornaments and greenery elsewhere in the kitchen, though. And yes, we’ve officially jumped on the letterboard bandwagon thanks to our friend Mandi at Vintage Revivals who surprised us with this one. You can get them on Amazon or on her site (where there’s a buy-2-get-1-free deal with the code FREEGIFT). We’ve been planning to take it the beach house, but decided we’d have some fun with it here first. Home Alone anyone?

letterboard / similar cutting board / blinds / page-a-day calendar

The K.I.S.S. greenery theme continues in the foyer (that stands for “keep it simple stupid” and not the face painted heavy metal band who famously flaunt their tongues). It doesn’t take much to get that wintery feeling in here, since the white-on-white stuff with all those layered textures already feels pretty cozy, so Sherry just added an evergreen branch and a white feather tree. I’m happy to report that this vignette can last us well through winter, so don’t be surprised if you still see it hanging around in March.

similar baskets / similar acrylic table / similar white feather tree / large glass vase / similar mirror

We also referenced Sherry’s hoard of bottle brush trees in last week’s podcast and this year she decided to cluster them in the office since they’re so colorful. It works well because that room is pretty busy (both visually and literally) so they fit right in.

similar bottle brush trees // round mirror / parsons desk / bookcase

Nothing really happens upstairs except for a few mini trees. My personal favorite is the one that sits in the bonus room, because it glows from down the hall and we can see it from outside in the driveway too. This is a photo from last year (forgive me) but it looks pretty much exactly the same this year. We boxed everything up together when we packed it away last year (the tree, its ornaments, and even the extension cord) so setting it up was easy and fast.

similar rug / vintage rocker / similar tree / sofa / globe

This is another photo from last year (gasp!) but again, it’s nearly identical this season. It’s our daughter’s artificial tree that we added several years ago when she was old enough to handle the “responsibility” of her own little tree (aka: don’t pull ornaments off and put them in your mouth or attempt to hang them on the dog). The tree came with its own little plastic pot at the base, but Sherry likes to slide it into one of her woven baskets (that she painted) which looks extra cheerful.

similar lidded basket / similar tree / quote art / door color: BM Cinco De Mayo

What’s new this year is our son’s tree, since he can finally be trusted with one of his own. He picked out this green tinsel tree himself ($8? sold!) because, well, he’s three and it was just about the coolest thing he’d ever seen. Scratch that – it was the coolest thing he’d ever seen once we added a string of colored LED lights to it. Each year we let the kids pick out some new soft ornaments for the shared tree in the bonus room, but we let him sneak his favorite one (this knitted wreath, which he lovingly calls his “Christmas Donut”) onto his tree, along with some shatterproof balls.

dragon & gorilla baskets / similar woven baskets / similar rug / tree / lights / bookcase

I’ll admit it makes me feel a little Scrooge-y to keep talking about pulling back on our holiday decor, but as Sherry said in the podcast: we’re really just trying to focus on the decorations that make us all the happiest, and cut out the parts that seem more labor than love. Everyone loved putting up ornaments this year, so we focused on the trees. Sherry’s favorite pun of her entire life is “boots with the fir” – so those fir-stuffed boots landed on the porch with glee. And she loves going wreath making with the girls, so she made this hilariously giant one this year (which you probably saw on Instagram).

similar wreath / red boots / welcome mat / fake trees in those black pots (yes they’re fake!) / door color: BM Blue Lake

And, well, I love my shed. So while Sherry was off wrestling half of planet earth’s magnolia leaves onto a single wreath, I picked up a few strands of colorful LEDs and some roof clips to bring some cheer to my little home away from home. I’m not brave enough to attempt this on our real roof, but I thought this would be a fun way to dress up the backyard without being 30′ from the ground.

Plus, the kids are super into rainbow lights this year, so it felt like the perfect place to deviate from the all-white lights that live in the front yard. Methinks it might need some more though. Maybe next year!

Actually, the main thing on our list for next year is an artificial tree for the beach house. We don’t think we’re going to be there enough this season to really make it worth it, but you can bet your britches I’m gonna be hunting down a discounted artificial tree on the 26th to have there next year! Maybe even an extra tall one since we have 9′ ceilings downstairs in there.

And for good measure, let’s wrap this post up with a little “Get The Look” mood board that Sherry put together. It’s not a comprehensive list since so many of our decorations are a few years old, but we did our best to find comparable items and to link to the exact things we have & love whenever we could (like the magnolia garland, a few of our ornaments, our new advent calendar, and yes, that’s our exact tree in the middle).

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18

Happy holidays everyone!

Psst- Want more holiday posts and ideas? Here are a bunch of holiday & entertaining posts from years past.

*This post contains affiliate links*

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gitsygiddy · 7 years

Text

Holiday House Tour 2017

sofa / side tables / chairs / round marble table / blinds / ottoman / similar lamps & TV table

Christmas tree / similar rug / similar tree skirts / similar stocking / garland / similar mirror

faux magnolia garland / similar stockings / battery powered lights / similar ceramic houses / similar mirror

pink trees / gold frame / holiday shadow box / our book ;)

advent calendar / paper flowers / green candle / gold frame / shelf brackets

letterboard / similar cutting board / blinds / page-a-day calendar

similar baskets / similar acrylic table / similar white feather tree / large glass vase / similar mirror

similar bottle brush trees // round mirror / parsons desk / bookcase

similar rug / vintage rocker / similar tree / sofa / globe

similar lidded basket / similar tree / quote art / door color: BM Cinco De Mayo

dragon & gorilla baskets / similar woven baskets / similar rug / tree / lights / bookcase

similar wreath / red boots / welcome mat / fake trees in those black pots (yes they’re fake!) / door color: BM Blue Lake

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18

Happy holidays everyone!

Psst- Want more holiday posts and ideas? Here are a bunch of holiday & entertaining posts from years past.

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post Holiday House Tour 2017 appeared first on Young House Love.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8265713 http://ift.tt/2Aw8hqr via IFTTT

#IFTTT #RSSMix.com Mix ID 8265713

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jgomez10x · 7 years

Text

Holiday House Tour 2017

sofa / side tables / chairs / round marble table / blinds / ottoman / similar lamps & TV table

Christmas tree / similar rug / similar tree skirts / similar stocking / garland / similar mirror

faux magnolia garland / similar stockings / battery powered lights / similar ceramic houses / similar mirror

pink trees / gold frame / holiday shadow box / our book ;)

advent calendar / paper flowers / green candle / gold frame / shelf brackets

letterboard / similar cutting board / blinds / page-a-day calendar

similar baskets / similar acrylic table / similar white feather tree / large glass vase / similar mirror

similar bottle brush trees // round mirror / parsons desk / bookcase

similar rug / vintage rocker / similar tree / sofa / globe

similar lidded basket / similar tree / quote art / door color: BM Cinco De Mayo

dragon & gorilla baskets / similar woven baskets / similar rug / tree / lights / bookcase

similar wreath / red boots / welcome mat / fake trees in those black pots (yes they’re fake!) / door color: BM Blue Lake

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18

Happy holidays everyone!

Psst- Want more holiday posts and ideas? Here are a bunch of holiday & entertaining posts from years past.

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post Holiday House Tour 2017 appeared first on Young House Love.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8265713 http://ift.tt/2Aw8hqr via IFTTT

#IFTTT #RSSMix.com Mix ID 8265713

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jennarocca · 7 years

Text

Holiday House Tour 2017

sofa / side tables / chairs / round marble table / blinds / ottoman / similar lamps & TV table

Christmas tree / similar rug / similar tree skirts / similar stocking / garland / similar mirror

faux magnolia garland / similar stockings / battery powered lights / similar ceramic houses / similar mirror

pink trees / gold frame / holiday shadow box / our book ;)

advent calendar / paper flowers / green candle / gold frame / shelf brackets

letterboard / similar cutting board / blinds / page-a-day calendar

similar baskets / similar acrylic table / similar white feather tree / large glass vase / similar mirror

similar bottle brush trees // round mirror / parsons desk / bookcase

similar rug / vintage rocker / similar tree / sofa / globe

similar lidded basket / similar tree / quote art / door color: BM Cinco De Mayo

dragon & gorilla baskets / similar woven baskets / similar rug / tree / lights / bookcase

similar wreath / red boots / welcome mat / fake trees in those black pots (yes they’re fake!) / door color: BM Blue Lake

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18

Happy holidays everyone!

Psst- Want more holiday posts and ideas? Here are a bunch of holiday & entertaining posts from years past.

*This post contains affiliate links*

The post Holiday House Tour 2017 appeared first on Young House Love.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8265713 http://ift.tt/2Aw8hqr via IFTTT

#IFTTT #RSSMix.com Mix ID 8265713

0 notes