#i was like you don’t understand i’ve been waiting for something like dis for forever

[yvmoveon]

.

[obessedwithfictionalmen]

Never felt so...

John Egan X Reader

Summary: John's letter to his girlfriend...

Warning: Sad/ talk about death/ kissing./ crying/

Word count: 800 words.

Dear Y/n,

My darling I miss you so much, I’ve been in this camp for so long now, I’ve lost track of time. Recently, I’ve been thinking about my life a lot. That German officer said something that got stuck in my mind. He said that you’re going to remember the last time you’ve never felt so, and he got cut off by a gun shot. I’ve been thinking about the time I never felt so loved in my life. A moment comes to my mind, it was the night before I got shipped away. We danced together all night and the way you looked at me is still stuck in my mind. I think about it constantly. That’s the night I knew that all the love songs were about you. It’s true what they say: Distance makes you love harder. Because I love you so much. You will forever be my always. When I think about that night, I know that I’ve never felt so loved.

Yours, Bucky.

-

His cheeks were hurting from smiling this much. Dancing with her was the best thing in the hole world. She was beautiful, like art. Her laugh filled his ears, it was the best sound he ever heard. ‘’I’ll miss you so much’’ she whispered in his ear. He trapped her in a hug as they looked around the room, they were the last one, the band were the only people left in the room. ‘’Why are you whispering, darling?’’ he asked her. ‘’Because I’m afraid that if I speak too loudly, you’ll forget what I said. You tend to listen more when I whisper’’ she smiles. John smiled even more. ‘’John, like breathing, loving you is the most natural feeling I’ve ever known. You’re my person’’ she said against his lips. When their lips touched, it felt like home. Their soul found their home. John Egan never loved anyone more than he loved her, and he’d never felt so loved before.

Dear Y/n,

I just had another moment thinking about the quote from the German prick. It was when I learned that Buck ‘died’ in that moment, in that red cabin in London, I’ve never felt so low. You know what he means to me, but to learn that he went down was a punch to the stomach. We thought we were invincible, so to know that he went down was like watching the superhero lose a fight. So that’s the moment where, I’ve never felt so low. I love you my dear.

Yours, Bucky.

-

All alone in that telephone box, breathing the pain away. His brain couldn’t understand what just happened. How could Gale Cleven go down? It wasn’t real, it couldn’t be. It was a trick to get him back on the base. Buck was alive, he was going to be waiting for him at the base. His brain couldn’t function properly, John didn’t want to believe the fact that his best friend was dead. He was in pure denial, he can’t die. Bucky felt like he was being punched in the stomach, he was out of breath. All of his happy thoughts with his friend went through his mind. He couldn’t be dead, but is he was the Germans were going to regret it. He never felt so low before.

Dear Y/n,

I’m sorry that this paper is filled with tears. I’m so alone. I never felt so alone. I don’t even know if this letter will come to you. I’m currently in a German prison, I got captured and I’m alone in my cell. I’m alone. I’m going crazy, I’ve been gone for far too long, I forgot the sound of your voice. I’m crying because I’m tired, because I miss you, because my best friend is dead and I’m crying because I’m alone. I don’t know who I’m going to be when I come home, but I’m not going to be the man you knew. All alone, in this cell, I don’t know how long I can hold on, I’ll fight for you; to get back to you. But it’s so hard… I’ve never felt so alone…

-

He’d been crying for a while. The letter was in his coat pocket, he wanted to send it to her, but he didn’t know when. Looking around, he noticed the drawings on the walls. All the men that were there before him had draw on the wall, so he decided to do the same, he took out his pocketknife and started to draw on the wall. He drew two people hugging each other, he drew inside one of the people. For him, it was Y/n and him. When he finished, he looked at his art, crying again. He’d never felt so…

[luchicm04]

You will forever be my always

Masterlist

Summary: It's been months, and he's still obsessed.

Pairing: Tonowari/Omatikaya!Fem Reader

Word count: 4.7k

Overall warnings: teasing, hurt/comfort, implied character death, fluff, mourning, edging, eventual smut⚠️

All characters belong to Avatar, and all rights are reserved to me.

A/N: This is my second original fic. English is not my mother language so if I have many spelling mistakes, please let me know. Hope you liked it <3

posted on ao3

Tonowari had been heartbroken, years back, when his mate had died during childbirth. Both Ronal and her baby died at the same hour. The clan grieved the loss of their Tsahìk; Tsireya and Aonung grieved the loss of their mother; Tonowari grieved for his mate and lost baby. 

That was a long time ago, 4 years back. Tonowari’s grief came to a halt the moment he met you, the eldest Sully sibling, allowing your family to stay. 

“You there. Sully child,” he called out to you, waving you over. 

“Yes, Olo’eyktan. What is it?” 

He gestured for you to follow. You noticed the other Na’vi staring as you passed by. He led you inside the chieftain’s marui. There, he shut the door-like fabric and sighed. 

“Come here.” 

“Is there something wrong?” you asked. 

Not saying anything else, the Olo’eyktan closed the distance between you two. A pair of strong arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you close. Before you could speak, your lips were captured by the chief’s. 

You stood there for a moment until you snapped out of it and moved away from him. “W-what are you doing?!” 

He didn’t move, his arms still wrapped around your waist as he pulled you closer to him. He finally spoke. His tone was harsh, but not mean. More pleading than anything else. 

“Give me a chance.” 

“What do you mean? A chance...?” you questioned, bewildered and still shocked from what had happened before. 

Tonowari let one of his arms slide. The hand he had on your waist was slowly placed around your back, pulling you even closer to him before his hand started to move upward. Instinctively, your eyes closed halfway and went to look at the floor, blushing. 

“A chance at happiness. Let me make you happy.” 

“But... I don’t understand, you...” 

He stopped his hand from continuing the path it was making and sighed, trying to keep himself composed, hoping for your cooperation. Hoping for your understanding. With another movement, both his hands went to your waist again, holding you firmly. 

“Look at me, please.” 

You looked up at him hesitantly. His eyes held a lot of feelings you couldn’t decipher. 

Tonowari’s hands tightened around your waist a little bit more. A hand lifted itself to your chin, raising your head as he stared straight in your eyes. 

“Let me love you. I’ve waited and searched far and wide for someone like you. Someone who understands the grief of losing their partner, of losing someone precious to their life. I see that person in you.” 

You stared at him in surprise. “How did you know...?” 

He smiled at your confusion. It was obvious he was getting through to you. He finally spoke again, still gripping your chin to keep you looking at him. 

“A person’s eyes speak volumes. There is so much pain in yours, and I know how you feel. The only way to make it better is to allow someone to ease it for you.” 

“Tonowari, I... I don’t know if I’m ready for that,” you whispered, half scared and half anxious. 

His grip on your chin tightened. He leaned closer to you, until only mere inches separated your bodies. His hands slowly started to wander to your hips. 

“Let me make you ready.” 

You gazed at him. His gorgeous ocean-blue eyes, his splendid tattoos decorating his face... He was undeniable beautiful. The truth is that he caught your attention from the moment you saw him the day your family got here, but he always seemed so untouchable, so intimidating and serious. Not that it didn’t stop you from having sinful thoughts for several nights though. 

His hand moved further down from your hips and up to your back again as he continued to pull you towards him. Tonowari then let go of your chin, moving his other hand towards your neck with his thumb rubbing circles over your skin as his face moved closer to yours. Your breaths became heavier the moment your lips almost touched each other. 

“W-wait... what i-if someone sees us?” 

He chuckled, pulling you closer to his body. His hands traveled back to your hips again as he spoke. 

“Let them see. I am the Olo’eyktan. I can do what I want... and I want you.” 

“B-but... my parents, my siblings, your kids -” 

“Forget about them.” His grip tightened even more... to the point it almost felt like a pinch, though it may have just been his strength. “They’ll forget about it too once we are together. Once I make you mine for lifetimes to come.” 

You felt your heart would eventually burst out of your body with the speed it was beating. Suddenly, you could no longer think straight. The more you thought about Tonowari's words, the less you wanted to think at all. The amount of stress you had been subjected to for the last days had been crushing you. Your parents' expectations, the need to check on your brothers and sisters, the return of the sky people, the worry for spider, being forced out of your home and having to adapt to a new environment where its people did nothing to help you nor make you feel welcome. Even your past relationship, while sharing mutual affection, felt more like a duty to the people than a free choice. You no longer wanted to think about it. For once, you chose to be selfish. Tonowari was right there, declaring his feelings for you and after that simple proposal, your already dazed mind just snapped as you gave in and kissed him 

Tonowari was surprised when your lips pressed against his. Your kiss was passionate, hot, and most importantly, filled with emotion. This wasn’t just some innocent crush; this was a deep and meaningful need for each other. His hand slid up further, gripping your hair a little bit. His other hand slid back down, to your back again, as he pulled you closer, pressing you against his body. 

You couldn’t help that small moan that escaped from your mouth, but you no longer cared about being subtle. He had given his word that you would not be disturbed, and any rational thoughts you held on to had disappeared from your mind the second his skin touched yours. 

His hand moved to your side, where he scooped you up from your waist. His lips never left yours, the intense feeling of lust and love both being satisfied at the same time. His other hand slid down once more, and this time landed on your rear... holding you tightly against him. His breathing was heavy, but he didn’t care. He was ready to spend a lifetime of pleasure with you by his side. 

While this experience was extremely pleasurable to you, you were running out of air. He had no problem; he was Metkayina after all. They could hold on to their breaths for Eywa knows how long. However, despite having spent weeks in the clan, you were still learning. And the fact that this whole... everything had caught you by surprise didn’t help. Regretfully, you separated your lips from his and your breath came back in soft but hoarse gasps. 

He was breathing heavily as well, though not as much as you. His grip on your rear and back loosened slightly. He didn’t want to suffocate you. 

Tonowari stared at you with desire, his eyes flickering from your face to your body. He was about to say something when a knock was heard on the door. He growled low in his throat, annoyed at the interruption. 

You were equally upset, but the logical part of you told you that this was to be expected. He was the Olo’eyktan, the leader of the clan. If his people needed him, he should be always open to help in any way possible. After slightly regaining your composure, you moved away from him. “You should go see what they want. It could be something serious.” 

He nodded, his grip finally loosening fully. His face was flushed with adrenaline, and despite the fact that he was irritated at the interruption, he knew that you were right. He took a deep breath, walking over to the door and flapping it open. 

While he left to deal with whatever had happened, you silently just stood there. You began to feel a little uncomfortable with the passing minutes. He was standing right outside the door, but it still felt weird to be inside his home. Having nothing to do but wait, your eyes unintentionally began to wander around. You knew it was wrong to peek at his personal things, but you felt like it was okay. Sort of. After all, you both had been kissing just a little while ago. While looking around, you could see Tsireya and Aonung's separate pods. You imagined being part of the leader's family gave you such benefits. You also saw spears held in the walls, different tools and furnitures. Nevertheless, one object under a blanket caught your attention. A leather headpiece carved with a big seashell on its front. 

That headpiece was actually the symbol of the Tsahìk of a Metkayina clan. Tonowari had hidden it before you entered, as he didn't want you to see him as just a leader looking for a replacement, but as a man who loved and cared for you. 

After a few minutes, Tonowari eventually returned, shutting the door behind him. As he stepped inside, his eyes caught sight of you standing near his children's pods, staring at the headpiece in your hands. He slowly walked over to you. 

“Did this belong to the previous Tsahìk?” 

Tonowari’s eyes widened when you asked that. He didn’t expect you to recognize it as part of his clan’s tradition, and it was rarely used outside of ceremonies. 

With a nod, he replied with a soft tone. 

“Yes, it did. My mate, Ronal... she wore it during her time as Tsahìk. That is, until her death. Sadly, my children never had a chance to witness their mother rule as Tsahìk.” 

You hummed in understanding. It made sense for him to keep it. Ronal had been Tsahìk of the Metkayina and his mate for years. Still... 

Tonowari realized how you were staring at the headpiece, and how your eyes were still unmoving. He walked closer and picked it up, gently placing it on your head. A sign of him naming you the future Tsahìk. 

He spoke, his hands placing themselves on your hips. 

“If everything is alright with you, would you... come spend the night with me in my quarters? That is, if you wish to... become my life partner.” 

Although you had accepted Tonowari's previous offer, this was too much. Especially after spending time in his home. You suddenly realized how much you didn't belong in that picture. He had two children the same age as your brothers and sisters. He had had a loving mate who he still loved; you could see it the instant he looked at the headpiece. He had a life made up, and you weren't sure how you fit in it. “Tonowari, you can't just name me the Tsahìk of your clan. I'm only an outsider, and you already have Tsireya as Tsakarem. Besides, I haven't even finished my training.” 

Tonowari sighed softly, your rejection hitting hard. It hurt to see how you did not believe yourself to be a good match for him. He had thought that, perhaps, after all this time, you would grow to care for him and love him to the point where you would accept his office. He was wrong. 

He slowly removed the headpiece from your head, placing the ceremonial piece on its previous place. Then, he turned around, walking over to a bag hanging from the ceiling, opening it and rummaging around. 

You said nothing, hoping he didn’t take it very badly. In the best case, you could just forget about this and go back to your normal lives. Or maybe see each other without formalizing anything. At worst, you didn’t know what he would do. He was truly a gentle person but having power over a whole clan made him dangerous if he wanted to be. You just hoped your family wouldn’t get involved in this. Or find out at all. 

After a few minutes, Tonowari took out something. He walked over to you, holding out a necklace in his hand. It was carved from a seashell, with the same emblem as the headpiece, though this one looked like it was made for you. 

“This is a tradition I wish to begin. All Metkayina Olo’eyktans give a carved necklace to their intended. It is a sign of the beginning of a formal relationship. You have yet to answer, though. Will you be my mate for lifetimes to come?” 

You stared at the necklace. Ot was beautiful, shining with various sea colors that made it look like some kind of precious relic. It appeared to be the perfect size for you, too. He must have somehow figured out your measurements. “I... It’s beautiful. I thank you, truly, I do, but... are you sure you want me?” 

Tonowari nodded silently as you stared at the necklace. It was indeed the perfect length. He had studied your measurements on the few occasions he had happened to meet you at close range. 

He smiled at your gratitude, but his smile turned into a sad frown as you continued your questioning. 

“Yes, I am sure. If there was a doubt in my mind, I wouldn’t be giving you this necklace. I know that you are afraid, that you are insecure about being a proper match for me. But know this; my heart desires you.” 

You sighed, feeling like your world was about to crumble depending on what you would decide. But, in the end, you had made your choice long before this conversation. “As mine does for you.” You turned around, waiting for him to place it on you. 

He nodded again and moved to place the necklace around your neck. He was careful, not wanting to accidentally hurt you in any way. After securing it, he took you by your hips again, pulling you close to him. 

“Now that you belong to me, let us celebrate. Come,” he opened the door to his pod, leading you inside. 

Your steps started hesitant, then slowly gaining confidence. As your father would say: to hell with it. The more you thought about it, the better your choices seemed. Both of you were lonely, filled with responsibilities and under lots of stress and feelings too complicated to comprehend. This was a logical decision. There was nothing wrong with it. He was the leader of the clan, so what? You were Tsahìk- in-training, learning from your grandmother back in the forest and firstborn daughter of Toruk Makto. He was decades older than you? Well, there was not much to fix there. After being named a hunter and officially an adult, and having actively participated in the war as both a fighter and a healer, you felt mature enough. Besides, your family had begged to be allowed to stay here; becoming Tsahìk could help cement the decision. 

The moment you entered his room, he closed the door behind you. He took you by your hand, leading you closer to his bed. His other hand went to your back again, tracing your curves with his fingers. His grip was firm, but the way he handled you was gentle, as if he feared hurting you. After your body made contact with the bed, he slowly laid next to you, pulling you into his arms. 

His eyes never left you. He was watching intently you, looking to see if you were ready for this... 

You exhaled heavily, opening your eyes to look at him. To really See him, which you did. You saw his tired but shining eyes, his scars obtained after arduous battles, his tattoos symbolizing multiple feats and memories. And you felt seen by him. Your insecurities, your weaknesses, your worries. Your emotions were like a wild current, indomitable and fierce, but he was the shore, gentle and sturdy, ready to receive you and adjust to you no matter the force you inflicted. He was your wall, your support. And you were his spark, like a river that stopped his heart from drying out and filled him with new affection at the same time. Without saying anything, you reached for your braids. 

His heart skipped a beat as he saw you unbraid your hair. You were beautiful. Your silky hair was just begging to be brushed, just begging to be run through with one’s fingers. The way you moved towards him told him just how much you wanted this. He pulled you back into his embrace, pulling your head towards his to rest on his shoulder. A few moments of quiet passed as he just sat there like that, enjoying the peacefulness of the presence of your body against his. 

“I want you, Tonowari.” 

Tonowari closed his eyes as you muttered those words. Hearing them was what he had been waiting for. When the silence came right after, he pulled you even closer to him. He was your Olo’eyktan now, which meant that you belonged to him, and he belonged to you. This had been his wish for a long time, but now, he would make those wishes come true. 

“I want you too.” 

You slowly brought your kuru forward, letting the tendrils slowly interweave together with his. Right there and then, you felt it. Everything he was. Everything he had been. And everything he wished to be. With you. You closed your eyes again in pleasure, resting your head against his broad chest while your hands gripped his arms. Despite your previous experiences, this feeling could not be compared to them. The feeling of choosing and being chosen freely, without duties or expectations in the middle. It was impossibly liberating. You opened your eyes, watching through your completely dilated pupils the way he held you close and listening to his hard breathing. 

Tonowari held you close, feeling your hands grip his arms and feeling your body press gently against his. His breathing sped up, just as yours did. 

Your hands were brushing against the scars in his body, making him shiver slightly from the sensation. His muscles tensed underneath your touch, making his body move closer to yours. His breathing grew more erratic as your fingers tightened into his body. 

With a soft moan, he pulled you even closer, his hands grazing against your lower back and sliding towards your hips. 

You remained clinging to him as he took out your top and bracelets and pulled the cord holding your loincloth together. You gasped, feeling the cold air hit your now naked body. Combined with the newly made bond, everything you experienced felt multiplied by a hundred. Through it, you could see how Tonowari was looking at you, and it was turning you on too much for you to handle it. 

Just looking at your body made him want you more than he ever had before. Your curves were hypnotic as they swayed with your movements. Your hips and breasts moved like waves on the ocean. Your skin was iridescent and soft, making him want to run his hands all over it. 

He put his hands around your waist, bringing you to the edge of the bed. He slid the loincloth off, his eyes never leaving you as he did. Once he saw you fully naked in front of him, his jaw dropped. You truly were flawless. 

“Tonowari... I need you.” 

The sound of your voice was all needed to hear to snap him out of his trance. He pulled himself back to reality and gently laid you down, his gaze never straying your body. He slowly removed his garments as well. As he dropped each piece of his clothing, he stared at his body, unable to tear his eyes away from it. Finally, when he was completely naked, his eyes locked with yours.  

“Say that again.” 

“I need you.” 

Those simple three words, when spoken with such desire, made his body respond to your command instantly. In a few swift moves, he was behind you. His hands gripped your hips tightly. His body against yours, pressing against your back, his hot breath was blowing on your neck. One hand squeezed tight against one of your tights, while the other hand brushed against your back. 

“Again.” 

“I need you; I need you, Tonowari, please.” 

“You will always have me. I am yours, and you are mine. No one else can take me away from you. No one else can lay a finger on you. Not without suffering the consequences. You and your family belong to me now, and I mean that not as your leader, but as your mate. We belong to each other and all that comes with that. No one else will have you, and I would never let anyone take you away from me.” 

His words made your already rapid-beating heart quicken its pace even more. “Wherever our fates take us. I will stay by your side – be it from the forest to the sea, from the start to the end of our time, together.” 

Tonowari smiled. He was happy to know that you would stay by his side, no matter where or when. He knew that having you was the best decision of his life. 

“You are mine. Now and forever. There are no boundaries between us. We will face everything together, and I trust you whole-heartedly. Now,” he gripped your hips tighter, if possible. “Show me just how much you need me.” 

“How would you like me to prove myself?” you asked in a seductive tone. 

“Make me feel like I’m yours. Make me feel loved. Make me want to hold onto you like I’m drowning and you’re my only saving grip. Make yourself mine. Show me how badly you want and need me. Be wild, be daring, be passionate.” 

“Very well.” You leaned to whisper in his ear. “I will make you feel loved unlike anyone ever has. I will make you mine. And we will be truly united for ages to come.” 

Tonowari's entire body tensed up as you whispered in his ear. His fingers gripped your hips even tighter. The way you spoke about making him feel, the way you spoke about making him yours, it was enough to make his body tremble in pleasure just from the words.  

"Words sound good and all, but let's see if you can back them up." 

His free hand went to your chin, and moved your face forward, his mouth meeting yours in a deeply passionate kiss. 

While the two lost yourselves in the kiss, you subtly moved your body to be on top of him, your core meeting something hard, which made you release a moan that was drown by his lips. 

He smirked at your subtle move, as he felt your soft body on top of him. He loved that you weren't shy with him, that you were willing to claim what you wanted. He loved the noise you made and quickly responded, his mouth taking over yours. He was lost in the moment, and he had no plans of stopping any time soon. 

“Will anyone else be interrupting us? Your children?” While you were willing to let it passmthe first time, you couldn’t guarantee the safety of the next person who dared to interrupt you. 

“My children will not enter without warning...” He paused to laugh at the suggestion of them just barging in, and he shook his head. They would never just walk in with something this sensitive going on. “But if they’re ever curious, I’ll inform you. A code only for you to know.” 

“Like what?” 

He gave you a mischievous smile, as he thought of a word for a code. His mind immediately went to your name, but that would be too obvious. So, he decided to use a word linked with your family and clan, one that no one outside of your family would know. 

“If they ever walk in, just say: Meyo Na'vi, yotulka.” 

“What does that stand for?” 

“It means Child of the Forest, my love. Only members of the Metkayina clan would know what that means.” 

“Mmm, I like it. And hearing it from you makes it even more special.” 

He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you onto him. Your hips were pressed tight against his, your chest pressed against his. His forehead rested onto yours, as he looked into your eyes. 

“I have something else that I'd like to say to you before we continue. Do you want to hear it?” 

“Of course.” 

He grabbed your hands and placed them on his chest, your fingers feeling his heartbeat. 

“This heart belongs to you, and only you. I pledge it to be yours and yours alone. If it stops beating, that is because I would be dead. It shall only beat fast when you are near, because it wants to be close to you. And when you touch it, it shall thump slowly for you, because you are my only desire. My only love. And nothing can ever replace you.” 

“Tonowari, I love your caring words and affectionate speeches, and Eywa knows I would do unspeakable things for you, but please. Do not make me wait any longer.” 

He chuckled at you being so impatient, and he took that as his cue to finally take control. He took hold of your hips, his hands on your thighs. And he began to move you. Slowly at first, he began to move you in a circular motion, his hips pressing against yours. The more they moved, the more the rhythm sped up, moving your bodies together in sync. 

You whined at the sensation. You had fantasized about this moment for days, but it still felt incomplete. You needed more, needed him, to complete the bond in both body and mine. And he knew it. “Tono...wari... ah.” 

The moment he heard your whine filled with desire, it was all he needed to hear. He was at your command, following every whim of your body. Every movement you made was the signal he needed to bring his movements in tune with yours. He leaned forward onto your neck, his breath hot and heavy on your skin. He bit gently on your neck, letting the sensation send chills throughout your body. 

“Ah! Please, Ma’Tono... I want you now.” 

The way you said his name sent a shiver down his spine, making him shudder in pleasure. Your body began to get him heated, making him want you even more. However, he just looked at you with a grin. You had said he spoke too much, so now he wished to tease you a little.  

“I like hearing you beg. Say it again.” 

“A-ah! Please!” 

Your desperation turned him on like no other. And he knew he'd have you screaming his name soon. 

“Still not a complete sentence. Say it again. And this time, say it like you really mean it. I want to hear it.” 

“Gah! Ma'Tonowari, I beg you. Grant me the honor of finally being able to join you, without any type of limit. Let our union be complete and we may be united until the end of our days. Let our bodies come together and the fruit of this exchange result in a new life” 

The moment you were done, he knew that the words that you felt towards him were more than just mere desire, but complete love and devotion as well. Your desire was his desire now. And it would always be that way. 

"The honor is mine to have you with me, my beloved. We are now one in flesh and in soul. This is our union. So, I command you, my love, to join with me, and let our union be perfected." 

“As you wish, my love.” And you dived in, eager to experience a future with him as your bodies became one. As your minds became one. Your love solidified in a moment, forever intertwined in a union that only they could truly understand. Their souls became one with their hearts beating in unison. And nothing would tear the bond they created. 

Vocabulary list: Marui (pods built in the giant mangrove-like trees alongside the shores and are protected from crashing waves by giant reef barriers), Tsahìk (head shaman, high priest, interpreter), Olo’eyktan (clan leader), Tsakarem (Tsahìk-in-traning), Toruk Makto (toruk rider), Kuru (neural queue)

[won4ver]

Tulips bloom in our tears

🌷 a series where you and riki love each other in every life. [inspired by nessa barrett songs]

in your first life you promised riki that you would love him the same in every life, and he promised he’d love you forever. what you didn’t know was that the gods heard your promises, and they cried for you. your fate in that life was already decided, you were born to die early, and he was born to live forever. the gods tears fell from the clouded abyss, disguised as rain. they cried for the wandering boy, the boy who couldn’t get in. they wished for a miracle, oh and what a miracle it was. the couples fate was changed, they would meet and fall in love all the same in every life. who knew all it took was a wish on the tears, the everlasting tulips bloomed in the holes of their melancholic love and created their own heaven.

but why does it seem like most of them end in tragedy

their first life

now playing : i can’t get in

↳ “what if i can’t get in? how will i see you again?”

everyone told him that he will get over it; that he will get over you. but they don’t understand, no one ever does. they say he’s wasting his life mourning over someone who won’t come back, that he needs to move on. they don’t understand that you were his life, and when you died everything he loved about himself died along with you. you were the thing he loved the most about himself, and without you everything is black and white. no matter how many times he tried to get to you, he never could.

🤍🩵

their second life

now playing : i’ve never loved you more

↳ “we can pretend that this didn’t happen”

he tried his best, he always did. but sometimes his best just wasn’t good enough for you. you knew he was busy with his career, but you didn’t sign up to have a part time boyfriend. he wanted to be there for you, it was just hard. you knew he didn’t understand, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. he never knew about the obvious hourglass, and he especially didn’t know about how it was almost completely out. he was too late, he’s always been bad at time. even the sand didn’t wait for him, how could he expect love to? all you wanted was to be loved by him, i guess we can’t hold other people to our own expectations.

🤍🩵

their third life

now playing : you’re more than beautiful, you’re mine

↳ you’re lucky that you’re pretty”

after hearing his label mates new song riki decided to show her that there’s more to her than her body. he’s heard of her, everyone has. she’s untouchable, with visuals that rival the beauty of the night sky. she’s everywhere, her face plastered on every billboard and bus alike. her voice sounds from every platform, her velvety voice attracts the ears of everyone, hypnotizing them and drawing them into the ad. and finally she’s there, crying in her practice room with her arms wrapped around her body with her new solo blasting in the room. riki’s admired her from afar, and now it’s time to show her why he loves her. and why she should love herself.

🤍🩵

their forth life

now playing : even blindfolded i’d still find you

↳ “so it’s you and me against the world”

two dancers, two blindfolds, one song. regionals were coming up and deceils academy was scrambling for something different, for something no one was expecting. nishimura riki, leader of the male dance team. and arguably the best dancer in the entire academy. well thats what everyone assumed until the dance team stumbled upon her. Ln yn, the star figure skater. and arguably the schools biggest loner. what better way to not only win regionals but to hopefully soften the cold leader then to submit them as a duo. seems pretty easy right? well not only do they have to dance as a duo, but blindfolded. two souls who’ve always had trouble trusting others now had to put complete trust in each other.

🤍🩵

their fifth life

now playing : a stars reunion

↳ “hell is right around the corner, but it’s heaven next to you”

the end of the world was approaching and like an avalanche they all fell down. it was just them left, their stairs creaked with the weight of their burdens. in the late nights of the apocalypse they only have each other and the stars, until they only have the stars. the monsters sounded from outside their hut, but when they’re together everything will be alright. even the end of the world couldn’t stop their love, until it did.

🤍🩵

their sixth life

now playing : true loves kiss is a fraud, isn’t it?

↳ “praying on a lucky star”

even though they’ve attended the same school since elementary they’ve never interacted with each other. they always got placesin different classes, and their friend groups couldn’t be anymore different. their timelines never entwined. but they doesn’t mean that it will always stay that way. sometimes the things you could grow to love the most could be right in front of you, or on the kiss cam above you.

🤍🩵

their seventh life

now playing : 4 5683 968, 4'6 76779

↳ “you think you can keep me?”

he shouldn’t be in love with his best friends brother, god it makes him sick. it makes him sick how obsessed he is, how he would do anything for the boy who makes him feel alive. he loves him so much, that’s why he has to do this. he tells himself that every morning while looking into the mirror, he tells himself that after avoiding him all day at school. he tells himself that after constantly breaking his heart. he loved him, but not enough to keep him. riki was selfish, and his reputation meant everything to him. but was his reputation worth losing the love of his life? he was too dumb, and too late. he already lost him, he was gone. riki never got to say goodbye, all that was left to prove their existence was the photos in riki’s private photo album and the voice memo left in his messages. “i love you, i’m sorry”. but riki didn’t know that love had different plans for him, he had a chance at love again.

🤍🩵

their eighth life

now playing : they couldn’t save you, but i will

↳ “i don’t want to live without you”

nishimura riki’s parents hated everyone, so why were they now sitting in a crowded venue with a video camera sat on his mother’s shoulder, and a huge bouquet of flowers clutched in his fathers arms? most importantly, why are they cheering and screaming this random girl’s name with huge, blinding, smiles on their usual stoic faces? riki grew up hearing his parents tell him to stay away from everyone who wasn’t like him, who wasn’t like them. riki kept a close friend group his whole life, only befriending the other kids in their mafia. it came to a shock to everyone when riki’s parents suddenly became extremely protective over a mysterious girl, a girl who they refuse to introduce to anyone for her safety. riki was curious about this person who his parents started talking up, about this girl who apparently was perfect for him. he was appalled, his stone cold parents trying to set him up with a girl? impossible. it was only a matter of time until their paths cross, and he too falls for her innocence.

🤍🩵

their ninth life

now playing : you’re prettiest with me

↳ “bang bang”

at first this hit was just like every other one, just another notch to add on your belt. everything was going smoothly, all you had to do was pull the trigger. as your finger tensed to prepare to pull the trigger your eyes suddenly connected, he was looking towards you. no, he was looking directly at you. and if life couldn’t get worse your soulmate mark suddenly started tingling, your vision gaining gold hues around the edges. his thoughts echoed across your head in the most pleasurable way, “what’s in your hands?”. and without a second to think you idiotically blurted out the first thing you could think of, “a gummy gun”. who would’ve though that his laughter would now be your favourite audio in the universe.

🤍🩵

their tenth life

now playing : when the world is silent you shine brighter

↳ “i’ve never felt so alive”

nishimura riki was obsessed. the way your smile gleamed brighter than the solar eclipse, your eyes pulling up in a beautiful array of stars pulled from the galaxy. everyone knew who you were, your title following you all throughout your highschool life. your title never bothered him, something he made very obvious since the beginning. he accidentally caught your eye one morning after bumping into you, and his actions that followed after. rather than spitting our a rushed feigned apology before rushing away, he confidently stood there with his hand in a fist against his chest. he watched as your eyes followed his wrist as it made a full circle, then watched as your mouth pulled up into the very smile that’s been running through his mind since he first saw you. however what you didn’t know was that everyday for the last year he’s been taking lessons to learn sign language for you, to finally talk with you.

🤍🩵 🤍🩵 🤍🩵 🤍🩵 🤍🩵 🤍🩵 🤍🩵

started : ??

ended : ??

wc ~10-15k each

warnings will be listed with the fic. some will be fem reader pov and others m reader pov.

[blushing-blushy]

SPOILERS FOR THE DARK URGE

Astarion x Durge Tav (unnamed female character - referred to as she)

Freaking huge spoilers for the Dark Urge storyline. As in I lay it all out. I wrote this thinking about what Tav's reaction might be to learning the truth, because it doesn't get into it much in game.

Oh and this is one sad sad sad hurt/ barely any comfort fic.

-.-.-.-

The dead things we carry

After Tav finds out what she is, she tries the easy way out. Astarion won't let her.

The sounds of blood spilling and bones cracking and the screams of pain and rage begin to fade around her.

“Don’t bring me back,” she gasps with her last breath, watching the horror and dawning fury on Astarion’s face before her vision blurs and fades away. Please, is the last thought that comes from her wrecked mind. Please.

-.-.-.-.-

She comes to. She comes to. At first there is nothing but confusion. It’s not like it’s the first time she’s been revived. But it takes longer for her to gather her thoughts, and when she at last realizes that she’s capable of thought and reason, anger and despair flood through her, perhaps a mirror of the last glimpse of Astarion’s face.

She snaps her eyes open and sits up. She can sit up, she realizes as well, since revivify heals as well as enlivens. And speak of the devil, but if it isn’t Astarion sitting on a chair next to her, eyes on her. There is no expression on his face. He’s just… watching.

A flush of anger is rising up her body, spreading like fire through her limbs, nerves singing with betrayal. She had asked.

“How dare you,” she whispers tightly. “How dare you bring me back. I asked-”

“Yes, you did.” Astarion’s voice is toneless, and she thinks she’s never seen him so closed off. No smirk, no attitude at all.

"And I brought you back anyway. Will you hate me? Leave forever? Make it so that you might have died anyway?”

She just looks at him, and he gazes back. Finally she drops her eyes and notices his hands hanging between his knees. They’re bloody, as if he’s been hitting something. There’s blood around his fingernails, the skin torn around the nails as though he’s been biting them.

“Why?” He asks simply, and she looks back up at him. “I’ve done my hating for tonight. I’ve done my raging and my yelling and my fear and the rest of it all. So now I’m only left wondering. Why? That certainly wasn’t a split second decision, was it?”

She sighs and lays back down, the anger ebbing away. Well, it would have been a conversation they would have needed to have anyway. Death had just been the easy way out. The coward’s way.

“You know what’s been happening to me,” she says and waits for him to nod before continuing. “Well, I know why now. I… remembered. And when I tell you, you will understand. Maybe you’ll let me die next time. Maybe you’ll kill me yourself. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised.”

There’s finally an expression on his face. Abject fear. Fear of what she’s about to say. She laughs weakly.

“Yeah, it’s bad.” She takes a breath and plunges ahead. “I am the one who orchestrated all of this. I planned the cult and created the Absolute. I brought the Dead Three’s Chosen together to control it. I am the scion of the god of murder, Bhaal. Bhaalspawn. I was plucked from my home seven years ago and became murder incarnate, sacrificing and killing without purpose or plan simply to appease him. And because I wanted to. My earlier life is still murky, but I think I was sired by Bhaal to a Tiefling woman whom he discarded, and I was born to her. She cut off my horns and tail and tried to make me as human as possible to keep me from the life I eventually found.

“When I killed a man who was raping me, she left me. She must have seen that I enjoyed it far more than I should have for simple self-defense. Then I found my way… home. To the temple. And took control. And would have the whole world worship as I made my way through it, ending everything in the name of my dread father.

“So, in the end, this is all because of me. And my hubris, my blood-thirsty desire to kill. To kill everyone and everything.”

She’s crying, but she can’t feel the tears sliding down her face. All she can focus on is the pattern of threads on the tent above her.

“Astarion,” she says at last, turning to face him. She can’t begin to parse out what he’s thinking. “You did all those terrible things because you were forced to. Because you were literally incapable of not doing them, and because of what would happen if you didn’t.”

She looks away and sighs again. “But I did all those terrible things because I wanted to.”

After a beat of silence, she sits up, letting the thick blanket pool in her lap. Her fingers lay limply upon it. She’s so, so tired. “So you see why I don’t want to live. I don’t deserve to. I can’t ever make penance for what I did. And since the urges and raging desire has started to rear it’s awful head again, I don’t even know if I could resist long enough to even try to make up for it. It is honestly the best and most sensible thing to let me die or kill me. Now do you understand?”

She can’t look at him now. Can’t face the judgement on his face.

She’s not even surprised when he stands and leaves. Laying back down, she closes her eyes and lets the tears come. Maybe later she can go off and do it herself. Far enough away no one could find her body.

The tent flaps open again and Astarion comes back in. She sits back up at once, brows furrowing. He’s holding a water jug and one of those chipped clay mugs Karlach had found.

There are tear tracks on his face and he looks utterly heart-broken. Of course. He fell in love with a monster. More of a monster than he would ever imagine himself to be.

“Drink,” he says roughly, holding out the mug.

She takes it automatically and sips it, still looking at him. He closes his eyes as more tears fall, and wipes them away angrily.

As she opens her mouth to continue, he holds up a hand. “No, my turn now. And you will sit and listen, my dear. You owe me enough to allow me to answer and have something to say.”

She sits back and nods, waiting. Her heart is hammering in her chest. She doesn’t know if she can handle his reaction, whatever it’s going to be.

“I have been tortured for more of my lifetimes than I can count. I have been flayed and broken and scarred again and again in that place. You saw, you read. I was almost always out of my mind with fear. Every time I went out to bring someone back. Everytime I did or said something I knew would bring me impossible pain. But I have never, ever-” his voice chokes up against the words, and he scrubs his eyes quickly and clears his throat. “Ever,” he continues,” been so frightened as I was when you died. And when you asked me not to…”

He leans forward and grabs her hands roughly, squeezing them hard enough she can feel her bones grinding together.

“You asked me to kill you,” he whispers. “‘Don’t bring me back.’ That means let you die. That means that I have the option to do so and wouldn’t. That means killing you. And you’re as good as asking me to do the same now. Kill you?”

He lets go and stands abruptly, pulling wildly at his hair. “Kill you?” He repeats, his voice becoming shrill. “I love you, godsdammit. I have for much longer than I care to admit. Than I could allow myself to realize. And you want me to end you, to do that to you, to myself? I’ll be selfish until the sun burns out and make sure you never die. You can’t die.”

He’s shouting now, and she wants to shush him in case everyone else hears, but she’s too tired to really care.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers instead. No more tears will come. She’s been scoured clean.

Astarion drops to his knees beside her bed, reaching for her hand again. She lets him take it and he grips it, gently this time.

“I won’t do it,” he says softly, but the resolve in his voice is steel. “And you can’t make me. And if I have to tie you up forever to make sure you don’t - you don’t… end it yourself, I will. That’s a threat, my dear.”

She can’t say anything. Not to that and not when he lifts her hand and turns it to press a featherlight kiss to her palm.

“Ok.” Her voice is small, barely there. “Then what do I do? Please tell me what to do. I don’t want to die.”

The admission comes from so deep down it wrenches out of her, and she wails. “I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to.” She’s sobbing loudly, great shuddering cries, and the pain is too much to bear. Astarion bends over her as she curls into a fetal position, cradling her in his arms.

“We’ll deal with this,” he says, gently shushing her. “We’ll figure it out. He won’t have you. He won’t win. I told you that, and I meant it. Hells, darling, if you could make a dead heart come back to life, you can defeat this.”

“How?”

He kisses the top of her head gently from where she’s still curled. “I don’t know, but you aren’t alone. And we will. I promise.”

I love you.

I love you.

[absentia-if]

hii, i hope you're having a great day :D

i chose M in the poll. why ? because of the tension!

i'm not one for enemies-to-lovers trope, because i think it's not done correctly most of the time (enemy doesn't mean bully) but a rivalry-to-lovers? SIGN ME UP

then i read the whole presentation of this character:

“I wasn’t jealous that you got them! I was jealous that they got you! Don’t you understand that? Can’t you see that it’s always been you? That it’s never been anyone else!?”

*dies*

MY HEART

and then, as if it wasn't enough yet this:

“More than I could ever put into words, darling,” they reply, cupping your cheek as adoration etched itself across their face. “Which is why I show it to you through my actions. Every breath I take is for you because my heart beats for you. Every smile that I’m able to create is wholly because you make me the happiest I’ve ever been. Every moment, every second, I share with you is one more silent promise of forever.”

my heart melted, my whole body did too like wow

i can't even express how much i love M :(( ♥️♥️

I adore M (as I adore all my characters), but M is definitely someone I think a lot of you will adore too. They’re an absolute idiot when it comes to processing/professing their love, but once that’s out of the way? They’re the most romantic individual ever. They’d never go a day without telling the MC how much they love you; by their words or by their actions. It doesn’t matter to them as long as you know.

I can’t wait for that quote to become an actuality within the story; it’s a moment that will truly show M as they are. It’s a heavily charged moment that causes the carefully crafted mask, and their iron clad control, to slip, and I think that’s something that will be wonderful, as it is heartbreaking, to see. Because it’s M finally showing the broken pieces behind the facade of perfection.

As for the second quote? That’s something M believes wholeheartedly. Every moment with you is a blessing, every smile you give them like a sweet caress, and the sound of your laughter a sirens song. You’ve made M complete and that’s not something that M will ever be able to forget (not that they’d wish to).

And, since you brought out the quotes, I’ll add one to this post. It’ll happen later on down M’s route, if things go according to my layout, and it’s a tender moment after the MC asks M what they’re happiest day/moment was: “The happiest moment of my life?” An elegant brow arches, as if they couldn’t believe that’s what you were using your one question for, but the softness, the warmth that always seems to be apart of them when you’re near, never wavers from their azure eyes; a warmth that’s only rivaled by the comforting presence of their body nestled close to your own. “The happiest moment of my life, MC, was when I discovered that you love me too.”

[justanotherpersonsuniverse]

SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 70 PN BELOW Lets fucking go cap! ok it’s the weekend, I have my own writing block and I finally finished my fucking assignments and handed them in, I’m practically free forever!! (exams loom in the distance, i willfully ignore their shadow)

I’ve started by reading from chapter 67 just to bring myself back into the mindset (and because they are hype as all hell chapters), this is faster than starting my like 7th re-read.

I even made myself a cuppa to really settle in, the vibes are immaculate, I played Bizet Carmen while reading this time

The dichotomy of Juleka:

I don't want to hurt anyone!

Extreme violence is efficient. 

The fact that we didn’t get ladybug trying to kiss rena when she was shot by dark cupid is tragic

This time i listened to shoot to thrill by ACDC, and Burn it down by awolnation for the badass parts

Anyway finally onto Fei, that only took me two hours (i briefly wrote shit so yknow, a good time!)

Fei’s tragic backstory be upsetting frfr, Like damn brother you watched your dad die in front of you? Do you need a blanket and a hug?

The tone change from “My life ended when my dad died.” to “summer was awesome!!” made me snort horrible it’s not funny- but it kind of is-

Oh my god Juleka got a break for weeks AND WE DIDN’T GET TO SEE IT??? Tragedy. (i’m kidding, so happy that she got a break <33)

Rose thirsting over Panthera in a crop top is too funny- you just know if it was anyone else Juleka would be pouting like “damn what do they have that I don’t?” 

Oop her hands still kinda fucked, curiouser and curiouser. I wonder if she has tried to practice her secondary power. Which rq, it was SUCH bullshit that LB gets two and the cat miraculous gets one in canon, so happy you retconned it

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH MY GOD OK CAP I AM SO HYPE HYPE SHE GOT A MODELING INTERNSHIP?????? Like sure cause nepotism but i’ve been wanting to see Juleka try out modeling in a real environment for ages cause like thats something she is interested in yknow and i just- 

Augh, hype as hell. And an excellent reason for her to be going to Shanghai, I applaud your problem solving to fit Juleka into the show's narrative! I applaud it always, but this one was more difficult than usual methinks

I have pizza now it is 8pm

Anyways; NOO GABEY BABY DON’T BE EVIL VIBES TO JULEKA SHE’S JUST A LITTLE THING

Oh my poor awkward Juleka… Gabriel wasn’t helping but this is so funny, dude you vowed to kill this girl like a month ago open your eyes

I NEED juleka’s modeling arc to be a thing. Idk how into detail you went but i’m hoping for some i’m rabid i’ve been waiting for this for like 3 years

Oh airports SUCK i feel her anxiety so much, poor thing… i forced my friend to share her location with me one time so we could stalk each other, we never turned it off its kinda funny

… why is Anarka banned from airports?? Being “a living weapon” is so vague.

Killing myself rose and juleka are so cute- and obsessed with each other- every hour is insane

I love Juleka instantly becoming a disaster on baby’s first flight

Juleka instantly being on high alert around gabriel is so real.

“Right,” Mr Agreste’s face didn’t twitch nor soften much in response, just nodded in understanding and turned back to stare forward. “The opening of this store is essential to the future of the Agreste Brand, you two. Opening it much sooner is very good news. There will be other fun times with your friends.”

Hardass, fuck off!!

Poker with literal chips made me laugh- adrien would be terrible at poker

Spiderman far from home? Nah, Panthera Noir far from home. 

“Oh that building looked fun to climb.” please Juleka unhinged parkour arc when?? Like people turn away from her and then look back and she’s up a tree. 

HELP “bye bye bag” is so real-

She’s so scary, but I wanna ask what her hair dye is. Do it. Please. I think you would factory reset Nathalie and she would answer on autopilot

Awkwardly playing chess is so real, also; yippee!! Adrien and Juleka bonding even more after the acting debacle!!

“Knights were cute. Little pony’s. Rose always wanted to move her knights cause they reminded her of unicorns.” please this is literally my strategy in chess, i just move them around and sometimes i win because i confuse people so badly

LB overthinking chess is hilarious. 

Adrien POV???

YOU CAN LEARN MANY THINGS FROM JULEKA SUCH; HOW TO BE A CAT. sorry i just had the mad idea that Adrien might find out this chapter… i would go insane if that turned out to be right

“Knowing info about me is pretty easy when your Wikipedia is super detailed” that’s fucking depressing. Adrien baby that’s a terrible way to get to know someone and not the same experience at all- 

Gaelic is a real language!! And a bitch to learn- I briefly tried with my dad and we both gave up, we’ll just stick with scots english

“Where do you disappear during akumas?” hard hitting question Adrien, ten points!

And is also making me high key suspicious about him finding out, the vibes are there

Nah, nah evil. Gabriel spend time with your son goddamnit 

GET HIS ASS JULEKA YES GIRL I LOVE YOU

The fact that she thinks she isn’t brave sometimes infuriates me, like babe i get your insecure but your brave as hell. 

QUEEN SHIT JUST WENT DOWN THERE

Juleka ripped him to shreds hell fucking yeah.

Wait. why did she give him the king? Hawkmoth called himself a king… cue the x-files music

Who the fuck is this asshole? Fei. Kick his ass, i command thee. 

Oh curious, she has burn scars from the fire, i like this detail. 

I feel like Fei and Juleka will get along, based on the ever present rage against one guy

She is being used augh

“Your father deserves to be avanged.”

“He does.” UMM GIRL YOUR DAD WOULD HATE THAT WEREN’T YOU THERE FOR THE FLASHBACK??

I want Cash to gtbnrvice this asshole is just using her desperation for information- 

I want Juleka to scare him into telling them, as Panthera, i think she would be quite good at that. 

Juleka is a feral beast who needs her outside time (i like how she wants to run on rooftops a lot its cute)

LORE LORE LORE LORE 

Excited. The prodigious?? Tell me more silly cheese guy

Ummm. i need the prodigious to show up, i can’t remember if thats what Fei has or if this is future future foreshadowing, this is exciting

New arc unlocked: freeing the Kwami from their jewelery or the curse. 

Also; yes sadistic plagg in the face of the guardians temple being destroyed, you go girl

Guardian temple? Swallowed whole? Sounds frightening. What a feast.  HA

Model Juleka yippee!

Help- adrien your advice is trash-

Ok existential conversation, yes girl let me spiral-

No sick girl Nathalie let adrien speak i want to know what he thinks of the best girlies-

Plagg wanting to take him under his wing- Juleka saying he wants to replace her with Adrien- ITS ALL COMING TOGETHER. 

Nah if you actually do have a reveal to Adrien i am going to go buckwild- cause either the vibes of the chapter got me but i think I guessed before any of the concrete foreshadowing

Ok sick girl nathalie actually has some sound advice and is being lovely to Juleka 

Yes Juleka use your strength

FEI STEALING CAMERAS??

Get her ass Juleka, or- politely bite her arm juleka?!?

Juleka is just brawling in an alleyway- like damn sister- watch out for bruises you might not be allowed to model-

Oh god what if she took plagg during some of their scrapping- actually, that would be fine. Juleka would just go insane and fight her

Juleka; desperately grasping for something familiar and bantering with Fei

Fei: what the fuck is wrong with her?

Nicest mugger I’ve ever met real and true

Wait

NOO JULEKA THEY WON’T LET YOU MODEL LIKE THIS

YEAH KICK. HER. ASS. 

Plagg stays with Juleka yippeee!!

Help their dynamic is so funny- exactly what i was wanting. 

Juleka would want to learn how to disappear even better than she already does wouldn’t she

Nah not Fei thinking “well that was fucking weird” while juleka is like “Oh that was cool” Juleka is so weirdgirl core i love her

Oh shit she stole marinettes stuff Tiki is there- 

Kick the asshole in the balls Fei, i command thee.

I am so happy Nathalie and Juleka have some sort of alliance, in my as to be written huge tragedy based on Nathalie Gabriel and Emily (which is extensively planned), I think Nathalie is more similar to Juleka as a teenager. 

Adrien and Nathalie interaction- “yes we- we did it” agyuhtvrinjfeok love her. 

Marinette blinked vacantly, standing in the back alley streets of Shanghai with a paling expression on her face and her entire inventory ghosted from her person.

WHERE THE HELL AM I!?

HELP SHE’S SO FUNNY- i love disaster marinette please-

and thats a wrap for Fei! i started this before five and it is now ten pm- i did other things though.

this was awesome cap, I look forward to the next chapters and I shall review them tomorrow!!!!!!

I hope you enjoyed <3

GLAD YOU ENJOYED!!!!!!

[froggychair05]

Little thing I wrote for @enden-agolor’s Stardew Valley AU (posting it before I lose my nerve and it just sits in a doc forever)

-

A new farmer had moved to town.

Well…”new” was sort of relative. He’d been living there for almost a year already, but Lukas hadn’t actually met him yet. He’d seen him around, obviously, but they’d never spoken.

He’d heard plenty, though. People talked; he’d heard all about how sweet and helpful the new farmer was. He was a ray of sunshine, he’d overheard Petra say once. Apparently he was trying to fix the old Community Center on top of running his farm.

Lukas didn’t want to be rude to a guy he’d never met, but that sounded like a stupid idea. The building had fallen into disrepair for a reason; it was honestly a miracle that it hadn’t been torn down or turned into a Joja warehouse yet.

If anything needed that sort of attention, it was the library. Several books were missing from the shelves. Lukas had already read everything there at least twice, even the books he hadn’t been fond of the first time.

He had just checked his third-favorite book out again when he noticed the heavy snow falling outside. It had been snowing when he walked over, but now the flakes were bigger and he was sure to get soaked if he tried to walk home, not to mention that he could barely see three feet in front of him. He’d have to wait until the snow got at least a little lighter.

Lukas sighed, pulling his coat tighter around himself and standing under the overhang. The library was closing soon, otherwise he would just wait inside.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long. It was cold and he really needed to start making dinner.

He watched the snow drift down in big, fat flakes. It was pretty, even if it was incredibly inconvenient. The peace was nice, though.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

The quiet was interrupted by footsteps crunching in the snow as a bulky figure approached. Lukas looked down at the book in his arms, hoping that whoever was coming toward him wouldn’t try to make conversation.

“Oh, hi! I didn’t see you there!”

No such luck.

Lukas glanced up without moving his head. The farmer was standing there, holding a book of his own. There were snowflakes stuck in his messy hair and he had a wide grin on his face.

“I’m Jesse! I don’t think we’ve met yet,” he said, shifting the book to one arm and holding his hand out. “I’ve been trying to meet everyone in town. I thought I had, but I guess not! You’re Lukas, right?”

Lukas stared at the man’s hand. How he was so cheerful, especially in the freezing cold, Lukas didn’t understand.

“Petra was telling me about you,” he continued, oblivious to the fact that Lukas hadn’t actually acknowledged him at all yet. “She said you’re pretty shy, but that’s okay.”

He realized that Jesse probably wouldn’t leave until he’d said something. “…Hello.”

Impossibly, the man’s grin got brighter. “It’s nice to meet you.” He seemed to realize that Lukas wasn’t going to shake his hand and dropped it back to his side.

“I should be getting home now,” Lukas said, barely glancing at Jesse before clutching his book closer to his chest and walking off. It was still hard to see where he was going, but it was better than standing next to the human sunshine until the snow died down. He didn’t want to make any conversation.

“See you around!” Jesse called. Lukas just trudged through the snow a little faster.

He knew he’d see the farmer around again, obviously, but the more he could avoid that, the better.

[myimaginedcorner]

A TUMBLR STORY: TORN PAGE (p. 22)

PREVIOUS RESULT: It calls you... you must answer.

I will not be forgotten.

Your heart stopped; your mind got shattered by a roar escaped from the abyss. It was power made sound, a voice that plucked each mortal nerve while being a mere echo of its former glory. Deep, it was wise, the knowledge of eons stored in every note. From those words alone, you knew you stood in front of an existence worthy to rival the divine.

You took a step. Unconscious, possessed, not by a demon but by a desire most ambitious – the wish to understand.

I am Hallax. I am the Beginning.

Yes, you had heard that name before. They were the Dragon of Life, the Guardian of Nainrhani – Hallax the First, such was the title mortals chose to bestow Them. When the elven race, young and naïve, opened their first pair of eyes to a world vast and wild, there They were, the Beast in Emerald, the Tamer of Mortality. Under Their wings, Death was unwelcomed in the city for long centuries – a fact so shameless it will soon be lost to legend.

I see your soul – so bright, so vivid. You’re alive.     

“What are you doing…?” as Ashna tried to stop you, M ceased their hand, keeping their fingers off your arm.

“They’re listening. Let them listen,” frowned the human.

“Listening to what? It’s dangerous there, there’s no one else around!” as they protested, Ashna’s voice died down, absorbed by the two whirlpools of M’s eyes.

“Then it was meant to wait for us,” Hibiscus’ whisper overflowed with reverence. Amidst thick eyelashes, crystals formed, small drops of water rolling down her cheek. The tragic beauty of the view in front had her lips purse, her eyes – a mirror to the world’s sorrow.

You heard none of it. You were not there but somewhere else, lost in a darkness unfamiliar. Odd, you thought – you had spent your last few years in darkness. The darkness of the empty rooms, the darkness of the dusty ruins, of stairs climbing deeper down and that of a big hall, where phantom eyes greeted you, embedded into the cold stone…

You have seen Them.

The condescending voice had changed; no longer did the dragon speak to you like a fallen god, but as a friend, an old acquaintance. You were no longer just an elf daring to show no respect; you were something more.

I see; so we have truly lost.

There was sadness to the mighty voice; a pain that would remain forever, an eternal guilt. Perhaps, it had been in denial until now, refusing to believe that Their claws laid, unmoving, for there was no muscle left on them, or that their breath was gone, no longer heating up the heavens. The revelation struck Them, as it always does; but beasts like these do not succumb nor falter.

I am sorry, child.

There was warmth to the strong voice. The care of a master that had lost its pet; the self-reproach a teacher suffers when their student fails. Except, it was not you who failed, but Them; and so, the pain was stronger.

“Are you alright?” Amani was next to try and intervene; Laefen was next to stop her.

“Don’t you see? They’re busy!” scoffed the elf, arms crossed.

“Stand aside, that’s an order,” hissed the Leader. “We must make sure our main scholar stays in their right mind.”

“By taking them out of a trance? That’s stupid! You’ll just make things worse!”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’ve seen that happen plenty of times. Want to get them out? Find the source. But you’ll have some trouble getting rid of it.”

As the elf nodded at the wall, all eyes landed on the wide, white bones laid across. Amani paled, knowing not what to do.

“You see?” chuckled Laefen. “We better just wait. They’ll be back, I’m sure – they’re too smart to let some mind trick from a dead corpse defeat them.”

You have seen Them. Perhaps, it was meant to be.

Meanwhile, your world had brightened up in an explosion of light. Emerald splashed around you, covering the field, painting your comrades with strings and webs chaotically tangling, ever-changing. The sky showed to be blue, the mountains, grey, the soil between the threads as brown and dry as it had been for the past days of travel; and yet, all changed within an instant, born anew into a world completely different. You saw how alien the dirt was to your sparkling fingers; you saw how grass, weak and shy, reached for the sunrays to increase its brightness, emerald twinkling in a modest embroidery made by the most skilful hand. Nature smiled at you, naked to your eyes – you saw through it, into its heart.

Your mind is strong to see it. Take my knowledge, child; make this city eternal.

[pasturelamb]

I had like 57 rapid speed Simon thoughts in my brain this morning while I was driving to work so here are the highlights

- Simon is like a cat bringing dead mice to its owner (Emma) and if she complains even once about any single person (classmate, professor, guy at the gas station, etc) he will just … bring her a dead mouse if you know what i mean

- the tv show Dexter but make it Simon working for the fbi

- I added a few more songs to my Simon playlist and I also think the Emma one is pretty well done for now ish I will still add more to both but you know. I’m also starting a Kristen one bc I have no self control

- my mom loved the Simon playlist when I played it when I was with her and now she’s borrowed my book and I don’t know how to talk to her about Simon and be normal. Bc if I tell her I’d let him make me one of his dolls I’d end up in a fucking psych ward lmfao help

- thinking about the third book and I’m just … bc you know Simon will be the one Emma’s up against in this one and I’m scared bc in my little delulu mind place they are going to be in love forever but I don’t think ms ellie understands and what if Simon dies I won’t be able to handle it 😭

-alternatively thinking about if he’s not the villain of the third book and he swoops in to save Emma once again, how romantic he’s so domesticated for her

Anyway lol do with that what you will I’ve just been thinking about him a lot this morning and needed to share 🙃💕

oh you always have the best Simon thoughts

-i love the idea of Emma and Simon meeting while working for the FBI. like Simon is basically the FBI's attack dog and he's rude to everyone he works with UNTIL he meets Emma and like yeah he's. himself. at first. but then he starts to get to know Emma and he starts to be a softie only for her. and everyone else notices that Simon likes her EXCEPT Emma of course she just thinks it's some kind of trick. sigh.

-PLAYLISTS i also have them. my Emma playlist and my Kristin playlist are almost done but i am STRUGGLING with my Travis playlist it only has two songs so far

-i'm so glad my mom doesn't like the type of books i read because she's seen my Georgetown sweatshirt and if she read the books i'd be cooked. side note i'm extremely glad she didn't read acotar when i recommended it to her in middle school.

-i also think about book 3 constantly and i realized something... every killer that has had a "close encounter" with Emma has died as a result... except Simon. uh oh.

-AND if Simon does die i think he and Kristin should like. die in each others arms or something. i 💙 tragic doomed siblings.

-i've honestly been wondering if there will be a new Big Bad villain in book three but honestly Emma vs Simon just seems like the most logical conclusion for the series.

-ANOTHER thought i've had about book three is that we know Simon and Kristin have fled to Europe... just like when their parents fled to Europe during Simon's trial. i'm really hoping we'll get to meet them! imagine Emma and Travis meeting them like "nice to meet you! your son is the worst guy we've ever met!"

anyways i can't wait for book three

[katsushika-division]

ARB Birthday Special: Touya Kisaragi

 ~~ August 20th ~~

“Love is hard to find, hard to keep, and hard to forget.”

Login Lines:

“Toooday's my birthdaaay~! Happy Birthday to meeee~! Teehee! Oh! Someone’s here! Hiiii! Hm? What’s this?”

“A present? For me? Ooh! Thank you! *mwah* Thank you! *mwah* Thank you! *mwah* I'll treasure it forever! *mwah*”

Voice Lines: 

“I'm so excited! I’ve been waiting all year for today! Yay me~! *claps* This is the first time I'm celebrating my birthday~! No one ever bothered enough to do anything for me when I was younger.”

“Hisa-chan made a special breakfast for me today. He made me chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream, strawberry syrup, and sprinkles~! Hisa-chan never lets me have sweets for breakfast. He says too much sugar is bad in the morning, but since it’s my birthday, I could have it just this once.” 

“Oh? Do you like my outfit? I got it, especially for today~. Perfect for a wild night out! Now I just need to put my extensions on. Let's see if I can get anyone to take me home with them tonight.” 

“Hi, Haruka-nee. Sorry, I haven't been able to visit you in a while. I got thrown into jail, which was kinda not fun, but I met some people while I was there, tho! Hisa-chan and Rin-chan! They’re the first people to care about me since you died! *pauses* Not that it's nice, but sometimes I wish you were still alive, Haruka-nee. Maybe then I wouldn't have turned out the way I did.” 

“Hisa-chaaan! You remembered! Hehehe! Sorry! It's just that I'm really excited, Hisa-chan! This is just the first time I've had anyone give me anything for my birthday. *sniffs* That really means a lot. Thank you.”

“Ahh! It's so cute and fluffy! What should I name you? I know! I’ll call you Marcie! Oh! There's even a place inside to store my knife! I know, just the one too! Thanks, Hisa-chan!”

“Riiin-chaaan! It's my birthday. Don't be a big meanie to me. *hugs* That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Rin-chan. Don't worry, tho. *smiles* I think of you as my big brother, too. *gasps* You did~! Ooh! Gimme! Gimme!” 

“Oh~! It's so cute!! Wait? What do you mean you made it? *blinks* Rin-chan, you're using those big words again. I don’t understand what you're saying. *stomps foot* Stop being mean to me, Rin-chan! *pauses* Hisa-chan! Rin-chan won't stop calling me stupid! Tell him to stop!”

Akihisa Lines:

“Happy Birthday, Touya. You’ve been vibrating all week, of course, I remembered. Touya…you are perhaps one of the strongest people I've ever met, never forget that. *pauses* I know it can't give back the childhood that was brutally stolen from you, but here's a gift from me. I hope you enjoy it.” 

“I know you're fond of things like this. So I got you a stuffed rabbit. Handmade as well. I had that put in place just so you're never without a weapon. Very few people expect a knife to be hidden inside a stuffed doll. You're welcome, Touya.”

Rintaro Lines:

“Alright, Happy Birthday, you pink thing. You're lucky I think of you as like the little brother I never had, Touya. *coughs* Anyway, enough with the emotional shit I got you a little something for your birthday. So here.”

“Considering you like dressing up a lot, I decided to make you a makeup kit. Yeah, cosmetic chemistry is a thing, ya know? Like in lipstick, formaldehyde is used to preserve, while titanium oxide is used for eh? Oh, right, you got no brain cells in that coconut hollow head of yours. What are you gonna do about it then? No, wait! You little shit!” 

[giggly-squiggily]

Okay I am back with paRT TWO

I need more evil Ler shadow in my life (bc also criminally underrated)

so I would be forever in your debt to see little Miya hiding from Shadow after doing something to make him mad. Eventually, he begs Cherry to hide him, who promptly tells Shadow where the kid is hiding. (Idk I feel like this would be sO CUTE)

THANK YOU AGAIN I AM SO IN YOUR DEBT 😭😭😭

Oops did these out of order kjaerkjejkraj BUT THAT KITTY THOUGH AHHHH! *dies from the cute* That gif really does radiate Miya vibes and I am here for it! I've gotcha covered, Ducky! Thank you for letting me write for these dorks!

CW: Swearing

Cloud 9 (Taglist Peeps)

@myreygn

“Hide me!” Was the only thing Miya cried as he crashed into Cherry’s space, diving behind the pink haired man and using his Kimono as a shield. Cherry was about to ask what exactly he thought he was doing when a rather displeased looking Shadow stormed in.

“Cherry! Have you seen Miya?” He sounded angry, real angry. Cherry lowered an arm so his sleeve shielded Miya more.

“Why exactly are you looking for him? And more importantly, have you ever heard of manners? What happened to ‘Hello Cherry, how are you today?’ before making demands?” His sharp tone startled the other. Good. Shadow at least had the nerve to look sheepish.

“Sorry. My bust. It’s just- that little runt-” Shadow grit his teeth as he fisted his hands, looking mad once more. Upon closer inspection, Cherry realized it wasn’t genuine rage- more annoyance. “Not only did he make me take him all the way to Joe’s place to eat, but then he called me an old fart! ME! I’m 24, how the hell am I old?” He didn’t wait for Cherry’s answer. “And THEN he had the balls to ask for ice cream on the way here!”

“Did you get it?” Cherry asked, brow raised.

“Well…yeah. I wanted ice cream too.” Shadow admitted. “But he called my taste in flavors '’shitty’! SHITTY! Pistachio ice cream is amazing, I don’t care what anyone says.”

Clearly he did, but Cherry wasn’t gonna say anything. Invested, he waved him on. “Okay, what happened next?”

“I told him one more peep out of him and he was gonna get dragged into the Shadow Realm-”

“The Shadow Realm?” Cherry asked, earning a blush.

“It’s a good name! Anyway-you know what he did?” Shadow looked so serious it was almost laughable. “He blew a raspberry at me and said ‘Suck it, old man!’ before running away!” Shadow shook his head in disgust. “I’ve never been so disrespected!”

Cherry tsked, shaking his head at the poor man’s story. “Shame. Children can be rather rude nowadays.” A pinch to his elbow reminded him where Miya was. “Well, I hate to tell you this, but you just missed him. I think he ran back to Joe’s.” He gestured towards the mentioned man’s half of the apartment, subtly nodding over his shoulder. Shadow’s eyes widened with understanding, a smile starting to pull on his lips. “You should see him there.”

“Thanks, Cherry. I owe you a million.” Shadow turned to go, waving. When he was out of sight, Miya appeared once more, standing a few paces forward as he looked around. “He’s gone?”

“Yes. Though I have to ask, was all of what he said true? Did you really do all that?” Cherry gave him a look, making Miya bow his head.

“Erm…yes. Maybe I took it too far.” He mumbled, pulling on his jacket. Unbeknownst to him, Shadow reappeared behind him, crouching like a comical villain as he crept forward. “Still- Pistachio ice cream is gross though!”

“Fair, but you shouldn’t be so disrespectful. One of these days, it’s gonna bite you back.”

“Yeah…say, when do you think that day’s gonna come?”

“Right now, you little shit!” Shadow roared, grabbing Miya and earning a squeal of shock. “Fear the Shadow Realm as it devours you whole!”

“What- No! Nohohohohohoohoho!” Miya squealed again, this time in laughter as Shadow dug into his sides playfully. He squirmed to and from, unable to get away as Shadow found all the soft spots along his torso. “Shahahhahahadow dohohoohoohn’t!”

“There is no Shadow now! Only the Shadow Realm! You’ve been dropped in, and now must face its wrath!” Said man grinned as he sat back, pulling Miya into his lap as he gave his belly a few tickles. “Your punishment: 7th zone of tickles!”

“Aahhahahahahhahahha, nhoohohohohot tihihiihihickles! Chehehhherry hehehehhelp mehehhehehhehe!” Miya whined to the older man, reaching out helplessly before Shadow attacked his armpit, making him shoot back with a cackle.

“Sorry Miya. I warned you what would happen.” Cherry instead turned back to his desk, kneeling down and gathering his tea. “Carla, take a record, won’t you? Mark this as the day Miya learned his lesson on respect.”

“Noted.” The board spoke, starting to record.

“Thank you Carla.” Cherry looked pleased.

“Doohohohohn’t recohohohohord this! Hehehehehelp mehehehhehe-AHH NOT THE FHEEHHEHEHEHEHT!” Miya shrieked when Shadow grabbed an ankle, yanking off his shoe and drilling into his socked feet. “STAHAHHAHHAP IHIIHIHIHIIHT!”

“Oo, kitty cat’s got some ticklish beans, yeah?” Shadow teased, poking and prodding at his toes, earning a scream and a swat. “You’re gonna sound like you’re getting murdered on there, hehehe.”

“IHIHIHIHIIHIHF I DIHIHIHIHIE YOHOOOHOUR GOHOOOOHING TO JAHAHHAHAHIL!” Miya cackled through his screams, cheeks red and eyes misty.

“Nah, Cherry will back me up! Right Cherry?” Shadow grinned.

“Nope. You’re on your own.” He replied, earning a gutted noise from Shadow.

“SEHEHEHEHEHEE? HEHHEHE’S A TRAHAHAHHAITOR!” Miya squealed out, near silent with mirth. Shadow tsked as he eased up, letting the kid breath. “Yeah, but you’re the one who started it!”

“Eheheh…eheheheh…I’m shahaharry…” Miya grunted out, reaching up and petting Shadow’s arm. “Reahehehally I am…”

The older man softened almost immediately, shaking his head. “Fine, I’ll forgive you. But next time you diss me like that It’s gonna be harsher.” He poked the other’s belly for emphasis, earning a giggle.

“Fihihine…Pistachios’ still gross though.” Miya hopped up and bounced out of reach, grinning at Shadow’s face. “I’m not changing my mind!”

“What? It’s amazing! You’re just uncultured!” Shadow called after him, giving chase. Soon Cherry was left alone once more, sipping his tea with a small smile on his lips.

He rather liked the company he kept these days.

I hope this was good!

[people-are-strange-87]

Through broken walls, that scream I hear

Hey, are you busy?” Ella called as she entered the cave with four large boxes, “I can come back later”

Marko shook his head by her side in seconds, “No. We’re just having some drinks, do you want one?”

“I’m alright. I just wanted to give you guys some stuff. I’ve got some of your old shirts you gave me and I got you all some gifts” She explained as she put the boxes down with Marko's help.

“You shouldn’t be spending money on us, Ella” Dwayne looked like he had been crying, he was taking the loss of Laddie harder than the others. It was still fresh in their hearts.

“I never said I spent money”

“You stole them?” Paul laughed, “Alright, Babe!”

She rolled her eyes, the blonde had a whole different set of morals “I didn’t steal them. I was clearing out the attic and some of the stuff reminded me of you”

“Oh, did you miss us?” David asked, slightly teasing, “Is that why you’re here?”

“I always miss you guys, I just needed to show you how much I love you”

His arm wrapped around her waist, “And what about you, little sister? Do you feel loved?”

“Yeah, I always feel loved by you boys” Ella smiled as she looked at her boyfriend. His blue eyes felt like they were piercing her soul

She wasn’t expecting David to sink his teeth into her throat, he didn’t drink. He pulled back to speak, “I know when you lie to me, Ella”

“Sometimes I think you’d love me more if I was a vampire”

Marko kissed her cheek with a grin, “And is that something you want, amore? Do you want to join us?”

“Yes. But not tonight” The boys’ faces fell as she spoke, “Next week”

“Why would you want to wait? You wish to join us in immortality but only when it’s convenient for you?!” David snapped, stepping away from her. He wanted to be patient with her but she was throwing everything back into his face.

She shifted on her feet, anxious “I have to go away for a bit, that’s all”

“What could be more important than us?”

“I have to visit my sister” Ella looked away from David, finding the cracked floor more interesting at this moment

“Your sister is really more important than us? When she gets old and dies, who will be with you then?” David was furious. He offered her eternal life with them and she didn't want it.

“David!” Dwayne scolded, “Let her explain herself”

“It’s just this one trip. This is the first and last time that I will choose her over you. I’m just taking her some things and some money” Ella seemed absentminded, as if her mind was somewhere else.

David grabbed her hand, “Fine, but just this once, little sister. When you return, you will join us or you will never see us again. Do you understand?” The threat was clear. Eternity together or nothing.

She shook her head, panicking “I will join you, I want to”

“Good” David kissed her goodbye gently before making his way further into the cave. The sun would be up soon enough. Marko kisses her head as he follows.

Dwayne pulls her into a tight hug as he kisses her pulse point, “I love you” He whispered into her ear as he let go, joining the others.

“Paul? Are you not going with them?” She noticed he hadn't moved from his spot in the cave. He stood up at the call of his name, slowly walking over to her with a small smile.

He grabs her waist lazily, resting his forehead against hers, “Soon”

“What’s up, Paulito? You seem upset” He'd been unusually quiet all evening. She wanted to comfort him but didn't know how.

“No, not upset. Worried” He admitted, “That you’ll change your mind”

Ella ran her hands down his arms, kissing his cheek “You don’t need to worry, babe. You’ve got me forever”

“You mean it?”

“I mean it, baby”

He finally kisses her, “You feel safe with us, right, babe?”

“Safer than I’ve ever done” Honestly, she'd never felt safer. It unnerved her. She knew they'd do anything for her.

“Good ‘cause you are safe with us. We’ll always protect you”

“Thanks, babe. You should probably go join the others, the sun will be up soon”

“You’re right” He sighed, kissing her again, “I love you, so much”

“I love you too, Paulie”

He kissed her forehead, walking away. He stopped when he noticed she was going to say something, “What is it, little sister?”

“Can you tell the others I’m sorry?” Her voice was quiet, insecure.

Paul grinned, “Oh? Why? What’ve you done?” He teased

“Can you just tell them, please?”

“Tell me!” He became concerned at her behaviour. Unfortunately, it came across as anger.

“You’ll see, babe”

“Ella! Tell me what you’ve done!” He demanded, grabbing her arms

“Paul…” She began crying, “Please just leave it, you’re scaring me”

“I’m sorry, babe. Will you forgive me?”

“I will always forgive you, love”

“You’re gonna make me cry”

“Don’t cry, Paulito. I’m not worth crying over”

He hugged her tightly, burying his face into her neck, “You most certainly are”

“Goodbye, Paul. I love you”

“Goodbye, little sister. I love you too”

~🦇~🦇~🦇~🦇~

A week later and they hadn’t heard from Ella nor seen her. They decided to check out her house when she didn’t turn up. Her car is sitting in the drive, the door is locked and the curtains are closed. Dwayne pulls his spare keys out, unlocking the door. Not a single light was on and the house looked empty. It looked the same as when she had first brought it, all the personal touches the boys had helped her add were gone.

They slowly made their way upstairs, calling for Ella as they went. They checked each room with no sign of her until they reached the bedroom. Next to her bed sat four boxes, just like the ones she had given them at the cave, each had a name of one of the boys.

“Oh my god!” Paul exclaimed as he opened the door to the bathroom. Ella was lying in the bath, lifeless. An empty pill bottle was discarded in the bin and the cuts on her forearms no longer produced blood. Paul turned away from the sight as he began to cry. Marko was furious, what had led her to this? David had his back against the bed as he sat crying, his head in his hands.

Dwayne rushes into the bathroom, practically running to Ella’s side as he begins to sob. His body shakes with the force of each sob as he falls to his knees. His hand shakily runs over her hair, as if he was comforting her. It was the most emotional the boys had ever seen him. 

“She told me to tell you guys that she was sorry” Paul whispered, coming to the realisation. Their conversation had been more than a short goodbye. “I accidentally scared her when she wouldn’t tell me why. I was crying when I apologised and she said she wasn’t worth crying over”

Marko and David look at Paul in shock and then each other. David shook his head as he thought about everything they had done with her. Had they made her feel like this? Marko moved to hug Dwayne tightly, he had experienced so much loss in his life. He had lost everyone and was only just rebuilding. Marko knew that if they weren’t careful then they would lose Dwayne next. It was as if Marko was his lifeline in that moment, Dwayne held onto him tightly, as if he would drown without him. The others could practically feel Dwayne’s heartbreaking. There was only so much a heart could heal after being broken so many times.

It was less than ten minutes until sunrise and Dwayne had still not left Ella’s side. Paul had gone to the cave an hour ago. Dwayne knew the risks of staying there, he knew it would most likely kill him, but he didn’t care. All he could think about was Ella.

The sun breaks over the horizon, beams of light begin to invade the room. Each one illuminates the beauty of Ella, even as she lays dead in his arms. His skin began to hiss and bubble as it melted under the sunlight. It was an excruciating way to die but Dwayne felt he deserved it for not seeing the signs, for not making her see how much they needed her. The pain is indescribable as he feels the skin on his hand start to melt and sizzle under the heat of the sun, and yet despite it all, Dwayne did not move nor speak, for he had made his choice. His love was greater than the pain he was feeling. He will hold her forever and so he lets the pain consume him, even so, he sits there, unmoving and silent.

~🦇~🦇~🦇~🦇~

The boys knew something was wrong as soon as Dwayne did not return with Paul. They could only hope he made a sensible decision. They could not search for their brother until nightfall. Deep down, Marko knew what was going to happen. He had known from the moment they found Ella’s body. 

His eyes are fixed upon Ella's lifeless face, his heart and body broken and shattered. The pain had become noticeable several hours ago. This was the slowest death possible yet he sat through it. Dwayne could no longer handle the heartbreak the universe kept handing to him. He had lost his parents, his siblings, his lovers, his children, Laddie, and now Ella. His brothers would cope without him, they had done so before he arrived in Santa Carla. His decision was made.

Marko was not prepared when sunset came. The uncertainty of Dwayne’s safety was nerve wracking. Paul and David were optimistic but Marko had a bad feeling about the whole situation. They arrived at the house to discover their brother’s burnt remains, turning to ash under Ella’s body by the second. It was a shocking sight, one that most of them had not been expecting.

“I told you!” Marko shouted, pushing Paul, “I told you to stay with him and bring him back! I told you this would happen!”

David looked down at the bodies, “This is what he wanted” He whispered as he cried

“What about what we wanted! What about what Ella wanted!” Marko shouted, his face going red.

At the mention of Ella's name, Paul looks at Marko with tear filled eyes as he shakes his head, “We do not get to decide. Dwayne made his choice… We have to accept it”

Marko punched the bathroom wall, making a hole, before storming out of the house. He was going to feed before he went into a frenzy. He didn’t want to harm Paul or David. Paul watched him leave. They had lost so much in such a short time. It had only been three months since the deaths of Max, Laddie, and Star. And now to lose Dwayne and Ella within twenty-four hours? Paul wasn’t sure how much more their coven could handle.

[eversea143]

Who’s The Collector?

(Spoiler Alert!)

Long post warning too ‘v’

I’ve recently seen For The Future (incredible episode can’t wait for the final *squee!*) and I’m, well, having some deep thoughts about our fan favorite god-child.

I’ve already seen dozens of theories on who/what The Collector is. A lot has been (dis)proven with the recent lore-dump that we got in the episode. I’m having a lot of fun seeing how others are digging into the deeper lore and the how’s and why’s of TC’s past and the apparent species he’s a part of.

And I’m not saying any of them are wrong!

But here’s what I think:

The Collector is, in a sense, an eldritch being pretending to be a mortal.

‘What?’ you might ask? ‘He’s powerful, sure, but an eldritch being???’

Well, let us delve for a moment into what the word ‘eldritch’ stands for. There are a few descriptions, but the one it serves here is as follows:

“Something unknown, beyond the realm of our understanding and perception of reality.”

Crude and simple, but it sort of fits doesn’t it? We don’t know much about The Collector. We know they look like a child, have yellow-blue skin, unphatomable power and wants to make friends. We know (now) that they’re from a species of seemingly ageless celestial beings who go from world to world, collecting the flora and fauna to preserve it and keep it from fading away through time.

But what else do we know? We don’t know how his powers work, why his people collect living creatures besides the obvious, or how their society works if they even have one. We don’t know why our Collector stood out from the others, why he looks back on his people’s history with disgust and contempt. We don’t know what landed him in magical prison or what his connection with the Titans is.

And at the end of the day, we’ll likely never know the full story. Why?

Because The Collector, our Collector, has lived for millenia.

And that’s a long time! Too long for our feeble minds to comprehend! We can’t make sense of what it means for a living being to be a child yet at the same time live for hundreds of thousands of millions of years. We might get close, but we’ll never truly know.

It’s beyond our realm of understanding.

We are Mortal beings, living finite lives on finite worlds with finite resources. We are relient on physical sustenance to survive and are fragile when it comes to the great forces excuded by the stars. We rely on the complexity of magnetic fields and layers of ozone to not be exposed to toxic levels of radiation generated by our own sun! The very thing that also gave us our life!

But guess who aren’t like that? The Collectors.

They live for a very long time, if not practically forever! TC has yet to sustain an injury and we haven’t seen any depictions of Collectors dying, so we don’t know if they’re essentially ageless or truly immortal. They are immortal in every way that matters, at current.

(The fact that our dear Titan BL sealed TC away instead of killing him is in an ambigious area because either he couldn’t kill TC, physically, or wouldn’t kill TC because ‘literal Dad here’ and ‘morals?’)

So yes, Eldritch Being.

But then what about the ‘pretending to be a Mortal’?

Let us recap what we know about Collectors, as a species. They collect stuff, primarily living creatures because something (sympathy? empathy? Desire?) brings them to do so. They preserve beings from different planets to keep them out of Time’s reach. But rue those who stand in their way, they will scorche the sky and rain fire down upon anyone who opposes them.

Overkill much?!?

It’s pretty extreme, even when you try to look at it from their perspective. Oh, you don’t want us to collect your people? Well, screw you, we’ll bring some carnage and genocide make sure you never can! IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE! Why destroy the creatures you’re trying to preserve just because they don’t want to get turned into statues or scrolls?!

Is it a sick enjoyment? Do they not know any better? Is it in their nature to destroy what opposes them? You’d believe that beings living for millions of years would eventually understand that there are legitimate reasons that what they’re doing is wrong, right?

But that’s the gist of it. Collectors collect living beings and destroy those who stand in their way. It’s clearly been like that for generations, eons perhaps, and so far they seem to be doing just fine.

And then our Collector pops up. He’s just a little one when his people find the Demon Realm, curious and learning.

He watches his people as they start collecting. Watches as they discover the Titans who, for good reason, oppose what’s happening and begin fighting back. Before all this it’s likely the Collectors had never faced a species before who possessed powers that canceled out theirs, so at least the Titans had some foothold to work with!

But a child immersed in a war they don’t understand? Don’t know the reason for? They’re young, just trying to make sense of everything around them. This are their people, right? And they’re trying to collect, right? So why are they fighting those big creatures?

It doesn’t make sense, not to them. Young children are curious and want to know everything, the rhyme and reason behind every act and deed. But the simple platitude of ‘this is how it’s always been’ isn’t working. Not this time.

So where would you look for the answer to a question your ‘parents’ can’t give a good answer to? Why, the ones they’re fighting of course!

But those big Titans are scary and might hurt him, so why not see what the small ones have to say, huh?

Enter stage, the Titan’s young. Their children, so curious as children are. Kept away from the hardships of their parents’ war. All of a sudden this magical child, just their size, just pops in! And starts asking questions to which they don’t have an answer for! What will you do?

Well, he’s their size, right? Why not play a few games! Have some fun!

I like to imagine little TC was so confused when the Titan kids tried to show him what games are. His people don’t seem like the types to entertain their own with silly little play when there’s collecting to do. Eventually he warmed up to it, started liking these games, wanted to play more. And his people likely wouldn’t agree, so why not keep it a secret? Why not keep sneaking out and play with his friends?

Eventually the Collectors find out. Perhaps even force poor TC to watch as they murdered his friends in front of him. Go ahead, let’s traumatize this kid because he isn’t listening!

So then what? He lost his friends, lost his only link to something positive and good. He’ll want that back, please and thank you.

So he runs away. Runs away and maybe, just maybe, runs into a Titan who could see past the whole ‘being of the same species as my kin’s murderers’.

But there’s still a snag in his plan. You see, The Collector isn’t Mortal.

Never was, likely never will be. He’s a being who lives for eternal ages and requires nothing to survive. He can be in space and be just fine, whilst Titans would likely still choke or explode because they’re organic beings.

But he’s gotten a glimpse of what it means to be Mortal. He saw the Titan kids, saw as they played and ate and slept. Watched as they were told stories by their parents and played games. This is all TC knows about being Mortal.

So he begins acting like it. Acts like a Mortal child who wants to play games and be put to sleep and eat food and have friends. They’re good enough at it that they even fool BL until something or another (perhaps the true power of TC coming out when their friend is endangered?) makes it clear they’re different and scary and dangerous and might just very well end up hurting or killing his child because they’re careless with their powers!

Like, seriously, TC likely was meant to learn how to control his powers but snuck out before he could, so now we don’t just have an Eldritch child on the loose but one who’s practically an aimless missile and potential ticking timebomb if not handled carefully! When he dances his magic literally turned a whole island into his personal playground! His powers are solely connected to his emotions and practically had no aim when it engulfed the Isles, only directed with the recollections TC had of what it meant to be a Collector and how he could use that to keep on playing.

He’s a Collector, it’s what he is meant to do (no it isn’t that’s just what his people did but he doesn’t know what else to do so why change that-) but surely he could do better, be better? Keep collecting without having to murder those who oppose him and instead make friends he can play with for forever and ever and ever!

But deep inside, a part of TC had been fooled by his act as well and now he’s not just an Eldritch Being pretending to be a Mortal.

He feels like one, too.

[skoulsons]

I agree 10000%. Idc for Abby/lev at all. I understand the symbolism they were going for but it was such a huge disappointment for me. I played TLOU when it first came out, fell in love with Joel and Ellie’s father/daughter dynamic, and then waited years for part 2 just for Joel to die and then the pov to switch.

If they wanted to kill him so bad I wish they would have done it in a better way. Beating him to death?? Then having Ellie being forced to watch it??? Sickening

But also yeah idk how much of season 2 I will watch. I’m a little happy it’s been delayed. I know once it’s out Joel’s death scene is going to be everywhere and I won’t be able to escape it. I just hope they add as many flashbacks as possible.

Sorry this turned into a random rant in your inbox

Oh yeah, loving the first game so early on and getting attached only to then experience tlou2 after many years of waiting must’ve sucked

tlou2 discussion of Joel’s death under the cut, so scroll if you don’t want to read

I’ve grown a bit neutral of his death. Not neutral in how it makes me feel because I cry blood every time I watch it, but in understanding. Yeah, of course we love Joel and he deserved to live forever especially since he finally got a life with Ellie, but also… he had what was coming to him. As much as anyone else in the apocalypse, he did some really bad stuff. As my friend Z likes to talk about (and what I tend to agree with) is some guy from Joel’s past as a hunter/raider coming back for some sort of revenge. To me, that sounds more interesting and compelling. But whether we like that route or the canon route of the doctors daughter, Joel’s choice still caught up to him

Now I DO wish he died differently. Sure, in context of the game sure it makes sense and the abby / ellie parallels with their dead fathers and then the road to revenge and yada yada, whatever. But I do wish it was done differently. Saving Ellie, particularly. Sacrificial love. Something like that. Have him risk his life or something, I don’t know. Sacrificing himself just fits me view of him and the kind of man he is. To put himself out there, to protect Ellie to make sure she gets out and is safe. To kill himself for her, basically. But we didn’t that, so

That’s one thing about season 2 (and 3 if they are truly splitting the game up into separate seasons) for me. His death is really violent in game, I don’t know how they’re going to put into the show or how much worse (or better) they’ll make it. The game in general is overall very violent and I don’t know how they’re going to bring all of that into a show that really didn’t include a ton in the first season

Holding out hope for flashbacks and domestic Joel and Ellie time in their life in Jackson as a happy little father and daughter 🤞🏻 I will be hurt in a major way and will need a way to combat the emotional hell I will be put through

I don’t know, it’s a whole big discussion to have and could go on for a while, so I’ll shut up 💀 hope this was coherent cause it sure doesn’t feel like it

Don’t apologize!! I like when y’all come in here 🤍

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Infinity War II 🔥 | Dark Phoenix Series P.2

Takes place during infinity war

Read part 1 -> Series Masterlist | Marvel Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Dr. Evelyn ‘Eve’ Alice Stark (OC)/The Eagle/Host of the Phoenix Force, Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch (platonic/ally), Doctor Stephen Strange (implied romance), Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (implied romance), Tony Stark (platonic/Newphew), Howard Stark (Platonic/brother), Steve Rogers/Captain America (platonic/best friend) a lot of the marvel characters will be involved in this series.

Content Warnings: profanity, violence, near-death experience, angst, canon divergence | Female OC (She/her) | wc: roughly 6k+ (unedited so sorry for mistakes)

Premise: Billions of miles from Earth, the battle against Thanos is unfolding. Onboard heading to Titan, superheroes Tony and Evelyn Stark along with masked vigilante Peter Parker and Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange are pending the inevitable. The goal: stop Thanos from obtaining the Time stone and hold him off from getting the last of them. To their surprise they are not the only ones waiting for him on the planet. And little do they know, something powerful lurks in the distance. Something that will change the trajectory of Eve’s life forever.

I recommend listening to this during Eve vs Thanos

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Note: So I don’t have a face claim for Eve yet, but I imagine her having the same colored eyes as Tony since she’s Howard’s sister and dark hair. The reason I’m making her hair dark, is because I plan to do something with it in regards to the Phoenix force taking claim in her. Honestly I kinda picture young Monica Bellucci or young Penelope Cruz.

—————————————

They didn’t know how long they had been traveling, but it felt like hours. The ship was on a direct course for a planet called ‘Titan,’ which they assumed was where Thanos planned for his associates to meet him with the stones.

It was fairly quiet throughout the journey. Peter did the most chattering by staying close to Tony and asking him every question in his mind regarding the upgrades in his new suit. Strange put more protective spells on the amulet while Eve sat silently on the platform. Her feet hung over and she had her hands clasped together. If she were to somehow fall over, she didn’t worry.

Thank goodness for her suit.

Left to wonder, Eve had hope Earth was in good hands. If Bruce followed through with alerting Steve, then Vision should’ve been located and they’d be on their way to the compound. Rhodey would understand—but Ross sure as hell wouldn’t. What they did from there was a mystery and Eve could only hope they had backup.

“Mind if I join you?” A voice broke Eve from her thoughts, glancing up to find Steven standing next to her. She hadn’t even heard him approach. With a gently nod, Eve scooted to the side to allow room for him to sit.

Once he got situated, they both overlooked the open void of the ship. “Never in my years as a surgeon did I ever think I’d be floating in space going God knows where.” Eve chuckled, feeling the same way.

“Life surprises you in mysterious ways.” He scoffed, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. After a moment with him not replying, Eve couldn’t help but asking, “So…you’ve always been able to do magic tricks?” From the corner of her eye she could see him sigh. She had to fight back a smirk at his annoyance.

“No. I’ve only been doing this for two years.”

“What suddenly spurred you to become a sorcerer, doc? You had quite the reputation in the city from what I heard.”

Stephen was silent for a moment before replying, “Well, I nearly died and lost everything trying to fix something that couldn’t be fixed. Along the way I put everything I had into a last resort and before I knew it I was defending the world from Mystic threats and monsters. Just kinda happened, you know?”

Eve tilts her head, sticking her lip out with lifted brows as if to say, ‘Sounds legit.’ If anyone knew what it was like to have your life altered before your eyes, it was Eve Stark. One moment she’s deep behind enemies lines in 1948 and the next she’s waking up in the desert with a look-a-like of her brother in the year 2008.

“And how is that working out for you?”

Stephen thinks for a moment, then he shrugs. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”

“Welcome to my reality,” she mutters, glancing briefly to where Tony and Peter were conversing. Tony had stress evident in his expression, while Peter tried making light of the scenario. Eve cared for the boy, but he sure was naive at times.

“I’m still an amateur though,” Stephen comments, pulling her attention back to him. “You’re definitely a professional if we’re being technical.”

“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” she affirms with a tight mouth. “But there are days where I’m still surprised.” She lets out a sigh before continuing, “There’s always something bigger. The fight never ends in this life.” Eve pauses, connecting eyes with Stephen. “You’ll learn that quick.”

“How do you cope with it?” Stephen asks. There was curiosity in his gaze. There was also one of unease.

Eve ponders for a minute, trying to think of the best way to answer without sound too self-deprecating. There really was no easy way to say it. “Usually I just overwork myself until I can no longer bear it. Or I shut down to the point I push everyone away.” She looks away from Stephen, brushing her fingers over the knuckles of her left hand. “Some loses are so hard you find yourself unable to take pride or joy in the victories.”

Stephen knows he probably shouldn’t ask the next question he was thinking. But like many people in the world, the cause of the rift between the Avengers was something many wanted to know more of. “What exactly happened?” When her head tilts up at him, waiting for him to specify, Stephen clears his throat. “I-I mean I know about the whole Accords—like everyone else. But what happened in Siberia? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Eve’s breath hitches in her throat, then she bits her lip. “Um,” she tries to laugh, but it comes out as cough. “You mean what happened with Steve?” When he nods, she squares her shoulders. “Have you ever trusted someone with your whole heart and soul?”

“Can’t say I have,” Stephen admits, looking away when he realizes how bad it sounded.

Eve chuckles, though it’s strained. “I’ve had a few people fall into the category over the course of this extended life. My brother, Peggy, Tony,” she falls quiet, sadness filling her eyes before she says, “My husband.” Stephen looks back to her, noticing how the knuckle on her left hand she kept brushing over was the ring finger. He didn’t know much of Evelyn Stark’s history, but he was aware she’d been married at the time of her disappearance with a young daughter.

“And Steve,” she finishes with a sigh. “When I woke up all those years ago the only person I could trust on this planet was Tony. Then Steve was found. And it felt like I could finally sort of breath again. I wasn’t the only one who was ‘stuck in time.’” There was a small smile from Eve as she thought back with fondness. “Howard was my brother, but Steve was my best friend. We were ‘Captain America and The Eagle.’ We fought the war together, Strange. We stopped Hydra, the Red Skull, Zola. If there was anyone I trusted more in the whole world that wasn’t my family, it was Steve. Then we picked up right where we left off in twenty-twelve. It felt natural.”

There’s a pause from Eve. Now she was getting into the rough stuff. “Believe it or not, I didn’t really care about what happened with the Accords,” she shakes her head, finally admitting the truth she held in years prior. Stephen’s brows raise with surprise. He wasn’t expecting to war hero to say something like that. “I wanted to be done with this life and planned to retire when the Accords were ratified. I didn’t know about the airport conflict. Tony only told me after when he needed me to come with him to Siberia.”

Stephen heard her breath catch again, Eve gulping as he eyes began to water. She held them back, “I thought for eight years my family died in car accident. Tony thought the same for nearly twenty. His parents—my brother. My husband and my daughter. But that wasn’t true—.” She closed eyes, flinching away as the image of their execution replayed in her mind. “You see, Strange, I trusted Steve with ever inch of my heart and soul. I loved him as much as you could love a person without any kind of romantic interest coming into play. And when he discovered the truth of what happened to my family—his friends,” she emphasized, her anger rising and she quickly recovered. “

“I don’t have anger toward the person who committed the act—let me be clear on that,” at the sorcerers confused gaze she explains further. “Hydra knew how to control someone. How to break there mind to the point where they become only a void. He had no control over what they made him do. And I would have understood that.”

Stephen nods slowly, the realization settling in. “What you’re saying is Steve knew your family was executed and kept it hidden. From you and Tony.”

“Yes,” she whispered, letting her head fall so she was gazing at her lap. “Know this, Stephen Strange, since you’re too deep now in this life you might as well learn the most valuable thing a person could know.” Eve lifts her head, connected them with his bright blue ones. He almost felt his heart skip by how intense the stare was. “The reason betrayal hurts so much is because it never comes from your enemies.”

Silence overtakes the two while Eve’s words linger in the air. She takes the time to think back on all that happened in the recent years. There was never a moment of rest for the war hero. Each year Eve felt herself slowly draining away.

After Loki, enemies turned up left and right. Some even right under their noses. There was the discovery of Hydra within SHIELDS ranks and not long after Ultron nearly committed global annihilation. Fighting those types of enemies were to be expected in the superhero life.

But Eve never anticipated she would have to fight her friends.

2016 was the most difficult year for Eve since waking up 60 years after being taken captive by Hydra. When the Accords came into play, Eve felt her best course of action was to retire. Part of her looked forward to it. Eve envisioned herself moving to the countryside, away from the city, and maybe even taking a job as a college professor or starting an organization to help underprivileged kids.

But that didn’t happen.

Her world came crashing down with the opposing arguments between the Avengers which resulted in half of them imprisoned at the Raft. Then there was the bombshell in Siberia where the truth of her families death, including her husband and daughter, came to light. And that Steve, her best friend and person she trusted most in the world besides Tony, had knew all along.

The aftermath that followed was a dark time for Eve. She cried every night and in the shower. A bottle of wine was empty by the end of each day and nightmares flooded her mind. Steve never once tried to contact her, which only fueled her anger. He had the audacity to send a letter to Tony with a phone, but couldn’t give her the same respect.

The only thing keeping her busy and in the superhero ways was Peter. The kid was young and Eve saw herself in him. Helping him felt like a breath of fresh air.

Speaking of fresh air…it looked like they were about to get some because of the blasting sound of the ships alarm. Eve and Strange quickly got up, moving to stand beside Tony in front of the screen.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Peter asked from behind.

“I think we’re here,” Stephen replied.

“I don’t think this rig has a self-park function,” Tony goes to the right, putting his hand in what he believed was the control. “Get your hand inside the steering gimbal, close those around it,” he secures the clasp around his arm and pulls up a map in front of him. Peter does what he says, grunting when the latch squeezes his arm. “You understand?”

“Yep, I got it.”

“This was meant for one big guy, so we gotta move t at the same time.”

“Okay, okay. Ready,” Peter holds tight. The ship was descending fast. Eve moved to the middle next to Strange, the two watching anxiously as Tony and Peter attempted to drive the ship to a safe landing.

Suddenly a very large obstacle closes in on frame. “We might want to turn,” Stephen mumbles just as Peter starts to shout, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Tony unlocks his suit, the helmet enclosing around his.

They managed to make the turn, avoiding the one obstacle only to collide with another. It takes the top portion of the ship causing it to rattle. Eve brings her bracelets together, banging them twice to unleash her suit while Stephen conjured a protective force around the group.

The ship hit the ground hard. Eve struggles to stay on her feet and pins her wings into the floor to keep stable. More of the ship comes apart before skidding across the ground until it stills. The force of it causing Tony to fall making Strange rush over. “You all right?”

“That was close,” Tony grunts, taking his hand to help him stand. “I owe you one.” Before anyone could say anything or ask where they landed, Peter descends upside down from his web with concern in his expression.

“Let me just say, if aliens wind up implanting eggs in my chest or something and I eat of you, I’m sorry.”

“I do not want another, single, pop culture reference out of you for the trip. You understand?” Tony raises a finger sternly to stop him, but Peter interrupts with urgency.

“I’m trying to say that something is coming.” Never underestimate spidey senses.

The second the words leave Peter’s mouth, a small object rolls in front of the group before a blast sends them backward. Both Stephen and Eve collide with debris, grunting when they land on the ground. They see figures emerge from the whole in the ships wall. “What the hell?” Eve mutters before an unknown voice shouts, “THANOS!!”

Something flies toward Stephen who deflects it causing the unknown person to scream. Next thing the guy knows is he’s on the ground when a red flying fabric wraps around his face.

The second intruder with a metal mask started flying as he shot toward the group with some kind of gun. Both Eve and Tony chased after him with Tony sending a rocket to throw him off. When they collided Tony did not realize something had been placed on him. Suddenly, he’s pulled against his will to the metal debris by a magnetic field.

Eve continues to pursue the masked assailant. When she gets close, Eve brings her arm cuffs together causing a loud *bang*. The force of it sends the man into a wall. He grunts from the impact and Eve goes to pin him before he could escape, but he’s too fast for her. A bright light blasts in front of her causing Eve to block it with her arm and the man knocks her back into the control panel.

Meanwhile Peter lets out a light scream when his eyes land on a lady with antennas glowing on her head. “Woah, woah, woah!” He crab walks backward in a hurry, “Please don’t put your eggs in me!” Before she could touch him, Peter shoots a web to bind her limps together. The lady grunts, stumbling as she walks and Peter is then kicked away by the masked man.

“Stay down, clown,” his gruff voice commands. Peter dodges his attacks, jumping up and away. When he tries to tackle him a blue stringlike material wraps around him forcing him down.

“Die, blanket of death!” Tony escapes and flies over to where the cloak was blocking the view of one of the intruders. Putting a foot on his chest, the cloak flew away to reveal a very buff man with grey and red skin. With Strange holding up rings, Tony with his blaster, Eve with her energy rockets and the masked man now holding Peter at gunpoint, there was a standoff.

“Everybody stay where you are. Chill the eff out,” He clicked his mask and it retraced, revealing a human-like man before them. Eve tilted her head as she glanced him over. “I’m gonna ask you this one time. Where is Gamora?”

Her brow raised in confusion at the question. Both she and Tony’s helmets retracted as Tony replied, “Yeah. I’ll do you one better. Who’s Gamora?” What they didn’t expect was the man laying on the ground to say, “I’ll do you on better. Why is Gamora?”

“That makes no damn sense,” Eve said appalled, mirroring Strange’s expression.

“Tell me where the girl is or I swear to you I’m gonna French fry this little freak.”

Tony’s face consorted into anger at the threat. “Let’s do it! You shoot my guy and I’ll blast him. Let’s go!” A very large blaster emerged from his left hand, pointing down at the guy.

“Do it, Quill! I can take it!”

“No, he can’t take it!” The antenna lady shouted.

“She’s right. You can’t,” Stephen agreed. Eve just rolled her eye, wanting to end the standoff and get to the bottom of who these guys were.

“Oh yeah? You don’t wanna tell me where she is?” the man, Quill, looked at the sorcerer. “That’s fine. I’ll kill all four of you and I’ll beat it out of Thanos myself. Starting with you,” he pushed the gun into Peter’s head.

“Wait, hold up?” Eve put her arms up to lower her defenses. “Run that by us again?”

“All right,” Stephen shook his head, also trying to wrap his head around what Quill said. “Let me ask you this one time. What master do you serve?” Personally that would have not been the question Eve would have asked, but she waited for an answer nonetheless.

“What master do I serve?” Quill repeated the question like it was a joke. “What am I supposed to say, ‘Jesus’?”

Tony lowered his own defenses, giving his aunt a bewildered look. As if his day couldn’t get more surprising. “You’re from Earth.”

“I’m not from Earth, I’m from Missouri.” Eve had to turn around, her hand coming to palm her face. The lack of brain cells this man had was unreal to the scientist.

“Yeah, that’s on Earth, dipshit,” Tony fired back. “What are you hassling us for?”

“So you’re not with Thanos?” Peter’s small voice cut into the conversation.

Quill’s expression turned to one of horror, “With Thanos? No, I’m here to kill Thanos. He took my girl. Wait, who are you?”

With the gun to his head lowered, Peter removed his iron mask. “We’re the Avengers, man.”

“Oh.”

“You’re the ones Thor told us about.” Eve spun back around at the antenna lady’s words. Tony tilted his head in alarm at the fact they knew of Thor. Like Bruce, the Avengers hadn’t had any contact with the God in over two years.

“You know Thor?”

“Yeah,” Quill confirmed, though he looked unimpressed. “Tall guy, not that good looking,” Beside him, Peter made a face as he finished, “needed saving.”

“Not that good looking?” Eve mumbled to herself like she couldn’t believe someone would describe Thor as such. She may have been a married woman at one point, but Eve knew an attractive person when she saw one.

And Thor was the definition of more than good looking.

“Where is he now?” Strange then asked causing Eve to narrow her eye on the group. She was suspicious why Thor wasn’t with them. Could he have sent them?

“He had to go to some star and get a weapon he described as a ‘Thanos killing kind,’” Quill raised his fingers to emphasize the point.

“And he sent you here?” Eve assumed.

“No,” The antenna lady, who still hadn’t said her name, cut in. “He sent us to Knowwhere.”

“Knowwhere?” Eve repeated with a tilt of her head. It sounded like a made up place to her.

“It’s the home of the Collector,” Quill explained, moving away to glance around the crashed ship. “The Collector was holding the Reality Stone,” the group stiffened at the mention of another stone. “We tried to get there before Thanos could take it.”

“And I take it you failed,” Stephen finished for him, disappointment and worry filling his veins.

Quill tried not to let Stephen’s words get to him, but the anger was evident on his face. “We had no chance. And he took Gamora with him. Her sister, Nebula, contacted us and told us to meet her here.”

“Where is this, Nebula?”

“I don’t know obviously!” Quill threw his arms up. “Why do you think I kicked y’all’s ass? We saw the ship and thought you were part of Thanos’s squad.”

“Well, you thought wrong,” Eve stated with a tight expression. “And you barely tickled us with the way you fight.” In the corner of her eye, Eve could see Tony and Stephen holding back smirks. They both looked very amused. Before Quill could fire back, Eve moved forward, determination in her gaze.

“But it’s time to step it up because that makes three stones Thanos now has—if he hasn’t gotten his hands on more. We’ve have the Time stone,” she pointed her finger to Stephen’s amulet, “And if Thanos hasn’t reached Earth then it means our friends still have the Mind stone. That means that—,” she paused to snap her fingers, thinking back to the names Wong had stated earlier. “That means the Soul is the only one we have no knowledge of where it could be.”

At the mention of the Soul stone, Quill stilled in realization. “That’s why he needed her,” his voice was so low Eve almost couldn’t hear him.

“What was that?”

“Gamora,” he repeated her name, “On our way to Knowwhere, Gamora made me promise her something if Thanos ever got to her. It was because she knew something he didn’t. Why she couldn’t let Thanos take her.” Quill brought his hand up to run through his hair, “She must have known where to find the Soul stone.”

Eve felt herself shudder, understanding what Quill was telling them. “And Thanos has her. Right this second?” His nod only sparked more dread. “Fuck.”

“Yeah, fuck.”

When the group finally makes their way outside, they make a haunting discovery. The planet, who Quill named Titan, was a ghost town. Well more like ghost planet.

Besides them, they was not a single sign of life elsewhere. What looked like buildings were run down and becoming dust. It was chilling to see how what once thriving planet looked like when it was withering away.

“What are you guys exactly?” Eve asks when she notices the large scale of their ship. The antenna lady comes up beside her, now free from Peter’s web.

“We’re the Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Eve raised her brow at the name. It was a interesting team name to say the least. “The Guardians of the Galaxy, huh?” Eve tried it on her tongue, shrugging a second later. “Cool. I’m Evelyn,” She stuck her hand out, “but you can call me Eve.”

“I’m Mantis,” the lady replied, shaking her hand with a smile.

“Neat name,” Eve complimented, amused at how fitting it was. Her attention then turned on Quill, who had a glowing device in his hand.

“What the hell happened to this planet? It’s eight degree’s off its axis. The gravitational pull is all over the place.”

“Yeah we got one advantage,” Tony sighs, “He’s coming to us. Eve moved to stand beside him, unaware Mantis was now jumping up and down to test the lack of gravitational pull on Titan. She even stuck her limps out and did a spin.

She was having a blast from what Peter could tell.

“We’ll use it,” Tony announced, turning around to face Quill. Eve followed closely. “Alright, I have a plan. Or at least the beginnings of one. It’s pretty simple—we draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Definitely don’t want to dance with this guy. We just want the gauntlet—.” A sound from the side distracts Tony. “Are you yawning?” He asks with offense towards Drax, who was in the middle of a yawn. “In the middle of this—when I’m breaking it down. Huh? Did you hear what I said?”

“I stopped listening after you said we need a plan.” The reply has Eve drop her shoulders in defeat. How the hell were they going to defeat Thanos with this lot.

“Okay, Mr. Clean is on his own page.”

“See, not winging it isn’t really what they do,” Quill explains.

“Uh what exactly is it that they do?” Peter asks for the three.

“Kick names, take ass.” Mantis says with determination. Drax backs her up with, “Yeah, that’s right.” All the three could do was look on with absolute bewilderment. Not a single word passed between them. Eve brought her hand up to pitch the bridge of her nose, while Peter flickered his eyes between her and Tony.

And the billionaire genius? He was silently praying would put him out of his misery.

With a sigh, Tony finally says after a minute, “Alright, just get over here, please.” He glances up to Quill, “Mr. Lord, could you get your folks to circle up?”

“Mr. Lord,” Quill closes his eyes with a shake of his head. “Star-Lord is fine.” He nudges his head for the two to come forward. When they approach, Tony continues to break it down.

“We gotta coalesce. Because if all we come at him is a plucky attitude—.”

“Dude,” Quill cuts in much to Ton’y annoyance. “Don’t call us plucky. We don’t know what it means. Alright? We’re optimistic, yes. I like your plan except it sucks, so let me do the plan and that way it might be really good.” All the while Quill mansplains, Tony just looks toward Eve with a ‘we’re doomed.’

“Tell him about the dance off to save the universe,” Drax interjects.

“What dance off?” Tony asks, already not liking the answer.

“It’s not a—It’s not—It’s nothing,” Quill stutters and tries to brush off.

“Like in ‘Footloose’, the movie?”

He looks at Peter with excitement. “Exactly like ‘Footloose.’ Is it still greatest movie in history?”

“It never was,” Peter claps back. Quill looks back in offense.

“Don’t encourage this,” Tony steps toward the teen. “Alright. We’re getting no help from Flash Gorgon here.”

“Flash Gordon, by the way,” Eve feels her eyes roll as Quill moves closer to them. “That’s a compliment. Don’t forget, I’m half human. So that fifty percent of me that’s stupid,” he begins to make a circle with his finger. “That’s one-hundred percent you.”

“You’re math is blowing my mind,” Tony shakes his head in astonishment. Eve wanted to add, but felt she’d lose brain cells if she attempted.

“Excuse me?” Mantis’ voice captures the groups attention. “But, does your friend often do that?” All eyes drift over her shoulder to find Stephen levitating in a criss-cross position.

“Strange!” Tony calls out. “You alright?” Stephen’s eyes were closed and his head was twitching, almost like he was in a trance. Green surrounding his wrists. The Starks moved closer, watching with concern.

“Ahh!” The doctor suddenly screamed as he dropped down. They rushed forward, each catching one of his shoulders to help steady his balance.

“We got you,” Eve gently said. She squeezed shoulder while he panted, noticing how sweat had gathered on his hairline.

“Hey, what was that?” Peter asked.

“I went forward in time. To view alternate futures. To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict.” Eve stiffened at Stephens words. Already there was a sense of dread filling her with the tone of his voice. It wasn’t hard to gather things didn’t look good for them.

“How many did you see?”

He looked at Quill before answering, “Fourteen million-six hundred and five.”

Tony clenched his jaw, “How many did we win?” They all waited, silence filling the void causing the anxiety to rise each second. With a number of outcomes that large, not even having a hundred could bring hope of a victory.

And that final ounce of hope shredded when Stephen uttered just a simple word. “One.”

What’s a villain origin story without the villain having a monologue.

That’s what Eve felt as she watched Thanos pitch to Strange the reasoning behind his plan of universal genocide. “Congratulations, you’re a prophet,” Stephen took the words out her mouth. She was crouched down beside Tony, suits at the ready and waiting to make their move. It took everything in her to not fly up to Thanos and blast his head off where he stood, but they needed to do this play by play. The plan they came up with was good.

Now it was time to put in motion.

“I’m a survivor,” Thanos told the sorcerer. The avenger rolled her eyes. Only the worst people in the universe could justify such actions.

“Who wants to murder trillions,” Stephen fired back.

“With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers,” Thanos snapped to show how easy it was. “They would all cease to exist. I call that mercy.”

Stephen rises from the ground, stepping off the pavement he was seated on. “And then what?”

“I’d finally rest,” the Titan hums. “—and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require he strongest wills.” A chill runs through Eve and she glances to Tony. He nods, signaling it was time.

At the same moment, Stephen brings his wrists up and casts his shields. “I think you’ll find our will equal to yours.”

“Our?”

By the time Tony and Eve slammed Thanos with a building like object to the second Mantis pulled him under her spell, it had been roughly two minutes. Two minutes with all seven of them plus a blue lady entering the picture did they have the mad titan bounded. Eve was already out of breath and sweating beneath her suit, but she kept a tight hold on the iron chains she had cuffed to Thanos’ legs. It was keeping him still while the others worked on removing the gauntlet from his wrist.

“Is he under?” Tony asked. “Don’t let up.” Mantis whimpered, eyes watering by the overflow of emotions she was feeling.

“Be quick. He is very strong.”

“Parker, help! Get over here.”

“Go, kid.” Eve took his webs in her right hand and combined with her chains. Using her wing powers, she pulled back a bit to strengthen the momentum.

Tony instructed Peter in a hurry. “She can’t hold him much longer. Let’s go.”

“We gotta open his fingers to get it off,” Peter mentioned and the two began to work on opening Thanos’ fist. Meanwhile, Quill finally made his way over to the group. There was satisfaction in his gaze as he looked on the Titan being overpowered.

“I thought you’d be hard to catch,” he raised a finger to Tony, “—For the record this was my plan.” His words made Eve scoff, the Avenger rolling her eyes. “You’re not so strong now, huh?” Quill’s eyes narrowed as he stepped forward. “Where is Gamora?”

Thanos groaned. “My Gamora.”

“No, bullshit!” Quill snapped. “Where is she?”

Mantis lets out another whimper. “He is in anguish.”

“Good.”

The Titan continues to groan. Mantis looks like she could cry. “He….he mourns.” To caught up in keeping Thanos still, no one noticed the look of realization from Nebula.

“What does this monster have to mourn?” Drax strains out.

“Gamora,” she exhales.

Quill freezes, before slowly turning around to face her. “What?”

“He took her to Vormir,” she begins to explain. “He came back with the Soul Stone. But she didn’t.” Though she didn’t say the exact words, everyone knew what Nebula was implying.

Tony was the first to speak up. “Okay, Quill, you gotta cool it right now. You understand?”

“Listen to him, Quill,” Eve calls out, strengthening her hold.

“Don’t, don’t. Don’t engage,” Tony orders, noticing how the man was turning back to Thanos. “We almost got this off!” He and Peter work faster. Quill could jeopardize them any second and the last thing they needed was Thanos to snap out of Mantis’ hold.

“Tell me she’s lying,” Quill demanded. Eve sees the grief stricken look from Nebula, understanding the two were more than likely close. “Asshole, tell me you didn’t do it!”

Thanos’ voice is hoarse, “I had to.”

“No, you didn’t.” The crack in Qull’s voice was evident. He repeats, “No, you didn’t.” Then his expression turns to one of absolute fury.

Eve could recognize the look of what he was about to do from a mile away. “Quill, don’t you dare!!” The words go in one ear and out the other for Quill. He brings his arm back—gun in hand—and collides it with Thano’s cheek. The Titan’s head snaps back, causing Mantis’ to lose her grip.

“Quill,” Tony shouts, moving to take Quill’s arm before he could land another blow. “Hey, stop! Hey, stop! Stop!”

“Peter, hurry!” Eve commands. Quill continues to struggle against Tony, fighting his way out of his grip. The gauntlet starts to loosen and Peter struggles to keep it in his hands.

“It’s coming—it’s coming. I got it—I got it!” Half of Thanos’ wrists becomes exposed and for a second they think they’ve won.

But they were too late.

In the blink of an eye Peter is kicked away before Mantis is thrown from Thanos’ shoulders. “Oh, God,” he springs up and away to catch her before she could hit the ground.

Thanos thrusts the leg Drax had been holding in front of him, flinging the man into Peter and Nebula. He collides with them like a bowling ball to pins causing all three to fall. Eve nearly lost her footing, but stayed steady.

The next person to be tossed away was Strange. Thanos took a hold of the whips to bring him over the opposite way. Tony attempted an attack, but Thanos simply backhanded him. And when Drax, Nebula, and Quill raced toward him, the power stone was used to knock them all out.

Eve was the last one standing. So, she did the only thing she could think of. She held tightly to the chains connected to the clasps on his legs and flew upward then forward. The action resulted in Thanos falling to his back, the Titan grunting in the process. Eve dragged him as far as she could, having the thrusters on her wings amp up before moving side to side.

Thanos kept hitting rock after rock. And it was pissing him off.

“Ah!” Eve shouted when she was suddenly pulled back by an unseen force. Purple surrounded her, a reflection of the Power stone, and Eve felt that power as she collided hard with the ground. The force of it was enough cut her temple beneath her helmet. She groaned, pain erupting in her head. Not to mention the wind was completely knocked out of her from the impact of her landing.

“Boss, you alright?” H.O.W.I.E’s voice sounded muffled despite being right in her ear.

She winced, “May have a concussion, but we’ll deal with that later.”

In the corner of eye, Eve could see Tony fly at Thanos. He kicked at his hand—focusing the attack on the gauntlet to prevent Thanos from using it. His attacks failed once more with Thanos punching him away and making him land not too far from Eve. Together they looked at their opponent, only for horror to consume them when he lifted the gauntlet and literally tore the moon orbiting above them to pieces.

“Oh my God,” she muttered and could only guess Tony was thinking the same. The rocks fell onto Titan. Right toward the Starks. They barely had time to react and when they did there was no room to escape. Tony dodged one moon rock only to collide with another and slam back into the ground.

Eve managed to navigate through the meteor shower. Her focus then drew onto the three unconscious figures of the Guardians. With the lack of a gravitational pull, they were floating in the sky after the impact of moon rocks plummeted down. “Shit,” she cursed, flying first to Drax who was closest to her. She caught him in her arms, breathing a sigh of relief when she caught sight of Peter. “Peter!”

“Ms. Stark!” He yelled back, swinging over to help.

Together the two rounded the guardians up with Eve flying to them before tossing them in Peter’s direction. He webbed them onto anything around him so they were secured.

All the while Strange was on a one-v-one battle against Thanos. The Sorcerer Supreme of the Mystic Arts and the Mad Titan. Strange did his best to overpower Thanos—even with four infinity stones against him. For a second, Eve thought Strange could come out on top. That was until Thanos used the Power stone to erase all the duplicate Stranges.

He pulled the sorcerer to him, grabbing him by the neck. “You’re full of tricks, wizard.” Stephen grunts when he takes the amulet and crushes it in his palm. “Yet you never once used your greatest weapon. A fake.” He heaves him away and Stephen knocks unconscious after hitting his heard hard against the pavement.

Thanos moves to finish him off, but a red iron plate encases his palm making him unable to close his fist. Tony and Eve land together side by side, drawing the Titans attention. “You throw another moon at me,” Tony seethes, “and I’m gonna lose it.”

“Stark.” Both the Avengers freeze.

“You know me?”

“I do. Both of you,” Thanos reaffirms, glancing to Eve in her gold suit. “You’re not the only ones cursed with knowledge.”

Tony exhales, amping up the rockets on his back, “Our only curse is you.” With that, the rockets release.

The Titan raises the gauntlet, “Come on!” Smoke surrounds him as they go off. Tony and Eve fly forward, countering and piggybacking off each other’s attack. At one point Thanos rips away Tony’s helmet, but the nanotech quickly forms another before Thanos lands a jaw shattering blow.

Tony groans as hits the ground and Eve is kicked away, but she quickly recovers. Thanos takes the chance to remove the iron plate before using the Power stone on Tony. Although he manages to get a shield up, the force of the stone’s power pushes him back several feet. Before he could blink, Tony collides hard with the rock and falls to the ground.

With a cry, Eve flies forward and turns to extend her feet, catches the Titan off guard. She kicks him off his balance, the two rolling several steps away and Eve finds herself in a heated battle. She focuses her attacks on the gauntlet—doing whatever to either remove it or stop him from forming a fist.

She jumps onto of his shoulders, using her wings to draw them back so Eve could then flip him onto his back. She presses her body onto his left arm, feet keeping his palm open. She then brings her fist up and lands punch after punch until he catches her arm and flings her away.

Eve lands on her back, letting out a grunt. When she gets up, she sees Thanos brings his one hand to his cheek, “All that for a drop of blood?” he hums when he sees the dark reddish purple liquid. The woman huffs, moving to continue the fight.

Unfortunately Thanos sees it coming. Before Eve could land another blow, he brings the gauntlet up. Purple radiates in a bright glow, and Eve’s breath catches when she finds herself unable to move. “W-what?” She stutterers, straining to move her muscles. A eerie sound fills her ears—the sound of mental crumbling.

It all happens to quick. Eve gasps when the air hits her skin. Her eyes go wide and she’s barely able to move her head. Gold levitates in front of her. A familiar shine to the color.

Thanos had took a part her suit.

It was floating around her in pieces. She couldn’t even tell which limbs were what. But she did notice how her very large and sharp wings were moving right in front of her. ‘Oh, God.’

Still unable to move, Eve lets out a choked cry. Her veins were visible with how hard she was trying to break free.

“You’re a strong fighter, Stark,” Thanos says, adjusting his wrist. The action turned the one wing directly in front of Eve downward. The pointed tip was leveled with her stomach. Smaller shards of metal pointed at her chest and torso. Eve’s panted, heart speeding up. In her peripheral, she could see Tony and Strange slowly coming to.

When both men saw what was happening, their face consorted in horror.

“A shame it had to end this way.”

“EVE!!!!”

A scream tore through Eve’s throat, echoing as she was hauled backward until her back met a rock and the pieces of her suit embedded into her body. The wing impaled directly through her stomach—coming to a hilt when it met the rock. Blood spilled from her mouth and the excruciating pain erupted within ever inch of Eve. (AN: If you’re listening to the song, I recommend having it at 6:45)

The sound of Tony crying out to her was muffled. Vision blurred as she struggled to breath. Each time blood poured from her many wounds. Eve grunted, her body shaking from the shock. Soon the pain slowly turned to numbness. There was no way she would survive.

Thanos turned away, not needing to finish the job when it looked like Eve was seconds away from succumbing to her wounds. He turned to Tony, who was too frozen by what he witnessed to notice the oncoming threat.

Eve tried to mentally call out to him, as though it would make a difference. ‘No, please no. Not him!’ It was useless. The Avenger was pinned with nowhere to go. Removing the wing would only cause her to bleed out. Her heart was already slowing down.

When all hope was lost, a rumble shook the ground. Though distorted, Eve managed to lift her gaze up toward the sky. At first she thought she was dreaming. It would explain it since she was seconds from knocking at death’s door.

Up in the already reddish hue of the sky, there was something bright orange and yellow floating on the edge of the atmosphere. It was so bright Eve thought it was a ship at first, but then it starting flying downward and she noticed how close it resembled that of fire. It didn’t have a distinct shape. It literally looked like the sky was on fire.

Eve wasn’t the only one who saw the strange entity. Thanos tilted his head, wondering what it possibly could be. Then it came closer. And closer. And closer until it was ground level and racing right in their direction.

Thanos snarls, raising the gauntlet in an attempt to stop the approaching figure. When it’s roughly fifty feet he uses the stones to destroy it. But to his surprise, Thanos is pushed away, skidding across the ground by the force of it flying past him.

Flying directly toward Eve.

Unable to escape, Eve felt the fear rise in her and she let out a strangled cry. The air became hot. It felt like she was in a sauna at full power as the entity swarmed her. It hit her chest full on, the force of it making her bounce against the rock she was pinned on. The pressure from the impalement went away, and Eve looked down to see all the metal shards including the wing had disintegrated.

Then she was rising off the ground, the orange flare surrounding her. It was so bright she could barely see. She couldn’t even make out where Tony and the others were.

It grew hotter. Hotter than any sauna she had been in. It was as though Eve was falling into a sun.

The intensity became stronger as though she could explode at any second. Her mind was cracking under the pressure—the heat coursing to the point it was becoming too much. Soon her vision turned black. Everything seemed to fade away.

There was only fire.

When a burst of energy consumed her, the scream Eve let out could be heard on every inch of Titan. Tony had to shield his eyes, the brightness so overbearing it was burning. All he could make out was Eve surrounded by orange fire until he barely was able to find her silhouette. It was like he was witnessing the birth of a star.

“EVE!!!”

A white light erupted as the explosion rocketed off the Avenger. Tony fell to the ground, shielding himself from the debris of rocks raining down from the sky. Strange conjured shields to deflect, and Thanos used his gauntlet to disintegrate the pieces. Dust consumed the air making it difficult to see.

When it cleared, the first thing they all noticed was a very large crater the size of Central Park. And in the middle was an very unconscious Eve Stark.

There was still orange surrounding her, but it appeared to be seeping into her skin. It was being absorbed by the woman with tiny glowing cracks along her face and neck and hands.

Tony’s stomach dropped, fearing the worst and unable to accept she was gone. Whether she was breathing or not, he couldn’t tell from the distance. Before he could run to her, Thanos was already up and moving. It broke the older man to not be with his aunt when she could be dead or dying.

But they had a mission to finish. And she would want him to finish it.

With a loud cry, Tony flew at the Titan. His foot came up and kicked the gauntlet to trap it down. Tony then swung down with his left fist. He lost the upper hand when Thanos flipped onto his back.

His suit was breaking apart with each blow—the nanotech unable to keep up with each repair. When Thanos got a hold of Tony’s left hand, the man conjured a blade on his right. He thrusted it toward Thanos’ stomach, but that hand was grabbed as well. The blade was ripped from his hand and driven into an area where his suit was not protecting him.

Tony grunted, shock filling him as he looked down to the weapon penetrating his torso. He winced, shaky breaths leaving his lips and the blood trickled down. Thanos began walking him back, and although Tony tried to push him away the Titan was stronger.

Holding onto the blade, Thanos pushed Tony onto a rock. Bloody and bruised, the Avenger tried to get a look at his aunt to see if she was still breathing, but couldn’t see her. He flinched when a hand came up to hold his head. “You have my respect, Stark. Both of you do. When I’m done, half of humanity will still be alive.” Tony groans when Thanos releases him before stepping away.

Panting, the pain in his side growing stronger, Tony glances to his left. “E-Eve,” he tries to call out, but it gets stuck in his throat. There was no response. Water fills his eyes, “Eve!”

Thanos watches with a blank look. “I hope they remember you two.” The Titan lifted the gauntlet, aiming first at Tony. The glowing stones stared back at the Avenger and he mentally prepared for them to be his last image.

But before Thanos could unleash the power, a voice croaked, “Stop.” Thanos glanced to his right at the sound. Stephen was pushing himself to a sitting position, panting, “Spare their lives and I will give you the stone.”

It was an offer too good to pass. “No tricks.” Stephen shook his head and Thanos directed the gauntlet toward him.

“Don’t,” Tony pleaded.

The Sorcerer ignored him. Raising his right hand, Stephen removed the illusion of the Time stone and it appeared out of thin air. Thanos opened his right palm, awaiting the gem to be handed over. Watching helplessly, Tony sighed as Stephen granted the Titan his wish. The glowing stone flew over to Thanos before being placed in the thumb holder of the gauntlet.

Green swarmed around his wrist causing him to groan. He then looked down to admire it, “One to go.” All of a sudden Thanos was blasted by a bright light, followed by a loud scream. Quill had finally awaken and was currently flying toward the Titan with determination. “AHHH!!!”

His attempt was a failure. Thanos simply used the Space stone to conjure a portal and he vanished from their eyes. Quill had been inches away from colliding with him, but soon found himself hitting the ground with a loud grunt. “Where is he?!” He shouted, removing his helmet and waving his weapon around.

No one answered. Tony was occupied with sealing the stab wound to his side with the very little piece of his suit that was intact. The rest of the guardians were waking up and Stephen was rubbing his goatee with his hand. Quill’s face fell in realization, “Did we just lose?”

Again no one answered. That was when the attention was directed at the lone woman lying in the crater.

“Eve!” Tony shouted, limping toward her. She laid unmoving, eyes closed and arms sprawled out beside her. There was no sight of the glowing orange entity that had surrounded her—what Tony believed had went into Eve. Upon a closer look, Tony realized the area she had been impaled had no visible injury.

No gaping hole in her skin. No guts hanging out.

Only torn clothing and the reminisce of blood remained. Eve’s stomach was intact.

Any other injures or blemishes were also healed—including the gash on her right temple. By the time Tony reached Eve, the glowing orange cracks in her skin subsided. The others watched silently, unable to do anything.

Bending to the ground beside her, Tony attempted to wake her. “Eve—ah!” He flinched back as though he touched fire. A burning sensation filled his palms. Tony tried to touch her shoulders once more, and again doubled back by how hot her skin was. Even through the clothes she wore, Eve was a fireball. Tony noticed the bottom of his hands were flaming red. Blisters started to form causing him to grimace.

The pain was unlike any burn he’d ever had.

“What the hell?” He mumbled, concern written all over him. He put his suit fully on with max cooling and began a severe burn treatment for his hands. “F.R.I.D.A.Y run a thermal imaging scan.” A few seconds later the robotic voice echoed in the silent void. Moisture began to coat Eve’s skin. Within seconds she was drenched in sweat.

“Boss, her heat signatures are reading close to three thousand Kelvins. That’s close to most stars in the Galaxy.”

Behind Tony, the entire group had looks ranging from worry, shock, and amazement. “How’s that possible?” Peter asked, moving closer to the two. Although clammy, Eve’s skin looked normal despite she’d been impaled. In fact, it looked like she was just sleeping soundly. “No one could survive a body temperature that high.”

“Thanks, Captain obvious,” Quill spoke sarcastically.

“Whatever that thing was,” Tony gulped, glaring at the man. “W-whatever went inside her—it-it has to be that. Wha-what was it?” He spun around to face Strange, demanding an explanation. “You’re a sorcerer—you protect our reality, you said it yourself. What the hell was that thing and why did it go into Eve?”

Stephen was at a loss for words. “I-I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?!”

“Stark, I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Stephen winces when he tries to get up, but ends up staying seated on the pavement. “Believe me.”

Tony shakes his head in frustration. He turns back to Eve and takes her shoulders in his hands—this time protected by his suit. “Eve, wake up,” he gently shakes her, even going as far to lightly slap her face. No reaction. “C’mon, Eve. You gotta wake up—F.R.I.D.A.Y what’re her vitals?”

“The levels are off the charts, sir—I can’t get an accurate reading. She’s exceeding a heart rate of over two hundred beats per minute and her body temperature is rising. I’m trying to make contact with H.O.W.I.E, but the system is compromised.”

“Shit,” Tony curses, tightening his jaw as dread fills him.

“Is she having a heart attack?” There’s a crack in Peter’s voice. The boy looked scared by how lifeless his mentor looked. While he may not be a doctor, anyone would know a heart rate that high was deadly to the human body.

Stephen got up, ignoring the pain in his side and crouched down beside Eve. He couldn’t touch her even with his gloves on. “Can your AI do a EEG? We don’t have electrodes—?”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.” Tony didn’t even half to ask. Two small orbs released from his suit and landed on Eve’s temples.

“Running one now, boss.” Lifting his hand, F.R.I.D.A.Y projected an image of Eve’s brain waves. Just like what F.R.I.D.A.Y had saw with the vitals, Eve’s brain activity was abnormal. Of course her ratings were always different than the average human due to the enhancement of the super soldier serum. But this was unlike anything the two had seen.

The image only lasted a few seconds before cutting out. Then the electrodes fell off in pieces. “What happened?” They noticed the pieces appeared liquid-like.

“They melted away,” Stephen said with wide eyes. He was in doctor mode and if they didn’t act fast Eve could die any second. “We need to slow her heart down—you need to shock her somehow.”

“We don’t even know what’s wrong with her—.” Stephen cuts him off

“It doesn’t matter, Tony! Her heart rate’s too high and it’s our only option. Kid—,” He calls to Peter who freezes. “Get over here. Your suit will protect you.” Peter rushes forward, anxiety ridden on his face as Stephen instructs him to hold down Eve by the shoulders.

Tony curses, “Dammit, fine! Show me where.” He changes the functions of his hands to act as a defibrillator. Stephen takes his wrists to places on the appropriate areas of Eve’s chest.

“Okay,” he takes a deep breath. Him and Tony catch eyes to exchange nods. “On three, shock her. Alright?” Tony gives another nod. “One……two…..,” everyone holds their breath. “Three!” A loud *zap* ignites as Tony presses his hands into Eve’s chest. The force of the shock causes Eve to lift off the ground. Peter strengthens his hold on her.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y, status?” “Her heart rate is still high, but there was a decrease in the beats per minute.” Tony looks to Stephen for the next move.

“Up the voltage and shock her again.” He sees the concerned look from Tony and says, “Do it.” A sound indicates the change in electricity and Tony places his hands on Eve once more. “One…..two….three!!” The second shock lifts her again.

They wait for F.R.I.D.A.Y’s voice. “Heart rate is decreasing, boss.” Stephen orders one more shock for good measure and finally they breath a sigh in relief when the AI relays, “Heart rate at one hundred beats per minute.”

“I-I don’t understand,” Peter says, backing away once Stephen gave the all clear. He looks to Tony, “She should be dead. Shouldn’t she?”

The older man let out a shaky breath. “Well, she’s still breathing. I-I don’t know how, but she is. That’s all that matters.” He attempted to wake her again. “Eve, Eve, if you can hear me—I-I need you to wake up. C’mon wake up.”

They all wait for any sign of movement from the woman. A flicker of the eyes. A twitch of the mouth. But there was nothing. She laid still as the sweat slowly evaporated.

Tony brings a hand to rub his face. It’s mixed with blood and dirt, but he doesn’t care. After a few moments Tony finally asks the million dollar question to Stephen. “Why would you do that?”

Stephen knew instantly what he was referring to. A shaky breath leaves his lips, “We’re in the endgame now.”

Seconds later a loud rumble shook the ground. Tony slowly stood from the ground—retracting his suit and turned, but remained close to his aunt. Mantis, who was leaning on Quill, felt a shift in the atmosphere. “Something’s happening.” They all looked at her for an explanation, but to their horror, Mantis turned to literal dust before their eyes.

The next thing they knew Drax was fading away. “Quill?” The half human man faced Tony, fear stricken.

“Stay, Quill.”

“Aw man,” were his final words. The air seemed to leave the older man. His chest constricted as the panic rose in his veins. Nothing could have prepared him for this moment. It all but confirmed the worst.

Thanos won.

“Tony,” Stephen’s voice was full of defeat. He waited for Tony to slowly turn toward him before saying, “There was no other way.” Then, like the Guardians, the Sorcerer Supreme was gone in the blink of an eye. Leaving only dust in his wake.

“Mr. Stark?”

If Tony could choke on the feeling of dread, he would be suffocating in it. Peter was limping toward him, tears on his face and looking down on his hands. “I don’t feel so good.”

Tony shook his head, “You’re alright.” It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what the boy was feeling. His spidey senses were strong. Stronger then either of them could have prepared for.

“I-I don’t—I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know—,” he trips, falling into Tony’s arms. With arms tight around the boy, Tony holds him as if doing so would prevent the inevitable. “I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna go, Mr. Stark. Please. Please, I don’t wanna go.” His knees give out and Tony gently lowers them until Peter is on his back. All Tony could do was watch helplessly as Peter whispered, “I’m sorry.”

The hand that had been on Peter’s chest hits the ground, Tony almost falling to his side when Peter vanishes into dust. He starred at his hand. Little pieces of dust laid in his palm, and Tony clenched it in a fist to bring to his chest. He could feel the rapid beat of his heart. It was rivaling that of Eve’s.

Remember his aunt and fear at the thought she may have dusted without him realizing, Tony glances over his shoulder. He is met with a sigh of relief when he sees her. Though she remained unresponsive, Eve was laid in the same spot.

“He did it.” With everything happening, Tony hadn’t even realized Nebula was still there. Like him, defeat was all over her.

Tony’s mind was racing. One thought came right after the other and they all were in similar fashion.

Eve.

Would she ever wake up? He didn’t know. If she did he’d be surprised since F.R.I.D.A.Y just alerted him of another spike in her heart rate. Then there’s the factor of her body temperature reaching the heat of a actual star. Whatever she absorbed was a mystery. And since none of the Guardians mentioned any sort of recognition, it was safe to assume they’d never seen anything like it before.

In just two short days, the universe as they knew what altered forever. Half of life ceasing to exist with a simple snap of the fingers. Who was lost in the chaos? Tony wasn’t sure if he’ll ever know. They were stranded on a planet billions of miles from home, with one ship he was unsure of how much fuel it had.

They truly were in the endgame.

………………

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