#pulling me back into my hq phase LOL

[taeyamayang]

HQ BOYS WHEN IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY

↝ ship: Miya Atsumu x Reader | Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader | Bokuto Koutarou x Reader

↝ genre: tooth rotting fluff! | mutual pining | unsaid feelings | pre-relationship | slow burn phase

a gift to: @gojoussunglasses

a/n to gen readers: tho this is a gift to my buddy this hc is written in y/n form so feel free to immerse yourself

a/n to my broski: dropping by to say happy birthday! i hope through this hc i was able to make you feel as if im there with you to celebrate your day even though we're miles and hours apart :) you are a person i constantly talk to here and honestly conversing with you comes naturally to me,, it's like it's easy for me to connect with you even if we mostly scream about 2d men lol you deserve to be happy not only on this day but also for the following days, weeks, months ahead. you deserve it bc you are a good person. im proud of you for pushing yourself harder to achieve your goals and with that i will be here to support you in any way i can. again, happy birthday broski! love u dude

Miya Atsumu

a week to your birthday atsumu has been LOUD about your special day

to the point that students you never talked to in your campus greet you randomly in advanced

honestly, you aren't annoyed by it

tho you pretend that you are

needless to say, you find it endearing bc for you it is important for someone to remember the day you were born

not that it mattered in a huge scale but something about someone being overly excited about your special day shows the depth of your relationship with them

and to you, obviously, atsumu meant more than just a friend

and at the back of your mind you assume he feels the same way

but things took a turn when it's a day before your actual birthday

when, suddenly, he's distant

cold, even

as if there was something on his mind that he couldn't talk about

things heighten when you catch a sight of him laughing carelessly and being his old self towards his teammates

but when you approach him his whole energy shifts

as if you're the least person he wants to see

you feel a tinge of pain strike in your chest as the realization sinks in

he didn't want to see you

so to keep the knife from twisting in your chest, you excuse yourself out of the gym and head home by yourself

finally, the day has come

it's your birthday

you took a mental note not to engage with atsumu today because you did not want to ruin your mood and possibly overthink things again

it all went smoothly until when classes were over and you were heading home

you walk past by the gym without batting an eye to the setter

however, a familiar voice calls your name making your legs halt in an instant

you turn around and see a pair of droopy hazel eyes staring back at you

he pulls you by a corner, cold sweat streaming down the side of his temples and his lips slightly pale

worry etches on your face and so you ask,

"what's wrong?"

"i've been thinking about the best gift to give you on your birthday but i can only think of one thing. it might sound selfish but this is the only thing i can offer you."

was that the thing that worried him for days?

"what is it?"

"but i don't know if you'll like it." his eyebrows sews together as he keeps his orbs on you

you chuckle loudly, shaking your head

you find it funny that he thought you might not like his gift but the truth is anything that he gives you either big or small is more than enough for you

and so, from the pocket of his trousers he pulls out a metal piece adorned with colorful swirls almost as if it's a child's ring

"samu and i found two identical rings in the playground when we were kids and we both made a promise to keep one for each of us. back then we had a silly idea that finding this ring is somewhat like destiny. so we made an ought. we promised each other to give this ring to the first person we fall in love with."

he bats his eyelashes to you when your eyes widen

then, he says the words made you heart beat so fast that it deafens your hearing

"i'm giving this to you. i love you."

Kuroo Tetsurou

currently, you are in the midst of a dilemma

you have no idea if kuroo forgot about your birthday or is he playing dumb to tease you

ngl bc your relationship with him is purely on the basis of bickering

so you have no idea if he's being serious about forgetting your special day or not

but something about the way his eyebrow raises in confusion and his top lip curling in question convinces that the forementioned is true

he freaking forgot your birthday

you even made it a point to drop obvious hints to him like,

"are you free this thursday? let's eat out my treat!"

or

"my back pains are starting to reoccur again. ha! could be signs of AGING."

but he will look at you dead in the eyes and nod as if he heard nothing

this man is smart enough to understand complicated protein structures but forget his best friend's birthday, wow, sounds great

so after multiple attempts, you roll your eyes and decided to drop your agenda

there's no way he'll remember

he has tons of responsibilities both being the captain of the volleyball team and a student

so on your way home you decided to drop by the gym

and upon revealing yourself to the entrance everyone from nekoma volleyball team greets you a happy birthday

your eyes wander on each of the faces and you realize someone is missing

so you call for kenma,

"where is kuroo?" you ask but the boy shrugs

defeated, you decided to head home

but before you were able to exit the school, a pair of long limbs cages you from behind

his chest heaves as he catches on his breath

his chin rests on your shoulder with head slightly turned to your side, he whispers in your ear

"you really believed i forgot about your birthday?"

frozen and caught off guard you fail to utter a response

kuroo squeezes you tighter before muttering,

"i already placed a reservation for two in your favorite restaurant but i have volleyball to attend to."

his lips inches nearer to your cheeks, making you feel his breath fanning against your exposed skin

"wait for me?" his voice drops an octave thereafter sending shivers down your spine

holy fuck

and when you nod 'yes' he did the unexpected

he plants a soft peck on your cheeks before abruptly pulling away

his wide eyed gaze tell you he wasn't planning on kissing you

"what the-" you both say unison

"f-forget i did that?" his eyes watches you as an unknown expression plays on your face

courage takes over you as you roll your tongue on your bottom lip, smirking as you watch him lose his mind over a single kiss

"what if i don't want to?" you tease

but his reply made you startle

"oh, so you enjoyed my kiss that bad, huh? do you want another one?" he mischievous grin creeps on his face. he lowers his back so his eyes level yours, he mutters

"i can give you another one." he winks

you playfully punch him in the torso making him flinch in pain, he roars in laughter the kind of laugh that is unique only to him

"see you?" he questions, smiling at you and in reply you say,

"i'll wait for you."

Bokuto Koutarou

akaashi, as per usual, is the first person to recognize bokuto's internal conflict

he could tell that something is bothering the spiker

and so during their breaktime akaashi and the rest of the team decided to inquire about bokuto's problem

and right then he revealed about a surprise party he's planning for you

but his team knows him well that if they allow him to push through with his plans alone there could be discrepancies

and for your sake they all want the surprise to go smoothly

so, he and his team helped him out with the planning

all is well until the morning of your birthday when you unexpectedly came to school earlier than usual

with spare time to waste you head to the gym knowing that bokuto sometimes come to school early to practice his spikes

and without a doubt, you see his flashy silver hair dominating his peers

you greet him gleefully as you skip your way into the gym

all of the members of the volleyball team tenses when they see you walk towards them

some members hurriedly stood way too near bokuto, who's standing in the center, squeezing his sides as if they were trying to hide something

but what caught your eyes is a huge transparent plastic bag lying on the floor past their legs

you could see brands of party poppers, deflated balloons, and confetti

"what is that for?" you ask innocently

honestly someone surprising you on your birthday never crossed your mind so you were thinking they were preparing for a team celebration after a winning match

"for your birthday." bokuto spills, unable to lie through his teeth

akaashi face palms himself and other members of the team mumbles disappointed murmurs among themselves

"MY BIRTHDAY?!" you scream in surprise

"no, you didn't hear that." bokuto looks away, shaking his head to a no

sighing out loud, akaashi pulls a mini party horn from behind him before blowing it

"surprise." he says monotonously

the classes roll by quickly and soon you find yourself leaving your classroom as the last class of the day is finally dismissed

upon exiting the room you see bokuto leaning against the wall, his right hand shoved down his pocket and his other hand grasping a box

"can you come with me for a second?" he asks

so you obliged and you let him take the lead

he ushers you downstairs near the soccer field, he looks around first before handing you the box

"i know i ruined the surprise and i was supposed to give you this after we celebrate."

you take the box before lifting the top cover of it

you eyes immediately lands on a withered daisy, an ornament, a vintage leather notebook, an empty wrapper of your favorite candy, and a bunch of random things

he explains

"throughout the year i collected the things that reminded me of you. like that one," he points at the withered daisy "i saw that during our summer camp in nekoma high and instantly thought of you. so, i picked it up and sealed it between the pages of my notebook. all of those things inside the box are things that reminded me of you."

"it turns out every single thing reminded me of you and now it looks like a pile of trash."

a coy laugh resonates from his mouth, he scratches the back of his head using his hand before tearing his eyes away from you feeling shy for opening up to you

after a brief silence he meets eyes with you,

"im sorry."

a lump starts to build in your throat and your bottom lip quivers as you hold the eyes of the boy before you

you love it when people you love recognizes the small things about you, truly, it makes you feel as if you're someone special to them

your fingers find their way to his tucked jersey shirt, coilin around the thin material before pulling him towards you

you wrap your arms around his waist as you bury you face in his chest

"i love it, you fool." you mumble

a/n: thanks for reading! i hope you enjoyed this one as much as i enjoyed writing it especially you @gojoussunglasses ,, happy birthday broski may your top three hq simps made u happy today ♡

Masterlist | HQ Masterlist

[nightswithkookmin]

MONDAY, JANUARY 18TH: GOLDY'S LOG

I miss Suga. Scratch that. I miss Agust D. My spirit animal.

I've been thinking about him a lot lately, wondering if his injury isn't an exemption to military service. I wonder if he qualifies, in light of his injury, as an able body. I wonder what their law defines as able body.

I wonder if he passed the legal physical exam and health assessment test when he turned 19, since he's had that injury way before debut. Or if BTS have undergone that mandatory military service assessment since they are all past 19 and what their results are.

Jimin has chronic back pain too. That should qualify him for an exemption to military duty. He can still do desk work if it's that serious.

I should talk to ***** and look into South Korea's law on exemptions to military service.

Moon values the arts and culture industry. There's already been an extension for conscription for the benefit of BTS. Their success and longevity in the spot light perhaps influenced this decision. Should BTS maintain this momentum, an exemption would be inevitable I feel.

I miss them. They've been gone for too long. I'm worried about the impact this is going to have on their popularity if they disconnect from fans for so long or be mechanical about the way they connect with their fans.

I hate the limited access to them. But Scarcity increases the value of a product and it's not surprising if this is the approach BigHit is adopting in the wake of the pandemic.

Limited access not only raises value, it creates demand. Bang PD is a bigbrain marketing genius- I hate it.

They are taking a huge risk with this new marketing strategy. Personally, I'd stick to what works but then I am no marketing guru. Just a consumer who likes to play it safe. I guess I won't be getting hired anytime soon. Fuck.

It's all very fascinating.

What's equally fascinating is the shippers out here on these streets. The Jokers.

I... they confuse the hell out of me sometimes.

How are they going to question my rationality when I talk about moments I feel Jikook are having issues in their relationship or had broken up etc but then have no problem with and even applaud that same rationality when I talk about moments that has led me to believe there is lack of depth in Tae Kook's dynamics or that they are not real by any standard or that another ship in BTS isn't real.

Do I have two minds? Or are they more inclined to be selective in their beliefs based on their biases towards Jikook and against other ships? It's weird.

By the same lens I define Jikook as real, I define Tae Kook or any other ship that includes JK and Jimin as not real. And by that same lens if I feel Jikook aren't together then I'm wrong and irrational?

It really confounds me.

Not sure if they expect me to apply double standards to Jikook in those instances.

I don't think there is right and wrong opinions or perspective when it comes to shipping, but I think if they are right about me being wrong about my perspective on Jikook then I must be wrong about my perspective on any other ship in BTS as well.

I can't be right about one and wrong about another. I'm either right about all or wrong about all.

I can't be 'right' about Tae Kook having 'issues' in their bond in such a way I think it often bars them from fully nurturing their bond and developing depth to it but then be 'wrong' about Jikook also having issues that mess with their bond from time to time when it's the same measurement I use in accessing the depth of bond of both ships.

I really don't understand their way of thinking.

What is right and what is wrong and who decides on that?

I think we ought to substitute right and wrong with 'believe and believable.' The approach to such discourse should be about what one is willing to believe or not believe about certain discussions: I believe this. I don't believe that. Because believes stem from our personal biases towards a subject.

And the people that come running to me with 'look, Jikook smiled at each other in On era so change your mind'

I would except I hear this debate all the time. I wonder if they realize they sound exactly like the Tuktukkers in my DMs trying to convince me Tae Kook is real.

'Look Tae sat on JK's laps! How can you say there is no depth to Tae kook' ' He squished JK's cheeks' 'Jk said he wants to ride with Tae, if there was no depth why did he say he wanted to ride with him'

I have a feeling Soft Koo is back. The days of Terminator JK might be over. Too bad, I liked terminator JK. He was a bad ass.

I like that he is experimenting with his looks. But I'm glad his Ravi-esque phase is over. I wonder who he is drawing inspiration from this time. He reminds me of Jimin though. There is something peaceful and serene about his looks.

Can't really tell much because Bighit is sitting on tons of footages. I think I need to send a truck to Bang PD HQ.

I don't like that Jimin posted a Vhopemin photo for Tae's birthday. It was cute and all but I don't like it. That shit felt passive aggressive as fuxk. Lmho. What, he didn't have a V or Vmin photo in his gallery? Sounds like someone didn't put much effort in their VMin agenda for this post.

I wonder if he will keep the same energy come JK's birthday. I mean both him and Tae didn't post for him💀

May be I'm reaching on this one. But a single post where V was not even the focus of the post... I think his birthday means a lot to him and he enjoys when people shower him with love and attention and I don't think his birthday is an exception.

And he kept reiterating after such said birthday how he recently discovered he loves to be loved and how he does most of the things he does in order to be loved by his fans, friends and family.

And it breaks my heart that, the headlines read BTS shower X, Y with love on his birthday but the two people close to him were missing from that list this time. The media talks about BTS posting for eachother as them showering eachother with love. Certainly they all know this.

And the fact Jin posted for Tae after Tae's birthday says a lot about Tae and JK. Tae had no intention of posting perhaps because he left JM a message on the packages. With Jin I feel he was overcompensating for not posting for him on his birthday...

JK gets a pass. If JM wasn't happy about him not posting for his birthday, he would have pulled a Jin.

Jimin talking about coming to the realization he loves to be loved makes me think JK withholding his affections openly made him come to the realization he loves to be loved. Just a hunch. And the only reason JK would withhold his affections is if Jimin himself estopps him. Those two give me headaches.

I think I got the closure I needed from this.

LESSON: dont get on JM's bad side and bloody post for his birthday 💀

Tae been releasing photos of Jimin and Jhope a lot lately. Not sure how that makes me feel either. I think it's beautiful. But when I think about all these beautiful photos he has of Jimin on his phone and how generous he is with them- I think they would have been more meaningful had he released it on JM's birthday. The snow photo he posted still sits in my Vmin heart somewhere.

I really don't like this not posting for each other's birthday business. It's 2021. They need to cut it out.

I feel JK set a bad precedent but personal happiness first so good for him.

This moment haunts me for some reason.

What was going through V's head. I want to know. RM looks done. Lol.

Jimin is really beautiful. I love his eyes when he smiles and the thing he does with his shoulders.

Some people complain I write a lot. Some say I don't write enough. Ayayayai!!!!!!

What to do.

I think I accidentally deleted a post.

I'm looking forward to JKK1. Stay Gold, Still with you, Your eyes tell... I hope he hasn't given his best away cos those were bops.

PJM1... oh God I'm nervous. I'm excited for it but nervous. I think Serendipity is a classic. The Christmas song was equally great and frankly the only good Christmas Ive heard so far and I don't even like Christmas- nothing against Baby Jesus I just think it sucks. That bridge in Dis-ease is something.

I want to read his thoughts. His spotify playlist is insightful but I want to confirm if he really sees himself as a mess who is always causing his lover grief.

I mean he did say he has realized he needs to be considerate towards those that love him. Not sure yet the connection there.

I want to read his thoughts.

PJM1....

I love JHOPE. I think his ship with Jimin is beautiful and healing. They make my insides warm. Not sure if their shippers think they are real. Do they? That would be awkward.

I think RM and Jimin need to spend time together... it would be good for them.

Jimin and Sungwoon shippers are alleging Jimin has been staying with Sungwoon all this while. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

But the bit about him living with Sungwoon before the start of Bon V 4 has me🤔

Around that period, I don't believe JM was at the dorms and Jikook were not together then too. He must have been staying somewhere...

I'll let them have that.

But around November 2019 when he was having issues with JK he was staying with Tae too so no I don't think that means Sungwoon is queer or that Jimin is sleeping with him💀

They need to get out of their imaginations.

I think Jikook will drive me crazy one day.

I can feel my cranium swelling.

JiRose shippers need to pack it up. They really think Jimin is straight? 💀

It's the bad editing for me.

That doesn't look like a straight face to me. Unless his butt was on fire and he was uncomfortable looking at that black interviewer, I think that's his flirting face.

Lately I've been thinking about what ifs.

What if Jikook is not real?

I wish I believed that.

[capcarolsdanver]

Ghost (Part 1)

Request: hey! was wondering if you could write something where the reader has powers like ghost from Antman and wasp (molecular phasing / manipulation) but she can't control it and it hurts her and the avengers (let's pretend everyone is still alive n well lol) built a machine to help her control it but when she goes in, she gets trapped in the quantum realm and Carol thinks she's dead but then maybe like a year or so later reader comes back and then Big Fluff? thank u sm !!!

Pairing: Carol Danvers x Reader

A/N: Hey, it’s been a minute! I got stuck on this one a bit because I was trying to not make it so long until I realised I could just make it a 2 part fic, and then after that I just went crazy and kept writing. So sorry for the delays! Anyways, here’s part 1! Part 2 will be posted soon! Any feedback is appreciated!

Please do not repost my writing anywhere without my permission.

PART 2

The Avengers all offload from the Quinjet, returning from yet another completed mission. It of course had its own complications, but nothing that the Avengers couldn’t handle. Everyone walks ahead of you, in high spirits and ready for a fun evening. Tony had already invited everyone to have drinks later on and almost everyone agreed, excited to celebrate a successful mission.

You trail behind the rest of the group, removing your helmet from your suit and tucking it under your arm with a grimace on your face. The suit you wear was designed to allow you control over your abilities, designed by Tony Stark himself. It was also built to help reduce the pain you felt throughout your body at almost every moment, however that feature seemed to work less and less as your condition worsened.

Your powers were something you both loved and hated to have. You gained them when you were just a child, a result of a massive accident during a school field trip to a lab which you don’t entirely remember. Immediately after the accident you felt different, and you discovered that you had 'powers’ fairly quickly.

Your body started phasing sporadically, something you had absolutely no control over and something your parents had no clue how to deal with. The pain that came with your powers also began, and though it wasn’t too bad at first, by your teen years you were in constant pain as your phasing worsened.

By that point Tony Stark had somehow found out about your abilities and had recruited you to be an Avenger, offering you your first suit. You always had a sneaking suspicion that your parents had somehow contacted Tony, though he never told you how he found you. You knew your condition was a lot for them to handle and you always had the feeling they didn’t want to deal with it anymore. Luckily, Tony had given you a new home at the Avengers facility and over the years you had come to think of all of these people as your family.

“Hey, great work today, Y/N!” Steve pulls you from your thoughts as you continue following the group back inside Avengers HQ.

“Yeah! You were amazing as usual!” Peter adds on.

“Thanks,” you reply, forcing a small smile on your face. Carol continues walking alongside the others, though she doesn’t miss your forced interaction as she silently watches you. When you all finally get inside the facility, everyone takes off in the directions of their respective rooms to get ready for the night.

You begin slowly making your way to your own room.

“Hey there, hotshot. You want someone to walk you to your room?” You turn your head to see Carol as she falls into step with you, a small smirk on her face.

“If that someone is you, then always,” you say and gently smile at her. Despite your pain, Carol never failed to bring a smile to your face, and that was something you were always thankful for. Her smirk morphs into a smile that matches your own and she holds out her arm for you. You gratefully accept her offer and grab her arm, allowing part of your weight to lean on her without making it seem too obvious.

If Carol notices you leaning your bodyweight on her, she thankfully doesn’t mention it as she walks you down the hall towards your room.

“Are you going to come and have drinks with everyone tonight?” She asks, and judging by the soft expression she carefully aims at you, she already knows the answer before you even have to say it.

“I don’t think so,” you say with a shake of your head. “I’m pretty beat after that mission.”

Carol waits a beat before she replies. “Is the pain bad?” She questions gently, always able to read you like a book.

You hesitate for a second. “A bit,” you reply, ducking the truth slightly. “I’m just tired.”

Of course, all of the Avengers know about the side effects that come with your abilities. The pain you experience has always been the biggest cause of concern, though none of them know just how bad it’s gotten. Realistically, you know you have to tell them soon. But you don’t want to appear weak to any of them, afraid that if you do then you wouldn’t be allowed to work any more missions. And that’s not to mention Carol. You don’t want her any more worried than she already is about you.

When you reach your room, Carol turns to face you and shifts her hands to your waist to steady you. Apparently you weren’t as subtle as you’d hoped.

“Do you want me to stay with you?”

“What? No, Carol! Go have fun!” You insist.

“Are you sure?” She asks.

“Yeah.”

She looks you up and down, searching for any signs of discomfort, something you’d gotten good at hiding around others. She seems satisfied enough, nodding at you.

“Okay. You’ll let me know if you need anything?”

“I will. Now go have fun.”

Her thumb strokes your side where her hand still rests and she’s clearly hesitant to leave you, but she eventually closes the gap between you to lightly kiss you.

“I love you,” she whispers against your lips.

“I love you too,” you reply and smile at her before she walks off towards her own room.

------------------------

Once you’re in your room and safe from prying eyes, you lean against the door and let out a breath that you’ve probably been holding for too long to mask the pain that ran through your entire body. Thankfully, you’re wearing your suit and at least have some control over your powers, stopping you from phasing in front of anyone. You consider just keeping it on, but the pain relief it usually offers you seems to have become only slightly effective and the suit isn’t the most comfortable thing to wear, so you decide against it.

You unzip the suit and prepare yourself. As you slip out of it, you watch your hands immediately flicker, pain shooting up your arms. Once you are completely out of the suit, your body phases without your control and you fall to the ground, groaning in pain.

After a few moments you are able to pick yourself up and you walk towards your bed. You take a glance at the mirror on your wall and you watch your body flickering, afterimages of you body following as you walk. You can practically feel every cell in your body being torn apart over and over again.

It’s a few hours later when you find yourself sitting at the edge of your bed. You were unable to get any sleep, your body shaking from the pain. Your hands flicker as your bring them up to your face, sobbing out of frustration and pain.

You don’t hear the soft knock at your door but you do hear the gasp that fills the room a moment later. Your head shoots up to find Carol standing in your open doorway, frozen in the action of opening your door. Her concerned eyes are trained on you and you’re surprised to see her to say the least.

“Carol. What are you doing here?”

You get to your feet to walk to her and she watches with wide eyes as your body phases and your face contorts in pain. She rushes to you and is able to steady you with her hands on your waist, but when you move your hand to rest it on her arm for support it phases out, moving straight through her arm.

“I knew something was wrong earlier so I wanted to come back and check on you,” she quickly explains as she leads you back to your bed. When you reach it she makes sure you’re securely seated before kneeling in front of you, finally getting a good look at your tear-stained face.

“Oh my god. Y/N, why didn’t you tell me it had gotten this bad?” She’s clearly trying not to panic. Carol Danvers never panics, but you see her wracking her brains to try and come up with a way to ease your pain.

“I didn’t want to worry anyone,” you weakly offer.

“But if you told us then maybe we could have helped before it got this bad.”

“It’s not like I can be fixed, Carol,” you say defeatedly. “This is only gonna get worse.”

You can practically see Carol’s mind racing still. She grabs your hand and presses a kiss to your knuckles.

“We’ll find a way, baby. We won’t stop trying until we find a way to fix this.”

------------------------

Tony is expectedly upset when Carol breaks the news to him that your condition has progressed much further than anyone had realised. As he and Bruce run several tests on you, he doesn’t stop talking about how he could have done more to help you had you told him sooner. You feel guilty, knowing now that keeping this from everyone has just made them all even more worried about you than they would have been if you hadn’t hid the worst of it from them.

Tony and Bruce immediately get to work in one of the labs, brainstorming different ideas and ways to help possibly cure your condition. You’re sitting on the couch next to Carol, nervously playing with the new bracelet that’s secured around your wrist. Tony had designed it, based on the same technology he used for your suit. You weren’t quite sure how it worked but it alleviated some of your pain and most importantly kept your body from phasing.

Carol watches you fidget with it for a few moments before reaching for your hand, squeezing it tightly. You let out an exhausted sigh, glad the bracelet can keep your body in check enough for you to relax as you rest your head on Carol’s shoulder.

Nat, who has been pacing up and down the length of the lab impatiently while the two men bounce ideas off of one another, stops abruptly and turns to them.

“Okay, we’re just wasting time here. Let me call Scott.”

“Scott?” Bruce questions. “He’s no scientist-“

“No, but we already know he knows a hell of a lot more about quantum physics than we seem to.”

Bruce and Tony turn to each other, a silent conversation occurring between them, before Tony shrugs.

“Fine. Call him down. The others, too.”

Nat nods and immediately steps out of the room to call Scott. Tony runs a hand through his hair roughly in frustration, grumbling to himself and clearly upset that there seems to be no simple solution to your problem.

Bruce watches his friend and places a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

“Hey, Tony. Listen, it’s  getting pretty obvious that we might need some help here, right? So how about we wait for Scott and Hank to get here before we try anything else. Okay?” Tony sighs heavily, his eyes on his friend before he unhappily nods.

“Yeah, okay.”

“Alright.” Bruce looks over to you and Carol for a moment, Carol’s arm wrapping around you and keeping you close to her. “Come on, let’s get out of the lab for a while,” he says and pushes a reluctant Tony towards the door, nodding at Carol as their eyes meet. The door shuts behind them and you and Carol are left alone.

“How are you feeling, baby?” Carol says, breaking the silence of the now quiet room.

“I’m feeling like Nat’s first comment was right. This is just a waste of time.”

“What?” Carol shifts to look at you, making you lift your head from her shoulder. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if there was a permanent cure, don’t you think Tony would have found by now? I mean, he’s a literal genius.”

Carol sighs, her heart heavy at the defeated tone of your voice.

“Babe. As much as he may act like it, Tony isn’t an expert in every field. On the other hand, Scott knows a lot about this stuff. And Hank and his family know even more about it. If anyone’s gonna help find you a cure, it’ll be them.”

You’re still filled with doubt, although you have to admit that Carol’s positive energy does offer some sort of hope to you.

“At least the bracelet seems to be helping for the time being,” you offer and Carol nods, squeezing your hand that she’s still got a hold of and pulling you back to her side, pressing a kiss to your head.

------------------------

Scott arrives at the Avengers facility as quickly as he can, alongside Hank, Janet and Hope. Once they’re completely up to speed on your condition, and they see your test results from earlier, they all share looks among one another. They tell the group about a friend of theirs that they tried to help who had a similar condition to you. Ava, also known as Ghost.

“The two conditions are incredibly similar. Perhaps even the same, although I believe that Y/N’s conditions has progressed much further than Ava’s did.” Hank speaks clearly but quickly, the entire group listening intently to his words.

“We need to work quickly to ensure that her body will be able to absorb all the quantum energy it needs quickly, but also safely. She will need to travel within a specific area of the quantum realm for this to work and we don’t want her to be in any more danger.”

It doesn’t take them as long as you expect before they have what appears to be a fully functional machine, specifically designed for the sole purpose of you absorbing quantum energy.

“We haven’t run any full tests, but we believe the chance of anything going wrong is little to none.”

Carol stands opposite Tony and Hank, her arms crossed and she looks at both of them skeptically.

“You’re sure?”

“We’re pretty confident, Carol,” Tony says reassuringly.

“This machine has been built specifically for Y/N to absorb quantum energy, not to travel the quantum realm,” Hank explains. “Yes, she will enter the quantum realm briefly, but it will be within a confined space. While she’s in that space, her suit will give us her location constantly.”

“Basically, she can’t get lost,” Tony adds on.

“Okay. I’m trusting you.” Carol offers a stern look to both men before turning and making her way to you. She helps you finish putting your suit on, besides the helmet, and studies you for a moment.

“How are you feeling, baby? You’re still wearing the bracelet Tony gave you, right?”

“Yeah,” you nod. “I haven’t phased at all since I put it on and the pain’s not too bad right now, so I think I’m feeling okay.”

“Good. Make sure you don’t take it off until this is all over, okay?”

You hesitate only for a moment before you nod in reply. Of course, Carol picks up on your hesitation.

“What is it?”

You see no point in hiding anything from her now. The last time you hid something from her, it obviously wasn’t such a great idea. So you sigh and meet her eyes.

“I’m scared,” you admit. ”I’m not sure if I want to do this. I mean, god. What if I never come back, Carol.” Your voice wavers slightly and Carol is quick to try to calm your fears.

“Hey, baby. Calm down, just breathe. It’s okay, I just talked to Tony and Hank and they have total confidence that this is going to work.” You try to calm your slightly erratic breathing and though you still feel terrified, you feel Carol’s hands landing at your hips, offering some immediate reassurance.

“I promise you it’ll be okay, Y/N.”

“You promise?” Carol’s grip at your hips tightens slightly.

“I promise.”

You take a steadying breath and a small smile forms on your face. “Okay.”

Carol pulls back so she can grab your helmet. She holds it in one hand as the other gently grabs your face and she places a soft kiss to your lips.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” you whisper back and Carol presses another quick kiss to your cheek before gently pulling the helmet over your head and making sure it attaches to the rest of your suit.

“Y/N, we’re ready to go whenever you are,” You hear Tony shout from one side of the lab.

“I’ll see you in a minute, baby,” Carol says, a reassuring smile on her face and you nod at her before walking over to the quantum chamber that had been built for you. You step in and the door shuts behind you. You nervously look over at Tony, who is accompanied by Bruce and Hank at the control panel.

“Okay, Y/N. When we hit this button right here, you’ll be sent to a confined space within the quantum realm. The suit you’re wearing has been designed to help your body safely absorb massive amounts of quantum energy, which in theory should cure your condition. We’ll count to five, press the button again, and you’ll come back to us. Got it?”

You hold up your thumb to affirm that you understand, and Tony nods.

“Great. Alright, let’s do this. See you soon, kid.”

He starts counting down from five and you take a few more calming breathes before he finishes counting and presses the button. The quantum chamber suddenly flashes with bright light, and when the light fades, you’re gone.

Carol watches anxiously from behind Tony as he begins flipping some switches. “Okay, let’s bring her back. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”

Carol holds her breath and Tony presses the button once again. The bright flashing light returns, filling the chamber. When it fades, however, the chamber is still empty.

“Uh. Okay, that’s not right,” Tony mutters quietly to himself, double checking every switch on the control panel before he presses the button again. Once again, the quantum chamber flashes, yet you still don’t reappear.

“Tony, what the hell?” Carol says tensely.

Just give me a minute here,” he replies just as tensely. Hank starts checking the control panel with Tony too, and Bruce brings the monitor closer to him to take a closer look at the information it presented.

“Tony…”

“What?” Tony asks. At Bruce’s silence, he looks up and looks at the monitor that Bruce is now pointing at. “Wait, no. That can’t be right.”

“Somebody better tell me what’s going on,” Carol snaps out, fists clenched as watches the three frantic men at the control panel.

“We- we lost her”, Tony says in disbelief. Carol flinches back slightly at his words.

“We lost her? What the fuck do you mean we lost her?” She feels sick even having to ask the question.

“Her suit has a built in GPS. It’s been sending us a signal and her location was showing up on this monitor before. But now it’s just.. gone.” Bruce keeps his eyes on the monitor, though the readings don’t change.

Carol’s face is furious as she steps forward.

“What, so just like that we’re supposed to accept that she’s gone?” She growls out.

Natasha approaches her to place a hand on her shoulder. “Carol-“

“No!” Carol easily shrugs Nat’s hand away and she steps back sheepishly, still in shock herself. “I can’t accept that!” Carol feels her skin begin to heat up but she doesn’t have the capacity to care about it as she scowls at the scientists across from her.

“You told me this would work! I trusted you and now she’s gone!”

Tony leans on a nearby desk, lowering his head into his hands. “I don’t get it. It should have worked.”

Carol scoffs. “Yeah, well it didn’t.” She begins to glow out of her own control, her fists and her eyes lighting up as she glares at the men. Hank visibly cowers at seeing hints of Carol’s powers for the first time and moves to stand behind the control panel.

“Carol,” Steve says in warning and Carol turns her head to look at him. He clearly carries pain his his eyes at the events that have just occurred too, but he stands strong opposite Carol and shakes his head slightly at her.

The glowing of her body dims, her eyes returning to normal as her gaze softens towards Steve briefly. A second later, she fixes her glare back towards the three scientists and raises a finger towards them.

“You better fix this,” she growls darkly in warning before she turns, releasing a photon blast which hits a desk, and storming out of the lab and finally letting her tears roll down her cheeks as she feels her heart break.

[neverwatchedonepiece]

603-604: "Launching the Counter Attack! Luffy and Law's Great Escape!" and "Get to Building R! The Pirate Alliance's Great Advance!"

DING, DING, DING! It’s round two. And you know Luffy ain’t playing this time.

Not a huge amount happened over episodes 603 and 604. Still, the episodes were essential. The story needed a transition phase to tie up the plot threads and set everything up for the final push against Caesar.

Everyone is safe inside the lab, the Strawhats are all accounted for (sans Chopper, who is still in Caesar’s lounge), Luffy is in an alliance with Trafalgar Law and - I never thought I’d say this - Vice-Admiral Smoker of the Marines!

Actually, what the hell am I talking about?

Loads of big things happened.

Including this sweet and juicy nugget of off-island context that has me rubbing my hands with glee.

Juicy Opening Reveal Alert!

Attention: Kidd, Hawkins and Scratchman Apoo are discussing an alliance. This is not a drill.

It started out fairly innocuously. I say “fairly”. The Brokers and Dodgy Characters of the OPverse were kicking back and watching Caesar’s madness play out. Pekoms and Tamago had some lines, so I focused in on them.

“How did those big names get caught by Caesar?” Pekoms asked. “So that’s where they are now. What should we do?”

“We wait a bit and see how things play out,” Tamago answered.

This was a teeny tiny scene. But it was interesting. Why? It revealed Pekoms and Tamago know Caesar by name. Maybe Caesar introduced himself to his audience and I missed it, but if he didn’t, then that’s interesting.

After that, the action switched back to Kidd, who had also been watching Caesar’s broadcast. Kidd has earned himself a 470 million bounty, which is impressive. His right hand man, Killer, has a 200 million bounty. Less impressive. Kidd seemed happy Luffy had finally made some moves. He switched off the feed. “You’re not the kind of guy who wants to play an arms dealer, are you Killer?”

Not sure what Kidd meant by that. Does he mean Killer’s not interested in what Caesar has to offer? Or that he doesn’t want to get involved with an obvious head case like Caesar? 

They walked off through their extra edgy hideout complete with gloomy paint job and atmospheric candelabras (lol). They discussed Law and his shenanigans on Punk Hazard. Kidd couldn’t believe they were all there together. He thought Law had lost his mind when he became the World Government’s lapdog. But now... Law was definitely up to something. Kidd does not want to fall behind, so they’d have to make a move too. 

Upon opening the door an explosion boomed them right in the face. It was Scratchman! At first I thought, is this an assassination attempt? Then the camera panned to Hawkins and I thought.... okay, so a team-assassination attempt?

Nope. Killer had called them to Kidd’s hideout to discuss forming an alliance.

This is cool. I like this seemingly random development. Oda has made a good move here showing the other rookies in the Worst Generation are also working hard behind the scenes. They’re in the New World now. The Yonko are a-callin’. If they don’t team up, they’ll be destroyed. (R.I.P. Gangster Pirate dude and dinosaur guy. Still not sure what Urouge is up to.) 

I kind of hope their alliance works a little more smoothly than the Strawhat/Heart Pirate alliance does at the moment. xD

Just Get Out of the Damned Cage, I Don’t Even Care Anymore...

There are a few teething problems but I’m sure Law has now realised that Luffy is a major loose cannon and will learn how to point him in the right direction. Maybe. At some point. In the distant future. (Ahh, that golden moment when Robin and Franky straight up told Law not to turn his back on Luffy because he’ll be off like a rocket, yelling their secret plans at the top of his lungs.)

Law’s cunning plan from the episode 402 cliffhanger was revealed. It was surprisingly simple and dangerous. But then if it’s not dangerous, is it really a good One Piece plan?

Absolutely not.

Law asked if anyone could set the nearby broken ship on fire. Franky obliged.(That fireball was badass, by the way. Just need that on record.) Once the rising smoke had obscured Caesar’s view of the cage, Law revealed his sneaky ruse. While he had freeloaded at Caesar’s house, he swapped most of the seastone chains with normal ones. Law broke free from his and freed Luffy, Robin and Franky.

Once he had failed to convince Luffy to stop cheering like a madman, Law dealt with a spot of business.

Smoker and Tashigi. They knew too much. They knew Joker’s real identity. He had their destiny in his hands. I knew he wouldn’t kill them (not evidence for that, I just didn’t think Oda would go there) but I was not prepared for what would happen next. 

Law unshambled them and struck a deal: he would spare their lives because if they made it back to Marine HQ it would make life difficult for Vergo. In exchange, Smoker and Tashigi were to FORGET everything they had heard about Law and Joker. This was not a favour. It was a condition of their release.

Now, this had me bewildered. Why, if Law is no longer working for Doflamingo, is he still protecting the guy? If Doflamingo goes down, then surely Vergo will also go down and the whole operation will fall to pieces? Unless what you guys hinted at is bigger than I thought and Doflamingo has so many side hustles that some Marines being mad at him is small potatoes.

At any rate, the deal was accepted, despite Smoker’s pride, because of Tashigi’s sense of duty and practicality overcame it. She basically said, “Yes, untie us for the love of god. We need to live because if we don’t, we can’t save our people from Vergo and we can’t rescue Caesar’s experiment kiddies!”

So the deal was done. The neatness of Law’s plan was totally ruined when Luffy bent the bars of the cage and pinged out in a fit of enthusiasm. Then Franky basically turned to Law and said, “Yeah, I’m gonna pass on the plan. I’m off to look after Sunny.” 

Then he farted himself out of the plot.

I think I just made a new sentence there.

Deal done, Law roomed them all to the back door, whereupon the sneaked inside the lab and pulled a Very Important Lever that meant the Fodder Marines outside did not die a horrible, painful death from Caesar’s chemical weapon.

Yay!

And there was this great, dramatic reveal moment. 

Look. Look at this Beautiful Shot

While Luffy, Law and Smoker stood with their backs to Caesar’s bemused minions like total badasses, the poison gas rolled over the island. 

Zoro, Sanji, Brook and Foxfire still hadn’t caught up to the dragon. However, Sanji because super motivated by tits and found a sudden burst of speed. The only thing was, the dragon wasn’t quite good enough on its own. It was tiring too.

Luckily, Nami and Usopp rode up on the back of Brownbeard and caught Brook just as he fell off the dragon. They all leapt on Brownbeard’s back (dragon included) and galloped to the front door.

Which was rapidly closing, as the Marines had all scuttled safely inside!

Indoors, the Marines squinted. What was that white, powdery cloud in the distance approaching at speed? 

It was the rest of the Strawhats trying really damned hard not to die.

Zoro and Kinemon teamed up to slash the doors and force their way in. I thought it was majorly dumb at first (to be fair, so did most of the other characters). But the Fodder Marines patched up the hole with a speed that makes me think they’ve missed their calling and should be flipping houses instead.

Still think the gas would probably seep through those gaps but maybe Caesar’s got some wicked air filtration system going on. I mean, it is a state of the art lab specialising in chemical weapons research.

Have I Left the Stove On?

There was a moment after the Strawhats reunited where the action cut to a shot of the devastation Caesar’s weapon had wreaked across Punk Hazard. 

If you thought the island was screwed before, it’s beyond help now. Utterly Pompeii’d. Every inch of it is covered in petrifying, poisonous ash. There is nowhere on Punk Hazard that is now habitable. Caesar took immense pride in this achievement. Some people just love destroying stuff, right? The only thing that survived outside was a single DDM protected by a bubble for Caesar’s broadcast. 

Brook’s ghostly form confirmed it. Going outside would be a Bad Idea.

Inside, a lot of guns were pointed at the Strawhats and Brownbeard (Brownbeard was just pleased the Marines had remembered his name. Awww...you’re infamous now, Brownbeard. Just like Luffy. Enjoy it!)

Once the plot threads and outstanding issues of the whole reuniting scene were dealt with (Law unshambled Nami and Sanji and also told Smoker not to let his men stand in the way of the pirates), the plan to fight back against Caesar and escape the hell of Punk Hazard began.

As Law had been a guest at Caesar’s Weird Hotel, he knew the layout of the labs. They were in the foyer of Building A. To escape, they must force a path through to Building B, the large central area. There, they would find a gate at the back leading to Building R and a door marked R-66. Behind that door, is a passage to the sea that would be unaffected by any poison gas.

Law declared he’d rather not have to create a massacre, but could only give everyone about two hours. To anyone staying longer than that, Law could not guarantee their safety.

And the idiots still tried to attack the Strawhats, so I don’t have much hope for them.

One of the most interesting scenes here was the one between Zoro and Luffy. While fighting Marines, Usopp updated Zoro on what had happened. Caesar had soloed everyone with his de-oxygenation trick. Even Luffy had fallen for it. Zoro took that hard. He had flashbacks to Sabaody, to everything he had trained for in the past two years. What the hell? How could Luffy just lose like that?

Luffy (who had hatched a secret plan with Robin I know nothing about yet because Oda did let us hear it), was heading for the next room. Zoro caught him before Luffy barged his way through.

“LUFFY! GET A GRIP. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW WORLD!”

And Luffy replied, “YEAH, SORRY. I WON’T LET MY GUARD DOWN AGAIN.”

Then he tried out a hilariously dumb UFO move on the Fodder Marines and Zoro performed a mental facepalm.

I liked that glimpse of the relationship between Luffy and Zoro there. Sometimes, even though Zoro has his moments, he’s always there to give Luffy a kick up the arse and deliver some home truths on occasion. And because Luffy respects Zoro, he will take them on board and acknowledge them. But of course he’ll still have a damned good time and try out dumb moves on fodders because when else can you do that, am I right?

He Did Not Leave The Stove On

In the lounge, Caesar was about to take a special delivery from the Bad News Fairy.

One of the nice things about Caesar is that he is not a total dumbass. He looked at that cage. He noticed there were no petrified bodies clawing at the front door. He *knew* something wasn’t quite right. He asked Monet and Vergo. Vergo actually hypothesised that the Strawhats had broken free and helped the Fodder Marines escape too. But Caesar ignored him.

Then the Bad News Fairy arrived. A minion burst through the door. “Master! All of the enemies have entered the lobby with Strawhat Luffy in the lead!”

You all probably remember Spandam and Enel and those golden freakout faces. Caesar is giving them a run for their money. I love how he can shift seamlessly from twirling round the room in joyful glee, to “wait a minute....” suspicion, followed by shrieking outrage.

Two in-universe hours, Caesar. That’s how long you have.

Can’t wait to see what nasty tricks you’ll pull in your increasingly futile attempts to cling to power in Punk Hazard.

And they will be futile, because if there’s one thing we all know about Luffy, it’s that he always, always learns from his mistakes.

He is going to kick your ass and kidnap you.

At least he recycles?