#purple suits are. so hard to pull of. u gotta get it just right and I have no done that and neither has Gabriel agreste

[wiitchkins]

adrien maybe-hawkmoth trope gets me every time

reading metamorphosis by @peachcitt but also been thinking about @buggachat ‘s bakery “enemies” au… much to consider….

[bitchylandtyphoon]

Sugar on Honey🍯

A/N: Hellooo I hope you guys are doing great I just wanted to try writing a Jim Hopper fic since I barely see any like come on he's so fine and ugh. Ahem anyways pls enjoy the story if u have any recommendations feel free to comment! If u have a request feel free to send a message to me! I'm still new to Tumblr so I'm not really sure how to work any of this sorry about that! ------------------------------------❈---------------------------------------- Hopper didn’t understand how you were so calm with Eleven. He tried, he really did. He took care of Eleven as if he was her own but he couldn't be as gentle and soft as you were. “This is an apple ok? It's red, sweet and a fruit. This is a cucumber, it's green and a vegetable!” Hopper watched as you taught Eleven basic English. “Ok, now you try” You hold up a bunch of grapes. “These are...grapes, sweet, blue and...fruit?” Eleven guessed while squinting hard at the grapes. “Heyyyy not bad! You're doing great, you just mixed up purple with blue but no biggie. Do you wanna do another one?” You said encouragingly. Eleven nods and proceeds to pick another product to investigate. “Oooh~ Hopper watches as you two laugh and learn, he couldn't stop himself from smiling, he appreciated what you were doing especially since Eleven was on house arrest. You were the only one he could trust. He absentmindedly takes a sip of his dark coffee hissing as it was too hot to drink. “You ok?” Hopper looks up to see you looking at him with a worried expression on your face. He loved that face, it was pretty cute. He chuckled “Ye, just too hot to drink” “Be careful before you burn your tongue off for good” You start cleaning the food off of the ground. “Yeah yeah, I won't mom” Hopper jokes as he goes into the kitchen. “Very funny Hopper haha” You give a playful glare “What is so funny? Ha...ha?” Eleven asks, seeing you two joking around not understanding the sarcasm. “Oh it's just sarcasm honey, try finding it in the dictionary, you'll find the meaning there.” You give a gentle smile while pointing to the thick book. “Well, there you go word of the day.” Hopper comes back into the hall sitting in the big chair stirring his spoon in the white coffee-stained mug. You wondered how much coffee he really drinks in a day. “S-A-R-C-A-S-M? the use of i- irony to m-mock or con-convey contempt?” Eleven read trying to read the words correctly. She looked at you for guidance and approval. “Good job kid, you’re doing so well, I need to go now, be a good girl for me ok?” you kissed her crown and gave a hug feeling her arms slowly wrapping around your bottom. “Bye-bye now~” “Bye (Y/N)” Eleven gave a small shy smile as she watched you look for your coat. “Here you go, make sure to zip up” Hopper gives you your coat helping you put it on. “Mm thanks, Hopper” “You want a ride?” Hopper suggests side-eyeing you while he refills his coffee. “I think ill manage, il call if anything happens” “Nope nope it's freezing, not letting you go out alone especially when it's night,” He says sternly as he puts on his coat and boots grabbing his keys on the way to the door “I'll be fine-” “Come on, let's go” You sigh “Ok fine” You trudge to his truck knowing he wouldn't let you win the argument. Giving a small wave to Eleven through the window. You pull his hand stopping him from going too close to the truck. “What, what's wrong, did you forget something?” Hopper asked “No you did” Hopper gives you a confused look “Eleven” “What about her?” “You didn't tell her bye” You take your hand backcrossing it against your chest as you look at the chief disappointed. Hopper sighs and goes back to the house, you watch as he tells Eleven bye” “Happy?” He says with his arms out as he walks towards you. “Depends,” You say as you open the truck door. You wait until he starts the car and starts moving out of the parking area. “What did you tell her?” “What?” “What did you tell her?” “I told her to keep the doors locked, not go out, keep windows and curtains closed-” “Hopperrr” You interrupt him,

sighing with your head down “What have I told you, give be gentle with her. She’s smart and strong, she can handle herself if anything happens. All you have to do is give her a simple bye and a hug” You put a hand on his leg “I know you're trying Jim, I really do know that. I've seen some progress and I'm really happy for both of you. Don’t be so harsh on her ok? She’s just a kid” Hopper sighs calming under your touch. “I know, I know I just. I feel like if I don't be hard on her, she’ll run away, get in some serious trouble and go meet her boyfriend.” Hopper rolls his eyes thinking of Eleven and MIke together. “Well if I was on house arrest and a teenager I would've run away to see my boyfriend too,” You say taking your hand off of his leg. “No you wouldn’t, you wouldn't even go out to the park, you were too much of a wuss,” He says as he looks for something in his coat. You dramatically gasp “Ok first of all, you're right, I would've never run away. Second, I have strict parents and you know that. Third I am not a wuss I just like staying home,” you sigh “who am I kidding I hated going out and being around people, especially with those dumb kids running around” You shake your head thinking of how introverted you were as a kid. Hopper laughs, throwing his head back watching you jokingly pout at him. He takes a cigarette out of his right pocket. “Well you were always the kid in the back of the room, quiet and shy, never understood how you could keep your mouth shut for so long” You grab the cigarette out of his mouth throwing it away somewhere in the car making him give you a glare “You know how my parents are, “be quiet,” “be good,'' “do good in school”, “no boys”” You say, quoting your parents' famous words. “Well at least they raised a good person,” He said, giving a genuine compliment your way. “Hah, that was all my doing” Frowning remembering how horrible your parents were at raising a child. You saw Hopper turning the radio on. You knew what he was doing but you weren't going to stop him at all. He turned it to the classic rock channel starting to sing and rock his head. Ah, how you loved him. Hey hey baby when you walk that way, Watch your honey drip, can't keep away Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh, ah, ahOh yeah, oh yeah, oh, ah, ah. “Here comes Jim Hopper, everyone missing members of Led Zeppelin'' You say as if there's a crowd. I gotta roll, can't stand still Got a flamin' heart, can't get my fill You laugh at how amusing he sounds, he's not half bad for the chief of police. Eyes that shine, burnin' red Dreams of you all through my head You throw your head back clutching your stomach, you just couldn't stop laughing. “Come on singggg, I know you know this one” Hopper says encouraging you to sing. “Noooo, are you crazy?!” You yell at him “Come onnnn” He pushes you You roll your eyes as he starts singing again. Hey, baby, oh baby, pretty baby Move me like you're doin' now- “Who knew the kitten could sing huh?” Hopper looks at you while you start singing with a big smile.

Didn't take too long 'fore I found out What people mean by down and out

Spent my money, took my car Started tellin' her friends she gonna be a star~ ------------------------------------❈---------------------------------------- “Thanks for the ride, really appreciate it Jim. Goodnight. Make sure to get some rest ok?” You say as you close the door “Yeah yeah mom, I get it” You give him a glare through the window door. Giving him a wave you turn around to your place. “Hold on!” You hear Hopper's voice shout behind you. Stopping in your tracks you turn around to see Hopper speed walking towards trying not to slip from the thick snow on the ground. The night was so beautiful, the snow was thick and flowing down like paper, it wasn't too cold but just cold enough to make the tip of your nose red. The street lights were on looking like yellow stars in the dark blue sky. It was perfect. “You forgot your bag,” He said, giving it to you. “Oh? OH thank you” you said, giving him a thankful smile while reaching for the bag. “It's fine, it's not like I'm gonna steal it now” Hopper chuckles putting his hands in his coat pockets. “Well, why would anyone steal a gift they gave to someone else?” You said giggling as you put the bag on. He grins “It looks good on you by the way, really suits you” “Oh, thanks” You blush at the comment while brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “I was just thinking, you don't have to if you want, but I just wanted to ask you if u wanted to go on a date? I was thinking of a restaurant but only if u wanted to go there, we can go somewhere else, really up to you," he sighed "I'm gonna shut up now, have a goodnight” Hopper turned on his heel and started leaving but felt a tug on his coat. “I would love to go on a date with you Jim,” You said, giving him a gentle smile. You stood up on your tiptoes giving him a peck on the cheek. It felt different because of the stubble but you liked it. The butterflies in both of your stomachs were going crazy, fluttering around as if they were being chased by a bird. You wanted to stay in his warm embrace but fell back down due to the height difference.

“6 pm Friday at Johnnie's?” “I would love that, casual dress code?” “Why would we need a dress code?” He joked “Hoppperr” You hit his chest distancing yourself heading to your house. You stood on the porch seeing him waiting for you to go in your house safely. You lean against your doorway. “Goodnight Jim” God he loved it when you called him by Jim, it was like sugar on honey. “Goodnight kitten” You smiled at the nickname.

Heading inside you close the door, leaning against it. “EEEEEEEEEEE he actually asked me out, oh my god” You laugh at how excited you were acting. You couldn't wait. --------------------------------------❈-------------------------------------- Hopper headed to his truck getting in and turning the radio on. “Good job Hop, good job” He chuckled as he drove off. He couldn't wait.

[froggy-frogz]

could i get um like a loki x gn!reader where the tva uses the reader as like collierateral damage so loki will work with them?

AN: OOOOH, that's a good idea. It's probably going to be a little different from your request because I want to keep it as spoiler-free as I can! Hope you enjoy it! So yeah, slight spoilers for Endgame and ehhh a few maybe? Hopefully not for the Loki series.

Loki x GN!Reader

It had been five years since Loki died. Five years since you watched your beloved be brutally murdered by Thanos. During that time a lot had happened. You'd lost so many friends and family members of the Mad Titan and you feel into a deep depression.

An extreme one at that.

You found it hard to do basic tasks, and you really couldn't take care of yourself. It was hard too, seeing your home was now gone. Five years ago you lived with Tony Stark and the rest of the Avengers, and now, well, that's gone to shit.

Thankfully, Peter and his aunt let you stay with them. You had a part-time job so you could at least pay them back for their kindness, but that was your life now.

No longer a superhero. Not even a hero. Just a sad, desperate wage slave.

- - -

Mobius's POV

There wasn't any way that he had seen to get through to Loki. Even after trying to bribe him with a meeting with The Timekeepers. His last resort to get through to this man was to show him his life story.

A bit cliche don't you think? But hey, if it works it works.

For the first part of Loki's Life Story, the God had no reaction to anything. Damn this dude was good, he really did the entire liar persona very well.

It wasn't until another couple minutes in when it showed Frigga, that he finally started to crack.

Damnit, it's not like they could just find the dead woman and bring her here, The Timekeepers wouldn't allow that.

It was interesting, watching Loki's facial expressions as he watched the reel. Mobius quietly took mental notes on anything that popped up, which wasn't a lot.

Minutes had gone by and he didn't have shit to go off of, but as soon as a familiar purple face appeared clutching at Loki's throat that Mobius had an idea.

There was another person there with Thanos, Loki, and Thor that day. [Y/n] [L/n].

"Wait wait wait- Who is this-" Loki cleared his throat before turning to him, his persona dropping for a quick second and Mobius could see that maybe he had some bit of memory of this person.

"They're an Avenger, or, really was an avenger. [Y/n], you probably would recognize them when you were staging your attack on New York."

Loki's eyes flip back to watching the reel, not saying anything anymore, but his body language had changed dramatically, and Mobius suddenly felt a light go off in his head.

- - -

Your POV

Another day, same bullshit.

You had pulled yourself out of bed to pull on your work uniform before being stopped by Peter.

"Any plans for today [Y/n]?" He asks, tugging on his school clothes.

Peter was a good kid, and you couldn't help but feel guilty. Here you are, wallowing in grief when Peter had lost people too. Though you couldn't brew in those thoughts, not right now, not today.

"Nope, just work. You going anywhere with MJ or Ned after school." You comb through your hair, eyeing the kid to see his reaction, and of course, as soon as you brought up MJ, Peter turned a bright shade of red.

"U-Uh maybe, anyway, gotta go, see you later-" Peter quickly excused himself as you snorted. At least you had Peter and his antics.

-

The walk to work was probably the nicest thing about your day, that or coming home to Peter having set up some sort of marathon for you and his friends to watch. You made a mental note to thank him for doing that, it did feel nice.

The New York sun was nice today, and despite the pain throbbing in your chest you couldn't help but smile a bit. You still had people in your life that were special to you, even if they were busy doing their own special assignments or busy with school or-

Your thoughts had gotten the best of you again and somehow, you ended up in a dead-end. Typical. You were a bit spacey, and now you were going to be late because of that.

Before you could even pull out your phone to pull up Google Maps, there was a loud flash of light and you squeak, flipping around to see some sort of portal open up.

"Oh for fucks sake," You curse.

What happened this time?

"Are you [Y/n] [L/n] or [Hero name]?" The woman who had stepped out said.

It's not that you were shocked, but at the very least you were confused. You had stayed out of politics and avenging for so long that you thought you were safe.

"And? What if I am? Who are you?..." You sigh, "Look I don't have time for this-" "Look honey, I don't want to have to get rough with you so just come with us, alright?"

Welp. What other choice did you have?

- - -

You were now being not-so-nicely dragged through somewhere that looked like a freaking office building.

"If you think I'm still an Avenger, guess again, whatever this is, it doesn't involve me." You snort, looking up at the burly woman again.

She looks like she's going to say something before shaking her head, pushing you in front of her, to a man in a shit-colored suit.

"I'm Agent Mobius, please come with me [Y/n], I have someone who you'll be happy to talk too."

Yeah right. You snort as more of the guards who looked like Ms. Snippy Security Guard open two completely massive doors before you get dragged inside.

"Okay what in the hell do you want with me?" You snap as Mobius slaps on some sort of device to your wrist. "I've stayed out of this shit just so I wouldn't have to deal with you people."

"You didn't- Mobius- Is this? [Y/n]?"

Your stomach squeezes, and for a second, you feel as time froze. Looking up to Mobius, you take a shaky breath before looking in front of you.

Oh, Gods.

You feel like vomiting as you stumble backward.

"Oh fuck no, wh.. whatever type of game you people are playing, count me out of it. You sick bastards, why the hell are you trying to fuck with me? He-"

Mobius stops you from continuing, "'[Y/n]. It's not a prank, this is your Loki, well, New York Loki."

You look at him again, and you feel like you're on the verge of tears as you take a step forward. "New York? Like as in-"

"It's been a while hasn't it?" Loki takes a step forward, "For you, I mean. You watched me die? What was it, uh-"

"Five years ago." You gulp, rubbing at your face, "Can I touch you?"

Loki pauses before nodding, and you take your final step forward before getting dragged back, the device on your wrist dragging you away from Loki.

"The h.. hell?" You look to the device, and then back to Mobius.

"Before you two lovebirds start anything, let's talk about why [Y/n]'s here... It's part of your bargain Loki. You help us, and then you two can be reunited, once again. The Timekeepers can make it happen. What do you say?"

[dumbdotcomm]

something about the rain

(a/n) i had the most fun time writing this fic for @sassatello and their amazing oc, Adrian!! thank u so so much for letting me write him and donnie!!! love u!

//

Donnie remembers seeing space for the first time, wide-eyed and curious, only sixteen and terrified. It would have almost been perfect, had it not been for the mind probing and electrocution and shit.

But in spite of it all, being in the depths of space was probably the most exhilarating, awe-inspiring, fantastical thing and there were an awful lot of perks about floating through stars literally and saving and liberating and all that. 

It had its ups and downs, Donnie had to admit. And now he’s a little bit more removed from the trauma of his last intergalactic encounters. He’s not sixteen, he’s not even a teenager anymore, and so he’s sort of learning how to detangle himself from the awful shit he’s been through.

And maybe the universe has kinda given Don a reason to move forward. 

Like it got very, very tired of seeing Donnie destructively bury all of his stress until it made him physically sick. So it gave him something that would kill him if he ever let that happen.

That universal gift is named Adrian. And he’s fucking insanely the greatest. 

////

Going through District TZ-3 is hell. But it’s the best way to Zrt•vn. 

On this edge of the galaxy it snows. Though it looks more like ash the further towards the epicenter of the planet they get. 

The flakes fall slowly and some stop suspended in the air, rotating on an axis as they melt, and rocks float through them, falling down to the ground. They bounce off the shuttle and dent the sides, skipping back into the moving sea of snow and ash. 

The storm lasts a while and the wind rolls the snow and ash and rocks form like waves, over the wings of the space shuttle, rocking it softly. 

Inside, Adrian watches, his eyes lost in the swell of waves, fingers pressed lightly against the glass windows; something is aching in him, picking at him as a familiar kind of thing, as he looks out into the flakes that spun so slowly to the waves. 

It was one of those things, he guessed- like when he saw the Guide maps with all of these galaxies and planets and worlds and he'd look real, real hard at one of the planets, green and blue and huge, and know it instantly. Donnie’s planet. 

Donnie calls that place home so naturally; no uncertainty in the way he claims that world, and Adrian knows that as much as he’s tried to- he knows he doesn’t belong there fully. 

That he’ll never have the contentment Donnie so easily possessed. It drove him crazy thinking about how someone could be so grounded and yet such an incredible dreamer. 

And how someone who dreamed so hugely for others couldn’t even make sure he got more than three hours of sleep a night. 

It’s wonderfully out of reach to Adrian. Donnie’s always been one notch above him in that way. 

And as he watches Don fight sleep at the control of their ship, Adrian adds Earth, belonging- and Donatello- to the plethora of things that he can't get out of his head. 

///

It takes only another half hour for Donnie to stop blinking away exhaustion and just full on pass out at the helm, his head officially connecting with the control panel and sending their teeny explore ship zooming through the sea of snow and ash. 

Adrain only lets himself completely chortle over it once he knows they’re definitely not gonna crash, and that Donnie definitely didn’t hurt his forehead. 

“‘M okay…. ‘m okay, really,” Donnie mumbles, blindly swatting Adrian away because that’s convincing, “Just resting... my eyes.” 

“Like hell you are,” Adrian snickers, and hefts Donnie up as best he can, Don’s sleepy eyes blinking open to find his, cheeks all droopy and shit, “Don’t think Raph didn’t tell me about you pulling, like, an all-weeker.”

There’s cots in the back, a small tucked away space Adrian sorta designed himself, filled with a collection of things he’s picked up from dozens of planets he’s traveled to on his journey to come pick Don up. 

They’ve known each other for a good while now, a real good while. Enough for Adrian to know that Donnie’s bound to be feeling kinda shitty this week because their little talks of late have been nothing but Don being grumpy and self-deprecating through little soft spoken jabs at his worth. 

And so Adrian stopped his work and his planet-hopping and came to scoop his best friend up, finding a nice little corner of this district with just the best scrapped tech and organisms worth studying. 

And a long enough travel time to catch up on some much-needed sleep. 

He gets Donnie onto the cot and watches him sink instantly into it with a content sigh, a smile following it. Mission accomplished, Adrian goes to stand, only pausing when his wrist is tugged, caught in Donnie’s grip. 

“This means nothing…” Donnie yawns, “You just wanna drive.” 

Adrian hopes Don can’t feel his pulse, that he’s too out of it to notice the way Adrian freezes up, breath caught in his throat. 

“Get sleep, dummy,” he forces out, patting the side of Donnie’s face affectionately before closing the curtains to the cots.

He settles down in Don’s spot at the controls, resting his chin in his palms and breathing out wistfully. 

/////

Neither of them are the best at preparing meals, and preserving food on a space shuttle isn’t the easiest, but there’s something about eating next to the best person you know that makes bologna and colby jack cheese sandwiches taste exponentially better. 

They touch down on Zrt•vn earlier than they estimated, and rising suns are a marvel.

“I cannot believe Earth has like, only one sun,” Adrian says around a mouthful of bologna and cheese, “That’s drab.”

Donnie snorts, brushing the crumbs off his thighs, “It is drab. I mean, it’s beautiful...but compared to this?”

He gestures to the horizon, a blaze of brilliant purples and oranges. Adrian loves this most of all- seeing Donnie so amazed, seeing all the things Adrian himself might feel are mundane shine so beautifully through Donnie’s eyes. 

Eyes that light up, still, in spite of all the horrors he’s been through.

It’s extraordinary. 

Extraordinary. 

“I’d love to study the UVs- I mean that’s definitely not my field of study but geez….it’s gotta be a whole different setup here.”

Adrian nudges Donnie softly, “‘Field of study’ my ass… you have a gillion fields of study.” 

He subconsciously wonders if he shoved too hard, or too softly- was it too weird? Ill-timed? Jesus, he was overthinking, spending too much time with this goof, and Adrian would be damned if he started second guessing himself around Don like this. 

“I actually don’t dabble in a ton of fields. I wish I had the time anymore...there’s just so much to retain, you know?” Donnie says, every attempt at flirtation going above his head as he smiles softly and aloofly at Adrian. 

“Yeah… yeah I feel ya,” is what Adrian murmurs back, unable to completely detach himself from Donnie’s stupid big ass brown eyes. 

They hold a stare for what feels like an eternity, before Donnie blinks and lets out a laugh that cuts through Adrian’s thoughts.

He goes to stand, offering a hand to Adrian, “Guess we better get this exploring on, right?”

Adrian takes it, swallowing hard and getting to his feet too, offering Donnie a lopsided smile, “Early bird gets the worm!”

Donnie’s grin widens, he doesn’t let go of Adrian’s hand.

“Hey, lookit you! Picking up on lowly Earthling terms,” he teases, poking at Adrian’s plastron. 

It pierces right to the heart, and Adrian can’t get a normal rhythm back the whole time they suit up, not with the way Donnie stays so close to him the entire time. 

////

On this planet, it rains. Just when the suns rise and just as they make it out the ship, the clouds roll in thick and heavy and dark, and the precipitation starts. 

In the darkness patrol lights from ships in search of spare parts sway across the dirt, and they hide, Adrian and Don, search goggles glowing in the heavy blackness. The sky lights up with dying stars that burst quietly from miles away, their dust falling onto them right alongside the rain, making the downpour harder. 

Still, from afar, the sky is pink and purple, and even in this, there’s beauty to be found. But Donnie can’t help but feel a little disappointed. Maybe if he’d just slept back home and didn’t freaking pass out on Adrian, maybe if he got up sooner they’d- 

A hand rests heavy on Donnie’s shoulder, startling him out of his racing spiral of self pity and loathing. His eyes snap up and Adrian comes into view, his lips moving before sound even registers to Donnie. 

“-ood? I can go find- find the ship if you’re not feeling good, I’m so sorry, shoulda double checked the weather…”

Donnie takes a gulping breath and blinks away the heat behind his eyes. 

“I’m okay…” he says, as confidently as he can, because he is, now, “And don’t be silly, Adrian, it’s a mess out here...you could get hurt or...really wet or...you know…”

As stupid as he feels, Adrian’s slowly spreading grin somehow pacifies the feeling, and Donnie finds himself rubbing the heat from his neck.

“X’vr’s forbid I get wet now,” Adrian jokes, his hand falling from Donnie’s shoulder, but it still hovers beside his arm, “But we shouldn’t split...this rock’s a pretty great cover for now.”

Donnie chuckles breathily, surveying the storm happening around them, “Yeah...yeah I guess it is. Sorry I panicked- I mean, I- I don’t know. I fucked this up...we could’ve been done scavenging if I hadn’t-”

Adrian looks a cross between hurt and confused and it’s a look powerful enough to shut Donnie up a little.

“And now I’m making shit worse by...rambling like this,” he mumbles guiltily, wringing his hands. 

There’s only a few heartbeats of silence where Donnie’s sure Adrian is gonna chew him out for being so...himself. But that’s a stupid thing to think, actually. Because Adrian’s face softens into a smile. 

“You didn’t make nothin’ worse, Donnie,” Adrian says, his voice quiet but firm enough that it overpowers the sound of the pouring rain, “You couldn’t have...because as shitty as this rainstorm is...it’s kinda pointless ‘cause I’m. I don’t really care, as long as I’m with you.”

At his admission, Donnie stops wringing his hands. He just stops...everything really. He blinks slowly. “You...well, I mean-” he tries searching for his words, because surely Adrian is just- “That’s...that’s really nice of you to say but-”

“Don,” Adrian says, more loudly, more certain, and holds Donnie by his shoulders this time, “I’m not… ‘being nice’ or some shit. I like being near you.”

Donnie’s eyes widen, the silly, lovely lost look in them subsiding as realization takes its place. 

And without taking his eyes off Donnie, Adrian presses the release to his helmet, searching Don’s face breathlessly. “Can I kiss you?” he asks around this huge, wonderful smile.

Donnie’s only half-sure that he nods, and still unable to form words he undoes his helmet too, his lips meeting Adrian’s within seconds- half of seconds. The embrace is warm and strong and frames by overeager and overjoyed smiles. 

And Donnie silently thanks the universe for this, for this wild gift he’s been given- for yet another beautiful thing to live for. 

[faunusrights]

OFFAL HUNT REMASTERED LIVEBLOG // CHAPTER 22

IN THIS EPISODE OF SURPRISINGLY TENDER TENDERNESS:

It had her soul by a hook, a barbed arrow digging into her flesh, gouging her bloody the more she tried to escape it.

JUST KIDDING

okay i’m just gonna HOP RIGHT IN if u dont mind me cause we in it now and i DON’T have time to catch you all up go read the fic!!!!!!!!!!!! DONT ASK ME SHIT

A direct line suited her better. From up here, with only the rain between her and the sky, the path ahead was so clear. The tether was a straight line.

a gaydar so refined it comes with its own overlay. sweet.

the planet below her resisted, no matter how she insisted

even when she persisted? 

She pushed, and the force released like a broken dam, propelling her body away from the unyielding world beneath it—she leapt, high into the air, and it was like flying. With huge bursts of Aura, she cushioned her falls and leapt again, from rooftop to rooftop, making a straight line across the city.

can u imagine yr in umbraroot having a grand old time minding yr own business and then u see Very Famous Tenured Professor of Beacon Academy, Glynda Goodwitch, pinging herself across the sky? nobody would believe u. do u think it’d b on the news.

The rain fell hard. It was pitch dark. Glynda had the phantom of a scent: like the last breath of a campfire before it died, like a kinder version of the acrid stench of Grimm, Cinder’s trail was clear as day to her. She was getting close; she could sense it, like blood on the wind.

ISNT THIS NOSTALGIC,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, wow. its like glynda’s abt to ruin vale’s infrastructure all over again,

If Cinder was in a fight, this rain would muzzle her. Glynda remembered it vividly: how frustration tainted Cinder’s face in Forever Fall, how her fire sputtered and died. Even Cinder would lose her edge here, in this cold downpour. If she was in trouble—if she—

remember when glynda realised this for the first time and was like ‘hoho’ only now its made a thousand times worse because u have a crush emotions r hell and yr in the soup now!!!!!!!!!!! YR IN THE SOUP NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She almost ran right past Cinder—might have missed her entirely, if not for the painful yank at her own soul.

did cinder just hit the ground like a wet grape

“Don’t touch me!” Cinder’s voice was raw. She snarled the words out like a cornered animal and lashed out with one arm, hitting Glynda’s hand away. The other arm was limp, still tucked to her chest.

BE GENTLE WITH KITTY,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, lure her ass out w/ some shrimp on a string,

She shook like a frightened fawn under Glynda’s touch, ratchet tense and wholly spent of strength.

i cannot even describe how many of these scenes i am seeing so vividly in my head and my GOD do i wish i were better at sequential art cause i want to draw them ALL........................ I WANNA DRAW OUT THIS WHOLE THING!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

god i cant like. TALK ABT THIS SCENE WITHOUT COPY-PASTING THE ENTIRE THING BUT AAAAAAAAAA god. GOD. i just. phew. PHEW. its REAL TENDER. GLYNDA PICKING CINDER UP LIKE A LIL GRAPE AND wait diesel is this the thing you drew art of. diesel. diesel look at me is this that art--

Her fingers bunched in Glynda’s shirt. They were drenched and cold and Glynda hurt so much inside for her—whatever had happened to Cinder this night had destroyed her, that much was clear.

/sips drink see if i were an asshole id say hoohoo the karma but as i am not i say only this: babey 😔

If they recognized her name, they were determined to act normally when arranging the room she asked for.

“hey didn’t we just see her ping across the city a couple of hours ago--” “greg don’t even ask”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Cinder mumbled. “Leave me.”

“I won’t.”

ough,,,, directly in the kokoro i see

The shower was a collaborative effort; Glynda inspected for injuries while Cinder sat in the tub, warm water pelting down on them both.

other slowburns when they share a shower: hoohoo,,,,,,,, the tension,,,,,,,,, the s k i n offal hunt: what if you got in the shower with yr ex-enemy,,,,,,,,,, to inspect her wounds,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and you were both girls 😳

Glynda gently roused her own, pressing a tender flow of it through her palms, offering it to Cinder.

Cinder’s Aura was hollow and hungry. Her soul lapped up everything it was offered. Cinder leaned back slightly, like that would help the boost go through faster; or maybe like all she wanted was a kind touch. She didn’t look back. Slowly, the various cuts and scrapes that littered her body erased themselves.

i am loving this mirroring which you probably already guessed but im like wriggling in my chair abt it all,,,,,,,,,,,,,, THIS GAY SHIT. FUCK YEA. FUCK YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEA

She turned off the shower and stepped out, gathering up the biggest towels she had found, bundling Cinder up in one and fluffing her hair again. This time the white towel came away clean. Cinder peered out owlishly, her face a far healthier color despite the purple bruising that remained around her eyes, telling plainly of her weariness.

OKAY straight up that description is so cute i physically clapped a hand to my mouth and went ‘AWUGH’ because BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! B A B Y

There was a gulf between them in the hotel bed.

It wasn’t at all like their nights at Cinder’s house. This was closed off. Distant. A thousand questions and answers hung unspoken in the air, heavy like the rain clouds themselves. The two of them were warm and dry, but not much else. There was little comfort to speak of.

see the real slowburn experience is having progress and losing that shit again. we take one step forwards and two back. u get the HIGH and then u get the real low but rn i hope cinders round face smiles once again. nobody who looks that baby like should ever b so sad and thats a fact 😔

Cinder, in her sleep, started crying again. It came and went in disconnected pieces, until she finally cried herself awake, startling out of her dreams.

i sent this crying cat in response to the update announcement but i never knew how real it was until now

again there’s a whole ass section where i cant pick one bit cause its ALL good but GOD this fucking. whole silent conversation theyre having. OUGH. THE SOULMATES.

When Cinder didn’t answer the question, Glynda held one arm out, lifting the blankets between them. “Cinder.”

Glynda didn’t know which surprised her more: that she had offered, or that Cinder accepted.

OH???????????

She settled quietly, face pressed into Glynda’s collarbone, her breath flitting warm over scar-marked skin. Glynda’s arm, curled around her back, weighed her down. Cinder did not hold on to her in return. She was folded up around herself, fitting into the space Glynda had made for her, taking to warmth and shelter like an abandoned child.

OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;w; 

also whuh-oh:

The fear was eating her alive, and bit by bit, her skin seemed to unravel, every layer of her body sloughing off into just meat, rent through by that light—it felt like teeth, like destruction, like being twisted apart in some giant’s hands like an insect having its wings pulled out. It held fury like she had never felt. She quailed before it, and it bared its teeth, black tar and grave-rot spilling from between yellowed fangs.

Glynda tried to close her eyes, to look away, to run away, but it seized her like a bear trap sinking its jagged teeth into the wrong prey, snapping a much more fragile deer bone with ease. It sieved her being out from between her ribs, drinking only the cacophony of her soul, lapping up every part of her inheritance—all the while she was fighting, struggling helplessly in its grasp, her mind mere shatterings of bright-red pain, with only slivers of meat and fragments of bone remaining of her body—torn apart by lances of sunlight, burning like fire, a dawn that came with the sound of a scream.

firstly: 👈😎👈

secondly: do i gotta say how i love how visceral this fic is? i say it like in every liveblog. BUT IM SAYING IT AGAIN FOR GOOD MEASURE. IM SAYING IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was coming. It would destroy her. With ease, with relish, it would tear her still beating heart from her chest and discard it, offal from the slaughter—and then it would dig deeper still, to draw out of her that very engine that kept her moving.

is this the closest we’ve gotten to an almost title namedrop?

Glynda stared through the darkness, seeing nothing, but knowing without a doubt that her gaze pointed north like a compass.

HRM............................................. I N 👈 T E R 😎 E S T I 👈 N G

THATS CHAPTER 22 BABEY. it was VERY good. i mean rip cinder’s whole ass but i do love her. i love this evil baby. i also love glynda picking her up with all the effort of picking up a bag of crisps,

[princess-of-luxure]

Masquerade [1]

Next >>

You moved to the capital city, Altadellys, in search of job opportunities. You had anticipated several significant changes in your life, but nothing could have prepared you for almost getting robbed in an alley, only to be saved by a mysterious masked vigilante. Their mysterious appearance throws your life into chaos, and you soon find yourself swept up in the high-stakes underground operations of a group of... supervillains?!

You didn't ask for any of this, but there's just as much excitement amongst the potentially lethal drama. As secrets hundreds of years olds begin to unfold before you, can you be the missing link in solving a dangerous mystery, or will you bring everything to ruin?

Fandom: Reigning Passions (Visual Novel) Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Relationships: Gen (so far) Characters: Lyris (Reigning Passions), Main Character (Reigning Passions), Amara (Reigning Passions), Piama (Reigning Passions), Hazel (Reigning Passions) Content Warnings: Attempted Robbery, Knives

Welcome to Masquerade! This is a reader-interactive story putting the characters of Reigning Passions into the setting of Villainous Nights. There will be choices for you guys, as the audience, to vote on, which can influence the direction of the story's plot (including the potential deaths of characters!) and also can influence who gets together with who. It's assumed that everyone is poly so don't worry if MC doesn't get together with your favourite LI - you've still got a shot! Plus, any characters with compatible sexualities can get together if you nudge them in that direction, so if you're a fan of, say, Amara and Xenia? Depending on the choices made, they can totally get together.

This is cross-posted on my AO3, which you can find here! You can cast your vote in the comment section there, or send me an ask/DM me here on tumblr! You can also vote in the replies of the appropriate tumblr post for each chapter.

Chapter below the read more.

Altadellys, you were finding, was bigger than you had ever imagined. Prior to moving to the capital city of Lysende, you had lived in a small town so remote it didn’t even have a name. Everybody knew everybody in your little community, but looking around the big city, you only saw the faces of strangers, not a single one sparing you a glance as they rushed to where they were going.

It was also far warmer in Altadellys than in your hometown, you noted as you shucked off your coat and tied it around your waist. The climate where you’d come from was so frigid that it was practically winter year-round, and you were eager to learn what a true spring or fall felt like, let alone a true summer.

“Alright, all you’ve gotta do is make it to Hazel’s place, and then she’ll walk you to your apartment,” you muttered to yourself, fishing around blindly in your bag. “She said it’s near Central Park, which shouldn’t be too hard to find, just follow the map.” Your fingers closed around the object you were looking for, and you pulled out your phone, attitude bright and chipper. “You’ve got this!”

These turned out to be famous last words, as you went to turn on your phone and found that the battery had died on the car ride here. “Shit,” you muttered, because, well, it was an appropriate word for the situation. Chewing your lip, you tossed your phone back into your bag and glanced around. To a local, you were sure finding Central Park would be no problem, but you weren’t a local.

Wait, a local! That’s it! Approaching a man in his late twenties walking a dog, you gave your friendliest smile. “Excuse me, could you—”

“Get lost, lady,” the man growled, and you flinched, drawing back. No one in your hometown behaved so aggressively, their voices dripping with venom as they bared their teeth in a snarl.

Swallowing your fear, you clutched onto the strap of your bag, trying to appear more confident than you felt. Maybe you had just gotten off on the wrong foot. “Sorry to disturb you, I just wanted to ask—”

“Didn’t you hear me?” The man jabbed a finger at you, and you stumbled back a few paces, squeaking. “I said, get. Lost.”

You hid your burning cheeks and frightened expression in the curtain of your hair, mumbling out apology after apology. After several minutes of this, you realized the man had left and was nowhere to be seen, so you lifted your head and took another look around. Every intersection was plastered with signs, but none of them seemed to point towards Central Park, and given your last interaction, the idea of asking a local suddenly seemed a lot less viable.

You fiddled with your hair as you took a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves. Rather than being a beautiful new wonder, Altadellys now just seemed like a living nightmare. “It’s okay, you’ve got this,” you mumbled, your half-assed attempt at a pep talk doing little to restore your confidence. “It’s a big park in the middle of the city. If you just keep walking, you’re sure to find it eventually.”

After what felt like an hour of walking with no change in scenery, your faith in that assumption was beginning to waver. You wrestled with your steadily increasing anxiety as you stopped at the corner of an intersection. Warmth and mouth-watering scents seeped out from underneath the door of the cafe you were stood by, and your stomach rumbled as you found yourself wishing you were inside. God, what I wouldn’t give to be sharing a cup of coffee with Hazel right now.

“Hey there little girl, are you lost?” You nearly jumped out of your skin as you whirled to face the person who had spoken. Most of their face was obscured by their black hoodie, but you could still make out the leer that painted itself across their features.

You swallowed, taking a step back. The stranger took a step forward, and as you continued to try and put space between the two of you, you became hyper aware that they were backing you into a dark alley, out of sight from the rest of the world. “U-Um, no, not lost at all! Just… enjoying the scenery!” Why did my phone have to die now?!

“The scenery, huh?” You were pressed up against a wall now, the stranger’s hand pinning you up against the stone. You could hear your heartbeat pounding in your ears, your breathing verging on hyperventilation as you stared up at your assailant with wide eyes. “It would be a shame if that was cut short.”

Those last words were a whisper, as cold and smooth as the metal blade now pressed against your throat. You couldn’t even squeak, fear stealing the sound from your lungs. You began praying to every deity you could think of, even ones you weren’t even sure were actually from real pantheons, anything to get out of this mess.

“Robbing pretty girls in dark alleys?” A new voice made your heart jump—whether it was in relief or further fear, you didn’t know. It evidently startled your attacker just as much, the surprised flinch of their hand just barely nicking your skin. A single bead of blood welled to the surface, but you didn’t have time to process it before your assailant was being pulled away from you. You remained frozen in place, too shaken to fully comprehend what was unfolding before you.

When you finally came out of your shock, the first thing that occurred to you was holy hell was your savior attractive. His face was partially obscured by a blue-green mask, trimmed with gold and decorated with what were, as far as you could tell, real peacock feathers, but you could still see the steely glint in his mismatched eyes. One was purple, the other gold, and you would’ve probably wondered how in the world he got lucky enough to end up with that genetic combination if you weren’t so busy taking in the rest of him. He was certainly a striking figure, with long golden-brown and green hair, a simple but somehow still shockingly elegant suit to match his mask, and fingerless gloves revealing blue and pink nails (toxic masculinity who?).

All of this paled in comparison to the wings that emerged from the slit on the back of his suit. The shining green plumage made him look like some kind of majestic angel, or bird. Actually, considering the look of his mask, you were pretty sure he was going for the latter.

Your savior said something to the would-be robber that you didn’t quite catch, still feeling in a somewhat faraway daze. Whatever it was, it sent them running, the masked vigilante folding his arms and watching them go with a look of utmost contempt. When they disappeared from sight, he turned to you, approaching with slow, gentle footsteps, the concerned look in his eyes at odds with the easy smile that curled his lips.

“That was a pretty nasty experience. I wouldn’t want to be in your position,” he commented, his tone casual as though he was discussing the weather, and not the fact he’d probably just saved your life. His expression shifted as he came to pause in front of you, gaze flickering to your neck. “Are you okay?”

Numbly, you placed two fingers to where you’d been cut. They came away wet with blood, but even so, you could tell that the injury was shallow—you’d gotten incredibly lucky. “I’ll—I’ll be fine. It’s not serious.” Your voice quavered, barely able to force the words out.

Your savior didn’t seem entirely convinced. “May I see anyway?” he requested, and moving on autopilot, you tilted your head to show him the cut. He stepped closer, fingers brushing against your throat as he inspected your injury, and you tried to ignore how the simple contact sent shivers down your spine. After a moment that lasted both eternity and no time at all, he drew back, humming in satisfaction. “You’re right. It’s not that bad, you’ll survive.” Apparently content with your health, you saw a teasing gleam enter his gaze. “I’d do more, but my power isn’t exactly to do with healing.” He fluttered his wings once to prove his point, and that’s when the reality of the situation came crashing down onto you.

“Your power. You have powers.” The words came out in a breathless rush, and you were completely helpless to stop them. You clapped your hands to your mouth, but too late; you felt the heat rising to your cheeks already. Leave it to you to make an absolute fool of yourself in front of an attractive guy.

He didn’t seem to mind though, evidently amused as he folded his arms, shifting his weight to one leg. “Well, I sure hope so. If I didn’t, my entire life would be a lie.” With the danger gone, he bantered with you in the way one might banter with a best friend, nevermind that you’d never seen him before.

You had enough grace to not try to continue that thread of conversation. “What’s your name?” you blurted out, and as your question processed, you felt your blush darken. You know what? No more talking without permission from my brain, mouth.

Your savior chuckled, pulling you out of your flustered thoughts. “My name is a secret I’m going to take to my grave,” he replied, and yeah, fair. What else were you expecting? “However…” He leaned forward to whisper in your ear, close enough that you could feel his breath tickle your neck. “You may call me Peacock.”

In a single breath, he had drawn back, leaving you struggling to collect your scattered thoughts and calm your racing heartbeat. First things first. His alias was Peacock—unsurprisingly so, given his general aesthetic and the prideful smirk that curled his lips. He was evidently playing things up for the drama, and you couldn’t honestly say you minded.

“I’m…” You took a deep breath to try and scrape together at least some of your composure. Once you felt like you weren’t about to faint from the situation, you finally offered Peacock your name.

He repeated your name back to you, humming in curiosity as you nodded. “A lovely name indeed,” he complimented, and you felt your cheeks burn. So much for composure, but then again, he probably said that to all the girls he rescued. Seeing the intensity of his gaze, though, you weren’t so sure.

You almost missed when he started speaking again, too wrapped up in your flustered thoughts. “...you going, little lady?”

You were going to have to ask the pretty peacock vigilante to repeat himself. God, today just wasn’t your day, wasn’t it? “Sorry, could you repeat that?” you mumbled, burying your face in your hair and doing anything not to look Peacock in the eye. Even if he had very beautiful eyes. Goddammit, you were too bi for this.

Peacock laughed, the sound just as charming as everything else about him. Fuck. “I know I’m handsome, but you shouldn’t let yourself get distracted,” he reprimanded lightly, a teasing smile quirking his lips, and yup, you were going to die. You may as well just go dig a hole and lay down in it. “I asked where you were going.”

Okay, focus. If you manage to screw this up you may as well move back to your town because your pride will be completely gone. “Central Park,” you replied, finally lifting your face from your curtain of hair and clutching the strap of your bag. “I’m supposed to meet my friend at her place, but my phone died, but her house is near there so I thought if I just found my way there…”

You trailed off as you saw Peacock already shaking his head. “Altadellys is a big city,” he explained. “Bigger than you think. I could direct you to Central Park, but you’d still get lost trying to find your way to your friend’s place, and I can’t always be around to save you.” He paused, but before you had time to begin to panic, he was already asking another question. “Do you know where you’re staying?”

“Yes!” You turned your eyes to the sky, eyebrows creasing as you tried to remember the name of the building. “Spring Apartments.”

You’re sure you didn’t imagine the shock that briefly flickered across what you can see of Peacock’s expression, the way he was caught off guard if only for a moment. “Spring Apartments? You’re sure?”

You cocked your head to the side, uncertain as to what about your place of residence would elicit this kind of reaction. “Yes? Is there a problem with that?”

If Peacock’s gaze on you had been intense before, it didn’t come close to comparing to now. You had to fight the urge to hide yourself away from his scrutiny, unable to help but feel like he was committing every detail of your visage to memory. “Not at all.” His easy smile was back as quickly as it had vanished, leaving you feeling out of the loop. “I can take you there.”

“That would be nice, thank you—” You paused, blinking owlishly as his words fully processed. “Wait. Take me there?”

“Let’s just say that helping you will help me as well,” Peacock replied cryptically, as if that clarified things at all. Still, it was hard to be frustrated at his vagueness as long as that unbearably attractive smile remained. “Of course, that’s only if you’re okay with it.”

“I’m okay with it, but how—ah!” Your words dissolved into a yelp as you found yourself unexpectedly scooped into Peacock’s arms. His almost ethereal nature belied how strong he truly was, you realized as he held you securely against his chest, hoping desperately that he couldn’t hear the thudding of your heart. That really would be the icing on your embarrassed cake; the final nail in your flustered coffin.

“Sorry,” Peacock apologized, and this close to him, you could feel the rise and fall of his chest, his warm breath tickling your neck with each exhale. “I’ve never been one to walk in the front door.”

You didn’t have time to even begin to process that before Peacock took to the air. You let out a decidedly undignified shriek, burying your face against his suit and clinging to him like your life depended on it (which it technically did, but you were trying not to think about that).

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Peacock murmured, and between his soft voice and assured grip, you realized he wasn’t saying that just to comfort you. You really were safe in his arms, even as buildings and people blurred past beneath you. It was a surreal feeling, to be truthful, but one that once you got used to it, you couldn’t honestly say you minded.

It was over all too quickly, Peacock placing you down on the roof of the apartment building within minutes. “This is where I leave you,” he explained, flashing you another one of those damned smiles. “I trust you can handle things from here?”

“Well, unless the apartment building is as difficult to navigate as the rest of Altadellys, I should be fine,” you replied, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. Pride swelled within your chest as Peacock laughed at your joke.

“You’re quite the witty one, aren’t you? I like that,” he complimented, winking, and by some miracle you didn’t fall over then and there. “Keep me in mind? Who knows, maybe we’ll meet again.” He leaned forward slightly, and you stared up at him. Wow, his eyes are even more enchanting up close…

Your name fell from his lips, and this time you nearly did fall over. For a second, you wondered if he was going to kiss you, but instead he took a step back, leaving your heart thudding and your chest filled with a strange sense of disappointment.

There was silence for a brief second, before you took a deep breath. “Thank you for saving me,” you murmured, figuring you at least owed him that.

Peacock paused, tilting his head as he regarded you, a smile curling across his lips. It was different to the others, somehow—more real. “The pleasure was all mine, my lady,” he replied, giving a mock bow before walking to the edge of the roof. Before you could get another word in, he spread his wings and jumped, disappearing before you had a chance to call after him.

It took a minute to recover from the excitement you had just experienced, but you made your way inside from the roof stairwell, finding your apartment with blessed ease. I deserve this much mercy after the day I’ve had, you mused as you knocked on the door.

The door opened quickly, revealing a small and delicate-looking woman. Her most striking feature was the floral tattoos that swirled across her whole body, though the gorgeous flowers pinned in her white, yellow-tipped hair came a close second. Her white and pale yellow dress was deceptively simple, the flowers stitched into the opaque overskirt being the most complicated detail of the design.

“Hey.” You introduced yourself, putting on your friendliest smile. “Is this your apartment? If so, I’m your new roommate.”

“That’s today?” The woman huffed slightly, glancing around. “Damn it, Lyris…” She muttered a bit more to herself, leaving you feeling more and more confused, before she finally addressed you. “Oh, but where are my manners? I’m Piama.”

She extended a hand for you to shake, and you reached down to take it. “Nice to meet you, Piama,” you offered, uncertain what to make of your new roommate.

Piama cast an appraising eye over you. “You aren’t from around here, are you?”

You blushed, not exactly embarrassed but still shy about being so easily placed by a beautiful woman. “Yeah. My hometown’s pretty far away.”

“That much speaks for itself.” Piama pressed her lips together, resting her chin on her hand as she considered you. “Your clothes are so last season, we’re going to have to do something about that.”

You had no idea how to respond to that. Initially, her words came off as rude, but the context implied she was only trying to help. “Um.”

Before you had a chance to come up with a more intelligent response, there was a melodic chime from Piama’s pocket. Pulling out a phone that looked more expensive that all your past phones put together, Piama scanned what was presumably a text before letting out a huff. “About time!” she complained as her fingers flashed across the screen. “I was supposed to go out with Lyris an hour ago! I called him four times and texted him like, fifty, and he just got back to me!” Putting her phone back away, she rolled her eyes. “This has been happening more and more lately. I’m starting to think he’s gotten a partner and hasn’t told me about it.”

Despite yourself, you couldn’t help a small laugh. “Well, don’t let me keep you. I can settle in by myself.”

Piama let out a relieved sigh. “Thank God. Lyris and I have been planning this for weeks, and I would die if I waited a second longer.” She paused, looking like a realization had just struck her. “Not that I’m trying to get rid of you, of course. You seem like a lovely girl, it just seems impossible to spend any quality time with him lately.”

You waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it, no offense taken.”

Piama flashed you a small smile, wishing you a quick goodbye before sweeping past you. You wasted no time entering the apartment, quickly finding an outlet to plug your phone into. With that done, you fixed yourself a cup of coffee before flopping on the couch, sighing deeply as you finally began to process the day’s events.

You’d arrived in Altadellys, only to find your phone was dead. Asking a local for directions had proven useless, and soon after that, you had gotten yourself hopelessly lost. You’d nearly been robbed in an alley, only to be saved by an attractive masked vigilante calling himself Peacock. He’d taken you to your new residence and then disappeared. You’d found your apartment and met your roommate, an extremely pretty woman named Piama, and had a brief conversation with her before she’d had to leave. Now, you were here, relaxing in your new home while waiting for your phone to charge.

A distinctive chime alerted you to the fact your phone was now alive again. Carefully grabbing it, you switched it on, seeing that you had five unread texts from Hazel. You wasted no time in unlocking your phone and swiping over to your messenger, finding that the first of the texts was from around two hours ago.

Hazel: Hey did you make it to the city safely?

The next message was about half an hour later, around about when your phone had died.

Hazel: Freckles?

Hazel: You’re starting to worry me

The next two messages were from around half an hour ago, and you can tell Hazel’s increasing worry from the fact they were typed with perfect grammar.

Hazel: Okay, this is totally weird for you.

Hazel: If you don’t message me within the next hour, I’m calling the police.

Guilt and affection mingled in your gut. Guilt that you’d made her worry so much, and affection over the fact that she cared that much for you. Placing your mug down, you quickly typed out a reply.

You: I’m fine Hazey dw

You: My phone died on the way here

Hazel’s response was immediate, and you wondered if she’d been waiting for your message for the past half hour or so.

Hazel: Holy hell don’t scare me like that Freckles

Hazel: Ppl are saying crime rates in Altadellys are higher than they’ve ever been

Hazel: I was worried you’d gotten murdered or smthin

You couldn’t fight back a chuckle, smiling as you responded.

You: Not dead yet, amazingly

You: I’m at my apartment now but getting here was a nightmare

You hesitated as you went to type your next message. You definitely wanted to tell Hazel about your encounter with the mysterious Peacock, but would she believe you? ...of course she would, she was your best friend! She’d definitely heard far weirder stories from you.

You: Hey I’ve got a kinda crazy story to tell you

Hazel: [eyes emoji] [eyes emoji] [eyes emoji] 

Hazel: You know crazy’s my middle name hmu

You: It might be too much to put in a text

Hazel: Np we can meet up in person

Hazel: I’ve been dying to see u again anyway it’s been way too long

You: Agreed

You: Text me your address and I’ll be there ASAP

Plugging the address Hazel sent you into your GPS app, you discovered that her place was only a ten-minute walk away. That was a small miracle; you didn’t feel like tangling with a taxi right now. Draining the rest of your coffee, you got up to place your cup into the sink and write a note for Piama explaining where you were going. Once your phone had charged enough to the point where it wouldn’t die again while you were out, you grabbed your bag and made your way out of the building.

Finding Hazel’s house proved to be blessedly simple now that you had directions, and soon you found yourself standing in front of it. It was modest only in comparison to the other houses along the street, one story with a moderate backyard rather than two stories at least with sprawling acres of land.

“Looks like just the kind of place Hazel would love,” you mused to yourself as you moved to ring the doorbell. As you waited, you noticed that the door also had a knocker in the shape of a lioness’ maw. Interesting—had it been there before Hazel moved in? You couldn’t imagine why she’d have both a doorbell and a knocker.

The door opened shortly, a wide grin breaking across Hazel’s face. “Freckles! It’s so good to see you again!” She wasted no time pulling you into a giant bear hug that nearly crushed your bones.

“Good to see you too, Hazey,” you gasped, hugging her back as best you could. “Uh, you’re kinda crushing me.”

“Whoops.” Hazel quickly let go of you, though she didn’t move back far. “Sorry. Kinda forget my own strength sometimes.”

You smiled, but before you could respond, a new figure appearing over Hazel’s shoulder stole your attention. Blonde hair spilled over her shoulders in waves, her golden eyes shining with a gentle warmth. She wore a simple red and white tunic that looked like it could have dated back to medieval times (and here you thought your fashion was out of date). “Hazel, who’s this?”

“Oh, this is my best friend from my hometown!” Hazel quickly introduced you to the unknown woman and—holy mother of God she was ripped. Lean muscles rippled beneath her clothes, and you were so distracted staring you nearly didn’t catch Hazel adding, “And this is Amara; she recently moved in with me.”

Callout to myself: too bi to function. You tried to push down the thoughts of how attractive Amara was to extend a hand for her to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Amara.”

Amara accepted your proffered handshake, her grip deceptively light. “You as well. Hazel has spoken highly of you.”

You felt your cheeks turn red as Hazel laughed. “‘Course I have! Gotta make sure everyone knows how amazing my best friend is.”

“Hazel!” you exclaimed, trying desperately to cover your darkening blush. First Peacock, then Piama, and now Amara. Were you the protagonist of a romance visual novel or something? If you met one more attractive person you were going to die—which was a problem because Altadellys seemed to be full of them.

“Hey, you never know, Amara might find you just as amazing.” Hazel winked conspiratorially and yup, this was how you died. There was no way Amara wouldn’t notice the obvious wingwomaning—

“Well, I wouldn’t know, but any friend of Hazel’s is a friend of mine.” —or not. Was Amara seriously oblivious to your evident fluster and Hazel’s teasing? Whatever, you would take what you could get. Your poor bi heart still hadn’t recovered from your earlier encounter with Peacock, anyway.

You took a deep breath, praying your voice wouldn’t wobble. “Likewise,” you agreed, shifting your weight awkwardly and flicking your gaze to Hazel. “Also uh, Hazey? Can I come inside or am I going to be standing on your front porch for this entire conversation?”

“Is something wrong with my porch?” Hazel teased. Amara’s brow creased with concern and she quickly added, “I’m joking, Amara, don’t worry. We’ve teased each like this since we were kids.” She stepped back from the door and disappeared into the corridor, calling behind her, “I’m gonna make drinks. You two get to know each other!”

Amara offered you a polite smile. “I apologize for this. Hazel is a dear friend of mine, but I remain bemused by her antics.”

She really was oblivious to Hazel’s wingwomaning. You weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth though, chuckling nervously. “Yeah, she’s always been something of an enigma, but you know how best friends are.”

Amara didn’t respond, and you began to worry you’d said something wrong by the completely blank look on her face. “Amara?”

Amara shook herself, her expression taking on the polite, friendly smile again. It didn’t reach her eyes, and you couldn’t help but feel you’d touched on a sensitive subject, though you had no idea what it was. “My apologies, I was lost in thought. Allow me to show you to the living room.”

As you followed Amara, you couldn’t help but note she carried herself with the posture of a soldier, complete with the famous Murder Walk™ that tumblr loved to talk about. That sent alarm bells ringing in your head and your heart panging with concern—what had happened to her to cause her to always be on her guard?

You knew better than to ask, settling into the cushions of one of the simple white couches in the living room. Amara sat across from you, studying you with a curious expression. “You are not from Altadellys?”

Somehow, the question made you feel less self-conscious than when Piama had commented on it earlier. “Yeah, I’m from Hazel’s hometown. What about you?”

“I’m not from Altadellys either,” Amara replied, confirming a growing suspicion. “I moved here many years ago.”

“Didn’t exactly embrace the lifestyle?” you guessed, gesturing to her clothes and praying your inquiry wouldn’t be considered rude.

To your relief, a genuine smile lit up Amara’s features, a soft glimmer in her eyes. “Not exactly,” she agreed. “I have never been able to immerse myself in the glitz and glam of the city, though I have nothing against those who do.”

“My roommate’s the complete opposite of you,” you mused, trying to latch onto this thread of conversation. “She’s stunningly beautiful, but in a way I feel like I’ll never compare to, you know?”

Amara considered you thoughtfully. “Sometimes simpler is better,” she remarked. “If it is of any comfort to you, I think you look wonderful just the way you are.”

You were saved from spontaneous combustion by Hazel reappearing, carefully holding three mugs full of hot, steaming liquid. If it were anyone else, you might’ve been worried about her spilling or dropping them, but you had complete faith in Hazel. “Coffee for me and Freckles, and tea for Amara!” she hummed, placing down two of the mugs before flopping onto the couch next to you.

“Thank you, Hazel,” Amara responded politely, carefully picking up her drink, blowing on it gently before taking a sip. You echoed the sentiment, retrieving your coffee and nursing it as your thoughts wandered in the direction of gay again.

“So Freckles,” Hazel interrupted, and you nearly spilled your drink as you were jolted out of your thoughts. “You said you had a crazy story to tell?”

“Oh! Yeah, I did, but…” Your gaze flickered hesitantly to Amara.

She caught the look and smiled, gesturing for you to continue. “I assure you, I have heard many extraordinary stories in my time. I promise I will not judge.”

Amara was so open and kind that you found yourself believing her without a second thought. You nodded and took a deep breath. “So like I said in my texts, my phone died getting here. I thought I’d just go to Central Park and find this place from here, but I uh…” You rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly, averting your eyes. “I kinda got lost.”

“Understandably so,” Amara said, and you glanced over at her, surprised at her input. “Altadellys is a city of enormous proportions. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, things could’ve gone seriously wrong,” Hazel agreed, concern painted across her features. “Seems like you hear about more and more robberies and people going missing everyday.”

You figured that was as good of a leadup to the ‘crazy’ part of your story as you were going to get. “I’m alright, but it was a close call. Someone tried to rob me in an alley.” You tilted your head to expose the faint scar on your neck.

“What?!” Hazel gasped. “Did you see what they looked like, Freckles? I’ll give them a piece of my mind for daring to lay a hand on you—”

“You should calm down, Hazel,” Amara interrupted gently, but you could see the concern and fury shining behind her golden eyes. “How did you get away?”

“I was saved by a masked guy with wings. He called himself Peacock,” you explained, scanning the pair’s faces for reactions. Hazel’s eyes were wide, her surprise evident, whereas Amara remained more composed, shock passing over her expression for only a moment before she closed her eyes, presumably lost in thought.

“Peacock, you’re sure?” Hazel checked, before shaking her head. “Who am I kidding, you said he had wings, that can’t be anyone else.”

“Yes?” You couldn’t help but feel surprise of your own at Hazel’s reaction. If she recognized his name—and knew about his powers—then just who was Peacock? “Do you know him?”

“Only by reputation,” Hazel replied. The look of awe on her face almost felt surreal. “After Fox disappeared, he took over as Altadellys’s protector of the night!” She struck a pose, then paused. “Okay, so I’m pretty sure he’s more active during the day, but details.” She chuckled to herself. “Seriously though, you’re super lucky, Freckles. Getting saved by Peacock is almost every girl’s dream at the moment.”

You picked up on the phrasing, unable to help quirking your lips at the subtle quip. “But not you?”

“Nah, I’m too much of a lesbian for that.” Hazel grinned, obviously amused by her own joke, before leaning in. “But what about you? Is he as dreamy as they say?” She waggled her eyebrows.

You knew she was only teasing you, but you couldn’t stop the heat that flooded your cheeks as you thought back to your interaction with the masked vigilante. Visions of those beautiful eyes and that breathtaking smile filled your mind. “Um…”

You were hardly subtle. Hazel caught on immediately, and she burst out laughing. “Oh my God! Freckles, you have a crush!”

“I do not!” you immediately defended yourself, already knowing it fell on deaf ears. “He’s as attractive as they say, okay? But that doesn’t mean I like him!”

Hazel wiped a couple tears from her eyes. “Sure, sure, you keep telling yourself that, Freckles. But man, you had one hell of a first day in Altadellys, didn’t ya?”

You really couldn’t disagree with that, though you were just glad Hazel seemed to have dropped the teasing about your non-existent crush on Peacock. Absently, your gaze slid over to Amara, who had yet to rejoin the conversation. You found her staring off at a black-and-white photo hanging on the wall—looking closely, you were pretty sure it was of her, along with a man you’d never seen before. A family member or best friend? I’d consider that it could be her boyfriend, but I get the idea she’s not into guys. But why is it in black and white?

“Freckles? Were you listening?” You jumped, embarrassed at having been caught zoning out. 

I’m really off my game today. “Uh, not really,” you admitted sheepishly. “Mind repeating that?”

Hazel rolled her eyes affectionately. “I asked how the job search was going.” Her tone was filled with the fond exasperation only a best friend could capture.

“Oh, that.” You sighed, wishing you had better news on that front. “Not well, honestly. None of the places I’ve applied to have even called me in for an interview.”

Hazel winced sympathetically. “Yikes, that sucks. I’d offer to help ya, Freckles, but I don’t think my line of work is exactly for you.” She gave a meaningful look at your less-than-impressive physique and you laughed.

“Probably not, but thanks anyway.” You ran your fingers through your hair, thinking. “It’s a problem, though. Rent isn’t cheap here—I’ll get kicked out pretty fast if I don’t find a job soon.”

Hazel gave a thoughtful hum. “Well, why don’t you apply for an internship at Optimus? Seems like your kind of place.”

“Optimus? Are you sure?” Amara’s sudden interruption startled you, and you glanced over at her. Her expression was completely closed off, betraying nothing about how she felt. You had to fight the urge to swallow, somehow feeling like you’d just stepped into a social minefield.

“I don’t really know anything about Optimus,” you confessed hesitantly. “Should I?”

“They’re the world’s foremost authority on powers,” Amara explained, still completely neutral. “They help connect people with places that need their powers the most.”

“They donate to a bunch of charities too, and help with a bunch of other stuff,” Hazel added. “It’s like, the dream job for everyone living in Altadellys, and the pay’s incredible.”

You exhaled softly, considering your options. Hazel was right—it did sound like a dream job. You’d been interested in powers since you were little, always wishing you’d been one of the lucky ones, but nobody with powers had been born in your hometown for generations. “That does sound amazing Hazey, but there’s no way I’m qualified for that sort of thing.”

“If it’s just an internship, I have a friend who may be able to help.” You gave Amara a curious look. “I can let him know. He’s a private man, but he’s reliable.”

You were burning with questions you wanted to ask about Amara’s friend, but given that she still had that blank look on her face, completely devoid of any emotion at all, you didn’t want to push your luck and risk her rescinding the offer. “I guess it’s worth a shot. Thanks, Amara.”

She nodded in acknowledgment, but gave no other response. Suddenly, Hazel gasped, bolting to her feet. “Oh shoot, I totally forgot! I was supposed to meet with a client like, ten minutes ago!” She turned to you apologetically. “Sorry Freckles, I gotta run. If you want, though, we can meet up in like an hour or so? There’s a cafe right around the block, Sweet Enchantments, it’s the best cafe this side of Altadellys.”

You chuckled, unable to pass up the prospect of hanging out with Hazel again after all these years. “Sure thing Hazey, sounds great.”

“Awesome, catch you later!” Hazel darted from the room. Amara stood as well, brushing off her clothes.

“I’m afraid I have places to be as well,” she apologized, and even though it didn’t compare to earlier, you were relieved to see a hint of genuine regret in her eyes. “Before I leave, however, perhaps we should exchange phone numbers.”

“Oh!” You were going to get a pretty woman’s phone number. Yeah, this was a first. “That’s probably a good idea, yeah.”

Amara didn’t stick around long after giving you her number, and you headed back to your apartment, feeling awkward hanging around Hazel’s house while neither of its occupants were home. To your surprise, you found Piama perched on the couch, deeply engrossed in some kind of nature documentary and sipping at a cup of tea.

“Hi Piama,” you greeted, gaining her attention. “Weren’t you hanging out with Lyris?”

Piama waved a dismissive hand. “We just went out to a nearby cafe,” she explained, and you couldn’t help but wonder if it was the same one Hazel had mentioned. “Besides, he needs to get his stuff out of your room.”

You raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Piama sighed, as though the reason Lyris’s stuff was apparently in your room was of great disdain to her. “He’s been half-living here for years,” she replied, turning her attention back to the TV. “He would have moved in, but he has a cat, and if his fur ball wasn’t the most annoying creature on that planet, I might’ve considered putting up with my allergies for him, but as it is, ‘Madame Whiskers’ has it out for me. Of course, I’m not going to ask my best friend to give up his cat for me, so now he lives on the floor above me while dumping half his stuff here.”

“Piama, who are you talking to? Is your roommate home?” a very familiar voice called from the hallway. You couldn’t quite place it until he stepped into the living room, and your jaw dropped as realization dawned on you. You wasted no time in appraising his physical appearance; his hair, his build, his general aesthetic, even his nails—everything matched up to Peacock. Even so, you might’ve chalked it up to a coincidence if not for his eyes. His damned eyes. His damned, beautiful eyes. Deep purple and breathtaking gold; even if your mind didn’t recognize them, your heart would’ve.

Peacock—Lyris?—was staring at you just as openly, and you could see the recognition and shock blooming across his expression as well. If Piama replied, you didn’t hear it, too swept up in the feeling of holy shit I’m meeting Peacock as a civilian and he’s my roommate’s best friend.

Your phone chimed, shattering the moment. You coughed to cover the awkwardness, quickly pulling it out and glancing down at the texts you’d just received.

Hazel: Client cancelled [rolling eyes emoji]

Hazel: U still wanna hang out at the cafe tho?

Oh, was all you could think as your fingers hovered over the keyboard, having literally no idea how to reply. Glancing up didn’t help, as you saw Lyris staring at you with the same shocked expression he’d had moments ago, Piama looking between the two of you in confusion.

Oh shit.

CHAPTER CHOICE

You're in a bit of a tricky spot here. You did say you were going to hang out with Hazel, but if you do that, the situation with Lyris is going to get... awkward. To say the least. Do you: A) Commit to going to the cafe with Hazel B) Stay to try and diffuse the situation with Lyris and Piama, and hopefully get some answers

[evien-stark]

✧I Need You✧ Chapter 25 [70%]

You refused medical treatment, as did Tony. But he left you to fend for yourself with the reporters and photographers, asking what happened, what happened? It was clear as day what had happened. Blind spots were opening up in your vision. Probably from the camera bulbs. The only people you had to lean on were Natalie, who was trying hurriedly to shoo everyone away, and Happy who was trying to play the better part of security.

Paramedics asked one last time before you were allowed to even get into a car to go to the airport- how are you? You had no idea how to answer them.

 Maybe it’s like a muscle.

 Exercising the use of your powers made them stronger- but it also was hurting you. If Tony’s theory was correct. Maybe it really was time to ask Fury what to do about yourself. Your own fate. Because you were suddenly, mostly decidedly, sure that it couldn’t… it just couldn’t be with…

He barely looked at you as the two of you boarded the jet. That was fine. If you started in on him now there was no way you were going to make it the whole way home. It would just be more screaming. Then he disappeared. So you sat in deafening silence until you couldn’t take it any longer and put on the TV. A mistake as it only served to make you angrier and angrier as Senator Stern, all smiles, told the entire world Tony Stark was a liar.

The technology was here. That man had had an Arc Reactor.

How? How could that be? How did that man have that?

You had no answers. So you couldn’t help Tony out- if you had even wanted to. You weren’t sure anymore.

“Mute.” The TV went silent, his voice behind you and you immediately directed your attention out the window. Only briefly letting your eyes shift as he set down a platter on the table and moved to sit himself across from you. Then he lifted the top revealing a very runny but steaming hot omelet. “You need to eat something.”

“I can’t do this with you anymore.”

It came out of you whether you wanted it to or not. It was there now, heavy in the air. And to your own surprise and sadness you meant every word.

He seemed stunned, but only momentarily. “Eat. Please. Then we can talk-”

“No, Tony. We’re talking right now. And this is probably the last time we’re gonna have this talk. Because I can’t anymore. I keep saying I can’t, and then I keep going, expecting you to get it. But you don’t. And I’m done.” Part you wished he had anything to say to cut you off. But he just sat there and took it while your voice lurched and tears slid past your eyelashes.

His burgeoning frown deterred you, for only a few seconds. He looked hurt. Good. “You don’t respect me, you don’t respect whatever this is- and I- I’m starting to think every private moment we have is just you playing make believe with dolls. If you want a different life, then go have it. Leave me out of it. Because I can’t take it anymore.”

You were hurting. Deeply. Cut to the bone. Had his whole plan been to come to Monaco to get in that car? To do what? Drive recklessly down the highway? Or had he known that man was going to be there? And he’d told you none of it, sat across from you not hours ago telling you he loved you- and for what? “You seem like you care one moment and then you rip it all away when it suits you- what- I’m… what do you want from me, Tony?”

“I...”

“If you say I’m sorry one more time I’m going to throw you out of this airplane. And if you say I love you again as a bandaid I’m going to scream-” Your frustrations were at an all time high.

 “I’m dying.”

 Horror.

Panic.

Mortification.

 All doused you heavy like a waterfall.

Oh.

But you’d felt this panic before… only now it was shared.

 You couldn’t breathe. “What… what are you even saying right now?” There was no way he’d say something so drastic to get you to be quiet- right? To get you to stay?

“I’m dying.” He said it again, softer, resigned. But his eyes stayed on you.

Your head began to shake. “I don’t… I don’t understand. What do you mean-”

“You want me to say it a third time for good luck? I’m dying.” It actually seemed like he was getting a bit of cathartic release from letting those words go.

“Tony...” There was no way to even begin to process this. Clearly it was a joke. It was a joke, right? He was… dying of thirst. Dying of hunger. Dying of boredom. Anything- anything, please-

Reaching back he pulled his shirt off forward, exposing his chest and all the blown deep blue and purple veins that outlined his angry red skin. Creeping forward from the hole sitting in his chest where the Arc Reactor was, down his stomach and now starting to briefly line the base of his neck.

A gasp shred your lungs. “Oh my god-” Your hands were on your mouth, terrified. Tears were spilling hot down your cheeks. Eyes closing briefly as he leaned forward to wipe a few away with a gentle brush of his fingers. You pushed your hands to your lap. “For how long…?”

How long had he been sick? How long had he hidden this from you? The whole time since he’d gotten back from the Middle East?

“After the mission with General Ross.” He put his shirt back on before reaching out again. His hand came down on top of both of yours, holding steady. You were shivering. The mission where he’d been used to try and kill people recklessly- and when he’d come home-

“How much longer?”

“Eight days. Maybe nine.” It was like you’d been hit by a car. It all made sense. He’d pushed up the Expo. Sold his art gallery. Made you CEO- and this- Quiet… quiet moments where he seemed like he was fading away… “You were right.” He saw your wheels turning, and you caught the sad smile on his face. “You knew.”

“I didn’t know- I didn’t know this-”

“I didn’t want you to. ...This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.”

“You can’t just not tell me you’re fucking dying, Tony!” Saying this lashed an ache so strong through you that a sob broke free. He was there in an instant, arm around you, head atop yours. You buried your face in the side of his neck. “What is it? I’ll find a doctor- we’ll do something-”

“Palladium poisoning. From the core of the Reactor. There is no cure.” Calm. He was so fucking calm.

You bit back another shudder of a sob, shaking your head lightly. “Then we’ll find something else to sustain the power… we’ll… we’ll run through the elements...” Whining and weeping like a child.

A huff of warm air escaped him. “You’re incredible.” Meant only with every sincere bone he had in his body, awe lacing his tone. “There’s nothing out there. I’ve looked. I’ve tried. I’ve been trying this whole time.”

“Well I wasn’t!” He had given up, dealing with this for so long. You sat half away, reaching up to take hold of the sides of his face. Holding him there. Looking. “You should have just told me- you- we could have been working on this together- we’ll find something- please-”

This couldn’t be it.

He couldn’t just-

“You promised...” Resorting to anything. Childish nonsense. Anything to keep him.

 I need you, too, you know. ...but I don’t want you to die. Don’t worry. I’ve got too much to do to die. Promise? I promise. So long as you stick around.

 Your breathing had become mere wheezing, overwhelmed with the mere idea that he wasn’t going to be with you in the very near future. Some destructive sickness was going to kill him. Take him away. Forever. Something you truly could not contend with.“...you promised...”

You couldn’t lose him.

He put his hands over yours and leaned in to rest his forehead against yours. “Hey- hey… take a breath… please, just breathe...” You only did so at his behest, but it didn’t help the hiccup, or another leak of tears. “The company is yours. You’ll get everything. You’ll be taken care of-”

“What a shitty thing to say!” Breaking free from him, shaking your head vehemently now. “I don’t want your stuff Tony, I want you!” When he touched his hand back through your hair, still soft and even, you broke down again. Your hands went around his wrist. Holding tight. As if you could just keep him there with you forever. “I need you.”

His arms were around you again and you found yourself crying in his shoulder. He was burning hot, even through his shirt. How had you gone so long without noticing? His tone was even, “Please- please… I know it’s difficult- I’ve had… a lot of time to look- and I know there’s nothing out there- breathe, honey, just breathe...”

It was so hard.

You couldn’t do this.

But eventually you found a pattern of in and out, even though the tears had not stopped. In the wake of your silence he spoke again, “I love you. Let’s just… let’s cancel my birthday party. Let’s turn around. Touch down somewhere in Italy. Genoa? Genoa was great...”

 You knew what he was asking.

He was asking to go somewhere and die.

To just be with you in his last few moments.

 “No… no...” You couldn’t let him- was that selfish? Maybe it was. Then so be it. You moved again to be able to look at him. “Please just… just give me some time- you’ve had your chance- just give me a few days to look- please- I’m begging you.”

 Please don’t give up yet.

Please please

I love you…

 That telltale shaky inhale captured him, eyelids fluttering for a moment. “...you’re not playing fair.”

“I didn’t mean it...” You really hadn’t. You were just too emotionally charged to help it. Maybe that’s what it had been the whole time. You uselessly wiped at your eyes. “But this isn’t a game- and please-”

“Okay. Alright. Okay- stop… don’t… don’t beg anymore. I’ll...” He heaved a heavy sigh out. “We’ll go home. But… you have to promise me… you can’t let this destroy you. When you realize there’s nothing out there… you stop. And you come home. And we’ll...”

 Spend the last few moments of his life together.

 You didn’t want to make that promise. Because it was acknowledging that was the ultimate end to this. In some way. You couldn’t do that. You couldn’t bear the thought.

But you nodded anyway.

“Okay.”

Letting him take you again, you rested your head against his shoulder, arms around his middle. The tears still wouldn’t stop.

“You’ve gotta admit...” He said after a long while, voice distant yet with that soft slyness, “As far as excuses go...”

And damn him all, he pulled a watery smile from you. A terrible, terrible smile. “Shut up.”

You wouldn’t give up. You wouldn’t give up on him.

Never.

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

 It felt like there was no rest.

The second you touched down, the story of Ivan Vanko- the man who had attacked Tony, the man who had gotten his hands on an Arc Reactor somehow- had tried to escape prison and had died. Was this good news? ...wasn’t it a little convenient? You wondered. Tony had said he needed to do some research on that one. You just trusted him on it, because you literally had no time to do it. No time…

Right on top of that was half the media arguing that Tony’s wild actions of commandeering his own racing vehicle proved he was unfit to protect the country. Proved that he was unfit to be Iron Man. Something many senators were starting to agree on. The other half were hailing him a hero-

Oh, not only him-

There were shots and clips of you standing with your hands up as if you too had something to shoot from them. Woman of Iron, they were calling you (thinking they were clever… yet hadn’t you heard something like that somewhere before…?), and you couldn’t be more disgusted. Who wouldn’t have jumped in to try and do whatever they could in that situation? Tony seemed like he could have been killed.

Iron Man was not invincible.

There was a man in there.

You would have done it again. Easily. If there had been any slightest chance you could save his life… then of course you would.

Which was why you had to ignore all of that. All of the press and the questions and the noise, so that you could try and schedule a meeting with the only people who would have any hope of saving Tony. It had to have been true that Tony was doing his damn best to save his own life. But what if SHIELD had access to things he didn’t? Shouldn’t they? Being a top secret shadow government organization and all.

However, getting in touch with them after everything you’d been through… everything you’d aided Tony in doing that had pissed Fury off… it wasn’t easy. You only had Coulson’s number. And he seemed to not want to answer you. His mailbox was also full. And that warehouse- his offices- whatever they were that he had taken you to the first time, were completely empty now. No good. No use.

You went to Stark Industries that night to put out a fire, department heads arguing with each other over nonsense, before returning home with nothing. Time was running out. Asking Natalie to escort you home, you put her on the phone in the living room as soon as you got into the manor. She had to do work for you now. She had to, because you were running out of everything.

Tony was in the lab. As always. But it was easy to look the other way on it now. When you keyed yourself in, he looked up from his work bench. “Hey.” Raising his hands like you had- the image of you plastered on a few of his screens.

“Very funny.” You were so worn out.

“No- do it- put one up for me.” After everything he’d said he still seemed to be going on like nothing had happened. But then again, he’d been sort of operating that way for a while. Maybe trying to pretend like- ...no, you couldn’t think about it now.

Stopping a few feet away you crossed your arms instead. “Why?” The thought we don’t have time for this was not far off- but… there was nothing more you could do tonight. You’d have to try Coulson again tomorrow. And if he was untraceable- then… then…

 Don’t think about it.

 “Please.” Gentle.

Despite the roll of your eyes, you did so, in a mockery to yourself and your false bravery you’d displayed that day. “Here- are you happy now?” He picked a small black lump of metal up from the table, pressed a button on the side, and then threw it at you. It latched on to your hand, freaking you out immediately as what felt like slimy wiring slid slid over your skin. “Eugh-! What is this??”

But when it settled it was very clear what it was.

He stood up, unable to help the laugh at your minor distress. Walking behind you, he stilled your hand which had been swinging wildly as if to shake it off like a bug. Then he guided your arm up, his other arm around your waist. “Like this. Spread your fingers out. It’s got a one-time semi-stabilized ionic discharge.” His voice was warm in your ear.

Did the two of you really have time for this?

It settled an unease in your heart. “Why?”

“So that next time you put your hands up, you have a shot to make it out of there.” I’m trying to protect you. His eyes were straight ahead. “Deep breath, then exhale- if you can remember. And push forward. The sensors will do the rest. Here- try and make sure...” The arm around you moved to your legs, widening your stance. “Try to be as grounded as possible… but don’t lock your knees too much...”

You swallowed hard, trying to keep your eyes focused on the white lab wall in front of you. Most of you was terrified- the rest delegated to one small part scared for other more pressing reasons. The other… well, in any other circumstance…

“And then what?”

A little huff of warm, amused air caressed the side of your neck. “You pull back and push forward. Go on.”

Trying to get past your discomfort, having a weapon now attached to your hand, you took his words to heart. Planting your feet, arm shaking a little.

“You’re fine. I’ve got you.”

With that settling you slightly, you took a breath in… then out… and then pulled back only to jut your palm forward again. The blast was quick and slightly blinding, smacking against the wall to destroy the paint and shatter some of the brickwork underneath. It also sent you straight back into him with a whoosh from your lungs. But he held you steady, laugh not too far behind. “That’s it. Easy, right?”

You let him settle you on your feet, knees barely there to stand on, and you turned around. “I don’t like that.”

“Yeah well, a full suit would give you optimized stabilization-”

“No.” You’d already told him this a million times before, but it was very important now. You didn’t want his… you didn’t want what could be his last few moments spent building a suit for you…

“Then this is all I’ve got. It works.” Reaching out he turned your palm over. “To take it off you just pull the lining here...” Demonstrating, the glove going slack as he did. You also let him take it off you, cradling your hand to your chest after. “What? Did it burn you?” Nervous suddenly as he crushed it back up into that black ball it had started as.

“No. I’m just… I don’t want weapons.” Adamant about that.

“This is not a weapon, it’s self defense.” Just as adamant back at you. “You tried to stop him, right?” He had turned away, setting the spent glove on the table again. “It’s a little hazy. But I’m pretty sure- JARVIS freeze frame-” Catching the perfect moment still running on TV. You with your hands up. Trying to talk a verified villain into surrendering. “Right there.” Pointing up.

You just shrugged, feeling intimidated for some reason. Small. Helpless all over again. “I don’t know what I was doing.”

“Yes you do. You saw I was in a tight spot and you jumped out of that car- you tried to do the thing. They might not be able to see that, but I can. And until you… until you hone it… please just keep one of these on you.” For his own peace of mind, he was asking. You knew.

Yet still, “Why? Are we expecting more crazy people to show up and attack us?”

He stared at you silently for too long a moment. Defeat there in his eyes.

 If I can’t always be there…

 “Fine.” You said as quickly as you could to make it stop. “How do- how do I charge it?”

“I’m still working on that.” Turning away.

“Oh. Great. So until then I’m supposed to carry- what- ten of them around in my purse?” You weren’t really mad. You weren’t really anything. Which was the worst part. Life was finally getting the better of you. If you could just hang on for a few more days…

He smiled as you came over, putting an arm around you again to pull you close. You would have liked to stay like that forever. “Maybe more like fifty. That should be enough for everyone I’ve supposedly pissed off...”

Before you could tell him to knock it off or ask if he even had that many, you felt the shift, the immediate drop in energy as an exhale shot out of him. All of his weight went to you, even as his hand reached out to try and catch the corner of the work table and slipped, leaving you shouldering his entire body. “Tony-”

Four beeps at the front indicated someone was coming into the lab and you were terrified it was Natalie come to ask you for something- but instead, “Hey- whoa-” Rhodey appeared out of nowhere.

“Please help.”

“The desk over there-” Tony was weakly directing.

Rhodey took his arm over his shoulder, freeing you from the weight although you stood close. “Yeah buddy, alright. Here.”

“The cigar box- it’s Palladium.” The word hurt you unexpectedly, scared all over again as Rhodey sat him down and you pulled one of the cores from the case.

Tony tried a deep breath, reaching underneath his shirt, something you took a silent cue from, dislodging the Arc Reactor and holding it up. The Palladium inside ejected up, a charred mess. “Is that supposed to be smoking?”

“It’s neutron damage from the reactor wall, if you must know.” Somehow Tony had gained back a tiny bit of control now that he was sitting down, sounding a touch more even. But he was still softly panting.

You took the depleted core from him, setting it aside and watched anxiously as he set the new one and then slid the Reactor back up, lodging it back into his chest, smacking it a few times before the light resumed. Something he took a big gulp of air at.

It at least beat sticking your hands in goo to attach wires to plates, you guessed.

“What can I do?” Needing to just do something. Anything.

“Water. Please.”

Even though Rhodey was most likely wise to the both of you, you resisted reaching out to give Tony an affectionate touch, forcing yourself to turn away to go to the lit up mini fridge at the bar. “What are you looking at?” You heard Tony ask.

Returning when Rhodey had apparently done enough staring to answer. “I’m looking at you. Look- you need to get upstairs and clean up this mess.”

“I’m working on it.” Answered almost a little too angrily, not meaning to but you were under a lot of pressure. And Tony… Tony needed to be left alone.

“Not you but- you, too, I guess. You’re both down here playing house while an intern is taking phone calls from news anchors. It’s a disgrace. I put myself on the line for you- you have no idea how soon the National Guard is gonna come rolling up the PCH in tanks to take your suits.” It really didn’t help anything that Rhodey was pissed.

What were you supposed to do? Squaring up, “First of all, Natalie is from legal. If anyone can handle it, she can.” You were very fond of Rhodey. You were very close to Rhodey. But he didn’t understand.

...nor could he, if he didn’t know the truth of it all. But…

“You of all people- I thought you were smarter than this.”

Shock registered briefly on your face and you might have had a lot to say about that to him, had Tony not stood up and put a hand on your shoulder, stepping between the both of you. “Look- I just need you to trust me. Contrary to popular belief, I know exactly what I’m doing.”

“Mm hmm.” No one was a winner here. Everyone was frustrated. “What’s that on your neck?”

A chill clipped through you. “It’s road rash.” Tony offered the weak explanation. But that only furthered it. He wanted no one else to know.

“What’s on his neck?” Turning his questioning gaze and commanding presence towards you.

You suddenly felt a sense of deja vu.

 Any other time… any other time you would have made things right. But not tonight. Not now. “It’s from the attack in Monaco.” Quiet as you answered.

God. You really were just like him, weren’t you?

Rhodey just shook his head. “So that’s it then. You two are determined to play Bonnie and Clyde and no one else is involved.” Certainly not me anymore. The afterthought hit you harder than you would have liked, the disappointment and upset seeping through you. Reaching out to the desk, you steadied yourself.

Tony finally caught full control of his breathing, taking a long sip of water. He then looked back at Rhodey one last time. “Trust me, alright?”

“We’ll fix the mess.”

Finally Rhodey put his hands up, turning his back on you both, shaking his head. “You’d better.” Just like that he started marching back out of the lab and up the steps.

You were so fixated on watching him go that when Tony grabbed your hand you startled just a little, but then turned yours over to hold on tighter to him. He looked at you softly. “He’ll get over it.”

“I hope so.”

Because right now you had no time to deal with him. ...or the mess he was asking you to clean up. And soon… soon you’d have no time left at all.

[benhaardy]

king of my heart || b.h.

(i apologize i do not know where this gif is from i found it on weheartit but im not sure thats who made it but here is the post. if you are the owner please let me know so i can credit or take it off at your request. thanks!)

Summary: Ben takes you to the Bohemian Rhapsody premiere and you reminisce of his accomplishments and your years-long friendship.

Request: Can you do a fluffy first kiss imagine with Ben? Thanks!

A/N: so uhhh the request was literally the simplest thing EVER but my extra ass had to put some Extra Sass™ upon this lol. idk why i wanted to go big for such a simple prompt but its ben and its his birthday today so HE DESERVES IT!

gotta add in that S H E E R D R E S S S H I R T because i’m still not over it, thank u, next.

the outfit i had in mind: dress (the one in the middle) shoes necklace earrings, though obviously you can imagine your own outfit.

song that the title/some of the fic is based off: king of my heart by taylor swift

obviously, i am a huge fan of the longtime best friends to lovers cliche and idk if anyone else thinks this but i write my characters as super affectionate in the first place so i hope it isn’t weird to anyone to have like the really touchy-feely best friends or friendships in my stories ig? idk, just a thought cause i literally just noticed how affectionate my characters are ANYWAYS here's wonderwall

thank you for sending a request in! hope you enjoy it!

also happy birthday to our king i hope he has a beautiful day

Wordcount: 1.7k

Warnings: a few frick words (2). fem!reader. mention of nudity. fluffy!! not proofread, but beta’d

“Ready, Y/N?” Ben called from downstairs

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

You put the final touches of your outfit on. Perfume on your wrists, Tiffany necklace on, you went down the stairs carrying your nude Louboutins and adjusting your earrings. It wasn’t really your style to do any of this, really, but your best friend Ben had wanted to take you to the Bohemian Rhapsody premiere. Go big or go home, you figured. At his asking, you didn’t see or know what he was going to wear so you played it safe with a black dress.

You went down the stairs and got to the bottom floor. Ben was standing in the middle of the living room, back turned to you. He was looking down at the cat weaving in between his legs. As far as you could see, he was wearing an all black suit. “Ben?” you said. He whipped around to see you as you were putting on your shoes.

“Oh, wow, Y/N,” he beamed. Ben put his hands over his mouth, his eyes wide with surprise. “You look so good!” You opened your arms to embrace him, to which he stepped into, his arms around your waist.

After a few seconds, you both pulled away but his arms still stayed in their place and your hands lingered on his biceps. “I could say the same about you, Benny! Everything looks great!”  He let you go fully. You looked up and down at his outfit. Sheer black dress shirt, black blazer and trousers, everything was tailored perfectly to his body. You grinned. He cleaned up very well, but it wasn’t like he didn’t dress nice in the first place.

“Ready to go?” he asked. “Car’s waiting outside.”

“Ready.”

--

You watched from the side of the carpet as the main cast were getting photographed together. That was your best friend! Standing next to Roger fucking Taylor and Brian fucking May. Everything still felt surreal, though he had been in the public spotlight for the past few years, this felt different. Your senses just felt heightened. The flashing lights, the hues of purple and pink and gold all around, surrounded by people you either knew well or were complete strangers to you. Your eyesight was crisp, noticing everything you could, taking it all in. You did musical theatre, you hadn’t really dealt with something as big as this, even with Apocalypse.

And here your best friend was, in the middle of all of this. Your mind played back all the memories of you two in drama school with his all-nighters, monologue after monologue, script after script. You couldn’t be more proud of your closest friend, all of his hard work going to this. You could remember Ben’s shifty eyes backstage the very first show of Judas Kiss and the blush on his cheeks after the show when he remembered that you had watched him perform and there was that one scene of full frontal; he figured it was worth the embarrassment, it’s not as if you hadn’t seen worse.

Back to Eastenders and its countless shirtless and kissing scenes. You thought back to the countless nights that you spent up with him when he was weighing leaving the show or becoming Archangel. At your own urging, Ben left Eastenders, ready for the next chapter, ready for the next big thing. One of the best memories of your life was traveling to the United States with him for Comic-Con and driving up and down the west coast a week before he had to attend it. He took you to Disneyland and Universal Studios after everything with the convention was said and done.

Now, Bohemian Rhapsody! You laughed at the memories of Ben scrambling to find a good drum teacher close by and how he turned up in the middle of the night to your flat to tell you he got the part. You couldn’t ever forget his embrace in the dark of your living room, his face buried in your shoulder and his arms, tight and strong around your waist. Your happy tears wiped away by Ben’s hand as you drew apart. Though you both were excited, it was still the middle of the night, so you both just slept in your bed once more with the cats.

Ben would always invite you over to watch him play and give your input. You had to admit, he had gotten pretty good over all the lessons. Though you discouraged his lying about playing the drums and seeing the consequences in his clamber to learn as much as possible, it paid off in the best way possible. They started the process of making the movie. Though you couldn’t really be by his side throughout filming, you were basically there, his perpetual FaceTimes keeping you in the loop with everyone. You even “met” the guys and Lucy, who you hit off with very well. Ben made sure you were always by his side and he was always by yours.

So when you saw him here, at his biggest premiere surrounded by even more amazing actors and actresses, you couldn’t help but shed a tear. This role of Roger had basically brought him into the light.

You watched them take pictures until Ben beckoned you over, the group disbanding and walking over to their families and significant others to pose for their own photos. You came over and he put his arm around your waist, hugging you close. Your hand was on his back and you both posed for pictures, the flash basically blinding you, the sounds of the shutters all around. “Smile,” Ben whispered into your ear.

--

Everyone was at the rooftop restaurant that you were all going to eat at after the premiere. You were sitting in between Roger and Ben, having been introduced to all of the people around the table. Never in a million years, you thought, never in a million years did you think you’d be here, conversing with the real Roger Taylor or getting along with his daughters, or telling Lucy Boynton and Anita Dobson where you got your necklace and earrings.

“If you’ll excuse us, Y/N and I are going to go out to the balcony,”

You scooped another spoon of food in your mouth before saying, “Oh, okay we are? Okay.” You gave a polite smile to Roger, who you were talking to before Ben got your attention. Standing up, you followed Ben out of the tall, ornate door, out to the terrace where you could see all of London. The view was breathtaking.

“What is this all about?” you inquired as you came over to Ben standing with his hand on the glass, observing the scenery in front of him, the various coloured lights illuminating London.

“How do you feel about all this, Y/N? The whole shazam,” he questioned, wanting to know your true feelings about everything.

You shook your head, “What can I say?” You looked out along with him. “If you had told me in the first year of uni when we met that we would be here right now. Eating dinner with two freaking members of Queen and their families and being around some of the best actors and musicians in the world!” You said, your voice breathy. It was crazy what your best friend had been able to accomplish. “I would’ve slapped you and called you mental. This is all so... wow.”

“I couldn’t have made it here without you, Y/N. I’d be a complete and utter trainwreck. I wouldn’t even, like, survive without you, you know?”

“Ben,” you shook your head vigourously, “Don’t…don’t. This is your thing. This is your work. This is your doing. I was just there along for the ride and you were there with me,” you reasoned. “It’s just...just that simple.”

He shook his head but smiled. “None of this is that simple.” Ben turned to face you, still looking down. You moved to look at him yourself. “You mean everything to me, really. It’s not just the support. It’s the little things. It’s how you never fail to put your jumper sleeves over your hands and bury ‘em in your face. It’s how you look at me when you’re adjusting my suit and doing that little,” he paused and did little sweeping movements in the air, “that little sweepy thing on my lapels and you look back up at me and smile. The way you smile, the way you look at me, love, it just- it drives me crazy in the best way. You’re always there for me, yes, but that is not the only reason that I love you.” Ben took hold of your hand and held it close to his heart, his hand encapsulating yours entirely. “I want you, Y/N.”

You leaned forward and an abundance of holy shit holy shit did I just do that did I really just do that did he reeeallly just say those amazing things about me?’s rang through your head, echoing and echoing. You kissed him. His plump lips were upon yours finally. At first, Ben was stiff, taken by surprise at your sudden action but he softened quickly with the feeling of you on him. Your hand stayed on his chest while his moved down to your hips. As the kiss deepened, you laced your hands around his neck.

He pulled away. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted that, love,” he said, breathless, his lips swollen and pink.

“Me too, Ben.” You smiled and cupped his cheek in your hand, to which he kissed your palm and held your wrist lightly. He looked down at his shoes, blushing.

“We should—“ he started, his thumb pointing back to the inside. “We shoul—“

You exhaled. “Y-Yeah, yeah we should, we should.” Ben grabbed your hand and led you inside. He pulled your chair out for you and you sat in it. You brushed imaginary dirt off your dress, trying to act casual.

“Looks like you two had fun out there!” exclaimed Roger, a bellowing laugh coming from him.

[otakugirlkrod]

Three years have passed

A/N: I’m sorry for the delayed but here I leave more Gajevy drama for all of you. Special thanks to @ranunculus-fox for helping me. BTW. I think I should change the genres of this fanfic XD Which ones would you think it will suit more the fic? Also, Sorry if I make Makarov a little out of character.   Anime: Fairy Tail

Couple: Gajevy Rated: T Status: On going Summary : Tired of being “the damsel in distress”, Levy left the guild without telling anyone except Master Makarov. She spent three years far away from Magnolia learning new spells to improve her skills. But finally, is time to return home. What’s that strange magic she learned? 

Chapter One:https://otakugirlkrod.tumblr.com/post/158442724445/three-years-have-passed

Chapter Two: https://otakugirlkrod.tumblr.com/post/159584893235/three-years-have-passed

Chapter Three: https://otakugirlkrod.tumblr.com/post/159780767225/three-years-have-passed

Chapter Four: https://otakugirlkrod.tumblr.com/post/160171984995/three-years-have-passed

Chapter Five: https://otakugirlkrod.tumblr.com/post/162149897065/three-years-have-passed

Chapter Six: Some pieces of the puzzle

The kiss was delicate, but brought warm feelings to both of them. Levy’s soft and warm lips responded to Gajeel’s actions. He didn’t know what exactly happened and why he acted that way but he was sure that he tasted a salty tear in her lips. This new feeling made Gajeel feel different. Why are we doin’ this? Gajeel thought as he opened partially his eyes and saw every little detail in her face. Her eyes were shut and some trails of tears were visible in her delicate skin. He admired every detailed and closed his eyes again. Gajeel held Levy by the shoulder and deepened the kiss.

Levy groaned and pulled apart abruptly. “I-I’m so sorry. I-We shouldn’t...” She got up of the couch but stopped in her tracks. She looked down and noticed that Gajeel was holding her left arm.

“Where ya’ think you’re going?” He looked at her intensely.

Levy looked away and said. “It’s not your obligation to help me Gajeel…” She sighed. “You don’t have to feel sorry for me.”

Gajeel tilt his head to the right and looked at her confused. “What the hell are ya’ babblin’ about?”

Levy looked directly to his crimson red eyes. “You don’t have to do any of this.”

“What exactly?”

“I know what are you doing, Gajeel.” She released her arm from his grip. “You don’t have to pretend you have feelings for me.”

His eyes widened. Feelings? ... For Levy? He thought as he got up of the couch.  “Oi! Stop acting like a stubborn child.” Gajeel held her again but this time by the shoulders.

Why…Levy thought. Her hazel eyes filled with sadness.  “Just stop it already!” She shouted. The black and purple mist started emerging once again and her eyes color disappeared.

Gajeel noticed this in a blink of an eye and shook her. “GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!”  Levy placed a hand in his abdomen gently. “What the-” Gajeel looked down at the touch but didn’t expect what happened next.

Levy’s hand turned to an iron sword and pierced him. “AAGHH!” Gajeel screamed and coughed some blood.

Pantherlily heard the disturbing noise and went downstairs. What he saw made him stay still. He couldn’t believe it.“GAJEEL!”  The exceed shouted.

Gajeel looked at Lily transforming in his battle mode. “We have to stop her.” Gajeel heard him say as Lily drew his sword out and activated his aera, going towards Levy.

“NO! LILY! DON’T!” Gajeel shouted to the exceed but Pantherlily throw himself at Levy. Holding her down on the ground with his sword in her neck, Lily looked directly to her white eyes.

Gajeel could finally breathe since the sword was out of his body but he still coughed blood to the floor. He placed a hand in the injury and placed pressure to stop the bleeding.

A furious Pantherlily, yelled at Levy: “STOP THIS AT ONCE! THIS IS NOT WHO YOU ARE!” Levy’s eyes returned to normal.

“I’m so sorry, Lily” She looked at the exceed and placed both hands on the sword trying to break free. “I didn’t mean to.” She stopped talking when she saw her hand covered in blood.

“Are you alright?” Lily asked as he got off of her. She nodded.

The events ran in a matter of seconds in her memory. Gajeel…She whispered. She looked at him “Gajeel!” She rushed to his side.

The exceed flew to them. “Let me help you.” He held Gajeel and went upstairs.

“Please, place him on the bed.” Levy ordered Lily and he did what he was told.

Levy held a cloth and a recipient with water in it. She soaked the cloth and squeezed it to remove the excess water. She lifted Gajeel’s shirt and placed the cloth in the bleeding wound.

“Don’t worry too much about this, Shorty. It was just a pinch.” Gajeel tried to erase the look of guiltiness in her eyes.

“The magic felt threatened. That’s why I attacked you.” Levy said to him as she kept cleaning the wound. Gajeel was feeling a little tired so he closed his eyes. “This may require a few stitches.” Levy looked at him but was surprised at how peaceful and relaxed his face looked when he sleeps.  

She was able to work with the stitches and heard Gajeel groaned. “I’m sorry for that.” She murmured, knowing he couldn’t hear it because he was already asleep. For the final treatment she placed a gauze pad over the wound and some bandages around his abdomen. That’s it. She sighed. That’s the least I can do.

Lily was at Gajeel’s feet curled and already snoring. She looked at them and smiled. I guess I should be doing the same. She placed her arms on the edge of his bed and rested her head in them, falling to sleep slowly.

The next day, Lily woke up and looked around the room. He noticed that Levy was working on some runes in the bedroom.

“May I ask, what are you doing?” Lily asked vaguely, still a little sleepy.

“Oh,” She jumped. “Good morning Lily. I already make some coffee downstairs if you want.” She smiled at the small exceed.

Pantherlily got close to the runes. “What are they for?”

“I’m taking some precautions. When I finished I won’t be able to use any kind of magic in here or in the house at all. That would control both types of magic I possessed.” She explained to Lily. “I don’t want to hurt any of you.”

“Will that affect Gajeel’s and mines too?” Lily asked.

“Oh no, it’s just me. In case you need to unlock the runes, this will tell you what to do.” She bent down and gave Lily a paper with instructions.

“I’ll lend you my pen as soon as I finished.” She looked at Gajeel. “I hope he gets well soon.”

“I thought you knew him fairly well to know that he’ll be just fine.” Pantherlily activated his aera. “He will have a special recovery since you were the one treating him.” He mocked her and left the room.

“LILY!” Screamed a flushed Levy. She finished her masterpiece and just like that her pen fell to the floor and she stopped sensing her magic. She picked up the pen and placed it in Gajeel’s drawer. Am I supposed to feel this dizzy?

Meanwhile in Oak Town, a dark guild was hidden in the deepest and darkest part of the forest. The Master is a cruel and despicable human being. He was wearing black shirt and pants with a dark green cape. His long black hair was tied in a low side pony tail. The hoodie covered his face but his sharp teeths didn’t go unnoticed.  

“Well, Katsumi, I gotta admit you did an excellent job with those Fairy Tail mages. Now tell me, it was her. Right?” The guild master ask to the black haired woman that fought against Team Gajeel in their mission in Onibus Town.

The woman nodded and continued. “Indeed. Even though the maid told me her characteristics, it was obvious to figure it out since the magic power was overwhelming.”

“What about the book?” He grinned.

“Here it is Master.” Katsumi walked towards him and gave him the “Solid Script Magic Book”.

He turned his gaze to the red-headed women on his left. “Tell me more about her, Sachiko.”

“It seems Miss Levy is having a hard time trying to control the magic. And for what I heard, she already did a number with her teammates in one of the jobs she took when she got back to Magnolia.” The woman answered.

He smiled. Perfect. “According to what are you saying it seems the ancient magic is already taken over her. That’s great. We need to keep targeting her. That’s the only way we can have her and obtain the magic power Hana locked in that cave. If only she knew her stupid little granddaughter increased its strength.” The master laughed.

Katsumi turned to the Sachiko and asked. “Did Yasu notice something suspicious?”

“That’s actually a good question. Did he notice his beloved and loyal maid helped the enemy?”

The read-headed woman answered. “No Sir. I told him I was going to meet my family.” She looked to the ground. I’m sorry I betrayed you Master Toshiro, but this is the only way to get revenge on the McGarden family. I won’t forget that Hana took my parents life’s in the battle with the town.

“That fool didn’t even noticed that you were a spy these whole time. Hahahahaha!” He laughed maniacally. “Well, then I think is time you teach me “Instans Mortem”, Sachiko.”

“Ok Sir” She nodded.

“Now then, let’s get to the second part of the plan.” The Master said, taking off the hoodie revealing his piercing red eyes.

“You must remember that little McGarden is with Gajeel, and he is a tough opponent. I had a rough time dealing with him.” Said Katsumi.

“The former mage of Phantom Lord?” The guild master asked. Katsumi and Sachiko nodded. “If that’s the case,” He intertwined his fingers in front of his face. “Then we should eliminate him first.” An evil laugh was heard in the whole dark forest.

Gajeel woke up and looked to his side. He saw Levy sleeping at his side. “Lev’”

Levy heard his raspy voice and woke up instantly. “What happened? Are you alright?” She asked worriedly.

Gajeel chuckled. “Ya!  I’m fine.” He smiled. “ Come ‘ere.” He told her blatantly. Levy’s face turned red. “Relax, I’m not gonna eat ya.” Gajeel mocked her. “Unless you want me to.”

Levy wasn’t expecting such request. “Gajeel!” Her face turned redder. “Ummm…I-I know but-” She stuttered.

“It’s not like we haven’t sleep on the same bed.” He teased her.

Flashback

Gajeel felt her hand on his firm chest, applying a little pressure to it to push him down gently. He held his breath. Leaving her hand there, she snuggled her head to his shoulder to hide her blush and said: “I want to rest a little.” In a low, embarrassed voice she asked: “Would you stay here for a few moments?” Letting out the air in his lungs, drops of sweat appeared on his forehead as his heart quickened. “Umm…okay…” 

End of Flashback

“It’s not the same.” Levy said looking away. “Do you need help getting up?” She changed the topic quickly.

He smiled. “I can do it on my own, Shorty.” He sat on the edge of the bed.

“Come on Gajeel. Don’t be rude.” She stretched out her hand, offering him some help.

He took her hand and smirked. “Huh?” Levy asked.

Gajeel pulled her to him. “Wait” She said as she rested her free arm on his thigh and opened her eyes.

Levy noticed that Gajeel was looking at her lips. “Why the red face?” He teased.

Their faces were so closed. “Gajeel…” She remembered the kiss they shared at the couch and closed her eyes nervously, but what he did next made her stay still.  Gajeel moved forward and kissed her forehead.

Pantherlily walked in. “Ahem. I didn’t meant to interrupt such intimate moment, but I thought that maybe you may need my help.”

They separated quickly. Gajeel rubbed the back of his neck. “Nah, don’t worry Lil’.”

Pantherlily looked at Levy. “Master is downstairs.” Levy’s eyes widened. “He wants to talk to you.”

Would I be able to face him? Levy thought

“You should go.” Gajeel ordered her. He knew Levy needed Makarov, but she was afraid of being rejected.

As soon as Levy’s footsteps were heard downstairs, Makarov looked at her and asked. “Anti-magic runes?”  Levy didn’t dare to look at her father figure. She kneeled before him.

“My child, get up.” He said to her quietly as he took her hand.  “There is no need for you to do this. I’m not afraid of you, none of your friends are. You should know by now that Fairy Tail is not only a guild. It’s a family.”

“But, Lucy, Wendy-” Levy started.

Makarov interrupted her. “They are alright. They want to help you and we are all waiting for you to come back.”

Levy hugged him and started crying. “I’m so tired. I don’t want to keep crying. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t want to be alone again.”

Makarov hugged her back and tried to console her. “You are not alone, my child. Fairy Tail will always love you and will always be with you wherever you are. I know Hana would be proud of the beautiful woman you have become.”

Levy’s eyes opened and broke the hugged. “You knew her?”  She asked Makarov as she wiped away the tears with her hand.

“Of course I did. Before naming me master of the guild I went on a job in which was to protect the people in those towns nearby during the war. I met her and I was able to know your family secret. It was unfortunate that she didn’t warned your parents when she could. Also, her bravery was known all around Fiore. It’s not easy to challenge and defeat the soldiers that attacked the nation during that war.”

Levy listened carefully to every word he said. “Your parents thought the magic you possessed now was good and pure. That’s why they encouraged you to unlock it to protect your friends when the time came, but when they noticed that it was the cause of Hana and your ancestor’s death, they regret telling you that. They knew your curiosity won’t stop on the bedtime stories they told you.”   

His word took Levy by surprised. “Why didn’t they tell me the truth?” Her hands clenched tightly to her chest.

Makarov looked away. “That’s when the tragedy happened, my dear. A despicable dark guild which beliefs are to wipe out any order in this world, was searching for the ancient magic, but your parents didn’t want such powerful magic to be in such evil hands. They refused to tell them where the cave was and the dark spells the solid script magic had. Not long after the massacre, I found you. ”

Levy realized something. Wait a minute. I heard that phrase before.

Flashback

Yasu looked at Levy. "This Solid Script Magic book is not an ordinary one. It contains the most powerful spells of this type of magic. Including the dark and forbidden ones." He leaned forward putting his arms on the edge of the table. "I'm pretty sure a skilled mage will try to sneak in tonight during the celebration to get this book in her hands. The small dark guild she belongs to are after every type of spell that eradicates one's life force. Their beliefs and motto is to 'cleanse' this world of the people who try to maintain any semblance of order. In this book is a simple yet powerful spell called 'Instans Mortem'."

"…Instant death…" Levy murmured a little terrified.

"Correct." Yasu confirmed, looking directly into Levy's hazel eyes. "From what I've heard, two members of that guild have already mastered it, which is why we have to be very careful."

End of Flashback

Instans Mortem…Levy murmured.

“What was that?” Makarov asked.

“Nothing.” Levy answered calmly. The same guild who stole the book was the one who killed my parents. Why they want to have this magic? She shook the thought out of her head. “Thank you so much, Master.” She gave Makarov a smile.

TBC

[rpchive]

119th Encounter-- A Life on the Line

we’re finally dealing with Bandit!

Azreldeh waits in the console room with Demo, Nydins, Rio, and Paprika. Though Demo seems to be impatiently waiting for something, Azreldeh seems to be nervous for once in her life. Daedalus steps into the console room, already fully armored save for his helmet, which is fastened to his hip by a small hook. He adjusts one of his gauntlets as he glances around the room for a second. "Sheesh, atmosphere could be a little heavier, don't you think?" Azreldeh: Yeah, well...what else would it be? People don't fight devils, and if they do, they never win... Voltarus steps out from behind Daedalus in a small burst of flames, casually clapping one hand over Daedalus' shoulder as he turns to the group. "Well, you've never fought a devil with gods on your side, have you?"

I can’t believe Daedalus has a stand and it’s not called Hotel California

Azreldeh: I've never fought a devil at all! Anyone with any sense in their skull wouldn't! Voltarus: If you want to free the souls in that mirror world, I don't think there are any other options.

Daedalus: So what's our plan? Is this who we're going in with? Azreldeh: We're going with anyone crazy enough to come. I doubt they'll let Collin and Jay sit things out given that they see Jay as a prize...

Demo: Yeah, well they can't have him. He's not an object, or a toy, or a thing to be won; he's a person. I don't understand why nobody understands that after all this time...

Azreldeh: It's not that they don't understand, it's that they're selfish and uncaring. Everyone's a tool or a plaything for those kinds of people... Daedalus clicks his tongue as an annoyed look crosses his face. "I don't like the idea of bringing both of them along, but B-... that devil's gonna want Jay there, and Collin's not gonna want to let him go alone. 'Course I don't know how much good he'd do given how he is right now..." Azreldeh: They won't have a choice. If they don't go on their own, they'll just try to make Collin drag Jay out or something. Granted it'd probably be pretty easy for us to stop him, but I mean, if we're coming to the casino, this place is just a gift box, and they're gonna do whatever it takes to unwrap it. Daedalus: Ugh, I guess you have a point. Are they already on their way or do I gotta go knock some doors down? Azreldeh: What, the devil, or the lovebirds? Daedalus: Tweedledee and Tweedledumb, obviously. Jay comes into the console room, carefully helping Collin along. "You don't have to call us names..." Daedalus: Eh, it got you in here, at least. So again, anyone got a plan for how we're gonna take this asshole down or are we just wingin' it as per usual? Azreldeh: I don't know enough about them, unfortunately. The last time we saw them was the first time I'd seen them at all; I have no idea how or if they fight... Daedalus: If they can't fight aside from card tricks, this is gonna be almost as sad as it'd be hilarious. Azreldeh: Somehow I doubt it'll be that easy...they made the entire mirror dimension. I wouldn't put it past them to try and pull your shadows out, and, well...I don't know how well you could handle those two... Daedalus: We'll cross that bridge if we get to it. I'm not holding anything back now. Azreldeh: Just...be careful out there. For what it's worth, I'll be going with you. Echo's probably gonna join us; I know she was talking with Maya about...options...both her and Demo sorta agreed anubis alone won't be enough after last time... Daedalus: Fair enough, just watch out for yourself. This bastard's done enough to us already, I don't want anyone else getting caught up in their bullshit. Azreldeh: Believe me, I will. ...Anyway, if you don't have anything else to do, we'll probably be landing pretty soon, so... Daedalus: I've already taken my potty break, don't worry. I've been waiting on this for a while now. With a nod, Azreldeh heads over to the door to wait with Demo and the others. A little after the IT lands, Maya and Echo enter the console room as well, finishing up an ongoing conversation.

Maya: ...I'm serious, you only fire that thing if there's absolutely no alternative. Don't worry about lining up the shot, if you want it to hit something, it'll hit it, no matter what. You're fighting a devil, after all, so it's only fitting to give back...

Echo: I get it. I'll keep it in mind. It's hiding the damn thing that's the hard part.

Maya: Hey, even if they see it, it'll be the last thing they see if you want it enough. I'll see you when you get back, one way or another, so get out there. The rest of us'll wait here in case something goes south, I guess. ...Well, more south...

Echo: I don't think it gets more south than a devil... Collin: I sure hope it doesn't. I don't think I can take much more of all this. I just want my magic back... Demo: Well that one's not the devil's fault...

alienrabitt: Don't rub it in...

Azreldeh: Can we just go...? Daedalus: Sounds good to me.

okay, we’re finally kicking their ass, cool

The group exits the IT to Bandit's last known location, where the devil waits for them alone with little more than a colorful drink in front of them. Sipping from the glass, Bandit gives the small crowd a bored wave before returning the cup to the coaster. "It's been a while. Not too long, though. Nice of you to feel considerate, but I wasn't exactly expecting to my door delivery. Are you excited too?" Daedalus unhooks his helmet from his side and casually dons it as he responds. "Oh I'm excited alright, but probably not for the same reason." Bandit: Of course you didn't come here to have fun. That's the thing about you humans, you never loosen up. Fine, fine...

Picking up their drink again, they finish it off and toss the glass behind the couch they're seated on. There is no sound of it impacting anywhere. "The population of this room's about to double; are you sure you want to do this?" Daedalus: Assuming you don't wanna play nice and ditch that godawful mirror world, you don't leave us much of an option. Bandit: Fine, fine; suit yourself. Ehh...literally, I guess. Anyway; if you want a fight, meet your match; this isn't the kind of game I want to play.

Lazily gesturing upwards with their hand, Bandit summons forth the reflections of everyone in the room. Though Demo; Echo; and Azreldeh are notably lacking their own reflections, Jay; Daedalus; and Collin still have their own. Jay's reflection, however, remains spitefully adverse to combat, and keeps their distance behind the other two reflections, while Jay himself moves between the counterparts and Collin. Echo and Demo take the two remaining unguarded sides, surrounding Collin and leaving no room for surprises. Collin's double stares at the group with a strange, wide-eyed look for a moment before settling into a more normal expression. "... Is this some kind of joke? A trick, maybe? What happened to you? Coming into... wherever this is without any power of your own... It's like you're trying to get yourself killed." Demo: Who cares about him right now?! It's you guys that should be worried...!! SCollin: Oh? We'll just see about that! 

Two large tendrils of deep purple twist out from behind Collin's shadow and slash down in a cross formation, sending several orbs of dark magic hurtling toward them. Voltarus abruptly vanishes in another flash of fire as Daedalus charges in front of the attack and swings his left arm forward, causing a large tower shield to burst into being which scatters the attack into small fragments. Shifting to look around the shield, Daedalus waggles a finger with his free arm.

Daedalus: Now now, don't forget about little ol' me here. Azreldeh: Just don't forget about your own shadow too...! As if on cue, Daedalus' shadow lunges forward and stomps into the ground, freezing the ground in front of him in a line that abruptly shoots upward into a large spire of ice. Daedalus half-dodges, half-blocks the attack, the force knocking him back slightly as the ice hisses from the heat of his shield. A fiery shortsword forms in Daedalus' right hand before he charges around the spire for his double.

Shadow Collin, meanwhile, takes a step toward the others and swings his hands down, creating a row of shadowy spears that plunge down from the ceiling toward the group. Azreldeh, not enjoying how close for comfort the encounter is getting, sends up spires of flames towards the doppelganger, each one igniting another several feet ahead of it as the last burns out. With Azreldeh creating a distraction, Jay creates one of his dolls, leaving one balanced atop a large, glass ball full of yellow magic seated by Collin, surrounding the small group with an extra barrier. To top things off, Demo reinforces it with a hard, sandstone wall in a U-shape, leaving only the top open to Jay's barrier of light. Daedalus and his shadow begin a back-and-forth exchange, Daedalus unleashing streaks of flame with his sword paired with his weapon strikes, his counterpart ducking and weaving on a thin layer of ice around him while countering with blasts of ice magic. Daedalus finally breaks the cycle by slamming one foot on the ground, creating a shockwave of flames to force his shadow back.

Collin's double takes several more steps toward the barrier as a dark cloud forms over his arms. Reaching forward, twin hands stretch outward and expand to nearly the size of the barrier in front of him and slam against its sides. He begins grinding and clawing away at it with the spectral limbs as a small laugh escapes his lips.

SCollin: Is this really the best you can do? Hide all you want, it won't save you now! Azreldeh: What the hell are we gonna do about this guy?! Does he even have a weakness?!

Echo: He only saw his Jay as property; and Collin's so willing to make friends with everybody that his shadow only sees people as assets! If you're gonna stop this guy, it's only gonna be through brute force!

Demo: Yeah, well, we're all a little lacking in that department; and when you four can't even fight for long, if at all, we're so royally fucked it's not even funny.

alienrabitt: L-look, this thing's not gonna hold forever, we have to do something...!!

Demo: Yeah, well, maybe you should've thought about that before you left everybody that could fight behind! Seriously, I bet even Seras can't do anything right now!! Daedalus glances over after getting a reprieve from his counterpart and notices shadow Collin's assault on the barrier. He growls in frustration and slams his shield against the blade of his sword, causing the two pieces to abruptly merge. The shield splits down the middle and opens up to form a double-edged axe head while a halo of fire swarms around the edges. He brings the weapon behind his back.

swaxe + sns main

Daedalus: Hey jackass, what'd I say about forgetting me?!

The axe head spins wildly at the tip of the weapon as he heaves it overhead and slams it into the floor in front of him, cracking through it with ease. A trio of burning comets roar out from the blade as it comes down and streak toward Collin's shadow, leaving searing trails in their wake. The shadow recognizes the attack and swiftly pulls back his claws to block just as the comets reach him. The comets detonate on impact with one booming crack after the other, and the shockwave slams the shadow into the wall, leaving a considerable dent as a result. Demo: ...You four can stay in here; I'm gonna go out there. Those idiots'd have to be flat out suicidal to come anywhere near my Candy Cane.

Engulfed in the sands of her anubis, Demo relocates to the outside of the shelled barrier, summoning forth her Candy Cane as she reappears. "...No point in letting you fight alone!" Daedalus hefts the axe back up out of the ground and holds it with both hands, looking in Demo's direction. "Oh good! I was starting to think I was being abandoned again. We've still got two bastards left, assuming Collin's shadow does us a favor and stays down for a second. Shall we go straight for the big boss?" Demo: Might as well! Maybe these nerds'll fuck off if we break the mirror! Daedalus starts to answer but gets cut off as a spear of ice shatters against his shoulder, sending him stumbling backwards. Grunting in pain, he manages to regain his balance and staggers forward a step. "... Right, this asshole. Let's get him down for a second so we've got an opening."

He brings the axe up like a baseball bat and then takes a heavy swing, launching the axe head like a disc in his shadow's direction. The shadow dodges to the side, then brings up an ice wall to catch the weapon as it circles back around toward him like a boomerang. Placing her hands upon the ground, Demo creates a large spire of sandstone that erupts from the ground, aiming to disrupt the ice wall. The wall smashes apart upon impact, although the axe head simply tumbles to the ground and scatters into sparks, now robbed of its momentum and heat. Ducking away, Daedalus' shadow breathes out a conical gust of icy wind in Demo's direction. Before it reaches her, Daedalus steps in front of it and lets out a booming roar. The vents in his armor combust like a forge finally catching alight, and a massive blast of heat scatters the chilling wind apart. Gesturing to the sides, Demo creates large, sandstone walls on either side of Daedalus' counterpart, leaving him confined to a singular lane. "Wanna go bowling??" Daedalus looks back at Demo for a second, and she can practically feel the devious grin from inside his helmet. Looking back at his shadow, he claps his hands together and then slowly pulls them apart. A ball of fire quickly swells and crackles forth between his palms, expanding to be several feet wide in an instant. With unexpected speed, Daedalus hurls it toward his cornered shadow like a bowling ball. His shadow attempts to summon another wall of ice to block the attack, but only manages to partially stop it. A massive burst of fire and steam billow out from between the walls as Daedalus dusts his hands with an armored clanking. "If he lives, does that count as a spare?" Demo: Ehh, let's hope it's not an if...anyway, it looks like Bandit's down both his guys. Hope you've got more than fire up your...uhh, armor. Daedalus: I've got... something, alright. Hey Bandit, any last words before I make you regret ever crossing us? Bandit: Congratulations! You...beat yourself up. I'm astounded, really. Just...absolutely shaking in my boots.

Bandit rolls their eyes as they pour themself another drink. "...Now that you're done warming up, you think you can bring the heat?" Daedalus: Oh buddy, you have no idea.

He takes a deep breath as his hands begin to crackle with a strange dark blue flame that sparks with brilliant motes of white light. He brings them together and then pulls them apart with what seems to be a considerable amount of resistance. As his hands separate, shimmering missiles of light shoot out from a thread of flames connected between his hands and whip across the room at blinding speed toward Bandit. As the flames approach, the panels of Bandit's room flip over to make the room one gigantic mirror. Grinning slowly, Bandit takes one more sip of their drink before leaning back in their seat again. "Oh, honey, you forgot about an ace up the sleeve, huh?"

Two massive, clawed arms covered in black scales erupt from both of the side walls, and a pair of large, slitted, red, reptilian eyes glare from the back wall as the room begins to fill with a dark smoke. Jay's barrier burns out finally as Demo slowly lowers her sandstone wall in surprise, revealing that the room is being assaulted by a large, serpentine dragon with 5 more heads looking out behind the first a little ways away.

"It's no cerberus, but it'll do. Get through this, and I'm all yours." After a second or two passes, a muffled tongue click echoes inside Daedalus' helmet. "Alright, that might be a problem."

we Bayonetta now

Azreldeh: ...I can try to lure its faces into the room, but if they're too big, you won't be able to do much...

Echo: Who cares about size, just do it!! If you can even fit half of its face in, we can just shoot it through its eye!

Azreldeh: You've got a point...alright, I'll get its attention, you just...don't get crushed, stabbed, or eaten?

Jumping through the mirrored walls, Azreldeh starts trying to get the attention of the other four heads, leaving the initial one to keep its attention on the contents of the room. The dragon itself grips the edges of the room, slamming its face in through the ceiling as it snaps its fangs at the group. Daedalus jumps back as the dragon's head breaks into the room, still maintaining the string of flame in between his hands. He bends it slightly and then releases the connection, causing the thread to solidify into the shape of a bow. He snags the new weapon out of the air and pulls back on the string, causing an arrow of blue flames to appear along it, already poised to strike. He quickly tries to aim for the dragon's eye and looses his first shot. The arrow pierces the unwitting dragon, and it recoils backwards, screeching as it does so before toppling over, leaving 4 heads behind. Noticing an absence at the attraction, a pair of the heads attempt to reach the room, but bump into each other in their eagerness. Taking advantage of their daze, a third head shoves its face into the room, squinting eagerly as it sizes up the situation. Daedalus: Oh good, it's a stupid dragon! Silver linings, am I right?

He wastes no time in knocking another arrow and loosing it at the new head. This head too falls prey to Daedalus' arrows. Recovering from the impact first, the head to the right reaches into the room, snapping its jaws only, not allowing the rest of its face much entry. Daedalus: Dammit, I don't think arrows are gonna do much against teeth. Any other bright ideas? Demo: Hammer em out! Then just...shoot it through the neck? You'll probably need a stronger shot to pierce all the way through... Daedalus: See if you can do anything about the teeth, then. This is gonna take a second.

Daedalus kneels down on one knee and begins drawing another arrow, although this time he pulls back even further, causing the arrow to begin increasing in size and intensity. Building up her sand, Demo waits for the dragon to open its mouth before rushing it forth, shifting it into an anchor that she quickly yanks back towards herself. Between the speed and force of the anchor, a large section of the dragon's teeth are destroyed as the anchor pulls back through, causing it to cry out in pain as its body recklessly jostles the room in its grip. Nervously, Echo and Jay keep Collin and the IT anchored in place, preventing them from sliding towards the mirrors. As the dragon opens its mouth again, Daedalus gives one final tug on the bow string, turning his arrow into what could practically be considered a lance. He releases the shot with a loud boom as the projectile hurtles across the room at an unreasonable speed given its sheer size. This arrow not only pierces the dragon, but beheads it, leaving only 2 heads left. Catching on to its sudden lack of heads, the dragon cuts its losses and abandons the scuffle, jostling the room one last time before making its leave. A bit confused, Azreldeh makes her way back for the room only to hear the dragon stop in its tracks a ways away from the room. Turning to look, she can see the two remaining heads charging up some sort of elemental shots. Frantically, Azreldeh hurries back into the room.

"I don't think distraction's gonna do much here...!! I'm gonna have to pull you through!!" Daedalus: See, I was hoping you weren't gonna say that.

Despite his complaint, he quickly hurries over to Azreldeh. As Azreldeh picks up Daedalus and flies back through the mirrors with him, Bandit flips the panels back around, leaving Echo; Collin; Jay; and Demo behind with the three reflections and Bandit. Stunned, Demo immediately lashes out at Bandit.

"T-turn those back!! Bring them--!!!"

Bandit: What, did you seriously think I was gonna let you kill me like that?! Come on! You shouldn't place all your bets on one horse! If you want to stop me, do it yourself! Or...can you? Collin: You son of a bitch, you're not gonna get rid of them that easily, you know! Bandit: And what would they do? Azreldeh turned these mirrors into the doors to my dimension; but none of the mirrors on your ship are! And your twin, he can't make portals, can he? If he could, he didn't, and he wouldn't have anywhere to place a second one. And you can't make a gate to them either...! And if you kill me, well, he doesn't belong in that dimension, and his reflection is right here! Where would he go, I wonder...? Hahahaha....you really just don't know what you're up against.

alienrabitt: ...Turn the panels around.

Bandit: Now? No chance. You still need to make me a dimension.

alienrabitt: Turn them around, or I'll kill you.

Bandit: You couldn't. You don't have it in you. You can't do anything without your human, and he's totally powerless, so that makes you powerless, doesn't--?

Without warning, one of Jay's spears is suddenly protruding from the side of the couch beside Bandit.

alienrabitt: ...I'll count to 10. Collin: J-Jay, what're you doing? alienrabitt: ...One.

Bandit: ...If you kill me now, then that twin could die in there. Is that what you want?

alienrabitt: ...Two...

Demo: Jay, don't do this. I want this guy gone as bad as you do, but if Daedalus could die, then...!

alienrabitt: ...Three... Collin: Jay, just hang on a second! It's not worth the risk! alienrabitt: ...Four...

Bandit: Fine! Fine! I'll turn them around, fine...

Bandit flips the panels on the wall behind the IT. Jay does not stop glaring him down.

alienrabitt: ...Five... Collin: Jay, he flipped the panels! What are you doing? alienrabitt: ...Six...

is this even Jay?

Bandit nervously flips the remainder of the panels, revealing the rest of the surrounding area. Azreldeh continues to carry Daedalus off in the distance, and the remaining dragon heads have ceased their fire after losing sight of their initial prey. Collin: Wait, where are they going...? Echo: I think they were waiting for the room to show up again...but so was the dragon. I'm pretty sure it recognizes the guy in armor that blasted three of its heads off... Collin: Shit, how do we get their attention? They can't hear us from here, right? Echo: They can't, and we can't pass through these mirrors...

Demo: Too bad we can't shove one of these eggheads through to shout at them...oh, wait, we can.

Striding across the room, Demo lifts Jay's reflection up by the shirt. "Right, so I don't care what you say, but say it loud and clearly; and if Bandit decides to flip the panels again, they're gonna be working with some seriously damaged goods, alright?"

Before the shadow can protest, Demo shoves their torso out the wall, leaving them dangling between dimensions. Collin: That looks... uncomfortable. Demo: Yeah, well, Bandit's gonna look a lot worse regardless of what state these walls are in, so if everybody could just shut the fuck up and behave until the demon brings my boyfriend back, that would be peachy.

Turning around to see the flailing reflection shouting, Azreldeh hurries back towards the room, setting Daedalus down as she enters. "I...guess that's one way of getting our attention..." Daedalus: I'm getting real sick of your bullshit tricks, Bandit! Was that whole thing just to piss me off? Because it's fuckin' working, I can tell you that much. Bandit: Well, it kept you away, didn't it?

Pulling Jay's reflection back into the room, Demo rolls her eyes. "Whatever; I don't care who skewers the kebab, just take this fucking trash out already." Bringing his hands together once more, Daedalus pulls them apart to forge a shimmering spear of blue and white flames. He snatches it out of the air and gives it a small spin before moving into a throwing stance. "I'd give you a chance to say some last words, but honestly? Fuck that."

Daedalus hurls the spear toward Bandit, and the weapon almost seems to kick off with tremendous speed a moment after his throw, as if propelled by a secondary force. The force of the spear rips the couch Bandit was lying on clear in two, and absolutely decimates the back wall, sending half of Bandit crashing into one of the showrooms of the casino, and sending most of the staff and patrons fleeing the scene. The three reflections remaining topside are engulfed in clouds of reddish, purple smoke filled with dull embers, only for the clouds to ignite with a flash of brilliant light, then subside, leaving the trio helpless and alone, yet not entirely powerless; the curse of the mirror severing their counterparts influences entirely, allowing them separation at long last. Daedalus: ... There. Fucking hell, what a mess. Azreldeh: Maybe later; we should, uhh...probably leave now.

Demo: ...What about these three? We leaving them too?

alienrabitt: ...Why would we even risk bringing them? All three of them tried to kill us; and you can't just blame it on the mirror. They're bad people, and they aren't the type that'll get better...

Echo: That's...I can't speak for Collin's reflection, but the other two...

alienrabitt: ...Don't bother. We don't need any more of us, especially not people that are actually us...

Azreldeh: Don't you think it'd be a bad idea to leave a criminal with your face running around in a universe where you're known as heroes?

alienrabitt: ...If he won't get up, then make sure he can't. Then we won't have that problem. Collin: Jay, what has gotten into you? I've never heard you talk like this. alienrabitt: Some sense, apparently. I've been pretty slow on the uptake, I'll admit, but this really did just bring the picture together. Now deal with the problem so we can go home. Daedalus: Deal with what problem? I just cleaved Bandit in half, or did you miss that whole bit? alienrabitt: Your reflections are lying on the floor. If we leave them behind, you'll be exiled from a lot more than just Earth; or do you want to be a shut in? Collin: Jay, the curse is gone. If they're not tied to us anymore, what does it matter where they are? alienrabitt: It doesn't matter where they are; they still look like us; if they get up and start causing trouble, they can do it in our name, they can kill people in our names, then the blood is on our hands! If you want to be blamed for murder, then just kill people for yourself like Daedalus did!!

Instantaneously, Demo lifts Jay up off the floor, slamming him against the wall.

"Shut your mouth!! What the hell has gotten into you?! I know that son of a bitch didn't grab your oracle again, so why the hell are you talking like this?!"

alienrabitt: Bandit didn't need to grab my oracle. I've always been like this. I just tried not to show it. You wouldn't even know; you don't even want to know me. I can see it in your eyes, every time we talk, every time something goes wrong, you're all absolutely sick of us; what the hell would you know about what we're fighting for?! What the hell do you know about either of us?! You don't even know who I am!! Collin: J-Jay, what're you talking about? Or is this... not Jay? alienrabitt: ...Of course it's me. I'm the only one who would care about this. The kid doesn't even know what I'm doing right now. She doesn't need to. You never should've woken her up to begin with; you weren't ready for the consequences. Collin: What do you mean? W-Why are you talking like this? alienrabitt: You barely spent any time with those gods, so I couldn't expect you to understand what it's like to have someone so close to you for so long. Things mix together; things just...suffocate you. We made bad decisions out of desperation; we bound ourselves to your soul; we got you hurt; we nearly got killed so many times...but I'm done with that. I'm done playing games. I won't let anybody hurt me again; and you people are no exception. So get your hands off me, and clean up your mess. We're going home. Daedalus: What, you wanna be the pissy one now? News flash, jackass, everyone's put themselves on the line for one reason or another here. You wanna start getting uppity with everyone now? Letting out a sigh, Jay grabs Demo by the shoulders, the cracks in his injured arm flashing red as his and Demo's positions rotate abruptly, Demo suddenly being held upside down, yet pointing towards the ceiling as Jay pins her against the wall momentarily if only to get a better grip. Tossing her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes, his arm returns to its normal color as he exhales a burst of yellow magic, resting his gaze coldly on Daedalus. "I wish I could've done it sooner. Sorry to disappoint you all." Daedalus: W-What the fuck was that?! What did you just do? alienrabitt: I did what she did. It's part of a hermes bag of tricks; our whole thing is diversions and illusions, you didn't think mimicry was a part of that? She can break reality; so I took it from her for a minute. Just for a minute, it's not like she did it normally anyway, but it doesn't matter now that we're not touching. Other than that, it's just a throw. You know all about throwing people around, don't you? Daedalus: You cheeky goddamn son of a bitch!

Daedalus charges Jay and swings a right hook straight for his face. Jay stands there and takes the blow, staggering backwards for a second before exhaling a little more magic. Straightening out, he turns his gaze back to Daedalus. "Are you done with your little tantrum? We can't wait all day..."

The flames in Daedalus' armor roar furiously as he winds up to summon another weapon, but something seems to catch him just before he finishes. His breathing runs ragged as he turns back and carefully picks up Demo off the floor. "You are going to pay for this..." alienrabitt: ...I didn't even do anything wrong, but feel free to get mad. That's what you do, after all. Daedalus: .... Out of one fire and into another. Nice boyfriend you got there, bro.

Daedalus steps over to the IT and throws the door open, storming inside without waiting for a response.

Collin, meanwhile, looks as though his entire world has completely inverted in an instant. His throat moves as if he wants to say something, but he can't seem to force any words back up. Echo: ...Look, Azreldeh and I will deal with all...this; you just...go back to the IT. We're from the mirror too, after all, so just...let us handle the doubles, and you two handle...that...

Jay pauses for a minute to mull over the decision, then gives a soft nod as he turns around and takes his leave. Collin finally manages to choke something out, just barely above a whisper. "... What is happening?" Azreldeh: ...My guess is some sort of kleivenn business; but Karumet's still in the field somewhere...

Echo: Why do you always look to other people for help? Your ship can make literally anything, just...ask for a book or something. Collin: I... don't know if it can do that... Azreldeh: Why not? It made an entire movie about everything you guys did before Maya showed up... Collin: I... I don't know, okay?! Echo: ...Give the guy some space for once, will you? ...Help me move the other two.

Reluctantly, Azreldeh mumbles "Right," before leaving Collin so that she can address the situation at hand. A minute or so passes as he tries to process anything that just happened in the last few minutes. Finally, Collin quietly turns and heads back inside the IT after the others.