#so that's a (checks watch) 13 year long dilemma I can finally put... not quite a lid on. but a piece of foil. yeah

[cozylittleartblog]

trying out some new ideas

[frodos-bizarre-adventure]

@gingerreggg think i oughta make an ao3 of this?

Heads Up- Part 13 (Joseph x Bust! Caesar)

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪

"Morning, Jojo," Caesar said gently, planting a kiss on Joseph's forehead.

Joseph, still not opening his eyes, hummed faintly and gave a smile, hugging the base of Caesar's torso warmly.

"Hey...this is a nicer way to wake me up," he said with a laugh.

From the first days when Caesar sat on his bedside tabe screaming at him like some sort of glorified alarm clock, their morning routines had become far more gentle and affectionate as, bit by bit, Joseph's perception of Caesar changed.

It had been a rollercoaster of emotions since the bust first came screaming and bouncing his way into his life. From initial fear, to confusion, to fascination, to guilt, to understanding, to friendship to gentle affection.

They'd come a long way in just a few weeks being together.

Joseph stood up for breakfast, but before he left he gently lifted Caesar from his bed and gently laid him onto the floor where he was able to hop over to the kitchen. As much as Joseph wanted ro grant Caesar some independence, the fact remained that he was, after all, a living disembodied head with only the smallest piece of a torso, and no matter how much he tried there were some things he simply couldn't do.

It was a bit like having a roommate with special needs, and Joseph didn't mind giving him some assistance whenever he needed it-- though he was happy to let Caesar be when he was sure about things he could do on his own.

And Caesar was surprisingly adaptable, having lived with his unusual form for over a month now. His hopping on his neck was quite slow and clumsy as always, if now a lot more balanced, but the skill of his mouth manipulation had been astounding. Not only at painting and writing, but also in holding and using tools, operating the little lifts Joseph made to help him get up and down tables, or stacking the wooden blocks Suzi brought him into fun shapes and structures.

And, with persistent gnawing, licking and nose pressing, Caesar had learned how to, in his own awkward, bizarre way, figured out how to operate the remote of the TV, and spent quite a lot of his time bingeing soap operas, much to Joseph and Suzi's amusement.

"Morning, Suzi!" Joseph greeted, as he made his way to the kitchen. She'd woken up early and was stirring a cup of coffee, and she looked up and greeted the two in her usual cheery self.

"Morning Jojo!" she said with a smile. "Morning too, Caesar," she added, looking down at the hopping bust on the floor.

Her presence had been a near-constant in the past few days, though she did have a home a few blocks down the street. Joseph could tell she enjoyed staying with them, with the alternative having been mostly alone in her apartment with little to do now that she'd graduated.

Joseph could tell she was lonely. Especially since they previously hadn't spent much time together for a couple of years.

And now Caesar had brought them together.

Caesar hopped onto the platform and pulled at the rope with his teeth, lifting himself up onto the table. Suzi couldn't help but watch in awe-- it looked as if it took Caesar so much effort to move around, but he somehow just managed.

"It's honestly quite funny how you came to just accept all this," Caesar joked as he hopped onto the kitchen table. "You'd think that you'd take much longer to get used to me, a talking head of clay."

"Well, at first it was odd," Suzi replied.

Caesar laughed, remembering their first encounter. "You kept trying to grab me and touch me all over the first time we met."

"Well...you're just amazing," she told him.

"And getting to know you more? You're a really good person deep down," she added. "Sure, a little rough around the edges at times, maybe, but your determination, your personality, your warmth... you've added so much to me and Joseph's lives since you came."

Caesar smiled, a shy, flustered smile that would have had come with a blush if he hadn't been clay.

"Plus the way you get around is rather cute," she giggled. "You remind me of the lamp from those Pixar intros."

"Oh, don't you think I didn't get that," Caesar retorted playfully.

Joseph, in the meantime, had been making breakfast, mostly just coffee, canned beans, a boiled egg and some toast. Whipping up his meal the best as he could, him being in no way a talented chef, he piled the ingredients onto his plate and sat down onto the kitchen table.

Caesar looked wistfully at the plate. "If only I could enjoy that too." he said with a dry laugh.

Made of clay, Caesar never felt the need to eat, or drink, or even breathe. He wasn't quite sure what even sustained him every time he woke up in the morning.

At this point, it was easier to just say "magic".

"Alright, here you go," Joseph grinned. He dipped his finger into the sauce of the baked beans and held it out for Caesar to taste.

He stuck out his tongue and gently touched Joseph's finger with its tip.

"Hmmm...not bad," he said. He could taste and smell, despite not needing to eat or breathe, and exactly why, or how, was a question Caesar opted not to bother himself with.

Joseph smiled. Just the knowledge that Caesar was able to enjoy the little things in life brought him a sense of satisfied joy. Sure, there were some things that he was missing out on due to his nature as a living clay bust, but what mattered were the things that could make his dull existence just a bit brighter.

There were things he couldn't change, and realities he had to accept, but he knew Caesar could make do with whatever he did have.

Sometimes it was just better to submit to the winds than fight it, Joseph thought.

Submit.

That one word suddenly struck Joseph like a freight train.

--------

"Oh no," Joseph mumbled to himself in realisation.

Both Caesar and Suzi suddenly looked concerned at the abrupt change in Joseph's demeanor.

"What's the matter, Jojo?" Caesar asked.

"What date is it?" Joseph asked, tapping his hand lightly, anxiously, on the kitchen countertop.

Suzi checked her phone. "March 24, why?"

Joseph scratched his head in frustration. "My finals project! It's...it's due in two weeks!" He knew he had to pass his work, otherwise he wouldn't graduate his final year.

He'd completely forgotten, so engrossed he was with his strange new life with Caesar, and his long-due reunion with his old friend Suzi.

He'd fallen into a little fantasy and reality suddenly burst his colorful little bubble of joy.

Joseph's heart sank in realization. His finals project was Caesar.

Except he couldn't bear to think of him as such anymore. In their time together Caesar had become much more than an artistic masterpiece. He had become a person. He was alive. He was a companion, a partner, a friend.

Joseph loved him.

"I...I need to come up with something to submit to the gallery if I expect to make it to the end of the semester," Joseph said wearily, scratching his head in exasperation.

Suzi's usual cheer suddenly faded and was replaced with unease.

"Jojo..." she said, her voice heavy with concern. "Isn't...your project..."

Joseph sighed. "Yes. I know."

Caesar knew right away what Joseph had been talking about.

He felt an immense sadness at the realization that his very existence was a roadblock to Joseph achieving his dream.

"But...but how could I?" Joseph continued. "He's not just a project anymore, Suzi. He's a person."

Joseph shuddered at the thought of the fate that awaited Caesar, to be put on display in a glass case at the gallery. And what if they found out he was alive? What would they do to him?

"Perhaps you could still make a new project in the meantime?" Suzi asked.

"We don't have time," Joseph said. "It took me months to make Caesar to his perfection, what could I do in two weeks? What would they think if someone as reputed and talented as me passed a half-assed artwork as my final masterpiece?"

"I understand," Suzi sighed.

This was a dilemma that weighed heavily on Joseph's heart. On one hand, he had dreamed of being renowned for his talent and skill in creating art. To earn his stern, distant mother's approval. To gain recognition for his passion that he had.

But on the other hand, it would mean giving up Caesar. The little unexpected miracle that had come into his life one day and made it all the more brighter. The friend he never knew he needed. He felt like to do such a thing would be tantamount to abandoning a friend.

Caesar could see the grief in Joseph's eyes.

"I can't do this," Joseph mourned. "I can't do this to you."

Caesar could see the pain and conflict in Joseph's face, and he hurt inside too. He just wanted Joseph to be happy, and it crushed his figurative heart to see Joseph, the one single person he'd known all his brief life, in such a sorry state.

He wanted him to be happy. Whatever it takes.

A determined expression crept onto Caesar's face.

"I'll do it." he said defiantly.

Joseph and Suzi's eyes widened in shock.

"Caesar, no..." was all Suzi could say.

"But I must," Caesar insisted. "It's what you made me for, right, Jojo? This...this is why I exist. To display your talent and help you achieve your dream."

"This is my purpose," Caesar concluded.

"But why?" Joseph pleaded, looking into the eyes of his precious creation. "Why are you doing this? What about you?"

"I'll be fine," Caesar reassured. "I'm good at freezing up when people are around. They wouldn't even know."

Joseph looked upset at the thought of Caesar spending the rest of his existence in a gallery. He deserved a life.

"Jojo, I owe you everything," Caesar insisted. "You've made me live, even if it wasn't your intention. You've given me the best life you could in spite of what I am. The very fact you saw me as a person, who deserved existence as much as you, when I first awoke...for that I am ever grateful," he said. "And this is the best way I can pay you back for all you've done for me."

"Because..." Caesar hesitated.

He didn't seem sure how to say it.

"Because..."

He closed his eyes and gave a sigh.

"...because I love you, Jojo."

Was it strange that a creation had feelings for his creator? Or for a creator to feel the same?

For the same feeling had been welling up in Joseph's heart, and Caesar declaring his feelings first was like opening the floodgates of Joseph's emotions.

"Caesar..." he said, tears building up in his eyes as he gazed back into Caesar's eyes, past the polished, clay pupils and into the beautiful soul that resided within.

"I love you too," he said.

Caesar felt a warmth like never before in hearing Joseph's declaration. His brilliant blue eyes were so sincere, so full of affection, and Caesar was steadfast to do anything for him, as much as he possibly could, no matter what lay ahead.

Despite his lingering anxiety at his uncertain fate.

"So, what now?" Suzi asked, interrupting the tender moment. "How do we do this?"

Joseph, encouraged by Caesar's declaration, and his refusal to let Caesar make such a tremendous sacrifice, did what he did best.

He began to think of a plan.

"Caesar, how long can you freeze up like a statue?" he asked.

"I am a statue," Caesar replied.

"No, no, like a regular, non-living statue?" Joseph specified.

"I mean, I don't have muscles to ache or need to blink, so I guess a long time?" Caesar explained. "I've never tried how long."

"I won't let them make you have to do it forever," Joseph promised. "But I have an idea."

"Hmmm?" Caesar and Suzi hummed in unison, their interest piqued.

"There's a two-day ceremony where the judges grade the artworks," Joseph explained. "I just gotta get Caesar in there, get him graded, and take him home. He'll be up on display for two days, and then I can take him back. Hopefully, assuming he doesn't get selected for permanent exhibit..."

"All you have to do is try not to move. Can you do that for me?" Joseph asked him.

"I'll try my best," Caesar answered, now with a hint of uncertainty, as he slowly realized what he'd have to do.

"Come on, Caesar," Suzi added, realizing how Joseph's plan would unfold. "People will get to see you. They'll see how beautiful you are. Wouldn't you like that?"

"But I've never been around people before!" Caesar answered, suddenly not so sure about his decision but still determined to help Joseph.

"What if I moved and gave up our whole secret?"

"Well then," Joseph said, as he resumed trying to finish his breakfast.

"I suppose we ought to start practicing."

----------

(Previous Chapter)

(Next Chapter)

[sad-goomy]

confessions

Day 4 of Postwickshipping Week

Read on Ao3

Victor is tired.

Partly because he just got back from an expedition to Mt. Coronet and his body has yet to adjust to the shifting time zones.

Also partly because Sonia’s sick today, leaving him and Hop to actually run the lab, and it’s required a lot more running around on errands than he expected.

But mostly because he’s had to watch his twin and his best friend moon over each other for years now, and it’s all culminated into the nearly half-hour long rant that Hop has been going on as they care for the lab’s garden, going on and on about how he doesn’t want to make things weird, but Gloria’s so great, and he thinks he’s been dropping hints but he’s not sure if they’ve been clear, and, and, and...

And Victor is tired.

He sets down his watering can, letting out an exasperated sigh that cuts Hop off mid-sentence before turning to him and grabbing his shoulders, forcing him to stay quiet and look at him as he signs.

Tell her.

Hop blinks, fumbling with the clipboard and pencil in his hands as he looks off to the right, at the spliced berry tree that he’s supposed to be taking notes on. His voice is small, the shyness such a stark contrast to his usual self that Victor drops his shoulders, slightly more sympathetic as Hop mumbles, “But what if she doesn’t feel the same?”

Honestly, it’s a wonder Victor’s put up with this for so long. His face falls into a deadpan. She does.

“Are you sure?”

If looks could kill, Hop would be buried six feet under the spliced berry tree.

Instead, he swallows hard, gripping his clipboard tighter as Victor finally lightens up on the death glare. With a deep breath, Hop runs a hand through his hair, the pen in his hand very nearly getting snagged on a tangle. “How though?”

The garden grows quiet for a moment as the two think, Victor tilting his head before shaking it, quickly signing, Gloria’s a bit dense. Be straightforward and just tell her.

He’s right, of course; as much as the two love her, they also know that the Champion’s always a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to things like romance. Besides, it’s better to keep things clear, to avoid the awkward confusion of a messy confession that’ll only drag things out.

But Hop feels his hands grow clammy at just the idea of saying the words straight to her face, and he loses his appetite at the thought that there’s still a chance she can reject him. As he turns back to his observations, Victor picking up the watering can once more, he decides it can’t hurt to get a second opinion on what to do.

...

Marnie agreed to meet up with him a few days later, in between her gym challenges. They’d sat on the stage, her listening as he rambled on about his dilemma, because as embarrassed as he might be, Marnie’s always been a good listener.

She nodded her head sagely before taking a sip from her water bottle. “I’m no good with this stuff,” she sighed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, “But you could send her a song. Something romantic. Tell her she should listen and it made you think of her.”

It’s certainly less nerve-wracking than saying it to her face, but now Hop finds himself lying on his bed, agonizing over the exact phrasing. Eventually, he decides on the second version of the text that he concocted, adds in an emoji, and shoots off the text along with a link to the song (something from a new favorite band of his and a bit on the nose with lyrics about falling for the girl next door).

From: Hopscotch [20:13] heard this and thought of you :) lmk what you think

He then tosses his phone onto the opposite side of the bed, burying his face in his hands to keep from calling her and taking it back, playing it all off as a joke.

A few minutes later, his phone buzzes, and his stomach turns as he slowly picks it up, checking her response with his heart hammering in his chest.

From: Glowstick [20:18] Wow, that was really good! I’ll have to check out more of their stuff :D

From: Glowstick [20:19] You always know the coolest music

Hop stares at his screen in silence for the longest three minutes of his life, and then he lets his phone fall on his face as he groans with the realization that she didn't catch any of the romantic intention and he’ll have to try something else.

...

Bede was absolutely smug, and it took every ounce of self-control within Hop to not start a fight immediately. After all, the Ballonlea gym leader took time out of his day to meet with him at the lab, even if he immediately launched into how silly he thought this entire thing was.

With a far too haughty look on his face, Bede rolled his eyes and told him, “Get her a gift, something undeniably romantic – flowers maybe, although jewelry would be better. You both have bad taste, I’m sure she’ll like whatever you pick out.”

Mild insults aside, it wasn’t terrible advice, and so Hop finds himself in the Wyndon Stadium locker room, sitting on a bench and waiting for Gloria to finish up her training session. He slides a long box out of the inside pocket of his jacket, fidgeting with it in his hands. He chose a simple golden locket, something small that he can easily picture her wearing, but heart-shaped because...that’s romantic, right? Friends don’t usually get each other heart-shaped jewelry – there's no way this could be ambiguous.

Footsteps draw his eyes to the entrance, his foot bouncing as quickly as his heart beats while he waits. A moment later, Gloria appears, spotting him with a warm smile as she greets, “Fancy seeing you here! You should’ve texted me; I’d wrap up training a little earlier.”

“Just wanted to surprise you.” He stands, fumbling with the box as he turns and watches her walk past him and open her locker. His hands are getting sweaty, and if he fusses any more with the ribbon on the box he’ll ruin the delicate wrapping, so the second she has her jacket and bag on, closing her locker, he holds out the necklace box. She blinks, raising a brow at him as he quickly stammers, “I uh, got you something.”

Her smile is back, if a tad confused as she adjusts her grip on her bag. “What for?”

“Just...because.”

“You’re real sweet,” she says, sending his heart soaring only for it to plummet a moment later when she gently pushes his hand holding the box back towards his chest, adding sheepishly, “But I don’t have anything for you.”

Hop shakes his head. “That’s fine, really.”

“I know, I know, but...” She fidgets with the sleeves of her jacket, cheeks taking on a shade of pink that has him nearly distracted from his mission with how adorable it is. When she glances back up at him, she gives him a wink. “Well, I just feel bad. Save it for my birthday?”

He could scream. She’s never been good with gifts, and he knows that, so he doesn’t know why he expected anything else from her. Gloria gets too shy about being doted on, is always so quick to deflect it.

With a defeated smile, he slides the box back into his pocket, because if he says anything else, tries to get her to open it at this point, then he’ll have to actually tell her how he feels and that is just about the last thing he wants to do now.

The air between them is slightly awkward, so she clears her throat, looping her arm around his as she asks, “Since you came all the way here, wanna grab a bite? My treat.”

He very nearly tells her that now she’s the one who’s giving him something, that he wants to spoil her like she always finds a way to spoil him, but she’s giving him that one crooked little smile that has him simply smiling back, nodding as they walk out of the locker room.

There’s always next time.

...

Leon was no help.

Sonia was a little more help.

They were his last resort, because sure enough, when he approached the two in the living room while they were cuddled up on the couch and asked for advice, he had to suffer half an eternity of teasing, only for Leon to then have the nerve to shamelessly declare, “Oh, I didn’t confess to Sonia.”

She snuggled closer into his side, smirking at Hop’s absolutely disgruntled expression as she explained, “Lee was even worse than Gloria. I basically had to kiss him for him to realize.” Hop paled at that, calculations running through his mind as she tilted her head, slightly confused. “But haven’t you tried just telling her?”

He’d quickly excused himself after that, not giving them the satisfaction of seeing the brilliant blush on his cheeks as he escaped back to his room.

A blush that’s now making a comeback as he sits next to Gloria on a mossy fence on Route 1, Sonia’s words reverberating in his head.

Stealing a glance at her out of the corner of his eye proves to be a mistake, as he flushes three shades deeper at the sight of her smiling peacefully out at the fields, her bare legs swinging in the warm breeze that ruffles her dress.

Of course, Hop has thought about kissing her before, in a situation not unlike this one. But there’s a huge hurdle from thinking to doing, one he can’t quite push himself to make, no matter how long the silence stretches.

“I’m glad we still get to see each other so often.” She looks up at him, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear before smiling wide, and he swears his heart stops for a moment. “I was nervous we’d both be too busy, and I didn’t know what I was gonna do without my best mate.”

Well, he can’t not kiss her after that.

Still, he hesitates, looking down at her with wide eyes as she turns her attention back to the hills. Before he can overthink it, he leans down, his lips brushing against her warm cheek for a fraction of a second, and then he’s pulling as far back as possible, bracing himself for the worst.

She blinks, lips parted as she catches his eye, and he thinks, mercifully, that she finally understands.

And then Gloria’s leaning over and pulling him into a half hug as she coos, “Lucky to have such a cute best friend.”

Which is...is that a rejection? Hop looks down at her, his own arm wrapping around her shoulder to return the hug even as the gears in his head work overtime to make sense of what’s just happened. It could be a soft “no,” but she’s smiling up at him without a hint of discomfort or surprise. A sense of dread creeps over him as he realizes that she took it platonically, and he doesn’t have the heart to tell her otherwise.

“Yeah, me too,” he mumbles instead.

It’s true, but it’s not the whole truth, and so Hop plasters on a smile and fights the urge to tell her that she’s his very best friend and so much more to him.

...

Victor is so tired.

Hop relays every failed confession to him when they’re at work, and because Victor is a good friend he listens, and he laments along with him, and he keeps himself from pulling out “I told you so.” Instead, he exercises the patience of a saint, and that’s wearing him out quickly when he realizes that at this rate it’ll be another ten years before this mess takes care of itself.

And if he has to put up with this for even just another week, he’s going to pass out from exhaustion.

He’s in the back of the lab with Hop, going through slides of Wishing Stars, when the front door opens. Sonia’s voice chirps from the kitchen, “Hey Gloria!”

Victor looks up from his microscope to see Hop next to him, body frozen and eyes wide with fear as Gloria’s voice carries through the air. “Hi Sonia – is Hop here?”

“In the back with Vic.”

“Is it okay if I borrow him for a second?”

Hop looks around, sheer panic written on his face, and his eyes settle on the broom closet. Acting on pure instinct, he begins walking towards it, only for Victor cut him off and grab him by the arm, ignoring his weak protests as he drags the other assistant towards the front.

Sonia and Gloria glance over at them, their conversation grinding to a halt at the sight of Victor frowning as he drags a reluctant Hop behind him.

“Is now a bad time?” Gloria asks, question ending in a giggle as Hop breaks free of Victor’s grasp. Sonia raises a brow at the two before shaking her head, turning back to her tea and datasheets at the kitchen table. The Champion shifts her weight, looking between the pair of assistants as she adds, “Victor said you had something to tell me.”

Every ounce of color drains out of Hop’s face as he lifts his hands, glancing around and desperate to avoid her eyes. “Oh, n-no, not–”

Forget if looks could kill.

The glare that Victor gives him wouldn’t even leave a body to identify.

Hop swallows hard, turning back to Gloria with a nervous smile. “Can we talk outside?”

She nods, a worried wrinkle forming between her brows as they walk out the front door. He leans against one of the front windows of the lab, thankful that the street is relatively empty. Gloria stands next to him, arms behind her back as she looks up at him, patient and confused.

Hop meets her eyes for a second, and it’s too much, so he looks back down at his feet as he scratches the back of his neck.

“Is everything okay?” Her voice isn’t quite worried, but it’s not as playful as it once was, which sends him into another panic because the last thing he ever wants to do is worry her.

“Yeah, it’s not...well, I guess it’s important, but it’s not anything serious. Er, maybe it is? I’m not...”

His voice peters off into a weak mumble, and his hands slowly stop gesticulating to instead hang strangely in front of his chest. He very nearly cuts his losses then and there, deciding he’d rather just go back inside and pretend this never happened than embarrass himself further, but Gloria has a sparkle in her eyes as she laughs behind her hand, guiltily amused at his strange display.

The corner of his lips quirks up, and he shoves his hands into his pockets as the sound of her giggles helps untie the knot of anxiety in his chest. “Should probably just spit it out, shouldn’t I?”

“Probably,” she says with a faux-sage nod, the remnants of her laughter forming a lopsided smile.

But looking at her while thinking of what he’s about to say makes his stomach turn, so he shuts his eyes, taking a deep breath as his brows knit together in concentration.

“I like you.”

He’s not sure what he expects, but it’s not the silence that follows. Hop cracks open one eye, only to find that Gloria’s looking at him, clearly confused as she chuckles, “Well yeah, I should hope so.”

His shoulders drop as that all too familiar sensation of missing the mark comes over him. It would be an easy out to take, to spin this all as some elaborate show of friendship, but Hop has come too far to go back now (and he gets the feeling Victor might really murder him at this point).

“No, like,” he falters, struggling to walk the line of not being brave enough to say too much versus being too frustrated to say too little, “As more than a friend.”

“Right, we’re best friends.”

She’s so earnest that it only adds to his frustration, and Hop is torn between laughing and crying as he huffs and plows on. “Have you ever thought about us being more than that?”

Her brows furrow. “I’m not sure what that means.”

“Y’know, best friends but...”

“But?”

“More affectionate.”

“Oh, like when you kissed me on the cheek.”

“Not platonic.”

“I’m just not sure what you’re–”

“Arceus’ sake, Glo, I’m in love with you!”

It’s absurdly quiet in Wedgehurst, making Gloria’s silence all the louder. Hop stares down at her, red-faced and shaking, watching as her face unwinds from confusion and falls slack in surprise. Her eyes are wide with realization as a blush slowly crawls across her cheeks and to the tips of her ears.

She blinks once, twice, and then whispers a breathless, “Oh.”

He nods, and his tongue is too big for his mouth suddenly but he still manages to mumble, “Yeah.”

Her blush goes from carnation to firetruck as she holds his gaze, and then her face breaks into a wide smile that has a swarm of Butterfree flutter in his throat. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” He’s mirroring her smile now, and she’s laughing again as she tucks her hair behind her ears, giddy and nervous and finally understanding. The last of the nerves leaves him as he reaches for her hands, slowly intertwining their fingers, searching her face for the slightest sign of hesitation but only finding excitement. “Fair to say you feel the same?”

All she can manage is a nod, biting her lip as she looks up at him.

“Ace.” His eyes are slightly unfocused, glazed over in something hazy and sugary as he unabashedly stares at her lips, too lost in the freedom of finally having it all out there to be self-conscious anymore. “Can I kiss you now?”

With another nod from her, he leans down, brushing his lips against hers until she pulls him further down, deepening it with a smile as he wraps his arms around her like he’s wanted to for as long as he can remember.

...

Sonia takes another sip, feeling just a little creepy that she’s watching one of her assistants and the Champion make out, but then they decided to go and have a romantic moment right in front of her lab’s window. She turns, looking to the chair across from her as she chuckles, “Oi Victor, what did you...”

But the boy is passed out, head resting on his arms as he takes a nap on the table. Sonia gives his sleeping form a sympathetic smile before taking another sip of tea.

“Guess he was tired.”

[shytiff]

Small Oct Wins

1 - DL, its bts week on fallon 🥰🥰also chuseok, which means content >>>, cicil dk ikk, rapat sponsor and talked and raged with regen abt mpi and manhwa lmao, group call shiko

2 - DL, finished 4 dk ikk wow!!, read dear door sampe ujung

3 - DL, symptoms ipd WHILE trying to losten to resus cairan fkdigital and i failed to listen to fkdigital lmao in the beginning they talked abt different fluids, my kompre is in Nov!! Can take a slight breath of air. Cicil kompre

4 - DL, symptoms, ordered krispy face (tasted so so), started reading sign, its so hilarious but the antagonist just doesnt make sense. too dysfunctional

5 - DL, ea simulation (got cushing syndrome, yay us for rosc!), forgot my scrub pants so i borrowed from indah, the way back homd (PP motor) was hooot, cicil banifidi, talked with ara for 1,5 hrs abt mental health and past traumas lmaoo

6 - DL, cicil geri, read raise ga wa tanin ii

7 - formatif geri, originally meant to go to puri with atikah to get seirockya, but its closed. So we walked to lippo, got genki sushi takeaway, walked to carrefour where we parked, and on the way back atikah had this sudden idea of eating @ taman 45. So we did. We reminisced old memories while eating rice bowls and sushi at park. Sounded pretty great except its taman 45 lmaoooo. Took a nap at atikahs place and then i went back. Tried matcha cookie by Chips Chat Lexley, its too crumbly :(( the taste was so so

8 - was sooo drained i dunno why. Slept and lazed around until 11-ish after i managed to shower and eat. Rip stamina. DL. Formatif with stella manda, dr asti and dr fuady. Digorenggg. the dark chocolate cookie tasted quite good. Finally a cookie that did not fail

9 - helped ical and ara for simul kompre, e, DL, played among us with candra and solid, paused the game to do formatif ea lmao. i need to studyy aaa

10 - DL, my body felt tooo drained from 1 (one) exercise lol. Symptoms. Ordered mujigae and janjiw caramel latte 1L because 10 10 promo. lazed all afternoon. planned to run because it’s cloudy but wacana is life. Watched MOTS On:E with racheel. Gladi resik nemo. Saw hakken cosplay’s IG live. among us. i was an impostor with cibe (participant: 10) and i somehow won lmaoo. edited 2 pld article so i finally caught up! just need to wait some more articles from reporter

11 - DL, symptoms, wasted my time rereading vampire knight for the n-th time

12 - DL, QA KMKP, read banifidi while drinking janjiw caramel latte and on god coffee rly helps me to focus and not get sleepy, talked with ara abt her session with dr jiemi (emotion vs cognition)

13 - DL, there’s no class today uye, drank caramel latte janjiw at 11am and yall i somehow became productive. finished reading banifidi, 2Padi. 

14 - Became captain at simul today, kasus HPP, i forgot to put O2 wtf :((((, bought 2 1-L package from sbux dm after school, and with +15k you get green tea frappe so i sat there for a bit for DT, felt a bit better (like im a normal functioning person???? like i dont feel sluggish). cicil IKK, passed lvl 4 DL

15 - DL, nemo as 2nd operator, vanilla latte nyom, thats all folks unfortunately

16 - DL, theres no schedule today, woke up at 10 am, vanilla latte and cicil PT, cicil IKK (only did a bit today), among us and i was the impostor 4 times lmaoo

17 - symptoms, in the soop 7, e, read on/off its too hilarious!! Finished 1 sitasi kompre

18 - last in the soop ep :(, e, DL, tugas kasus harian geri

19 - DL, the table i bought has arrived!, cicil IKK, joined ukmppd course, started at 18:30, its now 22:36,  still 14 questions to go... 

20 - DL, qa discussion with group, bought some plastic shoe boxes online, its cheap and it is great, bcs my shoes used to sit there in plastic bags, organized some stuff in my room for a bit!! my metal rack looks less messy yay. dk ikk, les

21 - Started my day early (finished shower by 7:30), DL, finished 1 ltm ikk and 1 sitasi PT, JK went live in youtube with his long hair and undercut, and literally afterwards YG came on vlive playing guitar. Its a good day indeed :”) its cloudy today, just a perfect shared to listen to youtube’s lofi study playlist. Barely paid attention in today's les, i rly need to reread the forensic one

22 - DL, formatted qa docx, looong qa zoom, read the dops form, tidied up my stuff for tomorrow and while waiting for les the dumbass me didnt realize that the mic is on and i muttered "masker n95..." lmaoooo. Paid attention in les. Took a shower while leaving the zoom (q&a sesh) and turns out its finished at 22:45. Yalll the tutors dedication though

23 - simul, waited around a bit, bought halo bowl from grab since im at school all day, tried chicken pesto. made me feel full, tasted like a typical "healthy food", not too oily. OK in the afternoon, did not get dops (not surprised), was today years old when i found out you can park motorbike beside gedung putih. Went home while listening to kuliah guru besar. Passed out in the 2nd part of les (bedah). That adds more of my course debt lmao

24 - Im trying out habitica now so DL documentations will be moved theree, trying to add the habit of reading quran. watched in the soop behind and dalbang, watched the social dilemma halfway (message: careful of being the social media’s product), ate nayam, slept again and woke up at 5 pm, made status anes, les (the freshest ive been so far. maybe because its saturday night, there’s only about 25+ participating until the end from the usual 50+)

25 - woke up early and showered, slept again, ate breakfast at 12 pm with banana and 2 brownies i need sugaar, reviewed forensics (les), made half of ltm ikk wow im kind of proud, submitted asinkronus, eval nemo

26 - icu and simul, the way back home was pleasantly cloudy, slept and woke for les, read anti PT and oh my assisant since i cant sleep during the night

27 - did ikk ppt, read TO SOLID answers (i got 65 and i feel sooo stupid, but the grade somehow changed to 66 which means pass), slepttt during the afternoon, dk ikk was pending bcs dr Indri was still doing surgery at 18:00. Les

28 - Felt like doing nothing. Watched the latest dalbang, PT briefing, dk ikk, les. Thats it omgggg my time keeps flying away

29 - Started my day early (6:30am) since i slept all the time :):):)), finished 1 ltm ikk, tried truffle belly, the nanban one. good enough and the rice is not too much which is nice. i dont rly know how the truffle oil’s supposed to smell (ive tried tubo before but i still have no idea). chose wahana choice for MPI (bismillah!!), finished reviewing TO SOLID 1, les

30 - it took me a whole day to read 1 (one) sitasi PT but im still proud nonetheless, how did time flyyyy tf. You’d think that this 5 day “holiday” i would learn a lot for kompre (haven’t started) and quickly checked off my to do list. for les i pulled the table near my bed so i was half listening half reading Private Lesson while laying down lmao

31 - checked 2 acads to do (i feel like when i do things in advance there will be stuff that make me go "ah tau gt nanti aja"), bingeing romee strijd's YouTube and its miracle i dont feel like shit after watching it (they literally go do amsterdam from sg to put their bags and then theyll go to miami?!), afternoon nap coz i cqnt bring myself to study kompre, cicil kompre bismillah.docx, last day of les (im not strong enough to follow until the end, bailed halfway), read a bit of blood link lmao, WTF ITS NOV 15 MINS FROM NOW :((( (writing this after sheetmasking, its 23:42) still not prepared for ukmppd kompre God Help Me

And thats it for Oct! I feel like there were some terrible mood phases, some ok ones, and those rare days when im up and about and refreshed and feel like doing things (most days im a sloth). Hope to do (and feel) better in Nov

[mirkwoodshewolf]

I’ll always support you no matter what; Tony Stark x teen reader

Hey guys well this was my first Tony Stark oneshot that I had ever done and it was all came from after watching the Janet Jackson’s music video of “Rhythm Nation”. I feel like Tony even though loving that his child is a mini-genius like him, he would always support their dreams no matter if they wanted to go into the same line of work in math/science or do something completely far out from it like dancing or teaching or whatever. No matter what you do in life, never doubt that your parents aren’t gonna be there for you because they will no matter what it is. Be warned of swear words and mean comments.

_______________________________________________

“And so if you take f(x) and divide it by the square root of two you get—” then the bell rang signaling that our instruction was over.  “Okay we’ll pick this lesson up first thing Thursday, and don’t forget to bring in a full advanced statistics equation of your choice for another fellow competitor to solve”. Our coach Professor Gooden said.

I packed up my stuff and put up the lab coats and just before I was about to leave, Professor Gooden stopped me and said,

“Hold on Miss. Stark, could I have a word with you?”

“Umm, now’s not a really good time, I’ve got somewhere else to be right now”.  The man spoke for so long way ahead of normal class time I only had about 10 minutes left.

“No, no this needs to be said now, it won’t take long”.

“Yeah right”. I muttered under my breath as I walked up to him and removed my bag from my shoulder and set it down beside me.

“Miss Stark, lately I haven’t been seeing you coming to our decathlon meetings, just recently last week you showed up and missed every single lesson and exercise we’re planning to do at the Regional’s a few weeks ago. Is there something going on at home? Or anything like that?”

“No sir, everything is fine bye!” I quickly raced out of the building and got into my motorcycle and drove off as fast as I could to the studio.

 Just in the nick of time, I raced inside the building, ran up the stairs and made it to the studio level.  I signed in and got changed quickly and met with a few friends of mine.

“Ohh sorry I’m late I hope I didn’t miss anything!”

“Nope, right on time Stark” my friend (f/f/n) said.

“Yeah, Dirga’s not even here yet, so you’re all good” (m/f/n) said.  I tied my dancing shoes and began stretching out with them and catching up on some things since last week.

“So sorry I’m late everyone traffic was murder out there, but I’m here now so let’s begin”. Our dance coach Dirga proclaimed making us all cheer.

 I think now would be a good time to explain myself. My name is (y/n) Stark, yep daughter of the Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, Tony Stark aka Iron Man and Pepper Potts.  I’m 19 years old with my dad’s brains and my mom’s looks. I graduated high school when I was 13 and college by the time I was 15 and received many degrees just like my dad.  Which brings me to my current dilemma, for about 2 years now my dad had me part of the New York state decathlon team competing in almost all fields of math and science. I’ve helped New York win in almost every championship prize except the World wide champion because we always get beat out by China.

Not to complain or anything but being a scientist like my dad wants me to be isn’t working out anymore because I’ve always had another secret passion ever since I was a little girl.

Dancing. 

It was a few months ago that I came across auditions for dancers at this Dance studio, and without my parents or my aunt and uncles knowing it, I auditioned and got in and now we’re getting ready to compete in the State finals. 

As much as I love doing what my dad does, I just want to be my own person and follow my own dreams, I don’t want to follow in my dad’s shadow anymore and be known as Miss Stark the mini-genius, I want to be my own person and become the ultimate dancer and tour with the best dancers in the world.  The problem is I don’t know how to tell my dad the news, I’m afraid if I tell him he’ll write me off as his daughter and throw me out.

I love my dad and yeah he can be annoying and stupid sometimes but he’s my dad and he’s always been there for me, even if he has to go on a mission the same day as one of my decathlon competitions, he would go see me whip another people’s minds and butts with my fast thinking and superior mind.

I wouldn’t ask for another dad in the whole world. 

But I wish he would understand that I don’t want to become a scientist like him, but a professional dancer. 

“Okay everyone! Circle up!” Dirga cried out. We all gathered around her and she continued, “Okay, we’ve won the Regional’s. Now we need to get into the State’s so that we’ll have a spot on for the State finals. Now we need a song that can help us get there, anyone got any ideas?”

“Oh how about Talk Dirty by Jason Derulo?” annoying slutty Brooke suggested (A/N! If there are any Brooke’s out there I am SORRY!! Just change the name to another girls name)

“Too slutty Brooke! We can’t just win with bodies alone. We need more than that”.  Me and my group of friends laughed quietly.

“What about a mix of several songs?” Becca suggested.

“Can’t have remix! I checked the rules this time they’re being very strict about what type of songs are allowed and how far remixing a song goes. Come on guys think we need to send them a preview of our song in a couple of days! Now think!”

We all remained quiet and all tried to think of a good song to do.  When suddenly, it hit me

.“Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation” I muttered.

“What was that Stark?” Dirga asked.

“Rhythm Nation by Janet Jackson, it’s powerful. Unison choreography, and it’s a classic song that no one could hate”. ��Dirga smiled then said.

“Excellent choice Stark, and for thinking of it you’ll be our Janet Jackson!” 

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa hold on Coach I’ve always been lead dancer! Why are you letting this nerd become lead dancer over me!” Brooke sneered. 

“Because Stark here in brilliant, she knows her dancing styles, and frankly Brooke she knows not to come in her underwear to my class”.  All of us wooed then Brooke let out a pathetic growl of jealousy and stomped out like a spoiled little brat as everyone clapped and cheered for Brooke’s farewell and my place as lead dancer.

As the day went on, Dirga submitted our song to the State judges hoping that our song would get approved and just within a few minutes the judges responded back.

They approved it. 

Then Dirga rolled out the small TV which sat on top of a wheeled bookcase and put in a disc which had the actual Rhythm Nation music video.  As it played, we took notes out loud suggesting what we could do, how many solos people would get on the interlude of the song, whether we should get the actual costumes to pull off the look even more (which everyone agreed to) all that other stuff.

For the remainder of class, we all decided to go over just beginning the formation of our rows, how much space everyone had and just went over the first part of the dance before the beginning of the first chorus.  We went over it several times over and over and over again till everyone could do it in sync with each other then soon Coach Dirga called it a day and said she would email us a schedule for the next several weeks on how many rehearsals we would have.

I got on my motorcycle and drove back to Avengers Tower hoping that my dad wasn’t too suspicious about my being gone for so long since I was technically suppose to be back 2 hours ago.  As I reached the main level, I took notice that no one was currently in the lobby. 

Good news for me. 

I quietly and quickly headed for the stairs when.

“And just where have you been young lady?” I flinched and froze in place.  I slowly turned around to see my parents with their arms crossed over their chests tapping their feet with faces demanding to know where I was and to make it even more tense, the rest of the Avengers were behind them giving me the same look.

“Well (y/n) (y/m/n) Stark?” My mom asked.

“Okay, okay, the team and I left after class to get some lunch together then we hit the mall but I just looked around since there really wasn’t anything I liked or that I already owned”.  Some of the Avengers (my dad, Bruce, Thor, and War Machine) believed my story but the others (my mom, aunt Nat, Clint, Steve, the Maximoff twins, Sam Wilson, and Loki *yeah that’s right after his dept to society he was converted to an Avenger*) didn’t believe me for a second.

“Well, okay. Just next time shoot me a text about where you go. I was worried something bad had happened to you” my dad said as he walked up to me and cupped my cheek stroking them with his thumbs gingerly.

“I’m sorry dad, it won’t happen again”.

“Good”.  He leaned forward and kissed my forehead and said, “hey if you want wanna come help me and Brucie here down at the lab? I could really use my little assistant”

“Umm, no thanks dad, I’ve got quite a bit of homework Professor Gooden gave us, plus I need to make up an advanced Statistic equation for my lab partner to complete”.  I then ran up the stairs without another word leaving everyone suspicious and confused. 

So far for the next couple of weeks I managed to keep my dancing rehearsals a secret and play off my dad with lies about staying after the decathlons to do more studying when truthfully I quit the decathlon team the night I came home late weeks ago. But it’s hard to keep a secret like this when you not only feel guilty about hiding something like this from your smart father who wants you to be more like him, but I’ve got the feeling that a certain number of the team is onto me and it’s only a matter of time before I’m caught.

Sometimes when I walk too and from the dance studio, I always get this feeling that I’m being followed, which is why I always have to sneak out wearing a large hoodie and sunglasses to hide myself.  I just hope this is just my guilty mind playing tricks on me and not actually true, but other than that I’ve got more important things to think about right now.

We now had the full routine down and just needed to finally put the whole dance together with the song.  As Coach Dirga had her phone playing the Janet Jackson speaking intro playing through the speakers, we readied for our first mark to prepare the dance.  When we stood straight and tall once again we all began the countdown and finally broke out into the dance.  Dirga would call out certain people who were slower or going faster than everyone else because we needed this dance to be completely in sync one motion and one body doing the same thing, and if even one of us is either behind or ahead, it ruins the whole illusion.

At the end of the whole song, we all clapped and cheered at an okay rehearsal.

“Not bad kids, not bad at all, just the few of you work on your speed but everyone else, great job. Now before you all leave, I have one announcement to make,” Coach Dirga then went to the hallway and pulled in a cart filled with small boxes.  “The uniform sizes I had all of you guys fill out for your costumes have finally arrived.” We all cheered and clapped at the news before Dirga whistled for us to be quiet. “Now when I call your name, come up and get your costumes. Don’t wash them just let them air dry for a few hours over night and they’ll be fine. I expect you all to start bringing them to rehearsals starting tomorrow”.  She then began calling us by name to collect our box with every piece of costume worn in the real Rhythm Nation video down to the last buckle and leather design. 

Once we all got our stuff, Dirga dismissed us and said that the next rehearsal would be 10am sharp. I packed up my stuff up and headed out from the dance studio onto my bike and drove back to Avengers Tower.

Again, I felt that creepy feeling that I was being followed.  This time it felt more than real because it felt like three people were stalking me.  I quickly picked up on gas and weaved through traffic safely and turned onto an alleyway hoping that I would lose whatever or whoever it was that was following me. Suddenly my bike stopped and I was flung off of it and just when I thought I was about to skid across the ground, I was caught into a pair of strong arms when I opened my eyes to see who it was that caught me I quickly took notice of the long blue sleeves with muscles just tightening up against the fabric of the sleeves.

I knew right away who it was that had saved me and who probably caused my bike to suddenly stop.

The Maximoff twins. 

Wanda with her telekinetic mind powers forced my bike to make an immediate halt and when I was flung off which probably wasn’t part of their plan, Pietro quickly used his speed to catch me before I could get hurt.

That’s the price yet reward I get for looking at the twins as kinda like my older brother and sister.

“Thanks for the save Pietro”.

“No problem, are you okay? We didn’t mean for you to go flying off of your bike”. Pietro said as he put me down.

“Yeah I’m good, you hear that Wanda, I’m fine!” It was then out of the darkness Wanda came out with a guilty look on her face.  I walked up to her and embraced her in a warm hug and said again, “it’s alright, you’re lucky your brother has super speed other wise I would’ve gotten hurt of even worse. I don’t blame you, okay?” She nodded and embraced me back. 

After awhile we separated then I asked them as I got my dance bag.

“What are you guys doing here this late?”

“We were hoping you could tell us that yourself (y/n)”.  I tensed up knowing whose voice that belong to and out of the darkness was the man of green and gold, the god who once attacked and tried to take over my world but failed thanks to my dad and his team, the God now trusted enough to join the Avengers after paying his dept to society and my surrogate uncle in a ways, Loki the God of Mischief. 

“Hello Loki, I should’ve expected that the twins didn’t think on this one alone”.

“Perceptive as always Miss Stark, but we have more important things to discuss”.

“Like what exactly?” I sassed. 

“Like what exactly it is that you’ve been doing the past few weeks. Your father maybe dense enough to believe your lies but as you know very well I’m not. If it’s something horrible then I have the right to know!” Loki snapped.

“Oh my god. Do you honestly think I’m doing drugs? Or getting involved with gangs? God Loki you can be such an fool sometimes!”

“I maybe a fool but I’m not the one whose lying about what I do now!” Wanda then stepped up and placed her hand on the God’s shoulder to calm him down and she said.

“Please (y/n), ve’re all really vorried about you, just please tell us vhat it is zhat you’ve been doing and ve’ll walk away and never speak of this again”.

“Unless it’s somezhing bad, zhen ve vill continue to talk about it,” Pietro said.  Then in a flash of blue he swiped my dance bag from my hands and I tried to get it back but Wanda held me back with her powers.

“No! No guys please don’t look inside it I’m begging you!”

“This sounds bad, open it Pietro!” Loki ordered.

“Pietro I swear to God if you open that bag up I’ll kill you!” But it was too late.  Pietro opened up the bag and they saw my Janet Jackson dance costume and I fell to my knees in defeat. “This is it?”

“All zhat’s in here is some sort of costume”. Wanda said.They all turned to me seeing me now on my knees with my shoulders shaking as I tried to hold in my sobs knowing that now that my secret was out, they’ll tell dad and I’ll be kicked out of the Stark family for not wanting to be a super genius.

“(Y/n)?” Loki’s voice said as he knelt down beside me.  I could see him trying to reach out for me but I brushed him off angrily and turned away. “Hey, hey, calm down. Calm down now,” his arms slowly wrapped around me and I choked out my sobs into his chest. “Shhh, shh, shh. Calm down, breathe”. I tried to calm myself down and as I did I could feel the twins now coming up to me with Wanda stroking through my hair and Pietro soothingly rubbing my back.

“(Y/n), talk to us”. After my short breakdown, I finally came clean and told them everything. 

“I’ve—I’ve been taking dance class at Dirga’s studio for the past few months now. I quit the decathlon because I’m tired of being the smart daughter of the great Tony Stark. I don’t even want to become a scientist or a famous Mathematician or even an expert on anything revolving on what my dad and Bruce do. I just wanna dance. It makes me feel free and alive, I make friends who don’t look at me the way all the other smart people do. They look at me like I’m my own person, and not the daughter of Tony Stark”.

“And what’s wrong with that?” asked Pietro.

“Because I know for a fact that if my dad found out that I wanted to waste my life being a silly dancer instead of taking over Stark industries and becoming his equal IQ of smart, he’ll write me off as his daughter and kick me out leaving me homeless and regretful”.

“Now I know for a fact that that is not true”. Said Loki.

“How would you know?”

“Because Stark maybe arrogant, pushy, annoying and selfish at times but he loves you more than the world itself. He would gladly give up Stark industries if it meant spending more time with you”.

“I doubt that”.

“No, he’s right. (Y/n), Stark always talks about you, not just of how smart you are but how you’ve brightened up his life for zhe past 19 years. He loves you (y/n) and I bet if you tell him, he’ll understand. And if for some reason he doesn’t, then it’s his loss. We’ll still love and support you”. Wanda said as she brushed a strand of hair away from my face and gently fingered my cheek wiping away a tear.

I softly smiled knowing I still had the support and love from my sister, brother and uncle.  After a few minutes and getting the comfort I’ve been dying to have for awhile now, Loki transported us all back into the Tower and I got ready for bed hoping that soon I could work up the courage and tell my dad the truth of what I really want to do with my life and how I want to live it. 

The next morning, I woke up and build up my confidence to finally tell my dad what I really want to do with my life.  I stood in my bathroom in front of my mirror and muttered.

“Okay, okay come on Stark. You can do this, just tell him the truth. He’ll understand. But what if he doesn’t? What if this is a bad idea? No, no, no, no! You must think positive. He’ll love you no matter what. Just go down there and tell him. Okay, okay. Let’s do this”. I then walked out of my room and headed down towards the lab where I know my dad and Godfather Bruce would be.

When I reached the lab, low and behold there were my dad and godfather working on some new Ironman suits and when my dad saw me he said.

“Hey, there’s my little super genius, come over here and help Green man and I work on these new suits”.

“I could do without the Green man remark Stark” Bruce muttered as he kept working.  I walked up to my dad and helped him adjusted some of the parts and I said.

“Hey dad, I’ve been meaning to tell you this—”

“Hold on sweetie, could you pass me that ¾ wrench?” I quickly picked it up and handed it to dad who thanked me before tightening up some screws into the suit. 

 “Dad, what I’m about to say is sorta crazy and I hope you’ll understand it but I’m—”

“Oh speaking of which baby, I’ve got something to tell you,” he stopped working and removed his goggles and said as he placed his hands on my arms, “for the next decathlon competition, I’ve managed to bring in the top scientists from SHIELD besides Banner and me, to observe your skills and if you impress them you’ll be able to work with SHIELD as an apprentice for the Head of SHIELD’s science department. Isn’t that great?” 

Oh boy. 

This just got a whole lot harder to tell him the truth.  The decathlon was a month away, the same time as the State competition for dance class.  If I don’t show up there, my dad’s gonna look like a fool for leading the top SHIELD scientists to an event that I’m no longer in anymore.

“(Y/n)? Sweetie you okay?” asked dad.  I put on a fake smile and said.

“Wow, an apprentice for SHIELD’s science department. Thanks dad”.

“I knew you’d be psyched! Oh man when those guys see you. They might as well just make you Head of SHIELD’s science department”. My dad embraced me lovingly but now my face could slowly break down but I hugged my dad back as to not show him that something was bothering me or what he said was wrong.

We separated and he asked,

“Now what is that you wanted to tell me?” Oh crap. Say something. Say anything stupid!

“Just—can’t wait to wow the SHIELD scientists next month”.

“That’s my girl! Now let’s get back to work on these suits, and maybe we can finally build you one”. As we worked, I mentally kicked the shit out of myself for saying that to him and being a coward for saying yes to this.

 A month later, it was time. 

I obviously was at NYU for the dance State competition, I was in my dressing room in full Janet Jackson costume with my hair up and makeup put on.  You could hear the sounds of the audience cheering from above and sound checks being made, my whole team would be gathering backstage by now with Coach Dirga giving us a final pep-talk.

But I was shaking like a leaf.  

Right now I could just imagine my dad at the Community center with the SHIELD scientists waiting for my team to come out and when they see I’m not with them, my dad will be a laughing stock at SHIELD and then when he finds out that I lied to him, I’ll get worse than just a grounding, I’ll be kicked out of the tower, I’ll have no family because Tony will make sure that none of the Avengers ever speak to me, and I’ll have no place to go.

I’ll be a disgrace to the Stark name. 

Panicked, I finally decided to call quits and bail on my dance team to make my dad proud.  I grabbed my bag and snuck out of my dressing room, anytime security came, I hid then took off running to try and find the exit. As I ran through the labyrinth of backstage, I accidentally bumped into someone with full force knocking us both down and when I went to apologize I was shocked to see who it was that I had ran into.

My dad. 

“Dad? Wha—what are you doing here?”

“Well first things first I’m just expecting Pietro to come back and say that dumb catchphrase of his because that was too fast to be you”.

“Hey!” He chuckled then continued,

“Second, I came to see why I didn’t see my daughter at the community center with the decathlon just for Professor Gooden to tell me that you quit the squad and haven’t really been participating for months even when you were there”.  Oh no, here it comes. The guilt conversation and then punishment after.  “You wanna tell me what’s going on?”  I took a deep breath and said.

“Okay, okay you caught me. I—”

“Don’t worry, Loki told me everything just now as soon as he and the twins brought me and the rest of the team here. At first I didn’t want to believe him well for obvious reasons but then the twins backed him up, as did some of the others who had suspected of you for sneaking off”. 

“What? They told you!? Damnit I’ll kill those three!”

“Hey language young lady, don’t make me get the Cap here”. He warned.  I rolled my eyes then he continued this time in a more sincere tone, “baby girl why did you lie to me?”

“Because I was scared, okay? I—I didn’t want you to be mad at me because I wanted to be a dancer and not a scientist like you, or become Head of Stark Industries after you. I was going to tell you last month in the lab, but then you told me about the apprenticeship at SHIELD, and that made me even more scared to tell you, because you were saying you were so proud of me and……I didn’t wanna let you down. Please don’t hate me”. I sniffled and tried to stop my tears from falling that’s when dad finally said.

“Hey, c’mere munchkin,” he embraced me comfortingly and adjusted me into his lap just like when I was a little girl.  I sobbed into his shoulder and he rocked me back and forth stroking my hair and rubbing my back in soothing circles.  “I don’t hate you (n/n), I could never hate you. You’re my best buddy, my pal, my sidekick. And I will always love and support you, no matter what”.

“Really?” I whimpered.

“Of course, look,” he separated from me and continued, “If anyone should be apologizing here it’s me. I was too ignorant to truly see that while you loved doing science and helping me out in the lab, that it wasn’t what you wanted to do. I was too busy telling you what to do that I wasn’t listening to how you felt. I’m sorry I made you feel like I was against you, I would never be against you”.

“I know”. I nodded and whimpered.

“I love you so much!”

“I love you too!” Dad and I embraced each other tightly and I breathed in full relief. “I’m glad my guilt vision didn’t come true”.

“That’ll never happen”.  After a few minutes of embracing each other, we separated and I wiped my tears away and we walked back towards my dressing room for sometime alone.  I cleaned off my face and reapplied my makeup and said.

“I guess I must’ve freaked everyone out for not showing up backstage. I better go apologize and explain to Coach Dirga what happened”.

“Yeah, well I better head back to my seat, don’t wanna miss my baby girl in her true colors. Knock em dead kiddo, and your mother and I along with the team will be cheering you on”.

“Thanks dad”. He kissed my cheek before leaving my dressing room.  I took one final look in the mirror and then left to meet up with my team.  When I reached them, I explained everything to them and that now everything was all good and now it was our turn. 

The stage went pitch black and Janet’s opening monologue echoed throughout the room and the stage lights flickered just so the audience could see us getting into place. Suddenly one single light shined on all of us and we opened up the dance with a quick one machine dance then did the countdown. 

Then as the music picked up, our routine began.  Everyone cheered loudly knowing this song and the routine.  We wowed the entire audience with our in-sync coordination and not one of us messed up the routine by going either too fast or too slow.  We all were together like one machine and I had a feeling Coach Dirga couldn’t be more prouder of her students for making her proud.

At the end of the song and our last dance outbreak, the lights immediately shut down and the room went crazy in applause.  We even got a standing ovation and none were more prouder than my dad and the Avengers.

“Who is that lead dancer?” A man asked.

“Yeah she was really powerful in leading her team!” His buddy asked.

“She’s more than just that! She’s my daughter!” My dad answered to them then he whistled and cried out my name as loud as he could as my team and I took a final bow and walked off the stage. 

A couple of hours later after the last group went, it was time to find out who would move onto the State finals and who would not.  All groups came on stage waiting for the judges to make their statements, then the announcer was given the card saying the teams competing in the State Finals.

“Okay, the judges have made their decisions; In third place and first team going to the Finals is—Queen B Group!” A dance team from a community college did “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce and called themselves the Queen B Group in honor of the Queen B herself. We all clapped for them for they were good.  “In second place and moving onto the finals is—Car Wash Mania!” Another dance studio runned by Dirga’s old friend since High school did the song “Car Wash” by Christina Aguilera ft. Missy Elliot, they were done up in casual car wash clothes and worked with props so they deserved second place because they were good and we have done some collaborating dancing between the two of us in the past. 

Now it all came down to the last group.  There were 13 groups competing in States but only 3 can move onto the finals.  My group and I all joined hands and huddled together hoping and praying that we would get in, but if not then we did our best and still kicked butt on finally dancing as one unit to a very difficult song. 

“And the winners of the State Competition and the last group advancing to the finals is—” The spotlight grew on the announcer, drum roll sound effect came out as he proclaimed. “DIRGA’S RHYTHM NATION!!!!!!!” We all screamed and jumped up and down and the entire audience stood up in applause and of course my whole family was going crazy as my team’s name was called out.   

Dirga and all of us went up to the announcer and he gave us our trophy and congratulated us on a job well done to a very difficult song.

Dirga, my team and I each had a hand on the trophy as we raised it high in the air and the crowd once again stood up and loudly cheered.

Later that night in celebration, Avengers Tower was having a party for my dance team for getting into the State Finals.  The parents, coach Dirga, and my whole team was there dancing, eating and talking with one another about the moments we’ve had doing this.  As I was sitting with my 2 best friends from my team (f/f/n) and (m/f/n) along with the Maximoff twins, Aunt Nat and my two uncles Loki and Bucky a voice echoed on a microphone.

“Attention everyone may I have your attention for just a second?” Everyone then turned to face my dad who was standing next to my mom with champagne glasses in hand.  “Now we all know why we’re here. To congratulate Dirga’s dance team on winning a spot at State finals, you kids were awesome let’s give one more applause for them!” The families and friends all cheered for my team then my dad continued to say, “I’d also like this time to praise my daughter (Y/n) (y/m/n) Stark. She’s shown me that she’s more than just a little mini-me,” at this moment the crowd softly chuckled as my dad proceeded to say, “She’s shown me that she’s a free spirit too. Now I never really got much of a choice growing up on what I wanted to do, and I’m afraid that I’ve pushed the same onto her, but tonight she’s shown me what she truly wants to do and I can tell that she enjoys it completely. (Y/n) sweetheart, you be your own person not just because of me, but because of you and what you want. I will always support you no matter what, and never doubt that I love you”.  The crowd awed at us then dad raised his glass and said.  “To (y/n) Stark and her wonderful dance team!”

“To (y/n) and her dance team!” The rest of the people said as they too raised their glasses even members of my team and Coach Dirga raised their glasses to me. 

The party lasted most of the night filled with food, drinks, and dancing.  My dad and I even got the dance floor to ourselves for a slow dance and as we danced together, I leaned up against my dad’s chest next to his arc reactor and muttered.

“Thanks dad”.

“Anything for you kiddo, love you always my little Dancing Queen”.  I smiled softly knowing that now I no longer needed to be afraid of who I wanted to be.  My dad would always have my back and pick me up when I fall, he’ll always be my rock just like I’ve always been his, he would and forever will love and support me, no matter what I choose. 

And forever it will always be.