#switch places... and then be upset when you return to your correct timeline just to find out pete's dead and nita had to deal with puberty 2

[butch-chastity]

I do often think about... riderquill timeloop scenario

[inkweaver22-blr]

Welcome to chapter nine! This one was meant to just be another filler with one of my own AU’s, but Tang just had to be introspective and have a moment of character growth. Hope you enjoy!

EDIT: This chapter has been edited to include some new info dropped on the same day I originally posted this! More info in the End Notes!

AO3 Link

<Previous | First | Next>

Scattered Cicadas - Chapter Nine: Rocks and Roles

Tang knows how to act. That doesn't mean he likes to play every part.

----------

Tang liked to think of himself as a decent actor, at least back in the original timeline. He had been part of the theater class in high school and telling stories required a bit of a dramatic flair if you wanted to keep your audience entertained. Convincing Pigsy he was a popular food critic hadn’t been too hard back then.

The many cycles he had been through had certainly helped polish his skill into a genuine talent. That one time where he and everyone else had been professional actors playing the roles of themselves from the original timeline as part of a show had especially allowed him to hone himself to a greater degree than before.

Being stuck jumping through time had practically made it a necessity.

It wasn’t that Tang enjoyed what was essentially lying to his family. It was more for their protection. He had almost broken the “No Interference” rule a few times when he hadn’t properly reacted to events that, while shocking or upsetting to his family, were simply part of his routine by now. He couldn’t allow the repetitive nature of the cycles to make him slip up and potentially cause more harm by being confronted by his lack of surprise or fear.

So he acted. He gasped at all the right moments or screamed in fear when in danger. Every laugh, every sigh of exasperation, every freak out over something related to Wukong was perfectly performed so as to not to raise suspicion. So long as the proper reaction occurred in response to the correct effect, everything went smoothly.

It wasn’t too hard or taxing as he never needed to fake his enjoyment of being around his family. Luckily for him, he also didn’t have to act exactly as he had been in the original timeline, or he may have gone insane from the monotony of it.

The cycles where his background was entirely rewritten were blessings in disguise, really. They were new. Fresh experiences for Tang to have and not have to work as hard to realistically react to.

He treated them like a method acting exercise. The new memories as part of Tang’s new backstory was the motivation for the ‘character’ he was playing. He didn’t have to fully adhere to them, but they certainly helped him play the role provided to him for the cycle.

He still disliked playing the villain however.

It happened a few times before already. The most notable had been when Zhu Bajie was in the role of Sun Wukong as MK’s mentor.

Tang shuddered at the memory of that timeline.

Saying that version of him had been unhinged was severely downplaying the many atrocities he had performed on both himself and others. Committing suicide to erase his name from the books of the dead, killing demons to absorb their lifeforce, and cutting open his own chest to manually insert the gem holding that lifeforce into himself for power were simply the tamer actions he had committed.

He supposed that heartbreak, jealousy, and internalized insecurities could drive even the most benign people to madness so long as they properly justified their actions to themselves.

It had been the first time in quite a while that Tang seriously considered intentionally breaking the interference rule and just running off to live in solitude for the entire cycle. Getting “redeemed” had been one of the most difficult things he had tried to pull off.

Tang dodged a swipe from the Monkey King’s staff as he was brought back into the present.

He was the villain once again this cycle. Luckily though, he was much less of a threat to his family this time around.

He was replacing Red Son as the demon child of Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan.

Tang, Son of the Earth.

He wasn’t the only one who was switched around. Pigsy, who went by Bajie, was a human who had become Wukong’s successor. MK was a boar demon who ran the noodle shop. Red Son was a scientist and engineer who frequented the restaurant.

It was almost an opposite reflection of the cycle he had just been musing about.

“You’ll have to do better than that, noodle boy,” Tang taunted as he swung his arms to pull chunks of stone from the ground, his hands and the Earth he controlled both glowing with a golden-yellow light.

He supposed that it made sense for him to have some sort of elemental power if he was this timeline’s Red Son. Earth fit as he had certainly mellowed out over the course of the cycles, becoming more focused and self assured. His original self would have most certainly been associated with air with how flighty he had been.

Tang made sure to keep his full concentration as he attacked Bajie. Earth may be the element of the sturdy, but it had the potential to be much more volatile than fire. It was easy to let loose and cause a catastrophic earthquake. It took precision to control smaller pieces of rock without causing too much collateral damage.

Bajie batted away the earthen projectiles with ease and rushed into an opening Tang had intentionally left. He had to do his best to not rely on the fighting skills he had from previous cycles and use only what his memories knew when playing a villain. Otherwise he’d easily beat the fledgling hero and that certainly would be treated as interfering.

Tang winced as the staff connected with his ribs and sent him flying. He coughed as he pulled himself up, holding his injured side as he glared at the now smirking Bajie.

“How’s that for better!”

“This isn’t over,” Tang cried out dramatically. He activated his powers, this time summoning a whirlwind of sand to teleport away.

Another scene as the villain successfully played out.

----------

Tang sat in his workshop, calculating the specific size of a rune circle he would need.

It seemed that similarly to how Red Son was a genius that incorporated magic into science, this version of Tang was one who incorporated science into magic. Not a big distinction, but important in how the process worked. It still took an impressive amount of knowledge on both subjects to work them together in the end.

Setting his pen down to take a break, Tang looked around as he stretched. He caught his reflection in a nearby piece of metal machinery he had been fiddling with and examined himself once again.

He didn’t look too different from his human self, his face remaining the same. His hair was now a dark brown with yellow highlights and his glasses were much smaller. The biggest difference were the bull horns sticking out of the side of his head.

He didn’t mind them too much, but having to give up any pull over shirt for button downs was a hassle.

Looking at his horns lead the demon scholar to think about his parents in this timeline.

Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan.

Tang frowned as he recalled the less than comforting welcome he had received after returning from his defeat. The disapproving dismissal from his father and scathing taunts from his mother had been demoralizing. It would have hurt more if he hadn't had the years of time jumping behind him.

If this was how Red Son was commonly treated, it was no wonder he worked hard in everything he did just to gain a scrap of approval and praise.

And yet he knew they loved each other. The moments he noticed didn’t happen often, but he could tell that his parents held some affection for him, and he obviously cared for them. He just didn’t understand why they acted so cruelly to one another.

Was it a demon thing? Were they afraid that by showing their love they were showing weakness?

That was certainly possible, but Tang disagreed with the sentiment. He had been through enough cycles to see that love made one stronger. It wasn’t the weakness their enemies thought it was.

Tang was already planning on becoming redeemed in this cycle. It hurt to think his parents would disown him, but what if that didn’t have to happen?

He thought about that one specific cycle and how he had become so twisted. All of it could have been avoided had his past self simply let go of his long held beliefs and went with Bajie.

Now he just had to make two powerful demons do just that.

Tang was an amazing actor.

He also had many years of watching the people around him and knew most of them almost better than they knew themselves.

His current parents were no exception.

He could see the potential for a loving and healthy family, buried just beneath the surface.

It would take some work, but he was sure he could unearth it and polish that potential until it shined.

With renewed energy, Tang pulled out a blank scroll and began planning.

He had a family to save.

----------

Welcome to what I’m calling the Noodle Swap AU! It is named that way because the only change is that the pairs that make up the two most popular noodle ships (SpicyNoodles and FreeNoodles) swap places!

Shout out to @winterpower98 for their amazing Actor AU and Dad Swap AU mentioned in this chapter! Go check them out!

Yes, yes, I know I’ve basically made Tang here Terra from Teen Titans. Most people would give him Air as an element, but 1) we already have an Air user in Princess Iron Fan and 2) Tang has changed quite a bit since the start of this Time Hopping experience, as he states himself in the chapter.

I do genuinely believe there’s a loving family hidden somewhere underneath all the cruelty the DBK crew throw at each other. It’s already been hinted that Red Son will get a redemption arc in the show, but I want one for his parents too.

That’s all for now! See you in the next chapter!

:IMPORTANT EDIT!!!!:

There's been a few paragraphs changed and added to include the new canon lore for Tang in the Dad Swap AU! Go check out @kitkat1003's absolutely ASTOUNDING work, When the Tide Pulls Away and the Earth Sharpens to Steel! It is INCREDIBLE and if it was finished, you'd absolutely know there would be an entire chapter dedicated to it here.

[bluegamerchick]

Rune Factory 5 Wants

So, I’ve been playing Rune Factory 2 again ( never really beat in the first place, but remade a save where I accidently named my the MC Kyle with two spaces behind his name ). And replaying it, reminded me, oh yea, there’s a 5th Rune Factory coming out. There’s like no discussion on it, soo, here’s my wants for it. 

This is just what I general/plot wants for, to romance wants, to character wants. So yea, let’s go.

A fair warning, some points may be repeated and or, belong in other sections. I was sleep deprived when I first started typing this and it’s now 4am as I finish this.

General/Plot Wants Returning Areas Off the bat with something that’ll probably not happen, but I can dream. Replaying Rune Factory 2, I fell in love with the game’s town. It was a little port city, and was just so visually beautiful, what was not to love? Same goes for Rune Factory 3 and 4′s areas. Personally, I have never played Rune Factory 3 ( only seen videos ), but I find the area beautiful too. Same goes for Rune Factory 4′s town too. Could we return to this areas? Probably not, but it still would be cool to at least visit them for a short while or have mention of them.

Half Human, Half Monster Speaking of Rune Factory 3, I want the monster human hyprids to return. We sorta got this with the guardians in Rune Factory 4, and the Raven cameo, but not much really. It be really cool to see the human monster hybrids to return. 

Past MC’s Children

We get a taste of playing as a main character’s child in Rune Factory 2, where you play as Kyle’s kids. But, you know what would be cool? Playing as a grown-up version of the past MC’s kiddos. Sure, they would lose their memory at the start, but it would be super cool to play as grown-up version of Aaron, Aria, Leona and Lucia ( Raguna’s kids in Frontier ), Micah's kids ( the wiki says the boy’s default names are: Ray, Leaf, Horace. While the girl’s is: Lala ), or Noel and Luna! Maybe if you play as grown-up versions of Aaron and Aria, kids from RF: 2 come and end up jogging your memory! idk, just an idea.

3D? Since it’s going on the switch, I kind of want it to be 3D. And from the looks of it, it’s gonna be? But, then again, I’m not sure, it may just be like most Rune Factory games ( minus Frontier and Tides of Destiney ), appears 2D but is 3D if that makes any sense.

Returning Characters!!!! Let’s be all honest, we want to see returning characters. Even if they are just extra shop-keeps, we want to see them again.

Requests Weird hope, but, can we have the request like the ones in RE: 2, where they felt...personal? Like, they actually were tied to the character. Will explain more in the characters part, but yeaaa. Can we just not have Rune Factory 4′s requests. It’s been awhile since I played it, but from what I remember the request weren’t that personal. ( Do correct me if I’m wrong though! )

Plot Now for the main thing, the plot. Rune Factory was kind of already neatly wrapped up in RF:4. I wanna say other’s have voiced this opinion too, but what are they gonna do for the plot? Maybe this is a prequel to all the other games? Like, what would be the very first game in the RF timeline to start it all off. Or does this take place after RF:4. Are there more dragons we don’t know about? Is our goal to find baby versions of the previous 4 dragons? Does this game show the after effects of losing all 4 dragons? What is it? Personally, I would love this to be a game that is either a prequel to the very first Rune Factory game or shows off the after effects of the events in RF: 4.

Character Wants Requests Like I said before, I kind of want the request system from RF: 2. Sure we can a few some generic requests, but also, I would love to see requests based on the friendship levels of certain people. Maybe as time goes on, you get more and more personal request. Maybe this can also led to romances!

Returning Characters Pls You already stated this in-Yes, I know I put this in General/Plot, but I’m putting this here too. Yes, returning characters! Of course, I expect them to be like RF: 3 and 4, where they are shopkeeps, but also, it would be neat if certain returning characters ended up being romance choices or you could convince them to move into to town. As for character’s I actually hope return or make a cameo ( which a cameo seems for likely ) are Alicia, Ray, Giaus, and Margaret. Or maybe grown-up Cammy and Roy. Be cool to see them traveling together too ^v^.

Character Events It be cool to see character events for the townsfolk, be it a romance option or not. Really just a minor thing that I would like to see.

Befriending Divine Beings? Kind of like how you could befriend Venti in Rune Factory 4, it be cool to befriend divine beings in RF: 5. That is all.

Rivals Bring back rivals. They were really neat in Rune Factory 2. It be fun to attended your rival’s wedding, and either go “Congrats on the wedding” or steal their spouse. Right at the alter. Because you’re Mr or Mrs Steal your girl or guy.

Group Events Kind of like how in RF: 4 you got those sleep-over events and possibly more ( sleep over event is the only that comes to mind ). I want to see more of that. Image you and your friends eating lunch at the restaurant. Maybe you all have a sleepover at someone’s house. Maybe you can choose where the sleepover takes place or you all take turns on where the sleepover will be. Maybe you can a girl’s or guy’s night out. In the summer, maybe you and your closest friends go hang out at the beach. Stuff like that!

School and Kids This is probably an odd one, buuuut, can the kids go to school? Just having them sit around the house or maybe sometimes wander the town is..boring. And also makes me worry for their education. It be nice to see your child have their own schedule besides “ Wander town aimlessly”. Maybe they have dialogue based on school, and you have little events where you may have to deal with problems ( Kid got a bad grade and is upset, they got in trouble at school, they’re being picked on, etc ). Maybe they can bring friends home from school to play with! Really all I’m asking is not a repeat of Rune Factory 4′s kids. Please

Romance Wants Same-Sex Marriage It’s 2020. The newest Story of Seasons game as Same-Sex marriage in it, if I’m right. And you can kind of do it in Rune Factory 4 by changing Frey or Lest’s appearance to look like each other and then dating either a bachelor or bachelorette ( example, playing as Lest but changing into Frey, so Frey can date say Forte ). So why not? Just give us proper same-sex marriage, could open so many more possibilities for character interaction and so on. “But children chara-” There is something called adoption and after you and your romance option choice are married and want kids, you can adopt, problem solved on that.

Romance Option Events! Give us all the romance events! Pre-marriage, marriage, honeymoon, all of them! Just stuff that shows we are progressing with the romance, and then cute fluff stuff to show “Hey! There’s more to the marriage than just fluff and hugs” Although those are nice too.

Older Romance Options You know how in Rune Factory 4, everyone was kind of upset Bado wasn’t romanceable? Yea, can we not have that same mistake again? But in all seriousness, it would be nice to have older romance option, even if by older they are like late 20′s to early 30′s, it still would be nice for say players who are more in that age range and don’t want to marry 20 looking year old characters. 

Returning characters and romance?! You know how in RF: 3 and 4, you could build relationships with those characters and make them your buds? How about we romance some of them! Sure, I image it would a Yuu thing, and they would have to be traveling merchant, but in this case, it would be certain days you could find them and gift them stuff to romance them. But, you know, just a thought!

Hidden Options? Hidden Romance options! Romance options you didn’t expect. Maybe after doing a line of mission or requests, a new option comes to town. Maybe crawling through dungeons scores you a new love interests. Maybe dragons return and one turns into a human and you can know smooch their face, who knows! It would just be nice to have more hidden options, that a player wouldn’t know about until they did something, rewarding with a new character you could befriend or romance.

Okay, that is all for my wants. This is long as hell, I hope you have fun reading and it’s almost 5 am as I finish this.

[memescomicswriting]

In the Pursuit of Happiness Ch. 5

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Reader x Bucky, Reader x Steve

Warnings/genre: Very Angsty Chapter, a few bad words

Summary: Singer!Avenger. Raised by Sheild since the age of ten, Y/N grew up without everyday examples. She only saw how to be an agent. Though as a grown woman she has surpassed that mindset, she still faces challenges from her upbringing- like how to handle feelings, unrequited love, and interpersonal challenges. Set after similar plot points in Civil War, Y/N must face returning home after leaving during an uncomfortable time in her life and facing the consequences

A/N: This is my first series in the Marvel fandom. I hope you enjoy it. I always welcome feedback. It is appreciated. This story does not follow the traditional Marvel timeline. I mess with it to make the story work, so roll with me.

Y’all I wrote most of this chapter to Youngblood by 5 Seconds of Summer and Pompeii by Bastille. You’ve been warned.

Story Masterlist

You woke up incredibly early. To be fair, seven am wasn't early to most of the adult world, but for you it was. Yet you didn't feel tired. You had a strange, almost giddy and childish energy to you. Today, Steve was more than your friend, possibly best friend. He was simply more. After harassing Peter into an early morning workout with you, you were off to start the day. Peter, the cute mess he is, was not ready for sparring. Even extremely holding back, you kicked his little spider butt. You made up for it with the promise of chocolate chip pancakes.

"But can't we skip the green juice this morning?" Peter whined as you made your way to the common kitchen. "Uh, I promised Tony I'd care for you, and if he caught me feeding you junk twenty-four-seven he'd kill me and then proceed to helicopter parent you to his grave." You retorted. You pushed the swing door to the kitchen open and held it for Peter. "Besides, this morning proved to me that you need more of a natural energy boost." "Like you-" Peter stopped mid comeback, freezing, and rebooting like one of his inventions. "Good morning Mr. Captain Sir, and Mr. Bucky." He was flustered but continued to an open seat far away from the buddied grown men. "Hey, guys." You walked in with a collected air to you, despite your internal giddiness. You continued to the cupboards. "I was about to make some pancakes for Peter and I. Want some?" "No thank you-" Steve. "I'd love some-" Bucky. You whipped around to curiously glance between the two. Normally, taking food orders like this held nothing over you, but their estranged looks towards each other threw you for a loop. "Sorry, Yes." Steve. "Nevermind I guess." Bucky. You raised a brow at them both. They looked at each other in frustration. Normally, you could read Steve like a book, but with Bucky back he was acting strange. You had no into their century's worth of intricacies, inside jokes, understandings. It was weird and you didn't like it, but you'd get used to it. Maybe one day you'd be apart of it. "I'll just make a lot and whoever wants them can take them..." The caution in your voice caught their attention. However, you ignored them and made quick work of developing a pancake batter. Peter was engrossed with his phone, Steve with the Journal, and Bucky with the circuits of his arm. You cleared your throat and all three men perked up. "Peter wants chocolate chips. I planned on adding pecans and peaches to mine. Either of you want something else?" "Blueberries!" Bucky happily chirped. The excitement was evident in his voice. "Steve and I can't cook worth a damn. Hate to say it, but this is the first homecooked breakfast I've had in decades." You found his easy confession odd. Apparently, so did Steve. From your understanding, Bucky was the last to share due to his guarded nature. Steve told you that. Yet, Bucky readily shared with you last night. Maybe your closeness to Steve eased his reserve. "Then I'll have to make it extra special." You picked up the conversation before it became an awkward starring match. "Eggs, bacon, potatoes, sausage, the works." Before Bucky could protest, Peter spoke up for you and Steve. "I wouldn't if I were you." Then he went back to his phone. "When she sets her mind to something Buck, you can't change it." That was Steve, settling the debate. You shot him a bold smile. It was the first time you'd directed your gaze solely to him this morning. He squirmed under it which you found disheartening. "Did you want anything different?" You asked with a soft, hurt voice. His voice was soft. "No, what you're making is fine." There was something behind his eyes that you couldn't quite place. You were so confused. After months of pining, you'd said yes to him. Shouldn't he have the same electric energy as you? Breakfast passed quickly. It'd been a while since you cooked in this kitchen. Even longer since you cooked this much. Your other teammates came and went, taking the food that enticed them into the kitchen. Eventually, Bucky left and Peter followed after eyeing up Steve. Despite Peter's fear and intimidation, he cared more for you more than he worried what Steve thought of him. You promised him you hadn't forgotten to call your director friend at MIT, as a reminder that Peter and Ned were coming for their all-access tour. You had connections. Steve stood up to make his exit but your voice commanded him to stop. "Steve?" It was gentle but powerful. You could make yourself heard when you wanted to. He turned to face you, maybe nervous. He was the opposite of how you left him the previous night. "Y/N." Maybe it was the nerves or hurt that quickly flashed in a blaze of emotions over your face, but Steve turned to fully face you. He even took a step towards you. "Yes?" "Did- did something happen? Or are you upset at something? Maybe I'm overreading things, but I can tell when you're off..." You trailed off, refusing to look at him. If you had, you would've seen the hurt that crossed his face like it had traveled from you to him. "No, not at all!" It was a hasty correction. "Guess I'm just nervous." You looked up to find him sporting a fragile smile and he shrugged. Relief instantly pooled through you. "Oh." You returned his smile. "Um, so what time are we going out tonight, and what should I wear?" Steve opened his mouth to answer your question. At least that's what you thought. Then he quickly pressed his lips together and ticked his jaw. "Eight." He replied firmly. "And dress nice." You reached out and took his hand. You hoped it was simple nerves that overtook him. His stern voice reminded you of the Captain. You'd seen him switch into that role when he was uncomfortable. Steve froze, unresponsive. You placed his hand on your waist and stepped into him. He shifted, softened. "I do want this to work." You kissed his cheek and then walked passed him. He was left dumbfounded by your actions. -- Despite Peter's attempts to drag you with him to MIT, out of obvious disapproval, you managed to pass the afternoon with peaceful work and some much-needed rest before your date with Steve. After an hour of primping, worrying, scrubbing with soaps scented by lavender and bayberry, and everything else you moved on to makeup. You chose a simple look tonight, elegant and beautiful. You only enhanced your natural features. Steve always commented on how beautiful you looked when you did your makeup that way. You followed his directions and dressed nice. You picked out a caesious colored satin cocktail dress. It sinched your upper body like a corset but skirted below your waist. It stopped at your knee. It was the perfect combination of drawl and grace to match your subtle sexiness. Your hair was placed into gentle waves, with one side pinned back across your shoulder like a drape. You knew you looked stunning. Steve knocked on your door at exactly eight like you knew he would. You swung the door open to reveal yourself to him. You were closer to his height in your suede heels. Steve made an audible gasp. You'd heard it before, but tonight you were sure it was directed at you. He was in a tailored pair of blue slacks and a blazer. Under it, he had a patterned button-up shirt, but no tie. You looked stunning together. If you hadn't taken Steve's hand in yours and led him down the hallway you might have stood there with a dumbstruck Steve the entire night. Halfway down the elevator ride, he regained some of his composure. "You look gorgeous." He mumbled softly. You grinned. "So do you." The drive into the city was long and silent despite your efforts. Fifteen minutes into the thirty-minute drive you gave up on attempts to make conversation. When you arrived at your destination- a fancy restaurant called Sage, it was no different. You tried for conversation and you received polite but short replies. You tried to hide your disappoint the entire night, but you knew it slipped. You could see it when Steve reacted in defeat. You kissed his cheek as you said goodnight. He dropped you off at your door. Silent dismay lingered between you two. Yet, you told him that you had a great time and couldn't wait to do it again. You both knew if the date had gone well you would've continued it by changing into comfortable clothes and watching a movie together. Every 'friend outing' before ended that way. This date didn't. The next day awkward glances and silence followed you two everywhere you ran into each other. You both tried to prevent that from happening. Whenever someone asked how your date went, you lied and gushed over the fantasy you hoped it would have been. You were lying to all your teammates, even Peter. You did it so well everyone believed you. You were trained by Sheild to be a top spy, of course, your acting skills were great enough to trick even earth's mightiest. Days passed and you questioned Steve about your next date. He seemed startled by your question. That hurt you. He informed you about a flyer he'd seen for a hotel's five-course dinner for two. You said it sounded nice. He said he'd pick you up at eight again. That date went as well as the first. It became harder to hide your disappointment from your teammates with every failed date. Five failed dates passed. You planned on being head over heals by date five. You expected butterflies and nervous kisses that lingered into needy makeout sessions. You expected your friend Steve Rogers with the heat of your past flings. Instead, you received a dull, impersonal, and distant companion. Something was wrong. He was wrong. This was wrong. His reluctance was wrong. You wanted to know why. You stormed into his room, a month after he first asked you out. It was a rare occurrence where neither Peter nor Bucky lingered around your wing of the compound. You took the opportunity. "We need to talk." You declared. Steve jumped from his work desk where he'd been reviewing papers on the recent uptick in organized global crime. "Y/N." He wasn't angry but slightly startled and maybe nervous. "What about?" "The elephant in the room." You stated bluntly. When he continued to blankly stare at you with no recognition behind his eyes you clarified for him. "Our five failed dates." He couldn't have deniability now. His demeanor shifted with acceptance and disappointment. "Yeah, I know..." He tried to hide his eyes from you, looking away, turning his head but you refused to allow him to escape. You gripped his jaw and made him face you. "You wanted this. I tried. I gave you everything I could and you- your acting like a whole different man from the night you asked me. What the hell did I do to deserve this? I can't live with this storm cloud over you and me." Steve's eyes set on you and they shifted from wandering in dispute to fixated and darkening. Yet he held himself back, like always. You hated that quality in him. It was harder to take him halfheartedly than fully with the good and the bad. "I did want this." He retorted. 'Did' rang through your mind. 'Did' was past tense. It was in the past. "Maybe you didn't know me as you thought." His voice was monotone but he might as well have spat it at you. It hurt in that way. You needed to be strong. "What does that mean?"  Yet you were caving like an ill-supported wall. Steve never talked to you in this way and it made you crumble. "It's like you said." He continued. "You tried by giving everything you could. I guess it wasn't enough." What was this? Why was he being this mean and cold? You clenched your fists. He wouldn't see you break here if that's what he wanted. You'd fight for your clarity, so you'd know you did everything you could. "That's bullshit and you know it." You loomed over him, aggressive. Agitation was written across his face as you neared a line you rarely crossed. "That night, my bare minimum was more than enough for you and you were enough for me. Your lack of effort is what's not enough." Electricity danced behind you. Your energy was rising, but so was his. He shot up and a twinge of panic coursed through you. You crossed that line and you didn't know what would happen next. But it needed to be done. His frame blocked out the light coming from the window. His shadow swallowed you. "Months of waiting for a girl who doesn't want you, to come around isn't a lack of effort. It's more than what's deserved." Your heart broke with his words. It was strangled between his harsh tone and what he meant. He deserved more than what you gave. All the fears you tried to overcome in those three months battered you. "I left because I knew I couldn't be what you deserved." You were meek now. You'd abandoned your previous strength and determination for the hurt you felt. You refused to look at Steve. Maybe he softened as his tone suggested. Maybe he was simply quieter, but what he said next wasn't pointed. "You just didn't know how to love me as more than a friend." "What?" Your head shot up. Those words were too familiar. They were your words, and it clicked. Bucky. That night when Steve kissed you and didn't return; he and Bucky were discussing you, not some nightmare. "Oh, Steve..." You began, but he waved you off. "I get it. You tried for my sake, but this isn't what you wanted. Being with you in this way isn't what I wanted." He walked over to his door and opened it for you. Reluctantly, you followed. "There's no bad blood between us, Y/N, but it can't go back to how it was. It never could. You need someone who can make you happy and I need to get over you." You stared in disbelief, open-mouthed. "Steve..." His pleading eyes silenced you. "Let me go, Y/N. Do that for me. Let me go." He slowly closed the door and you didn't protest. Mysteriously, your feet moved with a mind of their own, taking you back to your room. Your body shifted into autopilot as your brain began its inward collapse. Once inside your bedroom, you shut and locked your door. Silent tears slipped down your checks as you slid down your door. You sat there until the light pouring into your room changed from the sun's rays to the moon's glow. You curled your legs to your chest, head buried in your lap until you could cry no more. Then you got up and went to bed.

---

A/N: Chapter 5! Y’all. this one was a heartbreak to write but it concludes phase one of the story! Let me know what you think about this fic so far. My asks and messages are open!

Reblog if you liked it!!!

What did you think of Y/N’s words being used against her like that? Should she or Steve fought harder for the relationship? What doors will open with this one closing? Are they done forever?

Also, let me know if you think I should share the songs I use to write my chapters!

[theartofbeinganerd]

I absolutely love your stories!!!! And blog!!!! Thank you for sharing them!!! I’m still heartbroken over the finale... would you be able to write a fun fic about Fitz and Deke remeeting where Deke interacts with Fitz before he sees anyone else from the team and he is unaware of what happened to the other Fitz so both are confused, then Jemma comes and is happy to see Deke didn’t blink out if existence, and upset that Deke didn’t even say goodbye before leaving. Just some fun family fluff! :)

Aww thanks anon!! :) There is a lil bit of angst in this, just because of the subject material, but the family feels are still very much there! :D

Also, I know I said that I’d be writing all of my prompts in order for the Summer of Writing, but I figured I’d switch it up a bit and throw in a s6 spec prompt every now and then. I’m sure that’s a lot of what you guys are wanting to read right now, anyway! 

(Ao3)

-

“Fitz!”

At the sound of his name, Fitz paused in hisexploration of their new base, the Lighthouse, whirling around and peering aroundthe corner of the hallway that he’d just passed by. There, he found a man that he’dnever seen before, grinning at him and waving, now picking up his pace to catch upwith him.

Unsure what to do, Fitz hesitantly stepped forward tomeet him, rubbing at the back of his neck as he tried to figure out how tohandle this. They’d been back at the Lighthouse for only a few hours now, andwhile Jemma was putting their things away in the bunk she’d said was theirs, he’ddecided to give her some time and have a more thorough look around – in thebrief amount of time that he’d spent there before cryo-freezing himself, hehadn’t seen much of the vast bunker at all.

Finally reaching him, the man, who had dark hair anda beard, greeted, “Hey! Where is everybody?”

Fitz briefly glanced at the empty halls around them,wondering if this man had made a mistake somehow or was talking to somebodyelse – even though that was a bit far-fetched, given that he had referred to him by name. “Uh…”

“I mean, I’ve been all over this place,” the mancontinued, seemingly not noticing Fitz’s obvious confusion or lack of response.He chuckled, patting Fitz on the shoulder and offering him a relieved grin ashe said, “I’m glad I found you, at least.”

“Everyone’s um…getting settled back in,” Fitz finallyreplied, eyeing the man warily and wondering just how much detail he should gointo. Obviously, he had to be involved with SHIELD somehow if he’d gotten intothe Lighthouse, and it was easy to deduce that he must’ve known the Fitzthat hadn’t made it out of Chicago, but thisFitz still had no idea who he was.

“Yeah, I actually stopped back in last week and no one washere,” the man went on, widening his eyes as he held out his hands helplessly. “Bigmission or something? I didn’t see anything on that…news thing you guys have.”

Fitz squinted at him slightly, making a bit of a face as heanswered simply, “Something like that, yeah.”

The man nodded sagely, agreeing easily, “Yeah, I thought so.And hey, great job on saving the world from falling apart, by the way.”

“Er…thanks,” Fitz muttered, even though he’d had nothing todo with that particular victory.

Suddenly, the man frowned, squinting at him in much the sameway that Fitz had been looking at him just moments ago. “You okay, man? You’reacting even weirder than usual.”

“Uh…”

“Deke?”

Jemma’s surprised, eager voice had them both turning, andFitz gave a silent sigh of relief to see her heading toward them. Clearly, sheknew who this guy was, and would be able to make this conversation (if it couldeven be called one) a lot less awkward.

“Jemma!” the man – Deke, apparently, which Fitz thought wasa rather strange name (but that didn’t mean much coming from a Leopold, did it?) – greeted her, a grinspreading across his face once more.

“Oh Deke, I’m so relieved to see you,” Jemma told him,stepping right up to him and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. “We weren’tsure what happened to you after we’d changed the timeline.”

Deke returned her embrace with only a brief second ofhesitation, admitting, “Yeah, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen either,for awhile there. Half expected that any moment, the world would crack apart,or I’d just disappear.”

Jemma stepped back, her smile still firmly in place – until hereyes narrowed in an expression that was veryfamiliar to Fitz. Then, she gave Deke’s shoulder a little smack, planting herhands on her hips. “I can’t believe that you didn’t even say goodbye before youleft! What if we’d never seen each other again?”

More than a little bemused by Jemma’s interaction with Deke,Fitz glanced back and forth between the two of them, the latter now lookingproperly chastised after her reprimand. “I know, I know, I’m sorry,” Dekesighed. “I just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, see as much ofthis world as I could before I lost my chance.”

“Wait,” Fitz cut in suddenly, causing both Jemma and Deke toturn and look at him, “you’re from the future? The one where the planetactually did break apart?”

Deke stared at him blankly, as though he’d just spoken in aforeign language, but Fitz noticed a flash of guilt crossing Jemma’s features.It was followed by a heavy sadness, then a brief resignation, only for herexpression to ultimately settle on determination.

“Um, yeah?” Deke said finally, glancing between Fitz andJemma, as though looking for some sort of answer as to what was happening. “You’veknown that for ages. What…what’s going on?”

Jemma released a quiet sigh, tucking a strand of hair behindher ear, and met Fitz’s gaze as she gestured toward Deke. “Do you remember whenI told you about…our grandson?”

Fitz, of course, remembered very clearly the briefconversation that they’d shared on the Zephyr just days ago, headed back towardEarth. He’d sensed that there was something she wasn’t telling him, something thatshe was holding back – more than just what he’d been told about them stoppingthe upcoming apocalypse, and then coming to wake him up.

But, he hadn’t pushed her on it, and had given her some timeand space, let her come to him when she was ready. After a bit, she’d done justthat, and had begun to explain everything that had happened while he’d been incryo-sleep, to explain about the version of him that had made it to the future,only to be lost after they’d returned to the present and saved the planet fromits impending doom.

She’d also mentioned them having a grandson that had comeback to the present with them, but she hadn’t gone into much more detail thanthat, let alone mentioned his name – and, well, Fitz had been in far too muchshock at the very idea to ask.

Quickly putting two and two together, Fitz turned to gape atDeke, looking at him with new eyes. This man was their grandson (well, their grandson from an alternate future, one wherehis future self hadn’t died and had instead lived to conceive his mother)? “This– he’s – our…?”

“Yes,” Jemma answered simply, taking a step closer andresting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“A bit, yeah,” Fitz replied a little absently, arching hiseyebrows and dragging a hand through his hair as he studied Deke. He didn’t look much like either of them (he didn’teven have an accent), and he wasdecidedly…strange, but that could just be because he was from a future where he’dspent his whole life in a bunker run by aliens.

“What is happening?”Deke finally burst out, throwing his hands up and shaking his head. “You’veknown that you were my grandparents since waybefore I left! Remember, you thought I was an annoying kid, and I thought youwere a grumpy old man? What, did you get your memory erased or something?” Whenneither of them spoke, his hands dropped to his sides and his eyes widened. Ina whisper, he asked, “Oh my god, did you really lose your memory?”

“I didn’t lose my memory,” Fitz told him flatly, folding hisarms over his chest and glancing at Jemma beside him, waiting for whatever hernext move was going to be. He didn’t really feel that it was his place to bethe one to tell Deke what had happened to the Fitz that he’d known, after all.

“Deke,” Jemma murmured, closing the space between them oncemore and placing a gentle hand on his arm, “there are some things that you…missed,after you left. Things that didn’t happen in previous loops.”

Deke frowned, his brow furrowing. “Well, yeah, because theplanet’s fine.”

“No, other things,” she corrected, shaking her head. “Fitzwas very brave, he helped Mack and May rescue Robin’s mother, who unfortunatelyhadn’t made it previous loops. But…”

She paused, and Fitz noticed her blinking rapidly to holdback the inevitable tears, and he watched as she briefly bowed her head in thegrief that was obviously still there, and likely always would be. Offeringsilent support, he slipped his hand into her free one, lacing their fingerstogether. Almost immediately, she gripped it tightly, gaining the strength tocontinue from him.

“But he was hurt very badly,” Jemma went on after a longmoment, raising her head to meet Deke’s confused gaze once more. “And…and he…wasn’table to survive his injuries.”

“What…” Clearly confused, Deke blinked, glancing at Fitzstanding right there beside her. He shook his head, obviously not comprehendingwhat she was telling him. “But he’s rightthere, I’m looking at him, I was talkingto him!”

“That’s where we were, why no one was at the Lighthouse,”Fitz explained to him, giving Jemma’s hand a supportive little squeeze.

“Fitz got to the future by putting himself in cryo-sleep,”she told Deke, “and when he…when we lost him, we took a trip out into space tofind the version of him that was asleep.” With that, she nodded her head towardFitz.

It took a moment, but then Deke’s grew wide and his mouthdropped open. He gaped wordlessly at Fitz for a beat, then slapped his handagainst his forehead, his voice rising as he asked incredulously, “Fitz died? He really just… And – and, this isa different Fitz? That’s why he doesn’tremember anything?”

“He’s not a different Fitz,” Jemma corrected, quicklyshaking her head, and Fitz had a feeling that she was so quick to correct himbecause it was something that she’d had to struggle with as well after losingthe version of him that she’d married, that she’d met Deke with, that she’dtried to stop the end of the world with. “He’s simply the Fitz that didn’tquite make it to the future to save us, because we weren’t there anymore.Really, he only lost a couple of weeks.”

“Yeah, I…I guess,” Deke agreed hesitantly, eyeing Fitz asthough he was now a stranger – which, in a way, Fitz supposed that he was.

And, with that in mind, Fitz cleared his throat and held outhis free hand to Deke. “Um…hey, I’m Fitz. I’m…your grandpa, I suppose. Nice tomeet you.”

Deke’s eyebrows rose slightly as he studied Fitz and hisoutstretched hand, but after a moment the corner of his mouth quirked upslightly and he took the offered hand, shaking it. “Deke. Where I come from, Iactually called you ‘Bobo’, but…let’s just stick to Fitz, okay?” He paused,then added, “And, nice to meet you too. Again.”

“Bobo?” Fitzrepeated to himself under his breath, making a face. He glanced at Jemma then,and was surprised to find that there were tears standing in her eyes, but thata content smile was spreading across her lips. It was one of the few, trulyhappy smiles that he’d seen on her face since he’d woken up to find thateverything had changed, to find that she’d been broken apart by losing himwhile he’d simply been sleeping through it all.

And, well, if the three of them being a family (albeit avery…unconventional one) made herthat happy, if it put that smile on her face, Fitz would gladly accept Dekewith open arms.

“Why don’t we head to control, see who else is around? I’msure they’ll be pleased to see that you’re alright, Deke,” Jemma offered, gesturingin the direction of the control center.

“Sure,” Deke agreed easily, following them as they beganheading down the hall. “Oh!” Suddenly elbowing Fitz lightly in the ribs, he pointedout, “Hey, you don’t remember it, but you promised to teach me how to playcatch.”

Frowning and narrowing his eyes slightly at Deke, Fitzasked, “I did?”

“Yeah, definitely. Like, after the whole ‘end of the world’thing was over, you said you’d be happyto show me.” Deke nodded emphatically, arching his eyebrows high on hisforehead. “So, when are you free?”

Slightly bewildered, Fitz glanced between Deke and Jemma,who was trying unsuccessfully to hide her amused laughter behind her hand.

Well, it looked like being a grandfather was yetanother item to add to the growing list of things that he was going to have toadjust to now.