#the sweetest darling!! hoped to help so much that in their next incarnation they became a guide???

[bangtan-madi]

Hiya! I just wanted to say I adore your writing style and the amount of effort you put into every request despite your busy daytime schedule. Thank you for making us all swoon! I was wondering if I could request a scenario for [Mystic Messenger], [ZEN]? I‘ve recently adopted a Siberian Kitten since that breed works well even with allergic people, and that got me thinking about MC convincing Zen to try being around a Siberian cat and perhaps eventually adopting one together?

You are the sweetest! Thank you so much for your kind words!! And this request? I literally died when I read it. So perfect for Zen, so thank you! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!!

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“MC, I just have one question for you.”

Zen crosses his arms and leans down to give you an intimidating (or what he thinks is intimidating, at least) look. With scarlet eyes narrowed, he scowls and continues to back you up until your back is against the wall of the shelter.

“Are you trying to kill me?”

You raise your hands in defense, a little chuckle slipping out as your boyfriend leans in closer. “It’s totally not what you think, Zenny, baby, darling, love of my life.”

Zen snickers bitterly at the pet names. “Calling me all those will get you nowhere, Jagiya. Not this time. This time, you’ve really done it. You’ve crossed the line.”

You offer him an awkward smile, something half-way between an apology and an excuse. “Just hear me out!”

The white-haired man thrusts one of his hands towards the building behind you. “You brought me to a freakin’ cat shelter, MC! Have you actually forgotten how allergic I am to these monsters? Just thinking about them is going to make me sneeze!”

“And your sneezes are so adorable.”

Zen’s scowl turns into an expression that, even wordlessly, says, “Really?”

“Right! Bad joke. Anyway, I promise this isn’t what you think!”

“Are there cats inside?”

“Well, yes…”

“Then why are we here?”

“Because these cats are special!”

Zen’s lips turn upwards into an evil grin. “Are they edible or something?”

You slap him on the shoulder and shove him off of you. “Dumbass. No, they’re Siberian cats! They’re special because they’re safe for people who are allergic to normal cats. You really thought I’d take you somewhere your face would swell up and you’d go into a sneezing fit?”

The pale man narrows his gaze at you again as he rubs his shoulder in mock injury. “Maybe, you have been spending too much time with Seven. You’ve picked up on his sadistic habits.”

Rolling your eyes, you grab Zen’s hand and drag him into the building. “I just want you to look at them, all right? Just to show you that not all cats are evil incarnate. They’re cute, too! You just can’t see that yet.”

“Yeah, it’s kinda hard to see when your face swells up like a balloon any time you’re near the damn things,” Zen mutters under his breath.

Choosing to ignore his smart-ass comment, you pull Zen behind you and enter the shelter with wild enthusiasm. You’ve been in contact with the shelter owner for a few weeks and have been setting up this little rendezvous for a while. Getting Zen there was the hard part, but now that he is, you’re hoping that his mind can be changed.

The shelter owner shows you to the room where they let the newborn kittens incubate. They look so tiny and helpless in the little boxes. Swaddled in blankets and kept warm by the machine’s light, you can’t help but smile at the furry little creatures.

Zen looks uncomfortable, to say the least. He looks down at the kittens, trying to keep an open mind for your sake. He sees how excited you are to be around cats, and knows you’d grown up with them your whole life. It was something you’d given up when you and he became a couple, because you knew that having a cat around someone with allergies as bad as his wasn’t an option.

The more he thinks about it, and the more excited you get, the further the guilt creeps up on him. He knows you’ve given up a lot to be with him. Moving in together caused you to have to change jobs and schools. Being a couple in his small apartment meant that both of you had to downsize, and getting a cat that you so wanted wasn’t going to happen. Even if you’d never admit it, Zen knows you sacrificed to be with him.

The shelter owner leads you both to the next room, where the adoptable kittens are being kept. The entire room is covered with them. Their mews echo throughout the space and half a dozen of them attack Zen’s shoelaces upon his entry. Even if cats aren’t his favorite, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t find them amusing…and maybe a little cute, too.

It surprises him to see that there aren’t many adult cats. “Siberian cats are extremely popular due to the fact that people with allergies can tolerate them,” the owner tells him when he says his comment aloud. “We’re glad that we don’t have many adults. We have a few, but we’re confident they will find homes soon.”

“Who’s been here the longest?” you ask.

The owner sighs and points to the little white cat in the back of the room. She’s older than the rest, barely two years old, you find out. When she looks over towards you and Zen, he can’t help but smile when he notices her eye color is the same as his.

“Her name is Mai. She’s been in and out of homes ever since she was a kitten. It’s always a struggle to adopt out animals born with albinism. The red eyes and white fur tends to freak people out. I think the combination is charming, and it’s so rare, but it seems the past few families thought she was too scary or ugly to keep. They always bring poor Mai back.”

You make an “Awww,” sound, but Zen can’t help it as his feet take him closer to the little cat. She’s small, but definitely not a kitten. He kneels down in front of her and waits for her to move. When she does, she rubs up against his knee and purrs contentedly.

Zen smiles and glances to you over his shoulder. Your smile is even wider than before, and you know you were right to bring him here.

“We’ll take her.”

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Sometime later, after the papers are signed and you’ve taken Mai back to the apartment, you walk into the living room to a sight that makes your heart sing. Lying on the sofa, passed out on his back, Zen sleeps soundly with Mai curled on up his chest. Both he and the little albino cat are humming softly as they breathe evenly. 

You cover your mouth to keep your giddy squeal from making any noise. It’s just about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, both Zen and the new addition to your family taking a mutual cat-nap.

“Well, that didn’t take long now, did it?”

[honeylikewords]

Ok, how about what are your favorite Marvel movie characters from the MCU? Is that narrowed down enough?

Yep, that should be more workable! So, I’m also going to count the Netflix shows and the Sony-Marvel movies as part of the MCU, just because otherwise none of my actual super-duper favorites would be on this list. 

So, without further ado, here we go!

1. Miguel O’Hara.

LOOK, CAMEOS COUNT, OKAY? Miguel is my favorite MCU character because I’m Predictable and In Love. And though his scene was short, I adore him. Fingers crossed for more of him in the MCU and more of that lovely, cute voice he’s got! And please, please let him take off his mask in the next movie. I’m dying to see what he looks like in the Spider-Verse style! In short, I adore Miguel. I really do. Even if he never shows up in the MCU again, he’ll always have me wrapped around his little finger, devoted.

2. Peter Parker.

All versions of Peter Parker, pretty universally, are the sweetest, kindest, humblest, funniest, and most down-to-earth guys ever. I have so much love for Peter Parker in all his incarnations, and he holds a very special place in my heart. There’s a reason why he’s one of the most famous, popular, and long-lasting Marvel characters ever, and why there were movies about him long before the superhero movie genre became even a thing. We love you, Peter, to the moon and back! 

3. Miles Morales.

So, yeah, my top three are Spider-People, but can you blame me? Their storytelling is so special and unique, and always so grounded in reality and about being heroes even when we come from nothing. Miles Morales’ MCU debut in Into The Spider-Verse is, without a doubt, the greatest ever in Marvel history. I have so, so much love for Miles, and everything he does makes me smile, makes me proud, and makes me believe in the goodness of myself and the people around me. He’s the best!

4. Sam Wilson. 

.Humorous, strong-hearted, and handsome, Sam Wilson has it all. The infinitely superior Captain America, I love Sam Wilson and have since that first scene between him and Steve. He’s so genuine and kind, while also being strong and commanding. He knows how to lead and how to take orders, how to stand up to authority and how to trust that he’s being led by wise people, so he has this wonderful, balanced head on his shoulders, and a fantastic sense of humor to boot. I’m so excited for Falcon and Winter Soldier (despite not actually liking Bucky Barnes), and I’m really happy to see Sam take on the iconic status of Captain America. You deserve it, darling.

5. Foggy Nelson.

This guy has been put through the wringer, but remains such a gentle, charitable, kind spirit. I love Foggy Nelson for doing his damnest every single day to try and help his fellow human beings, and for remaining hopeful, hilarious, and heartfelt in all he does. He’s so giving and so strong, so sensitive and so willing to share. He’s open and talkative, clever, intelligent, and emotionally mature. I love him to death, and I wish there were lots more characters like Foggy Nelson, and a lot more love for him in the world.

6. Thor, Post-Ragnarok.

Okay, full transparency: I fucking HATED Thor. I really hated his guts. Everything about him bothered me, from his faux-Shakespearian speech to his hair (and bleached brows?) to his weird relationship with women to his fixation on Loki and being ‘the best’. It was all gross chauvinistic bullshit, in my opinion, so I eschewed him entirely. I can’t honestly remember watching any of the Thor movies (and I think I entirely missed Dark World), but then came Ragnarok. And I knew I had a new favorite.

What can I say? I love a good, dumb, well-intentioned golden retriever of a man. I still have some issues with how he’s written sometimes, but, largely speaking, I think he’s great now that Ragnarok has come along and Marvel has allowed Thor to have some fun and a better sense of humor and playfulness. He’s a smart dumb jock, and is relentlessly kind, something I always appreciate. Cheers!

Also Taika Said Gay Rights And Thor Is At The VERY LEAST Bi According To The Taika-Verse And I Only Listen To Taika So. Gay Rights, Babey!

 7. Oh And Also, Grandmaster.

He counts. He counts. I love Grandmaster. No irony, no bullshit, nothing except pure love. He’s fantastic and funny and I love him. I’m sure we’ll see no more of him in the MCU, but [Casablanca voice] we’ll always have Ragnarok... 

8. Scott Lang.

The MCU wallows too much in seriousness and muscle-men and ‘who’s the strongest’ contests. Scott Lang eschews all of that and just has fun. He’s a gentle, dedicated father, an intelligent, creative con-artist, and a hell of a close-up magician. All the Ant-Man movies are such genuine, real fun that it’s hard to have a bad time watching them. I’m so happy they got Paul Rudd for the part, because I just know I wouldn’t love Scott as much if it wasn’t for Paul and that famous schnoz of his. World’s Greatest Grandma indeed.

Honorable Mention to Spider-Ham for being the absolute funniest thing the MCU has ever created. Oh my god.

And that’s sort of about it! I like a lot of them, but for me to really love a character, they have to stand out to me as someone of genuine goodness, kindness, and, honestly, levity from all the dark, brooding anger of the MCU, which has me largely burned out (see: why I didn’t watch Endgame). A recurring trope with a lot of these characters is that they’re the relief characters, the sillier ones, the gentler ones. I love them for that.

So, if I’ve forgotten anyone, it doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t love them or they’re not a favorite, I just might’ve blipped over them while trying to remember, well, the whole host of the MCU!

Thanks for asking!