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an-absolute-travesty · 4 years

Text

Smokey Skies and Pretty Fires

Hecking FINALLY

This took like a whole ass month my dudes

There was no prompt, just some good ol self indulgent marelinh :) (that started as a joke but-)

About: Marella x Linh, vigilante arsonist/fire fighter au

Word count: ~4,250

Tag list: @cadence-talle @ruewen-and-rising @lemontarto @a-lonely-tatertot @clearlykeefitz @percabetn @vibing-in-the-void-deactivated2 @sewersewersewercouch @everyonehasthoughts @imaramennoodle @enbies-and-felonies @blxckh0les42 @rainbowtay-11 @callas-starkflower-stew @impostertamsong @appalyneinstitute1 @stars-and-splendor @anna-without-an-e @mistythegirlfluxmess @we-have-no-bananas-today @we-wont-dissapear

Warnings: corrupt governments, fire, swearing

Linh bent down, examining the ash that covered the ground.

Some of the structure still remained, but very little of it. This was intentional, and the perp knew what they were doing.

The long string of arson incidents on government buildings was getting to be too much. At first, Linh didn't mind much. No one was ever hurt, the files inside were saved and released to the public, no fire ever spread to other buildings. But as a fire investigator and, due to her hydrokinesis, a firefighter it was getting kind of annoying. She had better things to do with her time.

She felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey Song, come over here for a minute."

It was her boss. She, obviously, followed.

"Chief Zaldo."

They nodded.

"I have a special assignment for you. We've gotten word that the arsonist may be attacking the courthouse next. We need you to scope out the place and put out the fire."

"Not stop the fire?"

"No. These people, or this person, might be dangerous. Just put it out, don't engage. Try to catch their face."

Linh nodded. She...wasn't great at taking orders, but she could try.

"Do you know when this is happening?"

"Three days. We hope to get more details soon."

"Who's your source?"

"Confidential information. Now go back out there, the folks will get suspicious soon."

"They don't know?"

"You ask a lot of questions, Song,"

"I have the right. Are...are you sure something bad won't happen, Chief?"

Zaldo sighed.

"No. No, I'm not."

~*~

Linh sat in the parking lot of the building next to the courthouse in the most nondescript car she could obtain.

... That being her own. The higher ups didn't exactly give her department the most funds. That went straight to the police sector. She stared at the news on her phone as reports came in of a protest across town. If she wasn't stuck in a stuffy government provided position she'd be down there with them.

She looked out the window once again. So far there were no signs of the arsonists yet.

She sipped on her mostly milk coffee. This seemed like it was going to be a long night.

~*~

At nearly three a.m. Linh awoke to a warm glow outside her car.

Shit.

Her orders from the Chief Had been forgotten completely. Without hesitation, she sprung from her seat and looked around frantically for the culprit.

There. A small figure was running away from the blaze. Linh chased.

"Hey! Kid! Get back here!"

The figure kept running. She couldn't blame them. She would too.

Luckily she was significantly taller than the person and caught up quick. It was probably very ill-advised, but she tackled them to the ground.

So much for "do not engage."

In the light of the still raging fire she saw that the apparent arsonist was a girl. She was about Linh's age with blonde hair and pretty eyes and-

CHRIST! LINH, SHE'S A SERIAL ARSONIST, GET IT TOGETHER.

Linh shook off her brief moment of lesbian brain fog.

"Who are you and why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same." the blonde girl looked in her eyes with a challenge.

"Only one of us was just caught in the act. You're going to jail."

"Am I?"

In one swift movement the girl shifted so she was on top of the pin.

"Welp, I'm going to head out now. Good luck with that fire."

She got up. Linh was still frozen in place as she ran away.

She turned around mid run and paused.

"Oh, the name's Marella. Not Mare, not Ella, no nicknames. Make sure you tell the papers that."

With a wink she was gone.

~*~

Linh sat in the Chief's office, twiddling her thumbs until they got there.

She had put out the fire that night. In fact, a lot of the structure of the courthouse was saved. When she came into work the next day she was welcomed with a warm applause.

When they walked into the room, she stood respectfully. Before she could greet them, they started talking.

"Song, how'd it go? Did you get any info?"

"Um...no, no I didn't. They must've run the other way."

"Dammit. That's okay. The fire's out, that's what matters. The cops can do the rest."

"Yeah, I guess." Linh couldn't meet their eyes.

~*~

Marella looked over the morning paper with disappointment.

"What's up?" Sophie said as she peered over her shoulder.

"They didn't even mention the fire, I made it extra dramatic and everything."

"Oof, guess we have to try again."

"Ugh." Marella flicked her wrist and set the paper to flame, it turned to ash as it hit the floor, "I'm so tired of these assholes. Peaceful protests don't work, aggressive protests don't work. These council bitches are stubborn. Our requests are reasonable, but nooooooo. Can't even let us have a real say in who controls everything."

Sophie hummed noncommittally.

"Like I said, we have to try again. Fill the skies with smoke, they have to notice eventually. Just like Forkle always tells us. Oh, and it's your turn to empty the dishwasher today by the way, Biana said she would put them all in your bed if you forget again,"

Marella waved her off, returning to her black coffee.

~*~

The next day, Marella went through the same motions as usual. She had leaked where she would be lighting up again, the first time was a risk but if all their cops were like the last she'd be perfectly fine.

And if it was the same cop...more than perfectly fine.

As she hauled the boxes of files out of the city hall she noticed a particular car sitting in the parking lot.

Guess she would see her favorite officer today.

Soon after the blaze started building, the woman got out of her car. Marella didn't run away this time, rather walked towards her.

"Lovely night isn't it?'

"You again."

"The one and only." Marella turned to her blaze. "Strangely beautiful, don't you think?"

"Yeah... I mean no- I mean-" The woman sighed. "Why are you doing this?"

Marella shrugged. "Well, it's simple. Peaceful protests seem useless at the moment so we're taking a more hands-on approach."

"No, why are you doing this? Not this...group, if there is one, why are you risking your freedom for this?"

"What freedom?"

Marella walked to her car. As she drove away she saw a large wave come from the fire hydrant, putting out the building in one go.

~*~

As Linh walked into the office, Zaldo already sat at their desk.

"Song, did you find anything this time?"

"No, I didn't, I'm sorry."

They sighed, putting their face in their hands.

"Song, I'm giving you one more chance. You're clearly determined, and to me the stealth angle seems best. But if this fails? We're going to the police,"

"Yes, Chief."

With a nod they gave permission for her to leave. She stood in the hallway for a moment, knowing what she had to do next but not knowing if she had the courage to do it.

~*~

Linh stood at the house's front door. She had chased down arsonists and saved kids from blazing fires and yet this was still the scariest thing she'd ever done.

She rang the doorbell. Maybe he wasn't home. Maybe she wouldn't have to do this.

The door opened.

In front of her stood the grown-up form of the teenage boy she had left Tam as. He still had his trademark silver bangs, apparently he hadn't cut his hair very much since they were kids. She had gotten rid of the silver long ago, dyed hair doesn't go over too well in the corporate world and her shoulder-length bob was much more practical than her long hair.

"Hello,"

"Long time no see," Tam's voice had an annoyed sound to it. "Came here to tell me 'Tam! You shouldn't mess around with that Black Swan stuff! They might be dangerous!' Again?"

Tam's impression of her voice was crude, unfortunately that was a direct quote from the last time they had talked right before their falling out. He always could hold a grudge.

"Well, um, actually, uhh... I mean sort of,"

Tam sighed.

"You know what? Whatever,"

He brought her into a tight hug.

"Come in, lecture me as much as you want, I'm not risking another 8 years without talking to the only family I have left,"

"I'm sorry about that, by the way," She said, crossing through the door and sitting on the couch.

"It's ok, you tried to make contact, I was being the asshole."

"I love you, asshole,"

"I love you more, dumbass. Now, go ahead and get your lecture started while I make us some coffee."

"Look, that arson stuff that's going on. Is that...you guys?"

He stopped mid coffee ground scoop.

"Considering you're with the government, it doesn't seem wise for me to confirm or deny,"

"Tam, I'm trying to help I swear. I just wanted to say that if it is then you should stop, I can only buy time for so long before the police are brought in,"

He put his hand on the counter, back still facing her.

"Are you threatening to call the cops? Well, we're not going to stop. It's not our fault that after years of our society abusing you, you decided to help it,"

"Tam I-"

"No. We've fought too long for what we want and you've worked too hard to make everyone forget you had a twin. I think it's best if you leave, Linh. Fitz is going to be home soon and he's heard too much to be fond of you."

"Fitz?"

"My boyfriend. Should be husband by now but your dear councillors aren't letting that happen any time soon."

"Tam, please, it's not like that I-"

"Please go. Right now. You know where to find me."

Linh nearly said something else, she wanted to argue, wanted to make sure she wouldn't lose her brother again.

Instead, she left without another word.

~*~

Linh stood outside the back of the new makeshift city hall (which was just an old fire department building repurposed) anxiously tapping her foot, waiting for Marella.

Soon enough a car pulled up and the petite woman got out of her car.

"Heya! You're waiting for me this time, that's new. What changed?"

Linh sighed.

"Look, you have to cut this stuff out. I- the police-"

"I don't care about the police. Lock me up, you have me right here officer,"

She extended her wrists straight out, offering to be handcuffed.

"I'm not a cop,"

"Really? Are you just an excitable citizen then? I thought you were just absolute shit at your job,"

Linh cracked a small smile but repressed it quickly.

"I'm a fire investigator...okay technically I'm just a firefighter but they needed more people,"

Marella cocked her head to the left.

"So none of this is even part of your job? You get paid more right?"

"Well no but-"

The girl opposite of Linh doubled over in laughter.

"Oh gosh lady you're just as bad off as the rest of us! No wonder you haven't done anything to stop us. Speaking of, scoot over, I have a fire to start,"

"No. Like I was trying to say you have to knock this off. They were trying to be stealthy but since I haven't given them any information they're sending in the cops if I don't get anything this time."

"You're trying to save my ass?"

Linh felt her face start to burn.

"Well um..."

"What's your name Miss Not-Even-A-Fire-Investigator?"

Linh sighed.

"It's Linh. Linh Song."

"Song? Like..." She trailed off, thinking for a moment. "No fucking way. You're the sister Tam always talks about. You know, putting me in cuffs won't do any harm to your brother, I'm no snitch."

"Tam has made it very clear he doesn't want my protection,"

"Why are you doing this then? You're risking your job, your...everything really,"

"I don't know,"

There was a tense silence. Marella stared her down, it was like she could see right through her into her soul.

"Linh, let me into the building,"

Linh didn't know why she moved. She didn't think she ever would know.

But she watched wordlessly as the files were taken out, loaded into a car, and then Marella walked a decent way from the building and tossed a ball of fire.

The building went up quick. It felt wrong to just stand there but...the fire was very pretty.

Soon enough Marella joined her in watching the blaze. They were wordless for a good while.

"We should get out of here soon. Someone's bound to notice the smoke," Linh was starting to get anxious.

"We? You don't have to wait for me, Linh. You have your own car,"

"Yes, I know,"

They were silent for another minute.

"Tam talks about how much he misses you, like a lot. Normally when he's drunk but still. He'd um... I think he'd like it if you um..."

"Yeah..."

Linh thought. And then she thought some more. What did she have to lose? She didn't have friends, or family, she went home every day to a mediocre apartment she could barely afford. She was underpaid and overworked.

"I want to join you,"

"You know, you said it yourself, you're risking your freedom,"

"What freedom?"

Marella smiled.

"Well, in that case, go home and get your things packed up. Meet me at the diner on 5th street tomorrow at noon. You might want to quit your job, we don't need a missing persons case on our hands."

"Be honest, is this a bad idea?"

"It depends how much you have going for you, but considering you're willing to run off to an undisclosed location with an arsonist I'm guessing you don't have much to lose. No offense," Marella looked panicked at what she said.

"None taken. Don't worry, I'm on my own. No wife and children or anything."

"Same,"

A siren wailed a few blocks away.

Marella smiled again. Wow, her smile was beautiful.

"Welp, see you tomorrow,"

"Yeah,"

Linh watched her walk away, a dorky grin on her face the whole time, before realizing she should probably get out of there before the police caught up.

~*~

The next day, Linh stood in the parking lot of the small diner. The only things with her a small backpack and a crate with Princess Purryfins, her murcat, inside. She didn't even take her car, rather walking the whole way.

Soon enough, a familiar car pulled up next to her and Marella got out.

"Is that it?" Marella pointed to her bag.

"Yep, like I said, no wife and kids or anything,"

"Yes but most people have, I don't know, clothes?"

"Swiftly changing the subject, I have a couple questions,"

"Shoot,"

"Since I'm not working anymore, how...exactly will I stay, y'know, alive and fed?"

Marella laughed. Linh knew that even if her answer was 'you won't, we live in the woods and you're our next dinner' Linh would still follow her if she was promised she'd hear that laugh again.

"Well, frankly I shouldn't be saying this in a public space, but we have allies in high places. They fund us,"

Linh nodded as if she understood fully.

"Any other questions?"

"None worth asking,"

"Cool, ready to go?"

Linh nodded again, tongue-tied from anxiety.

~*~

Nearly an hour later, they pulled up to a building in a rural part of the county. It seemed cozy enough, plenty land to be a farm though there were no animals. A small pond out to the side of a cabin that had clearly been added onto to make significantly larger.

As they walked up to the door, Marella pulled out an odd key with a swan insignia painted on the grip.

"Here is your new home for...as long as you choose to stay. You can always go out and get your own house if you want, but only paid with cash and no renting. We have to stay off the grid as much as possible,"

Linh just nodded again.

"You've been quiet," Marella pointed out.

"Yeah I'm just...it's been a lot,"

"I know, I'm sorry, you can still turn back,"

Linh shook her head.

"No, I'm committed now. I already sent the letter quitting my job,"

Marella gave her a sympathetic look.

"Alright, your room is down the hall, third to the left. I'll be upstairs if you need me. We're having a meeting tonight over dinner, then you can see everyone,"

Linh smiled politely, but started tearing up when she was left to find her room. What was she doing? Getting involved with an illegal organization against the government.

Ah the extents she would go to for a pretty girl. And nice. And funny. And smart.

Ugh. Cute girls would be the death of her.

~*~

Marella tapped her fingers on the table, waiting impatiently for the meeting to start.

Most people were there and she had introduced Linh to them.

Well, everyone but Tam and Fitz, who weren't there yet like the late-ass bastards they were.

Marella sat right next to the very quiet Linh, she seemed completely resigned about the whole ordeal. It had to be a very strange day for her.

Forkle stood up at the head of the table, tapping a glass with his dinner knife as if to get everyone's attention, even though the room was mostly silent.

"Good evening everybody! Today we have been joined by the lovely Ms. Song. Unfortunately we have not been blessed by the appearance of her brother as is usual of him."

Marella and the rest of her colleagues chuckled, Linh didn't.

As if on a timer, the door opened.

"Well speak of the devil," Forkle said, turning around to peer at the men in the doorway.

Tam's eyes went wide at the sight of Linh. He quickly ran over and scooped her into a hug.

Their conversation was quite long and very quiet, even for someone right next to them. All Marella caught was "I promise I won't leave again, I love you asshole," Linh came away with a slight sparkle of tears in her eyes.

After they broke apart, Forkle continued.

"Okay, now that we're done with that sweet moment, it's time for the boring stuff. It'd come to our realization that we can't continue on as we have been. We need something new to grab their attention. Anyone have a suggestion?"

The table was silent.

"Ms. Song? Perhaps you're more diligent than these kids,"

"We're very much adults, thank you very much," Keefe piped up.

"Mr. Sencen, when was the last time you changed the oil in your car?'

"...touché,"

Forkle sighed, and after a moment Linh started talking.

"I was thinking...all this fire stuff probably isn't great for the environment and stuff. And, well, water should work just as well. But, I mean, I don't want to impose-"

Squall cut in. "Ms. Song that's a great idea, we can cause just as much destruction with less harm and throw them off,"

Everyone around the room nodded their agreements and Marella nudged Linh's arm.

"See? You're fitting in already, nothing to worry about,"'

Linh smiled.

~*~

Linh sat at the edge of the pond, making small ripples in the water and looking at the fish. A toad croaked in the distance.

She didn't know if she was supposed to be out here, or if there were any rules at all. It didn't seem so, of all the people she'd met so far they treated this base like their home.

She felt a tap on her shoulder that made her nearly jump out of her skin. When she turned around she was expecting Tam or someone on their 'Collective' or whatever. Turns out, it was just Marella. She sat next to Linh on the bank.

"Told ya' everything would go fine,"

"You told nothing of the sort,"

"I was thinking it,"

Linh chuckled. "Yeah, it was fine,"

"So, what's your first impression of the gang?"

"Sophie and Dex seem nice, I'm a bit concerned for Keefe's car's health, I don't think Fitz likes me very much..."

"They can take some getting used to,"

"Mhm," Linh mumbled before they fell back into silence.

"So..." Marella said after a while. "Do you think you'll stay? Here at the base I mean,"

"For a bit. I don't exactly have an apartment anymore and this is way better than the one I had anyway. Just until I can get back on my feet by myself,"

"You can really stay as long as you'd like. Most people have their own homes but quite a few stay here. Sophie, Biana, and I do, at least,"

"Then maybe I'll stay a while,"

"I'd like that,"

Linh felt Marella's body heat get a lot hotter just then. She couldn't quite see in the moonlight but she guessed she was...blushing?

"I um... I was thinking um...that...um," Marella seemed to continue to heat, Linh was concerned she was going to catch fire. "I was thinking that maybe we could um...go out sometime? I- I mean as a date, o-or as friends if you don't-"

"I'd love to,"

Marella sighed in relief. "I didn't expect that to go well, honestly,"

Linh laughed. "Well, how does tomorrow at 8 sound? We can go to that pottery place on 2nd street, I think they mostly do kid's birthdays but that's never stopped me before,"

"Sounds great, it's a date,"

"It's a date,"

Linh almost just got up but hesitated for a moment. She quickly pecked Marella on the cheek before going back to the house as fast as possible. She almost thought she saw the light of a fire in the corner of her eye.

~*~

The beep-like news theme comes on followed by the announcer.

"Tonight on the 7 o'clock nightly news with Jennifer Watson"

The woman on T.V. straightens her papers.

"The two silvered-hair bandits known as the "Trouble Twins" by the public are still escaping the police's grasp. They have flooded two government buildings this week and don't seem to be intending to stop any time soon. They claim all they want is to have a proper negotiation with our lawmakers. Will the council respond to these vigilantes? Or will they continue to let our buildings be destroyed? And coming up next, this video of Bobo the panda has the internet going wild-"

Marella turned off the T.V. and slouched further on the couch. She bit into her apple, unamused.

"Babe, you have to be patient. We're getting closer, Councilor Oralie said she was going to introduce the idea of negotiation, it'll be ok,"

Linh's words helped but Marella was still unsure.

Linh sat back on the couch and nudged her.

"There's nothing to worry about, c'mon, give me a smile,"

Marella couldn't help but grin at the dork she called her girlfriend.

"There it is! Dinner will be ready in like...5 minutes so," Linh took away Marella's apple, "Then we can go meet up with Tam to fuck up the Tribunal Hall,"

"Sounds like a lovely night,"

Linh laughed.

"I love you, you know that?"

"We do say it to each other quite often,"

"Yes but I don't know," Linh looked down at her lap. "It's been almost a year and... I guess I thought I'd regret joining you guys at some point but I never have,"

"Well, I am quite charming,"

"She says, as she slowly slides off the couch,"

Indeed, Marella was now halfway to the floor. Linh just laughed.

~*~

"Order in the court!" Councilor Emery slammed down the gavel.

Bronte rolled his eyes. Ever since they decided to cut the telepathic communications (Emery's migraines were getting bad) he had been using that stupid thing.

"Today the council will be voting on one thing, are we willing to listen to the Black Swan's pleas? Or do we attempt to wrangle them?"

Everyone around the room scratched on their piece of paper with the old-fashioned and unwieldy fountain pens. Bronte already knew what his vote would be, he had many conversations with the Forkle brothers in the past, now down to one. It was an easy decision.

Once all the votes were in the box, Emery started counting. He sighed.

"And, with a close vote of 7 to 5, we will be attempting to negotiate with the vigilante group," He pounded the gavel again. "Meeting adjourned,"

Oralie gave Bronte a thumbs up from across the room. He rolled his eyes again, but fondly this time.

~*~

BAM BAM BAM.

The gavel was loud, Linh didn't like it, her anxiety was high enough that day, the stimulation of it all was too much.

Marella gently held her hand under the table.

"Order in the court!"

Sure, "court", not like they were sitting in the community center because they hadn't managed to rebuild the actual places of court yet, not at all.

"Today we have gathered to discuss many things. First, on the agenda is discussing giving citizens the right to vote as a democracy. Then, the details of a possible police reform and redistribution of funds. Finally, on what the current legal definition of marriage is, and the possibility of changing that."

Tam caught Linh's eye from across the room, he nodded at her.

Now, the real fight began.

#kotlc fic #marelinh #marella redek #linh song #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #hnng this took so long if it flops ill cry i think

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kitweewoos · 3 years

Note

Don't tell me, I don't want to know. bobo + deke goodness please

Fitz found Deke outside as the party downstairs was getting started, a going away party for Fitz, Jemma, and Alya as they headed for their new home. He was sitting on the lawn, staring out over the lake beyond, the sunset reflected in his grey eyes.

“What are you doing out here?” Fitz asked, looking at Deke’s back. “Didn’t feel like partying?”

“No, not really. I mean, I’m glad you guys are getting out, and have a home to go to, but you know, it feels a little like I’m losing you. That’s all.”

“You won’t lose us,” Fitz said immediately, because that much he knew was true at least. “We’ll be a flight away if you need us, and you’re always welcome in our home, you know.”

“I know, but you’re right here. You’re home with me. I know it’s better for you, and especially Alya, that you leave, and I’m not trying to stop you, but I will still miss you.”

“I know. I’ll - you know, me too,” Fitz said, sitting down. “We won’t be far, though, and we’re still family, no matter the distance.”

“Yeah.”

“Besides, you’ll probably be so busy with Trevor and missions that you won’t even know we’re apart.”

Deke was quiet, and it was so unusual that Fitz let the silence sit. In the years he’d know Deke, it was not a common thing for Deke to let a moment of peace live, so he let it last, let it linger between them, comfortable and soft.

[read the rest below or on ao3]

“I think I want to ask Trevor to move into my bunk,” Deke finally said.

“You do?”

“Yeah,” Deke said, playing with his hands nervously in his lap. “I can’t imagine life without him now. When we went on that last mission, and Freddie kissed me, I remember thinking this isn’t Trevor, this isn’t right. I only want Trevor for the rest of my life, and it’s probably too soon to ask him to marry me, but I want to show him that I want him, and I’m serious about our future together.”

“That’s a good step,” Fitz replied. “And you’re sure about this?”

“Yeah, no, absolutely. I’ve never been so sure about anything. I want to wake up beside him every morning, and I want to go to bed with him -”

“Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know,” FItz said quickly, afraid that he’d say something that he did not want to know about, like his grandson’s sex life. It was bad enough he’d heard Deke refer to him and Jemma having sex as bumping lemons.

“Not like that, Bobo,” he said, clearly scandalized that Fitz might mention it, which was bizarre given that Deke was known to use the phrase bumping lemons! But at least he was glad they were on the same page. “I mean, I want to cuddle at night, you know, hold him and make sure that he’s alright. I almost lost him when the Chronicoms attacked, and I can’t - I can’t lose him, Bobo.”

“You won’t.”

“What happens when there’s a, another robot attack, or some Inhuman tries to blow up or enslave the world? What if he gets caught up in the next invasion and gets hurt again, or worse? What if I lose him without him knowing that I love him?”

“Oh, he knows, Deke.”

“How can you be sure?”

“He knows,” Fitz assured him. “I see the way he looks at you, and the way you look at him. He knows. But you should ask him to move in. I think that would be good for you.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, of course. Sleeping next to Jemma all these years has been really good for us, it’s brought us closer together and it is really nice, I have to admit, going to sleep against her and waking up with her still in my arms. It settled a lot of my anxieties and fears.”

He knew he had a tendency to get sappy about Jemma and their life together; he was a known romantic after all. Fatherhood and starting a family with Jemma hadn’t helped either; it had only made him even more soft and sentimental.

“That sounds really nice, actually.”

“It is, and I think that you and Trevor deserve it after everything you’ve been through. You especially.”

“You do?”

Fitz hadn’t always been kind to Deke, and while he understood that initial reaction, he wished he’d been able to see Deke through Jemma’s optimism sooner. Because he hadn’t always been kind to Deke, he knew that Deke was skeptical of any gentleness that Fitz offered him now. There were times that Fitz was still annoyed with him, but he was trying to show him an equal amount of care as he did frustration.

“I know I haven’t always shown that I care about you, but you’re our family, and I want you to be happy and safe. There was a timeline I saw where you stayed behind to hook up the generator to get us back to our timeline, and I couldn’t imagine that.”

“Why would I stay?”

“Trevor, uh, he died in that timeline, right after we left, and -”

“What? He died?”

“Yeah, the Chronicoms - it doesn’t matter, he’s alive and safe in this timeline. But in that timeline, you didn’t feel like you had any reason to return home, and I want you to know that you always have a home to return to, no matter what happens here, or with Trevor, or - you have a home.”

“Oh,” Deke said.

“The point was that I’m glad you came back with us, and that you and Trevor made up, and can move forward with your life together. You do deserve that.”

“I appreciate that, Bobo.”

They let the quiet fall over them again as the sun continued to set slowly over the far side of the lake.

“What are you doing out here?” Jemma’s voice called from the steps of the Lighthouse. Fitz and Deke turned at the same time, and found Jemma with Trevor close behind. “You’re part of the Guests of Honor, Fitz. That means you should be at the party.”

“Yes, dear,” Fitz said with a smile that came naturally to his face. “You ready to head in, Deke?”

“Yeah, I think I am.”

They stood up and Fitz let Deke lead the way up to the house. Trevor met him on the bottom step with an outstretched hand and a kiss.

“Everything good, babe?” Trevor asked.

“Yeah, everything’s good,” Deke said happily. “Come on, I have something I want to ask you.”

Trevor and Deke disappeared into the house and Fitz stood in front of Jemma for a moment.

“Hey,” she said sweetly. “Good talk?”

“Very good. I think I’m almost going to miss him.”

She leaned into him and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He let her weight rest against him, and held her there happily. She sighed into his mouth, and when he pulled away, he just looked at her, memorizing her all over again.

“I love you.”

“Oh, I love you, too,” she said.

“I can’t wait to take you home, Mrs. Fitz-Simmons.”

“You don’t have to take me anywhere for me to be home. You, Alya, that’s my home.”

“Mine too,” he agreed. “Always.”

When they returned to the party a little while later after righting their clothes and smoothing their hair, they did so as they did everything else, hand in hand. Fitz caught Deke’s eyes, and Deke grinned, raising a glass to him.

Even if they were apart, Fitz knew, they’d be alright.

#agents of shield #aosficnet2 #deke & bobo #fitzsimmons family #deke shaw #leo fitz #trevordeke #fitzsimmons #aos au #prompt tag #ask tag #talk to me #hey nonny nonny #Anonymous

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flabotanum · 4 years

Text

The AoS Finale - Where Everyone Ended Up

A Positive Review:

I’m just gonna preface this by saying: I don't think this was a perfect end to the show but in my opinion it came pretty close and I'm happy with it, so this is a positive outlook on where all the characters ended up. I’m not super interested in dwelling on what could have been and this show means a great deal to me so the fact that I’m overall happy with where everyone ended up is something I was hoping for and glad came to be. (This also ended up being way longer than anticipated hence the “keep reading” if your interested in my rambling)

The Nature of Family:

“Yet, this is the nature of families; I have seen it countless times on countless worlds. People arrive so we celebrate, and people leave us so we grieve. We do what we can with the time in between but the cycle is always there - no-one escapes it, not even me.” - Enoch (7x09)

The found family has always been my favourite aspect of the show, so finding out that the team wouldn't be together at the end (ever, because Deke stayed behind but also just them not staying a team) hit me hard. But after seeing it and how it was done, it honestly feels like a pretty realistic and bittersweet ending that fits the characters’ progression without ruining what I loved about their relationships. Because it doesn’t feel like they've really broken up the family – in fact, they feel like they're practically an actual family despite being apart now. That VR meeting they had was very reminiscent of an awkward family reunion, except we can clearly see that they all still love each other and aren’t interested in losing contact – there's no longer an imminent threat and so life goes on; the team members have their own lives now and those lives involve them not being together beyond meeting up every so often.

(Also, the spirit of a found family isn’t lost with the addition of Kora and Alya into these characters’ lives - sure, Daisy now has a biological sister and Fitzsimmons have their own kid but that doesn’t negate any of their other relationships to the team but instead makes it so that Kora and probably more so Alya are extensions of this larger family - like Deke was)

Happy Endings and New Beginnings (Each Character’s Ending):

LMC!Coulson: I fully expected LMC!Coulson to deactivate himself at the end of the season, but I actually like what happened with him in the end. Real Coulson being denied a peaceful death is what started this show and so when season 5 came, I was honestly happy that they ultimately let him die and it was a major concern for me that LMC!Coulson would take away from that, so seeing that in the end he was given full autonomy over that choice made me very happy. He's still with SHIELD but is also being allowed to do his own thing, and he is finally being left in charge of his own fate: the team obviously wants him to stick around but they are respecting his choice to decide that for himself. Plus, ending with him and Lola 2.0 flying off felt like a very good and satisfying bookend for the show to me.

May: I'll start with Philinda – I couldn't see any way for Coulson and May to end up together because the real Coulson had died and LMC!Coulson is ultimately not him; as much as I enjoyed their scenes together this season, it wouldn't have felt right to me for them to end up in a relationship together (and as for saving Real Coulson – they didn't go anywhere near that time and honestly saving Coulson would've been unfair to both him and LMC!Coulson, so I don't think it would've worked properly, especially with only 13 episodes)

So for May's actual ending: I think it's great. Over the course of the season it seemed to me that she was getting semblances of emotion back and in the VR meeting it looked like she was almost back to normal (I’ll admit that this should have been confirmed explicitly and overall explained a bit more but I digress). And as for being a teacher, she has been a maternal figure and S.O. for the majority of the show to several agents (primarily Daisy) and so ending the show with her retired from active field duty and becoming a teacher for a whole new generation of SHIELD agents (at Coulson Academy no less) felt like a wonderful ending for her character. It also felt - to me at least - like she and LMC!Coulson still have a bond (her offer was the only one he really responded to) and I think leaving it open was the best thing they could’ve done.

Daisy: I was always one of the fans that wanted Daisy to be the director at the end but given the character’s progression, I’m happy with what we got. Daisy has always been shown to be a good leader for small teams; we saw that with the Secret Warriors and the Space Team at the start of Season 6, so giving her a team and her own Zephyr to go out and explore space felt appropriate. She's in a place where she's comfortable with who she is and so allowing her to fill the role that Coulson had in her life with Kora brings her story full circle. She's "loving the journey" with Sousa and seems to be actually happy with her smaller space family. She was definitely the least comfortable with leaving the team for good, as shown by her looking at all the empty chairs at the end of the VR meeting and everything she said to Mack in 7x11, but I think it was important to show that despite the team splitting up, she still has that family - it’s just that she doesn’t see them all the time and that’s okay because they’ll still always be her family. (Also, Coulson asking her to give him a call when she got back felt a lot like a parent who’s kid had moved away which drove home that idea for me)

Fitz and Jemma: Not much to say for these two – they got their happily ever after with Alya and I think that's beautiful. Fitz fully retiring felt like the right call given that being a SHIELD agent was the cause of a lot of pain for him (I'm not saying it didn’t result in a lot of pain for everyone else because it definitely did, but I've always felt like Fitz would be better off living a peaceful and uneventful life since he's never really much enjoyed the good parts of being an agent like the others did). Jemma sort of retiring but helping Daisy with some stuff was also great. Honestly, just the two of them raising Alya is a good ending for them (not to mention Alya having this massive extended family that spoils her - it just warms my heart)

Deke: Deke probably has the most bittersweet ending because he doesn't get to see the rest of the team again. I have no doubt he'll look after the versions of the people he loves in his new timeline (like he told Mack he would) and he also has his own little found family with the Deke Squad (if I recall correctly, they said they’d be at the Triskelion after a few weeks so I don’t think they got killed when it went down) so I think he'd ultimately be happy. Sometimes you don’t get the girl but Deke made a major sacrifice for the girl he liked and the family he'd grown to love, and that’s a testament to how much he had grown from the guy we met in the future who didn’t understand how people would be willing to sacrifice like that. (Also, as much as it'd be nice for Alya to actually be Deke's mum - they kept saying “maybe” so I think they know the odds are extremely slim and are just being very hopeful - this ending made it so that messing up another timeline had actual consequences that Deke has to deal with and I can appreciate that)

Mack and Yoyo: I don’t have much to say for these two either. I was surprised that Mack remained at SHIELD but honestly, he's really grown into the job so him being the Director of a fully re-established SHIELD and getting to continue working with Yoyo, May and Coulson (and Daisy I think) in some capacity is nice – it also seems like he's enjoying it so that's great. Yoyo being a highly decorated agent, getting her own team and working for an institution she trusts (in no small part because Mack is in charge) is also a great ending for that character, because when we met her all she wanted was to make a difference which she can continue to do with SHIELD. (also Yoyo usually seemed to, for the most part, enjoy being an agent so that’s a happy ending I think).

All in all, I think that the way in which the show ended and where we see all the characters after a year was handled well. They’re all pretty happy but there’s a bittersweet realism in that they’re no longer all together and sometimes you have to embrace that life goes on. As far as I’m concerned, they’re still a family but they’ve entered new chapters in their lives - like Mack and Daisy said in 7x11, it’s not the same but that’s okay.

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queercapwriting · 5 years

Note

To be honest I have a headcanon where Lena is like the baby gay and is trying so hard to flirt with Kara aka the oblivious bi mess we all know and love. Then like Lucy and Vasquez in the background and ending up helping the lil' luthor because while it's entertaining it's also mortifying to watch; with a heavy dose of good natured teasing from them towards both Lena and Kara.

“This is getting excruciating,” Vasquez muttered to Lucy, because really, it was.

Lena had been vouched for by a very protective Kara and a very defensive Supergirl and had been screened by a protective (of Kara) J’onn and given the all clear - so she’d been in the DEO about as much as Maggie had been of late.

But at least the older Danvers girl had finally figured out that those butterfly feelings were because she wanted to date Maggie, and when Maggie kissed her back, at least she finally understood that Maggie wanted to date her.

And so, they were dating.

But Kara and Lena?

Good Lord.

Lena was trying her damnedest. Wearing her hair in a high ponytail that made Kara gulp and splutter and go to adjust her glasses even when she wasn’t wearing them as Supergirl.

Leaning over Kara in the lab, Lucy and Vasquez not needing superhearing to know exactly how hard Lena’s heart was pounding as she tried to inch closer to Kara, tried to radiate to Kara that it was okay if Kara leaned in, too, that it was more than okay if Kara leaned in, too.

She was radiating it to everyone. Poor J’onn constantly looked like he had a headache.

Lena was radiating it to everyone, it seemed, but Kara.

Kara, who kept gaping when Lena walked by and then snapping her head into a sharp shake, clearly telling herself that Lena wasn’t into her, that Lena wasn’t even into women, and Kara should just stop being such a bad friend already.

“I dunno, Vasquez,” Lucy shrugged, leaning back and putting her feet up on Winn’s desk, utterly unconcerned that he was trying to use his computer. “It’s kind of… amusing? Does that make me a terrible person?”

“Your utter disregard for my very advanced technology is what makes you a terrible person, Lane,” Winn muttered. Lucy ruffled his hair and begrudgingly took her feet down from his desk. She put them on his lap instead.

“Now you can use your very advanced technology,” she grinned. Winn glared for a moment before shrugging and continuing to program some complicated tech detector that Lucy only vaguely understood but deeply appreciated.

“And it is, by the way,” Winn added, not even needing to look up from his work to hear Lena’s extra breathy laugh at something utterly less than funny Kara had said. “Both excruciating and hilarious. We should do something to help, though. Because poor Lena. I’ve been there. Kara’s not gonna get it until Lena tattoos it onto her forehead.” He furrowed his brow. “You know what. Maybe not even then.”

He turned and sighed, shaking his head affectionately at Kara. “Seriously. You guys need to save Lena from… this. And J’onn. The man looks like he is suffering.”

“I am suffering, Mr. Schott,” J’onn murmured as he walked by behind them. “Don’t you all have things you need to be doing?”

“Like curing your headache? Sir?” Vasquez asked. J’onn covered his face with his hand, knowing when his children had defeated him.

“Sure, Agent Vasquez. By all means, assist Ms. Luthor. Just… just don’t think so loudly about it.”

Lucy kicked her feet off Winn’s lap and snapped to attention with a grin. “Thank you, sir.”

“Good God,” J’onn just muttered as he walked away.

“Anything I can do, Papa Bear?” Winn asked.

“You can never call me that again,” J’onn said, but the smile in his eyes was obvious, and Winn didn’t stop grinning for the rest of the day.

+++

“Um, excuse me, Ms. Luthor. Ma’am. Can I borrow you?”

Lena turned away from Kara with raised eyebrows, raw and hopeless want still frozen in her eyes. “It’s Lena, really. Just Lena. I’d prefer it, truly.”

“Ms. Lena. Ma’am.”

Lena sighed and laughed, putting her hand on Kara’s arm. Lucy and Vasquez watched Kara’s heart beat out of her chest at the contact, and it was all either of them could do to not groan aloud.

“I’ll be back,” Lena told Kara, who looked like she was still trying to remember Earth languages. “Lead the way,” she told Vasquez gamely.

But she and Lucy didn’t lead Lena to the lab. They led her to the armory.

“Does J’onn think I need to learn how to defend myself better?” Lena asked, concern in her voice.

“No, actually, he knows exactly how well you can kick ass,” Lucy smirked, hopping up to sit casually on one of the old targets Winn was reprogramming to move in and out of the visible spectrum.

Vasquez closed the door behind them. “We just needed someplace quiet to talk.’

Lena visibly stiffened. “Have I done something wrong?” Her voice lost all the softness it had been acquiring of late, leaning more toward the stern CEO her mother had trained her to be.

Defense after defense after defense.

Lucy softened and put her hands out to Lena. “No, God, sorry. Listen, I’m a military brat and Vasquez has been a secret agent since birth, I guess we don’t know how to do anything without being…”

“Extra?”

“Terrifying?”

“Extra terrifying?”

“I was going to say suspiciously secretive.”

Lena huffed, but her shoulders relaxed just slightly even as she hugged herself. “Well? What is it, then?”

Lucy Lane was straight - well, not straight, but it was just an expression, after all - out of the JAG Corps, so she didn’t really see much point in indirectness.

“You’re in love with Supergirl. Kara. Everyone knows she’s the same person, it’s not like the glasses exactly do much and it’s not like Alex doesn’t constantly call Supergirl her sister and it’s not like you’re exactly stupid.”

Lena was blinking like her contacts were acting up, and her shoulders were back to being tense.

“I… think she’s still hung up on that first part you said, Luce. The in love part.”

“Yes, I am,” Lena said, barely at a whisper. “I am… I’m not even ou… how did you -”

“Military training.”

“Spy stuff.”

“Also, we have eyes.”

“And ears.”

“And we’ve seen -”

“And heard -”

“You two interact once or twice.”

Lena blinked again. “Do you two ever -”

“Not finish each other’s sentences? Occasionally.”

“Yeah, but you should see my friends Fitz-Simmons, we’re not nearly as bad as they are,” Vasquez shrugged. “But you’re changing the subject, Ms. Luthor. Ms. - Lena. Crap, okay. Lena. You’re changing the subject.”

“I… okay. Well.” Lena’s shoulders were tense again. Very much so. But there was also something that might have been hope with a dash of excitement in her eyes. Like she finally had people to talk to about… all this.

“Well, what if I were?” She lowered her voice. “In love with Kara?”

“Well then,” Lucy smiled from ear to ear, “we’re going to help you, because honey, Kara is not going to pick up on subtle cues.”

“The consummate disaster bisexual.”

“So she is into girls?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Most definitely.”

“100%.”

Lena visibly relaxed - this conversation really seemed to be wreaking havoc on her nervous system - and bit her lip.

“Am I really being that pathetic?”

“Not at all,” Vasquez shook her head. “No, you’re just flirting your ass off. And it’s not bad - your flirting or your ass… um. Respectfully. Ma’am.”

“It’s Lena. And thank you.”

“Lena. You’re not being pathetic. It’s just that Kara…”

“Kara is one of the smartest women I’ve ever met,” Lucy said. “She’s also just as a big of a disaster as her sister.”

“Which means?”

“Which means you need our help.”

Lena sighed, her eyes nothing but vulnerable. “But do you think it even would be worth it? Do you think she even feels… anything for me?”

“Oh, she does,” Lucy nodded, her eyes glistening as plan after plan formed behind them. “She definitely does.”

+++

Two hours later, Lucy leaned back onto the desk Kara was standing at, looking over some surveillance footage with Winn.

Lucy had, over course, fully briefed Winn over comms.

Alex also knew. As did Maggie.

As did J’onn, though much to his dismay, no one had to tell him with their words.

“Hey Kara,” Lucy said, her voice so deliberately casual that Alex rolled her eyes from all the way across the room.

“Oh Rao, what could you possibly want?” Kara asked, because she might be oblivious when people liked her, but she certainly wasn’t stupid.

“Want? Me? I don’t want anything. World peace, maybe. Or, galactic peace, that would be nice.”

“Lucy.”

“Kara.”

“I’m busy. The whole Supergirl thing?”

“Right,” Lucy said, and Winn looked over his shoulder to exchange an exasperated glance with Alex, who was pretending very badly to be looking over a situation report. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. You’re so busy, all the time now, you know? Big promotion at CatCo, all the chaos here… Have you had any time, you know… for yourself?”

Kara frowned. “You know I do, Lucy. We have game nights once a week, and you know I have sisters’ nights with Alex -”

“I meant sex, Kara.”

“Oh my God.” Winn let his head bang down on his desk and Alex glared at Vasquez like this was all her fault. Lena, per their plan, was nowhere in ear shot.

“Are you making time for sex? Or, dating, if you don’t want to have sex, because that’s, you know, perfectly fine, if you’re not into that. Or either. That’s okay too, but I was just -”

“I am,” Kara grabbed at Lucy’s wrist and lowered it, like the gesture would also lower Lucy’s voice. “Into those things. Sometimes. With the right… person.”

“Okay, cool. And if I thought I found someone right for you… would you… be interested?”

“Are you setting me up, Lucy? Because for a military lawyer turned secret agent, you’re pretty un-subtle.”

Lucy waved her off. “I’m not going for subtly, Kara. You wouldn’t see subtly if it flirted with you right in the face. Which is exactly the problem.”

Kara went to adjust her glasses before realizing they weren’t on. “What are you talking about?”

“Lena,” Alex mouthed from across the room, and Vasquez hit her on the arm before springing to attention and mouthing an apology. Alex grinned, and Vasquez relaxed.

“It’s like when I liked you, Kara, remember?” Winn blurted. “It was years, you know, and you just really… couldn’t tell.”

“Oh, Winn, are you still - I’m so sorry, it -”

“No, no, James and I are doing great. I love you, Kara, but romantically you’re yesterday’s news -”

“And our incestuous dating pool keeps getting more and more mixed,” Lucy grinned, clapping Winn on the shoulder. “You have excellent taste, my friend.”

“As do you,” Winn gave a little bow from his seat.

“Where is this all going?” Kara asked, dropping her voice to Supergirl level, which was when Vasquez happened to be walking by.

“Supergirl. Ma’am. There’s a situation in the lab the requires your attention. Um. Urgently.”

“Smooth,” Alex whispered as Kara nodded efficiently and practically flew down to the lab.

“What’s the situation? Is everything - oh. Oh. This… doesn’t look like the lab.”

Because it really didn’t. Lucy and Vasquez - with more than a little help from Winn and Alex, while Maggie talked Lena through her excitement and terror in the adjacent room, and a bit of help from J’onn, who really just needed his children to stop thinking so loudly about all of this - had transformed the lab into a romantic dinner for two, complete with candles and a couple bottles of wine on ice (including a Kryptonian version for Kara) and a tablecloth Winn had handstitched for his first home date with James.

There were steaming potstickers and pancakes piled high on the table - because it was Kara Danvers, after all, and Lena had insisted on making sure she had her favorite things - and Lucy had insisted right back that Lena was one of them.

Lena had almost believed her when Alex vehemently agreed.

And then there was Lena.

She wasn’t in a lab coat and - thank Rao - she wasn’t in any danger. Well, danger of passing out from excited nerves, maybe, but it wasn’t some type of emergency like Kara had thought.

“We had it redone. Just for the evening. Alex gave her consent, don’t worry.”

Kara didn’t look worried. No, that wasn’t the word.

Because Lena was in this red dress, subtle but tight and Rao, Kara had never… she wasn’t… words.

Words were failing her. Language was eluding her. Breath was completely escaping her.

“Lena, what…”

“I’ve been told that I’ve been too subtle in my attempts to flirt with you. So we decided - I decided - that it was time to just… tell you.” She straightened up, at once the woman her mother had trained her to be and every bit her own person. It was intoxicating. She was intoxicating.

“Tell me?”

“That I want you. Um. To date you. That you’re my best friend and you’re an enormous dork and your body is almost as beautiful as your heart and Maggie says we should kiss the girls we want to kiss and I -”

But Kara was already across the room, her hands were already on Lena’s waist, her forehead already pressed delicately against hers.

“You want me to kiss you?” Kara asked, in the most heady combination of her Supergirl and Kara voice she’d ever found.

“I do,” Lena whispered, so Kara… Kara did.

“Victory is mine!” Lucy made them both jump, until the combined force of Vasquez, Alex, and Winn dragged her away, leaving Kara and Lena to finally… admit some things to each other.

#supercorp #supercorp humor #supercorp fluff #supercorp fic #lucy lane #all one needs to say #is lucy fucking lane #bonus points if you catch the shield reference because i'm trash

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jamiedc-they-them · 4 years

Text

Sibling Duty Part 2.5 (Platonic)

Requested Imagine - “I know you're vibing with your Sibling Duty series but I've imprinted on Bobbi acting like a mother hen/big sister and would adore some more of that with the reader? Not sure when to set it besides before they left the show though, only if you're up to it, of course! Love your work a lot!”

AN/ Hope it’s ok that I made it tie into the series :) I apologise if it wasn’t what you wanted. But I hope you like it!

To be honest, maybe running away with no plan wasn’t the best plan. In fact, the issue was that there was no plan at all. You just ran as far as you could. You had let your sister down; you had let anyone down. You had burnt yourself up trying to save her and everyone.

As bittered as you were by the sadly sobering fact that you couldn’t do that, you also realised that you weren’t fully burnt out.

You were still here. That candle wasn’t fully burnt out yet.

The truth about not being able to save everyone was a hard pill to swallow. But drinking alcohol? That was piss easy, just sip, and swallow the devil’s drink that seemed to soothe your darkened soul.

You knew that you could easily solve the issue of the candle not fully being out yet, all you needed was a blade from your ability then you were done.

Yet, something was keeping you here. Threw the drunken nights, you would remember it; those words from your sister….which one, you couldn’t remember fully. But that didn’t matter, you remembered the words.

“You’re not expendable, Y/N. No one is, ever. No one has a life you can just throw away.” You drank from your bottle again, trying to go into a peaceful slumber once again.

To forget the lies those words held.

You had no idea where you sister was, you just hoped far away from what you were doing.

You weren’t dead, you weren’t SHIELD; but you weren’t fully done yet with the whole stopping evil thing. Although, now it was stopping evil by evil. You weren’t legally allowed to chase the Watchdogs and kill them.

Did that stop you though? Of course, it didn’t.

If you were going to go down as a drunk, you might as well doing something not completely shitty.

However, as you laid down, a knock at the door got your attention. You sat up, cautiously, grabbing the pistol that lay by your pillow at night. You cocked it as you picked it up.

You put your hand to the door, taking a tense breath, before opening it and putting the pistol to the chin of the newcomer without a second thought.

The sight of who it was, however, made you stop.

Bobbi-fucking-Morse was the woman whose chin was currently being pressed against with your pistol.

Your eyes widened, freezing for a second as you looked at your old friend that had sacrificed but her life for SHIELD. She was gone, pronounced….something, you forgot. You had forgot, or rather tried to forget all the details in the binge.

No thoughts of those you cared for, maybe it’d make it easier for you to disappear too from theirs when you were gone.

You immediately pulled the pistol back, trying to pretty much dive back into your van and – well, you didn’t really have a plan after that. The main one being to just get away and start again.

“I’ve already punctured your tire, Y/nn. You can’t get far.” She said. You sighed, of course she’d thought of that.

Continuing that sigh, you faced her, putting a confused smile on your face, “What the hell are you doing here Bobbi? Why did you find me? Why did you find me? – Wait, is Daisy ok?” You started off easy with the questions but became panicked near the end.

Bobbi smiled, shaking her head, “Got a tip that you might be I came here to see you; And I have no idea, sorry, kiddo.” She said, listing the answers to your questions.

You nodded, “Wait….who gave you the tip?” To that, Bobbi held out a coin.

“Flip it, I’ll tell you if you’re right or wrong.” She simply said.

You took the coin, doing just that. It landed on the heads, “Coulson?” You asked. Bobbi nodded her head.

Your gaze then turned more suspicious, “How the hell did Coulson get a hold of you and know what I was doing?”

She cocked her head to the side, “You really think that Phil Coulson, of all people will just give up on you or Daisy? Or anyone on that team? He sent me because if he went, it’d look suspicious. So, he sent someone whose off the grid.”

“But….you’re happy with Hunter, aren’t you?” You questioned, worried that you would be the cause of the death of a metaphorical thing this time.

“We are,” She assured, seemingly noticing your bubbling anxiety over it, “We agreed I should be the one to come see you, though. Both agreed I’d be better at handling this.”

“You mean the broken sister? Trust me, Bobbi, you don’t need to sugar-coat it.” Normally, that would be in a joking manner, but this time it was played completely straight.

Bobbi got into the passenger seat when you moved to the drivers side, “I’m not here to do that, I’m here to help you.” She sat in the seat, looking over at you as you only stared out the window.

You scoffed, “With what?”

“With this whole Watchdog thing. Your not as careful as you might think you are, Y/N. Noise is still noise.” She told you.

“You really aren’t going to leave, are you?” You asked.

“Y/N, Coulson may have asked me to come here, but I did of my own volition.” She softened her voice as she said that part.

You met her eyes, seeing nothing but warmth, love, and honest in them. She held you look with those emotions, only awaiting your reaction.

You bit your lip, bit it hard as you knew that she wouldn’t leave you. You knew she had too much of an instinct when it came to you younger folk.

“Here,” She said, handing you a button “It’s a beacon, just press it and I’ll come to you. Just in case we get split up.”

“Fine.” You said, turning on the engine and taking the beacon.

You did your best to ignore the grin she held as you did so.

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

As said before, Bobbi seemed to have an instinct when it came to you guys (you, Simmons, Daisy and Fitz) she just had a way to know when something was wrong and whatnot. Granted, you had that as well, but Bobbi had more experience with it.

When you first met her, a part of you may have felt a bit threatened at the idea of her taking over the elder sisterly role. Despite Daisy’s assurances, it was Bobbi that had calmed your nerves.

“I’m not replacing you, Y/N. You were first, I’m just here as a kind of backup, to lighten the load a little. Make sure you take care of yourself, too.”

That load now seemed to be your own shit, not someone else’s. That, in Bobbi’s book, was a vague step in the direction known as, “good”.

Even if it meant driving to a local hangout of Watchdog members. You knew that they were going to be having a big meeting later, you just had to find out where.

So, Bobbi just looked out the window as you drove, it was a nice place you had chosen to bunker down it; remote but completely isolated from life. However, the Watchdogs had chosen it too for those same reasons.

Now, she didn’t really know this area, but you obviously did. That was shown by the way you got you both to where you apparently needed to go in pretty much no time at all.

“Here, this is where some of the sons of bitches are.” You told her as you cut the ignition and leant back in your seat as you looked at the place, a simple warehouse. Granted, it was simple on the outside, but on in the inside was people you were anything but good.

“Alright, let’s take this slow,” You rolled your eyes, “I mean it, Y/N. We go in through the back, get some sort of surprise one them.”

You debated it, knowing who you’d normally do it, a quick run and gun. But, thinking about it, you knew she had something in that plan.

“What if they’re gone by the time we get in?” You questioned.

“Well, better to miss and track them, then go in the front and they be the only ones to come out.” She fired back at you.

“Fair.”

You both went around the back, the van parked at the front to cut them off. You entered, crouching, and using the crates that were in there as cover as they had their meeting. God it was disgusting, about how Inhumans needed to be taken out.

You looked at Bobbi, the woman hidden a little ways away from you. She met your eyes; and, despite being the one who brought you around the back, from here she seemed to be open to whatever way you wanted to handle it.

You knew that they had been after Daisy for a while now, that she had been disrupting them, just like you. It wasn’t exactly a connection or similarity you had wanted with your sister. In an attempt to fix what you had broken by protecting her, it seemed she had only gone out of her way to make it worse for herself.

You sighed, knowing that you had failed even more in your role as the elder sister.

You looked over, seeing the dogs as they spoke, “So, we meet up with the others later, talk about Quake? Or the other one?” One of them asked.

Before they could even get an answer, a gunshot went off, his blood hitting his mask, but part of it spraying through the holes in it. You continued to fire your weapon, Bobbi moved from behind the crate, shooting one in the leg as you went for the kill shots.

They were all gone, all except for one. One who crawled on the floor was he went for his gun.

“That was reckless.” You forgot that about your friend, she was blunt when it came to you all and you scared her, or she was worried.

“I was not.” You defended.

“You went in without a plan.”

“You looked to me for one, look how that went.”

“We have one –” You both stopped when you – out of the corner of your eyes – saw him bring out a pistol and you both fired at him in sync, “—Had one to find out this meeting place from. We find that, we find them, and we stop them. They’re after Inhuman’s –”

“They’re after Daisy.” You said, firmly, bringing it back to your main reason of being after them. You knew what you did before wasn’t right, and it had caused a strain, but doing this could maybe help a little. It wasn’t what you were doing before, so you were aware of the damage you had caused. Besides, this time too you were well away from her, helping her with everything that was happening from afar by doing a little, not as much as you did last time.

Besides, they were after other people too, your sister just happened to be atop of the list. You didn’t know where you were on it, you didn’t care to be honest. You just cared those others that were on it didn’t die.

“They’re after Daisy, and others. We’ll find the fucking meeting place, this place isn’t exactly big, Bobbi.” You snapped, rooting around in a guy’s pocket for something, only to come up blank.

When you turned to announce it to Bobbi, you saw her holding up a broken phone with a cracked, but still readable screen. On it, was a text message.

“It’s coordinates, to a place not far from here. That’s probably the meeting place.” She told you.

You breathed a sigh of secret relief at the fact you had found it. That you had this moment of victory.

That soon changed to worry, at least in Bobbi’s parts as she held out a phone to show you what else was on it.

A name that you had hoped she would’ve missed.

Your own.

“Y/N….why the hell didn’t you tell me?” She asked, voice holding a slight bit of both worry and betrayal to it.

She then continued to scroll, finding something that made her eyes widen, “They’re planning a big attack on an Inhuman safe house.”

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

Bobbi had been angry; she had been loving and caring. It all seemed to meld into one when it came to the four of you. However, this time, you were focus of that.

“When were you going to tell me?” Was what she had moved onto now as you both drove back to where you had started, there was shop nearby for you to get supplies from. It wasn’t exactly a ‘shop’ but more of a black-market kind of place.

Either way, it was the only place to get what you needed to take the bastards down.

“I wasn’t.” You were blunt, deciding to not beat around the bush and try and lie, seemed you both were just as bad as each other when it came to trying to lie to your loved ones.

“Why not?” She was being confrontational now. To be honest, so was your response.

“I never asked for you to come here, Bobbi. I never asked for you to help me. If you hadn’t, I’d have already gotten the information out of the guy by now and be on my way there.” It was harsh, and you saw the hurt that she was hiding behind her eyes.

“I’m not going to leave you, not like this –”

“God, you’re just like them.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” She asked.

“No, it’s worse. I don’t need this whole older sister talk, Bobbi. Worse comes to worse, I don’t make it out of there and stop them,” She hated that you shrugged, “I’ll just be a name on a list. They’ll get over it. Besides, if anyone needs this talk, it’ll be Daisy.”

You had parked up and left for the shop, this time Bobbi hadn’t stopped you. You both seemed to know that you needed a small break, as much as you were a younger sibling to her, she knew when to hold back a little.

It as an alleyway, one that changed every time, but still an alleyway none the less. You walked down the newest pick, finding your guy at the end of it with a van that he then opened. He had made a name for himself as a reliable weapons vender, he had quickly become one of your favourites.

“There she is.” He said, smiling at your approaching figure, “What’ll it be today.”

“Heavier shit than usual.” He nodded, but looked a tad impressed.

“Finally giving what’s what to them, huh?” He asked as hr brought out an assault rifle.

You chuckled as you took it, putting it in your bag, “Exactly, they’re planning something, so I’ve got to at least try and stop it.”

“Good luck to you sweetheart. But…be careful? Can’t have me losing my most loyal customer.” He laughed, but you could tell the words were sincere.

Either way, it didn’t sit right with you. You felt off at it, but knew he was mostly harmless (Despite the massive amount of weapons behind him).

You took the bag, swinging it over your shoulder and making your way back to the van. Just as you reached it, it erupted in a fireball. The blast knocked you back but didn’t drop the bag. In fact, it only made your fall more uncomfortable.

“Bobbi!” You cried out, remembering that she was in there. A black van appeared, parking with a skid as Watchdog members pilled out, firing at you as soon as their feet touched the floor. You pulled out one weapon, firing all the rounds to cover your escape. When you ran out, you grabbed a another, doing the same thing.

“Bobbi!” You called to the van you used to call home, but (obviously) didn’t get a response. Your power started to take hold and you felt it. More than that, you let it. You knew that this was most likely it, why not go own swinging?

Your power fully took control, darkness becoming you as you let it rip. Cars were flung and people thrown up only then to come back down.

Your power was darkness, you had plenty of that within you.

As it died, however, you felt a pain in your body. You looked down, seeing a blood stain on you that only grew more and more.

Your power made you almost unstoppable in terms of offense, not defence. Daisy’s power could do both, yours could only do one.

As you fell, you heard someone calling out your name. Hands then pressed against your wound. As you opened your eyes, you saw it to Bobbi.

“Hey, Y/N, stay with me. Stay with me. Come on. Comme on, kiddo, breath.” She begged you. You did your best to give her what she wanted, but you were fading.

You made your peace with the fact that this was it, that you would die here at your lowest point.

You let the dark take you, only this time in a different meaning of the term.

What surprised you, however, was that you woke up. You woke up and felt something where your wound once was. It was a bandage, one that had been put tightly onto said wound.

You tried to move, but footsteps immediately started to come towards you. A bottle of water was placed down in front of you, “Don’t rip your stiches. I worked hard on them.” Bobbi admonished, slapping your prying hands away from you body that was previously losing blood.

“You brought me here.” You immediately felt stupid for saying it like that.

“Of course, I did. I told you, people still need you. Plus, you’re my friend, I’m not just gonna leave you to bleed out.”

You sighed, putting your head against the wall, “Thank you.” You were quieter, but she still heard the words. It wasn’t like there was much else to hear, besides cars passing.

“You’re welcome.” She meant the words; she took a sip of her own water.

She then held up the button you hit, “Turns out it was useful after all huh?” She said in a, ‘I told you so’ kind of way. You smiled a little at her words.

“Turns out it did.” You agreed.

“They’ll be doing that attack, soon.” You said, slowly trying to stand. Bobbi made her way over to help with that, getting you to a table where she had laid a map, “We need to get to them before that happens.”

“Which way in, though? It’s a barn, so there’s a few.” She said, pointing to those entrances you could take.

“Not the front door, that’s for one.” She looked at you with a smile, glad that you were putting that off the table.

“There.” You said, pointing to one.

“Ready to go save some Inhumans and kick some ass?” You asked your older sister.

“You know it.” She answered, bright smile not leaving her face for a moment longer.

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

Together, you entered the barn through the back, this time both on the same page with the plan. As you both crouched through it, you listened to them once again talk about it. This time, though, the big guy was there, the leader of this op was there.

You looked to Bobbi, seeing she had noticed the same thing. She thought about it, before shaking her head, knowing that it wouldn’t work in your favour. Still, she didn’t seem against trying to bring him down.

You both then fired at the same time, bringing the Watch Dogs down. They fell, others trying to escape. For once, their bravado and confidence had died, instead replaced with fear.

Seemed the Inhuman hater’s had flaws. They weren’t as big as the thought. Some tried to fight back, but you used cover instead of tried to get the shot off first. The shots hit the crate. Bobbi, seeing the Watchdog member shooting at you, she turned her pistol to him and took him down.

You shared a nod together, before something caught your eyes, “He’s getting away!” Bobbi called out, pointing to the leader escaping.

You knew you might be able to catch him, but you then saw the other Watchdog truck’s pull up. You looked to the leader and back to the truck. Old you would’ve gone for the man no mater what. However, you knew that you would be cut down if you tried.

“Hold them back!” You yelled to your sister. She looked and nodded, the two of you shooting at the new batch of Watchdog members.

However, another car pulled up. This one had the logo of the place you were tyring to run from big and centre on it. The SHIELD logo.

It was a group of SHIELD agents, all getting out to help you not be so outnumbered.

You fired, hitting one Watchdog member, before the SHIELD agent fired at the last one.

Finally, it was other. The plans of the Watchdogs was thwarted, at least for a moment. It was a start.

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

The agents were getting ready to take you back, to take you home. As you got ready, Bobbi approached you, “So, end of the line.” She told you, the two of you sharing a timid smile.

“Yeah….That button wasn’t just for you, was it?” You asked her.

She tried to keep a straight face, before she smiled, “Told you some people need you.”

You smiled, sneaky bitch.

“Thank you.” Oh, you must’ve said that out loud.

“Yeah, that too.” She laughed, “I’m gonna miss you, Y/N. This was kind of fun.”

“In a fucked-up way.” She nodded, “Thank you….for taking some of that load off of me.”

“Of course, we’re family. It’s what we do.”

You smiled, hugging your older sister. She returned it, chuckling before pulling away, “Time to go home.” She told you.

“Yeah.” You agreed, going to the open door in the SUV. As you got ready to enter, you looked back at Bobbi. She gave you a smile and a nod, on your returned.

You had a long way to go, but this was a start.

#agents of shield imagine #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d imagine #bobbi morse imagine #Bobbi morse x reader

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cadence-talle · 4 years

Text

Ink Blossoming Across Your Skin

Pairing: Keefe Sencen/Fitz Vacker

Wordcount: 2,295

Summary: “Have we even met the owner? How do we know they don’t, like, beat people up?”

“I think you’re reaching,” Biana says. “Besides, I’ve seen the owners.”

Fitz blinks, reaching up to move one of the soil bags over on the shelf. “You have? When?”

“They’re right behind you.”

Other notes: Based on the amazing au created by @queersofthelostcities and @enbies-and-felonies! It’s not completely like the prompt, but I hope it lives up to your original vision.

Fitz first notices the shop on a Monday morning, bright colors of the We Are Now OPEN! sign in the window catching his eye as he crosses the street. He frowns, unlocking the door of his flower shop and setting his bag down.

“Do you know what that is?” He asks Biana, who’s come in a few minutes after him. She shrugs, leaning out the doorway to glance at the store.

“Looks like a tattoo parlour,” she says. Fitz wrinkles his nose.

“Ugh. That’ll drive away business.”

Biana hums noncommittally and moves into the back to grab ice cubes for the orchids as their first customer of the day comes in. Fitz forces himself to focus and not think about the tattoo shop.

It doesn’t work very well.

“Look, I’m just saying, a lot of our customers are old ladies or moms with kids. Having a tattoo shop next door, with an entirely different vibe and clientele, is going to mess with us.” Fitz angrily stabs the salad he brought for lunch.

His sister raises an eyebrow, taking a bite of her sandwich. “Are you really talking about the ‘vibe’ of our flower shop?”

“Ugh. I just- who wants to get a tattoo anyway?”

Biana looks pointedly at him and then to her arm, which is covered in twisting vines and flowers. Fitz sighs.

“Point taken.”

He leans back against the front desk a few hours later, mentally counting the bags of soil they have stacked on the shelves behind the counter.

“Have we even met the owner? How do we know they don’t, like, beat people up?”

“I think you’re reaching,” Biana says. “Besides, I’ve seen the owners.”

Fitz blinks, reaching up to move one of the soil bags over on the shelf. “You have? When?”

“They’re right behind you.”

Fitz spins around, almost falling over, just in time to see two people enter the shop. One, a short, smiling woman with silver-tipped hair, immediately moves into the shelves of potted plants. Biana taps Fitz on the shoulder.

“I’m gonna go, uh, see if she needs anything.”

Fitz snorts but nods, and Biana disappears. The other owner, a man only a few inches taller than Fitz, leans against the countertop. Fitz gives him a once-over. Blond hair, blue eyes, smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth- he’s hot.

Only if you pay attention to that sort of thing, of course, and Fitz most certainly does not. There is a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why he currently can’t talk that has nothing to do with the man in front of him.

“I’m Keefe,” he says. “You own this store, right?”

Fitz nods hurriedly. “Uh. Yeah. It was my mom’s- that’s where the name came from, her name’s Della- but now she’s retired, so now it’s mine and my sister’s, and- I’m rambling. Sorry.”

Keefe laughs. “It’s fine. I think it’s sweet.”

Face burning, Fitz glances down at the register. “So, what are you here to buy?”

“Nothing,” Keefe shrugs one shoulder. “Linh wanted to see if you guys had lilies, so we closed the shop and came over here.”

“You-” Fitz blinks at him- “You just… closed your store? Randomly?”

“I mean, what’s the point of owning a store if you can’t just close it at any moment?”

“I…”

The shorter woman- Linh, Fitz remembers- appears behind Keefe with a pot of Canada lilies. She sets them on the counter and smiles at Biana.

“Thanks for helping me find these,” she says. Biana flushes slightly.

“No problem. Have a good day.”

“You too!” Linh picks up her flowers and turns toward the door. Keefe shoots Fitz a smile.

“Nice to meet you,” he calls. “See you around.”

Fitz nods slightly before they’re gone. As soon as the door closes, tiny bell at the front chiming merrily, he lets out a long breath. Biana’s still staring at the doorway.

“Uh.” She says.

“Yeah,” Fitz agrees. “Yeah.”

-/-

To be quite honest, Fitz isn’t expecting to see Keefe (or Linh) the next day. He’s not sure he wants to. A nervous, bubbly feeling rises in his gut each time he thinks about it, and he needs to work. He should just focus on the flowers and not think about anything else.

Unfortunately, flowers are incredibly boring. Fitz loves them, but they’re not exactly the best distraction material; he waters the peonies, rearranges the daisies, and moves one vase of tulips over to the counter for better visibility. And then he has nothing to do.

Not to mention that it’s Wednesday, which is always one of the lowest-traffic days in a week. Fitz has seen maybe three different customers by the time lunch rolls around, and he doesn’t even feel like moving into the back to eat. Might as well stay out here and watch people walk past the front window.

His head snaps up as someone opens the door.

“Keefe!”

“Hey,” Keefe says, flopping down onto the stool in front of the counter. “Business slow over here too?”

“Yeah. What’d you need?”

“Well-” Keefe waves a sketchbook in the air- “I have to practice art, for stencils and all that, and I figured, flowers are fun to draw. It’ll be a change of pace, at least.” He grins at Fitz. “So, can I lurk in the corner of your shop and sketch?”

“Uh, sure?” Fitz blinks. “Just don’t interrupt customers.”

Keefe pumps his fist and moves his stool against the wall, leaning his sketchbook on his lap. Fitz does his best to ignore him and moves back up to the register to help the tiny blond woman who’s purchased a huge bouquet of marigolds.

“Thank you,” she says as Fitz hands her back her credit card. “My girlfriend is going to love these.”

“No problem,” Fitz responds, smiling. “Have a nice day.”

He turns to look at Keefe after the woman’s gone, bent over his notebook furiously scribbling. Five minutes later, he slams the page down on the counter.

“Eh?”

Fitz picks it up, marvelling at the accuracy; it’s the marigold buyer, the teasing light in her eyes somehow captured even in a black-and-white sketch.

“Wow,” he says, handing the page back to Keefe. “This is amazing.”

“Psh.” Keefe waves a hand in the air. “It’s not that good.” Still, his cheeks have a definite tint to them as he snaps his sketchpad closed. “I should be getting back to the shop. My lunch break is definitely over.”

“All right,” Fitz says. He’s not sure why he feels so sad. “See you tomorrow?”

Keefe gives him a thumbs-up and ducks out of the store.

-/-

It’s a week after the first time Keefe comes into the shop on his lunch break that Fitz finally says something about it.

“Doesn’t Linh need you?”

Keefe looks up from his latest drawing- this one an inked recreation of the vase sitting in the front window. He’s been running his hand through his hair as he works, so it’s sticking up all over the place. Fitz chooses to ignore the warm feeling in his gut.

“Huh?”

“At the shop,” Fitz elaborates. “Don’t you two need to be doing, like tattoo stuff?”

“Nah. She’s on break right now too. Honestly, it’s just nice to get out of the store and away from her terrible attempts at flirting with Biana.”

“Wait, Biana’s over there?” Fitz blinks. “She usually goes to Starbucks for lunch. If she goes out at all.”

Keefe shrugs. “I don’t know. She’s been coming in to eat lunch with Linh for the past couple days now.” He cocks his head at Fitz. “Why? Are you trying to get rid of me or something?”

The question is teasing, but the underlying edge shows how much Keefe cares about the answer. Fitz hurries to backtrack.

“No! I was just- wondering.”

Shrugging again in a way that says it’s fine and also can we end this conversation, Keefe glances towards the door. “Today’s pretty low-traffic, huh?”

“Yeah,” Fitz says. “Wednesdays usually are.”

“Huh.” Keefe drums his fingers on the table, seemingly bored of sketching, before his eyes light up. “Do you know how to play Spit?”

“Do I know how to play what?”

“Spit! It’s a card game.” Out of nowhere, Keefe produces a deck of cards. Fitz looks around the empty shop and sighs.

“Sure, why not. Let’s play.”

Fifteen minutes later, Fitz slaps his hand down onto the smaller pile of cards, yelling triumphantly as he picks it up. Keefe groans.

“I win,” Fitz grins at him. This is the first game he’s won since they started playing, and he is probably far too excited. He slips off their stool, heading over to one of the tulip displays and picking out a wilting flower that had been bothering him. Behind him, he can hear Keefe get to his feet.

“I should probably be getting back,” he says. Fitz nods and turns around to face him, hand holding the tulip coming out almost automatically. Keefe looks at it quizzically. “Are you… giving me a flower?”

“Uh.” Fitz says, shrugging as nonchalantly as he can. “Yes? I mean, if you don’t want it, that’s okay, I wouldn’t be offended or anything- not that there’s anything to be offended by, it’s just a flower-”

Keefe plucks the tulip out of his hand, staring at it for a minute. “It’s pretty,” he says. “Thanks.”

Then he turns and leaves the shop.

-/-

Fitz is a little worried that the impromptu flower-giving is going to make things awkward, but when Keefe comes back the next day, there’s no sign that anything has changed. He still sets up in the corner, still jokes with Fitz between customers. They’ve settled into a peaceful rhythm; it’s simple, easy in a way things haven’t been in a long time.

And when, a few days later, Fitz hands Keefe another tulip on his way out, the smile he gets is genuine.

They start to hang out outside of work, just little trips; heading up to the Bronx Zoo to see the elephants (Keefe claims he’s not invested in them, but the way he gasps as soon as he sees one says otherwise), walking along the boardwalk at Coney Island with Biana and Linh. Fitz smiles and takes photos and tries to ignore the looks Biana sends his way- they’re friends, this is what friends do. It doesn’t mean anything.

It means so little that, when Keefe suggests they get matching ‘bros’ tattoos, Fitz agrees.

He’s pretty sure he’s drunk. No, scratch that; he’s definitely sure he’s drunk. It’s been a long week, and he’s drunk, and this is not a good idea.

But Keefe- drunker than him, that’s for sure- is holding tight to his hand, pulling him along the street. He turns back, grinning brightly under the soft light of a streetlamp, and Fitz feels warm all over.

So. They get the tattoos, and now Fitz has proof of his totally-platonic feelings inked along his collarbone.

This is fine.

-/-

“What do you think, lilies or asters?” Biana slides the tattoo book over to him, and Fitz examines the carefully-drawn designs.

“Asters,” he answers, thumbing through the pages. “Assuming you’re getting them in color. Purple looks nice on you.”

Biana nods, tracing patterns on her as-of-yet uninked arms. Fitz frowns. “You sure you want to get flowers on your other arm too?”

“Yes,” his sister says confidently. “I didn’t go for both arms the first time because I wasn’t sure how good they’d turn out, but Linh’s doing these, so I know they’ll be beautiful.”

Fitz raises an eyebrow. “Linh’s doing these, huh? So you two will be alone in a room together for hours?”

Biana glares at him and Fitz offers her an innocent smile. “Look, you should just get together already. Ask her out or something.”

Offering him her most you’re being an idiot look, Biana snorts. “Like you’re one to talk. How many not-dates have you been on with Keefe?”

“That-” Fitz sputters. “That’s completely different!”

“Is it? How?” Biana picks her bag up off the counter- it’s almost closing time. Fitz scowls, clenching his hands into fists.

“Because you have a chance!”

The store is silent for a moment before Biana sighs softly, giving him a quick hug. “Oh, hon.” She looks him straight in the eye, smiling a little. “You’ll figure it out.”

Then she shoulders her bag- “Gotta run!”- and leaves Fitz standing in the middle of the shop, completely and utterly confused.

-/-

He’s still confused the next day, trying to focus on customers and work. He completes his to-do list for the next week just in one morning, and is getting a head start on designing flower arrangements for a wedding- a wedding six months away- when Keefe walks in.

“Hey, dude,” he says mildly, dropping down beside Fitz. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Fitz responds, harsher than he means to. Keefe blinks.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Fitz says, and then, “No.” To hell with it, he thinks, turning to face Keefe head-on. “I’m annoyed at myself because I can’t control my feelings.”

Keefe tilts his head, a glimmer of something that might be hope in his eyes. “Control what feelings?”

“All of them,” Fitz laughs hollowly, “but especially the ones for you.”

He looks down at his lap, afraid to look at the other man. “We keep doing all this ‘friend stuff’ that feels like it should be a date, but it’s not, and I’m just- I just. I’m sorry, I’m rambling again-”

“Don’t worry about it.” Fitz chances a glance upward to see Keefe grinning at him. “I think it’s sweet.”

-/-

They can’t, unfortunately, remove the misbegotten ‘bros’ tattoos. Instead, Linh carefully inks two images next to each one; a heart, and a flower.

#lynn rambles #keefitz #keefe sencen #fitz vacker #linh song #biana vacker #my writing #kotlc

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millennialfangirl · 4 years

Text

Wherever You Will Go (post AoS Dousy Fic)

Fandom: Agents of Shield Pairing: Daisy x Daniel Rating: Teen and up Word Count: 1,717

Summary:

What kind of present time is the team returning to after their hard fought battle against the Chronicoms? Will Daisy get her happy ending? If Daniel has anything to say about it, he'll always find his way back to her. Is there someone out there who can bring him back to her?

(entirely inspired by the song "Wherever You Will Go," by The Calling.

A/N:

Whooo boy yall. I heard this song the other day and was just struck with inspiration for Dousy.

It's also my attempt at an endgame fix-it fic of sorts regarding plotholes and the lack of Phil Coulson and Daisy Johnson in the MCU, and aos/endgame fusion if you will.

This is a multi-chap with it all plotted out, and several chapters drafted. Non-beta-ed, we die as men.

I hope you'll join me for the ride!

Ao3 Link

Chapter 1:

For a moment, silence rings throughout the Zephyr.

Daisy slumps against the wall, exhausted. The adrenaline from the final fight against Malick and the Chronicoms is starting to dissipate.

“The Zephyr is stable. Anyone still standing, make your way to the bridge for a headcount,” Mack’s voice booms through the stillness.

Somehow she finds the strength to make it through the corridors, the desire to see her team and make sure Daniel is safe, the only thing keeping her going. Finally, she turns the last corner and sees Coulson first.

He turns in time to see her as she half hugs, half collapses in his arms.

“Whoa, whoa, I got you.”

“Did we win?”

“Yea, we won. You can rest now,” he says leading her to one of the bench seats.

Then she’s pushing against him, fighting against his hold.

“No, where’s Sousa? Did he make it?”

“I’m right here,” he affirms from behind her.

Daisy feels a wave of relief at hearing his voice. She turns and finds him looking at her with a similar look of relief.

Without thinking about the consequences or who is watching, they step toward each other, and Daisy immediately pulls him down for a kiss. He wraps his arms around her without thinking, supporting as much of her weight as he can. The kiss is life affirming and celebratory, but there’s a desperation underneath, both of them scared that the fight’s not really over, that any minute now one of them will disappear.

“Ay Dios Mio,” Yo-yo grumbles as she passes them.

They pull apart, faint blushes covering their cheeks. It only lasts a minute before Daisy’s putting nearly all of her weight on Daniel. In an instant, he lifts her into his arms and carries her over to the seats. He carefully sits down with her, and her head immediately finds his chest.

“I told you so,” Mack rubs in Yo-yo’s face.

One by one, the rest of the team filters in. Injuries are assessed and hugs are shared.

Coulson and Mack quietly discuss their next steps.

“Everyone needs a break, and a really good night of sleep,” Mack suggests.

“Agreed. Fortunately for us, we have all the time we need here in the temporal zone. Let them rest, eat. We can regroup in 12 hours,” Coulson tells him.

Mack gives the order to everyone, and the team scatters.

***

Daniel carefully settles Daisy onto the bed of her bunk. Methodically, he takes off her boots, and then her gauntlets. He gently sits next to her on the bed, and softly moves hair out of her bruised face. Even with the dark purple spots and cuts, she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

“Heyya, Danny-boy,” she says sleepily with a half smile.

He laughs out loud and brings her hand to his lips, kissing it softly.

“Back atcha, Quake.”

She turns her head into her pillow and groans in embarrassment. She’s never going to forgive Mack.

“You need to get some rest,” he prods.

“You know, I’d normally fight you on that, but I kind of feel like I was hit by a truck.”

“You never have to pretend you’re okay with me,” he tells her earnestly, rubbing his hands up and down her arm soothingly.

“Then can I ask you to stay? I don’t want to be alone.”

“Thank God. I don’t want to leave your side,” he answers, already sliding his shoes off and propping himself up against the headboard beside her.

“You should lay down and get some sleep too,” she insists.

“I will. I just want to watch over you for a little while.”

Daisy blushes, but curls herself around him and lays her head on his lap. He automatically starts running his fingers through her hair.

“I thought you would have had enough of that by now,” she mumbles.

“Never enough,” he says softly. “Now get some sleep.”

His gentle touch and comforting embrace lulls her to sleep within minutes.

***

Daisy wakes to the smell of eggs and bacon wafting through the Zephyr. She also can’t help but notice a warm body wrapped around her. Her suspicions are confirmed when she opens her eyes and all she can see is the blue of Daniel’s shirt. That damn shirt.

Her head is tucked under his chin, and her arms are curled up between them. She’s using one of his arms as a pillow, while his other one is holding her close. She recognizes the intimacy of the moment, how they somehow jumped a million steps, but it feels right.

“Good morning,” she hears his deep voice mumble against her hair.

“Possibly the best one since 1931.”

She nuzzles further into him, and wraps an arm around his waist, pulling him closer.

“Definitely the best,” he confirms.

“As much as I would like to stay here and fall right back to sleep, I’m starving, and I can smell Coulson cooking breakfast.”

“Oh no, I better get out of your way before you quake me,” he mocks.

“The square has jokes, huh?”

“A few.”

He’s blushing when he leans over to kiss her softly. Her hand finds a home in his hair, and she kisses him back. His hand starts gliding up and down her spine, and without thinking, she gives more over to the kiss. She nibbles his lip, and he moans, causing her to stop, but he follows her quickly with his tongue, surprising her. From there, it’s a blur, both of them becoming heated. His fingertips are just grazing her stomach under her tank top when a loud knocking interrupts them.

“Daisy...Coulson has food ready. C’mon before it gets cold,” Jemma informs her from behind the door. She’s quiet for a moment before continuing. “And bring Sousa with you.”

Both of them are catching their breaths as they stare at each other, not flushed with embarrassment, but longing.

“That wasn’t funny,” Daisy says staring up at him with emotion.

“No. It wasn’t funny at all,” he replies, voice thick with the same emotion. He caresses her cheek softly. “Let’s get you some food.”

Daisy agrees and lets him pull her out of bed. They decide to part ways to freshen up and change clothes before facing the new day.

***

Everyone is gathered around the common area near the small kitchen galley. Daisy can hear the laughter as she comes down the hall from her bunk. It looks like she’s the last to arrive as she spots Daniel sitting at the table. On the opposite side, she catches the tail end of Mack’s story that has them all giggling.

“And then she did a full on superhero landing, right in front of hundreds of people, live on t.v.”

“She totally outed herself as Quake,” Jemma says, leaning over to show Daniel a picture on her phone.

He’s laughing along with everyone else when she clears her throat and makes her presence known.

“I see how it’s gonna be. Should I bring up the Jasper Sitwell incident?” she threatens while leaning against the cabinets.

Jemma jerks her phone away. “Oh, don’t be a spoil sport.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Tremors, we started off by telling him about how you saved our lives that day.”

Daisy grumbles as she starts to pour some coffee. “So what other dirty laundry have you aired, Mack Hammer?”

“Well, I have seen the,” Daniel pauses and looks to Jemma, “what did you call it? The goth phase?”

“Jemma!” Daisy shrieks.

“I’m sorry! We got carried away telling stories.”

“I think my favorite hair is the purple streak,” Daniel adds.

Daisy just face-palms.

“Okay, okay. Sousa, I’ve been dying to ask you for some SSR stories,” Coulson intervenes.

Daniel dives into a hilarious anecdote about Howard Stark and one of his inventions. As Daisy prepares her plate and sits down next to Daniel, she soaks in the peacefulness. From there, the conversation flows from one war story to another, some hilarious, some sad.

Long after their plates are emptied, they’re still going at it.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute...Thor’s real?” Daniel asks, shocked.

All of the girls nod and sigh, and Jemma pipes up, “I think I’ve got a picture!”

Jemma immediately pulls up a photo to show Daniel.

“You sure did find that awfully fast,” Fitz grumbles.

Daniel looks and his eyebrows raise. “That's...impressive.”

Daisy nearly chokes on her cold coffee, Daniel’s word choice reminding her of their conversation in the time loop. Yo-yo and May try to lean over and catch a glimpse too.

“Oh, jeez. C’mon guys. He’s not that dreamy,” Coulson whines.

“As much as I would love this particular conversation to continue, we do have some difficult things to talk about, like when we’re going home?” Jemma suggests as she puts her phone away. Everyone chimes in as they all start discussing problems back home.

“Hold on, hold on,” Coulson butts in. “Maybe we shouldn’t rush. You all deserve to have a break, and we have plenty of food. We all need to heal. We don’t know what we’ll be going home to.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. We really have all the time in the world here,” Fitz responds.

The conversation drifts from there, everyone sharing the various things they’re looking forward to doing when they get home. Discreetly, Daniel takes Daisy's hand under the table.

Not discreetly enough that May and Coulson both don’t notice. Coulson leans into May as they continue to watch their friends, family really, talk about happier things.

“He’s good for her,” he says with a hint of remorse.

“He is. I can feel his affection for her. It’s genuine,” May observes.

Coulson goes silent as he watches on.

“It’s more than you just wanting the team to have a break, isn’t it, Phil. What aren’t you saying?” May asks looking at him stoically.

Coulson sighs and rubs his hand down his face.

“You know how I had to go into the time stream to destroy it...well I saw a lot of future timelines. They all had one thing in common,” he says before pausing and looking at Sousa grinning from ear to ear at Daisy.

“Daniel Sousa has to go back to 1955, or else he’ll cease to exist.”

****

Thanks for reading! Comments are treasured!!!

#dousy #daisy x daniel #daisy johnson #daniel sousa #agents of shield #aos #aos/endgame fusion #daisysous #daisy x sousa #my fic

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anxiouslynumbme · 4 years

Text

Best Prepare To Grieve

7x10, Daisy dealing with Jiaying's death.

Hello! So this is late and slightly more unedited than usual, 'cause I kinda had to post it before tonight's episode, so fair warning and all. Also this is heavily focused on Daisy and May, with a little Daisy/sousa. The higher dosage of Daisy and Sousa will be posted to my other fic (Tell me it's okay.)

Title inspiration: Hayley Williams - Leave It Alone. If you don't know it, go check it out. Actually, listen to her entire album. It's such a wonderful piece of art. Also the song ‘Simmer’ works for both Jiaying and Daisy. But especially Jiaying: If my child needed protection From a fucker like that man I'd sooner gut him 'Cause nothing cuts like a mother

Okay, I'm gonna stop now before I start rambling about the genius of Hayley Williams.

Ao3.

If you know love You best prepare to grieve Let it enter your open heart and Then prepare to let it leave

**************************************

Daisy didn't expect it to be easier, but with the number of people she had lost, and the amount of deaths and loss she had experienced; she wanted to believe it wouldn't hurt as much. But it hurt the same. Always.

Daisy had noticed a change in the way she handled tragedy over the years. How she used to deal with sadness as a kid, crying and daydreaming of a better future. As a teenager, she was the typical angsty, cynical soul who hated the world. A rebellious determination hit in her 20s, she found solace in conspiracy theories and exposing the truths.

And then Coulson had found her, and she'd latched onto the opportunity behind the man, desperately trying to find her parents, to know who she was. But Coulson had given her much more than what she had been looking for. And at first, the loneliness and pain had lessened with the team. She was happy. She belonged.

But as much as S.H.I.E.L.D. had given her; it had taken just as much. And it had taught her to deal with afflictions by avoidance, isolation, and a whole lot of anger.

And Daisy wished so much that was the case by seeing her mother's death again, Daisy wished she could sweep it under the rug and carry on. Just put under it there, with the recent death of Enoch. But she couldn't.

Daisy felt like a little kid again. She just wanted to cry and never stop, her heart was squeezing itself so tightly in its cage, her ears ringing with its heavy pounding. She couldn't breathe.

Daisy's breathing was short and shallow, her heart rate dimming in the engulfing anguish and shock, her chest constricting with the unbearable weight of loss. Daisy was frigid with the retching grief swirling through her veins. How was it that she never knew her mother and it hurt as though she did. Everytime. She had always been an orphan; she never had a mother, this should've been easier. Daisy wanted it to be. Desperately. Daisy was deprived of a mother's love since she was born; she was used to this. And yet, if felt like she was being drained of her blood by Nathaniel all over again. He should've had finished the job.

What Daisy resented the most was the brief, naive sliver of hope that was momentarily lit within her heart. A hope she had learned time and time again to crush, to never let it simmer too long or too bright. Daisy had learned not to hope a long time ago.

But seeing her mother again had weakened her resolve; it melted that icy wall she'd built around her for so long. Because the Jiaying that had stood in front of her was so unlike the traumatic memories Daisy had tried to block out. And for a split second, Daisy let her mind wander: it wandered so stupidly, with an innocence she shouldn't have, gullibility that should had been long gone.

Jiaying's presence enfeebled her state of mind and her guarded heart. Because after all those years, Daisy still hoped. What if Jiaying could stay? What if bad luck decided to let her have this one? What if she could get to keep this untainted and healthy version of her mother? What if they saved her sister and managed to find some way to stay together? It was so brief, a nano-second of hopeful naivety.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. And now you're breaking down all over again.

No, she wasn't breaking down again. Because as much as pain and sadness were familiar. Anger was too. And Daisy could easily channel this darkness that was threatening to swallow her, into fury. A familiar and safe territory.

It had been a while since Daisy had felt this kind of rage. She hated it. It was so easy to lose herself in that bottomless pit of hatred and self-pity. Daisy didn't want to give herself in it again; she'd almost lost the people she loved the last time she had went down an emotional spiral.

But it didn't matter, because Daisy wasn't going to let this go, her blood was boiling beneath the surface of her skin, her nerves prickled and itched with the fury that kept building up by each passing second. Quake was unraveling inside her, her powers thrumming with the need to be let out, it hummed and hammered, silently begging to be unleashed.

"Daisy."

May's wary voice traveled to her ears, but refused to reach the rest of her senses. A numbness began to settle over her as she quietly wiped away her muted tears.

May placed a hand on her shoulder and Daisy's eyes closed at the contact. Daisy couldn't handle comfort right now.

"Where is he?" her voice came out distant and cold.

"Daisy."

"How did he escape, May?"

"Garrett, I'm sure. He has Simmons."

Daisy's heart lurched in silent panic. Of course. Of course, he has her best friend. Daisy pulled away from May, standing up briskly.

“Deke is there too. He was already on the Zephyr.”

"Do you have any idea why he wants Simmons?"

"Daisy, you should take a breath," May said, putting a hand on her own chest.

"I'm fine, we have to act quickly and find her. Malick is unhinged; we don't know what he'll do," Daisy said monotonously, vaguely pointing at Jiaying's corpse. "We should move her first."

"I got it."

Sousa's voice was jarring, to say the least. Daisy was unaware of his presence in the hallway, and she didn't why, but she couldn't look at him.

"Thanks," she told him, marching forward and leaving Jiaying behind, not really caring where her legs were taking her.

"Daisy, where are you going?" May's word fell on deaf ears, Daisy needed to get out, it felt as though her lungs were collapsing in her chest.

Daisy almost sprinted outside. Her steps carrying her forward until she was stood in front of the water falling down harshly at the center of the Lighthouse. A scenery that used to bring her comfort; it was a place she sought out in her time of need, need of serenity and quiet. But her safe haven didn't provide much safety or peace, nothing could change the scene playing over and over in her mind.

Jiaying's face, the cracking sound of her neck breaking. The thudding finality of her lifeless body hitting the floor.

The air started to crackle around Daisy, her powers causing shudders to glide through her bones. Daisy was aware of the ground shaking beneath her, cargo and boxes of contents unknown to her, started to jolt and oscillate uncontrollably.

"Daisy!" It seemed May had followed her.

"Don't worry, May. I'm in control."

"Are you?"

"Yes!"

With a deep breath, Daisy focused all of her energy on one specific container, finally letting the infuriated vibrations out. Releasing her powers directly towards a few useless objects. One after the other, they exploded, and with each one Daisy felt her raging insides slightly subdue. But it wasn't enough. It wasn't Nathaniel.

"Daisy, talk to me." May came to stand next to her.

Daisy breathed in sharply. "What's the plan? Do we know - "

"Daisy, stop avoiding this."

"I'm not avoiding anything, May. Simmons was kidnapped, again! And I'm guessing Malick is not taking her to Hawaii, so..."

"I know that," May gritted out.

"Good. So he probably took her because it has something to do with Fitz, which is just great because we have zero informa -"

"Daisy, I can feel it!" May's voice almost came out in a yell.

"I'm sorry?" Daisy asked uselessly.

"Daisy," May said. "You are in pain. And you are so angry. Please talk to me."

Daisy nodded her head in annoyance, her hands darting to her waist. "Okay, then, why didn't you shoot to kill, May?"

"What?"

"Why didn't you kill him?" Daisy snapped. "Why didn't you let me - ?"

"Your anger was too much, you would've put everyone in danger!"

"No, I wouldn't have! I know exactly what I'm doing."

May paused, taking a step closer to her. "Daisy - "

"What, you wanna talk about something else? Like the fact that apparently I don’t exist now, or the fact that I had to watch my mother die again. Killed by the hands of someone who was abusing my powers! He used my powers to kill her, May!"

"I know," May said softly, striding even closer to Daisy. The consoling noise of the water around them grounding Daisy.

"Honestly, what Did I expect?" she snickered. "She dies later anyway. . .might as well, right? At least now I won't be alive, I guess - I honestly don't how this works anymore."

"Daisy, don't do this. Don't shut down."

"Wow, that's rich coming from you," Daisy bit out, her frustration flowing freely.

May was quiet, which irritated Daisy even more. She simply stood there, staring at her, but not with pity. It was pain. May was hurting too.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Right, your ambiguous powers are making you extra sensitive, huh? Sorry about that."

"I don't need powers to feel your pain, Daisy."

Daisy stiffened, her feet instinctively taking a step back. "Well, sorry about that too."

"Daisy," May followed her, a palm trying to reach for her arm again. Daisy let her. "I can tell. Always. And that's why I know you will be okay."

"Will I?" Daisy wondered, her tone small and broken. "you know sometimes, I have these moments where I look around, surrounded by you guys, and I feel safe. Content. But then this dread always hits, hard. And I'm just. . .constantly afraid of losing you. Death just follows me, wherever I go."

May blenched, her frown deepening as her hand squeezed Daisy almost sternly. "Don't. Don't say that."

"No, no, it's always been like this," Daisy continued loudly, her hands flailing in front of her restlessly. "it's the same thing, always. Anyone I ever dared to care about goes away. God, even the idea of my parents I couldn't have. Just the mere damn idea of them. And the universe is twisted enough to keep dangling her, dangling that hope in my face!

"I've imagined meeting my mother over and over again, and not once did I - " Daisy's voice broke off, a hollowing ache in her chest. "She's unreachable. There is no world where I could have her. I don't even know why I keep - why I even thought - "

Daisy was cut off by May's arms enveloping her. Her grip strong and kind and steady. Safe, so safe. Daisy gasped roughly, her body sagging against May, finally inhaling oxygen just a bit easier again.

Daisy's legs gave out from under her, May immediately lowering both of them to the ground. May's arms closed her in, almost caging her from the cruel world around her. Like a mother would. And suddenly Daisy was assaulted by the memory of almost losing the woman who was currently keeping her from completely shutting down . May had almost died; Daisy had believed she died. And all of a sudden, that same wave of stifling pain crashed over her again, and Daisy clutched May to her, gripping her tightly.

"You almost died too," Daisy wept, not fully aware that her mouth was freely voicing her turmoil. "You almost me left me, too."

"Shh, I'm right here."

But Daisy was unable to hear anything but her racing, terrified thoughts.

"It won't stop. Ever since Trip, I keep losing. I lost the one person who understood me," Daisy's breath caught in her throat as she thought of her first, lost love. "I lost my - "

Her father? Because he was. In every way but blood, Phil Coulson was her father. And he was gone. And Daisy knew she might never completely move past his death; she might never be whole again. There really was nothing without him.

"It's okay, Daisy."

"He's gone, May. Coulson is gone," Daisy sobbed. "It's not him. He will never be him."

"I know, Daisy, I know." May held her harder. Solid against her.

"Please don't leave, May," Daisy grasped May's waist, her head pressing further in her chest. "Don't leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere," May rasped, her words firm and full of conviction. "I'm right here, okay? I'm always with you, Daisy."

But she wouldn't be. There was no way to ever ensure that, to ensure her loved ones’ safety, her family's survival. Daisy was going to lose them, or they were going to lose her. Death was inevitable, loss was too, and it didn't help that the odds were always stacked against them.

Enoch was right.

But Daisy didn't say anything, and decided to let May's words seep into her anyway, because Daisy was on the verge of a panic attack and she couldn't afford the loss of control right now. So for this moment, Daisy decided to believe May.

******

Daisy's eyes snapped open, her groggy mind trying to comprehend her surroundings. She had fallen asleep, slowly Daisy lifted her head up and away from May's chest to look into her wide awake eyes. Glancing around, Daisy realized May had moved them to a wall near by.

"How the hell did I fall asleep?" her voice was scratchy and low. "Did I, like, pass out or something?"

May grinned. "Honestly, I think you might have."

"Oh, how long?"

"Not long enough."

Daisy exhaled slowly. "Well, I'm sorry."

"It's all right. You needed it."

Daisy gazed at May's warm smile and noticed her eyes were a little red, realizing that May might've been crying with her. Gratitude and affection rushed through her. They had often joked about it, how Coulson and May were like her parents, but deep down, Daisy had always been speaking from the heart. They were.

Daisy caught May's hand in hers, "Thank you. I don't say it enough,"

May's brows knitted. "For what?"

"For taking care of me, for showing me how to survive and basically teaching me everything I know. For saving my life."

"You never need to thank me for any of that.”

S.H.I.E.L.D. did take a lot of from her. But it had also gifted her with something so rare, so utterly precious. Irreplaceable. It was tangible and real and hers. Daisy would take all the pain in the world if it meant having them. Having this family, keeping it.

"Er, hey."

This time, his voice wasn't as jarring, in fact, somehow Daisy was waiting for it, her ears welcoming its irresistible warmth as her eyes finally met his.

"Hi."

"We should start working out a plan and figuring out exactly where they are," May said, her body suddenly rising up to its full height, Daisy following right after. "I'll see you back inside in a few minutes,."

With one last gentle smile, May was walking away from them.

"Are you okay, sounds very pointless right now. So I'm gonna ask if there's anything you need from me."

Daisy's lips instantly quirked to the side. "Not right now, no. But thanks."

She wanted to ask him how he moved Jiaying, where exactly did he put her. Daisy wanted to see her, but her heart seemed to whimper in fear at the thought. Would she be able to do it? Daisy needed to focus on the mission, and maybe later, if she actually survived, there would be time to say proper goodbye to her mother.

"For now, all we need to focus on is getting Simmons and Deke back," she told him as they both started walking back.

Sousa sighed, eyes flitting away from hers. "I know. It all happened so fast. I couldn't stop him."

"You were with her?"

"Yeah, and I didn't have time t - "

Daisy stopped in her tracks. "Hey, it wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could've done."

Even though Sousa knew she was right, she could still sense some lingering guilt in his eyes. But Daisy could more than understand why he felt that way. Because how many times could she have killed Nathaniel? How many ways? Instead, she did nothing but watch. Helpless to stop any of it.

"What happened wasn't your fault either," Sousa said softly.

A part of Daisy didn't like the fact that he seemed to be able to read her so easily after knowing her for such little time. But the other, much bigger part of her, was just so grateful for him. Grateful that she didn't have to talk much for him to understand. So grateful that he was here.

Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts.

Daisy peered at Sousa."Well, I guess it doesn't matter if it is or not. Guilt sticks with you anyway it can."

Sousa nodded. "Sometimes, it can be an irrational feeling."

"But in this case, it's justified. He didn't even want Jiaying. If she hadn't been here at all, then she would've - "

"No, you can't think like that," Sousa interjected quickly. "it'll drive you crazy. There was no way for you to know that. It was out of your control, Daisy."

Daisy could feel her insides recoil at the incessant image that wouldn't leave her mind. "He'd told her. Before he killed her. She - she knew who I was. She was trying to protect me."

Sousa stepped up to her, his palm kindly touching her arm. And Daisy didn't flinch away from him.

"She had died honorably. I know things were bad in the future with her. But this was your mother, Daisy. And she had done what she was always supposed to do."

The silent tears slipped before she could stop them, Sousa's hand rubbing her arm soothingly.

"You know, I'm really glad you kinda pushed me into talking with her."

Sousa smiled warmly. "Really? 'Cause it didn't look like it."

Daisy snorted. "Well, I wasn't at the time. But now I realize I needed the push. . . So thank you."

"Anytime, Daisy."

The way he'd said it, as if he were cementing the idea that he was going to be there for her, anytime. And Daisy wanted to believe him so badly. But she couldn't let herself hope right now, not so soon after. Everything got taken away from her, and Sousa was no exception. Sooner or later.

Daisy sent him a simple nod in response, their legs moving forward again. Daisy didn't want to go inside; the air was probably still thick and heavy with the recent calamity, the devastation. Devastation she was still feeling.

But Daisy didn't have the luxury of mourning right now. Her friends were in trouble, which of course meant the world was in trouble. She needed to push through, as always.

She could let herself think that seeing her mother again brought her nothing but this suffocating sorrow. But Daisy was choosing to view it differently. She was glad that she was lucky enough to have seen Jiaying like this. To hear her say, my daughter, one last time. Daisy was glad she had the chance to look at her mother's beautiful face, and not see years of torment and hate clouding her eyes. Daisy was never even supposed to see her again; she was lucky in that sense.

Or at least that was how Daisy needed to look at it, in order to be able to move on. Because thinking of it any other way could so easily crush her.

Daisy got to see her again and that was enough. Because maybe asking for anything else was too much.

It always was.

#prepare to let it leave #agents of shield #daisy johnson #melinda may #sousy #daisysous #daniel sousa #may and daisy #dousy #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d.#aos

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agl03 · 4 years

Note

Is it more wishful thinking or naivety thinking that Fitzsimmons will actually get a happy ending? We were all witness to the season 5 finale. I expect nothing different this time around. The word satisfying is being thrown around again and we know that means something way different to them. I really want to believe. I do. But I stopped trusting the writers in season 3. I have stuck around only because I love the characters.

Hi Anon,

At the end of Season 5 I told you guys I would never ask you to trust the writers again I had fully expected to loose Coulson, but Fitz, FItz was devastating. And in part I blame myself for not paying closer attention to the clues that were out there. And I was lulled into a false sense of security by words like satisfying and I thought they would never ever kill him in the end.

Now, after seeing where they planned to go with that story I’ve made peace. Most of my upset would have honestly been avoided had it been billed only as a season finale and not potentially a series. Because where they took it is my favorite arc ever for the Show, The Search for Fitz that ended in the masterpiece that was Inescapable. For me, the end of Season 5 was worth it to get that and I know that doesn’t stand for everyone.

This time around I don’t believe I am being naive or just putting all my hopes and dreams in one basket. I’m going in knowing there will be loss and that the main word the cast and EP’s have used is bittersweet and we know now that not all ends will be happy. Even though I see Fitzsimmons ending together with their daughter we are paying the price up front with Fitz in hiding and his inevitable mortal peril/fitznapping. I also still strongly feel that Fitzsimmons will have to pay a price of their own IE they can’t stay in the Present and they will have to return to where we had time ended. Separating from the team again. But at least they are together.

I’ve seen red flags for Characters like Mack and Daisy (I don’t think she dies but I think where she lands is going to leave the fans at odds). Have come up to me in interviews. While Elizabeth and Iain seem very please (Elizabeth is very easy to see when she is not happy with what is going on with Fitzsimons). The fate of Robo Coulson and what he chooses to do once the mission is over.

Season 5 left us with the team still together for the most part. Coulson was going to Tahiti and then May came back. They went and found Fitz and were mostly reunited.

I think for a major MAJOR moment in Season 7 we’ll get something we haven’t had in ages. The entire team in the same room again. Seriously when is the last time that happened! And then they go into the final battle and when the dust settles rather than knowing that the team is going to go on, ready for the next mission. Most of them are liable to part ways and a new team and new generation will be taking their place.

Mack: I still think falls.

Elena: Either stays with Shield to carry on in his name or can’t bear to stay without him. All with the possibility of taking in Flint.

May: Is SO out of there, she’s had enough. She either goes on to take on the Academy or just jumps ship for a tropical island or Ireland.

Daisy: I have concerns, I can see her moving on in a bit of a different way, possibly even fulfilling Raina’s prophecy if she doesn’t stay with Shield. I no longer think she’ll become Director. But something about it will be divisive.

Deke: Please live, please live. He’s on an arc of really finding himself and that could lead to a heroic sacrifice in the end. Otherwise he stays with Shield to take over for his Grandparents or goes back to his company and really uses it to change the world. My dream ending is he stays with Nana and Bobo but that is one of my wish list items I don’t think I’m going to get.

Fitzsimmons: End together with their child (yeap still on that hill) aand different time or no they are so out of Shield, unwilling to risk their family or being separated again.

Robo Coulson: He is loving this whole time travel thing and I can see him changing his mind and maybe becoming and Anthropologist for the Chronicoms....but at the same time having his more personal memories erased. I can see him sacrificing himself. I can see him wanting to be deactivated. I honestly just want him to finally get what he wants.

The team has always been a family so it will be very bittersweet to see that family splitting up. Even though some are going on to better things.

I have become very big of people managing their expectations. That is something you can have control over. I’ve chosen to trust the writers again and go all in with FS Happy ending with a child in tow but I don’t expect anyone else to go there with me. If I am disappointed that is on me and me alone. Not other fans, not the cast, and not the writers.

#aos spoilers

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nellie-elizabeth · 4 years

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: After, Before (7x08)

Elena gets her groove back!

Cons:

I really loved focusing on May and Elena for a good chunk of this episode, but the story felt somewhat crowded and also oddly... muted, by bringing in not only Jiaying (it was cool to see her again), but also a host of other people living at Afterlife, like Kora, and the guy working with the Chronicoms... etc. I didn't dislike the story, but it crowded up the frame, so to speak.

Still missing Fitz hours, folks...

Pros:

But like I said - focusing on May and Elena in this episode was such a treat. They have a good odd couple energy, honestly. May is still emotionless herself, but she's starting to pick up on how other people feel even without needing to touch them. Elena, meanwhile, is obviously stressed nearly to the breaking point, because if she can't get her powers fixed, she might not be able to perform a key function that will save the ship and allow them to get back home to their own time. So the negative energies are just feeding between them, growing in intensity.

I liked the story of Kora and Jiaying, although as I said, it did make parts of the episode feel a little cluttered. Jiaying was such an interesting character back when she was in the show in early days... she was the catalyst to make Skye, now Daisy, into an actually compelling character. She treats the Inhumans under her "care" like experiments, she's afraid of them... but her love for Kora feels genuine at the same time. Very twisty. Felt like an interesting parallel to the strained mother/daughter dynamic that Daisy and Jiaying might have had, had they been given time to know each other. It's complicated shit! We also get a teaser at the end showing Kora and another Inhuman whose name I've forgotten... they've taken over Afterlife and are planning on introducing some chaos to the world. I don't know where this is going, as it seems not to fit in with the Chronicoms' other plans, but I'm excited to see where it takes us!

I really did love the scene where May tries to help Elena access her emotions and figure out her mental block for her powers. Yo-Yo is discouraged to discover that her powers aren't working for psychological reasons, instead of physical ones, but she does get some baggage out in the open when May abandons the meditative approach and tries to kick her ass instead. Elena is carrying guilt over events of her past, and while it seems healthy that she's working through them, by the time they have to go back home to rendezvous with the others, Elena is still blocked. I love that the little side-quest appears to have failed at first - it parallels nicely with the way Mack had a side quest to rescue his parents, which appeared successful, but then... wasn't.

Back on the ship, there are a lot of little mini threads being explored which I quite liked. Coulson is still being reunited with a physical body that's only half-built, and Daisy is still weak after what she went through a few weeks back. Sousa is game for whatever, confused by what's happening but fully with the team. Simmons leaves an "I love you" message for Fitz, because if they have to abandon the ship, they might not be able to find each other again. These two are star-crossed lovers to the nth degree, and while I'm ultimately frustrated, narratively speaking, with the lack of Fitz in this final season, I do love how much angst they've managed to wring from these two.

The ending, where Elena has a breakthrough and gets her powers to work again, was so satisfying! She looked so happy, so proud, so at peace. And even better, she's actually sort of managed an upgrade for herself. She doesn't have to be a "yo-yo" anymore, and bounce back to where she started. She can just be fast, and stay put. I'm excited to see how that might affect her strategic role in future fights.

Shout-out to my favorite comedy beat of the episode, when the intimidating folks at the Afterlife think Elena is lying about being Inhuman because she can't show her powers. They present her with a bit of obelisk, saying that a regular human will die if they touch it. Elena reaches out and grabs it without hesitation, cutting off the man's threat mid-stream. That was so funny! And it got even better when May reminded her that she's holding it with her prosthetic arm, so she actually has to touch it to her face. That made me chuckle!

That's all I've got for this one. The preview for next week looks like a time loop episode, which... man, I should have known they were going to go there, what with all the time shenanigans this season! I'm so excited!

8/10

#review #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d.#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. review #agents of shield #agents of shield review #aos #marvel

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ellsey · 5 years

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Agents of Shield Rewatch 1x22 Beginning of the End

Man, I can’t believe we’re already to the end of the 1st season. After this is where things start to get murky for me because while I’ve rewatched 2 I know and most of 3, I haven’t watched them near as much as season 1...anyway I’ll probably see more in those seasons I’ve forgotten. Anyway, on with this show.

The “incentives” program sounds super shady

Because it is

Phil is trying to dad his way out of this of course

May is amazing the end

Alien writing by Garrett! Won’t be the last time we’ll see that.

Ok y’all I have a loooooooooooooooooot of feelings about these scenes in the pod because basically this is one of the finest set of scenes on television ever so excuse me while I get some stuff out

So Fitz explains to Jemma what has been going on, and basically he’s been mathing his way through this. Obviously, Fitz went into straight survival mode as they fell. To think that he managed to strap them down and calculate all this through the pain of his arm and them settle down and just let Jemma rest...he’s so much more than anyone gives him credit for.

Poor Jemma on the other hand wakes up, sees that Fitz has everything under control (or appears that way), and is her usual bright sunny self. Only when she extrapolates from what Fitz is saying does she understand how dire their situation is. Uggghhhh.

I love Coulson’s little motivational speeches. #1 Dad!

“What will I become?” Oh Raina, honey, sometimes you don’t want the real answers.

This is one of the most comforting scenes about death that I’ve ever seen. The thought that our energy has existed before and will continue to exist is very reassuring. Sure, maybe it won’t be us as we are now, but we will still be out there maybe doing something even bigger and more impressive. And I like to think that some of our energies will always find each other. Ok, so that’s less scientific then the rest, but it’s still a pretty thought.

LOOK AT HIS FACE WHILE SHE IS TALKING. HE LOVES HER SO MUCH.

Seriously though, just look at him. There is love and affection just oozing out of every pore of his body. I don’t know how Jemma doesn’t sense it or just burn up in it’s radiance. It’s so beautiful.

Also you know he is about to tell her how he feels. That shaky breath he takes in...the hesitant way he says, “Jemma...” Maybe she couldn’t sense it, but his love for her at that moment was just so overwhelming that he had to tell her.

Buuuuuuuuuut, he doesn’t because she comes up with an idea he didn’t have. For all his spectacular thinking he’d done, he couldn’t properly solve the problem without Jemma. Just as she couldn’t have solved it without him.

BETTER. TOGETHER.

“SIr, I bring the noise and the funk where ever I go.” Mmmmm yes you do.

Good night Garrett is insane.

And also full of himself.

If Garrett had a Twitter I can tell you what his tweets would be like...

You know who I mean.

Lawd Raina is playing like 10000 games at once

Hahahaa Daisy is a delight in these scenes

Guh Ward and Garrett are so gross

Umm Fitz knows that Jemma is a better swimmer than him so obviously they’ve been swimming together and I just want an Academy/Sci-Ops spin-off ok?

THIS SCENE UGH. Ok, so this scene is actually a big deal on a couple of levels. 1- Fitz finally admits his feelings to Jemma by telling her she’s “more than that,” parroting a phrase Jemma herself had used earlier in the season. 2- Jemma is clearly VERY shocked. I think she had just not ever let her brain get past “this is where our relationship is and I’m going to be happy there” and any other feelings were put inside her little box to never deal with. 3-”So let me show you.” This really sets up basically Fitzsimmons’s entire future. Time and again they choose/are forced to show each other the depths of their emotions. They rarely have a chance to talk to each other (within the confines of the show anyway), but they get many chances to show each other how they feel.

Spoiler alert what they feel is love.

Fitz is so at peace with what is about to happen, but Jemma is not.

Also, I remember people being either mad that they didn’t kiss here or glad because they weren’t fans of the ship and this was Jemma obviously rejecting him or whatever. And anyway we all know how that turned out so.

But I remember very distinctly writing basically a treatise on why I loved these kisses that Jemma peppers on his face more than a big, passionate, tongue-y kiss. And what it boiled down to as I recall (but legit that was an entire baby ago so I know I’ve lost some brain cells since then) is that I find this very intimate. Jemma has had zero time to process what Fitz told her about his feelings, but she knows she does not want to live without him. And so she covers him in kisses, wanting to touch as much of him as possible. I talked in an earlier episode about them having this invisible wall between them, Well that’s all gone now, and Jemma is basically trying to claim every last bit of him while she still has the chance.

And I don’t necessarily mean it in a romantic way (although I definitely think there’s some of that in there even if she doesn’t quite know it yet), but c’mon. Fitz is her other half. She needs to take in as much of him as possible just in case something awful happens.

Also Fitzsimmons kiss count update: Total 2 (1 on cheek, 1 set all over face)

Unfortunately that wall between them will grown taller before it goes down again.

Then Fitz takes one last look at her face and blows out the window. If this is the last thing he ever sees, he wants to make sure his energy has memorized Jemma’s face.

Also they get rescued by Nick Fury. How wicked cool is that??

Ward is threatening to take what he wants from Daisy and I mean we all know what that means and I hope he dies.

Crossing May was the worst thing Ward could have ever done.

But also the best because HAHAHAHAHA suck it Ward

“You were never on top” I’m surprised Ward can still fight after that sick burn

YAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSS MIKE PETERSON IS A FREE MAN

May and Coulson are basically the cutest here

I’m sorry I don’t write the rules

Mike is such a sweet guy :(

The fakeout here with Garrett is hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilarious

Furys’ toolbox! Director Coulson! So much being set up here.

A happy but subdued Jemma gives us the first of many Fitz-related cliffhangers. Unfortunately.

Billy Keonig, yay!

And a final shot of my bus family WHO I LOVE

Yes Trip is included in that. He’s family now.

It’s Daisy’s dad! And he has a gross hand!

Before we move seasons we see that Coulson has joined the wacky alien writing crew.

Cool.

Man that is suuuuuuuuuch a good episode!! 15/10 on the Fitzsimmons scale. 10/10 on the Daisy is Going to Be in Charge One Day scale. 18/10 on the Melinda May is the Warrior Queen We Deserve scale. 13/10 on the BUS FAMILY 5EVER scale. Just give it all the points, ok?

And our final song for the season is “Oceans” by Coasts because OBVIOUSLY FITZSIMMONS REASONS OK? Look a majority of these songs will probably end up Fitzsimmons related just accept it.

youtube

#aosrewatch #aosrewatchs1 #earth vs space #team earth aos #fitzsimmons #jemma simmons #leo fitz #daisy johnson #phil coulson #melinda may #antoine triplett #grant ward #john garrett #raina #mike peterson #nick fury #and a whole host of people being manipulated by Hydra #and also my FEELINGS

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cptablovegood · 5 years

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Absolutely no one asked for this or probably even wants this but I’m less than a hundred pages in to Fool’s Errand and Fitz and Beloved are already ruining me so I’m literally just going to make a note of every time they’re being super in love (even if Fitz is constantly obtuse and refuses to admit it) just for my own (in)sanity..

———————part 1————————

Apparently only original posts show up in tumblr searches some imma just have to keep adding on to this rather than reblogging hope you’re ready for a shit so guys!

“I see a love that wends its way in and out of all your many years. That faithful heart has been absent for a time, but is soon to return to you again.” A witch reading his LOVE LINE! She also makes a direct comparison to Molly. Fitz foolishly thinks it’s about Starling but Beloved arrives soon after so we know its about them. HIS LOVE LINE GUYS!

“Your one true love is stitched in and out and through you life. Love will return to you.” You could interpret this as being about Molly as I think they end up getting back together after Burrich has died but I’m way more inclined to believe this is about the Fool. For one its the same witch says its right after the above. Fitz himself also dimises Molly. But mainly the phrasing. The White Prophet and his Catalyst are often described as being interwoven and bound together despite of any distance and time. Like the metaphors are parallel making me think this is about the Fool. Which means… Beloved is Fitz’s one true love! Guys can Robin Hobb just give me a fucking break please!

*a whole paragraph admiring a horse* “The rider was fully worthy of the horse.” He thinks his mans is fine ok!

“He smiled. Something turned over in my heart. I moistened my lips, but could find no words, no breath to utter them if i had. My heart told me one thing my eyes another.” Ummm how fucking in love is Fitz? He hasn’t seen the Fool in 15 years and he’s speechless and his heart is doing somersaults? His eyes are saying wait that’s not how i remember the fool but it doesn’t fucking matter he KNOWS its the fool HIS HEART KNOWS.

“I open my mouth, then helplessly spread wide my arms. At that gesture that said all I had no words for, an answering look lit his face.”Again he’s literally speechless but that doesn’t even matter the Fool can fully understand him. Soulmates don’t need such trivial things as language to communicate!

“He glowed as if a light had been kindled in him” Im sorry thats some romantic shit.

“He did not dismount but flung himself from his horse towards me.” Hi the Fool literally launched himself off a horses back into your arms!

“The horse shied away but none of us paid her any attention.” They’re so absorbed in each other.

“In one step i caught him up. I enfolded him in my arms as the wolf gambolled about us like a puppy.”

“‘Oh Fool,’ I choked. ‘It cannot be you, yet it is and I do not care how.’” Emotions are literally choke him he’s about to start crying, I-

“He flung his arms around my neck. He hugged me fiercely. … For a long time he clung to me like a woman.” Yeah we know Fitz has some old misconstrued ideas about love and gender so for him to even parallel that is a lot ok…

“Until the wolf insistently thrust himself between us.” Ok so not only would they have carried on clinging to each other if Nighteyes hadn’t have forced them apart but also the wolfs reaction is super fucking important as well. Like Nighteyes is Fitz’s Wit beast. He has never loved another person other than Fitz so loyally and without question. When he first meets the Fool he trusts him straight away and calls him pack long before anyone else. Fitz even gets jealous of their bond in the first trilogy until Nighteyes explains that why shouldn’t he trust and love someone so fiercely if Fitz already feels this way about them.

“…wiping away tears. I did not think less of him for them. My own ran unchecked down my face.” Urgh thank you Robin Hobb for letting men cry! But they are both so overcome with emotion and not ashamed or embarrassed to show the other person that they’ve been brought to tears by their reunion like wow they’re so in love.

“He flowed to his feet, every nuance of his grace as familiar to me as the drawing of breath.” He likens simply seeing the fool moving to something that is habitual and that sustains his life I-

“He cupped the back of my head and in his old way, pressed his brow to mine.” I would argue more tender than a chaste kiss.

“He stared at me, his eyes touching the white streak in my hair and running familiarly over the scares on my face. I stared just as avidly…” they’re drinking each other up after so many years apart committing each other to memory again.

“The wide grin that lit his face erased all years and distance between us.” something as simple as a smile can bring them right back together like they haven’t been separated for 15 years.

“I felt something from him; the thinnest knife-edge of of shared awareness. … ‘All down the years’ his voice going as golden as his skin ‘you have been with me, as close as the tips of my fingers, even when we were years and seas apart. Your being was like the hum of a plucked string at the edge of my hearing, or a scent carried on the breeze.’”Maybe I’m smoking crack but I think this might be the most romantic thing ever? ‘his voice going golden as his skin’ why does that warm my heart so??

“‘Had I possessed the Skill in truth you would have known I was there. At your fingertips, but mute.’ I felt an odd easing in my heart at his words, for no reason I could name” Fitz mate thats love. Love and the confirmation and realisation that you had never and would never truly be alone or lonely.

“It was a boys thing to do, this immediate offering to share a prized possession and my heart answered it, knowing that no matter how long or how far apart wed been nothing important had changed between us.” Like you might be men full grown now, having lived completely separate lives, not knowing each other for the last 15 years but your love is so pure it has not been marred by age or distance!

“I blinked my eyes and for a minute I was back in the Fool’s hut in the mountains, healing from my injury while he stood between me and the world” he remembers how the fool protected and shielded him and nursed him back to health.

“He created reality around himself, bringing order and peace to a small island of warm firelight.”

“Light ran up his cheekbones and dwindles as it merged with his hair.”

“‘In the space of a sundown, you show me the wide world from a horses back and the soul of the world within my own walls.’” Before the Fool came Fitz was feeling listless and suffocated by his own life. Is there a more beautiful thing than being renewed to vigor by someone you love? The Fool basically brings him all the possibilities and life that he had forgotten he could have. Also he calls the Fool ‘the soul of the world’ how fucking beautiful is that. and the fool is so fucking happy that he could do that for him.

“We are whole.” This said by Nighteyes which I again think is super important. He feels the same about the Fool as he does about Fitz. And although him and Fitz are Wit bonded and him and the Fool not he does not feel that they have been truly complete without him.

“Like sundered pieces of crockery that snick back together so precisely that the crack becomes invisible, the Fool joined us and completed us.”

“The Fool’s presence was in itself an answer and satisfaction.”

“That evening remains for me always a moment to cherish as golden and fragrant as brandy in crystal glasses.”

“I stayed away from you as long as i could. he offered the words like an apology.’ He literally cant keep himself from fitz. “Any time that you returned to visit me would not have been too soo” And Fitz doesn’t want to be left alone Beloved he wants your company!

“Nighteyes and I spoke as we did was not an effort to exclude him from our circle. It was that our circle made us one in a fundamental way we could not share. ‘Yet once we did and it was good.’” Even the wolf wants them to all be joined again and share their thoughts and feelings!

“He extended his hand to me as if he proffered an invisible gift on those outstretched fingertips. I closed my eyes to steady myself against the temptation. ‘I want it as i want breath itself Fool take it away please.’” He is having to ask the Fool to remove the temptation because he wants that wholeness, that one’s again so badly but he knows it’s a bad idea. It is taking all his will to decline it and I think of the Fool offered again he wouldn’t be able to resist a again. Also this is the 2nd time he has likened the Fool to something as fundamental as breathing.

“‘I dreamed of you once. You were sick or injured. A man leaned over you, I felt he wanted to hurt you so I-’ ‘It’s quite likely ou saved my life.’” Even when the Fool was Amber and Fitz did not know her his subconscious was looking out for her and protecting her. He fucking skill pushed someone to leave her alone without even realising it was her.

“‘Sometimes when I was most alone I mocked myself that I could cling to such a hope. That I could believe I was so important to anyone that he would travel in his dreams to protect me.’ ‘You should have known better than that.’ I said quietly.” Ok so this hurts my heart a little because Fitz always denies that he loves the Fool the way in which he wants to be loved by Fitz. I mean I don’t think that’s true at all because their love is way more intense and intimate than any woman that Fitz has ever been with Molly included the only boundary between him and the Fool is sex which arguable we know Fitz doesn’t always think is related to love cos he slept with Starling. And it fucking kills me that when Amber was in her darkest place she clung on to the hope that Fitz did truest love her but at the same time laughed at herself cos Fitz himself had told them otherwise previously. And here he has the audacity to contradict her. Like how could you ever doubt it? Cos you told them to doubt it mate! Why are you so fucking obtuse Fitz!

“‘Should I?’ He gave me the most direct look I have ever received from him. I did not understand the hurt I saw in his eyes nor the hope. He needed something from me but I wasn’t sure what it was.” Urgh again Fitz is so blind! You just need to hold him and admit to him how much you love him get over yourself and your whole ‘I can’t love you like a man loves a woman’ bullshit cos like the Fool rightfully said you didn’t love Molly cos of what was under her skirts!

“‘Were you expecting me to leave tomorrow?’ ‘I thought you might I didn’t hope it.’ ‘That's good then for you could have hoped in vain.’” They’ve finally been reunited after so long and neither one of them wants to leave the other.

“I suddenly realised the immensity of what i had asked him … like all direct questions I had ever asked the fool I both dreaded and longed for the answer.” This just feels very fucking intimate to me lads sorry to say

“‘Good night Beloved we have been apart for too long.’” Umm the Fool fucking gave Fitz his own name. His true name that he had never told anyone. His name that his own mother called him. They’re gunna ruined me these two.

This is literally only the first chapter that they have been reunited in and my heart already can’t take it!!

#rote #trote #realm of the elderlings #the realm of the elderling #robin hobb #the tawny man trilogy #the tawny man #beloved #the fool #fitzchivalry farseer #tom badgerlock #fools errand

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silverbastardgoldenfool · 5 years

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Realm of the Elderlings Ask Meme Thing

Created by @hermitknut and brought back by @elderling-magic

Thanks @blackandwhitemotley for tagging me :) this is gonna be unnecessarily long because I’m a messy bitch with too many feelings and not enough brain cells

Favourite RotE Book: God it’s impossible to choose properly so let’s just go with the one that always gives me flashbacks when I see it on my bookshelf: Golden Fool

Why: I was already deeply obsessed at this point and had laughed, cried and panicked countless times throughout the series BUT Golden Fool stands out because of the Fitz/Fool confrontation which all but gave me a panic attack. Sure, I’ve been overly invested in book characters my whole life but the fact I was like physically fuckin sweating just because these guys were having a verbal fight, which had nothing to do with the actual plot, is fuckin wild my dude. Also despite my distress I was thrilled in a way because I never expected Robin to address the homoerotic tension in the actual text - and I was even more impressed that she makes the Fool the winner in this fight. You feel for him (ouch!!!!!!!!) but he gets the last word and the whole time you’re on his side and wishing Fitz would just keep his goddamn mouth shut (unless he’s gonna use it to kiss the Fool). She makes you empathise with the Fool without compromising his dignity, without making him a pathetic pining gay stereotype. He is hurt, he is human, but Fitz is the fool in this exchange (forgive the unintentional pun). It’s crazy how this one scene defines this whole huge book for me but it overwhelmingly does. Man it fucked me up.

Top Three Favourite Characters: I’m excluding Fitz, the Fool and Nighteyes cos that’s just a given honestly and there are too many incredible characters to choose from. Also I’m going to choose three characters I think are exceptional on a technical level since that’s the easiest way for me to pick a few out.

1. Burrich - Forever fascinating to me because I disagree with him probably more often than not AND YET I love him so much. It’s seriously like I have the same relationship with him that Fitz does - and/or the same relationship many of us have with father figures. That weird thing where you can fundamentally disagree on some pretty important stuff, and he makes a lot of mistakes and probably irrevocably fucked you up in a lot of ways but you can’t help but love him because you know he’s not doing anything from a place of malice or pettiness or selfishness. He simply knows what he believes and is righteous to a fault. He’s always doing his best - whatever that looks like to him. There are so many things he says or does that make me amazed that I don’t hate him. I think in another series he is the kind of character I would hate. The fact that Robin makes me love him - and conflicted about that love - is a marvel.

2. Malta - I won’t harp on about this too much because we all know the deal. Malta’s early POVs were a tween nightmare. I had to skim them because they were so viscerally irritating. I guess it’s a huge testament to the writing that it really did feel like you were stuck in a tween girl’s head; the problem is that is the worst hell imaginable. It’s an even greater testament to the writing that, through some of the most masterful character development I have ever witnessed, you actually end up loving this girl.

3. Kennit - He’s such a monster that I hate actually saying he’s one of my favourite characters but it’s true. Especially from a writing perspective; it’s fucking witchcraft how Robin has you judging everyone around Kennit for falling for his charms even while you are in some way charmed by him. He’s intelligent, charismatic, enigmatic. You know he’s not a good person yet you enjoy spending time with him, you’re kind of rooting for him just because he’s interesting and you want to see what he’s going to do next. You even know - the narration straight up tells you - that most of his successes are down to pure dumb luck yet we still kind of buy into this persona of his. Absolutely brilliant writing. Not to mention his backstory, which is so tragic and compelling, and manages to explain his actions without excusing them. Without a doubt one of my top five favourite villains of all time.

Top Three Least Favourite Characters: Okay so again going for the writing angle; characters I just felt weren’t handled all that well on a technical level. Keep in mind that this is suuuuuper subjective. Also I can only think of two.

1. Molly - I’ve seen a lot of people assume that people who dislike her feel that way because she “gets in the way” of Fitz/Fool but that’s not true for me. I’ll try and keep this shortish because I have way too many feelings about this topic lol. Having read the whole series I wouldn’t change anything, but for a long time I really felt like the story would have been better if she wasn’t in it, or especially if she had not come back after Assassin’s Quest. Maybe that’s harsh, but I honestly just generally dislike the whole “first love, last love” trope (and in my personal experience have found it v toxic). I never found her character particularly engaging, but by the end of Farseer I had made my peace with her role in Fitz’s story; the way I saw it, she represented the life Fitz wanted but could never have. Of course you could argue then that it makes sense for Fitz to get her back once he is allowed to have a window of normal life - and that would be true EXCEPT the whole reason I saw her as a symbol and not a real love interest was because their relationship was TERRIBLE. It was seriously toxic and literally based on lies. I really felt what would have been healthy for Fitz at the end of Tawny Man would have been to find peace in realising that Molly was his past, not his future, and that what they’d had was teenage lust and not the stuff of soulmates. I don’t like the implication that Fitz was right to idealise this tumultuous, dishonest, immature relationship he had as a teenager all these years. Honestly this is why I was FURIOUS when I finished Fool’s Fate lol, even though I knew this wasn’t the ultimate ending. Now that I know where Robin went with this and that Fitz wasn’t really fulfilled in his life with Molly I don’t mind it as much but I still don’t love it. There was never enough of an honest, genuine, selfless connection established between the two of them for it to feel like anything other than an unhealthy fixation that Fitz projected all his unattainable fantasies onto. He never seemed to see Molly as a fully realised person which made it hard for me to do so. Also seriously, if I had been pining after my high school fling for the last ten years everyone would agree that the best thing for me would be to move on, not get back together with them. I’m not saying Fitz didn’t deserve his little bracket of peaceful years, but it just didn’t have to be with Molly. Sometimes not getting what you thought you wanted is the happy ending - I guess it’s just really jarring in a series that’s generally so subversive to get a standard fantasy trope like this. I really truly was shocked when Fitz got his feelings back from the stone dragon and his realisation was not “Molly is kind of just a girl I used to know a long time ago and our paths have long since diverged” but “yes no actually that girl I haven’t talked to in over a decade is my soulmate” like, wig in the worst way. ALSO SHE WAS FUCKING HIS DAD ALL THAT TIME. SHE BORE HIS DAD CHILDREN. HIS DAD HAD TO DIE SO THEY COULD BE TOGETHER. BRUH. Seriously it did feel like Burrich was sacrificed solely so these two little shits could get back together, and again, that was so infuriating and so not like these books. This and Burrich not being canonically in love w Chivalry are the only two points I actually get riled up about from a writing/critical perspective lol, every other flaw and quirk in this series I will absolutely pardon but for some reason these just get to me dude.

2. Starling - Promise this one is simpler lol. I always found Starling quite irritating “as a person” but didn’t mind her as a character. What I didn’t love was the way her lifestyle (promiscuity, independence, nomadic etc.) was kind of justified when it didn’t need to be, with the typical explanation that she’s only like this because she can’t have kids. It just felt really unnecessary, and it was even worse when she did get pregnant and basically just became a completely different person. But I’m generally touchy when it comes to female characters and fertility/pregnancy storylines as I just feel like they’re rarely done well. And I just really don’t like it when infertility is implied as a justification for character traits (usually traditionally male traits) that don’t need justifying.

Favourite Ship (of the floating kind): Paragon of course, we love a problematic fave.

Top Three Favourite Ships (of the people kind): Fitz/Fool, Sedric/Carson, Althea/Brashen (the only heteros whomst deserve rights)

Would you rather be Witted or Skilled: Honestly wouldn’t want either but if I had to choose I guess the Wit? I’d much rather be inside an animal’s head than another human’s no thanks bb

If you were Witted, what animal would you bond with?: If I’m still living in my current situation in this hypothetical then I guess a house cat. If I really get to go wild then I am absolutely bonding with a big cat, like a tiger or a panther IMAGINE THE SNUGGLES.

Would you rather live in the Outislands, the Mountain Kingdom, the Six Duchies, Bingtown, the Rain Wilds, Kelsingra, Jamaillia, the Pirate Isles, or Fool’s Homeland?: Dude I am so bad at visualising locations so idk lol, I guess queer utopia Kelsingra although obviously it has its drawbacks.

How were you introduced to the books? My mum had been telling me for years that if I liked A Song of Ice and Fire I would like Realm of the Elderlings. I was putting it off because there are so many books and I also knew how much she loved them so I was worried I wouldn’t like them and she’d be let down. But I eventually got so close to rereading ASOIAF (which I swore I wouldn’t do til Winds of Winter is released) that I decided to finally give RotE a go in its stead.

Share a quote you love: I don’t have a book on me rn but that part in Fool’s Errand when Fitz is talking about how the Fool has wandered into the place he’s been living for years and immediately, effortlessly made it a home is TENDERNESS BEYOND COMPARE ARE YOU KIDDING.

Tagging: if you see this and haven’t done it yet, consider yourself tagged!

Take the thing, copy and paste it into your own post, tag it “elderlings” and then tag as many people as you can that you know in the fandom.

#rote #Realm of the Elderlings #robin hobb

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selkiewife · 5 years

Text

Harlots Season 3 Episode 1 Reaction

*There are spoilers below

Ahhh the opening music. Love it ha.

Okay... who are these people? Is this Josiah Hunt’s family?

Ok get it stable girl

Lady Harlot! Yessss did they make up?? Hmmm I guess?

Hey Luce. Hey new characters.

Holy shit Theon- er Alfie- Isaac is here already and face to face with my LOVING WIFE NANCY BIRCH what.

They’ve given Alfie lines to speak with his MOUTH not just his eyes! Listen up.

“Dainty Size” ha- I mean granted, she’s small but. Did she just threaten to “flay his face off??” Was that a Theon/ Ramsay call back? I doubt it. (Get out of the GOT headspace Selkie, ffs)

I’m sensing real guilt from Charlotte that she’s a bawd and isn’t just one of the girls anymore. You’ve done nothing wrong Char!

Well that’s a weird kink Lucy (licking the bald head). These men are ridiculous.

And now, Kate Fleetwood And Alfie Allen engage in the battle of the jaw lines.

Wait why are they rhyming? Oh right that’s what people did in those days for fun/ to flirt. I know this from Shakespeare. Get in there Fanny! Charlotte is so quick, damn. I want to be them.

“Not a Rogue” Isaac just said more words in this scene than Theon said in the entirety of Season 8 (I’m not ragging don’t at me- Theon said more with his eyes than everyone else combined in Season 8, so it’s fine. I’m just delighted to hear Alfie speak. In fucking RHYME. HA!)

Oh fuck... Bedlam is so horrifying. They are trying to manipulate me into feeling sorry for Lydia and no one is shocked when I tell you it’s working

Charlotte and Isaac. Be still my bisexual heart. Okay but what about Lady Isabella? Well this is just work though. Also maybe they have an open relationship? Or are they even together at all? I NEED ANSWERS HARLOTS. I love how sex is always so clothed on this show- It is realistic of the time period because of the weather and cause clothes were so involved. It just always looks right- like a job and kind of unappealing. And they always get the squeaking of the bed and shit right you know? Oh wait, but they are having a moment.

This must be the brother. Hey Emily. How much time has passed here?

Did Charlotte just say she hasn’t slept with anyone since she became a bawd. So I guess her and Lady Fitz aren’t together then. But they are friendly?

What the fuck Nancy where is your birch rod?? Hold up, where is Will? No seriously, where is Will?

I love Cherry so much God.

Lydia is trying to remember a soliloquy. This is all so Shakespearean what with the rhyming and...

It’s that stable girl

Lady Fitz’ voice cracks me up tbh it’s so over the top and hushed-dramatic but I love it.

William’s in York y’all... but why?

And Alfie’s.... still rhyming... like? I am starting to have flashbacks of my past outdoor Shakespeare jobs right now and part of me is totally into that. What does that say about me really?

That woman really creeps me out... Oh but this must be the molly house plot line.

Back in Bedlam. The Shakespeare is continuing... you guys.

*makes a mental note that Lydia would be a great Alannys Harlaw for sad edits (help me chums)

I really love Harriet’s arc. omg THE THEME OF THE EPISODE IS SHAKESPEARE. Harriet’s brothel girls produce stripped down Shakespeare shows before the fucking commences. Truth though, that is my kind of brothel.

I want the backstory on why Nance wears that gold ring around her neck. Ha- Nance is just a big softie in truth. Okay a gripe though- WHY is Lucy not becoming a dom like Nance? They clearly set that up in the Season 1 finale but never went anywhere with it in Season 2- but they could now- since she is showing such dissatisfaction with her job- but instead she’s going to be a bawd? *Slams hands on table* Give me apprentice dom Lucy working through her trauma with Nancy storyline you cowards! It would be so great- they could use that storyline to give us more Nancy backstory too.

I know we aren’t supposed to like Isaac but something about him getting arrested is turning me on here. (But let’s be honest, I have to like Isaac cause it’s Alfie. I don’t have a choice. Like, I’ve been known to say that John Wick’s dog had it coming- just so we’re all on the same page here.)

Honestly I’m going to have to disagree with you Charlotte, I feel like the gibbet would have been better than Bedlam. I mean. Lydia could write self help books though I swear. Okay so it’s been a year- there was like a years jump- okay.

See, I like how they don’t just completely forget about the dead on this show. RIP Kitty. Aww I’d forgotten that Fanny named her daughter Kitty. I kind of shipped Fanny and Kitty. Now I’m really sad. They would have been a perfect little family.

Oh wow Lucy joined forces with Elizabeth and Fredo. I bet that will end well.

Okay Isaac that was completely unnecessary. Leave baby Kitty out of this. Why does Alfie always get roles where he’s like harassing babies and dogs good lord. He’s so freaking good at them though lol.

Lydia and Isabella are so Shakespearean it’s verging on camp... and I love it. Oh... Lydia. Oh man... she thinks she is going mad. Charles, ffs, you make everything worse.

“A genius with a needle.” Oh no- it’s a hanging offense- again this is not going to end well. Lucy honestly has a noose wish.

Emily wants to learn the art of commerce. Emily is a Slytherin and we stan.

I need more Nance backstory dammit.

This poor stable girl. I wasn’t listening well when she said her name. But God... poor thing.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL. NANCY BIRCH CAN SING. aww she’s singing Kitty to sleep. Oh no... you’re pushing it Alf. First the dog murder, then shouting cunt to a baby, and now trying to burn Nancy and Kitty during this sweet lullaby scene. Like you really want people to hate you don’t you? (In his defense I think he thought everyone was out of the house. Still, arson is not something to be trifled with in those times Isaac... christ. They didn’t even have like firefighters right? I mean, the whole city could catch on fire...) Alfie I swear it gets harder and harder to defend your characters’ actions with each role you play. But you know what, I am not going to even try with this one and instead I’m going to go with the idea that Isaac is just the kind of villain you love to hate.

Oh Fuck you Alfie. Now I have to take back my previous statement because you’ve fucking got me with that line “this trade turns us into rats” and that look of regret. Damn you.

Nancy get out of there... How dare you use Nancy and baby Kitty in this manner, show. I am beside myself.

Charlotte says “Let it burn.” No Char. That is not the attitude. Get some water. I get it though. She still wants to be free. She really should have left with that Irish what’s his name that was so lovely. But then she wouldn’t be on the show and I’d be sad.

And we wouldn’t have Lady Fitz, which, speak of the siren... I kind of wish we had more info on what the hell happened between her and Charlotte this past year instead of this subplot with her daughter- I find myself not caring at all that her daughter is eloping. I mean, I know that there is some INTRIGUE about that but... we’ll have to see if it pays off I guess?

Final thoughts: AHHHH. I love this show. A quick search in the tag has shown me that people are unhappy? I thought it was great! But I do get what people are saying about the time jump. I found that confusing too. I also don’t think people should be concerned about Isaac ruining the Lady Harlot ship. I think that Charlotte and Fitz will be more of a slow burn and I’ve also seen speculation that Charlotte will seek shelter with Lady Fitz so maybe we will find out more about what happened with them next episode. Also, I just want to enjoy Isaac’s storyline in peace without shipping drama. (Um.. you do know you are on tumblr right selkie?) I think he is interesting, the human trashcan rhyming rogue. (And for the record I do ship Lady Harlot.)

Important Questions: Where the hell is Amelia and Violet and what happened with Amelia and Hunt? Surely they will be on next episode. A quick google search in IMDB for the cast list of the next episode has told me... absolutely nothing. So we’ll just have to wait and see. I see people freaking out that they cut them from the show. I suppose it is possible but I certainly HOPE not. I think they just had a lot to get through with this first episode. They will be on next episode. I am willing it into existence.

Ahhh, I’m so excited this show is back.

#harlots hulu #harlots #harlots season 3 episode 1 #harlots spoilers #harlots hulu spoilers #harlots reaction #kate fleetwood #nancy birch #isaac pincher #alfie allen #charlotte wells #jessica brown findlay #long post #lady isabella fitzwilliam #liv tyler #cw c slur

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