#and then watts fries his arm

[bestworstcase]

How much of Ironwood's decision making do you think is informed by his semblance? Or is it a non-factor?

ooh this one is fun because i don’t agree with ✨any✨ of the common takes that i’ve seen across the spectrum from “mettle is auto-brainwashing” to “mettle is just the trigger he pulls on a gun”

and i need to preface by saying that i have adhd, and i experience EXTREME hyperfocus. extreme like i work from home and enjoy my job so i accidentally pull 14-16 hour days about 2-4 times a month because i’ll get going on a task after lunch and blink and it’s four in the morning. extreme like before i went on meds i needed to set alarms for mealtimes to avoid starving myself to death and that still only worked half the time. extreme like i have to be careful about reading books because i will not stop reading until i’m finished and very long books can prevent me from sleeping multiple nights in a row.

that said i do not and have never experienced hyperfocus as involuntary. i am always surprised by how much time has elapsed, because it never feels like more than maybe half an hour tops and it is always actually more like 10+, but for me hyperfocus is preceded by about 15-20 minutes of normal focus during which i’m fully aware of what my brain is doing and am able to step away if the thing i’m doing isn’t something i want to sink the rest of my day on.

it’s both a fairly debilitating symptom and something that i make a deliberate choice to do for a variety of reasons that are not especially important here. there is risk-benefit analysis involved.

this is basically how i think mettle works, with the sole difference being that hyperfocus requires a specific kind of trigger [complex high-interest tasks] and mettle does not, so ironwood can induce this state at will for any task. besides that, my interpretation of mettle is that it’s deep hyperfocus on a particular task, lasting anywhere from a couple minutes (for very short-term goals) to an entire day but averaging around 8-10 hours at a time for anything involved (paperwork, strategizing), possible to interrupt with difficulty, and involving a mildly altered state of consciousness in the form of a dramatic reduction in sensory and temporal processing i.e. no perception of time passing and inability to perceive sensations like hunger, fatigue, discomfort, people talking to you without getting your attention first, and so forth. it does not cause changes in personality or cognitive function, nor inhibit decision-making except insofar as it takes conscious effort to step away from the task.

mettle as described is “like an iron resolve […] that powers him to [keep going], almost like a very stubbornly, narrow focused mindset on things […] to push himself to do what he’s decided he’s gonna do” or to “push himself through something like searing the flesh off your arm, like if this is the goal he needs to accomplish, everything else goes by the wayside.” and for some inexplicable reason this has been widely interpreted to mean that mettle is a switch ironwood can flip to make himself willing to kill people. no! mettle is how he’s able to flay and cauterize his own arm to escape watts’ trap! mettle is how ironwood keeps himself awake and lucid for a solid forty-eight hours after his fucking arm gets amputated! mettle is why he’s composed and reasonable at the top of volume seven and gradually unravels into an unhinged frazzled lunatic over the months that follow because he’s using his semblance to force himself past the limits of what his body is physically able to endure.

ironwood is a soldier born and raised and indoctrinated into a military state that never quite escaped its prewar fascism. he was always perfectly willing and able to kill people at the slightest justification—“if you were one of my men i would have you shot” was, um, not a joke. that’s who he is. that’s what atlas molded him into, same as it molded clover and harriet and elm and vine and marrow and winter and goddamn near everybody else it touched who didn’t have the means to get out.

mettle didn’t turn ironwood into a murderer—atlas did.

but hyperfocus is not a healthy superpower, ok? it feels fucking great to effortlessly glide through a week’s worth of work in a single afternoon but you have to balance that against the physiological and psychological toll that will take if you try to make that your normal. it’s a day of absolute peak performance and then a crash, and you have to be able to crash. you HAVE to let yourself rest. hyperfocus feels like infinite energy and that feeling is a lie your brain tells you after unplugging all the early warning systems so that your body can’t interrupt you with petty things like hunger or pain, and you HAVE to remember that.

ironwood goes off the fucking rails in volume eight because he believes that lie. he desperately needs to eat and sleep and take it easy while his body recuperates from losing an arm, but mettle can make all of that pain and exhaustion fade away—only it doesn’t actually. the physiological need is still there, getting worse for every minute he spends neglecting it. all through volume seven it’s building up and up until it hits a critical mass after he flays his arm and his cognitive functioning just fucking implodes because his brain physically does not have what it needs to work correctly anymore and the result is this sudden explosion of acute irrationality and emotional lability that just keeps rapidly getting worse and worse and worse because ironwood keeps trying to brute force his way through it with mettle.

i have done this. it sucks. for me the stakes were high school so it mostly looked like a prolonged meltdown and some screaming fights over college applications, but the underlying psychological mechanism driving ironwood’s dramatic tailspin is exactly hyperfocus run amok. in its worst extremity unmanaged hyperfocus is just a horribly destructive and insidious form of self-harm and it will make you completely fucking batshit until you stop.

#and like the tragedy of it all is he comes so close #SO CLOSE. #to receiving the support he needs #other shoulders to carry the burden so he can rest #and stop doing this to himself #and then watts fries his arm #and cinder leaves her little calling card #and it’s too much #so he just fucking shatters

[the-fiction-witch]

Passenger Princess

Media The Queens Gambit

Character Benny Watts

Couple Benny X Reader

Rating SMUT

I sat with a wide smile, on the cream bench seat of the little blue beetle. Benny's beetle to be precise. We had loaded our bags and stuffed the poor beetle almost to bursting point and left our little Brooklyn basement to head on the road to Bakersfield California. Benny had a tournament there for a few days and Benny had an 'aversion' to flying, he'll do it but only if he has to. Besides, we both thought it would be a lovely chance to spend time together on a nice road trip. 

We'd been on the road a good while now and we had passed nothing interesting for ages, our fries gone, and snacks depleted. But I know Benny wouldn't stop for a good while longer. Leaving me to sip my huge seven-eleven cola.

The radio on low every so often it would fizzle out where we lost the station so I'd tune it till we found another one, the heating on as it was a rather chilly day, but it too would bounce around given the many places we would pass on this trip.

Benny sat driving, of course, hands on the wheel lazily his hat on the backseat, his jacket still on but he was shuffling and getting uncomfortable in it. Every so often I'd hear his ring clack against the wheel.

“Benny?”

“Ummm?” He didn't move his eyes from the road,

“I'm bored” I pouted laying my head on his shoulder,

He chuckled a moment, “Listen to the radio,”

“Radios boring,”

“Read the map,”

“Maps boring,”

“Read the billboards,”

“Billboards are boring,”

“They're interesting, see fireworks in five miles,”

“Can we get fireworks?”

“No princess,”

“Then why is it interesting!” I complained,

“Because… you can see the shop in five miles. So you can get excited now.”

“Whoopie! Firework store I can't go in” I sighed, “Why can't I have fireworks?”

“You honestly think I'm gonna trust you with fireworks? Explosives! I don't trust you with butter knives”

“One time I stabbed myself!”

“Yes, and I don't trust you,”

“Then what am I supposed to do all these hours?”

“Just relax and be a cute little passenger princess," He said turning to wrap an arm around me and kiss my head. 

"but I'm bored Benny,"

"You wanna play chess?" He asked with excitement in his voice,

"No. We played chess four times already."

"Well, I'm sure you can find something to do." He chuckled, 

I sighed and tried to relax, I had a nap, I read some billboards but still I was so bored!

"Benny?"

"Ummm?"

"I'm bored."

"I know Princess,"

"How much longer?"

"Sixteen hours?"

"How long till we get food?"

"Another couple of hours we only got McDonald's two hours ago." 

"But I'm hungry,"

"you're not hungry you're bored. You're just trying to find something to do and your response to that is to shove stuff in your mouth," 

"You're mean to me."

"Love you too princess." He chuckled,

I sighed and tried to find something to do, and I saw a billboard advertising my favourite fast food place, I looked at the distance on the billboard, and I glanced at the speedometer for a moment doing maths in my mind, but how could I get him to pull over? and I smirked a little looking at Benny, with an evil plan. I would have to be smart, efficient, and time it out perfectly... so I flashed him my most innocent smile,

"Yes?" He asked noticing me looking at him,

"I found something to do,"

"Good," He nods, 

I smiled and moved closer, cuddling his arm.

"Awww Hello," He smiled kissing my head, "So long as you're happy,"

I giggled a little waiting till he didn't suspect and moving to rest my hand gently on his thigh, He glanced at me giving me a questionable look but returned his focus to the road, I made sure to be gentle and slow so he wouldn't suspect but ever so slowly moving my hand up his thigh feeling the aged denim of his black jeans,  running my fingers across the small divots in the denim slightly discoloured from the fact they always sat in them, until I reached the black leather of his belt. 

"Yes?" He glared,

I ignored him, walking my fingers along his belt until I reached the silver buckle giving it a gentle adjust with my fingers 

"Yes?" He glared again slightly louder, 

"Hi Benny," I cooed as my hand fully grabbed between his legs my thumb on his fly as I squeezed him,

"AHH-" He jumped momentarily swerving the car, "Do. Not. Touch. while I'm driving." He said moving my hand to his thigh again, 

"But I'm bored."

"You can find many other things to do other then grabbing my fucking cock!" he complained,

"Awww why? don't you want me too?" I giggled stroking my fingers playfully down his fly as I gave his neck little kisses feeling him slowly getting harder below his jeans, 

"Princess..." He glared clearly trying to be angry with me but also uncontrollably enjoying my kisses, 

"Come on, it would entertain me?" I giggled gently palming his half-hard erection through his jeans,

"Fine," 

"yay!" I giggled slowly undoing his belt, and his fly, to reveal his black boxers, His grip already began to tighten on the wheel his eyes often glancing at me, "Focus on the road," I told him as I slipped my hand under his boxers and took him in my hand "Aww hi Benny,"

"Hi Princess," He rolled his eyes a little but couldn't help his smirk giving him away, I took a gentle grip of him and rubbed my thumb across his shaft feeling him harden into my hand, Once he was fully hard I gently began to jerk my hand gripping his hilt and moving my hand back and forth slowly getting faster, "Uhhh Princess-" He groaned his fingers wrapping around the wheel tightly slightly biting his bottom lip, "Ummm Princess..." 

"Focus on the road," I remind him as I moved to pull his cock completely out his pants leaving him to gasp for a few seconds feeling the cold air across him before I adjusted myself and pressed little kisses to his shaft,

"uhhhh princess!" He moaned, "Really?"

"Mhm" I nodded, moving to take just the tip into my mouth sucking and swirling my tongue around him

"Ummmm! Fuck-" He groans, holding the wheel in a vice-like grip trying not to close his eyes or throw his head back, I giggled and moved to take all of him into my mouth sucking gently and moving my head up and down at the pace I knew he couldn't resist "Ohh holy- Princess! You're really gonna do this to me?" He gasped, "You know you keep going I won't be able to say no?" He asked, I just continued slowly getting faster and sucking a little harder "Ughhhh! you evil little princess!" He groans now gnawing on his lip and squeezing his eyes shut at times rolling his head against his headrest, I knew he was close as his hand left the wheel to sit on my head twisting into my hair to keep me at his desired pace, even his hips couldn't resist me bucking up to slightly to cause me to deep throat him, "Ughhh uuuhhh! Princess please I'll-" He muttered feeling just how close he was, and right on time he pulled off the road and parked up turning the engine off and twisting both his hands in my hair throwing his head against his headrest, his mouth hung open, his eyes squeezed shut as his grip on my hair forced me a little bit faster which got him to his edge. His hips bucked in jagged unplanned movements as he buried his jizz in my mouth, I swallowed and licked him clean giving him a few gentle kisses as he gasped and moaned in his post-orgasmic state "Fuck- You did find something to entertain you didn't you princess." 

"I did," I smiled sitting up and wiping my mouth before kissing his cheek, "Love you,"

"Love you too." He smiled fixing himself up, 

"Oohh would you look at that?" I giggled as we had pulled over into the exact fast-food restaurant I wanted, 

the moment he realized he glared at me, "You... are an evil, conniving, smart ass when you wanna be." 

"I know,"

"you know... You could be a genius if you applied yourself."

"I am a genius," I giggled climbing out of the car with my bag,

"Yeah, an evil genius." He said climbing out too,

"still a genius, and you still love me?" I giggled hugging his arm,

"Of course I do princess." He smiled kissing my head, 

#benny smut #benny fanfic #benny #benny watts #tqg benny watts #benny watts smut #benny watts imagine #bennywattssmut #thequeensgambit #tbs #thomas brodie sangster #tbs smut #tbs imagine #thomas sangster imagine #tbs imagines #thomas brodie sangster smut #thomas brodie sangster imagine #thomasbrodiesangster #thomas sangster

[underoossss]

What I Like About You – S.H

pairing: steve harrington x drummer!girlfriend (friends to lovers goodness)

warnings: one annoying dudebro, some curse words, other than that nothing.

an: i know i haven’t posted in a while so thank you for being patient with me while i got my shit together. i dedicate this to you💖 Enjoy and let me know if you liked it!!

Masterlist part two

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

“Hurry up! We’re going to miss it!” Robin calls over her shoulder as she dashes out of his parked car and towards the front door. “We probably did!”

“Wait up.” Steve says to no avail; Robin runs inside a second later, leaving him behind.

Stepping out of the car and locking the doors, Steve stuffs his hands inside his jacket pockets. Keith had them work until past 7 tonight, making them late to see Robin’s crush perform—she had a band that plays here every Friday according to Robin, sort of like Eddie’s but less metal, more Rock Pop. She’d begged Steve to drive her tonight, but had her hopes crushed when Keith didn’t let them leave an hour earlier. So here they are, one hour after showtime, and from what Steve can make out the band is still playing. The moment he steps through the door music floods his ears, and he takes notice of how packed the place is. There’s probably close to a hundred people at Annie’s 50 of which are gathered in front of the stage; Robin had stayed by the door waiting for him, or maybe just staring at the lead singer in awe. 

Annie’s is a new spot everyone has been hanging out at for the past couple of months. From what Steve can tell, it’s a diner that’s been remodelled into something more youthful looking. It looks like a diner but the tables are gone and the bright lights have been replaced with dimmer ambience lights. The red cushioned booths have been scattered around for people to sit, and high tables are scattered here and there for people to chat while they eat the fried food from the kitchen. There’s a stage towards the left side of the place, where the band is playing– Kelli, Robin’s crush, sings while her two bandmates play in the back. The place feels slightly too warm but everyone is jumping around or singing as best they can to the band’s rendition of Van Halen’s Beautiful Girls. Kelli keeps the crowd entertained, dancing around the stage in her black combat boots and ripped jeans. She laughs with her band mates and jokes around with them, but their playing isn’t fazed at all by her antics. They only laugh and keep playing. Steve wonders briefly what the band’s name is, he hasn’t heard of it and Robin forgot to tell him. But given the number of people singing along and cheering by the front of the stage, they’re pretty popular. His eyes wander to the drum set on stage and instantly spot the name there. Hot Pink Melody.

Huh. Steve moves his gaze up towards the drummer and back to Robin’s crush, before he whips his head back to do a double take. He looks at the drummer again, and his mind goes instantly blank. Steve apologizes if he every called bullshit on love at first sight, because he’s sure this is it. You’re sitting there, rocking out to the song, singing the background vocals as you play the drums, and smiling a mega-watt confident smile. In just one second Steve is a goner.

“She’s so hot.” Robin says besides him, from where they managed to find a little bit of room to see the show from the back. Her eyes are glued to Kelli, but Steve’s are glued to you.

“She’s so hot.” Steve echoes, eyes not leaving you. His gaze jumps from your beautiful smile, to the half ponytail your hair is in, to the way the sleeves of your white t-shirt are rolled up to your shoulders, showing off your arms as you play. But it’s your contagious energy, which already has him tapping his foot to the rhythm, that has him hypnotized with no escape in sight.

“She’s so cool.”

“She’s amazing.” Steve says and something in his voice makes Robin turn back to him and follow his gaze. He sees her smile knowingly and nod out of his periphery.

“That’s YN, you should know her from high school but I’m talking about Kelli.”

He’s not paying much attention to what Robin says as his mind goes over you name, repeating it on a loop. He goes over his memories and finds you briefly in random days during high school but other than that he’s never talked to you before. How has he never noticed you before. “I want to...”

“Kiss her silly.” Robin nods, thinking she guessed what he was going to say correctly. It might have been true for her and Kelli, but Steve was thinking about something else.

“What!? No.” Steve shakes his head, then glances back to you. “Be her boyfriend.”

“But you also want to kiss her silly, I can see you staring at her.” Robin nudges his arm with her elbow twice, before she focuses on the lead singer once more.

Steve rolls his eyes but concedes because he does. “Okay, yes.”

“Remember we are not here for you! You’re supposed to be my wingman tonight.”

“I know that.” Steve rolls his eyes with a nod and goes back to watching you when the crowd claps as the song ends. “And I am, but you have to help me out too. Introduce me.”

“Deal.” Robin leans closer to talk to him over other people’s cheers. “Now shh! Kelli’s talking.”

“Thank you!” Kelli says over the microphone smiling at the crowd. “This is out last song for the night, so make some noise! Y/N take it away, girl.”

“If you know this next song, I hope you sing along with us.” The microphone amplifies your voice as you speak, the confident smile on your face making another appearance. You hold your drumsticks up in the air and tap them against each other to give the guitarist a beat. “One, two… one, two, three, go!”

The guitarist starts strumming the first chords of Blondie’s One Way or Another and the room erupts into cheers for the iconic song. You begin to play a few seconds later —a strong hit to the cymbals— until Kelli joins in with the first few lyrics of the song. Robin cheers loudly along with the crowd and it makes Steve laugh and join in.

He sings along, eyes unable to stray away from you. If your energy levels were high when he first saw you, they’re through the roof with this song. Especially when the bridge comes along, and you keep the beat going while everyone stomps their feet on the ground alongside you. Steve smiles, not helping himself, and decides to use the last minute the song has left to work up the courage to talk to you. He has to.

Robin sings along with Kelli, screaming the lyrics and absolutely thrilled that her crush likes Blondie just like her. Steve knows she totally has a chance with the lead singer, and it brings a grin to his face before he directs his gaze back to the stage. The song picks up the pace once more and suddenly, most likely due to Steve’s intense staring, you meet his eyes across the room. Steve feels his traitorous stomach flip but doesn’t chicken out, he keeps his eyes on yours. He sees you now, he regrets never doing so before. You smile for a second before you look down at your drum kit, your smile becoming shy as the song comes to an end.

“Thank you! Thank you! We’re the Hot Pink Melody, see you next Friday everyone!” Kelli says into the microphone, then motions towards the guitarist and you. “Give it up for my girls, they did a great job tonight.”

People applaud, whistle, yell and cheer, and Steve finds that he’s doing the same; it really was a good show, it’s a shame he didn’t get here on time. The lights on the stage go out after a minute and not much later the crowd out front starts to spread around the dinner now that the live music is done for the night.

“It’s now or never. Come on” Robin says, grabbing Steve’s wrist and pulling him along with her. “Come on, Steve.”

“Wait, where are we going?” He asks as they make their way through the crowd of people around him. He throws sorry’s here and there every time Robin makes him bump into someone else. “We’re not going to–”

“To the stage!” Robin says, looking back at him and almost colliding with a waiter and his tray of fried food. “So I can introduce you to your girl, that way you can help me out with mine!”

Steve tries to say something but they’re suddenly on the side of the stage. You’re standing there, putting your drumsticks back into their case and disconnecting various cables from the amps. He sees Kelli on the other side of the stage, talking to a lot of people, and the guitarist is showing off her guitar to a couple of girls who approach her.

“Great gig, babe.” Robin tells you, which makes you turn around. Your eyes light up when you see her and you’re quick to give her a hug.

“Robs, I didn’t know you were coming tonight.” You take a step back to look at her. “Thank you! You look great, did you get a haircut?”

“Only being honest, and I gave myself a haircut.” She holds her hands up and winks, before she remembers Steve. “Oh, YN this is Steve, my personal chauffeur.”

You scoff playfully, and Steve can tell that you know Robin’s bluffing. Then your eyes are on him, and he feels his mind go blank again; you have the prettiest eyes Steve’s ever seen.

“Hey, Steve. I hope you enjoyed the show.” You smile at him.  

“Hi… I– I did! It was great.” Steve says, his mind and his mouth struggling to sync up. “We could only listen to the last two songs, but they were amazing.”

“Yeah, we had to work late tonight.” Robin rolls her eyes with a huff. “But the last two songs, incredible.”

“Thank you, although that’s mostly all Kelli.”  You tell them, motioning towards the blonde who’s waving goodbye to the people she was talking to. Steve follows your gaze and so does Robin, who keeps staring at the vocalist for more than a couple of seconds.

“You know, you should just talk to her Robin.” You nudge her with you elbow, an encouraging look in your eyes. “She knows me, I know you. It’s the perfect opportunity.”

“And risk making a fool of myself? No.” Robin shakes her head, a panicked look settling on her face.  

“You won’t make a fool of yourself. She’s the girl of your dreams, Robin, you have to at least take a chance and try to get to know her more. Right?” You direct your gaze towards Steve, urging him to back you up with a look.

Steve nods, words stuck in his mouth before he clears his throat. “Yeah, Robs. You said you’d talk to her tonight.”

“I’ll introduce you. Let’s go right now.” You volunteer with a smile, hooking your arm on hers so she won’t walk away. It makes Steve chuckle, it’s the same thing Robin did to him just seconds ago.

“I guess you’re my wingman now.” Robin tells you in defeat, then looks at Steve. “Sorry, dingus.”

Steve can only shrug. “I was going to be charming but…”

“I think she’s got more charm than you.” Robin winks, meaning She really charmed you, and then she leaves with you dragging her to the other side of the stage. Steve follows you with his gaze, and sees how you introduce Robin to Kelli –who immediately starts chatting away with Robin. Steve doesn’t need to see Robin’s face to know she has a lovesick look on her face; he smiles, she’ll be more than okay.

“Steve Harrington.” Eddie Munson appears behind Steve’s back, which makes him jump. “What brings you here tonight.”

“Munson.” Steve nods his head. “Robin asked me to drive her, but this place ended up being pretty cool.”

“Better than the Hideout right?” Eddie teases then laughs when Steve rolls his eyes at the memory of the place.

“I think anything is better than the Hideout.” He tells Eddie, chuckling along with him.

“What are you doing here?” Steve asks, curious. “I didn’t know you hung out here too.”

“I’m here to check out the competition.” Eddie grins slyly, then spots you coming back to where they stand and his eyes light up mischievously. “Oh I see Harrington, you’re here to help me convince buttercup here to play for my band.”

So everyone knows you, but me, Steve thinks.

“Eddie.” You roll your eyes but smile anyways. It’s easy to assume that you’re used to him asking you to leave your band, but he can’t really imagine you playing with another group. The friendship you have with yours was obvious in your performance.

“But you already have a drummer.” Steve thinks out loud, making you smile in triumph — it lights up your entire face, and all the air in Steve’s lungs disappears in a second.

“See, Steve is on my side, not yours.” You tell Eddie, looking victorious as you shrug.

“What can I do to convince you then?” Eddie asks conspiratorially.

“Admit defeat. You’d have to fight my band and I don’t think you’d win.” You smile innocently. “They need me.”

“She’s got a point. Ugh, help me out here, Harrington.” Eddie asks him, clapping his shoulder to urge him into his defence.

Steve laughs, assuming this is an antic the two of you usually partake in. He can only put his hands up and shake his head. “Looks like she’s made up her mind, man.”

“I have.” You confirm with a decisive nod.

Eddie surrenders with a small bow in front of you. “Another day then.” He says, starting to walk away but not without taking notice of Steve’s lovestruck gaze towards the drummer. “I…gotta get going but take care of buttercup here, alright Harrington. She’s amazing, isn’t she?”

You meet Steve’s gaze –your eyes wide– before you look away shyly. Steve smiles, finding it endearing how you shy away from compliments.

“She is.” Steve says and decides that your shy smile is his new favourite thing in the whole world.

“Thank you, Steve.” You bring one of your hands to the back of your neck as Eddie leaves the two of you alone. “So… what have you been doing? I’ve never actually seen you around anymore since you finished high school.”

Steve chuckles and rubs his chin as he looks at you, remembering how he was thinking about the same thing earlier. “Uh, I worked at Scoops Ahoy one summer, but after what happened to the mall I’ve been working over at Family Video.”

He thinks his answer is stupid, and not at all impressive, for just one second until your eyes light up suddenly.

“Oh my brother John loves FV!” You tell him enthusiastically as you sit on top of big metal box nearby. “You’ve probably seen him loads of times, he’s always there on Fridays renting for the weekend.”

Steve goes over your words for a bit –trying to place a John that always visits on Fridays– until he remembers a guy that went to the store today. His hair was just like yours, and now that he thinks about it, he did look a lot like you. “Yeah, I think I know who you mean.”

You smile and Steve feels his breath stutter.

Trying very hard to keep himself calm and collected, Steve asks you a question this time —eager to know you more. “What about you? You’re graduating with Robin right?”

“Yeah, I… um work on the café on Main Street after class every day.” You shrug your shoulders and look down at your dangling feet. “I’m saving for college.”

Steve’s eyebrows meet in the middle as confusion makes its appearance on his face. “The gigs don’t pay you?”

“Oh, they do, but we only play once a week and split it 3 ways… so it’s not a lot.” You chuckle meeting Steve’s eyes with your own. “The other job helps.”

Steve hums, contemplating your answer. He’s seen many bands over the years and none of them have been as good as yours. And he’s not saying that only because of his crush. “They should pay you more, you’re very talented.”

You shy away from the compliment again, just as Steve was expecting you to. “Thank you, Steve. I guess we just need more experience before we ask for a raise.” You laugh softly as you shake your head, unaware of how Steve’s stomach flips at the sound. But he’d never admit to it out loud.

“I need your help with something over here for a bit!” The lead guitarist tells you after calling your name. “Please.”

You turn your head to look at her and nod before looking at Steve once more. “That’s Sarah, our guitarist.” You tell Steve with an apologetic smile as you hop off the box you were sitting in. “I should umm… go help her.”

“Wait.” Steve says then runs a hand through his hair to get some courage. Words start to escape him, but he doesn’t let them. This is the girl of your dreams, you’d told Robin. Well, it’s the same for him with you right now. He takes a step closer to you. “Would you like to go out for dinner… with me?”

You smile at him, surprise evident in your features but no rejection in sight. Steve feels like a helium balloon, about to float and fly towards the ceiling. “Like a date?”  You ask, your pretty eyes lighting up with hope. “I’d like that.”

“Yeah, a date.”

He nods and you nod too –both of you unsure of what to say next, both flustered beyond belief.

“Tomorrow at 6?” Steve asks you, hoping that you’ll be free. Is this too much? How obvious is it that he really wants to see you again?

“Y-Yeah, 6 is good.” You smile widely then bite your lip like you don’t want to give it away. It makes Steve want to untuck it from your teeth gently with his thumb, then kiss you; would it make your skin buzz just like his is at the thought?

“Okay, yeah.” Steve nods, shaking the thoughts away and clearing his throat. “I’ll… umm pick you up at 6. Where?”

“Robin knows my address” You smile at him once more, then wave goodbye before you turn back to the stage. Then you meet his eyes over your shoulder, grinning softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Steve gives you a pathetic wave back and nods like a fool as you walk away towards your band mates. You’d said yes, he’s seeing you tomorrow, and if he’s not reading this wrong… you feel some of what he’s feeling right now. Steve looks around the diner and tries to find Robin, she’s not going to believe this.

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

Steve Harrington is picking you up at your house any minute now, so why does it still feel like you made up everything that happened last night? Out of everything that you could expect to happen at a gig, the last thing that would have come to your mind is Steve Harrington walking through the door. Scratch that. Steve Harrington watching you in awe as you played, completely unaware of how nervous he was making you with those pretty eyes of his.

You were never going to deny the hopeless crush you had on him when he was still at Hawkins High; something you were quick to crush down, no pun intended, when you realized you probably had no chance with him. So you stayed in the background and only stared after him whenever he passed by, heart fluttering in your chest traitorously. Last night though, the same fluttering appeared in your chest when him and Robin approached you after the show. It intensified when he gave you one of his disarming smiles, and it all but burst when he looked just as nervous as you felt when asking you out. He’d changed, you’d heard that much from Robin who’s now his best friend, but you’d finally seen it last night. Steve Harrington was finally acting like himself. He smiled freely, carried himself in a carefree way, and for the first time you saw him look genuinely happy.

You can’t exactly explain the way seeing him like that made you feel, but your hopeless crush was back –more hopeless than ever. Oh, and he asked you out.

You’d spent an hour raiding your closet to find what to wear because you didn’t know where Steve would take you. You’d narrowed your choices to three different options but settled for your favourite dress with your nicest pair of high tops. After a quick shower and checking the clock to see how you were doing with time, you’d settled in front of the mirror to get ready. Which is where you are now, applying the peach-coloured lip gloss you’d gotten today. You went for a light of makeup, mostly to cover the dark circles under your eyes, but also because you always feel your best when you look your best. Leave it to a good outfit and your hair styled to your liking to boost your confidence. Considering how sweaty you must have been last night, this is most likely a huge upgrade from how Steve saw you last time.

Almost as if you conjure him with your mind, the doorbell rings and you spring up to your feet. You feel a smile appear on your face even as your stomach flips with nerves; you take your small purse with you and go out of your room. As you reach the last step of the staircase you take a deep breath and walk to the door, ready to go on the date you only ever dreamed of.

Steve Harrington stands on your porch in all his handsome glory. He’s wearing a pair of those perfect-fitting jeans of his and a dark blue polo. Simple but perfect, especially with those brown locks of his. You bite back a smile as you look him over once before locking the door behind you. If only your past self could see you now.

“Hi.” Steve smiles the moment he sees you and it lights up his face. “Wow, you look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” You smile back at him, feeling shy under his gaze but looking into his eyes anyways. “You look great too.”

He chuckles, looking down at his shoes briefly before looking at you again. “I got you these.” A second later he shows you some flowers he was hiding behind his back. “I didn’t know which ones you like.”

You take the small bouquet from him and touch the soft petals with your fingers. A smile appears on your face at their beauty– an assortment of pink and orange flowers: daisies, small carnations, and lilies. “Steve, I love them.” You tell him truthfully, your heart fluttering inside your chest. “I’ll take them with me.”

“Alright.” Steve nods, a happy smile on his face. “Let’s go then. The place I have in mind is a bit of a drive away.”

You take the hand he offers you and give it a squeeze when you feel your skin buzz at the contact. You wonder if he feels it too only for a moment because one second later, he squeezes your hand back.

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

The place Steve had in mind ended up being a cool pizza place 30 minutes outside of Hawkins. It stood out in the darkening sky, its colourful neon sign shining its light on Steve’s car as he looked for a parking spot. It was very creatively called A Pizza Place, and the name alone made a laugh burst out of you.

“I like this place already.” You told Steve, who smiled at you.

“I had a feeling you would.” He said.

Once inside and waiting in line, you find that the restaurant is lovely in a strange and colourful way. The concept seems to be dinner, meets cinema, meets roller skating rink lighting. But, if you’re being honest, it works for them. Most important of all, it’s unique –everything from the movie posters on the wall, the pop music playing through the speakers, and the black and white floors make you smile. You’ve never been to a place like this.

“Steve.” You smile as you turn to him. He’s still holding your hand; he has been since he opened the door for you when you arrived —the bouquet he gave you is held carefully in your other hand. “How did you find this place?”

Steve shrugs nonchalantly, “I was driving around once and found it. It’s not only pretty, wait till you try the pizza”

You smile and look over the toppings displayed behind the counter. “Hmm, they do have lots of options.”

“You got any toppings in mind?” Steve asks you as the line moves up a spot.

“I actually like almost every topping. I usually mix them up.” You smile at him. “You got any favourites?”

“I like all of them.” Steve tells you, your hand moving slightly as he shrugs his shoulders. “Let’s mix them up.”

You beam, stepping closer to him until you’re shoulder to shoulder. “Okay. How about… pepperoni with…”

“Mushrooms,” Steve suggests after scanning the menu again.

“And black olives?” You tilt your head in question, glancing at Steve to see if he’s okay with the third topping.

“Sounds like we’re going to have a delicious pizza in our hands.” He smiles and squeezes your hand.

“Well if we do we’ll have to name it after us.” You tell him, “It’s only fair.”

“You’re right, but there’s only one way to find out if it’s worth it.” Steve says looking at you with a soft yet playful look in his eyes. “We gotta try it first.”

Twenty minutes later, and a mouthful of pizza you find that it is in fact worthy of your names.

“We’re geniuses!” Steve declares, wiping his mouth with a napkin and smiling as you continue to chew on your bite. “This is officially the best pizza I’ve had.”

“You’re absolutely right.” You nod and take a sip of your cola, “I think it’s the olives, right?”

“Yeah, definitely, so much better than regular pepperoni.” Steve nods exaggeratedly and it makes you laugh. He shifts closer to the edge of his seat, “So…”

“So.” You grin, leaning your elbows on the table as you lock your gaze with his. When was the last time you smiled this much?

“When did you start to play the drums?” Steve asks, taking another slice of pizza, looking at you with curiosity –like he truly wants to know you better.

“My dad played, so he taught me,” You tell him, furrowing your eyebrows as you try to remember how old you were. “I think I was eleven then.”

Steve raises his eyebrows in surprise like he wasn’t expecting your dad to be a drum player too. It’s everyone’s usual reaction. “That’s cool, does he come to your gigs?”

“No.” You say trying to keep the disappointment from showing in your smile, the last thing you want is to ruin the mood of your date. “He left us when I was twelve and… I haven’t heard from him since.”

“Oh… shit I’m sorry.” Steve’s surprise turns into mortification.

“No, you’re fine. I’m okay with it, it’s just a story for another time.” You shrug and try to reassure him; he looks more than guilty to have made you step into this conversation but you’re quick to move on.

“I needed extra lessons after he left since he only taught me the basics, so I went to this small music class every afternoon.” You continue, chuckling at the memory. “My teacher was the same as Sarah’s; she’s the–”

“The lead guitarist from your band.” Steve nods, all of his attention solely on you.

“Yes,” You smile, “We ended up learning our instruments together and practised different songs as the years went by. By the time we were both 15, Kelli moved into town and ended up in our music class because she wanted to be a singer.”

“So it was fate for the three of you,” Steve takes another bite of pizza

You take a small one too, which you chew quickly so you can continue. “Yes, soon we started to cover different songs until we found our rhythm as a group. Then in high school when we needed jobs, we decided to record our cover of Blondie’s Call Me, so we could play it for different restaurants and see if they would hire us.”

“You guys really like Blondie, right?” Steve asks you, not in a judging way but with genuine curiosity. It makes something like butterflies fly in your stomach.

“It’s our favourite.” You confirm with a smile.

“Sorry, I interrupted. What happened after you recorded the song?” Steve leans his forearms on the table, listening intently to your words.

“We carried a Walkman with us so people could hear the song and it got us small gigs here and there.” You take another bite of your pizza and shrug. “None of them stuck; Annie’s is our first real one, she hired us for all Friday nights until the end of the year.”

“That’s huge, the place was packed last night.” Steve leans back and holds his hands up dramatically. “I could barely see you guys play from the back.”

You nod and laugh. “Yeah, it’s become a great spot to hang out and listen to live music. Other bands play there too, like Eddie’s but he has Thursday nights.”

“I heard you sing last night; do you ever sing with Kelli?” Steve tilts his head slightly with the question.

You feel your ears burning as you chuckle in embarrassment. “No… I leave that to Kelli. I can only sing background vocals.”

“You have a really nice voice,” Steve smiles widely and you shy away from the awe in his eyes, just like yesterday. He chuckles like he was expecting your reaction.

You take a sip from your cola and pick up your pizza slice again, deciding to take the attention away from you. “I’m talking too much and haven’t let you say a word.”

“That’s because my life is pretty boring.” Steve tells you as you take a bite.

“Not true,” You shake your head, covering your mouth as you speak, “And even if it is, I’d still like to hear about it.”

Steve smiles, playing with his napkin before looking into your eyes. There’s a vulnerability shining there that makes you pause for a second. “What do you want to know?”

Everything about you, you think, but decide to say instead, “Anything you feel like sharing.”

He smiles and begins to tell you about his first job. Which leads the story to the kids he babysits now and then. He pretends to be annoyed by this fact, but when he tells you about the free icecream he gave them. and how he’s helped them with bullies; or whatever trouble they get themselves in, you realize it’s all bluff. He’s fond of those kids, and you can bet your college savings those kids like him to bits. The conversation is easy, its lighthearted at times but also deep and emotional at times. Steve tells you about his struggling relationship with his dad and you tell him about your past struggles at home, how hard it was when your dad left you all behind.

Time passes like a blur around you, food slowly disappearing as you hear the other talk –you don’t even realize when you started to hold hands over the table. By the time the stars are out in the sky and only 3 slices of pizza are left, the two of you have shifted closer to the table, leaning closer to hear the other with your full attention. Warmth floods your body at the way Steve looks at you and it feel like stepping into a patch of sun during a cold day. You like this boy so much.

“What?” Steve asks you quietly as you lean your cheek on your free hand to look at him.

“Nothing you’ve told me has been boring.” You smile, enjoying the way his lips mirror it a second later and a lovely pink paints the apple of his cheeks. “I don’t think I’d ever describe you as boring, Steve.”

Steve seems flustered at your words, or just not used to receiving that many compliments, either way you don’t push him. Instead, you slide the hand that’s holding his up to his wrist and turn it towards you slightly to check the time on his watch. 10:30.

You sigh and frown in defeat. “I don’t want to leave but I think we have to get going.”

“Curfew?” Steve asks.

You nod, “Yeah, 11 sharp.”

“Let’s go then.” Steve takes your hand once more and brings it to his lips as the two of you stand up.

So you take your pink bouquet from where it lies on the table and walk back to his car hand in hand. You look for a good radio station to listen to on the ride home and don’t feel surprised anymore when Steve takes your hand again once it becomes free. He holds it between the two of you over the centre console tapping his thumb over the back of your hand to the beat of the music; you’re starting to catch on that physical touch seems to be his love language and you don’t mind it one bit. From then on, it’s soft melodies and quiet conversation as you leave A Pizza Place Behind, and it makes the next 30 minutes go by too quickly for your own liking. The last thing you want is for the night to end —to leave Steve’s side. You don’t remember the last time you felt so comfortable, so listened to, so… you.

Once back in Hawkins and in front of your home, Steve opens the door for you and walks you to the porch.

“I had a great time.” You tell him, looking down at the flowers and then at him. “Thank you, Steve.”

He steps closer to you and pushes a strand of hair away from your face. “I’m glad.” He says gently, grinning. “Can I ask you out on another date?”

“Yes.” You bite your lip, trying to keep your smile from growing. “You know where to find me.”

He nods, “I know.”

The two of you hesitate, not awkwardly but unwilling to leave the other’s side. It’s like tonight made you grow used to each other’s company and now neither of you want to go back to being alone. A moment later, Steve’s eyes move briefly to your lips, and you feel your ears burning when yours do the same and look at his. You move them back to his eyes instantly, pretending you’re not dying to kiss him. You are. You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about kissing him, ever, but you chicken out; all the courage you had left fizzling out for the night.

You lean on your tiptoes and place a kiss on his cheek, lingering close for a moment. “Goodnight, Steve. Drive safe.”

Steve nods slowly, eyes following your every move with affection. “Night.” He says before you smile go inside your house, just as the clock strikes 11.  

If you’d turned around once more, you’d seen the love stuck look on Steve’s face as he stared after you, willing it to be tomorrow already.  

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

“Here’s the last song of the night, so I want to hear you sing along!” Kelli addresses the crowd before pointing at Sarah. The guitarist starts to play the opening riff of What I Like About You and the crowd –as always– floods Annie’s with cheers.  

Unlike the first time he saw you play, Steve is now in the middle of the crowd; he places his hands around his mouth as he cheers as Robin jumps up and down next to him. In the three months you’ve been dating, the Friday night crowd at Annies has more than doubled, all for Hot Pink Melody. Steve can’t even begin to describe how proud of you he feels, Annie even gave your band a raise as a thank you for improving her business. How could she not, when the three girls playing in front of him enchant the whole place with electric enthusiasm and contagious energy.

He knew he was a goner from the first night he was here, and every day he grows even more mesmerized by you. Even right now, as he sings along and enjoys the show with Robin by his side, his eyes stay glued to you. The way you play out of memory, interacting with your bandmates as you do and never missing a bit. You even wink at Steve as you sing the background vocals with Kelli. You know you look good, and confident, and sweaty in a way that makes Steve’s weak at the knees. He fucking blushes, from just that wink. He can only shake his head at you while he smiles; he sees you hold back a laugh and it makes the itching to get closer to you, hold you, worse. Do you know how crazy you drive him?

His feet move towards the stage the minute the concert is over, and his heart skips several beats when he sees you’re running to meet him half way. The smile on your face is wide as you throw your arms around him for a hug. Steve’s wrap themselves securely around your waist as he spins you around; your face is on his neck as you laugh and Steve squeezes you tighter.

“You were amazing, babygirl.” He places three kisses on your cheek when you pull away and it makes you giggle. It makes Steve entire day.

“Steve, I’m sweaty.”

“So what?” He chuckles, “You know I don’t mind. Do you want some water?” He pecks your lips and feels so so in love.

You nod your head, stealing a kiss to his cheek. “Yes, please.”

“I’ll be right back.”

You nod again and watch him walk away to the counter where 3 other people stand in line, ready to order. After a quick glance back to the stage, you spot Robin talking to Kelli, their hands clasped between them. You smile fondly, knowing that they make each other so happy. Not unlike you and Steve; it seems crazy to think you’ll have been dating for 4 months next week. Is it too soon for you to say I love you, and does Steve feel that way too. You’ve just started to walk back to the stage to start gathering up your things when someone stops you.

“Hey sweetheart, nice playing up there.” It’s some guy you’ve never seen before, and the way his eyes look at you makes you squirm with discomfort.

“Uh thanks.” You dismiss him with a tight-lip grin and try to continue towards the stage.

He follows you until he’s stepping in your way. “Maybe you can come to my place for a drink. I’m having people over.” He tries to take a step closer to you but you take one back.

“I’m not interested, thank you.” You reply curtly, trying to side-step him. “If you’ll excuse me.”

As per usual, a negative answer seems to mean everything but a no in his language. “Come on you know you want to.” He steps in front of you again and moves to grab your wrist, but you yank it away from him before he can.

“Don’t. Touch. Me.” You finally let your temper show, beyond annoyed with the man in front of you. Your eyebrows pinch together, and your lips turn into a sneer.

Before he can say anything else, Steve appears by your side and pushes him away while simultaneously wrapping a protective arm around your waist. The water bottle he’s holding is cool against your skin but you don’t mind, feeling safe by his side. “You got a problem here babe?” Steve turns briefly to ask you before staring down the guy in front of you, who looks like a deer caught in headlights.

You shake your head. “I think he got the picture.”

“Don’t you dare try to touch her, or bother her again, you hear me?” Steve’s voice is low and menacing; a quick glance his way allows you to see the anger in his features. Steve is pissed off.

The other guy only nods yieldingly before Steve stirs the two of you away towards the stage. You’ve never seen him shoot daggers out of his eyes before, and you’re thankful for his help. But you also wany to ease the tension that has fallen over his body, so you urge him to sit down on the stage and step between his thighs.

Your hands hold his face gently. “Thank you, Stevie.” You brush your thumb over his forehead, erasing the furrow of his brows. “Don’t worry, I’m okay. Let’s just forget about it.”

“Okay,” Steve nods and you lean down to peck his lips. He grins and gives you the water bottle, “Here you go, babe.”

“Thank you.” You run a hand through his hair then motion towards the equipment behind him. “Let’s go load up the van before we go home.”

Steve waits for you to have some water before he stands and steps on the stage. He offers you his hand and just like clockwork the two of you begin unplugging all the instruments and mics. Steve’s been helping you every Friday, so he’s more than familiar with the process. So is Robin, who comes over with Kelli and Sarah help you pack everything up. Once everything is ready, each one of you takes something to carry out to the van that’s parked by Annie’s back door. Robin huffs as she carries an amp, refusing to carry something lighter because that’s what the patriarchy wants her to do. Steve has to take over in the end when she puts the amp back on the floor, halfway to the van. It takes the five of you 30 minutes to load up the van and secure everything in place, but soon enough Sarah is driving the van to her place, giving Robin a Kelli a ride to their respective houses.

Despite your tired arms, you swing the hand that’s holding Steve’s back and forth between you. It’s a long way back to the parking lot from the back of the building, but neither of you mind. The air hasn’t cooled much despite it being autumn already but it’s cool enough that you enjoy the breeze. After hours inside the crowded restaurant, it is more than welcome. A few minutes later you arrive to Steve’s car in the back of the parking lot. There are many cars still outside Annie’s but no one out there with you, so naturally Steve wastes no time kissing you.

He smiles as he presses your back against the passenger’s door and holds your waist while his lips leave you breathless. Steve is practically buzzing with energy when his hands move under your t-shirt, his warm skin touching the softness of your waist above your jeans. It makes you lightheaded, him showing you his emotions shamelessly.

“You were. So amazing tonight.” He says in-between kisses, words mumbled against your lips. He leans back and shakes his head, “Fuck baby, you’ve got any idea of how hot you look when you’re performing?”

His mouth is on yours again a second later, teeth catching on your bottom lip before his own soothe it with another kiss. “I mean, you always do, but when you’re up there… it’s magic.”

You feel him smile against your lips and you lean away to brush your nose against his —slightly out of breath and full of love.  Your eyes gaze into his own that are looking at you so softly, you don’t know what you did to deserve it. Steve’s love is so intense, so warm, it makes your skin hum and an incredulous smile appear on your face.

Steve smiles back. “What?” He brings a hand up from your waist to your face, caressing it softly with the back of his fingers; his other remains on your waist, thumb rubbing your skin back and forth.

“It’s just that since the girls and I started the band, we’ve had more and more people come to our shows…”

“Good, you guys are great.” He nods.

You smile, “Yes, and those people are all Kelli’s fans, which I’m more than okay with! I just never thought I’d have a fan of my own…that you would be my biggest fan.”

“I’m sure you have other fans babe, but you’re right.” He beams at you, “I’m your biggest fan, I’ll always be because the most talented person I know happens to be my girl.” He presses a kiss to your forehead.

You smile at him, shying away from his adoring gaze and dipping your chin to your chest. “Thank you, Stevie.”

Steve chuckles and brings your gaze back to his by gently holding you chin between his thumb and index finger. “How is it, that you play and sing one night a week in front of so many people easily… but you shy away when it’s only me?” His eyes get impossibly softer, making your stomach flip incessantly. “Not that I don’t love it.”

You shake your head. “Those people aren’t you, Stevie. They don’t look at me the way you do.”

“And how is that?” He asks in a whisper, brushing his lips against yours briefly.

“Like you can see right through me.” You tell him softly, breathlessly. Honesty coats your words. “Like I’m precious to you.”

“You are precious to me.” He pecks your lips again, smiling when you do.

“Stevie.” You say, breath mingling with his, your eyes meeting his cedar brown ones. “I’m so in love with you, and telling you feels like falling down a rollercoaster, but I can’t keep it from you anymore.”

Steve’s lips spread into a big smile, the kind that wrinkles the corners of his eyes before he leans down to kiss you. His other hand travels up your body to hold your face as he kisses you slow and sweet. It’s a gentle caress of lips, his own hushed love confession in his love language. “You made me fall for you that very first night I saw you up on that stage.” He tells you softly.

“You did on our first date.” You share with a smile.

“So I win.” He smiles triumphantly, and his eternally competitive nature gets a loud laugh out of you, head thrown back. Steve being the menace he is, takes the opportunity to kiss your exposed neck, which spurs on your laughter.

“I think that means I win.” You giggle.

Your boyfriend brushes his nose against yours. “I know, but I won because I have you.”

“Corny.” You kiss his lips slowly. “I won too.”

He places one last peck on your lips. “You still want to get those milkshakes?”

“Yes please.” You nod enthusiastically, eyes lighting up at the idea of a chocolate ice cream shake with whipped cream.

“Then let’s go, drummer girl.” Steve moves to open the passenger door for you with a wink.

“Ha ha you know that’s a bad nickname.”

“It’s not, come on babygirl you gotta let me win one!”

“I didn’t know it was a competition!”  You can only laugh as he closes the door and goes around the car to settle in the seat next to you. You look at him and meet his smile with one of your own, heart bursting at the sight of him –at the beauty and fun of being with him, of giving him your heart.

“Stevie.” Your voice is quiet now that you’re inside the car.

“Hmm?” He asks, turning on the engine with the turn of his key.

“I love you.”

His smile lights you up from within in the dark car. “I love you. More.”

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎ the end❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎  PART 2

#steve harrington x you #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x f!reader #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fluff #joe keery #steve x you

[dogueteeth]

WIP Not-Wednesday

Thanks @silvery-bluish for the tag!

I'll forward this to @wonda-fhr ! As always, not pressure to participate ;) <3

Hmmm let's see what I've got for my WIPs that I can share a bit of!

ACT 1

a Tokyo Ghoul!AU FHR series I started on a little while ago. WIP title for now, I think i like the idea of setting up the story as "acts 1 & 2" for Rebirth & Retri. Here's a lil snippet from it I might publish soon once I get the "scenes/chapters" planned out more. Riding heavy on Tokyo Ghoul's "tragedy" quote for my titles on this WIP lol.

He beams, sunshine and smiles, the thousand-watt smile that melts hearts, melts hers a little too. She can feel the smile grow on her face, feel the way that damnable knot between her shoulders loosens a little still, after all of these years, and shit, that's a complication she doesn't need. Didn't and doesn't, not back then and not right now. His hand lands on her shoulder, friendly and comforting. To anyone else but her.

It feels like a lasso. A leash. A noose. Leading her to the front gates, dragging her to her doom. To the gates. The gates. That.

The gates in the Rangers' HQ that scan for RC cells.

Standard. Necessary. No, not standard. State-of-the-art.

Always the best for the Rangers.

Her pulse grows cold. Is she pallid? What does her face look like? Is it terrified, is the the mask crooked?

Last time. Last time, last time, years ago, the RC scanners were still new tech. Not strong enough the pick up her trace, the trace of a half-ghoul. But that. That was almost ten years ago.

A decade is long enough to make improvements.

stray.

Collection of small segments that talk about both of Isa's escapes from the Farm. Alas I'm still working on this! Just haven't made much progress as of late since my brain is rather fried but here's a little snippet!

The stars are beautiful.

Most places she's been deployed have swallowed their stars. Shot them down, trapped them in little plastic and glass containers, anchored to the earth to light roads and pavements and rooms. Kept like animals poached from the wild. Surrounded by wall and window cages in the comforts of humans' homes to chase away the dark. So many caught, so many brilliant stars brought down by man, leaving the skies above filled with an inky emptiness.

But here, in the Nevada desert where man could not remain, where they couldn't take and claim, not the stars nor the arid land, the night sky celebrates with the splendor of galaxies above her head. She stares into the wonder of purple-pink clouds of cosmic dust and the glittering shine of stars, motionless and quiet. She should be running. She should be taking advantage of the darkness that she had waited so long for, curled into a small ball beneath a pile of road debris to keep hidden in the light of day. She never understood the concept of beauty before; it was a uniquely human perception. Less-thans can't afford to think about such things. But she might understand it now. Just a little.

kiss & tell (it's called: freefall)

Another snippet from a piece of the "freefall" series I'm taping together in my free time! Hehehe so many good moments in this series it's always so hard to pick a snippet without potentially spoiling a part of the series's story.

"That's not the point!" He cries out, tossing his arms in the air and biting back the sting of regret when she flinches in the corner of his eye. Regret, then anger. Anger aimed at himself for regretting that. She does not deserve his sympathies right now.

"I get that you're not sorry. I get that you're going to do it again, even if I don't agree with it, even if I wish you would be sorry. What I want to know is why, Cerrísa. Please." His voice cracks, and he can see the way her face falls at the sound. "Please, explain yourself, Cerrísa. Because I'm running out of ways that I can understand you, and I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, that you're not just doing this- killing people- for shits and giggles. Please."

He's almost in front of her now, taller and casting a shadow over her but he feels minuscule in front of her, begging for understanding. She refuses to look him in the eye, and he hates that she's chewing on the already-cracked part of her lip, and he tries not to think about how the metallic taste would feel echoed in his own mouth. Her mouth opens and closes a few times, and every time it falls shut, he feels a little bit of hope within him die.

#wip not-Wednesday #fhr #sidestep #cerrísa becerra #fhr sidestep #oc #writing wip

[daniel306gaming]

¿What if Iron Man SURVIVED the Snap in Avengers Endgame and appeared in Spider-Man Far From and No Way Home?

To: Robert Downey Jr., Tom Holland, the Russo Bros., Jon Watts, Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige

This is going to be a long one…

Intro

¿What if events went differently in the MCU? ¿What if Iron Man survived the Snap in Avengers Endgame and appeared in Spider-Man Far From and No Way Home? In today’s fan fiction we’re going to be exploring what would have happened if Iron Man was able to withstand the raw power of the gauntlet in Avengers Endgame and had a major role in Spider-Man Far From and No Way Home. ¿How can this affect the Kang Dynasty, Secret Wars and the next Spider-Man trilogy going forward? This is my own take of events taking inspiration from the Ultimate Marvel comics including Ultimate Spider-Man with elements from the 2007-08 One More Day story arc adding details from the 2014-15 Spider-Verse story arc and brief references to the 2010 One Moment in Time comic while following the mythology of Iron Man and Spider-Man and the timeline of the MCU. Without wasting anymore time sit back and relax and enjoy this HUGE fan fiction. 

                                                        Prologue 

In my analysis of the multiverse it was and still is very rare for me to see people survive certain death. The only time this has happened in general was with Captain America after being stuck in ice for nearly 70 years. But recently Iron Man died snapping away Thanos and his armies away for good due to the raw power of the gauntlet. But what if I told u that there is a world where Tony Stark literally survived the snap and managed to withstand the power of the Gauntlet leading to terrible consequences for the entire universe including the events of No Way Home not happening. I am the Watcher. I am ur guide to these vast new realities. Follow me and pounder the question. What If…

                                                            Part 1 

The events of Endgame were playing out the same as in our universe. The battle had been hard for the heroes being caught off guard while Thanos and his armies started raining fire on the Avengers compound. The timeline is the same as the original where the big three fought Thanos in close quarters combat duel and near the end of the fight Thanos had attained the Infinity Gauntlet after knocking out Captain Marvel with the Power Stone. Stark looked in the distance seeing Doctor Strange extending his finger out telling Tony that this was his moment and this is how they would win the battle. Stark knew this might kill him and he didn’t have a choice but to try. Thanos smirked before trying to snap until Iron Man rushed in punching and trying to distract Thanos and while his armor had absorbed the stones without knowing the mad titan Thanos beat Tony to the ground and snapped but nothing had happened. The snap echoed in the air but no power went off. He looked in shock watching as Stark’s arm lit up from the Infinity Gauntlet piercing right through his skin. The raw power felt good. Tony said “I am Iron Man” snapping away Thanos and his armies while at the same time Tony was teleported to the Soul Stone. He thought he was dying and Tony was surprised to see who it was. It was his daughter Morgan. She cried giving him a hug where Tony knew he couldn't leave his family Iron Man needed to live no matter what the costs. She asked Tony what it took and Tony cried. He didn't know what to say but before he could say anything Tony woke up breathing heavily. He saw Rhodes and Pepper who sat his body up. Tony tried to talk and Rhodes asked him what he needed and Tony replied to remove the gauntlet immediately. Spider-Man dropped below with tears streaming down his face as Tony faded away. Rhodes removed the Infinity Gauntlet but Tony’s hand had melted.  Parker told them they needed to do something before Doctor Strange and the Hulk walked towards Peter. Strange opened a portal and grabbed him. Stark was sent to a hospital where they removed the suit from the damage but the nanobots on tony's hand had been fried ruining half of his bloodstream in his arm. This caused the doctors to remove Tony’s left arm. He was on life support but he was still alive the rest of the Avengers stood still after the battle was finished. They won but with the cost that Tony could be dead. Captain America slowly walked up to the group and Steve told Spider-Man that they should regroup. He said Stark is strong and that he will survive his injuries. They agreed as the heroes walked away from the debris. They returned to Stark’s home debating on the next course of action with the Infinity Stones. Steve Rogers told them how he would be the one to send them back. Now this timeline could continue the same as the MCU where the Avengers broke up due to some of them departing ways but this time i want to keep things around for the next significant threat. Captain America grabbed the case that had all the stones but Thor put his hand on Rogers’s shoulder. He said the Captain needs a break and he should visit Tony in the hospital. Thor explained that he knew his intentions but told Steve that he would be living a lie in his entire life. Rogers thought about going back in time living with Peggy in the 40s but he also knew that he couldn't change the past and what happened. Steve had a tear in his eye when he decided he would stay with the Avengers as they needed a Captain America and the world needed a symbol. Thor would be the one to take the stones back to their original points in time. Steve went into Tony’s house where they were watching a video log before the time traveling had happened. Tony’s hologram told them how he might have an untimely death but it wouldn't be the end. This motivated Rogers and he knew that this wouldn't be the end for the Avengers but the destruction of Thanos and his armies would only be the beginning steps. Steve looked to see the young man who fought side by side with Iron Man against Thanos’s army. Steve waited for the message to come to an end and Peter gave Pepper a hug leaving the house. He walked outside opening the door to his surprise when he saw Steve Rogers. Peter asked what he was doing here and Peter thought that Cap was going to bring the stones back. Captain America smiled and he said that he had a change of heart. Peter looked to his left to see Thor returning from the time machinewhere Thor reverted to his normal self. Steve said “Tony told me you were an Avenger now”. Peter was shocked to hear that Tony told him this. Peter agreed that he was an Avenger and asked what they were going to do going forward. Peter said “ i don’t know what to do if Mr Stark doesn’t make it”. Peter put his head down but Steve encouraged Peter that Tony would make it. It’s something he does. Steve asked Peter to come with him to the hospital and Peter wasn't sure he wanted to see how Stark was but knew that he needed to rest. Cap said that maybe instead of visiting him Peter could work on his training. Peter asked what he meant by this training whereas Steve replied that when they fought at the airport in Germany 7 years ago his fighting skills were terrible. Rogers made it clear that Peter was flawed and needed significant training if he would become a full-time member of the Avengers. At the same time Tony woke up and everything around him was distorted but Tony saw himself fighting someone on top of the Statue of Liberty. He turned to his left and Peter’s dead body laid there motionless before he saw a man in a hood striking him with a blade. Tony used his arc reactor on his chest blasting the man’s face off. Tony noticed that Parker’s blood was on his hands. Tony woke up shaking in the hospital bed. Happy who was with him this whole time phoned Pepper that Tony had awoken. Pepper quickly made her way to the hospital. Happy asked Tony if he was going to be okay and Tony was motionless in the hospital bed. He looked at his arm which was gone after he performed the snap and all Tony said was ¿where's Pepper? Happy told him to hang on tight as she was almost there. Tony told Happy if any of this was real and Happy was confused and told Tony that he was still alive and that they won the battle. Pepper walked into the hospital where they kept Stark in a giant room along with Happy Hogan. She stepped inside running to Tony’s aid. she asked how he was and he replied how she was doing. Happy looked at Pepper. They both knew that something was wrong with Tony. It was like his PTSD came backbut this was a lot worse. Tony yelled saying that he wanted to go home and started ripping apart wires that connected to his ventilator. Tony noticed that none of this was real before noticing that his left arm was gone. He was horrified by the sight of it. Pepper and Happy told Stark to calm down. Tony was about to get up but the doctors restrained him. Tony told Friday to boot up the systems and the nanobots in his bloodcreated his armor before Tony broke free from the hospital. They told him to stand down as Pepper cried pleading to Tony that he was sick but Stark didn't listen before blasting a hole through the hospital flying away. The sky looked warped as Tony started flying but he felt like he was going to get sick before landing on a nearby building rooftop. Tony knew that he needed to get home and went back to his house. He opened the door yelling Morgan’s name and she ran down the stairs to see him but she knew that something was amiss before Tony fell to the ground in his armor. She asked if he was okay where Tony cried hugging her. Tony needed reassurance that he still had a family while Pepper and Happy bursted into the house tracking where Tony was using his armor. They saw that he was on the floor hugging Morgan. They all came in to hug Tony who passed out on the floor. Having woke up to yet another nightmare Tony felt different and after a few days of being with hisfamily he recovered from most of his injuries. Tony got off of the couch where he went outside to the lake. He looked to see past the lake where his old arc reactor was floating. He smiled and he thought that now that Thanos has been destroyed he could work closely on new projects that could save the world if a new threat were to happen again but the PTSD was getting worse. Tony started having flashbacks of the ultimate power and how it felt on him. He missed wearing the gauntlet but it showed him visions of his future and other realities. Tony fell to his knees trying to breathe. It took him some time but he snapped back to reality as a truck door slammed and Tony turned around to see Steve Rogers coming out of the truck. Steve was shocked to see Stark’s face as half of his face was scarred from the Infinity Gauntlet. Tony and Steve shook hands and Cap said that he was happy that Tony made it out and knew that deep down he was the one to make the final play. Steve said to Tony that if he was feeling all right and Tony replied that Steve just didn't know what the Infinity Stones felt like and to have such power. Steve looked seeing that Tony’s left arm was missing and Steve asked Tony to be part of the Avengers again whereas Stark took a deep breath telling Rogers not to ask that question and he said it could be anything else but that to which Rogers said that he's been training the kid for some time and was doing well and that he hopes to see you again and Stark said “not like this “ as he gazed at his missing arm. Steve knew that something was off with Tony but he might need time to get over things. Steve said that if he ever needs anything to give him a call. Stark was glad that Peter was being trained but he needed to be there too for him. Tony nodded his head before Steve got back into his truck leaving. Tony stopped talking to visitors and taking calls shunning himself from the world for the next eight months. Peter Parker tried to contact Tony Stark but every time he tried the calls would fail manually because Stark was depressed and scared at the nightmares he was getting every night. The nightmares were getting worse and his PTSD was higher than ever. Tony built a massive underground basement almost like his original room where he made machines armor and more Stark weapons thinking another Thanos might happen anytime soon. Tony was rapidly building and he was making resources. He resorted to drinking where he became an alcoholic. Pepper asked Tony to stop and Tony replied that he can't because the next Thanos was coming and because of this he needed to create a suit of armor that could tank it. A almost godlike armor was being developed. Pepper cried and couldn't reason with Tony anymore as he was becoming like his old self but worse. He spent less time with Morgan because of the constant thought of losing the two of them. Tony kept saying that it was for their own good or he would make the excuse oftough love. Pepper said it wasn't love and he lost his mind. Tony screamed at Pepper and he didn’t even look at her and he just kept building his next best armor. Everywhere on the news people asked “¿where is Tony Stark? Tony watched the news and knew that he needed to come back to show the world that the Avengers would never be messed with ever again. Stark finished his suit that was utterly silver and he named it the superior Mark I. At the same time a breaking news story hit. Stark looked on the news to hear that a massive creature had been stopped in Mexico by the name of Mysterio. While Fury and María Hill investigated the storm they came across someone who started to stop it. The man defeated the elemental before approaching Fury. Fury recruited him but this time in our universe Mysterio wouldn't reveal his true name or even take his mask off due to Stark still being alive.                                                                     

                                                         Part 2 Just like in our MCU universe the Midtown School of Science and Tech completes its year which was restarted to accommodate the students who previously blipped five years earlier from the Mad Titan’s actions in Wakanda. A lot of the students came back who were aged and some who were not aged and this resulted in the students having to finish their last year of high school while the school organizes a two-week summer trip to europe with Peter Parker is now training with Steve Rogers on the side to become a better Avenger after not receiving phone calls. Parker still felt bad after the events of the Mad Titan and sometimes he thought to himself that maybe he could have snapped with his spider powers as it wouldn't have messed him up. While still being in school and now a member of the Avengers Peter’s social life was continuing. He planned to reveal MJ’s attraction towards her but because of the elementals in Mexico Parker was forced to go to Europe but as Spider-Man and Steve  Rogers phoned Peter to inform him that they are needed and Fury is asking for him. Peter this time agrees to meet with Nick Fury due to Rogers’s request. Parker met with Nick Fury in a vehicle in Italy where Peter goes with his class. Peter leaves his class swinging as Spider-Man. Fury meets Spider-Man on a building rooftop where Peter in this universe gets Edith early. Fury reveals to Peter that Stark is  a broken man now and Parker was shocked to hear it but knew it was true. Nick told Peter how he was becoming an alcoholic and how he's been working towards a secret project. Peter felt letdown to see how his old mentor has fallen so far and so fast but nevertheless Parker thanked him for the glasses and asked him “¿why now?” Fury said that just in case anything happens start his successor as he would be worthy to have the glasses. Peter asked if Tony was okay with this where Fury didn't reply. He told Spider-Man to come with him. Since Parker met with Fury earlier in this universe the events of the elementals and Venice, Italy haven’t happened yet. Peter and Fury walked into an underground facility in Italy. It was dark and his shadow was being casted with each passing moment. Parker could see people talking in the distance where he saw Steve Rogers and Mysterio talking. Mysterio was the new hero on the news. Parker was shocked to see the big fishbowl type mask on it. His voice was distorted and Mysterio claims to Captain America and Spider-Man that he is from another reality that had similar heroes just like this one. He explained that the elementals in New Mexico was part of his reality and that the creatures have destroyed his world but with their help they might be able to stop the impending doom the elementals bring and while they began talking Peter’s classmates have been out partying during the summer trip. While they were having fun a massive storm had happened and a giant water elemental was unleashed on the city. Fury told Mysterio, Cap and Spider-Man that he had just emerged from the water and started attacking people while Spider-Man told them his friends were in danger. Having a suit this time the three decided to pursue the elemental which was a massive water creature that  attacked people and started smashing buildings. At the same time Tony Stark was listening to music and while he was building and upgrading his armor his music was cut from a breaking news story that explained that another elemental had emerged in Italy destroying and killing people. The news said that Spider-Man had been badly injured by the water creature and Stark stopped everything as he knew that he was needed before it was too late. Still having nightmares of the future Stark knew that the kid needed his help and although he was half drunk Stark slowly got into a Superior Mark I suit before blasting off.  Captain America tried fighting the elemental and he was thrown into the water where Spider-Man tried to save him. The two were drowning below while Mysterio tried stopping the creature with his powers before a bright light emerged coming closer. Mysterio was hit from behind by the water as a man standing in the night sky hovered above the water creature before a massive blast from his chest hit the elemental. Fury smiled watching from a far as it was revealed to be none other than Iron Man himself. Spider-Man would save Captain America who then saved Ned and MJ from the elemental while Stark easily put down the creature and the water elementals started fading away as more stark beams hit it. Rogers was surprised to see Tony back in action this early and Spider-Man swung up landing on the bridge seeing Stark easily defeat the creature. As Spider-Man tried to get Tony’s attention Iron Man looked at him seeing Spider-Man in a new black and red suit and he was going to talk with him as Peter said Mr. Stark before Tony flew away. Cap told Peter not to worry about it and Tony was going through something but he said that he still cared as he came in stopping the creature. Tony came home flying home drunk before Pepper walked outside screaming at him saying that he's become irresponsible and that they have a kid. Tony yelled at Pepper to leave him alone and the nightmare started haunting him again as Tony stumbled into the kitchen before passing out in front of Morgan who started crying. Pepper took Morgan before driving away leaving Tony broken in his home and he thought that maybe he should have died while Tony went into a mental breakdown. Spider-Man, Mysterio and Captain America plotted to take down the last elemental where Mysterio claimed was in Prague. Rogers told Peter that they needed to go there immediately to stop this and after Peter saw and heard what happened to Tony he declined their offer as he told Cap that his friends were in danger and that they needed his helpafter Thanos and now Stark. He just needed a break to himself and wanted to continue the vacation. Rogers realized that Peter is still a kid and because of this maybe this isn't his line of work. Maybe he was becoming exhausted and he was still a kid after all. Fury secretly changes the class's trajectory to divert the students to Prague. Steve told Fury not to do it but because Spider-Man was going to be a key Avenger going forward Fury told Rogers that a little experience wouldn't hurt. This disgusted Tony while Rogers told Fury that he should check up on him once this problem is solved. Nick agreed while they kept working with Mysterio as Peter continued his class trip like in our universe and he learned to use Edith more but after some time the class trip was diverted. Parker saw as they were going to Prague that the fire elemental was attacking the classmates. Parker dodged the fire attacks with Mysterio and Captain America where they were able to stop it. Mysterio thanked Captain America and Spider-Man for assisting him and stopping the final creature Molten Man. Fury was happy to hear it and asked the three to form a new superhero team in Berlin. Later, Fury asked Spider-Man  that he still needs to step up asking if he wants to live up to the next Iron Man. Rogers told Fury to stop before they got into a heated argument. Spider-Man told them to stop fighting and Steve told Spider-Man that today is his day and that he deserves the rest of the day off as he not only saved all of his friends but helped Mysterio take down the elementals. Fury along with Captain America would leave Spider-Man and Mysterio after the battle. They went to the bar to discuss themselves and Parker was shocked to see Mysterio removing his mask as he told Parker he was just a regular guy like him. The two talked about themselves and Peter was sorry to hear that Quentin Beck’s family was killed. Mysterio said that he could starta new family in this universe and Peter was happy to hear him. As the two talked about their battles Beck asked Peter what he wants to do in life where Peter said that he just wants to go back on his trip and he told him that he was thankful for Steve Rogers helping him train more but after taking up this big mantle and now Iron Man being retired it seems like a big responsibility. Beck then was curious about Tony’s relationship with Peter asking him how they became friends whereas Parker told him that he was recruited when the Avengers had a Civil War among themselves that led to them fighting and then fighting Thanos but after the battle was over Peter said that Tony became a new person that he didn't recognize and even after fighting the water monster Stark looked ill. Peter didn't know if he could be the next Iron Man and at the same time a woman walked towards Peter who gave Peter Edith as Mysterio laughed saying that the glasses don't look good on him. Parker was shocked to hear it but knew that it was a joke. He thought that maybe he could give Mysterio the glasses and that way there he could continue just being Spider-Man. Although he liked them it was too much for Parker and Mysterio told Pete that if he was certain he wanted to give them up. After Peter witnessed Beck’s actions after taking down the elementals he agreed to give them up as he was a experienced  fighter. Anyways Quentin smiled before taking them. Parker gave control to him before thanking Mysterio for helping him through his training with Captain America to becoming an Avenger. Parker left Beck at the bar going back to the field trip and at the same time Beck celebrated alongside ex-Stark Industries workers because Beck was fired from his position as Stark’s holographic illusion specialist for his unstable nature use of advanced projections to simulate his power of the elementals and now with Edith’s orbital weaponized drones to increase the scale of his illusions he can establish himself as an Avenger or the new main leader of the Avengers but there was still one last thing Beck needed to do  and that was take out Tony Stark. The ex-Stark Industries employees came up with a plan that would lure Tony Stark to becoming the famous Iron Man once again and the team started working. At the same time Parker learned that MJ knew that he was Spider-Man and they discovered a machine after getting into an argument if he was Spider-Man or not. The machine showed a projection that showcased Mysterio fighting all the elementals. Parker was shocked but knew that there was no time left as he made a mistake by giving Edith to him and the events of Spider-Man Far From Home almost playout the same with Nick Fury meeting Spider-Man in Berlin. Parker told Steve Rogers about Beck’s doings. Meanwhile, Tony Stark kept building machines and new armor at his house hearing on the news that Spider-Man was appearing in Berlin. Tony was shocked to hear it  but he was half drunk and decided to ignore the issue. While this happened Edith showed Beck where Stark was living and while it was a secure place it was exposed after Parker gave him the glasses. Hacking into Tony Stark’s security his master plan had worked and the team of ex-Stark workers planted drones everywhere around Stark’s house that were rigged to explode. Tony looked at his phone as music blasted working on a suit. He saw that Steve Rogers was trying to reach him. Steve was told the truth about Beck and how he used to work for Tony Stark and now he was seeking revenge for what he did to him. Steve Rogers kept phoning Tony but he soon realized that he was too late as Mysterio bomb went off near Stark’s house. The bomb wiped out the entire house. Tony heard screaming and at the same time Parker confronted Beck alone but his illusions were too powerful almost killing Spider-Man in the process. After Parker was hit by a train telling Beck about his friends and how they knew he was Spider-Man. Beck promised that he would take care of them like how he took care of Stark and his family. Peter tried to phone Happy Hogan who was unavailable due to Stark’s family. Tony ran up the stairs earlier but he was already too late. Worrying so much to save his friends and family Tony was too distracted as he saw Morgan lying on the floor beside Pepper holding them tight. Tony screamed and cried as he heard a breaking news story that played on the tv showing the Battle of London. Steve Rogers gave a speech to Peter that would keep him motivated and he went to London with Captain America in a private Avengers jet. Rogers told Peter that there was nothing nobody could have done. Parker asked if he got a hold of Tony but Rogers put his head down in disappointment but there was no time. Parker and Rogers skydived off of the Avengers Quinjet into London just as Beck launched his assault with the elemental fusion combining the properties of the previous elementals. At the same time at Stark’s house the Battle of London had begun as the news told the world that the Avengers have come to stop the elemental fusion with Spider-Man and Captain America on foot. Stark’s door opened and Happy ran into the house calling for Tony who was with Rhodes as the two saw Stark crying in his living room floor with two bodies in his hands. Happy Hogan replayed a message from Tony Stark’s suit that revealed who planted the bombs and it was a former worker known as Quentin Beck. He showed Stark the message that Rogers left earlier while Rhodes got Tony out of his house where the police, fire and ambulance showed up and Tony watched motionless as his family was being put into an ambulance where they were declared dead in front of him and it was all because of an ex-Stark employee named Mysterio. Stark knew who the killer was and ended up and decided to go after him. Tony checked his phone and he had hundreds of messages from Peter Parker telling Tony that Beck was evil and how everything was fake from the start. Friday revealed that some of Stark’s systems were hacked from Edith. Tony snapped as Edith was in the hands of a murderer and Parker was the one to give it away leading to his family being killed. He couldn't take any more of this. It was as if it all hit Stark and now because of old Tony’s downfall and losing his arm after snapping away Thanos and his armies he stopped taking responsibility and  he blamed himself for everything. The world needed Iron Man and he stood by letting the chaos just unfold. Gliding over making their way into the illusion Parker and Rogers battled swarms of mysterious drones destroying the elemental fusion illusion. Beck re-ordered the drones to then attack Spider-Man and Captain America. It exhausted Parker to use all of his web fluid. Meanwhile, during the attack on London Rogers went to rescue Parker’s friends but as the drones were nearing them in he had to take them into a secure place and the only one nearby was the vault of the royal Crown Jewels. Inside Parker’s friends opened up with Captain America but Parker used an improvised tactic that blew a hole through the drone's defenses and he reached Mysterio while he fought briefly with Spider-Man trying to trick him again with his drones. Parker dodged most of the drones before a bright light came while Captain America watched from afar as he dodged more drone attacks and they saw Iron Man appear before them with an army of six Iron Legions giving Spider-Man the advantage. He used his webs while Mysterio was distracted before knocking him to the ground. Beck was caught by one of the drones where Spider-Man saw Beck get shot by a repulsor beam. Spider-Man thanked Tony for stopping him and as Tony ignored him he walked towards Beck but it was already too late. Spider-Man took the glasses as he was ready to shut down the drones but Tony pointed his hand at Spider-Man to surrender the glasses to him. Peter gave them as Stark called off the attacks before shooting Beck in the face killing him for good. The brutality confused Peter as Iron  Man wasn't this ruthless. Tony looked into Peter’s eyes as he told Peter what happened and that Mysterio killed his family. Steve Rogers managed to get to the top of the bridge where he met with Stark and Parker. The three of them stood as Beck’s body laid there motionless. Rogers said that he was sorry for what happened and Tony told him not to be sorry and that it was his own fault for not being powerful enough. Tony said “maybe we shouldn't have gotten rid of the Infinity Stones. Rogers looked intothe soulless eyes of Tony Stark who flew away while Peter was silent and he took his mask off asking what did they do with Tony. Rogers said that even he didn’t know what the next course of action was going to be. After the death of Tony’s family and Beck Spider-Man swung through the city while the avengers united and agreed that they would be working closely with new heroes to stop threats like London from ever happening again while at the same time the Daily Bugle came out and gave their condolences for the Stark family who was killed by Mysterio. The signal went out and showed Tony Stark. Everyone was silent and confused. He told the world that now the time is herefor Iron Man to spread fear as he told the world that after a long thought everyone turned their heads away while he knew that the world needed saving from another Thanos threat telling the world that he was building more weapons than ever before and told any criminal that his Iron Legione would arrest them and vowed that no one will ever lose a family member or friend from crime again. He stated that Stark Industries will work together to put a suit of armor around the galaxy. Spider-Man was shocked to hear it but knew that things were getting serious.   

                                                                   Ultimate finale The message was heard worldwide and a cry for crime to end was in the air. The message haunted everyone present as Tony Stark transmitted a message to every criminal in the world that he would come for them while Spider-Man in New York City after the events of London where Tony murdered Mysterio and gave up Edith to him didn't know what his old mentor thought of him now and his actions led to the deaths of Pepper and Morgan which was Tony’s only family. The impact of this was surely not going to be good. The crowd of people roared through the city cheering that there was finally going to be peace and Stark was the one who would lead them to justice but the problem remained “¿What Tony Stark would do now? After his family was annihilated in seconds Parker watched people on the streets going wild as Iron Man fans screamed and he had a weird sense that the blame would have been on him if not for Mysterio being killed and even his identity could have been compromised but because of Tony’s actions of being able to act fast enough Tony took the blame and exposed Mysterio before he would act with the rest of his plans. Spider-Man turned his head to see MJ who was in the crowd down below as she looked uncomfortable being down there and in a split second Spider-Man dropped below as people ran towards him asking if he was Iron Man’s sidekick. People wanted photos and they called him a hero. Peter wanted to embrace it but because he knew the full extent of his and Tony’s actions Spider-Man grabbed MJ swinging towards a massive skyscraper. MJ  asked Peter if he was okay as Peter paused for a moment while he told MJ that he wasn't sure he was worried about Tony and what he was capable of. If only he didn't trust Mysterio then maybe Tony’s family wouldn’t have been killed. MJ slapped Peter across the face saying that he wasn’t to blame and he couldn't blame himself for their deaths. Peter took his mask off with tears sitting down on the skyscraper as he looked at his mask and all Spider-Man has ever done was bring pain to other people. MJ could never understand this stuff as being a hero was the most challenging thing and he thought that maybe his dreams of being an Avenger and that friendly neighborhood Spider-Man were put to rest. MJ tried to take Peter’s mask before moving it away from her and there was a silence. The two just looked at each other as MJ said that Captain America might be able to help him until Peter said that he would help himself dropping the mask down below while the mask flew in the air and the two watched it go down the bridge. Peter said “sometimes you need to give up what you want the most and even your dreams” Peter had enough of these games as the time for being a hero was over letting the big players take over with something he thought about for a while while  Peter took MJ back to her place before Parker walked away with his head down into the darkness of the night. At at the same time a loud mechanical noise could be heard echoing in the room as Tony Stark continued to build his Iron Legions and he would never take a break until he snapped throwing his booze to the side of the wall. It smashed into his face leaving a big gash on his cheek as Tony still wouldn't give up building while both his hands were shaking and the music in the background became distorted. Tears filled up with each passing moment. He flipped over the table and threw all the parts away blasting everything insight before dropping to his knees. Stark realized he had blasted one of the only pictures of him with Morgan as he picked up the shattered photo and cried. Tony thought to himself “¿why did it have to be this way? After trying to protect everyone and the only family he had he couldn’t protect a terrible incident. The guilt was too much for him to take. Tony thought about taking his own life to be with his family but at the same time he was Iron Man he could gain his family back but it would take everything to do it. An idea sparked in Tony’s mind. He thought ¿what if he could somehow build a multiversal teleporter to send him to a world where his family is still alive? Knowing what he needed to do Stark started building manically. The next day Peter met with Ned and MJ at the school cafe talking about how they were getting prepared to go to MIT after being accepted. Ned asked Peter how he would balance college life and Spider-Man before the news hit in New York City. “Spider-Man no more” the Daily Bugle had found Spider-Man’s costume in an alleyway. J Jonah Jameson confirmed that it was the official suit and that Spider-Man gave up his crusade as Flash who was in the calf couldn't believe his eye yelling at everyone about the breaking news while Peter put his head down and Ned was confused asking Peter why. Peter snapped at them as he said that he was the one who was always sticking his neck out for others and looking at what it cost which was the death of Tony’s family. although Steve Rogers was training him to become a better hero there's always going to be the sacrifice play and Peter said he didn’t wanna become the same thing that Tony became. He just wanted to be a normal kid from now on and Peter grabbed his backpack before running off. He slammed the doors of the top roof as he left the school. He got a phone call from May. He took his phone out and listened to the call where she said “With Great Power Must Come Great Responsibility” before Parker hung up the call. His spider sense went berserk as a loud sonic boom knocked Parker to the back wall and he fell to the ground looking at his nose with blood dripping down from it. Parker  saw from the distance robots flying in all sorts of directions as Tony Stark’s Iron Legions were deployed while everywhere in the world while some robots flew throughout the city and one of them is near the school. Peter looked to see them walkingeverywhere before Peter’s spider sense went off as the robot extended his hand out before blasting a hole through a car instantly killing the driver while screaming echoed in the distance and more shots were heard in every direction. Peter was shocked at what had happened as the robots were going after anyone who had broken the law and even broken the law previously even if it was a petty crime. Tony’s Iron Legions were spread out killing without any mercy while Peter knew this wasn't the way to deal with criminals as it went against his beliefs. He took out his web shooters at that moment before an Iron Legion could kill again as Peter webbed up the bot before knocking it back onto a wall killing it while it’s head rolled near Peter before blowing up in front of him and the rest of Tony’s Iron Legions created a target for Peter Parker after attacking one of the bots. This caused the Iron Legion to categorize Peter Parker as a criminal while he knew that something was wrong as Peter dodged the rest of the robots on thestreet and people at Midtown heard noises coming from outside. They ran outside and started crowding the area. Parker fought one after another on the street and started looking back on his shoulder seeing people with their phones out. He screamed telling all of them to “GET BACK” as Peter told them not to engage while he was shot in the left leg screaming in pain falling to the ground and he screamed webbing the rest of them up. Peter couldn’t think of how the rest of his life would play out by the end of the day as everyone was going to know that he was Spider-Man but that didn't matter because Parker thought with no fear in his heart and anger in his soul as he fought for the greater good to protect his friends and maybe he was wrong about Spider-Man. Maybe everything leads up to this point as Parker had flashbacks of him and Tony when he first became Spider-Man while Peter was getting shot by unibeams in all directions. He could only think of the good times at that moment before he heard a voice in his head telling him “you did good kid” before Peter looked around everywhere closing his eyes. Peter Parker is spider-man and he was now dead. The Iron Legions executed Peter Parker on the street shooting him dead. Parker fell before the robots flew away saying “target eliminated” while Ned and MJ cried out running to Peter’s aid but it was already too late as the Iron Legion continued to cause havoc in the streets while the crowd of people took their phones out and the world knew what was happening. Parker’s death was being projected to everybody who lived in New York as everyone wanted to know what was going on and when the news hit and Captain America found out he was mad. Rogers rushed to Stark’s home realizing what Tony’s actions had caused while Stark had created his multiverse teleporter with a unique world that might have his family as Steve Rogers went there with an intent to kill his former friend earlier before the Iron Legion were deployed to kill every and any criminal but Tony was drunk and depressed about everything. He knew that the world had tricked him and he felt as if he had been conned. He continued working on the machine and was prepared for the finishing touches but before he could click the button he felt someone was watching him. Strange flew below to meet with Tony while Doctor Strange asked how he knew he was here and Tony just said that he knows when his cloak waves in the air. Tony smiled and asked Stephen why he was there. Tony asked what he wanted and Strange said that “what you got there can cause chaos in the multiverse”. Doctor Strange explained that if Tony does this it could create an imbalance that would cause the multiverse to break open into madness’s and there will be no way home for him if he travels there. Stark’s patients were levering while tony said that he needed to do this for his family as he couldn't live without them as Stark called Stephen a hypocrite for seeing multiple universes play out when they defeated the Mad Titan but Stark then blamed Strange for everything that happened to him and Strange said that “it was the only way”. Stark pressed the button but Strange then used the spell by multiplying himself that created a holographics duplicate of Strange trying to tire out Iron Man while Doctor Strange then went behind Stark knocking him out of his body as Doctor Strange said “we never lose our demons Stark.  We only learn to live above them”. Tony watched himself floating away from his body looking at his missing arm while Tony agreed that he would live above them after having his family back before some of Tony’s Iron Legions caught Doctor Strange off guard while Tony went back into his body taking the opportunity as the Iron Legions then proceeded to fight with Strange and one of them managed to grab Stephen by his neck pinning him to the ground before Tony activated the worldwide Iron Legion alert alerting all of them to help aid him. Tony clicked the button and was getting ready to jump into the multiverse before Strange’s cloak came from behind choking Tony Stark and he used his unibeam to blast a hole through the cloak. As this happened Doctor Strange summoned daggers throwing them into the machine and breaking it with his last powers. Stark screamed “NO” as the machine caught on fire and Stark tried to fix it but he was electrocuted. It was giving Tony third degree burns on his face. Strange yelled for Tony to stop and he flew back from the explosion defeated. Doctor Strange grabbed his cloak walking over to Tony’s body as he was getting ready to kill him but Tony jabbed a nano blade through his gut as he was about to say his goodbyes. Stephen Strange gasped as his body collapsedto the ground while Doctor Strange crawled trying to get away from Tony and as this happened Tony’s radio crackled. It glitched but it had told him that his Iron Legions killed Peter Parker as Stark’s face then dropped after he was informed of the death while he walked over Strange’s body ready to kill Strange but a shield hit the back of Tony’s head and Tony turned to his side to see Steve Rogers. Steve screamed Tony’s name as Tony picked up Cap’s shield remembering when he gave it back to Rogers when they would defeat Thanos while Stark said that he would take his family back before impaling the shield into Doctor Strange’s body killing him for good as if he couldn’t have his family back then everybody would pay. Rogers engaged in close quarters combat with Iron Man who went mad as the fight continued for almost an hour until Tony gained the upper hand stabbing a nanoblade into Captain America’s neck while Rogers coughed and he was on the edge of death. Tony asks Steve for his help but he told him that he never wanted to go down this path and now he knows what it’s like being in the villain's shoes. Steve choked trying to get a word out before he stopped breathing as Tony realized what he had done while he looked at his silver hands with blood everywhere dropping to the ground. Doctor Strange was dead and now his old friend Steve Rogers was dead all because of him andhow he failed everybody. Tony screamed” ¿WHY WHY?”smashing everything in sight. Stark could hear the cries from outside as more and more of his Iron Legion reigned on the city killing innocent people who fought back. He glanced over at his perfect superior machine that was destroyed by his former friends while Tony looked at his robotic arm pointing it at his head before the impossible happened as he was in another place and time when events went correct and Tony Stark was laid to rest. He felt a shift in his house with a loud ringing noise coming from both sides and Stark screamed louder than he ever had before. Tony fell backwards as if he did shoot himself as maybe he was dead while all Tony could hear now was a tv playing in his room and things looked different. There was no beer, panic in the streets and his Iron Legions were gone as the broadcaster showcased the battle between Spider-Man and a mysterious figure on the bridge. Tony’s vision was blurry but what he saw wasn’t right and when he rubbed his eyes Peter was just killed but now he’s fighting someone else. Stark opened the doors to his surprise and that it was a lovely day out. He was shocked that the outside of his home was different as  Tony walked closer to the lake where he saw something floating while he felt calm and different about things like if all of his problems have gone away and the floating flowers came closer to Stark where he picked them up  and it said “In memory of Tony Stark”. Tony then dropped the flowers and at the same time Spider-Man in this universe had already casted a spell that would try and make everyone forget who Peter Parker was and after messing up the spell with Doctor Strange not only did Peter try getting into MIT but the Doctor Strange of this universe has created a spell that would send other villains and people to this universe while whoever knew peter parker was was being seen here. Peter finds himself caught in his web while fighting with Doctor Octopus as Ock asked “¿where is my machine? before engaging in close quarters combatwith Spider-Man and while the fight continued Ock had Peter right where he wanted him gaining some of Peter’s nano technology. Ock said “goodbye” but was shot with a unibeam in the back. Ock screamed in pain with his arms wailing everywhere before being knocked unconscious. “Hey kid”. Peter turned his head to hear the impossible. It couldn’t be. “Mr. Stark”. Peter said in a bone-chilling voice taking a good look at who was before him. Peter asked what was going on, why was he here and who was this other guy. “Peter” Tony said before the two hugged and at that moment Tony and his mask had a tear going down his cheek. What had he done. Tony told Peter that he was not from around here. He didn't know what was going on but he needed to find answers. Ock was down for the count as the two inspected him. Tony scanned Otto where Tony found out hat he didn't have the same signature and that the readings indicated that this mysterious person was from another world. Peter couldn’t make any sense of it. He knew the multiverse was real now and what laid before him was his old friend. Peter’s spider sense went off yelling for Tony to “GET DOWN”. A pumpkin bomb had rolled on the ground. Everything went silent. The bomb made a ticking noise and it got louder with each passing moment before a large explosion came from it. Tony looked up to see the man that was in his dreams. Ock woke up and ran to see that he was trapped in some magical room. Tony looked around and he too was trapped. He asked Peter to let him free until Doctor Strange came into the room. The man in the green suit laughed. The  laugh made Tony’s heart skip a beat before everything around the three of them then changed. Strange explained that the spell Peter had ruined was leaking to everyone who knows Peter Parker’s Spider-Man and that there are still people out there that need to be sent here home looking at all of them knowing what he had done to the Doctor Strange of his world. Tony felt that he needed to keep quiet. Peter thought about it and realized what had happened. Peter asked for help and Strange said that there was nothing he could do for him and that he would have to clean up his own mess. Peter turned back to see Tony and Otto. Otto recalled knowing the man in the green suit. Peter asked who it was before being yelled as he said that it was Norman Osborn a brilliant scientist but he became greedy and lazy. Tony asked the kid for help. Tony yelled for Doctor Strange turned around and told Tony that he didn't want to hear his story and that there was enough to deal with right now as him being here would cause damage in their universe. Peter looked back as he missed seeing his old mentor and knew that with Iron Man’s help they could bring all the people here. Tony explained that Strange was right but at the same time he could be of use to help send everyone back. Iron Man then took his mask off revealing all the cuts and burns on his face. Peter said “¿what happened to you tony?”revealed the events of his universe. He started talking and told Strange and Peter how he lost his family to mysterio and wielded the gauntlet to defeat Thanos in his universe. Doctor Strange told Peter that he could be lying about anything. They didn't want to trust him but Peter was shocked asking how he survived as he died using the stones in this universe. Even Doctor Strange was confused. Maybe there was a universe after all where Stark lived. Peter wanted to listen more of the story but Strange told him that there wasn't much time left equipping Peter with the mystical box that would allow him to catch and capture any of the people in their universe. Peter still asked Doctor Strange for help where Strange decided that if this version of Iron Man were true he would need to prove himself by letting him help. Peter found the rest of the multiverse people. This changes the course of history because Peter won't be gaining the help of MJ and Ned to find the rest of them. Doctor Strange said “don’t make me regret this” before releasing Tony from his imprisonment. Tony said that he wouldn't regret this. Peter and Tony went off to find one of the villains. Peter asked Tony what happened to him in his universe. Tony told Peter that almost the same happened but Mysterio never revealed his identity to the world because he had killed Mysterio before hand. Peter kept silent for the rest of the pursuit in the back of his head. Peter wanted to trust Stark but he felt that something was amiss and couldn’t yet figure it out. The duo figured that one of the multiverse people was in their location but while they circled and scanned the area Tony yelled for Peter to “GET DOWN”.  A man rose from thin air. Peter asked if he was from a different universe before attacking Spider-Man and Iron Man. The man's powers were gravitating towards Tony’s arc reactor. Tony dodged an attack from Electro who started laughing knowing the power felt different. He started shooting large yellow bolts at Tony and Peter. Peter got shot in the back screaming in pain before Tony used a suit to throw himself into the bolts overloading himself. A massive unibeam went into Electro’s direction knocking him down. Electro was dazed by the attack and was hit from behind by Sandman who came out of nowhere. Sandman asked what the hell was happening. Peter screamed that he was from another universe but could use an extra hand. The three of them then stopped Electro. Electro was losing his power. Tony started sucking the energy from him to power his suit. Tony laughed before Peter asked if he was killing him. Tony said “it doesn't matter kid. We need to do what we can”. Electro screamed in pain before a massive explosion knocked Peter and Sandman back. Tony flew down extending his hand out. Peter took his hand and asked “¿what happened back there?” Tony told Peter that some of these guys needed to be killed. It was something they needed to do. “I know you Peter and you would do whatever it takes to protect your loved ones even if youneeded to kill the person hurting them”. Sandman asked Peter what he had in his hand. “Just trust us” Stark said before Sandman lashed out. He didn't know if he could trust them after he had just witnessed Tony kill somebody. Sandman got angry before Tony shot a massive blast that caused Sandman to turn into pure glass where he was then shattered in front of Peter. Tony laughed. He knew all of their weaknesses and with his help they might allow him to stay in this universe. Peter couldn't believe it. He had let Tony kill two people already. Peter felt bad but deep down maybe he was right about killing. Peter alongside Iron Man came back to the Sanctum Sanctorum. Doctor Strange asked where the rest were and Iron Man said that they took care of it and wouldn't need the box anymore. Strange gave Tony a weird look but agreed to it. Their sacrifices were meaningless in the grand calculus of the multiverse. Peter’s phone rang and Tony told Peter to pick it up and that he would wait for him. Peter asked May what was wrong. Aunt May told Peter that somebody was here to see him. Peter’s eyes widened. It was the guy onthe bridge. Peter immediately hung up the phone. Strange asked what was going on and Peter said that it was the creepy guy who attacked them earlier. Tony said that he would stay here in the Sanctum as it might be a bit weird walking around like a dead version of Tony Stark. Peter nodded and ran to Feast. Tony began to talk about how he wanted to stay in this universe when it was all said and done. Doctor Strange disagreed and told him that he would need to return to his original universe and complete the spell. ¿”how would you stop me? Stephen Strange turned his head as Iron Man pointed his repulsors at him. Doctor Strange knew that something was amiss all this time and letting him get closer to Peter was dangerous. Doctor Strange turned but before he could do anything he got shot. Tony laughed and told Strange that he already killed him in his universe. Strange fought back but Tony’s superior suit was much more powerful than Doctor Strange. The two got into a close combat before Strange used the magical blades to cut through Tony’s mask as angered fueled Tony and his love for his family was more powerful because he had a chance to see and live with them again. Tony fought with an inch of his life but while he was fighting Strange made a deal with the villains to help him in exchange for their lives. Ock and Lizard agreed as the two were let loose and ganged up on Iron Man. Tony easily cut through Lizard. The Lizard screamed in pain before being choked and slammed to the ground while Otto manically rushed to help Strange. Tony backflipped over Doc Ock easily shooting him in the back. Ock screamed but the scream was so fast as if you couldn't hear it. A loud thud could be heard as the body laid motionless. Doctor Strange slowly got back up and told Tony that one choice and moment could destroy an entire universe. Tony said “if i could somehow go back and fix this i would but it's too late for me. I’ve become the very thing i fought against and there's no turning back now”screaming. Tony Stark ended the life of Doctor Stephen Strange. Every sound could be heard in the sanctum. The drip of water and blood was everywhere. It was almost the same scene in this universe but now just another Doctor Strange. Tony looked at his hands with blood pouring down him. ¿What would Morgan think of her dad with the way he killed all these innocent people and knowing her father would become a monster? Parker had picked up Norman Osborn at Feast. Norman and Peter stopped and stood still. They heard crying as Peter ran to see what was wrong and his jaw had dropped “Thanos should have stabbed that dagger into his gut on Titan”. He thought to himself. In contrast tony watched in horror at what he had done. Tony explained how Lizard and Ock escaped but they killed Strange so he killed them. Norman was shocked to see Octavius dead and two others. Tony said that he could proceed to send Norman home now. Norman asked Peter what would happen to him now. Tony said “YOUR DEATH”. Peter’s spider sense went off and a large smile crossed Norman’s face. Tony gave it another look. It was the same man in his dreams tormenting him every day. A loud laugh came out of him before he rolled out of the way. Iron Man was finally broken from the killing and what he had done manically shooting Norman. Norman told Peter to help him and that they needed to stop him. Peter felt split from it and although Tony was his friend an innocent person was being shot at. Peter used his webs on the repulsors and made his choice yelling for tony to “STOP THIS”. Tony explained that he never would go home and that this would be his home as he would live with his family here. “I need to send you home. I’m sorry”. Peter said. “I’ll have to kill you like I killed the rest of them” Tony said. Peter felt a tear go through him. Tony had killed all of them, dragged Doctor Strange into this and now he was dead. Tony shot everywhere. He didn’t care who was on his side anymore. All he wanted was his family Spider-Man agreed and told Norman to take him on the right side while he goes on the left. The two cornered Iron Man. Tony quickly shot Norman’s back. He went flying on the other side of a wall while Spider-Man fought with Tony. Spider-Man  punched Iron man but he dodged the attack kicking Parker backwards. “don't make me do this Pete”. Spider-Man screamed front flipping over Iron Man. Tony turned around before being uppercutted in the face. Stark fell to the ground while Norman came in from the other end and helped Peter exchanging blows with Stark who tried to keep up resembling the time Tony fought with the Winter Soldier and Captain America but this time it was different. Iron Man summoned the nano dagger which was the same one he tried to kill Thanos with 6 years ago trying to do what Steve Rogers did to him. Norman was using all of his might to beat up Iron Man but Iron Man slowly counter-attacked everything getting out of the way before he took his blade. The two got into a massive lockup. Peter knew this needed to end fast and he glanced over his shoulder to see the mystical box that Doctor Strange told him to send all of them home. Because Otto is dead in this universe Peter doesn't figure out that sending the villains back will send them back for good and potentially kill them. Peter sprung his webs to the box and tried to send them back but before he could click the button Norman Osborn smiled at Peter “no good deed goes unpunished” taking a pumpkin bomb and blowing up the entire downstairs of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Iron Man, Green Goblin and Spider-Man flew backwards. Peter lost the box in the rubble but knew it didn't get destroyed. Peter was lying flat on his back. He saw Iron Man walking away from the explosion. He closed his eyes and opened them again before Norman appeared in front of his vision. Peter groaned in pain and the Goblin laughed saying “¿did you think i would help you?” and he took Peter by the neck almost choking him to death before Goblin punched Peter repeatedly spilling blood down his mouth with each hit to his face and the boy turned blue until he stopped. Green Goblin vanished from the scene. The fire started catching everywhere burning the Sanctum. Peter was trapped below and he thought about it. This wasn't his iron man who snapped. This was an evil Stark who lost his way. Peter crawled from the burning debris looking for the box that Strange gave him overlooking what had happened. Peter left the building Green Goblin grabbed the mystical box before leaving Peter to die. He walked out of the burning building and his glider came to him when he got on his glider. Iron Man hovered over him asking for the Green Goblin to give it to him. Goblin laughed. He was never going to get it luring Iron Man to the Statue of Liberty. The two fought another again. Green Goblin’s glider moved just as fast or maybe faster than Iron Man but that wouldn't stop Tony from getting the box and destroying it. Tony felt that if the box were to be destroyed there would be no way of sending them home meaning that he could stay in this universe with no repercussions. Back at the sanctum Peter escaped before people started catching up to him. He used his webs to get on top of the building. Peter sat there with tears ready to hang up the mantle of Spider-Man. Doctor Strange and those others were dead because of him. He took his mask off throwing it off of the building before someone caught it. 2 versions of Peter Parker stepped out of the shadows introducing themselves. They explained how they were in the city and then ran into each other. They came by to the Sanctum as maybe he would be there. Peter-Two asked if he needed help where Peter replied that he ruined everything and Strange was now dead. Peter-Three extended his hand and told him that it wasn't his fault. The both of them eventually encouraged Parker to comeback where Peter-Two handed his mask to him taking the mask. The 3 of them watched the fight over the Statue of Liberty from afar. Everyone watched asthey saw Iron Man battling Green Goblin. Iron Man used a rocket from his wrist that blasted Green Goblin’s glider. The glider flew out of control smashing onto the ground. Iron Man slowly came down telling the green elf to give up the box and extended his hand. Green Goblin smiled before throwing a pumpkin bomb in his face. Tony shielded his face in time but the bomb had ruined a lot of the suit. Electrical sparks started coming from it. This enraged Stark. Tony flew faster than ever grabbing Norman by the neck and squeezing tight before blasting a hole through him. The blast sliced through Norman Osborn like butter. Norman choked putting his hands on his neck but it was already too late. He dropped to his knees and then his side. Green Goblin was dead. The three Spider-Man  came a bit too late. Peter-Two saw Norman’s body lying motionless. This wasn’t the first time he's seen this. Peter crawled up towards the tower. He saw Tony Stark inspecting the box. “Don’t do it” He said. I have a kid and family i need to stay here with them. Peter-Two asks Stark that if he loves his family then why would he continue being evil and kill others. The dreams Stark had all along were over. He killed the man who had haunted him but it didn't take away from the fact that he became a monster. Tony said “i'm the superior one” and he stood there shaking. Peter tried to reason with Tony bringing up old memories of when they were friends and when he became an Avenger striking a chord in Stark’s soul. He thought about what he had done and how he failed his world’s Peter and now this one. Peter asked Tony ¿why doesn’t he see his family and give these poisonous dreams up and visit them? “Now i'm a monster” Tony said. “I need to secure my fate. Peter-Three acted fast before using his webs on Tony’s cybernetic arm pulling the arm off of him. Peter-Two back flipped over Tony while Peter grabbed the box from him webbing the box up. The three Spider-Man engaged Iron Man in a three-on-one battle. Each Spider-Man fought to the brink of death beating the life out of Tony. Peter cried punching Tony over and over again with blood pouring out of his hands. “I tried to live up to the mantle and knowing what could have happened if you were alive makes me sad”. Peter punched Iron Man so hard. The hit echoed in the distance. Iron Man fell to the ground trying to breathe Peter was ready to finish the job until the two Spider-Man stopped him. They told him not to do this and that he needed to be the better hero Spider-Man stopped before Iron Man aimed his hand at the box. Peter kicked his hand and Tony missed the shot and in that split second it was over. Peter grabbed the box as the two other Spider-Man detained him. While this happened a portal opened and it was none other than Wong who had left for his trip. He asked Peter what he had done but after seeing Tony lying there defeated and the two other Spider-Men Wong figured that it had something to do with the multiverse. The two Spider-Men webbed Stark while Wong told Peter that his punishment would be for everyone to know he is still Spider-Man for the death of Doctor Strange and many more. He was going to need to live with that burden. Peter took his mask and put it on. Parker accepted that everyone was going to know and he would have to live with that. Peter asked what would happen now. Wong took Iron Man and told him that he would pay for his crimes in the multiverse putting mystical handcuffs on Stark. Wong then looked at the other two Spider-Man and thanked them for their help but they were done here. The three Peters embraced but Wong told them to come with him. All three of them walked into the portal with Wong and Stark. Tony was then brought back to the Sanctum where his punishment was awaiting. Wong explained how Tony broke the rules. Tony was placed in a special cell like the previous ones that Ock and Lizard were in before something happened. Strange noises came out of the Sanctum. All three Spider-Man jumped into action before they could be released back into their home worlds. A evil squid-like demon had been released into the city. Peter-Two nodded his head as they sprung into action but while this happened Tony had been in the cell the whole time but felt as if he was being watched. A voice could be heard saying ¿”do youwant to see your family again too?”...                                                                               

                                                       Ending 2 Peter was ready to finish the job until the two Spider-Men stopped him as they told him not to do this and that he needed to be a better hero. Spider-Man stopped before Iron Man aimed his hand at the box shooting at it as the blast destroyed the box that contained the spell that Doctor Strange had used and it was unleashing into the multiverse. “¿What have you done? Peter-Two said as Peter-Three asked if the world was ending and the multiverse started ripping apart leaking into their world. Instead of fixing things Tony decided to become the man he once was before he was Iron Man failing not only his world but another innocent world and because of his actions Tony cried out. He could fix things . He turned around looking everywhere and before he knew it was far too late for that. The universe was ending and in his actions he created an incursion in the multiverse that would end in madness. Villains from across reality attacked the Spider-Man as Tony escaped the crossfire watching from afar when the heroes were being ripped apart and wars raged with people fighting villains. The world was ending soon and Iron Man’s time was ending. A being appeared to Iron Man calling out his name as Uatu the Watcher appeared as if he was there the whole time asking Tony who he was and he asked for help. The Watcher looked at Tony in disgust “¿what have you done Stark? ¿what have you done? you have doomed yourself and your friends and because of your actions you have destroyed this universe and the next”. The Watcher left Stark and the sky turned purple as beings from acrossthe multiverse came and before Tony knew it the universe had been destroyed by his own hands...                                   

                                                         THE END!

And that is going to be ¿What if Iron Man SURVIVED the Snap in Avengers Endgame and appeared in Spider-Man Far From and No Way Home? I had a lot of time making this fan fiction and this is the longest one I’ve made so far since I have been working on this for a month now and I do believe the first ending could lead to a possible multiverse of madness and multiverse saga with Iron Man but I will do that story in a separate post so be on the lookout for that and more what ifs coming soon. Take care guys and have a fantastic day. Peace out!

#marvel studios #infinity saga #multiverse saga

[captainconvey]

The Tara Show 98.9 FM Greenville SC

Pah Kettle Grabs the arms of his rocker to lift his chair off the floor and make the radio change the radio channel to WORD FM 98.9.

Pah like others never miss listening to the Tara Show M-F 6AM-10AM on 98.9 FM 100,000 Watt Blow Torch Talk Radio in Greenville SC.

Cowabunga this is Great Talk Radio!

Watch this short Ma and Pah Kettle video showing Pah changing his radio station channel to WORD 98.9 by bouncing his rocker.

Notice Pah leans to the right. So do I. Captain Convey.

Captain Convey Note

Ignorance is bliss to some people but not those who listen to the Tara Show on WORD 98.9 FM M-F 6AM-10AM

Also listen to Straight Talk with Bill Frady from 10AM-12PM M-F On WORD 98.8

Bill Frady also has another talk show called LocknLoad Radio Mon-Fri: 4:00pm-7:00pm Eastern Time (EST).

#Youtube

[aravas-writing]

(Secret Star AU)

Title: "Ravenous Rave Romp!"

Cinder had been desperate for money, her normal "allowance" delayed for some reason (Watts!) Which means she needed a job. Emerald, who she had just recruited, said this place would be perfect, but Cinder had second thoughts the minute she walked into the porn studio. But before she could protest, Emerald had already signed her up for a Rave scene, wearing a multi coloured wig, hiding her identity. Cinder reluctantly went along with it, it wasn't like this smiling blonde could be rough with her, which she would have known, had she read the script...

She hated this whole situation with all of her heart. Cinder Fall was not a prostitute! She dangled the dream of sex with her in front of others to do her bidding, not give away her body!

She was done with that ever since she left the Silver Unicorn...once had been well enough.

Alas, that brazen arrogant fool Watts told her that there was some form of difficulty to move her required funds, so she would have to get a job.

Who the hell did he think she was?!

Calm...Calm...deep breaths... Emerald tried her best to get something that would get money easy while being somewhat dignified and matching Cinder's CV.

Somehow, her help had come up with an adult film company looking for new talent. Cinder had almost fried the chocolate-skinned street rat for it, but she had to concede that the terms of the contract she brought back were acceptable. It was a small consolation, alongside Emerald also being given a form.

Of course the greenette would have to fill her copy out as well.

The script was easy enough. Dance in a rave party alongside carefully chosen actors, all of whom actually seemed to relish being able to party on company clock. Then she was to carefully seduce her co-star into dancing with her, before getting dirty right on the dance floor.

Cinder had to admit, public sex had a thrill to it, which was possibly why she accepted these tacky-looking extensions in her hair. Sure, no one outside could tell that those weren't actually part of her hair, but still! Green and blue?!

Right, she was supposed to be a raver...

Miniskirt ready for easy access, skimpy top, makeup done and she was ready to rock the world of whatever guy was going to be sent her way.

...wait, how would one dance rave?

Too late, the crowd was ready and music was getting blasted through the speakers. It was a rather unsophisticated tune, but it certainly was easy enough to dance to. All one had to do was follow the beat.

Easy enough. The bodies around her were dancing fairly close to her, but not close enough to disrupt either Cinder or the cameras. The ravenette put on a bit of a show for them. A shimmy turned into a luscious roll of her hips, before excitedly jump around and letting her ass jiggle beneath her skirt.

And, of course, she only wore a thin thong.

As she danced, she noticed a figure approaching her spot on the dance floor. Judging him to be her co-star, Cinder threw a sneaky glance his way. Blonde hair adorned a head sitting on a tall body as blue eyes sparkled with mischief and adoration in equal parts.

'Oh no, he's hot.' That was most definitely not Cinder Fall's immediate thought upon seeing the guy, who himself was dressed in a shirt and shorts which both featured splatters of neon paint.

She used all her skill as a receiver to pretend to notice him just as he started appearing close to her own space on the dance floor. A howl of excitement ran through the crowd as the song changed. Fittingly enough, it was called "Satisfaction".

A coy smile his way and an extended hand, this silly boy took one huge step towards the Fall Maiden turned raver and danced to the beat. His hands met her hips immediately as he got close, a smile on his own lips as the two actually had fun.

Cinder could scarcely believe it herself. She was having fun to gaudy music and dancing with this ridiculously handsome- this adequately attractive stranger. Her smile became a little more genuine, certainly more so since she became what she was today.

But alas, this lighthearted atmosphere had to be shattered and replaced with a more sexual one. Taking his arm and lifting it slightly, the seductress used the opening to dance right into his arms, rubbing her shapely ass against his crotch. To finish this, she lifted her head to smile at the blonde boy.

He looked surprised at her forwardness, but soon relented and let his hands roam her perfect body. One caressed her thigh, inching close to her crotch while lifting her skirt as another roamed her flat stomach while searching a way towards her boobs.

Another jiggle of her ass, some pressing of her hips against his, and Cinder knew that her co-star was packing. Certainly something to look forward to as one of his hands finally made it up to her clothed boob to cup it gently. His thumb started to circle her nipple through the fabric, making Cinder bite her lip and shimmy around in his arms some more. Her flat stomach undulating was perfectly caught on camera.

Through the droning beat, Cinder wished he could hear her breathing heavily under his touch as he whispered all the dirty things he would do to her in her ear. Alas, there was no sound beyond the music.

Not that words were really necessary. The blonde's hand finally crept beneath her skirt, teasing and caressing her clad mound. She moaned, not that anyone could hear, as she realized that she had gotten wet under him. As his hand kept caressing her, she looked back up to him, craning her neck as she did, and smiled at him using her best fuck-me eyes.

He would have to oblige her, since they still starred in a porn video. He needed to fuck her, he just had to! Oum knows she wanted it.

Nice, well-shaped fingers pulled her thong away, baring what little it concealed to a curious camera lens as the music changed again to a different sound, this one like something was approaching. Cinder smiled at the timing of it as her handsome co-star probed her pussy, exploring it carefully instead of jamming it in like a possessive brute.

So many steps up from what she had to endure...He was focused on her pleasure, his finger scraping against her in the nicest way, pistoning in and out of her tight and ready pussy.

Cinder patience left as her libido rose, and she had to pull his wrist away from her pussy and towards her ass as she turned around, facing him now.

A female voice could be heard in this track, seemingly addressing the listener with an endearing and horny "Hey Baby", asking them increasingly lustful questions. Cinder herself fumbled at her blonde stud's- her friendly blonde's pants to fish out his painfully hard cock. Amber eyes not leaving blue, nimble hands wandered all over his length as her smile grew. Finally, she pulled close, slinging a leg around his hip and directing his cock close to her waiting muff. She could feel his tip close to her lips, so close that her hips moved against it in her own.

Finally, her blonde grabbed the ravenette by the hips and the leg slung around him, balancing her, and guided himself inside her. He didn't even use his hands, making her eyes widen as he entered her just like that.

To anyone looking on, the two were dancing very provocatively. To Cinder Fall, this was an experience unlike any other. He fit her excellently, dare she say perfectly; his cock filled her pussy completely! All the sexy minx wanted was for him to move immediately, perhaps giving her her first orgasm!

Dammit, she was so turned on!

His one hand cupping her ass cheek, he pressed deep and rhythmically inside her, then pulling out, then repeat three times before he followed with several shallow thrusts.

Cinder was certain that her juices were glistening in the lights as the speaking part of the song turned overtly sexual and her man fucked her good. Waves of pleasure ran through her, coursing through her veins as he held her close, amber eyes gazing at him with something so close to adoration that she herself wondered...

"Oh my God!" The girl in the song moaned in pretend lust as Cinder gasped it in actual lust as he simply picked her up, arms beneath her kneepits, and fucked her hard and good while standing.

She was getting close as he made his lust for her relentlessly known. Blue eyes and a mouth slightly opened to moan softly mirrored her own expression as she approached her own high; the very first anyone ever gave her!

A head snapped forward in the decisive moment and hungry lips met, tongues battling against one another as their climax rocked their bodies, a deluge if fun filling Cinder as her partner shivered, moaning into her mouth as her own sounds vibrated, letting them both feel it.

Finally, they separated, and Cinder was gently set down on wobbly legs. Not wasting a second, right after his still-hard dick was back in his pants, she pointed off the dance floor, in the vague direction of "private", and took his hand to lead him away...

"Cut!" The director yelled through the sound. "Excellent shoot, you two! Magnificent performance! You led her well, Jamie!"

As the ravenette blinked owlishly, torn out of her horny mode, her partner basically scratched the back of his head. "Thank you, but I'm pretty sure my partner here is the real star," he screamed back over the din of the ongoing party and pointing to the ravenette.

"Ah, certainly!" The director nodded to her. "We'll wire you your payment for this gig ASAP! You can go to the showers now; just-"

As soon as Cinder heard the word "showers" and saw the hand pointing in the direction, her trek continued, pulling this "Jamie" along undeterredly.

As soon as they arrived, her clothes practically flew off of her while she hungrily glared at the blonde. "I want a second round, Jamie," she clarified.

"Jaune, actually; Jamie is my stage-"

"Jaune, then." He was almost adorably nervous. "Get those extensions out if my hair and I'll make it worth it," Cinder commanded in her best seductress voice, beckoning him to follow as she headed to the shower.

She would definitely sign up to exclusively work with him...

#rwby #secret star au #cinder fall #jaune arc #rwby smut #rwby knightfall

[imsofthelp]

Chapter two: The soul in my heart's proof of life

Word count: 2.8k

Category: hard angst, smut

Chapter warnings: drugs, mentions of medicine and hospitals, descriptions of drugs

Summary: There are three hot guys who want to be with you, however, there are a few problems along the way. One of them is a plug, another one wants to keep you all to himself and the third one - a med student who deals drugs on the side. Your main problem, though? You have a terminal illness that has a very low life expectancy. Spiraling down a dangerous path seems like a fun way to spend your last years.

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Series masterlist

"Right on time," Suna drawls as he smiles down at you.

The police officer gets closer with each passing breath. You’re screwed.

Or maybe not yet. The police officer is an older man – that much you can tell from the way his dark hair is peppered with gray streaks and the small wrinkles under his dark eyes. He’s smiling as he looks you up and down, making you feel plain dirty. You hated older men in power; gave them too much of an ego boost. Yet, you didn’t want to go down for drug charges so you batted your lashes and mustered your sweetest smile, while cursing yourself out in your mind.

"Hello there," he nods at you three, but his beady eyes are staring only at you.

"Hello officer," greets Suna, the blunt hanging from his lips long gone and forgotten, "What brings you here today?"

The man chuckles. They’re familiar with each other. It’s the same man that caught Suna with drugs the first two times.

"You know the drill. Stand straight and spread your arms." Suna obeys and stands in the position the officer has requested. He’s calm. Of course he is - his drugs are in your coat pocket. The officer keeps shooting you glares and Lev wraps his long arm around your waist, pulling you into him. You let out a tiny sigh of relief. Lev won’t let anything bad happen to you.

When the officer is done patting Suna down, his brow quirks up, "You have nothing on you this time?"

"What can I say, officer, I’m a changed man. Accepted God as my saviour and et cetera."

"Yeah, don’t give me that shit," the man rolls his eyes and wraps his big coat around himself tighter. It seems that the temperature is dropping, "You guys with him?"

"Uh, yeah. We’re friends," Lev answers, with a smile as sweet as can be. The officer has to look up to see Lev’s face and it almost makes you laugh.

“So you deal drugs too?" the officer asks, half-heartedly.

Your nerves spike up, but Lev grips your side tighter and gives you a telling glare saying it’s a joke, relax.

You giggle and shake your head. "No, we usually don’t", you answer with your own joke, making the officer smile wider.

"Good, stay out of trouble. Don’t think it’s necessary to pat you down, although, I’d like to," he gives you a wink and you can almost hear Lev’s jaw clench, big hand squeezing your waist tighter. Suna and you exchange quick glances and he subtly shakes his head. Don’t give him attitude.

"Maybe some other time," a hundred watt smile is gifted from you to the creepy officer; you just hope that he finally fucks off.

"Yeah, maybe. Uh, you guys have a good day. Don’t make me catch ya with drugs again, Rintarou," with the last glance at you, the dark-haired man turns away from your little group and leaves.

An uncomfortable silence hangs over you and you have to wait until the man is far enough to not hear you.

"So, you’re on first name basis with a creepy officer?” Your panic that probably fried more nerves than humanly possible comes out in the form of a joke but before Suna can answer, Lev is letting you go and grabbing Suna’s jacket, almost pulling the man up from the ground with brute strength,

"You motherfucker, you pull shit like that again and I’ll beat you to a fucking pulp."

"Lev-"

Lev briefly turns to you.

"This fuckhead just slipped a baggie of god knows what into your coat, don’t you dare give me that "everything’s okay" attitude, Y/N," Lev’s voice gets comically higher when he mimics your words and you purse your lips, shaking your head. The blonde knew you too damn well.

"Listen, Haiba, I don’t know why you have such a bad impression of me, but I fucking knew he wasn’t gonna pat her down, I wouldn’t put random people, especially pretty damn girls in unecessary danger, okay?"

Your face burns — It’s unbelievable how he manages to flirt when Lev is seconds from breaking his nose. You just silently observe with trembling hands. You never saw Lev like that. He was always this kind of dumb happy-go-lucky dude and just him raising his voice was unusual, not counting the threats he was spouting.

Though, thankfully, Lev doesn’t seem to catch the pretty remark, his handsome face scrunching up at Suna’s excuses. "Yeah, not putting people in unnecessary danger my ass. You do this again, you’re fucked," Lev repeats his words and pushes Suna away. The black-haired man stumbles but manages to keep his footing.

"Got it," Rintarou lifted up his arms as if he got caught doing something he shouldn’t. His tone is condescending and you feel like he doesn’t count on keeping his promise.

Lev reaches for you and you flinch. His big, forest-green eyes widen and he shakes his head.

"It’s okay, Y/N, it’s okay," he assures you.

"See, all your yelling scared her. We could’ve just talked it out like normal people."

Lev doesn’t acknowledge him.

"I’m sorry for screaming. Didn’t mean to scare you, I’m sorry," you nod, looking up at him, "Give me the bag and then we can go. I’ll make it up to you, yeah?"

You nod again and your fingers reach into the inner coat pocket, taking out a small baggie filled with white powder handing it to Lev, who then turns to Suna, just standing with his hands stuffed into his bomber jacket’s pockets. Lev examines the contents of the baggie and scowls and throws it at Suna, who catches it without any trouble, burying it in his jacket pocket carelessly.

"So you’re dealing Phencyclidine again?"

"Good eye," Rintarou nods, "I prefer the name ‘Angel Dust’, though. Sounds pretty, makes people wanna buy it," Suna explains unmindfully, as if he’s not currently discussing hard drugs.

"Figured you couldn’t last long on only selling weed. Though, even I thought you’d stop after the accident. Quite stupid of me." a frown finds it’s way unto Suna’s calm face and Lev grabs your hand, tugging you away. You’re even more confused than you were before and you give Suna one last look.

The man looks sorrowful, eyes far away and lost in thought. "T’was an accident, you know it" he mutters, as Lev finally pulls you away, not letting up until you reach a small coffee shop.

You let him drag you inside, the warmth instantly hitting you. Your head is spinning and legs are weak so Lev attentively sits you down, takes off your coat and scarf, orders two drinks — already knowing your order by heart — and sits down in front of you. You look around, head pounding, noticing that Lev has purposefully chosen a quiet corner booth for you two. He searches for something in his jeans pocket and slides a pill across the table. You manage to lift up an eyebrow, words a scramble in your head, unable to form into sentences. That was way too much stress for you to handle.

"Pain killers, will help you think straight and relieve the side effects of the stress you just went through." You trust him, sometimes, you trust him too much. You obediently swallow the tiny white pill, not needing any water to wash it off. You two drink your drinks in silence, only the quiet jazz music and snippets of other people’s conversations interrupting your quietude. Your head clears and your hands stop shaking so the pill seems to be working. Good.

"Ask away." Lev finally utters, eyes searching your face. You don’t know what he’s looking for and you probably don’t want to know.

"Why do you dislike Suna?" your tone is calm, mind a bit fuzzy from the pill you had just taken.

"He deals drugs and is a scumbag in general."

"What was the accident you mentioned, then?"

Lev shakes his head, pursing his plump lips, "Can’t tell you that, sorry."

"Why?" you feel like a detective and the questions in your head keep coming and coming.

"Made a promise?"

"To who?"

"Kuroo."

You freeze and raise your eyebrows up. It was like you had a bunch of different threads but no way to tie them together. You were really too exhausted to try and the questions you had in your head, the schemes on how to find out the whole plan were mangled all together and made your head pound.

"You really scared me out there. I’ve never ever saw you lash out like that." you confess, unable to look into his eyes, choosing to count colorful floor tiles instead. You never thought you’d be saying words like that to Lev, but you were always unable to lie to him.

"Again, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you it’s just that- He’s a bad man, Y/N. I lose my temper when I have to interact with him and the things that would’ve happened if the officer caught you with a bag of-"

"He didn’t" you cut Lev’s rant off, finally looking up.

"Y/N-"

"Listen," your voice is firm, "I’m not always this happy, kind person, yeah? It’s not gonna be all flowers and rainbows if real shit happens, but I can stand up for myself. We didn’t get caught and you got to scream at Suna. That’s it."

"But you could’ve-"

"Could’ve, yeah. I know that you want me to be mad, but I won’t. Spent too much damn time on that, let me be this ‘romanticised, rom-com fairytale, forgives-everything version’ of myself for these last few years." you spew completely random words and explanations as Lev’s eyes widen and one of his hands finds yours, lacing your fingers together and squeezing hard.

"Don’t even say that. You can be whatever you want to be, I won’t argue with you again, but never say anything about it being your last years."

You snort and Lev looks baffled.

"You see what stress does to me? Can’t even function without painkillers anymore and my muscles are still deteriorating at inhumane speed.. But sure, they're gonna find a cure real quick."

The man before you had sad confusion painted all over his perfect, magazine-worthy face.

"I don’t want to make you sad, Lev, I really don’t, but that’s the reality I’m dealing with and the reality that you’re gonna have to deal with."

"I know," he murmurs, face contorting "I just want to live in this rom-com fairytale reality for a bit longer."

You sigh and give him a tired smile.

"You’re my best friend Lev. You’re the only person I can be real with. You’re the only one who won’t turn away from me when I’m not this perfect, polished version of myself."

Lev gives you the same exhausted smile back, his throat thickens, "Yeah, I’m always there for you."

***

Suna comes back to his quiet tiny apartment and doesn’t even turn on the lights. Just kicks off his shoes, takes off his jacket, goes straight to his room and splays down on the creaky bed. Ideally, Suna would live alone, but rent in Tokyo, even in the worse parts of it, was expensive as fuck and his roomate, Akaashi Keiji, was a perfect person to share it with - quiet, cool and funny, not caring about all of the clients coming. Even now he was cooking something up in the kitchen, probably accompanied with a big cup of coffee, getting ready to work another long night.

There’s a knock on Suna’s door and he lets out a long sigh, "Yeah?"

Akaashi opens the door and looks Rintarou up and down, raising his eyebrows. "I, uh, made ramen. Left some for you on the stove,” Akaashi considers leaving the man alone knowing that he prefers to deal with problems alone, but Keiji’s gut is telling him to ask, "Everything okay with you?"

Suna sits up and just shakes his head. He doesn’t know what pushes him to confess everything. Maybe it’s a slight pang of guilt, or maybe it’s the pain he feels everytime he bottles his emotions up, "I- Ran into Lev when an officer was about to do a drug check on me. He was with this girl… Just slipped a bag of angel dust into her pocket. Knew they wouldn’t check her, yeah? But then Lev went fucking wild and shit and she looked really scared and stressed."

Akaashi fully opens the door and sits down on the dull, gray armchair. "Oh, Lev’s back in the city, then," Akaashi’s eyes widen a bit as he acknowledges the fact and stays silent for a bit, probably trying to make a mental note on it, "You usually don’t get bothered about what other people are feeling," he says, after a moment of silence.

Suna turns to Akaashi and shakes his head, long hair falling in front of his big, moss green eyes. "I don’t. But, man…" Suna groans, "She didn’t get mad at me and even tried to calm Lev down and shit. It was weird, I don’t know."

"Hm."

"Hm?"

Akaashi crosses and uncrosses his legs and then shakes his head, thoughts rattling in his head.

"I think you feel bad ‘cause she was nice and because of the events you caused, she got scared, no? It’s rare that people treat you right, unless they want to sleep with you or get a discount on drugs," He finally offers and Suna’s nonchalant expression changes into a shocked one.

"You could be a fucking psychiatrist, damn it."

Akaashi gives his roommate a small smile and stands up, stretching a bit, "Gonna go edit for a moment. Don’t forget to eat, Suna, yeah?"

Suna gives him a non-committal nod and lays back once again, mind wandering off. Lev’s last words really ingrained into his mind.

***

After Lev takes you back to the hospital, your next few days are filled with a bunch of new tests and a bunch of painkillers that make everything fuzzy; slipping in and out of sleep, only getting up to go to the toilet, eat, or spend a few hours watching tv or reading a book.

It’s easier this way. Doctors said that the stress you went through really damaged your state of health and no matter how much they asked for the source of the stress — you didn’t answer them, pretending that it was as much of a shock for you, as it was for them. Of course, it was temporary and you would be okay, or, as okay as you can be, in a few days. That meant skipping med practice, though.

You’re lying in bed, when your phone beeps. You grunt and pick it up. Maybe Issei had time to visit you, but if you remember correctly - he was working with no free days this week. Maybe Lev then? Akaashi?-

Your eyes almost pop out of your school when you see who texted you. You almost squeal with joy with the instagram notification. It’s a message from username “kuroo_t” and name “Kuroo T.”,. How official of him, you can’t help but let out an embarrassing girly giggle. Oh, he followed you too. Nice. Your finger lingers on the unopened message for a moment, until you finally press it.

Oh. Your face burns. He noticed you were gone, despite you guys only having one conversation. Now you just had to think of a good enough excuse, which was hard, considering the fact that you were currently fangirling. Hard.

He sees your message instantly and starts typing. You exit the chat, the need to stalk his profile way too strong.

Not a private account. His profile picture seems almost professionally taken, but his other pictures - not so much. Some travelling, photos with friends from med practice and if you schroll far down - stuff to do with high school volleyball. Oh, he’s hot. Not hotter than he is in real life, but still so damn attractive. You stop when you scroll to the picture of him with two other guys - one with spiky gray hair, carrying Kuroo in his arms like a baby and another one is just standing there, his gunmetal eyes staring at the camera disapprovingly, but his subtle smile says it all - he’s having fun too.

You couldn’t believe this coincidence. You and Kuroo had mutual friends, which meant that you were gonna do an interrogation on Akaashi, to learn everything interesting about him. A message pops up. Oh, your mind wandered off.

Maybe your mind-set of “you only live once” finally did you some favours, because now you had a date set with one of the hottest guys ever.

taglist: @heizenka @icelyn20 @strawbberyys​

sksk the last message from kuroo shouldn’t have the “and”, so let’s just pretend it’s not there 💀

#haikyuu smut #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x reader smut #haikyuu x reader angst #dead on arrival #haikyuu series #kuroo x reader #kuroo x reader smut #kuroo x reader angst #kuroo x you #kuroo x y/n #suna x reader #suna x reader smut #suna rintarou x reader #suna x reader angst #matsukawa issei x reader #matsukawa x reader #matsukawa x you #matsukawa x y/n #matsukawa x reader smut #matsukawa x reader angst #matsukawa x you smut #tw drugs #tw hospital #tw medication

[greenygreenland]

Tired: Omega x Platonic! Slicer! Reader

-Hi I’m back from the dead

-i write for females, keep that in mind (sorry, it's what I'm comfortable with, so I hope you understand!)

-but really, I write in 2nd POV, so you can't tell for the most part

REQUESTED

Summary: You're a former bounty hunter who's also a slicer for the GAAR. You meet Omega by chance.

Tired. That was the only thing that could describe your mental state. Being assigned to mission after mission was no fun, especially when it was solo. You were a civvie slicer, one who the GAAR hired by chance due to your reputation.

By reputation, that meant ex-mercenary-who-so-happened-to-have-a-knack-or two-for-technology. The clones were nice to you though. For the most part, they didn't care about your previous occupation because it wasn't the first time anyone's hired Bounty Hunters for the GAAR.

The low hum of the ship helped to ease your building worries. You wondered what the boys of Clone Force 99 were up to. It was no secret that you were part of the complete package. No one knew how you and them got along when you were a civvie. Being outsiders themselves, they hated anyone who wasn’t part of their group. But not you. You were different. Kind. Caring. Understanding.

That thought made you frown. You missed the boys. They had been gone for at least seven rotations without comming you once. The fact that they promised didn't help their cause either. Were they okay? Maybe one of them got hurt, or worse, killed? Maker forbid such a thing.

"They better come back to me in one piece, or I'll have them begging on their knees for forgiveness..."

Beep, beep, beep!

You jolted upright, swinging your legs out form under you as you hurriedly fumbled for the holoprojector. You tapped a button and the cockpit flooded with a soft, blue light. "Tech!" you cried. "It's been seven rotations! Why haven't you commed me?" He removed his helmet with a sheepish shrug. "We've been busy of course. And it's seven rotations and fifteen hours, meaning--"

"Yeah, yeah." you cut in with a sigh. "I don't like the idea of not coming with you guys on missions. I know you're just as capable--more if you want me to be honest--but that doesn't mean I can't worry."

There was a rustle behind Tech and he looked over his shoulder. Hunter came into view, an apologetic look in his eyes. "Sorry we didn't comm you. With all that's gone down, I wouldn't say we've had the time." You flopped down in your chair helplessly. "I know, it's just..."

Hunter smiled warmly. "Don't worry about us (Y/n)." Tech pushed up his glasses and nodded in agreement. "If there's anyone who we should be worrying about, it's you. You go on solo missions six out of nine times. We have each other but you only have yourself."

"Wow, I feel so much better Tech." You sarcastically muttered. "Speaking of mission, I'm on my next one."

Hunter knitted his brows. "Where?"

"Skako Minor."

"Skako Minor?" they echoed. You nodded. "Something strange is going on there. According to Rex, the Seppie battle plans have been drawn exactly like the ones he used to do with Echo--that’s one of his men." You recalled the face of that fallen soldier. He was always so sweet to you, giving a wave whenever you passed and smiling as brightly as he could. To say you missed the poor boy was an understatement.

"Isn't Skako Minor under the Techno Union?" inquired a coiled voice. Crosshair made his way into the frame and unceremoniously squeezed himself between his brothers. "You better not be going alone." You waved it off. "Even if I did, it’s fine. I can take care of myself.”

“Like the time you nearly fried yourself with a loose wire on that rock in the Outer Rim? Yeah, I don’t think so.” You averted your gaze to the side in embarrassment. No one needed to remind you of that rookie mistake. You could have gotten yourself killed. The watts were off the chart there. “That was one time. I’m a master at this stuff, don't worry. And besides, Cody, Rex, Jesse, and Kix are with me." Cross's brows shot up. "You're working with regs?"

"Don't worry, they're seasoned soldiers from the 501st.” That was the truth, and you meant it. Working under Rex for months made it clear to you. During that time, he taught you a thing or two about mechanics. “General Skywalker’s men are more than capable. So is Cody."

Cross looked doubtful, and you couldn't blame him. This was enemy territory you were sneaking into. It didn’t matter who you had on your side, because anyone could make a mistake.

A deep laugh echoed from over Cross’s shoulder. Wrecker set down his gonk droid, Lula in the other hand. “You guys need to have faith in (Y/n),” he reminded with a grin. “She’s smarter than me, and she’s always kept up with us. Is there anything she can’t do?” Tech pushed his glasses up with a challenging look. “Uh, actually--”

“Just be careful.” Hunter concluded. “We want to see you back in one piece.” You nodded in understanding. “Copy that, Sarge.” He smiled, and it was filled with unsaid words of care. Cross sent you a nod, eyes all mushy and soft while Tech knitted his brows together worriedly. Wrecker grinned, and it was so bright that it could have blinded you.

“Same goes to you Batchers,” you stated seriously. “Come back to me in one piece, or I’ll come over there and kill you myself.” Tech looked like he wanted to comment on that, but he sensed the shift in mood and kept his mouth shut. You memorised their faces as best as you could. It would be a while until you saw them next.

The hologram flickered out and the soft glow of blue hues disappeared. The cold, dim lighting of the ship fell over you. “Well that’s that.” you muttered with a weak smile. Rex patted your shoulder comfortingly. “They really care about you.”

“Yeah. But it wasn’t always like that. I used to be a stranger too.”

The rest of the ride was spent with the occasional joke from Jesse. He made you laugh, and it helped to soothe your worries. But then the ship landed, and you were thrust into a battle zone. You were thankful Anakin made you wear heavier armour today. If he hadn’t, then you probably would have been vaporized on the spot.

“We need cover!” shouted Rex. That was a no-brainer. Being out in the open at the bottom of a ravine was not in the least tactical. “SBDs!” you called. “Twelve o’clock!”

Jesse raced past you. “Get down!” He threw an EMP. It wasn’t as effective as you hoped it would be. If the Bad Batch were here, this situation would have been completely different. You were on your own. There was no cover, save for the piles of smoking durasteel and the very armour strapped to your vulnerable limbs.

You were in a head-on battle.

“I guess we don’t have much of a choice.” You charged forward, tossing a few EMPs as you blasted away. The best you could do was nail them in the head and hope for the best. Jesse was right beside you, with Cody, Kix, and Rex following suit.

“I didn’t think you would be this daring!” called Jesse. You blasted a few droids and kicked another in the head. It fell with a clank and you smothered it in a healthy dose of blaster fire. “I wasn’t about to be bested by a couple of rust buckets!” you retorted with shake of your head. “Come on, we need to get to that tower.”

You made quick work of the droids. You were no Jango Fett, but you managed with the help of the Regs. Cody congratulated your work and motioned for the squad to continue on. “It’s obvious the enemy knows we’re here. I have my doubts on sneaking in, but perhaps we can manage...”

Past the commando droids, through the front door, then up the lift and a little further down a couple halls. Before the mission, Rex had pulled you aside to speak in private. He thought Echo was alive and that whatever was sending out those Seppie battle plans had to be him. But you weren’t about to get your hopes up. Not when so many of your friends long marched far, far away.

You stopped by a door and plugged in your datapad. “I need to slice open the door. I’m not about to challenge fate here with a charge.” Jesse nodded in understanding. “I’d rather come back with all my legs and arms, thank you very much.” He turned to keep guard as Cody stood close to your side. “Is this the control room?”

“Yes.” The door swished open and you disconnected your ‘pad from the panel. “I’ll slice the computer and retrieve the information we need. Rex, I need you for this portion.” He nodded in understanding and followed suit. You connected your datapad to the communications table. A hologram appeared, where dates and names passed by in the blink of an eye.

“You said this might be Echo.” you quietly stated. Rex nodded. “I can’t be sure, but there isn’t another explanation.” You watched as the information scrolled past at the speed of light. There wasn’t anything of use so far. Only old reports, check-ins and...

The scrolling froze. A file opened up, filling the room with a voice you wouldn’t ever forget. It was scratchy and lifeless, but you were sure it had to be the man who went KIA so long ago. “That’s...”

“Echo’s alive.” Rex affirmed. “It--it has to be him.”

“We’ve got company!” called Jesse.

You transferred the file and stuffed your ‘pad in a safe spot for keeping. “In case anything happens, I’m transferring the data over to you.” you stated. “I wouldn’t want to lose any of this.” The two of you rushed out of the room in a frenzy. Blaster fire sounded above, whizzing way over your head as you sprinted down the hall. The lift wasn’t far, only a couple metres. You just had to run a little more and--

BOOM!

Had a droid thrown a charge? You turned to Rex, eyes wide as he turned to face you. With all of the strength you could muster, you shoved him out of the way. Another BOOM!. You turned just in time to see the flash of brilliant reds and oranges.

The force threw you into the transparisteel windows, which spider-webbed out in long cracks. You were suddenly flying out of the four story building. Shards cut past your face and through your sleeves, tearing away at flesh and fabric without an ounce of mercy. If only you had a doshing jetpack.

“(Y/N)!”

You didn’t scream, but Maker did it kriffing hurt. There was a sickening crack, another blinding flash of sharp pain. You held back a cry.

Just be careful. We want you back in one piece.

Your vision faded in and out. Black blurred the galaxy as you knew it.

I'm sorry, boys.

You fell into the painful jaws of darkness.

-----

The first thing that hit your nose was the sterile smell of bacta. Your eyes fluttered open and you found yourself staring at the blank ceiling of the medbay. The incessant beeping of the heart monitor caught you off guard. How hard did you fall? Much less, what did you break?

A head of dirty blonde hair peeked over the edge of your bed. Her eyes, wide with curiosity made you knit your brows together. She was young, much younger than any girl here should be. You were about to sit up, but the girl frantically straightened.

"You're not supposed to be getting up." She gently pushed you back down. "You have a lot more than a few broken bones." That was when the pain began to settle. You stilled under the thin medbay sheets. "I need to comm someone."

"Now?" the girl incredulously inquired. "You're hurt, you have to rest first." But that was the least of your problems. Where was Rex? Had he completed the mission? How long were you out? Were Jesse, Kix, and Cody alright? You winced and the girl frowned.

"If it makes you feel better, there were a few people who came to visit."

That didn't make you feel better. It meant they saw you like this, in the most vulnerable state you could ever be in. "Who are you?"

The girl pointed at herself like she'd never been asked that before. "Me?" You nodded. "I'm Omega." She smiled and it was a little shy and toothy. "You've been asleep for a while. I thought you weren't going to wake up for another day." You tensed and pursed your lips together. "How long?"

"A week, I think." Omega said. "But it's okay! You're recovering steadily." That wasn't the issue. Recovering steadily wasn't good enough because you were missing out on a mission you needed to complete. If Echo really was alive, then you had to save him. It was the least you could do after he put his life on the line for you so many times before.

"I have to..." You pushed your aching body up. "I have to go."

"No!" Omega forced you back down. "Even if you could walk, you can't fight."

"But I have to..." The look on Omega's face made you pause. She was so small, and in that little body of hers, she stored up a good amount of worry for you. How could you say no to that? A sigh escaped your lips and you begrudgingly relaxed onto the bed.

Omega's shoulders slumped in relief. "I'll get a your holoprojector." You raised a brow with a watchful eye as she scurried away. She rummaged through a lone cabinet in the corner of the room. Your clothes sat there, belt, holsters, blasters and all. Omega pulled out your holoprojector, closed the cabinets, and handed it to you.

"I washed your clothes too if you're wondering," she said with a small smile. "But don't think about going anywhere! You can't walk with broken legs."

A pit formed in your stomach. You can't walk with broken legs. That wouldn't be true if you had seen the blast. If you had ran faster. Maybe you wouldn't have ended up like this, a mess of bandages, casts, and bacta patches. If only you had seen it coming.

"Hey, (Y/n)?" You didn't question how Omega knew your name. Whoever she was, she had to be a someone to wear Kaminoan jewellery anyway. "What is it?" Your voice was quiet, sad almost. Omega played with a loose thread on her sleeve. "That was very brave of you." She stepped closer to the bed and pulled up a chair. "Captain Rex came by this morning. He told me that you saved him from that blast."

You shifted to meet her gaze as best as you could. The holoprojector weighed your hand down like a ten kilo weight. "I just...reacted. Nothing special to congratulate." Omega shook her head. "No, that's everything. If it were me, I don't think I'd be able to do that."

A pull in your gut told you she meant what she said. Your eyes softened. You didn't meet her gaze. Maybe that was because you couldn't. It was a hard enough fact accepting that you were injured, adding on that you were going soft didn't help your cause.

Omega took it as her signal to give you some privacy and exited the room. The doors swished shut behind her, leaving you in a much needed silence. You tapped the projector. It opened up, bathing the snow white room in soft blue hues.

"Rex." you greeted. "I apologize for my absence." His brows were knitted, eyes all sad and cloudy. He tried to keep a straight face, but you knew better. Of course you did. He was your best friend since the moment you joined the GAAR. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I should be asking that to you. Are you alright? That fall was..." He paused and it was like he was choking back tears. "I-I'm sorry. If I had just been more careful, then you wouldn't be..."

"Rex, I'm fine."

"You can't walk." he muttered. "And you can't do much on your own. I took away your independence, this is all my fault." You knitted your brows together. His words made your heart ache, and the very thought of what he faced on his own without you didn't help. Your lips pulled into a frown deeper than Kamino's oceans. "That's not all, is it Rex?"

He clenched a fist as if it would help cease his rolling emotions. "E-Echo...if you had seen him. I'm just glad you weren't there."

"Is he alive?"

"Yes."

"Well where is he?" You had to fight the urge to sit up in anticipation. He was alive. That sweet, loving boy who taught you about protocols and manuals. As boring as it was, all those regulations embedded into your mind saved you more than you'd like to admit. He and Fives always snuck up on you whenever they came back from missions, or commed you in the middle of the night.

They both kept you up at night, but you never minded. Now one of those boys who had marched so far away had the chance of coming home.

"Where is Echo?" you inquired. Rex's eyes fell to the floor. "He's...Watt Tambor made him more machine than man. I-I can't..."

The doors swished open.

"...If only we had..." You shook your head. "Rex, there wasn't anything we could do. It was a miracle you found him in the first place."

The doors closed with a low hiss.

"Found who?"

Your eyes widened and you ripped your gaze away from the projection. A set of worn, tired eyes met yours. He looked different from the bottom up. His new armor, black and red with a familiar 99 on it. His smile, though a bit dampened, remained the same. He made his way over to you and took a seat by your bedside.

"Echo?"

"That's me."

You tried a smile, and it was all watery and shaky. "Oh, you've changed." He chuckled. "So have you. I heard about what happened. That was brave of you." No, it wasn't brave. You did it on instinct, without an ounce of hesitation. "It wasn't brave, I just..."

"Who else is crazy enough to jump in front of an explosion without katarn-class armour?"

You could name a few people. Fives, for example. "Whatever. I just--I'm glad you're alive."

He smiled and it was a little broken. "Me too."

---

Before you knew it, you were up and running again. There was no time to walk because you were needed on a mission today. It was completely solo, but thankfully, a simple retrieval mission with little to no chances of a casualty.

You settled in the cockpit, taking in the familiar scents and smells of the well oiled machinery. Mechanics wasn't your strong suit, but you never minded dabbling in it every now and then. Today, there wasn't time to brush up on your beautiful ship. You had a job to do.

The jump to hyperspace was as smooth as ever. There were no creaks, no fumbling through space, and no bursts of smoke. But that was when you heard a crash from the storage room. Last tine you checked, the door had been sealed shut while the weapons and supplies stowed away as they should be.

Had you forgotten to tie them down? A long sigh escaped your lips. "What a pain."

"So is my backside." piped a chipper voice. Your eyes widened. There was no way you heard that voice correctly. Sure, it was young. You knew a few other people with a young voice. Sure, it sounded girly. You knew a couple other female coworkers.

"Sorry I snuck onboard," the voice added. "I promise, I was going to leave, but then you left and--" You swerved the chair around to face Omega head on. She smiled sheepishly, as if it would fix all the problems in the whole galaxy. Maybe it would have if the whole galaxy were as kind as you.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't turn this ship around and bring you back." you stated. Omega fiddled with the hem of her sleeves like it was the most interesting thing on the ship. "You’re short on time?" You resisted the urge to say something snippy in response. The look of uncertainty on Omega’s little face made you feel just the tiniest bit worried.

Maybe that was because uncertainty could get people killed on the battlefield.

"Omega," you placed a hand to your temple, "do you understand what you've gotten yourself into?" This was bad, really bad. Sure, the mission wasn’t as dangerous as it should have been, but intel was like the weather forecast. It was never correct. Taking Omega along with you wasn’t a good idea in any universe, and like Malachor you’d let her into the crossfire.

“I’m sorry.” She wasn’t sorry. “I didn’t mean to sneak aboard.” She definitely meant to sneak aboard. “I just wanted to do something more than...” She let out a short sigh, as if it explained what she couldn’t put into words. “Being on Kamino all the time is so boring. I want to get out and see the galaxy with my own eyes.”

She threw her arms towards the bright blue of hyperspace. You didn’t miss the look of wonder in her eyes, bright as a sun. “There’s more to life than rain and the ocean and the same people I see every single day!”

You couldn’t argue. Omega was right. Even during your recovery, the frustration of not being on your ship doing anything but sitting settled into you every day. You hated being cooped up in one place more than anything. Poor Omega had to put up with it her whole life, it was nearly unfathomable to understand what she felt.

A sharp sigh escaped your lips. “Fine, you can come. But my only condition is that you stay on the ship.”

Omega did not stay on the ship. More than anything, she was curious. She had no clue what dirt was, what kind of plants were carnivorous and deadly, or how to steer clear of all the battle droids.

You raised your blaster and fired at the rust buckets. “This is exactly why I said you should have stayed on the ship! Can you even fire a blaster?” Omega knitted her brows together and eyes the deece at your hip. More than anything, she was curious. Beyond that? Determined.

“No,” Omega replied, “but I’ll try.” She pulled the deece from your hip and peeked over the top of your hiding spot. The long, durasteel crate was just barely holding up. If you were a Jedi, then you’d say it had to be a miracle only the Force knew about.

The deece wasn’t a perfect fit in Omega’s small hands, but it did the job. She aimed at the droids, eyes focused and hands firmly on the weapon. She fired. Once. Twice. Three times. "Did I hit anything?” You fired your blaster a couple times and glared through the smoky haze.

A collection of bolts and durasteel scraps lay in a pile and you couldn’t help but be proud. Either Omega was a natural or she was incredibly strong with luck. Whichever it was, it helped you through the mission, and before you knew it, you were back on the ship with a data stick and an unharmed Omega.

“See, nothing bad happened!” she exclaimed with a grin. You took the blaster from her hands and strapped it back to your hip. “That was luck, I tell you.” Omega rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t! You saw--I was like, pow pow, and you went and hit that guy right in the face!”

“That was because he called me a filthy bounty hunter.” you said, a small smile creeping up your lips. “I can’t say I took too kindly to his harsh words.” Omega let out a laugh and you joined her. 

Tired. That was the first thing that came to mind when you thought of your mental state. Yet with Omega by your side, smiling, and carefree despite all the action, you couldn’t help but feel the electrifying sense of thrill. 

“Say, Omega? If you want to come back, maybe we can figure out how to get you off that rainy excuse of a planet more often.” you said with a small smile. She beamed, throwing her arms around you with a vigorous nod. “Yes! I’d love that!”

“Me too, kid. We just have to figure out how to convince whoever looks after you.”

BONUS:

A tall kaminoan towered over you with her beady eyes. Omega sheepishly played with her sleeves as you stared down the kaminoan. Stupid long necks. Nala Se blinked. “So this is where you have been, Omega.” That soft, cold voice of hers warmed at the sight of the girl. “Haven’t I told you not to run off? I see you’ve gone somewhere far today.”

Omega frowned shamefully. “Maybe...” Nale Se motioned for her to come to her. “If you would like, you may stay with (Y/n) again--if you are out of harms way that is.” She turned to you and you froze, eyes wide. “Wait, what?”

“I am giving you permission to have Omega under your care, as long as she is out of harms way.” You glanced at Omega, who glanced at you and then Nala Se with the biggest grin on her face. “Really?”

“Yes.” Nala Se smiled. “‘Really’.”

#star wars #star wars the clone wars #star wars x reader #star wars bad batch #Bad Batch #the bad batch x reader #the bad batch

[stark-strange-love2]

A Day at the Fair

My submission for the ironstrange fanfic challenge!

Prompt: 

Tony drags Stephen out on a date to the fair, despite Stephen insisting he doesn’t want to go. Tony spends the whole day trying to show Stephen how much fun it is until finally, Stephen breaks down and confesses the real reason he didn’t want to come today. 

Tags:

Omega Stephen Strange, Alpha Tony Stark, high school au

Tony grinned, practically vibrating with excitement as he rolled out of bed. Every year he and Stephen went to the fair, the closest thing their tiny town had to offer for fun. He grabbed his phone from his nightstand.

T: Heeeeeey Steph~

S: Tony? What is it?

T: Well I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to the fair this fine day, as per our usual tradition

Stephen took a few minutes to reply. Tony set down his phone, brushed his teeth, dressed, and sat down for breakfast. Stephen still hadn’t replied. Then, as he was pouring cereal, his phone dinged.

S: Idk. I’m not feeling up to it rn

T: Okay… do you wanna come over and hang out then? My parents are out of town… I could even sneak a bottle of wine for us

S: Eh… let’s just go to the fair.

Tony smiled.

T: Great! I’ll pick you up in an hour?

S: Sure

The fair was loud and hot and crowded. It reminded Tony of every fantastic summer with Stephen he could think of. Tony squeezed Stephen’s hand, but Stephen didn’t squeeze back.

“Hey, Steph, are you okay? You seem a little off-color.”

Stephen bit his lip.

“Just tired I guess. I have a bit of a headache.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Tony leaned up and kissed Stephen’s cheek, then down to his unmarked scent gland. “Maybe we can sit down near the back? Have some lunch? I have Asperin too if you need it. We can even go back home if you’d like. Anything for you,” Tony said.

Stephen smiled softly.

“Lunch sounds good.”

He finally squeezed Tony’s hand back.

“Ugh, don’t they have anything remotely healthy?” Stephen bitched, scrunching up his face at the third deep-fried Oreo stand they passed.

“Oh? Are you doing another vegan kick or something?”

Stephen shook his head, cheeks pink.

“Uh- no. No, just trying to eat a little healthier, that’s all.”

“Can you take a break for today?” Tony asked. God knew he wasn’t planning on eating well today.

“Well… I mean…” Stephen worried his lip between his teeth. “I’d just feel better if I ate healthily, that’s it.” He didn’t meet Tony’s eyes.

They finally found something reasonably healthy- chicken tenders and lemonade- and sat down at a table under a large tree. Somewhere in the background, a band was playing. Stephen picked at his food while Tony happily munched away.

“After this do you want to go on a ride?” tony asked.

Stephen shook his head.

“No rides.”

“Why? Are you still not feeling well?”

Stephen didn’t meet Tony’s eyes, electing instead to look off into the never-ending distance, hazy with the feeling of the fair, a haziness that stayed in Stephen’s mind and mulled like a roiling, humid cloud of every problem that had ever graced him. The heat clung to his skin. His stomach turned and he looked down, his arms folded over his abdomen. Tony could smell the scent of unhappy omega from across the table.

“Yeah. Not feeling great,” he lied.

Tony’s eyes were so warm and comforting that Stephen’s stomach couldn’t help but crawling higher into his throat and nestling there like some sort of weak and defenseless baby bird. Stephen’s cheeks were hot with shame.

“Are you sure that’s everything? Please tell me if something’s bothering you, Stephen. I love you. I want to help.”

Stephen’s stomach churned and he ran to the nearest trashcan and threw up. Tony leaped to his feet and rushed over but Stephen waved him away.

“Oh God- oh God Stephen!” Tony cried.

“I’m- I’m fine,” Stephen coughed. He wiped his mouth and downed his lemonade, popping a few breath mints into his mouth. He let out a low groan and took a deep breath.

“Jesus Stephen, let’s go home. You’re sick. You need to rest.” “No. You brought me here on a date. We’re staying.” The resolution in Stephen’s voice felt strong and clear and hard and unwavering, the same way a freshly poured asphalt highway stretches on and on and on until it dissolves into a dazzling mirage. Endless and resolute in a way that made Tony feel tiny in comparison.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Stephen ate his last chicken tender and tossed the tray.

“Maybe we can try at one of those fair games,” Stephen offered.

“Aren’t they all rigged?”

“Well that makes winning more impressive,” Stephen said with a grin.

Stephen took Tony’s hand and they walked through the fair before stopping at a booth: balloons and darts. Stephen bent over, looking at the booth. Then there was a loud whistle and a squeak from Stephen that had Tony’s alpha growling in his chest. Tony turned and snapped at the fuck boy alpha that currently had his hand on his omega’s ass. Stephen turned and slapped the guy’s hand away, face red and furious. His blue-green eyes burned like two twin stars hovering above the ocean horizon.

“Hey sweet-cheeks, what’s a pretty little omega like you doing with a boring alpha like him?” the guy said with a thousand-watt smile.

“Not interested.”

“Aw, come on baby, don’t be like that.”

“He said he’s not interested,” Tony growled.

The guy rolled his eyes.

“Fine, tightass.”

He stalked away and Stephen’s resolve broke. His entire body drooped and he sank into his seat, the smell of pure displeasure and unhappiness radiating from him like a morning fog over a valley. Tony sighed and pulled Stephen to his chest, holding him tight.

“Fuck Stephen- I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Stephen mumbled.

But there was a flat sort of grey hanging in his eyes and Tony knew it wasn’t okay, but he also knew there was nothing he could ever do. Tony held him close, whispering gentle things into Stephen’s ears.

“Hey, I saw what happened.” Tony looked up to see the carnival stand girl looking apologetic at the two of them. “I don’t know if this would make you feel better, but would you like to play a few rounds for free? It’s on the house.”

Tony smiled and looked to Stephen.

“Does that sound fun?”

Stephen shrugged, laying his chin on the counter.

“You play. I’ll watch.”

Tony nodded, a plan in mind. He missed the first shot but nailed the next four. Then he aimed for the bright yellow balloon titled ‘10,000 points.’ It was tiny, underinflated, and unlikely to pop from elasticity tension. Tony ran a few trajectory equations through his head, nibbling at his lip. He had two darts left. Gravity was his best bet, if he could arc the dart so it landed into the balloon, he might stand a chance. All the other balloons were one point, and by now, he could maybe get Stephen one of those cute little teddy bears, but he wanted to get Stephen something bigger. Like that giant fluffy round hamster plushy the size of Tony’s body.

The first dart missed, bouncing off the board and falling to the ground. Tony took a deep breath and tossed the last dart in a high arc, watching as it fell and fell and fell and gained velocity until it popped the yellow balloon with a loud snap.

Stephen grinned and clapped and Tony did a little dance. The girl grinned.

“Congratulations! What prize would you like?”

Tony grinned and pointed up at the massive hamster. The girl pulled down the hamster and passed it to Tony who promptly passed it to Stephen.

“Hey, I know today hasn’t been great, but I’m really glad I got to spend time with you today. You never fail to make me happy, even when the whole world feels bad, and I want you to know I want to be there for you, on all the good days and bad.”

Stephen looked at the hamster, then back at Tony. He sniffled and broke down in tears.

“Oh God- Stephen? Was it something I said? Are you okay? Oh God, I’m so sorry!” Tony stammered.

Stephen whimpered, tears pouring down his face. Then he turned and ran, the hamster in his arms as he wove through the crowd and through carnival stands. Tony stared after him, heart sinking. He stood there for a second before taking off after Stephen.

It took him twenty minutes to find Stephen in one of the animal shows, surrounded by cages of fluffy baby bunnies. He was crying silently into the hamster, squeezed tight in his arms. Tony knelt beside him.

“Stephen?” His voice was soft. Something was very wrong. “Please… please just tell me what’s wrong. I want to help you.”

Stephen looked away. His chest was so full of lead he couldn’t bring himself to speak. He felt heavy and dense, like an ancient tree rooted to the ground, bark worn by the elements but still there. Unmoving. Unable to move.

“Please.”

Stephen let out a choked whimper.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to tell you.” His voice was cracking and frail. So weak. But it was the truth.

“That’s okay. I just want to make sure you’re safe… are you safe?” Tony asked, taking Stephen’s hands in his.

Stephen nodded.

“It’s just… I don’t know.” Stephen hung his head.

“It’s okay not to know,” Tony whispered. “Do you want to go home now?”

Stephen shook his head.

“I want to ride the Ferris Wheel. Like we do every year.”

Tony smiled softly and hugged Stephen, staying there for a second, the way a curling vine of ivy finds comfort in cracked bark, grey with exhaustion. They stayed there for a bit, nestled amongst the animal cages and beneath the flair of the crowded festival like the world was fog and they were the grass, rooted in place.

Stephen moved first, reaching up and pulling himself to his feet and then reaching for Tony to help him up.

“You know, you’re the best alpha I could have ever wished for,” Stephen said with a small, bittersweet smile.

“Well… I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to fall in love with,” Tony responded.

“Do you promise you’ll always be with me? Through everything?” Stephen asked, squeezing Tony’s hand.

“Of course. I love you, Stephen. And nothing can ever make me stop.”

Tony leaned up and kissed Stephen softly, sweetly. Stephen let his eyes drift closed and he savored every single saccharine second.

They found the Ferris Wheel easily. It was the center of the fair, after all. And one long line later they were sitting in a car going up and up and up. Stephen fidgeted quietly. It was funny how the second all you needed was time it seemed to twist and turn and go faster and faster so blindingly fast you can barely even remembered what you prepared to say. When the carriage got halfway up its arc Stephen bit his lip, letting out a little, tightly-wound sigh.

“Tony… I need to tell you what’s wrong. I’ve been avoiding it all day, but… I just wanted one last good day with you before it all changed.” Stephen looked over the edge of the carriage and let out a dry chuckle. “Although I suppose I ruined my chance at that, too.”

“What- what are you talking about?” Tony’s voice was on edge.

“I-I’m pregnant.”

Stephen stared at Tony full-on. He kept searching for something other than shock but it was like combing a beach for something that just wasn’t there. Stephen’s hands started to shake.

“T-Tony? Please say something.”

Stephen’s voice sounded so small. He felt so small.

“Am I- Am I the dad?” Tony finally asked.

Anger flared deep in Stephen’s gut and for a moment he wanted to slap Tony off of the stupid Ferris Wheel.

“Of course you’re the father!” Stephen snapped. “You fucking idiot- you really think I’m screwing a dozen alphas behind your back?”

His scent soured and he turned away, glaring. Tony stayed quiet.

“Whatever. You probably want to break up with me now anyways. Just do it. I don’t want to have you pretend to care about this. I’ll just… forget about my full-ride to Columbia. I doubt my parents will even let me go. They want me to stay on the farm and become a good obedient little housespouse omega.” Stephen let out an involuntary whimper. Tears were pouring down his cheeks and he hugged himself. “I thought I was going to be happy… I thought I was going to have a future, but I- I don’t know anymore!”

The whole world felt like it was collapsing, folding in an compressing into one invincible singularity stuck in Stephen’s windpipe. Everything was spinning and hot and his head hurt so so much… Stephen closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands, sobbing.

Then, Tony gently wrapped his arms around Stephen, pulling the crying omega to his chest.

“Shh… it’s okay. I’m sorry, I just… I’m a father…” A small smile appeared on Tony’s face. “I couldn’t believe it. But Stephen, whatever you choose to do, this is your choice, and I will back you up 1,000%. I love you, and I meant it when I said I would stay with you no matter what. I know how much medical school means to you, and I swear that I can help you take care of our child so you can study if you choose to keep it. You don’t need to give up your dream, your dream can always stay. If you choose not to keep it, then I’ll be there for you too. No matter what you choose, we’re in this together.”

Stephen let his hands fall away from his face and his head plop on Tony’s shoulder. He was still crying and shaking, but this time from happiness. Tony wasn’t leaving him. He wasn’t going to be stuck alone on a farm his whole life. He would be okay. They would be okay.

He turned and tackled Tony in a hug, enough to rattle their cart. Tony laughed and held them as they reached the top of the Ferris Wheel, watching as the sun set over the fair and the town and everything surrounding it and turned it all to gold.

#ironstrange fanfic challenge #ironstrange fanfiction #ironstrange #tony stark #stephen strange #omega stephen strange #alpha tony stark #iron man #doctor strange #avengers #supremefamily #marvel #mcu

[youknowwhatted]

Kintsugi

Part 2/?

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x OFC Emelia

Word count: 2.2k

Summary: After being attacked, Emilia moves from rural Ohio to Brooklyn to start a new job and move on from the past. (I suck at summaries)

Warnings: Language, panic attack, blood (nothing crazy), awkwardness

Emilia was carrying her fifth load of boxes up the four flights of stairs to her new apartment in Brooklyn. "Why did I choose a fourth floor walk up" she muttered to herself as her arms ached and legs began to wobble. She could feel the sweat trickling down her back.

Her dirty blonde hair pulled back in a messy bun, half sleeve tattoo peeking out from under her black T-shirt, cut off shorts showing off her long legs, freckles dotting her face, a sheen of sweat on her brow.

She almost ran into him, losing her balance as she came to a halt at the sound of heavy footsteps."Woah, You need some help there" Bucky said as he came around the corner and stopped short at the sight of blonde hair just above the boxes held in tan arms.

"Ope, shit, sorry" she huffed, cringing at her Midwest accent shining through as the boxes began to shift.

He grabbed the top 2 boxes and she got her first look at him. Short brown hair, ocean blue eyes, stubble, leather jacket. He was so close she could smell the hints of bergamot and citrus from his body wash.

Shit, did I put on deodorant?

"Thanks," the corners of her lips turning up in a small, polite smile, "but I got it." Being guarded was a part of her life now, no matter how handsome he was.

"It's no trouble." He gave her a million watt smile,"Consider it a welcome to the building gift"

She paused for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. He doesn't look like a creep who would knock me out cold and ra...nope nope, not going there.

"Okay" she relented, "I'm just one more flight up"

"You just move in" he asks over his shoulder, as they start up the steps, rolling his eyes at himself for the stupid question.

She resists the urge to come back with a sarcastic comment but just replies with "yep".

Bucky can hear Sam laughing at his awkward ass now. "So, where ya from?"

"Ohio"

"Long way from home"

"Yeah" sounding a little sad.

"I got it from here" she insisted as they came to the landing.

"Yeah, sure"

"Thanks for the help," she says, setting the box down and digging her keys out of her pocket.

"You're welcome. I'm Bucky by the way" He offers a hand and a smile.

"Emilia" she says, taking his gloved hand and memorizing his features. That was also something she did now. There was something familiar about him that she couldn't quite place. "Well, thanks again, Bucky"

"Yeah, you're welcome" he says starting to walk away, "it was nice to meet you".

"Nice to meet you too"

She waited till he had turned the corner on the stairs before she unlocked the door, taking the boxes in.

~

"Damn, man, what happened to your game?" Sam laughed as he shoved more fries in his mouth.

Bucky took another swig of his beer and glared at him from across the high top table.

"I haven't flirted since the 40's, okay? Give me a break"

"Well get back on that horse, man. Ask her out" he said, tipping back his drink, "plus, you need to get laid"

"Look who's talkin'? And when was your last date?" Bucky smirked

"You gotta work on your comebacks" Sam laughed as he dodged the french fry Bucky tossed at his face.

Finally laying down on the freshly made bed, the exhaustion from moving and setting everything up (not that there was much) had caught up with her. Emilia drifted into sleep praying she didn't have a nightmare.

Waking in a cold sweat, she tries to catch her breath. Mouth dry, hands shaking, she can feel the tightness in her chest as she takes a breath.

"Fuck" she yelled, banging her fists on the down comforter. Nothing like waking up in the middle of a panic attack. She hadn't had one in months.

Trying to keep herself grounded, she focused on breathing, but the dark, quiet apartment was closing in around her. Hopping out of bed she threw on some gym shorts while repeating the mantra her therapist had taught her. "There's a beginning, a middle and an end. There's a beginning, a middle and an end...."

Grabbing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter off the dresser she heads to the window with the fire escape. Another fun side effect of the attack was that her smoking habit came back with a vengeance. Stepping out into the cool spring night Emilia feels like she can actually breathe. With each deep inhale another rope in the knot in her chest is loosened, her tense jaw relaxing a bit. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing it was almost over. Placing a cigarette between her lips, she lights it, the silken smoke raising, entangling with the grating above her.

Bucky had woken with a start on the hard floor of his bare living room. Blanket falling, he tries to catch his breath. His memories as the winter soldier are still plaguing his dreams. Maybe some air will help. He stopped at the fridge, grabbed a beer on the way to his bedroom and threw on a pair of gray sweatpants and T-shirt. Climbing through the window to the fire escape, he sees the smoke from her cigarette rising.

He catches her silhouette in the mixture of moon and city lights. Leaning her arms against the rail, a cigarette in her hand, hair pulled up in a messy bun. The moonlight illuminating the Japanese style tattoos on her shoulder, her thigh tattoo peeking from under her shorts. Maybe he should take Sam's advice.

"You know those will kill you?" he called down to her, hoping to break the ice with a joke.

A small scream escaped her lips before she could stop it, her body jolting I'm suprise "JEE-ZUS" She stood up straight with her hand on her chest, her breath caught in her throat as she looked up at him. Black t-shirt, gray sweatpants, messy hair and something reflecting the moonlight on his left arm.

Well that backfired.

"Shit, sorry, didn't mean to startle you"

She takes a couple deep breaths trying to slow down her heart again, " It's okay, I am easily startled these days" she jokes, taking one last pull of the cigarette and putting it out on the rail. "I just wasn't expecting anyone else to be out here"

Bucky chuckled, "me either"

"Bucky, right?" She asked, trying to step back into her old self. No, not her old self. Just not the anxious, hermit self she had become past 8 months.

"Yeah. Emilia?" He asked, pointing to her with his beer in his hand as he shoved his metal hand in his pocket.

"The one and only" one corner of her mouth tugging up in a smirk as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

She seemed a little friendlier this time.

"Hey, uh," Bucky turned back to his window and then back to her "would you like a beer?"

She hesitated, chewing at her bottom lip, "Alright"

He gave a nod and ducked back inside to grab another beer as the knot started to tighten in her chest again.

"Fuck" she wispered under her breath. A million thoughts swimming through her head.

"What if he's a weirdo? What if he thinks I'm a weirdo? What if he brings an open beer? What if? What if? What if? STOP!"

She tried changing her thoughts to positives like her therapist had suggested.

"What if he's a nice guy?"

Emilia told herself to trust her gut and if she felt uncomfortable she'd just tell him to fuck off.

He came back out, his bare feet padding down the metal steps and handed Emilia the beer.

Thank God, she thought when she took the unopened drink. "Thanks"

She twisted the cap and tipped her beer to his as she leaned back on the rail. "Cheers" they said together before taking a drink.

"Nice night" he commented as he took a seat on the bottom step.

"Mhmm" she replied, looking up at the moon.

A few moments of silence go by while they both nurse their beers and figure out what to say next . Bucky worked up the courage to say "So.." God, Sam was right, he was horrible at this.

She gave a soft smile, looking down. He wasn't the only one who was terrible at flirting again. Now or never, she thought, starting to feel the warmth from the liquid courage spreading through her body. They both opened their mouths to speak and stumbled over their words when hearing the other. Both stopping and chuckling. Bucky gestured for Emilia to continue, "you first".

"How long have you lived here?" she asked, gesturing to the building with her beer as Bucky took another swig. "About six months. How are you liking New York?"

"I've only been here for a day, but I like it so far. Friendly neighbors'' she teased, earning a chuckle from Bucky as the bottle clinked when he switched it to his metal hand.

She looked down at his hand a bit puzzled, thinking it was a wedding ring that caused the clink, well shit, just my fucking luck he's married and…what the fuck. "What's with the glove?" Emilia blurted.

Bucky looked down and realized he hadn't put on his gloves, his metal hand shining in the moonlight. Shit "It's a, uh, prosthetic." He was used to being recognized now but for some reason he wasn't ready for her to know that he was a 106 year old super soldier.

"Oh, nice. It looks pretty sweet"

Petty sweet? What am I, 12? Fuck my life, she thought downing half her beer as she tried to hide her complete embarrassment.

"Yeah," he says, taking a drink and shuffling his feet.

She leaned further back to rest her elbow on the rail and looked out over the city.

God damnit. Why do I make things weird, she thought downing the rest of her beer.

"Well I just made this awkward, so, thank you for the scare and the beer" Emilia winked and did the stupid finger gun pointy thing before her elbow slipped off the rail and she started to tip backwards. Oh fuck me. She felt herself falling, beer bottle slipping from her hand, shattering on the metal grating.

Bucky was to her in a flash, "Woah, I gotcha" helping her back to her feet with a concerned look. "You okay?" He asked, looking in her eyes, metal hand on her arm.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good," she took a step away, feeling overwhelmed and embarrassed. "Ow! Shit!" She hobbled backwards a bit, grabbing Bucky's arm to balance herself.

She hissed, lifting up her bloody foot, "I stepped on some glass"

"Here, sit down" he insisted, helping her sit on the open window sill. Bucky kneeled down in front of her, lifting up her foot. A chunk of the broken bottle sticking out of the pad of her foot, blood dripping down. He traces his thumb down one of the scars on the bottom of her foot making her wince. "I'm okay, really" she lied. This was all becoming too much.

"I have some stuff to clean this up," he said, letting go of her foot and jogging up the metal steps before she could answer.

Shit. Emilia sat there waiting and starting to feel woozy. Seeing her own blood dripping down her foot was making her head swim. Memories bubbling to the surface.

Bucky came back with some paper towels and gauze, kneeling in front of her lifting her foot."It doesn't seem too deep." He looked her in the eyes "ready?"

Her breath hitched in her chest as she nodded, bottom lip clenched in her teeth. He gently pulled the glass out and put pressure on the wound. "There" he said cleaning the blood off her, "good as new"

"Thanks" she whispered, reaching out to take over, holding pressure, brushing his fingers. The sensation makes Bucky hold her gaze for a moment too long. She didn't feel like prey under his gaze like she had when any other man who looked at her for too long. It was an odd feeling she hadn't had in a long time. "I.. I'm gonna go in now" she said, not breaking eye contact. A mixture of his piercing blue eyes and the alcohol causing a blush to creep up her neck.

"Right" he stood up, "don't worry about the glass. I'll get it cleaned up"

"Thank you" she smiled up at him as she swung her legs over the sill, wobbling a bit as she stood up, back inside her bedroom.

"Would you like to get coffee?" He blurts out, eyes squeezed shut, not wanting to miss his opportunity. He opened his eyes to see Emilia with her hand on the window ready to shut it, a small look of surprise that turned into a soft smile, "I'd like that."

A grin breaks out of his face, "Saturday?"

"Okay. 10?"

"10's great! I'll pick you up at your door"

"Alright. Well, good night" she said as she closed the window and curtain. Maybe trusting my gut isn't so bad.

Bucky stood there a moment longer, a dopey grin on his face before turning to pick up the remaining glass.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x ofc #mcu fanfiction #my first fanfic #sebastian stan #tfatws #bucky barnes x reader #edit #reblog

[the-fiction-witch]

Family

Media The Queens Gambit

Character Benny Watts

Couple Benny X Reader

Rating Dark AF

Warning Torture / attempted SA

I sat in my leather chair with my notebook trying to do some maths about the next few days, Y/n came over in her little white fluffy slippers, her little black dress, and her sweet backcombed Y/H/C hair with a white lace band to push her hair back, she set a cup of coffee on the table beside me and I smiled at her. I took her soft skin in my hand holding her arm to tug her down and give her lips a soft kiss. "Thank you babydoll," "You're welcome," she smiled, "How's it going?" She asked heading back to the kitchen, "Fine, trying to work out things," I chuckled, "Did you wanna pop out for dinner tonight don't feel like cooking, plus we leave tomorrow so not a lot in the fridge," "That's up to you I don't mind cooking up a… uhhh yeah I think we should go out," she chuckled after checking the fridge herself, "Alright Chinese food? Pizza? Burgers?" she asked as she got on her socks and shoes, "You know… I am kinda feeling burgers, like a nice burger with some cheese fries," "Ohhh okay, put your shoes on then," I laughed and set my stuff down grabbed my wallet and slipped on my shoes, my jacket and my hat as she grabbed her handbag. We headed out and I locked up the apartment taking Y/n's hand as we headed up to the streets, we didn't bother to take the car it wasn't a far walk and it meant we could cuddle up as we walked together.

When we arrived I opened the door for her and got a kiss for it and we got ourselves a booth and some food sharing our food as we usually do, "Ummm… we should go out more often," Y/n smiled, "I know we should, we get wrapped up in routine too much," "It happens, still we'll have fun on our trip won't we?" "Of course we will, It is the US championship after all I'm sure we'll have lots of fun, see everyone, and have some nice restaurant dinners," "And some nice hotel room time, maybe even some nice sleepy morning room service," she giggled holding my hand, "Humm that sounds perfect babydoll," I kissed her hand as we finished up our dinner before we began to walk home, "Ummm…" she yawned, "You alright Y/n?" I asked, "It's barely five you're already tried?" "Ummm," she nodded almost falling over, "Whoa! Sit down babydoll, sit down," I told her helping her to sit on a nearby stoop step, "You okay Y/n?" I asked kneeling beside her and seeing how she almost fell asleep the moment she sat down, "It's okay we can stop here for as long as you need babydoll," I told her as I sat down and cuddled her so she could lay her head on my chest, "You take as long…" I yawned, "As long as you need Y/n," I yawned again, "Umm… I think we both need to uhh… sit for…" I rubbed my eyes and tried to keep myself awake but after only a few seconds I found myself drifting off too.

I woke as the light hit my face, my eyes blurry and heavy I forced my eyes to focus and saw the situation I was in. My arms tied behind my back on a chair, my ankles tied to the legs of the chair, my body tried and bruised, I was in a dark room with only a single light bulb above me. Three men stood over me and immediately I knew them. "Evening Samus." "Evening. I hope you don't mind our little invitation." "Well I could hardly deny it could I?" "No, you couldn't." He smirked, "You know why you're here." "I do. and you can fuck off." Samus nodded to his men and they immediately decked me, so I spat the blood from my mouth onto his white shirt, "I admit. I missed his love taps." "It's simple Benny. You agree to drop out of the championship and everything is rosy," "Why would I do that?" "We have a lot of cash rolled up in that boy." "Not my fault you backed the wrong horse." "Just don't go. Simple as. Stay home in your dim little basement with your little girly and let Danny win." "No. I am US champion and have been since I was fourteen I am not taking a drive for your precious little prince!" I yelled, "Ohh you will." he smirked, "You are going to dive. you are going to let Danny win. Sixteen eighty. That would pay off your debts, wouldn't it? It's yours. If you dive." "Fuck off!" I told him, "I am not bowing down to you. or your money. The federation found out they would ban me for life. Chess is the second most important thing in my life and I am not wrecking it for you!" "Really." He smirked before he glanced at his men, they briefly left the room and returned with a restained Y/n, "Let her go." "What was that?" "Let her go! Let her go she isn't part of this!" "Ohh she is now." "Let. her. Go." "Hello Y/n," he smirked as he went over and stroked her Y/H/C hair, "LET HER GO!" I demanded, "Y/n Babydoll…" "I'm okay. I'm okay." She nodded as they tied her up hanging from the ceiling with her arms above her head, "How long can you hold out? When it's not your blood on the floor?" Samus smirked, as his men began to hit her, slap her, torment and torture her, "LET HER GO! For god sake she has nothing to do with this let her go!" I begged and screamed almost breaking my wrists to make them stop, tears flooded my face to watch them hurt her but she never screamed never gave them the satisfaction of her pain, "Y/n!" "I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm okay…" She lied, "Do as we ask. and We'll let her go." "No." "Then she will suffer until you agree." "I am not throwing my life away so you can make a quick buck!" "Fair enough," he laughed before they got worse twisting her arms, burning her skin, cutting her skin to be bloody and bruised, "Stop this! leave her alone!" I yelled, "Please!" "What was that…" "Please… Just leave her alone." "I'm fine. I can take it." she lied, "Humm she's stronger than you are." Samus laughed, "Drop out of the championship and we'll let you both go." "Even if I did. there is no way he'd win." "He's a chess prodigy!" "Only cause you paid off everyone he ever plaid!" I yelled back, "Bullshit." "It's not bullshit! He can't play!" "Who… are we talking about?" Y/n spoke up, "…She doesn't know?" he laughed, "No," I answe Y/H/C, "Ooohh… that's just perfect," he smirked as he sent his men away and began to circle Y/n, "Should I tell her?" "Don't. You. Dare." "Ohh I think I should, it's not right keeping things from my daughter-in-law."

"Daughter in Benny what's he talking about?" Y/n began to Panic, "Ohhh this is gonna be fun," Samus laughed, "No!" I yelled, "I'll tell her." I sighed, "Y/n… I know I should have told you before we got married… But. This. Is… Samus." "Pleasure to meet you," He smirked, "Yeah hi…" she nodded, "He's the head of the New York Mafia." I sighed, "And… he's…" "Benny's my son," He smirked, "So- He's your father!" Y/n yelled, "Yes…" I sighed, "He's my father. An Utter deadbeat of a father!" "Don't you take that tone with me I gave you everything!" "You gave me nothing!" I screamed, "My whole life you gave me nothing! and now you want something from me and expect me to give it to you!" "You're my son. This is a family business. Why can't you just put aside your pride and do as I ask." "Becuase I don't care about the family business I never did! You didn't give a shit about me why should I give a shit about your business!" "You are a disgrace to this family." "Good. I wanna be." I told him, "I'd rather die than be a son that made you proud!" "You are a Lincon!" "I'M A WATTS!" I yelled, "You are, aren't you…" he sighed, "I am not your son. I never want to be associated with you. much less your dumb ass plan to make Danny a grandmaster!" "He is your brother!" "Half brother! And You always did everything for him so why should I give a shit to help him now!" "Half bro- Ohh my god Danny…" Y/n realized, "My younger son. My better son." Samus smirked, "He had a ranking of sixty two he's shit! he only wins becuase you pay everyone off to let him win!" I yelled, "What are you gonna do to pay off the Paris tournament for him!? Pay off the World championship!? Pay off the Russians for him!?" "He is my son. and I will do anything to give him what he wants." "Only becuase you know you'll make your money back cause you've told everyone to bet on him." "You could have had this too. If you'd stayed, We'd have made you both Grandmasters." "You can fuck off! I don't want your help! I don't want your money! never did! I will be a grandmaster on my own steam and I will show the world the fraud he is!" "Throw the tournament. go or not I don't care but let him win." "Why would I do that?" "Becuase if you don't… I'm keeping her," he smirked wrapping his arms around Y/n, "NO! NO! Get away from her!" I screamed, "You will not hurt her! You are not having her! GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY WIFE!" "No. I think I'll keep her." He smirked as his hands roamed around her which made her scream and argue with him trying to get his hands off, "Let's take your pretty wife for a test drive… see made you marry her." he smirked ripping off her dress and began touching her more aggressively, "LET GET GO!" I screamed crying as I tried to force my way out of the chair, "Ohh she is beautiful," he growled, "I see why you married her. I'd have married her for that ass too," he smirked as he forced off her panties and undid his belt,

"LET GET GO! I'll do what you want just let her go!" I screamed, "Will you now?" He smirked, "I'll let Danny win! just let her go!" "Good boy," He smirked, "But I think I can't resist," he growled, "NOOOOOOOO Nooooooo nooo please just let het go!" I begged "Boss! We got a problem!" One of his men rushed back in, He did up his trousers and headed out with him, "I'm so so sorry Y/n…." "It's okay. It's okay…" She nodded through her tears, There was banging and shouting beyond the door for a while until it silenced and In came a familiar face, "Danny!" "Hi Benny," He nodded, He let me out so I quickly bolted to Y/n and let her go, giving her my shirt to cover her up and giving her a million kisses, "Umm I love you, I love you, I'm so so so sorry babydoll," I told her between kisses, "What's going on?" I asked, "I shot him," Danny nodded, "You shot him!" I asked, "Yeah police are on the way," He nodded, "Why? After everything he's done for you?" "…Yeah but… your my brother." he said, "Besides. I hate chess." "Thank you, Danny," "You're welcome, now get the hell out of here before they take you too," He took Y/H/C us out and even gave us some money from the safe before we left.

We walked shivering through the rainy New York streets holding each other in a death-like grip until we got back to the apartment and bolted the door. "Are you okay Babydoll?" "Yeah… I'm okay are you-" "I'm fine, so long as you okay I'm happy," I told her giving her a soft kiss, "I love you so much Y/n," "I love you too Benny," she nodded, "Let's get ourselves wrapped up and maybe a trip to the hospital." "Yeah that sounds like a good idea," I chuckled,

#thomas brodie sangster #thomas sangster #tbs #thomasbrodiesangster #tbs smut #tbs imagines #thomas sangster imagine #tbs imagine #thomas brodie sangster smut #thomas brodie sangster imagine #benny x reader #benny smut #benny fanfic #benny watts #benny #tqg benny watts #benny watts smut #benny watts imagine #bennywattssmut #thequeensgambit #queens gambit

[javajunkieao3]

Beth/Benny Fic:  Being Alive - Part 5

When Benny meets Jolene.

Beth is half asleep when the phone rings on her nightstand.  She just bought a phone for the bedroom a few weeks ago, and since then, she seemed to get twice as many calls.  Benny groans, covering his eyes with his hand, and says, “You know, we got a lot less calls before you brought a phone in here.”

           “Please spare me your bedrooms are not for phones lecture,” Beth says, nudging his arm affectionately before she reaches over him and grabs the phone.  Draped over his torso, Beth answers the phone, shooting him a playful look when he pinches her side.

           “Hello?”

           “Beth, I need you to do me a favor.”

           “Jolene,” Beth says happily, picking up the phone cradle and sitting back on her side of the bed.  Benny nudges the cord behind his pillow and then proceeds to close his eyes again.  “What do you need?”

           “A witness for my wedding.”

           “Your wedding is next month,” Beth says, not understanding.  Jolene's married lawyer kept his word and left his wife for her, and they were supposed to get married at the end of the next month.  

           “Well, it was next month, but now it’s this afternoon,” Jolene says.  “Al’s family isn’t too keen on him marrying a black woman. Like I’m not the best thing to happen to him.”

           “Of course, you are,” Beth says.  Jolene had always been the best of people, even when Beth hadn’t really understood what that meant.

           “So, we’re saying fuck ‘em, and just doing the justice of the peace route.”

           “What time do you need me?”  Beth asks immediately.

           “We’re meeting at the courthouse at noon.”

           “I’ll be there.”

           Beth hangs up the phone and asks Benny, “Do you want to go to a courthouse wedding?”

           Benny opens one eye.  “What exactly are you asking me?”

           “My friend Jolene is getting married this afternoon and I’m going to be her witness.”

           “I thought she was getting married next month.”

           “Change of plans,” Beth says simply, climbing out of bed.  She walks over to her closet and starts going through her dresses.  “I don’t know what to wear to a courthouse wedding.”

           “I’d say the rule is probably still no white.”

           “I know that,” she says, already combing through the various hangers with military-like precision.  Something occurs to her, and she looks back at Benny.  “You don’t have a suit.”

           “So what?”  He’s lying in bed with his arms crossed behind his head, and he looks so positively cute that she almost forgets all about the afternoon and climbs back into bed with him, but she can’t have that.  This is Jolene and she knows her friend is already not getting the wedding she had originally wanted.  Benny is getting a suit.

           “Ben Snyders opens at 9.  We’ll find you something there.”

           “I don’t need a suit.  I have my black coat.  That’s good enough.”

           “You shouldn’t even have that black coat anymore,” she tosses over her shoulder, attention back to her closet.

           “Stay away from my coat, Beth.  You already made me throw away the hat.”

           “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

           “It is.”

           “I promise to not touch your coat,” she says, turning back around.  “But, you need a suit.”

           He studies her face for a moment and then says, “This is important to you, isn’t it.”

           It’s not a question, but a statement, and she nods.

           “Okay,” he says.  “I’ll get a suit.”

----

           At 11:45 a.m., Beth and Benny stand outside of the courthouse waiting for the bride and groom.  Beth turns to Benny and smooths down the collar of his suit jacket, smiling to herself.

           “You could try to look less smug,” Benny teases.

           “I just think you look very handsome.”

           “And you look beautiful.”

           Beth isn’t typically a fan of public displays of affection, but she leans in and kisses him softly, lingering with her mouth against his until she hears Jolene call her name.  She pulls away and turns toward her friend’s voice, surprise registering on her face when she sees the pair.  Al is dressed in a traditional black suit.  Beside him, Jolene is wearing a deep red silk jumpsuit.

           “Aren’t brides supposed to wear white?”  Beth asks with confusion.

           “That’s what they want you to think.”

           “Who’s they?”  Benny asks.

           “The patriarchy.  The white is supposed to be about the bride’s virginity or some shit like that.  And, I’m no virgin.  So, I thought I’d just dress for me.  And Al. This is his favorite outfit of mine.”

           “It really is,” Al echoes, and when he looks at Jolene, Beth can see that he’s telling the truth.  Jolene softens in a way that Beth hadn’t seen before, and then Jolene looks over at Benny and says to Beth, “So, you finally threw one of those chess boys a bone?”

           Beth grins.  “This is Benny.”

           “I know who he is,” Jolene says.  “I read about you, Benny Watts.  You’re almost as impressive as my girl, Beth.”

           Beth knows that Benny can be sensitive to the comparison, and she says, “Jolene’s biased.”

           To her surprise, Benny shakes his head and says, “No, I’m pretty sure she’s right.”

           Beth meets his gaze and she can feel her cheeks flush.  Jolene grins wide.  “I like you, Benny.”

----

           Beth didn’t have many courthouse weddings with which to compare Jolene and Al’s, but if she had to guess, their wedding easily ranked in the top-five.  Both the bride and groom prepared their own vows, and Beth noticed even Benny looking somewhat emotional as Jolene read from her folded up piece of notebook paper, her hands shaking.  The union was sealed with a kiss, and then they went to a nearby diner to celebrate. They all order burgers and drinks, and when Benny looks appraisingly at her chocolate shake, she wordlessly trades her shake for his green river, and then tells him, “This means you can’t complain when I eat your fries.”

           “I think that’s a fair trade.”

           Beth does, in fact, eat a good portion of fries, and after the plates are cleared, Jolene pointedly asks, “So, when are you two walking down the aisle?”

           Beth chokes on her drink and Benny says, “I can’t really say we’ve thought about it.”

           “You do want to get married someday, don’t you?”

           Beth is almost afraid to look at Benny, but then he says, “Sure, if it was the right person.”  He stands up, putting his napkin on his seat, and says, “I’m going to head to the bathroom.  I’ll be right back.”

           “I’ll come with you,” Al says.

           When they are out of earshot, Jolene says, “You do realize he was talking about you, right?”

           “You don’t know that.”

           “That boy is in love with you.”

           Beth smiles slightly, but then it dims when she thinks about how she still hasn’t been able to say it back.  Jolene reads into her silence and says, “I know it can scary.  Being loved like that.  I felt the same way with Al.  We’re not used to it.”

           “It’s not that,” Beth says.  “I haven’t been able to say it back.”

           Beth expected some tough advice from her friend, but instead she says, “You’ll say it in your own time.   Something tells me that boy will wait.”

----

           When they say goodbye, Beth gives Jolene a tight hug, feeling uncharacteristically emotional.  Jolene kisses her cheek and says, “Thank you for being here, today.”

           “Of course.  We’re family, right?”

           Jolene nods, and Beth notices that her eyes are glassy, too.  “Damn right, we are.”

           While Al gives Beth an awkward half-hug, Jolene wraps her arms around Benny and murmurs, “You hurt her, I hurt you. Butter knife straight to the balls.”

           Benny pulls away, somewhat startled, and nods. “That is a very specific threat.”

           “A vague threat does no one any good.”  Just as swiftly as the threat came, Jolene grins beatifically.  “Thank you for coming to my wedding.”

           He walks over to Beth, and as they head back to her car, he says, “So, that was Jolene.”

           “That’s Jolene.”

           “She’s kind of intimidating.”

           Beth looks over at him and says, “She threatened you, didn’t she?”

           “Yes.  And in a very graphic manner.  I’m about as impressed as I am intimidated.”

           Beth grins.  “Sounds just about right.”

#the queen's gambit #the queen's gambit fanfiction #Beth Harmon #Benny Watts #Beth x Benny fanfic #Beth Harmon x Benny Watts #Jolene #Beth x Jolene

[caeloservare]

// because I keep yelling it at anyone approaching, might as well write down how James lost left hand...

To severe burns, of course. He deep fried his own arm taking is out of that hardlight trap Watts set. But that’s not end of it. Amputation is highly traumatic surgery, needs time for preparation, physological support for the patient and later the stub needs a lot of treatment and rehabilitation, approximately 3-4 weeks, before starting to work with the patient towards getting a prosthetic limb. It also needs weeks of rehabilitation later. While Ironwood didn’t have time.

He was awake during the procedure, relying on only local anasthesia, so he could activate aura to heal the stub and skip delay before the doctors started working on the prostethic hand. They stuffed well over a month of treatment into around 12h if not less. As result after that, James is basically a bomb on a timer, kept together by his aura and Mettle.

Huge thanks to Stat @dcstinythief for pointing out consequences, which include: dehydration, muscle cramps, heart problems, delirium. But those are not all. So once he runs out of aura, the fun is gonna start in a form of speedrun payback for ignoring his own needs.

I don’t know yet when the consequences will hit nor how badly, it depends on what the canon or plotted story will deliver. But they will.

Besides the prosthetic is obvously half-way finished. It’s functional, but first few days it’ll need calibration and check ups. It also needs protective plating, because it’s not only exposed but quite vulnerable how it is now. It also depends on plotting/canon if James will get it updated or not. Who knows, he might die before he gets there.

#hc::Ironwood #I cri #cri with me #tbh it's gremlin smile on my end but HHH #James no- #I have a lot of feels #he's very messed up

[teffyjeffy]

Fabric Tears (Part 3)

NEXT (Coming soon to the Mystery Shack!)

PART 1

PART 2

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

ONCE UPON A TIME...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

With the sudden task to redecorate the dining room for a tea party materializing in front of everyone, an aura of calmness had settled within the Corduroy household, much to Wendy's relief, Mabel's joy, and Dipper's confusion.

First off, the winter garb finally came off, now that there was no longer the threat of a bear running away while the coats were being removed. Dan was more than happy to house them in the closet located near the entrance. The closet, which originally was only keeping plaid colored jackets in there, now had a splash of color with the trio's coats added to the rack. 

The three Corduroy brothers returned in record time with a box of Candyleaf, and whole bunch of other boxes of tea flavors. They all talked over each other with excitement, talking about how the ghostly couple were so thankful for the boy's good manners that they were allowed to the other boxes for free. Dan roared with good natured laughter and got a second kettle of water boiling.

Wendy and Mabel were taking turns between keeping an eye on Mr. SnuggleLots and setting the table up. Mabel made sure to throw a bunch of cute stickers on the tea cups. Wendy taught the bear how to play card games, and thankfully, cards were not in Mr. SnuggleLots's diet.

Dipper and Frisk were taking a break, sitting at the bottom steps of the stairway and watching Mabel, Wendy, and everyone else running around and transforming the dining room into a top quality tea set for Mabel's wild tea party plan. Dipper and Frisk were also using this opportunity to keep an eye on the pets, with Dipper holding onto Waddles, and Frisk giving lovely head scritches to Toby

"Back in the summer, I bet I would've chopped the poor bear's head off by this point or something," joked Dipper.

"I have a feeling you would've faced some resistance from Mabel if you tried that," replied Frisk, holding the torn scarf in their hands and making sure that Toby was far away enough to not consider biting it.

Dipper laughed, setting Waddles down to give himself a moment to stretch his arms. "Yeah, probably. Still though... I don't know if she would have come to this crazy conclusion to throw a tea party if she hadn't met you. Maybe instead, she'd have... pfft, I dunno, encased him in ice and shipped him off to the North Pole?"

"It feels like any scenario is possible if Mabel is behind it," teased Frisk.

"Just her, huh? Sounds like someone's picking favorites," laughed Dipper, giving the child ambassador a playful shove on the shoulder.

"Maybe I am~ Are you willing to prove to me that you are the sibling who's worth more of my attention than your sister?"

"Ohhhhhh no, don't go there. Last time Mabel and I had that kind of dispute, things got... pretty ridiculous. I've hated carpets ever since..."

"If you're going to continue being secret about your stories, you should stop hooking people in like that. I was all down for letting your story remain untold, and then you bring up this sudden hatred for carpets? You have captivated me, Dipper."

The stairway softly echoed with the barks of Toby, the snorts of Waddles, and the chuckles of Dipper and Frisk... when another sound made its way to Dipper's ears.

It sounded like... sobbing. From upstairs.

"Everything okay, Dipper?" asked Frisk with a tilt of the head. "You got awfully quiet."

"I'm going to check up on Toriel. Call me if Mabel needs me," Dipper suddenly declared, making his way up the stairs.

"Huh? Dipper, wait-" began Frisk, but Dipper was already gone. Giving a sigh of uncertainty, Frisk resumed watching the rest of the group set up the table while the pets messed around.

Dipper was able to find Wendy's room pretty quickly, having memorized to route to get there, which he was embarrassed to admit. Without thinking, we twisted the knob and opened the door.

"Toriel, what's wrong? I heard... sobbing..........."

The room was almost completely dark, the only light source in the room coming from the paused image on Wendy's television. And there, sitting on Wendy's bed, legs folded and drawn in to her chest, was Toriel; her eyes were puffy and red, there was a prominent trail of tears on both of her cheeks. Even Papyrus could have deduced that the Ex-Queen had been crying.

Not wanting to stare, Dipper shifted his attention to the television set. The image on the screen appeared to be a home recording of some sort, the kind taken with a big vintage video camera. The background depicted a well maintained house with a wooden floor and fireplace. In the foreground...

There was a little goat kid, eyes wide with wonder, and tears welling up at the bottom of those eyes. He had white soft-looking fur, a tinge of pink to his cheeks, and just... the purest smile that Dipper had ever seen. Pure enough to rival Mabel's 1000-watt grins.

Toriel's yelp of shock jolted Dipper back to the present moment.

"Dipper! I- I wasn't- that is, I didn't... I didn't anticipate that anybody would need me so soon-"

"Nonono, it's my fault, I... I thought you were in trouble and I came running in-"

They both eventually stopped talking over one another and a thick silence fell on them.

"...........I- I'll go-" Dipper started.

"No, it's-" began Toriel, her voice hitching.

...

Toriel continued. "Frisk has... told me about you. How your curiosity tends to drive you."

"Well um... it's not something I'm proud of exactly... but yeah, I'd say that description fits me."

The awkward silence returned, but this time the intensity was a little lighter.

Dipper was the one to break it this time. "Listen, you don't need to tell me anything, my curiosity should not be a factor in this-"

"I appreciate that, Dipper. But let's be honest. If I had you leave now, things will be awkward afterwards, and they'll stay awkward for who knows how long. I.... I might as well tell you, now that you've already seen it."

For one last moment, silence filled the room, the only audible sound being the buzz of the old television set.

"......please come in," finished Toriel.

Not a word was spoken as Dipper warily entered Wendy's room and shut the door behind him, submerging the room in near-total darkness once more, minus the light shining from the TV. Toriel looked down to the floor. She said nothing, but slowly lifted the paw that held the remote... and hit 'play.'

"M-mom?! You made this for me?! It's gigantic! I want it! I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT!!!"

"Ha ha ha ha! I know, it looks delicious, doesn't it! But that's no excuse to forget your manners. How do you ask for things that you want, my child?"

"Mom, may I please eat the cake?"

"Nope!"

"What?!!!? B-but you said... you said that I-!"

"Aha ha ha ha! I'm just teasing you my child! Before I can let you dig in though, your father and I need to sing for you!"

"That song again?? You sing it every year though, ha ha!"

"Maybe. But it is a tradition~ And it's worth singing for you, my bundle of sunshine~"

"Stoppit mommmmmm! You're embarrassing me!"

"Hush now, little one~ And close your eyes~"

The image suddenly went dark, and Dipper realized that the lights had been switched off in the household... then the screen lit up again, by candles being lit on the cake. The light gave the goat child a very calming orange glow. He looked so... happy.

"Okay! You can open them now!"

And he did. Dipper watched him gasp... somehow, the goat child's smile managed to get even bigger.

"♫Happy Birthday to you ♫..........♫Happy Birthday to you♫.......... ♫Happy Birthday dear-"

"Asriel" mouthed Dipper.

His lips had moved before his brain, or heart, or even his voice could process it. But he just knew. This was him. This... was Asriel. The child that Frisk had tried to save... and lost.

Dipper vaguely noted that at some point, tears had welled up in his eyes and they were currently trailing down his cheeks.

"...Happy Birthday tooooooo yooouuuuuuuuu~♫ Make a wish, little one!"

The video went still again. Dipper looked up to see that Toriel had hit the remote's pause button once more, the small box silently trembling in her paw. She dropped the remote, buried her face in her tear-stained sleeves, and let out the most gut wrenching wail that Dipper had ever heard. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her. And bless her heart, she let him.

"He.......... he was everything..." whimpered Toriel after what felt like hours of weeping in Dipper's arms. "He was full of life... every day was filled with his cries and his laughter... the plan was when he was old enough to become a prince, we were going to surprise him with a throne that was just... covered with honey suckles. Asriel always... always loved those honey suckles..."

Dipper could not say a word. What could he say? He had never endured the loss of a loved one. He came awfully close to losing Mabel at the hands of him, but unlike Toriel, Dipper got lucky. He had his great uncles to thank for protecting him and his sister. But it appeared that Toriel did not have such luck...

Toriel sniffled. "You remember earlier when Mabel said she was willing to share her candy with the coolest mom to ever walk the earth, right Dipper?"

"I remember."

She gave a sad laugh. "Well... this is the day when I remember how lousy of a mother I was. I should have seen the signs. I should have stopped him... and I didn't. I'm no cool mother. I'm not even a good one... I... I was powerless, Dipper."

All Dipper could do was tighten the hug. Nothing could be said. Toriel Dreemurr was going through something that Dipper could never fathom, and part of him hoped that he would never come to learn it.

      There was suddenly a gentle creeeeeeeeeaaaaaaak that shook the two out of their hug.

It was Frisk.

Nobody said anything for a while. All that could be heard was the clinking and clattering of silverware downstairs.

"...The tea is ready," finally spoke Frisk. "Mabel is expecting all of us to attend. I can let her know if you need more time th-"

Toriel shook her head. "N-no, I'm alright. You said tea is ready?"

"Yes, correct," affirmed Frisk. They watched as Toriel remained tense. They gave a quick glance to the television screen, before looking back to their mother.

"...The plan was to talk once this was all over, correct?" said Frisk reassuringly. "I'll tell you everything then, I promise. But first, I'd like to have some tea. Mabel will be furious if anyone lets their cup get cold."

"R-right... Yes... Yes of course," said Toriel, standing up from the bed and dusting herself off. "Tell Mabel I'll be right down."

"Yes Mom," said Frisk with a hint of a smile, disappearing from view as they climbed back down the stairs.

"Well... I'll see you downstairs Dipper," said Toriel, wiping her eyes. "Mind shutting the TV off for me?"

"I don't mind at all, Toriel. See you down there," said Dipper with a wave, watching as Toriel disappeared from his view.

There was... a lot to process from that exchange. But it would have to wait for now. Dipper reached forward to press the TV's on/off switch...

...when something on the monitor caught his eye.

The dim background made it hard to see, but Dipper swore that there, sitting in a chair, was another child.

A human child.

...

Dipper hit 'play.'

"I wish that I can stay best friends forever with-!"

"Oh come on Asriel, you wished for that last year. Wish for something else this time, sheesh."

"Hey! That was rude!" said Asriel, seeming to be both shocked and tickled by the remark. "You're such a meanie sometimes, Cha-"

And then there was static. The videotape had reached its end.

                ...

Filled with questions that he knew he'd have to wait until the right moment to ask about, Dipper turned the TV off and finally left Wendy's room.

Dipper was met with a very lively spectacle.

Dan was pouring cup after cup of various tea flavors, handing them to Mabel and Wendy (both wearing heat resistant gloves) who fanned out to place each cup in front of 11 different seats at the dining room table. Toriel had already sit herself down at one of the seats, but had opted to wait until everyone was seated before she began sipping her tea. Toby and Waddles were running around underneath the table, darting under some chairs and darting around others. The boys and Frisk were gathered in the living room, Frisk eagerly listening to a story that Marcus was telling about how he once managed get himself a gigantic fish from the lake (while Kevin and Gus acted it out in the background to hype up the tale) and all four of them were smiling and laughing. Sitting at the end of the table, his beady eyes taking in the entire scene, was Mr. SnuggleLots.

"Dipper! Welcome back!" said Mabel as she noticed her awestruck brother. She walked up to him and took him by the hands. "Welcome to the tea party! Your seat is right over here next to Mr. SnuggleLots! Don't worry, he hasn't been biting anything since he ate my half of Papyrus's scarf. Come on, this way!"

Dipper let himself be guided by Mabel as she sat him down at his seat. Now that he was at the table, he noticed all of them had a designated name. Starting from Dan's seat, and working clockwise, the seats were as follows.

Daniel

Marcus

Gus

Kevin

Toriel

Frisk

Mabel

Mr. SnuggleLots

Dipper

Wendy

Francine

...Francine? Who was-?

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE!" Hollered Dan, clinking a glass so hard that it sounded like swords clashing. "THE TEA PARTY HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN! THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING, AND ON BEHALF OF THE MABEL PINES ORGANIZATION-"

"Yes my friends, that is actually a thing!!!" piped Mabel.

"-WE HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY YOUR TIME HERE! NOW, DRINK UP!"

Everybody swarmed the table, plopping down in their designated seats and engaging in lively conversation. The Corduroys, minus Wendy, clashed their mugs together like they were beer mugs, then blew on their cups and gently sipped on them because they were actually hot mugs of tea, not cold jugs of beer. Toriel was giggling as Frisk had managed to get roped into another story that Mabel was telling to Mr. SnuggleLots, whose reactions were proving that he could always understand English like Dipper hypothesized. Looking elsewhere, the boy was pleased to notice that Toriel was looking more and more like her old self, and Wendy seemed to be lighting up from the calm but animated gathering. Dipper couldn't help but smile, happy to see that Wendy was starting to recover from her frustration from the recent lack of sleep.

But in the midst of this discussion, Dipper noticed that the seat of Francine was still vacant.

"Wondering about the empty seat, kiddo?" Wendy spoke up, Dipper tearing his gaze away from the seat to look at her.

"Um... y-yeah I suppose," said Dipper, cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink. "Is it..."

"A seat for my mom? I'm afraid so, champ," said Wendy, giving a gentle smile and taking a hearty sip of her tea now that it had cooled down enough. "Francine Corduroy. Better known by her nickname, Manly Fran."

Dipper looked down, not knowing how to reply. As he looked up, he saw Toriel on the other side. She appeared to have overheard the conversation.

"Manly Fran?" repeated Dipper.

"Yep, believe it or not, my dad was always a fan of tea time. His masculine attitude was a rather late addition. It's how he makes sure that her legacy lives on, I suppose. Though I bet that most of what he does nowadays would just make my Mom howl."

"Did she enjoy tea?" Toriel blurted, before putting a paw to her mouth. It seems she didn't mean to speak out loud.

"Oh she loved it, especially if Dad was the one who made it," Wendy gave a warm laugh. "Her adoration for it is the reason my dad didn't abandon it when she passed..." she takes her napkin and gently dabs at her eyes. "It's our way of honoring her. We do this every memorial. It is... one of my favorite nights every year. It's cool that we managed to find an excuse to do it tonight, but... it just wouldn't feel right to have it without that one empty seat, even if this one isn't for her, you know?"

"I assume that the atmosphere here is... a lot less lively during the day of her passing..." Toriel's voice quivered near the end.

"Oh, you couldn't be further from the truth," snorted Wendy in laughter. "If anything, tonight's positive vibes are subdued compared to the anniversary of her passing. The whole day is filled with stories, memories, laughs, and endless tea for anyone who asked for it. I know it seems backwards to be that jovial during a day of remembrance for a dead family member who was a part of all of our lives- and don't get me wrong, there is a fair share of crying as well- but hey... if we're gonna remember her every year, we all knew that it would be better, and healthier in the long run, to fill the day with as many smiles as there are tears."

Wendy tilted her eyes towards the ceiling. She gave a kiss to the air, gestured her mug to it, and finished the rest of her tea. "Ahhhhhh..."

"That's... that's incredible," said Toriel, wiping her eyes.

"Oh, the tea was cold enough at this point," Wendy assured. "If it was fresh from the kettle, there's no way that-"

"No, I mean... the way your family honors your late mother. It's....... I've never thought of it that way. 'As many smiles as there are tears...'"

"Words straight from my Old Lady," said Wendy, leaning back in her seat.

Toriel looked down, silent. She witnessed her reflection in the steaming liquid. She managed a smile. "Wise words to be sure. I would've loved to meet her."

"She would've loved to meet everyone here," said Wendy with a courteous smirk, before heading out of her seat to quickly pour herself a second mug.

The topic of Francine drifted off soon after, and eventually everyone was back to jovial discussions that were occasionally sprinkled with a bark or a yip. All the while, the smile on Mr. SnuggleLots's face never wavered.

About an hour and a half passed before the mood died down enough to declare that the table should be cleared off. The kids had reconvened to discuss the night.

"I guess we managed to check off almost all the boxes on your Rehabiliteddy Program™, Mabel," said Frisk.

"Oh right, I forgot that that program had multiple steps," said Dipper, proving that Mabel had relied on this program before.

"Right... we still have no idea if this guy has an owner out looking for him," reminded Mabel.

"Or whether or not the owner ever want's him back," cautioned Frisk.

"Or even whether or not the owner is a human, or a bear, or something else entirely," added Dipper.

The kids went silent, stewing in all the questions that were unanswered.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Everybody in the house froze. Toby started growling at the front door. 

"Helloooo?!" came a muffled, ragged voice of an elder woman from the other side of the door. "Pardon the disturbance! I just need to know if something passed this way! A Teddy bear to be specific! One that's alive, to be more specific!"

The kids shared a glance at Mr. SnuggleLots who was being playfully tossed around by the Corduroy brothers. Did the voice truly belong to the bear's owner?

Frisk shimmered orange for a second, deciding that there was only one way to find out. "I'll get the door."

"Wait, hang on a second, Frisk-!" tried Dipper.

But Frisk had already marched toward the door and opened it.

On the other side was a heavily hunching, stubby old woman. Her skin was heavily wrinkled and had a sickly green complexion. Her hair was gray to the point of looking white, and there was a cobweb or two that was nestled in her shabby locks. And she was wearing a tattered cloak that was decorated with two giant shadows of disembodied hands.

"Hand Witch!!!" cheered Mabel, recognizing the kind hag.

"Well welllllllllll! If it isn't the lady who helped redecorate my caaaaaaave!" dragged the delighted witch. "And the boy as welllllllll! Good to see you!!! I don't recognize the kid in the striped sweater though..."

"Wait, the Hand Witch?" said Wendy, cocking an eyebrow in bafflement. "I thought you were just some myth that Stanley cooked up to sell his overpriced molds of decapitated hands."

"Nope, he and I go way back!" said the Hand Witch proudly. "Thanks to the kind metal-teethed lady, I finally know what it's like to have a sweet heart!"

"You have a boyfriend!!?" squealed Mabel in excitement, slapping her hands to her cheeks.

"Hm? Oh no, he broke things off with me weeks ago," explained the Hand Witch, cheerfully adding, "So I boiled him up and ate his heart! Hearts are surprisingly sugary after you cook them!"

Mabel looked like her own mom told her that Santa Claus got killed in a sleigh accident. "W.... What...?"

The Hand Witch laughed awkwardly. "That was a joke. I thought I was being obvious about that, sorry. We're still together!" she continued, holding up a photo of herself smiling happily and holding hands with... a pale skinned, wrinkly man with unfocused yellow eyes, crooked brown teeth, shaggy dirty hair, and a giant gaping hole in his chest. "I did eat his heart for real, though. He's a ghoul now."

"Oh, okay then!" said Mabel, calming down quite a bit, not appearing to care about the whole eating-hearts thing. Dipper probably did though, considering how creeped out he looked.

Frisk on the other hand marched straight up to the witch and stuck their hand out. "Frisk Dreemurr, Ambassador of Monsters from the Underground. Pleased to meet you."

"Ooooooooooooooo, such delicate haaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnds~! Um, I mean, the pleasure is all mine!" said the Hand Witch, eagerly shaking Frisk's hand with both of hers. 

"Am I to understand that you are the owner of this Nocturnal Teddy Bear?" asked Frisk, seemingly unphased by the Hand Witch dragging the hand shake on for a little too long.

"Yep!" nodded the Hand Witch. "Good ol' Beelzecub is my own creation! Did you kids cross paths with him by any chance?"

"Beelze-what???" Mabel stumbled over her words, when suddenly she felt something land on her head. It was Mr. SnuggleLots, recognizing the witch.

"Ah! There he is!" exclaimed the witch. "Beelzecub! You sure gave me a work out that is only sure to worsen my distorted spine! Why'd you run off?! Was it something I said? Or did? Was it something I didn't say or do? Speak to me Beelzecub! Speak to me, even though I know you can't talk! Was it because you thought I couldn't handle raising you when you turned out to be more of a bear than I intended?!

"What do you mean by him being more of a bear than you intended?" asked Toriel, approaching the group.

"My goal was to create the most Teddy Bearish sentient Teddy Bear to ever roam Gravity Falls!" bellowed the witch, imaginary thunder and lightning booming behind her. "But what came out... acted a lot more like your average bear cub."

"So you abandoned him?!" realized Toriel.

"Absolutely not! I raised him like any well-respected mother should do! Anyone who abandons a child if they don't come out exactly like they intended was never meant to be a parent at all!"

"I mean... do the rules of parenting apply here?" said Dipper, a little perplexed by this strange scenario. "What do you think, Frisk? ....Frisk?"

Frisk suddenly shook out of their stupor. "Hm?"

"Do you think the Hand Witch should treat Mr. SnuggleLots like he's her son?" said Dipper.

"Oh um, I suppose so. She did create him and all."

"See Dipper?!" said Mabel, nudging him. "I knew that Necromancy could be used for good!"

"I'm pretty sure necromancy doesn't apply here," grumbled Dipper.

"If he knows I created him, then why did my boy run away from home???" said a downtrodden Hand Witch. "I did my best to raise him right in the three weeks that I had him..."

There was silence among the group, nobody knowing how to approach this extremely weird conundrum. Even Waddles and Toby were silent.

The silence was broken by a familiar growl from a stomach made of stuffing.

"Oh!" said the Hand Witch, noticing the Teddy bear. "Are you still hungry, Beelzecub? I have a nice plate of fresh fish waiting for you at home!"

The bear said nothing.

Mabel got up to the hag's ear. "Try calling him Mr. SnuggleLots."

"Hm? That's a weird name..." nevertheless, the Hand Witch cleared her dry throat. "Oh Mr. SnuggleLoooooooootssssssss! There's a plate of fish with your name on it if you accompany Mama back to the caaaaaaaaaaave!"

The Trio, the pets, the Corduroys, and Toriel all watched as Mr. SnuggleLots's face turned a sickly green at the mention of fish, the poor bear looking absolutely nauseous.

And everything made sense.

"Mrs. Hand Witch," said Mabel, standing straight. "I believe we know why your pet Teddy ran away from home."

Dipper stood up next. "The reason for him leaving you was not because you were a bad role model, but rather..."

"You were feeding your child literal garbage," finished Frisk.

"B-but, look at him!" pleaded the Hand Witch. "He clearly acts like a... well... huh, actually he's acting pretty much how I envisioned him to act when I made him."

Dipper paced the room, stroking his chin. "I believe that what you had been dealing with was simply a side effect of a hungry Mr. SnuggleLots. It would appear, based on our experience, that the hungrier that Mr. SnuggleLots gets, the more animalistic he becomes. And this is not unheard of; I know a great number of people who display similar behavior when they're hungry. Take Mabel for example. Mabel!"

"Present!" said Mabel, raising her hand.

"Answer honestly! Do you, or do you not, start to growl like gremlin whenever breakfast takes longer than usual to be served?"

"I do!" said Mabel. "I also start biting the table legs!"

"Now then, Ms. Hand Witch," said Dipper, pointing at the witch who was taking notes. "Would you say that Mabel's behavior is well mannered, or not?"

"It isn't," Frisk chimed in. "But it is very much a quality that defines Mabel, and should never be corrected."

Mabel couldn't help but smile at that.

"So wait, hang on," said Wendy. "You mean to tell me that all of this crazy behavior was happening because Mr. SnuggleLots was hangry?"

"You are absolutely correct, Wendy." said Dipper, before returning his focus to the friendly crone. "The point we're trying to make here, Mrs. Hand Witch, is that when you created Mr. SnuggleLots, he was born without any food in his belly. He was starving. And he left your cave because what you were feeding him is not what he eats. It isn't fish, or bugs, or even honey. It is-!"

"Fabric!" said Mabel from behind Dipper, throwing confetti out of her hands. Where she got the confetti from was information that only she knew about.

"So, all that you need to do is change what you feed him," informed Frisk with their index finger up. "If you can't get over feeding him bear-food, then do it in the form of fabric. Knit a fish-doll. Use a yellow spool of yarn in place of a beehive. Things like that. Do that on top of everything else you've been doing for him, and you should be fine."

"I see, I see!" said the Hand Witch, enchanted by the new information. "I shall update his meal planner right away! Whaddya say to that, Beelz- um, I mean, Mr. SnuggleLots? Wow, that's going to take some getting used to... Ahem, well, Mr. SnuggleLots, how 'bout it? Ready to head back to our sweet little cave?"

Mr. SnuggleLots slowly crawled up to the Hand Witch... and gently chewed on her robe. Not eating it. Just chewing it.

"Looks like he's willing to give you another chance," said Frisk smiling.

The hag cackled with glee, picking the bear up and spinning him around. "Mama has missed you sooooooooooooo much!"

Mabel smiled at the happy reunion... but try as she may, she couldn't stop herself from choking up. "I'm gonna miss you, *sniff* Mr. SnuggleLots! Don't forget about me, you- you hear me?! I forbid it!!!"

"There there, sis," soothed Dipper, patting his sister on the back. He looked back to the bear, and gave a gentle yell. "Stay out of trouble from now on, okay buddy?"

"Your mother loves you very much! You're very blessed to have someone like her!" Frisk chimed in. "Don't forget to thank her occasionally!"

The sentient Teddy smiled and nodded, giving one final wave to the kids before the door to the cabin gently shut behind him and the hag.

"Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" came the over-the-top wails of Mabel Pines.

"And here come the post-Teddy-bear Blues," sighed Dipper, giving his sister a big hug.

"Ah, so this is a normal occurrence?" asked Frisk.

"Yep," nodded the capped twin. "She is incredibly loyal to any Teddy bear she encounters. You would not believe the number of times I've had to drag her away from various Lost and Found departments because she gave them a lost Teddy bear and couldn't will herself to part with it."

"Heh," chuckled Wendy. "I guess she couldn't bear saying goodbye to any of them, huh?"

The whole room went silent. Well, almost silent; Toriel took everyone by surprise with her giggles.

"You've been hanging out with Sans too much," snarled Dipper at Wendy.

"The guy's a hoot! Shut up!" laughed Wendy.

"At- at any rate," said Toriel, composing herself, "We should be heading out."

"Wait! We should try to help Wendy out with her sleeping problems!" said Mabel, having snapped out of her state of weeping. "I was going to suggest Mr. SnuggleLots but... he's gone now..." annnnnnnnnnnd the tears resumed.

"Meh, that wouldn't have worked out," said Wendy. "It's right in his species' name: Nocturnal. He'd be up all night, and I'd be spending the whole time taking care of him, instead of getting any sleep. But... it did give me an idea. I think having a stuffed animal would help me get to sleep."

"You want a what???" called Dan, his voice becoming a calm growl.

Wendy sighed and tightened her fists. No backing out now. She was a daughter of Francine Corduroy, and dang it, she was going to act like one.

"You heard me, Dad! You all heard me! I am done with the December noise! You all wanna holler about the upcoming New Year, do it outside! The pub, the woods, the sewers, I don't care! Just do it away from me when I'm trying to sleep! As for the stuffed animal, heck yeah I want one! I've always wanted one, why not!? They're soft, they're quiet, they'll help me sleep, and they don't even cost that much, Dad!"

"Dang, she's going off," said Dipper, almost mesmerized.

"'Tis the wrath of the teenager," said Mabel with deep respect towards the red-haired girl. "A power that you and I will soon acquire for ourselves, brother."

"And... A-and...!" Wendy stammered.

The room went quiet from bated breath.

"AND IF ANY OF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT, I'LL SUPLEX YOU INTO A MOUNTAIN!!!"

There was silence. Not a peep was uttered from any of the Corduroys. Wendy simply waited, puffing and panting...

        "BWAAAAAAAAAH HAH HAH HAH!!!" Dan howled with laughter. "THAT'S MY GIRL~!"

"Pardon?" said Wendy.

"First thing tomorrow, we'll stop by the local toy store. You can pick out whichever one you want! The boys wouldn't stop pestering me about it anyway. As for the New Years noise..."

Wendy tensed up.

"Baby girl, I'm gonna be honest, it completely slipped my mind how busy you are with the shack. I promise to take the noise elsewhere. And if you ever catch me forgetting that promise, you have permission to wack me upside the head with your late mother's favorite frying pan."

"You're kidding," said Wendy with a flabbergasted smile.

"Nope, you know I don't kid around with you or any of the boys," said Dan with pride.

"Heh... thanks Dad," said Wendy sheepishly, thinking to herself, Looks like Undyne isn't boasting around when she's giving advice. I keep forgetting that she was a Captain during her time underground.

"Victory for Wendy!!!" cheered Mabel, throwing more confetti from seemingly out of nowhere.

"And with th-thaaaaaattttttt..." Toriel said before letting out a massive yawn of her own. "I believe it's time that we headed home."

As the kids, the pets, and Toriel made their way back home in their winter garb (Mabel now donning a decently lengthed spaghetti scarf thanks to Mr. SnuggleLots biting it down to size), Frisk slowed their pace, drifting away from the kids until the stoic faced child was side by side with their mother.

"Frisk?" said Toriel, curious as to why her child fell behind. 

"I knew that today was Asriel's birthday. I knew the whole time."

"!!!"

"And when I found out that you stole the living room TV, I realized it was because you were planning to spend the day alone in your room with the videotape of his birthday. I... I wanted his birthday to be a day of celebration. A day where you and Dad could come together, if only for the one day. I..."

Toriel said nothing. She just picked her child up and held them close to her as she walked. Frisk buried their face in her shoulder, their tiny hands gripping onto her robe.

"I got..." whimpered the child. "...I got so mad when I found out that you were planning to spend the day away from me... from Dad... from everyone. If anything, we could've at least helped you carry the burden of all the grief the day brings you. So... So I stole the videotape in the hope that you would abandon looking for it and spend time with us instead. I should've told you, I know... but... I was scared you'd just turn me away... I'm sorry..."

"Oh, Frisk," comforted the remorseful mother. "You don't have to apologize for anything..."

    "...except for stealing."

That earned her a muffled chuckle. Okay, good.

"I'm the one who needs to apologize here. I should have never secluded myself from the group, from Asgore, and especially from you. If you knew that today was his birthday, you must've been grieving a bit yourself. And there is no doubt that Asgore was coping with his own grief as well."

She felt Frisk silently nod against her.

"Did you overhear the conversation I was having with Wendy, Frisk?"

"...A bit."

"Well," said Toriel, giving a murmur of a giggle as she ran a paw through Frisk's hair soothingly, "She told me something that I feel silly for not considering sooner. About how the anniversary of a lost loved one should be filled with laughter, not just grief. I promise you, this is the last night where I suffer in a room by myself on my dear Asriel's birthday."

"Really?"

"I swear it, my child."

Frisk pulled back to look their mom in the eyes and smile. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, my dear sweet Frisk," cooed Toriel, brushing her snout against Frisk's nose endearingly. "Would you like me to set you down?"

"Please," said Frisk. "I just remembered something I want to tell Mabel."

"Of course, sweetie," said Toriel, setting Frisk back down on the snowy ground. "I suppose we can consider this to be the end of the conversation that we both promised earlier to continue."

"Okay, Mom," said a beaming Frisk, before running up to rejoin the group and say...

"Hey Mabel, don't you owe your brother fifty dollars now or something? The owner of the bear turned out to be a witch after all."

"Huh... that's right! Alright, Mabel! Hand over the dough!"

"I don't owe you squat! I refused that deal, remember?! Frisk, you're my witness! Back me up here!"

"I plead the fifth~"

"Traitor!"

The next day was a whirlwind of activity. The Mystery Shack finally reopened, and it turned out that everyone's fear of a swarm was unwarranted, as there was no swarm. But, there was something new about the visitors that kept things interesting.

Monsters were beginning to visit the shack. Of all shapes and sizes, inhabitants of the underground were stopping buy to peruse the gift shop or experience a tour of the museum. Of notice, there was a dummy that was very brash and loud, but was very respectful when asked to shush. There was a purple spider humanoid that was creepily polite as she bought herself a few Mystery Shack Mugs™ and left a flyer on the counter for the 'First Spider Bake Sale on the Surface!' before tittering and leaving the store. There was even a humanoid cat and alligator that stopped by that Wendy just knew her ragtag of friends would get along with. 

Wendy looked like she had a face lift with how much better she looked. At Mabel's curiosity, Wendy spoke about how once this shift is over, she's heading out with her family to visit the toy store and get a toy for each of the kids, and that's when she'll be able to pick out her stuffed animal to sleep with.

"But honestly, I still have no idea what kind of stuffed animal I want right now..."

That's when a peculiar critter, with the cutest face and voice that Wendy had ever seen, passed through the door, followed by 19 lookalikes.

"Hoi! I'm Temmie! Is this the Mystewy Shack???"

Wendy knew exactly what kind of stuffed animal she wanted now.

But it wasn't just monsters showing up. Candy and Grenda finally passed through now that they could, and Mabel nearly knocked Grenda over with her pounce-hug. They spent the whole time preparing sleepovers, catching up, and promising other times to meet up that weren't sleepover-related.  

Old Man McGucket passed by as well! He needed a batch of normal AA batteries. When Dipper asked him what invention he needed the batteries for, he hooted and hollered, saying they weren't for him. They were for the alarm clock for his new lab assistant, simply named 'P.N.' Something about that name struck Dipper as familiar, but McGucket had left the store before the boy could ask him anything else.

Frisk had bumped into someone roughly their size. The other kid was in very suspicious clothing: A tiny trench coat, a fedora, and sunglasses. The only thing Frisk heard from the kid was a simple phrase spoken in a boyish, and ridiculously southern, voice. "If anyone asks, I was never here. Good day."

The Mystery Trio was certain the day was over when Wendy left with her family, flipping the sign from 'Got money? We're Open!' to 'Begone from this cursed place! We're Closed!' on her way out. But it wasn't over.

Toriel had been missing for most of the day, much to the Trio's confusion, the only clue given to them was that she had asked Stanley if there was any flour left over from the errands he was running when Tim attacked. Now, they were about to find out why.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN," rang Papyrus's voice. "THE EX-QUEEN OF THE UNDERGROUND HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS ORDERS YOU TO PLEASE HALT WHATEVER IT IS YOU'RE DOING AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY! ALSO IF SOMEONE COULD TELL WHY MY SCARF GOT SO MUCH SHORTER OVERNIGHT, THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC-"

"As I told you, I will explain everything to you soon," a giggling Toriel promised the uptight skeleton, waiting until everyone had congregated in the living room and kitchen before continuing. "My friends, I owe you all an apology."

The whole crew went quiet as Toriel went on.

"Some of you know- and for those that don't, I apologize for holding this secret from you- that yesterday was the birthday of our departed prince of the underground, Asriel Dreemurr."

Gasps were heard all around.

"I spoke nothing of this occasion previously because I didn't want anybody to know. I wanted to grieve alone. I wasn't even willing to share the grief with my ex-husband, Asriel's father, Asgore. My time of grieving for all these years had made me grow distant and selfish."

She spared a glance to Asgore before closing her eyes, sighing, and proceeding.

"Yesterday, a chance encounter with Wendy's family opened my eyes to something. If I'm going to remember Asriel's passing for every year when his birthday comes around, I'm doing my poor child a horrible disservice by not celebrating. By not smiling. By not laughing. By not spending it with those who were close to him and the friends of those close to him.

She looked to everyone. The misty eyed Stan twins. The Papyrus who was trying his best not to shriek like a dog whistle. The Sans who looked lively for once. The Undyne and Alphys who were looking pumped as all heck. The joyous Mettaton. The smiling Napstablook. The Asgore grinning from ear to ear. And the Mystery Trio, who were slowly realizing what she was about to say next.

"So who wants to help me bake a cake?!"

As pandemonium continued to ensue in the kitchen, Toriel found a moment to pull Asgore aside. They both were now sitting quietly on the couch of the back porch.

"Everything alright?" asked Asgore.

"In the grand scheme of things, absolutely not," answered Toriel with brutal honesty. "Our child is still dead. And with him, 6 other children fell. By your cursed trident."

Asgore could only look down, well acquainted with the crushing shame that coursed through him.

"But... today is a tribute to Asriel's birthday. And you were... are... his father."

Toriel finally looked the ex-King in the eyes. "I may never forgive you for what you did after we lost Asriel. However... you were the best father a boy like him could've ever hoped for. And you continue to be that father for our little Frisk. For that... I cannot thank you enough."

"...that's all the thanks I could ever ask of you, Toriel." said Asgore with a sad smile. "I appreciate you telling me."

Despite herself, Toriel gave a small smile. "Come inside. Cake is almost ready, and I'm not going to sit and listen to your whining if you aren't quick enough to nab a piece."

"Ha ha ha, of course," beamed Asgore.

"♫♫HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUU!♫♫"

The band of misfits finished the terribly sung rendition of the ancient tune. And yet, it was music to Toriel's ears.

She looked up to the ceiling, wiping her eyes and smiling.

"Make a wish, little one~"

"Mabel, Frisk, you guys go on ahead. I'll be right behind you as soon as I'm done with something!"

"Okie dokie!"

"Understood. See you in the morning, Dipper."

Dipper was just on his way to a long needed nightly rest, when he remembered a very important question he wanted to ask Toriel. This was why he approached her as she was getting ready to settle into her bed with a good book.

"Hey, Toriel?"

"Yes, Dipper?"

"In all the excitement from last night and today, I forgot that there was something I wanted to ask."

"Ha ha ha, and what would that be?"

"Yesterday night... I was watching the tape after you left, and... I couldn't help but notice that there was another child in the background."

"Another child?"

"Yeah! They were looking away from the camera a lot but I think they looked like a human... Who were they?"

Toriel gave a bemused smile. Her face was one of pure honesty, and when she answered, her words came straight from the heart.

      And that's why what she said next did not sit well with Dipper at all.

                "Dipper, sweetheart, I'm afraid I don't understand. Asriel was the only child we had in our family. I don't remember raising anyone alongside him. Who is this this other child that you claim to see?"

A day spent remembering the passing of a loved one is better went it's filled with laughter and good company. Solitude and grief is necessary, but extended doses of it can be harmful.

Credits Scene

"Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" cheered the Hand Witch. "I present to you, my dearest Mr. SnuggleLots, with the first round of your new meals!"

The Teddy bear was currently seated at the table, the latter donned with a table cloth and three covered platters.

The first platter unveiled a perfectly crocheted fish, with light-blue scales made of yarn and beads for eyes.

The second platter revealed a giant spool of yellow and brown yarn, representing a beehive.

The third platter showcased a plethora of colorful beads, which symbolized different berries and bugs.

"So which one will it beeeeeeeeee?" dramatized the Hand Witch excitedly. "Take your pick! It's all up to you!"

Mr. SnuggleLots took a very decent amount of time examining all three tasty fabric-treats...

...

Before eating the tablecloth.

"Ah, I see," said the witch, dumbstruck. "You are... quite the picky eater."

Mr. SnuggleLots only smiled at her, his cheeks puffed up from the tablecloth currently in his mouth. 

.- / - --- .- ... - / - --- / - .... . / ..-. .- -- .. .-.. -.-- ---. / - --- / - .... . / .--. .-. .. -. -.-. . --..-- / -- --- ..- .-. -. . -.. / -... -.-- / .- .-.. .-.. ---. .-.-.. .- -. -.. / --- -. . / - --- / - .... . / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / - .... .- - / -. --- / --- -. . / -.-. .- -. / .-. . -.-. .- .-.. .-.. ---.

NEXT (Coming soon to the Mystery Shack!)

PART 1

PART 2

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

ONCE UPON A TIME...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

#IT IS DONE #AFTER FOUR YEARS #CHAPTER 7 IS FINALLY COMPLETE #See you all in 2030 for chapter 8! XD #gravity falls #undertale #underfalls #gravitytale

[dangerouslyzanyperson]

Gravity

The first half of the episode was just one big awesome fight. Watts counting his rounds and manipulating the area around them was an amazing display of his fighting prowess.

Though not as much as the showcase of Ironwood's sheer determination to stopping Salem and her allies as he fries his arm and then DRAHS Watts across the floor.

... Which only further hardens the impact of the second half of the episode.

Much like in a real chess game, a single piece rips through the happily ever after finale that was being built up.

Ironwood's paranoia reaches its limit, his trauma from the Fall of Beacon rising and making all his hidden frustration and anger spill out.

Much like real crisis situations, he focused on more relevant issues during them. But the moment it was revealed that they were played, the negativity rises to the surface.

"Loyalty is everything!"

The secrets the team kept in fear of fueling his paranoia and actions they deemed as right all came back to bite them in the ass.

And even though he refused Salem's offer, it is clear that he is giving in to another negative emotion rather than fear.

Despair

He looks tired and defeated. And the way he carries himself at the end of the episode spells trouble for the team.

He is resigned and distant.

I really hope that they manage to resolve it and Ironwood remains their ally.

#Rwby #james ironwood #rwby vol 7 #rwby volume 7 #Rwby spoilers