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anika-ann · 3 years

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Hell Froze Over - Pt.1

The Good (and Fast) Samaritan

Type: mini-series to a series (part 1 & part 2 & part 3 & part 4), Avenger!reader AU.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader Word count: 2750

Summary: There’s a new enhanced on a scene, showing up at places of the Avengers’ fights. She’s fast. Really, really fast. And Wanda can’t read her mind.

So far, she has been helping. But surely it’s only a matter of time before she switches switch sides – otherwise she would have approached you instead of speeding away.

You had a problem. And you needed a solution.

Warnings: violence and blood, mention of multiple characters’ death (the Snap), a bit of inuendo and language… oh and extreme fluff

A/N: This part of Melting Hearts’ verse follows after everyone was brought after the Snap. The majority of the story was written after A:IW, soooo, there are no references to Endgame and there’s canon divergence. They somehow saved them all, without building a damn time machine and all that. Just run with it ;)

Previous part of the series II Story masterlist

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Aliens.

Why was it always aliens?

And extremely annoying ones on top of that.

They had freaking tentacles – or multiple limbs, whatever they called it. The thing was, they had four ‘arms’, which made them incredibly handful, pun definitely intended. And what was making it worse? Once you cut off one limb, two grew in its place.

More than once during the fight, in which New Yorkers were being terrorized again, you wondered if these particular creatures, aka Tentacles, had been on Earth before, possibly meeting Hydra. You couldn’t imagine the Nazis’ organization getting the inspiration for their motto anywhere else, Greek myths be damned.

Apparently, these aliens loved going after Captain America too. Then again, they generally didn’t seem to be fond of the group of superhumans standing in their way of invading this planet, so perhaps Steve was not special in that respect.

Pinning two Tentacles to a wall by spray of thick icicles, you allowed yourself to breathe in after a long time. If you were being honest, you wouldn’t mind if Tentacles were the ones whose population would stay with the half of them erased from existence by Thanos. Seriously. They were obviously dickheads.

Taking few more breaths, indulging the feeling of having time to do so, you scanned your surroundings; the fight was definitely going your way, the aliens falling one after another, but the damage to the area was immense. It was a miracle no building had collapsed yet, but you had a hunch it wouldn’t take long. Wanda was helping with removing the civilians out of the harm’s way with her mental powers, but several blocks had been hit. You hadn’t had your eyes on her for a while now.

Hearing a roar by your right, you were immediately back to the highest alert. Tentacle no.39 was not coming your way though; it went after Natasha. You sent an icicle right through the creature’s belly, killing it at instant. Nat just nodded your way and threw herself back into the fight. You did the same.

Your whole body hurt, burning with exhaustion, but you knew you had to keep going. Even when a warning pinch bit the base of your spine; you were getting really fed up with this whole fail-safe trigger, because in moments like this, you simply couldn’t allow yourself to stop fighting in order to be fine. You were supposed to push yourself to your very limits, because lives were at stake.

Unfortunately, you didn’t have a choice.

You slowed down a little, trying to stay closer to Steve who was the nearest. He must have caught up on you pulling back, because he stated fighting with more ferocity – one you weren’t sure where he got from.

You noticed he didn’t have his helmet anymore and it made you bite the bullet and throw yourself back into the fight despite knowing the pain would only grow with time and at one point, it would paralyze you. But Steve had lost his fucking helmet again and he had the armour for reason goddammit!

And then, all of sudden, the battle was over. Car alarms blared all around you, smoke rising to the sky, flames licking anything they reached; you did your best to put the fire out. It was why you didn’t notice it at first – the loud creak of metal tens feet away, but then the concrete started screaming, just like the people.

You snapped your head that way, only to see a restaurant collapsing onto itself.

With people still in it.

You acted on instinct, sending the thickest layer of ice you could summon to slow down the falling debris, seeing a flush of red energy heading the same way. You felt the crushing weight of the building almost on your shoulders.

And the very same moment, you could also see that in a blink, there were no people underneath it.

They were gone; more specifically, several feet nearby, staring as incredulously as you were. Feeling unbearable sting in your back, you allowed yourself to let go, Wanda following your example.

Unlike the civilians, you knew all too well what happened. But your eyelids felt too heavy and you were too tired to be annoyed; in fact, you were grateful, because you didn’t know how long you would have been able to hold the improvised barrier.

You mentally thanked the girl who got all the people out in what seemed like a split second.

Dark spots danced in front of your eyes, your knees getting wobbly. The world threated to sway out of its place and you knew you were about to fold like a house of cards, only to wake up seconds later. It wouldn’t be the first time.

But you didn’t hit the ground. Strong arms enwrapped you securely, pulling you to your Captain’s chest, supporting you as much as you needed. You closed your eyes and breathed through the dizziness.

“Hey, it’s okay, I got you. It’s over, you can rest. But stay with me, alright?” Steve’s voice reached you from a terrible distance, slowly getting closer as you were gradually regaining your strength. The vibrations of his words caressed your own torso and you blinked your eyes open. “There you go, Snowflake. Let’s wrap it up here, okay?”

You just nodded, looking up to his face gratefully. He gave you a small smile in acknowledgement of your wordless ‘thank you for not letting me fall’.

“She was here again,” you mumbled and Steve grimaced as he cautiously let you off his embrace.

“Yeah. I know.”

────── ·❆· ──────

You all entered the conference room slowly, some of you barely standing on your feet. It was a miracle you didn’t have to drag each other in here. After a long time of scrunching your nose at it, you reached for the energizing drink specially designed for you just like everyone else.

While no one had suffered a serious injury – serious on the Avengers’ scale, things like the cut on Steve’s forehead didn’t count –, you were all ready to just have a shower and go to bed. But no. Being an Avenger meant you couldn’t. It meant that if the work wasn’t finished, you couldn’t get rest.

You dropped into one of the comfy chairs, Steve’s body making a muffled thud as he chose the one next to you. If even Captain America was dead on his feet, things were bad.

You pushed yourself up, sitting up straight to inspect the gash on his smooth skin. It was already healing and you knew he had it treated (by you, at least), but the drying bloody line on his head just wouldn’t let you relax.

Your fingertips carefully brushed alongside it, wary of not applying any pressure. Steve smiled at you faintly.

“Snowflake, it’s okay.”

His hand caught your wrist tenderly, pulling it away.

“How did you manage to get it anyway? How did you lose your helmet again?” you questioned. He bit his lip and looked almost apologetically. Naturally, that had you frowning. “Steve-“

“He was getting too close to--- to them, alright? I admit I didn’t quite see the other three coming-“

You gritted your teeth, torn between admiring his heroics as he defended the civilians and clipping round his ear for having a tunnel-like vision and not looking around properly before jumping to the rescue.

In the end, you just huffed, letting your hand slip from his grasp.

You carefully eyed the rest of the team, glad you found Wanda mothering Vision and Bruce checking Natasha once again, while Tony, Sam and Clint were on the phone. It put a smile on your face as you saw Bucky fumbling with his phone as well – you knew he had started seeing a woman from accounting here and now he was probably wondering if he should let her know he was fine.

“We make a good team. Taking minor risks is worth it,” Steve whispered, straightening in his chair in favour of dropping a kiss to your forehead. You closed your eyes contentedly at the pure and innocent display of affection.

When his lips lingered, his hand brushing your jaw and he inhaled the smell of your shampoo – if there was any smell left after the fight and debris flying around –, his breath faltering, a realization dawned to you.

He hadn’t lost his helmet when defending some civilians, had he?

Steve wouldn’t let himself to be distracted enough to be jumped when protecting civilians. Never. He only lost his focus when protecting the people he loved. Mainly the ones he had lost before, in the Snap or otherwise; if he could help it, his gaze never left you on the battlefield, simply too scared you would disappear in a blink of an eye. He might be getting less anxious about it lately, but it was always in the back of his mind; having your loved ones wiped off by a snap of fingers and seeing them fall to ashes did that to a person.

Not that you would know – you were among the ones who disappeared.

But Steve knew. He saw it happen to you, Bucky, Sam…. And he could only watch. Nothing he could do stop it. You still remembered the burn of in the base of your spine as your powers fought to freeze the process of your body disintegrating, watching in horror as many of your friends did – and that you were about to meet the same fate. Just as helpless as Steve was.

“…I’m just stalling, Steve. I know it and you know it too. I should— I should let go-“

“No! No, Snowflake, you stay and fight-“ he practically growled, gripping your wrists with enough strength to bruise them.

“I love you, Steve,” you whispered in response, feeling your whole body trembling in both exertion and fear. You didn’t want to leave. You didn’t want this to be your end.

The wild haunted look in Steve’s eye only made you shudder further, a painful twist to your gut.

“No-“

“Please, say it back,” you pleaded, swallowing your tears and the scream that was threatening to erupt from your throat. The burn, fuck, the burn… you couldn’t hold it any longer.

“NO! You fight this!”

Lips trembling, you understood you wouldn’t get the last love declaration you craved. You closed your eyes.

“Goodbye, Steve.”

“NO!” he yelled, pulling you to him, bodies aligned as he wrapped an arm around you, holding you impossibly close. “You--- sweetheart, please. I love you. I can’t-“

“Thank you,” you sobbed, breathing in his scent, feeling the coarse material of his worn uniform, revelling in the warmth of his touch… and you let go.

The last thing you heard was him, choking on a desperate shriek of your name.

The memory and the sheer wonder about what it must have been like for him almost brought tears into your eyes. Again.

Could you really be mad at him for being reckless?

“Thank you for saving me,” you whispered, hearing his breath hitch. You opened your eyes, only to see his resigned ones as he guesses you figured out the truth.

“No ‘you idiot’, huh?”

“No. Not this time. I can see you’re fine. You’re allowed to look out for me as long as you walk away relatively unharmed.”

“Lucky me,” he murmured and kissed you lightly on your lips, tasting after the sickeningly sweet energy drink. You couldn’t say you minded.

“I love you, Steve. I care for you too. Nothing wrong with that,” you hummed lovingly, gazing into his eyes, the rest of the world be damned. “So yeah. Thank you.”

His blues got their vivid spark back, the corners of his lips rising inconspicuously. “Always. And I love you too.”

“You two are sickening,” Bucky noted close to your ear and you honest to god yelped, almost falling off your chair.

Bucky receded with silent laugh and while you clutched at your chest, your heart too frantic in your ribcage, you noticed Steve rolled his eyes at his friend fondly.

“Lefty here has a point,” Tony hummed, making you huff and turn to the big screen as it lit up with news feed.

There were already so many images and videos on the internet that it was scary. Why people hunted down good shots instead of running away?

Unsurprisingly, Tony froze the frame in which a blur of dark blue could be seen. Hint: it was neither you nor Steve in his stealth suit.

No. It was the enhanced girl. The fast one. The one you knew too little about to your comfort.

“Hate to say it, but things could have got ugly without the Rush-girl rushing in,” Tony announced and you scoffed, mainly because you felt like he was nudging your conscience.

It felt like he was blaming you, seeing you wouldn’t have been able to hold the falling debris for long enough. You were sure Tony wouldn’t blame you, since he knew all too well you simply couldn’t beat it; after all he had been the one to install your fail-safe, preventing you hurting yourself. But you also knew he didn’t like the thought of anyone else getting hurt because of it either.

The thing was it always went like this with this enhanced girl. She would show up, help the Avengers and then puff, she was gone. No trace. Except for the people she saved. The ones you might have failed to save unless she had come.

You forced yourself to drift away from the dark thoughts.

“Tony, your nicknames are getting more ridiculous with each try,” you remarked, earning a few hums in agreement from around the table.

“I can go back to naming you if you want… Popsicle. I bet Cap here got the memo and he loves to lick and s-”

“Stark!” Steve lashed out at him, his cheeks getting an unhealthy shade of red. You choked on your own spit.

You were pretty happy with Tony somewhat reconciling with Steve (and you and others), okay, but his jokes were sometimes too much. He really was pushing it.

“Go to hell, Metalbrain,” you muttered under your breath, feeling your ears burning.

Also, yes. Yes, Steve got the memo. So did you. But you didn’t need to talk about it in front of everyone, thank you very much.

“Cute blush you have here. I hit the nail on the head, eh?” Tony continued, earning a murderous glare from Steve, who certainly was sporting a remarkable blush.

“Tony!” you called out, not less horrified than your significant other.

“Trust the advice of the elder – biologically older anyway. Hate to break it to you, but that’s not how you make a kid. Then again maybe that’s the point-“

“Tony, shut your metal mouth or I swear to god I will tell Pepper you’re being a pervert.”

A look of pure horror appeared on his face and you couldn’t help but smile smugly. This always worked.

The thing was Tony would know how to get a girl pregnant; Pepper Potts lived to tell the tale. She was in her twenty-seventh week, after all; and her hormones were misbehaving. Big time. Her emotions were like on a roller-coaster lately and no one with a shred of brain wanted to be on her bad side, ever, let alone now.

Needless to mention Pepper Potts was a strong woman, capable of handling herself, being in control. She wasn’t quite in control of herself now and what was even worse, she always had been the more rational part of the Stark and Potts-Stark duo, keeping Tony’s impulsiveness in check. Once again, not now. And it was driving her insane.

So yeah, threatening Tony with snitching him to Pepper always worked these days. It was even mean of you. Then again, Tony was being extremely pervert today, venting his frustration on you and you did not like it at all.

“Ouch. Low blow, Popsicle, low blow,” Tony said darkly, before his expression turned gleeful again. “See what I did there with the blow--- never mind, I have a place to be. Bye, kids!”

Tony took his abrupt escape, disappearing from the room, and you sighed heavily. You massaged the bridge of your nose, feeling your face burning with embarrassment. The rest of the team pretended not to watch you highly amused.

“He’s an actual infant— no, he’s worse,” you stated, your voice a little too high-pitched.

“That’s hardly any news. Now, can we pay attention to the actual problem?” Natasha interjected, switching back to professional mood.

“Sure. Let’s talk more about the Rush-girl,” Clint hummed, a smirk on his lips.

A collective groan was the answer, but you did start working.

────── ·❆· ──────

Part 2

────── ·❆· ──────

There we go!

The first chapter of the last part of Melting Hearts. Hopefully, I will make it worth it your attention ;)

Thank you for reading! Happy Sunday :-*

#fanfiction #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #captain america x reader #captain america x you #mcu #marvel #avenger reader #avangers fanfiction #steve rogers #captain america #steve rogers imagine #captain america imagine #avengers #melting hearts series #melting hearts #hell froze over #anika ann

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hyunjins-wife · 6 years

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|Broken Hand| Han Jisung Scenario

Hello loves!!!!! How was you day? I hope it was good<3

Word count:1,721

Requested: no

My request are open so if you have any ideas please just let me know<3

Royalty au in which you never really like your given choices. So you make your own...

Ok so you are a princess such a great start

But like a chill princess

And you don't take anyone’s bs

Because like ain’t nobody got time for that

And you were also the youngest of three

You have two older sisters

And you were never really supposed to take over the throne

But of course you sisters had to go and get engaged

So now you are in a dilemma

You are having to take the throne and to do that you need something that many people find important

A husband what

Now you have a problem with this

Because you are a strong independent woman you feel like you don’t need a guy to help you

But for some reason everyone thinks you do

And that’s how you ended up in one of the most awkward situations ever

upside down on a couch in a full ball gown with the last person you ever thought would be there with you, and your dad, the king, just happened to have walked in

But how did you end up there well...

OK so it all started when your dad decided to bring in a group of suitors for you to choose from

And he has a terrible choice in guys

There were about five princes that planned to come

And you already knew all of them

And you hated most of them

So now you really are stuck

Because if you don’t choose one of them yourself

Your dad said he would choose for you

So the day comes that they all arrive wahoo

And you were supposed to meet the families all together in the big throne room

But you know what happens

You end up waking up late me

Because someone didn't get the whole supposed to wake you up memo

And so you waltz into this room in a big t-shirt and fuzzy pajama pants

And standing in front of you are five royal families

But oh well you don’t really care anyways

So your dad starts to introduce all of the boys

And you notice that one of them is the literal embodiment of spoiled rich kid

Like he is just getting on your nerves for no freaking reason other than the that

And that is when you notice who his parents are

And having know them for a while

You know that if you don’t actually choose you are going to end up with him

And that is never going to happen ever

So now you are literally trying to like plan your escape

Because you are screwed

So after all the introductions are done your dad sends you to get ready

And while on your way back to your room you end up running into someone

And you have no clue who he is

But dang he’s cute

And I MEan CUTE

And when you two finally lock eyes it’s like a cliché romantic novel moment

And you are not having it

But on the inside you are like dying

And after a minute of just staring it seems like this boy finally recognizes who you are

And goes into full on panic mode me

“I’m so sorry your Highness. I didn’t mean to run into you. Are you ok? Are you hurt? Did I like break your hand?

“Oh no I probably broke you hand. What am I going to do. I broke the princesses hand.”

All you can do is stand and watch as this idiot literally doesn’t stop freaking out

So you do the only thing you can think of to shut him up

You grab his ear as hard as you can

And he literally drops to his knees

“I’m fine. You didn’t break my hand. I swear just calm down.”

After that you let him go and he stands up looking like a kicked puppy

“I’m sorry princess. My name is Jisung and I’m here with one of your suitors. I’m also kind of lost and don’t know where I am, so yeah that’s why I’m here.”

You introduce yourself and point him in the right direction.

He thanks you and runs off

And all you can do is swoon because dang talk about attractive

So after getting ready you head to lunch

When you arrive all of the families are sitting around a massive table in the ballroom

And that’s when you notice who the boy named Jisung is sitting next to

The stuck up brat that you can’t stand

So now you are cursing every being imaginable for your very very bad luck when it comes to guys

So you sit through lunch mostly silent and after you finish your dad stands

He announces that you are going to start spending time with the suitors

Everyday for the next five day you have to spend from the end of lunch up to dinner with each suitor

So today you start with one of the boys you’ve known for a while

the afternoon passes pretty quickly and dinner comes rather quickly

The next three days go by the same

And then the final day arrives the one you’ve really been dreading

You have to spend the afternoon with a spoiled brat

And you had tried several times to get out of it

From faking nausea to “accidentally falling down the stairs”

But nothing worked

So after lunch your own little hell started

It started with a little walk through the garden

And you knew you were going to be in for a looooong afternoon

Because he never shut up

And all he talked about was himself

About how he did this and that

All of these amazing things that he’s done

But all you heard was a continuous stream of crap

Because this guy couldn’t do anything heroic to save his own life

Let alone someone else’s

The only thing that got you through it was Jisung

He was by the prince’s side all day

And to be honest

The faces he would make at him when his back was turned were getting harder and harder not to laugh at

After a while you ended up in the library

As you sat and read you noticed that the idiot had fallen asleep

So you got up to get a different book

But when you turn the corner you run straight into Jisung

“We have to stop meeting like this.”

He just laughed and looked at you

“But what if I enjoy these meetings.”

“Well you may not be the only one.”

You locked eyes and that’s when you noticed your close proximity

“We can’t do this Jisung. I like you I really do, but my dad won’t let us. I’m soooo sorry. Like gosh this sucks.

“Yeah it does. But we can’t do anything to change this. Maybe we’ll meet again. In another life.”

You honestly want to cry because you realize that these past few days you’ve been comparing everyone to this boy

And you’re very upset that you can't have him

And you want to say more but you hear the brat wake up

And with that you’re off to hear more about the things that never really happened

With a heavy feeling in your heart

By the time dinner is ready you are want to pull your hair out

So you eat dinner and after your dad announces how the suitor will be chosen

There will be a ball tomorrow night and at the end you will announce who you have chosen

So the next day you start getting ready after lunch

You choose your dress and get your hair and makeup done

So now all you do is wait to be escorted in

Your dad comes and walks you in

After a while of dancing and being passed around you decide to disappear for a little bit

A little room down the hall from the ballroom is where you ended up

In it was a fireplace and a couch that faced the door

You sat down for a little bit just taking a breather when the door opened

The last person you had expected to see was Jisung

But there he was

Looking like your knight in shinning armor

But when he saw you he turned to leave

You stopped him and told him he could stay

He came and sat down beside you

After a little bit of awkward silence you two just started to talk

And for some reason you started to get this little feeling in the bottom of your stomach

And you kind of liked it

You didn’t know what it was

But you didn’t care

After a while he brought your attention to the painting that was above the door

And how oddly shaped it seemed to be

“I bet if you looked at it upside down it would make sense.”

He looked at you like you were insane as you got up and started to try and maneuver yourself upside down on the couch

But after a minute he just followed suit

And after you two finally got settled is when the worst thing happened

Your dad walked in

And his jaw hit the floor

He looked dumbstruck as you two fumbled around until you both were standing straight and red in the face

The room was quiet until your dad finally found his voice and asked what you were doing

“Well we were trying to figure out what that picture was of.”

You dad just turned and looked at the painting and then back at you two

He just sighed as he realized the close proximity of you two

He asked you if there was something between you and you both shook your head

But he just laughed

“If he is crazy enough to sit upside down on the couch with you for that reason then he is a keeper.”

You stared at your dad as he walked out of the room with a promise of sending the rest of the families home

You looked at Jisung who was red in the face and asked what that was about

But his reply shocked you

“Well what do you say. Husband and wife?”

“Yes, I would love that. But only if you don’t break my hand at the alter.”

Well There it is. It literally took me three days to write because I couldn’t think of a good story line. I don’t think its that good it feels just weird to me. Idk maybe because I took so long writing it. Let me know what you think- Kenah<3

#stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #stray kids oneshot #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop #han jisung #kim woojin #bang chan #lee minho #seo changbin #hwang hyunjin #lee felix #kim seungmin #yang jeong in #stray kids ot9 #ot9

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fanfic-inator795 · 7 years

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Hero Magi Penn Zero Magica: Chapter 8

Plot: Penn never really thought that he could be as strong or heroic as his parents. However, when a mysterious cat-like creature named Phyllis offers to grant him one wish in exchange for becoming a magical hero, he finds that he may just be able to make his dream come true, and maybe even get his family back at the same time. Unfortunately, the life of a magical hero is filled with tragedy and despair. Can Penn really live that life? Can he help his friends? And what is with that mysterious new art teacher of his? Read to find out!

((Thanks for the likes on the previous chapter ^v^ Reblogs and comments are appreciated as well! But really, I’m just happy to know this story still has some readers despite a ridiculous hiatus. So again, thanks! Original idea for this AU belongs to @rinnysega. Hope you all enjoy!))

The labyrinth around them crumbled as the witch’s body - or at least, what remained of it - broke away and disappeared like ash in the wind, leaving only a grief seed in its place.

“Heh, how ‘bout that...?” Despite all the screaming and laughing he had been doing, Boone’s voice was quiet now, just barely loud enough to be heard. He turned to Penn, smiling. “Looks like I’m not gonna be losing anymore fights, huh...?”

Penn’s frown deepened. “Boone...”

The green magical hero bent down, picking up the grief seed - and tossing it over his shoulder towards Sashi. Of course, she caught it with ease, despite not looking like she really wanted it.

“There,” Boone told her, nodding slightly, “I’d say we’re even now, don’t you think? Besides, you only come to the labyrinths for the grief seeds, right?”

Sashi growled, squeezing the grief seed in her fists. “Hey, I was just being polite,” Boone insisted, a light smirk still on his face, “And besides, I don’t want to owe you anything. ...Come on, Penn. We should get going.” With that, his magical hero outfit dissolved away, his soul gem quickly turning back into it’s ‘portable’ form.

However, no sooner than the magic left his body did Boone start to wobble, barely able to stay on his flip-flop wearing feet. “Boone!” Penn stepped forward, grabbing him just before he could hit the ground.

Though, the magical rookie didn’t seem too concerned. “It’s cool,” he mumbled, “Just tired... I’m good.”

Of course, Penn couldn’t really believe that, but he also didn’t want to argue with him. Not right now, at least. “Come on, bud...”

Sashi watched as the two slowly walked away, glaring at them. She still hadn’t bothered to even look at the grief seed she had been given. She knew that she wasn’t the one who really needed it, not after a battle like that.

“Hmph, stupid...”

()()()()()()()()()()

The two friends had been lucky. They had just made it to a bus stop under an awning when it had started to sprinkle. A couple minutes passed, and that rain turned to a thunderstorm. But despite the heavy sounds of water hitting the metal shelter above them, Penn still couldn’t help but notice the silence between them.

“So uh... pretty intense battle tonight, huh?”

“Yep,” Boone replied simply.

Penn glanced away. “Yeah... Hey, Boone? I... I know you want to fight witches and, and protect Middleburg but... I mean, what you had to do- That couldn’t have- I mean-!”

“Just get to the point, Penn,” Boone snapped, his words still feeling harsh despite his voice still being low.

Penn blinked. Feeling his body tensing up a bit, he crossed his arms slightly before continuing. “I, I know you said it doesn’t really hurt but... But I still don’t think you should fight like that anymore, even if you can ‘block out’ the pain. I mean... Come on, Boone.” His eyes started to hurt. “It hurt just watching you fight like that.” All those cuts and slashes, the stabs, the screams, the laughter-

“So? What does that matter?”

“Huh? What does it... Boone, how could you say that? Of course it matters! You-”

“It doesn’t matter when there are still witches and villains out there that need to be destroyed,” Boone retorted, squeezing his fists, “This is my job now, Penn. I can’t do anything else. Heck, I’m practically a zombie now anyway, so what does it matter if I get hurt? If fighting this way lets me keep winning, then so be it.”

“No! No, NOT so be it!” Penn shouted, “Boone, please, listen to me! I’m just trying to help-!”

There was a flash of lightning, and just as the thunder started to roll, Boone turned to look at Penn, and the redhead couldn’t help but gasp slightly.

He had never seen his best friend look so angry... so cold.

“Dude... If you really want to ‘help me’... Then why don’t you fight those things?”

“H-Huh? I-”

“After all, you’re the one with all the talent, supposedly!” Boone continued, standing up now, “Phyllis told me that you just have aaaaall this potential! You could be a great magical hero, just like how you’re just soooo great at everything else! So if you REALLY care that much, then why don’t you just make a contract already and see how it feels?!”

Penn stared back at him, his body feeling ice cold. “...I...” That was all he could really say.

Boone just scoffed. “Of course not. Of course you wouldn’t make a contract just for me. Though I guess it’s no surprise. Who’d even want this kind of life?” He glanced down at the concrete, his darkened glare never faltering. “But whatever. This is all I’m good for now, and if I have to do it alone, then fine.”

Without another word, Boone turned away and started to walk outside, not even flinching at the rain.

“H-Hey... Hey, wait! Boone!” Penn shouted as he stood up. Despite still feeling a bit shaken by his friend’s words, he knew he couldn’t just let him go off alone. “Please, Boone-!”

“Don’t follow me.” That was all Boone had left to say, and he certainly wasn’t going to listen to anything else either.

So, he decided just to run, paying no mind to the rain or the cold or his sore body or even his best friend, who could only watch as Boone ran farther and farther away as fast as he could. Penn could feel wetness on his cheeks, but he didn’t bother wiping them away. “Boone...”

With each step, the magical rookie could feel his heart begin to ache more and more as guilty thoughts and memories continued to swirl around in his mind. No longer shining bright, his green soul gem began to dim as splotches of black began to appear on it.

“Ugh, why did I say that?!” he asked himself as he clenched his eyes shut, not caring if he slipped or ran into anything, “Why am I being such a jerk?! What’s wrong with me?!”

Honestly... How could he ever truly call himself a hero after a day like this?

()()()()()()()()()()()

“-We just need to make sure that we’re in the area by noon.” Turning to another map, Rippen pointed out the several traps he was planning on laying for their prey. “According to my research, this will be where Walpurgisnacht is going to show up. But as long as we can surround it, we should be able to beat it.”

Sashi hummed, chewing her last energy bar - Rippen scowled slightly when the crumbs from her wrapper bounced onto his carefully detailed map. “Shouldn’t be too hard... Though, how reliable is this ‘research’ you’re getting. Before this, I’ve never even heard of-”

“It’s very reliable,” Rippen insisted.

“Oh yeah? Then where - or who - did you get it from?” The older man didn’t answer. He didn’t even bother looking up from his paper, which made his temporary partner sigh. “You know, the whole ‘adults keeping secrets from kids’ thing really annoys me.”

“I’ve already told you everything you need to know.”

“Then why does it still not feel like enough...” Sashi retorted as she crumbled up her wrapper, “Look, I know we don’t exactly trust each other but, we are working together. I would think that would be enough to earn me at least a few more details about all this-” Or about Rippen himself.

But before Rippen could make any sort of defense- “Yes, I would like to know more details as well...” Rippen turned his head towards the voice, and narrowed his eyes at the creature now standing in the corner of his living room.

However, that was nothing compared to Sashi’s reaction to her. Almost instantly, Sashi stood up and leapt over to the cat, and with a loud “HI-YA!”, she kicked Phyllis into the wall. Although, if Phyllis had felt any pain from the attack, she certainly didn’t show it. “I take it you don’t want me here?” she asked casually as she picked herself off the floor.

“You’ve got some nerve coming here,” Sashi shouted back, ignoring the question, “After everything that you’ve done to us, you think you can just walk in here and-!”

“I am only delivering news,” Phyllis interrupted, “News I am sure Rippen is interested in... It would seem Boone Wiseman is deteriorating fast. Very fast, and not just because of lack of magic. Curse is growing, and it is his own fault.”

Rippen couldn’t help but stiffen slightly at this. Of course, he had been expecting this, but even so...

“Wait, what do you mean?” Sashi asked, “Magical heroes can’t perform curses! ...Right?”

Unfortunately for the red magical hero, it was her turn to be ignored. “If Boone Wiseman continues, things may get complicated. May even mess with Walpurgis plans.” As she said this, Phyllis continued to stare Rippen down, but the older man’s gaze never faltered.

Sashi scowled. “What do you mean by ‘complicated’? Spill it, cat!”

“Oh, I am sure Rippen can give answer to question, right?”

Coolly, Rippen finally turned his eyes away from the creature. “I’ve heard your news, so you can leave. Now.” So, that was what Phyllis did. But as the creature left and Sashi sat back down, her words of warning still hung heavy in the silence between the two magical heroes.

()()()()()()()()()()

Boone knew fully well that his parents and Penn were probably worried sick about him. After all, he hadn’t gone home, and other than a few minutes near the campus, he hadn’t gone to school either. Those few minutes had been enough...

“Hey, Alex... I thought you lived downtown.” “I do.” “Well then, do you mind if I ask why you’re walking the opposite way?” “Sure, though, it’s a pretty easy answer. Aggie, I wanted to talk to you about something. Something I’ve sorta been thinking about for a while...”

But that was fine... It had to be fine. He had a job to do.

Giving another battle cry, Boone swung his sword, slashing through the familiars that surrounded him. Sloppy... Weak... Your attacks can barely do anything! When put next to the voices in his head critiquing his fighting and comparing it to real magical heroes like Larry, the pain he felt from each cut or hit barely felt like anything at all...

“Get back!” he screamed at the darkness as he continued slashing at it, “I said GET BACK!” Slowly but surely, the labyrinth was coming down, its familiars being defeated one by one. But not fast enough... Not nearly fast enough.

Once the job was done, Boone let go of his magical form, and allowed himself to kneel on the cold concrete of the now back-to-normal parking garage, just for a moment.

“...You’re such a fool.”

The boy blinked. That voice definitely hadn’t come from his head. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder, and saw a pair of cold, yellow eyes looking back at him. The man was in his usual school outfit, though he still looked like he meant business.

“When you’re low on magic, you should only fight opponents that can give you some relief afterwards,” Rippen scolded him, “Now here.” Reaching into his pocket, the teacher took out a grief seed and tossed it towards Boone. “Use it, before you get yourself killed.”

“...And who says that I care about that?” Boone asked before kicking the grief seed away. “Why would I care? Can you answer that, ‘Mr. Rippen’?”

Rippen glared back at him. “Honestly, boy-”

“I’m not done.” Despite how much his body was hurting, Boone forced himself to stand up. “No matter how lousy I may be at the fighting, I’m still keeping my promise to be a true magical hero. One that fights to save others, not just for the magic rechargers. And, if I’m not strong enough to defeat a witch, or if I’m too weak to fight anymore, then what’s the point of me sticking around? It’s not like you actually care about me.”

“Of course I-” He stopped when he saw the look Boone was giving him. ...Honestly, the boy may have been foolish, but he was still fairly perceptive. “Actually, you’re right. I couldn’t care less about saving your life, Boone Wiseman. Based on what I’ve seen from you, your fate is pretty much sealed. ...However...”

Rippen started to walk towards Boone, light covering his casual clothes as they almost instantly transformed into his magical hero outfit. “I think we can both agree that Penn doesn’t need to see you like this. He doesn’t need that. If you want to just keep destroying yourself, then fine, do whatever you want. But... If you think that I’m going to let Penn suffer alongside you, then-” He lifted up his shield, the metal on it glowing slightly- “I’ll just have to end you myself.”

By this point, Boone’s eyes were wide, though more out of shock than fear. Was Rippen actually going to-

“HEY!” Rippen gasped as a pair of tiny arms wrapped around his neck. Despite her small stature, Sashi was not only able to put Rippen in a headlock, but pin him down somewhat as well. Looking up at the still surprised Boone, she shouted “Go! Hurry up and get out of here!”

“...” Shrugging slightly, Boone turned and slowly walked away, down the road and (he hoped) towards some other labyrinth.

And, with Boone taken care of, Sashi turned her attention back to Rippen. “What’s wrong with you?! I know he’s annoying but... But something’s wrong! Something’s messed up with him, and instead of trying to help you try to kill him?! Seriously, are you a hero or not?!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Rippen retorted, “Now let me go, girl.” “What do you mean it doesn’t-?” “I said, let me go!”

“...Hmph, I think I get it now,” Sashi smirked, tightening her grip, “You can’t use that special technique you have if someone’s touching you, can you? So you’re going to tell me what I want to know, or-”

Rippen growled. Fine, if she wouldn’t play fair, then neither would he. Thankfully, she hadn’t been able to pin his arms down, so he was able to reach inside his shield and pull out a-

“WHOA!” At the sight of the grenade - and at Rippen pulling the pin out without a second thought - Sashi immediately let go.

In the blink of an eye, the man disappeared as the grenade exploded, filling the parking garage with smoke. Obstructive, yet thankfully harmless. “...Hmph, of course. Another stupid trick...”

()()()()()()()()()()()

“I just don’t get it... Where could he be?”

Not knowing what else to do, Penn sat down, deciding to rest on a bench near a fairly nice fountain. In any other situation, maybe the sound of water could have been calming. But not tonight...

As soon as classes had ended, he had ran out and started searching for Boone everywhere. His house, alleyways and abandoned buildings, the hospital, parks, uptown, downtown - everywhere! But there just wasn’t any sign of him, as if he had just disappeared. “But he has to be somewhere...” Though it didn’t really matter where his best friend. Penn just wanted to make sure he was alright...

“Maybe... Maybe he’s just been in a labyrinth this whole time, and had to finish off a witch before making his way home? Or-” Out of the corner of his eye, the redhead noticed a familiar white cat watching him, and his frown deepened.

“...What? You are holding grudge against Phyllis too?”

“I don’t know, maybe... I mean, could you blame me if I was?” He sighed, running a hand through his curly hair. This was all just such a mess... “Say... Phyllis?”

“Yes, Penn Zero?” Phyllis replied as she hopped onto the bench, taking the seat next to Penn.

“Is, is there any way you could reverse Boone’s contract? You know, make it so he can just be a normal high schooler again? With a-” he cringed slightly, “A soul actually inside him and no magic and all that stuff?”

Phyllis shook her head. “I cannot.”

“Oh...” He wasn’t too surprised, though he still hoped... However, after a moment of thought, Penn remembered something. “Hey, didn’t you say I had all this potential and stuff? Like, if I made a contract with you, I’d be a super powerful magical hero?”

“More than ‘super powerful’.” Phyllis’ tail started to swish back and forth, almost as if the stoic cat was actually excited for once, as she glanced up at the stars, “In fact, if you wished it, you could even become god of this world. Do things that even Phyllis couldn’t do.”

Penn gaped at her. “Wait, seriously? I... I have that much potential? But, why? What’s so special about me? I’m- ...I’m just a kid. Just an ordinary high school freshman, so why do I have the potential to be such a great hero?”

The creature shrugged. “Who is knowing. I don’t know why it is your destiny to be powerful, Penn Zero, but it is.”

“...Then...” The boy squeezed his fists. “Then, if I wished to get all this god power, would I be able to change Boone back?” “Of course.” “...Alright.” A look of determination crossed his face as he looked Phyllis straight in the eyes. There was still that familiar sense of fear and worry about the fights and monsters he would have to deal with, But, despite all that, he knew that if it was to save his best friend, then it was the right thing to do.

“Phyllis, I wish to be a magical-

*BANG!*

Penn hadn’t blinked, yet it still felt like he had missed something. One moment, Phyllis was alive and well. The next, the creature was slumped over the bench, riddled with bullet holes. He heard himself gasp, just as an empty gun hit the ground. He looked over his shoulder.

...Honestly after everything, Rippen somehow finding him and appearing out of nowhere was the least surprising thing he had to deal with these days.

“What... What is wrong with you?!” Penn shouted as he stood up, just barely managing to keep it together, “You didn’t have to shoot her!”

Rippen didn’t respond. He just kept glaring at Penn, panting slightly. So close... He had been so close to failing! Just a couple seconds more and Penn would have been-!

“Rippen... Why-?”

“Why?” the teacher snapped, his eyes narrowing, “I’ve been trying for the past several days to keep you from making a contract with that thing, telling you not to listen to it and trying to keep you safe, and you have the nerve to ask me why?!”

Penn blinked. This was the first time he had really heard the man yell. ...This was the first time he had seen Rippen truly upset. “I-”

Unable to listen anymore, Rippen rushed forward and gripped Penn shoulders. “Why can’t you just understand?! Why are you always trying to sacrifice yourself?!”

By this point, Rippen’s eyes were filling with tears, though he was either too distraught to notice them or just simply didn’t care about wiping them away. “Don’t you realize that there are people trying to keep you safe?! Who care about you and who would be absolutely devastated if you died?! You... God damn it, boy! Why can’t you just listen?!”

“...” As sorry as he felt for his crying teacher, Penn just couldn’t bring himself to say much of anything. Maybe he was just too shocked by Rippen’s whole speech. ...Or maybe he was just too focused on the words. “Rippen, you... Are you one of those people?”

Rippen flinched. “I-I...”

“Have we met before? I mean, I know we’ve met at school but, before that. Have we met before that?”

“...” Again, Rippen refused to reply. Of course he had answers, but he just couldn’t bring himself to say them...

Slowly, Penn took Rippen’s hands and moved them off his shoulders. “I, I’m sorry for worrying you. I guess I should be more careful... But, I can worry about that later. Right now I need to find Boone. So... goodnight.”

“You... Wait!” Rippen reached out, but Penn was already out of grasp and running down the dark street. “Stop! You don’t-! Boone is already-!” But it was no use, and within a few seconds, Rippen couldn’t even see him anymore.

“...Well, that was a waste of time, hmm?”

“...” Wiping away the remaining tears, Rippen looked back towards the bench, his usual scowl in place. The cat’s body was still there, but there was now a second Phyllis there, looking very unimpressed.

“Yes, that is second time you’ve killed me. Definitely a waste of time. ...Though, only for you.”

Rippen raised an eyebrow. “...And why is that?”

“Because, Rippen, while trying to kill me, you have revealed unique technique... You are not from this timeline, aren’t you?”

“...No, I’m not,” the teacher replied, refusing to be intimidated, “No point in hiding it now. But just know that I know what you’re planning. I know everything!”

Phyllis hummed. “And you are doing all of this just to try to change Penn Zero’s fate?”

“I am, and I will change it, Phyllis. ...Or, perhaps I should say... Incubator.”

()()()()()()()()()()

It was nearly midnight now... Not that he could really tell. He had been walking for hours, not really going anywhere in particular. He had thought that he was supposed to protect something, or save someone but... what? He honestly couldn’t remember anymore. After all, the world was filled with horrible things. Bullies and villains, evil minds and broken hearts...

Just what was in this world that he once thought had been worth saving?

“...There you are! Geez, didn’t think I’d ever find you!” Who would have thought he’d just be sitting in some barely used subway station?

However, Boone didn’t move. He barely even blinked as the red magical hero walked over and took a seat next to him. “...You still moping?” she asked after a moment. Boone shrugged, making her groan in annoyance. “Whatever.”

“...Hey, Sash?” Sashi glanced up. Boone still wasn’t looking at her, but at least he was talking, so she considered that a good sign. “Yeah?” “Just wanted to say sorry... For any trouble I’ve given you... I’ve probably been a huge pain, right?”

...Okay, maybe it wasn’t a good sign. “Well, maybe you’ve been a bit annoying but... Hey, this doesn’t sound like you.”

“Guess not,” Boone shrugged, “But... it’s not like it matters much anymore.” Before Sashi could even question this, the boy lifted up his hand. In his palm was a small orb, black and clouded with just a bit of metal wrapped around it. It took a moment for Sashi to realize just what the object was, and once she did, she just couldn’t believe it.

“Boone... Your, your soul gem! It-”

“You were right,” Boone continued, his eyes getting misty, “All that stuff about the universe needing to keep balances, and how doing good just leads to bad stuff... It was alright.” He gave a small, bitter smile. “I guess I did save some people... But I’ve hurt people too. Even Penn... I just got so angry that I couldn’t help but lash out, and blame myself for it all.”

“Boone, stop!” Sashi grabbed his wrist, yanking on it. “Come on! What’s happening to you?!” But again, she was ignored.

“I guess it’s what I deserve... It’s what I wished for. ‘For all the hope and joy we get from them, the same amount of despair and hurt end up coming from our wishes too’, isn’t that what you said, Sash? Heh, I really should have listened to you and Larry when I had the chance.”

“Boone-” Her words got caught in her throat as Boone finally turned to look at her, that broken smile still on his face. A single tear rolled down his cheek, and fell towards his hand.

“I guess I really am stupid, huh?”

His soul gem flashed slightly as the teardrop landed on it, and in an instant, everything was blown away.

Clenching her eyes shut, Sashi quickly grabbed a hold of whatever was near her and tried to shield herself the best she could from the strong winds. Dark, magical aura was swirling around her like a hurricane, and in the center of it all was Boone, lifeless on the ground. Sashi just couldn’t believe it. What the heck had just happened?! And what was happening now?!

“BOOOOOOONE!”

...Even while being perched high above Middleburg, Phyllis could still the release of energy. Boone Wiseman had finally fallen, and another inescapable fate had been met.

“Hmm...” Her tail swished as she continued to watch, her body already absorbing and collecting the new energy, “They say that if a hero is hero long enough, they eventually become villain... So, it makes sense that eventually, all magical heroes become own worst enemies.”

((Hope you guys liked it! I feel like since Boone was the hardest character for me to write for this AU - simply because he and Sayaka are pretty different, and I didn’t want to make Boone too OOC while giving him Sayaka’s arc - the last four chapters without him should be much easier for me to write, and thus should take less time. So yeah, see you guys in the next chapter!))

#penn zero part time hero #penn zero #pzmmm #madoka magica au #fanfiction #my writing

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