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backtothestart02 · 3 years

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If Only She Knew - 10/10 | westallen fanfiction

A/N: It has finally come to an end. The drama, the long-waiting, the suspense! Finally, push will come to shove and there will be resolution. Enjoy!

Commissioned by: @shalanda83 (thank you, girl! I hope you love it!)

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Chapter 10 -

The rest of the week flew by in a blur. Each day Joe applied more ointment on Barry’s cuts, and gradually, with time and rest, Barry was able to engage in more fun activities. They went fishing and boating. They found a beach that was pretty much void of anything pointy by the shore, and Barry was able to get his feet wet and then a little more. By the time Friday rolled around, he could do practically everything he’d been able to before the injury – before the kiss.

The kiss still weighed heavy on him. He’d been trying to find a moment to tell Iris how he felt about her, but Joe seemed to be an ever-constant presence. They were so busy doing stuff during the day too that letting it slip out in the tent at night with Iris before bed was impossible too. Iris fell asleep too fast.

Barry finally got it in his head that he was going to tell her when they got to the top of Devil’s Canyon on Friday. It would be perfect. They’d have time to breathe and just be alone, and the view would be breathtaking. Plus, if she decided she didn’t want to be with him after all or if she got really mad, they wouldn’t have another night together in the tent to be tense. Friday was their last day.

The only trick now was escaping on their hike without alarming Joe, because he definitely wouldn’t let them go on such a dangerous hike without supervision. The sheer drops and rocky climb were no joke at Devil’s canyon. The walk to get to the bottom of the canyon was quite a ways in and of itself. It was something to be planned for, not sprung up the day of. And Iris had been so certain Joe wouldn’t want to come even if they had told him ahead of time, so it had to be their little secret.

Seemed there were a lot of secrets they were keeping from him now, and from each other. Not a day went by that Barry didn’t beat himself up for not just kissing Iris back. So much could’ve been avoided.

He only hoped it wasn’t too late.

“So,” he prompted, rolling over in his sleeping bag. “How are we going to do this?”

It was 6am. Joe wasn’t up yet, but Barry knew Iris was. He could tell by the way her breathing shifted.

Iris turned toward him in her sleeping bag.

“Do what? The hike?”

He nodded.

“You feel you’re up to it still?”

“Positive. You can still see my cuts, but they don’t hurt anymore. I’ll put on some more Neosporin before we go, but I think I’m good.”

“Good.” She smiled brilliantly.

“So…”

“Right. My dad. I say we tell him we’re going on a hike. A nearby one, so he doesn’t freak, but one long enough that he’s not real interested in going with us. He’s never been one for long distances. Plus, the three of us have been together so often the past few days, I’m sure he’ll want a break to do his own thing before we head to the restaurant this afternoon.”

Right. The restaurant. He’d forgotten about that. He’d be driving.

He tried not to groan aloud.

“What?” she asked, brows furrowed, and he realized that even if he’d managed to suppress a groan, he hadn’t suppressed the face that went with said groan. “You look…distressed.”

“Just not looking forward to driving is all.” The creases in his face deepened. “I just got my permit. Having you and Joe in the car with all our stuff, I mean…”

“You’ll be fine,” she assured. “I’ll sit up front with you to put you at ease.”

That would actually probably make things worse, he thought.

“Thanks,” he said instead.

“Of course. What are best friends for?”

Her smile would be the death of him. But he couldn’t have her knowing that, not yet at least. So he smiled back, albeit not as brightly. Then she’d really know something was up.

In the next moment, the two heard Joe unzipping his tent and stalking across the campsite.

“I hear you two whispering,” he said.

Barry and Iris’ eyes locked.

“You can come out now. I’ll start on breakfast.”

“We’ll be out in a minute, Dad!” Iris called.

Some whispers followed, but within a few minutes Iris pulled down the zipper of their tent too and came out in her slippers. Barry tripped over the bottom of the tent but managed to catch himself before running smack into Iris.

“Zip up the tent,” Iris whispered hastily.

“Right,” Barry muttered, then turned around and did exactly that. It allowed time for his face to cool down from the embarrassment.

“Good morning, Dad,” Iris said, approaching her dad and going up on her tippy toes to press a kiss to his cheek. He leaned down some to oblige her.

“What are you two doing up so early?”

Skilled in the art of lying straight to her dad’s face, Iris said, “Just talking about our day. Our last day!”

“Aww, you going to miss it up here? It’s been a fun week, despite…certain setbacks.”

On cue, Barry tripped over the cord holding up the meal tent and went floundering until he caught himself yet again.

“You okay there, son? You seem extra…clutzy this morning.”

“Dad.” Iris narrowed her brows.

Joe shrugged innocently.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Barry insisted. “Just…you know, I’m not in pain like before so I guess I’m being less careful.”

“Ah. Well, have a seat, these eggs won’t take long. While you’re eating, I’ll get started on the sausages and bacon.”

“Sounds delicious!”

Barry sat down at the picnic table, and Iris followed suit. After a few minutes of eating their eggs, Iris decided it was the appropriate time to broach the subject.

“So, Dad, Barry and I were thinking of going on a hike today before we leave.”

“Oh? You think you can handle that, Barry?” he asked.

“Definitely,” Barry said around a mouthful of eggs. “I slept good and I’m not in pain.”

“We should probably put one more round of ointment on those cuts just to be safe. And be sure to take some granola bars and water. Even the shortest walk can seem long once the sun comes out.”

“Will do. Thanks, Dad.”

“Where are you going?”

“Just around the lake,” Iris said easily. “We might stop occasionally to take pictures too, so I’m guessing…noon we’ll be back? Maybe earlier, just depends.”

Joe nodded, none the wiser.

“Sounds good. It’ll give me some alone time before we head back this afternoon.”

“We’re stopping at the restaurant, remember?” Iris reminded him.

“Oh, right, of course. Barry’s driving!” He chuckled, lightly. “Excited?”

Iris shot him a look and then a smile, which told him his face didn’t look quite so depressing this time around.

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” he said.

And Iris had to suppress her own groan then, because that had definitely been sarcasm.

…

After breakfast, Barry and Iris waited for Joe to leave the campsite for who knows where – and for their tummies to settle after eating so much – before heading out for the trail leading to Devil’s Canyon.

It was quite the trek, and even though Barry’s wounds had more or less healed up, he was starting to regret the fact that he hadn’t brought along sturdier tennis shoes in which to make the hike. He did his best not to complain however, given the view in front of him was that of Iris’ backside most of the time. She was wearing short shorts, and her bootie was accentuated. It made his mouth water to be honest, and he knew there would be no more delaying how he felt once they got to the top of that canyon.

Unfortunately for him, Iris got annoyed on occasion that he was always behind her.

Complaints of “why are you so slow?” and “Your legs are longer than mine, keep up!” often slipped past her lips.

Barry didn’t take it to heart. And she did have a point. He didn’t work out, but he did have long legs. By the time they got to the start of the canyon trail, he made a point of staying in stride with her and using his long legs to do it.

Time passed, and he allowed himself to look at the view around them – not just beside him. Trees fell away and the higher they got, the more scenery that was available to them.

“Oh, my God, it’s beautiful!” Iris said, her breath stolen from her when they reached the top.

It was indeed beautiful. As long as one didn’t look straight down at how far they could fall if the somewhat sturdy railing wasn’t in place.

“It is,” he said, but he was looking at her.

She turned to look at him and reached for his hand, which he eagerly held. She smiled.

“Thanks for coming with me.”

“Of course.”

“I know you were reluctant, but…”

He shrugged. “I’m glad we did it.”

She beamed and then moved to untangle her hand from his. He wouldn’t let her. She looked at him curiously.

“Barry?”

He turned to face her and took her other hand in his other one.

“Iris, there’s something I have to tell you.”

She swallowed.

“I’ve been trying to tell you all week, but…the timing just never seemed right.” And you wouldn’t let me. “Today just feels like the perfect time to tell you.”

“O...kay. Why do I feel nervous about this?” she asked, her fingers tensing in his grip.

“Probably because I’m nervous,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Barry…” she warned, but he wasn’t going to chicken out this time. What was she gonna do? Run away from him?

“I love you, Iris.”

Her eyes widened, and then filled with tears. She looked away, tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her.

“Iris-”

“Let me go, Barry.”

“Iris.”

“I don’t want to hear this!”

“Iris!”

She huffed but stopped struggling and looked at him.

“How could you?” she seethed.

His heart dropped into his stomach, and without thinking, he dropped her hands. Luckily she didn’t run away, but the conversation didn’t improve much beyond that.

“I…don’t understand.”

She scoffed.

“You don’t understand. Well, I do. You don’t want me to feel bad about kissing you earlier this week, and you not feeling the same.”

“No, Iris, listen-”

“So you wait until I’ve basically gotten the whole incident out of my system to make some grand love declaration that you don’t really believe, so you can pretend to go out with me all because-”

“Iris!”

Without warning, he pulled her to him, cupped her face in his hands and swiftly kissed her before she could continue her angry rampage.

Even that didn’t work.

She pushed him away and slapped him, huffing as her cheeks grew damp with fresh tears.

“I hate you!” she huffed.

His hands formed into fists at his sides in frustration. He forced them to relax.

“Iris, I’ve been in love with you since we were kids.”

“Oh, right,” she snarled.

“Since we met!” he insisted.

She wasn’t any happier, but she held her tongue.

“You know what was the happiest day of my life? When you walked into it. When I saw how beautiful you were in your peach shirt with the yellow sun and blue water? And those fringey black shorts you loved so much with the jelly pink shoes? And the sparkly butterfly clips you wore in your hair every day for an entire summer?”

She gasped.

“Yeah, I remember that first outfit. I remember when we started hanging out at each other’s houses and how I nearly forgot my own name when you decided we should get married – and not when we were older, but right away. We both dressed up and your dad even filmed it.”

She swallowed.

“And when my mom died…and that first night I was crying on the couch. I couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t stop thinking about how I lost both my parents in one night…you were the only one who believed me. And you stayed with me on that couch all night till morning, stroking my hair as I cried out for the mother I’d lost and the dad who’d wrongfully been ripped away from me.”

“I…heard you crying from my room. I don’t know why my dad didn’t. He’s a heavy sleeper, I guess. But I…I knew I had to go to you.”

“It was a hard adjustment living just down the hall from the only crush I’d ever had, ever will have.”

“Barry,” she said, but this time it was soft, awestruck.

“It’s you, Iris. You’re beautiful and smart and fun.”

Her tears morphed into laughter.

“And I never told you how I felt because I never in a million years thought you’d be into me. So when you…kissed me earlier this week, I… I was in shock. I could hardly believe it. It didn’t seem real.” He reached for her hands again, and she let him hold them again. “I needed time to process. By the time I was ready to tell you, to act on it…you refused to let me. What was I supposed to do?”

She sighed.

“I was so embarrassed. I just wanted to forget it ever happened. It was better than facing the truth that my super cute, super smart, loving, awesome live-in best friend didn’t feel the same way as me. It was easier than wondering what was wrong with me that you didn’t at least find me attractive in some way.”

“I find you hot, Iris West,” she sputtered.

She blushed.

“Do you have any idea how hard it’s been going through puberty on this trip?”

“You’re going through puberty? I thought you already-”

He shook his head slowly.

“I’ve been in love with you for a long time, Iris, but now…it’s like on a whole other level. I can…” He gulped. “I can hardly control myself around you. When you sit on my lap or lean against my shoulder, and I can feel allll your curves, it is… Heaven and Hell simultaneously.”

“Barry!” she squealed.

“It’s true!” he laughed. “When Joe announced we had to share a tent together this week, I thought I was gonna die. My body was gonna tell you how I felt before my words ever did.”

She put her hands over her face.

“Oh, my God, Barry… Maybe you shouldn’t be telling me this.”

“I’m telling you…” He pulled her hands down and tucked some of her wild strands of hair behind her ears. “So you’ll believe me when I say I’m ridiculously in love with you, I’m attracted to you – especially that cute butt of yours.”

She squeezed it self-consciously, and he smirked.

“And my biggest regret this summer has been not kissing you back. If I could do it ov-”

But he didn’t have a chance to finish, because this time Iris got up on her tip-toes and kissed him. She didn’t have to worry about him not reciprocating either, because instantly his arms wound around hers, and his lips melted into hers. They kissed for a while up on the top of that canyon, letting the sun warm them and the wind circle around them.

When Iris finally pulled back, she was smiling unashamedly, and Barry was grinning too.

“I’m sorry I slapped you,” she said. “I just really thought-”

“I know,” he said. “I’d let you do whatever you want to me, Iris West. You can even break my hurt. It’s worth it for this one kiss.”

She beamed. “If I break your heart, you can break mine. Because I love you, Barry Allen. And I have for a very long time.”

“And all those popular guys at school you had crushes on?”

“Passing fancies.” She brushed that off. “You’re the real deal for me.” She licked her lips. “If you wanna be.”

He smiled. “I definitely wanna be.”

She pulled him down to kiss him again, and he accepted her lips eagerly.

“Good,” she said between kisses. “That’s very, very good.”

…

By the time Barry and Iris returned to the campsite, they found Joe West all packed up except for the hammock he had hanging between two trees by the fire pit. They snuck into their own tent and made out for a while, this time getting more handsy than they’d been able to be while standing on top of a canyon.

Iris even accidentally brushed Barry’s hard-on at one point with her fingertips.

“Oh, my God, you are-”

“Shh,” he shushed her with a laugh. “Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

“But Barry.”

“Do you want to wake up your dad? One base at a time today, okay?”

She chuckled.

“Yeah, alright. I’ll try to avoid that general area, if I can.”

He groaned. “You’ll be the death of me,” he said, and kissed her some more.

They got pretty hot and heavy but made a promise to not go removing clothes on their first day as boyfriend and girlfriend. Still, by the time they were done, Barry definitely needed a cold shower, and to be fair they both needed to shower from the hike in general. So they gathered their things and rode their bikes to the public showers. Reluctantly, they didn’t share one, and by the time they’d finished their libido had lessened to a much more manageable level.

When they got back, Joe West was up and asking them if they were ready to head home.

“You mean to the restaurant,” Barry and Iris both shouted back.

Joe was shocked to his core.

“Barry, you ready for this?”

“Born ready,” he said happily. And this time there was no sarcasm.

“Well, okay then.” Joe could only laugh. “Let’s get these tents down and we’ll head on out!”

Still grinning, Barry and Iris assisted him as best they could and within half an hour, they were on the road, heading towards Mama Bear’s Breakfast Diner.

The drive wasn’t half as bad as Barry had thought it would be. Iris being in the front seat with him actually helped. And Joe had nodded back off in the back seat, allowing them to hold hands without him knowing while Barry drove.

‘I love you’ Iris mouthed to Barry when they turned in to the diner’s parking lot.

Barry parked, then looked in the back at Joe still snoring and leaned in to kiss her.

“I love you, too,” he whispered, and she bit her bottom lip, already fantasizing about the next time they’d get to make out. Something told her it would be a while.

“Dad!”

“Joe!” They said simultaneously a beat later.

“Hmm, what?” Joe roused himself.

“We are here.” Iris giggled, pointing towards the building.

“Oh, okay.” He rubbed his eyes. “Let’s go in then.” He yawned.

“Sleepyhead.” She rolled her eyes.

“Hey, you two woke me up at damn near 6am this morning, so I don’t want to hear it.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” Iris brushed him off.

Barry just smiled.

The three of them went inside the diner, only to be greeted by Mama Bear herself.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite threesome!” she gushed. “Come on in, I’ll seat you myself.”

“Thank you, Mama Bear,” Joe said in a gravelly voice.

Barry and Iris held in their laughter barely. Joe West always got so gentlemanly and indulgent when they met with the owner of the diner.

“Have a seat,” she said, setting the menus down on the table. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to take your order. In the meantime…” She gestured to the people dancing in the middle of the restaurant to the live music that was almost so loud you couldn’t carry on conversation.

Joe just smiled, but Iris’ eyes lit up and she grabbed Barry’s hand.

“Dancing!” She gasped. “Barry, dance with me!” she demanded, and he didn’t have much say in the matter because she pulled him to the center of the room amidst the other dancers.

Mama Bear chuckled beside Joe.

“I’ve always thought they’d make the cutest couple,” she confided.

Joe just laughed and shook his head.

“Nah, I think they’re just friends,” he replied.

She shrugged.

“Maybe one day then,” she said, and turned to check on some of the other guests.

“Yeah, maybe…”

And then his eyebrows furrowed. He suddenly noticed how close Barry and Iris were standing on the dance floor, the starry-eyed gaze Iris was sending Barry, and just how low Barry’s hand was inching down on her back. When – in the heat of the moment – Barry spun Iris away and then brought her back, dipping her down low and nuzzling her nose, Joe sank to his seat, his heart sinking into despair.

He watched in agony as the two teens before him shared the briefest kiss.

“Oh, hell, naw,” he muttered, his head falling into his hands.

“Something wrong, honey?” a waitress asked.

“Whiskey, please,” he said.

“Oh, we only serve breakfast here, I’m afraid. No hard liquor.”

He looked up with a pained gaze.

“Eggnog?” he asked hopefully.

“Coming right up!” she said cheerfully. “I’ll tell Mama Bear right away.”

“Thanks, darlin.”

She disappeared, and he was forced to continue to watch his two teens dance.

He’d always been rooting for Barry secretly. He’d known they both had feelings for each other for years.

But it was one thing to want it and another thing to have it happen when they were both hormonal teenagers living just down the hall from each other.

There would have to be some new rules put in, and they probably wouldn’t like it. But it would be for their own good.

He was already preparing a speech for when they got back to the table, but when that time came, he finally really saw how happy they were and found he couldn’t burst their bubble just yet.

“I didn’t know you liked dancing, Barry,” he commented innocently.

“Oh.” He blushed fiercely. Joe noticed how Iris reached for his hand under the table. “Well, if it’s Iris,” he said by way of explanation.

Iris leaned on her other hand and looked up at him, completely enraptured.

Joe couldn’t help but smile. Yeah, they could keep their bubble for one more day.

Because really… If they only knew.

#westallen #fanfiction #westallen fanfiction #backtothestart02 fanfiction #if only she knew #chapter 10 #fic commissions #for shalanda83

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thanksjro · 4 years

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More Than Meets the Eye #1- Meeting All Our New Friends

Okay, let’s see what happens when you give one man way too much power over a franchise, and he doesn’t use it for evil.

Before we get into the story, let’s take a look at the cover art! MTMTE, as well as its sister series, Robots in Disguise, started off IDW Phase Two, a brand new run of main comics to replace the by-then completed The Transformers (2009). To celebrate this momentous occasion, each comic’s first issue got FOUR separate covers, which could be combined to create a large, overarching image. MTMTE’s looked like this when all the covers were put together.

The cover art here is by Alex Milne, who is on as the main artist for the series, but he’s not on issue #1- no, for our foray into this comic run, we see the return of Nick Roche.

The last time Roche and Roberts worked together was on Last Stand of the Wreckers, and other than MTMTE #6 and the Revolution one-shot, they won’t be teaming up again within the IDW run.

On a potentially-related-but-more-of-just-a-humorous note, it seems that Roberts is a huge stickler with his scripts, going into what sounds like an honestly horrific amount of detail for each individual panel. The average comic script is either between 20-23 or 28-30 pages long, not counting title and credit pages. Roberts has been cited as sending in comic scripts that approached 50 pages.

Which, if you know anything about the scriptwriting process, is a little… yeah. It’s a very good thing Roberts seems to be able to take criticism.

ANYWAY.

IT’S TIME.

The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye- Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It- holy fucking shit that’s a long title- starts off with the Story So Far, a comic book classic to catch readers up on what’s happened prior to the issue. The very nature of a Story So Far will become plot-relevant much later down the line, but as is, it’s just reminding us what happened during Phase One, in as basic a point as it can.

And then the credits are right underneath.

I can’t even imagine how friggin’ good seeing this printed must have felt.

So, what’s going on in the premiere of the sad, gay, space comic?

Not my phrasing, by the way, but the Wiki’s.

So, the war’s over. What does that mean? Well, a lot of things, honestly, but the first thing we’re given in terms of what changes to expect with everyone’s favorite space robots is in relation to their wardrobes. Yeah, without a war to fight, what’s the point in having relatively identical blocky armor that protects all your insides? It’s time to get skimpy.

Rodimus has switched out his toned calves and discernible ankles for the Uggs that are now positively iconic to his character. Drift’s mass has almost completely gravitated to his thighs, making him the curviest thing this side of the Milky Way. Ultra Magnus didn’t get the memo about not needing to be in uniform anymore, I guess, but somehow I doubt he owns anything casual.

Rodimus, Drift, and Magnus are holding a rally to invite Autobots to come on their party-barge to find the Knights of Cybertron, in an effort to heal the planet, because Rodimus took one look at post-war Cybertron and said “no thanks.” Honestly, I think most would, if these properly colored characters are any indication.

Just the Autobots, by the way. We aren’t ready to be friends with the ‘Cons just yet. Swindle did some major damage on that front.

Prowl and Wheeljack are off to the side discussing this turn of events, and while Wheeljack seems to think that a lot of folks will be boarding the ship and getting the hell out of dodge, Prowl’s expecting nothing to come of it.

So, that was yesterday. What’s going on today?

Inside Kimia, there’s a dead guy. He wasn’t dead when he was brought in, but he is now. Who is he, anyway?

Oh, he’s one of the NAIL protesters, and he died because he was protesting by way of transforming on the steps of Autobot HQ, until his transformation cog burn out. Yep, that can kill you. Ratchet’s the one who performed the autopsy, as per Metalhawk’s request- he only wanted the best of the best on this.

Too bad the best of the best is starting to slump. After a brief scare with Rigor Morphis- the stiffening of the corpse into the body’s preferred mode- Ratchet explains to Bumblebee that his hands have started seizing up, and that’s why he’ll be leaving on the Lost Light with Rodimus. He just can’t do the work anymore.

This news is not well received by Bumblebee, who’s just about had it with everyone up and leaving him all by himself with the mess that is Cybertron.

Phase Two will not be kind to Bumblebee.

Bumblebee accuses Ratchet of having been insnared in Rodimus’ siren song of reclaiming the Golden Age, but c’mon, this is Ratchet! He’s too cynical to fall for that. He’s more interested in finding the Autobots who’ve been lost over the millennia to the war. Ratchet’s already well aware of the true purposes of this little galactic road trip, almost like he’s read the plot outline.

It’s about helping people, and adventure, and being unapologetically gay and sad in equal measures.

Up in the sky, Cyclonus is displeased. He spent six million years in the Dead Universe, under the control of a madman, waiting for the moment he could return to his beloved homeworld, and what does he get? A ball of half-baked primordial cookie-dough, and it’s not even chocolate-chip like he was expecting; it’s fucking oatmeal raisin.

Mmm, that is some tasty panel-breaking right there.

Of course, the I/D chip might not have worked anyway, seeing as Cyclonus got a little bit of a boost when Vector Sigma ejected everyone during the Matrix incident. It’s doing some weird stuff to his body, on top of whatever nonsense existing inside the Dead Universe does to a person.

Cyclonus is about to head over to the Lost Light- apparently he and Rodimus made a little deal off-panel- when he detects a familiar life sign and decides to see what that’s all about.

Over in Prowl’s office, things are tense. He and Chromedome can’t even look at each other, as Chromedome reveals that both he and Rewind are jumping on the Lost Light. Prowl doesn’t like this, not one bit. He needs Chromedome, needs his skills, his expertise. He tries to appeal to Rewind, knowing who wears the pants in this relationship.

Or, well, he tries.

Prowl, they’ve been married for over 250,000 years.

In all seriousness, this is slightly before the first tentative steps Roberts took towards making the franchise as gay as he possibly could, at least when going by the story’s chronology. The thing about professional comic script writing is that plotting/planning goes for a ways beyond the current script one’s working on, so that everyone knows where everyone else is. Considering the somewhat congruent nature between MTMTE and RiD, planning ahead was especially important.

Chromedome and Rewind were originally (like, first draft originally) meant to be best friends. This was to fill a void in the department of close relationships Roberts felt within the Transformers franchise. Then Roberts saw how handsy he’d been writing them during plotting and realized he’d made something a little different happen. Which still sort of went with what he was going for, just in a slightly different fashion. Chromedome and Rewind are a rare case of a writer NOT leaning into the “they’re just bros, bro” mentality and just letting the characters be together as romantic partners.

Also keep in mind that it would be another three fucking years before the United States would legalize same-sex marriage, which is where the IDW offices are located. You gotta ease that sort of change in, that way nobody realizes what you’re doing until it’s already been done, then you can go hog-wild. We won’t be hitting critical mass on the homonormative civilization that is IDW1 Cybertron for a solid year or so.

So this bit of dialogue is just the start of the setup, and the “best friend” line is either a leftover from earlier versions of the script, or Prowl really just is that big of an asshole.

Rewind is, of course, recording everything taking place on his handy-dandy little head-mounted camera, because history is his business, and he’s not going to stop recording for the likes of Prowl.

Rewind doesn’t like Prowl very much.

It would seem that the feeling is mutual.

Chromedome suddenly remembers that trying to reason with Prowl is like talking to a brick wall, and the two of them leave. Prowl responds to this slight by yelling in the hallway and then flipping a table.

I sure hope y’all like running gags.

Of course, Prowl wouldn’t be Prowl without having a few contingency plans in place for when things don’t go his way, and he makes a call to his inside guys to “load the cargo.”

That’s not ominous in the slightest.

Six million years prior to all this nonsense, a tiny little dude fell in a hole and broke his legs trying to get to work.

This is Tailgate, and he’s seen better days. Not many, mind you, but at least a couple. He was making his way to the launch of the original Ark, when he decided to take a shortcut that would change the course of his life forever. Hence the whole “stuck in a hole” thing. Still, he’s got to get out of here, because without him, the entire expedition is doomed!

For being an idiot, Tailgate’s pretty smart- he figures that if he sets off his energon rations, it’ll blast up through the roof of the cavern he’s in and someone will be able to find him. Good thing energon’s so incredibly volatile.

Speaking of volatile, let’s jump back to the present and check on our buddy Whirl.

It looks like Whirl also got a makeover between series, because he’s now sporting a much sleeker, angular frame, complete with long, tapered head.

Whirl’s currently busy thanking his new friends for spending so much time with him. It really meant a lot to him, their patience. Not many folks have been patient with him before.

Of course, it probably helps that all these guys are dead as hell.

It’s time for another Roberts’ staple- the suicide attempt. We won’t be using the robot-equivalent to Multiple Sclerosis though. This go around, we’ll be using a classic: self immolation!

Title drop! Bet you weren’t expecting it to have such a dark connotation, huh?

Cyclonus interrupts Whirl’s monologue and suicide attempt. He thought he’d seen his best buddy, Scourge, on his tracker, and his immediate response is to lurk in the shadows looking like a night demon wearing a party hat.

Fun fact: a group of Sweeps is called a Spring Cleaning.

Scourge isn’t here, and he won’t ever be. Scourge most likely died off-panel, never to be seen again, assumedly because nobody wanted to write for him. I think it’s the nails, puts people off.

Whirl doesn’t take kindly to the intrusion, and responds the only way he knows how.

It’s always embarrassing when your self-immolation gets interrupted, but maybe try taking a first deep breaths before committing to more war crimes, Whirlybird.

While these two morons fill the post-Bay movie explosion quota, Red Alert’s hard at work screening the passengers on the Lost Light. Currently, he’s checking Brainstorm, who’s making it as difficult as possible, both legally and emotionally. Red Alert waves him on with a grumble, without even getting a peek at what’s inside his mysterious briefcase.

Up next is Swerve.

His legs are so jacked, it makes me a little uncomfortable. Glad to see Swerve’s body reformat went swimmingly- seems he went for the classic “tires in the shoulders and ankles” model.

Oh hey, it’s Rung! Hi Rung!

This series will not be kind to Rung.

While Cyclonus and Whirl terrorize the folks just trying to get on board the dang ship, Rodimus is feeling rather pleased with himself with the turnout. Drift strokes his ego a bit, because they support each other, but things are still weird because Drift doesn’t know who he is as a person anymore, and Rodimus has a guilty conscience mixed with being the Matrix’s golden child, which really fucks with a guy’s head.

Ultra Magnus goes through the list of the folks joining their quest, and starts running through all their demerits and crimes like it’s his job, because it is. We get a little peek into Magnus’ world view and then it’s back to the Whirl and Cyclonus show.

Also, Drift doens’t have a nose right now. He’ll get it back in time for the next issue, don’t worry.

Over with the flyboys, Cyclonus has decided to land and attempt to reason with Whirl. Not that he couldn’t totally kill Whirl if he wanted to.

He just doesn’t want to.

No, Cyclonus is far more concerned with his meeting with Rodimus, the one that he’s already friggin’ late for thanks to the detour he took checking that life signature. Whirl doesn’t care, far more worried about the fact that Cyclonus saw him talking to desecrated corpses and, far more importantly, vulnerable.

Look at this jackass’ ensemble- demon helmet, a crop top, a skirt and bellbottom pants. What an icon. He and Eugenesis Wheeljack should trade fashion tips.

Whirl still isn’t done with him, even after scraping him across the side of a mountain. Feeling especially artsy, he scoops Cyclonus up and jumps into the air, since he apparently has a hundred-foot vertical leap.

Back in the past, things aren’t going so well for Tailgate.

More cool panel stuff going on here- every time the panels have had rounded corners, it’s been when the scene takes place in the past. Now that the last panel has proper right angles to it, Tailgate’s in the present with everyone else. That middle panel probably covers a couple million years, at least. Poor guy.

Up on the surface, Ratchet’s met up with Chromedome and Rewind, and they’re all walking over to the launch site, Chromedome bitching all the while about how they’ve got to use their legs since Rewind’s alt-mode isn’t a vehicle, but a USB.

Chromedome seems to have forgotten that his tiny husband is small enough to probably just ride on top of his alt-mode, if not directly inside, most likely due to his larger-than-life personality.

Whirl and Cyclonus fall out of the sky before Chromedome can say something that’ll get his ass divorced. Cyclonus gets knocked out cold, having taken the brunt of the impact. Unfortunate, seeing as Whirl’s taking the time to make up lies about him.

You thought I was kidding when I said the armor was skimpy, but here we are, with a shot of Whirl’s battle thong.

Ratchet, who knows Whirl, because he knows everybody, tries to talk him out of straight up murdering Cyclonus. Whirl doesn’t like it when people try to talk him down, and is about to turn on the good doctor, when Tailgate enters the scene, by way of explosion.

Whirl doesn’t handle explosions terribly well. Probably why he was going to use one to kill himself.

With Whirl knocked out, Ratchet and the power couple pull Tailgate out of his hole, where he manages to ask about the launch before freaking the fuck out and fainting at the sight of a rather dead-looking Whirl. To be fair, I can’t think of a whole lot of folks who’d survive getting their tits blown off with enough force to clear a tunnel in solid rock.

You said it, Rewind.

Ratchet grabs Tailgate and Whirl and brings them onboard the ship, seeing as Tailgate seems to want to be there, and Whirl’s too dangerous to be out of sight. They just kinda leave Cyclonus on the ground. I doubt the two guys who were on Kimia last month really want to deal with him.

Rewind breaks off from the group to see his dealer. This dealer isn’t selling the good kush though. He’s got something far more incriminating to offer.

But we don’t get to find out what the fuck Rewind just bought from Swindle for a few more issues. Rest assured, it’s nothing good.

On the bridge, Rodimus is in his captain’s chair, ready to captain it up. The Lost Light raises into the air, as Bumblebee and Prowl watch on, about to exit the atmosphere and begin a adventure filled with hijinks and mild peril.

And that’s a series wrap on everyone! I hope you enjoyed this wonderful one-shot written by James Roberts.

What do you mean there’s 56 more issues?

Alright, let’s see where this goes.

Back on the bridge, there’s alarms and sirens out the wazoo, as things have pretty much immediately gone to shit. The quantum engine the Lost Light’s outfitted with apparently went off prematurely, rocketing them into a completely random quadrant of space.

Also, there’s a hole in the ship, and vacuum physics are doing their thing.

This series will not be kind to Rodimus.

The Lost Light touches down on the planet they popped back into existence over to start looking for all the guys who got sucked out of the ship. They don’t have to look long, seeing as they’re all burning up in the atmosphere.

Welcome to the Lost Light. It’s a friggin’ mess.

Back on Cybertron, the aftermath of the explosion is seen, as Bumblebee and Prowl listen to a message that seems to imply a lot more heartache in the future.

Prowl, you could at least pretend to give a shit.

That’s the end of the story, but not the end of the issue. In the back of the book, we get a welcome letter from James Roberts himself, thanking the reader for taking the time to read the beginning of MTMTE, and holy shit does he really try to sell it to you. This is a guy who wants you to be excited about the story that’s coming your way, because he’s excited about it. He’s a big dork who loves Transformers, and he gets to write about them for the next six years! That’s awesome.

#transformers #jro #mtmte #liars A-to-D #issue 1 #incoming analysis #maccadam #Hannzreads #text post #long post #comic script writing

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quiet-onset · 6 years

Text

Gætir (15)

Pairing: Thor Odinson x Reader, Bucky Barnes x platonic!Reader

Word Count: 4,107

Tag List: @givemeanorigami, @ktjnn, @dreamingaboutthewonderland, @whatisanniedoin, @msvega24, @champion-ofthe-sun, @art-flirt, @moose-on-the-l00se, @snowstorm8162, @loricwizardbluetoastedcake, @rishlo, @hoodedbirdie, @disappointeddinosaur

A/N: I KNOW THIS IS LIKE A WEEK LATE, i’M SORRY. I had a bit of writer's block and to step away for awhile. But now it’s here, and the story is done, so I just wanted to thank everyone for reading! Your comments and support mean a lot to me! I really hope you enjoyed this story. (But don’t worry, many Marvel fics have yet to be written.)

Chapter Fifteen:

The wind blew hard, and the snow fell heavily. It was quiet, but the air was filled with panic as the quinjet landed on the many feet of snow and ice. Niflheim was always cold. Thor knew that.

But without you with him, he felt a lot colder.

Thor picked you up from the medbay table and headed straight for the exit, Bucky at his side and the team close behind. The guards outside the castle doors were gripping their swords tight but relaxed when they saw Thor. “Son of Odin? What is happening?”

“It’s Y/N. She’s hurt.”

The guards immediately took action. The castle doors were thrown open, the guards shouting for Nicholas and for a healer. Every drop of blood that hit the ground let off a bit of steam, the warmth of her blood reacting against the ice cold floor.

Nicholas came rushing down the stairs. The worry in his eyes only grew when he saw his niece, limp in Thor’s arms. “What happened? Is she alive?”

“Eskil happened,” Bucky said. “Our doctor can’t do much without knowing you guys’ anatomy.”

Nicholas nodded as the doctor approached with a stretcher. Something similar to an IV was wheeled alongside them but was much more advanced than any of them had ever seen. Thor placed your body on the stretcher, and you were immediately wheeled away with the doctor and other healers surrounding you. Thor tried to follow behind, but Nicholas held him back. Giving the god a stern look, Nicholas told him to wait. “The healers cannot do their job with you questioning their every move. I promise you she is in good hands.”

“That’s good,” Bucky said. “Because there’s someone else that needs help.”

“Someone else?” Nicholas asked.

Bucky led Nicholas onto the quinjet, past the many heroes he did not recognize, to the containment unit where Melody sat. She stared blankly at the glass, even as Bucky and Nicholas stood before her. Although her eyes were void of any emotion, Nicholas recognized her immediately. “Is that…?”

“Melody. Your other niece.”

—

Alone.

That’s how it’s always been for you. And you were used to it.

However, when you opened your eyes, you weren’t alone. You were thankful for that.

You looked at Thor, watching his chest rise and fall as he slept next to your bed. You bit back a smile at the sight of him using his red cape as a blanket. You turned your head and saw Bucky in a similar slumped position, his arms crossed over his chest as his steady breaths resulted in quiet snores. It was then that you realized they were still dressed in their suits.

And everything came back to you at once. Eskil, the fight, literally being stabbed in the back.

You felt a panic rise up in your chest as you looked down at your body, quickly realizing that you could be, and probably were, paralyzed. You took a deep breath and tried to wiggle your toes. It wasn’t much, but you sighed in relief when you felt them move against each other.

You sat up slowly, your muscles still sore and tense. You glanced quickly at the raw scars on the palms of your hands before pulling at the thick wires connected to your arm. When they fell, they hit Thor’s arms, but he remained asleep. After the wires were out, you planted yourself softly on the floor, the tile cold and slick under your feet.

You glanced once at the sleeping super soldier and then at the Asgardian before quietly leaving the room. You walked around slowly, your strength and stamina still very low. Your hand stayed on the wall as you practically limped.

Then, a sign caught your eye. No entry without official clearance until further notice. And, of course, that meant you had to go in. Who’s gonna stop me?, you thought. I’m technically royalty or something.

You stepped in and quietly closing the door behind you. When you turned, you gasped, the sharp intake of air almost knocking you off your feet. The silence was filled with the padding of your feet as you slowly walked up to the glass.

Your sister was there. Asleep.

She looked much more peaceful as she slept. Less controlled, more natural. More like she was as a child. Her eyebrows were bunched together, signaling that she was probably having a nightmare. You placed your hand on the glass as you wished there was something you could do to help.

“Y/N.”

You turned your head and saw Thor, standing in the doorway. You were suddenly nervous that he was angry with you, an emotion you weren’t familiar with. “I was just looking for the bathroom.” You lied.

Thor ignored your statement and pulled you to his chest as he leaned down to press a long, sweet kiss on your lips. You cupped his scruffy cheeks and pulled him closer, your lips moving lovingly against each other. He pulled away and rested his forehead against yours, “No, you weren’t.”

“Should I go?”

Thor turned, giving you a perfect view of Bucky leaning in the doorway with a sleepy smirk on his lips. You let out a chuckle and allowed your head to rest on Thor’s shoulder. “So much for not telling anyone.”

“I won’t tell anyone, doll,” Bucky said with a small smile. He made his way to the other side of you, “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

You grabbed his hands and squeezed, silently putting all of his doubts to rest, “Thanks, Metalhead.”

“Fucking Sam.” He muttered. He shook his head and headed towards the door. “I’ll let the others know you’re awake.”

“Thank you, Barnes.” Thor nodded.

“So if you guys are gonna make out some more, do it now.”

“Thank you, Bucky!” You stressed, urging him to leave.

Thor chuckled as the door closed, leaving the two of you with Melody. You took a moment to look around, realizing it didn’t look like any prison or hospital you knew. “Where are we? How long have I been out?” You asked.

“Niflheim.”

Your eyes widened, “Niflheim?”

“There was only so much Dr. Banner could do without knowing how your body works. I called Strange, and he made a portal to get us through.”

“You think he’s sick of you yet?” You joked.

“Probably.” Thor laughed.

A short silence followed as you watch him deep in thought. He repeatedly ran his thumb over the scar on your right palm. He tilted his head, “Do you remember what you said to me before you went unconscious?”

“About you believing in me?” You asked. “I meant that. But I was thought I was dying, so don’t expect it again.”

Thor chuckled but looked you in the eye. “I did more than believe in you, Y/N.”

“I know you did.” You smiled. “I did, too.”

He smiled and leaned down to kiss you once more, shorter this time. You smiled as he started to place peck after peck on your lips, feeling happier than you had in God knows how long. “Don’t tell anyone though.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, my love.”

—

After another day, you were back on your feet, your only remaining injuries being the healing cuts spread throughout your body. You walked with Nicholas through the palace of Elders, wearing one of your mother’s old dresses. “You’ve done well, Y/N.”

“Thank you.” You said. “It’s what Mom would’ve wanted.”

“Of that, I am sure.”

As you stood at the top of the staircase, you looked at the painting of your mother that Nicholas finally decided to put up for the entire Gætir to see. Looking at her, you saw so much of yourself and your sisters. “What about Melody?”

Nicholas nodded, “I’ve talked to the healers. They ran some tests and believe that her condition is reversible, but it’ll take some time.”

“How much time?”

“Two earth years.” He hesitated. “Maybe three.”

You took a deep breath at hearing the results. You were happy that you were going to get your sister back, of course. It was the waiting for two to three years that made you stressed, but you knew she was in the best care. “Can I come visit her sometimes?”

“Of course. You’re welcome here at any time. We’re your family.” Your uncle smiled. He turned to you, “Actually, you should know that by law, you are the next to become the Head of the Gætir. You could stay. And, if you so choose, we could start the training process.”

You never thought about staying in Niflheim before, but his proposition caused you to reevaluate your decision. Part of you wanted to become the head of the Gætir, to protect the six realms from people like Eskil. You wanted to do everything your mother didn’t get the chance to do.

But when you looked down at the team who waited for you at the bottom of the stairs, and when you looked at Thor, you knew you couldn’t.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t.” You told him. “If you ever need me, you know where I’ll be. And I will come visit every chance I get. But Hydra is the organization who killed my dad, and the best way for me to take them down is with those guys.”

You both chuckled as Tony accidentally knocks over a bowl, hurrying to pick it up when it clatters on the floor. The others scold him for it, but Thor shakes his head, laughing quietly. When he sees you, he smiles warmly, tying your stomach in knots.

“Is that the only reason?” Your uncle asked with a knowing smile.

You looked at Nicholas who then nodded his head towards Thor, causing a wave of heat to spread up your neck. “I’m, uh, taking your advice.” You watched Thor as he talked to Steve, nodding to yourself. “I’m leaning into it.”

He smiled, “Good.”

“Yeah. It is.”

“But if he ever hurts you, he’ll be as dead as Eskil.”

“Nicholas—“

“I do not care if he is the son of Odin—“

“I’ll be fine.” You assured him. “Besides, you know I can handle myself.”

Nicholas watched you walk down the stairs and greet the team. He waved when his niece bid him goodbye from the door. He shook his head as you and Thor shared a small kiss behind the rest of the group. Just like her mother, he thought.

—

1 ½ years later

“You were supposed to come straight back from the mission.” Tony scolded you as you exited the quinjet.

“I sent you the information you need.” You said. “I wanted to visit my sister.”

“Well, you could’ve told me that. You’re the newest Avenger; you can’t just run off with advanced technology.”

“Parker does it all the time!”

“Peter’s also, like, twelve. You know better.”

You rolled your eyes as you took the paperwork he handed you. That was your least favorite part of doing missions; having to log all the information into the system. Tony gave you a small smile as you started thumbing through the papers, “How is Melody?”

You looked up, your brows raised. Much of your relationship with Tony included sarcasm and banter, so you were always a bit surprised when he was genuinely concerned. “She’s good. She can talk now. Finally getting some of her memories back.”

“And the trigger words?”

“Still there.” You nodded. “But now, she puts up a fight.”

“Just like her sister.”

You bit back a small smile while staring at the paperwork. Caring about people and showing emotion was new for you. You fought the idea that it was a weakness rather than a strength.

“Is that a smile I see?” Tony teased.

“Eat me, Stark.”

“Sure, whatever. Just have that paperwork in by the end of the week.”

You waved him off as you walked out of his office. Strolling down the hall, you groaned at the feeling of the heavy papers in your hand. You knew you’d probably have it done within the next day or two, given you didn’t get distracted by anything. From the end of the hall, you heard a familiar chuckle. Bucky smirked at you, “I know that sound. You have paperwork.”

“Do you wanna do it for me?”

“No way.” He stopped as he approached you. “I’ve still got paperwork from the Russian mission from two weeks ago.”

“It was worth a shot.” You shrugged.

You and Bucky had become much closer in the last year and a half. You’d go on missions, train, and even just hang out together. You were happy to say he was one of your best friends, something you never thought you’d have. “By the way, someone is here to see you.”

You tried hard to bite back a smile, but your lips betrayed you, turning upwards in a wide grin. “Where is he?”

“Your level.” Bucky smiled. He was glad that you’d found some happiness after years of pain and heartbreak. He joked, “Try not to be so loud.”

You punched his shoulder hard, making him groan and bring his metal hand up to it. You said a quick goodbye before all but sprinting to the elevator. When it finally arrived, you pressed the button to your floor about five times before the doors finally closed and headed up. Your heart was beating faster than you’d like to admit, but you were grateful for it. It’d been years since you felt anything other than anger and sadness, and now you were here.

The doors opened too slowly for your liking, but you resisted the urge to use your strength to make them open faster. You left your paperwork on the side table as an all too familiar scent hit your nose. You sighed calmly as you followed the smell to the kitchen.

When the scent became strong, you leaned in the doorway and watched him work, his back facing you as he placed a few trays in the oven. You hadn’t seen him in six months. He had been attending to Asgardian business. (“Asgard may not physically exist, but I am still my people’s king. I must see to their needs.”) He went to visit many of his people in their new homes across Earth in addition to visiting Asgardian allies on other planets. All that meant, you hadn’t seen him in person for six months.

So seeing him in your kitchen wearing an apron with a bit of chocolate smeared across his arm, and the scent of cookies filling the room, you couldn’t be happier.

“I’ve been told that staring is impolite on this planet.”

You chuckled as Thor turned around to look at you, realizing that he’d known you were there the whole time. “How did you know I was standing here?”

“I heard the quinjet dock and figured it was only a matter of time.” He grinned as you walked up to him. “Also, you breathe very loudly.”

“I do not!”

He laughed at your retort, “Come here.”

Thor pulled you into his chest, hugging you tightly. He had to lean down a bit on account of his height, but he simply nuzzled into your neck and took in your scent. He almost sighed at the scent of your shampoo; he didn’t realize how much he had really missed you. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that the entire time he was gone, he’d just been dreaming of that moment. The moment he’d finally have you back in his arms. “I missed you.” He said, his voice muffled.

“I missed you, too.” You said quietly. “But—”

“Don’t tell anyone.” He pulled away with a smirk. “I know the drill.”

You still hadn’t told the rest of the team about your relationship, but Thor was okay with that. To him, it really just meant he had you all to himself. The only person that knew was Bucky, so you knew the secret was safe. You just weren’t sure you were ready for other people to know that you cared about someone who wasn’t yourself, Bucky, or your sister. Being the stoic one was part of who you’d been for most of your life; you didn’t know how to give that up.

“Of course you do.” You leaned in to kiss him gently, and he hummed contently. When you pulled away, he whined lowly and asked for another, saying he missed kissing you. You chuckled and kissed him again before hopping on the counter, “You’re a giant baby.”

“Only for you, my love.”

You rolled your eyes at his cheesiness as he stood between your legs. “So what are the cookies for? Not that I’m complaining or anything.”

He deadpanned you as you picked up a cookie. “Are you serious?”

“What?”

“Do you know what day it is?”

“No.” You bit into the cookie and moaned at the taste. “How are you so good at baking cookies?”

“Y/N, it’s your birthday.”

Your brow furrowed in confusion as you checked the date on your phone. Sure enough, it was midnight on your birthday. You didn’t realize how much time you’d spent in Niflheim with your sister. You thought it’d only been a day or so, but it’d been an entire week. You still had to get used to how time worked in Niflheim.

“Hm.” You said. “I didn’t realize how long I’d been in Niflheim.”

“You went to Niflheim?” Thor asked as he ate one of the smaller cookies. “How’s your sister?”

“Good. She said she wants to see you.” You smiled. “Well, her memory’s not all that great still, so she said she wanted to see Thunder-Man. I’m assuming that’s you.”

Thor let out a loud laugh at your sister’s new nickname. He’d been very supportive when it came to Melody. He visited when he could and made sure to keep tabs when he couldn’t. Melody wasn’t exactly sure who he was to you, but she knew he’d never hurt you. So she liked him. “I’ll go with you next time you visit.”

“Good.”

Thor stared at you as you bit into your second cookie, mesmerized by your every move. Your skin was cold under his palm, but he’d gotten used to the feeling. It may not have been a warmth that he’d experienced with other women, but it was familiar. It was home now.

When you realized he was staring at you, you looked up at him playfully. “I’ve been told staring is impolite on this planet.” You mocked.

“I don’t talk like that.” He chuckled, pinching your side. “I just missed you is all.”

You placed your hand on his stubbly cheek, stroking up and down with your thumb. “I missed you, too, big guy.”

Suddenly, you were distracted by the chocolate on his arm that you’d seen earlier. You took your finger and wiped it off, Thor’s brow wrinkled in confusion. He rolled his eyes when he realized it was chocolate that had stolen your attention. You licked the chocolate off your finger, making quiet noise at the sweet taste on your tongue.

Thor’s grip tightened ever so slightly on your thighs, one eyebrow raised, “If you keep that up, I’ll be eating more than cookies tonight.”

“That wasn’t my intention, but I’m game if you are.”

Thor swept you off the counter with a growl as you laughed at his eagerness. As clothes were stripped and quiet noises filled your bedroom, it was needless to say that you’d started your birthday the best way you knew how.

—

“Alright, what am I here for?”

“Can’t we just call a meeting?”

“No.”

The team called you for a meeting, one that wasn’t on your schedule. Clint picked you up in the quinjet where everyone was already waiting. It seemed to you that they all knew something you didn’t, so you eyed them suspiciously. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Steve chuckled.

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but stop it right now.”

“We’re not doing anything.” Tony shrugged. “Just wishing the newest member of the Avengers a happy birthday.”

Suddenly, confetti was being thrown at you and a party whistle was loud among the shouts of congratulations and happy birthday. You remembered that today was also the day you were introduced to the public as an official member of the Avengers. You had a tiny smile on your lips as you pulled a piece of confetti from your hair. “You guys are dumb.”

“Uh, you’re welcome,” Thor said jokingly.

“You know, you could’ve just called to tell me that.” You told them. “Or caught me in the hallway. We all live in the same building.”

“We’re taking you somewhere,” Clint called from the pilot’s seat.

“You know I hate surprises.” You glared at each of them.

Bruce shook his head, “You’ll like this one.”

About an hour later, the quinjet landed, and you were allowed to exit the aircraft. Bucky was in front of you, leading you, as Thor placed his large hands over your eyes and insisted that it was necessary. A minute or two of walking went by before they stopped you. “Are you ready?” Bucky asked.

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

You sighed, a sarcastic tone following it, “Fine, I’m ready.”

Thor removed his hands from your eyes, and you squinted, the sunlight catching you off guard. You focused on what was in front of you and gasped at the sight.

Tombstones.

There was for each member of your family. Harmony, your mom, and your dad. Each one was customized, an image related to each of them under their names. Harmony had a guitar, which you were teaching her to play. An Erlenmeyer flask was carved under your father’s name. And under your mother’s, a sword; the exact same one your Uncle Nicholas had given you.

There used to be a time when you swore you’d never cry in front of the Avengers, but the longer you looked at them, the more tears filled your eyes.

“You always said they deserved better.” Thor smiled. “Stark paid for the plots and commissioned the tombstones.”

Bucky smiled sadly, “I tried to find the bodies, but Hydra and Eskil—“

“Cremated them.” You said quietly. “I know.”

Bucky nodded. “And Thor carved the symbols into the stones. It was really all his idea.”

You turned around to face him, the tears finally falling. “You did this?”

“Well, not alone.” He answered with a shy shrug. “I just wanted to give you something special for your birthday, and you always said you wished your family had gotten the respect they deserve, so I—“

Thor wasn’t able to finish because you threw your arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as the tears fells. You whispered a thank you in his ear as he held you close and rubbed up and down your back. At that moment, you didn’t care that the team was watching from the quinjet, or that you were crying like a baby. You’d finally gotten the one thing you’d been searching for.

Closure.

And it was Thor that gave you the last piece of it with this birthday present.

You’d lost your family in a tragedy, but their memory was finally being honored. Being respected. And it reminded you that you have something to live for now. Melody, Thor, Bucky, Nicholas, the team. You had so much to live for and to care about, and you never thought you’d get that chance. The chance to be truly happy.

You pulled away for a moment to look Thor in the eyes, “I love you.”

His eyes widened as a short, breathless laugh left his lips, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” You laughed through your tears.

“I love yo—”

Thor couldn’t finish his sentence as you pressed your lips against his, but you knew how he felt. You were in love with him. He was in love with you. And you didn’t care who knew. Hell, you wanted people to know. You wanted to shout it from the rooftops.

Love was something you never gave yourself a chance to experience. Now, as it turns out, love was really the best thing that ever happened to you.

Back on the quinjet, Steve leaned over to Tony and Natasha, “I told you she’d kiss him.” Natasha rolled her eyes and gave him a ten. Tony grumbled while slapping two twenties in his hand.

“The one day she decides to do PDA,” Tony mumbled.

“Oh, shut up.” Steve chuckled. “She’s in love.”

And in love, you were.

—

Forever Tags:

@jockarchie, @kimmy-h-life, @ben-platt-deserves-the-world , @thewordofthenerd , @wishuponastarlana, @yumel21, @here-for-your-bullshit, @bethbat, @iamafangirlofeverything, @loveisloveandmorepeopleneedit

#thor odinson x reader #thor x reader #bucky x platonic!reader #bucky barnes x platonic!reader #marvel x reader #Gætir series

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queen-scribbles · 6 years

Text

Crossing the Line

For @pillarspromptsweekly Fill #34. This week was another Roll for It, and boy howdy was I happy to get Gathbin in there, :3 Playing with Tavi’s opinion of him is FUN. Also got Great Hall and reclamation(which you kind of have to squint to see) (ao3 link coming bc tumblr’s still doing the thing)

“Watcher, there’s a visitor waiting in the Great Hall,” the gate guard announced as Tavi led her group back into Caed Nua.

She fought the urge to groan. She was tired, the cuts on her arm had reached the point in the healing process where they itched like crazy, the lot of them were worse for wear after the bandits they fought on the way back, and she was very much not in the mood. “Who is it?” If Azzuro’s tryin’ to part me from a couple thousand pands for somethin’ I don’t fuckin’ need again...

“Lord Gathbin, I believe,” the guard said, a slight smirk pulling at his lips.

“Really, now.” Tavi flashed a predatory grin. “It would be rude to make him wait.”

“He certainly has some nerve,” Kana murmured behind her. “I wonder what he wants.”

“I know what he’s gonna get,” Tavi snorted, stomping across the grounds with far more vigor than she’d felt a minute ago.

“Tavi-” There were hurried footsteps, and then Aloth was beside her. “Don’t do anything rash.”

“Oh, I’ve spent plenty of time thinkin’ about what I”m gonna do to that fucker,” she growled.

“Aye, an’ well he deserves it!” Iselmyr’s comment spilled out before Aloth silenced her with a wince.

“Whatever he might deserve, if we handle this properly, not only can we completely annul his claim, but he’ll be humiliated in the process. He sent assassins after you who failed. Usher’s eyes, you took them single handed. But if you barge in there and threaten to gut him in front of witnesses, you’ll be no better in their eyes.”

“Fuck what they think,” Tavi shot back with a snarl. “When have I ever cared what people fuckin’ think about me?” Aside from you, anyway. Not waiting for his answer, she slammed open the door to the Great Hall and strode inside.

“...claim what is mine by rights,” Gathbin was saying to Marshal Forwyn. He spun around, scowling, at the interruption. “You! What are you doing here?”

“I was about to ask you that,” Tavi retorted, crossing her arms. The motion pulled at her injured shoulder but she ignored the twinge. “Didn’t you basically forfeit your claim with your hissy fit in the Chancellor’s office?”

“Nothing of the sort,” Gathbin snorted. “Caed Nua is mine, you filthy little guttersnipe. I’ll not have some unwashed Vailian sword-for-hire stealing my family’s property.”

“It’s not stealing if I won it because you wouldn’t pay for service rendered,” Tavi growled. Even with Aloth’s (very sound) advice ringing in her ears, she was a hairs breadth from actually gutting the pompous fuck. She smirked. “It must burn you up t’ know that I’m living here, and doing a good fucking job.”

He sniffed disdainfully. “Oh, yes, it’s positively flourishing under your control.” He shot significant looks at the rubble clogging the way to the library and barracks. “Such a fine keep deserves better than your fumbling attempts at leadership.”

Tavi’s hands curled into fists. She might not like the politics and business of being the Watcher of Caed Nua, but she’d be damned if someone was going to insinuate she couldn’t do it. “Is that why you sent fuckin’ assassins, Lord Gathbin?”

He didn’t even blink at the sarcasm dripping from his title, face going studiously blank. “I didn’t send assassins.”

“Bullshit,” Tavi snapped, digging into her belt pouch for the letter Keya had found. She hadn’t wanted it to mysteriously vanish and had kept it with her. “I have proof. It has your fucking seal on it, you bastard!”

“I hired no assassins,” Gathbin repeated, adjusting one silk glove. “I may have paid some men to exterminate vermin encroaching on my keep, but-”

Tavi was launching herself forward before he finished the sentence, too furious to even holler the obscenities pilling up in her head.

Kana caught her before she’d made it more than a foot or two, wrapping an arm around her waist and hauling her off her feet. “I think it’s time to let someone else handle this conversation.” He nodded to Aloth and started carrying Tavi back toward the door.

She thought about fighting him, started to struggle, and then remembered two things. First, Kana was roughly as strong as she was, and second, he was one of six siblings. From her own experience grappling siblings who were doing(or about to do) stupid shit, she knew she was at a disadvantage. Kana already had her off her feet and was a fair bit bigger than she was. The part of her seeing red still wanted to try and work free so she could punch Gathlin in his stupid fucking face, but when she twitched Kana tightened his grip. So she resigned herself to glaring daggers at the man until the door closed between them. She was still all but snorting sparks when Kana set her down and rested his hands on her shoulders.

“Alright, Tavi, no prying ears--except mine, I suppose--what was that about?” he asked gently.

“You heard him,” Tavi muttered angrily. “Vermin, my ass. I’ll leave him for vermin to chew on...”

“I did hear him,” Kana nodded. “This is not your usual reaction to insults. Usually, you reply with with a snarky comment, and are only ready to murder if necessary. This is... much stronger than normal.”

“He crossed a line,” she said with a growl, crossing her arms. Her fingernails bit into her biceps in a vain attempt to hide her anger. “Exterminating vermin, he said.”

“Tavi. You’ve been called worse and brushed it off,” he said softly.

“Aloth and Keya were the first ones in my room with the ruckus,” she finally caved, voice so quiet Kana leaned forward to hear her. She glanced down at the parchment still clenched in her hand. “The orders said no witnesses. If I hadn’t killed them, if Aloth or Keya weren’t prepared, it could’ve gotten” -Him- “one of them hurt. Or killed.”

From the look on his face, Kana knew--or guessed--where her thoughts had gone. He was nice enough not to bring it up, instead pointing out, “But you did kill the assassins, and I was there, Keya and Aloth were both prepared for trouble.” He smiled. “Your cursing loudly in the middle of the night is a rare enough occurrence they were suitably warned.”

Tavi managed a weak smirk. “I try to save the cursin’ for daytime hours when everyone can enjoy it.”

Kana chuckled. “And we appreciate your valiant efforts on our behalf. My point, Tavi, is that everything turned out fine.”

“I know,” she said quietly, feeling the coil of rage in her gut begin to loosen. But what if it hadn’t? “He just made it way more personal than most do.” She raked hair out of her face. “So I reacted in kind. Still kinda want to fuckin’ strangle him,” she admitted, kicking a pebble.

“And I don’t blame you for that in the slightest,” Kana said with a nod. “But think how much more satisfying it’ll be to defeat him in proper combat.”

She snorted. “To Rymyrgamd’s fucking void with proper combat, I’m just sick of him bein’ a threat.”

“I doubt he’ll try anything like this again,” Kana shrugged. “Especially knowing that you’re wise to him, and given that he all but admitted to attempted assassination in front of the marshal. His next move will likely be more direct.”

Between the time to think and Kana’s rational commentary, Tavi found herself calming down. “That... does make sense. And it would feel great to let the bastard think he can beat me before I prove him so wrong it’s fucking hilarious.” She cocked her head. “Can I just challenge him to a duel and get it over with?”

Kana shook his head. “You could, but he’d never accept. You’ll just have to bide your time until you have a big enough army to meet him in battle.”

“Damn,” she groused, but just then the door swung open, distracting her from further comment.

Lord Gathbin stormed out, back rigid. He sent Tavi a venomous glare but didn’t say anything as he strode rapidly toward the gate. Aloth and Sagani emerged only a few seconds behind, the latter’s hand on her bow as if to make sure their guest truly departed.

Tavi raised an eyebrow as she watched him go. “I’d consider him handled. Gods, city slicker, what did you say?!”

Aloth shrugged. “I simply reminded him of the combat prowess that made you a contender for Caed Nua in the first place.” He smiled slyly at her. “And informed him that you dispatched all three assassins single handed in under a minute, so he regrettably had not gotten his money’s worth with them.”

“That’s not even the best part, though,” Sagani crowed, apparently satisfied Gathbin was really leaving as she turned to join the conversation. “Tell her what you said after that.”

“What I said isn’t important,” Aloth protested. “All that truly matters is that he knows better than to do something like that again.”

Tavi looked at Sagani, curiosity only further piqued by Aloth’s humility. “Do tell.”

“Sending assassins is the mark of either a desperate men or an unworthy coward-”

“One so cowardly as to be unworthy of his title,” Aloth interrupted, face bright red and gaze studiously fixed on the hangnail he was picking. “If you insist on quoting it, at least do so properly.”

“Oh, I’m sorry if any of your poorly hidden contempt for the man got lost in translation,” Sagani said dryly. “Anyway, it was basically that if he was either of the previously mentioned types of kith, you were more than capable of handling him.” She grinned as Aloth’s ears twitched. “Then something about that not being a threat, just a statement of fact. Which, by the way, I second. You could beat that man with one hand tied behind your back, Tav.”

“‘Course I could,” Tavi snorted, studying Aloth’s face. “That just sounds a little more, well, me of a sentiment than you would usually voice, Aloth.”

The wizard shrugged, briefly meeting her eye before returning his gaze to the hangnail, which was now bleeding. “He crossed a line,” he said quietly. “And you’re rather important, being the leader of our group, and a Watcher, and the only one with a prayer of tracking down Thaos. Life will be significantly easier without Lord Gathbin trying anything further.”

“Thanks for havin’ my back, Corfiser,” Tavi grinned, lightly bumping her shoulder against his.

“Oh, it was no trouble,” Aloth mumbled.

“I can still appreciate it,” she said warmly. “Now come on, you lot”--an inclusive gesture to the lot of them--”we’re leavin’ for Defiance Bay first thing in the mornin’, an’ I want everyone well fed, well rested, and stocked up on whatever you think you’ll need.” If she hesitated a beat so she could walk to Brighthollow roughly next to Aloth, it was no one’s fuckin’ business but her own.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Everyone went to their own quarters when they entered Brighthollow, of course. But it was only a couple minutes before a growling stomach led Kana to the kitchen in search of a snack. And apparently, he wasn’t the only one.

Sagani waved a cheery greeting from her perch cross-legged on the table. “Lookin’ for the cookies? I haven’t eaten all of ‘em yet.”

“I had been considering something a bit hardier,” Kana laughed, “but since you mention it...”

She leaned forward and nudged the half empty plate toward him, commenting, “Interesting homecomin’, huh?” She gestured in the direction of Caed Nua’s main hall with her partially eaten cookie to clear up any potential confusion.

“It certainly was,” Kana agreed, chuckling as he reached for a couple of the golden-brown treats. “I haven’t yet seen anyone get a rise out of Tavi quite like that.” He sat--properly--at the table, noting with amusement that it put him perfectly eye-level with the dwarf.

“Yeah, Gathbin sure got under her skin,” Sagani mused, taking another bite of her cookie. “She say anything to you regardin’ why?”

Kana shrugged but smiled. “Who were the first ones in the room, who may have come to harm?”

“Keya and Al-oh.” Sagani smirked. “I knew it! It’s mutual, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

She rolled her eyes and teased, “Well, there goes my high opinion of your observational skills. Aloth’s been carryin’ a torch for Tavi at least since I joined up, maybe longer.” A giggle escaped, along with a few crumbs. “You really didn’t notice?”

Kana reflected, then gave a conceding nod. “In hindsight, yes, it is rather obvious, isn’t it? And she’s definitely carrying one for him. One obvious enough I wonder that you missed it.”

“I suspected,” Sagani shot back, grinning. “Now, how long you figure ‘fore they admit.it to each other?”

Kana thought for a moment, munching on his cookie. “A month? Perhaps longer, Tavi’s still in a state resembling denial.”

Sagani snorted. “Please. I give it a week. Two, tops.”

Kana shot her a curious look, grin playing at his lips. “How certain are you of that prediction?”

“Fifty pands sure,” she shot back, matching his grin.

“I’ll take that wager,” he said with a nod.

They shook on it, and returned their attention to polishing off the plate of cookies. They were setting out tomorrow; no telling when they’d have another chance to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life.

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

Sagani wins, btw. It’s only a week and half from here that Tavi has Near Death Experience #3 in Third Time’s the Charm. Kana’s okay with this. (He wins the bet on how long til their first “real” kiss after that, so it balances out)

#queens fic #pillars prompts weekly #pillars of eternity #tavi illani #kana rua #aloth corfiser #sagani #otp: third time's the charm

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