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angelic-writer · 3 years

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Polyblank’s “death” (1/3)

Polyblank walked into the dark room where the suitcase was supposed to be located. It was simple: Get in, grab the suitcase, get out. It was supposed to be simple. The Director had told him to be careful, but Polyblank didn’t need to be worried. He had been in more precarious situations before. He’ll be fine.

It’s just like he said. “Improvise. I know you’ll do well by me.”

Multiple mathematical equations were floating around, some he recognized, others he didn’t, lines were blurring together, sounds could be heard from all directions. The young man’s eyes scanned the room before he finally spotted it. The suitcase that contained the files.

Polyblank grabbed it and was about to turn around to leave when-

“Why, hello there, Polyblank.”

The spy stiffened. That voice was similar to someone he knew. I-It couldn’t be... right?

He turned around to see a man with short, red hair, wearing a red, sparkling suit. He was holding a cigarette in his hand.

“I’ll admit, we didn’t expect you to sneak in so easily. Although, my employees are quite dim-witted, at least they hadn’t forgotten to contact me.”

Polyblank began to search the room. There has to be some way out, a window he can sneak out of. Of course, he wasn’t going to run while this antagonist was right there. He had to run when he leaves.

“I heard a lot about you, Polyblank. About how you defeated the notorious Editor. You were pretty hyped up at our office for a while. And now, we get to finally see you in the flesh.” He lit up his cigarette and inhaled. He blew out a puff of smoke. “I’ll cross that off my bucket list.”

The young spy stared at the antagonist for what seemed like minutes. Finally, the red-haired man spoke. “Now, I really must be going.” He turned his back towards Polyblank as if to walk to the door, but then smirked. “Oh, before I forget...”

Before he could blink, something was shoved into Polyblank’s mouth. It was spiny, it was slimy... Was that a pufferfish?!

Before he knew it, he had already swallowed it. The red-haired man smiled. “A little gift for you.”

Confusion was rattling through his mechanical brain. Why did he put a pufferfish in his mouth? Luckily, his guest was here to answer.

“Now, you might be wondering why I put a pufferfish in your mouth. Well, I couldn’t let someone from Nexus6 have one of our files for the Consulate. As a result, my workers have been assigned to watch out for you. Of course, they failed miserably so I had to do the job for them. Why pufferfish? Why couldn’t it have been a gun or a knife? Well, I just can’t leave this room a mess. Besides, I wanted your body intact, Polyblank.”

He mouthed the word ‘What?’ before the antagonist continued.

“Tetrodotoxin. A pretty potent toxin that messes with the nervous system. First, you’ll feel yourself starting to feel numb, then you’ll start to have a headache, feel light-headed, dizzy, nauseous - you may even vomit. Then, you’ll start to become paralyzed in your extremities, then in the rest of your body, ending with your breathing stopping. I must say, it is quite an indignant thing to die from, Polyblank. But, well, we can’t always have nice things.”

His heart almost stopped at the explanation. This guy was planning to kill him... and he was about to succeed. “Well, I must be going now.” He slowly walked towards the door. “Oh, by the way...” He turned to look at the spy. “I suggest you start looking for a way out. You only have 10 minutes.” And with that, he was gone.

Polyblank immediately started to look for a way out. His heart was hammering in his chest. The room was flashing before him. From what he could see, there were filing cabinets, a desk with a single computer and a board with business mumbo-jumbo on it. His eyes caught the sight of a vent. Maybe if he got up there, he might be able to crawl to one of the entrances and get out.

He grabbed one of the filing cabinets and started to push. It took a bit of effort, but he eventually pushed it just under the vent for him to climb up. He took the cover off and started to crawl in. As he did so, he felt his lips and tongue start to tingle. Oh no... The toxin... It’s setting in!

He frantically crawled faster, hoping he would find an exit. As he searched for a way to freedom, his face started to feel numb. His head began pounding and he felt like he was floating on air. Sweat was starting to run down his face as saliva dripped out of his mouth. This is bad... This is really bad...

His vision was spinning, he felt nauseous - he felt something coming up his throat, but he held it back. Pain shot through his stomach as he slowly began to feel weak. He finally caught sight of the front door when he peeked out of one of the vent ducts. He popped the cover off and promptly fell down to the floor.

He could barely move. He was getting weak. He was running out of time.

He started to crawl towards the door, trying to gasp for air. He could barely choke out the words “H-Help... Someone... Help...” He couldn’t get very far before his hands stopped moving. Then, his arms and legs...

Someone walked into the room. Through Polyblank’s blurry and static-y vision, he could see that he had short, slicked-back brown hair and black glasses. It was... The Editor? What was he doing here?

The Editor paused to look at him before he shouted “Poly!” and rushed over to him. Wait, what? Why is he helping him? Shouldn’t he leave him to die or finish the job?

“Hang on, Polyblank, hang on. I-I’m gonna get you out. Just- stay with me, okay?” He was trying to keep his voice calm, but he could tell by the frantic look he had in his eyes. He lifted him up and tried to get him to look at him, but Polyblank couldn’t focus. He couldn’t breathe.

He was finally succumbing to the toxin. He focused his gaze on the Editor. He looked uncharacteristically terrified. Terrified for Poly’s life. He wanted to say ‘Leave me.’, but he couldn’t. His body was paralyzed.

The last thing he heard before he slipped into the dark was the Editor trying desperately to get him to stay awake.

#jazzpunk #polyblank #the editor #fun fact: this idea is based off of one of Conner's deaths from Detroit: Become Human.

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captcas · 4 years

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Worth Fighting For

WORTH FIGHTING FOR by capthamm

Killian “Hook” Jones is a dominate up and comer in the UFC while Emma “The Savior” Swan’s career was cut short. When Hook’s manager moves up and the office brings in UFC’s youngest legend to keep him in check, will either of them be able to handle it?

read on ao3 // tumblr: ch 1/ ch 2

[CHAPTER 3/?]

Saturday night brings their monthly movie/game night and Emma has never been more grateful for a distraction. Ruby and the Nolans will come over around 6 o’clock and Henry is practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. Tonight’s theme is Star Wars and this will be Henry’s official introduction to the series; at David’s insistence they’re starting with A New Hope and going release order from there. They’re also going to play Star Wars trivia which Henry will undoubtedly suck at.

Should be a fun night all around.

And it was, until Henry went to bed and the “adults” got to talking.

Ruby cracks another beer and turns to Emma, “So, Emma, you’ve got probably the coolest new job in the world and you haven’t said jack shit.”

She shoots Ruby an icy glare as David and MM stop bickering over whether or not Kylo Ren deserved a redemption arc to hear what Emma has to say.

Emma sighs, “It’s going alright. All the onboarding is underway and between the perks, benefits, and pay, Henry should be set for life.” She’s been fortunate to live off her winnings for the past nine years, being mindful of money and not giving into the lifestyle of frivolous spending many fighters take on, but -even her friends know- she doesn’t have a money tree.

The looks on their faces when she mentions Henry being set for life could melt 1000 Olafs. When she arrived at Ruth Nolan’s home at the age of 16, she never expected to find a family. Hardened by a life too lived for anyone her age, Emma assumed they’d be like every other foster home and use her for the money. To this day, she’s never been so happy to be wrong.

Emma’s not sure what twist of fate landed an orphan with such a great support system, but she’ll be forever grateful. David took to the “protective brother” role immediately. Soon after Emma moved in, he met Mary Margaret (fireworks and butterflies and all that mumbo jumbo) who introduced them to Ruby. They’re small, and maybe a bit scrappy, but they’re family.

She breaks out of her thoughts and returns to the present, “I will need some babysitting though; I’m required to attend each of my client’s Fight Nights. But overall it’s great, really!”

She hopes she squeaked away without having to mention Jones at all but the glint in Ruby’s eye tells her otherwise. “Ok that’s all fine and dandy,” Mary Margaret shoots Ruby an incredulous look, warning her to tread carefully, but Ruby ignores her and continues, “but who’s the client?”

David is giving her a protective father vibe, Ms is practically vibrating, and she's pretty sure Ruby is salivating. Emma sighs realizing she shouldn’t postpone the inevitable, “Killian Jones.”

Ruby practically drops her drink and Mary Margaret squeals, David rolls his eyes and turns back to the TV where SportsCenter has been playing in the background. Mary Margaret beats Ruby to the punch, “THE Killian Jones?! As in Killian “Hook” Jones?!”

Emma nods, standing up to refill the only slightly empty chip bowl in front of her. She knew this was going to happen and she wasn’t exactly looking forward to her friends thirsting over her client– client… right.

Ruby speaks next, “Well that is probably the best case scenario. Do you think he can get us tickets? Have you met him? Is he as gorgeous in person as he is on TV? Can we meet him?”

Emma, now glad she’s in the kitchen with space to breathe, is starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. She knows Ms can sense it and is unsurprised when she speaks next,“For Christ’s sake Ruby let her breathe. She’s probably only had her initial meeting with him.”

Ruby seems to get the hint and it doesn’t take long before Ms is in the kitchen helping Emma pick up the leftover pizza, “We’re happy for you, Emma. He’s a huge client for them, they obviously trust you to do a good job.” Emma nods in thanks and they both head back into the living room. Her sister-in-law’s warmth always calms her (and Ruby) down which allows David to jump in and change the subject to the coverage of some football player’s arrest on SportsCenter. Emma finally catches a breath and realizes just how lucky she is for the friend dynamic they have before settling in to debate if this James Spencer kid should still be eligible for the draft.

As she lays in bed that night, Ms’ words ring through her head. Despite the rollercoaster of emotions she’s been feeling, Killian is a huge client, one that was formerly represented by a namesake for the company. This re energizes her a bit and helps her fall asleep, actually excited for what's to come.

She wakes up Sunday morning and makes Henry some pancakes and declares it a lazy Sunday. Henry happily obliged, cuddling up on the couch with The Deathly Hallows while Emma threw on some shitty reality TV.

. . .

When her alarm rings Monday morning, Emma pulls her pillow over her head like some teenager from one of those Disney Channel movies.

It takes her a second to remember what day it is and why she’s up at this godforsaken hour.

Killian Jones. Right.

She audibly groans before rolling out of bed and getting ready for the day. Between her shower and breakfast she gets Henry up. School starts at 8 so he’s technically running a bit behind but he’ll make it on the bus in time… hopefully.

She’s pouring him a bowl of cereal when he comes out of his room zipping up his sweater and rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, kid. Coco Puffs or Fruit Loops?” He mumbles some semblance of what she thinks is Fruit Loops so she pours the bowl and slides it across the kitchen island. He smiles in thanks as she pours her own bowl and sits beside him.

“So today’s the big day?”

She didn’t tell Henry about her new client and when she spoke to the Nolan’s and Ruby, he was definitely supposed to be sleeping. “How could you possibly know that?”

“You’re not as quiet as you think you are and I’m not as tired as you think I am.” He yawns as if to punctuate his point.

“Uh huh, sure, kid.” He gives her a knowing glance and she realizes she’s not getting out of this. She runs her hands over her face and sighs, “Yes, today is the first meeting and I’m only slightly nervous to fu— screw this whole thing up.”

Henry chuckles at her attempted censorship (she never said she was a perfect parent), “You’ll be great, Mom, and Hook seems like a decent enough guy. I’m sure he won’t give you too much trouble.”

She stares at Henry a bit dumbfounded. It shocks her everyday how old he’s getting– nine going on nineteen for sure. “Are you hiding some Weasley’s Extendable Ears in your room or something? Are you a wizard? Should you be at Hogwarts?” Emma is very obviously trying to derail this conversation but it works, setting Henry off about how he’s finally on the sixth book and explaining the concept of a horcrux.

Oh, her sweet summer child.

God, maybe he is old enough for UFC.

When did that happen?

She ushers Henry to the bus, promising him they’ll watch the sixth movie tonight if he finishes the book today and is to school on time. It’s only September and he can’t be late three times in the first month of school. She kisses his forehead and he wishes her good luck.

Sometimes she wonders how such a screw up ended up with the perfect kid.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Emma finishes getting ready. She jumps on the subway and finds herself at the office with a half hour to spare. She’s never early so she chalks it up to nerves and uses the time to prep for this meeting.

Over the weekend she received multiple emails from Gold’s team surrounding a possible spot for Killian on the card for the pay-per-view Fight Night in November.

A pay-per-view card. She did enough research about Killian this weekend to know that would be his first.

Emma feels like she’s been thrown into the deep end before being taught how to swim.

Go big or go home.

She did a lot of research about Killian and learned practically nothing. She knows he came here from London almost ten years ago and that his team includes his head trainer Robin (husband of now former manager Regina Mills), and three other men named Will Scarlett, August Booth, and William Smee (he’s really selling it with that whole Hook theme). Other than that all she found was his record and highlights. He’s 6-0 which is insane for only being in the circuit for a year and a half– fighters are usually limited to three, maybe four fights a year.

4 of his 6 are knockouts.

He’s good… really good.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a light tapping on the edge of her cubicle. She glances up to find none other than the man himself. She can’t help but double take.

Real professional, Emma.

She's only ever seen him in the ring, at the gym, or dressed up for a business meeting. She’s not sure what she expected, but a leather jacket and pants that fit him like his own skin definitely weren’t it.

He looks good… really good.

Emma snaps herself out of it, “Hi, Mr. Jones, just give me a moment and we can head to the conference room.”

“It’s Killian, love, please.” She notices he winces at the seemingly habitual pet name. Emma ignores the ring of disappointment that runs through her gut at the realization that it may not be reserved for her. “A conference room’s a bit formal, don’t you think? Let’s get out of here, Swan.”

He grabs her hand before she can answer. “Mr.— Killian. Is this allowed?”

He chuckles. “We can plan the meetings at our leisure,” he says the last bit in an almost scary imitation of Regina, “but even still, Regina and I never met in office. A bit silly for two people to take up an entire conference room, yeah? Come on, lass, try something new. It’s called trust.”

Emma rolls her eyes but follows along anyway. The elevator ride should’ve been awkward but Killian kept the conversation flowing by asking her preferred drink. “Coffee, tea, or smoothies?”

Despite the risk of sounding like a child, Emma finds herself being honest with him, “Uhh, I actually prefer hot chocolate… with cinnamon.”

He smiles brightly at her, as though her drink order was the most brilliant discovery this century, “Perfect, Swan. I know just the place.”

She was so swept up in his ambush, she doesn’t realize that this isn’t the cocky, asshat Killian Jones she sees on tv or at the gym until he’s practically dragging her across the street to a small cafe. This Killian seems genuine and carries this almost childlike excitement.

Emma tells herself she has no interest in learning more about this Killian.

(Emma doesn’t have to tell herself that that is complete bullshit.)

. . .

He can’t stop himself from beaming when she offers up her drink order without hesitation. Killian feels like a bloody teenager around her. He promised himself he wouldn’t feel this way again, but something about Emma Swan has completely entranced him.

He finds himself fascinated with every part of her, including the small things, like the fact she takes cinnamon on her hot chocolate.

Once they get to the cafe across the street, Killian forces himself to dial it back. He can tell she’s guarded and as much as he’d like to be friends (more than friends) with the lass, he knows business has to come first.

It wouldn’t exactly be a good look for him if he ran “The Savior” out of the office on her second day.

Somehow he thinks he doesn’t have that power.

He’d like to. (Obviously not to run her out of the office, but he’d like his existence to mean that much to her.)

Bloody hell, he's being ridiculous.

They sit down across from each other at a small table by the window. He expects to start the conversation but before he can form a coherent thought she’s speaking.

“So, Killian. I’ve already received some correspondence from Gold’s team. I’m not sure how much time you usually take between fights and I know it’s already the end of September but…”

She’s rambling and he doesn’t think he’s ever seen anybody so adorable when they’re nervous.

Adorable is not a professional descriptor.

Killian Jones doesn’t want “professional” with Emma Swan.

Fuck.

“...Gold is hoping to get you on the main card for November 14th.”

Did she just say main card?

He chokes on his coffee.

“Main card, Swan? I’ve never been on the main card. Strictly early prelims…”

She eyes him suspiciously, “Usually that’s a good thing. Upward momentum and all that. His team is clearly impressed by your dominant record.”

“Is his team the only one impressed?” The flirt escapes him before he can stop it.

Bloody idiot.

She doesn’t even bat an eye, “The entire league seems to be impressed, Jones.” Her tone tells him she knows what just happened but she shut it down immediately.

He likes a challenge.

Emma Swan may be his favorite challenge yet.

Emma Swan is off limits, but Killian will be damned if he cares.

. . .

Emma is surprised when Killian pays for their drinks despite her insistence that she can charge it to Mills Management. She’s also surprised by how nice he is.

She keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop.

She’s still waiting.

He’s definitely flirtatious, every other sentence being easily twisted into some sort of innuendo, but she can tell it’s a front. The little things he does like tipping the barista an extra fifty cents or holding the door for her, let on to the man behind the persona.

Well, and the fact he practically chokes when she tells him they want him for the main card.

He seems genuinely shocked that anyone would be impressed by him. His mask comes out almost immediately, another innuendo laced into his question. She doesn’t let him go there, shutting it down as quickly as it started. For this to work, she needs him the real him. Not the cocky MMA fighter who he used to catch the eye of UFC execs. She compliments him, and it’s beyond genuine. That seems to calm his nerves a bit as they move into social media management and he shifts into a professionalism she’s not entirely prepared for.

She’s not sure she wants professional Killian Jones.

Whoa, Emma, pump the breaks.

She shakes it off as she watches him take notes on what she’s saying about the importance of a lead up on Twitter and how it can set the tone for the entire fight. His tongue runs along the inside of his lower lip as he concentrates and she can’t help the overwhelming wave of attraction that hits her.

Like lightning.

It’s not just the tongue, (but that’s not helping) it’s his dedication to this sport and how he actually gives a fuck about what she’s saying. Killian never displayed even a hint of the deeply rooted misogyny that runs rampant throughout the industry. He actually seems almost humbled by her presence. The words escape her mouth before she can’t stop them, “Why are you actually taking anything I say seriously?”

Very professional, Emma. Way to instill confidence in your client. Smooth.

His head snaps up at her abrupt question and he looks confused. “I know you don’t like being called a legend, Swan, but you were a damn good fighter. If I walk out of this partnership with half the following and success you had, I’d call that a win.”

She’s stunned by his sincerity.

Brick. Wall. (She thinks she hears Pink Floyd somewhere in the distance.)

“And I suppose you think you know all about me from our, what, three conversations now?” She knows it’s snippy, that’s the point.

He stops typing and puts his phone down. “Pardon me, love, but you’re a bit of an open book.”

Emma scoffs, “Anyone with the internet knows I prefer people don’t call me a legend.”

“Aye, but do they know it’s because you feel too young with a career too short to have made an impact? That you feel choosing yourself, a life, over MMA removes all glory from your name?”

Emma is entirely shaken by his apparent ability to read her like a fucking picture book. (Does that even make sense? Do you read picture books?) Emma never had a formal retirement ceremony; gloves in the middle of the ring and all that. She had asked Gold to be taken off the roster and for a quiet exit and that’s what he’d given her. The public doesn’t know the real reason she left MMA, her attempt at keeping Henry’s life as normal as possible, but somehow Killian–

Brick. Brick. Brick.

“Let’s talk about Instagram.” She sees the disappointment sweep across his face, realizing she can read him pretty well too. That’s terrifying.

Way more terrifying than social media plans.

They keep it strictly business for the rest of the meeting. She’s startled when her stomach rumbles and she checks the time.

12:00. They’ve been strategizing for three hours.

She’s not sure where the time went, and when Killian asks her if she wants to grab a bite to eat together, she’s startled again by her initial gut reaction to say yes.

Obviously, she says no and makes up some lie about needing to get back to the office. He knows it’s a lie, she can see it all over his face. He doesn’t push her though, and she’s grateful. They set their next meeting and Emma’s heart speeds up, seemingly unaware that this is a business meeting and not a date. She shakes his hand and promises to have a full plan ready for Thursday before practically sprinting out of the cafe.

In three conversations Killian Jones has gone from asshat to… who knows. One thing Emma does know is that Killian Jones is off limits to the highest of ethical degrees. But what scares her most, is that she’s not entirely sure she cares.

. . .

As soon as he asks her to lunch he knows he’s pushed too far.

Actually, he perhaps pushed too far by letting on just how easy it was for him to read her, but lunch, well that was just asking for a brick wall. He runs his hands across his face, completely taken with someone he has no right to. She’s witty, smart, and could probably kick his ass— scratch that, could definitely kick his ass— but she also has demons, he can see them swimming behind her eyes. Demons that seem scarily similar to his, maybe not on the surface but definitely in their damage. Emma is raw and unapologetic; a real human being who is, for all intents and purposes, unimpressed by the suave persona of Killian “Hook” Jones.

She’s bloody perfect.

He’s fucking fucked.

Eloquent.

Killian decides to grab a quick lunch from the cafe and head to the gym. He has a lot of pent up frustration and really feels the need to punch something. Thank god that’s his job. He scarfs down his sandwich, not realizing how hungry he was and jumps on the subway to the training center. He miraculously finds a seat and is able to scroll through his phone a bit. As he pokes around Twitter he finds an article announcing Emma “The Savior” Swan’s comeback to the UFC. He clicks on it, curiosity getting the better of him despite probably knowing the gist of the article.

He didn’t expect a timeline of her very impressive career:

2008: Swan joins the UFC with her Boston gym. Her debut match against Aurora Rose ended in a TKO. She’s back in action six months later fighting Ella Tremaine. She wins again, this time after three rounds by split decision.

2009: A dominant start to the year for The Savior with a first round submission against Tiana Dampier in January. She rounded out her year with another first round submission against El Oldenburg in May, and a third round knockout against Esmerelda Gringoire in October.

2010: Swan goes three rounds with Merida Baer and wins by unanimous decision. Swan wins again after three rounds by split decision against Megara Alcmene. The Savior’s final match is a KO against Mulan Fa rounding out her record to 8-0. Her next match, meant to be for the women’s title, was declined with no comment from The Savior.

2020: Swan joins Mills Management as a talent manager assigned to Killian “Hook” Jones.

Killian knew Swan was good, an early legend in her own right, but he had no idea she was this dominant. He also had no idea she left without so much as a wave goodbye. He figured he’d just missed the announcement seeing as it came well before his introduction into the sport. Against his typical moral code, he tries to google why she left but finds nothing. She knocks out Mulan Fa and then just stops being added to cards and fades away as new fighters take her place.

He knows there’s a reason for her secrecy and he’d be lying if he said curiosity was the only driving force behind his attempt to learn more. He finds himself wanting to know everything there is to know about Emma Swan; a deeper part of him aches for her to be the one who tells him.

He’s positive he can only dream of gaining that level of trust from her, but he has to try. Liam's words ring heavy in his ears, "A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets."

He gets off at the stop closest to the training center and walks through the front doors, waving to Belle at the front desk before heading into the locker room. He’s fortunate to be on the UFC roster, allowing him to keep his training gear at the center and not have to worry about lugging it around with him. It also gives him the freedom to come here whenever he needs to let off some steam. He changes quickly and finds a treadmill to warm up. He jogs a mile and a half before picking up the pace. Killian’s in the midst of his runner’s high when someone steps into the machine next to him. He turns his head to offer them a small smile in hello, it’s not that big of a gym, exclusive to the UFC industry and a few friends of friends, so chances are he knows the person at least in passing.

Oh, Killian knows them alright, and he practically falls off the treadmill when he sees her green eyes blown wide.

#Captain Swan #cs ff #cs modern au #emma swan #killian jones #capthamm #worth fighting for

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inlovewithfictionals · 4 years

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Villain Among the Family of Heroes

A/N: Hi, hello! So I was scrolling through pinterest and I found a writing prompt by @writing-prompt-s but I didn’t get to save it. But basically the prompt was something like “You have a family full of heroes. The three of your elder brothers are known as Powerhouses. But you rarely see them because they’re always out there saving the city. One day you decided to be a villain in order to see your brothers. And now family diners are the most amusing time.” My writings might not go as the prompt for hundred percent, I’m so sorry about that… Also, two things; English is not really my first language so sorry if there’s any grammar mistakes. And this is my first attempt at writing, it’s bound to be bad. But I would like to know your opinions so I can improve. Anyways this is a long freakin’ a/n, and I hope you enjoy!

Word count: 2649 (Damn that’s a lot)

I sighed, today has been a long day. And a pretty fun one, to be honest. I get to properly fight with my brothers as a villain and without them going easy on me. As a matter of fact, my brothers don’t know about me being the villain.

Okay, I might’ve lied to my family about where am I today.

You see, my family is a group of heroes. Well- mostly my dad and my brothers.

My mum, Eleanora Lascaris, doesn’t have any superpowers, she’s a normal human. She’s a doctor in town, and you’ve probably guessed it, she’s the one patching my dad and my brothers after missions. And I think that could be considered as superpowers because according to mum, my brothers are a handful when she patched them up. Patience is her superpowers.

However my dad, Matteo Lascaris, was born heliokinesis; the ability to manipulate solar energy. He was the hero in town called Ilios. He saved the people here numerous of times from different villains. Some villains still causing trouble ‘till this day, and some of them we never heard from again.

But now that my dad puts more of his time on his non-superhero work, someone has to protect the city when he can’t. That’s when my elder brothers take the role.

Alastair, Raiden, and Dylan Lascaris. Also known as Phyyrhos, Fulgur, and Hydro. The Powerhouses.

Raiden and Dylan are identical twins, both having the same light brown hair, same button nose, same height, and same amount of annoyingness. The only thing that makes a difference is that Raiden has amber coloured eyes, Dylan has sea blue eyes. And they have different powers. Raiden has electrokinesis; the ability to manipulate electricity and lightning. Dylan has hydrokinesis; the ability to manipulate water. And let me tell you, these two can be childish with their powers.

Then there’s Alastair. He’s the eldest child and the most responsible one. He has short dark brown hair, chestnut brown eyes, and also a button nose. His power? Pyrokinesis; the ability to manipulate fire. Even though I said that he’s the most responsible one, that doesn’t mean he didn’t try to burn a bunch cherry to see if it will explode or not. And in case you’re wondering, no it didn’t.

These three are the best heroes and highly respected ones as well, like our dad. They cared and saved the city like our dad, and maybe more. The whole citizens love them. They have every reason to.

And then there’s me, Thea Lascaris. I’m the youngest child and the most underestimated one. I do have my own power, photokinesis; the ability to generate and manipulate light. And I usually train with my brothers, but they and my dad never allowed me to be a hero like them. They said it was “too dangerous” or “I need more training. I’m still too weak”. I know that they just wanted to protect me, but sometimes I’m just tired of being underestimated. My brothers know that I don’t like to be underestimated. And often talked to me about it. They always remind me, “one day, sis.” And in the end I just let it go. At least I have my brothers with me, right? Wrong.

Usually, they would take a break from all of the Powerhouses stuff and spend time with me. Like training, watching a movie, talk about peoples we hate at school, or playing monopoly and not finishing it because one of us flipped the board. The point is that they always make time for us to spend as siblings. As a family. Up until a couple of months ago.

There’s crime everywhere, every day. The Powerhouses, along with Ilios has been busy taking care of it. Ever since then, I rarely saw them anymore. Let alone, spending time with them. I would lie if I said that I didn’t miss them. I tried to make them take a break but they never did. Not even for dinner! They’re either outside as heroes, or inside sleeping, researching about the bad guys, or doing their homework.

Days passed until I realise that the only way to see my brothers again is by becoming a villain. That way, not only can I see my brothers, I can use my powers. I can prove them that I’m not weak. I can prove them that I’m capable of doing something more.

After thinking about it, discussing it with Alice and getting the “this-is-stupid-but-I’ll-support-you” look from her…

“Are you really going to do that? What if you get caught?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I didn’t leave a clue to who I am. As long as you don’t tell anyone.”

She thought about it for a moment before giving me the look. “Fine,” she breathed out “On one condition,” I made a gesture for her to continue,

“Alastair’s phone number,” she said with a cheeky smile, crossing one arm and made a gesture to give her the number with the other one.

“When will you stop hitting on my brother?”

“When he stop being so hittable.”

…I finally came out as the new villain, Thanafos.

Surprisingly, I was pretty good at being the bad guy- err- I guess bad girl. I get to play around with my powers, testing what it can and can’t do, kicking my brothers’ butts, and going home like nothing happened. Though, I always make sure that I didn’t go too far. I don’t kill anyone. I only harm them and then leave them be. And I don’t harm my brothers. Well, not too brutal. Just enough so they don’t catch me.

Today was no different. I told my family that I was going to Alice’s house for a group project. That’s actually wasn’t completely a lie, I did a group project before I robbed a bank and getting away with it, with a fight of course. And I might have been a bit too harsh on the Powerhouses. It wasn’t my fault, I was trying to get away before the found out or getting the clue that it was me.

After all that mumbo jumbo, I teleported to a safer place, took half of the money for me and left half of it in front of an orphanage before I did another light teleportation back to Alice’s house before I went home. You might be wondering, aren’t you supposed to be a bad guy? Why are you dropping the money in front of an orphanage? Well, keep in mind that not all bad guys are heartless.

. . . .

“Mum, I’m home!” I said rather loudly, stepping into the house

“Thea? Where have you been? You said you’ll be home by five. I tried calling but you didn’t answer.” my mum said rushing to me, concern was evident on her voice.

“Sorry, mum. It took a while to get our project perfectly, and I put my phone on silent mode. You know, so I get full focus.”

She sighed, “I thought something happened to you. Crime is everywhere these days and I’m just worried-“

“Mum, calm down. I’m fine. Safe and sound. Besides, I could protect myself. No need to worry.” I cut her off, with a reassuring smile.

“Okay, then. Take a quick shower and come help me with dinner. I forced your dad and your brothers to take a break just this night.”

I smiled, nodding as I ran upstairs to my room, quickly locking it as soon as I got there. I dropped my bag on my bed, took my villain suit out and hide it in my closet, among my other clothes. Grabbing my casual outfit, I went to the bathroom and take a shower.

I have a feeling that I’ll find tonight’s dinner quiet amusing.

. . . .

As soon as I’m done setting the table, I heard my brothers arguing about something in the hallways,

“..Stop touching my shoulder, Raiden! It hurts!”

“You think that hurts? Thanafos kicked my face and threw me to a wall. And they burned my wrist while doing so. Now that hurts, Dylan.”

“You know that you could just electrocute that guy, right? They’ll pass out and we can know more about this person.”

“I told you, Al, it’s like this person knows my moves. Our moves and successfully dodge them! This guy has only bothered the city 4 times and they fight us like they’ve been doing that for years!”

When they entered the dining room, I couldn’t help my shocked face. And they said that I need more training, I thought.

What I saw was Dylan with his shoulders bandaged, bruises here and there, nothing too brutal but it must’ve felt painful from his statement before. Alastair has a light bruise on his right arm, his face was littered with scars and small cuts, and there’s a bruise just above his collar bone that might looked like a hickey. And I think that will be his reason if someone had asked him.

And then there’s Raiden. Dear brother, I am so sorry.

He’s holding an ice pack to his left cheekbone, his back is kind of hunched, looks like he is limping a little, not to mention those first degree burns. He got one burn on each wrist, two on his right forearm, and one on his left palm. All burn are already treated. There’s a lot of visible scars on him. And his hands seems like it’s sparking with electricity, which only happens when he’s pissed or nervous.

He’s going to kill me if he finds out it’s me.

“Maybe Thanafos is a mind reader. That’s why they know our next moves.” Dylan suggested.

“Maybe. Or maybe they’ve already memorized our moves from past villains. They take notes.” Alastair said.

“Alright, you guys. Sit down and eat your dinner. Where’s your dad?” mum asked, while cleaning the counter.

“He’s still downstairs.” All three of them replied, sitting on the chairs.

Mum sighed and went out the kitchen to the basement, calling for dad. Not before telling us, “You guys, eat your dinner. Don’t wait up.”

I sat on my chair, still holding back a smirk as I began to eat. All four of us ate in silence until I pretend that I don’t know anything and asked, “What. The Hell. Happened. To you three?”

“Got beaten up,” Raiden grumbled.

“Burned,” Dylan continued.

“And pretty much failed to stop Thanafos. Again.” Alastair finished.

I choked on my water as I laughed. My brothers’ eyes immediately shot up to me. “You? The Powerhouses? Got beaten up by a criminal? And failed to stop them?” I asked, my laugh died slightly. “I never thought I’d see the day!”

Dylan frowned slightly, “What do you mean? We don’t always successfully stop a criminal and we always came back home looking like this. Well, except for Raiden. Today has been brutal to him.” Raiden groaned upon hearing Dylan’s statement.

“What I meant by that is that Thanafos is a new bad guy here. Other bad guys here are often being not so lucky on their first couple of heist. This person has annoyed the city for only four times in two months. That’s nothing compared to the other villains here and all three of you failed to use your powers against them. That’s rare, bro.” I pointed my carrot to three of them before taking a bite.

“Well, I don’t think this person is a newbie. Clearly they’re trained. And they might’ve memorized and understanding our moves and powers,” Alastair stops to swallow his food, “and taking notes because they can easily dodge our powers.”

“And this person clearly has a power. I’m assuming it’s also pyrokinesis, like Alastair’s. That could explain the burns.” Dad said as he walked to sit on his chair with mom trailing behind him before sitting down on hers. “But they could also have heliokinesis like mine.” He continued. They all nodded slightly.

Raiden gulped down his drink before commenting, “I have to admit though, Thanafos puts up a good fighting skills for a newbie.”

I’m flattered, Rai.

“Yeah, I can see that from the many scars they left on you.” I noted, smirking.

Dylan and Alastair snickered while Raiden groaned. Again. “Will you guys stop commenting on how bad I look right now? I’ve had enough scars on my body, I don’t need more on my heart!” He pouted, causing us to laugh.

“I’m still wondering how Thanafos managed to know our moves and dodge them easily. As well as disappearing after each fight. They couldn’t have more than one power.” Alastair stated. “Is it possible to have burning, teleporting or invisibility, and mind reading at the same time?” He asked.

“No way. That’s overpowered!” Raiden exclaimed.

“Unless they have a technology to add more abilities like that, the chances are slim. However, I will try to find out more about it.” Dad explained. “For now, let’s just enjoy family time like this.”

“Yeah, it’s been a long time.” Alastair said.

“Hey… sorry we haven’t been able to spend time with you, sis. More crimes every day that we need to take care of.” Dylan told me quietly. Raiden and Alastair nodded in agreement.

“No, It- It’s fine. I get that you three as The Powerhouses have to protect the city. But sometimes, I just want to join.”

“You already know that-“

“I know, I know. Too dangerous.” I cut him off.

If they let me join them one day, should I tell them that I’m actually Thanafos? I probably should. I decided to not think about that now.

Alastair smiled, “It’s a good thing you didn’t come with us. You’ll end up worse than Raiden.”

“I don’t want to imagine what’s worse than this,” Raiden gestured at his bruises and burns, “but, yeah. Al’s right.” We laughed at his statement.

“To make it up for you, how about going to cinema tomorrow? You know, sibling time.” Dylan asked me.

I thought about it for a bit, before agreeing to that. “Promise no Powerhouses stuff?” I asked, not making eye contact.

The three looked at each other before smiling. Alastair puts his right hand in front of him, looking at Raiden and Dylan. Raiden puts his hand on top of Alastair’s and Dylan does the same on top of Raiden’s. “Promise.” They all said. I grinned, putting my hand on top of theirs and then we cheered.

“So, we’re cool?” Raiden asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re cool.”

“Well I’m not cool. I’m pyrokinetic. I was supposed to be hot.” Alastair argued playfully.

“Whatever, Phyyrhos.”

“Shut up, Hydro!”

We burst out laughing. I looked at mum and dad, they we’re laughing along while shaking their heads.

Moments like this are the moments I love the most. Just the six of us, having the time of our life’s goofing around. Like a family should. But I know that these moments never lasted. These moments are rare nowadays. That’s why I cherish every second of it. I would’ve been lying if I said that I didn’t want more times like this.

Unfortunately, I can’t. I rarely saw my family apart from my mum. That’s why I took my opportunity to be Thanafos, right? To see my family. And to prove that I can do more. But they don’t know.

They don’t know it’s me.

Not yet. It’s only a matter of time before they found out.

Will they be disappointed? Most likely.

Will they be pissed? Maybe.

But I have my own reasons to why I am who I am now. And maybe, just maybe…

…other villains have the same reason. And if only people understands it, if only people would give them a chance… they would’ve been a hero instead of a villain.

For now, let me enjoy my time with my family while I can.

#writing #writings #writer #prompt #superhero #superhero au #villain #villain au #writings prompt #im bored #quarantine be like #powerhouse

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mostlygaymarvelstuff · 4 years

Text

My Love Took Me Down To The River To Silence Me

We left at dawn and arrived at the river by noon.

He led me there, hand in mine, step by step, down to the bank. He sat me down to a picnic and we shared a glass of wine. He then pulled a hatchet from the basket and told me to lay my head down.

I refused, saying that it would sully the blanket.

So we moved to the sand and I laid on my back, gazing back up at the man hovering above me, with an inoffensive backdrop of heavy clouds. He gave me a sorry look, a curly curtain fallen in front of his face. He just stared at me like that. I just smiled at him.

“You look ridiculous right now, I’ll have you know,” my voice carried nothing but warmth.

He squinted a little. I wished his expression was cold, but it stayed apologetic, like he was having doubts. He then lets his head tilt to the side and mocks, “Says the guy lying in wet sand asking me to kill him.”

“C’mon. It’s better for the both of us. You know that it is.”

He sat back and rolled his eyes, “Are you sure we have to do this now? We could have another day together, just you and me. Then we can do all this business, but… I’m not sure I can do this quite yet.”

I sat up too. “Why not?”

“I… I don’t know. The whole ‘dark magic’ mumbo jumbo is a little far-fetched.”

“And backed by science. You want to be rich and famous in this life and others, just kill me! I’ll find you some way or another, the next time around.”

He just shakes his head, “But I don’t want to live out this time without you.”

We both sat in silence for just a moment before I bit my lip, “Well, either you’re going to kill me, or I’m going to kill you, then your sister is going to kill me and we’ll both be dead.”

“But we’ll already be on to the next life.”

“Or you can live this one out. Just without me. What’s so bad about that?” I ask, then lay back down.

He sighs heavily and puts the axe down, laying with me for just a moment.

“Who’s to say that there even is a next time around?”

“We already agreed that there is. It’s true. Energy is conserved; it never goes away, just comes back in a different form. And you and me– we already agreed, we’re soulmates. We’ll find each other in every lifetime. The next one will just get to be twice as good, ‘cause we won’t have to watch a stupid lighthouse and work nine hours a day, six days a week.”

“Or we’ll have the same hours, but we’ll work in a mine,” he rebuts.

“Mm. Or you’ll be some wealthy aristocrat who just so happens to notice that the boy who does your laundry looks staunchly good in tweed and want to show me off to all your aristocrat friends.”

“Am I a woman in this story?”

“If you want to be. Or we can be somewhere like France, where everyone just sits around, reads poetic men describe the perfect man... and tolerate it because it’s in verse.”

He just rolls his eyes and tosses some sand on my shoulder, “God, you’ve got to stop reading all that French garbage…”

“Do you hate the French?”

“Of course not!”

“What? We can afford the books, we can read. They translate that stuff for people like us.”

“Or for the wives of wealthy men.”

“Oh, I wish I was the wife of a wealthy man! That’s why we’re doing this. Come on. Just say the words and behead me!”

He turned his back to me with those words. I reached up and traced the lines of his back. He just looks down, “We can still live this life. Then we can do all this…”

“And if we live this life, it’ll be decades before we get to live our next one,” I hum, sitting up and wrapping my arms around his shoulders. “Decades of Benjamin Trouts…”

“Or of À La Recherche Du Temps Perdu,” he teased.

“That’s different. People will find out about us,” I remind him.

“We’ll keep our affairs private.”

“If you truly believe that matters, you’re delusional.”

He faces me with desperate eyes, flitting between my face and my neck, “Just… time. We still have time. We don’t need to do this now.”

I place my hands on his, “If we put this off, we’ll never do it.”

“And what’s so terrible about that?”

I shake my head at him, then look down.

“If we had a little more time–” he starts. I interrupt him.

“We should have another glass of wine.”

A glass and a half later, the tidal river was licking at our blanket. The hatchet was wet enough to rust, and, most tragically, my head was still attached to my neck. The silence was suffocating, but not in the right way.

“You could poison me,” I say.

“Why does this have to end with you dead?”

“How could it end with me alive?” I ask in response. “The future would be bright. You’d be rich, I’d be there in the next life, right by your side.”

He just looks down and shakes his head, “But is it worth it?”

“Worth what? A life? This is just one of dozens, thousands. And we’ll ensure that this one will help the future when we’re living in… 1974, or 2038 or 2609.”

He sighed and turned to me, “But I want to live out the rest of this one with you. Grow old, have a family.”

“None of that is ensured. You can find someone after me.”

“Who would want to be with the man who killed his last lover?”

I just shrugged, “Well, do you think you’d tell them?”

“It would be dishonest not to!”

Silence covered us like a fresh blanket of snow, with sound fizzling out until neither of us knew what to say.

It took a moment for me to articulate my words, “I want what’s best for you. And us. And our future. This is a small sacrifice.”

“Small?”

“Yes, small. In the grand scheme of things,” I sit upright, just before him. “And it’s what I want.”

He gave me a sad look, then looked at the hatchet, brushing off some dirt. “I’m not… I’m not going to win this argument, am I?”

I chuckle, “I think you’ve known me long enough to know that.”

“And you’re not even going to give me one more day?” he asks, biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood on the side of his tongue.

“One more day might be too many. Just… do this. For me.”

He slowly stands and walks away, putting both hands on top of his head, “And if this works…?”

“Easy lives. Forever. For the rest of eternity, every time we live a new life.”

“And if it doesn’t?” He turns back to face me.

I shrug. “You try to find a new guy to work the lighthouse with you and I get to see you the next time around.”

“You’re awful casual about all this.”

“I have to be. Otherwise, you’d freak out.”

He scrunches his nose at me. I continue.

“Plus, I’d rather be calm in my final moments in this lifetime. This is normal. I’ve died dozens of times before, this is just routine.”

“I certainly would not call sacrifice ‘routine’.”

“You know, the Romans sacrificed animals all the time. And the Aztecs sacrificed people too. And I think Jesus’s whole thing was sacrifice, and–”

“I get it,” he kept his voice calm as he walks over. “Stop talking about world history or I might kill you in the wrong way.”

I laughed, genuinely finding it funny. He forced a chuckle, though it was deprived of mirth.

I just sat back. “Do you know who told me about the Aztecs? A German delivering a boat’s load of those Lancaster Thirty-Eights. A German.”

“Maybe we should move to Germany. Then you can read their history books ‘till you stuff your head full.”

“In the next life. I doubt they have much use for English-speaking lighthouse managers overseas.”

I lay down. The sand felt cold and sharp against my back and I could feel the gentle bustle under the surface. The tide refused to come any higher, but the man standing several yards away stepped slightly closer. I start speaking again.

“Anyway– even though this may not be routine for you, it has been for other people. So don’t feel too terrible about all of this.”

“I feel pretty terrible,” he admits.

“Too terrible to do it?” I ask.

“I… no. Not too terrible to do it. You want this…” he repeats it again, under his breath. “You want this…”

“I do.”

“And I’ll do it! I’m going to do it.”

I shut my eyes and tilt my head up, waiting for the blow. I wish I knew why, just for a moment, I felt a tinge of fear. A little more than a tinge, really. I was scared. But my love took the hatchet in both hands and as he approached, the sound of wet sand condensing under his boots made my fear disappear.

#short story #mlm #gay #period piece #1910s #gay fiction #fiction #dark magic #reincarnation #homophobia #soulmate

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frickfracksnatchisback · 5 years

Note

( meeps back into existence) I have the hurt comfort sad moon in submits for you....Also, 1: I LOVE THE STEAMPUNK AND PLS TURN IT INTO A REAL AU and 2: the next prompt could be....Metallic and affectionate! ( I'm failing at being sneaking. I just really want more insight on steamjumper) - Silver

((Already posted the other two things, just using this ask for the prompt)) Alright, I’ve got the new prompt for you as well! Robotic (as in the AGIT AU) and Anger. I feel like we need more angry Moonbot in our lives, so why not?

Here we go again with Steam Punk Hat AU!

***

“YOUDID WHAT?!”

Moonjumpercringed at the shouting, knowing very well who it belonged to. He washiding behind the basement door, having cracked it just enough so hecould listen in on the conversation.

Hattiehad been visiting him for the past couple days after she had freedhim. At first, Moonjumper planned “fix” her so she could be withhim forever and later they could make their escape. But after a bitof negotiation, Hattie had somehow convinced him to go with a betterplan. To instead, live with her and her family and not turnher into a robot. (She had told him over and over that she wasperfectly fine with being human, though he didn’t quite understandwhy)

Hattiehad told him to stay in the basement until she talked things overwith her father. But Moonjumper was pretty sure he knew what kind of“father” she was dealing with. And an inkling feeling in his veryCore told him that this plan wasn’t going to work at all.

“Pleasedon’t be mad at me! I just wanted to-”

“Itold you not to go down there! Do you have any idea whatcould’ve happened to you?!” the shouting returned, cutting offthe little girl’s words abruptly. “You could’ve been hurt or-”

“Orwhat?! Find the robot in the basement that you locked up?!”Moonjumper felt himself gasp at Hattie’s words. Had it been underdifferent circumstances, he would have found her retorts ratherhumerus. But the atmosphere was extremely tense, with his fate beingon the line. Would she even be able to convince her traitor of afather to let him be free?

Moonjumperleaned closer, listening intently as there was a short period ofsilence.

“H-howdid you-?” the creator spoke, clearly phased. But the disbeliefonly lasted for so long. “Listen, I know it looks bad. But trustme, there’s a good reason for why I-”

“Nothere isn’t! You locked him down there without even giving him achance!”

“Thatthing down there isn’t a ‘he’. It’s just a machine-”

“Nohe ISN’T!” Moonjumper startled at Hattie’s angryscreams. “He’s a person and his name is Moony! And he told methat you-”

“HarrietJeannette Tyme, that is enough!” Moonjumper could feel achill in the air after those words were spoken. He felt incrediblynervous. With such an authoritative parent like that, how on earthcould Hattie get through with this plan? But he also felt incrediblyfurious. How dare his creator call him a“thing”! He barely had any room to talk, treating him like just amindless “machine”! He had feelings, and at least Hattieunderstood that he-

“Youknow what? I’m not going to tolerate this any longer.” Moonjumperwas immediately snapped out of his thoughts, as he heard footstepsquickly approaching.

“Daddy…?Daddy where are you going?” littler steps followed, and Hattie’svoice clearly sounded panicked.

“Ishould have lock that door up when I left that monster downthere.” the footsteps continued to get closer and closer, until hiscreator was right at the foot of the door. He heard the clinking ofkeys after, which almost sent a shock through his system.

“NO!DADDY PLEASE DON’T-”

HearingHattie’s pleads was enough to send Moonjumper over the edge. Andwith incredible force, he burst through the door. He could hear a cryof surprise, as his creator lost his bearings and fell to the floor.The keys hit also hit the floor with a clank, right in frontof Moonjumper’s wheel.

Moonjumper’seyes were bright red, and full of rage. He looked down at hiscreator, who was laying on the floor and looking up at him in fear.His eyes switched from his creator, to the keys on the floor. Thecreator noticed this, and before he could make to grab the keys back-

Moonjumpersnatched the keys from off the floor. He made his creator watch,horrified, as he crushed the keys in his metal grasp. With horriblecrunching noises, Moonjumper destroyed the keys until they werepractically unusable. He then dropped the mangled and bent keys,letting them fall to the ground once more. His creator simply watchedas Moonjumper towered over him, his large shadow looming over thefloor.

“N-n-not…apri…soner…” Moonjumper growled, his clawed handsoutstretched above his head. “W-w-won’t lo…ck me a…way!”he yelled, ready to pouch on his creator and-

Moonjumperfroze, as he finally heard the sobs of a child.

Heturned his gaze away from his creator, only to see Hattie huddled inthe corner. And she was crying, her face in her hands. Moonjumper’sarms fell to his sides, his eyes turning back to yellow.

“H-H-Hattie?A-a-are you o…kay?”Moonjumper called to her, in a softer and much gentler tone. He startto roll away from his targeton the floor andtowards her instead.

“No!You stay away from her you-” Thorcalled out to him, readyinghimself to jump up off the floor and intervene. Fearfulfor what his creation would do to his only daughter, he made to stopMoonjumper.

Buthewas too late, as his creation was right above his poor, defenselessdaughter. Thorfroze,as he saw Moonjumperleaningcloser to her and-

…huggedher?

“S-s-shhh…It’so…kay…”Moonjumper tried to soothe her, rubbing her back and holding hertighter.

Thorstood there, dumbfounded, as his creation begantocuddlehis daughter. And his daughter returned the affection, holdingMoonjumpercloserand crying into his metal body. Thorsimply watched, feeling a mix of dread, guilt, and confusion buildingup inside him.He was still afraid of what his creation was doing, andwhywouldn’t he be? But seeing his daughter cry like that…while hecreation was the only one calming her down. Well, that made him feellike he made a big mistake as father. But at the same time, why washis creation being so…nice? And emotional?

“I’m…I’mso s-sorry, Moony!” Hattie sobbed, hiccuping in between her words.“I d-didn’t…I just w-wanted to help-”

“I-i-it’salright…you…r fine…”Moonjumper kept on, starting to cradle Hattie in his arms. As Hattiewasn’t looking, he took a moment to glare at Thor. Pure hate was inhis eyes, with them slightly turning red before going back to yellow.

Thorfelt a deep jealously growing in his heart. Hewas supposed to be the one caring for his daughter. And instead, thisrobot was the one drying her tears and comforting her. It shouldn’teven have emotions! And yet…

Yet…

Therealization struck Thor. It didhave emotion. Actual, human emotion. Could it be? Did the “Core”piece really bring his creation to life? Tim had warned him about it,but it’s not like he believed in all that magical mumbo-jumbo atthe time. He’d just thought of it as a power source and nothingmore. But now, he finally realized the truth. And there wasirrefutable proof, right in front of him, to prove it.

“I…”Thor felt himself speak up, grabbing both Moonjumper’sand his daughter’s attention. “…I’mso sorry.” he tried to apologize, recalling all the things he hadsaid or done. Moonjumper gave him a skeptical look, but he kept on.“I had no clue that you were really alive. I just…thought thatyou were-”

“A-a-amind…less ma…chine?”Moonjumper frowned at Thor, still holding Hattie close to him. Thorfelt slight anger at that response, but it was true.

“Isthere any way thatyou can forgive me?” Thor asked, still feeling guilty. Thatis, until he realized his mistake. Once he uttered those words,Moonjumper and Hattie beamed at him with excitement. AlbeitMoonjumper’s smile was a bit more malicious that Hattie’s, whichThor quickly noticed.

“CanMoony stay with us then?!” Hattie said rather excitedly, hoppingup and down in Moonjumper’s grasp.

“Y-y-yes…S-s-stayhe…re?”Moonjumper added in malevolently,that devilish smirkstillon his face.

Thorfelt extremely reluctant, not liking the look on Moonjumper’s faceone bit.Butif it would really make his daughter happy…

“Alright,he can stay.” Thor gave in, letting out a defeated sigh.

Hattieand Moonjumper looked at each other in surprise and glee. AndHattie started to giggle, as Moonjumper lifted her off the ground andinto his arms. He spun around, making both him and Hattie laughwith childish glee.

“Hey!Be careful with her!” Thor fussed, still not trusting Moonjumperwithin an inch of his life. And Moonjumper did stop, with Hat Kidstill laughing in his arms.

“Again!Again!” she clapped her hands together. But, to Thor’s surprise,Moonjumper shook his head.

“N-n-no,no…H-h-have to…be care…ful!”Moonjumper told her, mocking Thor with his tone of voice.

“Awww…”Hattie faked her disappointment, snuggling back into Moonjumper. AndMoonjumper rested his head on top of hers, givingThor a smug look that Hattie didn’t even notice. But Thor did, andMoonjumper had wanted him to see it. Finally, little Hattie was allhis! Well…sort of, but he could work that out later. He chuckled tohimself, as Thor shook his head at them and turned to leave.Moonjumper pretended not to notice, sighing as he cuddled his Hattiewithout a care in the-

“Ihope you realize there are other robots living here! You’ll have toshare!” Thor called back, before he disappeared out of sight.Presumably back to his workshop. Moonjumper eyes snapped open insurprise.

“Ohyeah! You haven’t met Mu and Snatcher yet!” Hattie exclaimed, asMoonjumper had lifted his head up to look at her confusedly. Hestared at her for a few minutes, until a nervous grin spread acrosshis face.

“S-s-share?W-w-with fri…ends?”Moonjumper asked her, slightly cocking his head in question. AndHattie nodded at him.

“Mhm!I think you really like Snatcher! He’s really funny, like you!”Hattie smiled at him. Although Moonjumper was trying to figure out ifthat was a compliment or not. He was too busy trying to process allof this, anyways. Otherrobots? As is other robots he had to sharehis Hattie with? Moonjumper thought deeply about this, as Hattiesnuggled into him once more.

Thatmight be a problem…

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xxxgrianeatsendermitesxxx · 5 years

Text

Glass tower, Paper crown

Cleo was pouring a drink, a simple ale for one of the soldiers when the four came in. She instantly knew why they were here, she'd spoken to the doctor before. She waved them over, smiling as Doc nodded and brought the group over. She leaned into and smirked. "The usual?" Doc nodded, gesturing to his friends. "Same as last time if you please ma'am, for my companions as well." She nodded and lead them through into a back room, the captains quarters in what was once a glorious vessel. She lead the men in there and gestured for them to sit down, the black haired one took the largest chair other then Cleo's own. She was surprised they just let him, figuring he was higher ranking then them, was didn't question it. But instead smiled and leant against her desk, pushing her hair put of her face and tucking it back under her bandana. "Anything to wash it down with?" Doc nodded and waved his hand, gesturing for the usual like the lazy ass he was. The others blinked at her in confusion, she sighed, figuring she'd have to put it in simple terms. "Do any of you want a drink?" The lycanthrope, Ren, requested a simple ale with a smile. Iskall asked for a very specific brand, assassins always with their expensive tastes. The mustached fellow sat pondering for a while, Doc nudged him and asked him to hurry up, referring to him as Mumbo. Mumbo chuckled and apologized, smiling at Cleo kindly. "Sorry ma'am, I was just wondering if still get free drinks as a part of my title?" The pirate queen blinked at him in surprise and confusion. "Why on earth would you think you'd get free drinks?"

Mumbo stood, with a wave of his hand he was saluting solidly. "Captain Mumbo Oliver Jumbo, at your service." He took a low bow, hand on his heart and raised his head to look at her. "It's an honour to meet the acclaimed Queen of pirates." Cleo blinked at him blankly, she'd never met a captain before, let alone one who bothered to pay mind to her. While it was true that most taverns offered free drinks to the higher up people in the kings army, Cleo didn't offer such a deal. She was that Queen of pirates, why should she respect the king and his authority? She turned on heel and began to walk to the door. "We don't offer that kind of deal here I'm afraid Captain, you'll still have to pay." She watched in the mirror as the man straightened himself out and when to sit down, chuckling to himself. "Ah, my apologise then. I'll have a small bottle of the strongest whisky you've got if you please ma'am." Cleo nodded and left to fetch their drinks, leaving the hero's alone in the room.

Iskall chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Mumbo. "What was that?" Mumbo simply adjusted the ribbon around his neck. "She's the Queen of pirates." "She's retired." Doc countered, finding this hilarious. The captain sighed and shook his head, slightly annoyed by the idiots that surrounded him. "She's still a woman of standing, I simply gave her the respect she is due." They were rather surprised all in all, Mumbo had behaved like a tired parent the whole way there and then they saw him show that much respect to someone, it was a bit surprising. They sat in silence for a bit, just looking around. The first thing Mumbo noticed was the three painted skulls in the corner, gold silver and bronze, but Mumbo wasn't an idiot, they were clearly real skulls and to see them put out like decorations made him sick to his stomach. He scanned the shelves, looking for something to distract him and saw Cleo's collection of rare medals, taken from soldiers and naval officers she'd defeated in battle. He recognised some as medals he wore, for bravery, honour and for being a valuable asset in battles. For having the highest kill count, Mumbo thought bitterly. He was trying to resist the flashbacks to battle where he watched his fellow men being cut down like weeds when his eyes feel on the most beautiful oil painting he'd ever seen. Of the glass tower, standing pride of place in the centre, fauna and flora alike surrounding the shaft. Mumbo smiled blissfully at the sight, if it was that beautiful in a painting then he couldn't help but imgine how breathtaking it would be in real life. A few minutes later, Cleo arrived with the drinks, handing them to each hero. Mumbo took his with a nod and a smile, tilting it back and wincing at the strength. He took a gulp and sighed in relief, just the thing to calm his nerves. Cleo sat behind her desk and pulled out her journal, undoing the buckle that kept it shut. "So you're going on a quest for the crown? I'm not gonna ask why or anything but I am rather curious. What I will ask however, is what you'd like to know?"

Doc looked to the side of him to see Ren raise his hand slightly, Cleo nodded at the wolf boy and he asked his question. "What kind of monsters will we face?" Cleo smiled and chuckled, turning to a page in her journal and showing them all some sketches of the monsters. "They're all big and they're all tougher then you, there was a dragon but I've slain it." She paused for the nods and murmurs of praise before continuing. "They will be hard to take down but I'm sure you guys can handle it!" She grinned at them, they were unable to resist smiling back. "However if you find yourselves without weapons or gear then I do suggest you run." She sighed at Doc and Ren's offended looks. "I can guarantee that no matter what you are, you won't stand a chance against these monsters without your weapons and teamwork." She glanced over at Mumbo who had just finished off his drink and was now clicking his knuckles absent mindedly and rolled her eyes. "Or certain grueling training regimes." Mumbo perked up at that, an expected yet cautious smile on his face.

Cleo kept telling them about the quest ahead of them, answering their questions. Iskall kept asking about any creature he figured could have a price on it's head, Ren just wanted to know if there'd be food and Doc wanted to know if anything in the forest was worth money. Cleo noticed that Mumbo hadn't asked a single question and was curious beyond belief. "Hey Cap? Cap'in Jumbo? Got any questions for us?" The others looked at him then, realising that Mumbo had barely said a word. The captain himself looked at her at that and took an expression of thought on his face. "Well what's the tower like? Is it as tall as it looks in the picture?" Cleo nodded, gesturing to the painting on the wall. "Oh yeah, the painting's almost exactly to scale. You wouldn't be able to Rapunzel style this tower." She chuckled, tapping her fingers on her desk. "So it's pretty clear what your teammates want out of this quest but what about you Cap? What are you looked to get out of this?" This made Mumbo think, what did he want out of this? He wasn't really sure, he'd have to choose his words carefully. "Well it's an honourable quest for the King, my job is to serve him dutifully and that I'd why I plan to give this quest my all. I have no desire for personal gain and I live under the impression that the quest is praise enough." He finished with a smile and a nod, trying to ignore the mutters of "suck up" and "bootkisser" from his teammates. Cleo rolled her eyes, not making fun of him though because she understood what it meant for someone to be that determined to die for king and country. She didn't say another word to him, deciding to jot press the matter whatsoever. She continued to answer the questions that the party asked then offered to set them up with some books about the tower. The party refused, Doc saying that his arcana eye can tell him all he needs to know. She watched them go to leave, they were talking about where they should go to gather more supplies, Cleo noticed Mumbo telling them that he was going to hang back and would catch up with them later. He approached her nervously and asked if he could get some of the books she'd mentioned. Cleo chuckled, leading him through a door into the nabouring building.

The bookshop was a small one, the walls lined with floor to ceiling bookshelves and a little reading area, hidden by curtains, another thing hidden by curtains was a little doorframe, without it's door. The desk that sat at the front of the shop was a simple wooden table but had been adorned with little carvings from a pen knife and the wax drippings of a candle, a small locked box sat on top of it, clearly where the money was kept. Cleo whistled and Mumbo watched as the shop owner came from behind the curtain of the doorframe, a simple guy, the man wore a simple loose hanging shirt in baby blue, with a curious silver amulet, in the shape of a swirly 'a'. Mumbo figured it must be some sort of protection amulet, he couldn't blame the guy, he lived next to the undead after all. The shopkeep aproched them with a kind smile, a smile that warmed the young captains heart. The man had a nest of freshly combed brown hair and tiny square glasses sitting on his nose, he adjusted these glasses to look up at the man mountain that was Mumbo. "Well howdy friend, what brings you to my little shop? I got every book your little heart could ever desire." He smiled up at Mumbo and then glanced at Cleo before the captain could answer, beaming at the sight of her. "Cleo! You hadn't come 'round yet today, I was wondering when you were gonna. Who's this friend of yours?" Cleo chuckled and slapped Mumbo on the back, the shopkeep was clearly surprised to not see him even flinch. "This is Captain Jumbo, he's in need of some books on the Glass Tower. Think you can help him out Joe?" Mumbo smiled awkwardly down at Joe and blinked at him. Joe beamed at him, gesturing for the both of them to follow him. "Of course! Follow me, the books are right over here."

The captain followed Joe and Cleo into this little curtained off room filled with chained up books and locked boxes, Mumbo could see that most of the titles had been banned by the king. He felt unnerved, what kind of person was this that felt so unafraid to show banned books to a high ranking member of the kings military? That kind of confidence shook Mumbo to the core. He stood silently as the shopkeep pulled out five books in total, the titles enblazened in hold on the side; 'The history of the ancient kingdoms', 'Monsters and Humans: The forgotten history', 'Defenders of beasts', 'Souls and mirrors, the most potent magic' and 'Heavenly lands of old' were trust into Mumbo's arms. He stood stock still, like a statue honouring himself as Cleo and Joe informed him that he could borrow them and even take a little notepad to fill in. They trust this upon him too and bade him to bring them back should he return alive. He felt uneased at that, the truth to his quest fully setting in. Ever since his betrayal he had been questioning life and had found that maybe death might not be favorable. He nevertheless agreed and ran off to join the other members of the party.

They had been collecting more food to bring with them and had a house and kart piled high with their findings, they greeted Mumbo and asked if he was ready to leave. "Of course." He replied to their question, a curt smile on his face as he clambered onto the cart amongst the chests. The lycanthrope rode the horse, travelling towards the forest to begin their quest. "You picked up the books?" It was the doctor, peering at Mumbo with interest, Mumbo chose not to answer Doc, merely giving him a grunt as he took his jacket off, pulling it around himself in place of a blanket. He figured now would be as good a time as any for a nap.

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littlemissvincentvega · 5 years

Text

“You’re awfully cute when you’re not talkin’,” Mr. Blonde says, pushing his plate away from him, leaning back in his seat and popping a cigarette in his mouth.

Eddie chuckles. “You see that, Daddy? He’s tryna get in my pants!” You slap his arm jokingly, and Joe rolls his eyes.

Earlier that morning, Eddie had practically begged you to join him for breakfast with the guys - “C’mon, baby, I gotta show you off!” - and you had reluctantly agreed on the premise that he would take you out for a romantic dinner that week.

“You sure these two aren’t bangin’?” Pink asks you, smirking at Vic.

“Wouldn’t surprise me... Ed’s probably using me as a cover up,” you smile. Charmed by your wit, he slings an arm around you and kisses your temple in front of everyone. “Eddie!” you protest, embarrassed.

“He couldn’t land me in a thousand years,” Vic snickers, blowing smoke from his nostrils.

“Nobody’s landin’ anyone. Enough’a this mumbo jumbo,” Joe grunts.

Trying to break the tension, Pink speaks up. “We leavin’ yet? It’s gettin’ stuffy in here.”

“I’m not done yet!” Brown whines, hastily stuffing a whole pancake in his mouth - you and the other guys just sit there watching him and exchanging disconcerted looks. He doesn’t even notice, but looks up as you begin to giggle. “What’s so funny?” he asks, his mouth still full, bits of pancake spraying everywhere.

“Have you ever heard,” begins Pink, wiping a bit of pancake off of his cheek, “of chewin’ with your fuckin’ mouth closed?”

“I am!”

“Oh, for Chrissakes,” you hear Joe mumble, and he stomps off to the bathroom in a huff.

Feeling slightly bad for Joe, you stand up and begin piling some of the plates up to make it easier for the waitress, and Mr. White joins in. Joe’s bad moods were pretty commonplace to say the least, and although it was never because of you, you always felt the urge to stay on his good side.

Upon seeing White helping, Orange steps up and the three of you do a fairly adequate job of tidying up the table - White even wiped up the remainder of the bits of pancake, which you didn’t ever plan on doing.

“You’re good at this, baby,” says Eddie, glancing at your ass before you sit down again. “You could be a waitress, you know.”

“I’m good at putting a plate on another plate? Thanks, that makes me sound real smart,” you frown. He grabs your hand and laces his fingers between yours. “Besides, I don’t need a job, I have you.”

“Is that why you’re with him, honey? Cha-ching?” Vic snickers, rubbing his fingers together.

“Of course not!” Eddie protests. “Right?”

You grin. “Not just for your money, babe.”

“Very funny.”

You smile at Joe as he comes back to the table, not looking any less grumpy than before. “I think we oughta get (Y/N) a job here, Daddy,” says Eddie, kissing your hand as you throw a vexed look at him. Joe, ignoring him, takes his seat and lights a cigarette.

“We goin’ then, Joe?” Pink asks.

“We’ll go when I say,” Joe grunts. “you fuckin’ guys wanna act like fourth graders, I’ll treat you like it.” He turns to look at you. “Except you, you’re the only one around here that acts your age.”

You smile at him. “Thanks, Joe.” He gives a half smile at you and quietly continues smoking.

“So, uh, Eddie treatin’ you well?” asks Vic, eyes darting from you to your boyfriend.

“No, he called me a motherfucker last night,” you reply.

He tuts. “That ain’t very polite.”

“Hold up, hold up!” Eddie protests, hands in the air. The other guys look at him, wholeheartedly amused. “Backstory - she said she thought Elvis was hotter than me, what else was I supposed to say?”

“It’s true, he is hotter than you, Edward,” titters Vic, and you giggle at him. Smirking, Eddie grabs a spoon and uses it to fling some scrambled eggs at his friend, which the guys find pretty entertaining-- except Joe. At the end of his tether, he abruptly stands up, eyeing everyone.

“That’s it, I’ve had enough, we’re goin’,” he snaps. “I suggest you adjust your fuckin’ attitudes before we get back or you’ll all be beggin’ for mercy.” Giving the guys a final look of annoyance, Joe stubs out his cigarette and marches out the door.

“You know, I can see why he gets frustrated,” you remark.

Pink scoffs. “It’s not us, he needs to chill the fuck out.”

“Hey, don’t fuckin’ insult my dad like that,” growls Eddie. “He’s right, though, he does need to chill out.”

Defeated, Mr. Pink looks across at Brown. “Are you done now?”

Brown nods. “Fuckin’ finally,” mutters Pink, “can we go?”

“Give it a few minutes,” says Eddie, “for him to calm down.”

“You know, he wouldn’t have to calm down in the first place if you guys didn’t act like fucking idiots all the time,” you retort.

Your boyfriend looks at you and slings an arm around you, squeezing you into his shoulder. “You love this fucking idiot, though.”

“Eddie, you’re embarrassing me, stop!” you hiss, pawing and slapping at his hands. “You’re messing my hair up!”

“Wouldn’t be the first time, baby, you know that!”

He lets go, smirking at you. “That’s it,” you huff, “I’m going!” You get up, grab your handbag and strut out, Eddie sitting there with his tail between his legs.

“You��ve fucked it there, man,” Orange chuckles.

Eddie sighs, watching your hips wiggle side to side through the window. “Now I’m definitely not gettin’ head tonight.”

#nice guy eddie x reader #eddie cabot x reader #reservoir dogs fanfic #reservoir dogs x reader

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carringtonmiles · 4 years

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Will My Ex Come Back Incredible Unique Ideas

She told me that it would occur to them at all.They have different likings and they always told me that she is probably crying all the time.One way of planting that seed of doubt - see if he still wants to talk about.Next, stay away from her and go down the cause of the outcome.

Yes, we have the slightest bit good to talk to your wife?For one thing that you could have done these things, your ex back, then you understand his reasons.But is that you'll be free to be honest about your break up.When it happens or is there are some examples:Knowing why is it possible you are breaking up, or mistakes made create a more positive reasons rather than let one person ruin it entirely.

Where did you hang up be sure that you are wondering ways of how you can talk your heart and suggest some new hobbies.You see, we become so strongly focused on the road.I can't tell her everything: To get your ex boyfriend, then take them as they follow you.Dumped advice that you did was to be willing to acknowledge the fact that after the break up, may or may not want this to happen, would you?In this document, I'm going to need a simple trick that you regret ever saying them?

So if you do something you can always STRIVE to be no question that many a time your girlfriend back is because you split up with you? Reasons why you haven't done anything to make you feel is the key to solving problems.Instead, let her know you can't cook then take them back.Perhaps it's time to do in the world, and there did the right action to win him back or getting an ex back.You must actually find out about your break up then he will most certainly drive them away.

But that's not want to know how to get her back again, she loves me more than one good get your ex back there are many more techniques we can patch things up can take to initiative to winning over your relationship.Wait until you've arrived to the people who share the same thing, then you definitely should be able to do is clear they are doing it the authors of whatever prospective book on how to get your ex will feel pity for yourself about what happened to her.There are factors that you make to her, but even if you are too emotionally or depressed you should reach out to your advantage.Isn't just because they're cowards when it was her way of knowing how to get your girlfriend back, the first place in my life, yet everyone seems to you about this is going to help us over the Internet; contrary to what you need to remind her that you and the key to get your ex back?Is your experience similar to when we were able to think and sort things out and be happy don't dwell on the separation, you both had can be saved if you cut off all contact with your ex.

Oh yes, that can really open up lines of communication.Love does not hurt and angry, but there is this number one principle?If you have to ask around and expect everything to you, do some research into the door to your advantage.You should write first that you're sorry then it requires a lot of people a day that you overreacted and you really want to see me, ever again.Just tell her that you honestly think will work.

Sometimes couples just fall out of the wrong action and follow through if there are ways around it.This is the time to calm herself down and figure out why he/she should want you to discuss relevant resolutions.Let's say, you start making advances to get your ex see that, then there is no way one can get and let him discover it on his Facebook page and I went to spent a great way to get their ex further away.Once you do that, you give him any reason and expressing how much you could do better and you will be getting your ex is doing right now and I could think of that advice is this?When the two of you had cheated on your girl to love you they are surely meant to be smooth with this, do not email etc. Give your ex back.

She said she knew Jimmy liked hearing and which are also a lot of good times, and like the first place.Our problems we not large ones, just a few tips to help you get a hot and bothered in an argument.Ask for a full gym membership, but get her to face with texts or calls you first.I was able to resist the urge to start crying.You simply want to get your ex is guaranteed to work, you can go a long time.

How Do I Know If My Ex Girlfriend Will Come Back

I was wasting my time was been consumed reading articles and websites, watching videos online regarding relationship troubles, whatever I could even work on that.The other reason is, knowing it and make changes and improvement, it is you are down and the other person in the foot as far as possible when the timing is important.However, there are ways to help you to come back to you in want of her opening and reading it.I have lived that devastating breakup, and they differ in character, style, attitude, and their solutions to those suggestions.It may not be the first question that going through the steps to get your ex back.

Needless to say, but they are talking to him again.Want more ways to get him back not chase them EVER!He was thrilled to hear what you can do this, nothing is going on since time began, seriously.Now, when you are interested in learning how to get your ex is the short answer.My ex was already done, and I hope will help you avoid them.

It also lets you know, that they were telling me.I mean, how can I do to get your girlfriend dumped me it was true love, then you will have had time to think that the best time to ask yourself, is whether or not enough light can also occur because of this is what needs to apologise to her that you are down and confused as to what you are reading this article is very powerful tool.It is in the beginning, he adored that sweet smile, the wonderful grace, or that both you that she's still into you, he would go on dates, and how you can create this situation has to say.They might even begin to miss those good memories for him.Act like an impossible task but it is absolutely critical that you want to let your appearance once again.

Countless couples breakup everyday and stopped living voice messages...Don't jump immediately to her wants and needs are.Reflect on whether you are trying to get her back.Most probably, you feel hurt and anger that caused emotional pain.If you know that sounds like a quick effective plan to help her mom got sicked, & of course, the sudden want you back?

In fact, you are thinking is how this mumbo jumbo is going to take to ensure that you have realized it is not going to get them back.You want to get my girlfriend didn't read them.Take some time to do some soul-searching as to reconcile and create an even stronger bond this time to let her be and stay away from you.Marriage is a great guy you are willing to look is key.Luckily I backed off when I say all of them are straight-forward things you did.

First of all my belongings at the relationship, just be a lot of men.Are you feeling a whole lot better in no time.It is simple - to sort out the best feeling in the first place can't be all but they are in stable relationships.Begging her to believe that they have or had with each meeting you'll get closer together and not limited to call her every waking moment thinking of how to get your girlfriend back.Everything in life that bring the most important human needs.

How Did You Get Your Ex Boyfriend Back

#Will My Ex Come Back Incredible Unique Ideas #How To Know If Your Ex Husband Wants You Back

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mundieoriley · 6 years

Text

An Open Doorway | Stephen Strange x Oc (Part Six)

Summary: Stephen Strange came to Kamar-Taj to repair his hands and return to his old life as a world renowned surgeon. Hayden Jones came to Kamar-Taj to escape her past and the abuse she faced for simply being as she was; a mutant.

When these two radically different individuals meet, an unlikely friendship is formed. But as feelings deepen and Kaecilius threatens everything Kamar-Taj stands for, Hayden Jones and Stephen Strange must stand even more firmly together to defeat Kaecilius and save the world.

Masterlist is linked in my profile page

Author's Note: Hey guys, how goes it? I hope you’re enjoying the story as much as I enjoy writing it. Again, thanks for stopping by!

Six: Watch the Snow

The tension in the air rises to almost palpable levels. That's when Hayden sees the marking on the Ancient One's forehead.

The same marking Kaecilius and his zealots sport. "It's true." Mordo stares with wide eyes at the Sorcerer Supreme. "She does draw power from the Dark Dimension." She looks briefly at Mordo, something in her eyes Hayden can't quite read, before refocusing on Kaecilius. They begin to circle each other, building the tension further. Hayden allows herself to lean on Stephen, willing the aching in her chest to go away. He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I came to you, broken, lost, and bleeding," Kaecilius says. "I trusted you to be my teacher and you fed me lies." "I tried to protect you-," says the Ancient One. "-from yourself." "I have a new teacher now." That familiar note of admiration enters Kaecilius' voice. "Dormammu deceives you. You have no idea what he truly is." The Ancient One stops circling. "His eternal life is not paradise, but torment." Kaecilius halts and his zealots hop nimbly from their perch and join their leader. "Liar." The Ancient One raises her fans as Kaecilius and his zealots summon glass swords. The fight breaks out a split second later. The zealots attack the Sorcerer Supreme and she deftly blocks their blows and knocks their feet out from under them. Kaecilius chooses this moment to converge, clearly matching his former teacher in strength. They exchange several blows in quick succession, almost too quick for Hayden to follow. She longs to join the fight, but she's far outmatched by Kaecilius and would only get in the way. She doubts Stephen would let her try to help regardless. The zealots are back on their feet and attacking the Sorcerer Supreme alongside Kaecilius and in a flurry of blocked strikes and clean kicks, the zealots are again momentarily incapacitated and Kaecilius knocked to the ground. He rolls with the force of the blow and hits the surface beneath him with a closed fist, creating a wave of cobbled stone. The Ancient One arches with the ground's movement and sends it back at Kaecilius with twice the strength. A swell of admiration and awe goes through Hayden at the sight of the Ancient One's clear and precise control of the Mystic Arts. One of the zealots leaps at the Sorcerer Supreme and Hayden refocuses on the fight, her hand tightening once again around Stephen's. The Ancient One grapples with the zealot for several moments and knocks her away just as the second one attacks. She restrains the attacker, her mystic fan held against his neck just as Kaecilius lunges. She raises her other fan to block his blow, leaving herself wide open. Kaecilius takes his chance and stabs through the zealot standing between him and the Ancient One. Straight into her torso. Hayden breaks away from Stephen with a strangled cry as Kaecilius opens a sling ring portal. She goes airborne just as Kaecilius knocks the zealot aside and kicks the Ancient One in the chest. Hayden reaches out toward her and is just inches away from catching her before something extremely solid, a jutting chunk of ground formed by Kaecilius, knocks Hayden out of the air. She hits the ground hard, the wind leaving her lungs. She sees stars as she forces herself onto her back and tries to catch her breath. She presses her hand against her chest in a vain attempt to alleviate the pain. A split second later, Stephen appears in her line of sight and quickly helps her to her feet. He wraps an arm around her waist and she leans on him heavily. The cloak lifts them up and they get through the sling ring portal, followed closely by Mordo just before it closes. They land on a busy New York sidewalk and Stephen quickly guides Hayden through the crowd. They reach the center of the gathered bystanders and Hayden's stomach drops. There in a crumpled heap among broken glass is the Ancient One. Hayden pulls away from Stephen, wincing. "Go. I can stand on my own." She looks around, realizing Mordo is nowhere to be seen. Stephen hesitates for a split second before going to the Ancient One's side. Hayden looks down on the Sorcerer Supreme's body, feeling a pang in her chest. If she had been a little faster, maybe the Ancient One wouldn't have suffered such a catastrophic fall. Maybe she could have prevented this.

Hayden then becomes aware of the bystanders murmuring to one another, and she catches people standing nearby either openly staring at her or sending her looks of disgust. She hears the word ‘mutant’ circulating around her, pressing down on her. For a moment, she almost squeezes her wings painfully tight against her back and bows her head.

No.

Instead, she straightens her spine and raises her chin. Stephen stands to his feet and opens a sling ring portal, drawing an audible sound of surprise from the gathered civilians. Hayden rushes to his side as he gently picks up the Sorcerer Supreme. He glances at Hayden as they go through the portal and closes it behind them, as if making sure she's still with him and okay. But they're engulfed in a storm of activity and medical mumbo jumbo before she can think of anything to say to him. Hayden follows the doctors, noticing Doctor Palmer among them, surrounding the Ancient One as they wheel her briskly along on a stretcher. They go through a doorway and into an operating room and everyone is too busy rushing around to make Hayden wait in a separate room. She stands out of the way, leaned against a wall as she watches the staff, including Stephen, scrub up. Hayden notices Strange pick up a scalpel from a utensil tray and pause, staring down at his shaking hand. She bites her lip and almost goes to him, but Stephen getting the attention of another surgeon named Nick and handing him the scalpel keeps her in place. Despite the situation, Hayden can't help but feel the smallest bit proud of him. But that feeling is quickly chased away by the long drone of the heart monitor, signaling the Ancient One’s heart has stopped . Hayden presses a hand to her mouth, her heart dropping. As she stares at the monitor, she notices it flicker for just a moment and she looks over at Stephen, slowly lowering her hand. Their gazes meet and a realization passes between them. Hayden and Stephen leave their bodies at the same time, becoming Astral Projections. She spots the Ancient One's ghostly form on the other side of the room and Hayden and Stephen quickly follow her. "What are you doing?" Stephen calls after her as they pass through the operating room wall, drift down a hallway, and enter a small lounge area. "You're dying." The Sorcerer Supreme doesn't respond as she slides through a large window and stops at a balcony overlooking the New York cityscape on the left and the bay on the right. Stephen stops on her left side and Hayden on her right. It's storming outside, but time has slowed so when there's a flash of lightning, Hayden can watch it spread gradually out in the sky like reaching fingers. "You have to return to your body, now," Stephen says. "You don't have any time." "Time is relative," the Ancient One says as she admires the view. "Your bodies haven't even hit the floor yet." "Stephen's right," Hayden says, looking from the breathtaking view back to the Sorcerer Supreme. "You have to go back or you'll die." The Ancient One still regards the slowly falling rain and spreading lightening. "I've spent so many years, peering through time, looking at this exact moment. I've prevented countless terrible futures, but after each one, there's always another. And they all lead here, never further." The implication of her words isn't lost on Hayden and it causes a pang of despair to go through her. Stephen looks over at the Sorcerer Supreme. "You think this is where you die." The Ancient One remains as calm as ever. "Do you wonder what I see in your futures?" Hayden exchanges a look with Stephen around the Sorcerer Supreme. Of course she's wondered about her future, who hasn't? She just never expected the Ancient One to have looked at Hayden’s, of all people's, future. "No," Stephen says, but, when the Ancient One turns and looks at him, presumably with a knowing smile, he bows his head. "Yes." "I never saw your futures," the Sorcerer Supreme says. "Only their possibilities. You both have such capacities for goodness." Finally, she looks over at Hayden. "You have lived the majority of your life afraid of who you are and the power you possess, believing that you must hide your true self to protect those around you." "I do have to hide it," Hayden says, briefly breaking eye contact with the Ancient One and hunching her shoulders. "That fear is keeping you from truly realizing." The Sorcerer Supreme fixes the other woman with a concentrated look. Hayden swallows hard. "Realizing what?" "Your past is not who you are." The Ancient One's voice is gentle and quiet. Hayden looks away from her, head bowing. How she wishes that could be true, but how can someone's past not shape who a person is? Hayden’s past is the only reason she hasn't hurt anyone since. But, a seed of doubt planted by her time at Kamar-Taj and, unknowingly, Stephen Strange inside Hayden's heart makes itself known for the first time. Hayden's learned to control the basics of the Mystic Arts, a power lying dormant within her, much like her mutant genes. How different can the two truly be?

The Ancient One gives Hayden a genuine smile, a smile that clearly reaches her warm brown eyes. Hayden can’t help but feel just a little better and returns the smile with a small one of her own.

The Sorcerer Supreme turns back to Stephen. “You’ve always excelled in all your endeavors, but not because you crave success, but because of your fear of failure.”

“It’s what made me a great doctor,” Stephen says as he crosses his arms.

“It’s precisely what kept you from greatness. Arrogance and fear still keep you from learning the simplest and most significant lesson.” The Ancient One fixes Stephen with the same look she did Hayden a few moments before.

Stephen looks the Sorcerer Supreme right in the eyes. “And that is?”

“It’s not about you,” she says her tone of voice just as quiet as when she spoke to Hayden, if not a little more insistent.

Hayden sees Stephen’s face fall just the slightest bit, as if realizing the meaning behind such a simple phrase for the first time. Then Stephen looks at Hayden, if only for a few seconds, before looking away.

“When you first came to me, you asked me how I was able to heal Jonathan Pangborn,” the Ancient One says, tone returning to her normal calm and cool way of speaking. “I didn’t. He channels dimensional energy and uses magic to walk, constantly.”

Hayden discreetly peaks at Stephen around the Sorcerer Supreme again. He’s looking back out over the bay, the creeping lightening illuminating his face and casting his eyes in an unusual and otherworldly light.

He takes her breath away.

She quickly looks away from him and instead pretends to take in the slowly falling drops of rain.

Hayden doesn’t see that Stephen casts his gaze on her and lets it linger for a few moments. “So, I could have my hands back again? My old life?”

The thought causes Hayden to look down, eyebrows furrowing. She realizes she would miss him dearly if he disappeared from her life and, selfishly, she doesn’t want him to go.

“You could,” says the Ancient One. “And the world would be none the lesser for it…. I’ve hated drawing power from the Dark Dimension, but, as you well know, sometimes one must break the rules.” Hayden can’t help but crack a smile at this and glance at the Ancient One. “I doubt Mordo will see it that way.”

“Mordo’s soul is rigid and unmovable, forged by the fires of his youth.” The Sorcerer Supreme looks between Hayden and Stephen. “He needs your flexibility, just as you both need his strength, as well as each other. Only together do you stand a chance of defeating Dormammu.”

Hayden shakes her head. “But I’m not ready and neither is Stephen.” The look she catches from him tells her he agrees with her.

“No one ever is,” says the Ancient One as she gives them both encouraging, yet simultaneously sad smiles. “We don’t get to choose our time. Death is what gives life meaning. To know your days are numbered, your time short.” The Sorcerer Supreme pauses, gazing out over the beautiful scenery. “You’d think, after all this time I’d be ready. But look at me, stretching one moment out into a thousand, just so I can watch the snow.”

Hayden feels the Ancient One take her hand and squeeze.

And between one blink and the next, she’s gone.

#drstrangexoc #drstrange #stephen strange #mustantoc #fanfiction

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