#ok but how about a fic where he goes to a race and he’s shown on broadcast as son of carlos sainz sr | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

crystaljins · 4 years

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When the ice melts | Drabble

Characters: Jimin x Reader

Word count: 3.1K

Synopsis: At Jimin’s insistence, you have waited until you bring home that gold medal to tell him how you feel.

Can you finally say it?

Sequel drabble to When the Ice melts

Notes: I left this fic as an open ending originally because I wanted my readers to imagine how things worked out for Jimin and reader, but since you guys have been so sweet and showered my fic with so much love, I figured there was no harm in a tiny, mini sequel. It’s very half-assed and written quite carelessly but hopefull it gives you the closure you are all searching for, haha.

Warnings: Jungkook calling people idiots. Kissing. Silly people lol.

The entire nation is holding its breath.

Every camera in the arena is trained on you. Your face is being broadcast across every major channel your country has to offer. You’re out of breath and some of your hair has dislodged slightly from its careful styling. But nothing can dim the brightness in your eyes as you beam, breath caught in your throat and heart on the verge of taking flight. Surely you will be taking home the Olympic gold medal after a performance like that.

Though technically the results won’t be announced until later, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind who the recipient of the gold medal should be. You didn’t just skate on that ice- you soared. You glided- you danced. One of the judges even raises his handkerchief to dab gently at his eyes, a movement he thinks is subtle enough to go undetected but is actually being caught by a lucky reporter. It will be broadcast as a viral video when the news over the next few days.

But you are oblivious to that, oblivious to way that you glow like something ethereal as you step off the ice. You catch the eye of your choreographer and she winks at you, proud of how you made her choreography come alive. In a few days, her phone will be ringing off the hook as people who are desperate to capture the magic of your performance want to hire the creative mastermind behind it. She will merely smile and accept the offers though she knows the truth- that while her choreography is good, only you can bring the soul and joy to it that will win you the gold medal.

So, if you are oblivious to the way your stunning performance will and has changed so many lives in that exact moment, what is it that you are thinking after having delivered a routine that will go down in the history books of the figure skating sport? You’ve always been a one-track mind kind of girl. It’s how you were able to focus solely on ice skating and nothing else throughout your youth, and no clearer does this personality trait show as in this moment: Your eyes scan the crowd and they go impossibly brighter when they find the target of their desperate search.

Jimin leans awkwardly against the wall in the kiss-and-cry area, obviously waiting for his athlete to wave off the crowd of people congratulating her and make her way towards him. His hands are shoved deep in his pockets and his hip is cocked- often he rests weight on only one leg, to take the pressure off his bad leg. Large amounts of reconstructive surgery means that he can walk normally, but sometimes in cold weather he still feels the ache. Though you are exhausted and sore after such a challenging and passionate performance, your body feels light, like you are floating on a cloud as you draw nearer. He’s always handsome but in this moment he is ethereal- light catches his cheek bones and you can’t help but admire the fine set of his figure. Though he is no longer a figure skater, he carries himself with grace even off the ice, even after so many years of retirement.

His eyes flicker up as he hears your approach. Perhaps he is aware of the many cameras trained on you, of the people still reeling from your performance, but for you, all you can see is him. His face, his smile, his eyes, the way his hair falls against his brow. You love him. You love him so much- he’s been your coach for over a year now and every moment has been precious. Even though he’s grumpy and bad at expressing himself, even though the only thing he can ever think about is figure-skating… You love him. And you can finally say it. You know that he’s been pushing you away for months now, afraid of interfering with your budding career, today is the day he will finally let you say the words.

“Jimin!” You call, and his smile is warm as you rush up to him, still in your skates. He doesn’t even hesitate as you throw your arms around him, pulling you into him and holding you tightly.

“That triple lutz landing was messy.” He mutters into the crook of your shoulder and you laugh. He pulls away and glares at you with a slight frown. “Is that a joke to you? We’ll be training twice as hard from now on! No more messy landings.”

“That’s fine.” You say, with a coy smile. “That just means more time with you, right?”

Jimin tries to look stern but he can’t keep the smile off his face despite his best efforts. What comes out is a strained but fond smile as he shakes his head.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” He says and despite the harshness of his words, there is no denying the adoration in his words. Because Jimin loves you too- not only has he said it before, but he’s shown it. In the way he buys you dinner after practice, or the way that he pulls you in close for a hug when the exhaustion and fatigue of training sets in. In the way that his eyes shine with love as he watches you skate across the ice or the way that he’ll rearrange everything for something as simple as taking you to a movie. And despite his insistence that the two of you have to wait until you win your first gold medal, he does not have the strength to stay away, and now he won’t have to.

“I know.” You say gleefully. He grins.

“Let’s go get that gold medal.” He tells you softly, taking your hand gently in his. He’s always affectionate with you- he likes to hold your hand and sit close enough so that your legs press together, and yet your heart still flutters at the warm sensation of his fingers interlaced with yours.

“Wait. First I want to say it. I lo-“ You begin eagerly. The words are always on the tip of your tongue, ready to burst forth but you’ve held them in at his insistence. You can’t wait any longer.

“Just a little longer.” He cuts you off. “I want to see that gold medal around your neck first. And then tomorrow we can go for dinner and we can talk, ok?”

You frown.

“Tomorrow is so far away.” You complain and he smiles and the look he gives you is tortured.

“Believe me, (Y/N), I know.” He says with a laugh. “Now let’s go get that medal.”

You sigh and follow obediently. They’re announcing the result in a couple of hours and you suppose if you’ve waited an entire year to be able to say those three words to Jimin, you can wait a little longer.

The press has a field day. The Olympics are sacred- the thought that there could be corruption amidst the judges is an outrageous claim and yet not a single person can deny that you deserved the gold medal. The only proof, however, is that the person who took home the gold came from the country where the Olympics were being hosted and the videos of your dazzling performance. Despite the petition that goes up to launch an audit into the score, the authorities come away with nothing. Perhaps you were marked harder than strictly necessary- highly specific technicalities that no one has brought up for years were subtracted from your final score, but they were all rules in the book. You even get a phone call from the distraught gold medallist, promising that she would never cheat and the results were as unexpected to her as they were to you. You reassure her with a smile on your face and you respond in all the interviews with that same easy smile. People can see the difference though- they had seen the way your smile normally reaches all the way to your eyes and how in interviews after the announcement they just seem dead.

You go back home with a silver medal.

A silver medal isn’t bad. In the past, you would have been thrilled with such a result. To even have the opportunity to skate in the Olympics is so beyond your wildest dreams and to do it with Jimin, your former idol-turned-coach is even more unbelievable. The experience was thrilling and when you rewatch videos your heart still races. A silver medal is a wonderful thing to receive.

The only problem is Jimin. His eyes had gone dark and foggy at the announcement of the results, like someone had flipped a switch. All the colour had drained from his face and he had actually had to leave the room. He hasn’t contacted you since and all your texts in the week that has passed have gone unread.

You know Jimin loves you, but you also know he loves you because he fell for your skating. And with his radio silence, you can’t help but feel the doubts start to creep him. Has he decided you aren’t good enough from him, because you were unable to take home the gold medal like he expected you too? Perhaps his refusal to allow you to confess your love hadn’t been a desire to wait. Maybe he wanted to see if you could prove yourself worthy of him and you failed the trial? Perhaps he never even loved you in the first place- maybe it was only the opportunity to go back to the Olympics that he loved.

All these thoughts swirl around until your heart is heavy and dark. You can’t even bear to go to the ice rink your father owns. Instead you linger around at home, sulking in your bed, refusing to see friends or go out. If it were just the silver medal, or it were just Jimin ignoring you, you would have been able to cope. But the two combined leaves you devastated until you can’t even bear to leave your room.

It’s Jungkook who finally drags you outside. Your parents let him in and he barges upstairs and storms into your room without knocking. He doesn’t even give you the chance to change out of your pyjamas- he just grabs your wrist and drags you. You aren’t weak- you’re an Olympic athlete, after all, but you find yourself powerful against Jungkook’s muscles and you are dragged pathetically after him like a ragdoll.

“Where are we going?” You complain, still in your cow-themed pyjamas and with unwashed hair.

“Out.” Jungkook snaps. He turns to glare at you. “You haven’t even washed your hair!” He notices with irritation. “The both of you are such a handful.”

You shouldn’t be surprised that it’s your father’s ice rink he pulls up at. He turns to you after parking and frowns.

“Now, this party was supposed to be a surprise to celebrate you winning your silver medal. Jin even baked you an entire cake. But you’ve ignored all my messages all week where I was trying to get you here for the surprise and Jimin has dropped off the frickin’ radar, so here’s what we are gonna do: You’re gonna go in there and have the time of your life. I don’t care that you’re in your pyjamas and that your hair isn’t washed. You are going to have fun. And then you’re gonna go home and speak to Jimin. I won’t be at the party because I’m going to find him and beat his ass and then drag him back to yours. Now go have fun. Jin will drop you home.” And with that, Jungkook is shoving you out of his car, still in your pyjamas, and speeding off, out of the car parking lot.

You blink a few times- the sunlight is bright and no doubt you look shabby in your ratty pyjamas and uncombed hair. But the sentiment is sweet, and you feel bad for dropping off the radar as you did. Taking a deep breath, you steel yourself. Jungkook is right- winning a silver medal at the Olympics is something to be celebrated and you can’t keep acting like the world has ended. Plastering a genuine smile on your face, you square your shoulders and step into the building.

What greets you first is the familiar, clear and misty smell of the ice. You only get a whiff of the familiar smell before it’s replaced with the smell of smoke- dozens of party poppers go off and confetti fires into the air as the few close friends you have managed to keep with your busy schedule leap out from hiding spots to scream congratulations. Someone has strung a huge banner across the far wall of the rink and someone else has turn on the disco lights.

“Nice outfit.” Jin snickers, and you gaze around at all the people who love you enough to throw such an event and you tear up.

The party ends up being a hit. There aren’t a huge number of people and the people who are there are the kind who don’t care that you’re in your pyjamas. They’re happy if your happy and it warms your heart.

You’re having such a good time that you don’t even notice when he steps into the building, dragged along by Jungkook. You’re laughing with some old school friends with a smile brighter than the sun and Jimin’s heart aches at the sight of you. It’s been a week and yet he feels like it’s been a year. He’s such an idiot.

Jungkook shares the sentiment.

“You’re such an idiot.” He admits with a shake of his head. “I’ve literally never seen someone so whipped in my life. Go talk to her, dummy.”

It takes a rough shove from Jungkook and a moment to gather his courage, but Jimin stumbles towards you like he’s gone a week in the desert and you’re a glass of ice water.

When you spot him, the cup in your hand slips to the ground and liquid spills everywhere.

“Oh!” You cry, and another friend rushes to try and help you mop up the mess. Jimin follows, crouching down to help you, but he just ends up bumping heads with you. You cry out in pain, stumbling back and rubbing the tender spot on your scalp.

“Are you ok?” He cries, diving forward and placing his hand on either side of your face, tilting your head around at different angles to examine the area he bumped. Your hands come up to grab his wrists and gently tug them away.

“I’m fine.” You say softly. And Jimin would honestly give his soul to make sure you never look at him like that again- with equal parts heart break and distance. He’s such a fool. And Jungkook obviously beat that knowledge into him, but he’s spent the past week knowing that to be true. He’s a coward who ran away because he couldn’t handle the fact that he had failed you.

Because for you to take home a silver medal means that he’s failed as your coach. And he knows you deserve the gold and that the judges got away with it by being sneaky, and he’s so frustrated that there’s nothing he can do. And it means he’s wasted the past year not showering you with love and affection because he wanted to wait until you took home the gold medal. So he ran away because he couldn’t handle the crippling guilt and misery, and as always, you pay the price for his own emotional incompetence. And the worst part is, despite the fact that you are probably devastated at being denied a gold medal that is rightfully yours, all he can think about is he can’t bear to weight another four years to properly date you and kiss you and hold you. He doesn’t even know how he’s lasted a year. Why did he decide you taking home a gold medal had to be the starting point of your relationship? He can’t wait that long.

“Can… can we talk?” He asks softly. The friend who is helping you clean up seem to sense the tension in the air and is quick to clear out. You bite your lip before nodding.

“I… Yeah. Yes we can.” You say softly, ducking your head shyly and he can’t help the warm smile that slides onto his face at the sight of you. He missed you so much in just the short space of a week.

It isn’t hard to find a private corner, but the second you do, the words spill out before he can help them.

“I love you.” He cries. You blink a few times in surprise. “I love you so much it hurts and I’m sorry for avoiding you. I was just ashamed and couldn’t bear to talk to you because I’d let you down. And I know that probably made everything worse and Jungkook told me that you probably think I hate you, but I don’t. I hate myself because I couldn’t give you what you deserve. But I can’t hold it back or push you away any longer. I love you.”

You’re silent for a few moment, staring at him incredulously and to his immense surprise you burst out in laughter.

“That’s why you’ve been avoiding me?” You cry in between peals of laughter. “Jungkook is right. We’re both idiots.” You say. Jimin blinks in half offence and confusion. Why are you laughing at his apology? “I’m sorry for only taking home the silver medal, but I’m not going to wait another four years to say it back.” You snap, and then before he can say anything, you’ve grabbed him by the collar and have pressed your lips firmly against his.

It’s like fireworks go off behind his eyes. Like he’s leapt into ice cold water. It’s everything he’s ever wanted and more- more thrilling than performing at the Olympics and more precious than the weight of the gold medal in his hands. And he’ll never win another gold medal in his life but he thinks he’ll spend the rest of his life happy if he can keep kissing you.

“I love you!” You cry, when you finally pull away. “And I can’t believe you made me wait that long to say it, but I won’t wait any longer.”

For a moment, he just stares at you, dumbstruck, but then a warm smile spreads widely across his face.

“Silver suits you better anyway.” He says, stepping forward to gently run his finger across the silver cat pendant resting against your collar bone. The one that you still wear even now, a year later that symbolises so much between you and him. “It matches this.” You shake your head with a laugh that is quickly cut off from him.

You’ll take home the gold medal next time. For now, the two of you have won something far better.

#btsboulangerie #jimin x reader #bts drabble #jimin fluff #park jimin x reader #writing

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magicmanias · 5 years

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One Step Ahead

Request: “15 list one with [Pietro] please?” @dawnie39uk

15. “You know I love you.”

Pairing: Pietro Maximoff × Reader

Summary: Pietro is sent to stop a mutant cat burglar who always seems to be one step ahead of him.

Warnings: Fluff, Super Unedited

Word Count: 5.3k (This was not planned to be so long. Kind of got out of hand.)

A/N: Sorry this fic is so trashy, but I just wanted to post something. I haven’t posted in weeks. Like seriously, this really sucks. I think I used the word quickly like ten times. I’m so sorry. I’ll out more effort into other fics.

“On your six!” Tony flew down from the sky and proceeded to blast another Hydra agent. Steve turned and clocked the agent behind him.

“Thanks.” Steve paused to breathe. “I owe you one.” His break didn’t last long as Hydra backup entered the room.

“Don’t mention it. Actually, please do. I could use another set of salt and pepper shakers.” Steve rolled his eyes and kicked a couple agents.

Clint shot two more agents and knocked a few more out with his bow. “Nat, you got the vibranium?”

Natasha kick several agents' legs out from under them and lifted herself from the floor. "I was swarmed. They're heading to the roof."

Vision widened his eyes and scanned the building. "You can only access the roof from the top floor,” he said.

"Alright. Let's head out!" Tony flew out of a broken window to fly up from outside and check for other obstacles.

The Avengers regrouped and headed to the top floor. Pietro rushed ahead of them and Vision phased through the ceilings.

Pietro busted through the door, ready to head up to the ceiling. However, he was stopped when he saw the agents unconscious on the floor. It was dark, and Pietro could barely see them in the dim moonlight.

Pietro slowly lifted his hand to his comm. "Something is wrong. I—”

"Hey, soldier. Looking for me?" a feminine voice called out. Her voice was smooth and rich like aged wine. Pietro looked up to see a woman in a black catsuit. Her lips were painted ruby red and a mask covered her face. However, he could still see mischievous E/C staring at him.

Pietro didn’t know how to react. Something about her just… made his heart race. Instead, he just stood there, mouth slightly agape. She snickered lightly. “Not much of a talker, are you?”

Before Pietro could react, Vision came up through the floor. “Oh, you have a friend?” the woman purred.

“Where is the vibranium?” Vision asked, the Mind Stone starting to glow.

“Hm… It’ll be with the highest bidder in a couple of hours,” she replied. The woman climbed up to the sill the elevated window and sat down, leaning up against the edge. Pietro didn’t fail to notice the way the moonlight highlighted her features.

The rest of the team busted their way through the door, causing Pietro and Vision to turn. “Well, boys. It’s getting a little crowded in here. I think I’ll head out,” she said. She lazily stood up and jumped out of the window.

Tony flew up to the window and looked out. “She’s gone.” He lowered to the ground and approached the speedster. “What the hell were you doing this whole time?”

“Well at least I didn’t take half a century to get here,” he retorted.

“We ran into some stragglers. And you had Vision with you. It was one woman!” Tony yelled.

Pietro groaned and placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose. “Look, I-I don’t know what happened. I didn’t even know who she was,” Pietro defended.

“Goes by the name Shadowcat. She’s from the Red Room. I don’t know her name though. I only knew codenames,” Natasha spoke up.

“Well, we have to find her. We can’t let her sell that Vibranium,” Rhodey said.

“I’m tracking the vibranium now,” Sam said. “She’s in Jersey.”

"How'd she get to Jersey already?" Rhodey questioned, lifting an eyebrow.

“Shit,” Clint groaned. “I hate Jersey.”

Pietro glanced back at the window where the woman escaped. He wasn’t going to let her get ahead of him again.

—

What was this girl doing to him? Pietro couldn’t stop thinking about her and he didn’t even know her name. There was something about her that just made him crazy. Was it the way she looked in the moonlight? Was it her flirty behaviour? Was it her carefree attitude? Something inside him hoped he would find her again and soon.

The Quinjet landed near an old abandoned factory building in New Jersey.

“Alright, let’s split up,” Tony said. “I’ll go with Rhodey. Cap goes with Sam and Bucky. Clint with Thor and Nat. Bruce you stay in the jet in case of emergencies. Vision and Wanda are together. Twinkle Toes, you take a run around the perimeter, ok?"

Everyone ran off into the building and Pietro sped off around the outside. When he came to the back of the building, Pietro heard a door close. It came from a small cellar door.

He carefully opened it up to not make any noise and crept inside. There was a small room below. It was dimly lit with not much in it.

"You know I can't say I haven't crashed a party before, but I don't like it much when it happens to me," a voice cooed. You walked out of the shadowy corner of the room and stepped close to him.

Pietro now had a chance to get a good look at you. Your Y/E/C eyes sparkled with mischievous delight and your lips were curled into a bright grin. Your hair was sleek and cascaded down your shoulders like a waterfall. Your black suit hugged your body from your neck and ended at your combat boots. You had a black mask covering your eye area and the very top of your nose.

Pietro ignored your enchanting features. He was ready to retaliate this time. "Why did you run away so quickly last time? I didn't even have time to give you my number," he said in his heavy accent, displaying a smirk.

"Sorry. I had to run. Urgent business and all," you quipped back.

"How did you manage to get here so quickly?" Pietro questioned.

"I did something like this." Suddenly you disappeared into thin air. Pietro took a step back. He felt a finger tap and his shoulder and swerved around.

"Surprise," you whispered. An innocent smile shown on your lips.

"How did you do…?" he trailed off.

"Teleportation. I just think of where I want to go and…" You closed your eyes and disappeared again. Not even a second later, you appeared right at Pietro's side. "There I am."

"How did you—Where did you get your powers?"

"The Red Room became a lot more exciting after Black Widow left,” she answered sarcastically. “I was a little Guinea pig just like you, Pietro," Her smile turned into a wicked grin and she flirtatiously tapped her finger onto his nose, placing her head on his shoulder.

“You know my name?” he asked. She just nodded in response.

Pietro moved out of her touch, confused. "What are you doing here?" His skin burned where her fingers once laid.

"Good money," she shrugged as if it was so obvious. "Well, my business here is done actually," she corrected. "But I figured you'd come so I stuck around."

Pietro's smirk returned. "I suppose we're supposed to fight now." He lazily brought his arms up, ready to speed up. "But careful. I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't pull your punches," her voice lowered as she prepared to fight.

"I don't even have to hit you. I'm faster.”

“Maybe,” you said. “But at least a pretty face doesn’t distract me.” You teleported behind Pietro and landed a blow on the back of his head and kicked him in the back. Pietro sped around and wrapped his arms around you.

You stayed there for a moment, stunned. Pietro did say anything. He just stood there, holding you. Had someone walked in, it would almost look like the two of you were dancing to an old song. What was he doing?

Abruptly, you snapped out of your thoughts and broke the silence. “If you wanted to dance, you could’ve just asked,” you cooed before stepping on his foot and elbowing him in the neck. Pietro dodged another one of your attacks and kicked your legs out from under you. You landed on the ground in a huff and quickly got back up.

You teleported behind Pietro and swung up on his shoulders. “You know, I don’t think people talk this much when they’re fighting,” Pietro grunted, struggling to lift you off of him.

You fell back, taking Pietro with you. He gasped for breath on the ground, pulling at your legs, but they were held tight. Eventually, you let go and straddled his waist. If he wasn’t gasping for breath, Pietro would have made a snarky comment about the position you were in. “You know, usually I’d just go for the kill now, but I hate to waste this pretty face,” you teased. “Guess I’ll just go for the second option.” Pietro went out cold.

—

“Buddy! Hey, quickie!” Tony patted Pietro’s face until he woke up. He was back on the jet. “What the hell happened to you?”

“That girl... “ Pietro hissed as he tried to sit up. His left eye was throbbing where she hit him.

“Don’t tell me a girl beat you up,” Sam laughed. “I mean, you’re literally faster than lightning. That chick isn’t even enhanced. She’s just a burglar.”

“Oh, she’s enhanced,” Pietro said. “She can teleport. That’s how she got to New Jersey so fast.”

“Ok, well we can’t have an enhanced thief running around everywhere,” Steve said. “Is the tracker still on her? Let’s send a team out to catch her.”

“You know, for the fastest man alive, she seems to always be one step ahead of you,” Bucky joked.

“Conference meeting in ten minutes! I think I have a plan,” Pietro announced, ignoring Bucky.

“Can he call conference meetings?” Tony asked, leaning over to Steve. “I thought we did that.”

After a few days, you were starting to feel bored. Sure, you always had money, but a little more never hurt. You researched artefacts coming into the state, poorly secured casinos, large imported diamonds, or really anything that would be exciting to steal.

Eventually, you came across a news article. Tony Stark was having an auction party.

“Well, it seems like it’s my turn to crash a party.”

—

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Wanda asked her brother as he finished putting his bow tie on.

“I hope it will. I mean, it seems she likes to steal shiny things, right?” Pietro joked.

Wanda laughed lightly. “Your bow tie is crooked.” She helped him fix it before saying, “You know she’s a bad guy, right? I don’t think this suit will do much to impress her.”

“First of all, I don’t like her. She just flirts a lot. And second, we weren’t the best people before. But, look at us now. We’re Avengers. Not everyone is stuck the way they are.”

“Just be careful, Piet.” Pietro nodded and Wanda left him with his thoughts.

This was just a bit of flirting. Nothing more, nothing less. Oh god, what was he thinking? This woman was the enemy. Ok, he just needed to finish this and he wouldn’t have to see her again.

But was that what he really wanted?

The party was already started by the time Pietro came down. The large crowd of invites surrounded Tony, who was standing behind an elevated podium. “Welcome, everyone to my auction! We have lots and lots of items up for purchase today. Well, as long as your pockets are full.” The crowd laughed and Tony continued.

Pietro surveyed the room, looking for the woman. We spotted the other Avengers on the perimeter of the room, looking for her too.

“Name?” the large security guard asked. You looked up at him through your long eyelashes, “Um, I’m actually…” You looked for a name on his clipboard. “Marc Spector’s plus one. He’s already in there. I was just running late.”

“Your name should be on here…” he said. “What was it again?”

“You can call me Cat,” you cooed.

“I’m sorry. Your name isn’t on the list, Miss. I can’t let you in.”

You pretended to pout and batted your eyes. “Surely you can’t just let me slip in? I mean, I’m all dressed and everything. Please, sir. Marc just came back from a business trip and I haven’t seen him for weeks…” You let your eyes water. “And-and I just…”

“Hey-Hey, it’s ok. Just go in. I’ll let it slide,” the guard said.

“Thank you so much sire,” you smiled brightly and kissed his cheek before waltzing in. Men were too easy.

Pietro couldn’t find the woman. The rest of the team decided to have a little fun since she didn’t seem to be there. Pietro, on the other hand, refused to give up. So, he walked to the entrance to try and cut her off there. After a few minutes, his heart rate when up as well as his nerves. She had to be here.

Suddenly, he saw a woman in a glimmering silver gown with those same mischievous E/C eyes he saw that night he met you. It was you.

Right when Pietro was about to tell the team he found her, he saw Wanda dancing with Vision. He realized that everyone was finally taking a break. Usually, they were all busy with Avengering that they never really got to smile in the company of others. Maybe he could have some fun of his own. I mean, he found her, didn’t he? Who says he had to ruin everyone’s night by incarcerating her in the middle of the party?

The night was still young. You’d have time to steal everything later. You had time for a drink. “I’ll have a Merlot,” you told the waiter, flashing an innocent smile. “Oh, and if you want to add a little extra in that glass, I won’t stop you.”

“Make that two,” a voice said behind you. It wasn’t just a voice though. It was his voice.

You turned, glass in hand, and smiled. “Speedy. We meet again.”

“So it seems,” he replied, as if you were old friends. He waved down the bartender once more. “Put it on my tab.”

“Just for little ol’ me?” you teased, widening your eyes in fake delight. The music winded down and the man on the piano began to play a sweet melody.

“Anything for you,” he tittered. “A drink, a dance—I’ll even turn you in for free. Handcuffs included.”

“Maybe we could put those handcuffs to some actual good use,” you retorted, taking a sip of your drink. Pietro did the same, though he drank a bit more than you. “Did you say something about a dance, Mr. Avenger, sir?”

“I think I did,” he answered. “You told me if I wanted to dance, I should just ask.” He paused and looked at you. “So I’m asking. Would you like to dance, Miss Y/L/N?”

He extended a hand out to you. Before you could even contemplate hesitation, your body moved for you and took his hand. The couples around you danced freely in their own unique ways. There were only smiles on their faces. Smiles were a foreign sight to you. And although your smiles could seduce a man into giving you what you wanted, they were never genuine like the ones here.

You were suddenly pulled out of your thoughts when Pietro wrapped his arm around your waist. “Relax, любимая [darling]. Let’s have some fun.” He began to softly sway left and right. Left and right.

“Sorry for the black eye, honey. But if it’s any consolation, it makes you look real tough.” You chuckled lightly. Pietro could listen to that sound all day. He looked down at you and your eyes met his. For a fraction of a second, you thought his gaze flitted to your lips. You needed to stop this before it started. Emotions did not suit you well.

You stepped away from his grasp. A look of confusion crossed his face, followed by disappointment. “I hope you know why I’m here,” you warned.

“Why do you think this event happened in the first place?” he quipped. “It seems like you just can’t avoid things that are shiny.”

You paused to think. How could you let this happen? You were just supposed to act like you belonged, then steal everything. You needed a plan. How were you going to get away from him? “You know that accent of yours could be a real lady killer,” you cooed, wrapping your hand around his suit jacket.

He seemed to fall for it. “Oh yeah? Who says?”

You went up on the tips of your toes and leaned into his ear. “I’m sorry.” He furrowed his brow in confusion, but before he could say anything, you stepped on his foot with the heel of your shoe.

“Ow—Hey!” he muttered. All of a sudden, you teleported away. The crowd around Pietro stepped away, shocked at what they just saw.

“Hey! Where’d she go?” Cap yelled, grabbing his shield from the corner of the room.

“Energy scan says she’s in the storage room!” Tony activated his armour and started to fly over the room of people.

Pietro sped down the staircase onto the lowest floor. There she was. You were holding three small pieces of jewelry, each one priceless.

“You can’t stop me, Speedy. I’ll just teleport away,” you reminded him. Pietro stepped towards you cautiously, afraid that you would run away again. He needed to stall you just a bit longer.

“You don’t need to do this,” Pietro warned.

You smiled, now feeling cocky. “And who’s going to stop me?” You let out a short laugh. “It doesn’t seem like you can stop me with a quick set of feet.”

“No, I’m just one step ahead of you, sweetheart.” Pietro sped behind you and put you in a headlock. Before you could react, a woman came in. Her hands glowed red and before you could react and teleport away, your vision clouded and faded to black.

—

“I found her,” Tony said, looking up from the hologram. “Y/N Y/L/N. Alias is Shadowcat. She trained in the Red Room as a stealth operative and later, their experiment. It seems she’s been on her own for some time.

“So what are we going to do with her?” Bruce asked.

“I don’t know. Hand her over to the authorities?” Clint suggested.

“Teleportation. A regular prison won’t hold her,” Steve reminded.

“Well, we can’t just keep her here,” Tony argued.

“Maybe we can get her to join the team,” Pietro spoke up. “I can talk to her.”

“Talk to her? What, are you gonna give her some kind of plea deal?” Clint joked.

“I think my brother here has a little crush on our guest,” Wanda taunted, jabbing a finger at Pietro.

“No,” he said quickly. “I just spoke to her before, so I think it’s best if I speak to her again.”

“Yeah, whatever, Casanova. But yeah, I guess we could try. But if she tries to escape, it’s on you, Maximoff,” Tony warned.

“Got it,” Pietro said before running off to the containment floor.

—

You woke up in a cell and groaned as you lifted yourself off of the small cot. You grabbed your throbbing forehead and began to rub the pain away.

Once your vision cleared, you instantly tried to escape. You closed your eyes and imagined the roof of the building. You opened your eyes. "Shit." You hadn't gone anywhere. You were still sitting on the small cot in your cell. That's when you noticed the dim, red light shining below you. There was a thin brace on your left wrist.

They must have dampened your powers. Great. You tried to pull the brace off, but you were only successful in bruising your arm. Where the hell were you?, you thought.

The memories of fighting in New Jersey came back to you. And the speedster. Pietro. A pretty name for a pretty face. Too bad he was an Avenger. You would have liked him otherwise, you told yourself.

Footsteps behind you snapped you out of your thoughts. You were now on high alert and snapped your head in the direction of the noise. It was Pietro.

“Hey, Speedy. You come here often?” You looked at him through squinted eyes, unsuccessfully avoiding the bright lights.

Pietro returned your gaze with a cocky form of delight.

He crossed his arms and shifted his weight. “Kitty, it’s been too long.” His accent became a little heavier, bringing the hairs on the back of your neck stand. You chuckled and gathered your hair, tying it into a ponytail.

“Why did you miss me?” You pouted playfully. Despite your outward demeanour, your voice did not carry the tone you had wanted.

Pietro noticed it as well. “I’m sorry we keep meeting under such unfortunate circumstances.”

“Well, let me out and maybe I’ll make it up to you.” Pietro blushed slightly.

“You know I can’t do that,” he said, almost warning himself.

“Fuck you,” you huffed.

Pietro chuckled lightly. Something in him gave him the confidence to push his limits just a little further. “You know I love you.”

“Sure feels like it,” you scoffed, leaning up against the wall, ignoring the impact his words had on your heart. Suddenly, you remembered the pain your head was in. “You know, I was starting to think all of the Avengers were soft like you, but hell, your sister really packs a punch. Or whatever it is those powers of hers do.”

“I call it revenge for the black eye you gave me,” he chuckled. “Hey, you know if you don’t want her to do that anymore, I suggest you behave,” Pietro added. You rolled your eyes.

“Well, there’s not much I can do now. I’m a little stuck,” you said, tapping on the cell's bars.

“That is why I came down here,” Pietro explained. “If you want to get out, you’ll have to join our team.”

You squinted in suspicion. “Why would you want me on your team?”

Pietro walked forward, “We want to help you—”

“Ha! You’re just like every other ‘savior’ out there,” you sneered, making air quotes with your hands. “You say you want to help me, but you just end up using me to make some easy money.”

“Isn’t that what you do? Make easy money?” Pietro provoked.

“Maybe. But I do it alone,” you defended.

Pietro kneeled down in front of your cell. You huffed and turned your head away from him. Although, if you hadn’t been annoyed, you wouldn’t have minded staring into his dark blue eyes for a little longer. “Isn’t that… well, lonely?”

“It’s better to be alone sometimes,” you mumbled. Wait, what are you doing?, you thought. Why are you just telling this stranger everything? You scowled and said, “You don’t even know me.”

“I don’t,” he admitted. “But I’d like to, Y/N.”

“You know my name?” you asked, confused.

“Well, you knew my name. It seemed only fair to even the playing field.” You lifted your eyebrow, unamused. Pietro sighed. “Look, you don’t want to stay here forever, right? And we’re not just going to let you free, so this is your only choice. You might as well try. A room and decent food are better than this place.”

You turned to the wall of the cell and crossed your arms like a child angry at their parent. “I rather like the cell."

"Well, then I guess I have nothing left to say. I can't convince you," Pietro said dramatically. He began to back away and placed his hands in the air in surrender. You refused to face him and continued to pout. You listened intently as his footsteps got quieter and quieter.

—

"No luck?" Bucky chuckled, taking another sip of coffee.

Pietro shook his head. "Just give her time to blow off some steam."

"I don't understand why we have to go through all of this trouble when we can just give her to SHIELD or something," Bruce said, sliding his glasses off of his face.

"Because my brother is in love," Wanda giggled.

"Wanda," Pietro warned, scowling. Wanda took another sip of her tea, smiling into the cup.

"Just give her a few more days," Steve suggested. "I'm sure she'll take the deal by then. And if not, then we'll take her to SHIELD."

"Or maybe Quicksilver can take her out for a bit of fresh air. You know, a walk in Central Park, maybe a nice dinner, a carriage ride…" Sam started to laugh at his own joke. Bucky laughed too.

Pietro turned around and began to walk away from the group. "I will not be bullied like this," he said, placing a warning finger in the air.

"He's totally screwed," Nat said, leaning back onto the couch.

"I think you mean they're totally screwing… each other," Tony snickered. Steve lightly punched him and shook his head.

Sam lazily lifted an arm in the air. "I give 'em two weeks before we hear the bed squeaking."

"Well, based on the way things are currently going, I believe it will take no more than three weeks," Vision calculated.

"I don't really know, but I'll just say something like fifteen days," Bruce said.

"My brother may be a flirt, but he is horrible at actually admitting his feelings," Wanda said. "It might take some time."

"I'll go with three weeks," Clint added. "The robot knows all."

"The speedster is a fine lad. I say no more than ten days," Thor bet.

"Alright," Tony concluded. "Losers take the winner out to dinner and pay."

—

Ten days. It took ten days for you to give in. Pietro checked in periodically but it would only really end in pointless bickering between the two of you. It had taken two days for you to decide that you hated him. And it took you the rest to grow tired of the small cell. And as much as you despised the Avengers, you hated not being able to stretch your limbs even more.

“Hey, Kitty. How are we doing today?” Pietro came in with his repetitive morning greeting.

Instead of your usual, “Fuck off” or “Still in here. What do you think?”, you said, crossing your arms, “I want out.”

Pietro was taken aback. “You do?”

“Yes! I can’t take it in here. I’ll… join your stupid team.”

“And you won’t try to escape?” he asked sceptically.

You sighed. “...If it means I don’t have to come back here.”

Pietro’s frown broke into a smile. “Alright. Let’s get started.”

To say that adjusting to being an Avenger was difficult was the understatement of the century. It was near impossible in the beginning. At first, only Pietro would talk to you, although you never really said much back. However, Wanda and Nat eventually began to talk to you and you became good friends with them. You learned to bond with Tony over your mutual love of tech and ACDC. And you often tried to explain your powers with Bruce and Vision.

Today, you, Nat, and Wanda went grocery shopping. “So remind me again why you aren’t with my brother?” Wanda asked. You sighed. It’d probably been the tenth time that week she asked.

“I told you, Wanda. I don’t like him like that.” You tried to keep your voice as steady as possible because you were totally lying.

“You know he totally likes you, right?” the red-head said.

“He doesn’t!” you yelled defensively. “A-And even if he did, what then?”

“You guys would go out in the next two days and I’d be taken out to a nice dinner?” Wanda suggested. You lifted your eyebrow.

“You what?”

“We made a bet!” Nat admitted. You rolled your eyes. “Now will you just kiss the damn boy already?”

Did he really like you? Over the course of a few weeks, the two of you had grown sort of close… The two of you And sure, he flirted, but that seemed like it was a part of his personality. Yeah, that was it. He just flirted a lot.

“Pietro just flirts,” you countered.

“That’s true, but Y/N… I know my brother. He does not look at you like he does other random women. He really likes you,” Wanda assured.

An alarm went off on your phone. “Shit! I’m late for training!” You placed the items you held in the cart and ran off, abandoning your friends.

Just as Nat was about to protest your immediate departure, Wanda placed a hand on her arm. “Don’t worry. She’s training with Pietro today.”

—

You rushed into the locker room to find Pietro there, halfway through putting his shirt on. A blush crept onto your face. You cleared your voice.

He looked up in surprise but smirked when he saw your blushing cheeks. “Saw something you like?”

“Shut up. Let’s just get this over with,” you muttered, stepping into the boxing ring.

“You know it’s ok if—” You threw a blow to his chest to interrupt him. Maybe you could punch the smirk off his face. You threw more punches, but he dodged every one, using your super speed.

“You’re distracted,” he finished. You grunted in frustration and tried to kick him. He dodged that too. You tried to teleport, but you were unsuccessful. Shit, the ankle brace. While you were distracted, Pietro sped to you and pinned you down. You tried to break free from it, but he was too strong. Plus, you didn’t really mind being pinned down by the speedster, as much as he annoyed you.

“What? You got nothing to say?” he asked smugly. A wicked smile flashed across your face. You one had one last card to play. It was risky though.

You lifted your hips and ground them on his. Shock initially filled him and his grip on you loosened, allowing you to sit up and pin him down. To your surprise, he smiled. “I didn’t know you played dirty.”

“That’s the only way I play, Speedy. Come on, you should know that. Don’t you have a brain under all that hair?” He chuckled. Without notice, you felt something below you and instantly realized what it was.

You quickly remembered your position and tried to slide off of him. Instead of letting you move away, he grabbed your thighs and held you in place. “Don’t move. You look nice from this angle.”

“I hope you’re not thinking of naughty things, Maximoff.”

He laughed and rolled his eyes. “Says the woman who just ground her hips onto me—”

“To win the match,” you corrected.

There was an odd moment of silence between the two of you. He just looked up at you with a goofy smile. A smile began to curl on your lips, but before you started to actually feel something, you shoved yourself off of him.

Pietro stood up and walked over to you. “I’m sorry. I thought…”

You turned to him, frowning. “You thought what?” you whispered.

Pietro took both of your hands in his and closed the distance between the two of you. You waited in anticipation for him to say something. He leaned in even closer and you stared at the lips you’d been secretly aching to kiss.

You gasped when you somehow found yourself on the ground and Pietro once again, on top of you. “I guess I really am just one step ahead of you,” he whispered, before connecting your lips with his. You returned the kiss with equal excitement while your hands found their way into his mop of hair. He moved his hands all over your body, never stopping for breath. You whimpered slightly against his lips, begging for more.

Eventually, he pulled away. You rolled on top, “Trust me. I will always be one step ahead of you, Speedy.” You pulled your shirt off and kissed him again.

“Hey!” You shot up to see Tony. “Get a room, will you?”

“I’ll race you,” Pietro said before speeding off.

You looked at Tony, annoyed. “Will you get this damn ankle brace off of me so I can beat him?”

—

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@dawnie39uk

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glottia-arts · 4 years

Text

The Photo

Ok I decided to finish this. This story goes along with this drawing I did up of Julia and Aura with different hairstyles. I actually stopped writing this right when Moonjumper and Snatcher are shown and wasn’t too sure on their dynamic for your fic. Coulda just asked about that and some other things, but it wasn’t bad to wait for the next few chapters for you to explain. I probably got things wrong anyway, so feel free to call me out @konan720.

I tried to keep this in character for the realm for your story, but a little for mine bleeds in, primarily the part where the forest is different. Then I’m sure you’ll be able to see the other things.

Word Count: 6,777 _____

“Say cheese!”

“Cheese!?”

Snap. A camera shutter went off and a few photos silently printed out.

“It’s all done guys!”

“Cool! Come on, let’s go!” Laughing, Julia separated from her companion, dashing off towards her little sister. Aura was still perplexed over the situation, but followed at her own pace.

Finally reaching the duo, Aura saw that both girls were examining pictures. Peeking up, Hat Kid grinned widely. “Hey, the picture turned out great!” Sticking her tiny hand out, she presented a photo to the elder girl. “Here’s your copy of the photo Aura!”

Aura carefully took the photo from the child, astonished to find it was a photograph of her and Julia. Her head tilted in confusion on how the girl had gotten this. She didn’t have a camera on her, nor did she have one of the ‘cell phones’ that several of the residents of this time period had. To her knowledge, those weird things couldn’t print pictures. They could be shared with a cloud somehow though…

Hat Kid picked up on Aura’s turmoil, much to her shock. “You’re probably wondering how I got that, yeah? Well, I have a badge I picked up a while back that lets me take photos. Pretty nice to have since it can save and print the pictures it takes. Cool, right?”

Nodding, Aura looked over the photo once more, smiling behind her mask. This was a nice shot of the two and she was grateful for her mask, the confusion on her face would contrast severely with Julia’s pleasant smile.

Opening her bag, Aura withdrew a small picture album and inserted the image for safe keeping.

“Hey, you got some photos already?”

“Mmm.. technically only two. The one young Melody took and one from two years ago… well, two years ago for me. I’m still unsure how long ago it was from everyone else's perspectives.”

“You had photography back in your time?”

“Yes, it was fairly new back then. There were still kinks to be adjusted, but there was someone who had a camera that worked.”

“Honestly with the time frame you came from, it almost sounds around the 16th century or earlier in my original world. Kinda weird to imagine photography back then.” Julia pondered it over for a moment before realizing something. “Unless it was another one of the descendants of yours and Melody’s alien race. You guys are kind of crazy when it comes to technological advancement.”

“You would be correct, they did come from that lineage. I suppose at the time, it is exciting for new things, but I don’t have the frame of reference for comparison as you do Julia. Sorry about that.”

“Oh no, it’s fine! It was just a statement. Different places develop differently, so don’t worry about it.”

Nodding, she went to put her small album away, but was stopped as Hat Kid practically jumped over to her. “No wait, let me see the other photo! I’m so curious about what photo you could have from back then!”

“Melody-”

Laughing, Aura patted the girls hat gently. “It’s alright Julia, I don’t mind showing her the photo. You’re free to come see it as well. The only condition I have for showing you both this, is that neither you tell Snatcher or Moonjumper I have this. Alright?”

The sisters eyed each other, even more curious on the photo the adult dweller had. Nodding, they both looked to Aura as they gave their conformation they wouldn’t tell either ghost of its existence.

“Thank you both. Now for the photo in question.” Julia sprinted over as Aura began. “I know you both have seen the Prince’s appearance in the storybook you acquired from fixing the rift near the Grand Hourglass. Here, you’ll see a little more perspective, alternative than what time had disclosed to you.”

Julia picked up her younger sister so they both could see the photo in question together, both anticipating the reveal.

“I’ll apologize in advance if it’s not quite what either of you were expecting. I’m afraid I might have ‘hyped’ it up more than it needed. Is ‘hyped’ the right word? Hmm...”

“Well it’s exciting enough to know the Prince was in it. Even if it’s just a simple photo, I still want to see it!” Hat Kid nodded in agreement.

“... if you’re sure, then alright.” Finally opening the album from the back, she flipped the last page into view, showcasing the photo they eagerly awaited.

Seeing the image in question, three figures were pictured. On the left was Queen Vanessa. Julia noticed something a little odd with the Queen. On closer inspection, she could tell the smile was strained. Just barely though. Aura wasn’t kidding when she said the woman wore a mask of her own. It was unfortunate that Aura could only get the Prince to somewhat see it.

The person in center focus was the Prince. Of the three pictured, he appeared to be the merriest. An arm was placed on both his companion's shoulders, squishing them tight against himself.

Finally, the person on the right was Aura. She looked just as she did when appearing in this era. She was nervous in the photo, tense and surprised as she was moments prior with their own photo.

Both girls thought at the mention of the Prince, that would be the reason to not tell their ghostly friends about the photograph, having seen their alive self. Now that they could wholly examine the image, they realized it could have been because of the picture as a whole.

Misfortune in the making.

Glancing up to Aura, Hat Kid had a question. She almost didn’t want to ask, but the curiosity ate at her. “Why do you still have this photo?”

Aura stared at the child for a moment before pulling the album close. She was quiet for some time as she traced the edges of the page.

Julia almost said something to the child before Aura began to softly speak.

“... it does bring up bad memories… but there are some good ones as well.” Looking back to the girls, she continued. “I don’t miss Vanessa, but I missed the time when we were friends. Even if I knew that there was something off about her majesty as a child, I still did consider her a friend. Somewhat.”

“And the Prince?”

“I considered him a friend yes. More so than Vanessa. One could almost say we were best friends.”

Hat Kid shook excitedly in Julia’s arms at hearing this.

“Though” the girl stopped as Aura went on. “I’m unsure of it now.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well… you know. He kind of… split into two. Several ages have passed. Issues like that. I’d be a fool to assume either of them were one hundred percent the same person as back then.” Hat Kid snickered at hearing the word ‘fool’, but Aura pressed on. “I’ve barely been here for a few months and I’ve seen Snatcher’s changes. Creator knows how much Moonjumper has changed.”

Aura had looked back to the picture again and Julia had a feeling she knew where this was going.

“Aura, are you afraid that they don’t see you in that way anymore?”

The subtle flinch told her all she needed to know.

“It has been awhile… I can imagine some fondness.. But with how everything’s been since my little time travel accident, I’m still unclear.”

“Well, Moon’s been pretty excited to see you! Then Snatcher’s just a big floating contradiction.”

“Yeah, Snatcher’s just a big ol’ soon-deh-ray!”

Aura was with them until Hat Kid had said that. “I... uh... what?”

“Just listen. Yes, he’s an a-” Hat Kid covered Julia’s mouth cause she knew the next word she was going to say was a bad one. She really doesn’t want Aura to go into mom mode over that. Again.

Julia looked at Hat Kid questioningly, but the girl continued for her sister. “What Julia was going to say is, is that Snatcher may be a big meanie to all of us, but deep down, he cares.”

“Way... way... way down.” Julia muttered behind the tiny hand.

“So all the times he’s been hard or mean to you since you’ve been here, he’s just been looking out for you!”

The redhead nodded slowly in acknowledgment.

Hat Kid finally removed her hand from Julia’s face and broke free from the elder girls grip, landing on the ground safely. “Besides, you have me, Julia and loads of other people in your life now! We’re your friends as well!”

“Yeah, we’re with you all the way.” Julia gave a thumbs up.

Aura didn’t know how to respond to all of this. The declaration was so abrupt; It caught her off guard. Nodding again, a soft “thank you” peeped out of her.

Smiling, Hat Kid jumped up and down. “You know since we’re here in Subcon, why don’t we go show Moonjumper and Snatcher your guys’s makeovers!”

“Normally, I’d agree but… it might startle them at the sudden and extreme change Aura went through.”

Pouting at her sister, Hat Kid put her hands on her hips. “It’s not that big of a deal, they’ve already gotten several surprises from you two! Besides, you two look pretty!”

Julia would comment about how Hat Kid seemed to learn more than she let on from Aura, but shied off at hearing the compliment.

“Might be best to get it done and over with on my part. They’d have to see me again eventually.” Gently running a hand through her hair, she continued. “Besides, it’s not like my hair is going to grow that long again in a short time span.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Though hypothetically; With your magic, couldn’t you grow your hair fast?”

“Hypothetically... I’m afraid not, my time magic can only affect me when it comes to healing wounds and slowing my aging process. Otherwise, hair growth isn’t what it’s known for.”

“Ah… well, thought I’d ask.”

“It is a finicky thing, so I don’t blame your curiosity.”

Sealing her album shut, Aura stored it away. Glancing around the green clearing, she spotted Julia and her own little companions off in the distance.

“Time to round up the cats I suppose.”

Hat Kid waved at the Bush Cats. “Hey Blueberry! Neo! Let’s go!”

The two looked over to the small child, but remained in place.

Julia frowned at this. Normally, Blueberry would come running the second she could. Why didn’t she now? Next thing she knew, Aura was speed walking over to the two Rough Patch’s.

Both felines looked up to the woman, one somewhat confused, the other relieved.

Aura carefully picked up her own Rough Patch, adjusting him to hold him as if he were a baby or small child. “I’m sorry Helios, you should have said something.”

The gray leafed cat made a sound and shook his head, relaxing against her.

Sighing, she looked down at his smaller friend. “Thank you for staying with him Blueberry, I hope it wasn’t any trouble.”

Tilting her head, the small Rough Patch stared at the woman blankly. Though now that her friend was higher up, she thought she could receive the same treatment and jumped up. Mid jump, she was caught by Julia.

“Nuh-uh, we talked about this. No jumping on Aura.”

The blueberry themed cat just stared at her human for a moment, wagging her tail the next. Sighing with a smile, she set the small Bush Cat on her shoulder.

“If she did, I wouldn’t have minded. I’m used to changing upon my return home.”

“Well still! Helios- uh, Ne-... what is his name exactly? You keep referring to him as one name, and Melody refers to him as another.”

“The name he’s always gone by is Helios, but Melody has given him the nickname of Neo.”

“He just looks like one!”

Aura glanced over the multicolored Rough Patch for a moment, tilting her head. “I... suppose so?”

Said Rough Patch smiled, lazily swinging his tail back and forth.

“Ok… so continuing where I left off. Helios-”

“Neo!”

“Melody, please don’t confuse me, I’m trying to say this. Anyways. Your Rough Patch is accommodating to you and your needs, staying clean and wearing little booties wherever he goes. I imagine it must bug you on some level having to change your clothes often. So, just think of this as the prevention of one.”

“I do see what you’re saying and I thank you for that. Let’s just hope you saving me from your adorable Rough Patch doesn’t go in vain.”

“Well knowing my luck, it probably will. This is Subcon after all. I imagine it’s still somewhat the same, even after reverting back to normal.”

“I’d say the residents are certainly the same, yes. The ambiance of the forest on the other hand differs.”

“Figures.”

“Alright, alright, let’s go! We need to show Snatcher and Moonjumper how you guys look!”

“We’re coming kid, just hold your horses.”

__________

Subcon Forest was remarkably easy to navigate when there weren’t as many traps or deadly hazards around.

The residents were likewise simple to locate, sticking out like a sore thumb against green shrubbery. So it didn’t take the group long in finding the two powerhouse phantoms of the forest. They were near Snatcher’s residence, but even without being in such an obvious location, they were still easy to spot.

What they didn’t expect was seeing both ghosts arguing and with an audience no less. Several minions, dwellers and others they knew were off on the sidelines, watching the whole debacle. They were hidden, but still present.

Aura leaned over to Julia, concern lacing her tone. “You wouldn’t happen to know if this is… ‘normal’ between them… would you?”

Rubbing her fingers against her temples, Julia replied. “Sadly, it kind of is.”

Hat Kid being Hat Kid, went up to the two squabbling ghosts.

“You could at least make some room there!” “As if I’d ever do that! I just got that back, I’m not sharing it!”

“It wasn’t really even yours in the first place!”

“I’ll have you know, I-”

“What are you two arguing about?”

Both ghosts recoiled in surprise, turning to the voice that had intruded. Neither noticed the child’s presence, but Snatcher had somewhat deflated at seeing her. He half expected her around the woodland anyhow, so why not in his own personal business?

“Oh, we were-”

Snatcher interrupted the other ghost by smacking a hand down on his shoulder, tugging him close. “Moonboy and I were just having a nice chat.” A tight squeeze on the shoulder and a very subtle twitch of the eye from Moonjumper. “Something your little ears need not be concerned with.”

Hat Kid looked between the two ghosts, curious about the situation, but ultimately continued on her mission.

“Anyway, I have a surprise for you two!”

If Snatcher could deflate further, he would have sunk into the ground.

“Kid, I don’t think I can handle any more of your surprises.”

Lightly smacking the taller ghost, Moonjumper gestured for Hat Kid to continue.

Maneuvering so the girls were in sight, Hat Kid made a grand gesture to them “Ta-da…?” Her tone grew confused, seeing only Julia standing there.

Julia, unperturbed, smiled and waved as the ghost's eyes fell upon her.

It quite surprised both specters seeing the new hairstyle, staring in awe at the change. Snatcher was the first to break the silence, smirking.

“Well seems you’ve learned to embrace some femininity there, ey kid?”

Julia thought of giving the ghost a piece of her mind with a simple hand gesture, but didn’t for several reasons.

Out of the contractor’s grip, Moonjumper approached Julia, studying her hairstyle as all the details came into view. It was certainly unexpected, but he thought it looked nice. Where did she get the Marigold’s for her hair though? They weren’t common in the forest, even back in his lifetime.

Close enough to her, he carefully ran a hand over her hair as to not mess up any of the beads or braiding.

Smiling softly, he pulled her into a hug, careful in his movements not to upset her Rough Patch. “You look beautiful dear. Did you learn how to braid over these years as well?”

“Well, I can say that I had a little help with this.”

“Ah. It wouldn’t have happened to be Au… ra..?”

As he began questioning her, he opened his eyes to pull away, but was stunned in his silence and movement. Aura had been standing behind his daughter the whole time.

Julia had stood in front of Aura, hoping to lessen the chaos that was soon to follow. She also secretly hoped her father would approach and have the first glance of Aura’s new appearance. Snatcher got to see Aura when she first arrived. Moonjumper at least deserves to see her first major change!

Maneuvering the Rough Patch in hand, Aura waved at her friend, nervous over his reaction.

It took a while before Moonjumper separated himself from Julia, still unsure if this was real. If the girl thought he looked stunned and speechless before, she was certainly wrong. He was flat out flabbergasted at seeing their friend.

Stepping off to the side, Julia gave them room.

Still unsure, Moonjumper drifted closer, eyeing the red head up and down. She appeared as if she grew up in this age than the past. Still, if he had to choose the most startling feature, it would have to be her hair. It was so short!

Reaching out to touch it, a light smack to his hand stopped him. Puzzled, he glanced at the culprit, identifying them as the Rough Patch in her arms. Helios, he believed she called him. The Rough Patch had an annoyed expression on his face. He was overprotective of his master.

“Sorry about that… Helios isn’t keen on certain people near me.”

“It’s quite alright, I understand.” He held his hands up in surrender to the large bush before placing them back down. Looking her over once more, he chuckled. “I never thought I’d see you in something other than the limited clothes you chose to wear.”

Huffing, she turned her head away. “I had very little choice in my attire, so I wanted to dress as I pleased while I could. Wouldn’t have had much of a choice after my marriage and rise to leadership.”

“This is true, yes. But even so, this new look suits you quite well.” With her head already tilted, she shifted a little in her shyness. Moving to grab her hand, he stopped with the ready of Helios’s paw. Laughing awkwardly, his hand retreated to scratch at his cheek.

A moment later, a surprised shout rung through the area, causing all nearby occupants to jump. Eyes turning to the source, they saw Snatcher had maneuvered to determine who Moonjumper was speaking with.

In an instant, he was in front of Aura. “WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR!?”

She couldn’t answer him as he began maneuvering around her at fast speeds. Every few stops he’d reach for her, halting the movement in favor of moving to a different viewpoint of her. Moonjumper, Julia and Hat Kid were confused on his behavior, questioning the odd change in character.

Finally stopping in front of her, Snatcher looked like he was about ready to keel over. “SERIOUSLY, WHAT HAPPENED TO IT!? NOT THAT YOU DON’T LOOK GOOD, BUT ANYTIME SOMETHING ON YOU WINDS UP CUT, IT’S NOT GOOD!” Pausing in his worried yelling, he narrowed his eyes, voice taking a dangerous tone. “It wasn’t… more Hunters, was it?”

Moonjumper stiffened at that. “Hunters? In this age?”

“I’ll explain later Moonboy, but I need answers here!”

Motioning for Snatcher to take a deep breath, she tried to remain calm with all his howling.

“Snatcher, it’s fine. It wasn’t the Hunters.” Visibly relaxing, the ghost nodded while still maintaining eyesight on the shortened red hair.

The idea of Hunters didn’t sit well with Moonjumper, but after a few moments of glancing between Aura and Julia, he was able to put two and two together over the girls hairstyles.

Smiling, he clasped his hands together. “I’m so happy you girls are bonding! What a wonderful occasion!”

Snatcher eyed to his counterpart, confusion clear.

Rolling his eyes, Moonjumper continued on. “They’ve both styled each other’s hair Snatcher. Which makes sense, as Aura’s only ever had her long locks while Julia is more familiar with the shortened style.”

Glancing between the girls, Snatcher saw what he meant. Gaze final on Julia, he smirked. “Makes sense… goldilocks here could never pull that off by herself.”

“I could so!”

“Uh-huh…”

Julia was fuming, but didn’t want to cause a scene. This was supposed to be a happy moment.

Snatcher turned his gaze back to Aura, studying her once more. “So did you do that, or..?”

“I cut it myself, yes. Julia added curling to my hair, otherwise it’s not as curly.”

“Hmm… not bad for the kid doing your hair.” “Hey!”

His chuckling was brief as he felt a light tap against him from Aura. A warning. He refused to show his nervousness at that, so he decided it’d be best to stop picking on the braided haired girl.

As Moonjumper had done previously, Snatcher moved to stroke her hair and was interrupted by bumping against a paw. Not expecting that, yellow eyes met dual blue and yellow. Narrowing his eyes, Snatcher tried again, meeting the same result. The fluff around his head puffed up, annoyed by this action.

Aura couldn’t explain the situation to him, especially as he broke into a little ‘game’ with the Rough Patch, seeing if he could manage to touch her hair.

Both Moonjumper and Aura sighed at this, but chose to let it play out.

Moonjumper hated to leave Aura there as Snatcher duked it out with Helios, but couldn’t help floating over near Julia.

Julia was about to comment, but Moonjumper beat her to the punch. “He’s not going to give up anytime soon, unfortunate as it is.”

“Shouldn’t you be over there supporting Aura?”

“Normally I would yes, but she would have sent me over here anyways.”

“I… yeah you’re probably right on that…”

Chuckling, Moonjumper glanced over to his old friend briefly before looking back to Julia. “Some things never change.” Once more glancing over her hair, he tilted his head. “You know, you had one of the best possible people to do your hair.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. You see while I was alive, I had my hair butchered to the point I thought it would be quite the mess until it could grow out once more. Aura somehow was able to salvage it, turning it into the hairstyle I would be known to have back in those days.”

“... you had hair?”

The unbelieving tone threw Moonjumper for a loop. He couldn’t help the pout that formed on his lips. “I had hair, yes! I didn’t always look this way Julia- why are you doing that?”

Julia was struggling not to laugh, snickering at the adorable pout and the fact that she got him.

Soon enough, he understood that she was joking. “Ha ha, yes very funny.” Though he sounded annoyed, it really lacked the bite, especially with the growing smile on his face contradicting it.

The urge to laugh faded, thinking about what he said prior. “So Aura is… good with hair?”

“She’s good with numerous things, hair being one of them.”

“She certainly is a mystery…”

“You have no idea.”

They both quickly glanced back, Julia surprised Snatcher was still playing fair. Playing at all with Helios, if you wished to call it that. The shadow appeared frustrated, but Helios on the other part was smirking. Cheeky cat that one. Aura stood as patient as ever, showing signs that she was holding in her giggles.

Had Julia looked at her father, she would have seen a nostalgic smile painting his face. A light clicked on for him. “Julia, do you mind if I show you something?”

“Of course dad.”

Adjusting his coat, Moonjumper reached inside it, searching for something. It didn’t take long before he pulled out what appeared to be a photograph, unfolding it and offering it to her.

Accepting it, she did a double-take. This was the photo Aura had! It was scanned and reprinted though, the original showing signs of ages of wear and tear, contrasting with the shiny gloss that painted over this. The way it was folded, showcased only the Prince and Aura. From what she could tell, it folded the same way even the original.

“Surprised to see such a thing?” “Well… yeah. Can’t say I expected this.” As she was aware only Aura had this.

“I suppose a photo like the original would be strange, versus a painting. We had some luck in having foreigners travel in one day, one bringing some odd version of a camera. The Queen and I were in town on their arrival browsing their wares, but she took an interest in the real-life photos and suggested we had one done. That didn’t go according to her plan, as you can tell.”

“So I take it Aura happened to be in the vicinity as well?”

“She was yes. She had not been paying any mind to us, but of course, I went on impulse when she drew near. Before Aura even knew what happened, I pulled her into the frame for the next shot. At the time I believed it was a good idea, but later I learned it further drew a wedge between them both. I never did question why Vanessa was snappy after that.” He bitterly whispered the last part.

Julia had heard him, her shoulders drooping in response. It broke her heart to hear him talk about anything he suffered with in the past, especially in relation to Vanessa. She was glad Aura was a form of support for her dad and his other half, she’d hate to think of how much worse things could have been for them without someone close to talk to.

Without thinking, Julia was the one to pull Moonjumper into an embrace. She felt him stiffen, but quickly loosen up, returning the gesture. Gently rubbing his back, she thought of how to put her next words.

“Even if everything didn’t go as planned for you, and everything began amiss, you have nothing but the future to look forward to. Regardless of all the bad that’s happened, the good things remain. Heck, they’ve come back to you time and time again. You’ve got me, Kero, Aura and several others that’ll be here for you. That will not change, no matter what.” She looked up to her father, smiling brightly. “I’ll make sure of it!”

As if to confirm this, the oddly still Blueberry placed a paw against Moonjumper’s cheek.

It took a moment for the words to register, but once they did, Moonjumper softly smiled back. He returned the gesture to the Rough Patch. “Thank you, Julia. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

“... dead?”

Moonjumper snorted and lightly tapped her head.

Laughing, she batted his hand away. “I see you’re already picking up some traits from someone.”

Joining in her giggles, he nodded. “I suppose so, yes.”

Both souls relaxing in the moment, Julia felt at peace. She was here with her family in a safe place, able to be herself. It was good to be back.

Reluctantly, she pulled away from her father, glancing over the picture one last time before returning it. She took notice that he stole a glance at the photo, a soft smile gracing his lips before he folded the image and returned it to its original place.

She smiled knowingly, glad he had some positive memories amongst the bad. She slanted her head off to the side, pretending not to notice.

In doing so, she noticed the duel between the undead noodle and undead cat seemed to be over with. Given Snatcher’s slumped posture and crossed arms, it was safe to assume he lost.

Hat Kid was now speaking with Aura. Kero and a few other minions even snuck out from their hiding place, joining in the conversation. Some of the more endearing ones were trying to discreetly reach the Rough Patch’s tail with no success. Said bush looked at them, content as could be, not concerned about their actions.

After a moment, an idea popped into Julia’s head. She grasped one of Moonjumper’s arms and rushed over to the group, ignoring the ghosts confused cries.

Snatcher was the first to notice her and tried to give off an air that he had in fact not just played a game of slapsies with an ancient cat and lost. She badly wanted to burst his bubble, but was in the middle of something.

The children ceased their chattering at her approach, everyone’s attention fully on her.

“Would any of you kids happen to be badge users?”

The random question threw everyone off guard, all the ghost children looking between the other.

“What’s this about Julia?”

“I need a favor and your camera badge Melody. At least if any of these guys can use it.”

The ones in attendance seemed clueless as to what she was referring to. Maybe none of them could? It was kind of hard to find just anyone who could utilize badges.

Aura’s attention shifted from Julia to Kero, questioning the boy. “Kero, you know more about the dweller’s conditions nowadays than I do. Do you happen to know if Osma kept her host body?”

“Osma, Osma, Osma…” Kero put his chin in his palm, pondering about the name and dweller associated with it. “Aha!” Patting his hands together, Kero continued, “Osma, yes she still lives in her body. Do you need her for something?”

“Osma is the only dweller child I recall that can use badges. So she would have to do for Julia’s plan.”

“If she’s the only one you can think of out of everybody in the forest, it might not be worth it at that point. It would be troublesome to find her.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that.”

“Why’s that?”

Aura pointed towards the treeline, a short lone figure halfway in view. At being discovered, they hurriedly hid behind a tree. “She has a knack for either being places she doesn’t belong, or being there when you need her.” Navigating her way around the environment, Aura approached the child.

With Aura’s departure, everyone shifted their gaze back to Julia.

“Care to clarify what you require the young one for?”

“To take a picture of course!”

“Why do you need someone else, I can take it! Heck, even Aura could!”

“True, but you’re both going to be in the photo Melody. Can’t get either of you in if you’re the ones shooting.”

Hat Kid thought this through and even though she could technically accomplish that, she hasn’t spent sufficient time with the badge to determine how to use it effectively. So she’d side with Julia on that for now.

“I don’t see why we need to have a photo taken.”

“For memories! Duh.”

“Kid’s right. This is a brand new start for all of us, why not commemorate it?”

The only response she got from the purple specter was a huff. She knew he was going to be stubborn over this, but he’d thank her later.

Returning to the group alone, Aura leaned down to Hat Kid, hand extended. “May I please have the badge?”

Removing the badge from her hat, the young girl relinquished it to the adult. “Thank you.” With that, Aura returned to the wary child who was slowly making their approach, clinging to Helios all the way.

The child was smaller than what Julia thought, standing several inches shorter than the cat she so desperately clung to. Osma was also a paler shade of purple and black, contrasting to the other figures who took after their boss. Given Aura’s question of the child and the odd appearance, the body they inhabited must have been created during the Hunter scare.

Aura had leaned down to pin the badge to the hood of Osma’s cloak and was presumably explaining the badge and what it was used for, given the small nods.

The child shakily tore themselves away from the Rough Patch, testing out the function of the camera, facing several directions and taking many photos. Each photo they printed was carefully presented to Aura before she continued with the next, trying out new things. The older dweller had a small stack of photos by the time Osma had finished with her test run.

Returning to full height, Aura patiently led the nervous child over to the group, stopping a few feet away from them.

“I believe she knows the gist of the functionality to the badge and should be capable to do what you require of her Julia.”

“Thank you, Aura.” Looking down at the small kid, Julia put on her best comforting smile. “You must be Osma, yes?” A pause. A hesitant nod following. “It’s nice to meet you. I know you don’t know me or anything, but would you be willing to hear a request?” Another pause, continued with a meek nod. “Could I happen to ask you if you would be able to take a photo of all of us?” The child didn’t hesitate with her next nod. “Great! Thank you very much.”

The kid was still exceedingly nervous yet complied with the request, walking some distance away from the group before spinning to face them, awaiting their cue.

Those from the forest didn’t move, unclear of how to continue. So it was up to Julia and Hat Kid to get everyone in gear, directing them around.

Once it was obvious what was going on, Snatcher took the test photos away from Aura, snapping them to who knows where.

Snatcher and Moonjumper being the taller of the bunch were situated into the back. Snatcher of course, had to be a pain and mess with Julia a bit, but complied with her instructions nonetheless. In front of the ghosts is where the two adult women stood, Aura in front of Snatcher and Julia before Moonjumper. One of Snatcher’s hands was placed on Aura’s shoulder, after a few minutes of trying to convince Helios that it was ok. In turn, one of Moonjumper’s hands was located on Julia’s shoulder. The Rough Patch’s were easily placed, Helios held in one arm by Aura and Blueberry maneuvered to Julia’s free shoulder. The cat wanted to travel over to her larger companion, but Julia kept her in place. Now for the kids, Kero was nowhere else but in Julia’s arms and Melody was being lifted and held in combination by both grown women.

“I think that about does it.”

“In three, two, one, alright Osma!?”

A thumbs up.

“Smile everyone!”

A moment later a faint click was heard, followed by the sight of several photos printing.

The girls carefully lowered Hat Kid to the ground, with Blueberry choosing to jump on the purple hat. Said cat curled up, appearing ready for a nap.

Separating herself from the group once more, Aura strode over to Osma to inspect the photos.

The images must have turned out ok, as Aura collected all the photos, retrieved the badge and patted the child’s head. Scuffing their feet on the ground, the girl bowed before Aura then ran off to join one of the groups that were still in the vicinity. It happened so fast no one could say anything before she had disappeared.

With her departure, Julia approached Aura to inspect the photos for herself.

“Everything good?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. This is ordinary for her.” Taking a photo for herself, Aura held the rest out to Julia. “Osma wasn’t sure how many she needed to produce, so she went a little overboard. There’s nine remaining there.”

Accepting the stack, Julia smiled. “Well, better more than less. If anything, we can use leftovers for postcards to our other friends. 'Wish you were here in Subcon!’ Or something along those lines.”

Aura wasn’t too sure of what she meant, but nodded along anyways, storing this photo away as well.

Julia took a moment to inspect the shot. It turned out well, Osma did a great job for her first time using the Camera Badge. Nothing was altered and everyone had genuine smiles on their faces. Despite Snatcher and Moonjumper’s wariness to this, they too grinned brightly. There was a slight awkwardness in the smiles, but she couldn’t fault them on that. It was kind of endearing.

The others began to make their way over, Hat Kid most clear in her excitement. The disappearance of the small Rough Patch meant she could move around carefree. Noticing the enthusiastic energy beforehand, Julia grabbed a photo for herself and handed over the remaining prints to her sibling on her approach. Hat Kid gave a toothy smile before dashing over to the pair of ghosts, eagerly presenting the photos to them.

Moonjumper took his own, thrilled as he gazed over the image for several moments. When placed away, he slid it into the same spot that he had his other photo at. At this point, Julia could tell Snatcher was hamming up his annoyance, trying his best not to look as if he appreciated his new possession.

She’d bet 100 pons that the next time she visited his home, the picture would be hung up on the wall. It probably wouldn’t happen, but she can dream, can’t she?

Purring shifted her out of her thoughts, coming too, she realized it was Helios causing the sound. Aura had slipped over in her musings and Kero couldn’t resist petting the large cat.

“It is a nice miniature family photograph that was taken.”

“Miniature?”

“I say that as I do consider the others of this forest my family. I suppose this would be considered the main branch of it though.”

“I see. Well, you have a point. Plus, I don’t think we’d be able to get everyone in this forest into a photo.”

“YOU WANNA BET!?”

Hat Kid had heard them. Oh no.

Clapping her hands together, a mischievous smile formed on her face. “You doubt the powers of the camera my sister. BFF! We must round up everyone in the forest!”

“... no.”

“That’s the spirit! I’ll be right back with Bonnie, we’ll get everyone to the village.”

“Kid, I just said-” She teleported back to the ship before he could finish.

Julia knew where this was going, quickly setting Kero down.

“Well now that we got that done and over with, I think I’ll take Aura back to Dead Bird.” She began to back up, trying to tug Aura along. “She, uh, has to do some things for the directors!”

Aura tipped her head, puzzled on what her friend meant. It was her day off. Still, she wouldn’t be shocked if they had tried to call her in. Occasionally she wondered if she wasn’t there, if the two would just burn the studio down.

Easily seeing through the lie, Snatcher teleported behind the girl, halting her progress. “Riiiight… and I decided to open a little cat cafe here in the forest, welcoming tourists and all sorts of vagabonds. You opened your big mouth, so you’re staying!”

“I was just making a statement, how is it my fault!?”

“Just is, so suck it up buttercup.”

Snatcher picked Julia up by the back of her vest, ignoring the protests and thrashing. Glancing over to Aura, he calmly addressed her. “You staying or does someone actually need to take you back?”

Julia thrusted her arms angrily into the air, not believing what she was hearing. “YOU GIVE HER THE OPTION!?”

Again, he ignored her as he awaited Aura’s answer.

“I might as well stay and attempt to make things easier on you guys. Besides, the children would enjoy another large get together, especially since this one is for a more positive reason.”

Nodding at this, Snatcher turned and began to make his way to Subcon Village. At least, not before he grabbed the back of Moonjumper’s collar, tugging him along as well.

Surprised, the blue ghost flailed his arms. “Snatcher, I was planning to come along anyway, release me!”

Laughter met their ears, he once again ignored the person addressing him.

Kero and Aura glanced at each other before shrugging, following behind the giant ghost.

Hopefully, Julia and Moonjumper won’t be too upset come the next photograph.

#A Hat in Time: Julia's Return #Julia #Aura #Rough Patch #Neo #Blueberry #Kero #A Hat in Time OC #original character #glottia writes

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