(When I was writing the end of year two, I was actually at the end of my second year. As I'm writing this chapter, I think this story is a few months ahead of me.) For the record although nobody asked, as I'm publishing, I'm halfway through first semester of my fourth year. In terms of this story, I'm a few months ahead this time.

Year Three: Passing Time Till the End

Nine Years Ago - Asgard

"Are you ready?" Ten-year-old Apollo asks. He stands on the edge of the ice rink, skates strapped on.

Freya, next to him, doesn't answer. Her eyes scan the rink ahead. Apollo watches her mutter to herself, inaudibly because she's strategizing. She's observing the other skaters as they promenade across the ice mindless of the realm's prince and best friend about to race. She's strategizing the best potential path to victory while attempting to predict everyone's possible skating route. Apollo can see the gears turning in her mind with her furrowed brows, murmuring lips, and darting eyes.

He spent more time looking at her think than coming up with his victory plan.

"Freya," he calls, smiling to himself.

"Are you ready?" Freya asks, looking at him as if he never asked her the first time.

"I am." They stand against the wall and bend over, looking straight ahead at their finish line which is the other end. "On your mark, get set, go!"

Apollo and Freya push off, skating fast across the ice. They slide past other skaters, some yelling at them. Others stop abruptly to avoid colliding with them. Despite them skating through some couples or families, they feel as if they own the rink.

Apollo glances at Freya, seeing the intense concentration and competition in her eyes as their speed blows her hair back. He slows down a little and skates behind her. Apollo grabs her leg and steers her to the side, forcing her to change direction. Freya curses before cussing him out but he can't hear over his booming laugh. Once she regains her footing, she speeds up with a frown on her face. Before Apollo could touch the wall and claim victory, Freya tackles him.

Neither of them touches the wall because they both fall on the ice. She's on top of them as they slide across the rink. Once they stop, which is right in the middle, Freya rolls off and lies beside him. They don't move as they look up at the starry sky, hearing the sharp strides of other skaters across the ice.

"I won that," Apollo states.

Freya rolls her eyes. "You did not because you cheated."

"I didn't have to in order to win."

"Then why sabotage me?"

Apollo looks at her. "I didn't want the race to end so soon."

Freya turns her head to face him. She grins. "Rematch?"

-o-

Present Day - Wakanda's Palace - 2:40 AM

"I don't care! Nothing can hurt more than what I just went through."

Imanu was skeptical as he looked down at Princess Iqadi, who was already pale and exhausted from protecting them. She was bleeding out from a gash on her forehead they couldn't stick a bandage over. It was worse than when Kili climbed the living room bookshelf and bashed her leg against one of the shelves when she lost her balance and fell. At least it wasn't bad compared to what he's seen in the mines. He's seen severed limbs and workers he just laughed with crying for their lives.

But now Princess Iqadi is putting her life in his hands. He's already held his breath when she was unconscious and he had to extract glass shards and disinfect the wound, but there's more pressure on him now that she's looking right in his eyes and using her words.

He's skeptical, nervous, but he's also wasting time. The tools in his hand grow colder, nearly freezing his hands.

"Do it," Princess Iqadi orders, "do it now!"

Imanu wasn't sure what woke him up from that nightmare of a memory from his past. A chill travels through his body and he hears someone calling his name. It sounds like it's coming from far away and grows louder. Once it's nearby, it's clear and right beside him. Imanu turns around and sees Iqadi lying beside him, wide awake, face etched with concern and soft eyes, more relaxed and concerned than in his dream. He glances up and sees the small scar on her hairline, peeking out from her silk head wrap. She gently places a hand on his arm and it's warm to the touch.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

Imanu has no energy or breath to explain but even if he did, what would he say?

When she scoots closer, her body's warmth wrapping him in, she tries asking again as he lies on his back to face her. He cups her face, thumb delicately rubbing near the scar she loves so much because he saved her life. Imanu gently pulls her down to him, resting her head on his chest. He wraps his arm around her back as she shifts to get more comfortable, draping an arm across his chest.

"So, where were you?" Iqadi asks, her voice muffled against his body.

"Bunker," he whispers, "when the palace was attacked before we were engaged."

Iqadi nods, holding him a bit tighter than before. Some say shared horrors tear a couple apart, and they've been through a handful just in the four years they've known each other, but each one brought them closer together. Finding ways to adapt and grow from those experiences are their best and most sustainable ways to make their marriage last. Since they're truly in it forever, they have no choice.

-o-

Operations Lecture Room - 16:28 PM

"Time to work on etiquette."

Merida immediately zips up her bag as the professor pulls up the next lecture slideshow. She has better things to do than learn about how to sit properly while on a stakeout. In her opinion, if someone's sitting way too structured, they're a dead man sitting. Besides, any person raised in any fashion should be experts on hiding in public places from people they don't want to catch them. She's skipped school enough times and oddly saw her parents at the mall. They never saw her. If she leaves class now, while someone's talking to the professor at the front, she can zip out the door without being seen.

"Fuck this," Merida states, "I'm out."

"Looks like you're already failing," Xavier says as Merida stands up. She doesn't leave because she wastes precious escape time staring at Xavier and contemplating whacking him with her bag.

"The one class you fail being basic manners makes so much sense," Ashton adds. Add him to her hit list.

"I hate both of you," Merida states, leaning in to make sure they both hear her threat.

Xavier sits back and grins at her. "Now that's not very polite."

"I could teach this stupid lesson."

"Now, now, Barton," Ashton mutters, "teaching is a skill like everything else. You have to learn it first."

Merida glares at their laughing as she sits back down in her seat.

-o-

Edison Residence - 21:28 PM

Angela going on birth control didn't change much about her relationship dynamic with James. It was something they've mentioned early on but weren't serious about it till the start of this school year when she started it over the summer, and it took a while to find a type that worked well for her since the pills are deemed as hard-press mood swingers. They've been safe from the start and continue to be but this was a big step for them.

Angela's had the conversation with her mother and James; the latter was way easier.

"What are you doing?" Angela asks, sitting crossed-legged on his top bunk. She looks away from her phone and over the edge to see James typing on his laptop. She couldn't get a good view of his screen but doubts it to be the blank document as it appears.

"A paper," James responds, not looking up from his screen as he continues typing.

"How long ago was it due?" She asks out of habit and because he has a two-year overdue express Ph.D. he still hasn't done.

"Actually, I'm changing things up." He pauses to look up at her, grinning when he sees her brows up in disbelief. "I'm writing a paper that was assigned today but not due for another month."

"Who are you?"

"The problem is that the reason it's due in a month is because the content for the paper wasn't taught yet and the submission folder wasn't published."

Angela isn't sure what to say until James starts typing again. " … what?"

"I had to teach myself everything."

"Again, who are you?" Angela leans back against the wall. She watches James intensely concentrate on a paper, wondering the last time she's seen him so focused. Nothing comes to mind. She wonders if anything could distract him. Anything. "Do you wanna have sex?"

James glances at her for a second. Progress. "You mean now?"

"What?" Angela asks, not expecting that answer but him taking off his clothes. "Are you saying you don't want to?"

"I'm writing a paper due in a month," James responds, "you know that."

"You still have a dissertation that was due two years ago."

"I made a bet with my TA that I would finish this paper by tomorrow night. He said he'd let me skip the next lab report."

Angela nods. Everything makes sense now. Where was that TA two years ago? "There's my boyfriend. I was wondering where he went. Do you know what some people would say? You're a fucking idiot without the actual fucking."

Now James backs away from his laptop, closing it, and looking up at her. His face is open in shock, making her smile. "I don't think I've ever heard you use that word, let alone twice and in the same sentence."

Angela bites her lip. "What are you gonna do about it?"

She takes off her shirt and bra, tossing both at the back of his head. James turns around and narrows his eyes at her grin. She should've started with that move instead.

"Let's go," James says, leaping onto his bunk, "but it'll be fast since I have that paper. Don't expect much from me."

"I never do."

"Angela!" He yells as she throws a box of condoms at him.

Iqadi's Counterpart - Chapter 10: The Stitches