Well, hello again everyone. I'm typing this in February but it's been a bit over a year since hiatus started and a year since I last published. The reason I'm typing this now is because I'm saving this chapter for a very special day and I thought I wasn't going to be in town but here we are. Anyways…
Happy 3rd birthday to this story! Happy 8th birthday to this series! (It's not the exact day and I can't find it, but the age is correct.) The previous chapter is the 2nd birthday of this story and that's wild to me.
My babies are growing up. Anyways, enjoy this chapter. There's a summary within the first few sentences. I have a lot of exciting news at the end. It's a part of the reason why I was on hiatus (aside from existentialism). I'll be revealing more things I have planned in upcoming author's notes.
Welcome to Season Four.
Chapter 131: Eight Years
Stark Towers - 14:32 PM
Apollo left for Asgard a while ago with his parents. Shorty, after reconnecting with everyone else again, Sigyn followed. Moments after, Emily and Daniel departed, leaving everyone else right where they were in Stark Towers. The story of what happened in Asgard and what will happen to the realms still fresh, searing their minds.
"Happy eight years post-high school graduation," Xavier says, feeling the opposite of how it should be.
"Forget needing one year, they got eight and it became even worse," Angela says. "All those theories we came up with during our Academy days aren't looking too bad now."
"Wait…" Merida mutters, getting up from where she was sitting. "So all the bullshit we've been through since getting together as an official SHIELD team has happened in one fucking year?!"
Nobody can believe it either. Only around 365 days passed and all the missions and battles they experienced can last them a lifetime.
"High school was meant to be transformative, but look at us," Xavier says. "We're still a mess."
James nods. "We're no longer present in the future we imagined in the past. What we have now is like something out of a movie, except the fear in it and consequences are more real and much worse."
They're a tight bunch. They have a platonic friendship that is closer than anyone else's. They know each other better than anybody else in the world, not excluding or limited to their parents. They're all different but they're nine parts of one whole, one team. They'd been so young, innocent, and hopeful, and now they discovered something more wonderful than they could've ever hoped for: their friends have come back after eight years … and it destroyed them. The ones they love can hurt them in ways no one else can. The truth hurts, and this one brought unexplainable pain, but secrets kill.
"So, what do we do now?" Xavier asks.
"Now now?" Merida questions. "I don't know about you guys but I'm out of here. I just need a minute."
Merida grabs her jacket before heading to the elevator.
"I shall be on my way too," Iqadi says. "I have to return to Wakanda."
Iqadi runs to catch Merida's elevator because she doesn't want to be alone in one. She believes the Ragnarök news will keep her from panicking in there.
Angela exhales, looking at James. "What about you?"
James shrugs. "I'm going to head back to my place and think … maybe cry."
James shrinks and flies out, leaving Angela and Xavier alone. They look at each other, both extremely tired about this situation. After everything from the Academy to where they're standing now, it all hit them in one moment instead of preferably being spread out within the seven years.
"I know where you're heading and we might as well carpool," Angela says. "Your thoughts are so intense that I can hear you thinking."
"I think that's twin telepathy."
-o-
Crème de la Café - Manhattan - 2:54 PM
They didn't go far. Emily and Daniel walked about two blocks to the nearest café to get away from everything they just learned. They had the feeling the others would be heading their separate ways as well.
The last time they learned something as alarming, it was that Britney was Apollo's cousin and Loki's daughter. The secrets drove wedges in their friend group because they learned one at a time and didn't know how to break it to the others, and some didn't even want to share. After they found out, they went their own way to process the news before regrouping. And now, this news makes the first time look like a pillow to land on. They'll come back from this one.
And the engaged couple had something important to discuss if they could even get inside the café.
"After you," Emily says, opening an arm for him to walk inside.
Daniel shakes his head, opening his arm like her. "Ladies first."
"Doctors before engineers." Despite her having a Ph.D.
"Billionaires before commoners."
"D's before E's."
Daniel lowers his arm and waits a moment for her to walk inside although she had the last word. He couldn't come up with another retort and she already won twice with the D's before E's. So he walks inside and she follows, still being the one to pick a table and order for both of them. She knows what he'd get since it's always the same thing.
"I finally understand why you wear glasses instead of contacts," Emily says to Daniel once a barista takes their order.
"You do?" Daniel asks. He doesn't question the random observation.
"Why touch your eyeballs when you can accessorize your face?"
Daniel isn't sure how to respond to that but Emily nods, knowing she has a point. As she always does.
"Are you sure you can think of a way out of Ragnarök?" Emily asks, starting to return to the issue at hand. "It's completely out of our element."
Daniel shrugs. He told Sigyn he'll figure out it but even he's doubting himself the more he thinks about it. It made Apollo go insane for the past eight years. "I may not have super strength or magic or control of the weather, but I got science. And you."
Emily smiles a little. "Speaking of having me … we have Apollo and Britney back."
"What's the link?"
"Let's get married."
Daniel's mouth goes dry. He isn't sure if Emily's suggesting that since it's been eight years since the proposal or because there's now a looming Ragnarök, but this is the first time either of them has made that statement. They've enjoyed being engaged for so long since it wasn't that much different than dating. They've dealt with the issues of long-distance and getting their lives together, but they're now together.
"Dude, we've been engaged for eight years," Emily says, reaching across the table to take his hand. They both look at her engagement ring. "That's eighty percent of a decade."
Daniel looks at her for a moment. "Did you just call me dude?"
Emily nods and their drinks arrive, not realizing she did that. "I one-hundred percent did." She sips her drink. "I recognize that shirt. Didn't you wear it in high school?"
Daniel glances at his shirt, unsure. "No."
"You know nothing about fashion. Are you sure you're my fiancé?"
"Of course, I do."
"You've had that shirt since high school."
"My style transcends."
"Either way, I'm serious."
"On what?"
"Getting married."
"Let's do it…" He grins at her. "Dude."
"What about next week...dude?"
Daniel nods. "Alright, dude."
Emily cringes which makes him laugh. She can't believe she's marrying him and his transcending fashion sense.
-o-
Wakanda's Palace - 21:35 PM
She got home late. Nobody in the palace thought she would be back now, let alone in the night. She ran into some staff who asked if she wanted to see her parents. Iqadi shook her head, thanked and dismissed them for the night. She could see her parents in the morning when they're all well-rested. If she could even sleep tonight. Iqadi thought she'd sleep on the jet ride home and put the system in autopilot, but she manually flew the whole way to give herself something to do.
Iqadi walks into her bedroom and, to her surprise and delight, Imanu's still awake. She's always the happiest while watching his smile grow at her presence. This trip was the longest she's been away from Imanu since they got married and she left and returned due to different unfortunate circumstances. It isn't until seeing him that she realizes how much she missed him because they've almost always been together since they got married.
Proximity makes her heart grow fonder and now she's home.
"Iqadi…" Imanu mutters, walking up to her. "I didn't know you were coming back so soon."
So soon… He's so modest about how long it's been.
"Darling, I'm so sorry I'm home late for our anniversary," Iqadi says, heading into their room to unwind for the night. "I would've come home sooner but so much happened that I will catch you up on but I want to prioritize you first. At least, after I tell you everything that's happened because I need to get that off my chest."
"What?" Imanu questions, stretching the word. "You missed our anniversary? I forgot all about that."
Iqadi pauses, eyeing him. "You're faking."
Imanu smiles before opening his arms to hug and kiss her, holding her tightly. Iqadi melts in his embrace, hugging him tighter and almost sobbing in his arms. She regrets being away for so long because she missed being wrapped in his arms while he kisses away her tears. After eight years of marriage, Iqadi still feels like she doesn't deserve him. Imanu is someone whom she welcomed into her life and stayed no matter how tough she made it for him.
-o-
Asgard
Ever since he returned to Asgard, he's had The Serpent Crown gripped in his hand so tightly that his knuckles are blanching. He's not sure how the crown didn't break in his grip. His parents were talking to him about what happened ever since he and Sigyn disappeared. He wouldn't say he was fully listening but he was only making sure the story he heard from Sigyn matched theirs.
After a medical examination, Apollo learned that Sigyn gave him psychogenic amnesia due to his vicarious traumatization, the doctors told him once he returned. He remembered some things but not all the trauma. His selective memories bothered him since he didn't choose what to remember. He had moments where he would experience flashbacks, anger, sadness, helplessness, insomnia - all of those culminating from the worst stories of his fate that could emerge. They all wore him down. He and Sigyn lost years of lives grieving the deaths of their lost teenage innocence. Everything turned into ashes, hiding who they were seven years ago. And now they've changed into new people who can no longer be who they once were.
It was easier to be angry because it made him feel strong although he was mad because he was so scared and weak.
"I was taking a bath and all the dried blood melted." It's Sigyn's voice followed by her steps moving closer to him. "From the surface of the tinted water, I saw all my distorted scars. Before everything, I was used to seeing them but now they're alarming."
He hears her footsteps coming closer. Apollo turns to the side and sees her standing by his side on the Bifrost. He watches her eyes travel to the crown before meeting his. They know it's each other's fault for everything but won't let the other one take the blame. Everything involving them is shared like their fates. Why couldn't they learn that by now?
"I still can't believe I was born in Hel," Apollo says. "It's not pleasant there at all."
Sigyn forces a small grin from the corner of her mouth. She has to respect his effort at lightening the situation. "Only we would be born where people go after they die dishonourably."
"There are so many bad memories with that crown…"
"I know." Apollo looks down at his hand and loosens his grip on it. He watches the colour slowly return to his hand, the red contrasting the crown's deep green. "When the war's over, you can destroy it."
Sigyn nods, noting his certitude that she'll survive fate but not him. Impossible. She doesn't question it, though. She doesn't want to destroy it but knows it's probably the right thing to do. Unless he's talking about a scenario that they both survive which makes more sense.
Apollo sighs. "What a different time makes. It feels as if it was only yesterday we were trying to do everything to keep our fates from happening." He looks over at Sigyn and recognizes that saddened face. He's been seeing it for the past now-eight years. "I know that look in your eyes, Sigyn. You've had it ever since The Norns told us everything. You're ready to accept it."
"Ready?" She scoffs, disgracefully shaking her head. "I wouldn't use that word. I played with fire, made mistakes, and blamed it all on fate."
"I did too."
Sigyn smiles a little sadly. "I still sometimes wonder if we would've been better off not knowing each other. You know, maybe meeting around now or even at the final battle. It would've been every man for themselves when Ragnarök would come. Maybe we weren't made for the same road up to that point. We're too coiled to be true opposing forces. Thor and Loki knew what they were doing, weren't they?"
Apollo isn't angry with her words although he wants to be. "It's not certain. It's hard to tell the difference between what will help you versus what will hurt you."
Sigyn raises a brow. "Still tempted to fight it?"
Apollo sighs in a way that sounds like a quick laugh. "It was good that you betrayed me."
"Thor said the same thing. Did you get hit on the head?"
The fear in Apollo's eyes turns to guilt. "No. It shows that you would do anything to make things right. The whole saviour and champion concepts messed me up. They still do."
"You wanted to fight against Ragnarök. You should've done more to try and get me on board."
Apollo knows that she never asked to be protected. She never wanted that. Not even when they only knew that he was destined to kill her. Sigyn knew as much as him that a war will happen and she only reached for her weapon. She never wanted to be the victim but she knew that needed to be done. He knows that she prefers to fight, even if it was against his wishes. She was willing to be the hero even if her journey wasn't entirely noble.
"You would've refused."
"I wouldn't have."
"You don't have to lie."
"Excuse me? I prefer to think of myself as a liar in a way that's entirely my own. What better way to distract ourselves than by not talking about it anymore. Apollo, I'm still barely holding it together and we're both still terrified."
Apollo shrugs. "We can still part if you like. You've been living as if you were already dead."
Sigyn can't argue that. "I think it's worthwhile. I'll be apologizing for my actions for the rest of my life and life is too short to lose sleep over a living nightmare." She turns on her heel and starts walking away. "I'm going back to Midgard. What about you?"
"For now, I'll remain here," Apollo says. He'll go back soon, he believes.
"Are you going to stop me?"
Apollo laughs a little. "Not this time, but getting up means leaving."
"That's the point."
"And leaving means dying."
"No, leaving means living before you die and that I'm finally disobeying your ban."
"Not if I lift it."
Sigyn stops walking and turns around to face him. She sees him already looking at her. "You wouldn't."
"You're right."
She isn't sure she heard that correctly. "What?"
"Never mind. I'm lifting your ban."
"Damn you! I wanted to rebel!" She then smiles sincerely. It's not an expression to deceive people because it's her symbol of strength. "Thank you."
So, some news about this story. I will be uploading the rest of this arc and then returning on hiatus. Originally, Ragnarök would follow the wedding but I had a meltdown about ending the story and now the story is extended. Also, I changed a major part Ragnarök that still needs work. It's so major that all my previous notes, that I've had for years, are now sort of irrelevant. In summary, the rest of this story has a lot of work. (But, a little hint, I used a lot of my original notes in here and they coincidentally foreshadow my new ending in many ways. I love-hate it).
Oh yeah, and I revamped every other story in this series. This one is in the process of being revamped and I'm almost finished. (All the chapters before this one, omitting this one).
Also, you may have noticed that this chapter is titled 'Eight Years.' Aside from it being the 8th birthday of this series and Iqadi and Imanu's eighth wedding anniversary, remember how this story takes place seven years after graduation (after Emily and Britney's stories). Well, now I have a story of the seven years between graduation and the beginning of PNG. It was weird coming back here after working on that one for a while and I'll be with that story more as I revamp and plan this one. Go check it out:
SHIELD Academy - Now that they graduated high school as seemingly normal teenagers, will the kids of the Avengers survive SHIELD Academy? (Project: New Generation Prelude #9.)
Now that that's out of the way, I'll be doing weekly updates of this story on Fridays until further notice, starting next week.