middleofsomewhere | Day Twelve, Conclusion

Day Twelve, Conclusion

All battles come to an end. Professor Chill and his henchpeople is defeated, the ice giant slain by the brave heroes of purple team. The townspeople led out of the tunnels and due to some extraordinary pun-hacking skills by Kaito the weather machine is de-powered.

Being a magical snowstorm the shutting down of the weather machine causes it to vanish, snow begins to melt and then evaporates into the air before it can become a larger problem in terms of a flood. The temperatures rise, going from dangerously cold to a warm spring day, warm enough that the voidtreckers will soon be too warm all bundled up as they are. The clouds disappear, the sun shines. Within a short period of time the streets are dry, the mountainsides are green and the trees are bright with flowers.

The streets are still a mess, property is damaged and the clean up operation is going to be intense but it doesn't look like there is any lasting ecological damage at least.

The ice labyrinth vanishes and those inside it will find themselves suddenly standing in the field below. For red team, the journey to the top of the mountain took four days in the blizzard but with the weather clear and going downhill they will reach the valley by the end of day eleven.

The army has arrived and mostly taken over gathering the injured and dealing with the more serious damage but there is plenty to do for those who still wish to help. Houses need put back to rights, streets and paths need sweeping of debris.

Help out, find your friends, swap stories. Celebrate a job well done.

Towards mid afternoon of day twelve a beeping from their SCA's should draw everyone's attention. The map leads them to a place just out of sight from the town and there is the Voidtrecker Express. It is time to leave.

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Madoka gladly accepts the hug - especially since she's in a good mood now it's finally not so cold all the time anymore. And really, seeing people happy and doing alright is the thing that puts her in a good mood the quickest in general. So she even leans into the hug, and when he pulls away and puts on his little show she giggles and goes along with it.

"Wah, so cool..!" She even claps her hands a little in applause. Ever since that 'most handsome man on the train' remark, this isn't even surprising to her anymore. Besides, she does genuinely think that Tony is pretty great, so Madoka doesn't mind feeding into the ego boosting. "Of course I was worried though..! You were out there fighting the bad guy, right? That sounded really dangerous!"

He laughed some more when all she did was cheer along with his ridiculousness. She was definitely a keeper. "We did. He was tough but he was no match for the red team. Remind me never to get on the elves' bad side." He made a face. Of course, they weren't the only ones to have completely wrecked the Professor Chill's goons. It had been impressive to see the whole team in action.

"How did the blue team do?" He held out a hand. "I can take your coat if you'd like."

"Are you sure?" She curiously blinks up at him at the offer. She doesn't just want to make someone else do the heavy (or, well, slightly less heavy when you're not a tiny 14 year old girl) lifting for her. But on the other hand, Tony wouldn't offer unless he'd really not mind, right? So Madoka hands him the coat after a moment. "Thank you very much!"

Madoka smiles. "We did good though, I think. We got all the people out of the tunnels safe, so now they can all go back to their homes! They must be happy." If Madoka already feels happy to be out of all that cold, cold snow and ice, then she can only imagine how much happier the people whose world was saved must be. "Oh, and I did my best to help out with making food for the people and making sure everyone was alright..! It feels super nice to be able to do something like that for others, doesn't it?"

"Of course." He plucked it up and put it under his arm with his own coat. It wasn't any noticeable weight for him, but he knew it had to be a pain in the ass for someone her size. "You're welcome."

He listened with a broad smile on his face as she explained how well the blue team had done. He nodded in agreement that the townsfolk had to be happy to get their homes back- or what was left of them. He was trying not to think about that though.

"Ah, was that Ignis' idea with making the people food?" He asked. It sounded like the blue team leader. He nodded his head at her overly sweet question about helping others and ruffled her hair a bit. "You're one helluva Voidtrecker, Mady."

Madoka nods when he asks the question about the food. Of course it was Ignis' idea, there's no way anything even remotely cooking-related could be happening in a five mile radius around him without him being involved.

But before she can verbally reply, she's totally thrown off by the other thing Tony does. Maybe the hair ruffle by itself she could have dealt with without getting a little shy and flustered, but the combination of it with what he's saying makes her pause entirely.

"Mady..?" Her face slowly grows pink. Oh gosh. Is that a nickname? Just for her? Granted, Tony is nicknaming people left and right around here, but this is Madoka. Of course it's still going to feel super special to her. And he's giving her a big compliment on top of it!

It feels hard to appropriately express her gratitude with words. And when she still can't find any after another moment, she instead just moves to hug him. Madoka may be polite, but Tony has already proven to be okay with them since he initiated one just earlier, so she figures it can't hurt.

"T.. Thank you so much for saying that, mister Stark..! You're the best!" She moves her head so she can actually look up at him from that position. "I promise to do my best even more so you can be proud of me..!"

It was such a routine thing for him to do- shorten someone's name or make up a nickname- he barely noticed he did it until she was looking at him stunned. He moved his hand from her hair and tilted his head curiously to the side. Was she offended? She didn't look like it but he wasn't sure. Just before he apologized, she was hugging him.

He laughed a breath with relief. God, she was cute. It felt a little like he'd won the lottery to be responsible for that level of joy on her face. He, of course, was quick to hug her back and he may or may not- he would never admit it- placed the tiniest kiss on the top of her head. She couldn't feel it right? The amount she was thanking him was almost too much and he felt his cheeks getting a touch of color. "You're welcome, Mady. It's true though. You do a lot for your team." He glanced away, just a moment at her promise. It was a little too powerful for him, but as he looked back, he was still smiling. "I'm already proud of you, but keep up the good work, okay?"

Please save him, Ignis.

Ignis came walking up slowly to see if there was any indication that Madoka had told Tony the news. He heard the older man say how proud he was of the girl which made him smile. Tony's expression was indeed priceless.

Coming upon them, there was no indication so he finally spoke softly and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "You should be proud of Madoka. She was a huge help as she always is."

Another smile came out. "And I'll have you know that I'm not lending my future daughter out to your team."

Standing here suddenly Ignis felt older. All of the stress filled sleepless nights agonizing over this decision had finally paid off. And since he was going to be a father, he planned on being a very good one.

Hopefully Tony was on board as he said he would be because of their single parenthood discussion. But he would never push.

Edited 2020-01-28 20:49 (UTC)

It's as if Ignis could hear Tony's mental call for help...

And at least Ignis showing up does do something about the cuteness overload radiating from Madoka right now. Because what he's saying immediately makes her realise that oh gosh, yes, she hadn't brought that up at all yet! She almost feels a little dumb for letting it slip her mind when she just felt so relieved at seeing Tony coming back from the mission doing alright that she didn't even think of that very important talk she had with Ignis back in the tunnels..

She blushes slightly in shame, but thankfully (maybe since she just got so many compliments that she got bolstered just a bit) it's not overpowering enough to bring her mood down. Instead she just stares up at Ignis as he speaks.

And what he says is.. gosh. More compliments. Now Madoka is the one who feels like she's about to explode from that particular overload.

"A-- Ah, I just did my best..!"

Yes, that's the only kind of protesting she's going to do here. There's no protest whatsoever to the daughter part.

Tony looked up surprised to see the young man seem to materialize next to them, so focused as he'd been on Madoka. He smirked at the remark. "I would expect no less," he gave the girl a wink before his attention got brought back sharply to Ignis.

The little smirk grew into a wide, proud grin as he glanced from Ignis to Madoka and back. He reached out and clapped his boyfriend's shoulder. "Congratulations, both of you." Except.. "What do you mean future daughter? And for the record, I amended that statement a minute later that I'd come to your team next time not the reverse." Ignis and his kids didn't need to be doing whatever the red team was asked to do. No kid should.

Ignis smiled broadly at Madoka and there was so very much pride on his face. Obviously he was happy and to see her happy made him even more so. He could completely understand her shyness though since it was a trait they shared.

Looking over at Tony now, the advisor reigned in some of his pride with a nod. "Thank you." With another nod to Madoka he answered. "We haven't decided when so I say future. There are a few details that need to be worked out as of yet."

Mainly Ignis was playing a waiting game to see if she might change her mind or if Tony was going to follow through as he'd said he would. But the advisor wouldn't put his other half on the spot.

There was another nod to Tony's statement. "Of course and we would love to have you, wouldn't we?" This question went to Madoka.

Edited 2020-01-28 22:26 (UTC)

Madoka glances between the two for a moment as they're speaking. It's Ignis looking at her and talking that really gets her brain turning though. Maybe she can somehow sense a bit of worry, or maybe she's just reminded of how difficult it seemed to be for Ignis to ask her even back there.. But either way, the girl just silently moves to grab Ignis' hand and squeeze it a little as reassurement. Don't worry, she's not going anywhere! (Look, sometimes kids have to take care of parents too. Madoka knows it. Her mom is pretty wild.)

It's the team talk that gets her to speak up again though, if not just because she looks both surprised and excited all at once at it.

"Yes..!" Apparently just the idea of Tony coming along with their team for once is enough to put a big smile right back on Madoka's face. "It would be a lot of fun to all be together on a mission..! I think he really misses you when you're not around, mister Stark."

Coming from anyone else that last statement might have been slightly cheeky, but it's hard to believe that could be Madoka's intention when the girl is smiling so innocently.

"Ah, I see. How does one do that.. er, you know what. Never mind," he waved his hand as though to swat away that train of thought. Don't worry, he realized that this wasn't the time for it. "I'm just proud of both of you."

It was very sweet that the girl was telling him how much his boyfriend missed him. That was so nuts, but it was so well intended. He was going to get diabetes with all of this sweetness. "I missed him- and you- very much as well." He was going to need to ask how Ignis wanted him to fit into this dynamic. He loved the girl too and would help take care of her, but he also saw this as Ignis' relationship that he was supporting. They'd figure it out.

"So, Tiger, Mady says you were making everyone food. Still need a hand with that?"

Quietly Ignis was thrilled that Madoka was so enthusiastic about Tony coming to the Blue Team at some point. And he laughed self consciously at her saying how much he missed Tony. But he just squeezed the hand in his as a quiet way of saying thank you.

"We were making it while we were on the mission. But since the Blue Team is still on kitchen duty and we're all safe, there's no reason not to whip up another feast."

Turning to Madoka Ignis nodded. "I was able to find a few of the ingredients that you mentioned making." He didn't want to say anything about the apple bunnies and octopus sausages in front of Tony in case she wanted them to be a surprise.

Madoka looks slightly surprised when Tony said he missed her too. It has nothing to do with her perception of him, really - she probably thinks he's sweeter than the average person would think - as much as she'd be surprised anyone would miss her. The surprise quickly melts into a slightly blushy smile though.

Especially with their suggestion right after. "Ah..! Yes, let's make food together, it'll be fun..!" Especially if Ignis is still going to let her show her apple bunny-making capabilities. She'll make the best apple bunnies for them, she's determined now. "Come on, let's hurry back to the train!"

Madoka really is capable of childlike excitement still, considering she's practically bouncing a little on her feet here.

To be fair, because Madoka was Ignis' favorite and such a sweetheart helped Tony be extra nice to her. That and she hadn't figured out how often he tricked her into cleaning, although that wasn't necessarily a malicious thing so much as a 'she loves to help and I help her help' kind of thing.

Tony laughed as he saw how excited she'd gotten. He gestured toward the train. "Lead the way, Kitten." He looked at Ignis and decided to explain his ridiculous name as they followed the enthusiastic girl. "I know Tigers have cubs, but a lot of things can have cubs. Only cats have kittens, so we'll bend the rule a bit there, shall we?"

All Ignis could do was smile at the child like enthusiasm because it reminded him of Noct at times. "Of course. Our team will be hungry." This was his reply to Madoka, he'd give her anything she wanted if he could manage it. And he hadn't let go of her hand though she was pulling.

He could only laugh good naturedly at Tony's comments. "You always seem to have a delightful way of twisting things around to your advantage don't you?"

There may or may not be some admiration in that tone.

She's glad to lead the way back over to the train, still holding on to Ignis' hand since he isn't letting go - and it's nice to hold hands, anyway. She's trying to make sure to not pull too much since she doesn't want to be rude, but the excitement definitely is leading her to be a little on the fast side here.

The exchange between the two men makes her look back at them again though with a smile on her face. The nickname makes her look a tad bashful, but mostly just happy.

"Kittens are so cute.." Not that she's calling herself cute. Madoka would never. But it's her way of showing that she likes the nickname. "I've always dreamed of having one as a pet."

Kyuubey doesn't count. Screw Kyuubey.

It struck him as they followed after Madoka how similar this felt to when he would go for walks or shopping with Pepper and Morgan. Morgan would be tugging enthusiastically on either his or Pepper's hand and they'd follow, exchanging smiles and playful banter. By the time Morgan was walking well enough to pull on their hand like this, he'd been well enough to walk with her. It was bittersweet in ways and strangely peaceful in others to find these same feelings again in such a different place.

"Can't think of any better way to be," he answered, meaning more than just Ignis' remark. His eyes lingered on that pretty face and lovely emerald eyes, before they shifted to their pink 'daughter'. "Have you? I've never been that keen on the idea of pets. They get hair everywhere and chew up your things." Obviously, he hadn't had much experience with animals to know the perks of them. "Have you met Beedee though? He's the little android that follows Cal around. I'd love a pet like that. Although, are droids really 'pets'?" He asked that last question to Ignis. "I had one I named 'Dum-E' back home and he sure lived up to his name. He was always spraying me with the fire extinguisher when I wasn't even on fire."

He realized he might have dampened Mady's excitement over the name. "That was just me though. I hope we find you a kitten." Did that make it better? Please say that made it better.

Also if he ever heard her say 'screw' anyone, he might just die laughing.

He didn't know what that look was for but he really liked it and so Ignis turned away before he blushed. He wasn't completely sure what Tony meant either but that look was enough.

As Madoka and Tony went on about kittens, he wondered how it would survive a train full of children and all different types of people. As much as the advisor wanted to fulfill this wish, he wasn't sure how practical it was.

"I have to wonder how to make this adoption official. There has to be some sort of guidelines or something to make this happen. "

And then the robot who hosted Tony down without being on fire made Ignis laugh. "I shall have to follow in its steps, it must be quite a sight to see you all wet in your clothes." Tony got a blink and you'll miss it wink from the advisor.

Don't worry. Madoka may be a crybaby, but at least it's not that easy to make her cry. She's fine with Tony's opinion because she knows tastes differ! Instead the remark about the droid just makes her giggle as well, ~~and thank god she's too oblivious to realise what Ignis meant there.~~

"If you enjoy his company, then of course it can be a pet! And he's taking care of you too.. That sounds so cute." Granted, Madoka can find the cuteness in anything. But a droid named Dum-E just by name itself is adorable... Did Tony make that himself? She's pretty sure he could. He's so good at things like that.

She's thinking about it for a moment, probably trying to imagine what Tony's droid pal must look like, but then Ignis' other voiced thought draws her straight out of her own.

"Official?" It's not like she minds, but Madoka hadn't even considered that part of it herself. Then again, that's just like Ignis, wanting to make sure things are done properly. "Um, well.. I think I learned before that you often do important official stuff at city hall. But there's no city on the train.." A pause, and then she adds: "Or a hall, really.."

She may be thinking about this a little too hard.

"Really? That's the only designation that makes something a pet? What about you? You take care of Ignis and he takes care of you. Does that mean he's your new kitty?" He looked at Ignis as though considering his 'kitty-ness' before concluding with a nod, "I could see it."

Tony gave his boyfriend a sly smile at the innuendo. He was so amused (and a little proud) the other man had even attempted it. "I've been working on designs with Luke to make one but we just haven't found the right one yet."

The remark on the adoption has Tony's eyebrows rising sharply. That had been the question he would've asked earlier but had been unsure Ignis would want to address it in front of the girl. Huh, well, guess it was fair game now?

"We do have a city hall of sorts. We have the council. We could vote and/ or document things like that. If we ever come across a more official government, we could submit what has been done on the train." He grinned at Ignis. "I'll order a book we can keep records in. Perhaps we should be recording the important events on this train."

Tony got a look regarding the kitty part but nothing was said. He the nodded at Madoka talking about a city hall which was pretty formal. Back home he'd have to submit documentation to the council there or he could just cheat if things had gone the way they were supposed to. All it would take was a conversation with Noct and procuring documents but it wasn't that easy here.

"No one is voting about this." Ignis countered swiftly. But then he amended it as he looked at Tony. "However you can feel free to say something or not. "

It was an invitation and up to his knight to decline or not.

They'd gotten Madoka all set up with her cooking station and after the first batch is put in the oven, Tony suggests they get a few other things from the store room the kitchen was running low on.

He waited till the exact second the door to the kitchen shut before catching Ignis and pressing him up against a shelf, hard enough the bottles rattled. He kissed the younger man hard, wanting to make up for all the time they'd had to be apart.

Ignis had helped Madoka get set up of course and helped her as much as she allowed him to do. Everything looked good so far and when Tony suggested more supplies, Ignis thought that was a great idea. It would give him time to discuss the parenting topic he wanted to broach without her around to hear.

Suddenly though, he was up against a shelf and was being kissed rather forcefully. This wasn't a problem but he'd been waiting until later. Some bottles nearly fell but luckily they didn't.

Ignis knew they had to get back soon or Madoka would come looking for them and he'd promised he'd be right back. For right now though, he kissed Tony back with everything he had.

Edited 2020-01-31 04:30 (UTC)

Tony didn't need this to last very long. He knew they only had a short window. He'd be damned if he was going to take advantage of it, though. Closing his eyes, the edges of his lips curled as he felt Ignis kiss him back. It'd happened hundreds of times by now, but it was always his favorite part- feeling that same urgency and need echoing back to him from the other man. After a few long, lingering moments, he drew back and smiled at his lover.

"Hey gorgeous." He pressed one more kiss to Ignis' lips. "I'm so proud of you for taking that step with our kitten in there."

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Jumping Ahead: Dads Talking and probably making out

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