I sat on a crag outside the citadel at the end of time, meditating in the light of the orange purple auroras, practicing my shard as a kaleidoscopic storm of lights swirled around me, when I sensed a form walking through my power, flicking casually at the individual motes of light as she giggled.
I took a deep breath, and clapped my hands causing the lights to swirl closer and closer till they were all absorbed into my body.
"Why did you stop? It was so pretty! Like field of multicoloured fireflies...." Snow pouted, walking up the incline, taking a seat beside me.
"Done cleaning the monster pens?" I asked.
"Yeah. Took a while. Died a bunch of times too."
"Uh huh?"
"Had my head chopped off straight three times by the big chewy with the titanic gums."
"Ah yes. He's particularly testy." I nodded.
"And then that tentacles thing, what was it called.....? "
"Must be one of our prototype shoggoths."
"Yes. The shoggoth." She shuddered.
"Ah, let me guess. He did you like a japanese schoolgirl."
"He peeled me like a banana, yes. Starting from my.... Uugh!" She groaned.
"Oof! I gotta watch that!" I laughed.
"I think I have died more this past month than I have in my whole life before. I have been lasered ten ways from sunday, frozen and shattered, disintegrated in eight different patterns, pixelated, shunted across a gravity well, crushed in a meat grinder and some experiments I don't even remember because they were so horrible I asked you to wipe my memory of them. I think I'm almost desensitized to it now."
"Good! That means you're becoming more useful." I smiled.
"You're sick you know that? How can you let a beautiful young maiden like me get manhandled by a beast!?" She teased and poked my sides.
I looked her over and scoffed.
"Beautiful? Maybe. Young maiden?" I chuckled, "More like old hag."
"A hag am I?" She smiled smugly.
"And yet I have seen you catching glances of my rear more times than I can count this past month. I didn't know you had such a fetish for grannies! How perverse."
"Well, if all grannies looked like you..." I licked my lips and put an arm around her waist squeezing her butt, pulling her in.
"Awwawa! Is that why you've called me to this isolated expanse? Are you finally over come by your urges? Plan to take me right here and now?" She swooned.
I caught her, and spun her into my lap, lifting her chin with my fingers.
"As tempting as that offer sounds.... I'll pass. I have another job for you." I let go of her and she slammed headfirst onto the rocky plateau below.
"Ow! That hurt! You big meanie! That's not how you treat a lady."
"You're right!" I nodded, "That's how I treat my favourite little test dummy."
I snapped my fingers and a three pronged gun with a crystalline canister on top fell into her hands.
She looked at it, and flicked the mini dish and antenna on top, as she ran her fingers along the psychic circuitry printed on it's side leading up to a screen.
"What's this?" She asked.
"A pneumatic isolater. Brand new and improved with that data so generously donated by your old buddy Charlie."
"You mean the data you stole after murdering him."
"Tomáto, tomāto. Same difference." I waved her off.
She shrugged and twirlied the gun in her hands.
"And what does this thing do?"
"If the name wasn't a dead giveaway, it isolates the pneuma. The spirit or spiritual component of something. It's simple to use too. Just point and shoot." I explained, "Now what I want you to do is go on a little supply run for me."
I snapped my fingers again and a portal opened up beside her and her Pneumatic Isolater lit up, it's screen displaying all sorts of graphs and data.
"Go and get me the H'ronmeer's Curse."
H'ronmeer's Curse. Named after the martian god of death, H'ronmeer, it was a virus created by the martian Ma'alefa'ak, a mutated martian who was born without the telepathic abilities characteristic of his species.
And as they say, 'The child that is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel it's warmth.' Which is exactly what he did.
Out of spite and looking to get revenge on the martian society that shunned him, he created the martian psychic virus that wiped put Martian Manhunter's entire civilization and killed his family.
"Ooh I don't like that name. I don't like that name at all." Snow shook her head.
"I know right? Could have been named something cooler. But then again, the Martian that created this wasn't the most gifted in the head department. Or social skills. Or looks. Honestly he was just all around sucky."
"And by the fact that you said Martian, I assume this curse is on Mars?"
I clapped my hands patronizing her.
"Congratulations. You figured it out. Good job. Here have a candy."
Snow just sighed and caught the candy, stuffing it in her pockets.
"Do you have to be so condescending every time?" She pouted.
"No. But I enjoy seeing you squirm. It's cute." I teased.
She just rolled her eyes.
"So how am I supposed find this curse? Is it in an artifact? Does it have a particular color? I need some details to go on here?" She said, turned the gun over in her hands, "Oh, is the screen going to show me where it's located?"
I just smiled silently from above as she tried to make sense of it.
"No. None of that. The screen is for me to gather data on the Martian psychosphere. Or what's left of it after the curse burned through it. It will help me make you mortal."
She raised an eyebrow at that.
"That's great to hear. Nothing to worry about there. I'm just going on a grocery run to pick up a civilization wiping virus." She said sarcastically, "Though, I didn't think you'd do this. I could actually die here, you understand that right?"
"Yeah, why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I thought you were planning on keeping me as your slave for the rest of eternity. Not that I would mind..." She bent low, swaying her hips seductively.
Ohh boy. That is hot.
She had been giving me the do-me eyes for a while too. It was weird.
I don't know what she wants but it's wearing down my resistance.
It doesn't help that she's super hot too.
That and my code subtly resonating with hers ...
I might just give in to her offers one of these days.
I gulped.
No. No horny.
Gotta stay on track. Get Offee back.
"Oh no. Wouldn't dream of it. My mother will be enough of a grandmother for my kids. When I find my way back home at least. Don't need another senior citizen hanging around."
Her face immediately soured.
"You know the first 10 times you made that joke, it was funny. But there comes a point where the return of investment kinda tapers off for it."
"For you maybe." I laughed.
"Haha. Very funny. But you didn't answer me. How do I find this curse? Do you expect me to search the whole planet or something?"
"Oh that's easy. Just walk in and keep walking. You'll know when you've found the curse." I smiled in a sinister fashion.
She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes.
"Why do I get the feeling that this is another experiment to test the limits of my immortality?"
"Because you're becoming better at understanding basic pattern recognition? Maybe you'll finally be smarter than a fifth grader!"
"I should have figured." She shook her head, and shrugged.
"Alright. It's not like I have anything better to do."
She turned to the portal, and looked back at me, as if realizing something.
"Wait a minute. If I'm going to Mars, why don't I get a space suit?"
"You did get one though?" I said pointing at her pocket.
"The candy?" She asked, looking at me as if I was joking.
"Yup. Might want to eat that before you step through the portal."
"Ah I see.... " She nodded in understanding before she suddenly snapped, and tsukkomi'ed, "Hold up! Why is the space suit a candy?!"
"What do you mean? That's like asking why is water wet? Or the sun bright."
"No it's not! Not even remotely close!" She exclaimed, eliciting a chuckle from me.
"Ah, man. See this is why I like you. My kids just take the inventions as gospel nowadays. Even Ace is used to it after reading my memories. It's been a while since I got that wide eyed fascinated look or a surprised one from any of them. But you...you react appropriately. I will almost miss this when you're gone."
"Aww! That's the sweetest thing you've said to me all month." She snarked.
I jumped down beside her and patted her shoulder.
"I know. Don't want you getting diabetes now do we? Though I really think we should start testing the disease spectrum on you once you get back. I wonder how you'll take the Neitzche virus? Or the special super HIV made. Now go. Get going. No time to waste."
Her face twisted as if she had eaten a thousand bugs and she skipped back instinctively.
"Then it's a good thing I'm going away for a bit. You and your sick fantasies can wait a while."
"Oh it's so cute that you think this is going to be better. Trust me, once you find the curse, you'll wish you had stayed back for disease testing."
"Suddenly I don't feel like going." She said shifting uncomfortably.
I just snorted, pulled the candy from her hand and popped it in my mouth.
"Hey! Wasn't that supposed to be for me?" She asked, confused.
I smiled.
"Yes."
I pulled her towards me, grabbing her by the waist as my hands roamed over her rear, and she squeaked cutely.
My code too began to hum as she got closer and something within me just screamed at me to take her.
The entity, no doubt.
Well, let's give the peeping tom a little tease shall we?
I leaned closer as her face flushed and her eyes wandered.
"What are you doing?" She asked with a shaking voice.
"This."
I lifted up her chin and dove into a kiss, pushing the candy down her throat as she gagged, before swallowing it whole.
"Hwaah!" She gasped as we parted lips, and I smiled cheekily.
"You're an asshole!" She cried, but the blush remained as she squiggled in my arms.
How cute.
But chores need doing. And she has a job.
So....
"Oh darling, I know." I smiled, lifting her with a swing and pushed her through the portal.
"Wha-"
Her face changed from a blush to pure confusion to indignation as she disappeared into the portal.
"Hasta la vista, baby! See you when you have the curse." I said, closing the portal with a snap of my fingers and returned home.
_____________________
MC has the hots for Snow.
And he loves to tease.
Ara Ara MC for the win?
Anyways tell me what you guys wanna see.
A cute romance with Snow? Or a quick conclusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe arc.
Or something else.
Tell me in the comments.
Next chapter, the hunt for celestials begins with Ego.
Thanks for reading.
I was thinking we'd cross 800 powerstones this week but meh.
766 is still the highest I have ever gotten.
I'm a happy camper.
Thanks a bunch my dudes!
You're awesome.
See you later!
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