#AND he's having a blast checking out the alien tech

[declamationark]

DPXDC prompt: There’s an alien invasion incoming and the justice league are all up in arms to defeat them. Once they break into the mothership, however, they discover that the aliens were already beaten up and there’s this ghostly child cackling in the control room. It’s Danny and he is Obsession-drunk and having an absolute blast exploring every nook and cranny of the ship, dismantling it to see how the machines work, driving it around, chatting a hundred miles per hour to the definitely-concussed and groaning alien commander, and just zooming fro and fro with eyes dilated so hard there’s only a tiny ring of green in his eyes, lost in the feral serotonin sauce

Bonus points if the justice league calm Danny down by having him fanboy over Martian Manhunter, and then in the end, Danny goes “I’m gonna stick with you now! No takebacks!” and adopts J’onn into the Fenton family, now J’onn has two midwestern folks to hang out with for the holidays (the Kents from that Christmas special and now the Fentons)

[eatmyheartoutjpg]

Part 1. Part 2.

YOUNG HERO ii ;; You get involved with the Flaxan invasion. (This may be boring, but it sets stuff up!!! BEAR WITH ME)

04.05.25 Masterlist

You’d started feeling restless whenever you weren’t on duty.

Your body always betrayed that tension—fingers drumming, knee bouncing, eyes blinking too fast. Balling your fists. Biting your lip. Your whole frame screamed unease when you weren’t doing something, anything.

There was always someone who needed help, somewhere. But you were told to stay put. Stay on call. You were reserved for larger-scale disasters—ones the others couldn’t handle. So while weaker, greener heroes were dispatched to smaller missions, you waited.

Now, you stood beside Cecil in the GDA control room.

He was in the middle of coordinating chaos, barking orders into multiple channels. The main screen showed a full-scale alien invasion—Flaxans. Their first appearance on Earth.

Teen Team was already deployed. You knew them. Familiar faces. Not the best fighters, honestly. Not the worst, but far from cohesive. Their coordination was shaky, barely holding together under pressure.

Your eyes stayed locked on the screen. You listened in.

Robot’s voice buzzed over the intercom, something about the Flaxan tech. Advanced. Too advanced. More than the Teen Team could handle. You didn’t like this.

Your stomach twisted.

They didn’t have a real powerhouse to anchor them. It was a fight they shouldn’t have taken alone.

You turned slowly toward Cecil, who was still focused, still commanding.

“Cecil, I’ll go—” you started.

“Stay put.” He didn’t even look at you. Just moved on, speaking to Donald.

You listened. You always did. Orders mattered. Trusting Cecil mattered. Acting on your own could compromise strategy. You weren't a rookie. You weren’t reckless.

Your heart thudded harder when you saw Atom Eve throw up a barrier, shielding civilians as she took heavy fire. It cracked. Then shattered. You felt your legs twitching, your brain buzzing��already breaking down every move you’d take if you were out there.

One by one, the team started to falter.

“Cecil—” you said again, jaw clenched, hands shaking with restrained urgency.

“We’re sending you in, kid,” he said, cutting you off this time.

He didn’t need convincing.

You were already moving before he finished.

“Keep fighting. Backup will arrive in thirty seconds,” Robot’s voice crackled calmly over the comms, even as explosions rocked the battlefield around them.

“I’m kinda running outta things to explode, Robot!” Rex shouted back, dodging blasts. “I don’t have thirty sec—onds!”

“They’re killing me faster than I can—” Dupli-Kate gasped. Her duplicates dropped like flies, barely giving her time to recreate them. “Regenerate!”

“Backup has arrived,” Robot interrupted flatly.

It hadn’t been thirty seconds.

No one complained.

You returned to the med-bay after the Flaxan invasion, following Cecil’s orders. He seemed to be more wary of your health.

The moment you stepped into the lobby, the sterile brightness hit you hard—rows of medical personnel in white uniforms moved toward you in a blur. Under the harsh, artificial lights, they looked more like specters than staff, the overwhelming white of their clothing and the room itself blending into one suffocating sheet of color. It reminded you of snow blindness.

Everything felt heavier. Your limbs, your lungs, your thoughts. Fatigue was catching up to you, finally dragging its claws down your spine after being kept at bay during the fight.

They were speaking—probably asking questions, checking vitals, listing injuries—but your ears refused to register any of it. All you could hear was the slow, muted thump of your heartbeat. You nodded absently at their words, your gaze scanning the lobby.

Still pristine white. Spotless. Like always. Strange how a place so clean could host some of the most grotesque things behind its closed doors.

Then you saw it.

A trail of blood snaked along the edge of the hallway, partially smeared, but undeniably fresh. You squinted at it.

Unusual.

You were normally the only hero sent to the med-bay with such frequency—Cecil’s doing. No one else bled in here. Not like this. It stood out like a splatter of red on untouched snow.

You took a quiet step forward and politely waved off the staff, “Excuse me for a moment.”

“Wait! You—”

You didn’t catch the rest. Their voices melted into the background, distant and warped. They didn’t try to stop you—no one ever did. You held a certain unspoken authority here. People made room when you walked, even without meaning to.

You followed the trail in silence. It grew thinner as it went, vanishing in spots where it had been stepped through or dried. You didn’t notice how the same medical staff were quickening their pace behind you, trying to keep up, trying to reach out. But you weren’t present enough to notice. Your mind buzzed too loud for anything else.

The trail ended at a familiar automatic door.

You stopped.

You knew this room.

Omni-Man’s.

Your chest tightened, alertness returning in an instant.

The door hissed open.

Your hand curled into a fist on reflex, expecting a threat. An intruder. Maybe a killer returning to the scene—but that was unlikely. This was one of the most secure facilities on Earth. Still, caution never hurt.

Then a voice broke the tension.

“Mom…?”

You blinked.

A boy stood in the room. Your age.

Mark Grayson.

Omni-Man’s son.

You’d seen him in passing. Heard his name mentioned. But now he stood there in a bloodied hero suit you didn’t recognize, red staining him from collar to boots. He was smeared in it—some his own, some not. It clung to his face and hands, dripping down onto the tile, soaking into the sheets under his comatose father.

He looked like he was on the verge of tears. His eyes were red-rimmed and heavy-lidded, his breath uneven.

“You’re…” he began, voice hoarse, almost broken.

“Sorry. I thought a threat was here,” you said quietly, eyes shifting away. You hadn’t meant to intrude.

You never knew what to do in moments like this. Social situations were… complicated. You gave everything to this life. Traded your personal time, friendships, comfort—for a cause. It left you just, dependable, calm.

But it left you unable to comfort others.

You didn’t comment on the gore. Didn’t acknowledge the way he shook slightly, either from exhaustion or emotion. You figured he probably didn’t appreciate you walking in on something so personal.

Then came the footsteps. Heavy, hurried.

You turned to see the medical team again, panting, finally catching up.

“You need medical treatment..!” one of them managed, nearly breathless from trying to keep pace with you.

You looked at them, confused, before glancing down.

Oh.

Your suit was soaked. It clung to your body, drenched and sticky, as if you’d been dipped into a vat of blood. You hadn’t even noticed. Somewhere between the invasion and now, you’d tuned out the pain, the weight as usual.

Mark stared at you in disbelief. You were in worse shape than him, and yet you’d carried yourself like you were untouched. Untouchable. You seemed more invincible than he was.

You’d ignored your condition again. This was becoming a pattern.

You really did need to work on that—on acknowledging the people here who tried to take care of you. You’d promised yourself you would.

“Were… you were at the Flaxan invasion,” Mark finally spoke, his voice dry and strained, his vocal cords sounding frayed.

You tilted your head slightly.

So he was there too.

It must’ve been before you arrived.

A/N ;; I have writers block, but somehow pumped this out. Hope it wasn't too bad! This series might get lengthy, I have a ton of ideas for it but it's a bit difficult to express in writing.

[daydreams-to-passages]

Transformers x reader. SFW.

My relief turned to panic and fear once I realized what was happening. Chewing on my lip, I watched the bots move around, closing any escape route. High tech guns pointed at me. Oh I was so fucked.

"State your designation!"

One of them barked, it's finger toying with the trigger ready to blast at a moments notice. A few of the other bots were still locked on, they was no escape. Im surrounded. I hoped they be friendly like it had been a bit since I saw people.

I moved the controls to raise the hands of my suit. I don't know how they were able to project their voices outside the inner cockpit. Maybe just a newer model? Lifting the hands in a show of no weapons, and hopefully, they would take it as an action of peace.

None of my scanners were able to discern what make or model these ones are. That should have been my first sign to something wrong but no i just had to get overly excited and jump headfirst into danger.

They shifted clearly unsure of what to do.

Finally, the one in the front, likely the leader, is the lower its gun slowly.

"Is your voice box broken?"

The sounds- i assumed it was talking- warbled again trying to threaten or learn something about me. Who knows at some point, slowly I lower my arms again shifting to see all the various robots around me.

Im going to guess it wasn't all that human. Good news nasa there are aliens. And they are probably more advanced than we are.

---

When they decided that I wasn't hostile, they shuffled me around, keeping myself in between various mechs to avoid me escaping, which honestly sounds great too bad. I'm a hostage how fun.

When we reach a med bay like unit im motioned in the room as the leader bots warbles to the medical bots? Red and white usually means hospitals maybe it was a universal thing.

Look about I find it's pretty standard space station like medical wing with various beds and a handful of doctors.

A bot steps into my field of view waiting a hand in front of my face.

It's warbling at me. Then a pop up for a file appears. I probably shouldn't click it but no risk no reward.

Clicking the file i received, a pop up for language check. It'd be helpful if I could read any of it.

A new pop up appeared as the medic bot asked some questions.

I guess im getting a check up?

"Can you hear me? I believe his audio processors are broken as well as his voice box."

The bot turned to grab what looks to be a mixture of a stud finder and a thermometer gun thing. It scans me tensing up i worry what they do if they find out im not one of them.

"The spanner isn't working on them. It's glitching. Piece of scrap."

"He looks like he's been thrashed about quite a bit."

"The voice box is normal for decepticons to rip out but audial processors? Something fishy is going on."

"Still no em field reading."

"Is it a walking corpse?"

"Why or how would it be walking?"

"Nothing about this bot makes sense"

"I say shoot it. It's a dangerous unknown."

"But think of the miracle this bot is! I want to see what its insides look like!"

"And that's why your not touching him."

The back and forth between the various robots was hard to follow but it was nice to know my translation files still worked!

~~~~~~~

Honestly I have no idea where I was going with that. Lol

Whole concept is the bots (I imagine autobots just cause they're supposed to be good guys so I don't think they'd murder reader right away), come across a human in a mech suit but don't know!

Reason for the voice box being broken is cause I can't remember if traditionally mecha suit have a speaker i know of the inner comm system but not a speaker. I imagine thay they would probably try to install one and it fail cause their suit and Cybertronians have completely different anatomy. So I imagine reading using gestures and sign language later.

Also the scanners not working is purely cause I think humans would but in a electronic disruptor to protect the pilot from being forcibly locked in the suit or so no one can hijack it.

I been calling it Hidden Human Au! If it inspires you feel free to tag me and write for it! I'd love to see or if it already exist please tell me I'd love to read more of this type of au

[typewritingyip]

The Arcturus Missions

Part Thirty - Instinct

Part Twenty-Nine

———

Communication, defined as the imparting or exchanging of information or news. Also defined as the means of sending or receiving information, such as phone lines or computers. 

The transmission of information, whether from person to person or person to thing of other species or from person to technology and back again. It’s a generally understood foundation of society, whether through vocalization or other non-verbal signs. 

Communication has evolved over time, exchanging information for generations and invocation has expanded the definition. Whether with writing systems, radio, and exchanging data through computers or relay satellites. 

A loss of communication can be a striking blow, whether it’s someone cutting another person off or the loss of an entire crew of pilots, it hits the soul hard. 

MECHA had lost communication with five pilots and was maintaining the lie of remaining in contact with Arcturus One for the very reason, it is a striking blow to lose contact with someone.

A relay satellite had been set up with the crew, so that were anything to happen to them as was expected, the retrieval of data would eventually reach Earth.  

What was not expected was the relay satellite to be set up thirty light years away from Earth, there was no precedent for that. 

Unknown timeframe for reconnection. The number in command back on Earth kept growing larger. 

—

The attack had started just before sunrise, now the sun had set and most of the other mecha had been recalled for a retreat to form a line of defense. Dozens of unfamiliar mecha were coming in from the city to defend it and honestly, Hound had never seen anything like it.

He was crouched behind some cover in the field still, checking through his systems to get his arm fully back online now that he had not only some basic cover but covering fire. Had Megatron screamed in his ear to get back towards the line, yes, but were his implants and suit practically screaming at him to keep going also yes. So now he was crouched just behind a rock while he was going through parts of his suits data. 

This had never been his strong suit, usually Hound left it up to the techs back at base, but right now he needed access to some of his old tech that the engineers had said was too difficult to remove. Like actual night vision for his cameras, not the overlay they claimed he needed. 

Each suit for Arcturus had gone through a massive overhaul to prepare for space, the engineers back home figured there would be some kind of space battle or something but instead they were fighting on foreign planets.

All the air tight seals and things were tremendously helpful, especially for places that had toxic atmospheres like most of the planets in the Archa system, but a lot of the planet side protocols had been disabled. Hound had been working at it but in the six months they’d be fighting, he hadn’t really had to fight at night. At least this many Quintessons. 

His comm crackled briefly, “Hound, you need to move.” Mirage was the only one currently connected to his comm, as every time he went to the main line his translator had a hard time and Megatron was shouting painfully loudly, “I need a moment Mirage,” several gun blasts went just over his head, before his suit learched and he brought his cameras back up. 

Now he was fighting with his screens while tangled up in a Quint he didn’t see coming, swearing loudly, one more blaster shot whistled past his audio pickups before Mirage spoke again, “I’m not going to have a clear shot, heading your way.” Hound flung back his good arm, hitting the Quintesson in the beak, “No, no stay back there. I’ve got this.” He could hardly see what he was fighting. 

The dragging seconds felt like minutes, trying to fight off the alien while closing out the issues with his suit, “Goddamnit, just work you hunk of junk!” His arm was still coming back online, one of his screens was searching for the night vision mode, and he was fighting the Quintesson that had wrapped its tentacles around him.

This was not how he wanted today to go.

Digging his gun into the Quint’s body, he fired in rapid succession, splatting his mech with green blood and guts. It screamed and Hound yelled, digging his good arm into it and tearing it apart, pulling the remains off. 

It was only then that he was nearly blinded as his world erupted in a bright green, turning the near pitch black landscape into the familiar sand dunes of earlier that day, covered in the enemy, “Oh.” His neck tingled and burned as other more dormant systems started to come online, bringing the world outside more into focus than it had been in years, “Oh no.” he took a breath and raised his gun, before stalking towards the next Quintesson. 

—

If he were being honest with himself, the shot that had shattered his visor was slightly terrifying, but Sunny was anything but honest with himself when he needed to focus. 

The shuttle was loaded and he lowered himself to the seat next to Bluestreak, sighing slowly, “So, it’s all sand?” Blue shrugged slightly, taking apart and cleaning his rifle now though his hands were shaking lightly, “Not all sand, but most of it.” Nodding a bit, Sunny leans back and closes his eyes.

”I bet Hound is having a blast then.” Blue hums but then looks over, “Why do you say that?” Sunny chuckled lightly, “He was stationed in a few sandy places over the years, way back when he first became a pilot, even before he was a pilot.” Sunny adjusted his microphone and disconnected from his suit with a groan.

His suit sank slightly in its seat ever so slightly and Bluestreak chuckled slightly, “Not sand like here, like nothing but sand.” Sunstreaker smiled, tugging his microphone close, “Yeah, I know what you mean. All of Earth doesn’t look like Florida.” Eyes still close and helmet off, he couldn’t see the weird look that Bluestreak shot him.

Blue shifts and clears his throat, “Sunny, you’ll have to explain Earth to me a bit more, it doesn’t look like where we spent the last day?” Sunny sighed but smiled, “Not all of it, and not every country either.” He yawned and stretched on his chair, grabbing the water pouch nearby.

Before Bluestreak could ask another question, the shuttle shook and started to rise, then Ironhide’s voice came over the speakers, “Alright mechs, this is the moment we’ve been dreading. Get any rest you need now, fuel if you have to, but I expect a silent shuttle for the next few hours. Either you're eating, sleeping, or shutting up.” There was a quiet murmur around, “The Quintessons are invading New Kaon, it’s going to be a long while before any of us get a break because the prime is going.”

Half the shuttle groaned and the rest were swearing, Bluestreak lowers his head with a quiet curse.

Sunstreaker frowns a bit, keeping his voice quiet, “What’s wrong with Joan coming along?” Bluestreak glanced over, keeping his own voice low, “Either means it’s bad or something bad has happened. Ironhide didn’t say, so it’s probably both.” Sunny sat there for a moment, frowning, “You going to be alright Blue?” Bluestreak nodded a bit, taking his limp hand, “Yeah, yeah it’s just, none of us want this to get as bad as last time.” And there was a tone to what he said that made Sunny worry his lip.

He had to bite back what he was thinking, ‘I think it already is.’ Instead, he sent a ping to Blue as he got up, connecting the camera with a sad smile, “Get some rest Blue, we’re going to be here for a bit.” Bluestreak hummed and leaned his head against Sunny’s shoulder, or the shoulder of his suit. 

No one was saying anything, most trying to bunk down to sleep, and a few were eating. 

Nothing good could come from an attack on New Kaon. 

—

This was probably the most awkward situation Breakdown had been in since he first moved to the United States. Sat on a shuttle craft with the hustle and bustle that was apparently normal for a Prime, while being told to just stay and wait. 

People were coming and going while he was just sitting there in his mech, it felt weird, being connected again even though it hadn’t even been the two full weeks he was supposed to take. Not like before, when it had been months without his suit while it was being prepped for this mission. 

It was simply that this time felt off and it was hard to place. 

Breakdown had to try very hard not to bounce his foot, sitting back heavily in both his piloting chair and the seat of the shuttle. Sighing deeply, he rubs his face tiredly. That was the one thing still lingering, how tired he was. 

Another mech brings on yet another crate before they finally start to strap it all down, Breakdown watched out of one of his secondary cameras and slowly a few different mechs came aboard.

Optimus Prime was still the most distinct out of all of them and he looked pissed, talking quietly with Elita-One before she bowed her head and moved towards the front of the ship.

Breakdown lowered his head and stared at his feet, hands clenched awkwardly at his sides, after a moment someone clears their throat and he looked up. Optimus was wearing his battle mask, but it was easy to tell that he was giving an awkward smile, “Breakdown, how are you feeling?” He gawks for a second then shifts his weight, “Uh, better, better thank you sir.” He clears his throat painfully. 

Optimus’s smile relaxed a bit, “Optimus is fine.” he sighed slowly, “You should know what we’re going into.” Nodding, Breakdown shifts and sits up, crossing his arms comfortably, “What is the mission?” Optimus nods and stands, gesturing, “I’ll show you a map.” Breakdown eases himself off the seat and follows, arms falling back to his sides. Moving much slower than he used to, head just now starting to ache. 

He hadn’t been in this part of any of the shuttles he’d been on, usually it was kept for those in command, one or two mechs were working in there, one he recognized as Red Alert. 

The table turned on with a flicker, “This is New Kaon. It is an old decepticon settlement from the last war. Not a colony of Cybertron, so I have been reminded.” If Breakdown didn’t know better, he would think that Optimus sounded bitter. 

Both the mecha at the command chairs winced.

”The Quintessons are attempting to surround the city, though their main command ship has crashed according to reports, it appears to be in this area.” He highlights an area just east of the city, “I’m afraid to say that I don’t know currently where Hound is located.” Breakdown stared at the map and gestures, “Likely as close to the crash site as he could be, anything we can learn from you all will be important to send back home, even if we do not return ourselves.” He continued to stare at the map.

Even as everyone in the room stared at him like he had grown a second head, “We have every intention of ensuring your safety.” Breakdown hummed, “That is not our thought, sir.” He glanced up, “We are to destroy the Quintessons, at all cost, even our lives.” He looked back at the map and gestures, “Do you know who is protecting this area? It appears to be a weak point.” And Optimus stared at him.

—

His suit felt alive, he felt alive for the first time in years. The total connection to your suit you could only get when your base coding it properly connected. It was dangerous, but thrilling. It exacerbated overuse and likely would lead to the crash, but unlocking his night vision brought back all the old instincts of hunter coding. 

Sometimes on Earth, they would decommission specific suits from certain classes when other things were needed more. Hunter class was a dwindling group, but the compatibility test for it was different from striker class. Usually military, they were the best at tracking and killing the enemy. In this case, the Quintessons. 

Hound had been a Hunter class for the first two years of his piloting career and it had ended his marriage, when he was offered the switch to Striker, he took it. He could still remember the surgery of removing some of the older implants and wiring made specifically for the old way his mecha used to work. 

Now, there were other hybrid mecha, pilot 3141, 17741, 17740, and a list of others who hadn’t survived the conversion but they were out there. 

It was as if there weren’t screens in front of him anymore and he was on his feet, as if the world around him was just that, around him and not his suit. It was a familiar old feeling and it filled him with dread.

Being a hunter class had almost ruined his life, it’s why his suit and him were striker class, but this focus, that was all hunter. Taking a slowly and deep breath, he was able to find the positives, he didn’t feel like an animal in a suit. He felt like himself but bigger, calmer and again still all him.

”Hound, you alright? I’m getting a lot of heavy breathing.” Mirage sounded concerned and that was enough, as his arm finally finished adjusting and he could actually see, it brought him back to a better state, “Uh, yeah. I’m alright, I had to switch some stuff around so I could see it being so dark.” He nodded a bit, gun firing with ease as he dispatched a Quintesson quickly. 

Another thing to ground him, Hunter’s usually didn’t have guns, he hadn’t back then and certainly not one like this. 

“I’m good Mirage, you have my six still?” He took a slow deep breath, even as he tore apart a screeching Quint, “Yeah, I’ve got you. Just try to hang to my right side, alright?” He grinned, gun firing into the gaping would he had just made with his hands in the Quintessons side, “Got it.” And he kept moving.

It was a deadly calm, the familiarity of moving through the enemy, of dispatching them with ease.

What had Megatron said, kill the damned things, as many as you can, as fast as you can. Being a hybrid of hunter and striker in this moment let him actually do that. 

Even if they kept coming, he’d be able to do that. 

Mirage kept checking in, even as he lost track of time, their conversation kept to a minimum for focus, his focus was every way that he could pull these things apart and let Mirage get off a few shots. It was a flow, the moons moving across the sky together. 

When Hound saw the spacecraft break the atmosphere, he thought for a moment that it was more attack ships. Gun humming up and glowing brightly at his side, taking slow and deep breaths while he watched, “Oh slag.” Mirage broke him out of his trance, “It’s another attack ship?” With a shaky breath, Mirage shook his head slowly, “No, that’s the Prime’s ship.” Hound’s stomach sank.

Nodding slowly, he took a breath, “How long have we been fighting if he’s here so fast?” It felt like not that long ago he’d been stuck listening in on the couples spat, though now he saw it as more an argument between commanders. Mirage was quiet on the other side of the line, “Around, as you say it, a day and a half? Full solar cycle and some.” Hound closed his eyes for a moment, almost too ingrained in the suit he had to take the moment to check on himself and not the suit. 

He was starving, thirsty, and likely needed more than just food and water. Keeping his eyes shut, it was the only way he was able to physically control his actual body. Water pouch first, taking off the oxygen mask to drink, then down one of his dwindling stash of protein bars. None of the space food was fast enough. Readjusting the mask back to his face, he took a deep breath.

The small tanks were now cleaning the air available in the larger tanks, but it certainly smelled better than his cockpit did. 

“Sorry, so, day and a half… The fact that he’s here is a bad thing, right?” Mirage stared at the descending ship, “Very.” Hound sighed, “Fuck.” Biting back a smile, Mirage nodded, “Oh yeah, definitely.” Glancing back around, Hound stared at the horizon instead before getting back into his coding.

Gun humming again, he scanned the horizon, closing his eyes for another moment before adjusting the cameras again, screens becoming like lenses as he stared. 

—

The ship wasn’t the largest in the Cybertronian fleet, far from it when compared to some of the older ships, but this one was energy efficient and fast. Megatron had been watching its descent, knowing exactly who was on board and dreading every moment of it. Adjusting several of his soldiers' positions gave him enough room to go back to command and likely shout at his conjunx for his endless idiocy. 

Command was practically empty, most of those who would normally be here either in the field or back on Cybertron if they had not hopped aboard Optimus’s craft. He was developing a helm ache. 

Although energy efficient, it didn’t make it any less loud as it landed, and Megatron lowered his helm for a moment before straightening. Heading outside with his helm high and a scowl on his face. 

Optimus looked different, significantly different, and it almost brought him to a stand still. Since the peace treaty, they had both been lucky enough to keep their paint fresh, weapons lowered, and not wear horrible expressions. 

Megatron could remember the early days of peace, how before they started speaking he’d see Optimus itching at the gold filigree that littered his frame. How he struggled to keep his battle mask open during important moments, and how relieved he seemed to be to not carry a gun or his axe.

Far from the claims that he was a gentle soul who hated violence, more so the relief of a soldier who could finally lower his pack to the floor. Still within reach, always ready to grab it, but able to let some of the weight slide off his shoulders.

Now however, he was distinctly reminded of who had been across that battle field from him for eons. 

Optimus looked like that hated enemy in this moment, but different, so different it tugged at Megatron’s spark. He had grown used to the mech looking like his Prime, his conjunx, that Optimus looking like his old enemy almost made his tanks turn. 

Taking a vent, Megatron moved forward as the bay door to the ship opened, “Optimus—“ Optimus looked at him and it almost burned, “Ah, Lord High Protector.” Frowning slightly, Megatron moved forward, “Optimus,” Who held up a servo and turned to Elita at his left, “Elita, if you don’t mind I would appreciate you heading into command, the Lord Protector and I will join you shortly.” She bows her head slightly and moves inside. Not sparing Megatron a glance, which made his tanks sink.

Optimus waited for her to be within command before looking back to Megatron, “Since you insisted that I not bring the United Cybertronian Army, nor open the space bridge, I thought I would offer that helping hand in person.” Megatron stared, and thought one thing, frag.

Clearing his vocalizer, Megatron hoped to smooth this over, “Optimus—“ “I did not fly all the way from Cybertron to talk, Lord Protector. You mentioned that I should not waste your time with trivial matters, we can go into command and speak of strategy with my commanders once they have both arrived.” Megatron frowned again, shaking his helm slightly, “Both?” Optimus started into command, paint not quiet shining but also not dull, just different.

”Ironhide is not far behind, he will land within the Joor.” He threw aside the trap that was the door for command, moving in and standing at the active battle map, frown evident in his optics. 

Taking a vent, Megatron followed and moved to stand at the table as well, glancing towards Elita briefly. She did not look entirely happy to be here, “My Prime, I am going to retrieve our supplies and the unit.” Optimus nodded, “Of course, I would suggest sending Breakdown to the line or to Knockout, whichever you deem necessary.” She nodded and moved out quickly.

Megatron cleared his vocalizer yet again, “Optimus, I fear there was a misunderstanding.” Bowing his head slightly, Optimus looks at the table and starts drawing adjustments, “I understood you perfectly fine Lord Protector, my audial passed to spec during their last check. There was no misunderstanding other than perhaps your stance in this war.” Megatron’s mouth went dry.

Shifting at the head of the table, Optimus circles several locations, “I will place Elita, Ironhide, and myself incharge of these regions. Since we are going to have three humans planet side I am going to request that they be placed under the watch of my commanders.” Megatron slowly lowered a hand to the table, “Optimus, Hound is under my command.” “And I’m sure that he has been listening to your orders and following through with precision.” Megatron growled lightly. 

“Optimus, what is going on? What do you want from me?” The other mech looked up from the table, “For you to follow through with the expectations of your position.” Megatron balled his fists, “I have been doing just that, protecting Cybertron and overseeing this conflict.” Optimus tilted his head slightly, “And here I thought your sole focus was on New Kaon and your people.” Taking a slow vent, Megatron looked away.

His mouth was drier than the sand outside, “And here is where I believe we had our misunderstanding.” Optimus scoffed, “And yet you proclaimed yourself sovereign of New Kaon, which you are not. You are Cybertron’s Lord High Protector, which does not align with what you proclaimed meer joors ago.” He took a deep vent as Elita returned, “Ironhide’s ship is breaching the atmosphere.” Nodding again, he bent back over the map, “If you will excuse me Lord Protector, we will reconvene once Ironhide and his unit have landed. You are dismissed.” 

Megatron stared for a long moment, servos still fists before storming out.

Optimus sighed deeply and lowered his head for a moment, optics off, venting slowly. Elita stood there, silent as always, until he needed her to say something or she needed to intervene. Glancing back up, he looks to her, before back to the table, “How would you redesign the line commander? And where do you think will be the best placement for the humans?” She moved forward, “Well, it depends on how well they will listen.” It was a familiar comfort, the pair of them in a command room, where Ironhide would join them shortly. A much needed comfort. 

—

Hound’s comm crackled, “Hound, you might want to return to command.” He really didn’t, gun firing very loudly at a distant Quintesson, “Breakdown and Sunstreaker are here.” The voice was Red Alert, he almost didn’t recognize the mech over comms. 

Looking back, the small encampment that was command was the only thing that was lighten up yet, a bright green in his vision, “Breakdown is supposed to be resting for another few days.” His voice only wavered slightly, “He arrived with the Prime. Fall back in the next minute, seekers are going to fly overhead.” Sighing slowly, he nodded and started backwards.

Once he heard the screen of seeker engines he ran, briefly glancing towards where Mirage was before focusing on reaching command safely.

He could make them out as he deactivated the night vision, yellow standing out more than the blue, but the pair were clearly talking. He couldn’t help but smile, having been away for longer than either of them have. It was nice to know there were some of your own kind nearby. 

“Ah! As it’s said, look what the tide brought in.” Breakdown waves at him, both him and Sunny pinging him with video comms. He quickly answered and turned on his own camera, Sunny immediately winced, “Damn Hound, when was the last time you slept?” Hound tried very hard not to roll his eyes.

Though Breakdown was nodding, “You look incredibly tired.” Hound came over and rested a hand on each of their shoulders, “I’m fine. I slept sometime yesterday, ate a little bit of go.” Probably a few hours before, but it was alright.

Sunstreaker shook his head a bit, “Come on Hound, don’t be like that.” Breakdown nodded, and Hound sighed, “And to think, I missed you guys.” He smiled and so did they.

“So, what are the two of you doing here? BD, you’re supposed to be resting and Sunny, I thought you were placed with Ironhide.” Sunny nodded, “Oh I was, Joan called him in.” Hound nodded slowly, “I think calling the Prime that on private comms is fine, but we should refer to him as the Prime otherwise.” 

Breakdown nodded slowly, “He is a very interesting man, one of his commanders, Elita-One, came to retrieve me after Jazz called to clear my health. I was cleared, but we were on the shuttle over here together. He kept making sure that I was alright before he got quiet.” Hound hummed.

He couldn;t help but glance over towards command, “Yeah, he had an argument with Megatron.” He sighed slowly, shaking his head, “Come on, we’ll sit and talk, eat. Unplug for a minute.” Sunstreaker was nice enough to rest a hand on his back, walking him towards a nearby heater.

”How’s the oxygen here?” Breakdown lifted a hand, likely tapping at a screen, “Not bad, but certainly not good. I would stick to tanks.” Sunstreaker groaned, “I just got off a toxic planet.” And Hound laughed, sitting down, “Welcome to New Kaon.” Sunny grumbled as he sat down.

Hound finally unplugged, shivering as his implants had left his skin wet and now cold. He pulled his helmet off and then the oxygen mask, wrinkling his nose, “Oh god.” Sunstreaker looked away and Breakdown looked sympathetic.

Leaning forward, he tried not to throw up again, “Drink some water Hound, take a rest. You look pale.” Breakdown kept his voice quiet and slowly, Hound nodded and grabbed his water pouch. Drinking slowly. 

—

Ironhide almost stormed into command, “And how did the Quints get this far into Cybertronian space with this many ships? One or two on Cybertron, sure, but this is ridiculous.” His fist collided with the table.

Barely sparing him a glance, Optimus was still drawing out strategy, “Welcome to New Kaon, Ironhide, I would appreciate it if you could retrieve the Lord High Protector from wherever he slunk off to.” Frowning, Ironhide leaned on the table, “And why can’t you—“ Elita was glaring sharply and he was quick to shut his mouth, “Uh, yes, My Prime.” He turned on the spot and went back outside. 

Seekers were still screaming through the air, the only light available was those of optics or explosions and blasts.

He wasn’t far, having taken control of a distanced cannon and had tried blowing off steam firing on the enemy. Ironhide clears his throat, “Lord High Protector, the Prime requests your presence.” Megatron looked over, nodded, “Of course.” They were all slagged if those two were fighting.

Moving back into command, they were joined by Knockout and Flatline, who were talking intensely in the other half of command, “It’s just shattered and he seems totally fine with it!” Knockout vented deeply, “Welcome to life with humans, we will repair it after this is dealt with.” They moved through to the other half of command, dropping the tarp over the door. 

Now it was just Optimus, Megatron, Elita, and Ironhide standing around the command table. Projection map marked up with adjustments made by Optimus and Elita. Megatron scowled down at it before looking back to Optimus, his spark aching. 

Taking a vent, Optimus gestures towards the table, “Here is the plan, for the moment, I would suggest that we institute it as soon as possible.” he rocked back lightly on his peds, an old habit from the war, “Optimus, if I may?” He barely spared him a glance. “You may not, Lord Protector. We lack the time and some of us the patience to listen to your attempts to placate my ‘emotions’ as you said, they are not my probity nor should they be yours.” 

Optimus paused and looked at Megatron, “Or would you rather, how did you say it, be content to lose this war?” All the warmth drained from Megatron’s face, his energon running cold. Ironhide was gawking, taking a moment to look at Elita who briefly shook her head, he gulped and looked back to the table. 

Glancing around the table, Optimus took in his commanders for a moment before looking back, “Ironhide, I want you and half of your unit to take the north side. Elita, to the south with the other half of his unit. Wherever Mirage is placed, I want Bluestreak on the opposite. I need to speak with Hound, Sunstreaker and Breakdown before they reenter the field. I will take the west with this group here.” He lightly circles a unit on the map.

”And Megatron will take the east, the seekers will continue to fire from above but have them cycle out more often, less they will exhaust themselves.” His servos were shaking lightly, “The sooner we get out there, the better off we will be since there are no more reinforcements.” Optimus shot a brief glare at Megatron before straightening, “You have your orders. I suggest that you follow them.” He spared glances around to Ironhide and Elita before they both were quick to leave.

Muttering to each other as they went, Optimus tried incredibly hard not to roll his optics, even as his helm pounded. His servos were still shaking ever so slightly. 

They all maintained some things from these from the war, one of Optimus’ were the tremors. 

Megatron was watching his hands, so he folded them comfortably behind his back, “Well?” Optimus’s tone was not quite cold, but certainly not filled with warmth either, “I would suggest, unless you need fuel, returning to the field. As not to waste ‘precious time’.” Optimus moved away from the table, grabbing up an all too familiar blaster before leaving command himself, not sparing Megatron a second glance.

His mouth was still incredibly dry and he likely did need to fuel, but it would be impossible to keep it in his tanks. With a growl, he stormed out after Optimus, but the mech was already gone. 

———

A/N

I thought this chapter was 4.5k, its actually 5.2 so uh… enjoy?

But in all seriousness, the megop in this chapter is probably the longest you’re going to get. If it weren’t important to the story it would have happened behind the scenes.

But this chapter feels wild to me, it’s long and now I’ve written probably right around 100k words for Arcturus as a whole though that does include stuff I haven’t posted yet. But that’s still a lot.

Than you all so much for your kind words, questions, likes, all of it.

Tags

@lunarlei68 @whirlywhirlygig @loop-hole-319 @pixillandjester @alek-the-witch @not-a-moose-in-disguise @goddessofwind8water @neurologicalglitch @dersereblogger @pixel-transformers @mrcrayonofdoom @wireplaces @twilightfreefaller @original-blog-name-2 @devilangel657 @robbin-u @miniartistme @starwold @tea-enthusiasm @valeexpris606 @celticdoggo @bird599 @agentsquirrelsgotrobots @aquaioart @thatwandercat @artdagz @seisha974 @halenhusky309 @leethepiper @cat-cassette @blue-wrens @sirassban @cosmique-oddity @garbageenthusiast @xervias @azulabutterfly @fryseem @spring-mc @echo-circuit @aghostsnail @wooblewooble @ask-glory-haddock-and-others @nonsscrapheap @magichats @iminahole247 @omgflyingderpywhale @thetrexartist @naaaafam @elegantmantaray @emichusai @waterlilykitty @diabolichare @ham4ponyo @osqindaxend @sunnyvibesanddoodles @ratatatata248 @ijustneedausernaneplease4444444 @sprook-children 

And once again thank you to @Keferon for this amazing AU!

Also thank you @sightseertrespasser for your help with the mech suit class stuff, it gave me the right thing to fill a plot whole I was writing myself into.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.253 Beg your pardon

With Desi off to camp and food in Sophia's stomach, we headed to the hospital. Luckily for us, the doctor's morning was open, so we didn't wait long after I checked in. Walking down that long hallway felt like a funeral march. I didn't think I was going to die, but I had no idea what would meet me in that room. The doctor awaited us and invited me to change into a gown and sit on the bed. So far, so good. I'd done that before the last time I was here. Just like last time, the doctor asked what brought me in, and I told him everything, beginning with the vacation and cleaning up the beach to the abduction and stomach pain. His pen scratched across his notebook so fast I thought I should slow down, but he needed all the facts to make an informed decision. I left nothing out. After my brain dump, he drew blood to run tests and told me to sit tight.

He left us alone for several minutes with nothing but the annoying ticking clock to keep us company. Sophia hopped up on the bed with me and rested her hand on my knee. We hadn't said much to each other since he left with my blood. We just sat there, worried, waiting for the results. I tried to think of other reasons for my predicament, as if one scenario were better than the other. If the abduction was not a coincidence, maybe they implanted a device in me some kind of way. A tracker? But how?? I had no scars. After what felt like an eternity, the doctor barged in. He stopped in front of me, reading papers from his clipboard. When he was done, he nodded, as if to confirm to the papers he read and understood the information. Sophia squeezed my shoulder and whispered into my ear, "Whatever this is, we'll handle it together."

The doctor stowed the results and got back to business.

"Okay, folks, the good news is you're not poisoned or dying. You're pregnant! The bad news is obstetrics is not my area, so I'll have to refer you to someone else. Congrats, though."

I blinked.

Pregnant?

I blinked again.

Pregnant?!

"I'm sorry—what?" Sophia asked.

I appreciated the calmness in her voice, but she was just as confused as I was. That blasted clock ticked louder than any sound I'd ever heard. I stared at his lips, waiting—begging—for him to say, "Happy Prank Day!" But he just stood there, waiting for me to say something, but I couldn't speak. I honestly would have preferred some rare disease or something. At least then, if I lost a bunch of weight or hair, I could explain it and everyone would understand. But being pregnant?? Who's gonna understand that?! No one knew anyone abducted by aliens, let alone impregnated by them!

"Let's get you over to obstetrics," the doctor said. "They'll be able to give you more information than I can."

Sophia looked at me, stunned, then back at the doctor.

"Is this a joke?"

He parted his lips as if to tread lightly, like he didn't anticipate our reaction or something.

"I understand how shocking this is. I assure you, this is not a joke. If it's any consolation, these things happen way more than you think."

Sophia went pale, but her hand never left me.

"No," I said when I finally found my voice. "No, that's not right. It's impossible! I'm a dude, doc! I don't even have the...the parts for that! Run more tests. It can't be that!"

I wanted to cry, throw up, and punch something all at the same time. A baby? In my belly?? I didn't believe it and looked down to check it out for myself. Sure enough, I had put on a few pounds in the middle. I'd been so concerned about the pain and hiding my experience from Sophia, I never even noticed. But I was still stuck on how the baby got there in the first place.

"But ... There's no scars! They didn't cut me!"

"Alien tech is Lightyears ahead of ours," doc said. "They probably used some really advanced nanotech small enough to insert through one of your pores."

"But, I—I thought I was just getting old or something!"

The hitch in my voice threatened to crumble my entire system. Sophia squeezed me even tighter.

"It's not your fault, babe," she said with glassy eyes.

The doctor cleared his throat.

"I know this is a lot to process, so I'm gonna go update your chart. When you're ready, head down to room 3. Dr. McKnight will be able to answer all of your questions."

He nodded politely and exited as quickly as he came.

I couldn't let go of my belly.

"There's something alive in there??"

I looked over at Sophia, who was trying to hide tears, and temporarily set aside my problems.

"Sophia, are you-"

She waved me away.

"Don't. I'm here for you right now," she said, sniffing and wiping tears. "We can talk about me later."

I shook my head in amazement.

"How do you do that?"

She put her hand on the small of my back, signaling it was time to leave.

"It's part of the job. Are you ready to go?"

"I don't think I have a choice."

[edawgz]

ᝰ.ᐟTHE WAY YOU SEE ME

𖦹ׂ ₊˚⊹⋆ 1940s steve rogers x fem. reader. ending 1.

❚ ❙ ❘ angst, comfort, war, established relationship, pre-serum, post-serum, choose your ending, death mentions, grief, indirectly mentioned depression, bittersweet, fluff at some points. READ THE WAY YOU SEE ME FIRST, this is the one option of an ending.

: ̗��➛ In the chaos of a world at war, Steve Rogers finds something rare -- someone who doesn’t see him as a symbol, but as the man beneath the uniform. As he steps closer to the future he never asked for, the bond they share becomes both a comfort and a complication. This is a story about love found in fleeting moments, and the ache of holding on when time refuses to wait... and so do you. You can't let the man you've loved through everything go on a suicide mission to stop Hydra.

| masterlist. | marvel masterlist. | the way you see me. |

You don’t hesitate. There's no time left for second-guessing or careful planning -- not when you know what he’s about to do. So you grab your coat from the back of the chair where you left it hours ago, and snatch your sidearm with practiced ease. You don’t write a note, you don’t tell anyone. There’s no way of explaining this that wouldn’t waste precious time.

The air on the tarmac cuts straight through your coat, bitter and sharp with jet fuel and the metallic tang of too many unfinished goodbyes. You find him alone, shadowed by the frame of the stealth transport, running last-minute checks with that pinched look on his face -- the one he wears when he’s already decided what has to be done, no matter the cost.

His head snaps up when he sees you striding toward him, boots echoing against the concrete like gunfire. “What the hell are you doing?” he calls, startled, eyes narrowing beneath the brim of his helmet.

“I’m not letting you go out there alone,” you say, your voice low and hard as steel. You don’t slow as you march up the ramp. “I won’t.”

He catches your arm halfway up, more plea than resistance. “You’ll get court-martialed.”

You wrench free and look at him with that look of determination that you so often saw in his eyes years ago. “Then they’ll have to catch me first.”

He opens his mouth again -- probably to tell you to turn back, to stay safe, to not do this -- but something falters in him. He stares at you like you’ve just walked straight into his worst fear and his deepest relief all at once. And then, slowly, something inside him breaks, not loudly, not violently.. just a quiet collapse of something he’s been holding up too long.

And he pulls you in close to him. His hands are rough with tension, the kiss desperate and all-consuming, like he’s trying to memorize the shape of you before the world ends. You kiss him back with the same ferocity -- not because you think you’ll lose him, but because you refuse to. Not today.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁𖥔.

The mission is hell.

The Hydra facility is larger than intel suggested with webs of reinforced steel, gun turrets disguised as mountainside rock, corridors pulsing with stolen alien tech and the kind of silence that precedes catastrophe... but you’re at his side through every second. You cover his flank with deadly precision, your voice cutting through chaos like a blade as you bark commands, disarm traps, drag him bodily out of the line of fire when a blast door slams shut behind you.

You get hit... so does he, but you keep going with your backs to each other, fighting like a two-person army that refuses to fold.

In the end, it’s you who spots the unstable explosives in the cargo bay, their timers already blinking red. It’s you who shouts for him to move, your throat hoarse, smoke curling around the edge of your vision. And it’s you who follows him into the cockpit as the ship begins its death spiral.

The controls spark... the plane screams around you.

Steve reaches for the comms, his jaw clenched. You can see it -- feel it -- the moment he makes the decision.. it's the same one he always makes. The sacrificial one.

“We’re too close to the city,” he says into the comms, voice ragged. “If I take her north—”

“No,” you cut in, sharp and final.

He stares at you, eyes wide.

You don’t explain. You don’t argue. You just throw yourself into the co-pilot seat, fingers flying across the controls. You reroute the last reserves of fuel, ignoring the sirens blaring from the dash. It’s a long shot... a stupid one, but if you can just—...

.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁𖥔.

The first few days after the crash are a blur.

Your shoulder is dislocated.. you’re bruised, burned, concussed. Steve’s worse. A deep gash across his abdomen keeps reopening every time he shifts, and there’s a crack in his left wrist that you have to splint with a bent piece of metal from the plane and a belt from one of the Hydra uniforms.

But you’re alive.

The plane went down on the northeastern edge of Newfoundland -- remote, frigid, largely uninhabited. After dragging Steve clear of the wreckage, you put together the crudest shelter you've ever seen... it was made out of broken cargo panels and snow-packed canvas. You start a fire with shaking hands, using flares and what minimal dry kindling you can find.

For two nights, Steve drifts in and out of consciousness. When he does wake, he doesn’t say much.. just squeezes your fingers when you speak, eyes flickering toward the sky like he’s afraid it’ll vanish if he looks too long.

On the third day, a search plane finds the smoke you’ve kept going no matter what. The rescue is slow and awkward -- your legs nearly buckle when the snowmobile reaches you -- but you don’t let go of Steve, even as they load him onto a stretcher.

The medic tries to pry your hand away.

“Try it again,” you hiss, blood still frozen into the collar of your coat, “and I break your goddamn nose.”

Steve laughs weakly as they strap him in beside you. It’s the first sound you’ve heard him make that wasn’t pain.

The hospital is military-run and quiet, nestled in a makeshift base twenty miles inland. You’re kept for observation, Steve for far longer. Super soldier serum or not, his body took a hell of a beating, and the doctors seem caught between awe and disbelief. You sit by his bed each night until they force you out, but you always come back before dawn. He never asks you to, and you never make excuses.

“I thought you were dead,” he says one morning, voice scratchy but stronger now.

You glance up from the newspaper you’re reading aloud to him, eyes flicking over his pale face. He’s watching you, not blinking. That look again -- the one he gave you after the serum, after the first kiss, after you refused to let him climb into that death trap alone.

“I almost was,” you say, voice low like you're worried that admitting it will bring it all full circle. “We both were.”

“I thought I lost you.” He repeated as if he was trying to grasp with the shock.

You reach for his hand. His fingers are warm now and strong again.

“You didn’t,” you whisper. “You won’t.”

.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁𖥔.

Three weeks later, the SSR sends word that you’re both being put on medical leave -- “Recovery,” they call it. You hear whispers of reassignment, decommissioned units, and rumors about the war winding down.

But none of that matters when Peggy herself knocks on your door with a smirk and a pair of borrowed keys.

“There’s a cabin on the coast,” she says, lips twitching. “Somewhere you two can hide. I pulled a few strings. Tell anyone I helped and I’ll deny it.”

Steve stares at her like she’s grown wings while you're already throwing your arms around her before she can stop you.

“Don’t be soft,” she mutters. “I’m already regretting this.”

The cabin is small, tucked against a frozen cliffside and flanked by evergreens. There’s one bedroom, one fireplace, and a long crooked porch that overlooks the sea.

Steve limps through the doorway with a duffel slung over his shoulder, eyes wide. It’s not much, but to the two of you, it feels like the whole world.

The first night, neither of you sleeps. The fire crackles low, and you both sit in front of it on a nest of blankets and cushions, your backs pressed to the wood-paneled wall. You talk in whispers -- about the mission, about the ice, about how close it all came to slipping away.

Steve’s voice breaks when he says your name and you cross the space and hold him until he stops shaking.

“It’s over,” you murmur into the curve of his shoulder. “You’re here. We’re here.”

He kisses you like it’s the first time all over again. The days become slower. Softer.

Steve cooks breakfast with his sleeves rolled up and a pencil behind his ear. You learn to patch the holes in his socks.. you teach him how to read your favorite mystery novels out loud in a fake accent, and he teaches you how to sketch the wild geese that land on the frozen lake.

Some nights he has nightmares and you wake to his shoulders heaving, hands clenched in the sheets, whispering names you don’t recognize -- Bucky, mostly. Sometimes Peggy. Sometimes your own.

You never ask what they mean. You just hold him until he remembers where he is. Once, after one of the harder nights, you find him standing on the porch in his undershirt, a half-finished sketch in hand. It’s you, asleep in the window light, and you can't help but watch for a minute all while he doesn’t realize you’re even awake.

Later, you tuck the page into your journal and don’t say a word.

There are small fights. You argue over the fireplace once -- he insists on fixing the chimney alone and you tell him not to be a mule. You bicker about laundry. He’s reckless about his healing ribs. You snap at him for lifting firewood without asking for help.

But none of it sticks.

You always find your way back -- through muttered apologies and soft hands on backs, through lingering glances over half-eaten stew and shared books by candlelight. Sometimes it ends in a kiss, sometimes it ends with you curled up beside him, forehead to his chest, his heartbeat steady and real beneath your palm.

You start calling it home and you can't help but think maybe he does too.

Weeks pass. Then months. Then the war ends.

Steve finds out through a cracked radio transmission. He sits on the cabin steps for a long time, silent, fingers curled around yours and you can't help but think he’s mourning. Maybe he is.

But when he turns to you -- eyes shining, face lit with something fragile and new -- he says, “We made it.”

And that’s the first night he makes love to you like there’s no tomorrow chasing him.

The letters start arriving by the spring. They’re official. They want him back. Ceremonies. Press tours. Leadership posts.

Steve reads them carefully, then slides them into a drawer unopened.

One afternoon, you ask him why. He doesn’t answer at first, just wraps his arms around your waist and presses his forehead to your chest.

“I didn’t survive just to go back,” he admits eventually. “Not without you.”

You trace the edge of his jaw, his scarred cheek, the curve of the shoulder that once held the weight of a country.

“You don’t have to go,” you whisper. “But if you do -- I’m not staying behind.”

He looks up at you like he can’t believe his luck. “Then we figure it out together.”

.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁.𖥔 ݁ ˖. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁𖥔.

You leave the cabin hand in hand, months later, when the snow melts and the road clears. You take nothing but what you need -- your journal, his sketchbook, and a shared photo tucked inside a rations tin.

No one expects you when you arrive at SSR headquarters.

They stand when Steve enters the room. They stare when you step beside him.

He doesn’t flinch and he doesn’t let go of your hand. For the first time in years, the fight ahead doesn’t scare you.

Because you’ve already done the impossible.

You found him.

And he came back.

[lennyinlordran]

The Zaradus Regime [Parts 3-4]

Part 3 To her surprise, the equipment hadn’t been modified. However, attached to the ceiling was newly installed… thing. Ostensibly a light fixture. With several Tesla-Coils attached to an encephalograph.

Sasha did the obvious thing and was about to plant half of her explosives on it, opting to wait until she knew more about the plan.

She was about to leave, before the distant sound of someone entering the hall came to mind.

Sasha hid under the seats, before two people walked in, Former Councilor Zaradus, and John Doe strode into the room.

“Tell me, advisor,” said Zaradus, “Is it possible to subvert the Encephalitic Imprinting mid process?”

“Only if someone had our remote control key, or a physical connection to the device.” Replied John.

“So, if this works, we will have the perfect method of recall.”

“Wait a minute.” John Doe sniffed the air.

“We have an intruder.”

Sasha threw her voice to sound like Zaradus, and asked “how’d she get in? In-true-da-window?”

John Doe turned to glare at Zaradus.

“Puns? Really” he asked.

“Tons, truly” piped Sasha in her impersonation.

“That’s not me!” Sputtered Zaradus.

“Oh, how you plea!” Tossed Sasha, impersonating John Doe now.

“You dare to mock your master!”

While the two bickered, Sasha crawled up to the ceiling, then connected a remote USB to the device.

Because USBs are cross compatible with alien tech eons old.

She slipped out through the window while they continued bickering.

From outside the building, Sasha connected to the remote USB, and plumbed the files of their machine.

She discovered their plan. They device would have a someone with psionic powers into the Encephalogram, and the machines would use the readings to imprint on the minds of anyone wearing electrically conductive-

“Oh. Well ••••”

Sasha checked to try and overwrite the program. Nope. Written on ROMs. Read-only.

Sasha proceeded to angrily curse for several minutes while punching a nearby tree.

The current time was 11:32 pm. The concert started at 6:30 the next day.

“I have only 18.5 hours to subvert this… think!”

Sasha decided to take a power nap in the tree. Do not do what Sasha does.

At 2 in morning, she opted to get started on arming herself.

She proceeded to break into a hospital and “borrow” an EEG. She then proceeded to visit the Rhumerians. After about three of her 18 hours, (15 left), she had recalibrated one of her pistols to stun Rhumerians, IE, Zaradus.

She then tried to sneak another look at the Encephaloscriptor.

Guarded directly by John Doe.

She returned the EEG.

12 hours left.

Sasha proceeded to sleep on it.

6 hours left.

Sasha had an idea.

She called up Leo and Maxine, then explained her plan.

Part 4 People were piling into the concert hall, about 60% in tinfoil hats. Maxine, (being more experienced in delinquency) had snuck onto the catwalk above the hall. Carrying a piece of white particle-board.

She approached the Encephaloscriptor, and Stood before Zaradus. She was extremely nervous. Sasha spoke much of these “Rhumerians”, but despite her love of mermaids, Maxine was distinctly unnerved.

“Stop! You’re not supposed to be up here!” Boomed Zaradus.

“Are you?”

Zaradus drew his rifle.

Max leapt forward, holding the board against the floor of the catwalk, lying flat behind it, squeezing her eyes shut.

A single stunner blast struck Zaradus, and Sasha crawled through through the portal in the Board. Zaradus got up from the stun, and a new voice rang out.

“Aww, a cute effort children.”

John Doe had approached from behind.

Sasha drew her human-calibrated stunner. She now had weapons trained on both Zaradus and John Doe. Zaradus had his rifle trained at her, and John had a Saturnian death-ray trained on Max.

“Zaradus, Fire-“ Sasha stunned Zaradus again.

“John, drop the gun and I’ll let Zaradus use the machine.”

John Doe lowered his weapon.

“As if I work for him!” He pointed his Death-ray at Zaradus.

“But… the plan! The birth of a new Yithian empire!”

“Why, talking like that, you make it sound like I’m a Yithian.”

“What?”

“You were misled. I’m far more than you could imagine.”

John shot Zaradus, leapt forward and shoved Sasha aside. Sasha fired the both stunners at him, no effect.

He donned the interface of the Encephaloscriptor, grinning madly.

The coils of the machine began to spin around the central axis it was built on, as it tilted down towards the crowd, most of which was cheering on the Cristian rock band playing.

Bolts of energy crackled between the coils, and the crowd began to run. The coils extended away from the machine, And trees of bolts of emanated from the machine toward the tinfoil-hat wearers in the crowd, the rest calmly began to leave, hurried but un-panicked.

Sasha fired at the machine. A shower of sparks erupted from it, as John cackled “it’s too late!! Mwahahaa! Urahahaha!!!”

Sasha then duly noted that she that still had the portal open.

“Leo! Give me the laptop and Maxine’s guitar!”

These items were handed through the portal.

Sasha grabbed the remote control from Zaradus’s remains, and plugged it into the laptop.

“Fool, the machine isn’t needed anymore!” Boomed the voice of John.

“Who are you really?” Asked Sasha nonchalantly.

The crowd roared, “He is The Faceless God, The Dark Wing, The Sand Bat, The Bloody Tongue. But you can call him Mr.Skin.”

Mr.Skin grinned like a puppy.

“And those titles mean?”

“You know not the Thousand-named lord of the woods?”

“Yeah. Maxine, here’s your guitar, we need a world-saving jam.”

Sasha plugged the guitar into the laptop, which was controlling the machine.

Maxine began, cautiously, to shred. Various members of the crowd started to vocalize in sync with the tenuous chords

The band’s lead guitarist began to shred a counter.

Sasha grinned wildly, and said, “you forgot something, Mr.Skin.”

“And what would that be?”

“Leo, Hand me that mic while you’re here.”

A Microphone (and stand) came through the portal, Sasha plugged it into the laptop, and Leo chimed, “the power of friendship?”

“No! The power of…”

Sasha turned and grinned at Max. Together they said, “Rock!”

Sasha tossed the mic to Max, and she began a one-girl cover of “feel better” by Penelope Scott.

Mr.Skin stared at the Two as Max sang, and he attempted to get the crowd to chant.

They did.

[fierylittleniece]

[The detonator isn't working. Someone has to detonate it manually.]

No one feels right sending someone out to do it. A death sentence for the sake of the agency. The explosive would end the fight early, destroy the alien hive right at the core. The fighter drones that now swarmed Manhattan would likely collapse without access to the hivemind.

While everyone is deliberating in the conference room, a silhouette dips out of the room. Having heard everything she needed to. They needed someone disposable to do it.

I can be disposable

A new alarm joins the chorus of noise that was already filling the agency. Something has been stolen from a vault in the tech room. A pet project of a young agent that was deemed too dangerous to use on human agents. A battle suit that fits like skin but acts...alive. A symbiote.

Darren won't mind if I borrow it

Eyes check cameras, searching for something off amongst the chaos that already felt like the end of the world. Anger turns to fear when Nick's eye land on a familiar outline. His niece, barreling down the halls away from coworkers at full speed. She always was impressively fast for a human. Roxy evades pursuit, draped in white symbiotic fabric. Intercoms ring out, a voice strained between commanding and desperation. Pleading with her to come back, to reconsider. Pleas change to orders, she's never disobeyed him before. Nick feels his stomach drop as she looks directly at one of the security cameras, her eyes looking dead at him. Its a goodbye.

I want you to see what I'm truly capable of

Roxanne dives off of the edge of the Helicarrier, plummeting back towards the city she'd live in her entire life. Body spiraling past debris, in freefall. The Symbiote absorbs the fall for her, concrete cratering underneath her. Eyes glance up at the local new reporters, live on the scene of the chaos. Roxy can only smile before she takes off into the streets.

I want to make a difference. A real one

A boy pushes through coworkers at the main deck, pulling up something on one of screens. The suit was shut away for a reason. It ate away at the host. Slowly but surely. Roxanne only had about an hour before it swallowed her whole. He doesn't tell the others, simply watching the timer in agony. No matter what, she wasn't coming back. Eyes fixed on her live camera feed. Seeing her for the last time.

I want to be seen. To be heralded as a hero

She's practically flying with how fast she's running through the streets, clawing through doors. Tearing aliens away from citizens. Lifting obstacles and barricading doors to keep threats from getting in. Not an Avenger and not a normal SHIELD agent. In these few hours, Roxanne gets to be something all her own. Shiny and new, not given enough time to languish in the praise she receives in passing. She's a fast burning wick, her time limited.

And for once I can do that, even if it doesn't last

Agile beyond her normal limits. Faster than she'd ever been. Stronger than she could ever dream. Roxanne can feel the high of her wax wings as she soars towards the sun. The symbiote enjoying a prime feast of her hormones and emotions. Legs speed down corridors, up staircases. The hoard nest lies atop one of the many skyscrapers in the middle of the city. Her entire life flashes through her mind as her marathon continues. Getting closer to her destination, she can feel the pain rocketing through her. The symbiote isn't protecting her from injuries as much anymore, weakening her for her inevitable consumption. It did not matter. Roxanne's eyes scanning the hoard nest for the bomb that had failed to go off remotely. If the symbiote survived the blast, it could have her body. There is no hesitation in her movements as she lunges for the switch, the detonation immediate.

This is my swan song and you will hear me

The explosion lights up Manhattan, charred remains of the nest plummeting to the streets. The hive mind inside now useless, the alien insects absolve into husks. Ash and smoke float into the air, the Helicarrier an uproar of victory.

Only two have their gaze still fixed on the screen. Silent in grief.

[burntotears]

Title: Hopeful Hands W/C: 2356 Summary: Alex wants to keep searching for Project Shepard facilities but he's still as reckless as ever. A/N: Part 2 of Marriage Ain’t Easy, Major Character Injury [ AO3 Link or read under the cut ]

Kyle and Bonnie came flying around the corner of the hallway where Michael was trying to pack up what little of the alien tech he could fit into the bag he’d brought. It would never be enough–he wanted it all out of their hands, but they didn’t have the time or manpower. They hadn’t expected to run into any opposition out here.

“Where's Alex?” he asked as soon as he saw them.

Kyle skidded to a halt, looking behind them in bewilderment. “Wha–he was right behind us a second ago. He shot one of them and then Bonnie locked the rest behind a blast door, but we don’t know how long it’s going to hold.”

“Goddammit. Finish this, I’ll get him.” Michael shoved the bag into Bonnie’s hands and went back the way they had come from.

Michael found Alex sitting at a computer, obviously trying to get as much information as he could from their database. They hadn’t been able to get deep enough into the facility to reach the actual server room, so he was trying to remote in from a workstation. “Whatcha doing there, soldier?” he asked casually, walking up behind him.

“Trying to make this trip worth a damn,” he replied without looking back at Michael.

“I know it’s not what you wanted to get, but we need to leave before we all get shot at again.” He was doing his very best not to yell at Alex that he was being ridiculous.

Alex’s words were clipped. “Just give me a minute, Guerin.”

“Don’t you ‘Guerin’ me, Manes.” It was an unscrupulous attack, Michael knew. He could see it in the cold fury that Alex directed at him now when he finally met Michael’s gaze. He’d have to pay for it later when the risks to their lives were far fewer.

Alex turned his attention back to the screen without saying a word. Michael could see he was downloading to an external drive, but there were still muffled noises coming from other areas of the complex and he wasn’t sure they’d have time for it to finish.

A few tense minutes ticked by where they both remained silent, yet there was something about Alex’s demeanor (aside from being royally pissed at Michael) that didn’t sit right. He was breathing heavier than usual and listing a little to the left. The warning bells started to go off in Michael’s head and he grasped Alex’s shoulders, spinning his chair around.

Michael dropped to his knees in front of the other man. “You were shot?”

“I’m handling it,” Alex said steadily, because of course he could keep his composure at a time like this.

“You’re handling being shot?” Michael whined, reaching up toward Alex with shaking hands. Every time he felt like he was getting his life in order, something else started spiraling out of his control.

“Michael,” Alex said in a low voice and Michael could hear the slight quiver it held. Fuck, how long had he been bleeding? How bad was it? “I need you to calm down and get your shit together.”

He sucked in a shaky breath and looked at Alex’s face instead of his wound. “How?”

“You need to go find Kyle–”

“Fuck that, I’m not leave–”

Alex forcefully cut over him. “Go get Kyle. I can’t move without losing more blood than I can spare right now. He’ll have something to stabilize me.”

Michael looked over to the barricaded hallway and then back at Alex. “What if they get through?” he asked weakly.

Alex glanced at the desk where his gun sat and back to Michael. “I’ll handle that too. Go.”

Michael had never run so fast in his fucking life.

----

“This is so much easier when it’s you in the bed,” Kyle muttered and side-stepped Michael as he checked on Alex’s vitals.

“Shut it, Valenti.” Sadly, it lacked his usual bite. He was exhausted and too worried about Alex to do anything but hover uselessly while Kyle took care of his husband. Where was sanctimonious Max when he needed him? Right–off attempting to save a fucking planet. Prick.

Why couldn’t he tap into his dickhead dad’s healing powers already? After Max left and it had become apparent that Alex had no intention of stopping the search for the other Project Shepard facilities, Michael had been trying to access the healing. He wasn’t upset that Alex didn’t want to stop searching (quite the opposite), but without Max around they needed someone who could fill in the gap. That person was supposed to be Michael, yet it felt like he had some mental block keeping him from gaining access to that ability.

Fuck, it sucked. Having to watch as Valenti shoved staples into Alex’s skin to close the tattered holes left from the bullet impact was gut-wrenching. Alex survived losing half a leg in Iraq just to get shot trying to help Michael back in Roswell. If that wasn’t the worst kind of irony, he didn’t know what was.

Kyle held his hands up in placation. “I just mean that there’s nothing to be done right now. Surgery went well, he’s completely stable. Nothing vital was injured–”

“Nothing vital?” Michael growled, indicating the entirety of Alex lying in the bed.

Kyle’s eyes closed and he took a deep breath before allowing himself to respond. His voice held the same cadence. “Vital organs that he needs in order for his body to continue functioning properly, Michael. It went through cleanly, which from a medical perspective, is the best we could have hoped for.”

“I’d say the best we could have hoped for was no one getting shot,” Michael mumbled, but he knew what Kyle meant. He didn’t have the energy to start a fight with him over nothing right now.

Kyle nodded and squeezed his bicep. “You need to get some rest.”

“I can’t.” Michael scrubbed a hand over his face and through the disarray of curls. He plopped down heavily in the chair and groaned in annoyance when Kyle left the room, graciously not prodding him further.

He must have zoned out for a while because he jerked when a knock sounded at the door. Bonnie stepped quietly over to him, leaning against the wall near his chair. “How’s he doing?”

“Valenti says it’s the best outcome it could be. Just waiting for him to wake up.”

She touched his shoulder lightly. “How are you doing?”

“Feel like shit,” he admitted. “I shouldn’t have left him alone.”

Bonnie was quiet for a bit. “So far, he hasn’t struck me as the type to suffer hovering.”

Michael snorted. “You’re not wrong about that.”

“We had no idea, Michael. He didn’t so much as flinch.”

“Oh, I’m sure. It’s not really his style.” He glanced sideways up at her. “I don’t blame you guys.”

Bonnie squeezed his shoulder and stepped away. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Bonnie.” Michael dragged the chair to the side of the bed so he could lie his head down on his folded arms while he waited. Eventually he drifted into a fitful sleep in which Alex was bleeding all over the ground and Michael was attempting to heal the wound but his hands just kept uselessly slipping through the wetness.

He woke up to Alex running his fingers through his hair and shushing him, so he must’ve been making some sort of noise. Michael took his hand between his own and kissed it. “Hey, you,” he said far more calmly than he actually felt.

“Hey.” Alex smiled weakly and fidgeted uncomfortably in the bed. “Ugh, I feel like I got shot.”

Michael let out a choked sob and his hands started to shake. “That’s not fucking funny, Alex.”

“It’s a little funny.” Alex used his free hand to cup Michael’s face and push through his curls. “I’m alright.”

“You don’t know that. How could you possibly know that?”

“Because I trust Kyle. And I trust you. I knew you’d get us out of there and I knew he would patch me up.”

Michael shook his head, kissing Alex’s hand again. “You could have died.”

Alex hummed. “I’m a little tougher than that.”

“Stubborn, more-like,” Michael muttered and Alex laughed.

“Yeah, that too. I wasn’t going to leave you, Michael.”

Michael just nodded. “I know you wouldn’t.”

----

It wasn’t a huge surprise that Alex forced his way out of Deep Sky as quickly as he could, regardless of Kyle’s requests for him to stay a little longer. “I’ve been shot at before, Kyle. I know how it works.”

That didn’t put Michael at ease, but there wasn’t a lot he could say to dissuade Alex once he’d set his mind to something, like the recent data recovery. Alex had actually made Michael wait at the computer for the download to finish while Kyle and Bonnie took him from the facility. Michael realized later that it was to keep him grounded on a task that wasn’t visually agonizing over Alex’s well-being, though he also hadn’t wanted to waste the opportunity to get the data.

Even upon arriving at home, Alex had wanted to get to work decoding the data right away.

“You could also maybe, I dunno, take it a little easy,” Michael suggested sarcastically. “After being shot and all.”

“That doesn’t sound like me at all.” Alex settled on the couch, leaving the crutches nearby as he pulled his laptop bag toward him.

Michael sat down on the coffee table and put his hand over the other man’s to stop him. “Alex, about what I said…”

Alex’s face pinched up and he removed his hand from the bag and leaned back into the couch with a sigh. Michael could tell by the range of emotions flitting over his husband’s face that he knew what Michael was talking about. “Has it really been bothering you?” he ventured.

“Hasn’t it been bothering you?” Michael put his hand on Alex’s knee, looking incredulous. “You were pissed, Alex.”

“I mean, yeah, I was. I was also frustrated and partially delirious and I’d just snapped at you too, Michael.” Alex seemed like he was explaining away Michael’s actions and he didn’t like that.

“You were bleeding out!”

“You had no way of knowing that at the time.”

“Why are you making excuses for me?”

Alex placed his hand over Michael’s. “I’m not, but I’m not blameless either. You’re absolving me because I was injured.”

“It’s a pretty good fucking excuse, Alex.”

Alex shook his head. “What I should have done was tell you immediately. Instead I was deflecting because I didn’t want you to freak out about it.”

“Fat chance,” Michael laughed derisively.

“Hey,” Alex squeezed his hand, then lifted his other to cup Michael’s cheek. “Don’t do that. I don’t expect you to remain collected in stressful situations like that. Few people can. That isn’t a character flaw. It shows you have a beautiful soul.” Alex’s thumb brushed along Michael’s cheekbone and he turned his face into his husband’s palm, sighing heavily.

“I’m sorry for calling you Manes like that.” Michael still slipped up sometimes–it was only natural since Alex had been Manes to him for as long as he’d known him–but they both knew that had been deliberate.

“I know you are. I shouldn’t have called you Guerin like that, either.” Alex didn’t call him Guerin much anymore unless he was beyond frustrated or just kidding around. It was obvious which situation this had been. “I’m sorry too.”

Michael leaned in to kiss him, something slow and cautious even though Alex had already told him he hadn’t been shot in the face and “My mouth works just fine, Michael.”

When he pulled back, Alex rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. Michael frowned at him. “If I had these healing powers figured out, I could’ve saved you from having a stapler shoved into your skin.”

“Alien powers aren’t just a magic eraser, you know. We can’t just expect to have a power to fix every problem we run into.”

“This is a pretty fucking important one. Quite a few of us wouldn’t be here without Max’s help.”

Alex looked down at Michael’s left hand, rubbing his fingers over the smooth skin. “It’s not your job to replace Max, Michael. I know Jones was your dad, but how do we know that all of the powers are hereditary? And what if something from Nora negates part of the powers he had?” Alex could probably tell that Michael had a rebuttal because he kept talking. “I’m just saying, I don’t want you to set your expectations too high and crush yourself because you can’t achieve something that might not even be possible.”

He knew that Alex was right. There was a chance he might never be able to heal, but he also knew that he couldn’t just stop trying. Alex would never stop putting himself into these situations and if there was some way that Michael could make it just a little safer, he’d damn well do it. “Maybe… I need to start at a different level first.”

“How do you mean?”

“I’ve always been trying to go straight to the healing, but the other part that always comes with it is the handprint, right? And how it shares feelings back and forth. Maybe if I can get the print figured out, then the healing will come after.”

Alex tapped Michael’s forehead. “That’s my genius. Good thing you have a willing participant.”

“Oh god,” Michael chuckled. “Are you sure we could survive sharing feelings like that? I’m kind of a lot.”

“You think I don’t already know what’s going on in there, Guerin?” Michael felt oddly breathless when Alex pressed his palm to the center of his chest, as if he could somehow make the print on Michael. Fuck, he already had in all the ways that mattered.

Michael covered Alex’s hand with his own. “I know you do, Guerin.” The smile that spread across Alex’s face at the name was like staring into the face of the sun. He’d never get enough of it.

[perpetuelledaydreaming]

Illicit affairs- Chapter 6

“summary: kingpin is on the move; peter is a sad mess that doesn’t understand why y/n keeps secrets while she needs to answer a call and tony has a crush on dr. strange. 

Listen to: august- Taylor Swift & Hopelessly devoted to you- Olivia Newton- John

word count: 13.3k (not as long as the last but a lot of things happened)

(author’s note at the end now)

warnings: some s m u t. hehe. 

series masterlist

You remembered when the compound was made, it was barely ready after the Ultron catastrophe. Tony had brought you after everything had calmed down so you could train with them, it was fairly recent that you had developed your suit and honestly, the gym that you had at Stark Tower wasn’t enough for you to train there having little experience with your suit. regarding battle training. Therefore you joined Sam, Vision, and Wanda for training during all that summer, Steve and Nat conducting a really serious and strict summer camp for Avengers. You had loved it, bonding especially with Wanda easily since she was just a couple of years older than you, Sam became like a cool uncle (who later was joined in the same category by Bucky) while Vision was a calming presence. Nonetheless, you felt as if something was missing, about a year later, Peter would arrive in your life and after a couple of years, the compound would become like a sanctuary for both of you. 

Therefore, when you saw a gaping hole in the side of one of the main buildings, where the labs were located, you could feel your stomach sinking, barely letting go of Peter who was holding onto you by his hand, he decided to secure himself with a web, just in case. 

“y/n, are you here?” you could hear Tony’s elaborate breaths as you dive down into the building, entering the gaping hole where the action was taking place.  

There were about thirty men down, you could see them as HAPPY gave you a scan of the place. Tony was against five of them, while Rhodey had about nine men surrounding him but Bruce had it worse, the majority of the men were going at it. Moreover, some of them were wearing a special kind of suit, something that seemed to be alien technology. 

“Kids”

“On it!” Peter stated as he climbed off you, while you watched in shock the scene. Bruce’s lab and Tony’s lab were destroyed by the impact of whatever thing they had used, while yours and Peter’s seemed to be not that damaged. 

Things were in disarray and it took you a moment to get the scene in front of you. Tony was being held down by a couple of men as they pointed at him with a weapon, the force of what seemed to be a larger-than-life- flame-thrower, but it wasn’t a flame thrower exactly, the flames seemed purple and you could feel the blast of energy only by standing a couple of feet away, you grew concerned about the different materials in the lab, things could definitely blow up. 

But then, Peter and you quickly got into action, Peter climbed through the roof without being noticed by the men as he tried to cover the weapons in webs, he threw them repeatedly, making the men stop using the guns and looking up, which allowed you to swipe them off from their feet. The sound of the men’s bodies banging against the walls, the grunts as you literally threw them through two walls was enough for you to know that you got two less. Tony quickly took the weapons off the floor, he threw them into a destroyed wall, Peter webbing them up to stop anyone from using them, as far away from the lab as he could, knowing that they still had alien energy coming from them. 

You didn’t have to be an expert to know where these guns or where these men came from, you knew it right away. Kingpin was moving on with his plans and he was taking you by surprise, the sound of a man getting up and then quickly getting shot with a repulsor by Tony snapped you out of your thoughts, you could see Tony wiping his hands as he looked at you. 

“Are you sober?” he asked as he stood next to you, watching that Peter had already begun to web up the men who were attacking Bruce, which gave Bruce the option to flung a couple of them into the green space that surrounded the compound or against the walls, or into the garden of the main entrance. 

“Yes,” you stated gravely, after seeing the attack on the Compound it seemed like the wine’s effect had passed. “Where do you want me?”

“Secure the building, let’s take the fight outside” Tony stated and then he was already flying towards Bruce and Peter. 

You quickly entered the lab, checking that the men were down with HAPPY and flying through the large east hall where Rhodey was taken the majority of the heat. 

“Uncle Rhodey, need some help?” you offered with a smirk as you ordered HAPPY to take out your unibeam, when you saw Rhodey on the floor and the men surrounding him, pointing different types of weapons at him. 

Pointing to the feet of the men surrounding Rhodey, you began to fire. Some falling into the floor with pain from being burned by the beam or running away if they saw the beam seconds before they touched them. 

Rhodey shook his head. “Nice entrance, just like your dad” he muttered while you helped him stand up, for a second before he was already firing with his repulsors at the ones that were running through the hallway. 

“Cool?”

“Late” he grumbled, but before you could answer anything you felt the blast of energy on the side of your body, throwing you back onto the wall.

Your entire body crashed loudly against the wall, your head bouncing against it and quickly falling on the floor with a groan. It had been so hard that you barely went through the wall, a large rumbling sound accompanied your crash. 

“Shit” you growled before snapped your head towards where the blast came from and you literally growled at the men who had fired at you, while others counterattack Rhodey. 

Before you could stand up, they fire once more, the purple beam of light throwing you back against the wall again. The energy was too strong as they held the purple beam against you for several lengths of time at once, you could feel how some nanobots began to detach from your suit, quickly it began to recover but you cried as you felt the burning on your exposed skin. When they stopped, you felt your blood boiling on your body, raising your head to see that they were trying to charge the weapon but their attempt being useless. Before they could even raise their hands, you fire at him with the freeze beam, emitting it from where your arc reactor was located on your chest. 

The men effectively remained in that position, frozen, as you groaned while standing up for a second, turning to see Rhodey using a pulse bolt which didn’t only serve to neutralize the numerous men surrounding him with the alien tech that had returned but also it was strong enough that it numbed their weapons, turning them off as well as their suits that some were wearing. 

“You okay there?” Rhodey asked as you heard the grumbling, groaning, and swearing under the beath of the majority of the men taken down. He watched them with a smirk while you glared at him. 

“Jeez, thanks for your concern” you grumbled as you began to pile them up against the guys that you had frozen early, already thinking about how long could it take to defrost them so you could take them to jail. 

But before you or Rhodey could toss some more men next to the pile you already had, Peter’s panicky voice put you on alert. 

“y/n, The Prowler is here” he yelled through the com with laboring breaths, as if he was trying to chase him. 

“What!?”

You took off down the rest of the hall, barely destroying the glass doors that directed you to the main green space that surrounded the Compound, leaving Rhodey behind. You flew high enough to set the scene, Bruce was down and you felt your throat getting a knot for one second as Tony and Peter dealt with The Prowler, who was attacking them full force with its claws. The rest of the men were down, it seemed like The Prowler had come as a surprise, he hadn’t been seen, hell HAPPY hadn’t even identified him. 

You could see Tony struggling as he tried his best to hold down The Prowlers claws while Peter tried to blind him with his webs, but being useless as The Prowler managed to get rid of Tony’s hold and pushed him away, his electrical gauntlets doing its work, with force towards where Bruce was and when his eyes directed at Peter who was narrowly avoiding his claws, you bulleted towards him at full force, HAPPY warning you about your velocity but you didn’t care.

It was just about three seconds before you crashed against him that The Prowler turned around to watch you, but it seemed to be too late as you slammed your entire body against his. You sent him flying backward and you felt with him as well too, both of you rolling into the ground by the raw force that you had accumulating as you dived down. 

You could only hear your breathing and labored groans as you gazed back at The Prowler, who was beginning to stand up, you did the same as you got ready to keep fighting. Both of you stood up at the same time, glaring at the other and it was a matter of seconds before he jumped towards you, power by his propelled projectiles on the base of his suit while you flew towards him, preparing your pulse barrage that was ready to launch from your chest but as you were ready to attack, The Prowler had different plans. 

He threw the little beams that you knew for sure you had seen before, midair, causing you to feel an electric charge on your suit, it started sizzling. It didn’t cause damage, it simply bothered your system for a second but it gave The Prowler enough time to get you distracted, he quickly fired a powerful blast from his electrical gauntlet, sending you backward. You were already wincing, the blow on your back already being too much for you after the last guys but instead of falling on the ground, you felt something on your ankle that pulled you in the other direction, whirling you around. 

You opened your eyes, seconds before you were falling onto Peter’s arms, who was ready to catch you. The force was still too much as both of you were knocked out when you fell into his arms. Both of you groaning as you laid on the floor, you could feel that you definitely had a concussion as you stared at Peter on his Spiderman suit, you didn’t have to say anything, your hands simply linked together while you tried to stand up but then Peter’s senses went off. 

“Duck!” Peter screamed, pulling you away before he was standing up and kicking The Prowler on his chest, driving him away from you. 

But the Prowler recovered quickly and launched against Peter with a growl, he quickly grabbed Peter by the throat and then pushed him onto the grown, barely burying Peter who was trying to push the Prowler’s hold on his throat, trying to remove its claws but it seemed too much. Peter could feel how his throat was closing, the energy coming from the gauntlets and the raw force the Prowler was using against him, he could feel the claws even piercing his suit and skin while the hands surrounded his neck. 

“AAHH” Peter managed to yell as he felt the pain and his vision began to become blurry, the only thing in his eyes was the white menacing eyes from the Prowler and the purple energy that surrounded him but he heard your screams. 

“NO!” you screamed as you ran towards them quickly and you took a hold of the Prowler’s ankle but he soon repelled you, an electricity current sending you away but you managed to slide into a halt, and quickly opening your hands and firing your repulsors against him completely desperate for him to get off Peter. 

Another pair of white beams appeared and you turned to see Tony, the beams together managed to get the Prowler off from Peter, who was left on the ground, unmoving.  The Prowler managed to recover quickly as he rolled from the ground. Once he saw Tony flying towards him while you flew to where Peter was, he began to run the opposite way. 

“He’s going to escape!” you screamed at Tony as you began to take Peter in your arms. 

“Take care of Peter” Tony screamed back as he fired repeatedly against the Prowler who was now closer to the gates of the Compound. Rhodey following Tony to attack the Prowler.

You turned to Peter, your heart thundering on your chest as you watched Peter on your arms and quickly pulling his mask away while your mask retracted from your head. As soon as you saw the bruising and the puncture wounds on Peter’s neck, you felt like throwing up. 

“Oh my god,” you cried as you pulled him closer to your lap. “Peter, come on, wake-up” you whispered towards him as you leaned forward, pressing your forehead against his while you nudge your nose against his softly. 

But Peter didn’t seem to be responding, instead, he seemed to be a little bit purple and you quickly laid him on the grass, recalling your training as you tried to stop the tears of concern coming from your eyes, you began CPR and then quickly blew air onto Peter’s mouth, then you worked onto his chest again. 

You finally felt like you could breathe when you Peter began to cough repeatedly, although it sounded like music to your ears. His breathing was still ragged, heaving, and wheezing as he tried to get as much air on his lungs as he could. You helped him sit up a bit so he could breathe better, his skin returning to normal color as you sighed with relief, while you also sniffed a bit. 

“Hey,” he croaked softly but it was almost inaudible, it seemed like his vocal cords were badly beaten as he took a hold of your hand. 

You shushed him a bit while you smiled at him. “Hey, don’t talk. We’ll get you help” you answered back happily. 

The Compound labs were going to be off-limits while Tony sent people in to repair the big hole on the side of the building and the other damages caused by the assault. Thankfully, the medical wing had been unharmed by the soldiers of Kingpin who were quickly translated to a medical center and then to jail, so you were able to take both Bruce and Peter to the wing without much problem, Tony had called Dr. Helen Cho for reinforcement since Bruce was usually the one that took care of you with a team of physicians, he had one MD on those different titles that he held proudly. She helped Bruce study the chemical, while she treated Peter as well and checked your burn injuries given the alien energy. 

You came to know later, Bruce had been injected a dose of Oscorp’s paralyzer by The Prowler, a large needle sticking out of his neck when you had found him. You were glad though, that he had been on his Professor Hulk persona and there wasn’t any real harm made. Bruce assumed that the paralyzer from Oscorp didn’t really affect him since his metabolism was different than from a normal human, Bruce had only been paralyzed for about twenty minutes give or take and he could still talk during the time being. 

He had felt tingling and numbness but soon he was okay, which meant that whatever Kingpin thought he had with the Oscorp paralyzer would only work on the Avengers with normal metabolism, and for the time being, the only three Avengers that could be seriously harmed used suits. 

Tony, Rhodey, and you. 

Soon, you got to the same conclusion regarding the Hammer neutralizers. The short-circuit, where your system flunked a bit wasn’t half as bad as Hammer had said it would be. Tony, Harley and you studied the beams and found out that they weren’t really as successful because the arc reactor's energy didn’t match the energy that Hammer had been focused on, it wasn’t even close. It did cause small interferences that could distract you in mid-battle but nothing that could completely derail the suit's function. And after confirming that they were Hammer's neutralizers, Tony was more than ready to prosecute.

Nonetheless, when it came time to do a wipe through from what had been taken, you realized that The Prowler had tried to go into secret archives of Tony, Harley, and you; specifically, everything regarding the nanobot functions and the different tools and weapons it integrated on your suit. He didn’t manage to take much, barely anything, since FRIDAY had fought the virus that the Prowler had installed, hard, and Peter’s Spidey senses had been triggered as soon as the Prowler had sneaked into the lab and he had chased him down, away from it. 

You winced at the thought of Peter’s injuries, not that Peter usually didn’t recover quickly but it was something that had happened often with you. Seeing him getting hurt almost felt even worse to you, your heart always broke into a million pieces and you seemed like his own personal bodyguard in the few hours he lasted on the medical wing. He was always okay but you were still always concerned.

Therefore, when Peter woke-up an hour or two later with bandages wrapped around his neck and a few random stitches and scratches over his body, he wasn’t really surprised to see you on the sofa next to his bed. He smiled happily, you did have some stitches over your eyebrow and on your cheekbone, he guessed they were caused by your hand-in-hand combat with the Prowler and there were definitely bruises and bandages on the rest of your body but you seemed well and you were sleeping quietly next to him, that’s all that mattered to him. 

Peter turned to his side to face you and he wondered if you really loved him back or if he was just kidding himself; you had been extremely clear with the fact that now you were just friends but that same night you had kissed him back as if you wanted to repeat what had happened between you before you had skipped town. But now that he was no longer with Gwen, had made a clean break, he felt like he shouldn’t hide his feelings from you anymore. Peter couldn’t explain how elated he had felt when you had kissed him back, feeling his cheeks burning red and he remembered how hard you had held onto him, how purposefully your lips were against his, how he had ridden up your oversize shirt, your whimpers. 

He felt like he could die a happy man, right there and there. 

However, he also knew he wouldn’t be capable of pressuring you to decide or tell him if you had feelings for him, he respected you too much, he wouldn’t bring his feelings into a conversation unless it happened organically and you were ready to actually talk. He knew you had a thing for running away, for not facing the things that made you feel weak or unwanted, he knew that for a fact even more since you came back. He could wait for you; he had waited for you for so long that it didn’t matter to him. So, Peter decided to stay quiet, falling asleep watching you. 

It wasn’t only until two days later that Peter and you would talk about it. He had made a quick recovery, his larynx being the most affected part of his body but after a day of not talking and communicating through your phone while you took care of him in the compound with May and the Midtown gang that came to say their goodbyes before they returned to school, he finally could talk. 

And then, the debrief came. 

“I told you to leave it alone!” Tony growled as he glared back at you. 

Fury and Cap in hologram versions next to him at the tip of the table on one of the conferences room in the Compound while Peter, Rhodey, Harley, and Bruce were sat down around the table. It hadn’t been an easy conference, mostly information about what the Prowler had taken, the damage done to the building and labs, the identification of the men, and then a fight. 

“I did” you replied quietly with a glare at him. 

You weren’t in the mood for being interrogated, especially knowing that you, in fact, did not leave it alone. Part of you was somehow glad that Nat had been too busy with a special task that she wasn’t able to be part of the meeting, which was great because she would catch that you were lying right away. 

Not that Tony wasn’t already catching onto something. 

“Y/N, we need you to tell us the truth,” Steve said sternly, crossing his arms. “This can be extremely dangerous for all of us”

“I am” you answer back, in the same tone that he had. “I told you that before but I followed your orders, I haven’t been snooping around”

But you still weren’t convincing. 

Peter could feel and hear your heart beating erratically on your chest, he could see you chewing the inside of your cheek, he could feel your stiffened muscles.

“Mr. Stark, she hasn’t been-” Peter tried to intervene but was quickly cut off by Fury. 

“Mr. Parker, you would follow Miss Stark in a blink of an eye” he stated gravelly as he glared at Peter with one eye. “We know that you two would be together if you did something”

Peter shut his mouth quickly, as he stared at you sorrowfully. You shrugged, trying to reassure Peter that he couldn’t intervene, you knew that you and Peter were a combo and they would blame him as much as you if they found out about something you did, especially regarding Felicia. 

You felt the pressure of keeping her secret hidden, you felt your heart thundering on your chest as you remember Felicia’s eyes as she told you who she was, when she told you her name and when you had assured her that you could protect her. 

You felt your heart sinking at the thought that you would break your promise. 

“Where have you been lately? You haven’t been on your lab much” Tony asked suddenly, snapping you out of your thoughts. “Tell me the truth y/n or I swear to god”

“I’m seeing someone!” you snapped at Tony, breathing heavily. 

All of the present Avengers turned towards you and your sudden outburst, Peter gawking at the fact that you were going to tell them something about Felicia? He felt goosebumps appearing on his skin as his eyes locked in with yours and you suddenly shrugged them off. 

What the hell were you going to do now?

“I met her while hanging out with Peter’s friends, I’ve been busying seeing her” you stated while watching Tony seriously, who seemed as shocked as he could be. His gaping mouth and his eyebrows raised, watching you softly and you could see the concern on his face, you felt as if this was the chance for you to escape. “I’ve been spending time with her and I like her dad. I really don’t need this interrogation” you said as standing from the table, beginning to walk towards the door. “And you, all of you,” you said pointing at Steve and Fury too. “You are just mad because what I told you was going to happen finally did, but you didn’t listen!”

You spun on your heels, taking your jacket and quickly storming off into the Compound halls, you were shoving people left and right from your way.  You weren’t sure where you wanted to go and you weren’t paying much attention to it as your mind wandered back to Felicia, she hadn’t call you since what had happened at the party and you weren’t sure if you would call her either. She had simply written a small message, "You okay", which you didn't answer. 

You felt somehow upset and guilty about recent events; exactly you were upset about the fact that Felicia might have known about the attack on the Compound but she hadn’t warned you or told you anything about something that Kingpin could be planning. Moreover, you still felt pangs of guilt as you thought about your kiss with Peter, it wasn’t like you regret it, it had been something that you had wanted for so long and how he had leaned down and caught your lips, it made you feel breathless. But when you returned and saw Felicia, how she was looking for you, how she was waiting for you while you were barely fucking Peter in the bathroom. 

When you finally stopped walking, you realized that you had ended up in the residence part of the Compound and you cursed under your breath. You hadn’t even been in your room of the Compound since you had left a couple of years ago, the last memories being of Peter and you, tangled beneath the sheets.  You walked up to the door of your room and barely ordering HAPPY to open the door but you closed your eyes, feeling your heart squeezing on your chest, so you turned around but then you heard his voice. 

“Hey” Peter muttered, as he quickly grabbed you by the arm, opening the door of your room and shoving you inside.

Sometimes you forgot how strong Peter was. 

“Peter, stop!” you snapped at him as you shrugged off his arm, glaring at the boy with the caramel curls, who was looking at you carefully as if you were going to break at any moment.

And you hated it because you felt that if he kept watching you like that; you think you actually would. 

But Peter noticed it right away.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Peter said softly as he took your hand delicately and you felt your heart sinking, but you still laced your hand with his. 

“No, it’s not Peter” you whispered as you got closer to him, Peter instinctively open his arms for you to nest your head on his chest. “We can’t be sure that this is something that they have been planning or that I caused because of the warehouse”

“It’s not because of the warehouse” Peter assured you as he held you tighter for a second before you push away and stared into his eyes. 

Peter noticed right away that your eyes were a bit glassy, your expression pained and doubt in the depths of your gaze. He knew that although he assured you that you weren’t the reason for the attack, he was aware that you wouldn’t believe him. 

“How can you be so sure?” you asked, your voice a bit wavery. It was an honest question, sometimes you couldn’t understand how devoted Peter seemed to you, how he would say anything without hesitation in his eyes to make you feel okay; you were thankful for it but your mind went back to the person who might know the reason for the attack. You quickly took out your phone as you pulled farther away from Peter. “I have to ask Felicia about this”

Peter wanted to believe that it was his Spidey sense buzzing him, warning that you shouldn’t be talking to Felicia but as he watched you quietly while you typed furiously on your phone, he felt a small pang of jealousy tainting his heart. Nonetheless, he shook off his feelings, knowing that he really was concerned about your relationship with Felicia; she had left both of you in a place where you could’ve seriously gotten injured or kidnapped, and the next thing he knew you were making out with her as you danced together. That didn’t sit well with him. 

“Don’t y/n” he muttered and you raised your head from your phone with a frown, looking back at Peter who crossed his arms over your chest “She’s… it’s dangerous”

You rolled your eyes at Peter’s statement and continue typing but before you knew it, you heard his web-shooters charging and before you could protest, he was pulling your phone away. 

“She’s not!” you growled as you walked to him to snatch your phone away from his hold. “She has helped us through all of this”

Peter walked a few steps back while you came at him with a glare. 

“What if she’s not helping us?” Peter protested softly until he reached a wall and you quickly managed to take your phone from his hand, going back to sit on your bed so you could keep texting her while Peter continued. “She’s working for Kingpin, she’s a criminal, we can’t trust her!” 

“What’s your problem with her!?” you finally snapped at Peter with a fulminating glare. 

And then Peter’s eyes narrowed, no longer trying to be soft regarding Felicia and you. You were enticed by her and he was worried. 

“She’s manipulating you!” Peter fumed, standing next to you and towering over you. You could feel his glare was burning you as you stood up to face him, glaring at him defiantly.

“She’s not manipulating me!” you barked at him while jabbing your finger in his chest. 

Peter scoffed with a sarcastic laugh as he passed a hand through his curls, rolling his eyes at your statement. You could feel the anger bubbling up on your chest at his reaction but you weren’t sure what angered you most, his attitude towards the whole thing or the fact that he was questioning your relationship with Felicia. 

“Why are you even seeing her!?” Peter questioned you and you shot him a glare. “I didn’t even know you liked girls or cats! Or criminals!”

“Stop! I’ve known for a long time and that’s what matters!” you yelled back at him angrily, feeling the heat on your cheeks at Peter’s question. “Why do you care anyway?”

Peter’s mouth gaped and for a second, he was sure he was going to tell you how he felt about you but he tried to hold it in a little bit; hoping that a fight wouldn’t be the moment. 

Not that he had much willpower to refrain himself.

“I’m not judging you, y/n” his voice a bit softer than before, as if he was trying to release some of the tension that had grown in the room. “What I’m saying is that I’m your best friend and you didn’t trust me enough to tell me?” he mumbled and you could feel the pain in his voice. “That I had to found out because she had her lips all over you at a party?”

You felt a little bit aback by Peter’s statement, even if you didn’t want to admit it Peter was indeed your best friend. Even with the feelings, even with the fights, he had stood by you, and although he had hurt you, he had managed to prove how sorry he was about it. A part of you wished it could hope that his words meant something more than what they probably were meaning but you didn’t want to dream about things that wouldn’t be. 

“Peter, you have a girlfriend” you replied sternly as you walked away from him towards the door. “You are dating Gwen and it’s not your problem if I’m kissing someone else-”

But Peter could feel you slipping away, again, and the sinking feeling in his chest seemed to put more and more pressure with each step that you gave. You were walking away and desperation started to sink its teeth on Peter’s heart, the little willpower he had vanished completely when you were ready to order HAPPY to open the door. 

“I love you, y/n!”

It felt like you were hit by a bolt of lightning, your movements stopped right away and part of you felt like it wasn’t real. You turned around to watch Peter watching you softly with his white t-shirt that framed his body perfectly, a pair of jeans, and some converse. The light coming into the room making him somehow look like a mythical being, the kind of guy in a movie that would end up with the main character at the ending. 

It seemed surreal. 

You had been waiting for Peter to say those words for so long, for so long that you gave him a confused look at first which was accompanied by your heart hammering like crazy on your chest. But the more that you thought about, as the seconds pass, as it began to click on your head, as you remember the pain from last time, the repercussions of his confession, it just irritated you. 

“You, you just don’t” you answered back, sounding a bit more sorrowful than you had wished. 

Peter’s nose wrinkled in annoyance as he walked over to you, to hold you, to look at you in the eyes and repeat it all the times that you wished to hear it. 

“y/n, listen to me” he muttered softly as he cupped your face without warning, trapping you against the wall and his body. “I have loved you since I was fifteen. I’ve loved you through the fights, I’ve loved you through the laughs, I’ve loved you when you left, I’ve loved you through it all” he muttered softly as he leaned more into you. “Please”

The air seemed dense and you began to breathe heavily, tears brimming your eyes as you looked at the boy with freckles that seemed like galaxies on his face and the gold specks on his eyes that had made your heart skip a beat since you had met him.  You felt at home with Peter holding you like that. 

But you pulled away from him.

“Peter, we had sex and a couple of weeks later you are with Gwen. That is not love” you sniffled as you glared at him. 

Peter felt like he couldn’t breathe as he saw your attitude, his tears threatening to fall from his eyes too as he gazed at you confused, he gave a few steps back. 

“You escaped in the morning!��� he yelled. “I wasn’t sure and you didn’t talk about it the next day so I assumed you wanted to forget about it.”

You didn’t. 

If there was something you had never wanted to forget was Peter’s lips over you. 

Some weeks had passed since that faithful night between the two of you, where Peter had shown you his scars and you had shown him yours. After that, the irredeemable shift in your relationship had become more than obvious for you, and the feelings, that you believed had been deep down on your heart for a long time, finally were coming up to the surface. 

The semester had brought you so close that honestly, Tony and Harley argued that you two were attached to the hip, that Tony would have to surgically remove you from the other’s side since Peter only followed you like a lost puppy while Tony always found you leaning into Peter every time, he saw you two. The comments only made Peter’s and your feelings stronger, the blush on Peter’s cheeks while you tried to control the beating of your heart when Pepper mentioned that you looked cute together. 

Nonetheless, neither of you had decided to make a serious move but the tension had still grown with time; the lingering touches as you trained, the longing stares you gave to the other while they weren’t looking, how you would automatically shift your positions so you could be held by the other better, the persistent smiles that lightened up your faces when you saw the other, the soft kisses placed in the other cheeks that left the other wondering what they meant. 

So, when that night came around, what happened didn’t come as a surprise. 

It was late at night; you and Peter had just arrived at the Compound from Stark Tower where Peter had been waiting for you to return from Boston. It had been a long day but when you saw Peter waiting for you on your bed at Stark Tower, you felt refresh and happy. You had been working on adding some type of new feature on HAPPY’s program but honestly, the trial run at Stark Tower hadn’t gone very well with some very upset workers of Stark Industries calling that you had made a hole on the floor of their office. 

Therefore, it had been a no brainer to go to the Compound as soon as you had finished some final fixes on the new feature. It was a November night but for some reason, it wasn’t as cold as it had been the last couple of days, a nice breeze hit your face when you had driven Upstate and even more when you got down of the car. The only sounds that were heard when you entered the building, where the ones of the security system. Wanda and Vision were already in Europe for a break before they would arrive at the mission when the other's arrived, Sam and Bucky were already waiting for them at the place of meeting while Steve and Nat were with Fury in Washington to fix the final details on the mission, they would arrive a few weeks later to finally start the mission. And thus, you had the Compound for yourselves. 

In all honesty, it had become one in a million opportunity to do your trial runs outside the gym or the usually designated area, and Peter and you took all the advantage you could have on the empty place, including stealing one of Tony’s wine bottles and taking them to your lab as you fixed the last bugs on the program a little bit tipsily and Peter, well Peter was already a bit too tipsy.  

“Peter, if you don’t stop now, I swear to god” you threaten him as Peter was gazing back up at you as he had his head resting on his forearm while his upper body seemed to be sprawl on the desk in front of you, one of the bottles of wine next to him. 

He had stayed silent for a few minutes, you wondered if it had taken you a moment to realize how close he was gazing back at you, and you couldn’t help but feel your cheeks getting hotter as each second passed. A part of you assumed it was because of the wine but another part of you was deeply hoping it wasn’t. You hadn’t seen his chocolate eyes beam like how they were while he looked at you, there seemed to be a small fire as he looked at you. 

Peter was staring at you in awe and honestly, he was more than happy to do so. He didn’t know if it was the alcohol or the fact that he had been able to stare at you while working as long as he had done it when he fell asleep next to you, he watched you sleep silently, and sometimes he felt how his heart was going to explode in his chest just by looking at how you nuzzle on his chest, how your hair fell in the perfect places, how long your lashes seemed when you close your eyes.

For him, you were perfect. 

“Peter” you repeated, this time removing your gaze completely from your suit while glaring at him. 

“I’m not doing anything bad!” Peter whined as he raised his hands from the table, but his gaze was still locked on you, you simply rolled your eyes.

“You are staring,” you said, fighting a smile to appear on your face while you got back to work, knowing that Peter wouldn’t stop. 

“I can stare” Peter scoffed sarcastically as he took the bottle in his hands and poured more of the white wine that you had left. "You are beautiful"

You felt your breathing stop for a second but you tried to ignore his comment, crediting it to the alcohol. 

“No, you can’t” you replied as you type a code on the hologram of a keyboard that you had in front of you while HAPPY showed you the statistics of the new feature on him. 

“Why?” Peter replied without much prelude, taking one sip from his glass before he returned to the position that you had found him in before. 

You shut your mouth for a bit, your mind trying to figure out what excuse to tell him since you couldn’t say “Oh, I’ve realized that I’ve loved you for a long time and you just staring at me is making me nervous and I might have a heart attack if you keep looking at me like that”

“Because you are making me lose concentration and I’m almost done” you lied with a long sigh while you kept doing your thing, trying to ignore Peter’s gaze piercing you from where he was looking, trying to ignore him was more than difficult. 

But Peter didn’t reply, staring out at the holograms as you sat there, revising everything before you decided it was done, you didn’t notice the silence right away but then it hit you like a train.  

“And done,” you said with a grin plastered on your face as the holograms began to disappear and effectively, only leaving you and Peter with each other. “Now, give me some of that wine or you’re going to drink all the bottle on your own”

Peter quietly passed you the bottle while you poured it on a glass you had close by. Then he decided to sit next to you on a chair that was hanging by while you sip from the glass, enjoying the taste of the white one. And then you knew there had been a shift in the atmosphere, something restless. Suddenly, you grew a bit anxious as you looked back at Peter, who was extremely close to you. 

Not that it wasn’t normal, that Peter was always close to you but you just felt something odd as Peter watched your eyes carefully, there seemed to be fire dancing on his eyes. 

“y/n,” he said softly, breaking the silence and getting closer to you for a second, leaning into you. 

If you didn’t have any restrain at the moment, you would’ve to groan at Peter’s closeness and simply would grasp his face in your hands, pressing his lips against yours. 

But if something was going to happen, you didn’t want to force it. You couldn’t handle to force it; you couldn’t handle to face the fact that maybe Peter didn’t feel the same way as you did or that he would back out if something happened. 

It hadn’t crossed your mind that Peter was burning for you, that he felt the same way and he had been dreaming about kissing you for so long. 

“What?” you whispered as Peter took a strand of your long hair and placed it behind your ears, a beat of silence while he performed his action and you simply tried to restrain yourself from shuddering as Peter crawled up next to you.

“Can I…” he muttered, words tapering off as his gaze went down to your lips for a second. You noticed as his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat and you didn’t know if it was unconsciously but you also leaned into him. “May I… try something?”

“Yes”

Peter smiled for a second before he cupped your face while you stared up at him silently, your breath hitching from the heat in his gaze. Your eyes were wide as you held your breath in anticipation as Peter leaned down slowly, eyes on you, barely touching his lips to yours. 

“Peter” you barely whimper against his lips, the sensation of his lips ghosting over you felt like it was too much.

And then Peter closed the space between both of you. 

Sometimes you had wondered what it would be like to kiss Peter, truth be told, it had been one thing you had thought about since you had met him. His lips seemed so sweet to yours, they always felt like heaven when they touched your cheek or your hand, your forehead or the side of your head, occasionally a shoulder. 

But having Peter’s lips against yours, as you tasted the wine on his mouth, it felt like Nirvana to you.  Peter kissed you purposefully and with so much love that he felt that years of pinning after you had culminated right there and then. It seemed like all the love he had accumulated for you, all the laughs and smiles, all the conversations, all the tears shed together, all the fights together, all the nights together. 

He felt full having you around, you gave him so much purpose, so much love, that he felt responsible to give it back in just one kiss, he was trying to give you all that you had given to him. 

The kiss became more heated as the seconds pass, you felt Peter’s wandering hands over your body while you pull his caramel curls as you tried to match his energy. Peter stood up and without much thought, thanks to his super-strength, he pulled you up with him. Your body was growing hot with want -with need- and you whimpered softly as Peter’s lips fell to your neck while one of your hands tried to hold onto him for dear life as he continued his assault on your neck, then your collarbone, and then into the valley of your breast as you quickly took off the shirt that you were wearing and left it on the floor. 

Mentally thanking yourself that you had decided to put on a pretty black bralette before you went out that day. 

You felt your body growing hotter and hotter, your knees got weaker and weaker, and you could definitely feel the heat pooling in between your legs as Peter left hot kisses on your neck. You didn’t understand how Peter could have so much power over you, how he could make you lose yourself so easily by the way he was kissing you. 

And then Peter raised from your chest and he gazed back at you slowly. Part of him felt like crying as he looked at you.  You were flush, a little bit disarray just by kissing him, only on your bra and a pair of biker shorts but for him, you looked perfect. He had wanted to do this for so long and he even felt somehow guilty that he had locked away how he felt for you for so long, he regretted that he had wasted so much time that he felt the urge to kiss you again. 

You had never seen Peter like that, he seemed almost feverish with his red cheeks while his wild eyes stared back at you as if he was taking you in. But there it was, the same gleam he had moments before, so bright and so loving that you felt like you could die right then and there just by the way he was looking at you, no one had ever looked at you like that. Peter didn’t let you even think about it for too long, as he pressed his lips against yours one more time. 

You whimpered softly when Peter’s tongue slipped past your lips, tangling with yours as the intensity of the kiss grew and Peter tried backing you up against the table or anywhere really, he didn’t care. You could hear the different tools falling onto the floor, the clinking noises making you smile into the kiss, knowing it had been Peter’s and your excitement that made your lab a mess. 

Peter backed you up against the wall, finally, and you moaned into your mouth as Peter’s hands began to dangerously trace your body, his touch burning you but you didn’t care anymore as you tugged him even closer as your entire body started heating in a way that only Peter could. Before you knew it, you hooked a leg on his waist as your mouths hungrily devour each other, he lifted you without hesitation or struggle, holding your bum with just one hand so you could wrap your legs around him.

And when he ground against you and you moaned in return, it seemed like there was no going back. 

Peter stopped kissing you for a second, still holding you against the wall but with his eyes close while he placed his forehead against yours. Peter knew that if you kept going, there wasn’t going back and it wasn’t going to stop. 

“y/n” he spoke, barely croaked as his chocolate eyes with golden speaks looked back at your y/e/c eyes. “Do you want to this? Are you sure?”

You knew that Peter was a virgin, and you also knew that Peter was aware that you were a virgin as well. So, it meant that if you decided to continue, you would be each other's first. He wanted to be sure that you felt comfortable and happy that it would be him, what he didn't know is that you had been wanting this deeply. 

“Peter”, you whispered back at him, your hand combing Peter’s caramel curls, making his eyes flutter close for a second as you smiled fondly. “I want this, I want to do this with you, please”

It was all it took.

Your lab wasn’t far away from the living space on the Compound, but it felt like it took ages for you and Peter to get there. Peter’s hands weren’t leaving your body and honestly, you didn’t want them to leave your skin, you chased his lips as you tried to walk while kissing, moaning, groaning, and giggling while you tried to reach your room. 

But when you reach it, it didn’t take long for both of you to barely rip your clothes off, so you remain only in your underwear. 

You fell into your bed with a sigh while Peter followed you quickly. Your body was buzzing in anticipation as Peter kissed you everywhere while he settled between your legs. The only sounds in your room were the heavy breathings and moans as your hand gripped the sheets harder when you felt the hot slow kisses on your neck and then he reached your chest again. 

“Can, can I-” Peter stumble in his words but you simply knew what he meant and you quickly took off your bra, letting your chest free. 

Peter felt like he was out of breath as be watched you, breathing heavily on your bed, only on your underwear while looking at him with the same heated gaze he guessed he had, while your chest was splotchy, flushed red, especially all over your neck and collarbone from where he had been kissing you and he just attacked your chest right away. 

The way Peter caressed your body, sucking on your breast, tongue swirling on your nipple while one hand was playing with the other felt like too much for you. You moaned, feeling electricity on your body as you gripped the sheets tighter and tighter.

“Peter”, you moaned, causing Peter to groan in response to his name falling from your lips like that, he dug even deeper his fingers into the flesh. “Yes!”

You raised from where you were a bit as Peter pulled back, you could already see his obvious arousal on his boxers and you felt your core pulsing at the thought of Peter inside of you. And then Peter’s hands travel down your body, he took the band of your thong and before you knew it, he had already torn them off. You gasped with a smile as Peter chuckled and began to kiss you on your belly, his lips traveling where you wanted them the most. 

The way Peter was eating you out, made your legs began to ache as he buried himself into your core. You were sure that you had stopped breathing by the way his tongue swirl on your clit and then inside of you, his thumb occasionally pressing on your clit while you screamed his name. It was such an unbelievable turn on to watch Peter between your legs, trying to coax an orgasm out of you while you closed your eyes, moaning long and high as wave after wave of fire passed violently through your body. 

You barely came, your thighs already shaking as he came back up and pressed a sweet kiss on your lips while you smiled, tasting yourself, already feeling a bit dizzy by Peter’s mouth on your core but before Peter realized, you quickly slide your hand between the both of you and grasp his length in your hand. You hoped he didn’t notice as your eyes widened when you realize how big he was, Peter hissed as he felt how cold your hands were and he couldn’t help but bury his face into his neck as you began to rotate your hands and stroking it, you loved his strangled moans as you licked your palm and stroke him more and more, it was driving him insane but quickly he countered the attack, you felt his hand on your core, stroking your heat with a long moan as he touched you. 

It was far too intimate than anything else you both had experienced, your foreheads pressed together and mouths open as moans and groans escaped your lips as you both worked on the other. 

“y/n” Peter grunted as you mewled loudly when he massaged your clit and began pumping two fingers inside you. “You are so wet”

You whimper at his comment. 

It was frenetic how he pumped his fingers and your hands had to stop taking care of him for a moment as you bucked your hips with his rhythm. 

“Shit” you whispered as he sped up the pace and before you knew it, you turned on him. “I’m on the pill” 

Peter felt a bit surprised as to how you had changed positions so fast while you climbed over him and took a hold of the headboard. Peter quickly took a grip of your hip while you took his length and ran the tip of it along your folds. Peter’s eyes rolled to the back of his skull while you whimpered, smiling a bit at his reaction. But then, you guided him to your opening before sinking on him, trying to go as deep as you could while you both let out loud moans. 

“y/n, you are … fuck” Peter whispered but his words tapered off. 

The feeling of being filled was something you hadn’t ever thought about, it was overtaking you how Peter was feeling inside of you, how you were squeezing him like a vice. Peter had to close his eyes for a moment to concentrate, because of the way you felt around his cock, he was sure that the minute he let go, he was going to come. 

But you gave Peter no warning as you started to move, hands on his chest while you roll your hips forwards, Peter moving your hips to with his hands to match his thrusts. 

“Y/N…”, he grunted. Peter squeezed his eyes shut as his jaw clenched while you leaned down and pressed your forehead against him.

“Peter…”, you muttered as you felt him filling you up. 

It all felt so good, feverish heat, both of you were nearly hyperventilating as your eyes locked while you both moved in synch. The way you were bobbing up and down Peter’s laps as he began to thrusts into you harder, and harder. His hand pulling you by the hips, hard, to meet his moves. You could see Peter’s abs tightened and how his eyes glowed with determination as he got more and more desperate and you did too. 

Before you knew it, Peter pushed you off his lap for a second, you laid on the bed as he hovered over you and began to thrust into you harder and harder while you wrapped your legs around his waist. Already clenching around Peter’s length by the way he was burying himself into you. 

Sex with Peter wasn’t a new idea to you but you had no idea how passionate and how fervent it would’ve been. The reactions that you were getting from Peter made you shuddered, how he was moaning and groaning because of you, the way he had to close his eyes a moment so he could focus on you, but most importantly how when your foreheads fell inevitably together; he looked down at you as if you were a goddess. 

For a slight moment, the desperation and fire and lust were all gone, only love filling both of you up. It felt almost like an out-of-body experience. It was more intense than anything you had experienced before and there was no one else you wanted to experience it with. 

Before you knew it as your eyes once again rolled into the back of your skull and you were screaming in ecstasy as your body spammed because of the orgasm. Peter quickly followed you, it was just too much, your heat and how it was pulling him inside you, clamping around him, he came loudly as a shiver ran through his body.

"y/n!"

"Peter!"

When you came, both of your bodies quivering from your release, your hearts lurched so strongly on your chests that you couldn’t seem to catch a breath. There was something at that moment that had irrevocably changed everything between you two, something that meant to you that you loved each other even more than you had actually believe.

And as you cuddle with Peter after the fact, you realized that it was so much stronger than what you had anticipated. Even more, as Peter lovingly pulled you into him as he normally did when you slept together, his chest flush against your back with an arm wrapped around your waist as he kissed your back softly. 

It was so pure and so intimate. 

And it scared you a bit. 

So, when you heard Peter’s words, telling you that he hadn’t said anything because of your actions, while you glared at him in the same room where it had happened, years later, you couldn’t avoid feeling a pang of guilt. 

You had woke-up earlier the morning after and when Peter woke-up and met you in the kitchen of the Compound where Steve already was for the final details of his mission, so you couldn’t talk about it. But then neither of you brought it up, neither of you talked about it, neither of you acted very differently, neither of you said anything and it seemed as if it was put to rest, hurting both of you.

Peter feeling hurt that you never said anything and you feeling scared that he might regret it. 

A couple of weeks later, Peter was making out with Gwen and you were taking a quinjet to Europe. 

“Well, then you are the most clueless person I’ve met and anyway you are still with Gwen so back off” you growled at Peter, ready to turn around again and exit the room.  “You see me with somebody new, having fun and then you’re hurt?” 

Peter’s mouth gaped as he wrinkled his nose, a bit confused as he remembered that you didn’t know what had happened between him and Gwen, he remembered that you hadn’t even talked about it, it hadn’t even come up in his head that he had broken up with his girlfriend of over a year and that he had been so stupid and didn’t mention it at all. 

“I’m not with Gwen anymore, y/n” he stated seriously. 

Your expression fell from your face as you gazed back at Peter in disbelief and you could feel the tension growing in the air. Your eyes were scanning him as if you were trying to decipher if he was telling you the truth. 

“What do you mean?” you asked, the wobbliness on your voice gave away that you were deeply affected. 

Because it meant that… 

“We broke up before I went looking for you, y/n” Peter explained, looking up to you almost regretfully that he hadn’t told you before. 

Now it all made sense for you. The pit on your stomach that you were feeling because Peter had kissed you while he still had a girlfriend was gone. If Peter had chosen you over her, then it meant that everything that Peter was saying was the truth, it meant that Peter was indeed in love with you and that he had always been.

That you had missed each other’s moments, that you were stupid for letting the other one keep going without them knowing the true nature of your feelings, that both of your hearts rose when the other entered the room, that the lingering looks and touches were something more as you had always wanted them to be, that there had always been something more. 

 And you wanted to vomit because you realized that you had wasted so much time. 

You opened your mouth slightly but then you heard your phone ringing. 

Felicia Hardy, the name appeared on your phone and it almost felt like a reminder that you still needed to feel guilty about what you had done and that there was someone else out there that -you hoped- had the same feelings for you too. 

“I have to pick this up” you whispered as you showed Peter your phone and turned around, already asking HAPPY to open the door for you. 

Peter walked quickly towards you, following you. “We were together yesterday Y/N, you don’t want to talk about that?” Peter called, grasping his hand in one of yours. 

You turned around softly, a part of your mind wanting to say yes so badly as you watched Peter with sorrow, his eyes rimmed red as he watched you. He was crying and you felt like you wanted to nest in his arms forever, to tell him that it was okay but it wasn’t the moment, Peter hadn’t been there but Felicia had. 

“I do but, Felicia has this information, and if I don’t go now then it can change” you breathed, regret drawn on your face as you ordered HAPPY to open the door. 

You left Peter there, and Peter stood for a moment alone in that room as he tried to compose himself. 

Felicia was waiting for you on a rooftop, on her Black Cat outfit and closer to Stark Tower that you both had ever been since she had taken you to Coney Island, but not too close that it could be risky. You landed, hard, the characteristic metal sound of your suit made Felicia smirk. Her suit was hugging her body while her silver hair was glowing around her face and a part of you wished that she didn’t look that good considering you were a little bit mad at her. 

You couldn’t help to go back to Peter’s words about her while you flew there. 

So, when Felicia opened her mouth, with her plump lips, you cut her right off. 

“Did you know?” you asked her with a growl, as the nanobots disappeared from your face. 

Felicia furrowed her eyebrows. “What? Obviously not!” she cried, looking offended by the question. 

“It’s not funny Felicia, you know what they did? They blew a fucking hole in the Compound” you snapped at her; your eyes fiery. “They could’ve hurt Bruce if he wasn’t in his Hulk persona and now my father is suspicious about what we’ve been doing” you couldn’t even hide the frustration on your voice while she walked towards you with determination, almost prowling. 

Felicia glared at you, centimeters away from your face but you saw a glimpse of trepidation in your eyes, but you ignored it as you heard her answer. “I told you that I didn’t know”

You didn’t know if it was because she was so close to you, by the fact that her demeanor always seemed to distract you or the fact that Peter’s words about your relationship with her were ringing in the back of your head. You knew that your frustration and anger weren’t totally about what had happened in the Compound, they were just a part, you were angry because you really trusted her and care about her, your feelings were becoming deeper as the days passed and you didn’t want Peter to be right about her. 

“I need to know if what we have, whether it’s a friendship or something more, it’s real” you stated seriously, eyes locked together. 

But it seemed to only make her even angrier.

“Why are you doubting it now?” she asked bitterly while giving a step back from you.  “Is it because of Spiderboy? I know that something happened between you two yesterday. I’m not dumb” she answered back. 

You felt your heart sinking on your chest, it felt as if someone had slapped you but you retain your cool, even getting annoyed at her statement, even more after what she had said about her hookups. 

“Felicia, don’t” you warned her while you looked away from her, into the city. 

“Yes, y/n. I’m bringing it up” Felicia snapped, crossing her arms as her black suit seemed to shimmer even more while she turned around.  The way you were using your actual names let you know that you were, for the first time, really fighting. 

And you became livid. Livid because with what face could she be telling you something about kissing someone else? Your jaw became slightly unhinged and a sharp glint in your eyes let Felicia know that you were, for the first time since you met, extremely mad at her. 

“It isn’t like you care about it!” you spat cruelly, as you got a bit closer to her. 

“I do!” she sneered, glaring up at you as she walked towards you. 

You didn’t know if you had said what you said to her because it felt like what you had experienced with Peter all along. Peter hadn’t done anything about his feelings, except for that night, and even after that nothing happened. You didn’t know if it was because you felt weak that you hadn’t brought it up or mad that Peter hadn’t been brave enough to bring it up either. 

You were so done with staying silent with your feelings and you hated that you felt like this was the same as before.

“Then show me!” you yelled at Felicia with closed eyes, as if you were trying to restrain the tears that might’ve escape because of the memories flowing again. 

And that was all it took for Felicia to crash your lips against yours, tongues tangling, battling for dominance as you grasped each other, gripped each other as if Felicia and you were trying to express with your hands how much you cared about the other. 

It was frantic, it was intense. You were caressing each other as if you apologizing with your lips, apologizing with your hands by what had happened. As if you were reaffirming to each other that you did care, that there was something between you, and that you weren’t playing. 

It left you gasping for air while Felicia whimpered on your lips by the sheer force of the kiss. Your heart was pounding wildly on your chest as you pulled back with a smile, foreheads together. 

“I’m sorry” you muttered as your hands fell to her hips while she had hers on your shoulders. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable or trapping you in something you are not ready for”

She smirked, licking her lips while she gave a step back. “It’s okay Stark, glad to know that you do care and a lot more” her voice dripping sugar while she smirked. 

You rolled your eyes, embarrassed by her statement. “So, can I trust you?” 

Felicia stayed silent for a few seconds and you could tell there was a slight glint of unease on her eyes but before she could say anything, her watch began to beep, she removed the end of her glove to see who was calling.  

“It’s Kingpin”

You held your breath at the mention of his name. You remember how Kingpin had been looking at you while you flew away from the club, the vibrations of his steps when you had seen him on the warehouse, the choleric expression on both occasions. How threatening he was and how dangerous his eyes looked. 

And it scared you. 

“I need to go” Felicia stated solemnly as she began to walk away from you. 

You weren’t sure if it was because of the kiss you just had, or because of the memories of Kingpin but you ran to her, grasping her hand on yours. 

“Hey” you whispered and Felicia turned around a bit surprised. “Just be careful?”

She smirked at how you repeated her words. 

“Sure, Stark,” she said sweetly.

Before you knew it, she quickly pecked you on the lips but you restrained her a bit, thanking mentally that you still you had your suit on. She kissed you deeply and fervently, it was softer than before and as if something had changed. 

Her lips tasted like cotton candy, and you whimpered as your mouths danced together. 

But then she pulled back, she gave you another quick peck and then disappeared in the night.

You were fairly close to Stark Tower but you weren’t sure if you even wanted to go there anymore, part of you wondering if you should crash MJ’s since you had been texting but you knew that you had to face both Peter and Tony, rather soon than later. 

When you arrived at Stark Tower, landing on the terrace of the penthouse, the suit quickly dematerialized as you entered the living room to hear a conversation happening in the kitchen. You enter the kitchen to see Pepper, Tony, Morgan, Harley, and Peter just sitting down to have dinner. Tony finishing the last touches on the salad before they all look up to you. 

You didn’t say anything, simply muttering a hey as you took your place next to Harley and Pepper, and in front of Tony, who was just sitting down, Peter was a bit slumped on his chair while he looked at you, in an almost apprehensive way. 

“What are you doing here?” you asked him without much prelude while you began to serve yourself the food and thanking Pepper as she passed you a bit of salad, Peter rolled his eyes. 

“Peter always comes for dinner,” Pepper said with a smile while she served Morgan her plate, obviously trying to turn down the tension in the room. “Your dad always invites him”

“Not since I returned,” you said with a shrug as you flashed your eyes to Peter, who looked away right away. 

Peter was still upset with you and it was more than obvious. He was frowning and he felt hurt, and he felt that he didn’t have to hide it really, it wasn’t a secret. Tony had found him in your room, he was still tearful at what had just happened. He felt so stupid that he didn’t tell you anything before and he felt his heart twisting on his chest as his mind repeated, over and over again, the image of you leaving years ago and now. So, Tony being the good surrogate father that he was, invited Peter to cheer him up a bit. 

Not that it was really working. 

“Oh, that’s because he was scared shitless about you and your tantrums” Harley answered with a bright smile, salad dripping from his chin as he wiggled his eyebrows. 

You quickly took a cherry tomato from your plate and threw him on the face, he tried to block it but it hit him right in the eye, you truly did have a great aim. Harley’s groans made Morgan giggled as she clapped at the scene and you smiled at your little sister, winking your eye. 

“Hey, hey kids,” Pepper said as if to calm things down as she took another bite of her plate while shaking her head at your manners. 

And then, Tony finally spoke. 

“Peter was upset, so I decided to invite him,” he said nonchalantly as he sipped a bit of wine that he had served for him and Peter. 

You looked up to him, your heart was hammering on your chest, you could feel yourself starting to sweat and you felt the familiar knot on your throat. But if there was a time to talk about it, it was now. You were silent for a moment, sucking on your fork for a moment before putting it down and clearing your throat. Tony got the cue right away and his gazed lock on yours. 

You rolled your eyes at the feeling of finally having to say it out loud. “It’s okay dad, we can talk about it”

Tony nodded, a slight smile tugging on the corners of his lips. He was pleased that you had agreed to talk to him about your sexuality, and at the dinner table nonetheless. 

“Look, I’m glad that you are seeing someone but I’m afraid that you didn’t tell me about it” Tony’s statement landed on silence and it surprised you a bit. You knew that he was open about it, but you figured he would be a little bit more shocked about the fact that you were seeing a girl than about the fact that you didn’t tell him. Strangely it made your heart warm. “You don’t trust me?”

You blinked. “I thought it was common knowledge”, you said with a shrugged as you sunk in your chair a bit. 

“For me and Harley” Pepper intervened, your head snapped at her statement as she pointed to Harley and herself with her fork. “It seems like these two were clueless,” she said calmly as she pointed at Peter and Tony

“I wasn’t clueless!” Peter protested from his seat as Pepper rolled his eyes with a smile.  He was clueless. 

“Oh, come on Spiderling” Harley stated as glanced at Peter with a smirk. “Your jaw almost dropped to the floor when Felicia was kiss-OUCH!” you pinched Harley in the arm so hard that you were sure that he was going to bruise, and soon. 

You glared at him but it was too late, Pepper and Tony were already glancing at each other, moving their eyebrows as you felt your ears and cheeks heat up at their interaction, clearly amused. 

“So, that’s a pretty name” Pepper addressed with a smile proudly while Tony nodded, while Peter grumbled under his breath but no one listened, except for you. 

“You can invite her to the gala, it’s in a couple of weeks” Tony offered with a smile as he took another bite of his plate, he was trying to be very cool about it but he was definitely freaking out about it. 

Because other than Peter, you had never truly had something more than a friendship. 

“Yeah, we’ll see. It’s very casual” you said with shrug, as you fill up your mouth quickly so you couldn’t answer more questions. 

Tony and Pepper's eyes linked as they nodded surprised but with a smile. “oH” they said at the same time, causing Morgan and Harley to giggle. 

Peter huffed, this time loudly and you shot him an annoyed glared. Peter was upset, it was obvious and you couldn’t avoid feeling mortified that you had caused him to feel that way. A dark, dark part of you remember how the day that Peter had kissed Gwen, you had wished him to feel the same as you were feeling. You knew it was an intrusive thought and that you had regretted it, right away but it pained you that something you had wished for in a moment of fury, to no other than your best friend, was happening. 

“Why it’s Spiderling here so annoyed?” Tony stated as he glanced at Peter and shook his head. “You had been in a mood all day”

“He’s jealous,” Harley said uninterestedly while he took another bite, Peter quickly raised his head from the plate as he shot an annoyed look at Harley. “Doesn’t like y/n’s girl” which caused you to snap your head towards Harley with a glare. 

Not that he really cared about Peter or your glare. 

“Don’t you have a girlfriend?” Tony asked with furrowed eyebrows, genuinely confused. 

“He broke up with her” Harley stated which made Tony suddenly watch Harley with mouth gaped, then you, and then at Peter. 

Clearly, trying to get the gist of what was going on between the two of you. 

Instead of Peter answering, he took a cherry tomato off his plate and threw it at Harley across the table, and although he tried to dodge it, it hit him right on the nose. It only caused Morgan to giggle again, Harley to groan as he took a hold of his nose, and Pepper to roll her eyes. 

“Well, I’m very glad that you felt that you didn’t have to hide who you are,” Tony said with a smile, trying to leave whatever was going on with Peter behind. “We are very happy if you are happy”

“Exactly” Pepper assured you as she took a hold of your hand and squeezed it. 

And at that moment you felt genuine happiness. 

“Thanks, dad and Pepper” you answered, trying to hold back your tears. 

“Hey, I supported it” Harley whined next to you as he nudged you in the arm and you simply smiled back at him. 

But then, your gaze fell to where Peter was sitting. He was quiet, shoving his hands in his pockets and clearly avoiding your gaze, but he could feel it burning him and so, he looked back. You watched his entire body lock up when your gazes link and honestly, it took Peter a split second to compose himself because you were looking so beautiful and so happy that it made his heart barely burst on his chest; it still hurt but you were happy. 

And that was all that mattered to him. 

“Just know that I love who you are, nothing else matters” Peter stated firmly with a half-smile and you felt like you could breathe again. 

“To y/n’s coming out dinner” Tony offered right away as he raised his glass, causing you to groan and cover your face with your hands in embarrassment at Tony’s statement while Harley laughed with him. 

 You rolled your eyes as the laughs quieted down and you shook your head at your dad who was smiling at you sweetly. You look back at your plate and began to play with your fork for a second, smile still plastered on your face. 

“I have to give thanks to you dad, you showed me the ropes especially with that crush you had on Stephen Strange,” you said nonchalantly and you didn’t need to raise your head to know that Tony was shook at your statement. 

Soon, the whole room erupted in laughter, especially from Harley and Pepper, Peter and Morgan accompanied them with small giggles. You laughed as you look at your dad getting red as time pass and shaking his head at your comment, playfully throwing a cherry tomato to your face, which bounced on your forehead but didn’t stop your laughter. 

“It was so obvious,” Pepper said, after a while as she tried to calm herself and she raised her glass of wine, giggling. 

You smiled as you look at the people who you considered your core family. The people that had shaped you drastically, they were the nuclear bunch. And you couldn’t help but feel elated that they were there, accepting you, happy that you were happy and Peter who simply said those words, it seemed like your life was perfect at that moment. 

But your mind wondered back at Felicia, hoping that she was okay.

***

taglist: @spideylovin​ @fandomtrash100​ @soullessbabee​ @liljennyx3​

***

I’m sorry that I’m off schedule with this chapter but that internship started strong and soom i’m going to be starting my last year at law school. I’ll try to do my best to update weekly with a few days moving, maybe. Anyway, so we have SMUT in this chapter, it was a little bit hard to right but please tell me if you thought it was okay?? i know it’s not the smut that a lot of people wanted but that might come soon enough. O and also the fight, i think that this was the culmination of a really big burden for Peter and y/n to hide their feelings, especially y/n like I loved writing that scene with Felicia. I’m happy about this chapter and that’s why I put so much time into it, and sorry if the last part isn’t as detail as the rest, it was hard to write and i just really wanted to post it but like tony <3 and <3 pepper<3 are so cute as accepting parents. as they should. Hope you like it really and you are excited to see what’s going to happen. I’m really excited to see your comments and what you thought because your comments make my day and i’m really happy that you have enjoy this.

The new sneek peak for the next chapter is going to be on. the masterlist if you want to see what’s coming next!

please please please let me know your thoughts and opinions on this chapter and if you have ANY theories or comments I would love to see them!!! I’m already so happy with the love you have given to the last chapters, I really hope you like it!  any feedback is well received and thank you so much!

[justreadingfics]

It’s a Deal (Chapter 3)

Chapter Summary: You have a reason to celebrate and need a partner to do that.  

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 6.2k

Warnings:+18 only, smut, sex in a public place, boytoy!Bucky, casual sex, opened relationship, drinking, sorority.

A/N: Here’s one more filthy chapter for you guys. It won’t always be that way since the plot moves forward, but it will still be focused on smut for the next couple of chapters. Our reader deserves some fun before things get a bit more complicated, right? The link to my masterlist, where you can find the other chapters, is on my description. Feedback is highly appreciated. Tag list for this story is closed.  

Screen after screen pops in the air in front of you as you furiously type codes and formulas on them. You’re there, you’re almost there. You’ve been working on this project for months and now it finally seems like you’re getting somewhere.

“Coffee?”

You just nod as an answer to Camilla, your partner on that project. She gets up and walks out to go get the coffee. She already told you if it was up to her, you’ve already given up. But you know you’re getting there. You haven’t stopped working ever since early hours and you’re feeling inspired and focused as ever.

When you’re satisfied with the input you add to the system which is working on the calculations, you sit back. Eyes on the screen displayed in the air. Camilla comes back with your coffees and hands one to you, fixing her eyes on the screen, too as she stands beside you.

“Come on, come on,” you whisper.

Bringing the coffee to your lips you almost choke on it when the answer you were so desperately looking for gleams on the screen.

“Holy shitballs,” you shout and swiftly gets up, letting your cup drop to the floor, splashing the liquid around.

“Oh, fuck,” Camilla gasps and you two look at each other with paired up widened eyes before letting out a cheerful scream and holding each other, jumping around as you gain the attention of the other workers from the several small offices of the Avengers/Stark Technology Department.

A clear of throat takes you and your friend out of your reverie, catching your attention. When you see Sharon Carter on your door, with a smirk on her lips, you two cease the celebration, but keep the smiles on your faces.

“Hey, Sh- Director,” you quickly correct yourself, being friends with Natasha brought you close to Sharon, too. But now she’s Director of Shield, after Nick Fury became coordinator of the Avengers, therefore you should show some respect at least at workplaces, “Remember that Shield and Avengers’ joined project? The one where we were trying to build a device that would crack alien secret services codes?”

“Yeah, sure, our tech departments have been working for months to find an algorithm.” Sharon nods.

“Well, looks like we made it.” You point at the screen right in front of you.

“What the hell?” She shoots an eyebrow high and steps into the office, eyes analyzing the screen between you two.

“We doesn’t quite cut it, Director,” Camilla says, rolling her eyes, “She worked her ass off and got to it by herself. She’s been killing it these last few days.”

You huff, shaking your head. You’ve been really inspired, indeed. And you might relate it to a certain physical activity you’ve been engaging on recently and the outrageous amount of energizing orgasms you’ve been gifted with almost daily… not a topic to be brought out now, though.  

“Ooo, someone seems extra inspired…” Sharon narrows her eyes, but you try to not indulge any possible insinuation by just ignoring the comment with a smile, “Well, that’s amazing news,” she resumes, clapping her hands once, “and it kind of leads to the subject that brought me here, would you mind excuses for a second, Camilla?” She kindly asks.

“Of course, not. I’ll be in my office.” Camilla says, not holding back from hugging you and squirming in excitement one more time before walking out the room.

“This is huge, huh?” Sharon comments, pulling up the chair you pointed for her as you sit on yours.  

“It is, can you imagine what Natasha will be able to do with it?” You grin, brushing your hands together.

“Thanks to your badass brain,” she compliments before narrowing her eyes at you again, “You have a weird happy face.”

“Well, something amazing just happened…”

“Yeah, yeah…” Sharon brushes you off, “You’re killing it at your job and that’s amazing… but to be honest, I expected to still see you moping around about your break up.”

“I’m still sad about it, but work has been great, and-”

“Oh, cut the crap,” Sharon interrupts with a playful snap and you frown while she crosses her arms in front of her, holding back a laugh, “I’ve been texting with Natasha, I know about you and your boytoy.”

“What the hell?” Your eyes widen as you throw your arms to the air, already feeling your cheeks warming, “She’s on a mission and you two have been talking about my… sex life?” You lean over across the table and whisper the last part.

“We can multitask,” Sharon shrugs like it’s no big deal.

“Oh, wow…” you scoff, “That’s two of the greatest spies on earth right.”

“Alright,” She chuckles, unfolding her arms and leaning over the table, “As much as I want to know all about it, that’s not why I’m here.”

“Ok,” you quickly accept the change of subject for your own relief, “Why are you here for, then?”

“To tell you that Stark is a jerk,” she deadpans.

“Ok… cool,” you drag the words, side eyeing her, “And?”

“Long story short, I lost you in a chess match and now you’re the new leader of Avengers/Stark Tech Department.”

You don’t quite assimilate what she just said as you keep your questioning stare on her, not finding the link between her words and, most of all, did she just say you’ve been promoted?

“I’m sorry, what?” You shake your head shutting your eyes for a second, finally asking for clarification after what seemed like the longest staring contest ever.

“Well,” Sharon sighs, “You know how competitive Stark and I can be and when I decided to act by ethics and told him I was considering offering you the leadership position at Shield’s tech department he decided he would do the same and dared me to a chess match, where you would be the prize.” She shrugs, “I’m sure he had some help, right Friday,” she raises her voice staring up to the air but gains plain silence as a response from the A.I, “He won and got to keep you and I got  stuck with my second option which is your ex, as you might already know.”

“Wow,” you whisper, not really sure what to say or feel, trying to process all of what you just heard.

“You’re not offended by the chess match, are you?” Sharon checks, tilting her head.

“No… I’m kinda… flattered, I guess.” You frown and Sharon gives you a satisfied smile. “But… I’m confused… That’s Stark’s job.”

“It’s your job now if you should accept it.” She grins wider, “I guess he’s been thinking about it for a while now and saw my offering as an opportunity. I know Pepper has been on his ass for him to loosen up from some responsibilities, and who better than you to take over?” She points up at the screen with your recent achievement.

You let out a breathy laugh, reality finally dawning. Not in a million years you thought that would happen but now that it is, you’re not gonna be modest, you kick ass in your job and you fucking deserve it.

“He’s on a mission with Nat and Steve now, so he asked me to come talk to you, hang on…” Sharon holdsup a finger, before grabbing a small device from her pocket, which you recognize as one of your projects. “Stark,” she says.

In a second the image of a very battered Tony surfaces on the air as the camera captures his face from under the suit.  

“Hey, Carter,” he greets with a smirk as you hear the sounds of blasts, shots and explosions. The man is in the middle of a damn battle while casually answering a call.  

“Stark,” Sharon answers just as casually, “I have her here with me, just delivered the news,” she says, turning his image to you.

“Hey, boss,” you give him a shy wave.

“Hey, kid.” He scrunches up his face, shooting a series of blasts before you listen to something exploding. “I think you’re sort of my boss now.” He focuses on you again, smirking.

“No, I’m not,” you laugh.

“No, you’re not. But, tell me, what’s your answer?”

“I take it, of course.” You decide, why in the world, wouldn’t you.

“Great. Party to celebrate when we come back. Gotta go, these damn Kree are the worst. Will not invite them.” He turns off and his image disappears from before you.

“Well, congratulations.” Sharon places the device back on her pocket, “Our departments work a lot together, so I think I win either way.”

A mix of emotions fill up your chest. You’re excited and happy and scared. Mostly excited, though…  “Holy shit,” you curse, digging your hands into your hair as a grin seems to twist your lips permanently.

“You need to celebrate…” Sharon adds, offering you a cheeky grin.

Fuck yeah, you need to celebrate. And you know exactly what, or better, who you wanna do.

~~~

“How the hell are you wet already?”

The words are spoken against your neck through licks and sucks, after Bucky’s fingers glided under your underwear and sank between your slick folds. As soon as he walked into your living room, he jumped on you with kisses and grabs, discovering you in such a state without his previous help.

Well, sort of without his help, actually. The thing is, after you got out of work that afternoon, you didn’t even need to call him or text him to propose your little celebration as you found a series of texts from “Bucky Sweet Tongue Barnes”  waiting for you. In the first, he was asking if you had any plans that night, and the others… oh, the others… the fucker described all sorts of filthy things he wanted to do with you.

After a quick answer for him to come over and a long bath, all the dirty details he used on his texts refused to leave your mind and you couldn’t help but spending the rest of the time you had alone before he arrived teasing yourself with your fingers, having all those images and flashes from your last encounters in your memory to keep you going.

“I-“ you gasp as he sucks that sensitive spot in your neck and his fingers meet your clit, “Those texts you sent me…” You tilt your head to give his lips more room, your hands roaming around the hard pattern of muscles on his back, “I-I’ve been touching myself.” You confess with the lack of pudency you’re becoming familiar with when you’re around him.

In your arms, you feel when his body freezes for a second, before he sucks harder on your neck, “Fuck… did you come today already?” He gropes your ass under your dress with the hand that isn’t in your pussy. 

Your eyelids flutter and you reach down to the front of his pants to feel the growing bulge, “Yes…”

“Goddammit, that’s hot,” he grunts, and then it all happens in a blur as he lifts you by hooking his hands under your thighs and places you seated over the dinner table.

He positions himself between your opened legs as lifting up your short dress out of his way and, while you swiftly work on the buttons and zipper of his jeans, he takes a condom out of his pockets and, after ripping the plastic off with his teeth he hands it to you.

His eyes cast down to see your fingers rolling off the latex around his rock hard cock and, as soon as you’re done and wrap your hand around him to feel his thickness, he wastes no time and pushes you backwards until your back meets the cold wood of your table. 

Acting by the frenzy that is all over his eyes, he swiftly pulls the small fabric of your underwear to the side, exposing your cunt just enough before he holds his cock and pushes himself inside you, making you cry out and your body jerk backwards. You always knew spending an exorbitant amount of money on a good table would pay off someday and you hold yourself fisting each side of the table.

He pulls your thighs up wrapping his hands on your knees, giving you no time to adjust before starting to pound into you.

You love that he fucks you like that. Hard and raw, the sting of the stretching mixed with the pleasure brought by his expert thrusts fogging your mind and his thickness and expert moves hitting sweet spots of yours, kicking the air out of your lungs. You love that in the few times you’ve been doing it in the last week, he already seems to know what you can take and always somehow goes a little further, a little different… like he knows something about yourself that you don’t, yet. That it’s the first time that you two can’t be bothered to wait and take off clothes or get to the bedroom. You love it.

It is all new to you, yes. For you sex has always been attached to some kind of affection or romantic feelings and, while that is all good and wonderful, you’re enjoying so much finding out this other side, where the only goals are to share pleasure and have fun. 

“So fucking sexy,” he groans through clenched teeth.

Your core twists in response and your cunt clenches around his cock, causing him to let out a grunt and quicken his pace even more, making it extra difficult to breathe properly. Oh, he’s found out that praise kink of yours and now he’s been using it wisely, so wisely…

He reaches over to pull down the stripe of your dress and exposes one breast. A loud moan slips out of you when he roughly kneads the soft flesh. He keeps the metal hand around one of your knees while the leg he let go in favor to give your breast some attention curls around his hips, jerking along with the punishing pace of his thrusts.

“Yeah, sweetheart, so sexy… I’ve wanted to have you like this ever since I first saw that sweet ass of yours,” he confesses right before leaning over to wrap his mouth around your nipple.

You’ve been horny the whole day waiting for the moment you would have his cock inside you just like that and the praise, as tacky as it may be, joined with the warmth of his wet tongue around your breast and the stimulation against your clit that the new position brings prompt the blast of ecstasy inside your core.

With a trembling moan, you let go the edges of the table to hold his body pressed to yours as his mouth moves from your breast to attack your neck. You roll your hips, trying to prolong the pleasure unleashed as his pace falters.

The fingers of both his hands dig into your hair, making a mess of it as he pulls out his cock almost completely before shoving it deeply and harshly one more time, grunting out his own release.  

“Fuck,” it slips from under his heavy breath before he clasps his lips on yours. The kiss is wet and sloppy and lazy as you have your legs and arms curled around his body, keeping him inside you.

Still feeling a little numb from the orgasm he just gave you – a thousand times better than the one you had given yourself- you gasp and chuckle through the kiss as he straightens up and pulls you with him. You tighten the hold of your arms and legs, as he conveniently holds you by your ass until he finds the couch and sits down with you straddling his hips. He breaks the kiss and lets his head fall on the backrest, his chest moving up and down as he tries to catch his breath.

You move up to let his cock slide off but he tightens the hold on your ass, keeping you in place, “Just… let me stay in a bit more, it feels so good,” he says, eyes shut, still resting his head back on the sofa.

“Alright,” you chuckle, straddling his face with your arms as you place your hands on the backrest. You find the request a bit odd but also sexy as hell. There he is, always a step ahead on what you don’t even know you think it’s hot…   

After a few more seconds, when his breath – and yours- seems to come back to normal, he straightens his head and looks down at where you still have just one breast exposed. He ticks his tongue, “Let’s not make the other one feel left out.” He pulls your other strap, letting now both of your breasts bare to him before he dips in, grabbing the up till now covered one with his lips.

You shake your head, laughing at his antics, “You seem pretty fond of them, huh?”

He lets go of the mound with a pop, looking up at you with an almost shocked expression on his face, “How could I not?” he gasps, like you’ve just offended him, “I don’t know how you see them in the mirror everyday and don’t touch yourself…” he squints at you before continuing, “You do, don’t you?”

You laugh harder, letting your head fall back and he smiles at you before going back to give your tits some attention, kissing and sucking one, then the other. Noticing that his cock never really softens completely inside you, you let him enjoy himself a bit more before speaking again, “Did you mean that?”

“What?” He leans back, looking up at you.

“You said you wanted to fuck me ever since you met me… is that serious? I didn’t even know you remembered me before we… started this.”

“First of all, I’m always serious, I never lie,” he says, adding some gravity to his tone, “Second of all, remember that night a while ago, when I chatted with you and your boyfriend at a Stark’s party and then your sexy ass talked about your work with technology with such passion… you knew exactly what you were talking about and, fuck…” he licks his lips, ”I rubbed one out for you later that night,” he smirks, clasping his hands behind his head.

Your jaw drops at the reveal before your face scrunches up, “That’s…gross?” you say the first word that comes to mind.

“But it’s true,” he shrugs, looking pretty comfortable with the confession, “and ever since I’ve been thinking about tapping that smart ass of yours.” He emphasizes his point by slapping your ass once.

Despite that and his choice of words - which makes your cheeks heat up - and your previous statement of being grossed out by the revelation, you decide you take that as kind of a compliment, which leads you to give him the news.

“You know?” you say, “I was promoted today. You just fucked the new leader of the Avengers/Stark tech department,” you grin when his practically hard cock twitches inside you.

“Wow, congratulations.” His eyes widen and he grins back at you. 

“Never thought I would meet someone with a technology kink,” you comment, laughing at his first reaction to the news.

“More of a smart as fuck brain kink, sweetheart,” he reaches behind you to slap your ass for the second time that night, making you shriek and laugh a bit harder, “Ok, we need to celebrate,” he states.

“I am celebrating,” you aim a mischievous smile at him, rolling your hips for good measure.

“Damn,” he breathes, but holds your hips still, “No, I mean, you’ve been in a relationship for ten years, tell me…” he squints at you, “When was the last time you partied your ass off?”

“Ahm…” you think hard trying to remember when it was, “College, I guess?”

“Shit…” he lowers his head before swiftly getting up, making you lunge your arms on his shoulders so you wouldn’t fall back as he walks to your bedroom, “Come on, let’s freshen up. This is huge news… I’ll take you to a real party now and then we can continue our private one later,” he promises.

~~~

As soon as you walk in the rooftop bar Bucky has chosen, you already decide you did good in accepting his offer. The place is gorgeous, sporting a modern, yet cozy decoration with small tables, sofas and puffs for those who want to sit. Dazzling lights flash on the dance floor right by a huge bar and the view of the city is mesmerizing while the beat of the music reverberates through your body.

Bucky pulls you by the hand through the sea of bodies. Thank god you chose one of the fanciest dresses of your wardrobe or else you wouldn’t fit in among the beautiful people crowding the place. Every once in a while, Bucky waves and nods at someone or a group of people. You can tell he’s a regular.  

He waves more excitedly to a group of women hanging on a mezzanine, before pulling you to that direction, “Come on,” he tilts his head back towards you with a smile, “You’ll love them.”

As soon as you approach the group, he puts his arm around your shoulders and introduces you to everyone, telling you the names of each stunning woman before you, Amanda, Emma, Jada, Alice and Brianna. They all friendly greet him and you with smiles, excited hellos and hugs, welcoming you two to join them, which you do.

“You know, Y/N was promoted today,” Bucky gushes and you smile at him.

“Oh, wow,” Amanda says through the cheerful congratulating words from everyone else, “This calls for champagne.” She then whistles and makes a sign for a bartender, who in a matter of seconds sends two bottles of fancy champagne to the group. 

A few minutes after the toast, you’re drinking and chatting with those women like you’ve been best friends your whole life, especially with Amanda, who goes out of her way to make you feel included. You can see how close they all are to Bucky, like he’s one of the gang, talking about any kind of subject in front of him and vice versa. Bucky stays by your side, and only when you’re completely mingled with the group he excuses himself to go grab what he called “a real drink” at the bar.

“He’s incredible, isn’t he?” Amanda nudges you when Bucky is at a distance he can’t hear.

“Oh yeah,” you nod, “Bucky’s a great guy.”

“She means in bed, dear,” Brianna clarifies with a giggle.

You take a look around the group to see them all giving you mischievous and knowing stares. Oh…

“Oh, did all of you…?” you point your finger at them, but you don’t have to complete the question

“More like all of this rooftop,” Brianna laughs, followed shortly by the others.  

“So, he’s amazing isn’t he?” Amanda insists, wiggling her eyebrows.

You’re not sure if it’s the alcohol or the fact that they all seem so friendly and open minded, but something makes you blurt out, “Amazing? He’s fucking fantastic.”

They all nod and verbalize their agreement, “I tell you all something,” Jada catches your attention, “That man drinks respect women juice daily and we owe him a toast. Here’s to Bucky,” she raises her glass.

“To Bucky.” You all mimic her through laughing and make a toast to the unsuspicious man at the bar.

As the conversation moves on and they all engage in different topics your gaze wanders to where he stands, holding a glass with some liquor that looks like whiskey in hands. But he’s not alone anymore. A statuesque blond is right beside him, laughing and touching his arm. You glimpse that flirting smile of him forming on his lips.

“You don’t mind do you?” Amanda’s voice makes you turn to her, spotting a questioning look on her face, “Because if you do… Girl, run away now, Bucky isn’t right for you.” There’s no malice on her voice, just a sincere warning tone.

You seize the moment to make an honest survey through your feelings. You’ve been warned by different people, Bucky included, and if there’s anything to worry about, Amanda is right, you should run now. As you keep your eyes on the two of them by the bar, you look and look and look inside, but find nothing that could be remotely taken as jealousy or something like that. If anything, it’s kind of liberating to know that you have so much fun with him and there’s no ugly, selfish feelings pulling you back. You feel like you could encourage the blonde on the flirting, because you know how damn incredible it can be…

Who would wonder that a class A womanizer like Bucky would be the source of such sheer sorority you’ve been experiencing that night…

“No,” you turn back to Amanda, shaking your head with a satisfied smile, “I don’t mind at all.”

The night goes on and Bucky comes and goes, chatting and drinking and laughing with you and your new little group of friends, taking you to dance, but also dancing with Amanda, Emma, Alice, Jada, Brianna and some others… A number of guys also approach you, take you to dance, buy you drinks and you end up with a few new phone numbers in your contact list. You party like you haven’t in a while and like you didn’t think women your age still did, which is stupid… You’ve been so caught up in the routine of your relationship with Eddie that you’ve forgotten there’s a whole world spinning out there.

An exciting and fun world.

“Hey,” the familiar voice reaches your ear and makes you smile as you’re on the dance floor with the girls. The metal hand curls around your belly and pulls you before your back brushes against his chest, “Having fun?” Bucky asks, lips on your ears.

“Yes, so much.” You tilt your head and place your hands over his while his hips sway with yours.

“Hummm,” he pulls you closer and runs the tip of his nose over the length of your neck, “I’m glad.”

“However…” you sigh, loving how his hips move in rhythm with yours, “I think I’m ready to continue our other party at home.”

“Funny,” he chuckles and his tongue darts out before he swiftly brushes it against your neck. It’s quick and very discreet, but enough to set your core into flames, “I was thinking the exact same thing.”

With that, you promptly let go of him and proceed to say goodbye to the girls. They all tell their farewells and wishes to see you again soon with knowing and excited looks.

~~~

“You were right, I had so much fun.” You wrap an arm around his elbow as you walk side by side through the streets of New York. The bar isn’t that far from your condo and when he suggested a walk back home you thought it was a good idea to check on the lively corners of the city, even with the heels. Also, he offered his leather jacket against the cold, which you promptly accepted.

“Oh, yeah, nightlife in New York nowadays is something we shouldn’t take for granted,” he smiles down at you, “And yeah, you had fun alright, I know there are a few extra numbers in your phone,” he winks.

You analyze his face and when you understand there’s nothing but playful teasing behind it, you answer, “Oh, yeah, oh my God,” you shake your head, “That was unexpected but fun. I might delete them all, though, things might get complicated and I’m not looking for any kind of complications right now.”

He smiles, seemingly satisfied for you taking him out of the complicated category. “You and the girls seemed to get along real fine, too,” he comments.   

“They’re really great,” you nod, getting cozier in his arm as a gust of wind hits you, “They all think very highly of you, by the way,” you let the smirk in your lips tell him what you mean.

“I work hard for that, sweetheart.” He chuckles and wiggles his eyebrows at you.

You let out a laugh, “That you do.” You look up at him from under your lashes, before whispering, “I can’t wait to see you working hard.”

He halts his pace, making you abruptly stop with him. You shoot him a questioning look, as he gazes down at you, his face lightening up like the best of ideas has just crossed his mind. Without further notice he unwraps his arm from yours and takes your hand instead, pulling you with him at a faster pace as he turns on the corner, changing the course that would lead to your home.

“Hey,” you call out, as you try not to trip on your heels as he pulls you, deflecting from the other patrons and leading the way, “What the hell are you doing?”

He looks back at you with that sinful smile of his, “Don’t wanna leave you waiting.”

Something flips inside your stomach in anticipation at his statement and, as he turns around a few corners, the streets seem to get less busy. When you reach a particular spot, he checks each side, like surveying the area before pulling you to a dark alleyway you haven’t even seen before.

As soon as you out of the street he pins you against the wall and crashes his lips on yours, shoving his leg between yours to keep you in place with the help of the firm grip of his metal hand on your hips.

Like a puppet on his strings you wrap your arms around his neck and respond to the inebriant kiss immediately even if you’re still astonished by it all and when he squeezes one of your tits through the fabric of your dress and his mouth leaves your mouth to drag kisses over your neck, you tilt your head to see the light peeking from the streets, so close to where you’re both standing. 

“Bucky…” a gasp swallows your words for a second as he presses his thigh harder against your pussy, “What the hell, someone can see us,” you remind him, knowing exactly where this will lead if you don’t stop him now. You can already feel the pool of heat in your lower body as he playfully nibbles on your lower lip before going back to your neck.

“Isn’t it exciting, to think someone can spot us while I have my dick inside you.” He licks a long stripe from your neck to behind your ear.

The mention of his dick makes you let out a wanton moan, but you’re not won over yet, “It’s a fucking dark alley in the middle of the night in New York City, Bucky. We will be murdered here.”

At this, all of his enticing movements pause, and he dips his head back with an offended glare at you, “Do I have to remind you who you’re literally fucking with?” he asks, outrage all over his voice, “The Winter Fucking Soldier, White Wolf and shit… the strongest Avenger,” he chant the names and you can’t help but chuckle a bit, “Don’t worry,” leans over to resume from where he stopped, “I can fuck you and protect you at the same time.”

You need no more convincing since that’s actually damn hot and you’re more than sold to the exciting game when he flips you over and kneels down behind you. Listening to your own erratic heartbeats prompted by the electrifying danger of it all, you sprawl your hands on the wall as he sinks his hands under your dress and pulls your underwear down your legs, placing it in his pocket once you step out of it.

He bunches your dress up high enough to give him room and you shudder and sucks in a breath as he props one kiss, then another on the back of each of your thighs, “Try to be quiet…” he says, but swiftly adds, “Not too quiet, though, I love to hear you.”

With that he spreads your legs a little farther and sinks his tongue into the apex of your thighs from behind.  Your jaw drops and your knees buckle as he holds your hips still against his face. While his tongue curls around your sensitive pussy your mind blanks and you whimper, trying to suppress a moan, not forgetting you’re right in the open air of New York. Your hips roll against his face, seeking for more friction to untie the knot forming inside you.

But too soon he ceases contact and stands up. You express your disappointment with a whine, face snapping to glare at him behind you.

He’s wearing a smirk on his face as he grabs another condom from his pocket. You wonder how many he has in stash, “You wanted to come on my mouth, didn’t you?” he teases, holding the package between his teeth as he unbuckles his pants.

“Of course,” you shamelessly admit under your breath.

“I know sweetheart… But my dick is aching for you, too,” letting his pants and boxes fall along his legs, he unleashes his hard cock and proceeds on putting on the condom, throwing the plastic package aside, “I was prepping you for it,” he continues, eyes fastened on yours as he speaks, “You want it, don’t you? You want my dick? Come all over it?”

You lick your lips and your gaze falls to look at his rock hard cock, feeling your wetness dripping down your inner thighs. Now that’s an offer you can’t refuse, “Yes, I wanna soak that fucking dick,” you groan, not caring how tacky all the dirty talk may be, since it all sounds sexy as fuck now, clouding all of your senses.

“Shit… take it then, sweetheart.” Guiding his cock with his hand, he pulls your hips and in one single shove he’s inside you.

You let out a silent cry and rest your cheek on your hand against the wall, as the other reaches down to your clit, to help ease down the sumptuous twists inside your core as he pounds into you.  

The sounds and lights of the cars passing by on the street right next to you reminds you how exposed you are and fuck if you’re not gonna come quicker than you ever did as Bucky holds your hips with both of his hands, moving them as fast as he pleases, thrusting them back against his cock. You can feel the fire reaching its peak inside you.

“So fucking wet,” he whispers, breathing hard as he fucks any remaining signs of better judgement out of you and you know it won’t be long for him, either.

You let out a loud moan and it prompts him to pull you pressed against his chest and cover your mouth with his hand, “Shhh.” His hot breath coats your ear and your head falls back on his shoulder as he keeps the delicious pounding of his cock inside you with no hint of mercy.

The damn alley spins around you and you wish you weren’t wearing his leather jacket now as the beads of sweat run down your forehead.

He must’ve heard something in advance because right at that moment a group of people walk by the sidewalk, chatting and laughing. All they have to do is to glance to the side and spot you two in that interesting situation. The danger, the fact that you’re so exposed while Bucky dicks you down against the wall out in the open triggers your orgasm and you let out a strangled sound, muffed by his hand, as the shocks of pleasure washes over your body and weakens your limbs.  

“Shit,” Bucky whispers against your cheeks and his cock pulses inside you, reacting to your cunt squeezing and soaking his cock as you reach your climax.

You wanna feel that again and acting under the influence of a rush of boldness, you reach behind between the two of you and gently massages his bouncing balls. You feel the pulsating of his cock between your walls again and that cheeky move of yours makes him come undone. You only wish that the group is far enough to not hear the reckless and loud moan that slips out of his lips against your ear, his whole body tensing against yours.

As you fight to catch your breath and his hand leaves your mouth to descend to one of your breasts, a long line of courses is recited in your ear before you can feel his body finally relaxing.

Your eyes flutter shut when you sense the brush of his lips on your neck. The next words he breathes against your heated skin makes you beam, loving that he says that while his cock is still buried deep into you, like a damn reward.  

“Congratulations on your promotion, sweetheart.”

~~~

Tag List for this story: CLOSED

Permanent Tag List: OPENED.

[thepumpkinthingart]

"Really-?"

"Really, sorry it had to be this way-- but your 80s fashion is a lost cause." Scott smirked as his brother threw his hands up cursing the sky-his brother he hadn't seen in eight years looked not even a day older. Then again the whole world was well... new... They themselves lost thirty years was it? It was 2023, last he checked it was 1993. Erik really needed to talk to his child about opening up multiverse, this was just yet another life altering thing for the X-Men. In light of their new decade, Scott and Alex had decied to have a Summers day. Just them exploring what this new world had to offer, Brotherly bonding and all.

Also because Alex really needed a new wardrobe. Not because of the early 80s fashion -although that didn't help- but because he didn't exactly have anything other then what he been wearing. No one thought Alexander Summers would be coming back. So keeping all his things wasn't exactly thought of, especially not clothing. This was why the blond was wearing a tight cheaply made red shirt with a large spider like logo. It was the first thing they found off a street vender and Alex was despreate for something that was his that didn't have a gaint cosmic burnt hole on it. It toke them all of a hour to learn who 'spider-man' was and for the summers brothers to debate if this was a dumb kid with too much time or a spider mutant hidding eight eyes behind that wide lens mask and not even to touch the topic for where exactly a mutant spider kid would make webs from. Scott and Alex were suddenly happy to have deadly blast from eyes and chest vs- well -the alternative.

"Ok, but from our very informative cultural experince today-"

"We went to three different malls and found out there is now seventy-five types of poptarts-" Scott shook the shoping bag of seven of said new flavors because neither could agree on fruit ones or chocolate ones. Fruit flavors were obviously superior but Scott will have to argue his stance more later.

"Informative cultural experince- wearing 80s and 90s fashion is 'cool' and 'retro'."

"Sure. Because 'cool' and 'retro' also means looking like a suburban dad that needed to get a hair cut like thirty eight years ago-" the younger couldn't help but snort as the blond looked at him like he suggested murder.

"Don't even joke about that."

Scott couldn't help but to laugh- God, when was the last time his arguments had been over something as dumb as poptarts and bad hair styles and not the risking of lives. When had he last felt like the world wasn't ending..? Scott had been a angsty teen but even then his brother could make him loosen up the edgey teen agnst and laugh. He missed Alex... Of course he knew he missed his sibling but he missed Alex- Alex who pulled him out of the foster system the second he could, Alex who decied to go to college just because there was a chance he could provide a better life for them both, Alex who despite losing his parents the moment Scott did turned to trying to comfort his crying sibling other then dealing with his own grief.

"It's good to have you back. It just wasn't the same without you. I didn't- I just... I missed you." The young summers struggled to keep deeper emotions down. He already had his cry session. Clutching to Alex sobbing like he did as a young kid when Alex showed up at his foster home. Not caring who saw in that moment. Just so scared to let go, like Alex would disappear again the moment he let go. Scott lost everything- everything disappeared on him. His parents, Alex, Jean... God he was glad Peter and Logan wasn't there to witness Scott's whole demeanor break down in seconds. Like he needed to be reminded later on how serious, stubborn and headstrong Scott sobbed into his brother's jacket like a five year old.

"Scotty-"

For Alex not a moment passed by. He blasted the alien looking fucker and then and then he woke up to Raven wide eyed looking at him like she seen a ghost. When he learned that second of nothingness was actually eight years- well Alexander set to making up lost time real fast. Starting with hugging the hell out of his brother and apologize through his own tears. He promised he wouldn't leave Scott, not after their parents and well... Alexander had failed. He left Scott alone. Add it to the list of things Alex has managed to fuck up.

"I'm so sorry... I never wanted to leave you alone. I never wanted you to have to deal with more loss-

"Please don't. Not again- Just don't go blasting at highly explosive high tech machinery. Just.. stay here with me... And next time Charles says don't do something, don't." He gave his brother a pointed look. Even with the red sunglasses keeping himself from blasting everything on sight, Scott's 'stop fucking up' look was on point.

Alex couldn't help but smile. Scott really had grown, huh? It sucked it was without him. But, he was proud. Scott was tough, tougher then Alex ever was. "Course. I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon. Besides- obviously I have to reteach you a thing or two if you really believe fruit jelly poptarts are better then any of the chocolate ones-"

"How the fuck does Hank handle you?"

"Roughly. Didn't you see the claw marks-?"

Alex cackled like the evil shit he was as Scott choked on air. God fucking dammit, he swore the moment he had a pair of sissors someone's precious gold locks were being snipped.

[starkslawyer]

Everything happened so fast that it was hard to even comprehend what was going on.  The Avengers got the stones, Hulk snapped his fingers.  For the first time in a long time there’s a subtle hope in his heart but then just as fast as it seemed like it might be okay, everything went to shit again.

He had been in another part of the compound away from when he heard the rumbling outside. And then things began to blow up, the building began to crumble and Oliver fell from the third floor to one of the lower ones.  There was no doubt in his mind that this had something to do with Thanos.  Somehow, someway all this was his doing.  Oliver groans an expletive as his back smacked against a chunk of debris.  His head aching, ears ringing, but at least he’s alive.  He just hopes that everyone else was just as lucky as he was.  Of course Kara’s whereabouts worry him.  He lifts his hand to speak into his watch that also acts like a communicator, but it’s shattered .... broken beyond use.  

As he pulls himself up from the ground, he begins to walk carefully across the floor, worried that any moment it’ll give away again and and he’ll be free falling once again.  There’s so much noise outside that he can tell that it’s just not gunfire and bombs laser blasts, but he also hears people and aliens .... creatures yelling and screaming -- it’s almost too much for him to bear.  For a moment he thinks about going to the shelter underground.  Kara always told him that he should head there if anything like this ever happened.  It was impenetrable and he could wait all this out.  But as he begins to make his way there, another thought comes to him and he switches direction.  He needs to check to make Kara’s lab is secure.  With all her tech in there, he worries what would happen if Thanos or whoever got ahold of it.  

When he’s just about to the lab he hears something behind him and when he turns his eyes widen and mouth falls open slightly at the sight of an armor-clad alien holding a long pointing weapon.  It chitters something and then begins to charge and Oliver takes no time to turn and run down the hall.  He’s not a superhero.  He has no powers or special abilities to help him in a situation like this, so all he can do right now is run towards the lab.  Maybe in there he can find something to defend himself.  But just as he rounds the corner of the hall, he feels a sharp stab through his back.  He looks down to see the spearhead poking through his chest before it’s pulled out.  There’s more chittering from the alien attacker but just before he’s stabbed again, there’s more rumbling as the building crumbles again, taking the alien with it.

Oliver looks down at his white button up shirt which now has a huge red spot pooling on it.  Blood --- there’s so much blood, but he keeps going towards the lab, getting slower with each step.  Fuck -- he really thought he’d have more time, there was so much more he wanted to accomplish in this life.  He thought he’d have more time with her and he wished he told her everything he wanted to tell her, but it was too late now.  He staggers towards the lab which he can see is open wide from the building being blown up but he knows there’s force field mechanism that goes on as a fail safe.  Unfortunately it’s not on.  “Fuck...” he mutters, breathing heavily as he approaches the lab.  He brings himself over to the console on the wall to see if he can manually get it up and running again.  His last act on this earth, he wants to do something for her.  

His vision is going blurry and his head cloudy.  His bloody fingers slip against the console as he tries to put in the code.  He’s not successful the first two tries but on the third there’s a small beeping noise and the force field goes up around the lab.  Oliver breathes out a sigh as his vision darkens, legs begin to weaken and he slides down to the floor leaving a bloody streak from his body against the wall.

@akryptoniangirl​

[doubleshotofsomething]

Come Into My Life

This is my entry for @nekoannie-chan​‘s 500 followers’ writing competition. This is a Thor fanfiction series inspired on the song “Entra en mi Vida”. I had a blast writing it and I loved the song even more.

Song Prompt: ”Entra en mi vida” by Sin Bandera

Warnings: none??

Author’s note: Okay, all seriousness guys, what the fuck? So, you guys just...let me call Ghost “Shadow” and didn’t bother to correct me? really guys? really?? Is this where we are now? woooow, there’s no autocorrect here.

Summary: You and Thor just can’t seem to be on the same page, about anything.

----

“You seem to think this is something you can hide from.”

----

Part Two: Después de cinco minutos, ya eras alguien especial  

Mjölnir kept disappearing. But that could have been Steve's fault. Or Vision. So, that's understandable.

Then Stormbreaker kept disappearing as well. There was no Vision. And Steve had long given up his avenging days.

Both weapons came back, they always did. But Stormbreaker seemed to be adamant in taking its sweet time. Which, under any circumstances, wouldn't be a problem. Except, Thor is still an Avenger. He still has work - work that required his weapon - to do.

You were in the kitchen with Sam, arguing - like you always did - about something when Thor walked in, looking for that damned axe.

You had met a handful of times, but you tended to avoid the group as much as you could. Sam, Shadow and Hope were as far as you were willing to go, Thor had realised, and socialising with you didn't seem all too appealing to him.

Thor wasn't focusing on either of you, eyes too busy dancing around the room as he tied his hair back. The quinjet was set to leave in fifteen minutes and all that was missing from his battle attire was that cursed thing.

"This is exactly why I don't like coming here-" your complaining broke through his cloud of thought and his eyes went to you. "--seriously, Sam, you are the worst host ever. What am I supposed to do with you gone?"

Sam rolled his eyes, rolling his shoulders back a bit before attaching his wings. "Talk to people. Your favourite cyborg is staying behind, so you two can talk about those babies you wanted to give him."

You scoffed and reached over the counter for the sugar dispenser. "The love of my life is currently sulkin--"

Before you could grab the sugar, your fingers instinctively wrapped around a wooden staff. Sam, too focused on making sure he had everything he needed, missed the complete look of annoyance on your face and shock on Thor's face.

There, in your hand, was Stormbreaker. His Stormbreaker. And, instead of being confused, you sighed and tossed it aside before grabbing the sugar as you had intended to. As if nothing had happened.

"Damn thing needs a leash," you mumbled to yourself, stirring the sugar into the originally-Sam's-but-now-yours tea.

Asgard was no stranger to prophecies. And Thor had heard enough of them growing up to tell which was a farce. But this...

No...

It couldn't be...

Surely, it was a temporary glitch. It had to be.

Because a dying star couldn't have forged a King's weapon, only so an idiot could easily wield it.

It's not that Thor thought you were stupid or not worthy. It's just that he thought you were an idiot and a complete nutcase.

You put a target on your back and refused any security that Fury had to offer. You're still convinced that your Uber driver won't do you any harm. And you sleep with your bedroom window unlocked.

You were an idiot.

A complete and utter idiot.

So, why did he instantly seek out your scent whenever he breathed?

Why does the thought of you, anywhere near him, suddenly make it hard to think about anything else?

And, for the love of all that is good, why won't you look at him? Actually look at him. Not those glances and polite eye contact you share with everyone else.

There are so many prophecies, too many that weren't true and too little that were. Thor could always tell which were a farce and which weren't.

But now, he was the idiot that couldn't understand why his axe was more responsive to you, than him.

-----

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Is Fury's response to the Captain's questions.

The Avenger's Compound had been turned into the current base of operations for both the new SHIELD and the Avengers. With the exception that the Captain was the one overlooking everything, alongside Fury.

Hope didn't waste time shoving you into her car -- as always -- and dragging you to the compound with everyone else. And then, because that's never enough, they shoved you into the meeting room with everyone else, while Captain went to bring Fury.

Sighing, you lean against your chair and turn to look at Thor. The Asgardian had been sitting on the couch when you were shoved onto it, watching the whole scene unfold while he munched away on a bowl of cereal.

You eyed his outfit and frowned. "Why is it that every time I see you, you're always trying out a new look?"

He blinked at you, mid-chew with a trail of milk going from the corner of his lip into his beard.

"First, it was the whole medieval knight thing, then the carpenter look, then the whole lumberjack thing. And now--" you waved at his sweatpants, fingerless gloves and what look to be a sweater. "--you're... what is this? And why does it look so comfortable?"

"Really? You expect us to believe that SHIELD is being funded by all that money?" Sam fired back at Fury. "With all that new equipment that keeps rolling in? Do we look stupid to you, Fury?"

Fury raised an eyebrow. "You want me to answer that?"

"I will!" You jumped in, raising your hand as you tuned in. "Yes, you do look stupid. In fact, you're the reason I know what stupid looks like. And I got in an Uber without checking if it was my driver or not, this morning."

"You did what?!" Thor barked.

You rolled your eyes and waved off the man that's decided to be a pain in your ass. "Calm down, security update. I can take care of mys--

"Calm down?!" Thor tossed the bowl across the room to properly glare at you. "You are so adamant on putting your life at risk every damn chance you get! You are, arguably, the most hated person on every ex-Hydra agent's list. And you--"

You don't bother to sit through the rest of that lecture. You avoid going to the compound for that exact reason. In fact, you avoid Thor for that exact reason. The first time you met the Asgardian, he spent most of the introductions helping Fury tell you all about how you were going to live your life now -- and all the safety measures you'd have to take.

As if you hadn't been raised by one of the world's greatest sleeper agent.

"This guy, am I right?" You scoffed as you got up, consequently getting him to get up. "Who died and made him Jarvis?"

"I am speaking to you!" He is front of you, towering over you, blue eyes swimming with rage, as he glared at you.

"Carpet damn, Asgardian. Carpet damn."

Ghost, from the other side of the room, cut in. "It's Carpe diem, shithead."

"I'm freestyling, thank you very much." You shot back.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Captain Flightless called out. "Thor. Please, calm down. Take a seat."

"I will not calm down nor take a seat," he glares down Mr Red, White and Break-your-brand-new-car. "Her safety is just as important as the matter. What do you think will happen if the wrong people get their hands on her? SHIELD signing a deal with her company will be the least of your worries!"

You turned at Ghost. "Is it too late to bring back Thanos? I just wanna see something..."

"You know--" Sam flicked your ear. "--if he comes back, you're gonna get dusted too, right?"

"Exactly. That way, I get to see him beat the shit out of an entitled thunder-summoning, cape-wearing, overbearing, self-proclaimed mighty asshole!" You glared at Thor, then turned back to Sam. "And then, finally see what y'all were doing as dust particles."

"Thor does have a point--" Fury cuts in, crossing his arms.

"Doesn't that leather trench coat get hot?" You point at it, because you were sure as hell not having this conversation again.

"Pierce may have been Hydra, but even he knew how messed up things would be if you were in the wrong hands--"

"You say that like I can shoot lightning bolts out of a gavel."

"It was a hammer." Thor grits out.

Fury ignores you both. "--things aren't as they used to be. The threats aren't only Thanos, Loki, or any other alien tyrant."

"That's mean. Thor isn't an alien." You feign a point.

"We need to consider the threats here, on Earth, as well." Thor ignores your jab. "Like, I've always been saying. The scale of destruction and terror that criminals could cause if they got a hold of just a small percentage of Hydra tech. Just look at what Ultron had accomplished--"

You stare blankly at the tower of a man in front of you. "You mean the computer upgrade that Tony created? With a weapon that is no longer on Earth, in this timeline? With Hydra tech from a Hydra lab, on that floating, vibranium powered island that you destroyed?"

"The point is--"

"I have lived in hiding my entire life," you narrow your eyes at the ignorant would-be-king. "Security protocols, safe houses, different identities, around-the-clock security, all of that bullshit that you're suggesting I know nothing about-- yeah, that was all I knew about. I know where every entrance and exit of every room I walk into is. I plan for an escape, before I even step foot out of my place.

"I did not come here so you can tell me how to continue living the lifestyle that I was raised to live--" You're glaring and baring your teeth and ready to rip him a new one. "--My keepers are dead. You will sooner change the nature of a cat, before you turn your little pride of vigilantes into my security detail."

He doesn't say anything. He can't. He knows better than to argue with you when you're like this; angry and on the verge of lashing out.

So, he just stares back at the idiot that won't stop haunting his every thought. The idiot that can wield a weapon he nearly died for. The idiot that won't understand why he bickers when it comes to her safety.

Sam sighs as he crashes on the couch. "At that's the tea."

Tags: @nekoannie-chan​, @thorfanficwriter​

[tabloidtoc]

Star, January 11

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover Story: Hollywood’s Best and Worst Bosses 

Page 1: Shia LaBeouf currently accused of relentless abuse and sexual battery by his ex FKA Twigs was snapped making out with Margaret Qualley after she arrived at LAX for a solid 10 minutes and holding up traffic -- the PDA session was the first time Shia and Margaret who is the daughter of Andie MacDowell were spotted out in public together but the two got well-acquainted a few months ago rolling around naked for a NSFW music video for a song by the actress’ sister Rainey Qualley a.k.a. Rainsford -- Shia went out of his way to charm Margaret as soon as they met and he wooed her with compliments and gifts and flowers and texts and spur-of-the-moment dates where he’d just show up at her house but her friends are concerned because Twigs’ lawsuit against Shia alleges multiple incidents of abuse including choking her in her sleep and knowingly giving her a sexually transmitted disease -- Shia said many of those allegations are not true and he is in a 12-step program and therapy for PTSD and alcoholism

Page 2: Contents, Prince William and Duchess Kate with kids Prince George and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis for a Christmas card 

Page 3: Candice Swanepoel in a bathing suit in Miami, Jennifer Garner stepped out to run errands in a mask and an expressive sweater in L.A., Ryan Reynolds cuddled up with a puppy to encourage his Instagram followers to donate to the SickKids Foundation 

Page 4: Friends of Johnny Depp are keeping their distance as he gears up for another ugly defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard -- after losing the case against a U.K. newspaper that called him a wife beater and a scathing feature in The Hollywood Reporter that dubbed the star radioactive and his career all but dead, former pals want nothing to do with him -- the likes of Jude Law, Leonardo DiCaprio and Channing Tatum have been backpeddling on Johnny and it’s making him furious but to be fair Johnny had already alienated Leo and Channing by calling them Pumpkin Head and Potato Head and accusing them of having affairs with Amber -- Jude’s indifference cuts the deepest because for a time he and Johnny were brothers-in-arms as they filmed the second Fantastic Beasts movie and from Johnny’s perspective Jude hasn’t lifted a finger to defend him 

Page 5: Mossimo Giannulli’s son is speaking out claiming the fashion designer is being treated harshly at California’s Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc and Gianni Giannulli took to social media to complain that because of the pandemic his dad has been locked in solitary confinement for one full month and is only let out every three days for a few moments to shower and Gianni, Mossimo’s son from an earlier relationship, is irate that his father is being mistreated and he feels sorry for his dad and doesn’t want to see him languishing in prison however his half sisters Bela and Olivia Jade don’t seem too bothered by it

* At age 74 Susan Sarandon has had it with men -- she said she hasn’t really had a large dating career and in fact hasn’t had a guy in five years and it’s not that she can’t get a man, it’s just that the men she attracts are losers or sub-par in some way -- she is happy hanging out in her NYC apartment but still friends can’t help trying to fix her up because she’s attractive and in phenomenal shape but the problem is she scares guys away; she’s a force they can’t handle 

* Two years after sharing her shock diagnosis with multiple sclerosis Selma Blair is struggling with pain and fear -- she was recently spotted getting emotional outside a West Hollywood cannabis shop and she has turned to medical marijuana to soothe symptoms of the chronic immune-system disorder which can include fatigue, spasticity, walking issues, numbness, weakness, vision issues and pain -- on some days she can’t even get out of bed but she’s trying to stay strong for her son Arthur and smile more for him but it’s been hard 

Page 6: Julianne Hough appears to be sweetness and light but she’s a heartbreaker according to her ex Chuck Wicks who split from Julianne in 2009 -- in a revealing podcast Chuck blasted Julianne saying they were both loving life then out of nowhere you find out that they are not the person you thought they were and you break up -- Chuck admitted that he and Julianne agreed to say their split was amicable but it wasn’t fine and it wasn’t his fault

* After holing up at his Oklahoma spread Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are having a blast decorating their 13,000-square-foot $13.2 million new home in the Encino area of California’s San Fernando Valley -- the home sits on 1.6 ultra-private acres behind double gates and extensive walls and features a pool and fabulous views -- inside the engaged pair give each other space: Gwen wants a dance studio and Blake gets his own man-cave with a big screen and high-tech surround sound 

* Star Spots the Stars -- Nicky Hilton, Katharine McPhee Foster, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt making dairy-free and plant-based holiday appetizers, Jenna Dewan, Natalia Dyer

Page 8: Big Losers -- these stars shed pounds and got healthy in 2020 -- Jessica Simpson, Rebel Wilson, Kelly Osbourne 

Page 10: Star Shots -- Gwen Stefani on the way to the recording studio in Santa Monica, Jerry O’Connell started his morning off with a fresh mimosa and a kiss from one of his dogs, Jodie Turner-Smith is the first Black actress to play Henry VIII’s ill-fated queen Anne Boleyn in a major U.K. TV series in Emley, UK 

Page 11: Nick Cannon pitched in to help distribute 2000 free meal boxes to the Hollywood Food Coalition

Page 12: Demi Moore in a yellow bow for a selfie thanking readers for checking out her memoir, Paris Hilton kicked back for a Coach campaign reintroducing the early-2000s ubiquitous Swinger bag

Page 13: Derek Hough and his dogs Romie and Luna, Irina Shayk striking a pose 

Page 14: Sofia Vergara during a photoshoot, Real Housewives of New York City alum Kristen Taekman is taking advantage of the California winter weather in a bikini in Malibu, Wells Adams takes out the trash in L.A. 

Page 16: Carrie Underwood showed off her comfy at-home style, Vanessa Hudgens and her favorite condiment, Katherine Schwarzenegger celebrates her dog’s birthday 

Page 17: Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval picked up a holiday-themed centerpiece ahead of Christmas in L.A., Katie Holmes slung a guitar over her shoulder in NYC, Dame Joan Collins dropped by The Jonathan Ross Show in London 

Page 18: Normal or Not? Hailey Baldwin shares a glimpse into her beauty routine -- normal, Tiger Woods’ son Charlie showed off his skills ahead of the PNC Championship -- normal 

Page 19: Pete Wentz playing tennis in L.A. -- normal, Pete Davidson hurt himself a few times while making a scarf -- not normal 

Page 20: Fashion -- stars charm in romantic ruffles -- Keke Palmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lupita Nyong’o 

Page 21: Kirsten Dunst, Halsey 

Page 24: Ariana Grande announced her engagement to realtor Dalton Gomez with some celebratory shots and she’s telling everyone how she never thought it was possible to be this happy -- the couple began dating in early 2020 when Dalton helped Ariana find a home in L.A. and things hit the fast track amid the health pandemic which saw the two enjoying quality time together in lockdown and realizing they were a perfect fit because they never fight and are totally in sync about how they look at life -- Ariana went straight into wedding mode already deciding on an intimate outdoor setting in mid-2021

Page 25: Jon Hamm stepped out in L.A. recently with girlfriend Anna Osceola and she was showing off a noticeably rounder midsection and there’s a good chance the two are pregnant because they’ve been actively trying to get into the family way -- though Jon admitted in 2016 that having children isn’t necessarily an imperative Jon may have changed his tune after his year-long relationship with Anna and hitting the big 5-0 in March has him reassessing his life and now having a child has become important to him 

* Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher will be camping in style now that they’ve purchased a $140K Mercedes Benz Sprinter and they’re preparing to embark on an adventure  -- with sleeping accommodations for four and a kitchen the spacious luxury vehicle is perfect for the couple and their two kids -- other stars can spend their vacations in five-star resorts but Mila and Ashton prefer to keep things alfresco and it’s a tradition they’ve kept all these years; this is their idea of a perfectly fun vacation

Page 26: Cover Story -- Hollywood’s Best and Worst Bosses -- who’s great to work for and who makes employees’ lives a misery -- Jennifer Hudson -- best

Page 27: Jennifer Lopez -- worst, Rihanna -- best, Kenny Chesney -- best, Mariah Carey -- worst, Gwyneth Paltrow -- worst 

Page 28: Keanu Reeves -- best, Sandra Bullock -- best, Emma Watson -- worst 

Page 29: George Clooney -- best, Ellen DeGeneres -- worst, Guess the Bad Boss 

Page 30: Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell: Man on a Mission -- amid all the tension on the set of Mission: Impossible 7 Tom has been pursuing his costar Hayley to be his next girlfriend and it seems to be working -- Tom has become very active with the U.K. Scientology Branch and is very taken with English women like Hayley and he’d like to make the U.K. his home base -- handcuffed to each other for several scenes in M:I7 Hayley and Tom were also spotted holding hands when the cameras weren’t rolling 

Page 32: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s very L.A. Christmas -- the prince spends the holidays 5000 miles away from the royal family but Meghan’s mom Doria Ragland was on hand for the festivities -- the couple were intending to call Queen Elizabeth on Christmas morning otherwise they were happy to celebrate a low-key holiday 

Page 38: Entertainment 

Page 48: Parting Shot -- Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas suited up to hit the slopes stopping by a local store to pick up goodies before changing into warmer gear in Mammoth Lakes in California -- the couple are familiar faces in the ski town and looking forward they will be able to plan even more snowy getaways now that they’ve listed their NYC apartment for $5.9 million and moved full-time to Encino 

[multiverseforger]

In a January 2011 interview with Newsarama, Flash Thompson was revealed "by accident" as the new host of Venom.[19] Marvel confirmed Flash was to have his own comic using a military style version of Venom. Despite previously seeming to come to terms with the loss of his legs, Flash jumps at the dangerous offer of being bonded to the Venom symbiote, as the alien will be able to replace his legs with its own bio-mass, allowing him to walk again. He was written as a hero working for the military, and encountered many heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe.[20] He made his premiere as Agent Venom in The Amazing Spider-Man #654 (Feb. 2011), and continues in his own Agent Venom ongoing series following the special The Amazing Spider-Man #654.1.

He cannot stay bonded to the Venom symbiote for more than 48 hours at a time, or the symbiote may gain complete control over him. The consequences of this are first seen when the suit causes Flash to go berserk and brutally slaughter a group of enemy operatives during his second mission, and again during a brawl with the Jack O'Lantern, ending with the suit putting a grenade in Jack O'Lantern's mouth.[21] While on a mission in the Savage Land, Flash finds himself being hunted by Kraven the Hunter who mistakes him for Spider-Man.[22]

During the 2011 "Spider-Island" storyline, Agent Venom is sent in to capture a spider-like beast that is fighting Firestar and Gravity. Agent Venom manages to capture the Spider King who he later discovers is Steve Rogers enslaved. Venom disguises himself as the Spider King in order to track the infestation to its source.[23] The Queen and Jackal send him to kill Anti-Venom because he is curing people who have gained spider-powers, but his superiors order him to take him to Mr. Fantastic to help develop a cure. Flash and the Venom-symbiote fight each other because Flash wants to bring Anti-Venom to Mr. Fantastic and the symbiote wants to kill Anti-Venom for previously rejecting it. This leads to Venom and Anti-Venom fighting. Venom wins the fight and delivers Anti-Venom to Mr. Fantastic.[24] Venom teams up with Red Hulk, X-23, Ghost Rider, and Johnny Blaze to fight Blackheart.[25]

He joins the Secret Avengers as Agent Venom.[26] As an Avenger, Flash apprehends the Human Fly,[27] but the Human Fly escapes via a prisoner transport to the Raft when the new Hobgoblin attacks the transport trying to kill the Human Fly for stealing money from the Kingpin.[28] Flash tries to assassinate the third Crime Master for threatening his family, but Eddie Brock attacks him as he is about to fire. This causes the Crime Master to have his new Savage Six attack Flash and Betty Brant.[29] While trying to protect Betty from Jack O'Lantern he reveals his identity to her.[30] Thunderbolt Ross recruits Venom to be part of his Thunderbolts team.[31]

Flash relocates to Philadelphia after fighting the U-Foes there.[32] While trying to capture a serial killer infected with some of the alien technology the U-Foes were trying to sell, so Beast could try to cure the man, he is attacked by Toxin.[33] While in Philadelphia, he adoptes a protege in his teenage neighbor Andrea "Andi" Benton, who upon bonding to a duplicate of the symbiote becomes the antiheroine Mania.

Flash returns to New York when Betty Brant contacts him with information that the Crime Master has resurfaced. Flash infiltrates and attacks Crime Master and his men until the Superior Spider-Man (Otto Octavius' mind in Spider-Man's body) and his Spiderlings intervene. Crime Master then reveals himself to be a small-time hood who had purchased the name and mask from Hobgoblin and turns himself in. Superior Spider-Man then turns his attention to Agent Venom with the intent on destroying him.[34] Flash escapes in a puff of smoke and hides in a hospital before going to Peter's apartment. Seizing opportunity, "Peter Parker" invites Flash to his company to give Flash prosthetic legs. After doing so, Superior Spider-Man detains the symbiote in a cage from which it soon breaks free and bonds to Superior Spider-Man, becoming the Superior Venom.[35] The symbiote tries to flee back to Flash, but Superior Spider-Man keeps it for himself, even going as far as to injure Cardiac when Cardiac tries to separate them.[36] Iron Man arrives to Parker Industries to assist both Cardiac and Flash in order to take him to the battle-zone and reunite him with the symbiote. The Avengers are starting to fall against the power of Superior Venom who boasts about his superiority until Iron Man arrives to distract him allowing Flash (wearing Iron Man's armor) attack from behind and attempt to retake the symbiote. With the unexpected assistance from Spider-Man's conscience, the Venom symbiote finally leaves Superior Spider-Man's body and reunites with Flash, bonding together again. The Avengers are still in disbelief about Superior Spider-Man's argument until they ask Flash to check his mind-link with the symbiote to see anything wrong about Superior Spider-Man's motives. Flash replies that he sees "two different radio stations playing in the same frequency".[37]

Following the conclusion of The Superior Spider-Man and the return of Peter Parker as Spider-Man, he learns that his friend Flash is Venom and became angry at the Avengers that they did not tell him. The Avengers confess that because Flash was a good soldier and the secret identities in the Avengers' rules goes both ways.[38]

Seeking to maintain a connection with the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Avengers placed Venom on said team as their new envoy.[39] At a point the Symbiote began to act strangely considering anyone as an enemy as something was tapping into its mind signalling it. Flash became extremely worried and, since he was left behind when the other Guardians were captured, he began to try to find a way back to Earth which the Symbiote encouraged. However, in its fear it killed people if they refused. Eventually Gamora found them but they attacked her thinking her as an enemy. Star-Lord manages to subdue the Symbiote but Flash goes into a coma.[40] The Symbiote breaks out on the ship and takes the ship to its planet of origin.[41] The planet of Symbiotes explains to the Guardians their origins of the Klyntar. However, Flash and the Venom Symbiote have created the perfect savior the Symbiotes want. This heals the Symbiote and allows Flash to tap into the full potential of the Symbiote.[42]



Flash Thompson's debut as Agent Anti-Venom on Amazing Spider-Man: Venom Inc. Alpha#1 (Oct. 2017). Art by Ryan Stegman.

Venom then becomes the new intergalactic ambassador of Earth and an Agent of the Cosmos.[43]

During the 2016 "Civil War II" storyline, Flash is called back to Earth along with the other Guardians, during which he comes into conflict with Spider-Man, and repeatedly subdues him for not being the Spider-Man he knows. Prompting Miles to electrocute him with the Venom Blast, which blasted him into the open.[44] Andrea, who is host to the Mania symbiote, becomes more ruthless in her actions to the point of killing everyone she encountered. Venom manages to separate the symbiote from Mania, and absorb it into the Venom symbiote, though Andrea is corrupted by a demonic sigil called the Hell-Mark. Flash resolves to remain on Earth to care for Andi until he can find a way to remove the Hell-Mark permanently.[volume & issue needed]

Venom is later shown to have been somehow separated from Flash and it finds a new host in Lee Price.[45] It is eventually revealed that Flash was separated from Venom during a fight with an FBI agent outfitted with high-tech battle suit. The agent used a special weapon that agitated the Symbiote and sent it into a crazed state, which led to it fleeing into the city, where it eventually encountered Price, then reunites with Eddie Brock.[46][47]

Agent Anti-Venom and deathEdit

During the "Venom Inc." arc, Flash talks to Mania through her crimefighting, before she is taken down by Lee Price and a gang of thugs. Price is making good on his promise to re-take the Venom symbiote as he forcibly separates Mania from her symbiote and takes it himself. Meanwhile, Brock struggles to cope with the symbiote which has become increasingly violent and difficult to control. He turns to Alchemax to make a serum to help him out, but the medicine being created there is still experimental and may have some side effects. As Flash attempts to find Brock and get the symbiote back, Spider-Man is attempting to get rid of the symbiote once and for all, bringing the three together in a fantastic showdown as both Brock and Flash attempt to convince the symbiote to bond to them. As they struggle, Spider-Man chooses to douse them both with a vat of the Anti-Venom Serum. Instead of destroying the symbiotes, a new Anti-Venom arises: Flash Thompson. After Flash, Mania, Spider-Man, Black Cat, and Venom defeat Price, Flash entrusts the Venom symbiote to Eddie and goes back to heroics as Agent Anti-Venom.[48]

In the Go Down Swinging storyline, Norman Osborn returns with the Carnage symbiote bonded to him, making him the Red Goblin. He attacks New York City, and Silk, Clash, Spider-Man, Human Torch and Agent Anti-Venom tried to stop him.[49] Flash uses his Anti-Venom to heal any of Peter's friends and family that were infected by the Carnage symbiote, and discovers Spider-Man's secret identity in the process. Norman critically wounds Flash, who can no longer heal due to using the Anti-Venom to save the others. Peter offers to use the Venom symbiote to heal him, but Flash refuses, worrying that it would die with him and knows Peter needs an edge over Norman's new powers. He dies in Peter's arms and is honored by Peter and his friends at his funeral.[50]

Maker later obtains a piece of the symbiote taken from Flash's time as Agent Venom, which contains a copy of his consciousness. The sample is dubbed as a codex by the Maker. The brain dead symbiote absorbs the sample during Venom's escape from Project Oversight, and with Eddie Brock's permission the copy takes control and transforms into Agent Venom. Flash's consciousness burns out shortly after.[51]

King in BlackEdit

It was later revealed however, that Flash still existed within the Symbiote hive-mind. He joined Rex Strickland's army of former symbiote hosts when the dark symbiote god Knull started invading Earth, recovering his Anti-Venom symbiote replica. When Eddie Brock died and joined Rex's army, Flash was there to greet him.[52] When Thor and Eddie's son Dylan began freeing hosts from their symbiotes and fighting Knull, a red gash appeared - formed from the dissolved symbiotes of the recently freed hosts - and Flash followed Eddie and Rex through it into the core of the Hive-Mind, the place where they were before having been a "purgatory" for codices. The three of them noticed that the symbiotes freed from Knull's control were being imprisoned and formulated a plan to bond to them the way Flash once had the Venom symbiote. Despite Eddie's protests, Flash volunteered to free the imprisoned symbiotes and "download" himself into one of them, acknowledging this was his mission from the beginning and that Eddie was a hero too. Their plan worked, and Flash was incarnated in the world of the living as a symbiote dragon resembling his Anti-Venom symbiote.[53] Informed by Eddie of what had happened when Cletus Kasady's corpse had bonded to a symbiote-dragon, Flash flew to the cemetery where his body had been buried and reanimated himself, bursting from his grave in a recreation of his human form