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lowkeyerror · 16 days ago

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What We Lose in War

Natasha Romanoff x reader

Word Count: 8.6k

Notes: Endgame centric, Established Relationship, Vormir mentioned, minor character death, angst, near death experience, hopeful ending, Reader has heat vision & flight, canon typical violence

Summary: When you're sent with Natasha and Clint to Vormir things get complicated. You make a decision that costs you the love of your life.

An: Chat I can never full send the angst because it always ends up in someone asking me for a part two with a happy ending so it's packed with angst but the ending is hopeful.

Masterlist | Masterlist 2

There are some instances in life where it feels like things are moving in slow motion. Perhaps it can be chalked up to a gnawing anxiety or a crippling fear. It’s as if there’s a coil filled with tension waiting to spring up. A small lapse to reflect on one’s action or witness greatness unfold.

It’s akin a watching a basketball bounce around the rim as the buzzer goes off for the quarter to end. The crowd goes silent, the player stops in their tracks, and we all watch, waiting to see if the ball will go into the hoop. Sometimes it does, but other times it doesn’t.

Vormir; the place where everything slowed down for you. The mission seemed straight forward when it was assigned. Get the soul stone before Thanos.

Yet as you stood on top of the cliff, the assignment seemed more complex. There was only one way to get the soul stone. No one could have guessed the price.

The silence was heavy as you stood with Clint and Natasha. Only two of you would return.

Clint was your teammate, your friend. You saved the world together. You knew his wife and his children. The two of you were close, but the main reason for that closeness was Natasha.

Natasha was your partner. She was your world. You knew the most intimate parts of her soul. You had never loved anything as much as you loved her.

They were best friends and it seems like they both decided you were a non-factor in the matter.

They had worked together to tie you down. You struggled and screamed, but they ignored your pleas.

“Natasha please, you can’t make me watch this,” you plead with her.

“You won’t have too,” Clint said sprinting for the edge of cliff.

She didn’t hesitate to go after him.

“What about Yelena?”

Her movements faltered only for a second before she shook her head, “I can’t let him do this.”

“Then toss me,” you yelled at both of them.

“No,” they yelled back in unison.

You groaned in frustration trying to find any give in the binds. Natasha was a better fighter than Clint, if this went on too long, he’d make a mistake and she would win. You couldn’t let that happen.

You used the environment to your advantage, sliding your trapped wrist on a nearby rock. Once the rope snapped you used your heat vision to break the binds on your feet.

You stood just in time to see Natasha go over the cliff. Clint was holding onto her with all of his strength. You flew once you saw his hand slip.

You dived for Natasha without hesitation. She was falling fast, but you were flying faster. Your arms encircled around her waist and once you had her, you flew back up.

“Let me go Y/n,” she was pounding against your chest.

You dropped her next to Clint on the cliff.

“There has to be another way,” you argue with the both of them.

“We don’t have time to figure that out,” Natasha argues back with you.

You took in a deep breath. There was a solution right in front of you. You didn’t look up, you didn’t say anything, but you felt time slow down.

Your hand connected with Clint’s chest. You felt him gasp, you heard Natasha scream, but you didn’t react. You weren’t looking, but you heard him hit the ground.

You turned your back to the cliff and began to walk away. You only managed a few steps before Natasha shoved you in the back hard.

“How could you do that? You said there was another way and then you just-”

You couldn’t look at her, “You said there wasn’t. I did what had to be done.”

“THEN LOOK AT ME!” She screamed, spinning you around to face her.

She scanned your features looking for the regret, the remorse, something that told her that you felt like did the wrong thing. She didn't find anything.

“We have to get the stone,” you looked into her eyes.

Her tone faltered as she spoke to you, “You killed Clint. You widowed Laura, took a father from his children, he’s my best friend.”

“Natasha, I did what I had to do.”

She shook her head lightly, “How could you believe that?”

She stormed past you, ending the conversation. When her back was to you, you let out a shaky breath. You spared a single glance back at the cliff before following Natasha.

You did it for her.

She was so quick to throw Clint’s family in your face. What about her family? What would Yelena do without her? Alexei and Melina? You wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you watched her jump from a cliff and done nothing about it.

You knew there would be consequences to your actions, but what else could you have done?

It was a harsh thought, but you knew Natasha was a better hero than Clint. Truthfully you thought she was better than most of the team. Where they had given up, she persisted. No matter what happened you knew she’d have that.

Clint took a dark path when the world needed him most. He took the vengeful root. Not everyone on the team had a clean past, but it was supposed to stay in the past.

If there was one person that deserved to survive all of this it was her; there was nothing that would change your mind.

You closed your eyes, taking a moment to mourn your relationship with Natasha. She’d never forgive you for this and you would never ask her to.

When you opened them, you were in a pool of water. You gasp at the sudden change of scenery. Then you realize the stone is in your hand.

One step closer to saving the world.

“Give it to me,” Natasha wasn’t asking when she spoke.

You didn’t fight with her, handing it over. She began to walk away and again you followed. Her steps only slowed slightly when she turned to face you. You could see the words bubbling in her throat, but she was struggling to say them.

“After this, I’ll move out,” you ripped the Band-Aid off for her.

She pressed her lips together in a thin line, “Yeah.”

Then you were back in the present with the rest of the team. They asked about Clint. You waited for Natasha to tell them what she wanted.

“He sacrificed himself for all of us. For this stone, so it better work. If not, I lost him for nothing,” she looked directly at you as she spoke the last line.

“It’ll work,” Tony took the stone from her.

When it was all said and done the glove ended up on Bruce’s hand. He snapped and it damn near took his arm off. No one was sure if it worked, but then a phone began to ring.

Clint’s phone began to ring.

Natasha picked it up.

You tuned out the conversation when the red head started to tear up. The other men looked at you waiting for you to comfort your girlfriend. You shook your head slightly signaling you weren’t going to. It was Steve who went to her side offering his comfort instead.

“What happened, trouble in paradise?”

“Not now Tony,” you said flatly.

Knowing that the missing half of the world was back did little to ease your nerves. A part of you was happy, you saved the world. The other part was focused on how you caused Natasha to cry.

At least she was here to cry.

Of course that couldn’t be the end of the fight. Thanos’ fleet had to come. You were severely fatigued and outnumbered, but you fought like you never had before.

“Can’t you blast them all of something?” Tony asked on your side.

“I can try."

You flew into the air, amassing some attention from the enemy. With the attention on you, you took a deep breath. You pulled from the depths of your powers shooting dark red rays from your eyes onto the army.

You gritted your teeth as the heat ray expands. It grew larger and hotter than you ever thought was possible. Even when they began to fire at you, you held the position. That was until one of them hit the side of your stomach.

You grunted in pain and the lasers stopped. You descended less than gracefully landing on one knee.

“Good shit Y/n,” Thor clamped a hand your shoulder as he strode past you.

With a hand on the wound on your stomach you gave him a curt nod, “I don't know how long we can survive this.”

When you saw that portals begin to open all around you. The battle seemed to freeze, waiting to see who would be emerging. You felt relief wash over you as you saw the heroes walking out.

“Avengers!” Cap shouted. “Assemble!”

You got off of your knee and charged back into the battle. You ignored the pain on your side or the way the red film covered your vision.

You were moving on instinct alone as you dodged, weaved, and attacked. Breathing started to burn, but you kept going.

Time seemed to slow down again. You wondered if this was how you would die. Then you got a glimpse of Natasha.

She was face to face with the mad titan. He smacked her away like she was some kind of ant. Then he slowly walked to stand over her.

You flew up again, not thinking about the fire raining down. Your body was begging for you to stop, but instead you yelled. When the red beam shot at Thanos, he was caught off guard.

You proceeded to shoot him with everything you had. Your face was on fire, you couldn’t really see. You didn’t relent, zeroing in on him from the sky, then descending until you were in front of him.

The attack was affecting him. He began to curl in on himself when he couldn’t back away from you. His army attacked you, but you couldn’t feel anything except anger.

“Power without restraint is only another weakness.”

He grabbed you by the neck. As soon as he did your beams became unsteady. You were shooting him the face, and you knew it hurt him, but he refused to give.

The rays died out with your breath. You didn’t struggle. Your vision was fucked, but you maintained what you hoped was eye contact.

Your last breath was strangled but you had to say something, “You will lose.”

You cracked a smile, which only irritated the mad titan. He decided he would put you out of your misery. As he went to snap your neck, he was attacked by someone else. Someone more powerful.

He dropped you. When you hit the ground, you didn’t have enough breath to make a sound.

“Y/n! Shit, can you hear me?”

You couldn’t answer. You felt your body being dragged away. There wasn’t anything you could do. They propped you up against what you assumed was a rock.

“Jesus Christ, Y/n your eyes.”

You felt a hand shakily touch your face. A harsh sob escaped them. Their hands touched all over your body. Your shoulder, your sternum, your stomach; you were bleeding out.

A violent cough climbed up your throat. You felt the blood pile in your mouth forcing you to spit.

“No! You can’t go while I’m mad at you. I’m not supposed to forgive you for what you did. You’re supposed to pack your shit and leave after we’ve won. You aren’t supposed to die here. You can’t die here.”

“Tasha,” your voice was a gravelly whisper.

“You’re okay, you’re going to be okay,” she told you.

You wanted to hold her hand but you couldn’t move. Tears fell down your face, but you didn’t feel it, “Go fight.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“Don’t watch me die. Go save the world,” you begged her.

She stood on shaky legs, “I can’t forgive you if you die.”

You wanted to laugh, but it came out as a wheeze. You felt yourself slipping, there was only one last thing you wanted to say.

“Natalia, I love you.”

Her voice cracked but she responded, “I love you too.”

You heard her steps get farther away. When you thought she couldn’t see you anymore, you coughed some more. Blood spilling from your mouth like before.

You could feel the rawness around your eyes. It hurt from your brows to the bottom of your nostrils. The section of your face was red, burnt from the intensity of the heat. Your eyes were nearly numb with pain.

You moved from leaning on a rock to flat on your back. With much effort you closed your eyes and stopped fighting.

Your body was weakened. You had been shot multiple times, burned your face, and almost had your neck snapped. There wasn't anything else for you to do but die.

So you listened to the sounds of war all around you, while the last of the air escaped your lungs. It all sounded the same; weapons clashing, boots on the ground, distant commands that you could no longer distinguish.

The last thing you heard was deafening compared to the rest. It was clear even over of the chaos. The click of a snap.

You felt a spike of adrenaline from the uncertainty of what I it meant. Had good prevailed or had Thanos undone everything you struggled for. You couldn't do anything except let your heart pound wildly in your chest.

You lost consciousness then.

Tony was gone. His body wasn’t made to handle the power of the infinity stones. Though the victory was monumental it didn’t feel like a win. There was no glee or celebratory nature to it, only a somber relief.

Natasha didn’t know if she could take the attention away from Tony. One of the most brilliant minds of the world, a leader of their team, had taken his last breath. She felt the loss, but you were at the top of her mind.

Was she too late?

“Where is she?”

The voice startled Natasha. She locked eyes with the witch on her right.

“I’ll show you,” Natasha took of in the direction she had left you.

Wanda followed behind her. This caught the attention of a few of the people, some of them following too.

As soon as Wanda saw your body, she was on the ground beside you. She carefully placed your head in her lap. Her magic flowed out of the tips of her fingers as she tried to bring you to consciousness.

“Dear god,” Steve mumbled when he saw your state.

His hand found it’s way on Natasha’s shoulder. She turned to face him, burying her head in the man’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her, it was the only thing he could do.

“I can still feel her,” Wanda announced. “It’s faint, but she isn’t dead yet.”

“My people can help, but not here. They need something to work with,” T’challa stated.

Bruce gestured around, “The compound is destroyed. We don’t have anywhere else.”

“The tower.”

Everyone’s eyes landed on Pepper.

“He never got around to clearing everything out.”

Dr. Strange was the one to open the portal, “Let’s not waste anymore time then.”

Wanda was the one to carry you carefully through the portal. T’challa went in next with some of the Wakandans, Bruce followed behind.

“I can handle things here if you want to go with her,” Strange was talking to Steve.

With a curt nod the captain ushered the Russian through the portal. Just like that they were back in the tower.

Wanda was leading everyone to where the medical facilities used to be. Sure enough as Pepper had said, there were still supplies around.

The Wakandans took over, taking you from Wanda. They began to assess the damage done to you. The others were told to wait in a separate area while they tried to keep you alive.

Steve and Wanda were stationed on opposite sides of Natasha. She stopped crying, but she just looked empty.

“Nat,” Steve called her softly.

“I was so mad at her. We had ended things and now she’s dead because of me.”

Wanda spoke first, “She isn’t dead, yet. They will save her.”

“And if they don’t?”

Steve offered his words, “Then we remember her as a hero. We couldn’t have done this without her.”

Natasha shook her head, “She killed Clint.”

Steve said ‘what’ and the same time Wanda said ‘why’.

“The only way to get the soul stone is by sacrificing someone you love. Clint and I, we tied her up. We fought to sacrifice ourselves. I had the upper hand, I had accepted it, but Y/n got free. She saved me after I jumped. She said there had to be another way, but I told her we didn’t have time. Then she just pushed him,” by the end of the recap Natasha was crying again.

Steve and Wanda shared a look.

“I watched the love of my life die in front of me twice in the span of 10 minutes. Once by my own hand. It is the most painful feeling I have ever felt in my life. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. I would’ve done anything to have him here,” Wanda gave her opinion.

Steve drew in a large breath, “It was wrong to push him, but I can’t fault her for it. If I were up there with Peggy, I don’t know what I would do.”

“I wasn’t worth it,” Natasha said through her tears.

“Natasha we wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you. You’re the only one that never gave up. That’s worth everything. Half the universe would still be missing without you,” Steve argued.

“As much as I think she saved you because she loves you, I also think she did it for the world,” Wanda added.

Natasha looked at them, “Would you have saved me or Clint?”

“Natasha,” Steve pleaded with her.

“I need the truth,” she begged.

Wanda sighed, “Clint was the perfect shot. He was talented at hand to hand combat, he was loyal, resourceful, and he had a family.”

Steve made eye contact with Natasha, “But you’re better. You have everything he had, just sharper. Clint was stubborn, but he wasn’t a leader like you are.”

Wanda nodded in agreement.

“He was my best friend.”

“They both wanted you to live, Natasha,” Wanda said.

Natasha shook her head, “And now they’re both gone.”

Before Steve or Wanda can respond T’challa and Bruce come out of the med bay.

“She’s stable,” Bruce revealed.

“For now,” T’challa added tentatively.

Natasha shifted in her spot, “Can I see her?”

“I don’t think now is a good time,” Bruce couldn’t look at the red head.

“How bad is it?” Steve asked the men, even though he knew the answer to the question.

T'challa started talking, “She lost a lot of blood. There was a wound on her stomach and blood in her lungs.”

Bruce took over, “Her collarbone is fractured. There are a bunch of bruises and minor cuts across the rest of her body.”

“The burns around her eyes and brow lead us to believe she overused her heat vision. It’s unclear to us if she can see,” T’challa added.

“I need to see her,” Natasha’s voice held strong.

Steve stood up, “They’ll let us know when she wakes up and you can be the first to see her.”

“No, I need to see her now,” Natasha doubled down.

Wanda tried next, “You need to rest and heal. You have your own wounds that need tending. I also think you have someone you need to call now that the universe is saved.”

“She is in the most capable care in the world,” T’challa affirmed.

Natasha narrowed her eyes, “You’ll call me as soon as I'm able to see her.”

T’challa and Bruce gave her their word. She was reluctant to leave, but Steve and Wanda escorted her out of the building.

“You should call Yelena. Tell her to meet us at your place.”

“No need, she’ll already be there.”

Wanda’s brow creased, “How do you know?”

Natasha started walking, “If I was in her position, I’d probably start with me.”

“Fair point.”

Much to Natasha’s credit, she was right. Once they made it to her apartment Yelena was already inside. The blonde had made herself at home. Her feet were kicked up on the coffee table as she watched the news explain what was happening.

“Hello sestra,” she addressed her sister first. “Other Avengers,” she followed.

Natasha made her way over to Yelena, not being able to stop herself from hugging her sister. Yelena was stiff, but eventually she held Natasha tightly.

“I’m glad you’re here Lena.”

Yelena pulled back to look at her, “I couldn’t do anything else without making sure you were still here. I was worried that you had gotten yourself killed.”

Natasha frowned, “Almost.”

Wanda and Steve had wandered off to a different room of the home. They wanted to give the sisters space to talk.

“What do you mean almost?”

Natasha plopped down on the couch, leaning her back against the cushion, “There was this stone…”

She recapped the story to her sister, just like she did with Steve and Wanda. Yelena was a little more animated than either of them. Natasha could see the shock, disapproval, and relief cross Yelena’s face one at a time.

“I want you to know that I would do exactly what she did.”

“Yelena,” Natasha’s tone carried some type of warning in it.

Yelena shrugged feigning slight discomfort, “I just got you back. I don’t think I could go through losing you again.”

This made Natasha deflate, “You would survive.”

“I’ve survived my entire life. I’m tired of surviving. Our relationship, it’s unconventional, but it makes me feel normal. There’s nothing that could replace that feeling, Natalia.”

Natasha puts her hands over her face, “Is that supposed to make it okay? I get to be here with you, but Clint never gets to come home. Laura and the kids never get to see him again. It’s not-”

“When has life ever been fair to us? Listen to yourself. This was always going to be a lose-lose situation. I’m sure they’ve already told you. Someone up there was going to die and two were going to come back.”

“Why not me?”

Yelena moved closer to her sister. She crouched down to get eye level with the woman, “Look at me.”

Natasha removed her hands from her face to meet her sister’s gaze.

“The way you’re feeling now, would you wish it on anyone else?”

“No.”

Yelena tilted her head, “You’re certain?”

Natasha let out an irritated sigh, “I would not wish this feeling on anyone else.”

Yelena raised her hands in good faith, “I am just checking. So, say you jumped successfully. Do you think that Clint would’ve felt the way you’re feeling?”

Natasha remained silent.

“How about Y/n? Do you think either of them deserved to feel the way you do? The guilt for not being able to stop you, depriving you of ever having a family, the resentment you feel for surviving?”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” she tried to defend.

Yelena nodded, “Yes it is.”

“No it’s not,” she was beginning to grow frustrated.

“Y/n’s tied up on the ground watching you fight to throw yourself off a cliff; to end the life you’ve built together, to sacrifice our relationship, to give up the chance of seeing your 5 years of hard work pay off. She can’t do anything, but watch, helplessly.”

“Stop.”

Yelena persisted, “Clint’s beating himself up for not being good enough to win your fight. He’s thinking he needs to be faster, stronger, he has to win to save your life. He owes you everything, all the best parts of him are possible because of you. How is he supposed to forgive himself for failing the one person who never gave up on him.”

“That’s enough,” Natasha stood up, trying to put distant between herself and Yelena.

The blonde followed her, “Y/n hates Clint for helping tie her up. She hates him for not being better, but she hates herself too. She can’t forgive him, or anyone else for what happened to you.”

Natasha turned on a dime, shoving the blonde in the chest. Yelena stopped though the adrenaline of her words coursed through her veins.

“Natasha,” Steve was the one to call her name, hoping to diffuse the situation.

Wanda stood by Yelena, acting as a barrier between the sisters.

Yelena seemed unbothered, but there was something fiery in her eyes, “It never mattered if it was Clint or Y/n or you. It was never going to be fair Natasha.”

Steve didn’t give the Natasha the chance to rebuttal. Instead he placed his hand on her shoulder, guiding her into her bedroom. The bedroom she was meant to share with you.

She sat on the bed, looking up and away from the man.

“You think she’s right?”

Steve sat on the edge facing away from her, “I don’t think she’s wrong.”

“I love Y/n. I didn’t think I could actually feel this way, but I do. She’s the only one to ever make me feel like this and I’m scared to lose her. It’s terrifying thinking that she might die.”

“But?”

Natasha closed her eyes, “But how am I supposed to forgive her?”

“You don't have to forgive her.”

Natasha sighed, “But?”

“But I can tell that you want to. Maybe you won’t forgive her today or tomorrow or even a year, but I think it’s possible.”

“When we were fighting all I could think about was him. I had to keep pushing or Clint would’ve died for nothing. Then Y/n saved me from Thanos. When I saw what he had done to her, I stopped thinking about Clint. I stopped thinking about the fight. All I thought about was how I didn’t want to live without her.”

Steve nodded along, “I think she could relate to the feeling.”

“Yelena was right. This was never going to be fair.”

Natasha needed space to process alone. Steve could sense it. So he stood up and she didn't stop him.

“Can I ask hard question?”

She gave him the go ahead.

“When it happened, did you love her any less?”

She hated you when you pushed him. She was sure of it. There was rage, horror, and shock. Natasha couldn’t recall anything more devastating in the last 5 years.

Yet she found herself saying, “No.”

Steve exited the room after she answered his question, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

“She’s going to need some time,” Steve entered the space living room.

“You think I pushed too hard?”

Wanda answered the blonde, “I think she needs it some times.”

“I’m going to go check on everything with Strange and the others. I need you to stay here, keep an eye on her.”

“Understood,” the magic user agreed.

Once he left it was only Yelena and Wanda.

Yelena tried to make small talk, “So, you weren’t here for any of this shit either?”

“Nope.”

You were no stranger to waking up in the infirmary. The sounds of machines beeping was familiar. The chatter from the medical staff was expected. Even the feeling of the blinding white lights didn’t startle you.

Or they wouldn’t have if you could see them.

“Y/n, can you hear me?”

You ignored the question, “Why can’t I see anything?”

“Y/n we’re working on a solution,” Bruce didn’t answer your question either.

“A solution to what, Bruce?”

T’challa speaks next, “You have lost control of your heat vision. Whenever your eyes are open, the beams come out.”

“So I’m blind.”

“We don’t know. We can't test anything because of your powers.”

One person crossed your mind, “Bruce, what about Charles?”

Bruce let out a little gasp, “I’ll see if I can get ahold of him. I’ll check with Summers too.”

He started to walk away, but he turned back to you.

“I can still feel you staring at me.”

He cleared his throat a bit, “Did you… did you kill Clint?”

You took a long inhale before answering him, “Yeah.”

“You pushed him,” Bruce said somberly.

“I- I wasn’t going to let Natasha die.”

T’challa interrupted, “Why not sacrifice yourself? There is no honor in murder.”

“You don’t think I know that? I wanted to find another way but Nat said we didn’t have any time. They were both standing by the edge. I just…”

A sob broke through your sentence. There it was, your guilt finally catching up to you. Your mask was slipping rapidly.

The tears were hot as they welled behind your eyes. They burned as they slid across the raw skin around your eyes.

“He was my friend too.”

Bruce attempted to back track, “I shouldn’t have asked. You’re in recovery.”

“She did jump, you know. I flew down to save her. I almost lost her and that was terrifying. I didn’t think about it, I didn’t plan it out, I just acted. Everything slowed down and then my hand was on his chest. Fuck.”

When you stopped speaking you brought your knees up to your chest. It hurt, everything hurt, but you needed it. You needed something tangible.

T'challa spoke, “I see it now, you did sacrifice yourself. You placed this burden on your shoulders intentionally.”

“Vormir was about more than one of us dying. It was about who could sacrifice something so monumental and have the strength to not die with what they loved.”

“Y/n, you have to lie down or the stitches on your abdomen will pop,” Bruce instructed you.

You do as the man said, “There was no reality in which Natasha went over that cliff and I didn’t.” You took a small pause before speaking again, “I would do anything to keep her safe. Even if that means having this guilt about what I’ve done. Even if she can never forgive me. At least I can find comfort in knowing she’s alive.”

“She loves you a lot more than I've seen her ever love anybody else. I don't know if she'll forgive you, but I know she won't stop loving you.” He cleared his throat, “Now, we’re going to see about those glasses.”

“Wait,” you stop them one final time. “How long has it been?”

“3 weeks.”

Once they exited your room Bruce made some calls. First, he called Steve to let him know you had woken up. The super soldier already knew he’d be tasked with telling Natasha. Then he called Charles Xavier, explaining the dilemma with your eyes. While the man didn’t have a pair he did send over the blue print for glasses. Lastly, he called Scott Summers who was reluctant, but eventually agreed to spare a pair of his special glasses.

By the time he had finished the last call Natasha was already in the building.

“I want to see her."

“She’s not ready to be seen yet. If you come back tomorrow-”

If looks could kill Bruce would be dead, “It’s been 3 weeks. She’s awake and I want to see her.”

“Natasha please, just one more day. We’re trying to figure out something important.”

“Five minutes. Just let me see her for five minutes and then I’ll leave,” Natasha bargained.

T’challa responded instead of Bruce, “Five minutes.”

“Thank you.”

She didn’t hesitate letting herself into your room. Her nerves were spiked, she was afraid to see you again. Over the last few weeks she kept picturing you like she last saw you. Bloody, broken, and on the brink of death.

You looked healthier in the hospital bed, but she didn’t know how much that meant. A lot of your injuries were hidden under the blanket. She could see some bruising along your neck. The sling on your arm also stood out to her. However, nothing was as noticeable as your face.

She remembered the bright red burns around your eyes from before. They were a much softer color now, but still present. It was as if someone had stamped your face with a red rectangle. Your eyes were completely covered, she knew you couldn’t see.

She stayed quiet as she got closer to you. She held her breath as reached out placing her hand on your cheek.

You didn’t move at first. Though you couldn’t see, you’d know her touch anywhere.

“Hi,” you broke the silence.

She responded, “Hey.”

It was quiet for another beat, “I didn't think you'd come.”

“You’re all I've been thinking about for the last 3 weeks. I didn't know if you'd wake up.”

“I’m sorry,” the volume of your voice died with your words.

She ignored your apology, “Can you see?”

“Don’t know yet. They can't run any tests because when my eyes are open my powers activate. Bruce is calling Charles and Cyclops to see if the same thing that works for him will work for me."

“And if it doesn’t?”

You go to shrug before remembering your sling, “Then I’m blind, I guess.”

“You should be more upset.”

You think about saying that you deserved it, but you don’t. Instead you let out a sigh, “I have other things that bother me more than potentially losing my vision.”

“I only have 5 minutes before they kick me out. I don’t- I don’t want to talk about that right now. I just want to be happy that you aren’t dead.”

You nod your head, “I'm happy that you’re happy.”

“We got the glasses, it’s time run some tests,” Bruce interrupted the moment.

“One last minute,” you tell Bruce who obliged.

Natasha’s hand left your face. She placed a kiss on your forehead, “I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Until tomorrow,” you said.

You could feel the distance growing as she walked away from you. Much like Bruce had earlier she stopped for a moment at the door. She looked back at you, a small debate running through her mind.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” your voice tremored at the end.

She left the room, allowing Bruce and T’challa back into the space.

“We’re going to have to get you to a secure location to test this. We’ve got a wheelchair here for you. We’ll take you to the training floor, put the glasses on you, see what happens, and go from there.”

“Okay.”

Natasha went back home after seeing you. It was only a few minutes but she felt a lot of relief seeing you alive.

“How is she doing?”

Natasha frowned, “She’s not in good shape. They don't even know if she can see, something about her powers not turning off.”

“Oh god,” Wanda responded.

The witch had been staying with her and Yelena since everything happened.

“Yeah, they only let me see her for five minutes.”

Yelena chimed in, “Damn that’s barely anything. Are you going to back tomorrow?”

She nods, “Yeah, I think there’s some things we need to talk about.”

“What did you talk about today?”

“Just her eyes really. She said sorry, but I wasn’t ready to talk. I told her I loved her,” Natasha’s gaze was locked on the ground.

Wanda was gentle when she asked, “Do you know what you're going to do?”

Natasha sighed, “I know what I want to do, but it all depends on what she says.”

Yelena put a hand on her sister’s shoulder, “Y/n is stubborn. I hope this goes the way you want it to.”

“She’s not like that with me.”

Wanda hummed at the response, “You don't think she'll try to distance herself. Too much shame and guilt.”

Natasha ran her hand along the arm of the couch, “All I know for sure is that she loves me.”

“Is that enough?” Yelena questioned.

“I want it to be.”

Back at the tower, you were preparing to open your eyes. You were alone in the training room. Bruce and T’challa were outside of it observing through the glass.

They had wheeled you into the middle of the room, glasses placed neatly on your lap.

You were scared, but that didn’t stop you.

It burned when you opened your eyes. The skin on your face wasn’t fully healed. It felt like you were reopening the burn wounds. You screamed at the feeling, fighting to keep your eyes open.

Your hands shook as you picked up the glasses. You shut your eyes, breathing heavily at the sensation. Once the glasses perched on your nose, you froze up a bit.

That pain you just felt causing you to hesitate. The longer your eyes were closed the more you saw Vormir. The ropes they had tied you up with, Clint falling to his death, the look on Natasha’s face; they would haunt you either way.

When you opened your eyes again the raging fire you had been subdued to a dull warmth.

“Y/n can you see?” Bruce asked over the intercom.

You nodded, “Everything is red, but I can see.”

You tried to get up from the wheelchair, but you overestimated your strength. You fell back into the chair. The second try was more successful. It took a lot more effort but you made it to your feet.

Your steps were careful as you hobbled towards your reflection. You were finally getting a good look at yourself.

Your fingers brushed the tender skin around the glasses. They then trailed down to the bruises on your neck. You flinched as they moved outward to sling of on your left arm.

You lifted the hospital gown, knowing that more injuries were hidden underneath. The stitches on your stomach were neat, but the area around it was still very bruised.

“Let’s get you back to the med bay; see if we can run some tests.”

You limped back to the wheelchair, staring at it before pushing it away.

“Y/n you really should-”

The sentence stopped as you began to levitate off of the floor. Nothing too intense just enough so that your feet were slightly hovering above the ground.

The next few hours were exhausting. They prodded and poked at you like you were some kind of experiment. You knew they were just doing their jobs, but that didn’t make it feel any less invasive.

When they were done you felt empty. You laid flat on your back staring at the ceiling. The red tint to everything was something you would have to get used to.

“I know it’s late, but what kind of captain would I be if I didn’t come see you?”

Your head lolled over to side to face him, “Hi Steve.”

He took a seat on the edge of your bed, “How are you?”

You let out a sad laugh, “Not good.”

“You want to talk about it?”

You blinked at the man, “What’s there to talk about? I killed my friend to save the woman I love. She’ll never forgive me. Then I almost died, my powers are broken, and for the foreseeable future I’ll only see in red.”

“You’re not dead. You’re here and maybe you’re broken, but its only been a day. There could be a cure, and if not at least the glasses can help. Even if it’s all red, you can see. And Natasha… she loves you Y/n.”

You fought against your tears.

“You can cry you know.”

You shook your head, “I’m tired of crying. It burns.”

“Okay, we can talk about something else.”

“We won right? Against Thanos.”

There’s a pained look that crossed Steve’s features, “Yeah, we did.”

“What happened?”

Steve let out a labored breath. He was the captain of the team. The only captain. So even though the wounds were fresh he reopened them, telling you about everything that you had missed.

It was quiet after that. The people who had disappeared were now back. Tony was dead. You missed the services for him and Clint.

“How’s Laura?”

He doesn’t shy away, “She’s hurting, the kids too. It’s a rough reality to accept. You were gone for years and now you’re back, but you’re missing a big piece of yourself.”

“Does she know?”

He nodded, “Yeah.”

Your heart sank further than you thought was possible. You felt sick, you wished you could curl up into yourself. There was nothing you could say. You couldn’t hold the tears back any further.

“I’m so sorry,” you choke out.

“She doesn’t blame you.”

You cry even harder at that, “That doesn’t make it any better. She should hate me.”

“She understands.”

“I don’t deserve it,” you started to hyperventilate.

Steve took your hand in his. He began to breathe deeply, trying to get you to mimic him. You began trying to copy him. With much effort your breathing began to return to normal.

“I think it would benefit you to talk to her.”

You frowned, “I don’t.”

He tried again, “It would benefit her.”

That made you hesitate, “I owe the Barton’s everything.”

“How about a phone call?”

“It’s late.”

Steve didn’t budge, “She’s not asleep.”

“Okay,” you found yourself agreeing.

Steve handed you his phone. It rang maybe three times before someone answered.

“Hello?”

You didn’t say anything.

“Steve, are you there? Is everything alright?”

You were petrified.

The super solider took the phone from you, “Laura, hey. I wanted to tell you Y/n woke up today. I’m with her right now. I was wondering if you wanted to speak with her?”

There’s a small beat, but Steve handed the phone back to you.

“Y/n, sweetheart, are you there?”

“I’m here,” you squeaked out.

You heard Laura sigh on the other end, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Laura I’m- I’m so sorry,” you crumbled after hearing her words.

“I forgive you,” she said quietly.

You argued with her, “You shouldn’t. I don’t deserve it.”

You could hear her tearing up on the other end, “Y/n I knew Clint better than anyone else. He had his moments, but he was a selfless man. He was already planning to save the world. Clint always wanted to have a heroes ending.”

“Laura-”

She cut you off, “You were scared to lose Natasha and I guarantee you that he was too.”

“I wanted there to be another way. I didn’t want anyone to die. I just- I needed more time. I just needed more time,” your voice died at the end.

“Y/n you were in a war. Sometimes the only way is death and it doesn’t matter how much time is on the clock,” she told you.

You felt shame as you spoke, “I owe you my life. More than my life, Laura. I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you. Whatever you need, I promise to deliver for you and the kids.”

“Y/n you don’t have to do anything.”

You nodded even though she can’t see, “I do and even if I didn’t, I still would. I can’t fix this. I can’t undo what I’ve done. There’s not even a way I can really make it right, but fuck. This is all I can offer, I don’t deserve remorse, but please Laura.”

She was quiet for a minute, “… I will call you if I need anything .”

“Thank you,” you held back your sob this time.

“Tell me about how you’re doing,” she changed the subject and you let her.

You talked all through the night. Steve left his phone with you for the night. Talking to Laura was hard, but not nearly as hard as you thought. She wasn’t degrading you or berating you. Though you found it hard to believe that she didn’t have any animosity toward you, she didn’t let it show.

You told her about your injuries and bits of the battle that you remembered. She asked you about Natasha. You were honest with her.

Nothing in your brain was telling you that deserved the Russian. Laura said that was stupid. She pointed out that the only reason you were in this state was because you went to save Natasha. She said that the two of you obviously loved each other. Laura even went as far to say that Clint would’ve wanted you to be together.

You told her that it wasn’t your decision any more. It was all up to Natasha. You admitted that you would never turn her away, but also that you would never force her to be with you.

She told you that she knew Natasha very well. In the same way that everyone else had told you today she said that Natasha loved you. Part of you hoped that would be enough.

It was late when you finally woke up. You fought the urge to open your eyes. Instead you reached for the bedside table, feeling around for the glasses.

You grunted in frustration when you didn’t feel them. The sling on your left arm stopping you from reaching any further.

“Here.”

The voice startled you causing your heart rate to jump. She placed the glasses in your hand.

“You scared the fuck out of me,” you said placing the glasses on your face.

“Sorry,” she shrugged.

You looked at her for the first time in weeks. Subconsciously you were checking her for injuries, surely, they would’ve faded by now. She wasn’t as hurt as you were.

“How long have you been here, Nat?”

“A few hours, it’s late. I didn't want to wake you.”

You shot up in your spot, there was instant regret as you felt a pain in your stomach.

“What time is it?” You grunted out.

Natasha helped you sit up in the bed. Her eyes were sharp as she looked at you, “You need to be more carefully. It’s almost 2pm."

You kept her gaze as you nodded, “Sorry, I was up late last night.”

“Couldn’t sleep?”

You looked in your lap, “Steve came to see me. He told me I should talk to Laura.”

“Oh.”

You sighed a bit, “Yeah he called her. We ended up talking all I night. I think his phone is still in here somewhere.”

“You talked to Laura?”

Your nod was softer this time, “I didn’t want to at first. Steve said it would help her, that she wanted to talk to me. I will be indebted to her for the rest of my life, so we talked about everything.”

Natasha shuffled around in her seat, “How did it go?”

She watched the relief cross your face. There was even a small smile on your lips.

“I feel like it went as good as it could’ve gone. I- I wish I could do more to show how sorry I am, how guilty I feel. But all I can do is apologize and promise to be there for her any time she needs anything. It’s not him, nothing will ever be him.”

Natasha moved closer to you, “You’re right, nothing you do can bring him back. No amount of apologies or promises will resurrect him.”

“Natasha…”

She cut you off, “All I want to ask is why you did it?”

You caught her gaze again. Maybe it was wrong to weigh your options, but you started to do it anyway.

“The truth,” she stopped your thoughts in their track.

You turned your head away from her. You struggled, but eventually your back hit the mattress. Your eyes shut, thinking it would be easier this way. Natasha thought it was easier too.

“I thought it was for you at first. For the life you created, for the family you had just found. So that you could see all your hard work pay off. These last 5 years were so hard on you, I just wanted you to be able to feel the success,” you started.

“At first?”

You continued, “Then I thought it was for me. I didn’t want to watch you die. You guys tied me up, left me helpless. I had to watch you both fighting to kill yourselves. When I saw you go over that cliff I didn’t know if I was fast enough to save you. I tried anyway and if I would’ve failed then we both be dead.”

“I understand, after watching you almost die,” she relented.

“The truth is, in the moment I was thinking of us. It wasn't some long thought out thing. In my head it was simple. The world still needed you and so did I. When you said we didn't have time, it was my instinctual reaction."

The Russian didn’t take her eyes off of you, “I want to forgive you.”

“I won’t make you.”

Natasha kept going, “You almost died protecting me."

“Clint is dead because of me,” you refuted.

“One of us had to die,” she sounded somber.

You squeezed your eyes tighter, “It should’ve been on his own terms. I shoved him.”

“We would’ve been up there debating for hours or fighting each other. I won’t forgive you for pushing him, I just can’t; but I also can’t pretend like I don’t care about you anymore.”

You still haven’t opened your eyes, “What does that mean?”

Natasha placed her hand on top of yours, “It means that you can’t move out. It means that I want to try to work through this because I love you.”

You finally reopened your eyes, “Natasha, is this a good idea?”

“Do you love me?”

Your eyes softened, “Of course I love you.”

“Then it’s a good idea. Besides, I think you owe me for all of the trauma.”

“Fair point,” you responded.

There was a shared chuckle between the two of you.

Natasha reached out, much like she had the day before. This time she wiped some of your hair out of your face. Her hand trailed your side profile. She was mindful of your injuries.

You were subconsciously leaning into her touch. Her eyes fell to your lips. You felt your face heat with anticipation. Neither of you said anything.

She kissed you. It was delicate. Fragile in the way she held your face. Soft in the way her lips moved against yours. Much like the state of your relationship.

“You’re coming home when they discharge you.”

You drag your gaze from her lips to her eyes, “Okay.”

She pecked your lips once more, “Wanda and Lena are staying with us by the way.”

“Are they alright?”

“Wanda is doing the best she can without Vision. My sister is paranoid something is going to happen and doesn't want to be separated again,” she gave you a quick rundown.

“At least you have each other.”

Natasha hummed in agreement. It was quiet again after that. The two of you just staring at each other. You were the one to speak first.

“You want to cuddle?”

She let out a genuine laughter, “You’re in a hospital bed.”

“I know, but you can squeeze in,” you look away from her slightly embarrassed.

“And your stomach stitches?”

You mumbled in response, “It’s fine for the most part.”

“Sure it is.”

You glared back at her, “Are you going to hold me or not?”

She smiled when she stood up, slowly rounding the bed. She climbed in tiny bed, attentive to your injuries. She was careful as she placed her arms around you. You pushed yourself further into her arms.

She kissed the side of your head, “You’re needy when you’re hurt.”

“Whatever.”

“Cranky too.”

You huffed, “But you still love me.”

“Very much,” she teased.

“I love you back.”

She kissed you one last time. Then the two of you laid together. Guilt and shame still lingered in the back of your mind, but with Natasha holding you, love stood at the forefront of your mind.

In that moment you both had a similar thought: maybe love would be enough.

#lowkeyerror #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha romanov #wanda maximoff #yelena belova #steve rogers #bruce banner #t'challa #black panther #clint barton #thor odinson #tony stark #dr. strange #laura barton

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sandrakir31 · 2 months ago

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I miss them... 😔😔😔

#ironstrange #iron man #dr stephen strange #dr. strange #tony stark #marvel mcu #marvel #peter parker #supreme family

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shadyfestivalperfection · 3 months ago

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Tiny Sorceress~Oneshot

Summery: Bucky and Sam take care of Y/n who accidentally turned herself into an eight month old baby.

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Sorceress!Girlfriend!Reader

||Master List||

“—And I’m just saying,” Sam Wilson said, gesturing wildly with a half-eaten slice of pizza, “if Redwing had emotions, he would definitely like me better than you.”

Bucky Barnes didn’t even look up from his spot on the couch. He was stretched out like a very grumpy, very tired cat, his metal arm behind his head and a bowl of popcorn balanced on his chest.

“He doesn’t like you,” Bucky replied lazily. “He’s a drone. He doesn’t like anyone.”

“You’re just jealous because he listens to me.”

“He listens to programming. Calm down, Wilson.”

Sam scoffed and shoved the rest of the pizza in his mouth, pointing an accusatory finger at Bucky. “That’s exactly what someone would say if they lost an argument to a bird.”

Bucky gave him a slow blink. “You lost an argument to a coffee machine once. Let’s not throw stones.”

“That machine gave me decaf, Barnes. That wasn’t a loss—it was sabotage.”

“Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

The two men settled into a lull, the kind that came with an entire day off. Y/n, Bucky’s girlfriend and full-time sorceress-in-training (technically more powerful than she liked to admit), had holed herself up in her little mystical lab earlier that morning with a book bigger than her head and an energy drink labeled “MANA-ZONE.”

Bucky hadn’t seen her since.

He assumed she was fine. He figured that if anything went wrong, the walls would probably shake—or something would explode. That was usually how magical accidents started.

He’d been dating Y/n long enough to know when to worry and when to give her space.

Sam was halfway through a rant about superhero tax breaks when Bucky’s phone vibrated on the coffee table.

Without thinking, he grabbed it and answered.

“Barnes,” said the clipped voice on the other end.

Bucky sat up slowly, recognizing the speaker immediately. “Strange?”

“Get to the Sanctum. Now.”

Bucky was already on his feet. “What happened? Is it Y/n?”

“She’s—well—yes. But I can’t explain over the phone. Just hurry. It’s… urgent.”

And then the line went dead.

Bucky didn’t think. He didn’t breathe.

He just grabbed his keys.

___

“You didn’t even tell me what was going on!” Sam shouted from the passenger seat as Bucky ran a red light in a stolen-looking SUV.

“I didn’t have time!” Bucky barked back. “He said it was Y/n!”

“And that means we break traffic laws?!”

“If she’s hurt, yes!”

Sam threw up his hands. “Damn. You are whipped.”

Bucky didn’t deny it.

When they skidded to a stop outside the Sanctum Sanctorum, Bucky barely had time to knock before the doors flew open.

Doctor Stephen Strange stood there looking like someone had just thrown him into a toddler gymnastics class.

“Thank God,” he muttered, stepping aside to let them in. “We’ve had a situation.”

“What kind of situation?” Bucky demanded, heart pounding. “Where is she? Is she okay? Is she hurt—”

“Technically? No. She’s… uh… quite healthy.” Strange rubbed a hand down his face and gestured toward the foyer.

That’s when Bucky heard it.

A soft little giggle.

A happy, high-pitched squeal.

He turned the corner—

—and nearly dropped dead.

Sitting in the middle of a ring of softly glowing runes, chewing on the corner of her own oversized sleeve, was a plump, eight-month-old baby.

She had Y/n’s hair.

She had Y/n’s bright eyes.

And she looked up at Bucky and lit up like a damn firework.

“BAH!” she squealed, arms outstretched. “Buh-buh-buh!”

Bucky stared.

Then blinked.

Then slowly turned back to Strange.

“What. The. Hell.”

Strange sighed. “She was experimenting with temporal regression spells. Apparently, she got the incantation slightly… wrong.”

“Slightly?!”

“I didn’t say she was good at math. Look, the spell is temporary. She should return to normal in 48 hours.”

“FORTY-EIGHT?!”

“I said it was temporary.”

Bucky turned back toward the giggling baby. Y/n had rolled over and was attempting to crawl toward him like a very determined muffin.

He dropped to his knees, completely at a loss. “Y/n? That’s you?”

She stuck her whole fist in her mouth and blinked up at him.

Sam peered over Bucky’s shoulder.

“Well,” he said slowly. “She’s got your eyes. Sorry, I mean—your girlfriend’s eyes. In a… baby. Body.”

Bucky turned around with the most betrayed expression he’d ever worn.

“Don’t help.”

___

Ten minutes later, the Sanctum had successfully unloaded its smallest magical disaster into Bucky’s arms, along with a diaper bag that seemed to horrifyingly already exist for her size.

“Did she conjure that too?” Sam asked, looking at the pink and silver bag with a grimace.

“She’s a planner,” Bucky muttered, adjusting the tiny, squeaky girl now happily playing with the zipper on his jacket.

Strange waved them out the door. “She can’t cast anything like this—her magical core’s dormant while the regression holds. So no hexes, no portals, no sudden dragon appearances. You’ll be fine.”

“And what do we do if she—” Bucky paused. “Needs something?”

“Figure it out. You’re adults.”

“You’re the wizard!”

“I’m not a babysitter.”

The door shut in their faces.

Sam let out a low whistle.

“Well. This’ll be fun.”

Bucky looked down at the bundle in his arms.

Y/n blew a spit bubble.

___

Back at the apartment, chaos erupted in three parts:

1. The Diaper Disaster.

“This isn’t fair,” Bucky muttered, holding up a packet of wipes like it was a bomb. “She’s supposed to be this all-powerful sorceress, and I’m stuck doing damage control on her butt.”

“You do realize she pooped glitter, right?” Sam said, squinting into the trash can. “That’s definitely not normal baby poop.”

“She ate magic.”

“Do we call Strange again?”

“I’m not calling that smug bastard to talk about her glitter poop.”

“Then you’re on your own, Snow White.”

“Traitor.”

2. The Feeding Fiasco.

“I don’t know how much to give her!” Bucky hissed.

“She’s a baby. Just give her the bottle and let her decide!”

“She might get full!”

“Or she might turn us into frogs if she’s hungry. I say risk it.”

Bucky cautiously handed the bottle over. Y/n grabbed it with both tiny fists and latched on like a starved gremlin.

Bucky melted.

Sam took a photo.

3. The Great Escape.

“Where’d she go?!”

“She was just there!”

“I told you to baby-proof the couch!”

“She crawled like lightning!”

“WHY IS SHE IN THE FRIDGE?!”

___

By midnight, both men were exhausted.

Bucky was slumped on the floor, his metal arm cradling a sleeping baby Y/n curled up on his chest like a warm, wiggly blanket.

Sam was on the couch, texting someone a photo of Bucky snoring with a bottle of formula in his lap.

“I gotta admit,” Sam said softly, “she’s kinda cute like this.”

Bucky grunted.

“Barnes?”

“Mm?”

“You ever think about…”

“What?”

“You know. The future.”

Bucky looked down at the tiny sorceress nuzzled into his shirt.

“…Yeah,” he murmured. “I do.”

___

Bucky woke to the gentle but persistent thwack of something soft smacking his face.

Thwack.

He blinked awake to find a plush teddy bear levitating a foot above his head—slowly and repeatedly bouncing off his forehead.

“Oh no,” he groaned, sitting up on the couch.

Across the living room, Baby Y/n was standing—standing—in her playpen, hands raised like a conductor mid-symphony, face scrunched with concentration.

The teddy bear rotated in the air, sparked with gold runes, then zoomed straight into Sam’s head on the opposite chair.

“OW—”

“Morning,” Bucky muttered.

Sam sat up, bleary-eyed and pillow-faced. “Is that bear flying?”

“Yep.”

“She’s not supposed to have magic in baby form!”

Bucky shrugged and stumbled toward the playpen. “Guess she’s advanced.”

Y/n giggled and, without warning, launched the teddy across the room like a missile.

Sam yelped and dove for cover.

“Oh yeah,” he muttered. “She’s gonna be a great teenager.”

___

“Why does she have fangs?” Sam asked an hour later, peering nervously into Y/n’s open mouth as she gnawed on a rubber duck.

“She’s teething,” Bucky replied, eyes wide. “But, uh… sorceress teething. With… magically enhanced baby teeth.”

“Those are tiny daggers, man!”

“Don’t let her near your phone.”

“She already bit through a bottle nipple!”

“Yeah. She’s powerful.”

Y/n made a guttural, adorable war cry and tossed the rubber duck at Sam’s head.

They ducked (no pun intended).

“Okay,” Sam said, clapping his hands. “New rule: Only plush objects within biting range. And someone hide my socks. She has a taste for cotton.”

“She’s chewed through three binkies already.”

“Let me guess. You bought normal ones.”

“…Yes?”

Sam stood dramatically. “This calls for reinforcements.”

Bucky blinked. “Are you going to Target?”

“I’m going to Target.”

___

Sam returned 45 minutes later with:

1 pack of “Extreme Comfort Binkies – Sorcerer-Grade, BPA-Free”

2 baby spellproof onesies (“They’re literally baby armor. Why do these exist?”)

A pacifier clip shaped like a magic wand

And a bottle of baby-safe calming potion from an underground mystic apothecary.

Bucky stared at the haul. “You fought a wizard for these, didn’t you?”

“I bargained,” Sam said, proudly. “Also, the cashier may now owe me a favor in the next timeline.”

“You scare me sometimes.”

Sam handed Y/n the new binky.

She examined it with her tiny, judgmental eyes… and finally accepted it with a grunt of approval.

Bucky almost cried with relief.

___

By noon, the calm had broken.

“Is she… burping sparkles?” Sam asked, eyes wide.

Y/n sat on the floor in her padded onesie, hiccupping clouds of glittery mist.

“Either that or she swallowed a disco ball,” Bucky said, crouching in front of her.

She hiccuped again. A miniature lightning bolt zapped from her mouth to the TV remote, which exploded into pieces.

“…That’s new.”

Sam slapped a post-it to the wall. “Day Two: Baby now a tiny, sparkly time bomb.”

“She’s not dangerous.”

Another hiccup lit Bucky’s shirt on fire.

“…She’s slightly dangerous.”

Y/n squealed with joy.

___

“Okay,” Bucky said, staring at the baby bathtub like it had just insulted him. “This cannot be that hard.”

Y/n, now slightly grubby from her glittery magic burps, clapped her tiny hands.

Sam watched from the doorway. “You’ve fought aliens, Bucky. You got this.”

“Right. Okay. Soap. Water. No drowning. I can do this.”

He lowered her gently into the warm water.

Y/n immediately splashed so hard Bucky looked like he’d been hit by a water cannon.

“Alright, alright—gentle, sweetheart!”

She laughed and kicked, casting tiny bubbles into the air that somehow played music.

“Is that jazz?” Sam asked, peeking in.

“She enchanted the water!” Bucky groaned.

“She’s literally throwing a bath party.”

Y/n raised her arms dramatically. A stream of bubbles rose up in a perfect glowing arch… and burst in the shape of a middle finger.

Bucky and Sam stared.

“Okay, no more late-night reality shows for you,” Sam muttered.

___

7:00 PM.

Y/n had refused three storybooks, demanded her teddy bear “floaty,” and summoned six stuffed animals into a wiggling orbit above her crib.

Sam watched, exhausted, as the plush toys rotated like a cuddly solar system.

“She’s… going to sleep like this?” he asked.

Bucky, equally tired, nodded. “She won’t rest unless the bear is in geosynchronous orbit.”

“I didn’t even know babies knew that word.”

“She doesn’t. She feels it.”

They finally got her to sleep, surrounded by stuffed animals glowing faintly with magical energy.

“Okay,” Sam whispered, collapsing onto the couch. “She’s asleep. You can breathe now.”

Bucky exhaled, then muttered:

“She’s gonna be the death of me when she’s older.”

Sam smirked. “Oh, you’re in this deep, man.”

“I think I love her more now than I did when she was full-sized.”

Sam chuckled, cracking open a soda. “You say that now. Just wait till she’s big enough to cast spells again.”

“She already flipped me off with bubbles.”

They both groaned.

___

The door knocked at exactly 8:00 AM the next day.

Bucky opened it, bleary-eyed, holding a sippy cup in one hand and a plush bear in the other.

Doctor Strange raised an eyebrow.

“Rough night?”

“She turned my toaster into a swan.”

“Ah. She’s accelerating. Good news: the spell will wear off in about an hour.”

“Thank God.”

Strange stepped in, checked on baby Y/n (who was busy biting the corner of Sam’s hoodie), and nodded. “When she wakes, she’ll be back to normal.”

Bucky looked at her peacefully sleeping form.

“Good,” he said softly.

“…But I think I’ll miss her.”

___

Y/n woke up groggy, limbs heavy, cheek squished against something soft. A second later, she sat bolt upright.

“Why do I taste rubber duck!?”

Her voice sounded normal. Her arms were long again. Her head no longer fit in a mixing bowl.

She blinked.

She was on Bucky’s couch, wrapped in a comforter with her hair an actual bird’s nest. There was glitter on her hands, her shirt was a child-sized “Future Sorceress” tee stretched to its absolute limits, and a teddy bear with burn marks sat staring at her like it had seen war.

“Oh, gods,” she groaned. “What did I do?”

From the kitchen, a pan clattered.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Sam called, grinning.

Y/n’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Not Sam. Please not Sam—”

Then Bucky appeared from the hallway, tousled, tired, and holding a baby bottle filled with orange juice.

They stared at each other.

Then Bucky smiled.

And promptly dropped the bottle.

Ten minutes later, Y/n was fully awake and fully mortified. She sat curled up on the couch in Bucky’s hoodie while the guys recounted the last 48 hours like war veterans.

“You tried to fly a teddy bear.”

“You bit through three pacifiers.”

“You turned our toaster into a swan.”

“You flipped me off with a bubble.” Sam added with reverence.

Y/n buried her face in her hands. “I want to disappear.”

Bucky was grinning ear to ear. “You were adorable. And terrifying.”

Sam nodded. “A menace in footie pajamas.”

“Why do I remember everything?” she moaned.

“Strange said the spell was a regression, not a full mental wipe. Guess it was more like… toddler with a genius IQ.”

“I bit you.”

Bucky held up his arm. “You left tiny teeth marks on my metal arm. I’m keeping them.”

Y/n groaned again.

Sam looked thoughtful. “You also enchanted the baby monitor to scream every time I said the word ‘pants.’”

“…What?”

___

After a long shower (which was somehow still glittery), Y/n stepped into the kitchen to find Bucky cleaning up melted pacifiers and one very suspicious duck.

She wrapped her arms around him from behind.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “You didn’t sign up for magical baby duty.”

He turned, pulling her into a proper hug.

“I’d do it again.”

“You literally looked like a man on the edge.”

“Yeah. And I still liked every second of it.”

Y/n blinked up at him.

“…Even the part where I spit glitter on your face?”

He smirked. “Especially that part.”

They kissed—gently, sweetly, like they hadn’t seen each other in years.

From the living room, Sam yelled, “STOP KISSING AND FIX MY SWEATER, GREMLIN!”

Y/n sighed and walked out. “Did I bite that too?”

Sam pointed to the hoodie sleeve. “You gnawed through it like a tiny sorceress beaver.”

Y/n winced. “Okay, I deserve that.”

___

By noon, things had finally returned to normal.

Y/n conjured fresh pancakes to make up for the chaos. Bucky sat beside her, trying to brush glitter out of her hair.

Sam scrolled through photos on his phone.

“Okay, okay,” he said suddenly. “Real talk. Can I keep one?”

Y/n looked horrified. “Of me? As a baby??”

“You had chubby cheeks and your magic made the apples levitate. It was hilarious.”

She covered her face. “I will hex your eyebrows off.”

“I’m already bald. Try me.”

Bucky snorted.

Y/n turned to Bucky and whispered, “You didn’t take any too, did you?”

He gave her the most guilty look.

“…Bucky.”

“I just—just one! For my phone lock screen. You were so tiny.”

Y/n narrowed her eyes.

“…Let me see.”

He showed her the photo. Baby Y/n, mid-squeal, teddy bear levitating behind her, cheeks round as moons and eyes wide with wonder.

She paused.

“…Okay. That’s kinda cute.”

Bucky beamed. “I knew you’d say that.”

___

That evening, Strange showed up to check in.

He eyed Y/n with wariness, then sniffed the air. “Residual magic. Your baby aura’s still in the walls.”

“I’m working on it,” she grumbled.

“You also triggered a latent enchantment. The teddy bear is now sentient.”

Y/n gasped. “What?!”

A deep growly voice said from the couch: “I AM MR. CUDDLES. I SEEK VENGEANCE.”

Everyone screamed.

Strange calmly trapped the bear in a glowing bubble.

“I’ll be taking that,” he said, levitating it toward the portal. “Also—no more regression spells without supervision.”

Y/n scowled. “It was accidental!”

“Still.”

As he stepped into the portal, he glanced at Bucky.

“Good job surviving. Most men would’ve fled.”

Then he vanished.

Sam muttered, “Next time he pulls that, I’m hiding in Wakanda.”

___

Later that night, Bucky and Y/n curled up in bed.

She rested her head on his chest, still slightly embarrassed.

“Were you scared?” she asked softly. “When Strange called you.”

He nodded. “Terrified. Thought you were dying.”

She pressed a kiss to his chest.

“But when I got there and saw you—eight months old, mad about your footie pajamas—I just… couldn’t stop laughing.”“I was mad about the ducks.”

“You bit him.”She groaned again.“But,” Bucky added, tilting her chin up, “even in baby form… I still loved you.”Her heart melted.

“I love you too, Barnes. Even when you let me chew Sam’s hoodie.”

“Honestly, that part was kind of a highlight.”They laughed, tangled in each other, and drifted off to sleep—teddy bears safely locked in magical quarantine.

-the end

#marvel #fanfiction #romance #shadyfestivalperfection #sebastian stan #bucky barns fanfiction #bucky barnes x reader #sam wilson #captain america #falcon #winter soldier #baby #sorceress #dr. strange #fluff #humor #mcu #female reader

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ktrew · 4 months ago

Text

A very ancient sketch in collaboration with a friend of mine. I remembered it quite by accident and decided to update the translation.

#ktrew #strangeiron #iron man #ironstrange #dr. strange #stephen x tony

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frost-queen · 2 years ago

Text

Starcrossed lovers / 1 (Reader x Peter Parker) NWH

Requested by: Anon Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22, @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly@denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco@subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07, @melsunshine, @panhoeofmanyfandoms, @venomsvl, @the-uncoordinated-house-cat, @rosecentury, @imagines-by-her, @evilcr0ne, @vviolynn

Summary: You & Peter were in love till he lost you. Pulled through a portal he did not expected to meet you again on a different earth. When the battle against Green Goblin in upon them has Peter a chance to forgive himself but at what cost? [series list]

“I’ve got you, I’ve got you Y/n.” – Peter breathed out. Some electricity flickered dangerously above his head. You gasped loud looking up to him. Feet dangling in the air as his hand in yours was the only thing holding you in place. – “Peter…” – you said anxiously. The broken insides of the construction site clear. In the midst of the building you were hanging. Your life literally in Peter’s hand.

He himself hung stuck on a support bar made of metal with only his web. You gasped again hearing the construction site tremble. Feeling as if the place was coming down any second. You looked down at the gaping hole ready to swallow you whole. – “Don’t… don’t look down Y/n.” – Peter said with a clenched expression.

He felt his hand sweat underneath his suit, hoping it wouldn’t lose his grip on you. The construction site shook again, trembling and breathing as it disturbed the peace. Peter and you bounced a bit trying to stay steady. – “Peter!” – you called out wanting him to look at you. Peter was panting, holding onto you with every might. He looked down at you seeing the fear in your eyes. Yet there was also something else hiding in your eyes. Acceptance? Peter felt his hand slip in yours, making him groan loud. It made your feet dangle more knowing he couldn’t hold you any longer

You knew as good as anyone that Peter couldn’t save the both of you. It was him or you. It was an easy choice to make. The world needed spiderman, but the world didn’t need Y/n Y/l/n. It was an easy choice. You or him. You slowly closed your eyes, squeezing them gently shut as a single tear rolled down your cheek. Peter groaned again as he felt his grip falter on you. – “I’ll… I’ll figure something out Y/n.” – Peter said looking around to see how he was going to get out of here.

“I have to!” – Peter shouted at himself as you slowly opened your eyes once more. – “Peter I love you.” – you said making him look down at you. His eyes widened finally seeing the meaning in your eyes. You opened your hand, letting it lean back so his grip faltered.

Your hand slipped out of his as you descended into the abyss. – “No!” – Peter shouted releasing his web. You were falling. Peter diving after you, reaching his hand out to you. A web shot out aiming at you in the hopes of catching you. Your eyes were glossy from the held in tears. The wind catching you like hands trying to ease your fall. Peter’s web reached and attached itself to your stomach. He called it out trying to lift you up but the ground was reaching faster. Faster then he could’ve pulled you up. Your back smacked against the hard floor, bouncing off. It was fast. Quicker than falling asleep. Red crimes blood staining the hard floor. Peter landed beside you, picking you up carefully. For his pain could never be healed.

★━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━★★━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━★

“Just think of Peter!” – you called out slightly annoyed. – “Okay, okay.” – Ned replied jumpy as you were making him nervous. – “Just hold on.” – he added moving away from you. MJ sighed loud with a shake of her head. – “I need to concentrate for this.” – he told you. – “Then concentrate.” – you answered bitsy. MJ got up grabbing you by the shoulders. – “Give him some space.” – she said pulling you backwards away from Ned. You surrendered holding your hands up. – “I’ll won’t say a thing.” – you told her as MJ sat you down. – “Here have a cookie.” – she slid the tiny plate with cookies closer to you.

Cookies Ned’s grandma had made. You didn’t want to accept one as MJ took one and forced it into your hand. With one stern glance of her, she forced you to remain silent and eat it. Ned wiggled his shoulders to prepare himself like a boxer would before entering the ring. He moved his fingers in front of him, closing his eyes. – “Think of Peter Parker. Think of Peter Parker.” – he mumbled to himself. Slowly little orange flickers appeared in the midst of his grandma’s living room. MJ’s eyes widened as the orange sparks increased. Tumbling in a spiralling way as they grew wider.

Creating an opening. Your eyes widened as well making you drop your cookie out of shock. The portal opened more as you could look into an alleyway. A figure unclear. – “Peter! Hey Peter!” – Ned called out. The figure turned around pointing confused at himself. – “Peter come’ on!” – Ned urged not knowing how long he could open this portal. The figure approached jumping through the portal. – “It worked.” – MJ said looking at spiderman. The spiderman looked from Ned to MJ, then his eyes fell on you. It made him take off his mask, hoping his eyes weren’t deceiving him.

Ned and MJ gasped loud. – “Who are you?” – Ned asked loud. It drew spiderman’s attention away from you. – “I’m Peter.” – he said friendly. – “No, we are looking for Peter… Peter Parker.” – MJ stated looking suspiciously at him. – “My name is Peter Parker.” – his gaze going back to you. MJ furrowed her brows looking back at you confused. – “No, our Peter is spiderman.” – Ned addressed. – “I am spiderman.” – Peter replied looking briefly at Ned. MJ grabbed a bagel throwing at Peter.

Peter furrowed his brows, moving his hands away, gesturing why. – “I wanted to test your spider tingle.” – she told him. – “I have the spider tingle just not for bread.” – he told her. You snorted loud finding it very funny. Hearing you laugh made Peter’s face light up. – “We summoned the wrong Peter.” – Ned said out loud making you get up. You brushed past MJ and Ned coming over to Peter.

You started circling around Peter taking a close look at him. When you came to the front and your eyes met, you smiled sheepishly. – “Hi.” – you said softly. – “Hi…” – Peter replied with a saddened smile. You lifted his arm up, going underneath it as you examined his suit. Went around his back to the side, taking his other arm. You faced his palm up checking his spider webs.

You pressed on it accidently gluing your fingers to his device. You chuckled sheepishly. – “Sorry.” – you spoke. Peter smiled till his smile faltered having been brought back to a memory. He remembered when you had done the exact same thing once. He pulled the web of your fingers, freeing you. – “He seems real enough to me.” – you told MJ and Ned. Peter who had put his mask between his teeth, raised his arms in a way of telling MJ and Ned he was telling the truth. He pulled his mask out of his mouth with a smile. MJ still had her suspicion on him. – “Don’t mind MJ, she is a bit untrusting towards people.” – you told Peter.

“That’s okay.” – Peter answered almost saying your name. It almost blurted out so naturally he had missed saying it. Ned took a deep breath. – “Alright attempt number two.” – he prepared himself again for another go. Peter stepped aside joining your side. He watched Ned swirl his hand in a circle to open another portal. – “I’m Y/n.” – you told him making him look back at you. – “I know…” – he whispered saddened. You quirked up your eyebrow. Peter kept staring at you, unable to grasp that you were standing here beside him.

If he could, he would’ve grabbed you and kissed you like his life depended on it. It hurt, hurt being so vividly reminded of the loss of you in his world. It felt like a blessing that he got to speak to you again, yet it felt bittersweet knowing you were from somewhere else. A different earth. – “So uhm…” – Peter began half watching Ned’s attempts to open another portal. – “Peter… your Peter are you… his…” – Peter felt ridiculous and silly for even asking it.

He just wanted to know if his alternative Peter was yours. You picked up on it, laughing loud. – “Oh no, I’m just a friend. MJ is Peter’s girlfriend.” – you nudged with your head at MJ. – “Okay…” – he whispered out with a saddened smile. A new portal opened as a second person walked out, claiming to be Peter Parker as well. MJ sighed disappointed as Ned could only chuckle awkwardly.

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“Can the spiderman come out to play?” – all three Peter’s turned their head at the familiar voice. Green Goblin riding his hoverboard as he unleashed his green bombs. They were coming towards the building aiming for Dr. Strange. Doc Oc’s attached arms grabbed them out of the air, protecting Dr. Strange. They exploded in his metal grip. Stephen gasped when Green Goblin flew by, grabbing the cube from him.

Peter, the Peter from this earth turned his head in shock. Doc Oc flung a metallic arm at him, taking a hold of the hoverboard. Green Goblin was being held in place making him look surprised back. Strange flung a whip to Green Goblin taking back the cube. It hovered between his hands as he sighed relieved. Green Goblin turned snapping off one of Doc Oc’s arms. Doc Oc cursed in pain with frustration. The cube slowly turned in Stephan’s hand as all three Peter’s widened their eyes.

All seeing the green bomb ball inside the cube. – “Strange no!” – Peter one shouted holding his hand out. The bomb exploded releasing the magic inside it with blasts as two spheric rings blasted through the building. The entire building shook as it made you stumble out of balance, knocking into Ned. Ned, MJ and you were a few levels below, unaware of what was happening up there. The heavy shield destined for the statue of liberty released from it’s position.

With a heavy weight it scorched a way down the building. Breaking everything in it’s wake. The platform you were on shook immensely. Even shifted as you lost your balance. Making you stumble backwards as your arms flayed around for any balance. You tipped over the edge with a loud scream. Ned unable to grab you in time as he clutched onto a pipe, nearly falling down himself.

Your scream was hearable till the top. Making all three Peter’s look up with worry. Peter, Peter three was the first one to react. His scream deafened out as he leaped off the building. Not again. Why was he tormented like this again? Having to relive the moment he lost you. Your hands grabbing for any support. Peter dived down getting pulled back to the memory of where he had seen you fall before. The way you had shown acceptance in your eyes.

Yet your eyes were different. Full of fear. Only fear, no acceptance. He came at you with speed, determination on his mind. Not again. No more he would let you fall. He opened his arms, wrapping them tightly around you as the impact made you twirl in the air. Peter shot out a web as it stuck to a metal bar. His falling slowed down as he landed swiftly on his feet with you in his arms.

Shocked you were panting. Thinking you might have been done for it. Peter was panting too, looking quickly at you. – “Are… are you okay?” – he asked. You nodded vigorously, keeping your hands around his neck. – “Yeah… I’m okay.” – you breathed out shakily. Peter felt himself tear up. – “Are… are you okay?” – you asked seeing how emotional he had become. He nodded with a saddened face. – “I am now…” – he answered letting his forehead rest against yours. He set you down on the ground, holding you by your waist.

Knowing how shaky you still are from the fall. Peter sobbed loud, wrapping his arms tightly around you. – “I caught you. I caught you Y/n.” – he said making you hug him firmer. – “You did.” – you whispered to him, leaving a kiss against his cheek. Peter pulled himself a bit back from the hug, wiping some hair out of your face. He chuckled out a smile between his sobs seeing you alive in his arms.

You kissed Peter again on the cheek, feeling as if you had known him your entire life. Your kiss felt bittersweet as he knew he couldn’t keep you forever. You weren’t from his earth so he couldn’t bring you back. Peter tilted your head leaving a kiss on your forehead. – “Stay out of sight and save.” – he said giving you a slight nudge into a direction. – “I will.” – you told him, going into hiding.

Peter looked back at you, wishing he could keep you, but he couldn’t. His feelings for you had never died out. It hurt, yet it hurt good that he was able to love you a little longer. Hang onto you that little longer to be able to forgive himself. If he could he would take you with him. Knowing you were save on another earth pleased him. Yet he would do anything to try and find a way to be reunited with you again. Even if it meant dying in the process. He couldn’t live without you. You were his entire world.

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