cocastyle

[cocastyle]

I See You Pt. 4 will be coming out later this weekend :) I have to finish up some work and want to make sure this ending isn’t rushed. I will say that I have it all planned and it’s going to be so cute. okay, that is all. have a great night everyone <3

[cocastyle]

I See You Pt. 3

Pairing — Bob Reynolds x reader

Word Count — 5.5k

Warning — SPOILER WARNING FOR THE THUNDERBOLTS* MOVIE I REPEAT SPOILER WARNING FOR THE THUNDERBOLTS* MOVIE!!

A/N — I can’t thank you all enough for the love on this series. It literally means the world to me and because of that I want to apologize for how sad this part is going to be. BUT I promise the fourth and final part is going to be good, so you just have to hold out until then ahah.

Please let me know if you all have any requests for the Thunderbolts* or any other Marvel movie really. I’m on such a Marvel kick right now that my inbox is open for requests :))

Part One Part Two Part Three

SPOILER WARNING FOR THE THUNDERBOLTS* MOVIE! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Breaking out of the void was disorienting to say the least. Y/N almost wasn't sure where she was, her mind barely processing that she had gone from seeing Bob in front of her to suddenly being back in her living room within the span of a second.

The tv hummed in front of her, some show playing low enough that she couldn't hear the voices but loud enough that there was still noise. Y/N blinked and glanced down at her hand which was gripping onto a bottle of vodka. She had been moments away from opening it when the darkness had surrounded her and the distant memory of how empty she had felt made her heart ache.

She stared at the bottle colder, Void's words whispering in her ear, "Y/N L/N. The one who got half the universe killed and then tried to find herself at the bottom of a bottle."

Her eyes stung as she realized how right his words had been. Swallowing thickly, she hesitantly reached out and placed it down on the table in front of her. Her fingers trembled as she let it go, her old habits screaming at her to do the only thing she knew how to do now that she was alone once more.

But this wasn't like before. The void had changed her. Bob had changed her.

I'll find you, she had told the boy before everything had disappeared. But how?

Her phone let out a loud ding in that moment and after grudgingly throwing her pillows on the couch around in an attempt to find it, her hands latched onto the small device and flipped it over to see a notification from one of the local news channels.

BREAKING NEWS

NEW AVENGERS SAVE MANHATTAN

The girl was opening her phone in an instant, her fingers rapidly swiping through screens before she was grabbing onto the remote to the TV to change the channel to the current press release that was going on outside of Avengers Tower.

And there he was, standing next to everyone else who had been there when they defeated Void. Valentina de Fontaine stood at a podium, a huge smile on her face as she glanced at her assistant before turning to the crowd.

"For years I've been working in secret to develop a new era of protection. Today, the citizens of the United States needed that protection, and thanks to my hard work, they got it. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the new Avengers."

On the screen, there was visible confusion from almost half the team while Bob was clapping his hands for his friends and still not realizing he was apart of this new group. Y/N would never see what came next because she was out the door before Valentina had even finished speaking.

Her heart was beating frantically in her chest and she scrambled to lock the door behind her. She had just managed to get her keys into her pocket and had barely turned around completely when she was bumping into her neighbor who had just stumbled out the door looking just as crazed as she did.

Y/N took a step back in surprise, her eyes flickering over the man in front of her as she let out a rushed, "Sorry, Matt. I wasn't looking where I was going."

Matt Murdock gave her a weak smile, his hand reaching up to adjust his glasses as he stared in the direction of the sound of her voice. "No, no, that's my bad. I was in a rush and was too distracted by what had—" he hesitated slightly, his head titling to the side before he asked. "It happened to you too, huh? Whatever that... void was?"

Y/N stilled slightly and nodded before realizing that was stupid because Matt was a blind man. "Yeah," she quickly recovered, her voice soft despite the utter anxiety she was feeling each moment she wasn't with Bob.

She really hoped he remembered her. She wouldn't know what she would do if he didn't.

"You okay?" Matt asked, his shoulders relaxing a bit and some of the strain in his voice leaving as he frowned towards her. "It might just be everything that happened but you seem a little anxious."

Y/N never understood how he did that. She had been neighbors with him for a little while now, the man having moved in beside her after an "incident" with his last apartment had left it a mess. Ever since the day she had met him it was like he could read into her more than she thought was possible. If she didn't know any better, she would've guessed he wasn't blind. But that was crazy and she did know better.

"I'm fine," she insisted, but the hurriedness of the answer made Matt raise an eyebrow.

"Okay," Matt said gently, thankfully not pressing further. "I was about to go down to Josie's after...well, everything. You want to join?"

"I thought Josie's was closed?"

Matt flashed her a smile that she knew melted many hearts, "Let's just say I know the owner."

Y/N hesitated slightly at the offer, surprised that he had even attempted to be there for her after she had clearly shut him down. After everything that had just happened, she knew that under any other circumstance she probably would've said yes. But all she could think about was Bob and the fact that she knew where he was. If she waited any longer, there was no telling where he would be or when she would find him next.

"I'm sorry," she said, letting out a soft sigh. "I...I have somewhere I need to be." She braced herself for the disappointment that Matt was sure to show, but the man simply gave her a soft smile and a nod.

"Some other time then?" he suggested.

Y/N swallowed thickly at those words, tears pricking her eyes for just a second as she realized that she truly had been pushing everyone away for so long that even a small gesture like Matt's was enough to get to her.

"Some other time."

- - -

The press release went on for a while. After all, everyone wanted a chance to speak to these "New Avengers" and learn everything that they could. It wasn't until about halfway through the questions when one had been directed at Bob and inquired into what his powers were that Bob finally realized that he was also an Avenger.

That thought alone had made him almost short circuit and Yelena had thankfully brushed off the question and directed the interviewers to start wrapping everything up while Bucky gently pulled Bob off to the side as the boy attempted to process it all.

"How?" Bob asked, his eyes locking with Bucky who was still giving him that confused look that the whole team had been giving him ever since the blank in his mind had finished.

"How what?" Bucky asked.

"How am I an Avenger? What did I even do?" Bob asked, getting more confused by the second.

"You really don't remember, do you?" Bucky raised an eyebrow and Bob shook his head. The man let out a soft sigh and just pat his shoulder with his metal hand making the boy wince slightly. "It's a long story, buddy. Let's get through this and then I can explain it all to you, okay?"

Bob numbly nodded and Bucky left his side to go help Yelena control the crowd and Alexei who had gotten over his shock and was pushing for more questions to be asked.

The boy merely watched them from the sidelines, still trying to piece together all that had happened long after the crowd had dispersed.

Just when Bob was about to go back to Bucky and start questioning him again, he felt a small pull on his heart that had him stopping in his tracks. His hand slowly reached up to rest against his chest, his eyebrows furrowing as he felt that small tug again that seemed to be pulling him back the way he had just come.

There was something familiar about this feeling. Something like—

Bob slowly turned around, his eyes instantly locking on a girl who stood a little ways away. She had frozen mid step, her gaze solely on him while her mouth dropped open slightly in surprise.

He barely had time to register what was happening before she was running towards him, her body slamming into his as she pulled him into a fierce hug. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she held onto him tightly as she whispered through a small laugh, "I found you."

Bob blinked in surprise, his eyes frantically searching around him before locking onto the others who had all stopped short in their conversations upon seeing what was in front of them. Bucky instantly broke off from the group, his strides hurried, but the girl was already pulling away to look at Bob again.

The smile on her face made his heart skip a beat and his cheeks reddened as she reached up to place her hand on his cheek as she asked, "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?" Her hand fell away as she began to scan him for injuries. "I was lucky enough to still be on my couch, but I wasn't sure where you would end up. You seem to be fine though, so that's good."

She let out a shaky breath and shook her head slightly as she turned her gaze up to him in amusement. "Sorry, I'm rambling. I was just afraid I wouldn't see you again and after—" she paused as she finally took note of Bob's wide eyed gaze. "What's wrong?"

Bob's mouth opened and closed a couple of times while he tried to figure out what was going on, but after a moment of silence that only made her smile disappear more and more by the second, he knew she had connected the dots.

"You...you don't remember me, do you?" she asked, but before Bob could answer, Bucky had reached them and was quickly pulling the girl away. Bob didn't know why he did it, but he subconsciously reached out for her, his hand briefly brushing against her own before Yelena was gently pulling him away in the opposite direction.

"Who is that?" Bob asked, craning his head to watch the girl even as Yelena pulled him away and back over to the others. When he got no response, he turned to look at his friends who all seemed to be trying to come up with an answer. Their eyes all flickered to Yelena who glared back in response before looking to Bob with a sort of gentleness that made him take a small step back.

"I forgot her, didn't I? She was a part of the blank," he said and Yelena let out a small sigh and nodded. Bob gritted his teeth, his gaze falling back on the girl who was talking to Bucky a little ways away. There were tears in her eyes as she argued with the man and she shook her head in disbelief, taking a step back as Bucky reached for her. The sight was enough to make his heart ache.

The girl looked his way, their eyes locking. He felt a gentle caress around his mind and he didn't know how he knew it, but he knew that it was Y/N doing it. Her eyes searched his own, a sadness seeping into them as she failed to find whatever she was looking for. The look she gave him was one he knew he would never forget. That look of realization that you had lost someone you hadn't even realized you had a chance of losing.

A look of heartbreak.

She shook her head slightly as Bucky said something to her and frantically wiped her tears away before spinning on her heels and walking away.

Bob was rushing forward before he could stop himself, but she was gone before he had even reached Bucky.

"Who was that?" Bob asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Bucky turned to him and gave the boy a sad smile as he said, "Y/N."

Y/N...

The name sounded so familiar to him yet so foreign at the same time. The way his heart skipped a beat told him that he knew her, but he couldn't recall a single memory with the girl.

Bucky watched him for a moment before looking in the direction Y/N had gone, his voice soft as he muttered, "Don’t worry. She'll be back."

Bob couldn't tell who that was supposed to reassure more, but he really hoped Bucky was right.

Come back. Please don’t leave.

- - -

FOUR WEEKS LATER. . .

Y/N was quiet from her spot on the ground, her fingers mindlessly twisting blades of grass while her eyes stared blankly at the stone in front of her.

MAY PARKER

WHEN YOU HELP SOMEONE,

YOU HELP EVERYONE

Her heart squeezed in her chest every time she reread the words, but she continued to read them over and over like some sort of mantra. She was hoping they would help her, that being here would make it feel like she had May with her once again.

All she wanted was for the woman to hold her in her arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay. May would know what to say to her to stop this downward spiral she had been in since she left Bob standing there in the aftermath of the Void. May would’ve told her what to do and could’ve helped her understand why she was feeling everything so much worse than she had expected to.

Why looking Bob in the eye and feeling that blank in his mind where she should’ve been made her feel like she was losing someone all over again. She barely knew Bob, she kept reminding herself. She had only known him for a couple hours after all. So why did this feel so familiar?

Why did she feel like she was losing someone who meant something to her all over again?

Her heart ached in a way that reminded her of what she had felt briefly in the void. She couldn’t remember what Void had shown her in that black room, the memory nothing but a blurred image in her head, but she remembered that feeling and that was exactly what she was feeling now.

She shouldn’t have left Bob the way that she did. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t remember. Yet something about knowing that she had lost the part of him that she had connected with had scared her so much that she hadn’t known what to except to run. All she ever did was screw everything up anyways. Bob was better off without her.

But the way he had looked at her. . .

Y/N quickly shook those thoughts away. None of this should have mattered so much. She had never been good with people. Not since before the Blip anyways.

Bob not remembering her was just her way out of a situation she hadn’t realized she needed out of. Or at least that’s what she had been trying to convince herself for four weeks now especially whenever she felt that familiar tug calling out to him.

It was always that tug.

“I wish you were here,” Y/N whispered to the grave, her voice cracking slightly as tears pricked her eyes. Her fingers numbly pulled a blade of grass from the ground and she closed her eyes, overcome with grief for so many different reasons.

The soft shuffling of shoes along the grass was the thing that finally pulled her from her thoughts and she briefly glanced up to see a boy a couple years younger than herself come to a stop before the grave. He knelt down quietly beside her, his hands reaching out to gently set down a bouquet of white flowers amongst the others.

Y/N watched him for a moment, her eyes flickering over his face in slight confusion for she swore she knew him from somewhere before she turned and looked back at the grave. The two were silent for a long time before his voice finally filled the air.

“Did you know her?”

Something scratched at the back of her mind at the sound of his voice, but it was gone before she could think too much into it. “Yeah,” she whispered. “I don’t quite remember how we met cause it was so long ago, but she. . .she meant a lot to me.” She glanced towards the boy, his eyes flickering up to lock with her own. “I’m assuming you knew her too?”

He gave her a sad smile before muttering in a strained voice, “Yeah. She used to watch me some when I was a kid.”

Y/N hummed and gave a nod as she looked back at the grave. A comfortable silence fell between the two as they both obviously thought back to their time with May.

“I was there when it happened,” Y/N whispered. She hadn’t meant to tell him, but something about the boy had her telling him before she even knew she was going to. He sat up at that and glanced her way in soft surprise, but she refused to meet his gaze. She hesitated slightly, plucking another blade of grass from the ground. “I could’ve saved her.”

The boy was quiet for a moment before he finally asked, “Y-You were there?”

“Yeah, I—“ Y/N hesitated slightly, a small frown appearing on her face before she shook her head and let out a sigh. “Sorry, I get these blanks in my memory sometimes. Kind of like someone took a sponge to half of my brain and scrubbed it clean. I don’t exactly remember the details of what happened but there was a fight and. . .and all I remember is this feeling of guilt. This feeling of knowing that I could’ve done something to stop her from dying, but I didn’t. I might’ve been too slow to react? I can’t exactly remember, but the guilt, that’s still there. It might be the reason for the blanks if I’m being completely honest.”

The boy deflated a little at her words, his gaze dropping as he said, “If you don’t remember, then how do you know you did something wrong? Maybe someone else was to blame?”

“When have I not done something wrong?” she scoffed. “I always manage to ruin everything, this would be no different. I guess that’s why I’m all alone. All I do is push everyone away and ruin everything that I touch.”

“That’s not true—“ the boy began, but Y/N was already cutting him off, the words spilling out of her now that she had already started.

“No, it is. And I’m doing it again,” she sighed and closed her eyes tightly as she bowed her head. Her thoughts drifted to Bob and she felt the tears prick her eyes once again. “There’s this guy and he might be the first person who has ever understood me more than I understand myself and now that’s it getting real, now that it’s getting hard, I’m ruining everything all over again and running away just because I’m scared of losing him like I have everyone else in my life.”

She shifted her weight so that her knees were now in front of her and tucked close to her body, her forehead resting against her knees while her lip trembled. She did her best to try and steady her breath, not wanting to cry in front of this boy she had only just met, but that’s when another memory of Bob filled her head.

She could practically feel the phantom touch of his lips brushing against her ear and the way his breath had been shaky as he whispered to her, “I would’ve liked to be your friend.”

Y/N sniffled at that and opened her eyes, letting a couple of tears fall as she stared at the grave in front of her. The boy didn’t speak as he sat beside her and she honestly expected him to leave after she dumped all of that onto him, but he simply sat there, contemplating her words.

“There was this girl that I knew,” he finally said and her tear filled eyes flickered his way but he was staring down at the ground in full concentration as though this story he was about to tell was too painful to even think about. “We. . .we grew up together and one thing led to another and we eventually started dating. She was my best friend and knew me in ways no one else did.”

“I loved her with everything I had,” he admitted, a sad smile on his face as tears began to fill his eyes. “But then the Blip happened and I disappeared while she got left behind. By the time I came back, she was five years older and everything had changed too much. We couldn’t be together anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, but the boy merely shrugged.

“It didn’t stop me from loving her,” he told her. “I think I’ll always love her…even in those moments where she doesn’t love herself.”

Y/N wiped away her tears, her gaze now locked onto the boy and not pulling away. “What happened to you guys?” she asked.

“Our relationship changed,” he answered. “She was still my best friend, but things were different. We actually ended up growing closer in the ways that mattered. She helped me after I lost some people I cared about even though she was dealing with her own problems and her own grief in the process. I wouldn’t have gotten through it all without having her there, without having someone who saw me and was there to remind me that I didn’t have to be alone just because I had lost some people and made some mistakes. She actually even helped me find a new girlfriend in the process funnily enough.”

“And where is she now?”

The boy hesitated at those words and for the first time during his whole story, he finally looked her way. His eyes locked with her own and he was quiet as he stared at her. It was only when he hadn’t responded for a moment too long that she felt her powers start to reach out for him. She hadn’t used them the whole time they had been talking, but she couldn’t help it in that moment.

But right when her powers were just beginning to touch the outskirts of his mind, the boy whispered, “You kind of remind me of her.”

Y/N froze at those words, her powers instantly pulling away as she stared at the boy in surprise. For a brief second, there was a flicker in the back of her mind, but it was gone faster than it appeared and already long forgotten by the girl.

The boy looked back at the grave, his face full of contemplation before he finally said, “I think if May were still around, she wouldn’t want you to give up on this friend of yours. I think she’d want you to be happy. You’re the type of person who deserves it.”

Tears filled her eyes as she watched the boy and she swallowed thickly before muttering, “You think?”

“I do.”

Y/N smiled at that, her voice a bit shaky as she said, “Thank you.”

The boy let his own smile cross his face at her words and she almost missed the way he quickly wiped at his eyes to get rid of some tears that had escaped as he pulled himself onto his feet.

“I should get going,” he said, his gaze falling back on the girl once more. He stared at her for a moment as though he were trying to memorize what she looked like before his smile softened. “Yeah, I think you’re going to be just fine.”

Y/N blinked at those words, her mouth dropping open as she failed to find the right words to say, but the boy had already turned on his heels to start walking out of the graveyard. He held a hand up in the air in farewell, his voice calling out to her as he left, “I'll see you around, Y/N."

"Wait, I didn't get your name!” she called after him, but the boy was already gone.

It wouldn't be until later that she realized the boy had called her by her name, but she had never given to him in the first place.

- - -

You would think after defeating your inner darkness and finally finding friends that had turned into family that he would've been better or at least on the road to being better, but that wasn't the case for Bob. Something was missing. Something so pivotal that he felt that absence in his heart, an emptiness different from what he had felt before the events that had taken place in Manhattan weeks prior.

Bob wasn't himself and this emptiness he felt? It all had to do with Y/N.

Bob didn't know what it meant or why he felt this way. He still had no recollection of what had transpired the day Void had taken over and he had met Y/N for the first time. All he had were the words of his friends who had gently explained everything to him after Y/N had disappeared that day and this feeling like something was pulling at his heart, desperately wishing he would remember.

And he did want to remember. He really did.

The guilt was practically turning into agony at this point especially since Y/N had failed to show up after finding out that he had forgotten everything that had happened between them. That look on her face was still permanently engraved in his mind. That utter sadness that had flickered through her eyes still making his throat constrict in that way it always did right before he felt the urge to cry.

He had tried to find her at first. He had done everything really. It had gotten to the point where even the others had all stepped in to try and help, but she still reminded no where to be seen.

Bob had been asking Bucky every day if there were any updates, but the man always gave him that same sad smile and placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort as he whispered, "Sorry, buddy."

"Y/N has a way of being able to stay hidden when she wants to be," Yelena had told him one day when the two had been sitting on the balcony staring out at the city below. "She won't be found unless she wants to be found."

That had been discouraging to say the least, but Bob still hadn't given up hope. "Just give her time," Bucky had told him and that's what Bob had been trying to do.

He kept himself as busy as he could, instead picking up reading once again, a hobby he hadn't invested time in since before his time in the trials. But his thoughts never failed to eventually drift to the topic of Y/N just as they had since the moment he laid eyes on her.

Even now his head was stuck in the clouds as he sat in one of the chairs of the living room of Avengers Tower. The team had all left to go pick up some shawarma from a place down the street that Bucky had told them his best friend and the former Captain America, Steve Rogers, had said was the best place to eat. They had invited Bob along, but he had declined and was now stuck spiraling into his own thoughts.

There was just something about Y/N that called to him, that made him want so desperately to remember that he would spend hours just sitting and trying his very hardest to remember even the smallest detail from that day.

Bob let out a small frustrated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair to push it away from his eyes. He was just about to start another futile attempt at reading when a beep from the tablet on the table filled the air signaling that someone was at the front door.

Frowning, Bob reached forward to grab the tablet, clicking a couple of buttons like Yelena had showed him in order to get a glimpse at who was there.

The breath practically left his lungs at the sight, his body promptly falling off the chair in surprise before he was scrambling to his feet and running towards the elevator, his book and tablet long forgotten. He was at the front door in an instant, his hand shakily wrapping around the door handle before he pulled it open to reveal Y/N L/N standing there with her hand raised to knock again.

Y/N stilled as the door flew open and her eyes widened slightly as she stared at Bob, the two both not saying anything as they simply stared at each other in shock.

Bob's eyes quickly scanned the girl, desperately trying to piece together if this was a dream or the real thing. After a moment of reassuring himself that this was in fact real, he let out a shaky breath.

He was unable to speak, but the thought flashed through his mind regardless, You found me.

I'll always find you, her voice replied, but it sounded distant like a memory whispering to him and reminding him that she had found him before and would find him time and time again.

"Hi," she finally whispered, her voice coming out shaky. He could tell she was preparing herself for rejection, for the knowledge that he had no clue who she was and probably would never remember. He should say something. But she was here and she was here for him and that was all Bob could focus on.

"H-Hi," he stuttered out.

Her eyes flickered over his face and she gave him a small, unsure smile as she said, "I'm Y/N."

"Bob," he replied, still shocked by the fact that she was standing before him.

"I know," she said before groaning slightly at her words and shaking her head. "I mean. . .Sorry, this is hard."

Bob relaxed at those words, offering her a sad smile as he said, "I know. The team. . .they told me about what happened. I'm sorry I can't remember."

Y/N looked down at that, her breath shaky as she stuffed her hands further into her jacket pockets.

"I want to remember," Bob rushed out, wanting nothing more than for her to look back up at him. The confession was enough to do just that and before he knew it, their eyes were locking once more.

She stared at him in silence before finally whispering, "Maybe we can try to help you remember." She paused for a brief second before adding, "Together."

Bob stilled at that, something flickering in the back of his head, an image of Y/N standing before him just like this as those same words had passed between them.

"Together," he muttered, his eyes squinting slightly in confusion as he tried to grasp onto that wisp of a memory. He smiled softly and let his gaze fall on the girl once more. "As long as you're okay being friends with the guy who does nothing but screw everything up."

Bob might've not remembered anything, but that smile that appeared on Y/N's face even as tears pricked her eyes was the kind of smile that made him want to remember it all just so he could keep seeing her like that.

"I think I can manage that," she told him, reaching up to lightly wipe at her eyes before any tears could fall. Bob gave her a small smile in response before stepping out of the way so Y/N could step inside.

Their hands briefly brushed against one another as she passed and there was that tug again, the same one that had been pulling on him since he first saw her, the same one that was constantly pulling them into each other's orbit. And it was in that moment that Bob finally knew what it meant.

After all, the body remembers what the mind forgets.

I see you, he heard her whisper into his mind, her eyes flickering to lock with his as he closed the door and joined her by her side.

His shoulder brushed against her own and she pressed slightly into it, each of them being a steady presence for the other as they stared at each other and prepared to step into the unknown.

I see you too.

______________

Tag List:

@jsprien213 @leeleecats @bimboshaggy

[cocastyle]

hi ! I See You Pt 3 tonight 👀 i’m writing the last part now !

[cocastyle]

happy monday everyone !! this weekend was such a whirlwind with graduation but i am officially done with school which is so crazy !! my fam left late last night so after work today i should have some time to finish up this next part of I See You so be on the look out for :)

[cocastyle]

I See You Pt. 3 will be coming out either late Sunday night or Monday 🤍 my family is coming into town for graduation and I’m going to be busy and didn’t want to rush out this chapter because this next one is kind of heavy but in a wholesome but also will tear your heart out kind of way ahaha. i just want it to be perfect.

thank you for all the love and support on this series so far!! you all are truly amazing 🤍

[cocastyle]

I See You Pt. 2

Pairing — Bob Reynolds x reader

Word Count — 4.1k

Warning — SPOILER WARNING FOR THE THUNDERBOLTS* MOVIE I REPEAT SPOILER WARNING FOR THE THUNDERBOLTS* MOVIE!!

A/N — and here is part two for you all <3 I’m so overwhelmed and astounded by the love i received on the first part that i had to write this ASAP. i forgot how much i enjoyed writing these silly little fics and how much they help when life just feels so crazy.

some special news is that i officially have decided to make this a four part series!! so be on the lookout for the final two parts and let me know what other characters you would like to see me write for as i get back into the swing of things :)

Part One Part Two Part Three

SPOILER WARNING FOR THE THUNDERBOLTS* MOVIE! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Y/N L/N was used to being alone.

After the Blip, that was all she had ever known, all she had ever allowed herself to know, because that was what she deserved.

After all, she had single handedly ruined everything in her life and everyone else's all because of a moment of hesitation. It was her fault that half of the universe had disappeared and that she had lost control of her powers and killed so many people the year following. It was her fault that her friends and family had died and that she hadn't been there to bring everyone back or to prevent Tony from sacrificing himself for something she had done.

She deserved to be alone. All she ever did was screw up everything she touched and get the people she cared about killed.

Tony. Natasha. Steve. May.

Anyone who had ever cared about her was gone. May had been the last one to care about her, having helped raised the girl from the moment she moved in across the hall after her parents divorced. She had been there for both of her parents' deaths, always keeping her from succumbing too hard into the darkness even when she wanted to do nothing other than give up.

It was May's death that had been the final nail to the coffin, sending the girl spiraling further into herself than she had ever gone before. She hadn't known how to stop it and, if she were honest with herself, a part of hadn't wanted to anyways. She just continued to let the darkness consume her, the last of her light dimming to nothing but the dull flicker of a candle as it reached the end of its life.

When she had first entered the void, she thought that was it. That reliving all of her regrets and worst memories would be the reason her light finally snuffed out. A part of her welcomed it, was ready for it all to end.

But then there he was.

Bob.

And for the first time in such a very long time, her light had shone just a little bit brighter.

There was finally someone else just like her, someone who understood her in a way that she barely understood herself. Someone who saw her.

In that single conversation she had allowed herself to see a future, one that wasn't filled with loneliness, but with understanding. A future where she had someone else's back and they had hers. A future where she didn't have to go through it alone because she wouldn't be alone. She would have Bob.

But now even he was leaving her. Running further into his own nightmare just to keep the darkness away and save her from himself.

"Bob!" Y/N cried out, the panic raking through her body so quickly that the only thing she could think to do was to lunge for the boy as he broke through the wall of her nightmare and into the next room.

The darkness let out a roar of anger at both of their actions and a force hit her so hard that it sent her slamming into the wall on the opposite side of the room.

Y/N let out a groan of pain as she struggled to push herself onto her feet, but by the time she was up again, the wall had sealed itself up and she was left trapped in the same memory as before, forced to watch as she attacked Tony over and over again.

"No," she muttered, scrambling helplessly over to the part of the wall that Bob had just gone through. "No, no, no, no. Bob!" Her fingernails were against at the wall, her hands turning a blinding white as her powers tried to grab any sort of footing that it could.

If she could just get through, she could save him. She could protect him from this all consuming darkness that she had been trapped within for so long.

She had barely made a dent before her hands suddenly fell through the wall as though it weren't even there to begin with, then hardening just as quickly so it could latch onto her. Her breathing grew ragged as she tried to pull her hands out, her eyes glowing white as she attempted to break free.

But she knew that she couldn't escape. This wasn't an accident after all. This was a retaliation for what she had done.

Y/N continued to try and pull her hands out, but the room merely spun around until she was dangling mid air. It was then that the wall began to pull back from her hands in a tauntingly slow sort of way while the floor disappeared from below her and turned into a swirl of shadows. The girl's eyes widened slightly and she desperately tried to keep a grip onto anything that she could, but her hands slipped out from the wall before she could even blink and she found herself in a free fall.

"No!" she cried out, but it was too late. The room seemed to melt away as she fell, darkness surrounding her until there was nothing but the endless void.

Y/N screamed out in anger, but was silenced when her body slammed against the ground that she hadn't even realized was there.

Her whole body was reeling from the pain, a loud ringing in her ears as she laid there and tried to catch the breath that had been knocked from her lungs. It took a minute but she finally attempted to sit up, her eyes still unable to focus on anything due to the darkness that surrounded her.

It seemed she had been right about the retaliation and if the feeling that someone or something was watching her was not enough to convince her then she wasn't sure what else would.

Bob may have saved her from being killed in that moment, but he hadn't kept the darkness away, hadn't kept Void away.

She could feel him watching her, could hear the soft whisper of thoughts that echoed around in his head. She couldn't hear what the whispers were saying. Every time she reached out to listen, it was like Void was pulling back. But she could feel what he was thinking, knew that he was curious more than anything.

Y/N ignored him, instead letting her eyes flicker around the room and hesitating on a small light coming from a little ways away. She pulled herself up onto her feet and slowly walked forward, squinting against the brightness as she grew closer.

It was only when she was right in front of the light that she realized what it truly was. Her memory.

It was different than the others. Instead of standing in the middle of the scene, it was like she was watching it from the screen of her phone and every time she tried to get closer to see it better, the memory moved further away. Y/N finally stopped trying to get closer in favor of looking to see what the memory was.

Her past self was standing by the Statue of Liberty, covered in grime and sweat with a cut on her face so deep that it made her subconsciously reach up to her own face and touch the scar that was in the same place on her temple.

A boy stood before her or at least she was pretty sure he was a boy. He was so blurry that it was hard to make out anything but his figure and the brown hair on top of his head. The type of blurry that made her rub at her eyes to try and make the scene clearer, but all it did was make him even blurrier.

Who was that?

Her eyes flickered over the scene and she frowned slightly, not even remembering what this memory was.

No sound came from the memory, but Y/N could see her mouth moving, could see the tears that were rolling down her face as she shook her head at the boy and seemed to be begging him to stay. The boy's body moved as though he were saying something back, his body language one of pain and sorrow as he attempted to console her. He pressed his forehead to hers and Y/N felt the faint ghost of a touch against her skin.

She didn't even realize she was crying until the tears were rolling down her face. She gently touched her face in surprise, suddenly overwhelmed by a sadness that she felt deep within her bones.

The boy pulled away and Y/N watched as her past self crumbled to the ground in despair. Y/N's heart ached at the sight. It felt as though someone was pressing down on her lungs and the room suddenly felt way smaller than it had been before.

The grief that washed over her told her enough to know that no matter who this boy was, he had meant a lot to her and she had lost him. Just like everyone else.

Why didn't she remember this?

"Interesting what the mind forgets, but the body remembers," a voice said from behind her. Y/N tensed slightly, her eyes not leaving the scene as she watched the boy walk away from her before the memory started all over again.

That feeling of loss was indescribable and for a moment, Y/N wondered if this was the He that Tony had been talking about, but she didn't let herself dwell on the thought long. Whatever this memory was, it was nothing but that — a memory.

Bob was what was happening right now and he needed her.

Y/N steadied her breath and turned around. She let out a soft gasp of surprise as she came face to face with Void, not expecting him to have gotten so close without making the hint of a sound.

He was nothing but the shadow of a man, darkness incarnate with two glowing white pupils that stared intensely at her.

"What is this?" she muttered.

"It's your memory," Void stated.

"I don't understand," she replied, shaking her head slightly.

Void tsked and let out a sigh of disappointment before as he leaned closer, what should've been his nose only inches away from her own.

"I don't get it," he admitted after a moment of ignoring what the girl had said.

"Don't get what?"

"What it is that's so special about you," he answered. "This is the first time someone has ever been able to make him feel something and. . .it's just you? Y/N L/N? The one who got half the universe killed and then tried to find herself at the bottom of a bottle? You're. . .nothing."

Y/N's eyes narrowed slightly, but she held herself together as she asked through gritted teeth, "Where is he? Where is Bob?"

Void chuckled darkly at that, finally pulling away from the girl as he took a step back as if to get a good look at her. "I guess you are pretty in a way. I'll give Bob that much," he muttered. "And there is that same darkness within you. Don't act so surprised. Of course I know it's there. What did you say before? Like calls to like?"

Y/N tensed slightly, her face paling as she realized that it Void had been with them the whole time. That he was always with them. She stilled at that thought, but didn't let it cross her mind again in case he managed to see inside her head.

Instead she tried to clear her mind of his taunting words and let her powers slowly reach out in attempt to worm their way into his mind. She was met with nothing but a dark force that quickly cut her off.

Void chuckled darkly, "It's cute that you think that was going to work."

"Was worth a shot," Y/N muttered and attempted a half hearted shrug, doing everything within her power to appear as uninterested as she could despite the ice crawling up her veins under his gaze and the feel of his powers gently caressing her own.

"Hoping to find where Bob is?" Void asked, his voice a bit mocking. "He left you, remember? He left you just like everyone else. Why would you want to find him? He's probably forgotten about you by now anyways. He told you about that, didn't he? The blanks in his memory? That's all you'll ever be to him."

Y/N didn't grant him the dignity of a response to that, instead turning her gaze back towards the memory. She felt his annoyance almost instantly, but with it came the slight flicker of the shields around his mind. It was so brief that she almost hadn't sensed it.

Almost.

Y/N glanced back towards Void, titling her head slightly as she said, "I might've been trying with the intention of finding Bob, but I got to say I'm way more curious to know why you're really here." Void was quiet and she took that as her sign to continue. "I guess I was hoping I would be able to see what made you so curious. I wanted to—"

"What? Read my thoughts?" he interrupted.

"Yes," she admitted. "But, now that I think about it, I don't need to read your thoughts to know what you're thinking. You're already telling me plenty just by being here to check on me."

"And what would that be?" Void asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"That you're scared."

Void was on her in a second, his hand grabbing hold of her face painfully as he lifted her in the air. She struggled in his grasp and the white of his eyes grew brighter as he stared at her, all the amusement gone and having been replaced by the anger flooding his senses. It was only then that he faltered, that he slipped up and let his emotions get the best of him. The defenses around his mind flickered and Y/N took advantage.

She was in his head before Void knew what was happening and the moment he felt her powers wrap around him, he was instantly back in control and shut her out.

But it was only that mere second that Y/N had needed, a second to be able to glimpse just where Bob was hiding and to lock onto his presence within this maze they were in.

"Got him," she smirked and Void's grip on her face tightened before he threw her to the ground.

"It doesn't matter," he said, his voice nonchalant despite the rage radiating off of him. Y/N pulled herself back up into a sitting position. She would not show him weakness. "There's no way you'll get out of here. No one has ever—"

Void stopped sharply, the two pricks of white that were his eyes disappearing for a small second as he blinked, surprise replacing his fury.

"No one has ever what?" Y/N asked, but she already had a sneaking suspicion of what had caught his attention. Someone had broken through these nightmares and they were coming for him.

Void titled his head slightly as he gazed off in the distance before he quickly snapped his eyes back towards Y/N. "Doesn't matter," he finally said. "Enjoy this new room of yours. Took me a while to work my way into your brain the way you've been trying to do my own. This particular memory is one I especially enjoy. So much pain and regret. Funny that you don't remember it." He shrugged slightly as though the thought already bored him. "Oh, well. Your mind might not remember, but I know your heart does." Void lazily waved his hand in the air. "The body remembers what the mind forgets and what not."

And with that, he was gone, having disappeared within the shadows between one second and the next.

But Y/N had all she needed now. She stood up and closed her eyes, allowing her powers to focus on nothing but Bob and that flash of light within him that glowed just like her own which had only grown brighter since the moment she met him.

She smiled softly at the sight of it and her body began to glow as her powers lashed out against the darkness of the room, the nightmare dissolving as it were nothing.

I see you, Bob. I'm coming.

- - -

Something was wrong.

Bob had thought he was finally taking control the moment he had started attacking Void, but this feeling creeping up on him as he threw punch after punch? It wasn't right. Something was wrong and it wasn't just the situation he was talking about.

Something was wrong with him.

But he couldn’t stop, not even when the rest of the Thunderbolts yelled after him as the room pulled them further and further away. Not even when he felt that familiar tug growing closer and closer.

Even when he felt her enter the room, he still couldn’t stop. It was like the darkness had sunk its claws into him and wouldn’t let go. All he could do was punch and punch and punch and nothing could stop it.

She was behind him now, her powers having tossed aside every single thing thrown in her direction like it was nothing but an annoyance. The team was yelling out something, shock in some of their voices probably due to the sight of the girl, but Bob couldn’t process any of it.

Y/N knelt down beside him, her powers reaching out and gently brushing against the edges of his mind. He knew she saw it, all that pain and loneliness that swirled within him. He felt her own call out to him, that same tug from earlier pulling hard against his heart.

Bob wanted to look at her, to end all of this and just hold her and apologize for leaving her like he had. He thought he had been doing the right thing, but none of this was right. The only time he felt okay had been when he was with her, but now he was afraid he was too far gone.

He wanted to scream for her to help, but even his mind was a storm of a million thoughts that he wasn’t even sure she would’ve heard him if he had tried. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he punched Void and he felt the kiss of a touch brush it away before her arms were wrapping around him, her body a steady weight against his own.

Bob threw another punch, but it was slower this time, Y/N’s embrace grounding him enough to start to realize where he was once again. He threw a few more punches as she whispered, “I’m here. I’m here.”

Her voice was shaky and he felt her own tears against his face as she held him and it was enough to have his fist pause in the air. Void titled his head as he looked at the boy, but Bob had turned his attention to Y/N, to her warmth, to the feel of her breath against his neck and the distant smell of lavender in her hair.

“I’m here,” she whispered again and Bob swallowed thickly. She gently brushed the back of his neck with her thumb and he softened against her, tears filling his eyes.

Words failed him so he sent the thought out to her instead, a question in his tone as he said, You found me.

I’ll always find you, she answered.

Bob’s hands dropped to his side at that, still clenched into fists but no longer punching Void. Y/N shifted so she put herself between the two and Bob leaned into her touch, shaking slightly as the darkness stopped at his shoulders.

“If you can't fight it, what makes you think he can?” the void taunted her, but Y/N ignored him as she dug her face into the crook of Bob’s neck.

“I’m here,” she assured him. “I’m here.”

"No!" the void cried out. "She doesn't understand. She doesn't get it. No one ever will. You're nothing."

Y/N held onto Bob tighter in that moment and Bob knew she was thinking of all the times she had probably said those words to herself. She moved her head so that their foreheads were pressed against one another and she shook her head slightly as she said, “Don’t listen to him. You’re not nothing, Bob. You’re. . .you’re everything.”

Bob cried at those words and he felt Y/N lift a hand up and heard the screeching of metal before he found himself being tackled by the Thunderbolts who all were quick to pull him into their embrace. He felt Yelena hug him from behind, her head resting against the side of his own. He felt John hold his clenched fist against his chest, his grip strong as he held the boy. He felt Ava, Alexei, and Bucky and the fierceness of their hold on him. The tears wouldn’t stop falling and a soft cry left his lips as they all held him as if they loved him, as if he mattered.

Void narrowed his eyes at Bob, his voice coming out rough as he said, “There will always be just us.”

“We’re here. You’re not alone,” Yelena whispered and Bob let out a sob as he let himself feel the embrace that was wrapped around him from all of his friends.

His friends.

Those two words felt so foreign to him, but it was enough to have him stop fighting against them.

You’re not alone, Y/N’s voice repeated into his head, the boy squeezing his eyes shut as his hand shakily reached up to rest against her neck and pressing her closer to him. I see you, Bob. I see you.

“He’s nothing. He’s always going to be nothing,” Void hissed and Bob winced at his words. Y/N shifted slightly, her lips pressing a soft kiss against his forehead before she pulled away.

Bob opened his eyes, hesitating slightly as he saw her turn to Void and stare down at him with sadness in her eyes. To his surprise, she reached out and gently touched the side of Void’s face, the darkness coming to an abrupt halt. The way he didn’t lash out at her told Bob that he was just as surprised as he was.

Void recoiled slightly as if her touch burned, but Y/N moved with him, her hand a steady presence against his cheek as she said, “I see you.” Both Bob and Void stilled at those words and the weight of what she was truly saying.

“I see all of you,” she whispered, her eyes flickering back to Bob who could only stare at the girl wide eyed. Tears were streaming down his face as the others held onto him and it was in that moment that he felt something break within him.

He couldn’t stop the sobs that were racking his body as he felt the darkness slowly release its hold on him enough that he knew they had won even if just for now.

He wasn’t alone.

The room began to melt away, the darkness receding as they all began to fall back.

Bob looked to the girl in a slight panic, knowing that they were about to escape and that he had no clue when he would see her again. He had so much he wanted to say to her. What if he forgot? What if this became another blank in his memory and he never saw her again?

He opened his mouth to call for her, but she already knew what he was thinking.

Don’t worry, Bob. We will see each other again, her voice whispered in his head with the gentleness of an ocean breeze in the early morning. Her eyes never left his own even as he felt his friends pulling him back.

She leaned forward, her fingers gently brushing the hair from his face before lingering against his cheek.

Bob softened slightly under her touch and neither of them broke eye contact as the Thunderbolts pulled him back and they broke free of the hold Void had placed on them all, their bodies falling back onto the streets of Manhattan while Y/N’s voice whispered a promise into his mind and straight to his heart.

I’ll find you.

[cocastyle]

The Lady Loves Me

Pairing- Tony Stark x reader

Word Count- 2,597

Warning- none

A/N- I’ve had this idea for a while and finally decided to sit down and write it. I really hope you all like it! The song used is The Lady Loves Me by Elvis Presley and Ann-Margaret.

“There he goes again,” Natasha muttered in amusement, her eyes on the host of the evening who was currently making his way over to where her best friend Y/N L/N was standing by the bar.

Tony Stark was going in for another one of his attempts to woo Y/N off her feet much like he did every evening that he hosted an event like the one tonight. She was the only reason he ever had parties at the Avengers Tower, each party just being another opportunity to convince the stubborn girl to go on a date with him.

Y/N hadn’t said yes yet, but that only made the man more intrigued, especially since he knew she had feelings for him. It was quite obvious really, but she was so set on denying it that she declined numerous invitations from Tony to be his date. Despite this, everyone still knew the two were head over heels for each other, Y/N was just too stubborn to admit it and Tony was too egotistic for his own good.

Steve and Bucky turned their heads to see what the red head was talking about and chuckled softly once they saw Tony approach the young girl, his hand gently resting on the small of her back as Y/N turned to look at him with a smile and a look that said she had been waiting for him to finally come talk to her.

“You think he would realize by now that her answer isn’t going to change,” Bucky said. “I don’t know, Buck. One of these days she’s going to break and say yes,” Steve told him.

Bucky glanced at his best friend and took a sip of his drink. “You think?” he asked.

“Please, Barnes. If L/N could just stop being so damn stubborn, the two would be married by now. I mean look at them,” Natasha said making all three turn to look at the couple who were currently leaning close to each other as they bantered back and forth. “I can smell the love and longing from over here,” the red head muttered with a shake of her head.

The three chuckled at that before looking back over at Tony and Y/N, each of them wondering what the two could be talking about.

“Come on, L/N. It’s just one date,” Tony said, his eyes shining down at the girl as he smiled ever so slightly. “What, you afraid you might catch feelings?”

Y/N rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips as she did so. “That’s what you want, isn’t it?” She asked. “Sorry, Tony. Just like the other hundred times you’ve asked me, it’s still a no.”

She expected the man’s grin to drop and for him to walk away only to return with two drinks that they would talk over for the rest of the evening like usual, but Tony didn’t move. In fact, his grin didn’t even disappear, it only grew in size as his eyes flickered over her face and the look he gave her was enough to make her cheeks heat up slightly.

“You know, I don’t think it’s that you’re afraid you might catch feelings for me if we go on a date,” Tony said. “I never-“ Y/N began to interrupt, but the man merely leaned forward, resting his arm against the bar counter as he looked at her with a smug expression on his face. “You’re afraid because you do have feelings for me,” Tony told her.

Y/N blinked in surprise, her mouth opening and closing for a second before she managed to get out, “What?”

This only made Tony smirk more and he leaned forward another inch before saying, “You like me, Y/N, don’t you? No, better yet, you love me. I know it.”

Y/N watched the man in silence for a moment before shaking her head. “You wish,” she retorted. Tony merely smirked at her, the look on his face saying that he knew what he said was true and that nothing she said or do could change his mind.

Frustrated and a little flustered by the look Tony was giving her, Y/N shook her head and began to walk away. She began to make her way across the room and over to where she could see Natasha talking with Steve and Bucky, but she had barely even made it half way before she heard the strumming of a guitar from behind her.

Y/N turned her head back in confusion and stopped in her tracks, a look of amusement and shock on her face once she saw that Tony had borrowed the guitar from the musicians and was standing at the front of the stage, his eyes on her as he began to strum and play a tune.

“She loves me, she loves me not

She loves me, she loves me not

She loves me, she loves me, she loves me

The lady loves me and it shows

In spite of the way she turns up her nose

I’m her ideal, her hearts desire

Under that ice she’s burning like fire.”

Tony gently hopped off the stage and began to move across the room. Y/N gave him a look of amusement and raised an eyebrow at him, her arms crossing in front of her chest as he came to a stop in front of her.

“She’d like to cuddle up to me

She’s playing hard to get

The lady loves me, but she doesn’t know it yet.”

Everyone was watching at this point and Y/N knew what Tony was trying to do. The small mischievous glint in his eyes gave him away and Y/N narrowed her eyes at him as she smirked. Challenge accepted.

Y/N dramatically rolled her eyes at the man making him chuckle in amusement while she looked to the crowd and began to sing.

“The gentleman has savoir-faire

As much as an elephant or a bear

I’d like to take him for a spin

Back to the zoo to visit his kin

He’s got about as much appeal as a soggy cigarette.”

Her eyes flickered over to Tony and she took a step towards him before putting a hand on his chest. Tony smiled down at her, continuing to play the guitar as he did and becoming totally entranced with the very being of the girl in front of him. Y/N gave him a smug grin.

“The lady loathes him but he doesn’t know it yet.”

Before Tony knew what was happening, Y/N had shoved him away with the hand that was on his chest and had started to walk away. Tony blinked in surprise and was quick to step in front of the girl.

“The lady’s got a crush on me.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and walked around him.

“The gentleman’s crazy obviously.”

Tony took a few quick strides until he was by her side. He began to walk in an angle, forcing the girl to walk sideways as well until he had trapped her up against a wall. Tony smirked and took a step forward so that their faces were only inches apart.

“The lady’s dying to be kissed.”

Tony leaned forward, but right when his lips were about to touch hers, Y/N turned her head and had slipped out of his grasp. Tony stumbled a bit in surprise and turned around to see Y/N smirking from behind him.

“The gentleman needs a psychiatrist

I’d rather kiss a rattlesnake.”

Y/N took her hand and made a fake gun with her fingers before putting it to her head.

“Or play Russian roulette.”

Y/N then pretended as if the gun had gone off before she turned and began to walk away and towards the bar. Tony smiled after her, the love and adoration in his eyes so evident that every person in the room could tell he was in love with the girl. Tony let out a small sigh of content and looked to the crowd and acted as if he were telling them some big secret.

“The lady loves me, but she doesn’t know it yet.”

Tony walked across the room and over to the bar where Y/N was leaning against the counter. She didn’t bother looking at him, but Tony knew that she knew he was there by the way she tensed up ever so slightly and the small pink dusting her cheeks. Tony smiled and leaned in.

“She’s falling fast she’s on the skids.”

Y/N looked to the bartender and held up two fingers. The man rushed off to get her drinks while Y/N willed herself not to look at the billionaire beside her. Instead, she merely rested her chin against her hand and kept her eye forward.

“Both of his heads are flipping their lids.”

Tony smirked.

“Tonight she’ll hold me in her arms.”

The bartender came back and set two shots down in front of Y/N. The woman grabbed the drinks and held them up and shook them slightly as she sang, making sure not to spill them as she did.

“I’d rather be holding hydrogen bombs.”

Y/N downed one of the shots before looking back at the audience that had circled around them. She held the empty glass in the air and gave them all an exasperated look.

“Will someone tell this Romeo

I’m not his Juliet?”

Y/N then downed the other shot and set both glasses down. Tony looked to the crowd and winked at them.

“The lady loves me, but she doesn’t know it yet.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and turned her body so that her back was to Tony. The man leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear and making her shiver as he sang.

“She wants me.”

Y/N faked a scowl and looked at the man.

“Like poison ivy.”

Tony just shrugged and leaned back, a smug look of his face that basically screamed that he knew what she was hiding.

“Needs me.”

Y/N shook her head and turned back around.

“Like a hole in the head.”

With her turned around, Tony quickly walked over to the other side of her before she could realize it. He was standing right in front of her now and the smile on his face was enough to make her heart beat a little faster and her cheeks to heat up.

“Everyone can see she’s got it bad.”

Y/N sighed dramatically and looked to the crowd as she held her hands up in defeat.

“He’s mad!”

Her gaze fell back on Tony and sat down on the seat by her side.

“The gentleman is an egotist.”

Tony merely smirked and shrugged in response.

“I’m simply aware I’m hard to resist.”

Y/N was trying to hide her smile, but the corners of her lips twitched up slightly as she looked at the man.

“He’s one man I could learn to hate.”

Tony smiled and winked at the girl making her blush.

“How’s about having dinner at eight?”

Y/N shook her head slightly, but couldn’t stop the smile that was now dawning her face. She couldn’t believe this man. Tony really was something else. She looked to the ground as she stood up and quickly composed herself before looking back up at Tony with a straight face.

“I’d rather dine with Frankenstein

In a moonlight tete-a-tete.”

Tony shrugged, that smug look on his face returning.

“The lady loves me, but she doesn’t know it yet.”

The two stood there for a moment in silence as Tony continued to play the tune on his guitar. With their eyes locked, Y/N couldn’t hold back the smile anymore and Tony smiled at the sight of that beautiful grin of hers on her face.

“Oh yes she loves me.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow in amusement and began to walk towards the man, making him back up as she did.

“Dig that shrinking violet.”

Tony’s eyes flickered over her before locking with her eyes.

“Oh she really loves me.”

Y/N shook her head slightly as she smiled at the man.

“Here’s one gal you’ll never get.”

“She lo- lo- loves me.”

Y/N smirked at the boy and gave him a questioning look.

“Would you like to make a bet?”

Tony just smiled at her in response, too caught up in admiring her that he didn’t realize he was about to bump into a waiter who was carrying a big tray of drinks.

“I said the lady loves me.”

Y/N took one more step forward causing the man to step back and run into the waiter. The tray full of drinks all slipped out of his grasp and splashed down on Tony who stopped his playing as a look of shock appeared on his face. Y/N smirked and reached over to the bar counter before picking up a napkin. She leaned forward and wiped away at Tony’s eyes so that the man could open them and look at her.

“The gentleman’s all wet.”

Y/N then shoved the napkin in his chest causing Tony to reach up and grab ahold of it before watching her walk away from him. Even though he was drenched and Y/N had rejected him once again, Tony still found himself smiling after her as he watched her with eyes filled with adoration.

Tony Stark was more in love with Y/N L/N than he was before if that was even possible.

“You still think she won’t break one day?” Steve asked as he looked to Bucky. Bucky watched as Y/N walked out of the room before looking over at Tony who had a lovesick grin on his face. “Yeah, she’s gonna break,” Bucky agreed before taking a long sip of his drink making both Steve and Natasha chuckle in amusement.

Out in the hallway, Y/N continued to walk around the corner until she knew she was far from anyone’s line of sight. She then went and stood against a wall and put her hand against her beating heart as the smile on her face grew tenfold and the blush spread from her cheeks down to her neck.

It took Y/N a minute to control her breathing and calm herself before she managed to look around the corner and back into the room she had just walked out of. Just like every time she walked into a room, her eyes immediately found Tony.

He was returning the guitar to the musicians and was smiling as he said, “Thank you.” “You’re welcome. That’s one girl you’ve got,” one of the men of the band told him. Tony smiled, a look of pride and adoration on his face as he responded without a beat of hesitation, “My girl sure is something, isn’t she?”

Y/N smiled softly at those words, her stomach erupting with butterflies at the fact that Tony had called her ‘his girl.’

As if sensing her eyes on him, Tony met her gaze. She didn’t think the sparkle in his eyes could get any brighter, but as soon as he caught sight of her, she was proven wrong. He smiled at the girl and sent a small wink her direction before being pulled back into a conversation with the musicians, not noticing that his wink was enough to make her a blushing mess once again.

Y/N smiled and looked at the ground bashfully before looking back up at Tony before whispering to herself.

“The lady loves him, he just doesn’t know it yet.”

And when Tony came up later that evening, asking Y/N on a date for what had to be the hundredth time, he got a different answer than he was used to.

Yes.

[cocastyle]

I See You

Pairing — Bob Reynolds x reader

Word Count — 4k

Warning — SPOILER WARNING FOR THE THUNDERBOLTS* MOVIE I REPEAT SPOILER WARNING FOR THE THUNDERBOLTS* MOVIE!!

A/N — breaking my two years of not posting in honor of this amazing movie and character. the Thunderbolts* has reawakened my fire to write and I couldn’t ignore it. so here you go! this will be a bit of a short series. i kind of envision around three parts or so? anyways, i really hope you enjoy this and know this is your last warning before you continue on!! so if you haven’t seen the Thunderbolts* please save this for later <3

also, did you all notice the easter eggs i included ?? 👀

Part One Part Two Part Three

SPOILER WARNING FOR THE THUNDERBOLTS* MOVIE! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Bob Reynolds wasn't quite sure how any of this had happened. One minute he was pretty sure he had been dying and the next he was trapped in a series of never ending nightmares. Except it wasn't just his nightmares, there were other people's too.

He knew he had been having these moments where he didn't remember things, knew that there was something going on at a deeper level than he wanted to admit. He thought with Valentina explaining this power he had been given that it would explain everything he had been feeling, that the darkness wasn't truly his but something brought on by this experiment.

But he knew the truth and walking through these endless nightmares only proved that. The darkness was his. It was a culmination of everything he was feeling, everything that had been consuming him, and it had only taken more of a physical form thanks to the Sentry project.

Bob had no way of fighting this thing, no way of taking back control of his body. And at this point he wasn't even sure if he wanted control. After all, he was just Bob. He was useless. He was nothing. Everyone would be better off without him.

So now he was trapped with no where else to go but to walk through the thousands of rooms of everyone's deepest regrets and shames.

It had been an accident at first, but sometime after his own meth chicken nightmare was when he first started stumbling into the other rooms. He saw so many things, felt the guilt and weight that everyone else felt. One in particular had stuck with him when he had ended up watching the loop of a blind lawyer watching his friend die over and over. Bob couldn't watch that for very long before he was hurriedly trying to get to any other room but that one, the blind man's cries still rattling his bones.

Bob didn't know how long he walked for or how many rooms he went through until he got to one that made him pause as he came face to face with Tony Stark. It had been a while since the hero's death, but still seeing the face of the man that had helped bring everyone back from the Blip made Bob falter slightly.

Someone's biggest trauma was Tony Stark?

Bob took a couple steps back, his eyes scanning over the room as he tried to ground himself in what was going on. He seemed to be in someone's apartment. The place would've been nice if it weren't for the fact that whoever was living here clearly hadn't been picking up after themselves in quite some time. And by the look Tony Stark was making as he glanced at the dirty dishes in the sink, it seemed he was thinking the same.

Bob knew the signs before he even saw her. It wasn't just the state of the apartment, but it was the feeling in the air. That feeling of despair, sadness, and nothingness. That feeling of knowing you were alone and there was nothing you could do about it. It clung to everything in the apartment and Bob's heart ached slightly at the sight. After all, he knew what this was like. He knew it too well.

"I can feel you judging me," a voice said, instantly pulling Bob's attention to the couch where a girl was sitting with a blanket wrapped around her and a bottle of vodka in hand. She wouldn't meet Tony Stark's eyes as she stared at the bottle, her fingers numbly fiddling with the label. "I didn't ask for you to come over and judge how I'm living. Hell, I didn't even ask you to come over, so you might as well go."

Tony let out a soft sigh, "Kid, you were ignoring my calls. Of course I was going to come check on you."

"Ever think I ignored them for a reason?"

Tony huffed and grabbed a chair from the kitchen table before dragging it over in front of the couch. He sat down in front of the girl, tilting his head slightly as he watched her before saying, "You can't keep living like this."

"You think I don't know that?" she asked, her voice bitter. “Why are you here, Tony?”

Tony just watched her in silence before saying, "Listen, Steve and Natasha came to see me yesterday and—"

The girl slammed the bottle down on the table so hard Bob thought it would break. Her eyes were red rimmed as she glared at the man and muttered, "No. We're not doing this. You're not going to sit there and try to rope me into some crazy plot to try and bring everyone back. It's been five years and I'm done, okay? I have nothing left in me anymore and I don't give a shit, so just leave."

"Kid—"

"I said leave!" she exclaimed, her eyes beginning to glow white with a power that Bob could almost feel beneath his own skin. "I'm not some sob story for you to try to fix, okay? I messed up and didn't kill Thanos in time and half of the universe had to pay for it. I'm done trying to help. All I ever do is hurt people."

She looked away, her voice rough when she whispered, "You're all better off without me anyways."

Bob sucked in a breath at that, understanding washing over him as he watched the broken girl do everything she could not to cry.

"Y/N," Tony began but the girl simply shook her head.

"No, Tony. I'm done. Just leave and go ahead and do yourself a favor and never come back. It's not worth your time or energy and I sure as hell don't want you here," she said, her head still turned.

Tony stilled slightly at her words. "You don't mean that," he told her, but before he could even blink, Y/N had used her telekinesis to pick up the bottle of vodka and send it hurtling in his direction. The man barely had time to duck out of the way before it flew right past where his head had been and shattered against the wall. Tony turned to her in surprise but the girl was already getting up and walking to the door of what had to be her bedroom.

"I miss him too you know," Tony called after her causing the girl to still.

"Stop," Y/N warned him, but Tony ignored her and instead stood up, his eyes not leaving her as he clearly made no move to leave.

"Y/N, he wouldn't want this for you. That kid loved you so much. He would be devastated by—"

"I said stop!" Y/N yelled and before anyone knew what was happening, a force was suddenly throwing Tony across the room. The man thought fast and his nano suit had wrapped around him before he could even hit the wall and Bob watched as the color drained from Y/N's face at what she had done.

She was shaking as she stared at Tony, but by the time he was looking back up at her, the Iron Man mask sliding away from his face, she was cold once again. "Get the hell out of my apartment," was all she said before turning and walking into her room, slamming the door behind her. Bob watched her go, frowning slightly as the scene began to play again.

"That was before they won against Thanos," a voice said causing Bob to flinch in surprise. He quickly turned around to find Y/N a little ways behind him, sitting down at a chair in the corner of the room. Her eyes continued to watch the scene playing out in front of her and Bob was almost beginning to question if she had spoke in the first place when she muttered, "That was the last time I saw him before he died."

Her eyes met his then and Bob stilled under her gaze. She was a couple of years older than the version of her from the memory, a little more put together but in the kind of way that screamed help more than her younger self's look had. She had learned to mask it more, that much was clear. Or maybe it was just that Bob knew where to look, that he saw himself when he looked at her and knew in more ways than one just how tired she was.

"Who was he talking about?" Bob asked, silently cursing himself for that being the first thing he said but knowing he now had to just go with it. "The guy?"

Y/N hesitated, her eyes glazing over as she got lost in thought. There was a tiny moment of utter sadness that flashed across her face but it was gone so quickly as she muttered, "I don't know." She let out a sad laugh. "Isn't that sad? It's like there's blanks in my memory. All I know is that there is this immense feeling of loss not just once, but twice. Every time I try to think of him it's like the image of him only gets fuzzier."

Bob was silent for a moment. "I have trouble remembering things too," he admitted. "There are these moments where it's like I'll wake up from a dream I don't remember having and that time is just gone."

Y/N's eyes flickered his way, her gaze shifting over him in a way that made him stand up a little straighter. "I walked through a lot of rooms before ending up here," she told him, her eyes still studying him as though she were trying to piece him together. "This was the only one I couldn't leave."

"Why?" Bob questioned.

"Why did you stop in this one?" she retorted and Bob blinked in surprise. Her head tilted slightly as she stared blankly at the boy. It was a moment before she looked away and back at Tony who was watching her past self slam the door shut behind her as the memory started back up again. "I just wanted to see him again, I guess," she whispered. "I always hated this moment, hated that I pushed him away like that and left him to fight Thanos without me. Sometimes I wonder..."

She trailed off before shrugging slightly and looking back at Bob. "Guess I was as shocked by seeing Tony's face as you were when you walked in," Y/N said. Bob barely even thought his question before she placed a finger against her temple and let out a small sigh of exhaustion. "Telekinesis," she stated. "Just a fraction of the power I was born with, but it comes in handy from time to time. I knew who you were the second you walked into this memory. Your mind is very loud, but not in the way you'd expect it to be."

Bob wanted to ask her more, but it was clear she didn't want to expand on that comment. Instead she merely tapped her fingers against the arm of the chair she sat in and said, "So you're the one doing this."

It wasn't a question. She said it as though it were fact. Not that she was wrong, but something about the way she said it still made Bob's throat constrict.

"It's not. . .it's not me. It's—" Bob broke off and he could see the way she stared at him, knew that she was reading his mind. She blinked and quickly looked away. "Sorry," she whispered. "I can't help it sometimes. You lock yourself away long enough and you'll find it harder to control what once was so easy. But I get a sense that you know that."

Bob let out a small sigh, his eyes flickering over the past Y/N who sat on the couch with a haunted look in her eyes and a tight grip on the bottle in her hand.

"We've all done some bad things," Y/N told him, answering the questions flying through his mind. "I had the unfortunate experience of being the reason half the universe died. I was there that day that Thanos went to Wakanda to take the Mind Stone from Vision. I was the last one there before he snapped. I could've stopped it, but I let his words get to me and . . . well, you know the rest."

“The Blip,” Bob muttered and Y/N nodded solemnly. He could see her trying to keep it all together, but the tension was practically radiating off of her as she avoided his gaze.

“Go ahead and say it,” Y/N told him, her gaze locked on her past self who was busy hurling the bottle at Tony’s head. “You probably lost someone in the Blip, right? Had to suffer five years without them? Who was it? Family? Friends?”

Y/N didn’t even give him time to respond as she let out a sigh as if everything were pointless, “It doesn’t matter. Everyone still thinks the same thing, but I don’t blame them.”

“It’s my fault,” she admitted. “I caused everyone so much pain and suffering and then, when I had the chance to make things right, I pushed everyone away and locked myself in my room. Then Natasha died. Then Tony. And eventually Steve followed. And where was I? Drowning my sorrows in a bottle like the asshole that I am.” Y/N scoffed slightly at herself, the fury in her eyes something most people would probably flinch at but all Bob could do was soften at the sight. “So go ahead and say what you want. Call me names. Shout at me. Tell me how much of a monster I am. I deserve it. I’ll always deserve it.”

Bob didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what he could say. Not because it was all too much to process, but because he understood it. He understood what she was feeling. The pain and the anger. The guilt and regret. The shame. He understood it in ways he couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

But the silence was loud and Y/N wouldn’t meet his eyes. She just stared at the scene in front of her as her past self’s voice filled the silence between them, her voice rough as she whispered, "You're all better off without me anyways."

Y/N flinched at those words, her face crumbling slightly as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Bob felt his heart ache at the sight and for a moment, he saw himself sitting there in that chair. But more importantly, he saw her. He saw Y/N for who she truly was. He didn’t know what to say to her to make her better, so instead he just thought it.

I see you.

Y/N's eyes snapped up to him and Bob knew he hadn't had to say that out loud. She had heard him loud and clear.

She stood without another word, her eyes never leaving his as she walked towards him. She was quiet as she stopped in front of him, her gaze turning questioning as she studied him.

You do see me, don't you?

Bob let out a small gasp as her voice echoed in his head. He stared at her with wide eyes, but didn't flinch away not even when she took a step closer so that they were only a breath apart.

I can feel it, you know? That darkness. It calls to me.

"You know where he is?" Bob asked and Y/N quickly shook her head.

"I'm not talking about the Void," she whispered. She gently lifted her hand and placed it on his chest, right above his heart. "Here."

Bob's breath stuttered and he tried to keep his heart from racing as he whispered, "W-what does it say?"

"That it understands," Y/N replied. "That it sees what’s inside my own heart.” She hesitated before giving him a sad smile. “Like calls to like after all."

Bob stared at her, his eyes flickering over her face. He had thought she was pretty before, but up close she was even more beautiful than he could’ve imagined. Her eyebrow quirked slightly as if she had heard that thought and maybe she had, but Y/N was already moving on which he was silently thankful about.

“You feel it too,” she said and Bob didn’t need to say it out loud to confirm her thoughts. After all, he knew what she was talking about and she was right. Ever since he had emerged into this room, he had felt a sort of tug. It was the reason he had stayed. He thought it was because of seeing Tony Stark, but it was because he had felt her from the moment he had stepped foot into that room.

It was because he had seen her before ever laying eyes on her and it seemed she had done the same.

“I don’t know what to do,” Bob admitted, his words strained. “Every time I think I’m getting better, that I’ve finally pulled myself out of that darkness, I just. . .”

“Get pulled back under again?”

Bob was quiet for a moment, his gaze dropping to the floor as that same feeling of shame that always crept up when he thought about his problems beginning to rise in the form of a blush on his neck, “Yeah.”

There was a gentle touch against his chin before Y/N lifted his head so that his gaze met hers once more. Her touched lingered for just a moment, but then her hand was dropping back down to her side. Not once did she move the one that was still resting on his chest and above his heart, the only source of comfort either of them seemed to need.

She gave him a sad smile, her eyes getting a sort of far off look as she whispered, “Sometimes the hardest battle you’ll ever face is with yourself.”

Bob felt tears prick his eyes at those words and for a moment, he even felt a sense of comfort. Someone knew what he was going through. Someone understood.

He had never had that before.

“How do we beat it?” Bob’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Y/N seemed to come back to herself at those words, her eyes locking with his once more and her hand tightened on his shirt. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I’d like to figure that out. Together.”

Bob swore he stopped breathing at those words.

“Together,” he repeated, tears filling his eyes slightly out of disbelief.

Y/N merely nodded and she gently reached up, her thumb quickly swiping under his eye to brush away a stray tear that had fallen. Her own eyes were lined with tears as she whispered through a soft laugh, “Yeah, together. As long as you’re okay with being friends with the girl who does nothing but screw everything up.”

Bob couldn’t stop the small grin that began to peak out, the corners of his lips twitching up slightly as he opened his mouth to respond.

It was then that the doors to the room flew open, darkness flooding in and covering the walls and floors with black tendrils as it raced towards the two. The two stumbled back and away from each other as they tried to avoid the darkness creeping in and Y/N let out a small shout when her past self and Tony dissolved into nothing but shadows.

“Bob,” Y/N called out, but the boy was already reaching for her. He had ahold of her arm within a second and he pulled her to the one corner of the room not covered in darkness just yet.

His eyes were wide as he scanned what was left of the room, his grip tightening on Y/N’s arm in slight panic and confusion as he tried to process what was happening.

The darkness had never come after Bob before.

Not like this.

Something had signaled the Void. Something had scared him.

Bob’s eyes flickered to Y/N who was leaning into his touch, the tips of her fingers already beginning to glow white as she clearly analyzed the situation. His fingers felt warm against her forearm and for a moment he let himself remember the feel of her hand on his chest, the way her breath had fanned his face, and the way her words had wrapped around his heart like a hug he hadn't know he had needed.

And he knew.

The Void fed off of his sadness and loneliness and whatever Y/N had been making him feel was the opposite. The Void would do whatever he needed to crush this feeling, to stay in control. Even if it meant there were casualties along the way.

Bob’s heart ached at that thought and he quickly turned to Y/N who was backing closer to him as they were pushed further into the corner of the room and her memory. She moved her arm out of his grasp in order to hold her hands up, a white light emitting out against the darkness as she tried to hold it at bay.

"Bob, what's going on?" she asked. "What do we do?"

"I—" Bob was panicking now, the thought of Y/N getting hurt making him feel so many emotions that he hadn't felt in a long time. It scared him how much he felt towards the girl within just one conversation. He already knew he would do whatever needed to be done to save her and that thought alone scared him in more ways than one. Even more than the plan that was beginning to develop in his head, the plan that would save Y/N but would mean leaving her at the same time.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Y/N's head whipped in his direction. "Bob, no. You can't run. You have to fight this thing. If you don't, the darkness will only continue to consume you," she said.

"Cause you know what that's like?" Bob retorted, his panic and fear making him sound bitter. "We just watched the same memory over and over of you letting the darkness take over. If you can't fight it, what makes you think I can?"

Y/N's eyes softened slightly. "Bob," she started, but the darkness pushed closer towards them and she let out a strangled sound as she strained to keep her powers in check.

Bob watched her for a second, his eyes flickering over her one last time before he leaned forward. His lips brushed gently against her ear and he felt her shiver slightly under his touch. His breath came out shaky as he whispered, "I would've liked to be your friend."

Then, before she could do or say anything else, Bob had pulled back and thrown himself against the wall of the memory. His body broke through the barrier and into the next room, the darkness leaving Y/N behind in favor of chasing the boy.

"Bob!" Y/N cried out as she attempted to lunge after him, but the darkness threw her back and by the time she was up on her feet again, the memory had sealed itself around her, forcing her to relive the same moment with Tony while Bob got away.

- - -

Bob didn’t know how long he ran for. All he knew was that it took forever for him to get back to his own rooms. He almost cried when the meth chicken scene appeared before him, but he didn’t stop there. He continued his trek even after the darkness eventually faded away, now satisfied that Bob was back where he belonged.

Everything was just too loud, the memories too much for Bob to withstand while that feeling of utter loneliness crept up on him once more. It was foolish of him to think he could ever have someone understand him, that he could ever have someone in his life without hurting them in the end. He had done this to himself.

He deserved to be alone.

At some point Bob eventually managed to find the attic of one of his memories, the only quiet place in this miserable void, and he was quick to tuck himself away in there, away from all the noise and the darkness that he could feel feeding off of everyone's chaos.

It was only then that he sat down and curled in on himself, his breathing shaky as he tried to push every last thought of Y/N out of his head.

"She's better off without me," Bob whispered to himself like a mantra, his head tucked close to his knees as he let the stillness envelope him in a hug much different than the one Y/N’s words had given him. “She’s better off without me.”

“Everyone is.”

[cocastyle]

it’s been two years since i posted on here 😅 but i just might have to make a return simply for sunrise on the reaping because the ideas that i have are too much to contain

[cocastyle]

#and now they’re back

[cocastyle]

if steve dies… 🔪

[cocastyle]

had a family member pass away recently so the new updates I promised are going to take a while longer since I’m taking a break to be with family. thank you all in advance for understanding and sending lots of love your way <3

[cocastyle]

it has been a little over a year since I last posted on here and I wanted to apologize and let you all know that I am doing fine but took a break from tumblr for a while as I dealt with my mental health as well as some thing going on in the family. however, I have returned and I will attempt to write new updates for the series I had started, but in the meantime will be posting a new series which I am very happy to announce — a Dean Winchester Supernatural rewrite!!

this series will also be in the form of a book on my wattpad (@cocastyle) with a main character while on here I will switch out the character for Y/N and allow you all to insert yourself into the storyline!

anyways, once again, I apologize for being gone for so long but be on the look out for new updates coming soon!

[cocastyle]

REBLOG IF YOU DON’T MIND WRITERS TAKING TIME OFF FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH

[cocastyle]

Hi I'm so sorry to bother you but I was just wondering if you're going to write a part 5 to Robin and if you do is that the last part?

hello! I do plan on writing and finishing it which means it’ll be a lot more than just one more part left. I’ve been super busy lately and then I was at camp and recently had an asthma attack only a couple of days ago so I’ve been out of commission and still kind of am. hoping to be back on my feet sometime soon and able to write!

[cocastyle]

Hi❤ not to pressure or anything, but will you update Robin anytime soon? I adore it so far and can't wait to see what happens next!

hey!! you’re all good! I’ve just been so busy lately and lowkey stressed out, but new updates are coming soon. probably not this week exactly since it’s like the busiest week of my life lol, but hopefully next week!

[cocastyle]

Hey sorry idk if I actually sent it or not last time but would it be cool if I was added to the robin taglist if it’s not too much trouble

hey! it sent, I’m just late to respond so sorry for that! but I did add you to the tag list ;)